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October 2009 Archives
The World Series is upon us, and baseball shows us what many managers need to know, which is how to deal with those who underperform.
Yankees outfielder Nick Swisher has not been hitting throughout the playoffs. Manager Joe Girardi took him into the office and told him he would not be playing last night. He then informed Jerry Hairston he would be stepping in for the day. Girardi let Swisher know before anyone else knew the reasons behind the decision, rather than have everyone question why the lineup change took place. Swisher reacted as a good athlete will, by not wanting to sit out but respecting the decision of his manager.
Another way to confront a non-performer indirectly in baseball is to not even allow them to participate in a critical moment of the game. Mariano Rivera typically pitches 1 inning per game, but because the bullpen has been shaky, and this is a critical time, Rivera has been pitching 2 innings per appearance in must win games. This may shake up the other pitchers out there to have more focus and learn by watching how Rivera handles such situation.
Similarly, in the workplace, you may have critical deadlines coming up, and you may want to use one of these methods to get the right people on board. Whether you choose to take someone off a project short-term or give your best work to the best under-pressure performers, handling these decisions requires respecting those who you are in effect removing from key business decisions.
Whether it is retail, hospitality, medicine, law, and really any other field, ongoing training is the most effective method of keeping your employees on the cutting edge of their field and on top of the best communications methods.
It doesn't matter whether the scope of your business is the size of the Walt Disney Company or Ma and Pa Kettle's Diner, having effective training that breathes life in to your business is a must.
Many organizations and HR departments feel putting together a one-off workshop will solve issues within organizations; rarely do these one-off ventures provide lasting impact.
Take a look at your initiatives in your organization, and see how you can breathe new life into them by incorporating them into daily activities, rather than yearly meetings.
I've encountered several situations where former colleagues have sought out positions, only to fall short due to the dreaded "overqualified" or "not the right fit" at the end of the interview process. In the past, I as well have encountered similar situations when on the job hunt. It can be easy to look at yourself and say "what's wrong with me?" but more importantly, times like these are ones to really look at what you are looking to do, and why in fact you didn't get offered the job in the first place. A commonality I've seen in my own shortfalls in the past as well as my colleagues is getting to the stage in the interview process where you meet with the people you will report to or to the people you may work with. It can be frustrating to go through 4 or 5 interviews, only to then be told you aren't the right fit. As one of my former leaders once told me when I was turned down for a job for being "too polished", "sometimes people won't hire you because they know you are more fit than them for their own job, and feel threatened by bringing you on board." Share your turndown stories at robert@galaconcierge.com
Do you have a personal mission statement? It is the beginning of setting goals. Having goals without a purpose is like traveling without a compass. Set a clear mission, and you will see that your goals seem to be more clearer and focused.
Writing a mission statement (especially a personal one) is not an exercise set in stone, as most may like you to believe. Regular reflection on your mission can recharge you and help you to adjust your goals accordingly.
Take a few moments this weekend to look at your current mission statement, and if your goals aren't in alignment with it, see if it's your goals that are the problem, or if it's your mission statement.
Speed interviewing is a growing trend to not only maximize the time spent with candidates, but also to test candidates coping skills and ability to get along with others.
Likewise, speed interviewing helps the candidate determine how much they like various companies in a short term period, while allowing the company to meet with more candidates in less time.
Some things you can find out about candidates in a short period of time
- How they get along with others - have several people interview at once, but only put enough chairs for maybe 1 or 2 of the 3 to 4 candidates. See how they react
- Give two or three different types of interviews in a short period, and see if answers are consistent
- Determine their level of self-confidence and self-awarness by seeing how they react to many interviews in a short time.
The conference call can be an effective way of keeping everyone on the same page. However, becoming a serial conference caller can create a situation where the call becomes a chore for those who are on it, and a redundant way of communicating.
Effective conference calls can get people on the same page from remote locations. They can get everyone into a "room" who needs to hear critical data but can't necessarily be in the same place at the same time.
To avoid making conference calls a chore, ask yourself whether the call needs to be weekly (or daily, or whatever regular frequency you have it). Much like any other meeting, determine an agenda beforehand, and send out information related to the call before the call.
Some of the worst calls I have been on have had similar themes:
1. Too frequent
2. Too focused on minutae.
3. Untimely (at an inconvenient time to the flow of the day
The best calls have had similar themes as well
1. Sporadic
2. Focused on a global big-picture agenda
3. At the beginning or end of the day
Tell me about your best and worst conference calls at robert@galaconcierge.com
A reader submitted a question about whether or not to contact HR after you leave a company.
Q: I recently quit my job, because I could not stand my boss. I'm going to call HR today. Do you think I should just leave a message with a list of my issues? Or should I just let go of the whole situation?
A: I commend you for calling HR after you left, because some people just leave a job and don't take the time to speak on their concerns. Looking over some of your grievances, I feel that it will be productive to call them, even though you have left already. You will have the peace of mind knowing that you had someone to talk to, and also you will hopefully enable others to not have to go through what you had to.
This semester, students in my HR class at SUNY Delhi @ Schenectady County Community College will be participating in debates on hot issues in human resources.
Although most of my students have selected topics already, a couple are still looking for issues to debate. This term, the topics they will be discussing include
- Promotions from within vs. Hiring from Outside - Hiring based on experience vs. Hiring based on education - For and against relationships in the workplace
As we get closer to the date of the debates, I will provide the date and time for those who may be interested in judging the debates, or observing them.
What topics do you think are worthy of a good debate in HR? Share your thoughts by emailing me at robert@galaconcierge.com
There's a marked difference between managing by walking around and managing by sneaking around.
Good managers who use MBWA effectively by making their presence felt, even if they aren't present. Changing the pattern of your MBWA by changing the time, frequency, and route you take can create a consistently operating workforce. One might say if the MBWA route is too consistent, it can lead to employees only working hard when they know that you are making your daily walkby at 2pm.
On the other hand MMBSA (micromanaging by sneaking around) can be an aftereffect of too much variety in your MBWA. If you only are changing your MBWA method to catch people doing things wrong, you will create an atmosphere of distrust.
Use MBWA effectively, and you will earn the trust and respect of your employees, and also keep them on their toes. As well, you will see your customer service and productivity metrics improve dramatically.
Another recurring theme from the Saratoga Job Fair was speaking with applicants of selling their personality, their role as a great teammate, and adaptability and flexibility to the situation.
While many applicants brought similar skill sets, the ones who impressed me the most were the ones who focused on selling how well they got along with others, and were able to express that well both to me and in their resume.
In a world where many people are applying for the same or similar jobs, selling you as a brand or as a good ambassador of the companies you work for can be the difference between a job offer and a thanks but no thanks.
I reviewed several resumes this week at the Saratoga Job Fair, and a recurring theme that came up was whether or not to include self-employment on a resume. A couple candidates had 2-5 year gaps since their last position, and when I asked them why, they said they had been working for themselves on various projects.
I explained how it certainly is valuable to show that you are doing something during gaps in employment. When I left retail in 2005, even before I left, I founded my consulting business. This left no gap of employment and allowed me to showcase all the small to large projects I have been working on since then. Even if some of the opportunities didn't work out, showing the drive to strike out and to fill the gaps with productive activity can make the difference between a job offer and continued unemployment or underemployment
I will be working at the Saratoga Job Fair this Tuesday from 1-4pm, offering free resume critiquing. This free job fair features a number of great workshops, and if you aren't able to make it between 1 and 4, the fair is open from 10-5 and you can meet with a number of other HR professionals from the area, as well as seek out possible opportunities with several great companies in the area.
Stop by and say hello and have a free resume critique!
http://www.saratogajobfair.org/
The probation period (30/60/90) days at the start of employment or new opportunities can be an effective way to allow both the company and the employee to test the waters and see how well things match up between all parties.
Framing the probation period appropriately to not make it "do this or be fired" scenario can be a delicate exercise in diplomacy. Someone asked me recently what I felt about their policy of telling people "if you don't do well in 90 days, we aren't keeping you." I commented that their needs to be a more delicate approach, and that taking such a hardline stance might set people up with the expectation that they are being watched on every move.
The probation period should be a give and take exercise, where management can monitor, make recommendations, and adapt training if necessary. Likewise, it should be a time where the employee should feel comfortable to address concerns that may affect their continued employment.
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