by Fronetics | Jan 14, 2014 | Blog, Leadership, Logistics, Strategy, Supply Chain, Talent
Hiring: Why you should try before you buy
Source: http://www.lethbridgemusicaltheatre.ca
I just finished reading a great post on hiring by Matt Mullenweg, founder of Automattic and the creator of open source WordPress software. The post focuses on the company’s “unorthodox hiring system” and how it has enabled Automattic to hire great talent and realize high employee retention rates. Although time consuming, I think Mullenweg and Automattic are on to something.
Before Automattic extends an offer, the candidate must first go through a trial process, on contract. The candidate is given real work and is compensated for doing the work. At the end of the trial process both the company and the candidate have a better picture of each other and if they are a good fit. Or as Mullenweg puts it: “There’s nothing like being in the trenches with someone, working with them day by day. It tells you something you can’t learn from resumes, interviews, or reference checks. At the end of the trial, everyone involved has a great sense of whether they want to work together going forward. And, yes, that means everyone — it’s a mutual tryout. Some people decide we’re not the right fit for them.”
Mullenweg acknowledges the “huge time commitment” of this process. But he points out the benefits and why they have not abandoned the system for an easier one: the process is able to identify great talent that works well within the company’s culture, the process weeds out candidates that are not a good fit before they become a part of the team, and the process had led to consistently high retention rates.
In my experience, too often both companies and candidates are guilty of moving their relationship forward faster they should – and regretting it later. For this reason “auditioning,” as Mullenweg calls it, or “try before you buy” as I think of it, is an hiring strategy that should be embraced more often.
What do you think of this hiring strategy? What are the advantages and disadvantages do you see?
by Fronetics | Jan 14, 2014 | Blog, Leadership, Logistics, Strategy, Supply Chain, Talent
Hiring: Why you should try before you buy
Source: http://www.lethbridgemusicaltheatre.ca
I just finished reading a great post on hiring by Matt Mullenweg, founder of Automattic and the creator of open source WordPress software. The post focuses on the company’s “unorthodox hiring system” and how it has enabled Automattic to hire great talent and realize high employee retention rates. Although time consuming, I think Mullenweg and Automattic are on to something.
Before Automattic extends an offer, the candidate must first go through a trial process, on contract. The candidate is given real work and is compensated for doing the work. At the end of the trial process both the company and the candidate have a better picture of each other and if they are a good fit. Or as Mullenweg puts it: “There’s nothing like being in the trenches with someone, working with them day by day. It tells you something you can’t learn from resumes, interviews, or reference checks. At the end of the trial, everyone involved has a great sense of whether they want to work together going forward. And, yes, that means everyone — it’s a mutual tryout. Some people decide we’re not the right fit for them.”
Mullenweg acknowledges the “huge time commitment” of this process. But he points out the benefits and why they have not abandoned the system for an easier one: the process is able to identify great talent that works well within the company’s culture, the process weeds out candidates that are not a good fit before they become a part of the team, and the process had led to consistently high retention rates.
In my experience, too often both companies and candidates are guilty of moving their relationship forward faster they should – and regretting it later. For this reason “auditioning,” as Mullenweg calls it, or “try before you buy” as I think of it, is an hiring strategy that should be embraced more often.
What do you think of this hiring strategy? What are the advantages and disadvantages do you see?
by Fronetics | Jan 7, 2014 | Blog, Leadership, Strategy, Talent
how to hire a leader
Businesses don’t fail, leaders do – a lot. Studies have shown that the rate of failure of executives coming into new companies ranges from 30 to 40 percent after 18 months. The costs and implications of a poor leadership hire are enormous. Given the odds, how can you hire a leader – a true leader? Here are five tips:
Ask the right question
Just one interview question can give you enormous insight into the abilities and qualifications of the candidate. The question: “Tell me about the last person you fired.” According to Marc Barros, co-founder and former CEO of Contour, this question and the discussion that will follow will give you the “strongest indicator of the candidate’s leadership ability.” Specifically, the candidate’s response will shed light on their communication style and skills, their willingness and ability to admit mistakes, and the candidate’s level of empathy and emotion.
Conduct your own due diligence
When it comes to finding the next leader for your company, don’t leave due diligence in the hands of someone else. Take the time to learn about the candidate, talk to people who have worked with the candidate in the past, and gather as much information on the person as you can.
Go beyond the typical interview
Going beyond the typical interview is revealing in that enables you to see the candidate outside of the canned interview environment (an environment which many have mastered). Some ideas: have the candidate give a presentation, facilitate a meeting, or write up their thoughts on how to tackle a specific problem.
Opinions matter
Have the candidate meet with employees of various positions and levels within the company. After each person meets with the candidate get their feedback – and listen. It is amazing how often a candidate will let their guard down when they perceive they are meeting with someone that “doesn’t matter.” The truth is that these meetings do matter as they can provide you with some of the best insight into the candidate and their leadership style.
Hire from inside
When you hire from inside your company, you will get a leader who knows how to succeed in the company’s culture.
by Fronetics | Jan 7, 2014 | Blog, Leadership, Strategy, Talent
how to hire a leader
Businesses don’t fail, leaders do – a lot. Studies have shown that the rate of failure of executives coming into new companies ranges from 30 to 40 percent after 18 months. The costs and implications of a poor leadership hire are enormous. Given the odds, how can you hire a leader – a true leader? Here are five tips:
Ask the right question
Just one interview question can give you enormous insight into the abilities and qualifications of the candidate. The question: “Tell me about the last person you fired.” According to Marc Barros, co-founder and former CEO of Contour, this question and the discussion that will follow will give you the “strongest indicator of the candidate’s leadership ability.” Specifically, the candidate’s response will shed light on their communication style and skills, their willingness and ability to admit mistakes, and the candidate’s level of empathy and emotion.
Conduct your own due diligence
When it comes to finding the next leader for your company, don’t leave due diligence in the hands of someone else. Take the time to learn about the candidate, talk to people who have worked with the candidate in the past, and gather as much information on the person as you can.
Go beyond the typical interview
Going beyond the typical interview is revealing in that enables you to see the candidate outside of the canned interview environment (an environment which many have mastered). Some ideas: have the candidate give a presentation, facilitate a meeting, or write up their thoughts on how to tackle a specific problem.
Opinions matter
Have the candidate meet with employees of various positions and levels within the company. After each person meets with the candidate get their feedback – and listen. It is amazing how often a candidate will let their guard down when they perceive they are meeting with someone that “doesn’t matter.” The truth is that these meetings do matter as they can provide you with some of the best insight into the candidate and their leadership style.
Hire from inside
When you hire from inside your company, you will get a leader who knows how to succeed in the company’s culture.
by Elizabeth Hines | Sep 4, 2013 | Blog, Leadership, Strategy, Talent
Let’s face it, meetings can suck. A poorly planned and executed meeting is a waste of time and money, and it can be demoralizing. Meetings shouldn’t be like this. Here are nine tips on how to plan and how to run an effective meeting.
1. Purpose
Every meeting should have a purpose. Meetings are often set up to happen on a reoccurring basis. The reality is that many times these meetings take place solely because they are in our calendars. If there is no reason to hold the weekly meeting this Wednesday, cancel it.
2. Focus
Have a clearly defined singular focus. Having a clearly defined singular focus keeps the meeting on track. If a meeting has more than one focus it is likely that one issue will be covered in far greater detail than the other, that the meeting will get off track, and/or none of the issues will be adequately addressed.
3. Prepare
Do your homework. Prior to every meeting make sure you have read anything you should have read and that you have completed any tasks that you should have completed. Additionally, know the lay of the land. For example, if the meeting is about the company budget and your employees are anxious over budget cuts – know this and be prepared to address your employees’ anxieties.
4. Invite
Invite those who should attend and do not invite people who should not be there. For example, if the focus of the meeting is sales, make sure you invite the sales team. Another example, if the focus of the meeting is the performance of your HR team, don’t invite your research and development team.
5. Leverage technology
Technology abounds and it should be utilized. Getting everyone in the same room is no longer necessary. Take advantage of technology such as Speek, Skype, and GoToMeeting.
6. Communicate
An effective meeting is not a place for you to download or transfer information. If you present information a manner that speaks to attendees you will motivate your employees and create buy-in. (The Heart of Change by Jon Kotter and Dan Cohen is a great resource on effective communication.)
7. Time management
Create an agenda and stick to it. Start the meeting on time and end the meeting on time. A meeting that is scheduled for 10:00-11:00 should not run from 10:15 to 11:15. Furthermore, if a meeting is scheduled for 1 hour, the meeting should last one hour or less (no need to try and fill the last 15 minutes if the agenda has been covered).
8. Facilitate
A meeting needs a leader. If it is your meeting – lead. Leading does not mean speaking at people for an hour; instead it means facilitating the agenda. For example, if an important but off-topic issue is raised during the meeting – don’t allow the meeting to go off on a tangent. Instead, acknowledge the importance of the issue and establish a time to address the particular issue. Handled correctly, your employees will not view this as blowing off their input, but rather they will value the fact that you will allot the necessary time to the issue.
Facilitating the meeting also means not allowing one person to monopolize the meeting. Give everyone the opportunity to provide input, and speak up if the agenda is being hijacked.
9. Action
At the end of the meeting review the action items. Make sure the right people are put in charge of each item, that they know what they need to do, and that they know when the task needs to be completed.
