Hiring for Emotional Intelligence with DeDe Halfhill of TAIOH Partners

DeDe Halfhill, Founder and Principal Consultant of TAIOH Partners, is a retired US Air Force colonel with 25 years of service. Her career includes a tour with the US Air Force Thunderbirds, two command assignments, including a squadron in Iraq, and a role on the staff of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon. We talk with DeDe about the 1948 Air Force leadership manual behind her upcoming book, the story that earned her a place in Brené Brown's "Dare to Lead," and why emotional intelligence is the most important skill a leader can hire for. She also shares the interview question she uses to test for accountability and explains when confidence becomes a red flag. KEY TAKEAWAYS 00:00 Introduction. 01:54 A postcard in the mail, a persistent recruiter, and the start of a 25-year career. 11:03 What fighter pilots taught a young public affairs officer about holding her ground. 20:09 What a 1948 Air Force leadership manual reveals about emotion and the mission. 25:27 The response at the Pentagon in 2020 that became the reason for a book. 32:17 How changing one word in a question changed a conversation with a room full of Airmen. 35:40 The hiring opinion most leaders would disagree with, and the interview question that tests for it. 39:20 Where healthy confidence ends and a hiring red flag begins. 40:46 A simple exercise that helps people see the strengths everyone else already sees. Thank you for listening to "Hire Learning with Oz Rashid." Don't forget to leave us a review and subscribe so you don't miss out on future episodes. Connect with our host, Oz Rashid, on LinkedIn:   / ozrashid  . To learn more about MSH, visit https://www.talentmsh.com. RESOURCES MENTIONED DeDe Halfhill, the site for DeDe's keynote and leadership advisory work: https://dedehalfhill.com "Dare to Lead" by Brené Brown, the book that features DeDe's story about her Airmen: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/bo... "The Upswing" by Robert D. Putnam, the book on America's I-we-I curve that changed DeDe's thinking: https://www.simonandschuster.com/book... "The 36 Questions That Lead to Love" by The New York Times, which DeDe cites as a model for interview questions that build honesty: https://nyti.ms/1BWQijj Claude, the AI tool DeDe uses to build systems and a video editing skill: https://claude.ai OpusClip, the AI clipping tool that came up during the AI discussion: https://www.opus.pro #TalentAcquisition #HiringStrategy #WorkforceTrends