by Beth | Nov 12, 2024 | Employee Hiring
A few weeks ago, I was invited to my friend Kaylyn’s house for dinner. She had just been able to move back into her house after a flood, and she wanted to show me her new kitchen/eating area.
I sat down on her new barstool at her new counter with a glass of great wine gleefully eating outstanding homemade guacamole and chips. She was on the other side of the counter cooking and drinking a glass of fine wine. She was talking about all the drama around this kitchen renovation, how hard it was, all the moving around, the Airbnb, and how she now LOVES to cook in her kitchen, when suddenly she said, “And I have a double oven. I am not sure why I got a double oven, but I am using it!”
I said nothing as my mouth was happily enjoying the fabulous food, but my first thought was, “I know why you have a double oven. Your four grown children are going to start bringing home significant others, which soon turns into marriage and grandchildren. In the blink of an eye, you will be regularly making meals for 10 plus people.”
By getting a double oven, Kaylyn was preparing for her future.
It’s the same process expanding your business. You have to build some of the infrastructure BEFORE you have an increase in sales, otherwise, you expand too fast and end up with a lot of disgruntled customers. We call this re-investing in our companies. It is taking a leap of faith that “if you build it, they will come”. To be clear, there is fear and uncertainty baked into expanding before you have the sales, but without expansion, you can’t grow.
Kind of like the double oven… if you want to have a big boom in your entertaining at your home, you must prepare for it by having more equipment, more dishes, more room, etc. So, get ready for this next wave of success by buying the double oven and hiring and training your new people.
Success has never tasted so sweet.
POWER THOUGHT: Buy the double oven. Hire your next person. Enjoy the fruits of your labor.
by Beth | Oct 28, 2024 | Attitude
The celebration of Halloween has been very hit-and-miss in the workplace, in my experience. Some companies really promote it by buying pounds and pounds of candy and giving out prizes for the best costumes. Some companies don’t celebrate it at all with the mindset of “Please don’t bring candy here! I am trying so hard to stick to my diet!”
But this year, there is something in the air. The fall is so beautiful, the air is calm, and winter is late to the party. Most of my clients are in the mood to do something different, like celebrate.
Here are some of the comments that I have heard from my clients:
“I started buying chocolate mid- September. I NEVER do that!”
“This year, by God, I am dressing up for Halloween. I haven’t done that in a decade.”
We have all been walking around in a Zombie fog the last couple years. In many countries, Halloween is the beginning of the New Year, and it definitely feels that way now. We are all tired of walking around half-dead in a zombie state and looking ghostly.
So, this year, I encourage you to step out of the norm. Make the effort to celebrate in a way that you haven’t done in a long time. Buy the candy and the costume and engage with your employees like you haven’t been able to in a while. After all, the zombie in all of us needs to wake up.
Boo!
Power Thought: Don’t ghost Halloween this year!
by Beth | Oct 16, 2024 | Employee Hiring
In case you aren’t familiar with the term “Ghosting”, let me educate you. “Ghosting” is when you cut off communication with someone for no apparent reason. You go on a date with someone, you have fun, and then you NEVER hear from them again. Or, in the hiring world, you have an interview with a company, it goes really well, and again, you NEVER hear from them again. EVER.
We are seeing record numbers of candidates who are ghosting us for interviews. We call them, talk to them on the phone, invite them to interview for a job they applied for, and they don’t show up for the interview. We are seeing this with all levels of hires, even the C-suite roles.
Spooky.
I stumbled upon this article talking about ghost jobs. https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/careersandeducation/the-role-you-re-applying-for-might-be-a-ghost-job-here-s-what-that-means-and-how-to-avoid-them/ar-AA1rEo1s?ocid=BingNewsSerp
A ghost job is an ad for a position that doesn’t exist. It has either already been filled, or the ad was posted to satisfy requirements of some sort. For example, a position was filled internally, but the company was required by law to post it externally. So, when applicants send in a resume, they are applying for a job that doesn’t exist or that has already been filled. And the numbers of these ghost ads are scary: 3 in 10 job ads are “ghost” jobs.
How do applicants know if your job ad is a trick or a treat? Here are some tips:
- List your company name, website and address
- Have a dedicated person to talk to candidates
- List the real salary range
- Give your candidates a deadline as to when they will hear back from you, no matter the outcome, and meet that deadline.
- Show some grace to candidates. They are navigating a job search in very uncertain times.
In summary, if you want the best of the best to apply for your positions, you must evaluate your recruiting strategy from start to finish. And if you need help, I am standing by…with chocolate.
POWER THOUGHT: Is your position a trick or a treat?
by Beth | Oct 2, 2024 | Onboarding
I love to go bowling. I love the lights, the sounds, the anticipation, the rush…there really is nothing like it! I haven’t been in a long, long time, but the last time I went, I saw a father teaching his 6- ish year-old son how to bowl. He had bumper guards on their lane that covered the gutter.
The little boy had so much fun! He tried various ways to get the ball down the lane and knock over the pins. He and his dad laughed and laughed… they high-fived and danced around.
Then, the boy asked his dad to lower the bumper guards. The father tried to tell him that it was going to be really hard, but the boy insisted. So, Dad lowered the guards, and the boy promptly rolled the ball in the gutter. He. Was. Crushed!
The Dad talked him through it. He helped the boy process his devastation, and the guards went back up on the lane. When they headed out, I heard the Dad say to the boy, “we will come back soon and practice some more.”
What do bumper guards have to do with hiring? I am so glad you asked!
We spend all of this time, energy and money trying to hire the right fit, and the minute this new hire shows up to work, we drop them in an office with little or no training. Even C-suite executives need to be told how to locate the coffee pot and who the largest client is. If you don’t train your new hires, they will throw lots of gutter balls… at the company’s expense.
Put up the bumper guards. Spend time with your new hire explaining the parameters and the boundaries. Show them where the supply closet is and introduce them to Dorothy in Finance. Explain to them who the best clients are and how they came to be. Teach them how to throw a strike.
Once the new hire is continually throwing balls down the center of the lane, lower the guards and cut them loose to throw one turkey after another!
*** For you non-bowlers, a turkey is 3 strikes in a row.
POWER THOUGHT: Learning to bowl without bumper guards equates to starting a new job without training. You are destined to spend all your time in the gutter.
by Beth | Sep 17, 2024 | Lifestyle
I attended a business meeting last week where several members talked about how scared they were with our economy and current state of affairs. One member said, “I just don’t know what is going to happen, and I am really scared about it.”
Here is the bottom line that I hope will help you: I have owned businesses for 25 years. I have seen 9/11, 2008, 2013, and COVID. Each time I really thought the world was going to end, and it didn’t. I suffered many a sleepless night only to end up here today…still in business and loving it.
Being in business for yourself or being in a stressful position is a mindset, and you have to constantly make sure that your mindset stays positive. Don’t ignore the facts and don’t ignore trends. Just don’t let it ruin your sleep.
Mark LeBlanc gave me the best piece of business advice that I have ever heard: Each day, Monday through Friday, make 2 calls per day to whoever comes to your mind with absolutely no agenda. Just pick up the phone and say, “I was just thinking about you! How are you doing?” And listen intently to their responses.
Then, look for miracles. Some examples of miracles: you pull up to a parking meter and it still has time on it. You find $20.00 on the street. Your taxes aren’t as much as you thought they were going to be. You find a sale on your favorite products.
These actions cost you no money, and it will totally turn your day around. Then, you can make business decisions from a more logical and stable place.
After all… life is supposed to be enjoyable, and so is your job.
POWER THOUGHT: As the singer/songwriter Pitbull says: “Scared money don’t make money”. And boy is he right about that.
