WorkPuzzle

Retention: Predicting Who Will Jump Ship in Your Organization

Many of our company’s clients are increasingly focusing on the metric of “net hires.”  While recruiting is critical to any growth strategy, it must be coupled with outstanding retention strategies if growth is going to materialize.

The work of a real estate leader is to create an environment where agents are first attracted to join and then compelled to stay and contribute their talents to the organization.

There are very few tricks and gimmicks that produce long-term success in the quest to retain agents.  If you’re not providing an environment that offers real value, cracks will develop in your proverbial bathtub and water runs downhill.

Today’s topic assumes you have a great bathtub and you’re doing the work of keeping the cracks from developing.   Here’s reality--even under the best of circumstances, good agents will sometimes become disillusioned and leave your organization. 

The question for today:  Can those agents be saved if you were given enough warning of the impending departure?

Yes.  They can be saved, but only if you have enough time (usually several weeks) to solve problems and address issues that are causing the disillusionment. 

How do you get advanced notice that someone is going to leave your organization?  Several years ago, the researchers at the Huntsman School of Business (Utah State University) started putting thought into that question and came up with some surprising answers.

The research was led by associate professor Tim Gardner and focused on the symptoms that lead to voluntary turnover.   Here is a summary of the findings:

[Gardner] was surprised when his research showed, for example, an employee who starts taking more vacation time, punching out at 5 p.m. every day and looking at outside openings on company time, is not necessarily someone who is about to leave.

Gardner discovered, however, one thing most employees had in common before they left was that they began to “disengage” in the workplace.

Here are a few examples of subtle but consistent behavioral changes people often make in the one to two months before they leave their job:

They offered fewer constructive contributions in meetings.

They were more reluctant to commit to long-term projects.

They become more reserved and quiet.

They became less interested in advancing in the organization.

They were less interested in pleasing their boss than before.

They avoided social interactions with their boss and other members of management.

They suggested fewer new ideas or innovative approaches.

They began doing the minimum amount of work needed and no longer went beyond the call of duty.

They were less interested in participating in training and development programs.

Their work productivity went down.

Gardner said if employees were demonstrating at least six of these behaviors, his statistical formula could predict with 80 percent accuracy that they were about to leave the organization.

So think about this:  If you can detect one to two months out a person’s tendency to leave your organization with 80% accuracy, this information could significantly improve the retention percentage of agents on your team.

With this type of foreknowledge, you’d have time to probe for the irritations the agents are experiencing, uncover obstacles that are causing them to lose focus, and solve problems before they become deal-breakers.

How could you execute a system that would make use of this research?  For starters, you could create a simple scorecard that allows you to rate each agent on a scale of 1 to 3 (never, sometimes, frequently) for each question.  

Then color-code (green, yellow, red) your agents w/ a probability of staying in our organization.  Those agents receiving a score of 24 points or higher should probably be marked as red.  Those are the ones that need your attention.

Gardner sums up his research by saying,

“It appears that a person’s attitude can create behaviors that are hard to disguise,” he said. “As the grass starts to look greener on the other side of the fence to you, chances are that others will soon notice that you’ve lost your focus.”

Become proficient at detecting that loss of focus, and you’ll head off retention problems before they become your realty.

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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. 

Coaching and a Putt-Putt Champion

I am a golfer. The type that loves to spend 4+ hours at a time playing on regulation golf courses. But, did you know that there is a little known culture dedicated to the practice and perfecting of the game of Putt-Putt Golf?

You know the game! The sometimes gimmicky putter-only courses you typically only play with kids. This group can teach us a great deal about coaching. More on that later..

Over the past 2 months I've shared with you some basic principles of great coaching, and I hope that you've benefited from the concrete structure around the art of coaching. A recent article in Forbes by Candice Frankovelgia, gives us an excellent synopsis of what we've discussed over the last few weeks. 

1) Building the relationship. It’s easier to learn from someone you trust. 

2) Providing assessment.  Assessment often focuses on gaps or inconsistencies, on current performance vs. desired performance, words vs. actions and intention vs. impact.

3) Challenging thinking and assumptions.  Coaches ask open-ended questions, push for alternative solutions to problems and encourage reasonable risk-taking.

4) Supporting and encouraging. They encourage employees to make progress toward their goals, and they recognize their successes.

5) Driving results.  Effective coaching is about achieving goals.

All of these principles are important. But, what is the real key? What is the bottom line to great coaching? What have I witnessed in every great coach who I have ever had the pleasure of being inspired by? What can make you a great coach? 

The answer came when I watched the following video on a group of gentleman who have spent most of their lives perfecting the game of putt-putt golf.

The Key is Reverence!

Every great coach conveys a reverence for their craft. The craft that they help teach others to learn and execute appears to me as some extension of the divine; a love of the game (whatever it might be).

A husband of one of my clients sells copiers and fax machines for a living, and does quite well. When I asked him what got him into the business, he told me a great story. As he was interviewing as a new college graduate, he told the hiring boss..."But I want to sell something important... something that saves lives..." His future boss looked at him sternly and said, "I sell copiers to people who save lives every day." And he meant it. 

So the big question is: Do you have a reverent or sacred view of what you do and what you are inspiring others to do. Beyond what you sell, the lives and inner dreams of those you manage can be approached with reverence.

When you combine the human element with the structured principles, then you are a truly great coach and the results will prove it! 

Enjoy this great video of a perfect Putt-Putt game and experience the reverence and dedication of the best putt-putt players you'll ever see. 

  

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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. 

3 Reasons For a Coaching Mindset

Do you have a coaching mindset? Do you know anyone who does? I would bet that the greatest leaders influencing your life exhibited a natural coaching mindset. Those leaders are few and far between. 

Why are they so rare and why do those who possess or learn the coaching mindset have such a powerful influence? The answer lies in what they do that is the opposite of what the rest of us do: At the end of most conversations they
know you a little better and you leave with a feeling that they truly care
about who you are. 

These are the people who listen, probe your experiences, find out what you
are learning, and ask more questions.

Why is this so important in relationships and why is it vital to great
coaching? 

Below are some reasons why being an Active listener is vital to coaching:

1. We are all puzzles to ourselves. 

Nobody really knows their "self." No one thoroughly understands who they are or what prompts their thought or decision making processes.

As a good listener you are helping them fit more of the puzzle pieces together. You are not defining their "self" but working with them to better understand what drives them. You are working alongside them in this mystery we call life!

Even those who have solid values, a strong faith, and good friends continue to need help figuring out who they are, what they stand for and where they are going. You can be a valued and active piece in filling that role by helping many to assimilate some of the missing pieces.  

2. Coaching Demonstrates Love.

I know that many of you are scared of such a strong word in connection to coaching; but I have news for you; wanting to help people piece together a framework of understanding; what makes them tick and what path they are on is exhibiting Love.   

The opposite of Love in a business relationship is not hate, it's exploitation. If you actively listen and ask leading questions then you will get to know your employee.  This again is displaying a Coaching Mindset and should ward off any temptation to exploit those you coach. It is a great litmus test of the ultimate motive. Are you in it for mutual flourishing or for your own needs?

3. "Listen First; Talk Later."

The best coaches are intent on developing, in their agent, the ability and habit of reflecting on all that they do; dissecting what worked and what didn't and improving their future performance and success.

Coaching is not teaching. Coaching is helping a person to continually assess what they are doing, critiquing and learning from those experiences.

Sports psychologists are experts at this. They don't teach, instead they aid a person in becoming aware of differences in good performance and poor performance.

Continue to develop your Coaching Mindset and I guarantee you will see success in even the most doubtful agent.

More importantly, everyone will benefit.

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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 Case Against Positive Thinking to Achieve Success - Part 2

Last week, I started a discussion about the prospects of positive thinking alone being a pathway to success.  When researched in an objective manner, this philosophy has been shown to produce less-than-positive results.

Don’t get me wrong—there is nothing harmful about being optimistic and having positive thoughts.  However, there seems to be a line that is crossed by some people where positive thoughts become a strategy.   Under the scrutiny of objective research, this philosophy appears to be flawed and unreliable.

As much as researchers have been critical of positive thinking success strategies, they have become excited about the concept of “grit.”  Grit is a success strategy that does withstand the rigors of research.

If you’re a long-time WorkPuzzle reader, you’ll probably remember this topic.   Dave and I have both written about it several times over the last five years.

For those of you who may be new readers, I’m going republish parts of two blogs (1, 2) Dave wrote in 2009.   Even if you’ve read these blogs already, it is a good reminder on how success is truly achieved.

Angela Lee Duckworth, PhD, has conducted a series of studies on a concept called "grit." 

Grit is another word for backbone, chutzpah, fortitude, guts, stick-to-it-iveness, etc. 

It all started when Dr. Duckworth observed that it wasn't necessarily the smartest people who succeeded and made a lasting impact on science. She had a hunch that it was a person's personal "grit" recipe that made the difference in their level of success. 

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

Many successful people don't attribute their success to their IQ or level of talent [or positive thoughts], but rather to their tenacity.  Thomas Edison was one of those people.  Edison once said:

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”

Here is another prime example of grit:  Poet David Baker is Director of Creative Writing at Denison University, and author of seven books of poetry, including "Midwest Eclogue."  Mr. Baker laments:

"Unfortunately, no one comes in my window and whispers poems to me... Poets [have to] work hard.  I may work on a single poem for weeks or months and write 60 or 70 drafts—only to decide that draft 22 was the good one.”

Along these same lines, people often refer to Mozart's diaries, where he divulges that an entire symphony appeared, supposedly intact, in his head. However, Jonathan Plucker an educational psychologist at Indiana University points out:

"But no one ever quotes the next paragraph, where he talks about how he refined the work for months.”

So, if you review the research I referenced in the last blog… you’ll see that grit appears to the vital component to success.

Success comes to those who work harder and demonstrate perseverance in the face of obstacles. 

"When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn."  (Harriet Beecher Stowe)

Where does that leave the positive thinker? 

Not as far from the truth as you might imagine.  Having positive thoughts is a great start, but it must be combined with hard work, tenacity, and focus on doing whatever it takes to accomplish the goal. 

This is grit.  It’s far beyond positive thinking, and it’s what effective people do to be successful.

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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. 

The Case Against Positive Thinking to Achieve Success

The idea that positive thinking alone can change a person’s circumstances is a seductive thought.  It’s something that we all, at some level, want to believe is true. 

It’s easy to head down this path.  For sure, positive thinking is better than negative thinking, but what happens when this becomes your sole strategy for success?  

According to new research highlighted in the New Yorker Magazine, you’ll probably end up with a good dose of disappointment and failure—exactly opposite of the success you’re thinking about experiencing.

Adam Alter an assistant professor of marketing at New York University’s Stern School of Business, tracks the renewed growth of the positive thinking movement back to 2006:

Since publishing “The Secret,” in 2006, the Australian author Rhonda Byrne has been writing self-help manifestos based on the idea that people who think positive thoughts are rewarded with happiness, wealth, influence, wisdom, and success….

Byrne’s idea isn’t new—it’s been a mainstay among greeting-card companies, motivational speakers, and schoolteachers for decades—but she’s become one of its most visible prophets.

‘The way to change a lack of belief is very simple,’ Byrne writes. ‘Begin thinking the opposite thoughts to what you’ve been thinking about yourself: that you can do it, and that you have everything within you to do it.’

How does Byrne’s philosophy work out in real life?  Not very well.  

While you can always find a few (what Byrne calls) “heros,” the vast majority of people end up even more frustrated than when they started.  Alter highlights some of the research that debunks this philosophy:

According to a great deal of research, positive fantasies may lessen your chances of succeeding.

In one experiment, the social psychologists Gabriele Oettingen and Doris Mayer asked eighty-three German students to rate the extent to which they “experienced positive thoughts, images, or fantasies on the subject of transition into work life, graduating from university, looking for and finding a job.”

Two years later, they approached the same students and asked about their post-college job experiences. Those who harbored positive fantasies put in fewer job applications, received fewer job offers, and ultimately earned lower salaries.

The same was true in other contexts, too. Students who fantasized were less likely to ask their romantic crushes on a date and more likely to struggle academically. Hip-surgery patients also recovered more slowly when they dwelled on positive fantasies of walking without pain.

The research documents the dismal results of this philosophy, but it doesn’t offer any information on why this philosophy doesn’t work.   Alter offers two hypotheses on this topic:

1.  Less Preparation.  Ceaseless optimism about the future only makes for a greater shock when things go wrong; by fighting to maintain only positive beliefs about the future, the positive thinker ends up being less prepared, and more acutely distressed, when things eventually happen that he can’t persuade himself to believe are good.

2.  False Feeling of Working Towards Goals.  [Positive] fantasies hamper progress and dull the will to succeed.  Imagining a positive outcome [just] conveys the sense that you’re approaching your goals, which takes the edge off the need to achieve.

So, now that everyone is depressed, what does work?  We’ll cover that in the next WorkPuzzle.  There is a success philosophy that is counterintuitive to positive thinking that researchers have shown to produce much more reliable results. 

For those of you who are high performers already, you’ll instantly connect with these ideas.  

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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. 

Coaching Insight : The Grow Model of Coaching – Part 6

We all follow a path. It may be a wide path that doesn't take much thought or planning or a narrow path that very few others find, takes some clearing, requires work, and leads to success.

But we are all on a path. How do you help those you coach to design and follow a path that will lead to personal and financial success? 

Over the past few weeks, I have offered a model of coaching that provides a structure intended to be a strong and lasting blueprint that you can use for almost all of your group and individual coaching. The model is called GROW (Goals, Reality, Options/Obstacles and Way Forward).

Defining the appropriate path for your agents brings us to the  letter W in the acronym GROW.  W is for the "Way Forward." 

Many coaches make the mistake of beginning with this step. It's understandable; we are all busy and it takes time to thoroughly understand and examine an agent's true motivation. But it's definitely worth the effort if it will result in a success for both the company and the agent. 

If we are following the GROW methodology, then it is imperative that we take each step as it comes. By understanding the Goals, Reality, Obstacles & Options you are now ready for the last step. How do we move ahead and find the appropriate "Way Forward?”

Define the Goals and reassess them with the current Reality. Examine the Obstacles and Options to overcome them. The options you listed must be converted into actions to take. Daily action (the Way Forward) should initially be broken down into small steps that allow you to build into  weekly and monthly actions steps. Each of these steps must somehow address overcoming what you've discovered in the earlier processes. 

Action steps should never take longer than 2 weeks to complete. If they do take that long, then break those longer steps into shorter ones. Dissect them with as much specificity as you can. To complete all of the above, you need to have a free flow of questions and brainstorming between you and your agent. Some examples include:

Who do I need as support?

What do I need to learn?

How will I keep myself motivated?

Do my steps fit the SMART model of action steps: Specific; Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time sensitive?

How will this affect my life away from work?

How can I better manage my time in completing each action?

How will I reward myself at each stage? 

There are likely many more questions that could be asked, however remember "small steps.” Successfully complete this and you will see significant progress and exceptional achievement. 

So there you have it. The GROW model of coaching. Use it and let me know what you think. I look forward to sharing more tips on successful coaching over the next two months. But for now consider more about what I mentioned about paths: 

We have all hiked on paths, some interesting and some uninteresting. The interesting ones have most likely been more challenging and taken more planning. Make yours and all the paths of those you coach interesting ones. 

 

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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. 

Coaching Insight: The GROW Model of Coaching - Part 5

Over the past few weeks, I have offered a model of coaching that provides a structure intended to be a strong and lasting blueprint that you can use for almost all of your group and individual coaching. The model is called GROW.

Today we will focus on the O of GROW, which stands for both Obstacles and Options as defined below.

Obstacle: Barrier, hurdle, stumbling block, obstruction, snag, handicap, complication, disadvantage.

Option: Choice, alternative, a different path

As you may recall from last week we reviewed Reality (the R in the GROW model). The key to fully understanding the Reality is to establish an honest account of what occurred with last year’s goals.

The next step in the process is to develop a fairly exhaustive list of possible Obstacles likely to hinder the reaching of ones original well-defined Goals (See edition on Goals). Obstacles can include blind-spots and false assumptions that prevented an individual from reaching their goals last year.

This can require excessive amounts of brainstorming between you and the person you're coaching (your client), with the client leading the way. Have him/her write down each Obstacle. Your job during this exercise is to act as the facilitator. Listen carefully for Obstacles that are not being considered.

After a complete and thorough spectrum of Obstacles has been identified, you are ready to build a list of Options or alternative ways to address those obstacles and the blind spots.

In defining solutions it is imperative that they are coming from the client, remember you are the coach and should only offer suggestions when it is clear that there are obvious solutions the client is not clearly seeing.

The Options step should carry with it a sense of exploration and should not be rushed. You are about to build a new road map and forge a new path to markedly improved results. This is imporant work.

Avoid the temptation to get lazy with this step. Keep on probing, asking, and asking more, until you have a bit of a Eureka moment. You won't always have a Eureka moment, but it helps to always aim for one.

Now that you have a clear list of all options you are ready to build a path for the W in the GROW model: the Way forward. Till next week...

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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. 

Informatica Reveals the Latest Cutting-Edge Recruiting Tactic

A few weeks ago, Laura Montini of Inc. Magazine reported on the Social Recruiting Strategies Conference that took place in San Francisco earlier in the month.

This is a global conference attended by many of the most progressive technology companies in the world.  The purpose of the conference is to promote the idea of using social media to recruit in today’s talent acquisition marketplace.

The keynote speaker was Brad Cook, the global vice president of talent acquisition at Informatica.  You may not have heard of Informatica, but this company has 3,500 employees and operates in 28 countries around the world.  Informatica is one of the worldwide leaders in cloud-based data storage and management technologies.

Considering his background and place in the technology world, Cook gave some unexpected advice during his keynote address.  Here is an excerpt from the article in Inc. Magazine.

"For me social recruiting doesn't mean social media. With the digital age that we have today, nobody knows each other," Cook said.

He recalled how, when he was in the sales department at Cisco Systems, he'd periodically get calls from recruiters asking, how's your job going? Are you looking for a change?

Now Cook is in charge of finding talent for… a software development business--arguably one of the most difficult areas to recruit in right now due to heavy demand for a particular skill set and strong competition from tech giants like Google and Facebook.  

Cook said the best recruiter he's ever worked with is a woman who doesn't incorporate social media into any part of her job. She makes a point of maintaining all of her candidate relationships via phone. "She knows who their grandkids are, what their dogs' names are. She has all of that stuff," Cook said.

 

"The point of this strategy isn't just to make your candidates feel warm and fuzzy. Maintaining these relationships cuts down on the work you have to do in the long run," Cook said.

"You're going to continue to be busy because you've got to go through 10 people to find one. Wouldn't you rather go through five people to find one?" Cook posed. "When you start building those relationships longer-term you can actually get to that point."

Here’s a surprise:   The most effective social recruiting tool available today is already sitting on your desk!  Also, the most effective social recruiting tactic (picking up that phone and calling candidates) is something most real estate hiring managers (who used to be real estate agents) are already proficient at executing.  Isn’t this how you built your real estate business in the first place?

Cook was later asked what kind of technology investments recruiting organizations should be considering.  His answer was surprisingly simple:

“Of course, there is a very important role for modern technology in the recruiting process, especially once you have a candidate who is interested. Applicants should be able to go to a well-designed and informative career page on your site. “

This is where you will get the highest return for your recruiting technology investment.  Many organizations spin their wheels chasing after the latest social technologies that may reduce workload in the short-term, but are not effective because they result in keeping the candidates at an arms-length away.

Here are some applications for the real estate hiring process from Cook’s keynote address:

Talk to New Candidates on the Phone.   Modern technology (social networks, twitter feeds, drip email campaigns) has its place in the recruiting process, but the most progressive and effective hiring managers pick up the phone and talk to candidates.

Talk to Pipeline Candidates on the Phone.  Many hiring managers view the recruiting process as a one-time event.   It’s an interview and then plug the candidate into a drip email campaign and hope for the best.   Progressive and effective recruiters don’t just rely on this tactic—they also frequently pick up the phone and talk to their post-interview pipeline candidates.

Invest in Your Company’s Career Page and Application Process.   Cook ended his keynote address by suggesting, “If you do nothing else at the end of this (conference), go back and apply to your career site…. you need to know what pain you're putting your candidates through. That's the best way to learn how to fix it.”

This is all good advice from some of the top recruiters in the world.

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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. 

Coaching Insight: The GROW Model of Coaching - Part 4

Our last edition of Coaching Insights offered a detailed explanation and sampling of the G in the GROW methodology of coaching techniques.

This week we will continue delving into each letter of the acronym in more depth, in hopes of enriching your coaching efforts. 

Keep in mind, when it comes to coaching, if you are not working from a proven model it’s very difficult to be effective. If you don’t have a well thought out program, you'll end up directing and prodding and have little to show for it in the end.  

Two weeks ago I introduced you to a broad overview of the GROW Model:

Goal - The End point; what the person would like to achieve. 

Reality - The current status of where you are now, and how you have arrived there.

Obstacles/ Options - The variables that keep the person from reaching their goals; the choices one has to make to overcome the obstacles. 

Way Forward - The action steps that will lead to the successful completion of the goal. 

This week we will look in depth at the concepts of the representation of the letter R – Reality.

Facing reality isn't easy for everyone; but it is essential. For the purposes of both the coach and the agent there are several questions that need to be answered with introspection and honesty:

• Where am I now in meeting my goal?
• What was the result of last year’s goals?
• What resources am I using or ignoring?
• Who will help me and how?
• Am I looking at all the factors?

Without a solid and honest answer to these and other individual questions, it is impossible to be successful in utilizing the GROW method.

As a manager, leader or coach, this phase of the model requires us to elicit from our agents an accurate and concrete acknowledgment of where they are now. How does your typical agent or for that matter, how do YOU handle this part of the process? Keep in mind that what your agent expresses as their reality may not match what you perceive as their current position.  

While some degree of aiming high and having confidence is essential, overestimating ones strengths and fantasizing about how successful one can be has been found to often deliver opposite results, according to researchers.   

So how do you transform the subjective vision your agent may have to one that will help them succeed as a top performer? You must use data, statistics, and numbers – tangible and verifiable measurements.

The first step is to collect the appropriate data and defined metrics and use this to set a baseline. This baseline can then be used along with ongoing data to measure future performance and growth. Without this baseline, it is impossible to know when one reaches his/her defined capacity for growth. The lack of concrete numbers, in fact, may communicate something even more problematic: complacency. 

Any sports fan knows that metrics and measurement is almost sacred ground to management, fans, media and coaches alike. Can you imagine sports without clear measurement?

One nugget of measurement that appeared to elude most people who bet on Denver in the Superbowl (I know, I may not stop with these analogies until April) was that the Seahawks allowed only 16 passing touchdowns all season long. I'm not exactly sure how that went so undetected, but it did. That is REALITY. And the fact that this particular Reality was overlooked became apparent in how the game played out. 

What Reality could you be missing with those you coach; with your own current condition? Once you get those nailed down you'll be ready for the next stage in GROW---- Obstacles and Options. We'll tackle that element of the GROW methodology in our next edition of Coaching Insights. 

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

Engage in the WorkPuzzle discussion by joining the TMOC private social network.  Commenting on a public blog like WorkPuzzle can be a little intimidating, so why not join the discussion inside the privacy of the TMOC discussion group?  

By joining TMOC, you'll get to see who else is in the group and your comments will only be seen by those whom you trust.   Joining TMOC is quick, easy, and free (no kidding…this takes less than 2 minutes).   To get started, click here.

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 One Question You Should Ask During Every Interview

Last week, I pointed you to a helpful recruiting data site called PayScale.  PayScale is the “Zillow” of hiring —while Zillow tells you how much your house is worth, PayScale tells you how much your talents are worth in the hiring market.

Of course, people get interested in PayScale when they start to consider changing jobs.   This site passively collects data from millions of users who are in this state and uses this information to help companies and individuals better understand the job marketplace.

Follow-up With Your Candidates More Successfully.

As a real estate hiring manager, this information can be helpful.  For example, if you find out about a candidate’s work history during the interview, you can determine the individual’s earning potential if he were to remain in his existing career field.

By contrasting this information with the potential of a real estate career, you can help your candidates make better business decisions about their employment.  Initially, Most high-quality candidates will trust third party data more then your opinion on how they should proceed.

Beyond this surface data that’s useable with individual candidates,  PayScale also does research using aggregate data they collect from all their users.  This can also be helpful.

Understand Why People Change Jobs.

One of the research topics I found interesting was the motivation employees have to change jobs.  If everything is wonderful in an existing job, employees tend to stay in one spot.  Change most commonly happens when things are not going well.

PayScale recently conducted research on what causes a person to change jobs.  The research was based on survey results from more than 24,000 workers.  Here is a partial list of the top reasons that individuals start looking for a new job:

Pay.   Commonly called Total Cash Compensation (TCC), this metric combines base annual salary or hourly wage, bonuses, profit sharing, tips, commissions, and other forms of cash earnings, as applicable. It does not include equity (stock) compensation, cash value of retirement benefits, or value of other non-cash benefits (e.g., healthcare).

Stress.  This is the proportion of respondents who answered either "Fairly stressful" or "Extremely stressful" to the question, "How stressful is your job/work environment?"

Low Job Satisfaction.   This is the proportion of respondents who answered either "Dissatisfied" or "I hate my job" to the question "How satisfied are you in your job?"

Hate Their Boss.  This is the proportion of respondents in a given category that chose "Boss" in response to the question, "If you could change one thing about your current work situation, what would it be?"

Know What Questions to Ask During an Interview.

All of these factors are important.   If possible, you should touch on each issue during a typical interview.  If you cycle through these issues with open-ended questions, you’ll strike a nerve with at least one of these topics.

If you were forced to only focus on one topic, which one of these hot-buttons tends to be most important? 

It’s questions about the candidate’s boss.

The PayScale research demonstrated that many candidates are not happy with their first-level manager.  Also, this question tends to be the one packed with the most emotion.   They don’t just dislike him—they hate him! 

As we’ve discussed in previous WorkPuzzles, finding a person’s unique pain is critical to the hiring process.   Candidates will not be open to your solution until they feel they’ve been heard, and the solutions you’re offering are customized to their situation.

This all starts with asking the right questions and letting your candidates express their pain and frustration.  Thanks to the PayScale research, you now know where you’ll most likely find this pain.

 

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

Engage in the WorkPuzzle discussion by joining the TMOC private social network.  Commenting on a public blog like WorkPuzzle can be a little intimidating, so why not join the discussion inside the privacy of the TMOC discussion group?  

By joining TMOC, you'll get to see who else is in the group and your comments will only be seen by those whom you trust.   Joining TMOC is quick, easy, and free (no kidding…this takes less than 2 minutes).   To get started, click here.

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.