WorkPuzzle

What's Your Value?

We are in the midst of preparing a series of articles on how to become a great recruiter.  No matter what business you're in, recruiting should always be a priority if you want to grow your business.

For our clients, recruiting is always considered a top priority.  But saying this and actually doing it, are two very different things!  Before we go into all the specifics regarding great recruiting, I want to address the fundamental foundation of recruiting.  You MUST be able to answer, with certainty and conviction, the following questions:

First, what distinguishing value do you provide, that's not provided by every other company in your industry?  And second, what, specifically, do you have to offer that is unattainable elsewhere?

If you don't know the answer to these questions, even the most steadfast discipline and best system of recruiting won't get you where you want to be.  

Here's a personal example:

When I began building a private practice as a Clinical Psychologist in 1987, I had to market my practice.  But, the problem was that the Seattle market was saturated with Psychologists.  So, I had to ask myself fairly quickly, what set me apart from others?  It became very clear to me, early on, that the busiest Psychologists were the ones who had gone beyond the work they had done to receive their Ph.D., and had invested in several years of extended supervision to learn a specialty, or a very specific way of offering great psychotherapy.

So, after some due diligence, I found an orientation of psychotherapy that made a great deal of sense to me.  I paid thousands of dollars each year for five additional years (beyond the initial nine years of school) to become proficient at delivering this very intense and disciplined way of helping people heal.

Now of course, all the while, I was marketing myself, by speaking publicly, meeting with physicians, etc... all the normal things you do to get your name out there.  However, what caused my practice to reach a state of critical mass, where marketing took care of itself, was offering services that people knew worked for them, services that were above and beyond the standard.

This is what will create the buzz - It's what caused me to pay top dollar to seek specialized training, and what caused my clients to follow a referral to my door.  Oh and by the way, it also happens to be the right thing to do... to offer something of true quality is in everyone's best interest; In my case, I improved myself by undergoing the intense training, and my clients benefited from my unique set of skills as well.

So, if you want to become an exceptional recruiter, ask yourself:  What do you offer that other managers or owners don't?  What value do you add, that's difficult to find anywhere else? 

Hiring Managers who can clearly articulate answers to these questions, and stand behind them, can recruit with confidence... 

The Wide Application of Your Talents

One of our readers recently wrote in with the following question:

"I left a  major  home building company after 12 years - after starting in an entry level field position, working up to a position managing the contracting for 40 to 70 million dollar projects.  I was responsible for scopes of work; contract negotiation and coordination.  It was my dream job, but I was unhappy with some ethical issues and left for a new company building low income housing in the inner-city where I was handed more responsibility, control and money.  My new company folded four months later and I have floundered ever since.  Some days I'm confident and hopeful, and others I wonder if a career change is inevitable and I'm just not seeing the writing on the wall. 

To finally get to my question, how, if the change from construction is inevitable, do I market my universal skills and experience (minus a degree) to companies outside my industry.  I know I am good and have the skills to transition, anyone I have worked for or with will tell you that.  How do I get that across?  How do I get the opportunity to prove this?"

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Thanks for this great question, as it it cuts to the heart of 21st century hiring.

Allow me to break this down a bit:

First, let's address the overall philosophy that is inherent in your question.  That is, talent is talent...period.  We are moving away from 20th century recruiting, where managers made hiring decisions based solely on one's education, credentials, and match-for-match job descriptions.  The smartest employers and most confident, forward-thinking individuals are considering a wider definition of talent application these days.

These companies and individuals are realizing that prior job description isn't as crucial for predicting great performance as are general core strengths, talents and capacities.

We each have natural capacities to tackle certain tasks.  Even though these talents require some development, from the very beginning, they seem natural to us.  We all have a knack for certain activities - they give us energy and fulfillment.  These talents don't belong solely to a specific title or position, nor do they belong to a single profession.  These core talents can be applied to hundreds of positions.

Here is an example:  My brother was once (years ago) an excellent Jr. High School Teacher.  He then worked in software account management and development, and eventually for his state government as the go-to guy for pushing through major legislation and integration from their innovative IT department.  A few years ago, an international label & packaging company was in need of a Director of Project Development.  Instead of searching for someone with that exact job description, they searched for the talents they needed to fit the job they envisioned.  They sought someone who had shown a natural pattern of excellence in friendly negotiations among several stake holders, while diplomatically and systematically coordinating the efforts of multiple contributors toward a project completion. 

He was hired, despite the fact that he never had the title or job description of Project Director before.

So, I would recommend the individual who asked the question do the following:
 
Consider your talents carefully, and continue to push forward confidently, knowing that there is a company out there in need of your specific talents.  Diligently pursue companies that interest you.  Find a position that you'd like to fill, ignore what experience they are asking for, and figure out how your talents can be used to do the job well.

Be persistent in your efforts to get interviewed.  Good hiring managers will respond to persistence.  Your chance to "prove yourself" will come once you're on the inside...sitting in the interview chair.  During the interview, humbly, subtly and respectfully take charge.  Ask how that position contributes to the bottom line and overall company mission.  Once you thoroughly understand the core tasks and goals of the job, boil down your talents to brief descriptions and tell them how they can be used to accomplish the overall purpose of the position.  Encourage them to contact your references for feedback on how you would meet that challenge.

If they don't hire you after this, move on.  There are plenty of companies looking for this kind of desire to contribute to something great, rather than to just fill a position...

Why Do People Make Career Moves? - Part 2

Let’s suppose you make contact with a candidate, Brian, who you feel would be a great fit in your organization.  More than likely, you will have spent time and resources locating and contacting this person.  
 
After making a connection with Brian over the phone, you convince him that it would be mutually beneficial for you to set up a short, informational interview with the Hiring Manager, Nancy.

You follow up after the interview and discover that the Hiring Manager loved the candidate.  A quick call to the candidate reveals a similar feeling:  

“This is a great opportunity and I appreciate you setting up the interview with Nancy.  We really hit it off, and I can see myself working on her team and thriving under her leadership.”

Like many high-quality candidates, Brian is already immersed in his current job and does not really need to pursue the opportunity immediately.  He has a good income, a family to support, and a network of friends and contacts who regularly share new opportunities with him.  The next part of the conversation often goes something like this:

“I have a lot to process from what Nancy shared with me.  I’m also in the middle of a significant project at work that is going to take a lot of focus over the next couple of weeks.  Can you give me a call in a few weeks, after I'm done with the project?”

Now, what happens if you call Brian in a couple of weeks and ask him if he wants to work at your company, and he says he’s not ready to make a decision?  Many recruiters communicate a message something like this:

“Brian, I appreciate the time you’ve taken to learn about the opportunity in Nancy’s group.  You have Nancy’s contact information.  If you decide that you want to move forward with the opportunity in the future, just give Nancy a call.”

Of course, you never hear from Brian again.  Nancy never hears from Brian again.  Both of you have moved on to the next candidate, starting back at the beginning of the process.  If you're like many recruiters, you rationalize this course of action by telling yourself that if Brian were really a good candidate, he'd chase you or Nancy down and show initiative on his own.

This thought process is not reality.  It is your bruised ego telling you to justify an emotional decision.  "You'll teach that candidate for blowing you off!"
 
The reality is you’ve wasted the sourcing time and resources it took to originally make contact with Brian.  You’ve also wasted the time that both you and Nancy spent teaching Brian about the benefits of working in your organization.  This type of waste makes the recruiting process inefficient and frustrating for you, the managers you recruit for, and your candidates.
 
How can this be remedied?  Here are some thoughts:

1. Stop insisting that your company’s timing takes precedence over the candidate’s timing.  The best candidates have lots of opportunities and make career moves according to their schedule.  You need them, they don’t necessarily need you - At least not today.

2. Stop playing a numbers game you can’t win.  On occasion, you will happen upon a high quality candidate whose life circumstances have caused him/her to make a job change in perfect sequence with your company’s need to fill a position.  But as you well know, this doesn’t happen very often.  The candidates who immediately jump at your opportunities are often misfits, losers, and desperados you don’t really want anyway.

3. Approach your candidates with humility and empathy rather than arrogance.  The high quality candidates that you want to attract to your organization have lives.  They are going to respond to thoughtful and empathetic dialog much better than to someone implying they’re an idiot for not jumping on the opportunity that is in front of them today.

If you want to recruit the Brians out there, don't give up so easily.  Follow the advice above and be diligent in your follow-up.  When these candidates are ready to make a change, you will be there to guide and entice them to consider joining your team.

The Brain Science of Management - Part 2 - Incorporating Metrics

Yesterday I summarized a review of Jacob's new book, Management Rewired.  I opened with this statement:

"First, we need to relinquish the fact that people are rational.  Recent research has shown emotions hold more sway over our decisions than reason; we turn to logic merely to justify our choices after the fact." (Ellen Gibson, Newsweek)

I discussed the author's plea to refrain from managing out of reward and punishment, and focus instead on building ownership and meaningful connections to peoples' work - It takes more forethought and tact, but is far more effective.

However, what the book doesn't address well, is how metrics fit into all of this.  I agree, wholeheartedly, that much of the conventional wisdom taught to managers produces the opposite effect from what is intended (carrot/stick), but we can't throw the baby out with the bath water... The better path is frequently counter-intuitive.

Measurement will always be part of how we gauge success.  Take sports for instance:  Sure the goal is to build teamwork, meaning, and aspirations for greatness into each player's motivational mindset.  But without measurement, this goal is meaningless.  Measurement will always be a part of determining an individual's contribution to a team.  Measurement is how we gauge progress and improvement, and how we calculate our standing against the competition.

As most of you know, we at Tidemark, place a great deal of importance on measurement.  We measure pretty much everything.  It is through measurement that one can make rational decisions, instead of justifying bad decisions through emotion.  Measurement doesn't inherently lead to the atmosphere of "carrot and stick" -- Lazy management does...  

The Brain Science of Management

"First, we need to relinquish the fact that people are rational.  Recent research has shown emotions hold more sway over our decisions than reason; we turn to logic merely to justify our choices after the fact."  (Ellen Gibson, Business Week).

This excerpt is one of the summaries to a review of Management Rewired:  Why Feedback doesn't Work and Other Surprising Lessons from the Latest Brain Science, by Charles S. Jacobs.

If you've read the latest Workpuzzle blogs by Ben Hess (1,2) trying to rationalize his coffee addiction, you have witnessed, first hand, this principle at work.  He is physically, and therefore emotionally attached to coffee, and continues to look for evidence to justify his addiction.  He does a pretty good job of this, I might add.

What Jacobs details in his book has actually been conveyed previously in countless other ways - Jacobs has just written a book using the latest brain research to justify a well found truth.  The truth is that people respond more to their emotions than they do to rational motivations.

It's long been known, for instance, that people respond best when they are performing meaningful work and striving to do their best, and when managers don't manage out of reward and punishment.  Professor John Seddon from the University of Cardiff in his work, Freedom from Command and Control, states that:

"Dysfunctional behaviour is ubiquitous and systemic, not because people are wicked but because the requirement to serve the hierarchy competes with the requirement to serve customers."

When management becomes out of control,

"...people's ingenuity is engaged in survival not improvement.  By causing managers and staff to lose sight of their customers, they can ultimately contribute to putting the organization out of business altogether."

In Gibson's article, The Stop-Managing Guide to Management, Gibson explains:

"Whether we're a chimpanzee or a corporate employee, we don't like being controlled by others.  Instead of trying to alter behaviors by fiat, he recommends that managers stop managing.  Employees should set their own objectives, critique their own performance, and come up with their own strategies for improvement.  People are self-motivating, Jacobs says, especially when they feel they're doing meaningful work.  (In case this strikes anyone as a dubious assertion, the author points out that engaging tasks stimulate the brain's dopamine system and deliver the same 'high' we get from food and nicotine.)"

So what's a boss to do? 

"Managers are better served by using subtle tactics to influence employees. Understanding that people are strongly motivated by emotion, he recommends that leaders create evocative 'narratives' about an organization's mission. For a small startup, it could be as basic as a David-vs.-Goliath plotline.

Here's an example of a rewired manager in action:  A team with a specific goal feels it's understaffed.  Jacobs suggests the manager defer to the team's point of view rather than react irritably.  Acknowledge that the team is shorthanded, he advises, then convince members that adding staff would dilute their accomplishment.

The book draws parallels between the couch and the cubicle.  The goal of the talk therapist is to guide the patient away from self-defeating mindsets.  But it's hard to imagine the average boss having the patience to apply these techniques, and Jacobs acknowledges that his approach takes more effort than employing carrot and stick.  Even so, reading Management Rewired might soften the touch—and boost the effectiveness—of many a corporate drill sergeant."

Keep in mind that most of you who have been raised under the reward and punishment system, with little exposure to the more subtle motivations, are emotionally attached to that way of relating, and will find ways to justify that management style.  But if you do this, you'll be rationalizing something that's not good for you or your team, much like Ben continues to rationalize his coffee addiction.  

Gratitude - Part 2

In Friday's blog, I described the many benefits to a daily exercise of gratitude. I suspect that had I listed the benefits (even powerful benefits to reaching your goals), without explaining the prescription, many of you would have reached for your wallet to pay for whatever it was that could lead to such great benefits.

But, given that the solution requires some personal daily discipline, and might be seen as kind of corny (especially to the macho types), you might be inclined to blow it off. Much like Rosanne Bar said many years ago: "I'd do absolutely anything to lose weight.... except diet and exercise."

Here's my promise:  I am going to start following the below prescription daily.  If you haven't yet read Friday's blog, please do, so you can learn why I'm so emphatic about building gratitude into my daily life. It is my hope that you (and those whom you manage) will too aspire to improve your outlook on life via a conscious practice of gratitude.   

Beginning a Gratitude Journal: (Modified from How to Keep a Gratitude Journal)

Step 1:  Choose a blank notebook or journal to write in every night.  Consider a spiral-bound journal that opens flat for ease in writing.  Select lined or unlined paper.  Keep this notebook next to the bed with a pen readily available.

Step 2:  Look for things during the day for which you are grateful.  Make mental notes throughout the day, every day.  Notice how the gratitude journal serves as a catalyst in shifting your focus to a more positive outlook over time.

Step 3:  Write five things you're grateful for each night before bedtime.  Review the day and include anything, however small or great, that was a source of gratitude that day.  For example...the morning sun (rare in Seattle), the sound of a Harley, a flower in bloom, your child's laugh, or the smell of a newly cut lawn (...or cinnamon toast).  Make the list personal.  Write a few words about the five benefits or blessings.  Be brief and increase the length as time progresses.

Step #4:  Begin looking every day for the positive angle in all things.  You will begin to view obstacles as opportunities to appreciate.

Step #5:  Focus on the wonderful things in life to attract similar encounters in the course of the day.  Use positive emotions as you interact with others to elicit more positive emotions (There is a lot of research supporting this finding).  Note these attractions in the gratitude journal.

Step #6:  Personalize the gratitude journal.  Expand it with clippings, photos, quotes or verses from magazines or other sources.

For most of us, this seems like such a stretch -- It seems like something Oprah would do (As I recall, I believe she actually does keep a gratitude journal...). Nevertheless, the benefits are clear and profound. 

While researchers are stating their findings loud and clear, religious leaders have been emphasizing the benefits of gratitude for thousands of years.  I invite (challenge?) you to join me in this endeavor, and post your results.  I think you'll be surprised how much you will gain from this exercise.... 

Goal Attainment and Gratitude

You are probably wondering what Goal Attainment and Gratitude have in common.  If you've been reading this blog for awhile, you might be able to figure it out.  I've been following the research on gratitude over the last few years and have been trying to find a way to make it applicable to our WorkPuzzle readers.  I believe I finally have.  First, some background information regarding gratitude:

You see, gratitude has only recently been put under the microscope from a scientific research perspective.  Prior to the last 15 years, the subject was left to philosophers and religious leaders as the appropriate experts to extol its benefits.  However, once scientists began studying gratitude, they were so impressed by the findings, that research in this area has exploded.

The benefit of gratitude that I predict most of you will be interested in (at least initially), is the finding that gratitude is linked to significantly improved personal goal attainment.  In one study, participants in one group kept gratitude lists (more on this next blog).  This group ended up more likely to have made progress toward important personal goals (academic, interpersonal and health-based) over a two-month period than subjects in the control group, who underwent other exercises toward goal attainment.

However, a Research Project on Gratitude and Thankfulness confirms that goal attainment is not the only benefit to be gained from a practice of gratitude.  Check out the paraphrased list below for additional benefits a consistent discipline of practicing gratitude can bring:

1.  Studies show that those who keep gratitude journals on a weekly basis exercise more regularly, report fewer physical symptoms, feel better about their lives as a whole, and are more optimistic about the upcoming week compared to those who record hassles or neutral life events (Emmons & McCullough, 2003).

2.  Young adults who are taught self-guided exercises for daily gratitude report higher levels of the positive states of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, attentiveness and energy compared to other groups, who tend to focus on hassles or a downward social comparison (ways in which participants think they are better off than others). 

3.  Study participants practicing gratitude are more likely to report having helped someone with a personal problem or having offered emotional support to someone, compared to a group focused on hassles or social comparison condition.

4.  In a sample of adults with neuromuscular disease, a 21-day gratitude intervention resulted in greater amounts of high-energy, positive moods; a greater sense of connectedness to others; more optimistic ratings of one’s life; and better sleep duration and sleep quality, relative to a control group.

5.  Children who practice grateful thinking have more positive attitudes toward school and their families (Froh, Sefick, & Emmons, 2008).

6.  Grateful people report higher levels of positive emotions, life satisfaction, vitality, and optimism.  In addition, they report lower levels of depression and stress.  The disposition toward gratitude appears to enhance pleasant feeling states more than it diminishes unpleasant emotions.  Grateful people do not deny or ignore the negative aspects of life.

7.  Prosociality:  People with a strong disposition toward gratitude have the capacity to be empathetic and to view the perspective of others.  They are rated as more generous and more helpful by people in their social networks (McCullough, Emmons, & Tsang, 2002).

8.  Spirituality:  Those who regularly attend religious services and engage in religious activities, such as prayer reading, are more likely to be grateful.  Grateful people are more likely to acknowledge a belief in the interconnectedness of all life, and a commitment to, and responsibility to others (McCullough et. al., 2002). Gratitude does not require religious faith, but faith enhances the ability to be grateful.

9.  Materialism:  Grateful individuals place less importance on material goods; they are less likely to judge their own and others' success in terms of possessions accumulated; they are less envious of others; and are more likely to share their possessions with others, relative to less grateful persons.

If that isn't a good enough list of benefits to spur most of us to develop our own discipline of gratitude, I don't know what will!

In Monday's blog I'll show you how you can begin to develop your own gratitude practice, and how to teach gratitude to those you coach and mentor.

Zappos and the Pursuit of Happiness - Part 2

Yesterday, we spent some time learning about Tony Hsieh’s passion for making happiness the central focus of the Zappos culture.  The insight was gained from a recent article published in Inc. Magazine.

When companies think about happiness, particularly as it applies to employees, the attention usually shifts to perks and benefits.  Hsieh seems to know better:

“That single-minded focus on happiness has led to plenty of accolades for the company, which routinely scores high on lists of the best places to work. But Zappos's approach to workplace bliss differs significantly from that of other employee-friendly businesses.

For one thing, Zappos pays salaries that are often below market rates -- the average hourly worker makes just over $23,000 a year. Though the company covers 100 percent of health care costs, employees are not offered perks found at many companies, such as on-site child care, tuition reimbursement, and a 401(k) match.

Zappos does offer free food to its employees, but the pile of cold cuts in the small cafeteria loses its allure faster than you can say Googleplex. Instead of buying his employees' loyalty, Hsieh has managed to design a corporate culture that challenges our conception of that tired phrase.”

As Dave Mashburn often points out in his WorkPuzzle posts:  Every human wants happiness, but we’re very poor at predicting what will make happiness a reality in our own lives.  This is exactly what intrigues Hsieh:

“'I've been doing a lot of research into the science of happiness,' he says. In addition to asking everyone he meets what makes him or her happy, he has also been studying books on the subject, especially Jonathan Haidt's The Happiness Hypothesis, which uses social psychology experiments to evaluate the world's great religions and philosophies and concludes that ancient wisdom and science are both useful tools in the quest for contentment.”

So, what’s he come up with?  Hsieh has concluded that happiness comes from establishing a balance between the following four basic human needs:

1. Perceived Progress:  The perception that you’re further along today than yesterday.

2. Perceived Control:  The perception that you have a direct affect on the outcomes in your life.

3. Relatedness:  Living life in the context of meaningful relationships.

4. Connection to a Larger Vision:  Contributing to something bigger than yourself.

Hsieh admits that he doesn’t have this topic completely figured out yet:

“'I’ve got a few different frameworks and I’m just figuring out how to combine them,' he says without irony or even a smile.  ‘I think I’m pretty close.'”

I find all of this intriguing, particularly because we now have hard-core business leaders addressing issues that previously "belonged" in the realm of philosophy.  Why?  Because these issues have a direct and profound impact on performance. 

If you have the responsibility for coaching and managing others, hopefully you will feel inspired to step into Tony Hsieh's shoes, and view the vast benefits of happiness in a whole new light...

Zappos and the Pursuit of Happiness

About a year ago, I started seeing advertisements in the bottoms of the plastic bins at the security checkpoints at airports – You know, the containers that you put your shoes and other personal items in before they go through the x-ray machine?

The one advertisement that stands out in my mind from routinely using these bins, was placed by a company called Zappos. Unfortunately, the intended brand impact eluded me at the time… I had no idea that Zappos was a very large and successful online shoe retailer, hence the advertisement at the bottom of the shoe bin. How clever!

Inc. Magazine recently ran an article about Zappos that I found insightful. The Zappos story is very inspiring on its own, and worth reading from a human interest perspective. But, what caught my eye was the leadership insight of their CEO, Tony Hsieh (pronounced Shay).

Hsieh has received some media attention for the financial success of Zappos (their revenues now exceed $1 Billion per year), but most people are far more interested in the counter-intuitive way he runs the company.

What’s his secret? Happiness. Hsieh has decided to make happiness the central focus of his company:

“But Hsieh has a hard time getting excited about [the financial success of the company]. What he really cares about is making Zappos’s employees and customers feel really, really good. This is not because Hsieh is a nice guy (though he is a very nice guy), but because he has decided that his entire business revolves around one thing: happiness. Everything serves that single end. Other business innovators work with software code or circuit boards or molecular formulas. Hsieh prefers to work with something altogether more complex and volatile: human beings themselves.”

Tomorrow, I’ll discuss some of the principles that Hsieh has uncovered in making happiness the central focus of Zappos. In the meantime, try to find these shoe bin ads the next time you’re at the airport…now you know the story behind them!

What's a Friend Worth?

If you are a Recruiter or Hiring Manager, you already know that network contacts can be very valuable.  People you know become a repository for new information and new contacts.

While this may be old news for you, the marketing world is just starting to study this topic.  Due to the proliferation of online social networks, such as Facebook and LinkedIn, businesses are starting to put a monetary value on these relationships.

Business Week ran a feature article on this topic last week.  Here are some insights that I picked up:

1.  Most people have many “friends,” but few close contacts:  The average Facebook user with 500 “friends” actively follows the news of 40 of them, communicates with 20, and keeps in close contact with about 10. 

2.  People tend to group other people into one of four categories: 

(a) Closest Friends -- You trade email with these people or have other reciprocal communications.

(b) One-way Relationships -- You send email to these people or post comments on their profile pages (but they don’t respond).

(c) Just Barely in Touch -- You click on something these people post on Facebook or visit their profile page more than twice.

(d) Near Strangers -- You let these people into your network, but you really don’t know or interact with them.

3.  So far, marketers are dismal at figuring out how to manipulate these networks for profit:  It is estimated that Facebook is able to generate less than a dime per member in advertising revenue.  Yes, they have a lot of members, but the end results pale in comparison to traditional advertising venues.  In my hometown of Seattle, radio stations capture about $200M in ad revenue from a population base of $3.2M people.  That’s over $60 per person compared to Facebook’s $0.10 per member.

So, what can we learn from all of this?  First, companies are spending a lot of money trying to crack the code of social marketing.  If it all seems confusing to you, you’re not alone.  Companies like Facebook and Microsoft have bunches of PhDs working on this stuff and they can’t even figure it out! 

Second, some of the traditional techniques you’ve used for networking should not be abandoned.  Most of your results are still going to come from these techniques. 

Lastly, don’t ignore the new tools, but don’t depend on them either.  Spend your extra time endearing yourself to your close contacts rather than adding “near strangers” to your online network.