[Given a stock market turning a bit bullish, manufacturers' inventories going down, and consumer confidence inching up, you may be thinking about hiring within the next few months. If so, you will want to print out this wonderful contribution from our friend Mike Miller at FlexHR. Incorporate Mike's suggestions into your interview process so that you get the right people (and avoid all of the others!) -- Rob]
The objective of an interview is to learn as much as possible about a candidate in a relatively short time frame to be able to OBJECTIVELY determine if he/she is properly qualified for a position and will be a SUCCESSFUL employee if hired. That is easier said than done. There are many books and internet sites that will give you loads of information on how to interview and what questions to ask. In most cases it is information overload.
Over the years I have “tried them all” and have found competency based behavioral questions the most effective. The base job competencies are communication, initiative, adaptability, dependability, organization and planning, judgment/decision making, professional development, policy compliance, management of resources, teamwork, and managing skills. Below is a list of interview questions by competency
Continue reading »
“Oops, I did a step out of order. We didn’t learn it that way …” Lest you get overly concerned with precision in the process, let’s step back for a moment.
The Performance Coaching process itself isn’t magic. The tool simply provides a structure for you to express
It “works” because you are actually expressing faith in him. And your people have a way of living up to your expectations. If you think someone is a lousy SOB and a slug, the sweetest words won’t induce the slightest positive change, only cynicism. If you really do respect your employee and approach him with the best intent, that too will be communicated.
We encourage you to consciously use the Coaching processes we shared with you: the particular steps, the order of those steps, the logic and power of those steps have been validated in real use over time. In short, they work to move employees to assume personal accountability for their behavioral choices.
And don’t sweat doing it “perfectly,” just do your best. You’ll get more confident and proficient over time. And you’ll have been positively exerting your leadership and influencing the employee all along, even when you weren’t “perfect.”
The ONLY absolute wrong way to have a performance conversation … is not to have it. You’ll be more effective if you follow the process and tips we’ve provided in the workshop and reinforced in these newsletters. But don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Step out, do your best, and you’ll be moving in the right direction. And your employee will be better for it.
[This is the sixth in a series of emails that we provide to graduates of our Performance Coaching & FeedBack workshops to support their continued growth. Get email number one here, number two here, number three here, number four here and number five here.]
[The second in a series of email tips that we provide as part of our follow up / ongoing support for clients who have completed our Performance Coaching workshop. See the first Performance Coaching tip here.]
Remember that the primary goal of any performance conversation is that the associate takes full responsibility for his or her actions and results. Everything we as supervisors do or say in a performance conversation should support that assumption of responsibility.
Most supervisors have been trained to “tell” the associate what’s wrong and how it “needs to be fixed.” We agree, partially …
Continue reading »
