"I just don't understand why everyone at work is complaining about me," a woman in my office whined. "The same thing happened at my last job too." Though she could not see the cause/effect of her actions, it was clear she was alienating people in the workplace. The most likely reason? Her attitude.
Unfortunately, I have never had any success "adjusting" someone else's attitude. I learned early in my management experience that it was easier to teach new skills than it was to change attitudes. To find employees with great attitudes, the following guidelines for hiring and staff development are helpful:
*The best you will ever see is the first 90 days. If you have a problem with an employee while they are still on probation, you might as well cut bait. This is the time that they have their best foot forward.
*If they complain about the last boss, they will complain about you too. Exercise great caution in hiring someone who has nothing good to say about his or her last boss or last position. It may be more about them than their employment. People who blame are hard to coach.
*Are they an optimist or pessimist? Ascertain how they appear to see the world. Pessimistic people tend to be energy suckers in the workplace and can breed an institutional pathology that pulls others into their negative energy.
*Do they demonstrate personal insight and a commitment to their development? Those committed to ongoing self-improvement are much more coachable and willing to learn new skills and behaviors. Ask in the interview what areas may need improvement. Inquire about the details of the candidate's personal plan for development.
*Are they coachable? How receptive to feedback do they seem to be? It's easy to assess in an interview; offer them some suggestions regarding their resume. If they are quick to disagree, defend, or actually become huffy, they are not likely to welcome your input on more significant matters.
*Do they listen? You can forget all of the above if the potential employee is not a good listener. They will have performance problems, people conflict and difficulty receiving feedback.
There are three keys to truly ensure the quality and effectiveness of your hiring process and consequently of those you hire. They are:
1. Competency Modeling
2. Effective Interviewing Processes and Techniques.
3. Comprehensive Candidate Assessments.
For more helpful hiring tips check out http://www.pwhrm.com/
Friday, June 6, 2008
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Great information. Can you tell me what competency modeling is?
Thanks
A competency is a behavior based on skills, knowledge, ability, or an underlying trait. Competency Modeling is the act of determining what competencies will be required in order for the individual in any given role to be successful.
In order to hire the best person for any job, you must know exactly what you are looking for before you start looking. This is why competency modeling is so important and should be done before the hiring process begins.
A thought to keep in mind...
You can hire a turkey and train it to climb a tree OR you can simply hire a squirrel
That is a good point, Anon. The hire for attitude train for skill can only go so far...we all have certain inept abilities and other areas where we struggle. Competency modeling is not only about attitude but also skills, abilities, and talents. Personally, I am a people person and would not excel in a position that dealt with numbers.
Post a Comment