May is very stressful month for school age kids, no matter what age they are. My daughter Katy is finishing her freshman year, and has finals, final projects, end-of-term tests, make up work from her surgery, cheerleader practice and lots of goodbyes to graduating friends. Last week she said to me “Mom, I woke up with tears in my eyes today. I knew I wouldn’t get through the day without crying, so I made sure to wear waterproof mascara.”
We have a saying around our house that goes like this: “Prior preparation prevents poor performance” and we refer to it as the 5 P’s. Katy woke up, assessed her situation and did something to set herself up for success.
Wouldn’t it be amazing if your employees did this?
One of my clients had an employee who went on maternity leave and left a long, detailed list with her assistant on what to do for what projects. The leave went great: business went on; clients were happy. Contrast that experience with another client whose employee took a vacation, during which my client discovered all sorts of work that wasn’t done. Clients were furious, and my client spent the whole week in “clean up” mode. The employee was subsequently fired.
Assessing an employee’s ability to be prepared begins in the interview process. Did they do their research on your company? Did they come with a list of questions? Did they attempt to think about themselves in the role?
Your A-list hire will be prepared so that you can be prepared. Clients are happy. Business grows.
And no one ends up with black smudges on their face.
I have written several blogs about Harley, the goldfish that my daughter saved from the wretched science experiment; recently, I have introduced Coby, our new beloved blue betta.
Last week, Coby was placed in a small cup while Randy cleaned out the fish bowl. Randy walked away, then went back into the kitchen to finish the job. Coby had leapt out of the cup and was flopping around on the counter and gasping! Randy sprang into action and saved the fish from certain death! WHEW!
When an employee resigns from your organization, there is always a certain level of panic. Even in a situation where the resignation is the best thing for the company, employers worry about the ramifications: Will others leave too? Is this indicative of a larger problem here? What will my clients think? How will I get this work done? Should I re-negotiate with this employee in order to retain them? The urge to spring into action and restore the employee to their position is often a first instinct of an employer, as it was when Randy found Coby on the counter.
Despite first instinct, the two situations couldn’t be more different. My advice for an employer in this predicament is this: Help that person leave well. Tell them that you truly appreciate the time that they gave to your organization, and ask what they need from you. Figure out a way to let that person make their exit on good terms so that everyone feels better. You are the boss. You set the tone.
Give your former employee the freedom to be successful and continue on their own path. You will feel better that you did.
You would think that having a 3.2% unemployment rate would be cause for celebration, and it is. Times are good, and there are lots of jobs out there. So, why is it that my clients are afraid they will be unable to find great employees?
Lately, I have received several calls from people who are afraid of the tight labor market. “Where am I going to find good people?” they comment. “What if I can’t find who I need? The work is overflowing. I need good people!” I hear consistently. The funny thing is that these are the same comments that I heard in 2008 when the job market tanked.
Are you surprised?
It seems that my clients worry about finding the right employee when they have 1000 resumes for one position or 30. They fear that the right person will chose the next company to work for whether they have interviewed 50 candidates or 5.
Here is what I tell them: There are more people on this earth now than ever before. We have 7 BILLION people on this planet, and you need 1. The articles that talk about a shortage of candidates is short sighted and fear based, and I don’t want you to read them anymore. Don’t buy into the fear, because when you do, you make horrible hiring decisions.
Your job now is to stay focused on your search, and the 7 steps to Hiring your A-list Candidate: 1) Create your Ideal Candidate List. 2) Write your amazing job description. 3) Write your job ad leading with the mission statement. 4) Review resumes 5) Interview #1 6) Interview #2 7) Interview # 3.
Hiring in a tight labor market is the same as hiring in a loose one: Hold out for the right fit. Period.
My daughter Katy recently attended a baseball game with a group of friends. One of the pitches hit the catcher in the shoulder and bounced off. Katy cried out in alarm, “The squatty dude is hurt!”
Her friend Jorge looked at her in alarm, exclaiming, “Oh Katy!” and threw his head in his hands. He sat up with a deep sigh, and said “What is the squatty dude called?”
“Uhh… I don’t know.”
“The Catcher. What is the guy called who is holding the ball?”
“Uhhh… the thrower?”
“He is called the pitcher, because all players throw.”
“Ohhh!” Katy said.
By this point, all of her friends gathered around for Katy’s education. Another friend asked “What is the name of the guy with the bat?”
“Well, he’s the swinger, of course!”
Welcome to spring training! This is what your new employee feels like on their first day of work. Even if they had experience in their particular role in the past, they don’t know your company’s culture and they don’t know some of the terminology and language that your people use. What’s more, they don’t know the “inside jokes” that come from day-to-day interactions with coworkers and special events with the organization; the new employee barely knows where the bathroom is!
Training a new employee is much more than just showing someone where the files are saved and how to process reports. It’s an opportunity to welcome a new person into the fold and show them the best of your organization: to demonstrate the knowledge and experience of your team members and to showcase the bond that those people have when they’re interacting with each other and doing their jobs.
Bless Katy’s friends for filling her in on terms that she didn’t know. Yes, they laughed at her, but she laughed right along with them. They formed a bond with each other because her friends took the time to train her!
And when Jorge asked her “Do you know who the Kansas City Royals are?” she replied (in true Katy fashion), “Of course! They are the baseball team that won the… uhh… really, big game…”
Last month I flew back to Texas to celebrate my grandmother’s 92nd birthday with the whole family. We had a blast! My favorite part of the weekend was the serendipitous hour-long conversation that she and I shared at breakfast.
My grandmother made her famous pancakes and little sausages on Saturday morning. My family eagerly poured into seats around her kitchen table to enjoy the best pancakes in the world. As luck would have it, I slept a little late and was the last one at the table. She sat down with a cup of coffee and we had one of the best conversations we have ever had.
She is articulate, smart, witty and resourceful. She texts friends and family from her iPhone, she is active on Facebook, and she could write a textbook on how to respond to anyone in a sticky situation. She walks every morning and volunteers with her church. She lives by herself, cooks lunch for several of her children most days of the week and drives herself to the grocery store to shop.
At age 92, she remains relevant. I am lucky to have her in my life.
Virginia Ann (“V.A.”) Rawlins Littleton is a class act, possesses excellent customer service skills and knows how to give advice in a way that is easy to accept. If she were a candidate I was interviewing for a position, I’d hire her in a heartbeat.
The next time you begin a job search, please keep in mind that age means nothing when you are looking for the right candidate. There is ALWAYS an exception to every stereotype out there, and V.A. Littleton is not only that exception… but simply, and in all ways, exceptional.
We have a saying around our house that goes like this: “Prior preparation prevents poor performance” and we refer to it as the 5 P’s. Katy woke up, assessed her situation and did something to set herself up for success.
Lately, I have received several calls from people who are afraid of the tight labor market. “Where am I going to find good people?” they comment. “What if I can’t find who I need? The work is overflowing. I need good people!” I hear consistently. The funny thing is that these are the same comments that I heard in 2008 when the job market tanked.
“Uhh… I don’t know.”
Last month I flew back to Texas to celebrate my grandmother’s 92nd birthday with the whole family. We had a blast! My favorite part of the weekend was the serendipitous hour-long conversation that she and I shared at breakfast.