CEO reveals the three major red flags she looks out for when hiring and people are taking notes

It takes an expert's eyes to spot toxic traits in the people they hire for their business or company. Entrepreneur Deryl McKissack is one such expert. The 63-year-old founder and CEO of Washington D.C.-based construction firm McKissack & McKissack had humble beginnings, kickstarting her business with $1,000 in 1990, reports CNBC. McKissack has since grown her company to generate $25 million per year in revenue. She shared her success story on CNBC Make It, weighing in on how a successful business requires contribution from the right kind of employees.

McKissack searched for years and years to build the perfect team for her business and through this process, she has learned how to spot red flags in potential employees. While hiring her staff, McKissack ensures to look out for three main red flags. The first kind of people she avoids hiring are the ones who lack integrity. "Every boss needs to be able to trust their employees," McKissack told the news outlet. "People who lack integrity are a problem, especially managers who don't give their teams proper credit. If someone is saying 'I did this' the whole time, and they're not giving credit to their team."

McKissack pointed out that the second type of people who do not have a place in her company are the ones who are "hard to be around." Every industry needs team players to maintain harmony among workers. However, if co-workers do not like to be around a certain employee, then it can pose a problem to the business. McKissack mentioned that she needs to "like her employees' personalities because if she doesn't like to be around them, chances are, the clients won't either." She added, "If I don't want to be in their presence, then no one wants to be in their presence, usually."

The third kind of people McKissack avoids hiring are those who "do not live up to the company mantra." McKissack & McKissack has a three-word mantra: humble, hungry and smart. The businesswoman revealed that she picked up the mantra from author and business management expert Patrick Lencioni's book, "The Ideal Team Player." "We have an insatiable appetite for success," McKissack wrote on LinkedIn earlier this year, per the outlet. "Humility drives us to make decisions for the collective good and we value emotional intelligence because we know that's what builds strong relationships."

"I kept saying, 'We've been stagnant for years. Why am I stagnant?'" McKissack said. "But when I made that decision to make our mission larger than just what we do, bricks and mortar, but make it more about the betterment of mankind, is when we really started changing." McKissack's sister, Cheryl, also aids her in the growth of the business by serving as the CEO and president of the company. In a 2017 interview with The New York Times, McKissack revealed a bit more about how she hires new talent.

"When I interview somebody for a senior role, I'll often go out to dinner with them and I'll tell them to bring their spouse to dinner. You would just not believe how much you learn. When he goes to the bathroom, I'll ask his wife, 'So tell me, what are his weaknesses?' Because wives know all," she told the news outlet. Additionally, McKissack revealed how she reads people's faces and eyes and can tell if they are "bright and bubbly." While hiring, she also asks potential employees to talk about the biggest challenge they have faced in their life and how they overcame it as this reveals a lot about a person.