Have you been following that high profile court case? You know, the one with the girl who was acquitted of committing a heinous crime. I don't need to go too far in to the details (and I don't want to), but it's hard to turn on the TV these days and not hear the daily, juicy details of some particular court case. And then there are all of the crime and court room dramas in prime time. What is it with our infatuation with crime and the justice system? I guess that's a discussion for another place and time...
Court dramas played out on TV and in real life have all the same characters: those on the defense and the prosecution teams, the judge, witnesses, and the jury. The jury is an interesting group of people; a group I think gets overlooked when we talk about the details of the case. They're in charge of the ultimate verdict. The buck stops with them, you might say. Okay, maybe that would be the judge (details, details), but in all seriousness, the jury holds a lot of weight in a court room and it is imperative to select the right one.
The right jury can make the difference in whether or not a defendant is sent to prison. When selecting a jury, trial lawyers need to keep in mind the biases potential jurors may have. For example, you do not want a juror with a doctor in the family to be on the jury in a malpractice case; the juror might associate his or her medical relative with the defendant. Such biases can be seen at the very beginning of selection and will help mold a jury that can approach the case with an open mind.
Much is the case when selecting new talent. Like in a court case, there is an overall strategy to follow and a goal in mind when hiring new talent. Employees will contribute to that strategy and spotting the right talent will improve the end business results. In an upcoming webcast, Spotting Star Employees at the Application Stage, Paul Basile, CEO of Matchpoint Careers will share his expertise on the research and technology that help spot the best and the right talent for your organization.
With debate growing over the verdict a jury brought forward on a recent court case, choosing the right jurors is a critical piece to think about. As the right jurors will (fingers crossed) come to the right verdict, so too will the right talent help drive the right business strategy and contribute to achieving the organizational goals.
Photo by wblj