Recruit, Inspire & Retain

How to Use Technology For Successful Interviewing

Excerpts w/permission from Interviewing Techniques for Managers, by TRAINING SYSTEMS, INC. own Carolyn B. Thompson, pp. 175-179.

What was the best thing before sliced bread?

Technology can be an incredibly useful tool. Or, it can be just a cool thing replacing traditional, face-to-face interviewing but making it more difficult to gain the information you need. Choose it to help you, not because it’s cool. There are a whole host of computerized and telephone pre-screening software programs for candidates for employment. There are software programs for discovering customers’ needs. You can build a section of your web site to get information from customers who need help with a product or service. You can also simply gain the information you need from a candidate, direct employee, customer or colleague from email, the telephone, a web cast or video tape.

Just because these tools exist – and more are being developed every day - doesn’t mean we need to use them. Your job is to gain the information you need in the fastest, most accurate manner. In the previous chapters we learned all the things we need to do to gain that information. Use that knowledge and the tips in this chapter to make decisions on when using technology will be beneficial to your particular situation. Avoid “boldly going where no man has gone before” just because it’s fun or someone asks you to.

Have a recruitment, inspiration, training, or retention idea or question? Ask by clicking the question mark, and we’ll post your idea or question (and the answer) in Answers & Ideas on Recruiting, Inspiring, Training, & Retaining Great Employees at http://www.trainingsys.com.

Who Said That?

You love our quote posters, but do you know who actually uttered those quotes? The first 10 readers to email TSI@trainingsys.com with 9 out of 10 correct authors of the following quotes wins the Famous TRAINING SYSTEMS, INC. Cool Prize!

* A lot of calls during this election season from reporters seeking story info on The Leadership Genius of George W. Bush.

* Patti Huth, Illinois Association of Public Procurement Officials, Inc.: “Thank you so much for spending time with us during our fall conference. It is presentations like yours that give us a push to become better professionals. The analogies you used helped us to understand the points you were making on “Positivity”. Thank you again.”

Once You Have The Right Staff – Leave ‘Em Alone to Do Their Job!

Excerpts with permission from The Leadership Genius of George W. Bush, by TRAINING SYSTEMS, INC. Carolyn B. Thompson & James W. Ware, paperback pp. 113, 114-116, pp. 139-140.

“I know that I cannot possibly know all the information necessary to make good decisions about all the matters that come before different agencies, boards, and commissions. I select people who are qualified, who share my conservative philosophy and approach to government, and then I expect them to make the calls as they see them.” George W. Bush

Not only does Bush have the courage to hire experts who are smarter than he is on various topics, but he has the common sense and discipline to leave them alone to do their jobs. Bush was praised widely after 9/11 for delegating the conduct and tempo of the war in Afghanistan to his military advisers and then getting out of the way. Cheney became a behind-the-scenes adviser. Powell took over as chief diplomat, and Rumsfeld led his generals over the top into battle.

Cheney, Powell, Rumsfeld and everyone else George W works with do their jobs well because Bush set it up so they can.

They understand that their job is to do their job.

They understand why they, specifically, were hired for their jobs (where they were smarter than Bush so they could guide him) –
● Karen Hughes’ has a gift for channeling Bush’s voice. She says her trademark line is that she has worked with Bush so long she can finish his sentences.

● Dick Cheney’s experience in foreign policy and Executive Branch management allow him to offer advise and counsel to Bush. He and President Bush meet every morning.

● You can see in Andy Card's ascent all the habits and practices that George W most prizes when choosing aides and advisers: the family tie, the first-term credential, complete loyalty, uncommon discretion and the diligence of a draft horse. Says Bush, "Andy Card is an experienced, low-keyed person who understands the definition of chief of staff is not junior President, but is the chief of a staff of very high-powered people whose job is to never deny access but to enhance access to me, and if there is a tie to be broken, he can break it in a good thoughtful way."

● Colin Powell is described as the ultimate staff guy. The good soldier who punched four stars in 35 years in an organization that rewards loyalty and prizes the chain of command--just like his boss, Bush. He sees himself as the one who carries out the vision, not the one who imagines it. "My job," Powell said, "is to make sure the President gets what he needs to make proper decisions.”

They do understand when to pull their boss in –
“You don’t get the President involved at the start,” says a White House official. “You set the table and insert him at key points in the process to get key things done, to make key calls to certain people to tell them that it’s time to get off the dime, time to hold hands and jump.”

They want to do their job because they’re appreciated –
As George W. Bush's chief strategist, Karl Rove is supposed to keep the President in a healthy political glow. Rove does solid PR work. No one, with the possible exception of the President himself, will be more responsible for the success or failure of Bush's presidency. So when Bush sits down with congressional leaders, he can nod at Rove and say, "You all know the Boy Genius," and they all do.

Why do they understand these things? Because Bush tells them when he’s recruiting and when they start their job. And he shows them every day after that by his actions.

You Do Have to Actually Create A Leave ‘Em Alone Environment
Our absolute favorite public address system announcement of all time -
“For those of you who will be staying with us…”. If you’ve had the pleasure of being in O’Hare International Airport at midnight on a long snowy day (your flight was scheduled to leave at 10AM), you’ve heard this wonderful announcement. When they finally give up and admit that really, no flights are leaving—an amazingly—for the hour, cheery voice comes on the PA and says, “For those of you who will be staying with us tonight, we have blankets and pillows available at the podium.” When you’ve identified your leave ‘em alone staff, you need to make an announcement about the new environment. Yes, yes, you certainly did tell them in the re-interview—or for new staff—the interview, but you’ll need to tell them that this is a “leave ‘em alone” environment again and again. It’s part of the leave ‘em alone environment – telling and reinforcing what you told. Even if you’re scared about leaving ‘em alone, you need to sound amazingly cheery. Come on, this is truly exciting. You will be able to get your work done. They will feel great about their autonomy and accomplishments - further developing their skills and worth to the organization. Just keep your eye on the prize and you’ll be motivated to keep going.

We need to align authority and responsibility. Bush tells us it’s a fundamental management principle. Set the expectation that they will have authority, and that with that authority comes responsibility.

The skill of setting expectations and measuring is nothing more than the skill of delegating. Bush delegates to the person who’s been hired because they’re the smartest in their area. He sets the vision and gives the implementation to his hand-picked team of hands-on deputies. When delegating, complete each step in this order for the greatest success – the person has the exact picture of the results you mean them to and they feel confident they can achieve the results:

1. Tell why the result is important and what skills they possess that will make them successful

2. Define the specific result(s)

3. Tell why you’re the one delegating this

4. Agree on a deadline

5. Ask for feedback - What barriers do they foresee? Be sure they have the same picture of the result as you do. Let them give you an idea of how they’ll implement it. (We know this is their job but a short description will help you be sure you’ve defined the result accurately.)

6. Set up the measurement and measurement methods together