World renowned consultant and industrial psychologist shares his proven strategy for hiring "A" players， building dream teams， and achieving excellence--a fool-proof system now in place at today s leading companies. Great companies are made， not born. The secret is hiring the right people--the "A" players. This is， of course， easier said than done. Statistically， half of all employment situations result in a mis-hire; the wrong person for the wrong job. And with the cost of a mis-hire at twenty-four times salary， the financial drain can be staggering! Compare that with Brad Smart s 90% success rate and understand why topgraded organizations such as General Electric and Allied Signal consistently beat the competition. In this unparalleled work， Dr. Smart introduces readers to the tograding concept--how and why it works. The author sets forth principles which hold true for Fortune 500 companies as well as small emerging companies. Topgrading is a silver bullet--the corporate initiative that empowers all other corporate initiatives. The author spells out his practical hands-on approach and provides intriguing case studies culled from his file of more than 4，000 in-depth interviews. Topgrading s expert coaching techniques are also revealed and readers learn how managers who topgrade become leaders， achieving success and excellence not only for their companies， but also for themselves. This book is not without controversy， however， as Brad discusses how those who don t pull their own weight， the chronic "C" players， must step aside， be redeployed， or terminated.