Top Grading
by Brad Smart
Mentioned once across 1 show · first heard Apr 2026 on My First Million.
The general take
Graham Weaver credits Top Grading (via its sequel "Who") as a foundational resource for learning how to hire effectively. He presents it straightforwardly as a practical hiring methodology without elaborate commentary on its merits.
About
Great companies don’t just depend on strategies—they depend on people. The more great people on your team, the more successful your organization will be. But that’s easier said than done. Statistically, half of all employment decisions result in a mishire: The wrong person winds up in the wrong job. But companies that have followed Bradford Smart’s advice in Topgrading have boosted their successful hiring rate to 90 percent or better, giving them an unbeatable competitive advantage. Now Smart has fully revised his 1999 management classic to reintroduce the topgrading concept, which works for companies large and small in any industry. The author spells out his practical approach to finding and managing A-level talent—as well as coaching B players to turn them into A players. He provides intriguing case studies drawn from more than four thousand in-depth interviews.
Who said what
Graham Weaver👍 Recommends
…hiring methodology and interviewing techniques for identifying leaders
“We learned this from a book called who, which was the sequel to the book called top grading. And it's about basically how to hire.”
My First Million — We asked a $15B Investor how to survive the AI bubbleat 33:02
Listener reviews
Bought Top Grading after hearing about it? Tell everyone how it went.
