During the past few years, my company has studied the readiness of individuals to step into a managerial or supervisory position. A majority of frontline leaders said they had a difficult time making the transition from a non-management role to a first-level manager. Only 57 percent said they possessed the leadership skills needed when they first stepped into a management role. As expected, the most common areas of struggle relate to core managerial competencies: coaching, communication, decision-making and delegation/empowerment.
Most organizations are wise to this issue. According to a 2010 report from Bersin & Associates, "HR leaders rate their first-line managers as their 'least ready' workgroup, even less capable than their entry-level employees."
There are three big reasons this is happening.
• All parties involved need better insight into an individual's readiness. The individual, his or her manager and the organization have blind spots when it comes to accurately understanding the individual's strengths and development needs. With hundreds or even thousands of existing and potential frontline leaders, it can be difficult for organizations to get more than a superficial read on an individual's managerial readiness. Organizations can obtain more information about an individual's readiness by a variety of methods, including behavioral interviews, 360s and in-depth assessments.
• Knowing someone's development areas is not enough. According to my company's research, less than one-third of frontline managers say that they have agreed to a specific, written development plan with their manager. About one-quarter of frontline managers say that they have enough time to devote to their development. Organizations need to put better processes in place to ensure that development planning occurs and that individuals have sufficient time and accountability to complete their development plans.
• They need more support and guidance from their manager. About half of frontline managers say that their managers have the knowledge and tools to support their development. Less than two-thirds say that they get sufficient feedback from their managers. The most discomforting thought is that less than 60 percent believe that their managers are committed to their development. To overcome these beliefs, organizations have to do a better job of providing the frontline manager's manager with the skills needed to nurture him or her.
There is evidence of new leaders being thrown into the deep end and left to either sink or swim. That's hardly a "best practice"—especially when there is so much that can be done to prepare leaders to take on such a new job.
SOURCE: Bradford Thomas, Development Dimensions International, Pittsburgh, May 19, 2010
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Are You a Good Interviewer?
It seems that a lot of people experience difficulty with the interviewing process and this often results in a less than satisfactory result. In my experience, most of this is due to lack of preparation which, in turn, leads to inadequate execution. Given the high costs associated with poor hiring decisions, a little preparation pays huge dividends.
Here are some guidelines:
1) Develop an 'ideal profile' for the position. It is critical that you know what you are looking for before you can effectively find it.
2) Review the job duties. Carefully study the written job description, accountabilities and expectations. Formulate questions that will provide you with a thorough evaluation of the candidate.
3) Set specific objectives for the interview. You want to determine whether or not the candidate understands the job functions and has the documented experience in delivering what is expected. Ask yourself ..."what do I need to know when the interview is over". Also, keep in mind that candidates will sometimes 'enhance' their qualifications or experience. Your job is to get a true, honest evaluation of the individual.
4) Ask questions that uncover specific behaviors. You are interested in knowing how the candidate responded in the past to a variety of situations that are directly related to the position applied for. You want to know specifically what was done and what the results were. Remember that 'the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior'.
5) Ask for clarification if the candidate is vague. You want specifics that are verifiable with a phone call to his or her previous place of work. Always be prepared to say "I see. Tell me more". You want to get an indepth understanding of the candidate in light of the positions requirements.
6) Use the 'echo technique'. This is effective in eliciting a more complete response. With this technique, you respond to a candidate's answer or comment by repeating what he or she said. For example, if the candidate says "I'm good at problem-solving", you say "so, you're good at problem-solving" (and sit back in your chair waiting for a response). This may result in an awkward silence and that's OK. The candidate will feel obliged to tell you more.
7) Take notes. You want to be able to compare the candidate's qualifications, answers and comments with your documentation of the 'ideal candidate'. You can quickly see where there are deviations from what you are looking for, and where the candidate is a good fit.
8) Stay objective. Don't start relying on your 'gut feel' or your intuition. Once you start doing this, you are looking at the candidate through 'rose-colored glasses'. Just because you think people are 'nice' and you may enjoy them socially, doesn't mean they are right for the job. In fact 80% of 'gut' hires are poor fits.
9) And last, but certainly not least, conduct THOROUGH referencing. Once again, prepare, prepare, prepare. Ask questions that will verify education and past experience. Ask questions that will validate the candidate's stories about past behavior and results. Ask questions that will confirm your perception of the candidate's character and values. Ensure that your referencing is comprehensive, leaving no stone unturned. Many a bad hire is based on inadequate referencing. The decision is important, so spend the time.
If you pay attention to these few, but important, guidelines, you will have confidence in the interview process and you will come to valid conclusions about the candidate and his or her 'fit' for the position.
Stay tuned for many more of workplace solutions!
Here are some guidelines:
1) Develop an 'ideal profile' for the position. It is critical that you know what you are looking for before you can effectively find it.
2) Review the job duties. Carefully study the written job description, accountabilities and expectations. Formulate questions that will provide you with a thorough evaluation of the candidate.
3) Set specific objectives for the interview. You want to determine whether or not the candidate understands the job functions and has the documented experience in delivering what is expected. Ask yourself ..."what do I need to know when the interview is over". Also, keep in mind that candidates will sometimes 'enhance' their qualifications or experience. Your job is to get a true, honest evaluation of the individual.
4) Ask questions that uncover specific behaviors. You are interested in knowing how the candidate responded in the past to a variety of situations that are directly related to the position applied for. You want to know specifically what was done and what the results were. Remember that 'the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior'.
5) Ask for clarification if the candidate is vague. You want specifics that are verifiable with a phone call to his or her previous place of work. Always be prepared to say "I see. Tell me more". You want to get an indepth understanding of the candidate in light of the positions requirements.
6) Use the 'echo technique'. This is effective in eliciting a more complete response. With this technique, you respond to a candidate's answer or comment by repeating what he or she said. For example, if the candidate says "I'm good at problem-solving", you say "so, you're good at problem-solving" (and sit back in your chair waiting for a response). This may result in an awkward silence and that's OK. The candidate will feel obliged to tell you more.
7) Take notes. You want to be able to compare the candidate's qualifications, answers and comments with your documentation of the 'ideal candidate'. You can quickly see where there are deviations from what you are looking for, and where the candidate is a good fit.
8) Stay objective. Don't start relying on your 'gut feel' or your intuition. Once you start doing this, you are looking at the candidate through 'rose-colored glasses'. Just because you think people are 'nice' and you may enjoy them socially, doesn't mean they are right for the job. In fact 80% of 'gut' hires are poor fits.
9) And last, but certainly not least, conduct THOROUGH referencing. Once again, prepare, prepare, prepare. Ask questions that will verify education and past experience. Ask questions that will validate the candidate's stories about past behavior and results. Ask questions that will confirm your perception of the candidate's character and values. Ensure that your referencing is comprehensive, leaving no stone unturned. Many a bad hire is based on inadequate referencing. The decision is important, so spend the time.
If you pay attention to these few, but important, guidelines, you will have confidence in the interview process and you will come to valid conclusions about the candidate and his or her 'fit' for the position.
Stay tuned for many more of workplace solutions!
Engaged Employees Deliver 20 - 35% extra
An organization is only as good as the base unit ..... that is, the individual person actually producing the goods or services. Given this, corporate goals must be aligned with individual goals and metrics should be all about yield or output per employee. Emotionally engaged employees constitute a key factor that drives sustainable growth.
Facts:
- Engaged employees deliver 25-30% extra
- Engaged employees take 35% less time to manage
- Only 29% of the workforce is actively engaged
- 52% are not engaged (doing the minimum and collecting a paycheck)
- 19% are disengaged (actively undermining the organization's efforts)
Other considerations:
- Employee engagement alleviates workplace stress and promotes work-life balance
- There is a significant correlation between how a company manages its people and business success
- The most significant key to employee engagement is the relationship with an immediate manager
The message is clear. Effective leadership drives employee engagement. Employee engagement drives company success.
Pay attention to the 'base unit' and your organization will soar.
Facts:
- Engaged employees deliver 25-30% extra
- Engaged employees take 35% less time to manage
- Only 29% of the workforce is actively engaged
- 52% are not engaged (doing the minimum and collecting a paycheck)
- 19% are disengaged (actively undermining the organization's efforts)
Other considerations:
- Employee engagement alleviates workplace stress and promotes work-life balance
- There is a significant correlation between how a company manages its people and business success
- The most significant key to employee engagement is the relationship with an immediate manager
The message is clear. Effective leadership drives employee engagement. Employee engagement drives company success.
Pay attention to the 'base unit' and your organization will soar.
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