by Beth | Dec 18, 2024 | Uncategorized
Over the Thanksgiving holiday a few years ago, my daughter and I were listening to the radio. A song came on that we both love. I began belting out the tune at the top of my lungs and sang along to the chorus of the Zac Brown Band song. I sang “Long Gone” along in perfect pitch (to me at least). My kid laughed uproariously. “MOM”, she yelled, “Those aren’t the words!” I said, “Yes they are!” She giggled “No, really. It’s not ‘Long Gone’. It’s ‘Home Grown’!” She had to Google it for me to believe her.
This misunderstanding happens in interviews for new employees all the time. Someone on the interview team will recount what the candidate said and someone else will have heard the words from the person completely differently. The very first step in the analysis of an interview for the hiring team is to agree to what the candidate actually said. The candidate’s choice of words that they used are very important. For example, “My boss is really great to work with”. Did they really say “with”? Are you sure they didn’t say “My boss is really great to work ‘for’? That simple word changes the entire meaning of the sentence as well as the intent of the comment. The word “with” denotes that the candidate doesn’t acknowledge their bosses’ authority, and if they don’t acknowledge it in the interview, they really won’t when they have direct deposit.
I talk about listening to the exact words all the time to my clients to ensure they get to hire someone who will fit with the company culture, leadership style and even the position itself. If you are not paying attention, you can miss something important in an interview which can lead to a bad hire. You can also really embarrass yourself in front of your beloved daughter.
POWER THOUGHT: Did you really hear what you thought you heard?
by Beth | Dec 11, 2024 | Uncategorized
I recently conducted a training on how to improve the hiring process, and one participant blurted out “What do you do about a brown-noser? We have this guy who doesn’t perform until the manager walks through the door. Then, this guy sucks up to the manager and the manager doesn’t even see it! It is SO frustrating!”
“What do you do about it now?” I asked him.
He said “We call him Rudolph behind his back. Rudolph the brown-nosed reindeer, and we laugh about it. We have to let off steam somehow!”
There are several things about this reindeer farm that are alarming: First, the company has a bunch of reindeer that are getting paid to talk about someone behind their back. This is NOT good for reindeer culture. When your reindeer are focused on the behavior of another, it disrupts the flow of business, and it inhibits teams from performing well – meaning getting the gifts to the people.
Second, this makes the manager, Santa Claus, look inept. All of the other reindeer, who laugh and call him names, are secretly wondering why Rudolph hasn’t been fired. They think Santa is too busy eating cookies to get work done. And finally, there will be reindeer who quit working, because Rudolph doesn’t do his job. Why should I do mine?
A brown-noser is ultimately bad for business, and the last thing we want in our reindeer culture is a reindeer who doesn’t do their job and hides that fact. We have gifts to get out, people! Fire the brown-noser and get back to business.
POWER THOUGHT: When employees laugh about anyone behind their back, you have a culture ruin-er. Brown-nosed reindeers must go.
by Beth | Jul 10, 2024 | Uncategorized
I go to the gym 6 days a week, otherwise, the stress monger will eat up my insides. I ride a stationary bike that I have named Mike.
I have a love/hate relationship with Mike. There are days when I walk into the gym feeling great, and I have a horrible ride with Mike! There are days that I feel like crap when I walk into the gym, I walk out feeling like I won the Tour de France. I keep track of food, sleep, water intake, step count, supplements, stretching, and I literally can’t predict how it is going to go with Mike.
Welcome to the world of interviewing.
There are days when you interview several candidates, and you end up with no one to move forward. There are days when you end up with numerous people moving forward, but you can’t tell which kind of day you are going to get. You can keep track of applicants, ads, postings, certifications, and resumes, and you can’t tell what kind of applicant will show up to the interview.
So, what is a person to do?
Here’s the bottom line: what really counts is showing up. Get on the bike and start pedaling. Schedule interviews and conduct them. Have a set time to have interviews every week and keep that time slot on your calendar, just like you keep your gym appointment. Work through your applicant pool one by one, and eventually, your candidate will show up- usually when you least expect it.
And, Mike and I will continue to love/hate each other.
POWER THOUGHT: Mike the Bike has taught me how to manage my expectations…especially on the days that I hate him.
by Beth | Jun 24, 2024 | Uncategorized
When I was in college, I lived with my brother and cousin in a condo right north of campus in Austin, Texas. (Hook ‘em Horns!) Anyhoo, when it came time to study for finals, the boys would suddenly get the cleaning bug. They would scrub cabinets, carpets, toilets, grout, windows, trash cans, seats in their cars, baseboards, the fridge, microwave and particularly, the oven. Seemingly until finals, they had zero interest in cleaning.
Fast forward to today, I am working on book number 5. Actually, I am working on NOT working on book #5. I am doing everything that I possibly can to avoid sitting down to write the damn thing.
Recently, I have scrubbed every cabinet, every drawer, cleaned out every closet, and changed every filter on every major appliance in my house. All under the guise of WORKING. Do these things need to be done? Yes. Do they have to be done NOW? No. Do they have to be done by me? Also no.
To be fair to myself, there are times when doing menial labor can actually spur on the creative process. I have written many a blog while doing dishes, but this is not one of those times. I simply need to sit down and write, or this book will never get finished.
I am Procrasta-working.
Usually, I am pretty good about getting the things done that need to get done. I usually have a list of the top three things that I HAVE to do that day, and I work hard on getting those done first thing in the morning when I am at my best. Not this time.
You didn’t know this, my dear reader, but you just became my accountability partner in getting this book written.
Congratulations.
Cleaning my oven is just going to have to wait.
POWER THOUGHT: Procrasta-working is doing all the things without doing the thing.
by Beth | Jan 1, 2024 | Uncategorized
Approaching the new year, here I am stuffed full of cheese and chocolate, and I had a former client call me out of the blue. He said: “Beth, I have this employee who started off great, but this person is making my life hell!”
He went on to describe the ultimatums and threats this employee kept saying. Things like: “if you don’t do this, I will quit.” My client was so frustrated! “I gave this person a great bonus, I have allowed them to work from home, though I suspect a lot isn’t getting done, and I just lost a big client because of shoddy client service from this person.”
“But do you want to know the straw that broke the camel’s back? I just realized that I don’t want to go back to work- AT MY OWN COMPANY- because I HATE working with this person!”
It is a new Year and a new you. If you have eaten cheese for 2 weeks, and you don’t feel excited to go back to work with that soul-sucking employee, then it is time to fire that person. Just like you start a new diet or a new exercise program, the new year is the time to do some intense evaluation of what is working and what is not in your business. Start the new year fresh!
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.
POWER THOUGHT: New Year, new goals, new awesome employee and new culture!
by Beth | Nov 23, 2023 | Uncategorized
My daughter, Katy, and I would like to wish everyone a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving holiday.
I am so grateful for all of my clients, friends and family for supporting A-list Interviews, as we continue to grow and thrive. A giant thank you to my team for a great year as well.
I hope your holiday is full of peace, love, joy and pie!
Yours in success,
Beth Smith
