by Beth | Sep 20, 2023 | Good Management
Fostering animals is so rewarding! This past month, I fostered dog number 51… a plott hound mix named Stella. We are fairly certain that Stella had never been in a house before. She was super skittish, hid in the corner, and flinched when I would pet her. It was heartbreaking.
Walking her was an adventure! I don’t think she knew what a leash was and that it was mostly for her protection. She tried to lean on my leg as we walked, she hid behind my leg, and once when we encountered another dog, she turned around and ran home with me flying behind her!
After a few days, she got the hang of it, and she walked out to the end of her leash. She began sniffing bushes, exploring her environment, and her tail even wagged! Her transformation was a beautiful thing to see.
Many of the CEO’s that I work with will say, “I need this person to just jump in immediately. I don’t have time to train them!” These CEO’s don’t want to invest in training new employees, because they consider it a waste of time. It is easy to understand why: 2/3 of all hires are found to be a mistake within the year, so why invest in employees who aren’t going to stay?
Here is the problem with that line of thinking: Even the best employees can’t be great if you don’t train them to walk out to the end of their leash. You must coach your people to know the boundaries of their role and push beyond those boundaries while simultaneously respecting those boundaries. It is a gray area that must be explored together.
Every dog must be trained to be a great dog. Every employee must be coached to be a great employee. There is no getting around it.
POWER THOUGHT: To prevent ruff experiences, train/coach/mentor your people.
by Beth | Sep 6, 2023 | Interview Process
In 2009, I started writing my first book. I knew that I had a lot to say on the subject of hiring, so I sent my family away on vacation, I scrubbed the grout with a toothbrush, I super-cleaned my bathrooms, and when I had done all that I could do in the cleansing department, I sat down to write.
The first draft was terrible. The second was even worse. I threw out the first, second, third and fourth drafts and I felt like a complete failure. One day, my editor said to me, “You have to quit writing someone else’s story, write your own.” Finally, I got it. It still took a few years after that, but the writing was so much easier after that. I published Why Can’t I Hire Good People? in 2017.
I didn’t REALLY want to write another book… I mean, the brain hemorrhage! But, alas, I couldn’t help it. Hire Power only took about 2 ½ years. I still have to spend all this time cleaning, and I still threw out a bunch of writing, but in general the process was much easier.
That leads me to book #3 Power Hire which comes out October 1st of this year, 2023.
I am getting better, and I am getting faster and more efficient, because it is getting easier for me to tap into the writing mindset.
Last week, I met with a potential client who needs to hire an executive for their team. Invariably, the question is asked: “How long does this process take?” And here is my answer: Hiring is a mindset. The faster you can tap into that mindset, the faster and more efficient your process is. You can’t be in a hurry, or you will make mistakes. You can’t shorten it, or you will make mistakes. You can’t skip parts, or you will make mistakes.
And the ultimate irony is the more you try to control it, the longer it takes.
Here is the good news: I just made a hire for a company that I have done a ton of work for, and it took 6 weeks from start to finish. I had another client that I worked a lot with, and we hired a Controller in 10 days over Christmas. Once you learn the mindset, it is faster and easier.
In efforts to help you with the mindset, my third book is designed to help you get into the Hiring Mindset faster and easier. I hope you enjoy “booking it” through the hiring process!
POWER THOUGHT: Getting your mind wrapped around the hiring process is easier with the books Hire Power and Power Hire.
by Beth | Aug 23, 2023 | Uncategorized
When my daughter, Katy, graduated from college last May, she came to live with me for 8 weeks. We had dinner together every night, we went shopping together, and we watched extensive seasons of Yellowstone. We ate a ton of sushi, explored new restaurants, and hit the frozen yogurt place more than my pants liked!
Then she left. I was bereft, because this was the last time that she would spend that kind of time in my house. She left for Dallas in the middle of July, and she is thriving in her new job and her new life. I am SO happy for her.
A client of mine called a few weeks ago and told me that his right-hand person was leaving him after many, many years. She was the one he bounced ideas off of, collaborated with and relied on for new processes. He depended on her for so much! She was completely changing her life and going back to school. She was SO excited about her new life! She gave my client a month’s notice. And, he was not completely surprised by this: she had indicated that she might go this route. He is bereft. He is also very happy for her, but so, so sad for himself.
Then, I realized that I had all this time on my hands, and I got to completely redefine my life. My client realized that this was an opportunity to re-define his operations.
I got excited! I still missed my baby girl, but I was excited. My client got excited! He was really going to miss working with his right-hand, but he is looking forward to this opportunity to transform everything for the better.
Change is never easy for us human beings and it has taken time to figure out what I want to do, just like it has taken my client some time to figure out how to transform his operations. In times of uncertainty and shifting, anything is possible. It is perfectly okay to honor the sadness, just like it is perfectly okay to feel excited about new opportunities. Human emotions are nuanced, and embracing both of these feelings is important to our growth.
POWER THOUGHT: In every ending there is a new beginning.
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.”
