A few years ago, my daughter came home with Harley, a fish that she saved from certain death in her science class experiment. Reviewing the saga of Harley in a Fish Bowl and Harley in a Fish Bowl continued gave me a great reminder about the power of investing in your employees. I am sad to report that Harley is now swimming in the fish bowl in the sky after a long, productive life at the Smith house… May he rest in peace.
After the fish bowl was thoroughly drained and cleaned, it sat on our kitchen counter for a few weeks. Finally, I said, “Let’s get rid of the fish bowl. There is no reason to have it without a fish in it.” My family’s response was noncommittal, so the fish bowl continued to sit on the kitchen counter. I tried again asking, “Should we move the fish bowl?” Still no response. Then, recently out of the blue, Randy says to Katy, “Let’s go get a fish.” She screamed “YES!” and they scurried out of the house. One hour later, we had Coby, short for cobalt, a blue betta who is now swimming in the fish bowl on the counter.
All too often, we may need to quickly remove an employee. We tell ourselves that we HAVE to have that desk filled ASAP, and we frantically start looking for a butt for that seat. This can (and often does) lead to poor hiring decisions. To find the A-list employee that is ideal for the position, there must be space between the old employee that left and the new one that is coming in; the fish bowl must remain empty for a period of time. Don’t rush into anything new until you are ready. Take the time to contemplate and explore the options: Maybe you don’t need that position any more, or maybe that position should morph into something else. Or maybe, just maybe, it is time to hire the absolute BEST employee EVER! When you give it space and time, you and your team get the opportunity to review the job description, determine the ideal candidate… and only THEN begin to search for the next employee.
This newsletter is dedicated to Harley, who provided hours of entertainment and fodder for my most read blogs. RIP Harley!
One of my long standing, most beloved clients called wanting to meet with me to discuss some potential new hires for her company. I had not heard from her in several months, so I was grateful to hear her voice. Over chips and salsa, the conversation started like this:
“Do you remember that woman that you interviewed for me 4 months ago?” she said.
“Vaguely,” I said.
“You told me not to hire her,” she replied.
“Ummm… okay,” I replied, thoroughly confused. If I remembered correctly, the candidate had not been a cultural fit for the rest of her team. I wasn’t a part of the actual hiring process for this individual and had instead been invited into evaluate her top three candidate selections.
“Another consultant told me to hire her, so I did.” My client sighed deeply, threw her head in her hands and wailed “I am in HELL!” She promptly ordered a margarita and began to tell me the horror stories related to her bad hire.
First of all, I have such empathy for this woman. There is nothing worse than making a bad hiring decision and then have to watch how it effects the rest of your organization. From employee morale to bottom line results, a bad hire creates turmoil that feels very much like a slap in the face every time you go to work.
Second of all, my best advice to her was be kind to herself and remind her that some lessons need to be learned despite other people’s insights and experiences. Remember: interviewing and hiring is a skill set and any new skill takes time to learn. You don’t just wake up one day knowing how to staff your company. You have to practice, and that means making mistakes. A bad hire is a mistake, and just like any other mistake, learn from it, correct it and move on.
About 5 years ago, I had an injury to my eye, and the eye doctor said that I could never wear contacts again. What a shock! I wasn’t happy about it, but the diagnosis was very clear. I had no choice. I bought a pair of glasses that I really liked, and I never looked back. Then, at my annual eye exam last week, my doctor suggested contacts. I couldn’t believe it. Apparently, contacts have dramatically improved, and there was a healthy option for me to now use. I was ecstatic!
So, imagine my surprise when I began wearing my new set of eyes, and I felt like something was missing. I would walk by a mirror and think “Who is THAT?” I noticed that I pushed my no-longer-existing glasses higher on my face several times a day and even poked myself in the eye. I smeared my mascara multiple times, and one time, I put my glasses on AFTER I put my contacts in. OOPS!
The adjustment period for me after I ditched my spectacles was at best unexpected, and at its worst, really uncomfortable. However, now that I am through the transition, I am loving life and seeing clearly!
In business, we often expect an adjustment period after an employee leaves. But honestly, the bigger adjustment happens when a new employee starts. Adding someone new to your team is a big change that can be awkward, even when you have hired the ideal A-list employee. The adjustment period not only affects you, but also the new employee, the other employees, clients and vendors. Now you may walk by their desk and think “Who is that?” or even poke yourself in the proverbial eye a few times while you all adjust, but as the employer it is your job to make that transition easier for all parties involved. Be patient with yourself and your team. As a result, you will all be able to see more clearly.
My daughter, Katy, received a text from a potential suitor that said “Your so pretty!” She showed me the text with a horrified look on her face and said “I’m sorry. If he doesn’t know the difference between your/you’re and to/two/too, then I am not interested!”
In my business, we receive hundreds of resumes for jobs per week and at least half of them have some sort of grammar and/or spelling error. Sometimes we interview them anyway because they have the experience that we are looking for, they wrote a “nice” cover letter or we decide to forgive that “one tiny mistake.” But here is the hard and fast truth: The easiest way to determine if the candidate is serious about the position is whether or not they took the extra 2 minutes to run spell check and proof their work. It really isn’t hard. It really doesn’t take much time. It really does make a difference.
So for those candidates that are continuously asking me for interviewing help, my best advice to get the interview is to please do a review of your materials before you send them. Better yet, have your neighbor, friend, significant other read your resume and cover letter, just for that extra set of eyes. And for my clients who ask, Yes! Grammar counts! Just ask my beloved teenage daughter!
P.S. May all boys within dating age of my daughter make grammatical errors like these. Amen.
My personal trainer is Christine Neff, (a.k.a. Marquis de Sade). She has this wicked sense of humor as she gleefully kicks my butt all across the gym. I looked at her with this evil stare and she yells “Now there is that ‘I love you, Christine’ look!” Last week, she made me do push-ups. I hate push-ups! The reason that I hate push-ups is because I really struggle with them. They do not come easy to me. So, she says to me one day that the push up that I only ½ do is the very best one… Huh? “Your strength comes from the struggle,” she replied.
Finding the right person to hire is always a struggle, which is why my clients have difficulty with interviewing. You cannot just go online and place a special order for the right fit. You especially cannot get any deals or shortcuts when it comes to finding the right employee. You have to go through the 7 step interview process fully and completely, and yes, you may struggle. The person that you hire out of desperation, out of fear or out of panic will never work out for you. You have to complete the interview process in order to hire the brightest and the best; then when you finally do hire, it is SO satisfying!
When I met with Christine before Thanksgiving, I was able to finish 4½ whole push ups! The ½ push up was by far the hardest. But with arms shaking and sweating profusely, I struggled and I continue to get stronger.
After the fish bowl was thoroughly drained and cleaned, it sat on our kitchen counter for a few weeks. Finally, I said, “Let’s get rid of the fish bowl. There is no reason to have it without a fish in it.” My family’s response was noncommittal, so the fish bowl continued to sit on the kitchen counter. I tried again asking, “Should we move the fish bowl?” Still no response. Then, recently out of the blue, Randy says to Katy, “Let’s go get a fish.” She screamed “YES!” and they scurried out of the house. One hour later, we had Coby, short for cobalt, a blue betta who is now swimming in the fish bowl on the counter.
“Do you remember that woman that you interviewed for me 4 months ago?” she said.
My daughter, Katy, received a text from a potential suitor that said “Your so pretty!” She showed me the text with a horrified look on her face and said “I’m sorry. If he doesn’t know the difference between your/you’re and to/two/too, then I am not interested!”
