tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188419052024-03-13T00:06:52.035-04:00Guerilla HRWelcome to Guerilla HR.... a blog built to help you, the business people, better manage your teams and careers by providing information that will help you achieve the results you need by capitalizing on a better relationship with Human Resources, Personnel Management, Human Capital Management, or whatever it is called in your world.Patrick Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827858742893047662noreply@blogger.comBlogger85125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18841905.post-85837146757822868452011-04-26T20:09:00.000-04:002011-04-26T20:09:48.831-04:00So HR IS the Police after all???So after YEARS of me trying to convince the world that HR's value lies in being a partner to help the business do what it needs to do, people really just want us to be the office police force and handle all those unpleasant conversations about personal scent, food aroma's, lecherous behavior and the proper position for toilet seats in co-ed restrooms.<br />
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But seriously, it turns out that if we play the role of the "Good Cop", they will like us after all!<br />
Read the whole diatribe at <a href="http://bit.ly/dIzJXu">The real job of HR</a>Patrick Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827858742893047662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18841905.post-73335056262764423852011-03-27T20:26:00.003-04:002011-03-27T20:27:49.262-04:00Hijacking a tragedy is a travestyJust 100 years ago this week, the worst industrial loss of life in American History occurred; The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_Shirtwaist_Factory_fire">Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire</a>. This tragic fire took the lives of 146 workers, almost all of whom died because of a series of horribly bad and dangerous decisions about how that facility should be run. In it's wake, the labor movement of the day rallied for safer facilities and many more protections for workers.<br />
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</div><div>Now, a century later, the labor movement of the day is trying to convince workers that we still need THEM to protect us in the workplace. Yes, labor played a big role in getting workplace safety laws implemented, but they are now the law of the land. No less than 5 governmental agencies oversee the safety of workers (OSHA, NLRB, State Fire Marshals, Municipal Fire & Safety Inspectors, and State labor standards officials), yet Unions would have you believe that if not for their interaction, tragedies like the Triangle Shirtwaist fire would be commonplace. </div><div><br />
</div><div>We can all appreciate the role unions played in establishing the laws, but let's be clear here - ALL employees benefit from these protections WITH or WITHOUT being members of a union. Dont let a union organizer try to claim your workplace safety as the sole domain of a union.</div>Patrick Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827858742893047662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18841905.post-58172491692334481512011-02-14T20:48:00.000-05:002011-02-14T20:48:27.258-05:00Unionizing the TSA???<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">File this under the heading of "nothing good can come of this!" So since the TSA cant seem to steer clear of trouble and have a horrendous track record with talent, now POTUS wants to let </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.examiner.com/labor-relations-in-miami/tsa-screeners-can-now-unionize">TSA workers unionize</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's see... our track record with allowing critical transit safety folks has gotten us such memorable moments as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional_Air_Traffic_Controllers_Organization_(1968)#August_1981_strike">Air Traffic Controllers</a> strike debacle. Who are we kidding with this move? These people don't need a union to protect them, they need decent management, supervision and training. In a <a href="http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1868355,00.html">Presidency which is heavily beholden to organized labor</a>, this is just another move aimed to placate the Unions who counted on Obama to ring in a new era of Union power, when <a href="http://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2010/ted_20100201.htm">union membership is fading</a>. I guess his <a href="http://dinette.inthesetimes.com/working/entry/5758/obama_uses_recess_powers_to_confirm_pro-labor_appointees/">stacking the deck at the NLRB</a> with pro-labor appointees wasn't enough to satisfy them when they could not get the <a href="http://www.uschamber.com/issues/labor/employee-free-choice-act-card-check-bill">hallucinogenically named "Employee Free Choice Act </a>past even the super majority honeymoon of the first part of his administration.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I could (<a href="http://guerillahr.blogspot.com/2008/08/so-this-is-freedom.html">and have already</a>) climb up my stump and vent for hours about this, but let's take a more pragmatic, historical perspective - because "</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">Those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's look at how well most "big union" industries have done so far:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>Big Steel</u></b> - rusted and barely breathing</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>Automotive</u></b> - saved only be massive concessions and billions of our tax dollars</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>Textiles </u></b>- crushed by cheaper imports....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The list goes on and on. I am NOT anti-union, but I am pro-business and when you don't have a truly compelling reason to bring a union in to protect workers and ensure a reasonable wage, you are just adding complication and cost to the equation. Leave the TSA off the labor unions menu and let them get on with their jobs!</span><br />
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</span>Patrick Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827858742893047662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18841905.post-62346499950808487882011-02-04T15:58:00.007-05:002011-02-04T17:04:07.893-05:00Does your resume stink?<span class="Apple-style-span" >Perhaps I should start off with a different question like <i>"when is the last time you even looked at your resume?"</i></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >I look at resumes ... way too many....every day, and I just have to ask, what are people thinking??? </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >Your resume is your professional introduction to the world, it's the herald that announces you. You want to have it scream "capable, experienced professional", not "out of touch, illiterate egotist"</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >I could go on for DAYS with a list of things you should / should not put in your resume, but here are a couple of quick pointers:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>1. </b> Only put in things you have actually done. If you lie, we will find out, then your name is MUD.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>2.</b> Put relevant things in your resume; if you are going for a job as an astronaut, it's not a good idea to talk about your time as a lion tamer...</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>3. </b> Put measures and metrics in your resume; Don't just say "improved sales results" , say "improved sales results by x%"</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>4. </b> Put specific stuff in your resume; following from the prior point, say how you improved sales results - what specific actions you took (eg, "by following up on all sales calls with points to address identified customer needs")</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>5</b>. Make sure your resume and / or <span class="Apple-style-span" >cover letter</span> (<b>YES</b>,</span> you DO need one of those), specifically illustrates how your qualifications match the requirements of the role.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span">Now those are just five quick pointers that will help... for a deeper look, I will now turn you over to </span>an older, but <a href="http://www.manager-tools.com/2005/10/your-resume-stinks">ever-so-relevant post</a> by the wizards over at <a href="http://www.manager-tools.com/">Manager-Tools</a> which gives this topic a much deeper look. Note that I don't buy into Mark's views on the one-page resume, but you should consider the following rule-of-thumb; the number of DECADES of experience you have is the maximum number of pages your resume should contain.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >Happy hunting!</span></div>Patrick Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827858742893047662noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18841905.post-43662064361591956812009-01-28T19:37:00.006-05:002009-01-28T20:06:45.883-05:00Changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gEznCdpo4mQ/SYD9KEShnSI/AAAAAAAACpI/T9lnqMN8pVg/s1600-h/PuntaCanaBirds.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gEznCdpo4mQ/SYD9KEShnSI/AAAAAAAACpI/T9lnqMN8pVg/s200/PuntaCanaBirds.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296511511179664674" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpsTRbJKoa0&feature=related">Jimmy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Buffett's</span></a> song tells the story pretty danged well. I took a long break from blogging and even took some time off from work to get a little sun <span style="font-weight: bold;">and a new job</span>. It's amazing how white sand, blue water and a lot of rum under a palm tree can really change your frame of mind.<br /><br />Now the tan has faded, the hangover is gone and I've traded the warmth of the sun for the snow and cold of New York. I guess it really is time to get back to work, in every way.<br /><br />The recent change in job has me all sorts of jazzed because I'm getting to practice the best kind of HR - talent management. Simply put, my job is to help my company assess it's business needs, look at the talent we have in the business and figure out how to fill the skill gaps that will bring the best possible business results. It may sound fancy, but it all boils down to good management skills - and THAT'S what this little circus of a blog is all about.<br /><br />Enough about my triumphant return ( I could swear I heard trumpets and cannons). This blog is about being a good manager - how did you do while I was away? Did you slip back into the kind of bad management that sparked this rant-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">tastic</span> blog back on<a href="http://guerillahr.blogspot.com/2005/11/guerilla-hr-because-its-war-out-there.html"> post #1</a>? Slacker time is OVER troops! I'm gonna get blogging and get you to shed some of those flabby, bad manager behaviors and turn you into lean, mean managing machines! Drop and give me 20 good performance reviews!<br /><br />Next time - Getting 2009 performance management off to a great start!Patrick Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827858742893047662noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18841905.post-39578373371248083162008-09-01T20:36:00.009-04:002008-09-07T18:14:20.912-04:00The Carnival comes back to Guerilla-ville! (Better late than never)Ladies and Gentlemen..... Step right up and see the Carnival of HR. Nope, no bearded ladies here, but we do have a bearded blogger and whole kettle of interesting posts this time.<br /><br />First up is a <a href="http://www.management-issues.com/2008/8/20/opinion/im-a-goof-not-a-moof.asp">great post from our friend Wayne</a> (the Cranky one) over at Management issues to help spell out the pleasures and perils of the working from home. I'm afraid GOOF is all too often used to describe me, but not for the right reasons!<br /><br />Susanna at Recruitment 2.0 ponders a question for the ages; <a href="http://blog.advorto.com/blog/2008/09/hr-systems-why.html">why do all HR Systems all seem to be rubbish</a>? Just a guess here, but maybe because most of us HR-types cant seem to make a compelling business case to force the vendors to deliver something better??!<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://blog.advorto.com/blog/2008/09/hr-systems-why.html" target="_blank"></a><br /><br />While Susanna's post title is a little provakative , Etienne at the Happy Employee wins the award for the most shocking post title - </span><a href="http://www.thehappyemployee.com/2008/08/employees-are-necessary-evil.html">"Employees are a necessary evil"</a> . Love the title, but let's keep this little thought just amongst friends in the HR field - if the villagers ever figured out that this is true, they'd be heading to your door with pitchforks and torches!<br /><br /><br />The Team Doc has a new and no-nonsense approach for us on <a href="http://www.askteamdoc.com/index.php/2008/08/16/putting-the-lid-on-team-member-gossip/">squelching team member gossip</a>. We seem to be on a very anti-employee thread here - while Etienne says we can do without employees, Denise has offered us a great excuse to clean house by canning folks for gossiping... ooooh, hear me purr!<br /><br /><br /><br />Alison at Ask A Manager has some <a href="http://askamanager.blogspot.com/2008/08/how-to-find-out-if-your-prospective.html">good advice on how to find out if you new boss is one to avoid</a> - gotta say I will be taking this advice if I ever change jobs again.<br /><br /><br />Wally Bock over at Three Star Leadership knows that most managers don't spend near enough time managing their people, and in this post, he explains <a href="http://blog.threestarleadership.com/2008/08/28/three-reasons-why-managers-dont-do-people-management.aspx">three reason</a>s why they are not getting this done. Let's all just remember that "reason" does not equate to "legit excuse".<br /><br />Jon Ingham at Strategic HCM offers a thought provoking (if not a bit depressing) <a href="http://strategic-hcm.blogspot.com/2008/09/john-kotter-sense-of-urgency.html">summary and opinion</a> on studies that about the majority of organizational initiatives that fail for lack of a "sense of urgency". Jon is dead on that all the "urgency" in the world will not move the mules unless they have the heart to move... it's all about heart at the end of the day.<br /><br /><br />And finally - if all the rest were not scary enough - Michael Moore (no... not THAT one), from the Pennsylvania Employment Law blog relates the<a href="http://www.palaborandemploymentblog.com/2008/08/articles/recruiting-hiring-and-retentio/business-websites-face-americans-with-disabilities-act-accommodations-claims/"> scary tale</a> about how the American's with Disabilities Act is being applied not just to a businesses physical properties, but to their on-line spaces as well! Wow... kinda makes being a Luddite a bit more attractive, doesn't it?<br /><br /><br />Well folks, there you have it... the belated September 3rd Carnival!Patrick Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827858742893047662noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18841905.post-88726206760215823142008-09-01T06:55:00.015-04:002008-09-01T16:56:22.658-04:00How'd you like a kick in the butt?Have you ever noticed how when something is stuck, whether it be a stubborn door or a machine that wont run, we tend to try the "magic foot lever" (aka a simple kick) to get it moving?<br /><br />I've lately become addicted to an old sitcom titled <a href="http://www.that70sshow.com/">That 70's Show</a>, in which the<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gEznCdpo4mQ/SLxS8ULDNUI/AAAAAAAABuY/TOuT4U8-2l4/s1600-h/Red1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gEznCdpo4mQ/SLxS8ULDNUI/AAAAAAAABuY/TOuT4U8-2l4/s200/Red1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241155262513100098" border="0" /></a> curmudgeonly father figure presumes that most people are dumb-asses and would benefit from a friendly visit of his foot on their ass to promote improved performance. Who knew that <a href="http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=326783370&blogID=354747915">Red Foreman</a> could be such a wise man??? Out of the mouths of babes... and screenwriters.....<br /><br />But seriously, there has to be something to this whole kick in the butt phenomena, right? Examples of this are all around us:<br /><ul><li>That really tough English teacher who just hated you. She made you struggle and strain to finish that book and write that essay. She kicked you in the ass... and look at you now! You can read and string words together to form a cogent stream of thought. Looks like that kick worked out ok.</li><li>How about that maniac coach you had? He made you run laps till you decorated the track with your lunch. But when it came time to run at the track competition, you had the stamina to keep going. Another Kick success story.</li><li>Finally, what about your first tough boss. You know, the one who made you do it over till you got it right and kept handing you more challenging projects all the time. Now you are managing people ( or well on your way if that's your choice) and more capable than most because of all the foot-traffic your boss left on the seat of your pants.</li></ul>When you look back on these things, you really did need that kick. While you might not have been a total dumbass at the time, there was a lesson you needed to learn and that kick was just what you needed to get you moving towards learning it.<br /><br />So, it seems that kicks aren't just for stuck doors - they are to help people like us get un-stuck from the cycle we are in and launch forward for something better.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102); font-weight: bold;">YOUR MISSION:</span><br /><br />Remember those who gave you those kicks and consider if someone on your team could benefit from the same care and concern, albeit not necessarily in the form of your foot in their butt - after all, I'm an HR weasel and I don't want you to kick someone literally then say you did so because I told you to.Patrick Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827858742893047662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18841905.post-27874856083320276452008-08-22T09:54:00.008-04:002008-08-24T22:14:49.741-04:00So this is freedom?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gEznCdpo4mQ/SLIQbnWdujI/AAAAAAAABuI/5TJ2-eeIXXM/s1600-h/bully.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gEznCdpo4mQ/SLIQbnWdujI/AAAAAAAABuI/5TJ2-eeIXXM/s200/bully.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238267383191026226" border="0" /></a><br />Folks who read this blog will know that I generally try to stay middle-of-the-road on political issues, but occasionally something comes up that is so genuinely repugnant that I just have to take it to task.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Buckle in kids, this is going to be a long and bumpy ride!</span><br /><br />So much for the American concept of freedom. If the Unions have their way, a critical part of the protection from forced unionization will be taken from employees. A bill deceptively titled <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Employee_Free_Choice_Act">The Employee Free Choice </a>Act would change the playing field for Unions and make it much easier for them to coerce folks into joining union against their will.<br /><br />The current law governing how unions are established in a company have been around for years and are clearly arranged to protect an employee's right to freely choose to elect a union to represent them, or not. The law today provides a very solid balance to allow employees to freely seek to elect or reject a union without fear of reprisals from either the employer or the Union. See this very brief summary of the <a href="http://www.nlrb.gov/workplace_rights/employee_rights.aspx">Employee's Rights under the National Labor Relations Act</a>.<br /><br />Like most laws, the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) is a pretty long and complicated tome that spells out things in detail. The key elements of the law related to if and how a union gets elected to represent employees are;<br /><ol><li>Employee / Union rights to organize and;</li><li>The election process which includes a secret ballot.<br /></li></ol>Simply put, Unions have the right to solicit, market, advertise and otherwise communicate to employees why they need a union to represent them. Likewise, employees cannot be prohibited from, or punished for pursuing union representation. The law very clearly protects these rights and the unions know it. Employers who violate these employee rights are penalized and if such violations in any way impeded a union's attempt to get in, the union election process gets the equivalent of a "do-over". Conversely, employers are prohibited from actions that could be construed as being coercive or retaliatory towards employees who support the union.<br /><br />Typically a union will attempt to organize workers by holding off-site / off-hours meetings, passing out pamphlets or using other marketing methods. Make no mistake on this point - unions are a business and they invest BIG money into marketing and "selling" their value. They hire full-time organizers whose sole job is to get more dues-paying members into the union. This goal of the unions is to get at least 30% of the targeted employees (referred to as the Bargaining Unit) to sign cards saying that they are interested in possibly making the union their representative. They are NOT signing cards to say, "Yes, I want this union to have full authority to negotiate every term and condition of my employment", but if this bill passes, that is EXACTLY what the cards will mean.<br /><br />In a world where the Employee Free Choice Act gets enacted, <a href="http://www.nlpc.org/view.asp?action=viewArticle&aid=2647">there is basically nothing to prevent union thugs ....er, Organizers.... from accosting you and pressuring you to sign </a>away your right to negotiate terms of your employment to them. You'll also be signing on to allow them to take dues from you which may be used to <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-demfunds16-2008aug16,0,3706902.story">drive union political agendas</a>, to <a href="http://www.nrtw.org/blog/despite-awol-bush-adminstra-08062008">fund illegal activities</a> or even to <a href="http://www.nlpc.org/view.asp?action=viewArticle&aid=1016">personally enrich union leaders</a>!<br /><br /><br />So why is this a bad thing? After all, isn't the union just moving to the logical conclusion a bit faster? Besides, the unions claim, thousands of employees are discriminated against because they support unions. This is simply a clear case of misdirection. Where employees have been mistreated by ill-informed employers for their union supporting actions, the very cases the unions cite as the reason we need the Employee Free Choice Act, are themselves testimony as to how the current law works. The cases they cite are cases in which employers were sanctioned for coercive or retaliatory acts. The unions want this because it would allow them to unionize a work-force virtually overnight for far less cost and effort than allowing the current process in which both sides can educate the audience and allow for a peaceful, thoughtful and FEDERALLY SUPERVISED election process.<br /><br />The fact is that if this bill passes, the employees will lose the right to vote in secret and be subjected to the "parking lot politics" of having peers and union organizers directly pressure them to sign a card on the spot or be subject to ridicule or harassment. How on earth is this better? IT'S NOT!!! Simply put, if this bill passes, the very employees it proposes to protect will lose a basic protection and American right of electing representation by secret ballot.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">YOUR MISSION:</span><br /><br />Contact your elected representatives and let them know that the so called "Employee Free Choice Act" is anything but, and that you demand your right to avoid coercion or pressure from anyone through the time tested American standard of the secret ballot.Patrick Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827858742893047662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18841905.post-65814648091838778962008-08-09T20:20:00.004-04:002008-08-09T20:41:24.206-04:00Gen -"W" as in What the hell?You've heard all the generational labels being kicked around the past few years - Boomers (the folks old enough to remember when ...), Gen-X (the folks young and hip enough to bring us the internet), and Gen-Y.<br /><br />Each generation has it's gifts, talents and traits that make them valuable.... up to a point. It seems that many in Gen-Y (and even the odd-Gen-X'er) have taken to the belief that the rules of their parents simply do not apply to them. I have chosen to stop referring to them as Gen-Y; I now call them Gen-W, where the "W" stands for <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">"what the hell are you thinking?"</span>. I am seeing alarming numbers of these folks seeking employment and demonstrating behaviors I have NEVER seen in 18 years in the HR trenches. Worse yet, many of my Sales and Technology Manager friends tell me that they see the same traits:<br /><ul><li>Resumes that look like one step better than a third-grade student could do with a red crayon with more typos than you can get out of a band of drunken monkies using broken keyboards.</li><li>Cover letters (when present) that mis-represent their skills, over-reach for roles they are clearly not qualified for and demanding salaries and perks which they can't reasonably believe they merit.</li><li>A general failure to take even cursory steps to learn about the company and role they are applying for - here's a hint - if you don't at least know what we make or sell, you are not going to get the job; period!</li><li>Being completely unprepared for interviews; some of these folks have not even read their own resume to explain their experience!</li></ul>The list goes on and on....<br /><br />If you are among this select group - <span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >THIS is your wake up call!<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;"> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">If you don't shape up and get your act together, you will not get the job.<br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102); font-weight: bold;">YOUR MISSION</span><br />** This is aimed just for those of you who got offended by this post -<br /><br />Please, before you contact a company seeking employment, take a step back and review the goofs listed above. </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Take the time to prepare yourself and take a good, hard look in the mirror and be honest about whether or not you just might be as mortal as the rest of us.</span></span><br /></span>Patrick Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827858742893047662noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18841905.post-67204790133588532172008-08-02T07:06:00.005-04:002008-08-02T07:15:45.489-04:00Effective management is a "contact sport"!No, I don't mean "contact" in the sense of how you'd pound on someone in Rugby or American Football... I'm referring to "contact" as in having a deep, personal understanding of, and connection with things like: <ul><li><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Your industry; know what it takes for your company to succeed and stay on top of industry events.</p> </li><li><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Your business. Learn all you can about your business; each function and department.</p> </li><li><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Your leaders; what are their goals and aspirations for the company and what you can do to help them achieve success for the company.</p> </li><li><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Your people – personally and professionally to help them grow and contribute to company success.</p> </li><li><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Your strengths – know them and employ them to achieve the better results.</p> </li><li><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Your weaknesses – understand your shortcomings and take an active hand in developing them; maybe you cannot overcome them, but you can improve them.</p> </li><li> Your competitors: learn who their key players are and who is driving their success in sales, product management, design, etc.<br /></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">YOUR MISSION:</span></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"><br />Stop thinking about your role in the business as the silo of just doing your part, and start really analyzing how you (and your team) interact and contribute to the larger picture of your entire business and industry - get in contact with all of it.<br /></span></span>Patrick Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827858742893047662noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18841905.post-86301816816389293382008-05-18T14:33:00.009-04:002008-05-18T17:42:22.284-04:00I'm just a Recruiter.... and maybe you should be too!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gEznCdpo4mQ/SDCFo_AW-tI/AAAAAAAABkc/K__xlgbkvmI/s1600-h/hotdogcart.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201804508767124178" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; WIDTH: 104px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 104px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gEznCdpo4mQ/SDCFo_AW-tI/AAAAAAAABkc/K__xlgbkvmI/s200/hotdogcart.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102)">I'm <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">just </span></span>a recruiter. I wasn't born one, never really wanted be one, but here I am... <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">just </span></span>a recruiter. Given the choice, I'd probably have become an Astronaut, Firefighter or may be a Hot Dog</span><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102)"> vendor (you know -the little silver cart with the blue & yellow umbrella - yummy!), but I never dreamed I'd become a recruiter. Why? Because recruiters have the unenviable role of living in a business equivalent of the life of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tantalus">Tantalus</a> - trapped between HR and the business. I'm not really HR; I don't warn, threaten or fire people. I'm not really in the business; I don't have a revenue target, I don't make a product and I have little ability to drive business policy... I'm stuck being </span><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102); FONT-STYLE: italic"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">just</span> </span><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102)">a recruiter.</span><br /><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102)">But, I am a good recruiter (yes, they </span><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102); FONT-STYLE: italic"><strong>do</strong></span><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102)"> exist, and especially in the corporate environment, we really </span><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102); FONT-STYLE: italic">do</span><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102)"> want to help the business succeed). We try really hard to understand your business and what it takes to find the right kind of people to make your business wildly successful. The challenge is that for you, the business managers, the secret formula that make a candidate great seems a second nature. You shrug off the recruiters when we nag you for more info about what a qualified candidate looks like, then bash us because we don't find you the left-handed, purple astrophysicist you wanted a week after you first raised the need.</span><br /><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153)"><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102)">I'm not writing this post to invoke</span> a </span><a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=pity+party">pity-party</a> <span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102);font-size:78%;" >although it feels that way</span>. I<span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102)">'m trying to set the mood here to lend more relevance and emphasis on this </span><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102)" href="http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/20/jordan.html?page=0%2C1">article from Fast Company</a><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102)"> that calls out how important the business manager's role in recruiting the next great player is. Quotes from the article really sound off clearly that the managers need to get into the recruiting process fast and deep: </span><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102);font-family:verdana;" >"<span style="color:#009900;">make clear that hiring great people is not the responsibility of HR. It's the responsibility of every single manager." , "no one outside your group -- no human-resources specialist -- can understand the kind of superstar who will make a difference in your work. Only you can understand that."</span></span><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102)"> </span><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102)"><br />You business managers hold the keys to solve your most critical needs, and you don't even recognize it; you need to be recruiters too!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,153,0)">YOUR MISSION</span></span><br /><br />If you are a business manager (or want to be one), start taking stock of what "A Players" in your field look like. Start this exercise before you need to hire someone rather than when the need arises - that's about as effective as closing the barn door after the animals have fled.<br /><br />Want an easy way to do this? How about turning it into a team project and get everyone to help create the police-artist style description of the type of person you need for each role on your team? That way you will not only have all the answers to give to your recruiter, you will have a profile against which you can start building your own pipeline of talented folks.Patrick Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827858742893047662noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18841905.post-3010754756952312752008-05-14T16:37:00.006-04:002008-05-14T17:15:29.756-04:00Watch what you say<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gEznCdpo4mQ/SCtVH_AW-rI/AAAAAAAABkM/ByJFNlCSXd4/s1600-h/cursing.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gEznCdpo4mQ/SCtVH_AW-rI/AAAAAAAABkM/ByJFNlCSXd4/s200/cursing.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5200343790389754546" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Internet job board, The Ladders ran a survey recently to find out what office-etiquette goofs could get you into hot water, and the top vote getter was.... <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Bad Language!</span> In fact 38.4% of the managers surveyed cited this as a reason for firing someone. Obviously, they have never worked with me! By the time I get done with an average day in my little HR-domain I've cussed enough to make a Sailor blush.<br /><br />My guess is that if you read this blog, you suffer from the same "potty mouth syndrome".<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gEznCdpo4mQ/SCtV-vAW-sI/AAAAAAAABkU/qHg-i48kW7w/s1600-h/cussbaloon.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 72px; height: 53px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gEznCdpo4mQ/SCtV-vAW-sI/AAAAAAAABkU/qHg-i48kW7w/s200/cussbaloon.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5200344730987592386" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Since this blog is about managing our careers better, I figure we should explore a way to improve on this. One interesting resource I found is the <a href="http://www.cusscontrol.com/swearing.html">Cuss Control Academy</a>. In my little web-dive to find more on this topic, I found it really amusing that there are lots of articles out there about profanity in the office that call out the behavior as being a detraction to how the work world views you, with even more articles from the academic world that explain how cussing can get you expelled. Seems to me that maybe the same gravitas should apply in the workplace as in the school, but then I'm in HR and that's just how I am wired.<br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102); font-weight: bold;">YOUR MISSION</span><br />Take a quick pulse-check of your vocabulary. Are you dropping the F-bomb every time someone hands you a task? Have you cussed out your computer before 10 a.m.? Does your "pet name" for the boss begin with the letter "A" and end in hole?<br /><br />If so, try the following:<br />- Replace the "F" word with "Monkey" - it'll still be inappropriate to blurt out, but at least it wont get you canned!Patrick Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827858742893047662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18841905.post-21305809684798066232008-04-03T18:24:00.008-04:002008-04-03T18:49:22.165-04:00Take the test - I double-dog DARE ya!I'm not one for on-line tests - they tend to be too general, statistically unreliable and don't reflect reality (<span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-size:85%;" >not to mention the fact that I usually fail them</span>). I recently saw <a href="http://www.mjbizwiz.com/University/Bully.html">this quiz </a>and figured it would be harmless to give it a go - guess again my friends.....<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gEznCdpo4mQ/R_Vbrz8McJI/AAAAAAAABeE/OU6jxihJXJM/s1600-h/Devil.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 126px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gEznCdpo4mQ/R_Vbrz8McJI/AAAAAAAABeE/OU6jxihJXJM/s200/Devil.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185151354222178450" border="0" /></a><br />The quiz, which you can apply to yourself, a "friend" or even a whole group is about bullying behaviors and if you answer yes to more than 5 of the 25 questions, you've got a big red flag flying. When I first looked at the questions, I thought "oh, that's silly, no one in the office is <span style="font-style: italic;">really <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;">unethical, </span></span></span></span>are they?" ,but after a bit more thought, yes.... some really are. As I scrolled down this list of 25 preposterous behaviors, I was alarmed that I have actually seen more than half in my business - some of which even I have been guilty of.<br /><br />The scary part is not the shame at our behavior, it's the risk we place upon our organizations. Simple workplace bully behavior doesn't make the top-10 list of most HR leader's greatest fears and THAT is what makes it so dangerous; it's insidious and endemic in the organization. People know the behaviors go on, but don't address them because it's not stopping the flow of revenue and no one is threatening to sue, yet...<br /><br />The fact is that by ignoring or allowing the behaviors, the company is actually making a statement that the behaviors are ok. THAT is the real problem - how can you defend your company from a discrimination or harassment suit when the very behaviors that prompted the claim are accepted by your management every day?<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102); font-weight: bold;">YOUR MISSION:</span><br />Create a culture that does not tolerate uncivil behavior. Take a stand for decency no matter who the offender is - if it's your CEO or top grossing sales person - nip it in the bud! The payoff for doing so extends well beyond the obvious risk reduction; you'll see better morale, better results and lower turnover - and those things are NEVER bad!Patrick Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827858742893047662noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18841905.post-88552589115868781702008-02-08T08:06:00.000-05:002008-02-08T09:45:37.617-05:00Managing "Whack-a-Mole" Goals<span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >Wow, has it really been 2 whole months since my last post?? Yikes! Sorry about that folks - but it does highlight the conditions that drive this post, so maybe it's not so bad after all.</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gEznCdpo4mQ/R6xXHg2MV1I/AAAAAAAABdk/8an_TQM96ec/s1600-h/MgtWhackAMole.GIF"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 154px; height: 162px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gEznCdpo4mQ/R6xXHg2MV1I/AAAAAAAABdk/8an_TQM96ec/s200/MgtWhackAMole.GIF" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5164598659275052882" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">We've probably all seen or played the arcade game <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whac-A-Mole">"Whack-a-Mole"</a>. </span><span style="font-family:arial;">It's an annoyingly addictive game. If you've never played it, <a href="http://www.addictinggames.com/whackamole.html">go here</a>, then come read this post - it'll make a whole lot more sense that way. Really,..... go ahead...... I'll wait.<br /><br />Now that you've got a sense of the game - lets go on.<br /><br />The theme here is that the moles keep popping up out of different holes, and at an increasingly fast tempo; the faster you knock the little buggers down, the faster they pop back up. There's no pattern or order to they way they pop up and if you miss enough of them, you lose the game.<br /><br />Does this sound familiar? It seems to me that business planning is becoming more like this every day. The pace of change continually increases, the markets & opportunities swing at a break-neck pace and the price of missing a business opportunity is potentially devastating..... just like game.<br /><br />For good, or bad, we have to accept that this is the way things are and that they are not likely to ever go back to the comfortable old way of establishing annual or long range plans and then living by them. Our reality is that things do and will continue to change VERY fast, and our goals will change with market conditions. Those of us who don't keep pace will have a very rough time of it.<br /><br />Now, apply this theme to goal-setting for yourself and your team. This means that you should consider setting goals with the inevitability of change in mind. This also means that you've got to keep "whacking " your goals continually {read that as reviewing with your business and your team}. <br /><br />This agile approach will help you ensure you are whacking the right moles at the right time with the right mallet.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">YOUR MISSION:</span><br />As you set goals for yourself and your team (which I just <span style="font-style: italic;">know</span> you are doing because your are a good manager) make a very clear point that these goals are subject to change and get everyone prepared to review and revise goals often to ensure that your goals are always aligned with the goals of the company.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Carry on!</span><br /></span>Patrick Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827858742893047662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18841905.post-70207217271260611482007-12-09T18:36:00.000-05:002008-01-01T14:47:52.085-05:00When a union comes knocking - part 2<span style="font-style: italic;">Having already said that Unions are not necessarily all good or all bad, I am going to continue this topic on the premise that you do not feel that a Union is in the best interests of your company (if that's not the case for you, please tune out now)</span><br /><br />There are so many things you can do when a Union tries to organize your workforce that we cannot explore them all - so I want to focus on a list of Do's and Dont's to help you understand what might work best for your company.<br /><br />DO:<br /><ul><li>Openly acknowledge the presence of Union Organizers with your staff - both those the Union is trying to organize, and everyone else as well. They won't make their presence a secret and you will only look silly if you try to pretend they are not making a play.</li><li>Provide an open and retaliation free forum for employees to discuss their feelings and ask questions of management relating to the Union.<br /></li><li>Be honest! Even if it hurts. If you have a track record of not being good (define that as you will) to your employees, own up to it. Acknowledge management mistakes and any sore issues that may be leveraged by the Union to sway the vote.</li><li>Hold open forum meetings on company time for ALL employees (not just those being approached by the Union) to explain pertinent information about both your business and the Union. Tell your people the facts about your business. Tell your people the facts about the Union. Most Unions will tell your people about how much your top Execs make (because it's normally on your official filings and is easy to find on the web), but the wont tell your people how much <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">their</span></span> leaders make! You can find out loads about any Union on sites like <a href="http://www.unionfacts.com/">UnionFacts</a>.<br /></li><li>Make sure that your people understand that Unions can PROMISE anything, but that they can GUARANTEE nothing! If you want to get your employees to see how the Union really operates, suggest that your employees ask the union to guarantee the results they promise. Trust me, they wont!</li><li>Have your people ask what the employees who started the campaign are getting for supporting the union. Usually, the ring-leaders of a union campaign are granted special perks like union office or super-seniority (a guarantee that they will be the last union members laid off). Just like in any good spy movie, if you want to know what really motivates people, follow the money!</li><li>Get outside employment law advice to ensure you don't violate any laws!<br /></li></ul>DON'T:<br /><ul><li>Make threats of any kind, to anyone. Saying something like"If the union gets in, we'll have to lay some folks off" is a sure-fire way to ensure that the union will indeed get in!</li><li>Intimidate - don't make people feel pressured or frightened about how they will vote. Let them make up their own mind based on the facts alone.<br /></li><li>Make promises. The union will sell that as you trying to buy the employees off cheap. <br /></li><li>Spy on the union organization efforts. Your people have a right to meet privately with the union and go through whatever process they need to do come to the best decision for them. Spying on the organizing activity will erode all trust between you and your folks, and once that is gone, a union will be the only logical next step for them.<br /></li></ul>Finally, no matter how the campaign turns out, remember that you only have to do what is right for your people AND the business.<br /><br />A good, quick <a href="http://www.uslaw.com/library/article/carelxUnionFree.html?area_id=43">primer on how to keep Unions from getting their foot in the door</a> in the first place. Most of this is just common sense, but we know how uncommon that can be.<br /><br />I'd love to hear your war stories on this - comments anyone??<br /><br />Here's to a wonderful 2008!!!Patrick Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827858742893047662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18841905.post-4049241386572637872007-11-29T08:30:00.001-05:002007-11-29T16:03:11.141-05:00What to do when a Union comes knocking at your door - Part 1What to do when a Union Comes knocking - Part 1: Employee beware<br /><br />In the spirit of my good pal, the Evil HR Lady, I am writing this post in response to questions I've been getting about Unions approaching employees in union-free companies.<br /><br />Let's start out with a few very basic facts here; Unions can and often do serve a valuable role. Historically, Unions have helped shape the current state of the employment landscape. They have played a key role in the development of many important labor-friendly laws that have eliminated workplace hazards, provided excellent benefits and generally made the world a nicer place to work in.<br /><br />Even though all of the above is true Unions are not perfect either. Unions survive on the dues that they extract from their members and some have a pretty bad reputation for not being good stewards of those funds. Further, some Unions have a great track record of forcing their way into companies where employees dont really want them through scare tactics and outright threats.<br /><br />The first thing YOU need to do as an employee or manager is GET THE FACTS before you sign anything. Unions will almost invariably try to get you to sign a card, form or petition saying you want them to represent you. What most people miss out on here is the fact that electing a Union means that you are effectively making them your agent; you are turning over your power to negotiate your terms of employment to them. This is like signing a power of attorney. Imagine if some lawyer confronted you in the parking lot of your company and said "Hey, sign this form and I will get you a better deal" - would you sign it, just like that? Well, that's what the union is asking for when they come to organize.<br /><br />The first time somebody swindled you out of your peanut butter and jelly sandwich for tuna fish on rye in third grade, you learned two valuable lessons - First, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. And second, the grass is NOT greener on the other side (although that tuna fish probably was - yeech!) - That lesson will serve you well when a union comes to town.Patrick Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827858742893047662noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18841905.post-72208527550134687412007-11-16T18:48:00.000-05:002007-11-20T05:19:49.496-05:00Is your "secret sauce" in jeopardy?Have you ever thought about the risk to your company from the practice known as poaching. This is the practice where firms effectively raid their competitors to hire away their top talent, you know, the folks on your team who know how to make the "secret sauce". The competitive advantage gained by doing so comes from the double-whammy of your company gaining a top notch player, while simultaneously removing a key player from the competition.<br /><br />There are very distinct concerns and considerations to this as highlighted in John Sullivan's Inc article on <a href="http://www.inc.com/articles/1999/07/15227.html">poaching.</a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span><br />I want to focus on poaching as a competitive threat to your company for a moment. You have to understand how poaching works and develop a strategy to recognize it and defend against it if you want to be successful in a competitive industry.<br /><br />First off, all you really need to know about poaching is <span style="font-style: italic;">this:</span> Unless you work in an industry where NO ONE competes with you, it IS a threat to your very livelihood. Every enterprise, from your local <a href="http://thekneeslider.com/archives/2005/10/28/mmi-motorcycle-mechanics-institute/">motorcycle repair shop</a> to your local <a href="http://www.education-world.com/a_admin/admin281.shtml">school district</a> poaches at some point. Maybe it's the tight labor market; maybe it's the sadistic vein in the CEO.... whatever the reason, it is real and headed your way eventually.<br /><br />Now, as to how to head it off; You need to understand that no solution is perfect for all situations and you are not likely to avoid losing staff this way. Knowing how the law on this point works (remember folks, I am NOT a Lawyer - this is solely based on my opinion and experience).<br /><br />Employees in the U.S. are bound by a <a href="http://www.careerjournal.com/columnists/manageyourcareer/20071107-managingyourcareer.html?mod=RSS_Career_Journal&cjrss=frontpage">common-law duty not to compete with their company</a>. This means that while they are under your employ, they are not permitted to solicit your customers, influence your staff to leave, or take any action to steal your intellectual property. You can use this common-law as an educational point to your staff - having them understand their obligations may help them avoid the temptation in the first place.<br /><br />Many employers try to protect their secret sauce by having key staff (Executives / Officers, top sales people, strategists, programmers, etc....) sign a non-compete / non - disclosure / non - solicit agreement in which the employee promises not to directly compete, disclosed confidential information to, or lure other staff to work in a competing company. This is not a bad approach and it can be VERY effective in the short run. These agreements have a couple of major drawbacks though; First, you have to get the employee to sign them in recognition of something of value you provide to them - usually a bonus payment . Second, they have to be specific and reasonable. I wont bore you with the details, but suffice it to say that the limits have to be short in duration (generally less than 12 months), specific to known and named competitors in specific geographies and reasonably not preclude the employee from working in your industry in some non-competing way. Not a perfect fit, eh??<br /><br />In my opinion, these methods are mere adjunct tools in a larger strategy which is much more basic and incorporates all the <a href="http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=1188">"little things"</a> that make you a great employer, make your employees loyal to the cause and forms the basis of the real "secret sauce".<br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);"><span style="font-weight: bold;">YOUR MISSION<br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Take a look at your exposure to poaching. Resolve all the obvious details like pay equity (internal and market based), truly open lines of communication, fair and consistent performance evaluations, constant and constructive feedback and most important of all - show the troops that you really care. If you get all of this right, you are doing more to protect your business than ANY non-compete agreement can do.<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span></span><br /></span></span>Patrick Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827858742893047662noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18841905.post-4637369009965470872007-11-13T20:20:00.000-05:002007-11-13T21:42:29.755-05:00Carnival of HR<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gEznCdpo4mQ/RzpfwMgXyFI/AAAAAAAABbo/2uaKKp6EHI0/s1600-h/zircustoon-revO.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gEznCdpo4mQ/RzpfwMgXyFI/AAAAAAAABbo/2uaKKp6EHI0/s200/zircustoon-revO.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132520006937462866" border="0" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal">It’s carnival time in HR-land and those <s>fools</s> – er, kindred souls in the Village have entrusted me with hosting it this time. Cue up the Calliope and summon the clowns.<span style=""> </span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">And speaking of Clowns…. I’ve been following the continuing saga of <a href="http://guerillahr.blogspot.com/2007/11/so-how-much-do-you-think-you-are-worth.html">Mr. Alex Rodriguez</a>, and his now infamous demand of a $350 Million Dollar offer just to begin negotiations with the Yankees…. Who does he think he is, <a href="http://www.mpdailyfix.com/2007/04/you_can_do_it_they_can_help.html">Robert Nardelli</a>?<span style=""> </span>How’s <i style="">that</i> for chutzpah??</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Our friend over at <a href="http://www.askamanager.blogspot.com/">Ask A Manager</a> has some good advice that could have saved Home Depot and the Yankees a lot of trouble by <a href="http://askamanager.blogspot.com/2007/11/what-goes-into-doing-good-performance.html">managing the performance</a> of people like these two “stars” upfront and properly.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">And why is it that sports (and other) stars always put management in difficult positions by being the spoiled people that they are?<span style=""> </span><a href="http://www.humancapitalist.com/">Kris at the Human Capitalist</a> has some pretty good insights on <a href="http://www.hrcapitalist.com/2007/11/would-your-comp.html">managing such stars without killing your business</a>.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Maybe we could be better at influencing the behaviors and performance of our stars by having a results-tied compensation plan. Ann from <a href="http://compforce.typepad.com/">Compensation Force</a> may have the answers in her brilliant post on <a href="http://compforce.typepad.com/compensation_force/2007/11/incentive-princ.html">Incentive Principles</a>.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">It’s a pretty good bet that if the Yankees had a decent performance assessment process and a candid Talent Assessment plan they might have headed off the blow-up with A-Rod.<span style=""> </span><a href="http://gauteg.blogspot.com/">Gautam Ghosh</a> came up with a thought provoker about <a href="http://gauteg.blogspot.com/2007/11/assessing-potential.html">Assessing Potential</a> – how it can be done well, and how we all tend to stumble through it usually.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Peggy at <a href="http://careerencouragement.typepad.com/the_career_encouragement">Career Encouragement</a> raised a seemingly unrelated topic, till you look below the surface.<span style=""> </span>She refers to a <a href="http://careerencouragement.typepad.com/the_career_encouragement_/2007/10/hr-referred-me-.html">post on how employees feel about being referred to EAP</a>.<span style=""> </span>Now I’m not making any accusations here, but A-Rod demands $350 Million at the same time Peggy brings up an EAP article…. Coincidence! You decide!</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Lisa at <a href="http://hrmanager.squarespace.com/">HR Thoughts</a> raises a real <a href="http://hrmanager.squarespace.com/journal/2007/10/30/a-reluctant-hero-is-no-hero-at-all.html">value perception question</a> that relates nicely as well.<span style=""> </span>So you’ve got a Hero on the team and you reward him for his clinch hit in the bottom of the 9<sup>th</sup> to win the game – but do you ever hold him accountable for striking out in the first 8 innings and getting the team into a clinch in the first place?? </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Maybe the problem isn’t all with A-Rod alone.<span style=""> </span>Maybe a better leader could have inspired and engaged him to play well for less cash – at least that’s a theory that fits <a href="http://theengagingbrand.typepad.com/the_engaging_brand_/2007/10/gypsy-rose-lead.html">Anna’s post</a> from the Engaging Brand.<span style=""> </span>Besides – I cannot deal with the Image of Steinbrenner reading anybody’s palm – yech!</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Wally over at Three Star Leadership has a great viewpoint on <a href="http://blog.threestarleadership.com/2007/11/09/the-apprentice-leader-who-should-we-promote.aspx">selecting and developing leaders</a> that touches our theme here as well.<span style=""> </span>Maybe George Steinbrenner should have read this last year??</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">This topic really had me steamed and I was starting to rail against these smug little sports brats.<span style=""> </span>Wayne Turmel (the host of the <a href="http://cmm.thepodcastnetwork.com/">Cranky Middle Manager show</a> and President of <a href="http://greatwebmeetings.com/" target="_blank">Greatwebmeetings.com</a>.) pointed out that maybe this generation of spoiled brats isn’t really so bad after all – maybe <a href="http://www.management-issues.com/2007/10/24/opinion/the-kids-are-alright.asp">the kids are alright</a> after all.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">And finally (ironic, since she was the first to my door with her post – well done!) Carmen over at Race in the Workplace reminds us that as we move on post this drama and trauma and begin our search for a new bat-wielding hero to propel the Yankees back to the playoffs, we have to acknowledge that talent comes in all form, sizes and colors.<span style=""> </span>We do ourselves and our team a grave injustice when we <a href="http://www.raceintheworkplace.com/2007/11/07/why-you-shouldnt-be-colorblind/">claim not to notice the color</a> of our teammates. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Phew! – an entire carnival all tied (however loosely) to a topic that I don’t even <i style="">really</i> care about!<span style=""> </span>Perhaps I have uncovered a hidden talent in myself – maybe I’m a free-style Rapper trapped in an HR geek’s body?<span style=""> </span>NAH!!!</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Patrick Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827858742893047662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18841905.post-35901454123307465442007-11-04T18:20:00.000-05:002007-11-04T18:56:32.043-05:00So how much do you think YOU are worth?<span style="font-family: arial;">I've been struggling to find a topic that gets my blood hot enough to blog about while still being related to all the management voodoo we cover here. Thank you Mr. Rodriguez!<br /><br />I read this little<a href="http://www.nypost.com/seven/11032007/sports/yankees/going_a_wol_803615.htm"> bit of insanity in today's New York Post </a>while waiting in the oil change place yesterday. Everyone there from the baseball junkie to the suburban soccer-mom had something to say about the unmitigated gall of A-Rod to seek such a kings ransom despite having been in a virtual coma for the playoffs. While it's an extreme example, it gave me the jolt I needed to bring up a topic we've not covered before - compensation.<br /><br />As an HR geek, I have seen more than my share of self professed super-star employees come in with some pretty outrageous salary demands and it always gets to me to the point where those otherwise silent voices in my head scream out, "what the heck is she thinking?". Honestly folks, we have all done or at least seen it before. For some reason, you get it in your head that you are not being adequately paid for what you do. Maybe you have had an increase in responsibility or maybe you still do the same job, but have heard about someone else making more, or seen a salary survey indicating that people who do what you think you do make more money for doing it.<br /><br />I'm not going to suggest that you are (or are not) properly compensated for you job, but I will challenge you to think about your pay this way;<br /><br />- Are you really underpaid? If you think so, how do you define it? <br /></span><ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Being paid less than you feel you need to live on is not the same as being underpaid. I know lots of outstanding burger flippers at McDonalds and some of them seem to be struggling to make ends meet. They are great at what they do, but despite their personal financial challenges, Burger Flippers make $7.25 per hour, period.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Being paid less than others who do the same job you do, with the same quality results and without any difference in seniority (if that applies in your world), IS something you should speak with the boss about.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Comparing your pay to "survey" data is a complex game and you should be careful how you go about it:</span></li><ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Does the survey job you are comparing yourself to <span style="font-style: italic;">really</span> match your job?</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Are you doing <span style="font-style: italic;">all </span>the components of the survey job?</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Is the survey data from your area, or is it from a national or regional average?</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">How current is the survey data ?</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">And most important of all, does your company even care about survey data???</span></li></ul></ul><span style="font-family: arial;">The fact is that we are living in a great job market. Companies are finding it harder to find the talent they need to get the results they need and there is already stiff competition for the best players. If you really feel you are underpaid, why not look around the job market to see how much other companies are willing to pay for your expertise? I know that sounds a bit militant, but hey, you <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">are</span></span> in the Guerrilla HR page!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 153, 102);">YOUR MISSION:</span><br />If you feel that you are underpaid, talk to the boss about it. If the company isn't willing to be open and up front with you about your compensation, it may be time to brush up that old resume and float it out to a few companies to see what the rest of the world will pay you for your expertise.<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span>Patrick Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827858742893047662noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18841905.post-25396243232059034672007-10-07T06:42:00.000-04:002007-10-07T06:48:41.906-04:00Welcome to the team!<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Think back to your first day on the job.<span style=""> </span>It's funnythat even though that “first day” may have been years ago, you can probably remember it quite vividly.<span style=""> </span>It’s an important day and one that can set the tone for your tenure with the company.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">There are loads of studies that show that a good orientation plan is critical to getting new employees productive and keeping them on the team. <span style=""> </span>Some real world examples:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.55in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol;"><span style="">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Texas Instrument determined that employees who completed an orientation were fully productive two months faster than those who did not.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.55in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol;"><span style="">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Corning Glass determined that 69 percent more employees stayed in the company after three years if they completed their orientation program. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">The unfortunate fact is that most employers don’t handle this first day, or the process of orientation very well.<span style=""> </span>I find that the reasons for this are lack of understanding of the importance, confusion about whose responsibility it is, and a lack of accountability for the results.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Let’s take this one reason (or excuse) at a time:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><u><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Understanding the importance</span></u></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">:<span style=""> </span>We all know how costly and painful it is to have to recruit new or replacement staff.<span style=""> </span>Even when they are hired, they take a while to get up to speed.<span style=""> </span>No matter where you are in the organization, the lower productivity of new staff is a real business issue that you need to address. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Confusion about who is responsible for orientation:</span> <o:p></o:p></span></u></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">No matter how large, complex and well staffed your HR team is, they are only a small part of the solution to orientation.<span style=""> </span>As a manager, you should view orientation as your responsibility, because the most important things a person needs to know about working on your team, are not things HR will know or understand.<span style=""> </span>Whether your HR folks prescribe some form of orientation program or not, you need to have a plan that ensures your new staff have a way to learn from your existing staff, and from you.<span style=""> </span>This will make the new person feel valued, and give them a chance to become assimilated to your ways of getting things done quickly. This can also be a way to show your current staff how much you trust and value their experience.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Accountability for business results:</span><o:p></o:p></span></u></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">This one is simple -<span style=""> </span>you are the manager; the buck stops with you!<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">A good orientation process <i style="">will</i> make your new staff productive faster and make them feel welcomed, valued and important.<span style=""> </span>All of those things</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">will help you develop and <b style="">keep </b>a productive team.<span style=""> </span>It’s not hard to do and there are loads of good examples on the net of how simple it can be to arrange a <a href="http://businessinsights.typepad.com/bobmoore/2007/08/new-employee-or.html">good orientation experience</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">In my next post, we’ll talk about one particularly simple, but effective tool – The Buddy.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><u><span style="font-family: Arial; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">YOUR <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">MISSION</st1:City></st1:place>:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Talk to your team about this at your next team meeting (you <i style="">are</i> having weekly team meetings with your direct reports, <i style="">right?</i>).<span style=""> </span>Ask each of them to think about what went right with their orientation, and what could have been done better.<span style=""> </span>Then have them draft a simple plan to make sure that every person you hire has a great orientation experience<o:p></o:p></span></p>Patrick Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827858742893047662noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18841905.post-69101515857493371652007-09-09T17:50:00.000-04:002007-09-20T22:08:46.247-04:00The first step is admitting that you have a problem!Time for the Guerrilla to take a lesson as well as passing it along. Work is to <a href="http://men.webmd.com/guide/workaholism">workaholism</a> as a beer is to alcoholism. It can be hard to tell when you have crossed the line between a healthy work-life balance and working just too damn much.<br /><br />Oddly enough, this family-wrecking, hair greying, blood pressure raising addiction is actually referred to in some cultures as an <a href="http://fatherhood.about.com/od/workingfathers/a/workaholism.htm">honorable addiction</a>! There is nothing honorable about working yourself to collapse. There's a great quote from Confucius to help reorient you on this point: <a title="Click for further information about this quotation" href="http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/24055.html">To go beyond is as wrong as to fall short.</a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102); font-weight: bold;">Your mission - </span><br />Take <a href="http://www.workaholics-anonymous.org/knowing.html">this quiz</a> and be honest with yourself. If you fail you really need to take a long hard look at yourself and figure out where your priorities really lie.Patrick Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827858742893047662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18841905.post-37960360796950414782007-09-03T12:58:00.001-04:002007-09-03T13:02:31.548-04:00The truth will set you free, if you can get past the campaignsOk, chalk this one up in the category of "they have GOT to be kidding, right?"<br /><br />The ongoing Union vs Non-Union battle is fun to watch, but THIS video was posted as part of a Union campaign to defeat a move in the Indianapolis legislature to allow employees to chose whether they want to support a union or not.... It's basically an argument with no reasonable defense, but the Unions and their "spokespeople" (read lobbyists) chose to strike as many nerves as they could to distract from the real question.<br /><br />Take a look at<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q51nsjvkWM0"> this little gem</a> - it's a great example of how a special interest can distract you from the truth to keep get you to vote for their plan, no matter what the facts may say.<br /><br />Now if you are done crying for poor little Maggie, let's consider the facts the Unions left out... yep, Maggie's got a fair chance of making less than her peers in non-right to work states, but those states have cost of living factors WAY higher than Indiana. They also left out the bit about Right To Work States having much higher job growth, higher median incomes and let's not forget the ever popular right not to pay dues to a union that is funneling your dues to political campaigns without your consent!<br /><br />I'm not out to bash Unions here, but I just HAD to call them out on this blatant line of B.S.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 0); font-weight: bold;">YOUR MISSION:</span><br /><br />No matter the topic of debate, get beyond the hype and drama to get to the facts and make your decision based on the facts alone!Patrick Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827858742893047662noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18841905.post-4541926646862185912007-08-26T15:02:00.000-04:002007-08-26T15:45:21.649-04:00How will the troops perform after you have left?It's a common bit of wisdom in the military that the best time to judge a commander is not when he's in front of his troops, but by watching how his troops perform after he has left.<br /><br />Let's put that to the test. Let's assume you are a good manager (and the fact that you are reading says that you probably are). Your team is known for getting the job done well and everyone thinks you area solid leader for it. Now let's suppose that you are taken out of the picture - maybe you get promoted, maybe you hit the lottery, whatever... you are gone. What is your successor going to find?<br /><br />Was your team's success due to you taking control, or because you let your team manage themselves effectively? Did they succeed because you coached and trained them well, or because you plugged the gaps they left behind. Did you have a competent, intelligent and resourceful team capable of handling exceptions, or did you shield them from change and just keep them focused on their silos? All the truth behind the performance will come shining<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gEznCdpo4mQ/RtHYGBnAp9I/AAAAAAAABYw/hdP8Vuat1Jo/s1600-h/AMeddChangeofCommand.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gEznCdpo4mQ/RtHYGBnAp9I/AAAAAAAABYw/hdP8Vuat1Jo/s200/AMeddChangeofCommand.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103097450810353618" border="0" /></a> through when a new boss takes the helm - this is why the military changes unit commanders so frequently (and maybe your company should too?)<br /><br />The truth is that the best managers build great teams of fully capable and confident people who really don't need their manager on-hand to deliver success - they could basically do it without the boss in tow. Now that's not saying that the boss has no play. The fact is that the best bosses use the "free time" they get from not having to ride shotgun all day to continually refine process, preempt emergencies and constantly invest in the development of their people.<br /><br />If that seems painfully simple - it is! Now, you ask if it is so simple, why don't more bosses "get it"? Answer that and the Harvard Business School will let you teach a course on it!<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102); font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >YOUR MISSION:</span><br /><br />Review this post with your team and make this pact with them: "If you will help me be a better manager, I will make you the most effective and successful team in our business." This partnership is your first step towards becoming an outstanding leader of an exceptional team.<br /><br />CARRY ON!Patrick Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827858742893047662noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18841905.post-39818407076163116662007-08-19T08:13:00.000-04:002007-08-19T09:25:16.191-04:00"C" words form the backbone of great recruitingI'm a former Army guy - I have to keep stuff really simple. Quick check-lists help me remember steps and key parts of a process. Here's a little list I developed to ensure that I have the proper focus on my role as a recruiter - oddly enough, this list could also be applied to many management roles!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Client Focus:</span> View every interaction as though you were dealing with a client. No matter if you are speaking to a hiring manager (clearly your client), or a candidate (who <span style="font-style: italic;">could</span> be a client) always focus on their needs as part of whatever outcome you are trying to achieve.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Communication: </span><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Communication with every audience - internal, external, up the chain or down must be concise and accurate as well as specifically tailored to the needs of the audience. You simply cannot over-communicate!</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Coach:</span> The hiring manager knows the needs of the business better than you do, but you know the strategies that yield results. The best coaches ASK more than they ANSWER. Ask questions to get the manager to draw their own conclusion and they will normally land on the right answer.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">Consideration</span>: You are asking managers to consider the needs of the role and of the candidate. You are asking the candidate to consider the opportunity. All this consideration needs to play out along with some real <span style="font-style: italic;">personal consideration</span> for all involved. Don't forget that at the heart of the process they are all still people with needs.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Consistency:</span> Aside from all the compliance risks in not being consistent, lack of consistency means you will never be able to replicate the magic when you finally get the recruitment process nailed down. Consistency with candidates, managers and even your team is foundational to being able to grow and <span style="font-style: italic;">consistently</span> deliver great results.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">Compelling:</span> You HAVE to be able to tell a compelling story about your business, the opportunity, and even the candidate. Your offers must be compelling to the candidate to effectively convey the desire to have them join and the importance your company places on the role - note that "compelling" does not have to mean heaps of money - if you have followed the points above, you will know what is important to the candidate and THAT's the compelling part!<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153); font-weight: bold;">Candor:</span> Honesty is ALWAYS the best policy - sure you can soften up the feedback, but if the hiring manager is a dolt who does not understand the basics of the business or managing people, SOMEONE has to tell them. Just continuing down the recruiting path with someone like this just means you will have to do it over, and over and over and .....etc! The same holds true with candidates. If Johnny shows up to interview for a VP of Sales job, but has the personality of a librarian.... you REALLY have to tell him. Just using the standard Recruiter's dodge of "it's not the right fit" serves no one. You get off cheap and he doesn't learn why he's not qualified... big missed opportunity there. In practice, I find that candidates really like being told the truth - wouldn't you??<br /><br />And Finally...<span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">CLOSE!!</span> Time is money, so get to the point and close the deal. Force managers and candidates alike to act with a sense of urgency. You have invested time and money going through endless assessments and interviews, now it is time to remind everyone that this process is about business results! If you are not going to hire them, tell them AS SOON AS YOU KNOW. If you are, make the offer NOW! Too many searches go belly-up because we lose candidates to competing offers that came in while we pondered.<br /><br />Ok, enough for today... I could go on for hours, but then I'd have nothing for future posts.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 153, 102);">YOUR MISSION:</span><br /><br />Hold this little diatribe up as a measure of your practices on recruiting (or managing in general). See any opportunities??? If so, act on them. If not - write a book and I will buy it!!!Patrick Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827858742893047662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18841905.post-70605813500440788252007-08-12T22:11:00.000-04:002007-08-13T12:34:29.197-04:00The missing ingredient in business plans? TALENT!<p class="MsoNormal">The lack of the right talent at the right time can hamstring even the best laid business plans, so why is it left out of so many of them? Let's look at a hypothetical case to illustrate the point.<br /><br />Imagine you are running a business and your business plan calls for a shift from your normal product line of industrial widgets - now you want to get into the widget customization business. The key to success is your ability to crank out a new and better series of widgets that can be adapted to meet your customers varied widget needs. So you ramp up your business plan - You build out your factory to handle the variations and increased production. You get your suppliers on-board to ensure you always have inventory to produce widgets. Heck, you even got yourself a slick custom widget ad-campaign! Now all you need are some super talented, consultative widget subject matter experts / consultants / salespeople.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">And that's when it hits you</span> - you never determined if that kind of talent even exists in your market! Turns out that you didn't know that there are very few people who can really sell customized widget solutions, and they all work for your competitor! Wow - don't YOU feel silly?? All ramped up and no one to sell it! Try explaining <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">that</span> little oversight to the shareholders.<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The key to your widget “secret sauce” was people with the specific talents you need to get the job done, and you forgot to include them in your business plan.<span style=""> </span>Living proof that if we fail to plan we’re actually planning to fail!</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 153, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;">YOUR <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">MISSION</st1:place></st1:city>:</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Take a look at your business planning process.<span style=""> </span>If PEOPLE are not accounted for early on in the process, change your process.<span style=""> </span>The best ideas, technology and products are all useless unless you have the right people working on them.</p>Patrick Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827858742893047662noreply@blogger.com2