Surrounded by idiots…or the need of a correct screening and on-boarding process.

By using the structure of HumInt recruiting in business deployment process, you will likely avoid risky personalities.

We always strive to categorize people, put them in boxes, just like the author Mikael Erikson successfully has done with his book "Surrounded by Idiots". But is it correct? We want to simplify, make it logical, and to understand each other.

To look upon each person as an individual and unique personality would make it impossible. We need to structure, simplify, and therefore we make all sorts of generalizations and categories, also with personalities. And human intelligence is all about making generalizations, assumptions, to find patterns. Intelligence is to take old experiences and apply them to new situations. Similarly, we are looking for structures in other people.

However, generalizations and personality tests will always be questioned, and many of the models are based on Carl Jung's theories. However, since the last decades, the majority of psychologists have left Jung's theories because of lack of empirical clinical studies. More recent research shows that personalities are not that fixed but more dynamic and changing in situations and during a person's lifetime. However, the research most psychologists find applicable is the Big Five theory. The degree of each is not static for a person but changes due to the situation and the person's maturing. The acronym OCEAN:

1. Openness
2. Conscientiousness
3. Extraversion
4. Agreeableness
5. Neuroticism

A spy has always put a lot of effort into the "onboarding" of an agent. The objective of targeting and vetting is to filter and find a tentative asset, with best access, motive, and ability. In the aptitude, more and more attention has been focused on the person's ability. It is especially important if you make a cold approach, i.e., no opportunity to prime or cultivate the target ahead of the pitch. Therefore, the target's risk appetite is incredibly important. Otherwise, the target would not even start the conversation with you, acting "better safe than sorry" in all situations, doesn't give you a window of opportunity.

But do you want staff with the risk appetite? You need to identify what personality is preferable. Before onboarding, consider the OCEAN but also pre-dispositions raising questions. Scientists at Carnegie Mellon University have identified the most common personality traits at malicious insiders. Red flags at the vetting:

1. Frustrations
2. Ethical flexibility
3. Reduced loyalty
4. Sense of entitlement
5. Lack of empathy
6. Anger at authority

The targeting and vetting is crucial and recruiters need to take it seriously if they want to keep the staff for longer terms, and keep them content, loyal. And look at some of the most famous spy cases, how well the agents have been vetted and recruited. I believe the corporate world has a lot to learn from the spy business.