What did your bad boss teach you?
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.
Crabby Employees? It’s the Crab Effect
buy generic Latuda Have you ever seen a bunch of live crabs put into a bowl? They crawl on top of each other to get out, and the crab on top is pulled down by the others. Ultimately, there is so much fighting for the top position that the crabs just wear themselves out. What a crabby bunch. (Pun intended)
So what do you do when you have your own bunch of crabby employees?
Whatever you do, don’t be a crab back at them – it’s the equivalent of that crab bowl, with everyone stepping on everyone else. In other words, quit complaining! This is the moment when you need to be the leader and help elevate everyone’s mood and energy level.
Here are a few suggestions:
can i buy Pregabalin over the counter in usa Bring Legos to a Staff Meeting: One reason that people get crabby is because they need a distraction. Instead of your ordinary Monday morning staff meeting, do something different to help your employees think outside the bowl. (Click HERE to read my blog on this subject.)
Encourage Volunteering: There have been many studies that prove getting out of the office improves productivity, creativity and morale. I have a client who has a volunteer policy: A different employee per month chooses their favorite charity and on the last Friday of the month the whole team goes to volunteer.
Re-Stating the End Goal: Many candidates talk about how unhappy they are at work; one common reason is because they have lost sight of the company goal and how they fit into that picture. Why are we doing what we are doing? What is my purpose here in this company? How are my efforts contributing to the big picture? The more articulate you as the leader can be about this, the more satisfied your staff will be.
Say Thank You: Thank you! I am continually surprised by how effective a simple “thank you” is. I received communication from several employees from my restaurant this weekend (we are planning a reunion!), and many of them have told me how my thanking them before they left every day had a huge impact on them as employees. Several have adopted that habit as leaders. (Click HERE to read my blog on this subject.)
One final tip: Remember that organizational attitude flows from the top down. If your crabby employees complain all the time, ask yourself if you are complaining all the time. If so, try these tips for yourself!
I know your secret…
When I founded A-list Interviews over a decade ago, one of the first books I read was Martin Yate’s “Hiring The Best”, which describes the interviewing process as a “dirty secret” in business. He observed that we promote people within our organizations, ask them to assemble and manage teams, and then hold them accountable to the performance of that team without actually giving them the proper skills to be successful. We invest in skills training for goal achievement and leadership, yet rarely do we invest in their ability to conduct effective interviews.
So why after 20+ years is this still a dirty secret? Why haven’t we had a global conversation about interviewing?
People mistakenly believe that conducting an interview is an easy process that comes naturally. “It is something that we feel we are expected to know, or that comes with experience. Couple that feeling with the average ego and you get ‘It’s easy enough to interview; I know a good one when I see one; It’s sort of a gut feel,’” states Martin Yate. Sadly, statistics do not support that assertion. According to Peter Drucker, 2/3 of all hiring decisions are found to be a mistake within the year. That is a 66% failure rate.
Here is the bottom line: successfully interviewing candidates is not a process based on intuition, instinct, gut feel or judgment. It is a skill set like any other, and it can be taught. How do I know this? Because of my dirty secret: I made an exceptionally bad hire who made national news in 2002. In dealing with the aftermath, I was forced to put my ego aside and admit that even though I thought I knew how to hire effectively, it was obvious that I needed a better process. I launched an enormous research project to figure out how to interview people effectively for the best hire, which was the beginning of A-list Interviews. Don’t continue to carry around your dirty secret. The only way to learn and grow is to admit what you don’t know and then ask for help. Let me teach you how to interview people, so that you and your company can be hugely successful!
Maintain your form and go for the win!
Phyllis Francis represented the United States in the 400 meter race, and she completed her semi-final looking very relaxed. She won both her first round heat and her semifinal heat easily with a time of 50.58 seconds and 50.31 seconds, respectively. When the reporter asked her what she was thinking about during one of the races, she talked about listening to the advice of her coach who said, “Maintain your form and go for the win.”
That concept is deceptively simple, and yet so vitally important in sports… and in hiring as well.
Often, clients want to quit the hiring process before we have completed it. They are tired of interviewing and they just want to hire someone – anyone! The temptation to just stop and say “good enough” is overwhelming!
It is the final portion of the race that is the hardest to accomplish, and yet the most important: The last 5 pounds to lose; the last 10% of rehab on an injury; the last few inches to cross the finish line. “That last interview with yet another candidate when you are totally frustrated” falls into that category. Staying focused on your strategy and following through all the way to the end is the path to victory.
Maintain your form, and go for the win.
You can do it!