SOLUTIONS GRAB BAG

Email is not always the best way
Say what you mean
The specific is terrific
Mean what you say
RU fit for the BBW (big, bad world)?
Budget
Hiring the right person for the right job
Many supervisors dislike interviewing job candidates
Fill that position
Get oriented
Time for training
If you need help, ask for it
How's your vision?
Tune in to the talent in your organization
Does all work and no play make you dull?
Listen to your gut
Falling to get your attention
Now and forever, it's all about relationships
Old Fashioned & New Fangled One Word Solutions

E-mail is not always the best way. How often have you felt blown off, marginalized, or frustrated by an email? It’s not always the perfect tool for working through situations. The human voice was invented before email. While both are useful in all kinds of relationships, the human voice still trumps the keyboard for significant communications. Sometimes it takes ten emails to equal one phone call or face-to-face conversation. For sending and picking up signals, managing the message, and getting desired results, the human voice in real dialogue, not just one-way voice messaging, can’t be beat. And you don’t have to rely on electronics to make it work! Substitute one actual conversation for one email on a regular basis and evaluate the results. For most of us, it still works wonders.

Say what you mean It's not enough to tell your boss "the report's not done", or your board "this strategy won't work ", or your employee “Your performance has been slipping”. Consider the audience for your message. Determine what you want her/him to understand. Provide adequate detail for the listener to get your message.

The specific is terrific. For example: (A) “The Mischievous Miscreant report that is due by close of business today is not finished because my computer imploded for the third time this week; I can finish it by Friday if I can use one of the company laptops since I backed everything up on a CD.” (B) “The plan to expand our operations into the northern sector within the next 24 months is not likely to succeed because: (1) We haven’t laid sufficient groundwork to distinguish our product/services as unique among those already existing there; (2) We don’t have the resources to rent space in the region.” (C) “In the last 10 days, I have received three messages from your assigned clients telling me that you have not returned their phone calls. Tell me why this is happening and what you intend to do about it.”

Mean what you say. In all relationships, especially professional ones, credibility is key. If you don’t mean it or can’t back up it up with action, don’t say it. If you tell people something, most will take you at your word, and be sorely disappointed if you don’t keep it. Whether you tell someone you’ll meet with them from 4 to 5, or that your product will be ready at a specific time, or your service will meet their need, or their commitment of time and money will make a difference in society, your word is your pledge. Offering a “money back guarantee” or a “cross my heart, and hope to die” does not build credibility. It implies that people really might not be able to take you at your word. Standing on your laurels won’t do it either. Even if you’ve won the Nobel Prize or the adulation of the best in your field, if you’ve told little fibs or big fat lies or can’t deliver what you’ve promised or advertised, your credibility is damaged.

RU fit for the BBW (big, bad world)? Do you suffer from SAD (serious acronym disease)? Is your company name a mystery to the public? Do you sit in Board or staff meetings wondering what others are saying? Whether you are with the CIA, NDP, IBM, NCBDC, FLN, or any other acronymic organization, you might be choking on the alphabet soup you have to consume every day. What’s more, you may be spreading this highly contagious disease. I have a cure for SAD. Use words. That’s right; while words can sometimes take more time or space, most can be spoken in a New York minute. They let you reveal your true identity and intentions. Be a trendsetter. Have the courage to tell it like it is. Try words. They come in a variety of languages and sizes. They’re convenient and meaningful. Words are the cure. Use them wisely and well.

Budget. The word often conjures an aura of anxiety. At best, many consider the task of creating and maintaining the budget a mystifying, somewhat magical, mathematical experience. However, as queen of all nannies, Mary Poppins, put it, “in every job that must be done, there is an element of fun; you find the fun, and, snap, the job’s a game.” For all their moaning and groaning, many chief financial officers, organization executives, and department heads truly love the game. They enjoy thinking strategically about income and expenses, presenting an accurate picture of finances, and helping to create an environment that promotes sustainable growth. The trick is to spread that joy. The key element is to have a clear, concise budget process that EVERYONE understands both from an individual (what’s in it for me) and an organizational (what’s in it for all of us and our clients) perspective.

DON’T

Underestimate staff ability to comprehend and contribute to budget matters
Play hide and seek with financial data when it’s inappropriate to do so
Overwhelm staff with incomprehensible jargon and stats

Get input and buy-in from all levels of Board and staff.
Have the CFO or her/his designee train people in a creative, bite-sized, meaningful way to do their part to create and monitor a realistic but ambitious budget.
Regularly inform everyone of the status of the budget to motivate them to celebrate success and work harder to overcome obstacles

Everyone makes an investment in their organization. Capitalize on their investment with a dynamic budget process.

Hiring the right person for the right job is one of a manager’s many challenges. Here are some key steps to launch the hiring process.

If this is an unexpected vacancy, don’t panic. Realign responsibilities or get temporary help to carry out essential tasks until the position is filled.
Set a realistic time frame for filling the position based on your organization’s needs and resources, the job market, and the number of people involved in the hiring process.
Review and, if appropriate, rewrite the job description. Be sure to include specific skill, knowledge, and experience/education expectations, as well as specific tasks the candidate will be required to perform.
Use your network to let others know what you’re looking for.
Make sure that your job advertising is clear, specific, and simple to weed out inappropriate candidates.
Categorize responses in a way that makes sense. YES/NO/MAYBE is sufficient.
Confirm your categorization by screening candidates as you set up interview appointments. A simple discussion of such issues as geographic location, work hours, and general salary range at this point can save you and the candidate time and energy.
If you don’t have the time or the expertise to search for candidates, and you do have money in your budget to cover the expense, consider hiring a consultant.

Many supervisors dislike interviewing job candidates. It’s time consuming and sometimes exhausting. However, it’s thought provoking, and, if you’re a people person, it can be fun. Try this to make it easier and more efficient.

Prepare the interview format/questions and a ranking matrix. Ask questions that focus on the candidate’s skills, experience, work ethic, and understanding of your business/organization and its culture. Regardless of the job you are hiring for, probe the candidate’s ability to communicate, take responsibility and initiative, be creative, and solve problems. Keep your ranking scale simple. For example, list categories such as skills, experience, knowledge of our organization on one axis, and the names of candidates on the other axis. Use a scoring range of 1 to 5.
Set a realistic amount of time for each interview and schedule multiple interviews in the same time frame if at all possible so that you can more easily compare candidates.
Set a professional tone for the interview and keep it on track. It’s fine to be relaxed and casual, but an interview is not a social event.
Use the same interview questions and tasks with all candidates, including internal ones.
Give the candidate a valid and specific description of your business/organization’s mission, values, and goals. Elaborate on the job description the candidate has seen.
Inform the candidate of where you are in the hiring process, including when and how s/he can expect to hear from you. If the candidate has not already given you references, ask for them.
Write notes on candidates’ answers and comments during or immediately after the interview, and complete a ranking matrix. Be as objective as possible.
If other co-workers were involved in the interview, compare your notes and rankings and do a composite ranking.
List your candidates in rank order.

It’s time to fill that position that’s been holding back your organization’s progress. This aspect of the process requires special patience and communication skills.

Really checking a candidate’s references is critical for success. You need to find out the candidate’s weaknesses as well as strengths. To do this, take a positive approach. Try asking people giving a reference what they suggest a new supervisor do to help the candidate improve skills or move forward in a career path, or what a mentor might focus on to help your new hire. Ask them to describe an incident in the candidate’s career that demonstrates his/her ability to overcome a personal deficiency. If you are familiar with others not listed as references who might know the candidate, contact them for information if it’s appropriate.
Know the parameters of salary and benefits that you can offer the candidate. Determine what you are willing and able to negotiate. If you want to keep the person in your organization, be sure that what you are offering leaves room for your new hire to grow.
If you’re not in a position to truly negotiate, that is, if neither you nor the candidate has any leeway about salary and benefits, tell the candidate that. It will save both of you time and energy.
Make your offer and be prepared to analyze your candidate’s response and reply to it in a timely manner.
If you or the candidate need time to think it over, take the time and set a date for ending the discussion.
If you and the candidate agree on job parameters, set the start date and provide any additional info that’s needed.
There are benefits to having a probationary period for all new hires, if you make the probationary period meaningful by doing a periodic assessment of performance.

Get oriented. Have you ever been lost on a dark, lonely road in a foreign part of town or another country? Remember that panicky feeling. That’s the experience of many new employees. They have been wooed by an organization that now seems virtually to ignore them. They can barely find the bathroom, much less the conference room, or the sales floor, or the operations center. If you’ve invested in hiring people, prepare for their arrival with a good orientation plan. Give them the basic tools they need to make the contribution that you are expecting of them. Make sure their space and equipment are ready when they arrive. Introduce them to staff and give them a tour of the facility. Most Human Resources departments have an introductory package of helpful information. If you don’t have such a department, or the information is so generic that it doesn’t meet your new employee’s needs, put together a package that includes valuable information such as a list of internal and external contacts, policies and procedures, current calendar or schedules for actions and meetings, the goals/mission/strategic plan, etc. Most importantly, give them the time to actually read it, ask questions, and meet one on one with coworkers for clarification on things they find confusing. An orientation schedule that lays out what your new hire will do in his/her first day or two will keep both of you on track in building a strong, profitable professional relationship.

If you don’t have time for training, do you have time to flounder in ignorance and repair the damage it causes? In this information age, there’s hardly a legitimate excuse for not tapping into expertise that’s readily available. Yet, many of us throw away the directions, ignore the tutorials that come with equipment, skip the training sessions, cut funding for training from our budgets and time for it from our schedules. That, my friends, is pure ignorance, and we’ve all learned the hard way that usually ignorance is NOT bliss.

If you need help, ASK FOR IT.

How’s your vision? Is it 20-20, or are you a bit near sighted—only see what’s staring you in the face? Or perhaps you’re far sighted—see the forest, but miss the trees? Do you suffer from blind spots, blurriness, or floaters—those annoying little specs that interfere with your vision? Problems like these can definitely impact functionality, progress, and satisfaction in everyday life and in business. Now is a good time to check your organization’s vision. Pull out your vision statement or exciting business plan that you once created and give it a good read. If it’s still as crystal clear as the big E on the eye chart and you can read every line with ease and a sense of accomplishment, good for you. If not, don’t let your vision continue to deteriorate. Address your vision problem and seek professional help from the proper consultant if you need it.

Tune in to the talent in your organization. We are all multi-talented individuals. A healthy work environment taps into as many of those talents as possible. Skilled communicators can train and mentor. The crafty and artistic can often literally see things differently from those who lack that perception, perspective, and manual dexterity. Sometimes the disciplined athlete can lead the pack in dealing with stress and managing time. Don’t let job descriptions stand in the way of harnessing the skills that are at hand. Recognize and capitalize on strengths. It shouldn’t be just the Army that invites its staff to “be all that you can be.”

Does all work and no play make you dull? Ask your friends and family to answer that frankly. Look in the mirror and ask yourself. The axiom really is true for most of us, even those who adore what they do. You might be sick of your routine, your coworkers, etc. and your family and friends might be sick of hearing you talk about your job/company/cause.

Regardless of the size or mode of operation of your business or organization, you can inject something playful into the environment. For example, use the rah-rah sales pep rally technique of starting your usually serious, and let’s face it, often boring staff meetings with a hardy round of applause. Even the more inhibited in the room can manage that. Yes, organizations frown on all those shared jokes that clog up the email, but now and then, it’s those jokes that help people make it through the day. If you get a good “appropriate” one, tack it up on the bulletin board and spread the joy. After all who wants to be dull or wants dull people working for them?

Listen to your gut. While there are lessons to be learned from “Survivor” themed media, the world they present is far from our everyday experiences. However, there are some very valuable lessons in Laurence Gonzales’ book, Deep Survival. In it he describes how even the well trained and experienced can easily make catastrophic mistakes. It is the very training and the judgmental discipline they constantly exercise that might stand in the way of making the right decision and acting on it at the right time. They fail to listen to their gut and choose training or analysis over instinct. Over thinking a situation or doing it the way you’ve always done it can lead to negative outcomes. Truly successful people/organizations know when to go with gut instinct.

There’s nothing like falling off a bike, or a horse, or a winning team, or the top of the heap to get your attention. When such an event happens, we really only have two choices. One is to get back up because we’re embarrassed, or we are driven to overcome this, or no one will love us, or our future truly depends on it, etc., etc. The other is to walk away and go in another direction. The fact may well be that if we never ride a bike, or get on a horse, or score with the winning team, or rule the roost again, we will survive. Actually, we might thrive and be a whole lot more productive and content. Failure is just an opportunity to choose a path to success.

Now and forever, it’s all about relationships.

Old Fashioned & New Fangled One Word Solutions

A	articulate, analyze, advance, assess, advocate
B	benchmark, breathe, brainstorm, beguile
C	compete, create, connect, change
D	decide, define, draft, design, develop
E	educate, energize, eliminate, email
F	fundraise, focus, Flicker, free
G	gain, generate, gear up, grow
H	humanize, hope, harass, hire
I	intervene, invent, investigate, innovate
J	justify, judge, join, jumpstart
K	know, keep up, kick-start
L	lead, learn, leverage
M	motivate, mitigate, mediate, market
N	nurture, negotiate, neutralize
O	organize, operate, opine
P	plan, propose, practice, produce, problem solve
Q	quote, query
R	reach, recruit, retreat, rethink
S	stretch, scintillate, strategize, succeed
T	think, train, twitter
U	understand, unify
V	visualize, voice, validate
W	write, work, wonder, wii
X	Xerox
Y	yield, yell, you tube
Z	zig, zag, zip, zoom in