Almost everyone I know
is ill or fighting the flu
(swine or otherwise).
It makes you wonder…
If you get the flu tomorrow,
will your business continue?
If a key person can’t come to work,
will decisions be made?
Is your staff cross-trained
on associates’ tasks?
Can a temp come in tomorrow,
without training,
and fill lower level positions?
(freeing up those employees)
Can your over achievers
work from home if necessary?
Illness happens.
Mass illness happens.
Be prepared for it.
A friend of mine
interviewed and interviewed and interviewed.
She finally found the perfect employee,
the candidate had the exact skill set
needed for the job,
she could do the job in her sleep.
She lasted less than a year.
Why?
Because she was bored.
She wasn’t learning.
She wasn’t challenged.
All she was getting from the job
was money
and for a bright, ambitious person,
money isn’t enough.
Another friend
looks for abilities rather than direct experience.
The project managers she hires
may have led teams
and worked with cross functional teams
but they’ve never led cross functional teams.
Mastering that ability takes a couple years
so she knows they’ll be challenged for that long.
Guy Nadivi has some other thoughts
on why the perfect candidate
isn’t perfect.
Elisha asked
“What are the good ways to say no,
mostly for job and new venture opportunities
but keep something open for the future?”
My favorite is the reco.
I’ll say something like…
‘I’ve always wanted to work with you’
(hinting that I’m open for future gigs)
‘but I’m not the right person
to make this’ project/job/business ‘a success
and I DO want it to be successful.’
(i.e. our goals are the same
and that is why I’m refusing)
If I know of a suitable replacement,
I’ll add
‘I might know of someone
who has the skills you need,
can I have her call you?’
(This gives me a reason
to stay in contact.)
If I don’t,
I’ll say something like…
‘I can’t think of the perfect person right now
but would you like me
to think about it
and get back to you?’
(Again a reason to stay in contact)
This reply sends the message
that I’m honored by the request,
I want the requester to succeed
and I’m willing to do something
with no expectation of payment
to help with that success.
On Tuesday,
due to a broken down vehicle,
I was fifteen minutes late
for an interview.
I knew as soon as
the break down happened,
I wouldn’t get the contract gig.
It didn’t matter the reason
I was late
or even how late I was.
Once a person is late for an interview,
they rarely, rarely get the job.
Why?
Because first impressions stick.
Because being late
hints at disorganization
and poor planning
and disrespect for other people’s time.
I still went through with the interview,
trying to wow the exec,
knowing full well
that someone else would get the job.
That’s the professional thing to do.
Leave plenty of time for interviews.
Don’t be late.
For years,
I’ve read my daily horoscope
on a certain newspaper’s site.
Recently the site had a revamp.
I had to think about where
my horoscope was.
While I was thinking,
I thought
‘is there a better place to get my news?’
There was
so I no longer visit that site.
A loved one hosts movie night every year
on December 24th.
The movie is always Miracle on 34th Street.
This year,
he decided to change the movie.
He sent out emails
taking requests.
What he got back
were requests for a complete overhaul
of the day.
Change is painful for people
but when forced to change,
people often change EVERYTHING.
Don’t force your customers
to make small changes.
You’ll lose some
every time you do.
Ken Davenport’s post
How To Stay Free and Creative
As Your Company Grows
has a strong argument
for leaders having a closed door policy.
“A lot of entrepreneurs can be micromanagers;
keeping the physical door to your office shut
trains your employees to solve their own problems
before coming to you for advice and questions,
and it trains you to stay out of the little things
that will probably drive you crazy anyway.”
A closed door policy is difficult.
When I close my door
and focus on whatever big problem
or creative issue
I have,
I also have to accept
that the world (and business)
can operate without me.
Decisions are made without me.
Progress is achieved by others.
It is humbling.
Humble is good,
especially if it leads to success.
Close your door.
Train your staff to make smaller decisions
on their own.
I have an interview on Tuesday.
I’ve been on hundreds of interviews.
I know the answers by heart.
I have the timing down perfectly.
I still won’t sleep Monday night.
I still won’t eat breakfast Tuesday morning.
I’ll still arrive at the interview
an hour early ‘just in case.’
My fear of interviews will likely never go away.
What HAS changed
is how I deal with that fear.
I don’t let it stop me.
I don’t let it prevent me
from getting what I want.
I’ve learned to deal with it,
to perform WITH the fear.
Fear is an excuse
and people who make excuses
rather than take action
are rarely successful.
You don’t have much choice.
If you want to be great,
you need to know
how to deal with constructive criticism.
Part of dealing
is learning how best you receive it.
I prefer to get the news
in writing first.
I read the criticism,
indulge in emotion privately,
think about it for a week,
and then discuss it
or act upon it.
I tell every manager
I work with
that this is my preference.
I have never had a manager
refuse to give me criticism
the way I prefer.
When I manage people,
I return the favor,
asking employees
how they prefer to receive criticism.
Learn how you best receive criticism
and then communicate that preference.
Ten years ago,
a loved one had more writing talent
in his pinkie
than I had in my entire body.
Over the past decade,
I’ve taken courses,
I’ve written every single day applying those lessons,
I’ve listened to critiques of my work.
My loved one has been writing.
Today, I would say
that,
while he is still the more natural writer,
our skills are about equal.
A decade from now,
if this trend continues,
I will be the better writer.
Natural talent is not enough.
It isn’t enough in writing.
It isn’t enough in sales.
It isn’t enough in leading people.
If you want to be truly great,
you have to do more.
The majority of writers are introverts.
Writers tend to be solitary animals.
We spend time with our imaginary characters.
So I hear the
‘I’m an introvert’ excuse
for not promoting at least once a day.
And that’s exactly what it is…
an excuse.
I’m also an introvert
but I figured out long ago
that introverts don’t get a lot of opportunities.
I wanted those opportunities
more than I wanted to be ‘comfortable’
so I trained myself
to act like an extrovert.
I’m so good at it,
many people think I’m an extrovert.
If you can’t change that personality trait
holding you back
from achieving your dreams,
fake it.
Fake it well enough
and
no one will ever notice.