Posts with the ‘Hiring’ tag
“He had done well everywhere he worked!” “She had a ton of experience in her field.” “The skills he brought to the team were exactly what we needed.” “She had a Master’s degree in Marketing!” In my career of hiring people and now developing leaders for companies large and small, many of the worst hiring […]
It had been 12 months since I hired Tracy. During the interview process she wowed me with her passion and drive to succeed. I wasn’t just moderately hopeful for her. I thought she would be doing my job some day! But 12 months later, that person was nowhere to be found. Tracy turned out to […]
“Tell me about yourself.” “What is your definition of teamwork?” “What’s your biggest weakness?” These are old interview questions that rarely improve an interviewer’s chance of finding the best candidate. Some interviewers have not changed their interview questions for years, or they are using the questions they were asked when they interviewed years ago. It […]
Now what? After reviewing a stack of resumes, phone screenings, multiple interviews and reference checks, I have hired the best person out there for the job. What’s next? I could do nothing, roll the dice and hope my new hire reaches the potential I see in them. Or I could eliminate chance and put the […]
“There are plenty of good idea men. A lot of them are collecting tolls on the thruway as we speak.” It is a rare individual who can be counted on for ideas and for action. Over time, as I hired and led teams, I realized that while I loved to have people who were both […]
Two companies competing in the same market can have wildly different results. One company will thrive and the other will flounder. Why? Does one company have smarter people? Or better information? That is unlikely. There is not a shortage of smart people in business today. The people available for businesses to hire have never had […]
He was a borderline narcissist. His reaction to my coaching often approached rage. I hired him for his past performance in another industry. But, I failed to fire him quickly when I realized he was unwilling to change. Every now and then I add another entry to my un-resume. These are my leadership screw-ups and […]
Early in my leadership career in Corporate America, I followed the pack. I did what others did. I remember watching my sales manager lead a certain way, and I emulated what he had done. Unfortunately by following what was commonly done, my teams consistently had very common results. Like many people, being common was never […]
“Dave, you are not the messiah of wayward sales people.” My boss had a way of being direct – sometimes with a sting. She knew me and my desire to help others. I didn’t like the delivery, but she was right. The problem was, once again, I was hanging on too tight to someone who […]
Skilled workers are available. In this economy, there is always someone available who can do the job. Skill and competencies are not hard to find or to hire. Character is a different story. As I have worked with oil and gas companies, large integrated medical systems, large regional banks and Fortune 50 companies, I see […]
