When I begin a new employee search with a client, we start with an exercise to create “The Ideal List”. It begins with this question: If you DREAM BIG of the ideal candidate for this position, who would they be and what would they know?
After the list is created, I type it out and send it to the client with instructions to print out the list and post it strategically where they will see and review it regularly. (As Napoleon Hill wrote in Think and Grow Rich, you can’t have what you want unless you know what it is. And you HAVE to write it down!)
Later, when we meet again to continue the process, I ask where they posted their list. Some of the responses I’ve gotten are SO funny! Here are some of the most memorable:
#4: The Coffee Pot: One of my clients drinks quite a lot of coffee throughout the day, and he has his list posted right behind the coffee pot. He told me, “I KNOW that I will see it there several times a day, morning, noon and night, so it just made sense to me. Also, I had to add to the Ideal List that my perfect employee would also like coffee!”
#3: The Washing Machine: Another client posted her list on top of her washing machine. “I have four kids. I do 5 loads of laundry per day, so I am definitely going to stare at that list while folding laundry.”
#2 The Bathroom: Oddly enough, this is the most common place that people post their list! I’ve lost count of the number of clients who post their list here. As one client so aptly put it, “It is where I do my best thinking!” (Talk about multi-tasking!)
#1 The Shower: I have an amazing client who laminated his list and hung it high in his shower. “I solve the world’s problems when I am in the shower. I look up while I am washing/rinsing my hair, and I stare at that list.”
Where would you post your Ideal List? I would love to hear!
It has become an annual tradition to remind my community to let go of those on your team who are not performing. Happy New Year 2018!
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. I say start the new year fresh!
For example, a past client had an employee who consistently gave the employer 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, the employer 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, now is the time to make a change.
This week, I wanted to share some success numbers with you. I have a client, MEP Engineering, who I have worked with for some time. They have embraced A-list Interviews and the Response Analysis System™ wholeheartedly. In fact, in their latest newsletter, they highlighted their hiring process as one of the reasons their firm has been so successful this year. This graphic is their own, featuring their statistics from 2016:
In using A-list Interviews’ 3 Step Interview Process, they’ve been able to efficiently screen an average of 50 candidates for each offer they make. They’ve achieved a 21% growth rate in 2016; whereas this source reports the average employee growth rate for their industry is 3.5%. In addition, while the average staff turnover rate for their industry is 13.3%, their turnover rate is 1%.
Figures like that show a rapidly expanding organization whose hiring process not only keeps pace with increasing demand, but is finely tuned to identify quality candidates.
That’s what success looks like.
Congratulations to MEP Engineering on your tremendous growth! It’s been a pleasure to continue working with you. May 2017 be just as prosperous and successful!
You can’t have what you want unless you know what it is… and nowhere is this concept more important than in your hiring process. Here, I discuss just what that looks like, and the difference that makes:
In my early 20’s, I worked as a manager in a retail store, and one of my co-workers was a middle aged woman with three children. After working there for some time, her husband was offered not only his dream job, but also the opportunity to move back to California near both of their families. It was a perfect fit for everyone, and my co-worker and her family were beyond ecstatic.
Our boss, however, was less than thrilled. Rather than share in her excitement, she was furious at my co-worker for leaving the organization. “How could you possibly leave me now?! I depend on you!” This woman gave my co-worker the silent treatment for the remaining 2 weeks of her notice. On her last day, my co-worker hugged me tight and told me, “Don’t stay here for much longer. This is a toxic place to work.”
During that time, I learned one small lesson of what NOT to do as a boss.
I made a vow that when my staff turned in their notices, I would handle it differently. I would tell them how happy I was for their new opportunity and I would ask them how I could help them leave on a good note, with the door left open for the future. Most of all, I would thank them for their service to my business. This commitment to my staff even as they were leaving my employment has served me well in countless ways, not the least of which is the fact that allowing someone to exit on a good note feels good to all parties: you, them, their co-workers, your clients, etc.
Everyone has had a bad boss. Not all bad bosses stay bad bosses; in the case of my former boss, she was under extreme stress at the time, so her behavior had a lot to do with that. (In fact, the business ended up closing several years later.) Today, she and I are on great terms, and I adore her.
Tell me what lessons you learned from your bad boss! Inquiring minds want to know…
When I begin a new employee search with a client, we start with an exercise to create “The Ideal List”. It begins with this question: If you DREAM BIG of the ideal candidate for this position, who would they be and what would they know?
It has become an annual tradition to remind my community to let go of those on your team who are not performing. Happy New Year 2018!
Our boss, however, was less than thrilled. Rather than share in her excitement, she was furious at my co-worker for leaving the organization. “How could you possibly leave me now?! I depend on you!” This woman gave my co-worker the silent treatment for the remaining 2 weeks of her notice. On her last day, my co-worker hugged me tight and told me, “Don’t stay here for much longer. This is a toxic place to work.”