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Monday Quickie - 15 Hiring Tips to Attract the Best Employees in 2020

12/16/2019

 
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Growth in hiring is typically a good thing.  Why thank you Captain Obvious.  While growth in hiring may very well be a good thing, successfully navigating the hiring process is an entirely different story.
Successful hiring can make or break the performance of a company.  Unsuccessful hiring on the other hand creates all sorts of fun challenges for folks like you and me.  In fact, Harvard Business Review identifies 80% of employee turnover is due to bad hiring decisions.
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What does this mean?  First, let’s look at the potential tangible repercussions.

According to Dice, one of the larger online job boards, a poor hiring decision for a candidate earning $100,000 per year could cost, on average, $250,000, and that expense comes right off the bottom line.  That’s scary stuff!  Basically, if the hiring decision you made ends poorly you can expect that mistake to represent 2.5 times the cost of whatever the salary is of the person you are hired.

Rather than fearing the hiring process, or having it work against us, we should approach it with a strategic and open minded process to ensure success.

Want to improve your hiring practices?  Employee (pun intended) these 15 tips:

1. Why Would Someone Pick You/ Your Company? 
No longer is it realistic for employers to have the notion that just because you are in the drivers’ seat administering the interview means you have all the power.  In fact, it’s quite the opposite as the current market is more in favor of the job seeker as they have plenty of options to choose from, you being one of them.  If you want the best of the best you have to be able to speak to WHY people should consider you and your company.  Your story must resonate with your interviewees.
 
2. Character Over Competency
The best leaders use this philosophy – hire people who will bleed for your cause and will make the right decisions even in the darkest of hours.  Competency in most jobs can be taught, character is what the person has developed well before you came around so don’t think you can change it easily, if at all
 
3. Behavioral Based Interviewing
A great tactic while interviewing is to ask people what they would do in certain situations.  This causes people to have to think and adjust in the moment.  You aren’t trying to catch someone doing something wrong here, more or less understand their thought process and how they handle certain tasks or situations
 
4. Know What You Want Before You Interview
All too often I hear people say, “we need to interview some people first to better understand who we are looking for”.  You should never need to interview someone in order to help you understand who or what you are looking for.  If you use this practice most often what it means is you don’t know what you’re doing from a leadership perspective.  Tough love I know but it’s highly important you know what you want and need before you go looking for it during interviews.  Wasting people’s time so you can figure out your direction with hiring isn’t advisable and it’s unprofessional.
 
5. Consult Others
Before you go about the interview process speak with other managers about their experiences and your plans for your hiring process.  The best advice typically comes from those who have been there and done it before that way you can learn from their successes and mistakes
 
6. Make Sure You Know And Understand Your Vision
Somewhat similar to number #1 however this focuses on you and your specific team.  Put yourself in the shoes of the person interviewing and think “Why would I want to work for her/ him?”  “Does this vision excite me?”  “What is my role in the future of this company?”
 
7. Best Foot Forward
A helpful reminder if nothing else, remember when people are interviewing you are witnessing their ideal self, seeing them at their best.  Asking questions which will give you better insight into who they are day-to-day, not just during your interview, are always good ways to get a better glimpse into who they are in a very day setting.
 
8. Tell Them Your Leadership Philosophy
This is especially important if you are hiring the person to join your team.  This is also very different than #6 which talks about the vision for your team or company.  Here you are sharing with your interviewee how you lead and what you believe in.  A great precursor question to this is asking the candidate what type of leadership they like and want in their next career
 
9. Interview Tests
It’s a great practice to test candidates on their abilities on the spot, so long as the test is directly relatable to their core job function.  If you are interviewing a Mechanical Engineer, for example, it is highly suggested you test them on the exact work they would be doing for you (ie Solidworks modeling)
 
10. The Reference Trick
I personally think references are a waste of time.  Why?  Because the people on the other end of the phone are doing nothing but singing the praises of the person you are interviewing.  In over a decade I can name on one hand the number of reference checks I’ve performed which brought about a poor review.  Here’s how to get around it – when you are on the phone with the reference which was provided by your interviewee ask who else the interviewee worked with and then try to phone that person.  This person won’t be prepared for your call and may provide you with more realistic insight into the persons’ work ethic and behaviors.
 
11. Put Yourself In Their Shoes
Interviewing isn’t easy.  In fact it can be downright terrifying for some people.  Try looking beyond the interview.  Just because someone’s interview isn’t a glowing success, or they may seem overly nervous, doesn’t mean they aren’t a good catch.  Just because someone interviews well doesn’t mean they will perform well in the job.
 
12. Job Description = Performance Expectations
It’s time we ditch the HR job descriptions and actually write and talk about what the newly hired employee will be expected to do from a performance perspective.  If you’re hiring for sales, interview your candidates based on the quotas and metrics you’ll have in place.  Ask how they will achieve those goals, what their strategies will be, etc. 
13. Know Your Non-Negotiables
What are you not willing to tolerate?  When I’m in a position of hiring my two non-negotiables are attitude and integrity because both of these are things we have 100% control over.  Knowing that I then ask questions around those two to see how they view my perspective on my non-negotiables.  Asking interviewees their non-negotiables will also give you an idea of where their priorities land
 
14. Challenge Your Own Mindset
One of the most common mistakes leaders make when hiring is they select candidates that remind them of themselves or select candidates that are beneath them skill wise.  Great leaders surround themselves with people who are not only competent but will challenge the leader to be better. 
 
15. Don’t Hire If It Isn’t What You Want
I hired an employee that was most of what I was looking for but through the interview I uncovered some things that were less than great.  Up to this point I had interviewed so many people that I just decided to move forward with this particular candidate and did the whole ‘cross your fingers’ bit in hopes they would work out.  From that experience I can tell you it is always better to not hire when in doubt than hire because you need to fill a spot.
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Monday Quickie – The One Behavior Which Separates Great From Average Employees

11/25/2019

 
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 We’re constantly bombarded with a litany of articles, studies and discussions highlighting the generational differences in the workplace.  These discussions often confuse and mislead readers by zeroing in on ‘key characteristics’ which supposedly define a generation while subtly stereotyping it at the same time. One of the topics that comes up often in these discussions is what makes for a good employee.  This topic has permeated the business world for decades long before Gen-Z and Millennials entered the workplace over the last 10+ years causing a current day telenovela in the business world.
 
While the generations entering the workforce, and or exiting for that matter, may have a difference of opinion on what they want out of their careers and what they need in order to be happy in their jobs, there is one common trait which is synonymous with all generations and all employees for that matter.  This common trait, or behavior, defines what a good employee is regardless of the stereotypes and or characteristics which accompany the respective generation.
 
When we take away generational characteristics, race, religion, gender and everything else used to categorize and therefore sort and stack people we’re left looking at people’s actions.  Their behaviors.  What I’ve found true over the years is behavior is indicative of the true nature of a person, not their words.  If we say one thing but then do (act) another, our behaviors become the defining force for who we are, not our words.  This is certainly true for employees and their effectiveness as we look at whether an employee is ‘great’ versus ‘average’, or worse.
 
So, what’s the difference between a great employee and an average one?  An employee who excels versus one who mails it in operating at a mediocre level of performance.  The difference is a little behavior known as INITIATIVE.
 
I know what you’re thinking, “that’s not groundbreaking information.  I’ve known this for years.”
 
While we may know this, or have seen it in person, what’s remarkable are the number of people who actually deploy ‘initiative’ in their jobs. 
 
In my 15 years’ of business experience, of which 13 of those years have been in management, and 4 owning a business, I’ve experienced both first and secondhand the difference initiative makes in an employee and leader.  When we strip away all the categories and demographics, mentioned above, this behavioral trait is the one that keeps rising to the top distinguishing the great performers from the average, mediocre and under performing employees.
 
Initiative is everything! 
 
What does initiative look like in a business setting?
 
When I think of great initiative in the work place the first thing that comes to mind is a situation I witnessed firsthand with an employee of mine several years ago.  We had a client who was flying into Orange County to visit with several suppliers, our company being one of them.  My employee, Megan, took it upon herself to pick up our client at the airport, coffee in hand, and bring them to our office for the meeting.  Talk about service, yet her initiative to provide a great experience for our customer didn’t end there.  She also took the client out to lunch in Laguna Beach (our client was from Idaho and had never seen the amazing beaches of Laguna).  The client had also forgot to pack a bathroom bag for their travels so Megan took him to Target to pick up a couple items.  After all this was done Megan shuttled him back to the airport. 
 
Yes, this was an amazing effort by Megan yet what made it truly remarkable and just as memorable was the fact that she did this all on her own.  She didn’t ask for permission; she just took it upon herself to deliver top notch service.  Memorable service at that.
 
I still think about the initiative Megan displayed during this time and marvel at how impressive it was.  Needless to say the client sent us an overwhelming email of appreciation thanking Megan for her time and willingness to shepherd him around.  He said and I quote “It was the best business trip I’ve been on, I appreciate you [Megan] taking the time to ensure I had a good visit.”
 
While that story sounds great it’s certainly not the norm. 
 
Rather than focusing next on the lack luster initiative most employees display at the office perhaps its better use of your time and mine to discuss the ways an employee can change their mindset and actions to better align with an initiative based work approach.  Consider the following:

  1. The next time your company, your boss or the department you work for needs something which you are capable of handling or solving, even if it is outside of your job description, say ‘YES’ and get involved
  2. Don’t ever let your boss find you without work to do; always seek out the next opportunity, next project, next chance to advance the company’s interest and therefore your own
  3. Be proactive in making your boss look good; when you act with the company’s best interest in mind and make your boss look like a rockstar for having an amazing employee on their team (even if they don’t deserve the accolades) it will inevitably make you look good in the process
  4. Speak up or get out – if you are in a meeting make sure people know you were there and had an opinion, if you went through a whole meeting and didn’t offer anything constructive to the conversation you attendance was a waste of time for you and the others in the room
  5. Go out of your way to help someone at work, it doesn’t matter who, so long as you can help make them look great, improve their project or council them through a tough discussion
  6. Find a problem and solve it, then put a one page executive summary together and present it to your boss; if you managed to save the company money in the process be sure to cover this
  7. Find a way to make a memorable impact with an employee, someone in leadership, a client, etc.  Whatever it is you do make sure it’s genuine
  8. If you’re struggling with your job ask for help immediately, don’t wait until its too late
 
 
Key Takeaway:
Possessing good initiative at work makes or breaks the quality of employee you are and often times how you are viewed in the organization.  Are you a blessing to your team and company or are you dead weight?  Having good initiative is the one behavior you can 100% control which in turn can directly impact in a positive way your job and career.
 
Action Item:
Stop making excuses for why you don’t act at work.  Next time you see a problem or issue come up at the office which you are directly or close too take a chance and stand up and get involved.  People who say ‘YES’ I can do that rather than ‘someone else can do that’ frequently experience better career 
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Monday Quickie – Step Aside as the Leader to Win

10/28/2019

 
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I recently finished reading a powerful book called ‘The Dichotomy of Leadership’ which is a follow up to the number one best selling book ‘Extreme Ownership’ by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin.  The authors who happen to be highly decorated Navy SEALS share their inspiring and at times scary tales on the battlefield, relating how those experiences blend with real world business and board room leadership challenges.
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The book ‘The Dichotomy of Leadership’ struck a cord with me as I’ve struggled over the years with the balancing act which takes place in leadership.  This balancing act, or dichotomy, is an ever present daily tug of war often between two extremes which are intrinsically linked yet incredibly challenging to consistently toe the line successfully.

Dichotomy itself is an interesting word rife with conflict.  Dichotomy is defined  as a contrast between two things that are, or are represented as being, opposed or entirely different.  (ie – in leadership there is the push and pull of how friendly you become with your employees – too friendly and you lose their respect and or ability to make tough decisions, whereas not being friendly enough alienates you as a leader and keeps you from knowing your people)

As I’m reading this book one of the dichotomies the authors spoke about which is a consistent challenge for leaders is the contrast between leading and following.  There’s a strong misconception in the world of leadership which aligns with the idea that if you’re in a leadership role you must always be leading.  Decisions should be made by those in leadership, strategies engineered and dreamed up by those in leadership.  This of course is an ego-centric mentality and quite frankly one which is incredibly out of date in todays’ business world.  Yet this same idea, leaders must always be leading, permeates every facet of business in most companies we encounter on a daily basis.

My awakening as a result of this book came about as a result of my own shortcomings, and yes ego, as a leader.  I too thought, “As a leader it’s up to me to decide the direction we’re taking and therefore the decisions we’re making.”  Unfortunately this thought process is incredibly short sided.

The true nature of a good leader, as the book artfully describes, is a person who understands they can be in a leadership role and simultaneously lead while following.  Sounds strange at first yet it’s possible, more importantly it’s highly impactful in an organization.  The act of a leader willingly following sends a powerful message to the leaders team and company that they are out to do what is best and necessary for the greater good, not just themselves as the leader.
Here’s how following as a leader plays out.

A CEO of XYZ company has a tough decision to make when it comes to the direction of her company and the potential new markets they’re looking to develop.  Traditional leadership has dictated the senior most person, often times the CEO, makes the decisions for the company.  They may collect information from their subordinates on options or alternatives to consider however the senior most leader is the one to make the decision based on as their position and respective authority demands they be the one to blaze the path forward.

However, a leader who possesses the ability to balance the dichotomy of leading and following can recognize that while they are in a leadership seat it doesn’t mean they always must be leading.  Sometimes following can produce more impactful results.  It also means these leaders are able to recognize their ego and set it aside for the betterment of the company. 

Going back to our CEO of XYZ company, as she’s considering where to take the company into the future she may get advice from an employee in the company which provides a great opportunity for growth and future success. Leaders who are successful in balancing leading and following would then lean on that employee to drive said initiative recognizing what’s important isn’t where the good idea comes from just that it is implemented successfully.  Our leader, rather than leading, makes a conscious decision to follow and allows the employee to step up with their idea and help lead the company through it. They empower the other person while giving them an opportunity to shine.  The leader, in this case our CEO, allows their employee to receive the credit for the idea while also helping them to get it up and running.  Our CEO is now following and doing so because they know this decision is what is best for the business.

Key Take Away:
One of the most challenging things to balance as a leader is knowing when to lead versus when to following.  Leaders who lead all the time lose sight of what is best for their company while also struggling with humility to give others the opportunity to shine.  When we step aside and follow as a leader we encourage others to deploy their ideas while creating a vacuum for our employees and peers to step up, offer suggestions while increasing their likelihood to take additional ownership in their work.  Leaders must recognize their ego drives many of their decisions and actions, one of the best decisions we can make is acknowledge our ego and set it aside to make room for others to take the wheel while we encourage them to do so.

Action Item:
If you struggle with the balancing act which comes with leadership, in particular the area of ‘leading versus following’ I highly suggest picking up the book ‘The Dichotomy of Leadership’ by Willink and Babin.  The nuggets of knowledge, insight and real world practical examples these two authors share more than once will open your eyes to new and alternative approaches to successful leadership. 
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Monday Quickie – 10 Reasons Your Company Sucks at Hiring Employees

10/21/2019

 
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​After more than a decade of hiring people on a daily basis I’ve seen a thing or two when it comes to good vs. bad practices relating to the process of hiring employees.  During that time I’ve also made my fair share of mistakes in the people I’ve hired which offered up a plethora of learning opportunities.  What I've learned over the years is that making a hiring mistake can be costly and most of the time it is the employers fault the hire doesn’t work out, not the new hire themselves.

Hiring an employee is an interesting and vital part of business.  Interesting in that the end result is bringing on a new person into your company with the idea that they will fulfill a role to help the company move forward.  Vital, because hiring really is one of the most important activities a business can do outside of generating revenue.  Without revenue streaming in there is no need for hiring and no company for that matter, which is why I’ve placed generating revenue a tier above hiring.

The act of hiring is often whimsical and mythical in nature, like a unicorn.  Everyone loves to say they’re great at interviewing as they enjoy saying “I know how to pick em”, or “I’m able to sniff out the best from the worst in five minutes”.  I always enjoy a good chuckle when I hear comments like this because the reality is that these words often stand on hollow ground.  While we love to think we’re great at the process of identifying, vetting and selecting the best people the facts tell a different story:
  1. HBR did a study that found 80% of turnover is due to poor hiring decisions
  2. More than 70% of companies don’t have a specific process they follow to ensure their hiring process is streamlined and effective

With stats like this you’d think companies would focus more on their hiring process and approach to improve this area of the business similarly to how they spend endless amounts of time and money on activities like kaizen events and lean initiatives in order to improve yields by a couple percentage points. 

In the end the numbers don’t lie as they tell us a sobering story – no one is perfect when it comes to hiring employees.  However the quicker we build awareness around our actual performance in the area of hiring the quicker we can begin to improve it. 
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Below are the ten (10) most common hiring mistakes made in business.  As you read through these make a note of how frequent an offender you or your company is with each:
  1. Candidates are not respected going through the interview process (this happens all the time and is one of the quickest ways to lose a great candidate; disrespect comes in the form of wasting people’s time, not getting back to people, treating them poorly during the onsite interview, etc.)
  2. Hiring managers have unrealistic expectations and make hiring decisions based on being able to perform immediately rather than long term success
  3. Hiring managers don’t know what they’re looking for in a candidate so they interview dozens of people hoping to figure it out along the way (this often times is an unspoken action as few people will openly admit to their peers they don’t know what they’re doing)
  4. The job description used to search and vet candidates isn’t the same as the real job responsibilities
  5. Interviewing is based around job tasks, not the expected performance results
  6. The interview process is overly complex and lengthy (it goes on for months on end with weeks of down time in between interviews or discussions, or it involves several interviews with dozens of people)
  7. The interview process fails to connect what the company’s story and mission is with a candidates career motivations are (when this happens companies are hiring people to fill a job, not a career)
  8. The company’s sole source for hiring is technology (hint – only about 11% of people find their job on the internet so if your strategy is to solely to use technology – job boards, social media - you’re missing out on 89% of the rest of the workforce)
  9. The company is reactive, not proactive, in hiring and building out a candidate pool
  10. They have entire teams or departments involved the hiring decision (often times those people aren’t trained on how to interview and don’t understand the true needs of the job)
 
Key Take Away:
The current job market is one of the most competitive hiring landscapes we’ve ever seen.  Most of the people in the US workforce have never seen unemployment figures like we’re experiencing today.  Orange County, CA unemployment rate in September 2019 was a staggering 2.9%.  Meaning, 97.1% of people who are eligible and or able to work are in fact doing so.  The numbers nationally don’t get much better, or in favor of the employer, as we’re experiencing 3.5% unemployment nationally.  The last time the unemployment rate was this low was in 1969.  What does this all mean – it’s a candidates market, not an employers market.
 
Most, if not all, the good people and therefore candidates are gainfully employed.  If you want to improve your chances of landing great employees to help grow your company you need to ensure your hiring practices are addressing and or solving the 10 hiring issues mentioned above.
 
Action Item:
If you or your company struggle to hire great people one of the best things you can do to correct it is to seek advice and an alternate viewpoint.  Ask your employees why they were for your company, learn what matters to them most and why they stick around.  Another way to gain insight is to bring in an HR or recruiting consultant to review your current processes.  Outsiders can often times see things quicker and easier than you can as they aren’t coming from a lens that is within the company.  Their outsider perspective can provide unbiased feedback on the things you need to do to attract better talent.
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Monday Quickie – Improve Your Relationships With This One Trick

10/7/2019

 
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​There’s a wonderful and powerful truth which exists in many facets of life having to do with relationships and leadership.  It’s powerful because the impact it creates when utilized is immense, whereas it’s also a wonderful truth because it’s a quality we all possess completely free of charge.
This amazing truth I speak of which impacts all of our relationships, our ability to lead and our professional experience is the all-powerful art of listening.  You know, the opposite of talking, as in not speaking and allowing others to talk. I know, this is a foreign concept for many of us.

Why is listening an important habit to develop to be a good leader, friend, spouse, etc?  Those who possess the ability to listen earnestly experience deeper relationships, advanced awareness of how they show up and how others are impacted by them (EQ), are genuine in their care for others and are touted as being “leaders people would run through a wall for”.  To become an exceptional leader, friend or spouse, you must learn to develop your listening skills. 

Perhaps you’re thinking, “Well, that’s not very profound.  I listen all the time.” 

But, do you really listen, or as you simultaneously thinking about the next question or statement you’re going to say once the other person is done talking?

Let’s see how good of a listener you are.  If you’ve done one of the following in the last week you’ll want to continue reading this article:
  1. Interrupted someone while they were talking
  2. Judged someone or jumped to a conclusion before they finished speaking
  3. Continued typing on your computer or texting on your phone while someone was talking
  4. Responded to someone’s statement or question with:
    1. Defensiveness
    2. A question or statement unrelated to the persons first comment
    3. Haste
    4. Blame
  5. During a conversation you responded with interjections such as ‘yah’, ‘Hmmmm’ or ‘uh-huh’ (hate when I do this)
  6. Tapped your fingers or fidgeted frequently during a conversation

The list goes on, and on, however these six items seem to be the biggest perpetrators of what we see from people who aren’t fully engaged and listening.

Why don’t listen?  Short answer – our egos get in the way of allowing someone else the stage to talk.  

​The long answer – Perhaps you’re the exception as your listening skills are top notch.  For everyone else out there, which I’ll gladly throw myself into this boat, we struggle with listening.  We tell ourselves that others are wrong; only we know the truth; “I don’t have time for this”.  We also say things like “I can multi-task while we’re talking”; or think things like ‘my point makes more sense’, ‘they’re idiots’, ‘they must not see the big picture’ (love that one), ‘they have to hear my side before we can move on’.  While all of these responses are rather normal, each of them grows from the belly of the ego.  We’re also an ever growing impatient bunch of people.  With so much going on in the world today it’s easy to fall into the trap that we don’t have time to have a conversation, especially if that conversation isn’t of grave importance.

Leaders – read closely here.  The success of your job depends on your ability to listen.  Forbes writer Glenn Llopis says that when “leaders judge, they expose their immaturity and inability to embrace differences.”  Did you know that your act of not listening actually sent such a strong communication to the person on the other end?  Imagine how it made them feel!

How can we fix this?  Short answer – zip it (our mouths that is) and focus on the person in front of you. Long answer – read ‘Action Item’ below.

WHY should we focus on being better listeners?

Key Take Away
If you haven’t come to the conclusion by now, we may need to get some backup in here asap.  Let me get to the point then.  Your job and career as a leader depends on it.
People follow and support leaders who live a servants’ mentality which means when their people have an idea, a question, a problem, or a wild haired suggestion, they listen as if listening is going out of style.  Being a servant doesn’t mean a leader is weak, it means their people and company come first, before themselves.  Conversation is the gateway to a persons’ mind, body and soul.  Its best we listen or we’ll run the chance of missing out on some truly incredible moments.

Action Item
Next time you’re confronted with someone wanting your attention to converse be sure to put away your phone, your work at hand, close your computer screen or turn it off, close your door for that matter.  Do whatever you need to in order to give the person on the other side of the table your complete and undivided attention.  You’ll be happy you did as a results of the conversation will be far better while leaving the person on the other side of the table feeling like they were heard and cared for.
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Monday Quickie - Turn Your Job Interview Into a Successful New Career

9/30/2019

 
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​It’s exhilarating, yet marginally terrifying!
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You’ve got butterflies in your stomach.  Butterflies of excitement, or is nauseous butterflies?  These feelings, normal as they may be, describe two life experiences: job interviewing and dating.  The butterflies of interviewing for a job are often characterized as the same response we get when interviewing.

Ever wondered why a first date feels like a job interview?  Knowing the answer to this can make or break your ability to turn your interview into a successful new career.

They feel the same, seem the same and often produce the same outcomes because a job interview and a date in fact one in the same.

While that may sound like an unpopular parallel to draw hang with me a moment while I explain why dating and job interview is one in the same.  Just as important, why it’s important to understand this and how it impacts your experience and ability to land the job you're interviewing for.

Let’s start with the obvious – people make decisions largely based on feelings. 

Did you know the majority of the time we making hiring decisions based off of one thing – how much or little we like a person.  This has been studied time and time again producing the same outcomes.  We’ll hire someone who may not check every box we need for the job from a function or experience perspective but if we like them as a person we have a tendency to overlook a lack of experience.  We do this because we’re wired to think, operate and act based on our unconscious biases which control our perspectives on race, education, economic status, personality, values, etc.  Simply, if we can relate to the person, we’ll have a tendency to want to hire them more often than not.

Ironically, this is the same exact process we use when searching for a mate and going through the dating process.  When we’re on a date we’re sizing the other person up as quickly as possible to determine ‘is there a reason I should see this person again?’.  Simply, can I relate to them?
We have a positive bias towards people who are similar to us and therefore a negative bias towards people who are different than us.

We don’t often associate first dates and job interviews as one in the same however the more we look into each experience and how we act during them we come to find that both of these human interactions are eerily similar.

How does knowing this information help me with dating and interviewing?  The better we understand the psychology of these interactions, our feelings on them and how we make decisions we can approach each situation with better perspective and hopefully end up on the other side with a better outcome.

Let’s look at the similarities between dating and job interviewing and how each of them impacts our decision making process.

- First Impressions:
This is the holy grail of decision making when it comes to whether or not we like someone initially.  Failure to have a good first impression will more often than not result in a second interaction never making the calendar.  Psychologists call it "thin slicing."  Within moments of meeting someone, we’re deciding and making assumptions on all sorts of things about the other person, from status, intelligence, career success and even promiscuity.  This can be as quick as 7 seconds!  What that means is that everyone is trying to put their best foot forward, which can make things tricky because often times both parties are wondering if the person they’re talking too is the ‘real’ John Doe or the in-character John Doe.
 
- Chemistry:
You know it when it exists.  Things just seem easy.  You laugh more, you tend to lean in closer to the other person more often and you even overlook potential red flags because your gut is already invested in the other person long before your brain has had a chance to catch up.  On the other hand, when chemistry is lacking you feel like you’re on a date from hell.  It’s awkward and painful, causing you to wish you had an escape route pre-planned to get you out of the date or interview.
 
- Communication:
Communication is much more than just verbal, it also includes nonverbal cues like the unspoken word and body language.  Ever been in an interview and eye contact communicated more in 4 seconds what a 10 minute conversation could accomplish?  I’ve been there and it’s a powerful experience.  When our verbal communication is locked in sync it can feel like we’ve been friends for years.  When communication struggles it feels like pulling teeth to have an average conversation.  Both people may be speaking the same language but it seems as if one person is speaking Russian while the other is a Mandarin linguist.  We become bewildered and confused, not exactly a great start towards building a solid relationship.
 
- Commonalities:
“Wow, I went to USC as well.  Fight On!”  “You’re from Handsome Eddy, New York also?  What a small world.” Finding common ground during a first date or a job interview can immediately disarm both parties allowing more casual conversation to occur.  Bonding takes place over the things we find out we have in common such as our love for golf, knitting that fabulous turtle neck sweater for the holidays or volunteering for a similar cause.  It doesn’t really matter what it is so long as we have a shared interest.  Most of us don’t realize when we’re in these moments what we’re looking for is something we already know and like – ourselves.  When we struggle to find something in common with the other party it has a direct negative impact to the chemistry we’re trying to build on.
 
- Perception vs. Reality
As the date and or job interview continues we inevitably begin to ask question to get to know the person in hopes of better understanding them and what they bring to the table.  Many times what happens during these exchanges is we get a glimpse into a person that isn’t very real at all.  I don’t believe people do this on purpose, at least most people, however the fact of the matter is in a first date and job interview we are doing our darndest to put our best foot forward.  As a result, people can often times misrepresent themselves for who they are and what they’re all about.  This is similar to the honeymoon stage where only after a period of time we’ll be able to know if the person today is the same tomorrow.
 
- Emotion
Love at first sight!  Let’s face it, emotion is a part of every first date and job interview, but it can also help us or hurt us in our decisions.  Help us in that if we become emotionally invested in the other person it allows us to overlook small red flags that otherwise might get in the way of us making a decision that could be good for both parties.  Emotions can also hurt us because if we experience something which causes our ego or pride to be damaged we then make decisions that aren’t in the best interest of the interview or date because we’re focused on protecting ourselves.
 
- The Angle
“What’s he really all about?”  ‘The angle’ is described as the feeling when a person has ulterior motives.  This happens both in interviewing and dating.  Candidates are angling to get a job, sometimes presenting themselves in a light which makes them appear more qualified than they really are.  Employers also do the same by upselling the career opportunity to entice candidates to consider the role even though the actual work might not be nearly as glamorous as how it was made out to be, or the company may not be the best place to work.
 
Key Take Away:
People by their very nature go about experiences, such as first dates and interviewing for jobs, in a fairly predictable way.  While the outcome might be out of our control, the way we go into the experience and how we handle ourselves during the experience greatly influences the outcome.  Knowing this information, first dates and job interviews are similar, can help you go through each experience with a broader perspective allowing you to make better decisions for yourself and potential career or company.

Action Item:
Next time you find yourself on a first date or job interview remember that these human experiences are designed to see if it is worth it or not to have a second go around.  The best approach is to just be yourself, as a result you’ll find that your interactions with others are far more valuable to you and the person on the other side of the table.

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Monday Quickie – Overcoming Leadership Isolation

9/23/2019

 
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Leadership is one of the hardest things a person can do professionally.  There’s no manual, no playbook, no cliff notes that give leaders the ‘secret sauce’ to successfully lead the charge.  Sure there are thousands of avenues one could go to learn more about leadership however at the end of the day it’s still a job that mainly rests on intangible actions like care, empathy, intuition and respect for the very people leaders serve.
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Leading is often described as a lonely experience.  Elisabeth Elliott, a famous author, speaker and missionary once said “Loneliness is a required course for leadership.”  The feeling of loneliness at the top is much more common than most of us realize as more than 50% of leaders indicate they have experienced loneliness at one point or another in their career.  The stats are even higher for first time leaders at a whopping 70%.

When leaders experience solitary the impacts can be devastating.  Isolation and loneliness have a direct negative affect on a leaders’ performance which then directly impacts their employees, departments, business units and companies. 

How is it then leaders find themselves down in the dumps on lonely island?  Some of the most common causes are:

1. Forced Isolation- Leaders seclude themselves from the rest of the group by working in an office which can create imaginary barriers between them and their staff.  Closing the door actually creates a real barrier that communicates “I’m not available and don’t have time for you”.  Regardless if this isolation was intentional or unintentional it produces the same results where the leaders’ staff hesitate to communicate with their boss, or not at all.

2. Decision Making- In most businesses decision making is typically left to the people carrying the torch.  When decisions go well all is good in the world yet when decisions produce less then spectacular results the leader is left out in the cold to take the brunt of the responsibility.  It’s part of the job but it can also produce isolation at a whole new level which isn’t typically understood or felt by the company’s employees.

3. Don’t Ask For Help- Many times isolation is self-inflicted as leaders don’t ask for help from their teams or peers.  There’s an unspoken feeling for many leaders which goes something like, “they expect me to know everything because that’s what I get paid for and why I’m in the job”.  Thoughts like this can be incredibly damaging and certainly have no justifiable basis for being correct or healthy.

4. Lack Humility- When leaders act in a way which broadcasts ‘I’m more important than you because I’m in a leadership role’ employees quickly disengage, refraining from putting effort in to build relationships with their leaders or working hard on their behalf.  When leaders act this way many times it can be attributed to ego or overcompensating for a lack of confidence.

5. Poor Treatment of Others- One of the quickest ways a leader can find themselves on lonely island is by treating their employees or staff in a poor manner.  They lack emotional intelligence. (EQ)  When employees feel like they aren’t valued or respected they withdraw which commonly leads to limited interaction and feedback with leadership.  The result is a drift occurs in the organization between what leadership wants and what employees are doing.
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​Let’s be clear here, we aren’t about to throw a pity party for our leaders.  They’re grown ups right, big boys and big girls who have made the choice to enter leadership on their own accord.  So if they’re feeling isolated or lonely than it’s by their own doing, right? 

Not necessarily. 

While we’d all love to think the statement above is accurate the reality is that employees do in fact have some ownership in the leadership isolation situation.  Employees have a unique ability to see things their leaders don’t, hear things their leaders don’t and help in situations where their leaders would otherwise be clueless about.

These five options when implemented help to foster an environment of support and mutual respect, one in which both leader and employee benefits from:
  1. Leaders need to develop a servants mindset for their employees
  2. Employees need to commit to giving feedback to leadership in real time (anonymously at the very least)
  3. Leaders need to develop peer groups and or an advisory group outside the walls of their company
  4. Leaders should focus on getting a coach or mentor outside the walls of their company
  5. Leaders need to humble themselves and ask their employees for help and feedback

When leaders and employees work together and support one another it significantly reduces the likelihood people of any kind will experience isolation. 

“There is no respect for others without humility in one's self.” - Henri Frederic Amiel

Key Take Away:
If you’re feeling lonely as a leader chances are it’s a result of your own doing.  Sorry to hit you with the brutal honesty.  Loneliness in leadership impacts more people than just yourself.  One of the best ways to overcome it is to join a peer group or get a leadership mentor/ coach. 

Action Item:
Feeling like you’re on lonely island right about now?  Select two people from your company, one of which needs to be a direct report, and ask them for their candid feedback.  Start by telling them how you’re feeling and your desire to do something about it.  Get vulnerable and ask for their help while creating an environment where people feel comfortable telling you how they perceive you and your presence as a leader.  After you receive the feedback – SHUT UP!  Don’t argue about it, don’t disagree.  Just listen, observe and take it all in.  Thank the person for their feedback and take the rest of the day to smolder on it.  With time and patience, you will begin to open yourself up to hearing other people’s perspectives while learning how to take their words and incorporate it into a new you. Now, go get em, champ!
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Monday Quickie - Got Gold? Lacking Product Design Standards Hurts Your Company!

9/9/2019

 
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Like many things in life there is often more than one way to accomplish a task. This is especially true for those of us who fall in the creative space.  One persons’ approach in the creative development process (drawing, painting, product design, coding, graphical design, underwater basket weaving, etc.) could be quite different from the person sitting next to them yet it’s possible for both people to arrive at the same destination.

Or so we think.

I recently sat down with a good friend of mine, Tim Humphrey, who I’ve had the pleasure working with for several years teaming up to facilitate a variety of product design and drafting projects in the medical device arena.  During our discussion I shared with Tim a frustration I had, and still have, having to do with inconsistencies in people’s design approach. I see this often in product development where the approach one person takes to design a product may on the surface get them to the desired finish line but as a result of their approach it leads to a plethora of unnecessary challenges down the road.

As Tim laughed at me lightheartedly, we found ourselves diving deep into a discussion where in one conversation I found myself both highly intrigued while equally confused and somewhat baffled at the same time.  

Here’s the issue as I see it specific to designing in a product development scenario.

Issue: someone is tasked with designing either a product, sub-assembly or component of a new or existing product.  As such, their design approach gets the company to a conclusion where the design is technically complete allowing the person facilitating the work to check their proverbial work box and move on to the next assignment.  While the work may have technically been completed, it often is done in a fashion which causes all sort of problems down the road for the company, including other employees working on the same project within the same organization as well as their external suppliers. 

How is it someone can complete a design project satisfactory on the surface yet problems arise down the road with that very same design which had been previously approved?

Answer: the devil is in the details, or lack thereof, to be more specific.

Tim and I both agreed on the following.  The reason why companies and or their respective employees  experience this is because they aren’t following a formal and documented ‘gold standard’ for their design practices.  Simply put, they lack discipline with design fundamentals. They don’t have GOLD!  There is also something to be said about training. If your company lacks proper training to ensure the standards are being followed that too can produce similar unwanted results.
As a result of a lack of design standards and training employees are left to decide for themselves how to complete a task which may get them to the finish line but the approach, process and details along the way can have wild variances and interpretations.

While this may be common place and old news to many of you reading this article, the reality is the actual practice of designing a product with repeatable ‘gold standards’ is anything but common sense or consistent in the workplace.  When our approach to design is fast and loose we experience the following:
  • Design intent isn’t captured
  • Formatting and documentation inconsistencies or it’s wrong all together
  • Future efforts to utilize the design for other applications can’t be leverage causing rework
  • Models can’t be adjusted or revised easily because the initial designer didn’t put enough thought into their work to think ahead about future changes which may need to take place; the design is static rather than being parametrically driven
  • Confidence in the model and the overall design is tarnish
  • The company losses time and market opportunity which translates into lost revenue and market share attainment
 
When these issues show up it causes companies to reinvest dollars and resources into their work in order to move the project forward to get it to a point of where it can be properly advanced along the product development life cycle.  This reinvestment is unnecessary and a huge time suck.
For these reasons its vital companies implement a gold standard which their employees and suppliers follow to ensure the work each party is facilitating makes it to the finish line in the same format, intent and approach.  This unification of process increases the likelihood design work is done correctly while also ensuring future usage of said designs doesn’t require additional unnecessary iterations or complete redesigns.

Does your company need to implement a ‘gold standard’ for your design and product development practices?

Implementing a gold standard includes:
  1. Documented processes with consistent templates and forms
  2. A systematic way to capture tribal/ legacy knowledge
  3. Development and maintenance of a centralized database for product data storage (tools like UpChain, Arena and Windchill)
  4. Developing consistent design techniques via training (sketches constrained, DFM, simplified features which are in systematic order, building relations to create predictability, organizing feature tree, design intent)
  5. Driving dimension (model dimensions) used in drawing (ease in updating documentation)
  6. Implementing a system of checks and balances to ensure work is done properly and in accordance with company processes and policies
  7. Consistent discussion, training and guidance focused on designing with the future in mind
 
Key Takeaway:
If you and or your company lacks a gold standard for your product design efforts you are inevitably wasting time and resources.  This also has a direct correlation to a suppliers’ ability to help with outsourced work causing the overall project to be more challenging and lengthy than necessary (prototyping, manufacturing, etc.)
 
Action Item:
Got GOLD?  Start right away implementing your gold standards starting with develop a best practice plan.  From there setup a review plan to provide feedback on all work performed. Once infrastructure of your new gold standard system is established you’ll want to asses the skills of your team and develop a training program which can be offered to both new and existing employees. 

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Monday Quickie Recap - How to Be Successful in the Start Up World

8/22/2019

 
​In this weeks Monday Quickie Recap we talk about our article ‘How to be Successful in the Start-Up World’ and the importance of working outside of the box and your respective job description, as well as the impact good/ bad leadership can have on small companies.
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Monday Quickie – How to Be Successful in the Start Up World

8/19/2019

 
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​Working for big business certainly has its perks, there’s no doubt about it.  Stability, direction, benefits, work that is defined – you name it.  For some, this is the ideal work environment.  We plot along through our 8-5 and enjoy the consistent pace that comes with it.
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For a growing number of professionals while the world of big business has its strengths, it also serves to hold us back in our careers which is why we turn to the start-up world.  How do I know this?  I’ve lived it myself.  After more than 10 years of working for a $6B company I left and went into the start-up world.

My story, while it may not be unique, is a growing story many others now share. 

Why do people like the idea of start-ups?

First and foremost, it can be an exciting place to work.  Decisions are often made speedily, there’s typically much less bureaucracy, work is more flexible and of course it tends to be much more creative.  We also have the ability to learn much more about our jobs and the impact it has on the overall company and or business.  Therefore, it is possible to say being in the start up world allows us to become better business people in the process as we get to see the big picture, not just our individual roles and workloads like what happens in big business.

Then it’s settled, everyone should work in a start-up!  I mean, who wouldn’t want to work in that kind of an environment?

Hold up compadres, pump the brakes a moment.  The start-up world is no picnic.  Yes, the start-up world is exciting and full of daily innovation and discovery but it can also be rife with challenge, uncertainty and stress.  Not everyone is built or meant to be in the world of start-ups.  We may think we are however the reality is some of us are just better off being in big business.  Before you jump ship from your large company into the world of a start-up (and or small business) take a moment to check in with yourself on how you land with these five characteristics which are vital to ones success in the start-up environment:

1.Working Outside the Box
When we work for big companies often times our job and daily output is focused on a certain set of tasks.  It’s the opposite in the start-up world as often times the mentality of those who are successful in this space is that they’re willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done and company moving forward.  This includes taking out your own trash!  If you’ve ever said “that’s not part of my job description” in response to work that was requested of you I would recommend taking a hard look at whether a start-up or small company is the right move for your career.  You don’t have an option to be picky in a start-up, the only option is to do it.  Even if that means taking out your own trash.
 
2.Time Requirements
Working 8-5 in a large company can be a great perk.  If you’ve done that for any length of time you may have forgotten how nice it is to mentally shut off at 5PM.  In start-ups working 8-5 is non-existent.  It’s common to work long hours and or be tethered to your smart phone around the clock.  The statement ‘work life balance’ is blurred beyond recognition in the start-up world.  Those that are successful here know and understand that it takes time and effort to create something.  How dedicated are you to making that happen and what are you willing to give up in the process?
 
3.Ambiguous Nature
Working in a large company doesn’t necessarily mean that everything is clearly defined and outlined yet it is typical that SOPs (standard operating processes) are at the very least available for workers who choose to use them.  In the start-up world you may find yourself creating these on your own.  Take a moment to think how you would feel about being confronted with a daily situation where you are supposed to be working hard, hell – harder than ever before, and there isn’t a lot of direction or support to help you in that effort.  If the thought of that excites you than the start-up world may be a breath of fresh air, if not then maybe your 3 foot wide cubicle and plush ergonomic chair your large company bought is the safer bet.
 
4.Leadership
This is one of the most overlooked aspects of a start-up in my opinion.  Leadership.  If you haven’t worked in the start-up world before you may not be aware that people in leadership still do much of the hands on work.  In big business this is hardly the case.  Neither camp of leaders are necessarily better than one of the other, it’s just a very different environment.  In start-ups every person on the team has to give 150% to the cause which means those who don a leadership title still have to get dirty in the day to day work.  The reason you want to consider this as a part of your ‘can I make it in the start-up world’ is because leadership ultimately can have a great or very grave impact on the start-up business.  Seems a bit obvious but when someone is doing both daily work and in charge of strategic decision making their influence and involvement has a much greater impact.  In big business if a company experiences a failure with one of their leaders it typically can be salvaged whereas in the start-up world one or two costly mistakes by leadership will send the company into a grave six feet under.
 
5.Collaboration
Start-ups offer an intimate working experience. Working in a start-up everyone knows everything about everyone.  It’s close quarters with high amounts of communication, partnering and feedback.  Collaboration of course exists in big business but not at the intimate level of the start-up.  When we work for a big company we are often a part of a team but doing work independently, even times on our own little island.  If you’ve come to enjoy your island and aren’t interested in having neighbors up in your grill on the daily than perhaps staying in big business is the right decision for you.
 
A professional life in a start-up can indeed be a rewarding and exciting adventure.  Once we’ve spent some time analyzing what’s most important to us in our career and what we’re willing to do to get it than we’ll have a better idea of how the start-up environment and career fits in with our plans.
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    About the Author

    Travis Smith is the founder and managing director of Square-1 Engineering, a life sciences consulting firm, providing end to end technical project services to companies which design, develop and or manufacture products in Southern California.  He successfully served the life sciences marketplace in SoCal for over 15 years specializing in engineering services, consulting, project outsourcing and leadership development. In 2019 he was recognized as a ‘40 Under 40’ honoree by the Greater Irvine Chamber of Commerce as a top leader in Orange County, CA.

    Travis also serves as Chairman, Board of Directors for DeviceAlliance, the only Southern California based medical device non-profit professionals organization and member of the University of California Irvine's Division of Continuing Education Advisory Board for Medical Product Development.  He holds a business management degree from California State University Long Beach and is a graduate of the Southern California Entrepreneur Academy.

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  • Home
  • Square-1 Engineering Services
    • Medical Device Consulting >
      • Product Development Services
      • Medical Device Quality Engineering & Compliance Services
      • Validation Services
      • Manufacturing Services
      • Regulatory Services
    • Medical Device CAD Services
    • In-Source Project Services
  • Successful Execution
    • How We Engage
    • Problems We Solve
    • Project Expertise
    • Case Studies
  • Resource Library
    • White Papers and Articles
    • Recommended Business Reading
    • The Business Wingmen Podcast
  • About Us
    • Vision & Misson
    • Careers >
      • Careers - Business Development Manager
      • Careers - R&D Engineer
      • Careers - Test Engineer
    • Contact Us