RTO Consulting

Part Three: Using tools to improve your organization

Too many CEO’s, Executives and Leaders have shared sad stories with me about either bad hires or the lack of team effort put forth by the members.  As I delicately ask questions about hiring practices and effort exerted into moving people from individual employees to team members I frequently discover a common malady:  Apathy towards hiring and misconception that people are a means to an end.

I recently heard the term “hiring spiral”.  The definition is that high quality and high level employees hire the next level and out of insecurities and inadequacies each level hires a little less qualified person until the “workers” can barely walk and chew bubble gum.  This creates a downward spiral of talent and quality people within the organization.  How do you prevent this?  I propose three basic steps.

1.  Clearly define what the role and responsibilities, skills and talents of the position you need to fill.  YES, this is possible, even if you are looking for a generalist.  Use this list to establish a matrix for weeding through resumes.  Ones that don’t fit the qualifications are immediately tossed out.  From these do some basic phone interviews – narrow the group to those you’d like to interview.

2.  Skills and analysis tools – If the position requires specialized skills administer tests.  We all define “expert” or “competent” differently.  Skills test create objectivity and a common baseline.  Additionally, analysis tools like the strengths finder helps cut through the polish of resumes and the preparedness of the common interview process.  Find out what is below the surface and be prepared to ask questions that lead to enhanced performance, longevity and integration into the team.

3. Interview process – involve multiple people, from multiple levels of the organization, especially the senior leadership (if you’re a small organization the CEO, the culture protector must have some involvement). Gut reactions are important but in today’s era of information availability the “gut reaction” should be the final stamp of approval or dismissal, not the complete process.

Obviously this is an overview but for many these are terrific steps of improvement to prevent the “hiring spiral”.

Changing the impression that people are JUST a means to an end requires understanding that leadership is really about leading people FIRST, then accomplishing the task for the best price.  Leaders must be involved with their people, establish trust and a working relationship.  One of the quickest ways I’ve discovered to successfully accomplish this is through one of the many analytic tools available like Strengths Finder.  These tools provide valuable information about ourselves but more importantly they provide the tool for us to begin talking about ourselves within healthy context.  This can become the foundation of strong relationships leading to team health and success.

“Hire hard, Manage Easy.”

If these topics have intrigued you and would be valuable for yourself or your team please call or email.  I would be glad to discuss opportunities and possible resources with you.