WorkPuzzle

Finding Peace

As the saying goes... "If you don't stand for something you'll fall for anything."  If your position requires you to lead and coach others, I guarantee that those you mentor know whether you stand for something, and their willingness to follow your lead will be determined by this.  Here is one great example, with lessons you can build a life around: 

Northern State University men’s basketball coach, Don Meyer, was presented the ESPY Jimmy V Award 2009 for Perseverance.  You may not know him, but all the great coaches in College Basketball do.  He's been at it for 38 years.  His story is incredible, and his acceptance speech, impressive and memorable.

Meyer is the third recipient of the JIMMY V Award.  The honor is presented to a personality within the world of sports who, due to sheer zeal and perseverance, has achieved success in their respective field after having overcome immense obstacles.

The award was presented to Meyer in an effort to honor the determination he displayed after sustaining life-threatening injuries following a car crash last September.  The accident almost killed Meyer.  Somehow he survived, but was inflicted with critical injuries.  Amidst the numerous surgeries to revive him, doctors discovered that Meyer’s intestines and liver were infected with cancer.  This was another blow that he had to courageously face, while still recovering from the post accident trauma.

Meyer spent 55 days in the hospital, undergoing the recovery phase, and lost part of his leg as a result of the ordeal.  It was his sheer will that kept him going day after day.

In his acceptance speech, he described the long-standing foundational values that lead one to this kind of determination:

For example, he explained that from the very start, he instills in his team the following "F" words:  Faith.  Family.  Friends.  He went into how each one of these was a critical factor to his healing and fortitude.

He also teaches his players something that John Wooden taught him: 

"Don't whine.  Don't complain.  Don't make excuses."

And finally, he summed up his experience with these words: 

"I've learned from this Odyssey that peace is not the absence of troubles, trials and torment, but the calm in the midst of them."

This kind of living, remarkably, provided Coach Meyer with the resources and dedication to get back to work in time for basketball season.  He coached from a wheelchair.  Can you imagine how his players must have listened and followed his direction?  

A reminder to all of us:  Great Coaching takes living your values when it really counts...

Trusting Your Gut

Over the last couple of days, I’ve been relaying some of the lessons learned from the aftermath of the financial crisis last fall, as reported in a series of articles published in Harvard Business Review this month.  When a plane crashes, people want to know what went wrong... The same is true with the economy. 

One of the primary causes of the financial crisis was an over-confidence in financial models that did not prove reliable.  Surprisingly, these models were built on data and rational thought. 

For example, if no more than 2% of the population has ever defaulted on their mortgage in any given year for the past 30 years, it is rational to conclude that no more than 2% will default in the years to come as well, right?  However, this pattern did not hold true...the models were wrong.  The HBR article puts it this way:

“Data, computing power, and mathematical models have been transforming many realms of management from art to science.  But, the crisis exposed the limitations of certain tools.  In particular, the world saw the folly of the reliance by banks, insurance companies, and others on financial models that assume economic rationality, linearity, equilibrium, and bell-curve distributions.  As the recession unfolded, it became clear that the models had badly failed.”

So, is it time to pitch the idea of using data to solve problems and manage more effectively?  Probably not.  It makes sense to utilize data when making a decision, but realize an over-reliance on information alone, may lead you astray.

This balance reminds me of the equilibrium that Captain Kirk and Spock discovered in the legendary Star Trek series.  While Spock’s cold, hard facts were important, the Vulcan logic alone was not sufficient to arrive at the right decision.  Additionally, Kirk would consult his gut-level intuition before pulling the trigger.  The combination was effective.

If you’re a hiring manager, you need to find this balance as well.  It is important that a person “look good on paper,” but that is never the whole story.  Without  verifiable competencies, work history, and education, it is foolish to move someone forward in the hiring process.  From a data perspective, it is also important to verify additional sources of information, such as assessment data, via factual questions during an interview.

Once you have supporting data, trust your gut to make the right decision.  Your intuition can tell you things that the data will never tell you.  When you “feel” a red flag, listen to your instinct and pull back.  When the data looks good and your gut is confirming the data, make the decision with confidence.

In the financial world, it should have “felt” wrong to close a mortgage for someone with no income and no assets (this is a called a NINA loan), but that is exactly what many financial institutions did because they trusted their financial models.  Hopefully, you won’t make the same mistake with your candidates.

Tapping the Passion of a New Hire

Many believe that there is a major shift happening in the business landscape.  There are significant, long-term forces that are shaping the way businesses are able to produce returns.  As the recession lingers on, there is a growing consensus that “business as usual” may never return.

Does that mean that the recession will last forever?  Of course not.  But it does mean that the way businesses bounced back after a recession in the past will not likely repeat itself.  More specifically, the previous employment options enjoyed by many may be gone for good.

Last week, I alerted you to a series of articles (1, 2) that Harvard Business Review recently published on leadership in the workforce following the September 2008 financial crisis and ensuing recession.  In an article titled, The Big Shift, the authors make the point that traditional business measurements no longer capture the challenges and opportunities for companies.  This is occuring due to fundamental shifts in how businesses contribute to the economy. 

This is all pretty heady stuff, and some of it is quite interesting.  I’m not sure anyone can fully understand or predict what is going to happen, but it is fascinating to pour through all the ideas and theories.

What does all of this have to do with you?  If you’re a recruiter or hiring manager, you’re going to see the effects of this shift in your candidates, new hires, and existing employees.  Individuals may not have a full understanding of what is happening, but they can sense changes in the air, and that will impact their behavior.

As individuals attempt to process these changes, one of the early symptoms to look for is passion.  There are two important trends in this area worth noting:

1.  Talented workers are passionate about control:

“Self-employed people are more than twice as likely to be passionate about their work as those who work for firms, according to a survey we conducted.  This suggests a potential red flag for institutional leaders—companies appear to have difficulty holding on to passionate workers.”

If you’re not able to offer candidates at least some level of autonomy in their new position, you’re at a disadvantage.  It is difficult for people to concentrate on the grand vision of the company when the ground is shifting under their feet.  Giving them something small and contained that they can control may be much more appealing. 

2.  Talented workers are passionate about working with other high-quality people:

“The initial findings from our research indicate a correlation between the rapidly growing use of social media and the increasing knowledge that flows between organizations.  Worker passion also appears to be an important amplifier:  When people are engaged in their work and pushing the performance envelope, they seek ways to connect with others who share their passion and who can help them get better faster.”

The principle here is pretty simple:  If you want to tap the passion of a talented new hire, put them around the highest quality people possible.  Shielding your existing best performers from involvement with newly hired employees is a mistake.  You’ll not only fail to engage the passion of the new employee, but you’ll miss an opportunity to rekindle the passion of your top performers.

Making an effort to tap the passion of your candidates and employees will always produce a return, regardless of which direction the business landscape shifts...

Finding Your Inner Loser: Debunking Positive Thought

If you are responsible for coaching those on your team, you may be hurting their chances for success by encouraging them to think positively.  This revelation is completely opposite from what the self-help industry would suggests.  New research, however, claims that the “power of positive thinking” pontificators may be on the wrong track...

In a recent article in Time Magazine, John Cloud highlights the following research:

“Is there power in positive thinking?  A study just published in the journal Psychological Science says trying to get people to think more positively can actually have the opposite effect:  it can simply highlight how unhappy they are.

The study's authors, Joanne Wood and John Lee of the University of Waterloo and Elaine Perunovic of the University of New Brunswick, begin with a common-sense proposition:  when people hear something they don't believe, they are not only often skeptical but adhere even more strongly to their original position…  [This is true because] many of us are reluctant to revise our self-judgment, especially for the better.

In 1994, the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology published a paper showing that when people get feedback that they believe is overly positive, they actually feel worse, not better.  If you try to tell your dim friend that he has the potential of an Einstein, he won't think he's any smarter; he will probably just disbelieve your contradictory theory, hew more closely to his own self-assessment and, in the end, feel even dumber.”

As a coach, your job is to help people understand their legitimate strengths.  Everyone has strengths, but many people have a difficult time recognizing and implementing them successfully.  Much of your work should be focused in this area.  When you do spend time on weaknesses, show how these deficiencies can be shored up by others.  Nobody is perfect, but in a team environment we all compensate for each other in some way or another. 

This principle is difficult to remember when coaching someone.  We’re all too eager to provide encouragement, concentrate on the positive, and highlight what’s going right.  But, however well-intended, telling a person something that is not true, or choosing to focus only on the positive, typically backfires.  Think about all the great professional coaches we all hold in high esteem... Lou Pinella, Mike Holmgren, Billy Martin, Bobby Knight.... are they known only for their positive strokes?  Not so much.  
 
The correct formula for improvement is to teach those on your team to better utilize their strengths and become more mindful of their weaknesses.  As John Cloud puts it, "Mindfulness...can teach people to put their shortcomings into a larger, more realistic perspective.  Call it the power of negative thinking."

Bustin' Down The Door

Over the weekend, I viewed an interesting documentary that I highly recommend to anyone fascinated by true stories of innovation and excellence.  What might surprise you is that I've just recommended a movie about surfing.  Bustin' Down The Door is a 2008 documentary film chronicling the rise of professional surfing in the early '70s, and the vision these surfers shared of what surfing could become.

The road to that vision takes far too many interesting turns for me to give away, so I'll keep my comments restricted to what fascinated me most.  Take a look at this youtube video to get an idea of what ensues in this movie:

In order to become the best in the world, surfers from all over the globe began migrating to the north shore of Hawaii to hone and perfect their skills.  They realized that in order to become great, they had to face the most consistently tough waves in the world.

The Australian and South African surfers of the time (1974-76) began to win competitions at a much greater frequency than surfers from anywhere else, including Hawaii.  How could this be?

The answer to this question lies in the principles laid out in my articles about "The Talent Code" (1, 2, 3, 4, 5).  These surfers had moments of "ignition" and incredible examples of "deep practice."

I won't spoil the moments of ignition that motivated each of these individuals to excel at their sport, and to "invent" professional surfing.  But as far as deep practice goes, without realizing it at the time, they became great due to the way they practiced.

Unlike the Hawaiians and those from the States, Aussie and South African surfers didn't waste valuable time waiting for the perfect wave (which is the habit of most other surfers).  They jumped on any wave, no matter how "narley" (surfer word) or imperfect the wave was.  They were up and down waves at a much higher rate and frequency than any other surfers.  By the way, this was frowned upon by other surfers who had to constantly dodge these obnoxious rebels.

Although the movie doesn't mention this, anyone who has read my blogs referencing The Talent Code knows, that by practicing in this way, they were able to experience the process of "failure-correction, failure-correction" exponentially, more than any other surfers on the planet.  And because of this, they built layer upon layer of myelin at far greater rates.  As we know, the more myelin one produces, the greater their performance.  So, as a result they became the greatest surfers in the world. 

The reminder for all of us, is this:  If you want people to succeed, then they must practice often...and experience failure.  To avoid failure when attempting to learn something, is a sign that someone hasn't really experienced that moment of ignition, where they think:  "I want to do this...and do it well!"

The ME Generation

In piggy backing on what Ben wrote a few days ago regarding the Gen Y population, I came upon some compelling data that may be of value to most of us who are hiring and training the next generation of talent.

In her book, Generation Me, (2006) Jean Twenge summarizes the results of 12 different unique research projects, spanning 13 years of generational differences.

What she found was that the baby boomer generation was brought up by people who had lived through a world war, and whose values were about honor and duty.  It was also a world dominated by God, the State and community, where the group mattered much more than the individual.  The children raised in this environment (Baby boomers in the 60's and 70's) began to rebel against this value system. They questioned authority.  As this generation aged, they began to become more focused on psychological growth, spirituality, self-discovery and fulfillment.

What she claims happened next has led to some not-so-good, unintended consequences.  Because personal growth was emphasized so clearly in the parenting styles of baby boomers, the children of these parents were told that they were special and the most important person in the world, etc.  Thanks to the influence of the self-esteem movement, the children of baby boomers had these ideas reinforced at schools throughout America.  These children were brought up forgetting about duty, or politeness, or social approval, and concentrated instead on simply being themselves.

She sums it up by stating that, although the baby boomers had slowly migrated from strong traditional values (that their parents held), toward a focus on "the self," that these newer individualistic values didn't really run all that deep.  Twenge writes:

"Those who adopted the ways of the self as young adults..speak the language with an accent." 

Not so for their offspring – Generation Me:  "The self is their native tongue," Tenge explains.  Unlike their parents who talked about "journeys of self-discovery" - The Me generation's culture of the self is their hometown.

Twenge elaborates (writing as if she's part of this younger generation):

"We don’t have to join groups or talk of journeys, because we’re already there.  We don’t need to 'polish' the self … because we take for granted that it's already shiny.  We don’t need to look inward;  we already know what we will find.  Since we were small children, we were taught to put ourselves first.  That’s just the way the world works – why dwell on it.  Let’s go to the mall."

So how does one use this information to build good companies and great execution?  How can we relate to individuals who put themselves first?

My thoughts on this are purely anecdotal, but I believe they have some merit.

I believe that everyone, has at their core a conscience that tells them when they hear good and bad truth.  I believe that people want more than empty individualism.  In fact, I believe that they need it.

A case in point is unfolding at the fastest growing church in Seattle, and perhaps, in the nation.  Mars Hill Church is led by a pastor who doesn't pull any punches about the RIGHT way to live life.  Since this church began seven years ago, their focus has been on speaking the truth, especially to this younger generation.  As a result, the congregation is made up primarily of 17 to 35 year-olds who have never been told that "they aren't number one."

The truth is being told, the need is being met, and people are responding.

So what can you do?  I believe that if we all stick to the truth regarding company values and expectations, and paint a vision of excellence that's beyond the individual, generation ME can become generation WE.  After all, most of us baby boomers switched back over eventually - right? (Although, it would be nice to have my pony-tail again...)  

Some Quick Insight Into Baby Boomers

Yesterday, we spent some time learning about the perspective of Gen Y employees (age 30 and below) in the workforce.  The research on this topic was consolidated in a recent article in Harvard Business Review.

The same article also highlighted some of the changes that are happening to the Baby Boomers (age 45 to 63).  As you probably know, the Baby Boomer generation has been extensively studied over the years.  As a result, many stereotypes remain alive and well.

While some of these stereotypes are in fact valid, views may be changing due to the aging of this generation, along with some of the profound financial struggles present in our economy.  Here are some of the changes in work attitudes and expectations that Baby Boomers have expressed:

• Delayed Retirement:  42% plan to work past the age of 65.  14% report they never plan to retire
• Long-Term Perspective:  47% see themselves as being in the middle of their careers
• From "Me" to "We":  55% are involved in volunteer work
• Want Flexibility:  87% say being able to "work flexibly" is important
• Familial Obligations:  71% report having elder care responsibilities.  41% contribute to the support of their adult children.

The realities of life have a way of changing a person’s perspective.  While Gen Y is more hopeful and altruistic, Baby Boomers are feeling the weight of their responsibilities and financial circumstances. 

These attitudes dictate priorities when it comes to looking for work.  Here are the types of rewards a Baby Boomer considers at least as important as compensation (ranked in order of importance):

#1 High-quality colleagues
#2 An intellectually stimulating workplace
#3 Autonomy regarding work tasks
#4 Flexible work arrangements
#5 Access to new experiences and challenges
#6 Giving back to the world through work
#7 Recognition from one’s company or boss

Whether you’re coaching employees or participating in the recruiting process, it is important to understand what people value.  Just because these issues may not be resonating with you personally (you may be in a different generation...or just an atypical Baby Boomer), does not mean that those around you are not experiencing them.
 
During your next interview or coaching session, test out some of these findings.  Ask some questions that get at some of these issues and see what kind of responses you get.  You’ll probably have some fun doing this, but you’ll also gain some important insight...

Some Quick Insight into Generation Y

This month, Harvard Business Review published a hefty article regarding leadership in the workforce following the September 2008 financial crisis and ensuing recession.  A number of topics were covered in this extensive (98-page) article, and there was a lot of insightful information. 

One sub-article caught my eye right away.  The authors were attempting to make a connection between the work characteristics of Generation Y employees (those under the age of 30) and the work characteristics of Baby Boomer employees (those over age 45). 

I didn’t buy the connection the authors were attempting to make, as the similarities don’t seem that convincing to me.  However, the research they did in order to write the article taught me some things I didn’t know—particularly about Gen Y.  

Here are some of the top motivational issues that concern Gen Y:

• Ambition:  84% profess to be very ambitious
• Loyalty vs. Quest:  45% expect to work for their current employer for their entire career
• Multicultural Ease:  78% are comfortable working with people from different ethnicities and cultures
• Healing the Planet:  86% say it’s important that their work make a positive impact on the world
• Networking by Nature:  48% rank having a network of friends at work as very important

As a subset of motivations, the article went on to discuss the types of rewards that a Gen Y worker would find at least as important as compensation.  Here is a ranked list, in order of importance:

#1  High-quality colleagues
#2  Flexible work arrangements
#3  Prospects for advancement
#4  Recognition from one’s company or boss
#5  A steady state of advancement and promotion
#6  Access to new experiences and challenges

Do any of these resonate with you?  Think about the last interview or coaching session that you had with someone in this age group.  Did you see any of these issues surface in the discussion?

In a hiring scenario—especially if you’re competing for a candidate’s attention—it is important to understand a candidate’s motivations, and consider what they find rewarding.  You may be offering the greatest opportunity in the world, but if it’s packaged up in a way a person can’t understand or recognize, the opportunity will not seem very compelling to your candidate.

In a coaching scenario, the path you took to find significance in your job may seem very odd to those whom you’re coaching.  Do they just need more indoctrination?  Probably not.  What might be more helpful is some insight concerning how their natural motivations can lead them to meeting not only their personal needs, but also the common interests of the team.  That’s a work puzzle worth solving!

Finding Sources For New Thought

As a recruiter or hiring manager, it’s easy to get stuck or stagnant.  We read the same material, hear about the same best practices, and try—maybe with more effort and resolve, to implement the same strategies.  After awhile, it can all feel a bit stale.

When this happens to me, one of the things I do is seek out information in different industries and different mediums than I normally frequent.  I discovered such an area last week and thought it would be helpful to share what I learned.

The medium I learned about was a site called Marketing Sherpa.  Marketing Sherpa is a direct marketing consulting company that specializes in online tactics.  It was recommended to me by one of our company’s advisory board members.

As we’ve discussed in the past, “recruiting is marketing” in many ways, so it may not be too much of a stretch to draw applications from this environment.  But still, this site often looks at things from a high-volume, consumer perspective, rather than the one-on-one nature of recruiting.

The topic that caught my eye was a case study about Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.  The case study was three pages long and went into a great amount of detail concerning the process of converting website inquiries to full-fledged applications.

I loved all the numbers and the testing that the marketers employed to optimize their results.  There was one or two things that may apply in some remote way to the way we run our business.

But, the thing that hit me right between the eyes was the work the University did to discover how a person makes a significant decision in their life.  This was interesting stuff.  For example, if a person is considering making a decision about furthering their education, you only have about 60 days to get him to act upon the initial interest.  Once this window elapses, you’ve most likely lost the individual.

There were several more insights such as these.  If you care to read more, you can take a look at:  https://www.marketingsherpa.com/barrier.html?ident=31291 (it is a subscription site, but you can sign up for a free trial).  

Are there some news areas you could investigate to get some new ideas for your recruiting efforts?  You might find some gems you’re not expecting.  Can someone pass me the sports page?

Jack Welch's Perspective on Hiring

You don’t hear much from Jack Welch anymore.  A few years back, you couldn’t pick up a business magazine without seeing some article about Jack Welch.  Since his retirement from General Electric in 2004, it seems the business pundits have moved on to other subjects. 

We can, however, still gain a little “wisdom from Jack”...if we're willing to go looking for it.  He and his wife, Suzy (the former editor of Harvard Business Review), write a weekly column in Business Week.  Last week, they covered the topic of what impact the current recession will have on the hiring environment, once the recession ends.   

“[What can] companies expect when the economy finally improves?  A hiring game that's entirely different—and harder.  Look, this recession has really shocked people.  Never before has the bottom fallen out so fast or affected so many people so deeply.  Virtually no organization has been left unscathed.  Two years ago, being in business was filled with promise and payback.  Now, you just don't know what bad news awaits you when you arrive at work every day.

The result?  Many people have come to the conclusion that they don't want to work for 'the man' anymore.  They want to work for themselves or someone they know and trust.  It's as a marketing specialist told us recently:  'My husband was fired.  My hours were cut in half,' she said.  'As soon as we get on our feet, we're starting our own business.  We're never going to let ourselves be vulnerable again.'

She's hardly alone.  From coast to coast—and through hundreds of e-mails to our Web site and conversations on Twitter—there's a tidal wave of emotion.  To be someone else's employee, people are telling us, is to be at someone else's whim.  The impact of this growing attitude could be profound.  When the economy recovers, most companies might, for the first time, have to deal with a candidate pool that's not particularly excited to work for them.”

As many of you know, we have many clients in the real estate industry.  This type of attitude change among the workforce could be advantageous for those companies who offer business models where the “employee” works for themselves. 

We’re beginning to see this change in mindset with real estate candidates.  While many people are feeling the angst in their current jobs, as the Welch's talk about, they also sense that the real estate market has hit bottom.  Moving into a new career field when things are less crowded makes some people even more excited about the opportunities for success.

What if your business cannot offer a “work for yourself” option?  Welch has some advice for you as well:

“Fortunately, companies can prepare now for the changed hiring dynamic ahead.  All they have to do is, well, stop acting like big companies—bureaucratic and impersonal—and start creating a fast-moving and vibrant atmosphere. They'll need to mimic the upside small companies and entrepreneurial ventures offer as a matter of course.  Teams will need to be smaller, organizations flatter, and the values of candor, informality, and innovation must be baked into the culture.  People will need to feel that what they say matters, regardless of rank and title.  Perhaps most important, companies will need to understand that when the recovery arrives, stars will no longer wait around to be given the authority to make decisions or to be promoted.  The alternative—running their own show—has too much appeal.”