WorkPuzzle

The Value of Great Questions - Part 1

I have often said that recruiting is essentially selling. When you have the good fortune of having a qualified candidate sit before you, you are in a position to inspire. Don't waste that opportunity; “Sell” yourself, your office, and your brand. Part of any good sale involves understanding the customer as a person, including their wants and needs. The same holds true when interviewing candidates.

Colin Wilson, a strategic business and leadership consultant in the UK, published a blog that addresses the value of asking great questions…however, his perspective is in the sales world. I couldn’t help but read the entire blog with recruiting (or in my world “relationship building”) in the forefront of my mind. Certainly, everything that I say here is applicable to your agents in their sales process and feel free to share, but I was surprised at how applicable the article was to the hiring process as well.

There are three tenets that I realized from this article:

1. Value. Your value to your candidate is not measured by what you know, but by the questions you ask. You add value by making your candidates think. Add value to your candidates’ experience during the interview process, and endear yourself as their potential manager.
2. Knowledge. Knowledge is power, and the more you know about your candidates' wants, needs and obstacles, the more likely you are to get the hire…or in the case of an unlicensed candidate, the more likely you are to inspire them to take the next step. How are you able to help them navigate obstacles if you don’t know what the obstacles are?
3. Attentiveness. Asking questions of the candidate puts them at the center of your attention and demonstrates that you care enough about them to inquire. You are looking to learn more about their problems, more about their opportunities and most importantly, you are getting them to think.

Here's a general rule of thumb -- You should look to speak no more than 30% of the time during the interview. In my next blog, I will cover some basic rules to apply during an interview.

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Editor's Note: Lee Gray is the Senior Account Manager at Tidemark Inc. Lee is a guest contributor to WorkPuzzle. Comments or questions are welcome. If you're an email subscriber, reply to this WorkPuzzle email. If you read the blog directly from the web, you can click the "comments" link below.

Challenges that Real Estate Managers Face: WorkPuzzle Manager Survey Results—Part 3

Recruiting and retaining talented agents is the most challenging part of the real estate manager’s job.  How do I know that?  The data in the WorkPuzzle survey was most clear on this topic.

There was large consensus that the top priority, as communicated by owners and managing executives, for the first-level manager in real estate companies across the county, is recruiting.  The second priority is retention.

However, when managers were asked what job function they perform best, only 9% said recruiting.  In addition, when managers were asked what part of the job they hear the most complaints about…75% said recruiting.

Let that sink in a little bit...

In essence, what managing executives want the most, first-level managers are the worst at delivering.

This prompts two important questions:  Why is this happening? ...and... How can this gap be reconciled?  I’ll address both issues.

1.  Why do real estate managers hate recruiting?  Quite simply—it is difficult work and the results come very slow.  As discussed in previous WorkPuzzle blogs, both the demographics and the economics of real estate recruiting make it increasingly difficult.

For experienced agent recruiting, the bottom 60% of the typical real estate company is either nonproductive or marginally productive.  The top 20% are very difficult to dislodge because they are well-respected and making money.  This leaves 20% of experienced agents who are eligible to be recruited.  Due to short supply, the competition for these agents is very intense.  If you are lucky enough to recruit some of these folks, they are typically acquired at low margins (ie. unfavorable splits).

For “new to real estate" recruiting, the risk-to-reward ratio that used to consistently attract new talent into the industry is no longer a compelling draw.  As house values have plummeted and transaction volumes have waned, an increasing number of candidates can do the math.  Starting a real estate career has significant risks and the payoff is not what is used to be.

2.  How can real estate managers be successful at recruiting in spite of the obstacles?  Quite honestly—there is no simple answer!  This is what we spend much of our time in WorkPuzzle discussing because it’s a complex problem.  So, here’s a plug to read past discussions and become an email subscriber if you haven’t already done so.  With that said, here are some patterns that I’ve noticed among companies and individual managers who recruit more successfully than others.

Compartmentalization.  This piece of advice is for managing executives who have the latitude to adjust workflows.  If a manager’s job description requires many different roles (ex. recruiting, training, coaching, building office culture, etc.), the role that has the least amount of short-term feedback will naturally get pushed to the bottom of a person’s priorities.  It takes an extremely disciplined person to overcome the inertia of human nature.

If the recruiting function (or parts of the recruiting function) is broken out as a separate role and a limited number of individuals are solely responsible for the execution of this role, the job gets done more reliably.  Why?  Because there are no easy, “sugary” tasks for the manager to fall back on.  The new reality is the difficult job at hand—making the recruiting process work.  Also, there are some managers who have more natural talent for recruiting.  Letting them focus that talent without distraction is a win-win.

Focus at the task level.  If your organization is not willing or able to compartmentalize the recruiting function, you may have to continue to work inside an environment with competing priorities.

If this is your reality, I would encourage you to stop looking at the recruiting part of your job from a transactional perspective.  Because many managers used to be agents, there is a tendency to look at the recruiting process like a home sale.  Did the transaction close or not?  Do I have the listing or not?  Is financing approved or not?  Is this candidate going to work in my office or not?

While there is certainly a time to “ask for the order” in a recruiting discussion, the normal, day-to-day pace of the recruiting process (as a whole) moves slowly and meanders.

Managers who recruit successfully have a large number of candidates in their pipelines (so that no one candidate makes or breaks them), and they focus on completing the tasks of recruiting rather than focusing on the end result.  The transaction focus shifts from, is the person hired (end result) to, is the next task in the recruiting process for this candidate complete?

I hope you’ve enjoyed gaining some perspective on how your peers view the challenges of being a real estate manager.  It’s a tough job and many of you could use the encouragement.  

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Editor's Note: This article was written by Ben Hess. Ben is the Founding Partner and Managing Director of Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle. Comments or questions are welcome. If you're an email subscriber, reply to this WorkPuzzle email. If you read the blog directly from the web, you can click the "comments" link below.

The 10 Dumbest Things (Real Estate) Recruiters Do

Electronic Recruiting Exchange (ERE) and Dr. John Sullivan recently surveyed hundreds of corporate recruiters in the ERE network, on Twitter, and at the recent SMA symposium in Seattle on this humorous, self-debasing topic. The recruiters were given a list of 30 "dumbest things recruiters do" from which to choose. Here were the top ten...

10. Poor Recruiting Presentation (graphics, website presentation, etc.). Potential applicants assume that the company puts its best foot forward when it comes to recruiting. So when they compare your dull presentation with your competitor’s more compelling presentation, they will simply apply elsewhere.

9. Not taking advantage of referrals. The best-practice firms approach 50% referral hires (the percentage of all external hires who come from referrals). Failing to fully use referrals means that you will miss out on a large number of high-quality pre-screened, and pre-sold candidates.

8. Not learning about your competitors. Obviously, if you can’t speak “their language” and you don’t understand their problems, it will be more difficult to communicate with, to sell, and to build relationships with candidates.

7. Treating all candidates the same. Higher-level agents require a different level of service, knowledge, and relationship-building. So, using the same process that you use for lower-level candidates will result in fewer returned calls, a higher candidate dropout rate, and lower-quality hires.

6. Not striking while the iron's hot. When a crisis occurs in the lives of your best prospects, the best candidates are gone quickly. A drawn-out process or slow decision-making means losing the best.

5. Assuming interviews are accurate. Interviews are traditionally weak predictors, but poorly executed interviews dramatically increase the chances of making a major hiring error. Poorly designed interviews may also turn off top candidates.

4. Lack of focus on revenue. Focusing on candidates who will have minimal revenue impact will reduce business (P&L) results. Think like a businessperson--focus on the candidates who will produce the most company dollar for your company.

3. Not identifying "ideal agent" criteria. If you don't know what you're looking for, it is difficult to recognize it when it when it becomes available. Many hiring managers just pay attention to the candidates who are easiest to engage.

2. Not tailoring your recruiting marketing and candidate-selling approaches to the decision criteria of top candidates. Because the most talented agents have choices, they will simply wait until an opportunity comes along that precisely fits their requirements and expectations.

and the #1 dumb thing that recruiters do...

1. Not managing the candidate experience. The candidate experience is the perception of the sum of interactions with an organization throughout the hiring process. It includes every communication, the design of the process, the fairness of process elements, the quality of information exchanged, and the honesty with which questions and concerns are addressed. Providing a poor candidate experience can have many negative consequences, including an increased candidate dropout rate, negative word-of-mouth, and decreased loyalty to the overall brand.

While this survey was focused on corporate recruiters, it is amazing how many of these issues directly apply to the real estate recruiting process, particularly the #1 dumb thing that recruiters do... As we've highlighted in recent WorkPuzzle posts, poor follow-up after the interview is the most common symptom of poor recruiting results.

I guess it could be said that recruiting is...recruiting, no matter what industry you find yourself working. And the principles that produce results-- managing perceptions, knowing what you're looking for, maintaining focus on desired outcomes, and treating people with respect-- are surprisingly similar.

Make sure you're not one of the hiring managers who makes the mistake of believing these pitfalls don't apply to you. You may find yourself contributing to a list of the ten dumbest things that real estate recruiters and hiring managers do...

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Editor's Note: This article was written by Ben Hess. Ben is the Founding Partner and Managing Director of Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle. Comments or questions are welcome. If you're an email subscriber, reply to this WorkPuzzle email. If you read the blog directly from the web, you can click the "comments" link below.

Why you should Ignore the Generation X, Y and Z Rhetoric

During a recent presentation focused on the psychology of recruiting, I was asked to elaborate more fully on the difference in the psychology of generations X, Y and Z.  Specifically, the manager wanted to know what they could do to more effectively reach these elusive generations.  What was originally meant to be a brief response to this question turned into a prolonged sermon that resulted in more nodding heads than I’ve seen in a long time.  It resonated so much with these managers that I felt pretty strongly it was worth the time to pass these thoughts on to you.

There are three things you need to know: 

1. Yes, X, Y, and Z generations are very different.
2. Self-indulging and child indulging baby-boomer parents made them this way. 
3. At their core, most people are the same and will respond favorably if you meet their most basic needs. 

 Let's unpack each one of these individually: 

1. These younger generations do appear to be disloyal, are out for the best deal, expect to be paid immediately, aren't willing to do menial tasks first, and are willing to change jobs or firms in a moments notice.  These are real and true observations, and because of these observations, companies and vendors go to great lengths to try to find ways to respond to these characteristics that only wind up exacerbating the condition.  Why do I call it a condition?  Because it is a disease.  It cannot sustain your company, our culture, the nation, or the world.  Find a company or country that attempts to cater to these needs, and I’ll show you one that is on the precipice of collapse.
2. It's time to take responsibility and fess up to the values many parents within the baby boomer generation have created.  This is a generation that believed that immediate personal pleasure was more important than service to others.  Self-esteem without contribution was more important than earning the respect of others.  Frustration, struggles and hard work were to be soothed as quickly as possible and replaced with rescue and pampering.  Unfortunately, while all the above was going on, their most basic needs were being ignored.  Many of them were left alone, with a Nintendo, or X-box as a babysitter, activities were valued over relationship building, and family dinners were held on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
3. The good news is that to redeem the mistakes of the past, we can easily return to the core needs of all human beings.  There is an old saying..."There is nothing new under the sun."  When it comes to people, we are all basically the same and will never, at our very core, change.  When you purposefully seek to meet those needs, you can reclaim the dormant needs of these individuals and bring out the best in them, and your company.  As we have presented repeatedly in WorkPuzzle, science has proven without question, that happiness is never experienced through increasing the frequency and duration of personal pleasure.  Being confident in this allows you to offer these young people something more compelling that meets a need they didn’t even know that they had, and deeply resonates with every human being. 

People need to belong, they need to have high expectations, and they need a goal that is bigger than themselves...with a company painting a picture of doing something special.  Are you doing that?  What you have to offer is better than what many of these young people are being offered elsewhere: A chance to learn some skills that would be transferable to many occupations.

My 26-year-old son recently quit his last job to tour the world for five months.  Upon his return he had three organizations giving him fairly generous offers to work for them.  What separated the one he chose to work for from the other two?  The one he chose went out of their way to make him feel welcome.  Everyone greeted him as he walked in for the interview, several people emailed him with positive comments, and each of his questions was followed up with immediate answers.  He even received a very nice note from the boss of bosses in this firm.  In other words, he was treated like he was already hired and part of the big, efficient, family.  He was also introduced to top performers who treated him like he was a peer, and yet clearly introduced to what was expected in a way that raised high expectations without undo pressure.  The support he would receive upon being hired was clearly seen in every interaction. 

So, the question for your company is:  Can you move past what you’ve heard about these younger generations and speak to their deeper needs?  If you can, you’ll attract the best of the best. 

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Editor's Note: This article was written by Dr. David Mashburn. Dave is a Clinical and Consulting Psychologist, a Partner at Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle. Comments or questions are welcome. If you're an email subscriber, reply to this WorkPuzzle email. If you read the blog directly from the web, you can click the "comments" link below.

Your Fortune is in the Follow-up

My name is Lee Gray, Senior Account Manager for Tidemark. Working side by side with our two blog masters, Ben Hess and Dave Mashburn, has inspired me to step into the blogging foray. Part of my job is to research relevant business related information and share with my partnering managers. In doing so, I came across a topic of special interest to me, given that I train and consult with managers on a regular basis regarding recruiting matters…the importance of “follow-up.”

Recruiting is fundamentally “selling.” As a hiring manager, it is your job to inspire/sell a career in real estate to your new-to-business candidates…or inspire/sell your company and/or office to experienced agents. You should be going about recruiting in much the same way you would expect your existing agents to prospect. Would you tell your agents to have one conversation with a potential customer and leave it at that? I think not.

Ali Brown, founder and CEO of Ali International LLC, an organization committed to empowering female entrepreneurs globally, validates my philosophy in her article, “Your Fortune is in the Follow-up.” Given that my primary focus is in the area of recruiting consulting, I read her article in that vein, however it clearly can be shared with existing agents or anyone in a similar industry.

“Most business owners are good at pitching clients or reaching out to new customers. It’s the follow-up where they fall down. Why? Because they figure, 'If they wanted my product, they’d finish the transaction,' or they worry that, 'If I bug them too much, I’ll come off as needy.'

Here’s the thing: while you’re worrying about bugging a prospective customer or telling yourself that maybe 'they’re just not that into me,' someone else is following up and sealing the deal!

'No' is just a little bump on the road to 'yes.' When someone expresses interest in your business, but they aren’t quite ready to sign on the dotted line, they can often be persuaded with a polite follow-up.”

After you go through all of the time and effort to sit down for an interview with a potential hire, why would you leave it at that? You wouldn’t. Here is my mantra: “If you interview someone and you want to hire them…treat them as though they are hired.” Many of you have heard me say this, and I don’t think I can say it enough. The more a candidate feels like they belong/fit in your company, the more likely they are to follow-through with the licensing requirements and join your office versus signing on with a competitor. In the case of experienced agents, the more they feel courted by you and welcome in your organization, the more likely they are to recognize your value-proposition…but they will never get the chance to realize that value if you are not staying connected.

So, how do you treat a potential hire as a hire? You can invite them to your training classes…yes, even before they have their license, or before on-boarding an experienced agent. It is a potential risk, but worth the investment. Invite them to sales meetings, events, open houses, tours etc. The more they are in front of you and inspired by your office and business, the more likely they will, not only convert to a hire, but be a quick-to-produce hire, especially with the early onset training. A couple of other ideas, discussed in Ali’s article are worthwhile to consider as well:

“Ask if they’d like to be added to your email newsletter.

Creating an email newsletter is a great way to keep in contact with prospects and update them on new promotions or offerings. Since nobody likes getting spam, ask their permission first and include useful content in your newsletter so it's not a pure sales message. Once people expect timely and insightful information from you, they'll become more likely to open your emails and conduct business with you.

Send useful links.

If you know the prospect pretty well, you could email her sporadically when you find articles that might be useful for her business or see networking events she might like to attend. That way you’re keeping the lines of communication open without pressuring her.”

It is this kind of diligent, meaningful, value-added and credible follow-up that will lead you to be a successful hiring manager. Yes, it is hard work, but nothing truly worth having comes easy...

 

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Editor's Note: Lee Gray is the Senior Account Manager at Tidemark Inc. Lee is a guest contributor to WorkPuzzle. Comments or questions are welcome. If you're an email subscriber, reply to this WorkPuzzle email. If you read the blog directly from the web, you can click the "comments" link below.

Career Security: The Recruiting Card You Should Learn to Play

On occasion, I highlight an article written by Peter Weddle.  Peter is a nationally known author and consultant who specializes in dispensing career advice and explaining recruiting trends.  He has published a number of helpful books over the years and currently writes in his blog as well as other venues.

Recently, Peter published an article in his bi-weekly newsletter that opened my eyes to a trend that I believe could significantly aid those who have the responsibility of recruiting real estate agents.  The trend is a desire that many talented individuals have for some much needed “career security.”

Notice that I didn’t say job security.  Most people have come to the realization that job security is not something that a company can truly offer.  Why?  Because in an era of global competition, employer needs and circumstances change much more frequently and unpredictably than ever before.  Individual employers are not in a position to offer anyone security.

So, what’s “career security?”  According to Peter, career security is the ability of a person always to be employed, and always by an employer of their choice.  In essence, it is reinforcing a person’s ability and propensity to be gainfully employed in the future by helping him/her acquire the knowledge and skills needed to continuously succeed.

How can a real estate company do this? ...By teaching each and every employee how to practice effective career self-management.  This is not far removed from the mentality needed to start and manage a real estate career.  I know this may sound crazy, but the rest of the employment world may be coming around to using the language that the real estate industry has been using for years!

It used to be that people went to school and then found jobs.  Now, there is a need to start a career that must be notoriously self-directed.  Peter points out that traditional companies are not very good at providing this insight and assistance to talented individuals:

"[Higher education and university] faculties work in ivory towers that were erected long before the advent of global competition and talent.  They simply don't realize that employers can no longer afford to provide career-long guidance and development for their employees.  Those workers must now do it for themselves.

The tragedy, of course, is that almost none of them know how.  Talented people are defined by their quest to excel - to be the best they can be in their profession, craft or trade - so they are acutely aware of this shortcoming.  Indeed, they more than any others in the workforce recognize the importance of this knowledge.  They want to know what they must do and how they must do it in order to build up the strength, reach and endurance of their career.

Any employer which fills that vacuum will send a powerful and differentiating message to top talent.  They are saying:  We care about you and want you to succeed, in our organization and successively wherever else you might be.  Yes, of course, we want you to work for us, but we also want you to work where you can grow and excel.  That may cause you to leave us at some point, but if you succeed successively, there's a good probability that you'll also come back.

Admittedly, it takes a brave organization to embark on such a strategy.  Because it teaches employees to take care of their own careers, it is, in some respects, their emancipation proclamation.  However, it is also a unique show of respect for the ultimate goal of those individuals.  And for the best talent, there's simply no more powerful and compelling reason to hire on.”

Is your organization willing to develop programs to meet this need?  For many in the real estate industry, it would not be a significant jump from what is already offered in terms of training, mentoring, and coaching programs.

The tricky part is crafting a recruiting marketing message that “connects the dots” for those who are seeking career security, but would not naturally see a real estate career as a destination for meeting that need.

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Editor's Note: This article was written by Ben Hess. Ben is the Founding Partner and Managing Director of Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle. Comments or questions are welcome. If you're an email subscriber, reply to this WorkPuzzle email. If you read the blog directly from the web, you can click the "comments" link below.

Retaining Your Agents: Make Sure You Understand Happiness

Yesterday, I was waiting for a printing job to be quoted at Kinkos and started to browse the paperback books in the display near the counter.  I expected to see the usual self-help books regarding how to construct a resume, handle interviews, and ask intelligent questions at your next interview.  What I didn't expect to see was a nearly equal number of books about how to attain happiness.

Over the last few years, it seems the "happiness industry" has exploded.  It is tough for me to go even a couple of days without reading something about how to attain happiness--particularly in the realm of business and work.  Maybe this is a sign that we're all miserable and having a hard time coping! 

Whatever the reason, you can bet that those whom you manage are reading some (or a lot) of this material as well.  If you're responsible for retaining and coaching a team, you may want to spend some time becoming proficient on this topic.  

If someone on your team asks you the question..."How do you find happiness and fulfillment in your work?"  How would you answer that question?

I know that if I was one of your competitors and I was "having coffee" with one of your agents, it would be one of the first questions I would ask.  Why?  Because I would try to tap into the negative emotion the person is potentially feeling.  Giving someone hope they will be happier somewhere else is a powerful motivator and can help open an individual's mind to considering change.    

So, do you have an answer to this question that you can proactively offer to your agents?  If not, I'd like to share some commentary that I recently read in the Wall Street Journal on the topic.  The article highlights research conducted by the iOpener Institute for People and Performance on how people find happiness and engagement at work. 

Jessica Pryce-Jones oversaw the research that began in 2006 and had more than 9,000 participants from around the world.  The data suggests that most people feel less confidence, motivation, loyalty, resilience, commitment and engagement in their jobs in recent years.

But, there is a smaller group of people who counteract this trend and report feeling a sense of well-being and "happiness."  If an individual happens to be in this group, he/she will display behaviors that employers find very beneficial, such as:

• Staying twice as long in their jobs as their least happy colleagues
• Spending double the time at work focused on what they are paid to do
• Taking ten times less sick leave
• Believing, at twice the rate of their peers, that they are achieving their potential

Jones also notes that the science of happiness at work has big benefits for individuals too.  If you’re really happy at work, you’ll solve problems faster, be more creative, adapt fastest to change, receive better feedback, get promoted quicker, and earn more over the long-term.

The research goes on to suggest that there is a strong correlation between a person's happiness at work and the characteristics of the work environment.

This is where things get interesting... The research unveils clear characteristics (what Jones calls the underlying drivers) that need to be present in your organization if those on your team are going to feel engaged and happy at work.  So, according to Jones, here are the "underlying drivers" that you should strive towards in your organization: (Editorial Note: These are written in the first person, as if Jones is giving advice on what type of organization to pursue as an individual, in order to find happiness at work.)

1. A Sense of Contribution.  This is about what you do, so it’s made up of some of the core activities which happen at work...like having clear goals, moving positively towards them, talking about issues that might prevent you from meeting your objectives and feeling heard when you do so.  You’ll do all this best when you feel appreciated and valued by your boss and your colleagues.  So it’s not just about delivering; it’s about doing so within collaborative working relationships too.
2. A Sense of Culture.  Performance and happiness at work are really high when employees feel they fit within their organizational culture.  Not fitting in a job is like wearing the wrong clothes to a party—all the time.  It’s hugely draining and de-energizing.  If you’re in the wrong job, you’ll find that the values mean little to you, the ethos feels unfair or political, and you don’t have much in common with your colleagues. 
3. A Sense of Commitment.  Commitment matters because it taps into the macro reasons of why you do the work you do.  Some of the underlying elements of commitment are perceiving you’re doing something worthwhile, having strong intrinsic interest in your job, and feeling that the vision of your organization resonates with your purpose.  We’ve seen commitment decline for the majority of employees, post-recession, as leaders and organizations think that tuning into this soft stuff is a waste of time.  It isn’t.  It’s how you enable your employees to understand why they should make a greater discretionary effort for you. 
4. A Sense of Confidence.  Confidence is the gateway to the other three drivers.  Too little confidence and nothing happens; too much leads to arrogance and particularly poor decisions.  Without greater levels of self-belief, the backbone of confidence, there will be few people who’ll take a risk or try anything new.  And you can’t have confident organizations without confident individuals inside them.

Here's your homework:  Develop an elevator speech on why agents would have the highest chance of being happy and finding engagement in your organization.  Your speech should contain all the components listed above.

Next, work the thoughts from this speech into both your coaching sessions and your interviews.  By doing so, you'll tap the emotion that not only has the power to retain, but also has the power to attract competitive agents to your team.

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Editor's Note:  This article was written by Ben Hess.  Ben is the Founding Partner and Managing Director of Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle.  Comments or questions are welcome.  If you're an email subscriber, reply to this WorkPuzzle email.  If you read the blog directly from the web, you can click the "comments" link below.

Failure Leads to Success--Part 2

Picking up where I left off in the last edition...Researchers who have attempted to predict success in a myriad of responsibilities, are finding that resilience and character may be much more important than more commonly used measures, such as IQ, test scores, and pedigree.

Angela Lee Duckworth, PhD, conducted a series of studies on a concept called "grit."  Grit is another word for backbone, chutzpah, fortitude, guts, stick-to-it-iveness, etc.  It all started when Dr. Duckworth (while a student in Graduate School) observed that it wasn't necessarily the smartest people who succeeded and made a lasting impact on science.

She had a hunch that it was a person's personal "grit" recipe that made the difference in their level of success.  Across six studies, Duckworth found that grit significantly contributed to successful outcomes: Undergrads with the most grit earned higher grade point averages than their peers.  West Point Cadets with the highest levels of grit were more likely to return after the first summer.  Even "grittier" spelling bee competitors (a situation where IQ would seem the best predictor) out-spelled their less tenacious competitors.  Among older individuals, people with substantial grit had higher levels of education and made fewer career changes than less gritty peers of the same age.

In reviewing the literature, there appears to be little explanation as to how a person can acquire grit.  So, is this something we either have...or we don't?  Is it based on our genetic make-up?  Or, are there outside influences that haven't been explored as of yet (socio-economic status, traumatic circumstances early in life, family dynamics, etc..)?

To further reinforce our collective ignorance regarding what genuinely predicts success, we'll look to an article by Bridget Murray titled, “Why We Don't Pick Good Quarterbacks."  The article highlights viewpoints by best-selling author, Malcolm Gladwell, who also writes for The New Yorker.  Gladwell illustrates the natural biases the NFL continues to display in their stubborn adherence to assessing potential, despite the fact that they are playing a lottery game.  To illustrate natural bias and its consequences, Gladwell points to what he calls "the quarterback problem:"

"Each year, the National Football League (NFL) selects new recruits by testing college players physically and cognitively.  The tests work fine for most player positions, but when it comes to quarterbacks, said Gladwell, 'they do an absolutely terrible job of predicting who will do well.'  Why?  Largely because NFL leaders succumb to the natural bias, favoring quarterback candidates who are tall, fast and strong, rather than those who are slower or shorter, 'and who have had to compensate for those deficiencies with increased hard work, guile and intelligence.'

Meanwhile, said Gladwell, the evidence suggests that, if anything, the latter group proves to be better quarterbacks.  'It's about a particular cultural fascination with the idea of potential,' he explained.  'NFL teams think that these [natural athletes] have more room to improve than anybody else.'

Gladwell pointed to Enron as another real-world case study.  The company cherry-picked its executives from the nation's top MBA programs and promoted people based on smarts, rather than experience.  The result was the worst corporate meltdown in national history...

'Once we've discovered these things that are under our unconscious' control, are we supposed to just stand idly by?  No.  We should fight the unconscious,' said Gladwell.  'And let's not just do it with theory.  Let's do it with corporate America, let's do it with college admissions, and let's do it on the football field....We have in this country a very powerful ideology--or more like mythology--that if you work hard, you will get ahead.  Part of what we need to do is to take that mythology--which has been neglected--and refurbish it...And structure our social institutions so that they reflect that.' "

If the above doesn't get you rethinking your own tightly held biases that just might favor style and potential over substance, hard work, grit and other unseen variables, then don't miss the new critically acclaimed movie, "Moneyball."  It will surely leave you feeling that what you know just might be limiting your imagination. 

What biases do you bring to the table?  Write them down, so at least you can be aware of how many candidates you may be prematurely dismissing.

What would happen if you held yourself accountable to put every bias aside and simply ask candidates questions like: 

• At what point in your life did you know that you could persevere through any difficulty? 
• When did you realize that you had the ability to over-achieve and compete with, apparently, more capable people?

Who knows what gems you'll find in places that you've never looked before...

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Editor's Note: This article was written by Dr. David Mashburn. Dave is a Clinical and Consulting Psychologist, a Partner at Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle. Comments or questions are welcome. If you're an email subscriber, reply to this WorkPuzzle email. If you read the blog directly from the web, you can click the "comments" link below. 

Breathing Life into a Tired Business-Part 2

Have you figured out what "dying city" I was referring to in my blog earlier this week?  If you guessed Grand Rapids, Michigan, you're right!  Newsweek (later republished in The Daily Beast) chose Grand Rapids (often referred to as "Bland Rapids") for this dubious honor among other cities such as Detroit, New Orleans, and Cleveland.

While such negative reporting is often brushed off as insignificant or unimportant, a 22-year old in Grand Rapids took it very personally.  Was his hometown really as bad as the media was reporting?  He didn't think so...  

Free-lance author, Stephen Kloosterman tells the story of Rob Bliss, an Internet Coordinator for a local TV station, who decided to pull together over 4,000 individuals from the community to paint a different picture of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Their picture of Grand Rapids is one where a diverse group of indivuduals, while appearing to be quite ordinary, prove to be very interesting.  Each of these individuals make an important contribution to the community.  These contributions add up to something that the third party observer might call odd or eclectic, but definetly not "dead."  There is energy and life in Grand Rapids--outsiders are just not aware of it.

To communicate this story to these disbelieving outsiders, Rob decided to develop a lip-dub video.  A lib-dub video is a low-budget production where a  stream of indivuduals are shot in one continuous take as they are lip-synching a song.  For his video, he decided to use Don McLean's 1971 song "American Pie."

The result..a viral internet success receiving over 4 million views on YouTube.  After the video started to gain traction, it got another siginificant boost when film critic, Roger Ebert, called it "the greatest music ever made."  This is amazing commentary for a place that was supposed to be dead!  Take a look for yourself and see what you think:

While the video was a huge success, Rob didn't stop there.  He went on to help Grand Rapids organize the world's largest pillow fight and construct the world's longest water slide.  The common thread...he has as knack for helping a bunch of "ordinary people" realize that they have something special and significant when they work together.

What is the lesson for your company or team in all of this?  I believe there are several:

1. Don't listen to the national critics.  If Rob would have just focused on what the national media told him, his creativity would have never taken root.  Yes, the real estate industry market is depressed in many areas, but what is the reality on your team?  Make the good things that are happening right in front of you your focus.
2. People love to see others working together.  This is the genius of what Rob discovered.  Are there opportunities in your community where your company (or just your team) can be seen working together?  Last summer in the Seattle market, Starbucks coordinated an event where their employees all pitched in and cleaned up the morning after the 4th of July celebration at Gasworks Park in downtown Seattle.  The local media noticed and highlighted their efforts in various news venues.  This is exactly the type of press you want to receive.
3. Don't think you need a big budget.  None of the ideas presented in this discussion required a large budget.  How much money does it take to pick up trash or start a pillow fight?  Not much.  There are lots of low-budget ideas out there--you just need to find them.

You can't run a business or a team unless you have a sense of purpose, excitment and energy.  People will not be drawn to or stay with an organization that does not have this critical component. 

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Editor's Note:  This article was written by Ben Hess.  Ben is the Founding Partner and Managing Director of Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle.  Comments or questions are welcome.  If you're an email subscriber, reply to this WorkPuzzle email.  If you read the blog directly from the web, you can click the "comments" link below.

Breathing Life Into a Tired Business

As I talk with owners and managers in different parts of the country, I’ve noticed a sense of fatigue among those who are continuing to work hard to make their organizations and teams successful.  This is especially true for those who spend a lot of their time recruiting.

As the housing market continues to be in turmoil in many parts of the country, it is becoming increasingly difficult to convince people that working in the real estate industry is full of hope and promise.  A recruiting manager’s will to persevere can start to wear thin and before you know it, a sense of malaise can even begin to infiltrate your team.

This type of despair is deadly.  If the leader of a team is not legitimately excited about the prospects for the future, it is nearly impossible to keep this attitude from poisoning the recruiting process.   

In consulting with owners, often we see wide differences between the recruiting results of the various offices within a given company.  I recently reviewed the results of one company where an individual office converted nearly 40% of their interviews into hires, while a second office in the same group only converted 3% (in this case, 2 hires out of 70 interviews) of their interviews into hires!  I believe it is safe to say that the second hiring manager is not painting a picture of the future that his/her candidates are buying.

Can this be fixed?  It can, but it has to be addressed from the inside out.  In essence, leaders need to instigate actions that will legitimately increase the excitement, energy, and hope for the future within their own teams.  Once you’re truly enthusiastic about what is going on in your environment, the energy and excitement will then naturally flow into the recruiting process.

While this sounds overwhelming, it may not be a hard as you think.  In our next discussion, I’ll share a case study about a city in the Midwest that was experiencing the same sense of despair that many of you are feeling.  This city was recently (January 2011) named one of the ten “dying cities” in America, yet over the last nine months, their prospects have significantly changed.  

How?  Through the efforts of two young professionals (one 22 years old, and one 29 years old) who recognized that some creativity and the coordinated efforts of many “ordinary” people can truly breathe life into almost any tired organization...     

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Editor's Note:  This article was written by Ben Hess.  Ben is the Founding Partner and Managing Director of Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle.  Comments or questions are welcome.  If you're an email subscriber, reply to this WorkPuzzle email.  If you read the blog directly from the web, you can click the "comments" link below.