McKissack, 63, is the founder and CEO of Washington D.C.-based construction firm McKissack & McKissack, which she launched with $1,000 from her savings in 1990.
She churned through employees who weren't the right fit in her company's early years and the business struggled, she says.
These three red flags stand out the most when McKissack is hiring employees or evaluating her current talent, she says.
People who lack integrityEvery boss needs to be able to trust their employees, McKissack says.
"If I don't want to be in their presence, then no one wants to be in their presence, usually" she says.
Persons:
McKissack, they're, Heidi K, Gardner, Steve Adcock, Adcock
Organizations:
Washington D.C, CNBC, Harvard Law School