From Tough Talks on monster.com: Generally, we recognize that open, constructive communication is crucial to business success. But many dodge these chats at all costs. Others charge right in loaded and ready. Others try to dance around the topic and not hurt feelings. None of these strategies is likely to accomplish your goal, so you end up where you started. Let’s parse this paragraph out and look at the Selling Style for each line: But many dodge these chats at all costs. (High S) Others charge right in loaded and ready. (High D) Others try to dance around the topic and not hurt feelings. (High I) The only thing they… Read More
Continue Reading“…people quite their bosses, not their jobs”
I enjoy Tory Johnson’s articles from the abcnews.com website. Her latest offering, Bad Bosses Can Infect an Entire Business, is a quick read with a strong point. Employees need positive reinforcement. Some styles (High I) require more while other styles (High C) do not. Some employees are rewarded by praise while others are rewarded by money. Part of our business at Select Metrix is to identify these items in employees so that their managers can be more effective in leading them. The takeaway quote from this article (emphasis mine): Study after study confirms that workers are more committed to their jobs and are more productive when they know that management… Read More
Continue ReadingMore on Leaders
I was worried that title was going to be “Moron Leaders.” Deeper article here from Selling Power that provides The Nine “P”s of Great Leadership. This comprehensive article is a quick read with much usable data. I particularly like their take on character as opposed to the article in the previous post. From the Nine “P”s: Principles. Do the right thing all the time, not just when it€™s convenient and not just when you know somebody is watching. Strive to lead with credibility, integrity, vulnerability, accountability, and steadfastness. A descriptive explanation as opposed to a cluttered topic intermixing character, personality and style. One more excellent excerpt from the article: People.… Read More
Continue ReadingTraits of Great Leaders
CareerBuilder has an article out regarding the 5 Key Traits of Great Leaders. As you know, we enjoy lists at The Hire Sense. The author provides a fair explanation of each trait and I doubt anyone would argue with any of the traits. Here they are: You must have a vision. You must have passion. You must learn to be a great decision maker. You must be a team builder. You must have character. Again, who would argue with these 5? Well, I will…with the last one. First, an excerpt from the author’s explanation of that point (emphasis mine): Without character, all the other “keys” are for naught. That’s because… Read More
Continue ReadingHow to Manage a Staff of Young Employees
We have a bit of an impromptu theme this week starting with our article released Monday. Generations X and Y are popular topics these days. I have been catching up to some older articles and came across this one from allbusiness.com which is the title of this post. Overall, it is a strong article with good tactical suggestions for managers. Some seem simplistic – be clear from the outset, be a mentor and teach them business standards. Yet, I can immediately think of 5 examples where sales managers did not perform such rudimentary tasks. Maybe these items are topical fodder for management articles nowadays? Two points really jumped out from… Read More
Continue ReadingYounger Workers = “…curt, blunt, irreverent and impersonal”
The pronounced generation gap in today’s workplace is a topic we consistently encounter in our selection and assessment business. We released an article, Hiring Adjustments for Generations X and Y, earlier this week in response to this gap. Now monster.com has a great article that goes to the experiential source of the younger generations’ uniqueness. The younger generation, particularly Generation Y (born 1977 to 1989), thrives in a fast-paced technological world. . . Their constant exposure to technology has even caused some to speculate that their brains have developed differently. The familiarity of so many different technological media has enabled them to process a huge amount of information in a… Read More
Continue ReadingFirst-Time Managers
Stepping Into the Role of a First-Time Manager (link is gone) is a quick read article with practical advice for employees making their foray into management. My first foray into management left me with many bruises as I did not follow one of the suggestions in this article. I attempted to change many things in a short amount of time. My approach led to some significant changes but it triggered many management meetings with the other departments. Let’s just say those were quite candid meetings. Much of our focus is on hiring, but we have another side to our business where we assess existing teams. In some ways, this work… Read More
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