by Beth | Mar 3, 2021 | Lifestyle
When I grew up, if we knew of anyone who was going through a life transition, we took a casserole over to their house. We took casseroles to people who were sick, who had a relative that died, had a surgical procedure or when someone had a baby. It was our way of showing support for people in our community. It was how we showed people that we cared about them, and that they could count on us when it mattered. We were a part of their “casserole community.”
For those of you who don’t know, I contracted COVID-19 over the Christmas holidays. It was a brutal 3 weeks. At 10:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve, I was having trouble breathing and decided to call 9-1-1. I sat down on the bed to rest for a minute until I could gather enough strength to go get my cell phone, and the next thing I knew, it was 5:30 in the morning. All the lights were on, and I had made it through the night. I had turned a corner.
At one point, I was feeling particularly sorry for myself for being sick over the Christmas break, and my girlfriend texted me to see if I was okay. I texted back that I was getting better, and that I appreciated her checking in. She offered to send me groceries on Instacart. She was not the only one. My friends and neighbors showed up (virtually) in droves to send food, to check in, to offer moral support. My self-pity turned into gratitude for my “Casserole/Instacart” Community.
Here is the deal, people: we are in the middle of a global pandemic. We need each other. So, ask yourself this question: who is in your casserole community? Whose casserole community are you a part of? Who can you count on when you need help/support? Who can count on you? Even in the best of times, we all need a community, and these are definitely not the best of times for many people. However, being there for each other can make it infinitely more bearable.
Power thought: Think about who needs you to order them some groceries on Instacart. Or think about two people that you need to check in on today. You never know if you will make someone’s day with a small gesture of kindness and caring.
by Beth | Feb 17, 2021 | Employee Hiring, Selecting Good Candidates
I love Grape Nuts. I mean, I LOVE them! I have been eating them for over half my life. They are so VERSATILE! I eat them with fruit, with yogurt, with fruit and yogurt, with a little milk at night before bed. Swipe some almond butter on a banana and dip it into a bowl of Grape Nuts and eat it. YUM!
In early December, I noticed that I was getting low. When I went to Safeway to buy some more, they didn’t have any. They didn’t have any the next week either. Sprouts didn’t have any, nor do they carry them at all. When I asked the woman at the counter, she said haughtily “That is a POST product. We don’t carry any of Post products.” Ok then.
By January, I was getting really desperate, so I visited my trusted friend, Amazon. They had some. 2 boxes for $20.00 and an extra $10.00 for shipping. I am not doing that. The next week, no Grape Nuts at Safeway, and the online price was now $60.00!!! Are you KIDDING me? And I am not the only one to notice: read here.
The problem was that at this point, I was actually considering it! I told myself that I would skip Happy Hour that week and buy the damn Grape Nuts.
UGH…
On Monday, I sashayed into Safeway, and there on the shelf like a beacon of light was 2 boxes of Grape Nuts. The angels wept and the choir sang. I bought both of those bad boys for a whopping $4.99 a box, saved myself $50.00 and I didn’t have to skip Happy Hour.
SCORE!
When you are searching for your right candidate, you have felt like I did about my Grape Nuts. You look and look. You “post” your job ad on Indeed.com, on Linked In, on Monster… anywhere that you think might have your person. You are desperate. You start to get a tightness in your chest. Did they quit making my beloved Grape Nuts? Is there a WAR on Talent??
And then, when you least expect it, your prayers are answered… a gift from the Hiring Gods… or in my case, the cereal makers.
Power thought: I want you to be a “cereal” interviewer, not a “cereal” hirer. Hold out! Be patient. Your dream hire is coming!
by Beth | Feb 3, 2021 | Attitude
I flew to Austin to interview a candidate for a third interview in a blinding snowstorm. While things went very smoothly in Denver, they did NOT go smoothly in Austin. Once we arrived at the airport, we circled for about an hour, until our pilot announced that we were being diverted to San Antonio, as the airport in Austin closed to deal with the snow. To be fair, Austin got a few inches of snow that they hadn’t seen in 25 years.
We arrived in San Antonio to re-fuel, and the pilot said that we were going to get gas, then fly back to Austin. “It will be a quick 15-minute flight” he said. We circled the airport for 45 minutes, when he announced that we would be diverted to Houston. NO ONE wanted to go to Houston! Then, the pilot said this:
“We need 1 ¼ mile of visibility. We have 1 mile. So, we are going to try and land the plane.”
EXCUSE ME?
This college-aged girl named Emily was sitting next to me, and with wide eyes she looked at me and said “TRY? Did he say TRY?”
He did. Emily and I held hands as the pilot TRIED to land the plane.
Obviously, he did. And actually, it was one of the smoother landings I have experienced.
According to this article in Inc magazine, https://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/3-words-that-guarantee-failure.html people who use the word “try” have given themselves permission to fail, and this causes the rest of us to find them uncredible. What if I said to you “I will TRY to hire a great employee for you.” Those words don’t inspire confidence, do they?
So, work on eliminating “try” from your vocabulary. And for those smart alecks in my network, don’t respond to me with “I’ll try”. ????
Power thought: Do or do not….There is no try. -Yoda
by Beth | Jan 20, 2021 | Adventures in Interviewing, Employee Hiring
I have been conducting video interviews for almost a decade now. Early on in my video career, I did what a lot of people do, and I wore a blazer and my pajama pants. Except in the middle of the interview, I realized that my file with my resumes was on top of the filing cabinet next to my desk. I stood up to grab the file, and the candidate said, “Nice pajama bottoms!”
My p.j. pants had crushed beer cans on them.
Needless to say, I have NEVER done that again!
These days, I am not the only one who has hidden their favorite jammies underneath the desk. According to this article, pants sales have plummeted since the beginning of the pandemic, but pajama sales have skyrocketed by 143%!! And slippers are having their moment too, according to this article.
Take it from me: while those pj bottoms might be really comfortable, it is really easy to get TOO comfortable. If you want to present yourself in a highly professional way, you must put on real clothes. The phrase “dress for success” is said for a reason.
So, make sure that you buy (and wear!) real pants when you are on a video call.
You can, however, wear your fuzzy bunny slippers on your feet. I may or may not be wearing mine as I write this.
by Beth | Jan 6, 2021 | Company Culture
As we begin each New Year, many of us take the opportunity to re-group and redefine goals for our businesses. This time is often filled with renewed energy to get our lives and work in order. As a part of your New Year’s goals, it might also be time to fire that one employee that is not contributing to your company’s vision.
The impact of an unengaged employee on your business can be catastrophic. Decreased productivity, lowered company morale, and miserable working environments have been common complaints by my clients as they come to the decision to relieve an employee, especially when coming out of a disaster year like 2020! I say start the New Year fresh!
A past client of mine had an employee who consistently gave her ultimatums. The threats were often “If you don’t do this, then I will quit.” Who wants to work with an individual who is constantly threatening you? The team was struggling to work with the individual, my client was unhappy with the performance of the individual, yet the concept of firing and replacing this person seemed daunting and ill-timed. When my client finally became fed up, they did indeed fire the employee. I won’t sugar coat the transition. It was hard, uncomfortable and came at a terrible time, but my client knew that this was the right decision for the company.
In addition, the busiest day of the year for applicants looking for a job is the second Tuesday in January. Think about this: the people who are fed up with their work environments are also looking to make a change. So, if you want to start the New Year with someone who REALLY wants to work for you, get going! Now is the time.
