Be a Leader: How to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment

This is from Dale Carnegie's summary of his book How to Win Friends and Influence People

A leader's job often includes changing your people's attitudes and behavior. Some suggestions to accomplish this:

1. Begin with praise and honest appreciation.
2. Call attention to people's mistakes indirectly.
3. Talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person.
4. Ask questions instead of giving direct orders.
5. Let the other person save face.
6. Praise the slightest improvement and praise every improvement. Be "hearty in your approbation and lavish in your praise."
7. Give the other person a fine reputation to live up to.
8. Use encouragement. Make the fault seem easy to correct.
9. Make the other person happy about doing the thing you suggest.

Categories: Leadership, Motivation

Interview with an Honest Boss

A hilarious flash from Hallmark.

link from Regina

Smoking is Cool :^)

The pointy-hair boss announces pension-fund solvency.

Categories: Humour, Pensions, OHS

1001 Ways to Reward Employees

Categories: Motivation, Bookshelf

Top 7 Tricks to (not) Getting an Interview

How to Write A Resume.org has the article, Top 7 Tricks to Getting an Interview.

“Ok, you've tried everything - You're emailed your resume out, you've used a resume distribution company, etc..... And no one is calling you back. Its ok, you're not alone. For every 100 resumes you mail out, statistically you should get 10 interviews and one job offer. However, these are rough averages. To stack the decks in your favor and stand out from the others, below are the top seven tricks we've found for getting your resume to stand out.”

My take on the seven ways:

1.) Use a different color paper for mailing your resumes. This is most likely to get your resume to the bottom of the pile. We’re looking for people who understand our business environment. We use white paper, we want to see white paper. If you want to grab my eye, make the format of your resume a little different.

2.) Use a different size paper for your resume. This will definitely place your resume on the bottom of the pile. I don’t have time to be fiddling with sheets that don’t fit the norm.

3.) Inside contact. Makes no difference. We use a hiring team and follow a strict recruiting process to avoid any perception of favouritism or potential breach of Human Rights requirements.

4.) Certified Letter. This would not get any special treatment for the applicant.

5.) Send your resume with a gift. Would feel like I was being bought, the resume will go in the shredder.

6.) Deliver the resume in person. We specifically ask for no phone calls, no in-person visits. Either of these would be interpreted as a candidate’s inability to follow simple directions.

7.) The post-it note trick. If the Post-It isn’t signed by a name I recognized, it means nothing. Even so, see 3 above.

Those are my takes on the tips. Do you agree or disagree?

Canada's Top 100 Employers

Amex Canada, Epcor and IKEA among those on Macleans’ list of Canada's Top 100 Employers.

>> Canada's Top 100 Employers
See our complete list, in PDF format
Oct. 17, 2005

>> Methodology
How we compiled Canada's Top 100 Employers list
Oct. 17, 2005

>> Showing the love
After two lean and mean decades, businesses are realizing they need to hang on to employees -- and attract new ones. On the return of company loyalty.
by Katherine Macklem, Oct. 17, 2005

>> The big, bad boss
When people quit, it's not the company they're leaving
by Katherine Macklem, Oct. 17, 2005

>> It's all in the perks
For many employees, work is not just about money
by John Intini and Michael Snider, Oct. 17, 2005

Smart Choices: How to Hire the Best

by: Judith Lindenberger

Your organization’s continued growth and success depend on making smart choices and hiring the best. Today’s economy is exploding with talent, allowing you to be selective about the staff you hire. Yet, the crucial step to filling a position is finding the right talent for your organization - someone that has the skills for the job, easily blends with the culture, interacts well with the team and believes in your mission.

In his best seller, Good to Great, Jim Collins writes, "In the good-to-great transformation, people are not your most important asset. The right people are."

To help you learn how to hire the best, it is important to learn about effective hiring and selection skills. Conducting a job interview looks easier than it is. And that’s the problem. According to studies based on the employment records of thousands of management and line employees, little or no correlation exists between the positive reports that emerge from the typical job interview and the job performance of the candidates who receive those glowing reports. However, this correlation goes up dramatically whenever interviewing becomes a structured, well-planned process – one that’s integrated into an organization’s overall staffing practices.

Over the years, I have conducted numerous interviews and trained even more managers on effective interviewing and selection techniques. And I have gone on dozens of interviews. How the interview is conducted tells me a lot about how the company operates and the position.

If you are the one doing the interviewing, effective interviewing and selection needs to be a structured, well-planned process. Here are a few tips to get you started.

Before the interview:

Know what you need. You can easily miss this step because you've got other responsibilities. Determine the key competencies required before you interview. If you are hiring someone in sales, for instance, create questions that will tell you whether the person has good interpersonal and organizational skills.

Advertise the position. Don’t just advertise in your local newspaper - cast your net even further!

Look at what works. What personality traits make someone a good fit for your culture? Is your organization laid back or formal? Do people work 9-5 or round the clock? Ask questions that will help you determine whether the candidate will adapt well to your organization’s culture.

Schedule multiple interviews. Conduct 15-minute telephone interviews to screen out inappropriate candidates. Have key people, those who will be working with the candidate, interview the top candidates, and ask for their feedback.

During the interview:

Ask the right questions. Dig deep to find out whether a person is more comfortable with details or the big picture; is a self-starter or an order-taker. Create questions that will give you the answers you need. If time management skills are required for instance, you might want to ask, "What is your method for organizing your day?" Compare what each candidate says to determine who is strongest in this area.

Close your mouth and open your ears. Too often interviewers turn an interview into a grocery list of their wants and needs. Ask focused questions and then listen carefully. Take notes.

Go with your gut. . If you did your homework - that is, determined the key job requirements and asked questions that would ascertain the skills required - the hiring decision should be a natural next step. Sometimes, however, you can't put into words why someone is or is not clicking with you. If you aren't sure whether to trust your intuition, delay the decision for a day or two.

Here’s a final tip. After conducing all the interviews, I recommend that you use a simple grid to help choose the best candidate. Simply put the names of each candidate horizontally and put the job requirements or key competencies vertically. Then make up a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest rating. Rate each candidate from 1 to 5 on each of the job requirements or competencies. The person with the highest ratings is probably your best choice.

Above all else, consider input from each of the interviewers and trust your collective judgement. Put aside any and all stereotypes and select the best person for the job.

About The Author Judith Lindenberger MBA has a distinguished career in human resources consulting and is recognized for her innovation and excellence. The Lindenberger Group, LLC provides results-oriented human resources consulting, organization development, customized training workshops and personal career training to help individuals and organizations improve their productivity and performance. The Lindenberger Group is a two-time recipient of The Athena Award for Excellence in Mentoring. Contact them at 609.730.1049 or info@lindenbergergroup.com or www.lindenbergergroup.com

Categories: Human-Resources, Recruiting, Hiring, Employment, Interviewing

What Apple's iPod system can teach you about sourcing

Electronic Recruiting Exchange —Sourcing in the Sweet Spot —by Lou Adler

“As I've mentioned in other articles, the iPod offers a great model for sourcing and recruiting. Three things stand out:

• It's a system.
• It's strategic
• It's customer- and market-driven.”

New HR Technology Products

Dub Dubs gives us a list of new products to be unveiled and launched at next week's HR Technology Conference.

 

Technorati Tags : Human-Resources, HR-Technology

 

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National Boss Day 2005

National Boss Day 2005 -- Hallmark Press Room

TRENDS • Greeting cards have become a workplace communication staple, and one of the most important relationships is that between supervisor and worker at every level from CEO to president, manager or supervisor – whoever is the “boss” in a reporting structure. • According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 37.7 million individuals are employed in management, professional and related occupations. • Women held half of management, professional and related positions in 2004, compared to 40 percent in 1983, according to Hallmark Research and the U.S. Department of Labor, indicating a clear trend toward more women in supervisory roles. • New and expanding relationships are prevalent in the workplace – mentoring (both formal and informal), permanent work teams, project teams, and cross-departmental and cross-divisional teams. • Today’s managers are less likely to be telling subordinates what to do and how to do it, and more likely to be responsible for developing the skills and decision-making capabilities of those who report to them. “The boss” often is both coach and a member of the work team. • Downsizing in recent years means more responsibility for fewer managers. Managers today typically have more employees reporting to them than in the past and less administrative support, while they are expected to be more productive. • Workplace surveys confirm that one of the most important elements of job satisfaction is a positive relationship between boss and worker. WHEN National Boss Day is always Oct. 16. In 2005, National Boss Day falls on a Sunday, leading many to honor their bosses on the Friday before, Oct. 14, or the Monday after, Oct. 17. WHAT National Boss Day offers employees an opportunity to recognize those in supervisory positions. The official name of the holiday is “National Boss Day,” but it is commonly referred to as “Boss’s Day” in conversation and in some greeting cards. CELEBRATION Popular ways to say “thanks” include cards, lunch in the boss’s honor, a “goodie” break, flowers, gift certificates, gifts and gatherings. Cards, flowers and gifts displayed throughout the week serve as reminders of the important relationship between boss and worker. HALLMARK CARDS REFLECT SPECIFIC RELATIONSHIPS Hallmark offers 47 Boss’s Day card designs for 2005, including five Shoebox cards. Many Boss’s Day cards express appreciation for how well a boss manages people, respect for the way they handle tough workloads, and gratitude for the coaching they provide. Reflecting the differences in bosses’ personalities and the types of relationships with their staffs, the cards range from professional to humorous. Some cards even go for good-natured laughs at the boss’s expense, typically followed by a complimentary quip. Designs and messages appropriate for both male and female bosses are available, as are cards for a work group to collectively present to the boss. An oversized 9-by12-inch “from all of us” card has lots of smiling faces, some of which move when the $6.99 card is opened. Two Boss’s Day greeting cards are specially designed to hold a gift card. Gift-card holders are becoming an increasingly popular way to give gifts. Hallmark.com offers a selection of humorous and heartfelt free e-cards. Card senders can add a personal message to the greeting on the e-card and send it immediately or on any designated date. Hallmark.com also offers six National Boss Day paper cards and a personalization service. Consumers can add their personal message to the greeting on the card. Paper cards can be mailed to the buyer or the card recipient on any designated date. BOSS'S DAY GIFT IDEAS FROM HALLMARK Hallmark offers several gift ideas and tailored desktop mementos that serve as reminders that a boss is appreciated more than one day a year: * Elegant Harley-Davidson™ desk accessories in rich woods, blacks and metals, feature the Harley-Davidson logo and vintage bikes. * For nature lovers, gifts from Nature’s Sketchbook by Marjolein Bastin bring the beauty and serenity of nature to the office on items such as a calendar and weekly planner. * Hallmark’s classic Leather Collection offers a wide variety of options for busy executives including leather frames, photo envelopes perfect to slip in a brief case, and small snapshot books perfect for keeping photos of loved ones close by. * Two items from the new Instant Scrapbook line – “A Tribute to Him” and “A Tribute to Her” provide an easy way to recognize the boss. Just add photos, and it’s done. * Hallmark Chocolatier boxed chocolates have four styles ranging in price from $2.50 (2 oz) to $15 (16 oz). A wide selection of thoughtful Hallmark gifts and flowers for the boss are available at Hallmark.com. BACKGROUND & HISTORY National Boss Day began in 1958 when Patricia Bays Haroski, then an employee at State Farm Insurance Company in Deerfield, Ill., registered the holiday with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Haroski’s purpose was to designate a day to show appreciation for her boss and other bosses. She also hoped to improve the relationship between employees and supervisors. She believed young employees often do not realize the challenges bosses face in running a business. Ms. Haroski chose Oct. 16, her father’s birthday, as the date for National Boss Day because she felt he was an exemplary boss. National Boss Day has become an international celebration in recent years and now is observed in countries such as England, Australia and South Africa. Hallmark first made National Boss Day cards in 1979.

del.icio.us Tags: National-Boss-Day Hallmark

Reference Checks

A good Dilbert comic on getting around privacy and liability issues with reference checks.

Performance Improvement Through Effective Hiring

Podcast from Manager Tools » Performance Improvement Through Effective Hiring

“If you’ve ever scrambled around at the last minute to prepare to interview someone, and then not felt good about the results, you’re like a lot of other managers we know. For some reason, even though we have all been frustrated at times by team members who aren’t as good as we want them to be, we STILL under-invest in the process which could improve the quality of our team — recruiting.”

Categories: Recruiting

Join the Monday Morning Linkfest

at Recruiting.com.

“Welcome to the inaugural edition of the Monday Morning Recruiting.com Linkfest. (We're going to shorten that to Linkfest from now on.)”

“The party begins when you link your best post of the week to this post, sending a trackback link that then promotes your post on Recruiting.com.”

5 Things Employees Need to Learn from You

There are lots of managers out there who think that, once an employee has been hired, “throwing them into the deep end” should be all the introduction to the organization they need. Rosa Say suggests five things managers need to be teaching from day one:

• Why you hired them.
• How to work with you.
• How to talk to you.
• How you expect the customer to be treated.
• Your vision for the company

lifehack.org » 5 Things Employees Need to Learn from You

Categories: Employee-Relations, Training, Management, Leadership, Orientation