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I’m leaving London in the morning but here’s an interesting follow up-to my previous post.
I took my last tube ride yesterday and surprisingly, I got delayed again. After a mere thirty seconds (even faster than two days ago) an announcer came on to explain the delay. I swear this is exactly what he said: “there is no service on the Northern Line north of this station until approximately three o’clock due to a body on the tracks under a car”. Nobody on my car even flinched.
If ever there was a situation that begged for a partial truth - or none at all - surely this is it. Yet the Tube folks must know something that most other organizations haven’t figured out (yet).
When we’re on the receiving end of information we want to be told the truth. We are entitled to the truth. And most importantly, Jack Nicholson was not correct…we can handle the truth.
Telling the truth is a powerful way to show your staff your high opinion of them. When you tell the truth you share the burden of “what comes next” with your team rather than behaving as if you are the only one who can solve the problem. One could even argue that withholding the truth is a form of arrogance because it suggests that you get to decide what people do and do not have a right to know.
Try this: “When in doubt, tell the truth”. That’s what we teach our kids.
I’m vacationing in London and managerial lessons are all around. We were riding the Tube (subway) today and as transportation does, it just stopped. After about 90 seconds a very pleasant female voice began explaining the reason for the delay – there was a stalled car ahead. She apologized and went on to say that the estimated time of delay would be 6-9 minutes. 6-9 minutes! She didn’t say “soon”. She didn’t say “we don’t know”. She said 6-9 minutes. Wow.
Here’s my revelation for today’s event: because I learned the reason for the delay along with my new estimated time of arrival nobody nobody nobody seemed frustrated. Lots of people were nodding as if they felt bad for the Tube!
It may seem like a small thing, but it was so respectful. It was so reasonable. Almost pleasant.
Managers should operate like the nice Tube lady. Every time something goes wrong you can summon your own pleasing voice and be a truth-telling manager. Q: What would happen – good and bad - if you were totally honest with your employees?
A: Far more good things would happen.
Yeah, yeah that’s rubbish you say. But it’s not.
How many times just this week that you didn’t tell the (whole) truth. Think of a specific incident and ask yourself, "why not"? Why didn't you tell the whole truth? I am not suggesting that you tell lies…merely that you do not reveal the whole truth nearly often enough. Again, why not?
I promise that if you decide to tell the truth the great majority of the time (I’m giving you a tiny bit of leeway) you will get a better outcome from your team. And it's not just a decision - it's a commitment.
Here’s how you know that I’m telling you the truth: YOU want the whole truth, right? You can take it, right? You deserve the whole truth, right?
Try this: BE the manager that YOU want to work for.
I’m in London for a week and while the dollar is horribly weak the good cheer is strong. In stores, restaurants, Starbucks, buses…people are pretty nice. And friendly. And they smile and it makes me want to smile back.
I know it’s a tourist’s perspective, but the pleasantries happen often with so many of the people I’ve come in contact with. And it reminds me that in management, nice trumps nasty. And unpleasantness. And meanness. And it just seems like common sense to be nice.
I recently tasted sauteed alligator meat (don't ask)..and like so many things, it tastes like chicken. Really. Which makes me think that things are often more familiar than we think, no matter where we are or what we're doing. And that means you can rely on the basics in life. Like being nice.
As a manager, you need your team to “want to” go to the mattresses for you. (Note the Godfather reference). “Want To” is the bingo here because while you can demand, order, mandate and require certain behaviors, you won't get 110% if the "want to" is missing. When you don't "want to" you just don't do your best.
Management is complex, but it doesn’t (always) have to be difficult. It’s a fact: people don’t work for companies, they work for people. You will always have tough issues to face, problems to solve and challenges that will unexpectedly hit you right in the gut. But when your people “want to” walk through walls for you, you’ll always have an edge.
Try this: next time you’re angry at an employee– and your thought is to “let loose” on her – do the opposite. Be the nicest as you’ve ever been. Ask her if everything is ok. Ask if you can help her. Buy her an ice cream cone and then discuss, don't scold.
The fun dial is about to crank all the way up as you start interviewing candidates for your open position. You’ve written a clear job description (see previous post) and the next step is to create the list of your hiring requirements.
Step 1: make three lists: 1. The absolute requirements for the job. A combination of talent, skills and experience. This should be a very short list because it’s got to be absolute…no more than five things. If a candidate is missing one of the five requirements they don’t get interviewed. Absolute.
2. Important requirements for the job. No more than five.
3. Extras. No more than five.
You can see where this is going. Any job that has more than 15 requirements is heading toward a bad hire, anyway.
Step 2: write a short list of “Screen-Out” questions. No more than seven. (I just like that number). The screen-outs should be focused on the absolute list. This enables you to have a seven minute phone conversation to determine whether the candidate should move forward.
Step 3: About the interview. Great selection happens when a person’s talents are a good fit for the job (not just experience). Focus on the talents required for success, in addition to experience. Write a long list of interview questions and leave plenty of room to write the candidates’ answers.
Ideally, bring in someone else to write the answers while you ask the questions.
This is very important. You think you’ll remember the answers but it ain’t necessarily so. Actually, it ain’t so at all. Great note-taking is part of great interviewing.
Next post: Great hiring is a talent show.
Question: As you set out to make your next hire, how high will you aim?
Another question: What are you willing TO DO to ensure a great hire?
Answer: Search relentlessly for the most talented person for the job, and and commit to learning the skills needed to find them. You can become a champion at great hiring and become the envy of your competitors.
The learning division of the Gallup Organization is an authority on selection (aka great hiring), and their data and training are superb. http://www.gallup.com/ . Gallup's research on selection over the last 40 years consistently reveals that just one in ten is a great fit for the work they do. And that’s across all industries. Ouch.
Question: Why is it so damn difficult to find highly talented people? Answer: Because most companies don’t view selection and hiring as management skills to be learned and developed. Most managers and/or HR professionals are not committed to interviewing relentlessly.
When you commit to hiring talented people the process always starts (and ends) with two things:
1. A specific job description
2. Identifying the talents needed for THAT job. (think sports and music)Job Descriptions should start with the outcome (sell copiers), but don’t stop there. List everything the employee will DO for 40+ hours every week; the tasks and the behaviors. Every bullet point should be a “DO”. If you can’t see it, it’s a concept, not a behavior. Excellent job descriptions include the outcomes required and the behavior needed to get there. The WHAT and the HOW. Last, you focus on the talent to get the job done.
You’re hiring a customer service manager….
Concept: Improve our customers’ perceptions of our return policy”.Behavior: talk to customers daily, ask questions about their return experience, create a scoring system, lead the team to develop specific solutions.You can see someone doing those tasks, right?
Once you have the specific WHAT and HOW, you will be able to ask better questions of candidates. Next post: all about talent. How you uncover a person's natural talents.Try this: Write a job description. Part I - the outcomes. Part II: a list of everything the person will DO in the job.And try this, too: read these classic books on selection and hiring. Or listen to them. They will transform your views of hiring - and more.
SOAR WITH YOUR STRENGTHS by Donald O. Clifton & Paula Nelson
NOW, DISCOVER YOUR STRENGTHS by Marcus Buckingham & Donald O. Clifton
FIRST, BREAK ALL THE RULES by Marcus Buckingham
What is it the most important of all the management tasks? What is the one skill that we usually spend the least amount of time improving? (hum the Jeopardy song)……the answer is Great Hiring. You know this is the biggie. The one that matters most of all. The one that either gives you a true advantage over your competitors or dooms you to mediocrity – and worse. Why isn’t every manager reading, asking, discussing, debating and challenging the mostly inferior way we hire? Why don't you decide to DO something?
It’s ugly out there in the land of great recruitment. And yes, it’s difficult to hire well. But it is the foundation of all success. I hope you don’t see yourself in this list below, but if you do, then it’s time to fess up and make a decision to do it differently. Immediately. Forever. Be brave - do you:
Use the same tired & vague recruitment ads over and over?
Write job descriptions that are masterpieces? (you can)
Conduct interviews with as much preparation that goes into your best business presentations?
Spend a lot of time with your finalist candidates? At least 10 hours?
Talk to five references using a written list of questions?
The next few blogs will offer strategies for great hiring.
Try this: focus on a current opening. Write a terrific job description that spells out in detail how the employee will spend 40+ hours every week. It’s fine to include the big concepts, but if you can’t “see” what the person will do from the description, then how will you OR the employee what is to be done?
When the masterpiece is finished, pass it around the office and ask for brutal feedback. Here’s the test it should pass: if you show the job description to your grandma would she understand this position?
