Bryan Dear’s Blog

Genius may have its limitations, but stupidity is not thus handicapped.  Elbert Hubbard, 1856 – 1915

Boy, have we had practice in the hiring-wrong world. One would think we would be the best there is based on so much practice. Our tendency is to hire someone we like, but the skill set is just not high enough for the position causing the staff and employee a lot of frustration. So then we move to making sure the skill set is appropriate and then we are beset by cultural differences.

Here is what I have learned:

1) Start backwards -eliminate the mediocre employee. It’s not hiring, but they won’t be a good example for the person you do hire. It’s easy to keep the good employee. It’s fairly simple to deal with an employee not performing well through termination, but the mediocre employee will drive everyone nuts the longer they stay. The thought is that they just need more time and they’ll come around, but it has never happened here.

2) Hire slowly. Spend time investigating competency, communication skills and fit. We have a short test that does two things: tests their thinking skills, and at the same time, shows their handwriting abilities. Make sure they have a good picture of what it’s like to be here – the good, the bad and the ugly.

3) Have the finalists go through an interview with the rest of thecompany or department employees. Culture is a very important ingredient. It doesn’t mean they vote the same way, watch (or don’t watch) the same TV shows or reflect a certain thinking. It does mean they will fit in conversationally and maintain a sense of humility.

4) Check references and do background screening.

We think we have one of the best places to work in the world. The work is challenging, appreciated by clients and co-workers, and the money and benefits are top of the line for this area.

Yet still we struggle to identify the essence of who will fit in our company both on a cultural and competency level. I think we’re getting better, but it’s an art as well as a skill to hire the best person for our open position.

Happy hiring.

Bryan Dear

www.payrolldept.biz

The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four Americans is suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of your three best friends. If they’re okay, then it’s you.     - Rita Mae Brown

I have a good friend who finds herself out of a teaching position as a result of a major trimming of the budget and a decison to drop the teaching of a foreign language.

My message to her is”Don’t despair.” She has tremendous communications skills both verbally and in writing. She is fluent in three languages. She is not afraid to ask questions. She doesn’t balk at stating her opinion although she isn’t confrontational. She thinks on her feet well and people enjoy her company.

Her challenge from my viewpoint is to figure out the skills she wants to emphasize and to not settle for something that’s just “a job”. It will take work. Finding the job you want is in itself a job – one that should consume close to 40 hours a week if you want to nail the position.

When we have children to feed and a mortgage to pay, there is a high motivation to take the first job that offers the money we need. Maybe it’s the right one, but maybe it’s not. My friend should bring her gusto to the process and keep focused on her goal – does it bring her satisfaction, does it use her skills, and finally, is the value appropriate (money).

Almost all of us have been an job applicant. In some ways it’s just like operating a business, although it’s a temporary one.  You are the product that you need to sell, but you are also buying into a long-term customer relationship (you hope). You don’t have to change yourself, but you may need tweaking so prepare and practice.

Luck is good to have on your side, but it does seem to follow the prepared.

Cheers,

Bryan Dear

www.payrolldept.biz

If I had my life to live over, I would try to make more mistakes. I would relax. I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers. I would pick more daisies. I would have more actual troubles and fewer imaginary ones.  - Don Herold, 1889 – 1966

I love this quotation because it reminds me it’s okay to take risks…and fail. It’s okay to leave the housework to another day. It’s okay to reduce the worry factor because many of the things we worry about will never happen. It’s okay to play.

I recently took a seven day raft trip on the Green River through Dinosaur National Monument with friends. It was a trip with long slow floats followed by some wake-up-and-take-notice rapids. There were meals to prepare, camps to put up and and camps to take down each day. There were games to play, frisbees to throw and so many moments to savor. There were no cell phones, computers or other distractions of our daily life at home.

None of the rapids seem overly dangerous and yet our trip found us passing by another private group which had just experienced a death by drowning. They were being assisted by another commerical group and we were merely a spectator to their aftermath. We grieved for them and their victim and all that they had gone through and would have to go through the remainder of their trip. As one friend put it, this will be a milestone the rest of their lives.

Taking risks is not about whether to take the Space Mountain ride at Disneyland where all is secure. It’s about stepping out into an unknown where there can be large stones in the path. Death is a rarity in most of these outdoor activities, but it’s always there and when it shows up, it is messy and awkward. We all will go through this door; it’s yet another reminder of the preciousness of life.

Celebrate life.

Your truly,

Bryan Dear

www.payrolldept.biz