When we were looking for our current worship leader it felt like it took forever to find the right guy.  (Thankfully, we found Seth and he’s definitely the right guy!)  During the search, though, it often felt like nothing was ever going to happen.  We spent months, off and on, looking.  Some thought that I was too picky but I’m wasn’t. I just knew what I was looking for and it wasn’t easy to find. 

Bill Hybels says that when you’re hiring someone you need to look for CIA.  Chemistry, first, then Integrity and then, lastly, Ability.  I couldn’t agree more.

The fact is that we talked to more than a few people that would’ve make a fine worship leader for us talent-wise but that’s only about 10% of what’s important.  It’s like surveying an iceberg.  They say that only 10% of an iceberg is above the surface.  The essence of the iceberg is unseen and that’s true when you’re looking at candidates for any position.  You need to look at work history, chemistry and teachability, as well as vision and passion.  These things aren’t always as they appear at first blush. 

Look beyond talent.  Talent, while important, is almost always over-rated.  Remember, most people get hired because of talent but they get fired because of attitude and character issues.