WorkPuzzle

Looking for Something to Read this Summer? Take a Suggestion from One of Your Favorite Business Leaders

Summer is here and many of us are looking for a couple of new books to pack along on vacation or even a long weekend. 

You could surf over to Amazon a pick up one of the current bestsellers such as Sheryl Sandburg’s new biography.  If you wanted something a little lighter, you might want to try James Patterson’s most recent novel.

While these may be good choices, I’m guessing these books probably won’t have a long-term impact on your life. I’ve always found it difficult to find the books that fit in this category.   Reading is a serendipitous exercise that I sometimes find frustrating—I usually have to read 20 books to find one that creates a lasting impression.

That’s why a recent article in Entrepreneur magazine caught my attention.  The article was written by Alyson Shontell and documents the books that had the greatest impact on several of today’s most prominent business leaders.

Here are some the leaders and the books they found most impactful:

Jeff Bezos, Founder and CEO of Amazon.

 Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras

 The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. 

Bezos once told Newsweek magazine:  "If you read The Remains of the Day, which is one of my favorite books, you can't help but come away and think, I just spent 10 hours living an alternate life and I learned something about life and about regret."

Tony Hsieh, Founder and CEO of Zappos.

Tribal Leadership: Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving Organization by Dave Logan, John King and Halee Fischer-Wright.

Peak: How Great Companies Get Their Mojo from Maslow  by Chip Conley

Hsieh recently said, "Tribal Leadership codifies a lot of what we've been doing instinctually and provides a great framework for all companies to bring company culture to the next level,"

Bill Gates, Co-Founder of Microsoft.

The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined by Steven Pinker.

The Catcher in the Rye. by J.D. Salinger

Gates told the Academy of Achievement that The Catcher and the Rye is “…very clever. It acknowledges that young people are a little confused, but can be smart about things and see things that adults don't really see. So I've always loved it,"

Mark Zukerberg, CEO of Facebook.

He told the New Yorker in 2010 that his favorite book was The Aeneid by Virgil.

Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle.

Napoleon by Vincent Cronin.

Ellison recently told the Academy of Achievement, "[Napoleon] is interesting to read about him for a couple of reasons: to see what one man of modest birth can do with his life, and to see how history can distort the truth entirely."

Tim Cook, CEO of Apple.

Competing Against Time by George Stalk

Cook has been known to hand out copies of this book to Apple employees.

Jack Dorsey, Co-Founder of Twitter, and Founder and CEO of Square.

The Checklist Manifesto: How To Get Things Right by Atul Gawande.

When Jack Dorsey hires a new employee at his company Square, he gives them a welcome kit that contains this book.

Steve Jobs, Co-Founder of Apple

Innovator's Dilemma, by Clayton Christensen

King Lear, by William Shakespeare

Moby Dick, by Herman Melville

Steve Jobs’ reading influences were very extensive, eclectic and are well-documented in various sources in recent years.

You’ve probably not read every book on this list.  If you see one that seems interesting, it may be a shortcut to finding one that also has a significant impact on your life.  Regardless, it will make your decision on what to read this summer a little easier.

 Question:  What book (s) have you found to be the most impactful in the last 10 years?

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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. 

Post Memorial Day Insight: To Do...Or...Not To Do

The WorkPuzzle gang has been a little slow in recovering after Memorial Day Weekend.  We'll be back to our normal publishing schedule next week. 

To wrap up this week, I thought I'd post something a little more eclectic than normal.  I found two "lists" this week that caught my attention.  Whenever I spend significant time away from the office, I tend to come back and question my priorities--what am I doing, and why am I doing it?  As I try to get back on track, rules that speak to priorities tend to resonate with me. 

The first list was orginally published in Reddit and was consolidated by Dina Spector, one of the Business Insider contributors.  It is an intriguing list of small things you can start doing to make yourself more healthy.  If you click through to the original article, most of the insights are documented with original research citations.

The second list is written by Jeff Hayden and published in Inc. Magazine. It is a list of things that you should immedietly elliminate from your daily routine. 

So, here is a slight adaptation Hamlet's famous question:  To do, or not to do.  That is the question.

To Do

1. Learn to drink your coffee black. Coffee is good for you (in moderation). Eliminating milk, cream, sugar, or flavorings will cut calories and maximize coffee's health benefits.

2. Stand on one leg while brushing your teeth. This is an easy multi-tasking activity that can improve your balance. 

3. Spread avocado on your toast instead of butter. Avocados are a good source of healthy fats. The fleshy green fruit is a mainstay on the "superfood" list. 

4. Meditate for just 20 minutes a day.  At least a dozen executives swear by the relaxing technique.

5. Eat fruit instead of candy.  Candy is sweet because it contains processed sugar, usually high fructose corn syrup. Fruit is sweet because it contains natural sugar, while it's also rich in fiber and vitamins. 

6. Learn how to cook. You will eat healthier, save money on dining out, and boost your self-esteem armed with a new skill. 

7. Park farther away from your destination. This is an easy way to squeeze more physical activity into your daily routine. 

8. Use the stairs instead of the elevator. This will burn calories and tone leg muscles.

9. Shop on a full stomach. Studies show that people who snack before a grocery trip buy fewer unhealthy foods. 

10. Drink more water.  The benefits of staying hydrated are endless — healthier hair, skin, and more energy. Some fitness experts claim you can lose weight if you drink water before every meal. 

11. Turn off your phone from time to time. Occasionally unplugging can help stressed individuals achieve a state of complete relaxation. 

12. Read a book. Expand your knowledge, reduce stress, and briefly cut ties with the Internet. 

13. Walk faster. Power walking will help blast fat — and get you to your destination sooner. 

14. Eat whole wheat bread instead of white bread.  Whole wheat bread is higher in fiber than regular white bread. Fiber helps with digestion.

15. Moisturize daily. A good moisturizing regimen prevents dry, flaky skin.  

16. Stretch every day.  Studies have shown that, in addition to enhancing flexibility, stretching makes you stronger and increases endurance. 

17. Regularly wash your hands with soap and water and dry properly.This simple step gets rids of germs and drying off prevents the spread of bacteria.  

18. If you are a regular public transport user, get on the bus one stop later than usual, and get off off one stop earlier than usual. Walking burns calories, reduces anxiety, and strengthens bones. 

19. Wear sunscreen. You don't want skin cancer. And you don't want to look like this. 

 Not to Do

1. Check my phone while I'm talking to someone.  Stop checking your phone. It doesn't notice when you aren't paying attention.  Other people? They notice. And they care.

2. Multitask during a meeting. The easiest way to be the smartest person in the room is to be the person who pays the most attention to the room.

3. Think about people who don't make any difference in my life.  Trust me: The inhabitants of planet Kardashian are okay without you.

4. Use multiple notifications.  You don't need to know the instant you get an email. Or a text. Or a tweet. Or anything else that pops up on your phone or computer.  They can wait. You, and what is truly important to you, cannot.

5. Let the past dictate the future.  Mistakes are valuable. Learn from them. Then let them go.The past is just training. The past should definitely inform but in no way define you--unless you let it.

6. Wait until I'm sure I will succeed.  You can never feel sure you will succeed at something new, but you can always feel sure you are committed to giving something your best.

7. Talk behind someone's back.  If only because being the focus of gossip sucks. (And so do the people who gossip.)  Spend your time on productive conversations. You'll get a lot more done--and you'll gain a lot more respect.

8. Say "yes" when I really mean "no."  When you say no, at least you'll only feel bad for a few moments. When you say yes to something you really don't want to do you might feel bad for a long time--or at least as long as it takes you to do what you didn't want to do in the first place.

If you follow the advice on both of these lists, your summer will be off to a great start, and you'll be making investments in yourself that will pay dividends far beyond the next few months.

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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. 

Turning Your Sales Expertise into Recruiting Expertise—Part 2

In our last discussion, I outlined two of the five steps that allow you to connect your previous sales expertise to the recruiting process.

The first two steps—developing a relationship with the candidate and identifying the candidate’s needs are critical to the process.  If this important groundwork is not laid at the beginning of the recruiting sequence, the remainder of the interaction with the candidate will feel “sales-y.”  Talented candidates shut down and run the other way when they detect an interview heading down this path.

Assuming you’ve laid the proper groundwork, here are the remaining components of the recruiting strategy:

Preventing/Overcoming Objections: Although objections are inevitable in any sales process, the key for successful sales professionals/recruiters is actually preventing objections. By asking the right types of questions in step 2, many objections that would have occurred in the process are addressed before the candidate has an opportunity to bring them forth. Keep in mind that some objections are inevitable, that they are often training responses, and that most are emotional and not practical.

It is not uncommon for candidates to experience “buyer's remorse” at some point during the recruiting process.  After the initial attempts to build a relationship and share information, candidates often get cold feet.  If this should happen after an interview (during the follow-up process), reminding your candidates of why they started down this path in the first place may help them get back on track. 

Filling the Need/Providing Benefits: Identifying the need (step 2) is considered the most crucial skill in sales or recruiting; filling the need (step 4)  is the second-most critical step to ensure success. Often recruiters and sales professionals alike pay little attention to step 2, and focus solely on step 4.

Like many sales professionals, recruiters often focus on what is commonly known in sales language as their “product knowledge.” They have an in-depth understanding of the organization they are recruiting for, they understand every detail of the position and its function, and they completely understand the requirements of the role.

Armed with all of this product knowledge, these untrained recruiters contact potential candidates and attempt to “tell” them about every benefit of the position and company they represent, never addressing the real needs of the candidates. This is a common mistake that is made by most sales professionals and is illustrated further in this article.

Most of our recruiting coordinators (ie. the individuals who first make contact with candidates) have been advised to not over-share information.  While many of them do have the “product knowledge,” that information is best shared by the hiring manager later in the process (if it even needs to be shared at all).  If a candidate is told everything about the career and company, there is little reason for the person to invest time in an interview. 

When a hiring manager is face-to-face with a candidate, it’s important to only address the unique and specific needs identified in step 2 of the process.  At this stage of the hiring process, the candidate’s needs are the primarily concern.  Product knowledge and information overloading just muddies the water and makes it difficult for the candidate to gain clarity in an important career decision.

Advance/Close the Sale: In recruiting and sales, advancing the sale is the final objective throughout every step of the process. By filling the need in Step 4, you are in a position to advance the sale to the next step.

In recruiting, closing is most commonly compared to presenting the offer and gaining acceptance from the candidate. At this stage recruiters often focus on the practical aspects of the offer being made: compensation, benefits, perks etc.

Effective recruiters and sales professionals alike understand the importance of re-emphasizing the emotional drivers identified in Step 2 of the sales process prior to presenting the practical aspects of the solution.

In the real estate recruiting process, there is often more “advancing” and less “closing” required.  After learning about the candidate’s unique situation, figure out a reasonable first step (or next step) in the hiring process and attempt to get the candidate to commit to that step.  Mutually select a date when the next step will be completed and then hold the candidate accountable to the target date. 

Without “closing” a candidate on the next step, the hiring process will not gain and maintain momentum.  Seemingly great interviews result in disappearing candidates—i.e. individuals you never hear from again after the interview is finished. 

Knowing what to ask, when to ask, what to share, and when to listen is fundamental to both the sales and recruiting process.  Here’s to becoming an expert at both!

Note:  Note: Quotations (italicized text) are excerpts from a great article written by  Stephen Lowisz.  Read more of Stephen’s article by visiting his author page on Electronic Recruiting Exchange.

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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. .

Turning Your Sales Expertise into Recruiting Expertise--Part 1

I recently came across an article that reinforces many of the principles I believe to be true regarding effective recruiting.  Steven Lowisz does a great job of succinctly summarizing the parallels between effective recruiting and effective sales.  

Since many of the hiring managers in the real estate industy started out their careers as sales professionals (ie. agents), the connection between these two activities will feel familiar.  The skills that once made you a great salesperson will now help you become a more effective recruiter.    

In this two-part series, I will discuss five steps to effective recruiting that also apply to sales.  Managers will get a two-for-one benefit in this discussion--insight for recruiting and insight for coaching agents on the sales process.  

I believe these ideas are also helpful for the "first responders" in the recruiting process (what we call recruiting coordinators).  It is important that the candidate experiences a consistent set of best practices from their first contact with your organization to the face-to-face interview.

1. Developing the Relationship: This is the time that the warming-up events occur before the serious selling begins. This includes how you introduce yourself and how you begin the conversation. Candidates have stated that it’s during the first two minutes of the call that they form crucial initial impressions that influence the rest of the recruiting process.

The recruiting coordinators are on the frontline with the HiringCenter leads.  They are the first to start building the relationship between the candidate and the company.  I’ve found most of the candidates who are contacted within the first 24 hours after applying are genuinely appreciative of the responsiveness and information that is shared.  After the initial screening the candidate is then introduced to the manager who starts to build their own relationship with the candidate.

2. Creating/Identifying the Need: Every sale involves identifying a need that the candidate is often unaware of by asking questions. This is much more than a simple collection of data. Identifying or creating the need is the most important of all selling and recruiting skills. Recruiters who are the most effective during this investigative stage are most likely to be the highest performers. Recruiters with poor investigative skills generally create candidates who ultimately do not accept the position once offered.

Here is where a little finesse comes into play.  Just asking for one’s work history is not enough. Of course it's important, but falls short of effective screening. 

Take it a step further and ask what it is that they enjoy about their current career/position…listen. Then ask what it is that they don’t care for….listen.  Then compare and contrast how a career in real estate would address those observations in their favor. 

For example, a candidate may say “I don’t like being behind a desk all day” or “There is a lack of advancement” or “I really feel micromanaged.”    All of those observations are non-issues as an agent.

As you capture the frustrating aspects of their current job and gently suggest how these issues may be solved by transitioning to a real estate career, the need for an interview with the hiring manager will be easier to sell.  Remember, that is the primary function of the recruiting coordinator. 

Also, when similiar questions are later asked by the hiring manager, he/she will be in a better position to build upon the groundwork that has been laid earlier in the process.  

In my next installment I will discuss the last three steps critical to the recruiting process.

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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. .

Be Happy--Become a Real Estate Agent--Part 2

Last week, our discussion focused on new research concerning where individuals find happiness in their careers.  Surprisingly, the “real estate agent” position topped the 2013 “Happiest Jobs in America” list.

How did the real estate agent position garner such a high ranking?  The position scored highly on the top ten factors that produce happiness at work:

1. Work-life balance

2.  One’s relationship with his/her boss and co-workers

3.  Work environment

4.   Job resources

5.  Compensation

6.  Growth opportunities

7.  Company culture

8.  Company reputation

9.  Daily tasks

10.  Job control over work performed on a daily basis.

In part one of this blog, we talked about how to use this information during an interview.  But, there is more to learn from this research; both from a retention perspective and a second recruiting angle you may have not considered.

Retention

Think about how the agents on your team would rate each of the happiness factors listed. It might be interesting to conduct your own research on this topic during upcoming coaching sessions. 

To mirror a job happiness study, use a five point scale (1-Unacceptable…5-Outstanding) and ask questions in the following manner….”How would you rate your work-life balance while working in our company?”

As you might suspect, retaining agents has a lot to do with maintaining an environment where people feel they can initially obtain and then later sustain a sense of personal happiness.  

Typically, agents won’t leave your organization because the company next door offers something better.  They leave (initially with their emotions) because something (or multiple things) is constantly irritating them. Once this irritation sets in, it’s easy to rationalize that the grass must be greener somewhere else.

To be successful at retaining your agents, be proactive and make sure that these irritations don’t take root in your organization.

Recruiting

From a recruiting perspective, there is a second angle worth considering in the jo happiness study.  It will always be difficult to lure happy individuals away from their current positions with a “life’s great over here” message.

A better strategy is to find those who are unhappy. 

Almost any message of hope has a good chance of resonating with these individuals.  The CareerBliss study documented the job positions where workers are most dissatisfied:

There are a few patterns worth noticing in this data. 

1.  Pay is not correlated to happiness.  The most “unhappy job in America” pays a six-figure salary.  None of the happiest jobs are particularly high-paying positions.

2.  Education level is not correlated to happiness.   Several of the jobs on the unhappy list require high levels of education (nurse, teacher, attorney, pharmacy technician).  Many of the happiest jobs do not require highly specialized education.

3.  Serving unhappy customers is taxing.  Notice that many of the unhappy professions regularly deal with dissatisfied customers or unhappy clients.  People typically interface with the legal, medical, and customer service professions when something has gone wrong.

Successful recruiting first involves finding people who are unhappy with their current employment and then engaging them by tapping into their feelings of dissatisfaction and frustration. 

Unless a  candidate first feels heard on these two topics, the positive traits of being a real estate agent will fall on deaf ears. 

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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. 

Be Happy: Become a Real Estate Agent

I had the opportunity to spend some time with the executive team and managers of Ruhl &Ruhl Realtors in Davenport, Iowa late last month.  Caroline Ruhl and her team lead a highly productive company that is full of optimism and contagious energy.

Caroline’s company is very successful at attracting talented young professionals to the real estate industry.  They are far ahead of most of their industry peers and have a bright future emerging. 

By chance, I happened to arrive for a pre-planned speaking engagement on the day when the company surpassed a very aggressive recruiting goal they’ve been working on for several years.   

The impromptu celebration (which started at 9am) included cake, sparklers, candy, champagne, and balloons.  And not just any balloons, the meeting room was filled with balloons that each had the individual name of one agent in the company written on it.  It was quite impactful to look around the room and recognize the lives that have been impacted by the recruiting process.

Doesn’t this sound like a fun place to work?  Darcy Holle and Sally Atwell planned the surprise celebration.  Both of these ladies are great recruiters and lots of fun at a 9am party too!

I relayed this experience to you as a way of introducing some new research that was recently published in Forbes Magazine.  Not surprisingly, Caroline pointed me to this article during my visit.  It only makes sense that a fun place like Ruhl & Ruhl would discover this research!

The research was done by an online career community called CareerBliss, and it involved collecting surveys from more than 65,000 employees.  Forbes magazine reported:

“Employees all over the country were asked to evaluate ten factors that affect workplace happiness. Those include one’s relationship with the boss and co-workers, work environment, job resources, compensation, growth opportunities, company culture, company reputation, daily tasks, and control over the work one does on a daily basis.

They evaluated each factor on a five-point scale and also indicated how important it was to their overall happiness. The numbers were combined to find an average rating of overall employee happiness for each respondent, and then sorted by job title to find which occupations had the happiest workers. A minimum of 50 employee reviews was required to be considered for CareerBliss’ 10 Happiest Jobs in America, and executive level jobs, like chief executive, were excluded from the study. “

And the results…

"The happiest employees of all aren’t kindergarten teachers or veterinarians. They’re real estate agents. Professionals with this job title are typically responsible for renting, buying, or selling property for clients. According to the BLS, they study property listings, interview prospective clients, accompany clients to property site, discuss conditions of sale, and draw up real estate contracts. They make about $51,170 per year, on average—but top earning real estate agents rake in over $92,000.

With an index score of 4.26, real estate agents said they are more than satisfied with the control they have over the work they do on a daily basis. They’re also fairly content with their bosses.

Real estate agents have definitely weathered quite a financial storm over the past few years but right now [mortgage] rates are between 2% and 3% and inventory is low, making it a real estate agent’s dream as new homes hit the market and are getting multiple offers in the first week….  Happy times.”

This is great information to have in your back pocket during your next interview.  If you’re interviewing a “new to real estate” candidate, a high percentage of these individuals are leaving jobs/careers that make them unhappy. 

As we’ve discussed many times in the past, make sure you listen to their story first and address the unique points of pain that you uncover during the interview.  As a side point, after the groundwork is laid, it may be helpful offer this independent research as a way of driving your point home.

During our next discussion, we’ll spend some time learning about the most “unhappy jobs” in America and how this information can also improve your recruiting results.

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Already of a member of TMOC?  If so, join the WorkPuzzle Dialog Group by clicking on the WorkPuzzle Group icon on the left side of your TMOC homepage.  Questions?   Email the WorkPuzzle editor (workpuzzle@hiringcenter.net) and we'll walk through the process.

 

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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. 

How to Stop Wasting Time--Starting Right Now

I'm writing about this topic because I just started a new exercise designed to help me avoid wasting time. I started this exercise earlier today, so I can't tell if it works well long-term. But I can tell you that I’ve already pinpointed a couple of activities that I hope to permanently discard!

I didn't wake up this morning planning to do a time study. I simply felt frustrated when I realized that I had already wasted about two hours of my day. I didn’t mean to waste the time, but combining an unscheduled time slot with a lack of purpose and ‘time-wasting” sprouted like a weed.

I know that I must act purposefully for my time and effort to contribute to my long-term goals.  It’s frustrating to realize that I’ve fallen short of this objective. 

Fortunately I turned this frustration into some positive action and discovered an article that shed some light on this common struggle.   The article I found was written by Bruce Kasanoff and I immediately set out to follow its contents.  I think you’ll benefit from this as well.

A Highly Effective Way to Avoid Wasting Your Time

"Here's a simple way to potentially save hours of your time each week, by investing a total of about five minutes.

First thing in the morning, take a piece of paper and write a column of numbers representing each hour from the time you wake up until you go to sleep. For me, the list would start 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 1 and go all the way back to 12. (So far, you have invested about fifteen seconds.)

For this single day, at the top of every hour stop for 20 seconds and consider how happy you are with the way you spent your time. Did you invest it wisely? If the answer is yes, don't write anything.

But if you wouldn't repeat the way you spent the last hour, next to the number representing that hour write a few words that describes what you did. On one of my lists, for example, at 3 o’clock I wrote "pointless to talk with Ralph; doesn't listen," meaning that it was a waste of my time to meet with him.

Stick with this exercise all day; it takes very little time, just the discipline to stop every hour for a few seconds. But at the end of the day, you'll have a list of activities you wish you avoided. If the list has more than one or two items, you might want to continue the practice for a while.

If you make this a habit, you'll soon start to spot patterns. It will be easier to recognize ways in which you are wasting time and effort, and you'll do a better job of avoiding these.

You can also use this technique across an entire department to help all involved make better use of their time. To avoid offending people, I wouldn't suggest pooling the results. You can simply introduce the test and allow people to draw their own conclusions."

If you decide to implement this personally or within your office, be sure and let me know the results. And, I certainly hope that reading this WorkPuzzle edition won't turn up on your list of things to avoid! 

Question:  Have you developed any personal tactics for keeping "time-wasting" under control in your life? If so, let us know what you've learned.

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Already of a member of TMOC?  If so, join the WorkPuzzle Dialog Group by clicking on the WorkPuzzle Group icon on the left side of your TMOC homepage.  Questions?   Email the WorkPuzzle editor (workpuzzle@hiringcenter.net) and we'll walk through the process.

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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. 

Meaning at Work: How to Tap a New Level of Performance in Your Agents and Employees

Dr. Robert Emmons, a prolific researcher and professor at the University of California, recently wrote:

“As far as we know, humans are the only meaning-seeking species on the planet. ‘Meaning- making’ is an activity that is distinctively human, a function of how the human brain is organized. 

The many ways in which humans conceptualize, create, and search for meaning has become a recent focus of behavioral science on the quality of life and subjective well-being.” 

A tremendous amount of research and writing on the connection between human performance and the meaning people find in their work has started to emerge because of this focus.   And, some of the heavy-hitters in the business world were quick to take notice of these discoveries. 

Here are some examples of how much attention is being paid to “meaning-making” at work:

• Research at McKinsey and Company has led to actionable strategies and tasks that help infuse meaning in the work of individuals and organizations.  These findings were based on research done by social scientists. Their full perspective and recommendations can be found in Beyond Performance: How Great Organizations Build Ultimate Competitive Advantage
• Gary Hamel, ranked by the Wall Street Journal as the world’s most influential business thinker, and who Fortune magazine called “the world’s leading expert on business strategy" is encouraging managers to see themselves as “entrepreneurs of meaning.”
• One of my favorite psychological researchers, Mikel Csìkszentmihàlyi, writes extensively about “the making of meaning” in his book Good Business.

I want to emphasize that the research being done in this area is far from the touchy-feely anecdotes or inspirational speaker clichés that sometimes sound similar. I have little tolerance for methods and insights that are not based on research.   Once you push through the surface language, there is substance behind this topic that leads to real and measurable performance improvements.

There is far too much to share with you about this subject matter in one blog edition, but here are a few examples that will get you thinking about the importance of meaning at work.  These examples were compiled by Susie Cranston and Scott Keeler at McKinsey and Company:

1.  Emerson Electric

"David Farr, chairman and CEO of Emerson Electric.... is known for asking virtually everyone he encounters in the organization four questions:

(a) How do you make a difference? (testing for alignment with the company’s direction)

(b) What improvement idea are you working on? (emphasizing continuous improvement)

(c) When did you last get coaching from your boss? (emphasizing the importance of people development)

(d) Who is the enemy? (emphasizing the importance of 'One Emerson' and no silos, as well as directing the staff’s energy toward the external threat).

The motivational effect of this approach has been widely noted by Emerson employees."

2.  Wells Fargo

"The CEO of Wells Fargo, John Stumpf, marked the first anniversary of its change program by sending out personal thank-you notes to all the employees who had been involved, with specific messages related to the impact of their individual work."

3.  PepsiCo

"Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo, sends the spouses of her top team handwritten thank-you letters. After seeing the impact of her own success on her mother during a visit to India, she began sending letters to the parents of her top team, too.

Some managers might dismiss these as token gestures—but employees often tell us that the resulting boost in motivation and in connection to the leader and the company can last for months if not years.

As Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart Stores, put it, 'Nothing else can quite substitute for a few well-chosen, well-timed, sincere words of praise. They’re absolutely free—and worth a fortune.'”

Don't get me wrong, working hard and expecting everyone else match your level of effort can be a powerful motivator. However, that philosophy has limitations.

As human beings, we need more.  Science is telling us that the “more” we’re looking for is meaning in our work.  Make sure your agents and employees understand and buy-into the meaning behind their tasks.  If they don’t, they’ll not reach their maximum potential and your team will suffer.

Question:  How do you help infuse your organization with meaning?   What communication techniques have you tried and found effective?

 

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Already of a member of TMOC?  If so, join the WorkPuzzle Dialog Group by clicking on the WorkPuzzle Group icon on the left side of your TMOC homepage.  Questions?   Email the WorkPuzzle editor (workpuzzle@hiringcenter.net) and we'll walk through the process.

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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. 

The Equation for Achievement

We all spend a great deal of time trying to figure out the best possible ways to predict potential success in those we recruit and interview.

And we aren't alone.

Where there exists a big question, you can usually find big research. Many people within the field of psychology spend ample time and research dollars trying to predict the same.

While reading Martin Seligman's most recent book, called "Flourish," I am, once again, struck by how far research has come in boiling down "achievement" to its primary components.

The following is an excerpt of an article summarizing the research on this topic.

 "Many people think that if you are smart and have enough talent, you will succeed in fields such as sports, music, education and business.  When we think of great people in history such as Mozart, Edison, Confucius, and Shakespeare we hear about their talent and intelligence.

But true genius is being shown to be as much a product of grit as intelligence or skill. 

A study of genius (By Dr Angela L. Duckworth and Christopher Peterson) in twenty-one fields, including astronomy, music, mathematics, Eastern and Western philosophy, painting and literature showed that only two or three giants stand way ahead in each of these fields, a few top performers outdistance the rest by a huge amount. 

For example, in the publication of scientific papers, very few people publish many papers, but the majority of scientists publish none or only one.  In golf, only three golfers have won sixty or more PGA tournaments (Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods). Greatness and high achievement are reserved for only a few. It is their grittiness, as well as their intelligence and skill that caused their success.

The equation that predicts success is: (Skill) x (Effort) = Achievement.  

Martin Seligman, a well known academic and psychologist, in his recent book “Flourish,” points to a a great deal of research that shows achievement can be understood and predicted by the following four factors.

SPEED: Seligman calls this ‘Fast’ and it is the sheer speed of your thought about a task.  This involves how much and how quickly you have access to relevant knowledge on the task. It is hard to develop this. You either have it or you don’t.

MINDFULNESS: He calls this ‘Slow’.  This is the ability to call up memories, plan, check, review and be creative in examining and exploring the task.  This can be learned through meditation and mindfulness practices such as walking, eating with attention, and breath awareness.

RATE OF LEARNING: The faster your rate of learning, the more knowledge you can accumulate about the area.  This is different from sheer speed of thought.  This occurs by being involved in new, challenging, and tight time-lined projects and through reviewing “lessons learned.”

EFFORT: Time on task.  This is the time spent on doing or practicing the task and multiplies the skill available in achieving the goal.  It also adds to speed since more time spent on a task results in more knowledge of it.

Research has shown that extraordinary achievement in sports, chess, music, writing and business is not just talent or IQ but the amount of hours you practice something.  If you want to be great at something practice it for 60 hours a week for 20 years!"

When reading the literature, I am left with questions I believe we all need to be asking if we expect to continue learning, growing, and getting better at what we do: 

1. Can you find both sides of this equation being lived out in those you know who have succeeded? 

2. Does it clearly differentiate workers who succeed from those who don't? 

3. Did the successful individuals come with one or both characteristics, or did they develop them?

4.  Do people lose either side of the equation with time? If so ,how and why?

5.  Can you teach this equation in a way where it will inspire people to develop a growth mindset and better pursue both sides of the equation?

6.  Are there components of the equation that are missing? (i.e. interests, signature strengths or innate wiring etc.)

Let me know your answers or other questions that I might be missing.

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Join the WorkPuzzle Discussion at the Tidemark Online Community (TMOC)

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Already of a member of TMOC?  If so, join the WorkPuzzle Dialog Group by clicking on the WorkPuzzle Group icon on the left side of your TMOC homepage.  Questions?   Email the WorkPuzzle editor (workpuzzle@hiringcenter.net) and we'll walk through the process.

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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. 

Why "Career Seminars" Will Always Be Inferior to One-on-One Interviews

One of the questions we often get from hiring managers is:

“Are one-on-one interviews really necessary in the real estate hiring process?”

What’s implied in this question (and usually comes out later in the discussion) is that it might be more efficient to conduct group interviews with several candidates at once rather than one-on-one interviews.

The line of reason is that interviews take a lot of time, and many early stage candidates are not serious about making a career change.  The group interview is a great way to “weed-out” those who are not truly interested or unqualified.

In a real estate company, this “group interview” usually takes the form of a career seminar.  It typically is an informational meeting where the company describes the benefits of changing careers and becoming a real estate agent.  At the end of the meeting, there’s typically some call to action (sign-up for licensing school, schedule a follow-up meeting with a hiring manager, etc.) that encourages the candidate to move forward in the process.

For years, we’ve recommended not using this methodology for interfacing with the majority of candidates.  There is nothing wrong with running an occasional career seminar for those who truly want information about a real estate career.  However, using this tool as a replacement or precursor to one-on-one interviews has not proven to be a best practice for recruiting high quality individuals.

Outside of the empirical data that we collected on this topic (ie. most real estate companies consistently hire 40% to 60% “D” performers using traditional hiring techniques such as career seminars), I could not put my finger on the psychology of why the “group interview concept” was inferior until last week.  I found this insight in an odd place—a coaching article written by Ed Batista.

I’ve read Ed Batista’s blog for several years, but I usually gain insight from a coaching perspective, not a recruiting perspective.   Ed is a successful executive coach and an instructor and leadership coach at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.  His business is coaching, but in the process of explaining coaching concepts he reveals a lot about the psychology of people.

The particular blog that peaked my interest was titled:  Spending Attention.  In this discussion, Ed makes the point that focused attention is one of the most powerful forces made available to human beings—both from a giving and receiving perspective.

“Focused attention is our most precious resource, because 1) it's extremely taxing on our intellectual and emotional capabilities, 2) it can have a amazingly powerful effect on its object, and 3) it can't be subdivided. (We can pay continuous partial attention to multiple objects simultaneously, but we can truly focus on only one object at any given moment.)

Much of what I do as a coach and as an experiential educator at Stanford involves nothing more than devoting my full attention to another person. This is somewhat easier in a one-on-one coaching session with a client or student, and it's somewhat harder in a group setting, but under any circumstances it's a challenging task that's almost always worth the effort.”

So, what does this have to do with interviewing?  There’s something  powerful that happens to an individual when they receive another person’s full attention.  Ed puts it this way:

“… devoting our full attention to someone can be a novel experience for both of us that in and of itself stimulates something useful in the interaction. The other person feels seen, heard, recognized, validated, appreciated or challenged in ways that partial attention never generates. And as we momentarily quiet our inner voice, we suddenly become aware of so many things that we missed before--not only about the other person and our environment, but also about ourselves. The subtler, more elusive thoughts and feelings that are usually drowned out by the louder currents can now be heard.”

It’s obvious that humans crave focused attention.  In the hiring process, the best chance of making this happen is in a one-on-one interview. 

By the way, just because a person is sitting across the desk from you, doesn’t mean focused attention will happen (read the rest of Ed’s blog to learn more about how you can become effective at giving focused attention). 

But, focused attention is almost guaranteed NOT to happen in a group interview/career seminar setting.

A high quality candidate wants and deserves the focused attention of the hiring manager during the hiring process.  If this element is missing, the high quality candidates will exit the hiring process. 

When the high quality candidates leave the hiring process, all you’re left with are desperate candidates who believe they deserve no better than a career information session. 

Of course there are exceptions to this rule (I’m sure some of you will write me about how you hired your best agent ever through a career information session), but you won’t win the hiring game by betting on the exceptions.  In the long run, the time and effort you put into one-on-one interviews will pay off.

Question:  What techniques have you found effective in making candidates feel they have your focused attention during an interview?

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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.