By reapply if you mean fill out an application, then the answer is yes. By law, you must allow anyone that comes to you to apply for a job. Even if you don't have an open position, they are allowed to apply. You don't have to hire them and you don't have to interview them, but you must allow them to fill out an application. It is also best to keep completed applications on file for at least a year.
Remember, an official application form is a legal document. A resume is not.
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jackddeal hardware, software, networks, connections, services, email, photos, data, videos, text, copy are all company property... less than 5 seconds ago from web |
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jackddeal you can use a non-disclosure form but most companies really have nothing to disclose; an anti-theft form may be more appropriate... less than 5 seconds ago from web |
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jackddeal does your company have a standardized way of collecting ideas and suggestions and rewarding employees who contribute? less than 5 seconds ago from web |
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jackddeal you are required to allow employees time to vote but many polls are open early and late and most states have absentee mail-in ballots... less than 5 seconds ago from web |
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jackddeal jury duty is required of the employee and the employer must cooperate; cooperate fully and pray your key person doesn't get a homicide trial less than 5 seconds ago from web |
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jackddeal give folks funeral leave, appropriate to the situation... less than 5 seconds ago from web |
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jackddeal other leaves of absence are not mandated and may be optional... less than 5 seconds ago from web |
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jackddeal certain leaves of absence are mandated by law, such as pregnancy... less than 5 seconds ago from web |
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jackddeal paid and unpaid leaves of absence are big issues; consult an HR expert or attorney before trying to interpret your company's position... less than 5 seconds ago from web |
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jackddeal required paid holidays are New Years Day, Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas... less than 5 seconds ago from web |
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jackddeal if the employee leaves your employment before using up their Paid Time Off, you should pay them for the balance at the full rate... less than 5 seconds ago from web |
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jackddeal that's not to say you would not want to reserve the right to decide for an exception...but as an exception, not the rule... less than 5 seconds ago from web |
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jackddeal it's a good idea to allow no advances on pay or benefits, such as Paid Time Off...it can create an expectation... less than 5 seconds ago from web |
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jackddeal stress is stress and the labor board won't take kindly to any policy that allows employees to work continuously...could be a liability? less than 5 seconds ago from web |
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jackddeal it's usually better to make employees take vacation time as opposed to paying them extra for unused vacation while they work regular hours less than 5 seconds ago from web |
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jackddeal large carryovers can put you in a cash flow bind or allow a key employee to take paid leave for an extended time period... less than 5 seconds ago from web |
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jackddeal be wary if you 'carryover' any accrued paid time, such as Paid Time Off, vacation, sick, personal day, etc. less than 5 seconds ago from web |
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jackddeal PTO can accrue from day one but can't be used until after the introductory period, for example, 30 days or 90 days... less than 5 seconds ago from web |
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jackddeal you can pro-rate paid time off or PTO to length of service... less than 5 seconds ago from web |
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jackddeal the concept of paid time off cleans up the messy tracking of vacation, sick and personal paid days... less than 5 seconds ago from web |
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jackddeal better ask your attorney to help you decide if arbitration is something you want to include in your employee contracts... less than 5 seconds ago from web |
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by attacking Sarah's experience the Demo strategy has also brought up the comparison with Obama's experience...why Chairman Burton? groan.. about 17 hours ago from web |  |
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so here we Demos sit in the final stage of the race with no strategy and no plan to turn around the steady decline... about 17 hours ago from web | |
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On CNN Joe's big speech was quickly relegated to a footnote on a campaign rally by Sarah in Colorado...what kind of strategy is that? about 17 hours ago from web | |
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I just took a quick glance a Yahoo's summary of polls and Obama has problems in states like Washington, Michigan and Ohio... about 17 hours ago from web | |
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Obama's problem is an incompentent campaign staff that has not only let McCain back in the race but helped McCain a slight lead... about 17 hours ago from web | |
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my fellow Demo friend, a somewhat intelligent fellow, insists that Rove is behind Obama's recent misfortunes...it also sounds stupid... about 17 hours ago from web | |
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by default the Obama has slipped into the mud fight and Obama and Joe aren't very good at wallowing in the mud...groan... about 21 hours ago from web | |
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Karl Rove is not the one running McCain's campaign which right now has a very slight lead...why keep beating on the dead horse, Joe? about 21 hours ago from web |
| jackddeal even the CNN online survey is showing Sarah was a hit...whassup Joe? is that the best you can do? maybe you should call Hillary...groan... less than 5 seconds ago from web |  | |
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jackddeal can't fire Burton? hmmmm...it might be perceived as Obama can't run a campaign and this week he stated his campaign was his experience less than 5 seconds ago from web | |
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jackddeal and remember that picking on girls is a no-no in Redneck country...groan...how will this look? less than 5 seconds ago from web | |
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jackddeal Obama simply cannot be required to do all the heavy mental work or he will get more worn out than he already is...groan... less than 5 seconds ago from web | |
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jackddeal If Obama has to go in to work on this mess, what is Joe doing? looking at the hotties? still trying to figure out what hit him? less than 5 seconds ago from web | |
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jackddeal by stooping to attack Sarah, Obama is confirming our suspicions that Joe Biden is not up to the job...groan...why? groan twice... less than 5 seconds ago from web | |
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jackddeal What happened to the Obama that was 'above politics as usual?' And just how will it play in Ohio and Pennsylvania? what is Burton thinking? less than 5 seconds ago from web | |
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jackddeal by attacking Sarah more, even Obama himself will fall prey to the Repubs strategy...where are our advisors? less than 5 seconds ago from web | |
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jackddeal obviously somebody is scared stiff to require our Presidential candidate to respond to a VP candidate...what's wrong with this scenario? less than 5 seconds ago from web | |
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jackddeal so now we hear Obama is going to counter Sarah with his own ad...great strategy guys...why not let Sarah write it too? who's in charge? less than 5 seconds ago from web | |
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jackddeal it's not that the strategy was so great because the Repubs never could have imagined our total cooperation...groan...or could they? less than 5 seconds ago from web |
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thanks to Burton et al, we could face the scenario of Sarah and McCain gaining momentum and peaking around the first part of November... about 21 hours ago from web |  |
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like one commentator said, now it's Hurricane Sarah while all our braintrust is sitting around acting like clowns... about 22 hours ago from web | |
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and we played right into the Repubs strategy by causing the Sarah backlash... about 22 hours ago from web | |
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the mistake of naming Biden is now being overshadowed by the consequences...the consequences are taking a life of their own... about 22 hours ago from web | |
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every day Obama hangs on to Burton, Axelrod and Biden, is a day he is giving the Repubs a real shot to win...groan...can Burton now! about 22 hours ago from web | |
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soon we will start to see 'If Obama can't run a campaign, how can he run a country?' ...this won't even play well in Peoria... about 22 hours ago from web | |
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if we Demos lose this race it's because we have been unbelievably stupid day in and day out...Obama should be 15% points ahread now... about 22 hours ago from web | |
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maybe Gloria's jealous because she doesn't have kids; can't think of any other reason she would want to help Sarah...eh, Chairman Burton? about 22 hours ago from web | |
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can't Gloria Steinem see that her preaching to the choir is alienating the church? duh...thanks for the campaign fodder, Gloria... about 22 hours ago from web | |
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now we are seeing the Glorian Steinem quote at Repub rallies...groan...why can't Democratic supporters like Burton and Steinem think? about 22 hours ago from web | |
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women in Michigan and Ohio and Colorado and other midwest states by and large to not agree with Gloria Steinen anyway...groan... about 22 hours ago from web |
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jackddeal too late Chairman Burton...Donna Brazille et al aren't going to listen to reason and will continue to attact Sarah's children...groan... less than 5 seconds ago from web | |
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jackddeal how did it get to the point where the Repubs are calling us sexist and we agree? groan...clearly Burton et al are unclear on the concept... less than 5 seconds ago from web | |
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jackddeal what bunch of clowns Chairman Burton is making us Demos out to be...he must think we are as stupid as he is... less than 5 seconds ago from web | |
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jackddeal Joe Biden might have been referring to Harry Reid's sexist comment that Sarah was 'shrill'; a perjorative term used only for women...duh less than 5 seconds ago from web | |
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jackddeal Good Ole Boy Joe also said the media had been sexist in dealing with Sarah...though he failed to mention his own 'good looking' comment... less than 5 seconds ago from web | |
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jackddeal stunned and staggered, Good Ole Boy Joe said Sarah's family is off limits for attacks since Burton can't control the spin on this one... less than 5 seconds ago from web | |
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jackddeal Burton set up the Obama as the 'campaign of hope' and we better start hoping for some kind of miracle...start praying too...ha...groan... less than 5 seconds ago from web | |
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jackddeal if communty organizing is really work experience, why doesn't Burton package it that way? duh...mid-America won't buy it, that's why... less than 5 seconds ago from web | |
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jackddeal all we petty Demos are still mad that McCain picked a woman while Obama picked a relic...who should we be mad at? McCain? duh... less than 5 seconds ago from web | |
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jackddeal how will raising taxes help workers and small businesses? asked Sarah last night...what is your answer Burton...George Bush? groan... less than 5 seconds ago from web |
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breakthrough employees can quickly raise company standards 05:09 AM August 10, 2008 from web |  |
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A simple paycheck does not create a sense of accomplishment nor does it ease the tension of the 'fire in the belly'. 05:08 AM August 10, 2008 from web | |
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the breakthrough employee has little sympathy with those that just do enough to get a paycheck 05:07 AM August 10, 2008 from web | |
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Making the transition from compliant to highly engaged employees is one of the hardest steps to take in business development. 05:07 AM August 10, 2008 from web | |
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Jealous co-workers and jealous micromanagers will also drive off a breakthrough employee by considering them a threat to the status quo. 05:06 AM August 10, 2008 from web | |
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If breakthrough employees don't feel their skills and knowledge are appreciated this hard charging employee tends to look elsewhere... 05:06 AM August 10, 2008 from web | |
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Breakthrough employees will tend to go toward opportunities and a good opportunity goes a long way toward keeping them... 05:04 AM August 10, 2008 from web | |
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A breakthrough employee can also just walk in your door wanting to go to work. 05:04 AM August 10, 2008 from web | |
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Breakthrough employees will 'jump ship' quickly if the company does not help them meet their own personal goals. 05:03 AM August 10, 2008 from web | |
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Breakthrough employees are always looking to improve their skills sets and gain new knowledge. 05:02 AM August 10, 2008 from web | |
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The breakthrough employee constantly speaks of improvement, opportunity and what is possible. 05:01 AM August 10, 2008 from web | |
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These breakthrough employees have the skills to help a company make a 'quantum' leap upward perhaps reaching to the next level. 05:01 AM August 10, 2008 from web | |
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The sheer number of hires means that on occasion someone with superior abilities will get hired. 05:00 AM August 10, 2008 from web | |
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any human behavior can be explained simplistically; however, the devil is in the details as explainations become less plausible... 04:59 AM August 10, 2008 from web |
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Reply to: serv-671@craigslist.
Date: 2008-05-07, 12:41PM PDT
Tired of conducting the same old tired interviews? Tired of getting the same old results? Would it help for someone else to conduct the hiring interview once in a while? Does your staff need help with things like applicant profiles? Hiring is mission critical and companies that hire right succeed. If your recruiting and interviewing efforts need a boost reply to this ad or contact Deal Business Consulting 831-457-8806.
PostingID: 67
Reply to: serv-67182681
Date: 2008-05-07, 12:25PM PDT
Exit interviews by phone or in person. Let a third party flush out what your ex-employees really think about your company. Gather important information about how to improve your management and human resources departments. Gain important insights on how to retain productive employees. But be prepared; what you get might not be what you expected. Reply to this ad or contact Deal Business Consulting 831-457-8806.
PostingID: 6718
Reply to: serv- Date: 2008-05-07, 12:18PM PDT
Dread the thought of doing employee reviews? Need help on how to conduct an effective employee review? Are your employees dreading their employee reviews as much as you are? It can't be that bad, can it? But if you are really suffering you can reply to this ad or contact Deal Business Consulting 831-457-8806 for relief.
PostingID: 67
Reply to: [email protected]
Date: 2008-05-06, 10:39AM PDT
If you have employees that aren't family you probably need an employee or company manual. If you are a growing company it really isn't optional as you can lose competitive advantage by not having a good employee manual. A good company manual contains dozens of areas that need special attention by your employees and managers. For more info Google my company manual article "How to Use Your Company's Employee Manual as a Business Development Tool" and contact Deal Business Consulting at 831-457-8806 or [email protected].
PostingID: 67
There are employees and then there are breakthrough employees. Once in a blue moon the average company hires someone that can make a dramatic difference. This is usually done by chance in the routine hiring process...someone retires, quits or is fired and someone else is hired to take their place.
The sheer number of hires means that on occasion someone with superior abilities will get hired. These breakthrough employees have the skills to help a company make a 'quantum' leap upward perhaps reaching to the next level of the company's business plan and strategy.
As a rule this type of challenge excites the breakthrough employee; the dull and routine has no appeal. The breakthrough employee constantly speaks of improvement, opportunity and what is possible. This means they are always looking to improve their skills sets and gain new knowledge.
They will 'jump ship' quickly if the company does not help them meet their own personal goals or does not allow them to develop professionally. They can also just walk in your door wanting to go to work.
Breakthrough employees will tend to go toward opportunities and a good opportunity goes a long way toward keeping them; mere compliance to standards for them is a bad joke that does not apply.
Sometimes the company will acknowledge the presence of this breakthrough employee but very often it does not. When they don't feel their skills and knowledge are appreciated this hard charging employee tends to look for work elsewhere.
Jealous co-workers and jealous micromanagers will also drive off a breakthrough employee by considering them a threat to the status quo and their own narrow self-interests. What is good for the company is not always considered to be in the best interest of all its employees.
Making the transition from compliant to highly engaged employees is one of the hardest steps to take in business development. This is compounded by the fact that the breakthrough employee is not easy to manage.
One of the reasons for this difficulty is the breakthrough employee has little sympathy with those that just do enough to get a paycheck. A simple paycheck does not create a sense of accomplishment nor does it ease the tension of their 'fire in the belly'.
They feel that those that don't know don't care.
Because of their skills, curiosity and work ethic breakthrough employees can quickly raise company standards. They can add freshness and zip into a dulled, compliant staff. This is another reason co-workers may resent their presence and will often try to 'sabotage' their efforts.
On the up side, because of their interest and curiosity the breakthrough employee brings experience and new ideas and is not afraid to share them. Their feeling is "if we can do it a better way, why not?" They are open to innovation and see change as a way to grow.
The breakthrough employee knows their true value to a company and knows they should be well treated and well compensated. On the down side they dislike anything, including micromanagers and fellow employees that get in their way. If enough obstacles are present they will perceive a lack of opportunity and leave.
Breakthrough employees are one of the quickest ways to get rapid improvement and growth in a company. Awareness of the breakthrough employee is the first step; the second step is keeping them so they can bring their productivity to your workplace.
Unfortunately many companies discover breakthrough employees only to let them slip through the cracks to competitors.
Although uncommon, the breakthrough employee is not extinct or even rare. But like the value of an uncut diamond, someone has to see the potential, make it happen and then take care of it. Perhaps an easier way to view the breakthrough employee is one that lays golden eggs.
All they want is some tender loving care and for everyone to step back and get out of their way.
If you are an owner or a manager, what's not to like about that?
Like the rat in the cage we are driven by rewards. It's only human and also perhaps rat nature. Suffice it to say it's nature.
So when compensation, the reward, becomes stagnant so does productivity. If like rats we are paid by the time we spend in the cage, then the expected level of productivity is simple compliance.
By focusing on minimum standards employees tend to get there and stay there; a comfort zone or twilight zone or Bermuda Triangle whatever else it can be called.
That comfort zone is not where you need nor want to be. Did you make a conscious decision to not do what is in the best interests of your company? Why? Don't you ever ask what does your company need? What is the first step?
If you need to make changes, be wary of copying formulas. The best plan is the one that works best for your unique circumstances. Look first to your industry but also take a look outside your industry when looking for the right compensation plan.
The important thing is to first look for the concepts in compensation that drive your company's performance and productivity.
Sometimes combinations of plans work the best. Simpler is better but sometimes by combining two measures, such as productivity and attendance; a compensation plan can be enhanced.
The best approach is to identify which key performance indicators should be the foundations for the compensation plan.
If you are going from a 'time and space' or hourly wage rate to an incentive plan then look for ways to start that change. There may be a great deal of reluctance on the part of your current employees but ask for their opinion. That way, once the plan is implemented there should be no complaints.
Talk about the new plan in your business, group and team meetings. You might start by using small gifts or cash rewards for top performance which helps employees get accustomed to the idea.
The idea is to try to modify your employee's behavior little by little so it's preferable to start small and gradually gain credibility. Actually rats do the same thing.
Use spreadsheets to work out the ranges of possible plans. Be wary of straight commission as it can often create internal friction. Don't forget to look at tying part of your bonus or incentive plan to overall company performance.
Once you have a plan you can test backwards to see how it would work. Depending on your plan, you can do a trial run and see how employees react. Make certain that poor performance is not rewarded.
Establish a minimum performance level and make it the low end of your compensation scale. Make sure your plan is easily track able by both you and your employees.
Under ideal circumstances top performers should get at least two or three times more than minimal performers. Even if you are not able to create such a variation "skew" the better rewards should go toward top performance.
As with all incentives and bonuses it is important that the prize be something the employee considers of significance. Pure praise is fine but a cash reward or dinner for the family makes it tangible and real. To give someone a paltry bonus is the same as saying it does not matter. If it does not matter, why do it?
It is better to have a low base wage/salary with a large incentive component. If the base is too high there is little incentive to perform at higher levels.
Expect minimal employees to whine, complain and quit after the plan is in place. Expect to see more qualified and motivated employees wanting to join your company. Expect your better employees to become more loyal.
A well designed compensation plan can give your company a strong competitive advantage. Too bad your competitors may find it impossible to compete directly with you for the best employees.
As human resources increasingly become the key to business success it is essential that ownership and management look at ways to optimize the recruiting process.
One of the most useful concepts in successful human resources is continuous recruitment.
Recruiting is not easy but many recruiting problems can be avoided by using continuous recruitment. Most companies wait until they need employees before they look for them.
Continuous recruitment makes searching for good employees part of everyday operations.
Continuous recruitment simply means looking for new and better employees all the time and not just when staffing needs are high. This means that as a manager you must always know your staffing needs and give priority to your most important recruiting needs.
If you do not know what you need you may not realize it even if you find it.
Don't forget to look at those areas in your staffing that are 'OK' but could use improvement. The goal is to use the recruiting process to help determine and address all of your company's staffing needs.
Continuous recruitment is only effective when used with the other parts of your hiring process; ads, applications, the interview process, etc. All efforts are focused on the applicant and any obstacle in the process hurts your results.
It might help to view your recruiting efforts as a "treasure hunt" that never stops.
Even if you find a good applicant and do not have a current position open you should recruit the applicant as if you did. In today's volatile markets conditions can change rapidly and that includes staffing needs.
Usually the best time to recruit is when demand for employees is down in an industry. This means that layoffs or hour reductions are common with many businesses.
Employees, sometimes good ones, are most likely to look for employment at this time. This means keep your recruiting confidential as always since the best applicants are often employed, quite possibly with your competitor.
'Accepting applications' is a good way to start. Accepting applications does not mean every applicant gets an interview; accepting applications means that every applicant gets a chance to fill out an application.
Don't forget that resumes are not legally binding documents but a signed employment application is.
One goal should be to build a database of solid applicants for a 'rainy day'. Many successful businesses have 'back-ups' for every position especially if they are competitive in their industry. Sometimes when a sudden staffing need arises several phone calls can result in a timely and appropriate hire.
Current employees may be worried when your company begins continuous recruitment. Tell your employees you are recruiting for anticipated growth and improvement.
If they are fearful for their own positions tell then they have the opportunity to improve their performance. After a time they too will become accustomed to continuous recruitment and for obvious reasons may even improve their own individual performance.
Do not neglect any source for potential employees. These sources include current employees, colleagues, vendors, etc. Simply let them know what you are looking for on a regular basis.
Consider using a finder's fee for those really tough hires especially for difficult to find technical and skilled positions.
Find sources that are likely to be in regular contact with the types of applicants you need and stay in touch with these contacts. See if you can do them a favor so they will 'owe you one.'
If you have many applicants and do many interviews do not neglect the opportunity to find out about your competitors, industry and other important information.
Continuous recruitment helps you stay in touch with the local job markets and many applicants can be very articulate about how they are managed and are willing to share that with you. Continuous recruitment also gives you feedback on how competitive your company is the overall job market.
To get good at continuous recruitment you should practice, practice, and practice some more. Like anything recruiting is a skill that can be improved with practice.
Don't forget to follow up and analyze why a poor hire did not work out or why a good prospective employee chose another company. Take the attitude that each interview you do will benefit your company in some manner.
And be patient. Patience is a big plus when "fishing" for talent. This is harder to do if your need is acute.
Just remember that recruiting gets easier when you improve and streamline the process. The most difficult stage of continuous recruitment is the beginning stage.
Recruiting can determine success or failure. Continuous recruiting can give your company a real competitive tilt toward the success you seek.
An old saying goes 'that in good times anybody can make money; in bad times only the best can.' In down times, even more than boom times, employees become the critical edge.
And in good times or bad, employees determine profitability. The question is, are yours good enough? And if the numbers are not where they should be, what can you do?
The first step is a close examination of your business model and infrastructure. Is it viable and how does it look in the next one to five years? The next step is to look at your people. Can do they do the job? Can they provide customer value and specifically what value do they bring to your company?
Look at what form of company structure and organization will be necessary to meet your future needs. Specifically focus on what will your future customer want? What kinds of employees will be needed to service your future customer?
Make an employee list and rate each employee's value to your company. Keep it simple. One method is to use the ABC rating: A for keepers, B for those with 'maybe' or 'twilight zone' and C for those that clearly need to be cycled out.
Failure to do this puts your company's equity on a spinning roulette wheel, meaning your company must rely on outside miracles -- like a rapid turnaround in the national economy -- for your profit and loss statements to improve. Las Vegas, anyone?
Another key to determining an employee's value is is to rate them on measurable productivity tasks, such as how many units they produce an hour or their monthly sales total.
It is important to remember you can measure almost anything such as customer satisfaction or number of hours of service billed. Make certain you measure what is important to driving customer value and your company's profitability which should be the same thing.
Also think about employee intangibles: are they a team player, do they help company morale, do they get along with co-workers, and are they a fit with the company culture? If an employee is disruptive or not a team player how can they be a productive team member?
By looking at these 'soft' skills you will get a more complete picture of your employee's true contribution.
You may be surprised at which employees may not have a spot in your future company. That's because the employee of today may not be appropriate tomorrow.
Once you have determined you have inappropriate employees, you will have to recruit new ones. If you are not willing to recruit and replace, how can you improve?
This isn't rocket science. The corrective actions you take depend on your company's specific circumstances. But from a strategic standpoint, you can either maintain the status quo including poor results, or change. The real problem is the amount of hard work required to make positive change happen.
The temptation to go back to the 'bad numbers' comfort zone is so strong, only the most driven owners will be willing to pay the price required to get the numbers to work. That is why most businesses aren't successful. It takes real effort to get out of the comfort zone and to get real improvement.
If you are not up to the challenge then it's time to look at your exit strategy and move on. Owners that neglect their businesses or see it as something they would rather not do simply end up paying themselves with their assets or what they have already earned.
From a cash flow stand point, mediocre employees and minimal performance is just not worth the effort. Better to get a job with someone else, no?
If your employees are not good enough the odds are your competition will find a way to beat you with better employees. With most businesses today, regardless of horizontal or vertical markets, employees are the competitive edge.
Stay consistent and always keep asking yourself "are our people good enough"?
One of my strangest HR projects involved kiosks and personality tests to determine if an employee had a predisposition for theft and criminal activity. Our strategic ally was a company that had started out doing polygraphs or lie detector tests and then had to change their business model when the Supreme Court ruled lie detector tests were not reliable enough to be admissible as evidence in court.
As a response to this Supreme Court ruling, our business partner developed a series of personality tests of which many are still used today by major corporations. These tests could determine fairly accurately whether a prospective employee was predisposed to steal but they were very odd questions.
My initial review showed the tests would not work as many of the questions were silly or simply did not make sense. The CEO told me these questions worked only for criminal minds and would seem absurd to anyone else. Go figure. The tests had been administered millions of times so their reliability and accuracy was very high.
Sometimes those of us that work in 'advanced business environments' such as Silicon Valley think that all discoveries and insights come from high powered big corporations. While that may be partially true, it is also true that many great ideas and innovative methods can come from not so advanced markets and from unexpected places.
Such is the case with what the Maya called 'pruebitas' or little tests to determine one's honesty and integrity. Here are three gems:
The first is from Pancho, a friend that now has a chain of furniture stores in Playa del Carmen, Merida and Chetumal. Like most entrepreneurs Pancho wanted to start out hiring honest employees since he knew the high costs of embezzlement and theft.
"Amigo Gringo," he laughed, "it was all too simple yet very effective...and something you advanced business people would probably never do. Like many businesses we would run an ad in the newspaper saying we were hiring. But when the prospective employee showed up, we would tell them that the manager was sick but we would give them an advance and they could come back in two days for their interview."
"The prospective employee signed nothing and we did not even know their name...it was if we were giving away free money. We started out with 300 pesos which isn't much to you Gringos but to many workers in Mexico it is a lot. Like you, many of our competitors thought we were crazy and laughed at our stupidity at giving away free money. I'm sure many of those prospective employees thought we were crazy too and they never came back. But it wasn't free money."
"Those that did come back were honest and we knew they wanted to work. And almost all of them ended up being good, long term employees. Now you Gringos are so smart with numbers, what does it cost when you hire a bad employee?" he laughed, "and remember here in Mexico it is difficult to fire anyone and if you do you have to pay them for lost wages."
The second test was a bit simpler and was used by my friend Octavio who has a jungle ranch next to ours. Octavio and his wife had some fifteen kids. Octavio insisted on leaving money and other items out in clear view in his ranch house. Having raised his kids to be extremely honest, he knew that none of them would ever remove anything without his permission. Many Maya are this way.
So when their kids would bring home their friends, usually nothing would be missing. But when it was, Octavio would immediately know and ask his kids to not have their dishonest friend back. No real big deal except Octavio was assured that his many children would not be running around with the wrong crowd. Not surprisingly none of his kids became criminals probably because they didn't hang out with friends that were criminals.
The third test is not so much a test as a way to ensure honesty and behavioral continuum. Those Maya parents with means will often make their children's inheritance conditional on their children's continued good behavior. This can continue into their fifties and sixties and beyond; sort of like Santa Claus not giving out the goodies to those that have been bad. While not actually a business strategy this approach works on several levels. It also means being a good boy for a very long time.
A number of my Maya friends have suggested similar strategies with my business dealings in Mexico. Before doing business with anyone, they suggest giving someone I don't know a few small tests first. It may sound corny but it works. Through these tests we have been able to determine quickly and accurately a person's integrity level. And like my friend Pancho says it's much cheaper to lose a little up front instead of losing a lot later.
Since then other tests have popped up, such as leaving cold beer available for workers to see who will, if offered free beer, take advantage and drink on the job. It's true; that one's really not fair.
Fair? But is employee dishonesty ever really fair?
The Employee Manual is another one of those 'groan' topics that everyone gives a sigh and throws up their hands on. Just the mention elicits a painful response. But it's not all that painful.
There are a number of templated softwares available on the Internet for building an employee manual. Pick one and look at the contents.
The first thing you notice is how the Employee Manual is a funny bird and not your normal company document. It's written in a stilted manual format. The manual's purpose is to clearly describe the relationship between your company and your employee. This is not the time to wax poetic or be goofy, even if goofy is in your company culture.
Many aspects of this employer - employee relationship are legal in nature and therefore not optional unless you are running an underground or flea market operation. Nothing against flea marketers of course.
A good employee manual builds a company's credibility in the eyes of an employee. Employees know there are rules and good employees follow company rules. Bad employees don't follow the rules. A company with no rules doesn't care. Employees expect rules and like knowing exactly what is expected of them.
The other reason to keep it neat, crisp and businesslike is that you may be showing a labor commissioner or judge what your company policies are when an employee files a labor complaint or grievance against your company.
When you go before the court or labor commission if you have no written policy you will be considered by the court or commission as not having a policy. If you have no policy the odds are 10 to 1 you lose for whatever infraction you have been charged with. Case closed.
Several of these labor commission settlements can outweigh the costs of creating a solid employee manual. You can chalk it up to the cost of doing business but a good employee manual is much cheaper in the long run.
If you or someone in your company messes up, and that is probable, you can at least show the labor commissioner a copy of your Employee Manual demonstrating that you do have a clear policy. This also demonstrates the mistake should not be a reoccurring one.
Labor commissioners are sharp and wise and they can sense immediately if a company is not serious about its employees. It is not good strategy to get them upset as there are a number of ways they can make your business life less rewarding.
It has been my experience that no matter how grievous or stupid your company's labor commission offense, if you show good faith through your employee manual and promise to not be stupid again then you may be given some leniency. I say maybe.
Most likely you will still have to pay back overtime, lunch breaks or whatever infraction you committed. But if you act in good faith the labor commissioner will admonish but not penalize. The labor commission will realize that you are just another clown employer trying to stretch a margin. You really aren't malicious, just stupid.
What they want is some sense that you understand and will correct your problem and not do naughty things against your employees ever again.
More good news is there are literally hundreds of topics and items you must decide on or omit from your Employee Manual. By going through this exercise you and your company are forced to make the types of decisions that will allow you to grow. Or at least put your company in a position to grow.
Putting together a manual can be a nerve-wracking series of tasks. Since it is tedious it is best to break down the manual into chunks or files and work on each file until it is completed. The exception may be overview or summary type files that can be left until the end after all the other content is entered.
Make sure your good employees understand that your new book of rules is not meant to punish them. Good employees need not be afraid of the manual; it makes their company stronger and allows the company to reward high levels of productivity and deal appropriately with problems that hinder productivity.
It is important to remember that the manual is a very frank and honest discussion about the relationship between company and employee and what is expected of both. There are a number of topics that some folks would rather not discuss but these topics are not optional in a good manual. This is life in the contemporary business world. Get used to it.
Such topics could include descriptions of sexual harassment, policies on theft and embezzlement, prohibited behaviors, workplace violence warning and prevention, the progressive steps toward a firing, probation, etc. Leave these topics in. This is the reality of the world we live in.
Don't be surprised. Be prepared.
You know who they are. They know who they are.
You know you should fire them but you just don't get around to it and so you keep them on. Month after month. Year after year.
In front of you they spout the company line. It's all rah-rah and go team and let's make it happen yesterday. It's all about us and our company. But they say it with a sarcastic smile that you can read like a book but you let it go.
You make excuses for them but you know deep down those are your excuses. You keep them by rationalizing they work cheaper and you will have to replace them and their replacements will probably be just as bad. Or worse. Better the devil you know, right?
Of course in the back of your mind there is also the fear they will take you to the labor commission. You are pretty sure they will and you've already heard rumors about where your company is vulnerable and how they can get you in your weak spot. Intimidation is definitely part of their strategy.
You've got more important things on your plate so you rationalize it away. You rationalize that their doom and gloom on any company improvements are simply misguided enthusiasm. Right. Like non-dairy creamer you know better but you do it anyway. By default and with your consent, the minimal employee sets your agenda for you.
You let them get away with it because the minimal employee is an expert at feeding into all your insecurities and weaknesses. They probably know you better than you know yourself but unfortunately they use this knowledge against you.
They know how to pull your string and will be against any changes in the status quo as they could be next. They go through all this because it's easier than looking for a new job. Besides, it's what they do.
If it were just you and them it might be all right. But no company lives in a vacuum.
Minimal employees subtly poison your work environment every chance they get. To you it's all smiles but to coworkers it's a constant series of negatives and morale busters. They are quick to point out all the faults in others but become defensive about their own faults.
The problem is it doesn't stop there. It spreads throughout your company and to your vendors and (gasp!) to your clients and customers. A rotten apple soon spoils the whole box.
Besides, why should they care if your company is profitable? It's not their company.
But they won't go voluntarily. It's not easy finding a boss like you that will let them get by without being accountable and productive. A good boss like that is hard to find. They know you can get rid of them but they also know you are not really focused on your company so at least they will get by while the getting is good.
What to do? Well, you can try to counsel or rehab them. You can write them up and go through a series of reviews. But counseling won't work because it took them lifetime to develop their minimal personality and a bad review certainly won't change that. A bad review to them is simply another piece of paper.
The only cure is to get rid of them.
That's probably what you did not want to hear as you were hoping for some sort of slick management trick to let you off your precarious hook. Sorry. If you have been a weak manager all along you most likely have been a minimal manager as well so you have put yourself into a management bind. Minimal employees understand this very well. Probably better than you do.
What to do? First check your Employee Manual to see what policies and procedures you have in place for dealing with the minimal employee. If you don't have a manual or your manual is minimal itself, then you may need to consider other measures. And put an Employee Manual on your to-do list.
You immediately begin documenting your reasons for firing your minimal employee because that is what you might have to do. Remember they have no personal pride so you cannot shame them into quitting.
You can 'reorganize' and eliminate their position. In California employees can be let go without much fuss for reorganization or if the employee no longer has the skills required to do the job. It's messy, but it works and keeps you away from the Labor Board.
You have to play hardball because minimal people sure do. If it's too messy to reorganize, simply reduce their hours. If they are fulltime, make them part time. Make sure you do your homework and just don't single them out from all your other employees with the same classification. Then they can say it's discrimination. Unless you can document they are a minimal employee. Which of course you can, no?
Globally, you need to rate each employee: keepers, maybes, and goners. The idea is to cycle out the goners and bring in keepers. Each year you should be cycling out your minimal employees and replacing them with better employees. Unless you are lazy.
But if you are just remember that minimal employees hurt morale, stunt growth and every day cost your company money. From the management perspective it's only a matter of when and how to let them go.
So go ahead, do yourself a favor and get rid of them.
We all know who they are. They do too. They are the bane of modern business and know it and simply don't care. They can keep a growing business down and a new business from developing its potential.
The next time you go into a successful business look at their employees. Odds are those employees stand out. Successful businesses are not built with minimal employees.
Why? Minimal employees are in it for the paycheck which they see as a time and space issue. They love the status quo because the status quo always gives them a paycheck. That's why they hate change and resist it so much...change brings no good to minimal employees. That is also why they show little pride in their work.
But minimal employees just aren't hatched...they are hired and managed. Minimal employees exist because management allows them to. When management changes that focus, minimal employees often quit.
Be careful when categorizing an employee as minimal. They may have potential if you can just find it...if they have the potential and care not to use it then just let it go; they have no interest.
If you have a number of minimal employees be careful about changing them all at once. Always have a master plan for how to carry out improvements and changes. For middle and small sized businesses the strategy of one employee at a time is best.
Try to replace your most minimal employee first. This demonstrates to others that might be sitting on the minimal fence that you are indeed serious. Your better employees will applaud your efforts.
Minimal employees have destroyed many businesses and continue to be one of the top reasons businesses fail. It's not their fault if minimal employees hurt your business...it's yours.
Jack D. Deal
We often look to cause and effect for the answer to the question 'why?' This is one that I've thought on for a number of years and can't quite seem to resolve…
An old friend was raised in a conservative, fundamentalist family. As a rebellion to his upbringing, he studied philosophy and psychology and eventually came into contact with Madalyn Murray O'Hair, the famous atheist that challenged prayer in schools in the famous Supreme Court Case in 1963. The good folk of Austin , Texas
My friend made several trips to Austin American Atheist Center Austin
He lived simply so the minimum wage pay was enough for him to get by. His 40 hour week soon ballooned to 60, 80 and 100 hours. O'Hair kept giving him more work. Even without benefits and half the minimum wage he gladly put in his long hours. He would go home to sleep and fix most of his 'meals' at work. He became sleep deprived and malnourished but it was all in the name of the 'cause'. He told me that others before him had done the same. It was expected by Mad Madalyn...
Incredibly this continued for years as he took on more and more responsibility. When his landlord raised his rent, he asked Mad Madalyn for a raise citing his long list of responsibilities and long hours as a justification. Madalyn escorted him to the door and told him not to come back. My friend could easily be replaced as there were many others willing to 'work for the cause.' And maybe even for less money...
She replaced him and the cycle continued. Eventually, she hired a manager that had a criminal background but was willing to work cheaply for the cause. He worked for the cause but mostly for himself and managed to embezzle $50,000 in the process.
But not to worry...there were always more willing to work for the cause. She just found another office manager and the cycle continued.
But one day she just disappeared. Employees could not find her and a list of creditors showed the Center was in deep financial trouble. Most people on the inside thought she had left the U.S. New Zealand
And then piece by piece, it began to unravel.
The police began to pursue an ex office manager and the trail began to warm. After a number of months and speculation, the case broke. The office manager and some of his criminal cronies had kidnapped the O'Hairs and held them for ransom, eventually getting $500,000 in gold coins that had come from the 'cause.' After they had gotten the coins, which were stored in a storage locker, they killed the O'Hairs, chopped them up and buried them in a shallow grave on a south Texas
At one point I conducted a four hour taped interview with O'Hair. She came across as intelligent, insightful, and committed to ridding the world of the evils of religion. She made no apology for the way she treated her employees.
If there is a moral to the story it's that short term employee exploitation can bring short term results but watch out for long term exploitation...ha.
If Mad Madalyn were alive today, would she admit her management style was flawed?
Or would she say, 'hey, you, you're not going to church on Sunday...why can't you work?'
Like the rat in the cage we are driven by rewards. When compensation becomes stagnant so does productivity. If like rats we are paid by the time we spend in the cage then the expected level of productivity is simple compliance. By focusing on minimum standards employees tend to get there and stay there. Is that where you want to be? What does your company need? What should you look for when reviewing your compensation plan? Below are some important points to consider:
A well designed compensation plan can give your company a strong competitive advantage. Your competitors may find it impossible to compete directly with you for the best employees.
Jack D. Deal
We humans are complex beasts. We live, love, hate, befriend, stress, grieve, excite, depress, yearn and everything in between. Whether we like it or not, agree or disagree, we are given what we are given. To make matters worse, we are a potpourri; a hodgepodge buffet of everything so that the best and worst can even occur in the same psyche. We are in short; an incredibly complex web of neurons and a real mess.
Will Rogers said he never met a man he didn't like. He could have said the reverse. Paradox, ambiguity, confusion, turmoil, uncertainty, motivation, pride, ego and strong sense of community just stir the pot. We try our best to generalize, stereotype, and simplify but we human beasts defy attempts to 'get figured out'. The same system that allows us to create and accomplish extraordinary feats also allows us to fail and anguish in misery and yet still call it a learning experience or cognitive excercise.
And of course we bring our mixed bag of social evolution and personal circumstance to the workplace. When we walk into the office or punch in we are still the same person even though we may flip the 'work switch' or 'put on the office face.'
When pain and stress enter our lives it spills over into the workplace. The result can be a sour attitude, reduced productivity, lack of cooperation, lack of focus, etc. Under ideal circumstances we should come to work, be happy we are employed, focus on our tasks and responsibilities and make the business agenda our agenda. At least during work hours.
The demands of the workplace and the demands on our personal lives are putting greater pressures on us and forcing us to look at how we cope and try to maintain a balance. And throughout it all the manager has to manage and 'keep the ship afloat.' So you might question are there not some tricks and strategies the good manager uses that the bad manager does not? Here are a few concepts:
1) Managers know personal problems can make a productive worker useless. The astute manager does not take serious personal problems lightly.
2) Many employees have potential that will never be realized because of personal problems. Some people choose lifestyles that create a steady stream of problems. Some even will find relief, meaning and comfort in going to work. These employees bring little value to the company and the best approach is to avoid hiring such character types. And consider firing the ones you do have. It's just not fair to your good people.
3) When an employee has a major personal problem it may be impossible for them to focus on work. Consider giving them time off to handle the problem. Lovers and teenagers are frequently found in this category. This is not so much knowing how to be a sensitive manager as a productive one.
4) Get to know your people and request they get to know theirs. If an employee is showing a big shift in affect or behavior, ask if there is a problem. Slight shifts in behavior are normal and we all have them. But major shifts are not and can signify a more fundamental problem. Try to show genuine interest, which as a manager is part of your job description. Avoid gossip and respect confidentiality.
5) Avoid playing the hero. Most employees can work out their own personal problems on their own. That is not to say an expression of concern is not appreciated...
6) Work on your own managerial people skills so you become a better observer.
7) Make it clear that business comes first. Without the means to support a family things go sour quickly. As members of the team you owe it to your colleagues to carry your load...
8) Understand that an employee's personal problems are not your concern. Your concern happens when these problems affect the workplace.
9) Give the employee time to work through their problems but set a limit. Some personal problems can never be resolved and the manager should then consider the employee's appropriateness for the position.
10) Support your employee's efforts to solve or resolve their problems. If your company does not offer counseling benefits you could consider allowing the employee time off to go.
11) Think of your people as profit centers and not costs.
And finally, take care of yourself. As manager, who will hold your hand when you need help?
Jack D. Deal
Increasingly in today's business environment the need to innovate has become a key for success. Innovation does not have to be the big patents or major product breakthroughs. Innovation can be figuring out how to do something better and more effectively, no matter how small or trivial the innovation may seem. What made Einstein, Edison and Leonardo da Vinci such prolific creators?
The problem with creativity is that it often is not tangible or measurable. The scientific experts tell us they don't know what it is but business people say it is becoming increasingly important in the workplace. Some countries and cultures have a different propensity toward innovation with some countries having little or no marketplace innovation.
Like morale and image, creativity becomes more accepted if it is kept in company conversations and meeting agendas. Since innovation is not a commodity, the rules for managing commodities do not apply here. That is why some of the biggest companies are the worst innovators. Reward creativity as soon as you see it.
Innovation centers around the free flow of ideas and questions. Any management system that creates obstacles for this flow is being counterproductive. The question to ask is "what can we do to become more creative and innovative?"
Creativity and innovation cannot be turned on and off like a faucet. One strategy is to let the creative juices flow when they flow naturally; when they are not turn to other tasks to get them out of the way.
When looking at your company's business model; try to define the constraints, limits and focus of your creative efforts. There are no limits but there are constraints...it is important your people know these.
Track your company's ideas and innovations on spreadsheets. This will let your people know you are serious about gaining a creative advantage.
If your people aren't interested in ideas and being creative, find new people that are. Hopefully you will hire these people before you go out of business.
It does appear that the free mind is also the creative mind. Harsh external conditions may in fact cause the creator to focus more on their own creativity.
Inquiring implies effort on the part of the learner. This takes the focus away from the self and shifts it to society and the world at large. People that are interested and busy pursuing those interests don't have a lot of time to sit and worry...
There appears to be some link between genes and interests but at this point there is not much known in this area. When an individual is able to follow their interests the genes and energy match up and it appears that creativity is also enhanced as well. That does not mean that by simply following one's interest one can induce creativity. It simply means that the set and setting is optimized and with the brain working at a furious pace ideas can be generated.
Jack D. Deal
pendent vs. Independent Employee 
Conceptual extremes help us build a framework for better understanding. The two extremes in this article are human extremes -- opposites that we all have seen and experienced.
Of course the real world is not so kind as to give us neatly bound packages of understanding. There are too many gray areas, too many twilight zones and just plain holes in our limited capabilities. Trying to put something like the human mind in a framework is not only futile but also agonizingly frustrating. Employees are people and people are complex beings. As we look across various types of behaviors and attitudes it is important we try to begin to make some sense. Dependence and Independence are admittedly labels. Despite all the asterisks, here are some observations on dependent and independent employees:
Perhaps the contrasts are a bit exaggerated. Yet the point still is very clear -- those employees that are mean-spirited and selfish bring the company little value. A clear thinking, motivated independent employee will constantly have the company's best interest at heart. These two extremes are worlds apart and bring very different business results!
Jack D. Deal
As a male it is not easy writing about PMS. There are many females, especially those local to the Bay Area, that would say 'don't even try!' There are some that would say things like 'men have their own PMS and menopause'. And so on. But just because a topic is a difficult one does not mean that it should be avoided. And over the years I have seen PMS become a workplace issue. My thoughts and observations come strictly from a business perspective and not from a personal bias. For the record, my mother, my sister and my wife are all women. If my comments are viewed as simplistic please consider that my comments are by a male for male managers. I have not personally encountered problems with female managers addressing a PMS issue with female employees although I am certain that it has occurred. Female managers, as well as female employees, are much more open to addressing PMS as a workplace issue.
It has been my experience that PMS is different for each woman -- some women feel there is no such thing, some are incapacitated and others have a 'good month and then a bad month'. PMS involves a 'cycle of life' and this cycle can be very different from woman to woman. Even the medical community is not in agreement about PMS. Is PMS a monthly form of disability? Should employers recognize PMS and plan their schedules and workflow around it? Is PMS something that is private and something that is 'no business' of the employer? I have heard many different opinions. Unfortunately for male managers, no one has developed a workable 'PMS strategy' in the workplace.
PMS in the workplace comes in three basic forms with negative implications: absenteeism, reduced productivity and disruptions. Male managers often do not consider that PMS may be an issue. When I am speaking with a male manager, and the discussion involves a female employee's absenteeism, loss of production or disruptions, one of the questions I ask is 'how often do these problems occur?' This is a question I ask about all employees -- male or female. The male manager will think, pull out statistics, scratch his head and say 'about once a month around this time.' And not even consider that PMS may be involved.
When I bring up this possibility the male manager's typical response is avoidance -- it can't be, we can't talk about it, we don't want to know about it, etc. The problem with avoidance is that it provides no rationale for absenteeism, low production or disruptions. If a female employee does have a PMS problem and management will not acknowledge that problem then the employee can be assessed as being lazy, not interested or a troublemaker. This is not fair to the female employee.
How a male manager addresses PMS is the real question. One thing is clear -- avoidance is not the solution. From the workplace perspective the avoidance of PMS is a male problem. Females tend to speak about PMS much more openly -- even to males. Males often 'don't want to talk about that.'
What is a male manager to do? As with most management issues the answer is conditional and situational. There is no formula. However, I have seen some methods to resolve the avoidance problem.
Depending on the situation, a female employee or female manager can be of great help. Having a female speak about PMS to another female employee is not so much a 'woman thing' as it is a 'man thing'. Care has to be taken here about confidentiality and other ethical management issues. When a male manager acknowledges the problem but feels helpless the first thing I ask is -- is there another female that can help?
Once the problem is acknowledged the solution is much easier. Managers can reassign workload, give time off, give compensatory time off, etc. This can also be done when teams manage themselves. Again, the real negatives occur when the problem cannot be acknowledged.
There are no easy answers. Like most difficult problems awareness is the first step -- simply creating awareness can bring improved results. For businesses trying to become more 'human organizations' it is important to consider human needs. PMS is part of the life cycle -- not just a 'female' problem. For the male manager, it is important to realize female employees deserve the consideration!
Jack D. Deal
There are employees and then there are breakthrough employees. Once in a blue moon the average company hires someone that can make a dramatic difference in the business. This is usually done in the routine hiring process – someone retires, quits or is fired and a person is hired to take their place.
Sometimes the company acknowledges the presence of a breakthrough employee but very often does not. Co-workers and micromanagers will drive off a breakthrough employee by considering them a threat to the status quo and their own narrow self-interests.
There is no doubt that the right kind of employee can bring huge value to a company. Highly successful companies often build their success around this type of employee. The breakthrough employee:
Breakthrough employees are one of the quickest ways to get rapid improvement and growth in a company. Awareness of the breakthrough employee is paramount. Many companies discover breakthrough employees yet let them slip through the cracks to competitors. Although uncommon, the breakthrough employee is not extinct or even rare. But like the value of an uncut diamond, someone has to see the potential!
Jack D. Deal
Jack D. Deal
When owners and managers listen to me conduct an interview they are often impressed. They think I’ve got all these tricks, techniques and shortcuts to finding out what people think. When they ask me how I do it I usually answer something about doing thousands of interviews and people skills.
Few things are as important in business as people skills. Lack of people skills can cause a good business to flounder and never get off the ground. Strength in people skills can give a small market player a big market potential. People skills are sometimes thought of as the ability to get people to do what you want them to do. This is simply manipulation. Manipulation worked pretty well in the early days of the industrial revolution when employees used their bodies more than their brains. It was a simpler time when customers were less sophisticated and employees less demanding.
Business is usually a series of human contacts. Those that are skilled at human contact often get better results than those that are not. Notice the distinction in getting results and manipulating results. As the human animal evolves to a higher level of social being so too must those that deal with humans on a business basis. Dinosaurs always go extinct.
I first became truly aware of people skills in my travelling days. I usually traveled alone and as a consequence I was ‘forced’ to meet new people in new lands with sometimes a new language. After a time I began to develop a ‘traveler’s profile’: a profile of those that had traveled, often alone, that had a perception and a experience level that others did not. It was as though the travel experience could be seen in their personality.
Then when I entered social work and counseling it became apparent that some of my colleagues and coworkers possessed highly developed people skills. They seemed to be able to ‘read’ people with the greatest of ease – almost as second nature. They had the ability to speak with someone for several minutes and come away with a very accurate impression of that individual. Yet they were not psychoanalysts or psychologists. Professional ‘mind people’ may take years to gain understanding of a psyche.
How did these non-professionals do it? Were they born with this aptitude or did they develop this skill? Why did some of my most intelligent colleagues have the least developed people skills?
To get some answers I began to play a game that I still continue today. In a crowd – it doesn’t matter where – I would see individuals and guess what they were like without speaking to them. I would notice mannerisms, expressions, how they related to others around them and so on. As my skills sharpened I began to look at people skills in greater depth. Some keys that I found were:
It is generally assumed that people skills beyond courtesy and politeness cannot be taught. This is only partially true. People skills cannot be taught quickly. People skills must be honed over many, many years. Experience, focus and interest are three key dynamics. As more business processes like technology become standardized the prediction is that people skills will play an even larger role in tomorrow’s business environment. Those businesses that demonstrate a high level of people skills will have a definite competitive advantage.
Jack D. Deal
Jack D. Deal
On a recent trip to a developing country I became more aware of the influence of infrastructure and its impact on economic and business development. This insight brought out the need for an adequate infrastructure on which to build an economic base.
The final conclusion I made on this particular trip was: without a solid infrastructure the economic development and human potential of a town, region, country will be less than optimal. The consequences are that both economic and human potential is restricted: this loss not only lowers a standard of living but shatters dreams, opportunities and innovation.
Perhaps the most obvious symptom of a weak infrastructure is that people will do what they have to do to survive. On Maslow's hierarchy of needs, the basics like food and clothing come first. It is very difficult to innovate and create when hungry. Economies with weak infrastructures often evolve into subsistence economies.
What are the outward symptoms of a subsistence economy? For one thing, everybody hustles the basics. Everyone opens a small store at their house (or hut) or becomes a street vendor. Basic commodities become cheaper and the margins for selling these commodities become quite small. In the case of food, only large stores selling high volume can generate sufficient margins to become profitable. Smaller stores and vendors make very small margins, just enough perhaps to feed themselves. The subsistence market continues and is even strengthened as more 'entrepreneurs' enter the subsistence commodities market.
Another symptom can be seen in the skilled and semi-skilled labor markets. If an individual has a skill they can trade on, they will do that rather than opt for subsistence vending. The value of these skills may be diminished as the supply outstrips the demand, creating a skilled labor price war. This makes it hard for all but the large and specialty labor suppliers to exist profitably as they are always threatened by those in the market that will do the job for less. As the bidding wars spiral downward the ability of a company to train and help its employees improve is significantly diminished. Service industries such as construction (including plumbing, electrical, roofing, etc), auto-related businesses (such as auto repair and autobody), and transportation (bus, taxi, freight, air) as well as other service industries are negatively effected. On an international or interregional basis these industries become less competitive and more susceptible to outside competition. This slows development and creates another symptom of the subsistence economy: a lack of discretionary income in large segments of the population.
So a population ends up 'hustling' and very likely becomes 'corrupt'. Instead of looking for ways to improve production, services, quality, etc., the preoccupation becomes one of the hustle, scam and the bribe. Here lies perhaps the greatest challenge to economic and human development: how to make an economy be driven by competition/markets and not politics or culture. In this kind of economic environment working harder or even smarter is not enough: the most likely keys to success are who you know and who they know. Again, the net result is that internal markets become less competitive and the external demand for goods and services is diminished.
As a consequence, the subsistence economy creates a small and ineffective tax base. This small tax base restricts future growth, improvements and perhaps worst of all any future tax revenue improvements. Highways, phone systems, shipping, water, sewage, electrical power, food distribution - - all suffer from lack of a solid tax base. Add to the weak tax base an almost certain layer of bureaucratic/government corruption, then all the ingredients are set for a long term subsistence economy. In the globalized economies of the 21st century, the subsistence economies will become increasingly threatened by outside competition and perhaps more importantly less competitive in international markets. Protectionism becomes a political tactic, imports increase along with a negative trade balance, and the prices of many goods and services go beyond the reach of many in that limited economy. The old adage of the 'rich get richer and the poor get the shaft' is a foregone conclusion.
Unfortunately the only growth these subsistence economies can count on is internal and not external ...usually from internal population increases or internal migrations to urban areas. Those that 'have' in these stifled economies often spend all their energy and resources in 'protecting' what they have. Their view is 'I've got mine and any change in the status quo can only hurt my relative position'. The protectionism, corruption, and consequently difficult and high costs of doing business do tend to provide formidable barriers to entry and help maintain the status quo It also develops many industries that are ineffective and less able to provide opportunities --industries that might not survive in open markets. Mature industries, especially in the service sectors, become overly saturated. New industries find the barriers to entry too severe so innovation is stifled. Eventually interregional and international opportunities are lost.
And the cycle is repeated. It becomes not only a way of doing business but a way of life. Each individual in the subsistence system tries desperately to hold on to their tiny chunk of economic advantage. It becomes a cultural issue and hence very slow to change. To an outsider, it becomes incomprehensible in what outwardly appears chaos though in truth it is a well ordered albeit malfunctioning system.
The infrastructure eventually becomes overwhelmed, ineffective and inefficient. By saving on a sewage system up front a subsistence economy then pays a subsequent price in illness and poor health. By corruptly taking tax funds out of highway repair, the costs of transporting goods becomes higher, eroding margins on those goods. Without reliable, cheap phones communication is hampered in the connected world of today further driving up the costs of doing business.
The real tragedy is that a region's greatest resource -- its people -- is wasted. Yet the forces of change, especially changing markets, are creating pressure on weak infrastructures and their accompanying subsistence economies. As these pressures increase we will see the lower level economic participants demand more and more from the weak systems they live under. When those systems become too inefficient then the systems themselves will be questioned. When those questions and pressures become too great an eruption of social unrest and quite possibly demands for a 'structural reorganization' will occur. Those that have their stakes in these weak economies will not give up easily and the friction will be enormous.
As we approach a new business era we should all be aware of the unlimited opportunities the New World will bring. But we must be very much aware that these opportunities will not apply to all. Unfortunately we must acknowledge upheaval as these old subsistence cultures die and are transformed at what may be a very high cost. What these emerging societies will look like is not certain. Yet, we should not be surprised when this happens...
Jack D. Deal
I recently interviewed on radio a high tech human resources guru from Silicon Valley
It was a strange set of interviews, he confided, but for better or worse the company had set the standard. A suit and tie were definitely not appropriate. Later in the show we discussed in more detail what sorts of things were appropriate.
Having been involved in thousands of interviews I thought I had seen it all: alcohol, facial tattoos, free use of obscenities, etc. Still, the question of an interviewer's perception is an interesting one so I began to jot down a few notes.
The perceptual experts tell us we have 6 seconds to make a first impression. That is the visual side of perception. Personal hygiene, with the possible exception of some high tech grungers, strikes me first. If hair is dirty, clothes unkempt and shoes soiled then the perception, mine included, is that the individual does not take care of himself or herself. If they can't take care of themselves when going to an interview -- what will they do when hired? What does it say about an interviewee if they do not care about personal appearance?
Beyond the physical, I think we get a more personal picture in the first two minutes of an interview. These are often awkward moments 'hi, how are you, thanks for coming, good to see you', etc. These initial moments are a good indicator of an individual's behavior when dealing with the unknown and determining their level of people skills. This initial chit-chat also sets the stage for the rest of the interview.
In the United States
I usually begin by asking the applicant to give me a thumbnail sketch of their skills and abilities. Most qualified applicants can usually give a synopsis in a minute or two. This is not a difficult question but it does require a variety of skills to pull it off. If the applicant cannot state what they can do then the implication is they cannot do anything. Obviously this may be true with some applicants and not with others. But perception is perception.
Gradually I get around to what they are looking for. Amazingly, some answer they do not know. If they appear truthful, a 'don't know' response can be seen as being honest. Most of the time, it implies the applicant has no ambition or has not thought very much. Here reality creates the perception and it's a negative.
What I normally want to hear is they are looking for an opportunity and challenge. This means that at some point the applicant will have 'smoke coming out of their smokestack'. This is an indicator of ambition, drive, work ethic, etc. If they are looking for security and stability and no smoke I often perceive they are in it just for the paycheck.
I let the applicant do the talking and I just ask a series of questions. Near the end of the interview I usually ask them if they have any questions about the company. Amazingly again, many applicants say no, even when they know virtually nothing about their potential future employer! What I perceive is a good response is one or two insightful questions. Going into a long series of intricate questions is just as bad as not having any questions at all.
There are several areas that send flags up at different points in the interview. If they jump right on salary and benefits I know they are more interested in what the company can do for them then what they can do for the company. If they speak poorly about their past employers then I know they would probably do the same with my company. If they tell me secrets or confidential information about their past employers, I know they will do the same to me. The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior.
I am used to applicants being nervous but experienced interviewers can get applicants to relax. The sole purpose of the interview is to find out if the applicant will be appropriate for the company. This seems too obvious! Yet many applicants do not understand this simple concept. We have a very short period of time to determine if the applicant is appropriate to become 'one of our family'. And why would we ever hire an obvious problem?
Those of us that conduct interviews are people too. We have our perceptions: the good, bad and ugly.
The difference is we decide who gets hired.
Jack D. Deal
Your company can grow and prosper with the right employees without spending a ton on recruiting costs. To do this, you'll need a Recruitment Plan -- just like a marketing plan--but this is marketing to potential employees! The first step in developing and using a Recruitment Plan is to target your market (applicants). Ask and record the answers (involve as many of your current employees as possible to get the best results) to the following questions:
Once you identify who your potential employees are, ask:
REMEMBER: to grow your company and be successful, you need to seek the employees you need all the time, not just when you have an opening!
Jack D. Deal
We humans are creatures of habit. That is why 90% of all businesses are not growing or improving. The obvious conclusion is that if we get out of our habits we also get out of the 90% and get into the 10%. Skill is one of the ways we can accomplish this.
I am prejudiced, biased and narrow-minded when it comes to skill. Nothing can replace it. Drive, ambition, experience, motivation, and all the other positive attributes cannot replace skill. These positive human traits can help reduce the effects of no skills but they cannot replace skill.
I like a little broader definition of skill -- skill is the set of knowledge and abilities that produce a desired result. The results are the critical point. Skill is useless unless it brings results.
Here are some key points when considering the skill level in your company:
Value follows skill and revenue streams follow value. Skill is the critical component in the value formula. If all things are equal, side with skill.
Jack D. Deal
Peter Drucker, arguably the most knowledgeable management expert on earth, made the following statement: "The single greatest challenge facing managers in the developed countries of the world is to raise the productivity of knowledge and service workers. This challenge, which will dominate the management agenda for several decades, will ultimately determine the competitive performance of companies."
In other words, Drucker is saying that knowledge, service and skill may not be enough - the key is how to transform these aptitudes and skills into production. In recent years management students have attributed a strong influence on superior performance to what may loosely be called 'personal balance'. The premise is those owners, managers and employees with personal balance in their lives are more productive. The implication is that if an individual has their personal life under a certain degree of 'control', it allows them to be optimally effective in the workplace. The flip side of the equation is the workplace allows employees to, in the vernacular, 'have a life'.
Accurately defining personal balance is about as easy as defining attitude or personality. In the Silicon Valley area where I live personal balance means successfully juggling home and work. As with any balancing act there are two sides of the equation. The simplest way to view this is a personal life and work life.
For example, on the personal side, if a manager or employee is a severe alcoholic then the alcohol will eventually effect work performance. Hangovers, the urge for a drink, memory loss, etc., will all contribute to a reduced performance. Given enough drink and enough time, brain function will be impaired. Drinking on the job will be a probable result if treatment is not sought. Most of us have seen the devastating effects of alcohol and intuitively know something is very wrong with the individual. Obviously the personal balance is out of whack and productivity diminished.
Another example... on the work side, some managers and employees can be classified as 'workaholics'. The implication is they come early, stay late and if given the keys may in fact be found at work anytime. Workaholics feel their self worth is defined by work. (How many of us describe ourselves as the work we do? "I am a lawyer, teacher, business consultant.") When work is badly skewed in one's life then the balance goes awry. When we look at workaholics we often find miserable personal lives - hence the individual's perception they are their work. Their personal life is miserable and they often do not want to go home. If the work allows them to afford a bigger house then it often comes at the expense of a broken home.
Alcoholism and workaholism are extremes but they help us get a sense of what is balance. Unless you are a workaholic or alcoholic it is easy to see and understand these extremes - don't work too much and don't drink too much. If only personal balance were that easy.
Unfortunately it is not. We are complex beings with complex sets of attitudes and behaviors. This diversity is the spice of life but it also makes living complex and at times a priorities juggling act. While we can say that too much alcohol and too much work are obvious negatives, we run into gray areas quickly once we get beyond the obvious.
Unfortunately there is no easy way - others may give their input but they cannot ultimately know 'what makes us tick'. And since we are complex individuals we cannot just copy what others do. It does not work. For instance, some people like to go to work, punch a clock, do a repetitive task, punch a clock and go home. Many employees - perhaps more than we think - feel this way. Others need a sense of satisfaction, challenge and accomplishment. The Yerkes psychological study showed that many people need an 'edge', something that stimulates and challenges.
The key is understanding your own dynamics and developing your own personal balance. For instance, some of my personal balance dynamics are: work early, work hard, go for what is challenging, create and innovate, accomplish difficult goals and learn at every possible moment. I like to quit mid to late afternoon, go home, be with my family and forget work as much as possible. Take at least one day a week off and go hiking, watch a movie, eat out, etc. These are my dynamics. When I noticed several months back that my balance was still out of whack I took a vacation.
Is my balance perfect? Of course not. Does it work for me? Usually. I remain highly productive with a satisfying personal life.
Will my formula work for you? Probably not. But like Drucker said if you are responsible for the competitive performance of your company you have to be interested in raising productivity. Once you have figured out your own personal balance you will notice a positive change. If you are managing others, encourage them to do the same.
The productivity and future of your company may well depend on it!
Jack D. Deal
It should be clear that employees make or break a business. In most businesses recruiting and keeping good employees determines the business' success. In the process of building a solid staff inevitably skilled employees threaten to quit or actually do quit. It is these skilled employees we are examining here. The employees you fire for incompetence, bad work ethic, poor performance are not the focus here: you simply get rid of a bad employee and do not rehire them.
But skilled employees that deliver value, sometimes great value, are another matter. The correct business decision becomes more vague and difficult. Sometimes it is very appropriate to rehire an employee; for example, returning from school or from a job where they increased skills. In the points that follow remember the topic is situational -- what you should do depends on the situation and circumstances you face.
The issues here are about employees that deliver value but also deliver problems. The following are some key points in considering how to approach this issue:
There are obviously no set rules for an employee rehire but by focussing on the issues you can help or at least not hurt your business. I have seen employees leave and come back with great success. I have also seen a problem employee leave, be rehired and ultimately cause more damage.
If you ever use your good judgement and good decision-making skills, use them when rehiring a skilled employee!
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