My focus this month is Effective Management and was also the subject of my Keynote speech at the Tennessean’s Top Workplaces 2013 Awards Luncheon this past week. Let me start with a few “facts” about management. Our research has shown that:
90% of management problems are “people” problems and 90% of “people” problems are communication problems. While your mileage may vary it’s important to note that the biggest stumbling block to good communication is poor listening!
Most managers didn’t go into management because they expressed an interest or demonstrated a skill…they were good individual performers!
Poor hiring is the number one cause of unproductive/inconsistent performance and often leads to employee retention issues.
Avoiding the 5 Most Common Recruiting Mistakes:
1. Not having a detailed Hiring Profile/Job Description
2. Hiring the “Best” of the “Worst”
3. Too much Weight on “First Impressions”
4. Telling Too Much
5. Hiring on One Primary Characteristic
So how do I consistently hire “10’s?”
First off, avoid the five most common recruiting mistakes highlighted above. Profile your best employees and find more that look like them! Hire people with the skill and will to do the job. In other words, do they know how to do the job and want to do the job? In my opinion, “want to” is more important than “know how.” Hire people with integrity and character. Hire on “values” and ensure an individual’s “values” match your organizational values. Practice behavioral interviewing. Ask situational and behavioral questions during the interview to better understand how a person thinks and acts.
Finally, employ a “hiring pipeline” even if you don’t have any current openings. You never know when someone may leave and you need to be ready. Ask yourself the following question, “If I had an influx of money and could hire someone immediately who would be the first three calls I’d make?”
I’ll be expounding on each of these action items in my upcoming posts. Here’s where you can follow this thread/ hone your management skills:
- Connect with me on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/rjohnboyens/
- Follow me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JohnBoyens
- Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BoyensGroup
Be sure to tell your management team!
