However, when it comes to the actual interview many managers and candidates view it as an adversarial function, which is, in fact, ridiculous.
Managers and candidates have the same goal—or they should have.
Interviews are occasions to find out if a candidate is right for the hiring manager, the team and the company; just as important is for the candidate to find out if she will be challenged and thrive in that environment.
In other words
Managers want a person who shares the company’s values, will strengthen the team and can make real contributions to its success.
Candidates want a place to contribute meaningfully, where the culture is synergistic with their own values and where they will continue to grow.
Same goal, different perspectives.
One part of the problem is that candidates are nervous and today’s economic turmoil increases normal interview jitters.
The other part is that the people doing the interviewing may not be very good at it or, worse, actively dislike doing it.
Here is one thing you do to help your candidates be comfortable enough to openly discuss who they are, what they can do and contribute and why they want to do it in your company.
“The most fundamental job of a leader is to recruit, mobilize, inspire, focus, direct, and regularly refuel the energy of those they lead.”
I do with one glaring exception—the words “leader” and “lead.”
That sentence is just as valid if you substitute ‘manager’ for ‘leader’ and ‘manage’ for ‘lead’.
The quote is from a Harvard Business Review post called The CEO Is the Chief Energy Officer and although it’s a cute play on ‘CEO’ the lessons it imparts apply to every manager at every level in every company—even if that manager is the only person in the company.
If you are in a position where you manage anyone and you skip any of the actions mentioned above then you are doing a major disservice to your people and yourself.
Even more so if you are your own manager, which, in the end, we all are.
This is a great time to institute change—not with great fanfare, but through sustainable actions.
So every day get out there and “recruit, mobilize, inspire, focus, direct, and regularly refuel the energy.”
Its studies show that [word deleted] workers are looking for flexible jobs that have “a climate of respect, work-life fit, supervisor support and learning opportunities.”
Would reading this sentence lead you to expect yet another story about the work expectations of Millennials?
If so, you would be wrong.
The sentence comes from a Wharton article called The Silver Tsunami that discusses the value older workers bring to employers.
Now consider these ten points on how to manage from a recent BNET post
Don’t be the boss. At least, don’t appear to be
Don’t be dismissive, help them learn new skills.
Use their experience.
Understand differences in lifestyle.
Validate them.
Know what motivates them.
Talk to your employees.
Don’t’ be intimidated by them.
Introduce a mentorship program…
If [word deleted] employees do step out of line, reel them…
Sounds a lot like advice on managing Gen Y, doesn’t it?
But it’s not; it’s advice on how to manage when employees are older than the manager.
Do you see where I’m going here?
Boomers, Gen Xers, Millennials.
They are all people; people with similar desires and foibles, although usually expressed in different terms.
And they all want similar things from their managers: respect, challenge, opportunities to grow, work/life balance—the same things you probably want from your boss.
Rumors are the fastest way to destroy trust and culture, not to mention your team’s morale, productivity, longevity—the list goes on and on.
Managers who stick their head in the sand in the hopes that the rumor will die a natural death are in for a rude awakening.
The only way to deal with rumors is head on and publicly.
Call your group together, state the rumor and tell them the truth. If something in the rumor response is confidential level with them and explain why it is.
For example, if there is a layoff rumor it’s either true or false. If true, admit it and explain as much as possible. If you can identify specifics—when, which departments, who, etc.,—and be honest! Or tell them when you don’t have information or that you can’t share it.
People aren’t stupid, if you say there is no layoff coming and it happens two days later they will know you lied and lies cast a long shadow. People will understand that you can’t give details, but lies are something else.
The only way to deal with the rumor mongers is privately and only if you are positive that you have the right person.
If you are sure start by asking why they said what they said.
You may find that it was innocent and actually started in another group or department. In that case make them feel safe in coming to you first if they hear something in the future.
If they deny it and you are still absolutely sure thank them and then watch them like a hawk. If they are real rumor mongers they do it for kicks; thinking they got away with it usually makes them careless and you will catch them the next time.
You need proof to act and that may take time, but the more confident they are the easier it is to catch them; just remember to document everything.
If you were considering purchasing stock in a large corporation or a large bequest to a major non-profit and read the following comments about the CEO from people with firsthand knowledge of him would you buy the stock or donate the money?
He was never interested in bureaucratic stuff because he did not want to work as a manager.
He would be the first to concede he was much more interested in the life of the mind than the nuts and bolts of administrative work.
Last year when I wrote that bad managers didn’t make good leaders Mike Chitty responded, “I think you can lead if you are lousy manager. You just need good managers to cover your back. Teamwork you see.”
I disagreed then and I haven’t seen any reason to change my opinion—in fact, just the opposite. Right now the largest leader vs. manager mess is playing out on a global stage.
In a commenttwo years agoNick McCormick said, “Leadership and management are very tightly intertwined. Ignoring characteristics of one is done at the expense of the other.”
According to a NY Times article, The church said the decision to allow the priest to resume his duties in 1980 was made solely by Cardinal Ratzinger’s top aide at the time, but church officials also said the future pope was sent a memo about the reassignment.
Obviously, leaders focus on visions and managers read memos.
The Catholic Church is the largest and probably the richest multinational in the world, so there are many business lessons to be learned from what is going on.
The two most obvious that I’ve noticed are
protect the brand no matter what, and, more recently,
“What’s more important to you, being right or winning?”
That is what I asked a caller today.
“Frank” has been sequestered on jury duty for several weeks and when he returned to work he found that right after he left his team was assigned a new project and they were just finishing.
Frank said that the project had gone well, was on time and in budget, but he was upset that they had used a different approach from the one he preferred.
That’s when I asked, “What’s more important to you, being right or winning?”
You’d think that was an easy answer, but I was met first with silence and then with multiple reasons proving his approach was better.
He agreed that on time/in budget was a win, but still felt they should have done it his way.
So I ask you, “What’s more important, being right or winning?”
A client called and during the conversation he complained about his receptionist. He said he was close to firing her, but would prefer a different outcome; he thought a third party could help resolve the problems.
When I asked “Jack” what the problem was he said that “Judy” was disrupting the culture and refused to do her work as expected. For example, she insisted on having two pencil cups on her desk; he preferred organizing his desk based on Feng Shui principles and that two cups were nothing but clutter. He had explained this to Judy to no avail.
This is an extreme example of the puppetmaster mentality, but not counting the micromanager who really believes her’s is the only way, I’m willing to bet you have been on the giving or receiving end of this attitude, if not both, at some point—most of us have.
Whether you consider yourself a leader, a manager or leadager, yours is not the only way—or even the best.
There are many ways to approach a task or goal. Some may seem more efficient, but, in fact, will lower productivity if they are counter-intuitive for a particular worker.
As long as the task is done or the goal achieved ethically, on time and in budget the route to accomplishment doesn’t matter.
Forcing your approach on your team forces them to become puppets.
Then, like Christopher below, they are dependent on you for all creativity, innovation and productivity—at least until they resign.
I often do work around my house, fixing, redoing and maintaining stuff, as do most of us.
When I moved and bought this house in March 2003 I found that every time it rained water ran under the garage door. Typically, I’m a jerry-rigger, especially fixing stuff around my home, but I thought I would do it “right” this time.
Over the next few years I spent over a thousand dollars on drywells, barriers, etc., but was still getting water under the door.
Having run out of affordable do-it-right options, I went back to jerry-rigging and usd a clear, vinyl shower curtain, tape, and a few bricks—no water under the door since then and I just check the plastic each fall.
This got me thinking, how much is too much?
How “right” does a fix need to be?
How “fixed” does a challenge/problem need to be to count as solved?
Every day we all face a myriad of challenges, any number of which may upgrade (downgrade?) to the status of problem in the blink of an eye, so this isn’t a casual question.
What do you do?
Managers, like the rest of us, have their own routine for evaluating and deciding on solutions, corrections and fixes.
I’m not saying you should change yours, but I am suggesting that you give thought to what end results you really need in order to avoid overkill in your decisions.
In other words: Does it need to be “right” on some cosmic yardstick—or does it just need to work.
Last week we talked about the importance of good hiring to insure the success of your organization and I gave you a copy of RampUp’s CheatSheet for InterviewERS.
Do you agree with the following statement?
The leader in question is Pope Benedict and the 
“What’s more important to you, being right or winning?”
Often
A client called and during the conversation he complained about his receptionist. He said he was close to firing her, but would prefer a different outcome; he thought a third party could help resolve the problems.
I often do work around my house, fixing, redoing and maintaining stuff, as do most of us.
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