As a leader, you are only as influential and effective as the team that you have around you. Deciding who gets into your department, as well as what they do, and how far they go, is completely up to the leader. For the leader, hiring is the most important thing you will do!
This past weekend I spent 19 hours in the car driving from Dallas, Texas onto Pittsburgh, PA. During this time, I had a lot of time to think and reflect on this past week. One specific experience that came to mind was a great interview I had with a young DBU student named Bree. We were considering Bree for a part-time student worker position in our International Office.
Bree was well-spoken, warm-hearted, and energetic. Bree’s happy attitude and positive character was contagious. I left the interview feeling encouraged to finish the rest of my day. I remember thinking; this is the type of person I want to have on our international team.
As I drove through Memphis, Tennessee I remember thinking about how important it is for a leader to create a good team around them. I remember the words of Dr. Stephen Mansfield, President and CEO of Methodist Health System in Dallas, who said that as a leader, “You are the Keeper of the Culture”.
When you hire great people, and they get into the right place, wonderful things can happen. In contrast, when you do not hire great people, and you don’t get them into the right place, then disaster is possible. So, it’s important that you take time and care through the interview process.
Over the years, there are a couple of important items that I think about when making a hiring decision:
1) Hire for Character first, Energy second and Competence third.
You may have heard this in different ways and possibly even in the reverse order. I have found that hiring for character first, energy level second and competency third is the best criteria to hire new team members. You can teach a smart, determined, energetic person anything. However, character traits such as honestly, trust, hard work, and empowerment are incredibly difficult to create in another person. It is best that your hires embody strong character traits first and have a strong, positive energy level second.
I am not saying that your hiring decisions should not be competent. In fact, I think the contrary, if you are hiring for your “A-team”, then each person should be extraordinarily competent. However, this should not be your first motivation.
2) Will this person be a good fit for this position?
As we have discussed in previous blogs, a person’s skills/abilities, personality/behaviors and passions/desires really do come together in a unique way to form who a person is and ultimately points them totheir distinct purpose in life. During the interview process, it is up to you and the interviewee to determine if this position, department and company is a good fit.
As I get more and more experience in the hiring process, I have learned to use a variety of assessment tools such as the Myers-Briggs, DISC profile, Strength Finder and others to help answer the questions about a person’s character, energy and competencies. I have listed many of these assessments tools that I have used in our Finding Purpose section of this website.
With all of these assessments, as well as the interview questions I ask, I am looking to feel confident that this person might be a good fit for the position they are interviewing.
At the end of the day, this is where the “art of leadership” comes in. It’s about using your discernment, based upon the interview questions, assessments and “gut feeling” to make the best hiring decision possible. In the end, if you have a good team, you will see pretty quickly whether the person is a good fit or not.
3) Will this person make your team better or worse?
This is great question to ask; does bringing this person onto your team make it better or worse? In order to answer this question, it is important to include your team members in the interview process.
During this time, have 1 or 2 of your “star” team members meet with the potential candidate. I suggest this take place at the second or last interview. Sit back and watch the interaction between the job candidate and your team members. Watch the interactions, the energy level, and the progression of conversation. You are looking to see if new ideas, positive conversations and chemistry forms with everyone.
This will not only insure you are potentially hiring a good candidate who will connect with your team, but also further encourages ownership from your current team with the new employee you are bringing on board.
4) Will this person be encouraged to develop at a personal and professional level by this position?
Part of putting people in the right place is also about seeing to their personal development and professional growth. As you hire, you will want to be sure that your interviewee has the potential to grow and develop in a positive way based on their experience in your department or company.
Remember, in order to thrive at work, people need two things (1) a sense of learning or growing and (2) a feeling of being energized and vital about what they are doing. We all need to make sure our hires can thrive at work and have valuable tasks which will usually lead to opportunities for personal growth and professional development.
During the interview process, I will usually ask questions like “What do you see yourself doing in 10 years from now.” The purpose of this question is to (1) learn where the person sees themselves, and to make sure there is purpose in job they are interviewing for and (2) learn their personal vision and ideas for their future. When people have purpose in their job, or a set of activities that hold consistent value, as well as positive ideas for their future, they tend to be happier and perform to higher levels.
It is all about creating a great team. Great leaders build great teams of people who share the organization’s vision, see value and benefit in the work they do, and possess the energy to carry it out.
Remember, you are the keeper of the culture. So, make the culture great with hiring and developing great people!
Have you ever had a stressful day at work? How about one of those extraordinarily frustrating days where it feels like every second there is someone or something coming to you with an urgent crisis? Fires are popping up everywhere around the office, and it would seem like the entire world is focused on giving you the urgent task, which if not solved, will result in the end of the human race. Well, at least, a very upset employee or customer.
On these days there is absolutely no hope in getting anything than you want accomplished. You are a slave to the urgent, not the important. These days are incredibly frustrating, draining and stressful to say the least. We have all been here. In fact, I had one of these days this past week.
When I experience days like this, I often think of Surfing.
With surfing, there are some days where you get knocked off each and every wave you try to ride. When you jump on your surf board, you immediately get knocked off. The harder you try, the harder you fall back into the water … it’s this over and over again throughout the entire day.
The only thing you can do on days like this is to just ride the wave. Meaning go with the flow and let the waves take you where they may. The harder you fight it, the more stressful and frustrating the day will become. Let the day pass, then come back tomorrow morning, with your surf board in hand, and hit the waves again!
Here are a couple of good things to remember when you are getting nailed by some intense waves:
1) Struggling with the waves builds your strength and surfing experience.
Fail often so you can succeed sooner. The best surfers in the world are not only great at riding waves, but also at wiping out. Remember, there is always something to learn and grow by having a stressful day at work. Difficult days periodically lead to times of reflection and self-thought after day is over. Ask yourself, what could I have done differently today? How else might I have better managed my time, or what pieces of good insight did I learn today?
2) You need a “leg rope” or a “safety net”.
Surf boards come with what’s called a “leg rope” or “leash” that attaches your ankle to the board. This way when you get knocked off your board it keeps the board from being swept away. Just the same, when you have your crazy, stressful days at work. Make sure you have a “leg rope” or what I call a “safety net”; this is a system to keep track of all your tasks in easy access for when your stressful day passes.
I personally keep lists of all of the items that I will need to follow up with once the urgent has passed. I use a combination of a task manager called Wunderlist and also Outlook e-mail. This way I don’t forget what I will need to complete the following day. This could also be as easy as sending yourself e-mails of tasks to complete. Regardless, you need a safety need to help you remember and to follow up later.
3) Take time to find an experienced surfer and debrief.
Often times beginning surfers will hang around other more experienced surfers to pick up the “art of surfing”. More experienced surfers add great value for the young surfer; they can help them to develop their form, show them the best spots to surf, where the best waves are hitting, and also the how the determine the best weather to head to the beach.
Just as in the work place, more experienced friends and mentors will provide encouragement to you on and after the stressful days. Remember, we are not meant to do life alone, this includes work, you need to find good people you can trust to share experiences with and learn from theirs.
4) If you keep getting knocked off your board every day, you may need to rethink your form and start taking surf lessons again.
If your daily routine becomes getting nailed by the waves every day, it may be time to trying something new at the office. Work should not feel like a continual assault day after day. If this describes the majority of your days at work, then you may need to rethink your planning or organization. As an idea, rethink how you plan you day. Do you write down goals? If not, start. Do you have a safety net? If no, try it out. Talk with others and observe more experienced surfers. From what you observe, experiment with new possibilities and more efficient ways to complete your work. Remember, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results.
5) Don’t let a few days of having rough waves discourage you.
Remember, nothing worth doing is easy. Part of surfing, or working in a meaningful job, is that it’s exciting to have a challenge and then growing to overcome it! You’re going to have good days and also stressful days, but don’t let that discourage you from going back out again the following day. Who knows, the most beautiful ocean and best waves could be waiting for you.
Why should we have a high priority to focus on goal setting for 2014?
Well, it’s all about setting your sight and hitting the target. Here are a couple of very important reasons why goal setting is valuable.
First, studies show that we are grossly more effective in our personal, professional and even spiritual lives when we have a target or goal that is set in front of us. High achievers are goal oriented. If you want to make the most of your year and really achieve great results, this is a simple truth, SET GOALS!
Second, we tend to get what we focus on. When we focus on timeless goals that make an impact in our development, we tend to see positive transformational growth for our personal, professional and or spiritual lives. Think of this as setting your sights on a target. If you do not set your sight on a good target, you will decrease the likelihood of hitting anything.
Each year, I spend a week or so before and after the new year to reflect on the previous year’s goals as well as what I need to focus my energy on in the future year. It is during this time where my mind is flooded with all sorts of items, tasks and desires for the future. It’s during this time that I spend consistent time in prayer bringing these ideas to God asking Him to outline for me how he would like me to grow this next year.
When setting your goals for this next year, here are a couple of important things to keep in mind:
1) Make SMART goals.
When I mean SMART goals, I mean the frequently used acronym for goals setting which are Specific, Measurable, Assignable, Realistic, and Time Related (SMART). Make your goals with SMART in mind.
After I start thinking through my ideas for the next year, I make sure that all of my goals eventually fit these characteristics. Here are few examples of my 2014 goals for this year using the SMART guidelines:
- Become a basic conversationalist in Spanish by completing the level 1 and 2 courses by Rosetta Stone.
- Loose 30lbs and be in the best shape of my life.
- Develop and grow as a teacher of the bible by leading a Men’s bible Study for College Students and young men at DBU.
- Maintain my Website and Blog, actively post new knowledge and engaging content weekly.
- Develop as a Public Speaker; evaluate and commit to speaking at 6 different public speaking events this year.
2) Write down your goals.
By writing down your goals you engage yourself to really think about what is important to you during the next year. If you do not take the time to write out your goals, you will be less likely to achieve them.
Michael Hyatt shared on his blog this week about a conclusive research study by Dr. Gail Matthews, a psychology professor at Dominican University in California. Her study on goal-setting with 267 participants found that you are 42 percent more likely to achieve your goals just by writing them down.
3) Get accountability and regularly discuss your goals with others you trust.
After I develop my goals for the year, I share them with a group of close men whom I trust. One of them is my friend Sam, who recently shared with me the following reminder about goals setting and accountability:
“The ultimate outcome we want is to go through life together and get each other’s back so that we can successfully keep moving in the direction God is calling us to. So, spend some time just thinking and praying about this next year … Remember, Community is God’s answer to defeat. Ecclesiastes 4:10 says, “If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.”
Remember, you can try, but you can’t live life well on your own. We all need other people to walk with us, work with us, and watch out for us. Be sure you share you goals with someone you trust and ask for accountability in how you are working to achieve your goals throughout the year.
4) Do not get discouraged when you feel that you’re not meeting some of your goals.
This past year I personally missed achieving about half of my 2013 goals I set for myself. In fact, most high achievers frequently miss their goals, but think of how many goals they would have achieved if they did not set a yearly goal and put an action plan in place? Probably none. Goal setting for the year is key; but realize you may not achieve all that you set your sites on and do not get discouraged.
5) Do not be afraid to re-prioritize your goals throughout the year.
An exciting part of goals setting is that they can be changed. Frequently I will go through the year, stumble upon some additional information or be led by God in another direction. During these times some of my yearly goals will change.
Given that we desire to constantly learn more, our aim or goals will frequently change. Do not be afraid to tweak your goals, this is not admitting defeat, but rather applying additional knowledge that you received to improve your aim.
Remember, if you do not pick up the bow to set your sights on the target, you will miss the mark 100% of the time. If you wish to be a high achiever for 2014, be sure you take time to set your yearly goals.
God Bless in 2014!