James King is a highly accomplished entrepreneur and performance expert with a background in trading, technology, and investment management. He has passed elite military selection tests and led performance programs in UK special forces. In sports, he has advised world champions, Olympic gold medallists, and top-tier athletes. He focuses on aligning individual strengths with business needs to drive engagement and long-term success. 

In this first of two-part episodes, James dissects talent identification and performance optimisation, particularly in high-stakes environments like trading. He emphasises aligning individuals’ strengths, interests, and values with job demands to create “concordant performers”. 

Takeaways 

• Align individual strengths, interests, and values to maximise performance and engagement.

• Use structured assessments to identify, attract, and retain top-performing talent effectively.

• Clearly define job demands before hiring to ensure the right fit.

• Attract top talent by offering unique opportunities beyond salary and prestige.

• Company culture impacts talent acquisition more than size or industry reputation.

• Simulations provide valuable insights into real-world job performance and problem-solving skills.

• Cognitive and psychometric testing improve hiring accuracy and long-term success.

• Prioritise long-term cultural fit over immediate skills and experience.
High-performance environments accelerate learning, development, and career growth.
• Compete by leveraging unique strengths rather than mimicking competitors’ strategies.

Follow James King
https://jamesaking.com/
https://jamesaking.com/podcast/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/acceleratingexcellence/ 
https://www.youtube.com/@AcceleratingExcellence 
https://www.tiktok.com/@jamesaking_ 
https://www.instagram.com/jamesaking_/
https://www.facebook.com/Mrjamesaking 

Books on this episode
Accelerating Excellence https://amzn.to/3E4VVY2

Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheEvolutionPartners

Newsletter – each week I share interesting insights, articles and ideas you can use. Join other leaders and subscribe to The Evolution Partners newsletter https://evolutionpartners.com.au/subscribe/

Books – Learn more about our books https://evolutionpartners.com.au/books/
Made to Thrive: The practical, prescriptive guide on how to be a great CEO.
Onboarded: How to bring new hires to the points where they are more effective faster. A business case for leaders on why you should commit to an effective onboarded process. 
Onboarded for Managers: Helping managers bring new hires to the point where they are more effective faster.

Follow me:
on https://au.linkedin.com/in/bradleygiles
on https://twitter.com/Evolution_Perth 

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