by Beth | Aug 7, 2023 | Firing Employees
I had a client who called me out of the blue wanting to discuss his team. His company had had a large drop in sales recently, so he met with his executive team, and they came up with a plan. The Executive team presented the plan to the directors, and one of the Directors adamantly refused to follow the plan. This Director had no other solutions or suggestions, just dug in their heels, and refused to comply.
The Chief Revenue Officer had a private talk with the Director. So did the CFO. The CMO. The CIO. Finally, the CEO. The Director refused to cooperate.
My client was baffled by this person’s response. He kept saying to me, “It is the right plan. It is a good plan. The Director is the only one who doesn’t agree. What do I do?”
I am a strong advocate for a Restaurant Management philosophy called Popes. There are 21 rules in this system that cover every business problem that I have ever encountered. Rule #17 says “THE REPUTATION OF NO INDIVIDUAL IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE REPUTATION OF THE COMPANY.” At the end of the day, the business has to come first. There are too many people, employees, their children and their spouses, that depend on the business’s success, so no one person’s agenda can dictate the direction the company goes.
When you have a change in your business and someone on your team refuses to cooperate, you really have no choice but to let them go.
When you experience a crisis or a big change in the business, ask yourself this question: Who on the team is helping? Who on the team is hurting? Whoever is hurting has to go.
POWER THOUGHT: Who on your team is helping? Who on your team is hurting?
by Beth | Jul 26, 2023 | Interview Process
Unless you have been living under a rock lately, you have heard of Taylor Swift and her Eras tour. Recently, she played 2 shows at Mile High stadium in Denver. My daughter, Katy, and her college friend Ash spent months getting ready for this concert, by carefully choosing their outfits, making friendship bracelets spelling out names of the songs, and planning logistics.
In addition, they stood in line the day before the concert for four plus hours to get merchandise, so that they didn’t have to carry sweatshirts around at the stadium. The girls created spreadsheets to figure out what surprise songs Taylor would play during the Denver concert. It was a production!
What you may not know is the economic impact of this tour.
According to this article in the Business Insider, Taylor may very well keep the US from going into a recession. https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/taylor-swifts-economic-impact-catches-attention-federal-reserve-hotel-revenue-2023-7#:~:text=%22The%20totality%20of%20Taylor%20Swifts%27%20U.S.%20tour%20could,Swift%20and%20her%20deeply%20loyal%20fans%20to%20thank
“Swifites” have spent so much money on this concert that the FED is keeping an eye on it. They spent about $200 million in Denver alone! Even if you aren’t a fan of Taylor’s music, or even Taylor herself, you are reaping the benefits of her hard work. And it is all because one woman had the courage to relentlessly pursue her dream. Wow.
At A-list Interviews, the third interview is solely dedicated to a candidate’s passion, because when you hire someone who LOVES their job, anything is possible. When you hire someone who is dedicated to their craft, they make better parents, better pet companions, better spouses and friends, and there is less road rage. And in Taylor’s case, even an economic boom is possible.
So, your job, dear hiring manager, is to hire someone whose dream job is the one you are offering. And your job, dear candidate, is to pursue your dream job- one that is “Taylor-made” just for you.
POWER THOUGHT: And do it “Swiftly.”
by Beth | Jul 12, 2023 | Employee Hiring, Selecting Good Candidates
A client of mine called last week. He needed help deciding between two candidates. We walked through the interviews and his notes, and there was a clear winner when we talked it through. He was very excited about offering the job to the top candidate. His next comment, however, totally baffled me.
“I will wait to let the other candidate know after this one has accepted the offer.”
“Why?” I asked, incredulously.
“In case, they don’t accept. You know the saying: A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.”
I paused for a minute.
He is right from a conventional wisdom standpoint, but when it comes to hiring, what if the bird in the hand is the wrong bird? Are you really going to hire someone that is clearly your second choice?
Many of my clients think this way: that somehow hiring a second choice will still be a great hiring decision. It isn’t, though. The new hire will act like the second choice (because they were), you will treat them like the second choice (because they were), and you will ultimately fire them because they were your second choice.
If for some reason your top candidate doesn’t accept the position, your job is to figure out why, fix that issue, then start over with a brand new candidate pool.
As it turned out, the top candidate did accept the position, and all is well on the home front.
POWER THOUGHT: When it comes to hiring, a bird in the hand only counts if it is the right bird.
by Beth | Jun 28, 2023 | Employee Hiring
A few weeks ago, I was flying home from New York. I had booked the plane ticket late, because it was a last-minute trip to interview a final candidate. Because of the timing, I ended up sitting in the next to last row of the plane.
If any of you are from Denver, you know that we have had substantial rain these past several weeks, so my flight home was full of turbulence. The pilot announced that descending would be a bit rough, and he instructed the flight attendants to get the plane ready to land and take their seats.
The turbulence was intense. As the plane was about to hit the runway, all of the sudden, the tail of the plane jerked to one side, violently tossing us around. I frantically gripped my arm rests! The pilot floored the gas and took off again! I have never in my life had an experience like that! The guy beside me looked at me with huge wide eyes full of fear, accurately mirroring my own.
After we circled the airport for about 20 minutes, the pilot came on to announce that we were going to land again. He told us that a tailwind had come out of nowhere, and since they weren’t prepared for it, they couldn’t land. He then reassured us that he was ready for it, and we would be on the ground in 15 minutes.
The landing was amazingly smooth, considering what had just occurred. And the entire plane erupted in applause.
Because I was in the back, I was the last passenger to get off. The pilot stood at the front of the plane and thanked each passenger for their patience and confidence in him. He was gracious and kind. When I approached, he said “Were you in the back of the plane?” I told him I was.
“Did you feel that tailwind?”
I said, “Yes! It was scary!”
He then excitedly began to tell me all about the tail wind, the direction of the wind, and how it affected the plane. His eyes lit up, and mine glazed over.
As he finished with his story, including hand gestures, I said to him, “Did you hear the applause?”
His face softened, and he said “No!… people really clapped for us?”
“They sure did. And you deserved it!”
“Wow. I’m honored.” We shook hands, and I left.
THIS is the pilot that I want flying every plane I get on. Nice job hiring, Delta!
POWER THOUGHT: Who do you want landing YOUR plane?
by Beth | Jun 14, 2023 | Lifestyle
My daughter, Katy, was in a wedding last weekend in Philadelphia. She was a stunning bridesmaid, and as she walked down the aisle, I boo-hooed like a baby! The couple said their lovely “I do’s”, the weather was perfect, the flowers lovely, and we set off confetti bombs as they walked back up the aisle. For that moment, life was just perfect.
I almost didn’t go.
I told myself that I couldn’t take the time off, because of blah, blah, and more blah. I said that I could take a longer vacation later. I pontificated that I needed to get my book manuscript finished. I tried to even bribe myself that if I waited, I could take a beach vacation somewhere exotic.
But several weeks before the wedding, the bride told Katy, “I can’t wait to walk down the aisle, look out into the crowd, and see your mom’s curls.”
So, of course I went, and looking back, I am SO glad that I didn’t miss that moment!
Also every year, I worry about leaving on vacation. I worry that my clients will be mad that I am gone. I worry that something big is going to happen while I am not there. I worry that putting off the recruiting process will drag out longer than I want it to… worry, worry and more worry.
Here is the truth: none of those worries ever come to fruition. As a matter of fact, the opposite is usually true. My clients are able to get more work done, because I am not there. They are relieved that they get to take a break, and typically, the hiring process goes faster upon my return.
In addition, I am happier and more relaxed, and I have time to think about the hiring process from the 30,000 foot view, not just from the ground level.
Vacations have always been important: whether you go somewhere exotic or have a “stay-cation” and spend the week at the pool working on your tan lines. But especially this year, vacation is more important than EVER.
Not only are people burnt out, a huge amount of people are leaving their jobs. If you want to keep your best employees, my advice is always to let them go on vacation. And when they are gone, make sure that you are covering their work so that they can completely unplug.
We know that innovation comes from experiences outside the office. So, if you are worried that no work will get done, some of the BEST work happens when you and your team unplug.
When we return, we all have killer tans, and you get solutions to big problems.
And the bride got to see my curls as she walked down the aisle. Sniff!
