Archive for the ‘For Managers’ Category

« Older Entries

Why Should I Work For You?

Wednesday, May 15th, 2013

Many hiring managers think they have the upper hand when it comes to hiring – that they have the final vote in whether a job candidate comes to work for the company. Actually, job candidates have an equal vote in the process; the job interview is as much about determining whether a job candidate wants you as it is for you to determine if you want him or her.

There was a time, more in our industrial age, when managers truly had the power in the hiring relationship. But in today’s intellectual workplace, the job interview is as much for the candidate to hear what is true about the job and to use that information to determine whether the job fits his abilities, skills, experience, plans for growth, development and future plans. To really understand this, let step back a minute and ask the all-important question – Why do we interview?

The goal of the interview, as I coach my clients, is not to hire. Rather, it is to create an environment that provides enough of the right information to determine whether to hire. And it works in the same way for the job candidate. The interview is the place where today’s job candidates gather enough information to determine whether the potential employer and role are the right fit.

So to be ready for this new shared responsibility for the right outcome, here are 4 critical questions hiring managers should ask themselves in preparation of the interview to be clear enough about what the role does, who fits it, and why it is a great thing to work for their company – in other words, to help a job candidate answer the question, “Why should I work for you?”

Consider these questions as you prepare to host any interview:

  1. Why would great people be interested in this job – what does it do and how does it add value and make a difference in the organization?
  2. How will this job use the employee’s unique and best abilities, and how will it help the employee develop and grow?
  3. What workplace culture will this employee work in and how is it different and better than others?
  4. What do others who work here love about their jobs and working for us?

Great interviews are information-gathering sessions. Both sides have information the other side needs in order to make both a sound hiring and job decision. Neither side has all the power. In fact, power is not helpful in an environment that is looking for an open and honest commentary about how things really are in the job and workplace, and what the job candidate’s unique abilities are, and how they have added value and made a difference in other workplaces.

Be sure you step into the shoes of the job applicant to see what will matter to someone in this role. Share what makes the role, company and opportunity great. Be honest. Be accurate. This gives the job applicant enough of the right information to assess “fit” from his or her perspective. Then, having created an easy, open and meaningful conversation about the role, ask your talent and behavioral questions and notice more open and honest responses from the candidate.

With a mutual commitment to job fit, the interview takes on an entirely different tone. Information is more openly shared. In my experience, this change in mindset by the hiring manager – one that sees the interview as a mutual sharing event committed to connecting the right job opportunity to the right person – changes how job candidates show up in their interviews. And when both parties have a personal stake in the decisions process, all parties are more honest, more involved and more committed to the right outcome. Before you start the interview be ready to see the role from the employee’s perspective, and have an answer for his or her question, “Why should I work for you?”

Contact me for more information on hosting powerful talent-based interviews, and to learn how to build the talent-profile needed to source people who are a good fit in each of your jobs. Also see the tools on FireUpYourEmployees.com.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in For Managers | No Comments »

Meaningful Work

Monday, April 15th, 2013

If you ask managers what their employees want most from their jobs, many will respond “money.” The general belief is that people will work harder when offered more money, they leave one job for another because of money, the reason why they want the promotion is money.

Though money does play a role in what job a person may select, the more important aspect in selecting and staying in a job is purpose – of making a difference and providing an impact. We all contribute more when we do meaningful work. And the reality is that jobs that add value and make a difference inspire performance and loyalty in the workplace.

In order for managers to inspire performance and loyalty, they must first understand and recognize the three types of employees: A-level, B-level and C-level. A-level employees choose to show up to their work with an intention of bringing their best and making an impact. The Gallup Organization calls this type of employee “engaged” and states only 29 percent of today’s employees are engaged. The B-level employees comprise around 52 percent of the workforce – they are the employees who do just enough not to get fired. The final 19 percent are C-level employees. This group is disengaged and disinterested in their work.

Understanding these three types of employees is critical to know how to sustain the As, and inspire the B and Cs.

Here are four easy-to-implement ways managers can add more meaning to their employees’ jobs:

1. Hire employees who fit their jobs. Employees who have the talents, strengths and passions are the ones who show up capable and interested in their work. Because they are good at what they do, they find ways to bring their best and expand value for the organization in their areas. Contact me to show you how the Fire Up! Process can help you hire the right person for each job.

2. Provide context. Explain to each employee the importance of what they do and why it makes a difference. In many organizations, employees are given their small puzzle piece – without any idea of what the picture will look like when all the pieces come together. Without context, they lack a sense of purpose, value and contribution.

3. Communicate regularly about important things. There should be a clear and open communication between employees and management. By ensuring information moves easily in both directions, employees can consistently be updated from management, while offering their own updates. This approach also encourages new ideas, keeping a company fresh and innovative.

4. Give tasks that make a difference. Employees have jobs that matter. Not only do they understand why their job is important, but the job has intrinsic value. We all want to contribute to something of great value.

As mentioned above, though there are a number of factors in play, the greatest factor is meaningful work. In his 18-minute TED talk, Dan Ariely, a behavioral economist, says “Contrary to conventional wisdom, it isn’t just money [that makes us work]. But it’s not exactly joy either. It seems that most of us thrive by making constant progress and feeling a sense of purpose.”

We all want to feel that we matter – that what we do has meaning. The more aware we are of our talents, strengths and passions, the more we can align ourselves to work we personally find meaningful. Couple this with improved communication by today’s management to build the bond and provide context about the work, and employees have the ability to know how to connect what they do best to add value, make a difference. Take away their sense of fit and job context and we’ll find the only way to meet monthly performance targets is to bribe with bonuses.

Please share this with someone who can benefit from it. And contact me to learn more about the Fire Up! Process – its programs, tools and seminars – that can help you create and retain a superstar workforce.

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in For Managers | No Comments »

Don’t Lie to Your Employees

Tuesday, April 2nd, 2013

I get that relatively few managers actually enjoy interviewing multiple candidates for a single job opening. It takes time and significant effort to interview the right way. Because of this, too many interviewers just say what it takes to get the candidate interested and to take the job.The faster the interview process is completed, the sooner everyone involved can get back to their day jobs.

This approach never works.

Interviewing lets you gather information about a candidate, and lets the candidate gather meaningful information from you. Saying whatever it takes to get a candidate to say yes will undoubtedly create an enormous problem down the line. Great hiring is about fit. They fit you, they fit the job, you fit them. To reach this point, you have to be honest about what the job and company is. Employees will quickly find out the truth, and that never ends well if they were lied to about anything during the hiring process. Create an honest and empowering relationship right from the first moment.

Let me give you an example of how the “fast” approach to interviewing and hiring never works. I recently worked with a company to help improve its hiring process. They reached out to me because in the last nine months, nearly every employee they hired had left, most within the first three months of joining the company. After reviewing how they prepare to hire, I found many critical things that needed improving – the most glaring item was that they had no clear definition of the talents and behaviors they needed in each of their employees. This lead to hiring the wrong employee who was unable to succeed in the job they were hired to do. We fixed this right away.

But there was a deeper issue that showed itself when I joined two managers during their interview process for several candidates. Since I was involved in the redefinition of the job – its required talents, skills and experience – I knew the job. But few of the job’s requirements were shared with the candidate. Instead, the managers created a job on the fly to appeal to the candidate. Their problem: they were hiring employees who were told one thing about the job only to find that, after just three months, the real job had little correlation to what was explained in the interview. Short story? Employees felt lied to.

More than 51% of new employees hired in 2013 have “buyers remorse,” and 88% are looking to make a change, reports Garry Kranz in an article in the March 2013 Workforce Management magazine because the job described had little connection to their actual job.

The Gallup supports that 52% of employees are disengaged – they do just enough not to get fired. The reasons for this high percentage are not hiring the right people in the right jobs and not being completely honest about the job’s actual responsibilities with candidates. Many managers feel that once the new employee takes the job, he or she will just do the job and not complain. But statistics show this not to be the case; the engaged employee quickly becomes disengaged.

What to do about it?

1. Clearly define the behaviors, skills and experience required to do the job successfully. Know which attributes you are hiring; share this openly with candidates.

2. Clearly define the tasks and what the tasks “done right” look like. Define the daily, weekly and monthly expectations of the job so that candidates know what true is. Answer all questions.

3. Reconfirm all core expectations in writing at time of the employment offer.

4. Create a regular meeting time with new employees to check in expectations and progress. Maintain open communication.

If some of your employees say, “this isn’t the job I was hired for,” there is likely a dangerous disconnect between what you explained and what they actually do. Clarity matters. Tell the truth. Let candidates decide wisely based on all the facts. This dramatically improves whether new employees stay and thrive, or you get pulled right back into the dreaded hiring process to start again. Employees hate when you lie to them.

Contact me to share how the Fire Up! Process is helping organizations learn how to attract, hire and retain a superstar workforce. And sign up for our free “Your People Are Your Profits” web seminar. It shares how to activate and engage your employees, and introduces the powerful Fire Up! tools and resources. 

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in For Managers | No Comments »

Why Employees Think The Grass Is Greener Elsewhere

Wednesday, March 20th, 2013

(And What To Do About It)

A recent Workforce Management Magazine article stated 19 million employees, or 13 percent of the workforce, are planning on changing jobs this year. Two thoughts come immediately to mind:

  1. Why do employees want to change jobs?
  2. Why now?

Let’s start with the second question: why now? After the past five years of recession-related working conditions (i.e., reduced staff numbers, employees expected to do more with less, fewer rewards, little or no pay increases, little or no development for job improvement), employees are tired with the way things are. Though they may understand this happens in a recession, there is an innate need to seek out better conditions.

Abraham Maslow illustrates this in his Hierarchy of Needs. When our fundamental needs (physiological, food, safety) are not met, we are fixated on improving them. But this also means we’re distracted, in a way, focused on finding ways to improve our situations before we can advance to self-actualization (great performance). And if we are unable to make any change or improvement, we move. We seek out other places. The slight improvements we’ve seen in the economy has been just enough to empower today’s workforce to think they may find something better out there, and they think it will be worth the effort. After all, the grass is always greener, right?

So this gets to the real reason why employees want to change jobs – beliefs: they no longer believe management is leading effectively. They no longer believe in the mission, or the work, or the people. Employees want to change jobs because they don’t have the confidence that their management can make things right for them.

Before your teams head out to search for greener grass, win them back. Show them your company and you as managers are the best. Here are some suggestions to do this successfully:

1. Increase the communication about everything. When times are difficult, many managers feel that sharing the difficulties will be a sign of weakness or ineffectiveness. But sharing this information lets employees have context on what’s true in their workplace, empowering them to be regularly involved in identifying the solutions that exist. Get their input on how to keep work meaningful, valuable and important. Excluded employees check out, then they leave. Keep them in the know.

2. Focus more on what you can do for your employees (not on what you can’t do for them). The employees that stick around have weathered a tremendously difficult period. You know it, and they know it. And they’re getting tired. So what can you do to show your appreciation for their decision to stay, show up and tough it out? What does this show them about your belief in them? How can you use this moment to show your gratitude, humanity and personal interest in each employee? We are quick to share what we can’t or no longer offer for employees. What if our focus changed to what we can do instead?

3. Give them a reason to stay. One of the reasons our best people leave is that we don’t have a discussion with them on why they should stay. We just imagine that employees will stay and be loyal, but that is a naïve belief. Even before the recession, employees changed jobs every 18-36 months. Despite the recession, the underlying problem still exists: we don’t have career conversations with our employees on where they are going and why they should stay. Start a development discussion with employees once or twice a year that connects what employees do best with high value applications in the company. Help them see a reason to stay that is built around their talents, values and interests. Make it personal.

It is human nature to always think there is something better in some other place. Why not make that “something better” in your place? Reconnect with employees in a meaningful way to encourage them to choose to stay – to rekindle their belief in their company, their work and their management. Not only do you build a more powerful and engaged team, but you also show great continuity and consistency to your customers as they see the same team here today, here tomorrow.

To learn more about creating a greater workplace culture to help retain your best employees, visit FireUpYourEmployees.com or sign up for our free 1-hour teleseminar titled, Your People Are Your Profits. We’ll show you how we guide organizations and their managers in how to engage and inspire a superstar workforce.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in For Managers | No Comments »

« Older Entries