Everyone Hates HR

Recruiting: The Dating Game

2011-12-11T17:20:00.000-08:00

It seems the recruiting scene is bubbling in New York. Recently, I hear much more of people offering jobs than looking for them.

Technical co-founders are particularly in demand. A recruiter friend said they don't even attempt technical co-founder hires. It's not just about screening for skill sets and relevant experiences. Co-founders can be like spouses - with personalities, emotions and motivations all being major factors. It can get very complicated. You have to be a million dollar matchmaker to pull this off - it's just not worth it.

It's certainly not new. The last couple years top medical schools have started looking beyond just grades and scores and placing a huge on interpersonal and communication skills. As part of this, applicants must participate in a 'speed dating' process, rotating through a serious of 10 minute interviews. The financial services industry did their own invite-only 'Minute to Spin It' recruiting event. This type of event puts applicants in a social setting. It also showcases how companies are open to new and creative ideas.

There seem to be some good advantges to this format. If you thought of recruiting more like dating, what would you do differently? Flowers on the first date? Would you tell them about your crazy parents, or wait till the second or third date? Would you be more attuned to personality fit than you are now? Is it something you are willing to try?

2011-11-14T08:35:00.000-08:00

You are what you learn. If all you know is how to be a gang member, that's what you'll be, at least until you learn something else. If you go to law school, you'll see the world as a competition. If you study engineering, you'll start to see the world as a complicated machine that needs tweaking. A person changes at a fundamental level as he or she merges with a particular field of knowledge. If you don't like who you are, you have the option of learning until you become someone else. There's almost nothing you can't learn your way out of. If you don't like who you are, you have the option of learning until you become someone else. Life is like a jail with an unlocked, heavy door. You're free the minute you realize the door will open if you simply lean into it.

Scott Adams in Dilbert.com

Scheduling 2012 Holidays

2011-11-05T20:34:00.000-07:00

There is interesting stuff in this post, I promise! But first, The Basics: how many Holidays should you give and which ones?

For the first piece of the puzzle, I would consider eight (8) or nine (9) days as the average number of paid Holidays given in the U.S. I like nine as an average because it seems more companies I've worked with fall here, but a more recent report lists an average of eight. Obviously, there is room for interpretation and you can find lots of different stats, and variances across industries.

Next, I'm usually guided by the 2012 Federal Holiday schedule.

Monday, January 2*	New Year's Day
Monday, January 16	Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Monday, February 20	Washington's Birthday/President's Day
Monday, May 28	Memorial Day
Wednesday, July 4	Independence Day
Monday, September 3	Labor Day
Monday, October 8	Columbus Day
Monday, November 12*	Veterans Day
Thursday, November 22	Thanksgiving Day
Tuesday, December 25	Christmas Day

* Typically, when the legal public holiday falls on Sunday, the following Monday is treated as a holiday for pay and leave purposes. Boom.

The Intermediates:
Your Holidays are part of you total benefit package. Consider your employee population, and other vacation, sick and benefits as you set your Holiday schedule.

And dude, don't forget to give the Friday after Thanksgiving off! Eating all that turkey and then having to come into work the next day when your friends don't have to would be memorably bad!

Consider the concept offering Floating Holidays, extra paid leave days to be designated by the employee. They're cool! Some folks would rather not recognize Columbus Day and might instead like to have their Birthday off or a Religious Holiday.

If you go this route, I'd start with at least the big six holidays (New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. (Big seven if you add the day after Thanksgiving). Many private business often observe only these days, and most everyone else has them, so they are good days to start with.

Floating Holiday Warning: Employees can be bummed that they have less official days off than their peers. It's easy to forget they have a Floating Holiday instead of Columbus Day, for example. At these times, it makes the benefit of Floating Holidays feel more like a lack of benefits. Communication, like sharing a Benefits Summary Sheet could help this. Floating days might pose a burden to schedule or productivity, if people are out at random days, instead of all at once. You might also be obligated to track floating days as earned and accrued time off.

Overall, keep in mind that paid Holidays is not something that is required by law, but rather is something offered by the employer to attract and retain employees. So, as much as your business can bear, be generous. Are your Holidays in accord with your overall HR strategy? Is your Holiday offering appealing? Do employees have related gripes? Frequently review your policy and change it if you need to.

A Great Recruiting Program

2011-10-30T11:38:00.000-07:00

There are many ways to grow your team quickly, or simply to attract great talent. Let's take a quick look at Atlassian for some tips. Atlassian is a fast growing software development company planning to grow from 250 to 500 in the next few years. They've ramped up the team before and they know how to put some love and care into a recruiting program.

First, take note - their website's career page and job descriptions are approachable, casual, and fun. It looks like they value the page and put some time and thought there. They list being 'open and transparent' as the #1 reason why people would want to work. That is significant by itself. To me, it signals they recognize why people really work: to really be part of something bigger, to be engaged in work, etc...

A beefy referral program. To ramp up the team, they will shell out $10,000 for an internal referral and $2,000 for referrals from outside the company.

They have parties and beer carts and that stuff.

How about a weeks vacation before you start? Yeah. they do that. Sounds nice.

Having a limo pick you up at the airport when you arrive into town, sending you on a hiking tour, and out to a nice lunch with your partner to start things off.

Make staffing agencies work for you efficiently! Atlassian came up with a very clever idea to drive better performance from staffing agencies while significantly reducing the amount of time involved managing the process. They created a 'bounty'. Any agency can submit resumes for open jobs, but they can only send in 4 candidates. IF Atlassian hires one of the candidates, they will continue to do business with the agency. If they don't use any of the 4, they won't work with the agency again. You can imagine the agencies scrutinizing candidates before sending them along. Brilliant. Good for the company and good for the (good) agencies.

When the new employee starts, they get a T-shirt, some chocolate, pen and paper, computer and chair set with workstation and user accounts set up in advance. And a welcome card. That's enough to make them brag to friends.

There are lots of different ways you can attract great talent. What are you doing?

Don't Forget Your Daily Impact

2011-10-24T07:02:00.000-07:00

Startups face crucial decisions everyday. What projects will you take, who will work on them, where should resources be allocated, and when is it alright to stray from previously agreed upon strategy?

During all of this, many of us forget the impact each employee can have. It's easy to see the CEO's decision making power. We might see a how a project manager tackles a problem. But we don't always see the power every person brings with them each day to work.

Understand your daily impact and foster employees to bring their power to the organization.

Creating an environment where each person knows they change the course of business is exciting. There are new ideas and new momentum. It increases the chance people will step up and deliver.

As a leader, do you find easy opportunities to allow people to speak up? How often are your actions squashing new ideas? How are you harnessing and directing energy and ideas?

Your Employees Work Magic You Don't Know About...

2011-09-23T22:37:00.000-07:00

I always listen to This American Life on NPR. Not long ago they reran a story that reminded me of people and process and how easy it is to under-appreciate all the dynamics that makes your business tick.

The story was about the Vienna Beef sausage company of Chicago, who made an excellent product and were a company on the grow. To handle their growth, they even moved to a bigger and better facility on the Northside.

Once they moved, the sausages weren't the same. It was the same recipe and the same process, but they didn't the same deep red color nor the snap and smokiness that made the dogs so popular.

Everyone knew it. For a year and a half after the move people pontificated about the reasons - was it the water? The new equipment?

No. It was Irving. Employees at the new plant remembered Irving, who did not move with the company to the Northside. His job, at the old plant, was to transport the sausages from the cold room, through a maze of hallways, through the boiler room, up the elevator, and to the smokehouse. Turns out, the sausages would warm up in the half hour trip. The new efficient facility didn't allow for this step. But it was the secret sauce! They have since fixed the issue, with a high-tech Irving Room to replicate his walk.

Are you sure you know what makes you successful? You usually don't get to see it as clearly as Vienna Beef. Don't forget the forces working beyond your spreadsheets, your process, and your equipment. Take some time to Manage By Wandering Around.

HR with an Iterative Approach

2011-07-25T21:06:00.000-07:00

Too often, human resources initiatives are seen as locked in stone. Policies are set and often forgotten. "That's how we do things around here." HR practices become blockades to how people can operate in the organization - and how effective the human resources function is. Sure, there may be reasons why you have stifling policies and procedures in place - but you should be able to easily explain these reasons, why they are important to employees and the organization, and embrace the opportunity to change them.

Software improves with each release. Product offerings, financial targets, and customers profiles all seem to be more dynamic than human resource initiatives. They change with new pieces of information. With each failure and success.

So should your HR practices.

Does the incentive plan drive cooperative behaviors? Does your health plan provide good utility to employees and make financial sense? Do performance reviews impact performance and do you use them to guide decisions down the road? How do you post jobs and interview? Can employees work from home?

Whenever appropriate, examine the purpose of the policy and the behavior it produces. Is it reinforcing the beneficial behavior? Does it produce negative outcomes? Is it necessary? Can it be simplified, clarified, or improved?

Get Out of the Office

2011-06-25T09:59:00.000-07:00

I, like many people, have an unhealthy fancy for Zappos. More than two years ago, IreadthisInc. article with, Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh. , and learned Manager's at Zappos "are now required to spend 10 percent to 20 percent of their time goofing off with the people they manage". Fantastic!

This doesn't have to be anywhere near 20 percent (we can't all be best in class like Zappos). "It's just kind of a random number we made up," Hsieh concedes. "But part of the way you build company culture is hanging out outside of the office."

A requirement to spend time away from work is not only fun, but provides the essential building blocks of better business. It's a chance to build team cohesion, share what's going on (in work and personal lives), casually brainstorm, share aspirations, and openly recognize and appreciate.

It sounds a good deal like Management By Wandering Around (MBWA), suggested by consulting heavyweight, Tom Peters. Unstructured get-togethers provide a way of staying directly in touch with the folks who do the work - it's an essential aspect of 'excellence' in organizations.

So, with the goal of improving your business and productivity, focus on getting out there and enjoying the world. Go to a major league game, go river rafting, paint balling, visit a museum or sit at a beer garden.

Employees will appreciate a space between stretches of working. They might find inspiration, relaxation, or perhaps learn something that can positively affect their work. It will also become a perk of the job and a positive part of your culture.

Plus One for Telecommuting!

2011-04-15T21:46:00.000-07:00

I've seen great, and not-so-great, work from employees working away from the office. Actually, I've seen the same from employees working from the office. Telecommuting in and of itself is not the issue.

This means it's time to take another look at your applicant pool, without the focus on working from the office.

I know I've gone different ways on this in the past .... I do feel there are real merits to sitting in the same space, hearing what people are kvetching about, seeing how people react when certain projects or deadlines are mentioned, and seeing who is getting what information, for example. People connect in a visceral way in meatspace.

However, especially in this job market, its time to consider that the problem might be more about management and less where people are sitting.

Current applicants shouldn't all now expect to work from home! But, we do walk the walk. We have an employee that physically comes into the office just 2 days a week. Another that works in the office weeks at a time, and then will work from another state for a couple weeks. Still another works full time from Japan.

Fact: these employees are very talented and can deliver value with this relationship.

Instead of focusing on finding people who can work out of your office, focus on finding the best person for the job. Yes, some jobs need to be done in the office. But, keep an open mind. Try to focus on connecting to remote employees in new ways. It's easy to have employees attend meetings virtually. Set up a monitor and speakers for a virtual head. Concentrate more on communicating and setting and managing expectations and deliverables.

Share Information

2011-03-07T19:47:00.000-08:00

An easy way to massively increase ownership (a recent theme for me) is to share information - to communicate more and communicate better. Share information about the company, where it's headed, current and future challenges, customer prospects, product direction, and your thoughts about how employees' efforts fit in.

When people feel part of the bigger picture, they feel more valuable. It creates meaning to see how their work contributes to a better result for customers or a better product. Seeing where they fit in something bigger drastically increases the effort and creativity of employees - they see what needs to be done and own a piece of the puzzle that is needed to get there.

On the flip side, a lack of information is the same as saying "There's no need for you to know this. Your work exists in isolation, and doesn't matter that much."

In a void of information employees speculate - they fill in the blanks. Chances are very good their imagination is worse (or better) than reality. In both case, they are not focused on your vision and are being set up for disappointment.

Enough of the gloom and doom. 'If I take more time to share information, what's in it for me?' you ask. In the process of sharing information, you get information back. Your team is the front line troops with a granular look at problems and solutions. You see the company as if you are looking at a city from an helicopter. Your employees are in the streets amongst the buildings. They are the ones with insight and awareness of the side streets and back alleys, the pros and cons of your vision and direction, and the ones who will be doing the hand-to-hand combat needed to get you to the next step. Sharing information from each of your viewpoints works in a complimentary fashion.

Take the time to share information. Do daily chats, maybe weekly group meetings, off-site strategy discussions, and have public customer/product whiteboards. Make it part of your everyday process. Make it a priority.

When has a concerted effort of sharing information paid off for you? When has it failed? What is the best way you've found to give and get company info?

Make the Naysayers Own It

2011-02-20T14:30:00.000-08:00

I was just thinking how powerful it could be to give ultimate ownership to someone that shows initiative and passion for their job. It still sounds like a good idea. But how about giving ownership to someone who doesn't like how things are operating?

Recently, a mom at my kids preschool caused a ruckus. She thought parent-teacher conferences should be held in the early am, felt the music was too loud and lights too bright at nap time, and was upset that her toddler wasn't spoon-fed. The mother did not address any official at the school about these grievances, but instead created an online group for concerned parents to discuss.

The leaders at the school soon learned about this mother and her concerns. First, they asked her to discuss her issues with staff and allow a chance for them to be addressed as an organization. Then, in what I see as a mature and innovative move, they asked her to join the school's Board.

Why not take the biggest critics, the most vocal opponents, and make them the owners of the very process they have a problem with? Wouldn't a fox know best how to protect the hen house?

A leader would still have to provide guidelines, support, resources, and (maybe a bit more than normal) monitor as they would for any 'owner.' But I see a questioning of the status quo that might be helpful and a possible resolution that could be supported unanimously.

My guess is this mother would argue her child won't get nourishment unless they are spoon-fed. And my hope is that others would help her see that preschool is a time to learn to grow up. A time to learn that if you are hungry you can't always rely on being spoon-fed.

For someone who finds problems, making them responsible for a successful resolution could drive the best results. Maybe this means changing what is accepted. Maybe this means this person discovers the path to success is different than they imagined, becoming a new advocate and eliminating resistance. Maybe they don't like these options and leave. All good results I say.

What problems to you see with this plan? I don't know yet what will happen with our school board, or with music at nap times - but my kids seem to be eating fine by themselves.

How to Give Ownership

2011-02-01T03:08:00.000-08:00

My last post talked about the value of making your employees 'owners'. It's clear why this is good for everyone, but how do you give ownership?

Agree on the tasks/functions to be passed off. Hire smart people and maintain real connections with them. Find areas of their work and of their interest and officially relinquish 'authority' in that area. Give them real guidelines for what you consider them responsible for. Don't fake giving ownership. Pass along real concerns, real parameters and authority to control the situation.

Demonstrate commitment and support. Create a simple owner board in the office or use an online tool. Direct others to these owners - until people go to them on their own. Defer to the 'owners' - listen and consult with owners who make it happen. Don't get involved in making it happen. Finally, deliver the resources necessary to be successful, like budgets and new hires.

Regular feedback. Meet regularly to hear the plans of your owners, to guide and to ensure their activities are connected to company goals and priorities. Give them feedback and suggestions. This takes work - planning, time and real thought, but should pay for itself many times over. Follow up again, encourage and correct. Ask for regular progress reports and ask for impediments to their success. Intervene and arrange for training where it is needed and wanted.

Hold these owners accountable. Have time frames and expectations for your owners and stick to your guns. If an owner doesn't get the job done, move them out of ownership gracefully. When your employees demonstrate successful ownership, reward them with praise publicly and financially wherever appropriate.

BOOM. I think that sounds easy. People thrive when they have a sense of purpose in their job and a feeling of accomplishment. Giving employees true responsibility and ownership lifts them, and ultimately helps you get things done, too! Have you been successful at wholeheartedly delegating? Had any trouble with it?

Make Employees Owners

2011-01-05T13:52:00.000-08:00

It's likely your start-up has work to be done than there are employees to do it. It's time to delegate big portions of your business. Transfer the time you spend doing tasks to empowering your team to OWN these areas. Find an owner for everything.

Have you ever gone down to the drugstore to buy a light bulb to replace the one that burned out in your hotel room?

Or washed and waxed a rental car before returning it?

As Jim Haudan points out in the The Art of Engagement, people don't take care of what they don't own.

Ownership engages employees, creating more self-motivated, willing, committed and satisfied people than their (non-engaged, non-owner) counterparts. It's an obvious productivity boost. Ownership will enable more quality work to get done, build the foundation your company needs to scale, and will free you from needing to get your fingers in everything.

I realize this post does not offer instruction of how to make owners of everything, but rather is a philosophical call to arms. Do you see the value of empowering your employees? What steps do you take to make them owners? What stops you?

Contagious Employee Behavior

2010-12-02T15:39:00.000-08:00

Ever have an employee that is less pleasant than you hoped? Someone that is a bad influence on your team? Even if you are aware of negativity, it can be very difficult to deal with. For many, it's easier to hold their breath and hope the problem goes away. But letting a bad apple go unchecked is serious business - and can quickly ruin the whole barrel.

Will Felps, a professor at Rotterdam School of Management, helped us see the high stakes involved here.

Felps’ wife was unhappy at work - she felt it was a cold and unfriendly environment. Then, a funny thing happened. One of her co-workers who was particularly caustic and was always making fun of other people at the office came down with an illness that caused him to be away for several days.

“And when he was gone, my wife said that the atmosphere of the office changed dramatically,” Felps said. “People started helping each other, playing classical music on their radios, and going out for drinks after work. But when he returned to the office, things returned to the unpleasant way they were.

Will Felps teamed up with Terence Mitchell, a professor of management and organization in the Business School and UW psychology professor. In an experiment to see what happens when a bad worker joins a team, they divided people into small groups and gave them a task. One member of the group would be an actor, acting either like a jerk, a slacker or a depressive. And within 45 minutes, the rest of the group started behaving like the bad apple.

It's hard to believe our smart team could be susceptible to a simple psychological event. But these researchers found a single “toxic” or negative team member can be the catalyst for downward spirals in organizations. Teams with a disagreeable member were much more likely to have conflict, have poor communication within the team and refuse to cooperate with one another. Consequently, the teams performed poorly.

Even your pile of stalwart and loyal employees can't 'unspoil' this mess. That's right - Felps and Mitchell found that the negative behavior outweighs positive behavior. “People do not expect negative events and behaviors, so when we see them we pay attention to them, ruminate over them and generally attempt to marshal all our resources to cope with the negativity in some way,” Mitchell said.

Is this where you want your resources going? Is it possible your fleet of talented engineers are spending most of their hours ruminating? Is time in your organization spent concentrating on the negative behavior of one employee?

You've got to pay attention - make sure you have a beat on employee attitudes, behavior and morale - and address these problem people promptly. Call them out on their behavior and determine if it is possible to address the source of the negativity. If you can't change things around, it's time to cut the employee loose.

Garbage on the Beach

2010-11-01T17:30:00.000-07:00

A small beach on the northeast coast attracted loads of tourists and locals alike. It was the perfect summer getaway.

With the crowds came garbage. Lots of it. The city spent more and more money increasing the number of trash cans and frequency of pick-ups. With each effort, bottles and wrappers would still pile up at the base of the overflowing trash cans and liter lay on the beach.

A city council member came up with an interesting proposal; remove all trash cans and stop all trash pick-ups. Where the trash cans used to sit, a simple sign read "Take out what you bring in" - or something like that. Maybe the sign read "Take out your own Trash." You get the point. Unfortunately, I forgot where I read about this story (thus no citation).

In any case, this seemingly counter-intuitive (and creative) solution worked. The beach was cleaner than it had ever been before.

Imagine your team are the beach goers. Instead of taking the burden of solving problems from them, push them to be part of the solution. When you are notified about a broken process, don't take on more to fix it - give them power and accountability. Expect more.

It's Not Financial Rewards

2010-10-09T03:52:00.000-07:00

Suppose a friend asked you to move. You'd might grumble, but you might also show up to help. If they offered you $20 for your trouble, it becomes easier to just say 'no.'

My point: Money alone is not what makes us do something- like our jobs. Salary increases and bonuses do not equate to better performance, or engagement.

In one study, University students were divided into groups and got a financial reward for correct responses on a GMAT test. Groups that perceived the reward as too little, did twice as poorly as those who were NOT paid. The money actually served as a disincentive. On the flip side, there are loads of examples showing higher incentives leading to worse performance. For more on this, check out Dan Pink's fantastic (and animated) talk at the RSA: Surprising truth about what motivates us.

Compensation is obviously a complex topic. And sometimes money is an important part of the equation - for example, if there isn't enough to live on or when peers are making loads more. But, throwing more money at employees doesn't lead to increased performance.

Instead, you need to invest in creating a self-directed and purpose-filled work environment. Employees need a sense of autonomy, they need to be given the opportunity to improve themselves (challenging assignments, learning & training opportunities, etc...), and they need purpose (working towards something they believe in, understanding a mission, strong sense of team).

Are you as willing to invest in communicating your mission and goals as you are in salary increases? Do you have a culture that empowers employees to be effective on their own? How do you motivate your team? How do you drive productivity?

Disengage Your Disengaged Employees

2010-09-27T19:12:00.000-07:00

Your success is dependent on your people. Do you know who your people are? According to the market research firm ORC there are six common types of employees.

Elizabeth the Engaged—Composed of 35 percent of the survey respondents, “Elizabeths” are ideal employees. They are highly motivated, go above and beyond, and are adaptive to change.

Lucy the Laggard—This next largest group, at nineteen percent, is the most disengaged. These employees don’t hate their job and don’t plan to quit, but they tend to do their work half-heartedly and make careless mistakes.

Colin the Comfy—Those in this category, representing16 percent of employees, have no intention to leave their safe environment. Getting little sense of accomplishment from their work and rarely complaining, they simply put in their eight hours and go straight out the door.

Alison the Ambivalent—Twelve percent of the population are unhappy because they are often disconnected with the job or the organization.

Simon the Saboteur—Eleven percent of respondents tend to be very negative about the organization. They dislike changes and are quick to criticize because they feel like they are voiceless.

Peter the Promiscuous—This smallest group from the pool are positive and proud of their organization. But because they are usually motivated by money or personal development, it won't take much for them to leave.

This employee makeup may be surprising and you'll certainly think 'this is not us,' but according to the stats the majority of your employees are disengaged! Indeed, according to a Gallup poll (a survey of 3 million people), 71% of Americans are not engaged in their work and 16% are actively disengaged. Their disengagement comes from burn out, not feeling listened to, lack of recognition, fear, outside issues... or all sorts of things.

Disengagement is costly. As noted in the Journal of Applied Psychology "actively disengaged employees erode an organization's bottom line (analyzed by productivity, profitability, safety incidents, absenteeism, and earnings per share growth rate) while breaking the spirits of colleagues to the tune of $300 billion per year in the US.

I've always believed in pushing to engage employees as a primary and ongoing organizational mission. I'm also proposing to work the other side - to actively work to eliminate disengaged employees. Do you think your company is full of engaged Elizabeths? Do you have an Allison? Who is your Simon? What efforts do you take to spot and eliminate those cutting into your productivity and morale?

Know When to Fold 'Em

2010-09-14T20:29:00.000-07:00

The vendor you've chosen seems slow on hitting the milestones you were counting on.... You hope they pull it together so you can hit your launch date. The new hire you've been interviewing said something to raise a flag... You convince yourself it was out of context and will work itself out when she starts. The incentive plan you envisioneered is rewarding the wrong behavior. You want to give it more time.

You have invested time and money into . You've made a commitment and you don't want to risk a diversion, even though it's irrational.

Exhibit A: In the book Sway, the Brafman brothers describe a Prof. Bazerman's negotiation class at Harvard Business School and his "$20 auction." Prof. Bazerman puts a $20 bill up for auction before his class. The first rule is that bids are to be made in $1 increments and the second rule is that the runner-up must still honor their bid. The auction inches up in price... $14, $15, $16 - until most students get nervous and drop out, leaving just two bidders. The students hanker down - they don't want to be the fool and are committed to paying not to lose. The price soars and always, the Prof. reports, gets to $20 or more. Student's continue bidding, $30, $40, and once getting as high as $204!

Harvard Business School is filled with smart people. Some as smart as you :-). But commitment and loss aversion pull us towards irrational behavior very frequently. You are committed to win (to succeed), and you'll do anything to avoid losing what you have already invested.

Change is a fact of startup life. The best intentioned plans deteriorate, the winds change direction. They change frequently, and often significantly. Business models are tossed and new ones formed. You get the wrong person or a function you don't need anymore. Cut it out! I know much of it's human nature. But think about your decision and state of affairs more often -and try to stop the bidding at $22. Lose the $2 instead of $102. Realize the psychological pull of your commitments and make the uncomfortable and rational corrections. Risk can be good.

Set Goals! Give them something to aim at.

2010-08-24T18:40:00.000-07:00

When given a target, we can achieve more.

My proof today is a fly. A fly painted in a urinal reduces 'spillage' by as much as 85%! Simple as that. There is also an optimal spot to paint the fly to minimize spilling and prevent splash back.

Lesson:

#1) When you don't set goals, it's like peeing on the floor. Ponder the possibility of achieving an 85% improvement in something (or half that) just by setting a goal?

#2) Just setting goals to set goals might cause some splash back. Think and refine your goals so they are best positioned to benefit your company's goals.

Wanted: Integrators with Vision

2010-08-08T18:17:00.000-07:00

For the third time in less than a week, I've heard about CEOs who shoot ideas from the hip without including any 'real' parameters about how they get accomplished. They are passionate, often eccentric and not always practical. Is this you? Have you noticed it impeding progress? What can you do about it?

In small to mid-size companies, the owner and founder often runs the show. They are an entrepreneur with vision and loads of ideas. They are creative, connected to the emotions and culture of the company, see the big picture, and are super smooth with investors, key customers, and suppliers.

They are also a barrier to success. They do not hold people accountable or manage the nitty gritty that turn the crank and move the company forward.

This is what Gino Wickman writes about in his book Traction. I read the book awhile back and, to be honest, wasn't real excited by it. But it does cover trends and concrete steps that can be applied across companies - like a manual. This trend I see now this is exactly what he was talking about.

He calls these two roles the Visionary and the Integrator - and they couldn't be more different.

The Visionary is described above. They are creative and work through the big, hairy, thorny problems. They inspire employees and inspire confidence in investors and customers. The Integrator, on the other hand, works logically to eliminate problems and integrate the major functions of the business. They manage the day-to-day details, lead, and hold the team accountable.

It's common to have a visionary and no integrator. It's also common to have an integrator and no visionary. But most good partnerships have one of each. Wickman cites a University of California professor that teaches the need for both at the top - the entrepreneur and his lust balanced by the prudence and discipline of a manager.

So what are you? The Visionary? The Integrator? There ... that wasn't so hard now was it? Wickman walks us through the steps of outlining these tasks and building the right structure. However, I'd wager your first step is to be aware - and think about how all the organizations needs are being met. If your organization doesn't have both roles, what are you missing? What are you doing about it?

Chart a Path; share your vision

2010-07-19T16:24:00.000-07:00

A Harris Interactive/Franklin Covey poll of over 23,000 employees showed 37% didn't understand their companies' priorities. Only 1 in 5 was enthusiastic about their organization's goals, and only 1 in 5 saw a clear connection between their tasks and their organization's goals.

That should be a concerning number. Chances are a whole mess of folks in your company are less effective, and certainly less engaged, than they could be.

One reason for this is a lack of communication and absence of effective goals for your team. Another issue is that employee's don't share your vision for the company. Gene Wickman, in his book Traction, says the number one reason employees don't share a company vision is that they don't know what it is. Your employees need to hear the vision 7 times before they really here it for the first time. before it sinks in. The first couple of times employees will roll their eyes and say 'here we go again" but around the 7th time folks understand and act on that vision.

Be patient. Communicate often. Discuss and set goals tied to the vision.

Do You Know Jack?

2010-07-03T13:36:00.000-07:00

I remember seeing Jack Welch on a speaker's panel here in NY a couple years back. He is direct and real - and hard core. He has plenty of actionable strategies, including the controversial axing of bottom performers. Agree or not, you can't deny his overall business results.

In the 20 years Mr. Welch (can I call you Jack?) was CEO at GE, stock went up 4,000% making it the most valuable company in the world.

Most importantly .... Jack seems to legitimately and seriously value HR. Whoa. Yes. You heard me. We don't often hear of a mega-successful business person who respects and utilizes HR. Jack likes using a sports analogy to explain.

If you owned the Real Madrid, for instance, would you hang around with the team accountant or the director of player personnel? Sure, the accountant can tell you the financials. But the director of player personnel knows what it takes to win: how good each player is and where to find strong recruits to fill talent gaps. That’s what HR should be all about. And, it’s usually not.

Look, HR should be every company’s ‘killer app.’ What could possibly be more important than who gets hired, developed, promoted or moved out the door? After all, business is a game, and as with all games, the team who puts the best people on the field and gets them playing together, wins.

People are a leading indicator - while it's easier to focus on last weeks sales or number of widgets produced, it's your people that maintain the status quo or bring your company to the next level. Do you focus on your people as much as you do your finances?

Internal Interviewing Schedule

2010-06-13T09:29:00.000-07:00

Most startups initially line up everyone in the company to meet with potential new hires. Early on this works - it aligns everyone with the direction of the company, helps build a cohesive group and gets real collaboration. At some point, usually pretty quickly, your have too many people and the process is just too much.

Think carefully and strategically as this process evolves. Who participates in the interview process is key. The right people don't only aid in evaluation and selection, they are also critical in building consensus and support needed when candidates become employees, and they give candidates a well rounded view of the company.

Be a champion of this process. As soon as you have a hiring need, define clearly how the interview process will work. Who will be involved, at what point, and what will their role be? Who MUST be in agreement for the hiring decision to be made?

These answers depend, and changes with time and with the position you are hiring for. But as the process for interviewing transitions, you may find these general tips helpful;

Be concerned if a candidate has over 4 separate interviews. You begin to waste everyone's time and point to the disorganization of your company.
In the least, a representative from each group that works directly with the new hire should meet him/her and have their input considered.
Consider a casual group 'introduction' interview where more/all employees can meet and chat with candidates. Employees can pair up for an interview. This allows you to get buy-in and input from more people and keep the number of interviews down.
Most companies have an 'influencer' - sometimes they are the critic, the leader, or a negative nelly. These people have the power to make the new hire successful. They do this by sharing or not sharing critical information, by introducing others to decision makers & informal processes, and by criticising or questioning the new hire. By including them in the interview and decision making process they have a vested interest in helping the new hire be successful.
Pay attention to the order of the meetings - you can build ownership by having team members interview and sign off on a candidate before you meet them. Ideally, you have an agenda for each participant and 'round' of interviews, allowing for depth and focus to your discussions.

We always hear 'people are your most important asset'. As you decide to bring new people on board, you should be pulling every trick from your hat. You should be learning new tricks. You should have a strategy. How do you do this?

Interviewing: What's your Agenda?

2010-05-25T10:31:00.000-07:00

In my last post, I talked about approaching an interview with skepticism and working to extract useful and objective information. I want to build on this by suggesting an interview format, particularly for the first phone screen.

1. Prepare. You don't walk into a client meeting with no prep whatsoever. You already have surprisingly little input about this person you will be spending your time with and entrusting with your company! So dig in.

Re-read your awesome job posting, and think again about the type of person you need in the role. What do their accomplishments look like? Their expertise? What do you expect their demeanor to be like?
Read the resume and cover letter. Are they directed to you personally and address the challenges of the company? Do they want your job or just a job?
Google the candidates name and past employers. What did the companies they work for do? How big (or relevant) are they?
Reflect. Why might this person want a job with your company? Why do they have 10 jobs over the last year?

2. Agenda. Have an agenda and stick to it. An agenda helps you be at ease during the interview and ensures consistency across candidates.

First, tell the candidate the agenda for the meeting.
Ask the candidate questions.
Then tell the candidate more about your company and the open position. You'll likely be tempted to explain the role and company first, so candidates can explain how their background fits your needs. Resist. You want people to rise to the top because they naturally have the past experiences and mindset that fit the role - like a missing puzzle piece. Plenty of the candidates can tell you how they are like your open role and can fix your challenges. If you make them 'go first' it just makes your job easier.
Have a hiring time line, communicate it and then stick to it. Tell them if you have another week of interviews, when your review team will look at resumes and meeting notes, and when they will hear back (i.e. you'll here from me in the early part of the week starting May xx). Let the candidate know they can check in, give more info, or ask questions before this time if they see it valuable.
Leave time for questions.

3. Put the candidate at ease. Be conversational and make small talk. I know I just said stick to the agenda and to make them give their experiences first. BUT, if someone is in 'interview mode' you'll likely miss what they are really about. It is ok to find some common ground, talk about where they live, a hobby they've listed on their resume, or what not... Set them at ease and feeling as natural as possible - this is the person you will work with, not the regurgitating polished interviewee.

4. Focus. When talking about past experiences or how a candidate would deal with a situation in your workplace, keep them on target. It's easy to find yourself listening (with head in hand) as they digress into tangents.

Hone in on actual results reached. Ask for data points and facts. Candidates may reveal their feelings, what they think they contributed, and they will analyze ... but dig for facts. What was their sales quota? Actual sales? Biggest account? What was the targeted release date for the software they worked on? Target budget? Actual budget?

Instead of company and team achievements, get at personal achievements.

5. Manage. Keep notes - you'll want them after meeting with 10 folks. Have a rating system for key criteria (use even numbered scales so you force good/bad).

If/when you have multiple interviewers, avoid asking all the same questions over and over. Share your notes and outline what each interviewer should be focusing on. You can have some similar questions, but in general some folks should verify technical skills and others looking for company fit (for example). Asking the same questions over and over can reveal your disorganization.

6. Challenge your instincts. You form an opinion in the first 20 seconds with someone. In person, they may dress more casually (or formally) than expected. They may try to control the interview or seem quiet and unapproachable. Recognize that you have formed an opinion and then try to prove it wrong.

If you assume they aren't technical enough, ask specific details about how they accomplished their last project.
If they seem scattered ask about their organizational tools.
If they come across as bossy and direct ask about their personal relationships.
Take your opinion of the candidate, imagine the opposite and ask questions about it.

Interviewing is one of the most important things you will do. It's also a time consuming task that teaches you very little about the person you will entrust with your company. You need to make the most of it. An agenda should help things going smoothly and help you to use every tool at your disposal. What's in your agenda?

Interviewing 202

2010-05-11T10:41:00.000-07:00

What is your greatest weakness? Well, I often stay out way too late drinking and come to work late and struggle to be productive.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? I'm hoping to be the benefactor of some crazy lawsuit or come into a huge inheritance so I can be sitting on a beach.

No. This does not sound like your typical interview. But, to be honest, I think I would enjoy hearing these answers from time to time. It would be ... refreshing. Instead candidates give answers that sound good. They can prepare an 'acceptable' answer. So what can you ask to really let you learn more about a candidate?

I've been interviewing quite a bit recently - more often than not, I take a casual approach, generally knowing what information I want to cover. It turns out, most folks follow a similar 'unstructured' interview format. I learned, unfortunately, this format (and typical interview questions) just don't allow you to see the realities of the person. You are judging a book by its cover. Candidates manage their 'cover' closely, acting to create the most favorable impression. The Society for Industrial & Organizational Psychology, as well as numerous other sources, quote Prof. Allen Huffcutt, who has done some serious examinations of interviewing and the link of interview assessment as a predictor to performance on the job. In the book Sway, he posits that most interview questions provide little value. He recommends focusing instead on job-related hypothetical scenarios, past experiences based on data and verifiable accounts, and/or aptitude tests.

These are some real and helpful points to consider! I still see value in the interview, so with Prof. Huffcutt's comments in mind, here are a couple good things you might add to your interview:

What do you know about our company?

A solid starting point. Did they take the time to research your company? Did they find relevant aspects of the business? Were they able to identify what might be core issues? Did they see how their position and possible contributions might fit in?

Specific past experiences

Dig in to the resume and ask about their role on the Deloitte project or how they reduced spending by 40%, or whatever! Even asking specifics about how they managed their team, enforced milestone achievement, or stayed in touch with an off-site worker. The process of answering these can be revealing.

Job-related hypothetical scenarios

What would you do if you your sales support staff never wanted to follow-up with difficult people, your receptionist always came in late, or your CEO never gave you details needed to accomplish a project? Think of a real scenario in your company the candidate might face ask how they might deal with it. First of all, they can't prepare for that question, and secondly you will have an idea if their answer will work for you.

What was the largest personal conflict / power struggle you have seen at work and how was it resolved? Or what do you think people might misunderstand about you?

Perhaps candidates can prepare for these questions, but I still find the answers revealing. I like to just listen and have candidates expose themselves.

If talked to someone at Your Past Company, what would they say about you?

Like the last question, this can help draw out characteristics or performance your candidate might not have volunteered. If they have something to hide, you are likely to hear about it now.

Keep in mind, as I imagine Prof. Huffcutt might remind us, the interview may give you nothing of value. So, I say make sure to take the opportunity to prepare the candidate and to sell the company! Give them a realistic picture of the company (yes, the bad stuff) and see how they react? Do they embrace it constructively and have suggestions for improvement? And of course, get them excited about the position, the team, and the company. If they turn out to be the dream candidate, then they need to be intrigued and enticed after talking to you.

What are some of your favorite interview questions?