Few words are used more often, yet defined so differently. The other day, a colleague asked me a simple question: "What else do you want from life?" I didn't need much time to think. I smiled and replied: "Honestly... I'm happy." Not because I believe I've achieved everything. Nor because I no longer have ambitions. Quite the opposite.

We all know reference checks are part of the hiring process, but very few organizations use them in a way that predicts real success. In my experience leading sales teams, I’ve seen the same blind spot over and over, reference checks almost always go upward, meaning, references are provided by people the candidate reported to. But what about the people who reported to them?