I pay no attention to certifications and ratings. I have been through it too many times when an all-decorated purple belt of something turns out to be a major disappointment. In associates, I look for intelligence, curiosity, drive, and passion. It never interests me how long the person has been in this industry, nor how many of those feel-good certificates he or she collected.

As a result, unlike the organizations that talk about hiring talent and fail at it, I am able to hire the real deal, not “team players” (they are typically not), seat warmers or other species of the ubiquitos office plankton. It is not that difficult when you are capable of making the right decision.

But here is another example: my wife and I went out with friends on Saturday. The restaurant we chose has a bunch of awards.

Awards don’t matter, though, if the artichoke dip has no artichoke in it and is inedible due to copious amounts of undercooked garlic (and I love garlic, mind you), if frites are limp and soggy and the greens are not green at all.

Why are we obcessed with certifications and rankings when we are the best judge of the quality?