Does Your Staff Commit or Comply?

Cultivating a spirit of commitment versus a command to compliance reaps continuous rewards in team member loyalty.  Compliant employees will do exactly what you ask.  The employee value proposition with this relationship is simple and transactional.  The employer pays the employee an agreed upon wage to execute agreed upon tasks.  If the employee is internally motivated, then he or she will complete exactly as asked.  If the employee is not internally motivated, then the employer will constantly have to remind the employee of the rules, requirements and responsibilities.  I don't know about you, but that sounds like a miserable way to operate a business.  Thankfully, there is a better way.

When a leader is able to get a team member to commit to an organization, the employee value proposition is something very different.  The team member not only does what the leader asks, but also expends discretionary effort.  The leader, in return, is committed to the development and growth of the team member.  This creates a cycle of commitment between the leader and the team member.  The more the leader invests in the committed team member, the more the team member knows and can contribute.  The more the team member contributes, the more committed he or she is to the business.  That higher level of commitment translates to a greater  contribution.  The perpetuation of this cycle grows the business in exponential ways.

So what does compliance look like on a daily basis?  Employees generally do only what is necessary except for a few who are so internally motivated by a strength of responsibility that they do more.  Because selection is generally a weakness of the compliance driven manger, most of their employees do not exhibit this trait.  If the employee is doing only what they are told to do and only what is necessary, they are not looking for ways to further please the customer.  If the manager is only focused on transactions and not on customer service and satisfaction, the employee is not thinking about serving the customers true needs either.  In this model, somebody is usually "chewed out" each day and turnover is frequent.

Commitment, on the other hand, looks very different.  Leaders encourage team members to anticipate and meet guest needs, even when there is no procedure in place.  It's more than just showing up at work on time in proper uniform.  At a quick-service restaurant, this might be holding an umbrella over guests returning to their car in the rain, changing a guest's tire or driving for miles to return a item left by a guest at the restaurant.  In return, the leader takes a personal interest in each team member, understanding opportunities for growth and the team member's personal and professional aspirations and dreams.   

Leaders who coach for commitment instead of merely compliance, invest more to prevent people problems rather than incurring the expense of having to solve people problems.  Committed team members build the brand of a business. Compliant team members, at most, barely protect a brand.  It may take more skill and intention to lead committed team members, but it is also a lot more fun.   Committed team members create committed teams and committed teams become winning teams.  If you want to lead a winning team, seek commitment from team members, rather than compliance from employees.  

Cultivate an Abundancy Mentality

When I visit my young friends in a remote village in Africa, they impress me so much by their ability to share anything.  If given a pencil, they share it.  If given a candy bar, they quickly calculate how many pieces it can be broken into so that everyone gets a share of it.    They cannot really seem to enjoy what they have unless they are sharing it with others. Isn't it interesting that people who have so little are concerned with giving to others out of whatever they receive?

These young children have adopted an abundancy mentality -- there is enough for everyone and I have hope there will be more, so I can share.  The alternative is a scarcity mentality -- I must hold on to what I have because the resources are limited and I have no hope to obtain more.  

In organizations, I see this played out most often when promotions are given.  Members of a healthy team celebrate the accomplishments of others, believing progress for some, is progress for all.  Healthy team members also believe there is enough opportunity for everyone and realize that success for one gives hope for all.  A scarcity mentality is often prevalent on unhealthy teams.  In that environment, team members resent the success of others because they believe that it limits individual opportunity.  If someone else achieves a goal or dream, they believe that there is less for anyone else to achieve.  

Remember the Lay's potato chip advertisement that encouraged buyers to go ahead and indulge?  Their tag line was, "Go ahead!  We'll make more!"  That ad appealed to the abundancy mentality within the buyer.  There is no need to ration out the chips or save for later -- Lay's assured there would be more!

Great leaders have an abundancy mentality.  They see opportunity for themselves and others everywhere.  They realize that success for others does not limit their own opportunity, but actually paves the way of success for others.

How do you identify abundancy mentality in others?

1.  People who have an abundancy mentality foster other people's dreams.  Sure, they have dreams of their own, but they are interested that everyone achieves their dreams.  They know this will make the team as a whole stronger.

2.   People who have an abundacy mentality have confidence.  They believe in a unique and chosen plan for their own life and know that it is not impacted by the accomplishments of others.

3.  People who have an abundacy mentality coach and mentor others.  They share their time and talents to support the success of others.

4.  People who have an abundacy mentality are optimistic.  They are positive in their outlook and rarely, if ever, complain.  They see the best in others and celebrate it.

5.  People who have an abundancy mentality are generous.  They freely share their ideas, talents, advice and expertise.  They are not concerned with who gets the credit.  

Leaders and team members with abundancy mentalities strengthen the culture of a team and exponentially increase the likelihood of achieving team results.  Unlike those with scarcity mentalities who limit and restrain the team, they propel themselves and the team forward into immeasurable success.  Abundancy mentality is a trait you may want to consider in making your next hire or selecting your next leader.  It's a decision that could significantly  and positively impact the health of your team.    

The Art of Truth Telling

The kindest thing you can do for someone is tell the truth.  Most every person has a shortage of truth tellers willing to say what no one else will.  I am not necessarily talking about the kind of truth telling that says the tie does not match the shirt or acknowledging my bad hair day.  I am talking about the kind of truth that says, "I have made a decision that impacts your work, your role, your team or your future and I need to explain it to you."  Truth telling is what emotionally healthy adults do with one another.  Work arounds are paternalistic and damages most any relationship.  Mature truth tellers have the other person's best interest at heart.

How to tell the truth:

1.  Don't mince words or confuse the recipient of your feedback by a long introduction.  The other person cannot hear what you are saying while wondering what you will say.  Get to the point and give the feedback or state your decision.

2.  Pause and listen.  Allow the person to digest your words, ask clarifying questions and even respond with an opinion.  

3.  Never assume motivation for a person's behavior.  When communicating your decisions, only give feedback about the behaviors themselves and tell the truth about the impact of those behaviors.

4.  Expect the best.  Truth telling provides critical information for someone else to make adjustments, change or even support your decision.  Many people do change as a result of thoughtful truth telling.

5.  Be prepared for the worst.  Telling the truth can end a relationship, but most of the time, it will strengthen it.  

6.  Always show respect.  Don't editorialize the truth or belittle the recipient.  Honestly communicate the observation or the decision you have made and thank the recipient for listening to you.

Mia was a ten-year employee who struggled to understand why she was passed over again and again for a promotion.  The truth was that Mia struggled to communicate a clear vision of her work and translate it into an actionable strategy.  These are key leadership skills that Mia lacked.  However, Mia's leader, nor anyone else, ever gave her that feedback.  Additionally, her leader did not give Mia "the last ten percent," which was that her peers felt as though she was too quick to take the credit for work that was executed as a team.    Instead of providing her with this crucial feedback, her manager hired and promoted others over her as a work around to her shortcomings in performance.  Mia believed she was a top performer and had built solid relationships. She was confused by her perceptions of herself and the actions of her leader.  Had Mia been led by a truth teller earlier in her career, her trajectory may have been different and the company would have benefitted.  

Truth telling is an investment we make in relationships -- whether personal or professional.  It takes a lot of time and thought, and sometimes, courage.  However, there is probably not another investment of time that pays a greater dividend when done well.   Most people desire to perform and achieve results.  Most people want to preserve important relationships.  Truth telling helps people perform better and often strengthens relationships.  Likely, you will find that people thank you for telling the truth, even when they don't like it.  

Real truth tellers are rare, but so valuable in our lives.  What truth do you need to tell today?  What truth do you need hear?

The Stewardship of Seasoned Leadership

Lloyd slumped in his chair with his head in his hands.  As unusual as it is in today’s corporate world, Lloyd had devoted himself to one organization for many years.  Rising from hourly employee to senior leadership had taken him decades to accomplish, but his heart for business and his organization had always made the journey seem worthwhile.  Recently, he was not so sure.  Over the years, he had assumed ample responsibility and performed well.  It was difficult for him to understand why his expertise was being ignored in making key decisions about the function he leads in the business.   Without clear feedback, he was unsure if it was his performance as a leader, his competency in his field or his inability to manage the ever-present corporate politics.   Whatever the case, Lloyd was growing more frustrated by the day and impacting his engagement as a leader.  His company was missing the opportunity to receive the full return on the investments they had made in Lloyd during his lengthy career.  It had become a lose-lose scenario for Lloyd and his organization.

It’s easy to be attracted to the newest trend, the latest version and the shiniest model.   We forget that the older model might be sturdier and enduring.  In some ways, it is like owning a home.  For years, we might make improvements to the home, updating kitchens and bathrooms, adding additions and investing years in beautiful landscaping.  Then, we see a new home that is clean, fresh and the latest style.  We can quickly forget the years of investment we made in our present home, in our attraction to the latest and greatest.  It’s a stewardship decision.  Maybe the current home has a sinking foundation, a leaking roof and rotting windows and the repairs have become too costly.  In that case, a new home might be a better long-term investment.  However, sometimes, absent significant problems, the better stewardship decision is to continue to invest in the current home.  Such can be the case in decisions about investing in people. 

We hear lots of discussion about selecting leaders, growing leaders and leading leaders.  Organizations invest in leadership development programs and Ivy League executive education for leaders.  “Find more leaders” is often the edict given to human resources professionals from their organizations.  Leadership is likely the key competitive advantage for all businesses, so we constantly seek it and value finding it and growing it.  With so much emphasis placed on having great leaders, it makes sense to be a steward of those leaders.  However, oftentimes, organizations focus only on the value of developing new leaders and neglect the development of seasoned leaders.  A few will take their thinking to the next level and continue to invest in seasoned leaders.  Organizations that invest both in new leadership and seasoned leadership will clearly create the most competitive workforce to win in marketplace.

How can businesses be stewards of seasoned leaders?  Here are 6 ideas to consider:

1.      Enable seasoned leaders to mentor other leaders.  Don’t just suggest mentoring, but make this a key role for tenured leaders to pour their contextual and cultural knowledge of the organization into other leaders.

2.     Ask seasoned leaders their perspective about broad issues in the organization.  Over their long tenure, these leaders have observed many ups and downs and have likely grown relationships throughout the business.  The organization can benefit from their “insider” knowledge.

3.     Don’t assume seasoned leaders do not have new ideas.  Many of these leaders are attracted to innovation and because they are experienced, they recognize whether or not something is truly a new idea, or a re-packaged old one.

4.     Tap into the wisdom of seasoned leaders.  Seasoned leaders have likely experienced many successes, failures and setbacks.  Wisdom comes from navigating successfully through opportunities.   Seek their wisdom when making key decisions.

5.     Continue to invest in the growth of seasoned leaders.  These leaders are often less encumbered by other outside of work responsibilities and available for assignments that serve the business needs.  These leaders often help companies transition new functions.  As long as they work for you, continue to invest in their growth for the greatest return on the investments you have already made.

6.     Respect and appreciate seasoned leaders.  Their contributions have likely been invaluable in building your organization.  Respect and appreciate them late in their careers and they will continue to contribute to the success of the business in intangible ways.

Long career paths at one organization are no longer the norm.  For the few organizations fortunate enough to retain tenured talent, it is important to engage seasoned leadership by leveraging their skills, abilities, experiences and business insights.  Effectively stewarding seasoned leadership will not only contribute to business results, it will strengthen the overall culture, too!

Foster Dreams and Grow Engagement

My boss has been known to say," employees are a gift to be stewarded, not an asset to be managed."  There is so much truth in that statement.  The talent we select to be part of our team brings unique abilities, perspectives, ideas, thinking and insights.  If we are to maximize their contributions to our business, then we have to steward not just the competencies of the team member, but also their interests and their dreams.  In our business, we hire many team members that are on their way to something else.  For some, it is their very first job.  For a few others, they may be pursuing  an opportunity to operate their own restaurant.  However, like the NCAA athletics  commercial says, many will go pro at something else.  To be a good steward of the talent entrusted to us, we need to know what the endgame is for our employees.

Haley has a dream. She wants to save enough money to pay her way through college and become a chemical engineer.  She has worked since she was 15, earn the scholarship that her company offers and is on her way to be the first college graduate in her family.  Juan has dreams to own his own business, maybe like the restaurant where he is a team leader, or perhaps another opportunity.  He spends as much time with his leader as possible to learn the ins and outs of entrepreneurship.  Calvin is retired from his first career, but enjoys extra spending money, especially when he goes to read to underprivileged kids on Sunday afternoons.  He enjoys being able to offer them a candy bar or a soda. Bonita is saving money to buy her first car.  Roderick enjoys his job as a training coordinator and loves to see his team members excel at new skills.  He finds pleasure in seeing them succeed.  Sandy works to earn extra money to provide needed therapy for her special needs child and she takes special joy in helping guests who need some assistance, too. Her dream is to provide the opportunity to mainstream her son at school.

While most people show up to work to earn a paycheck, all employees have options about where they earn it.  We have the opportunity to engage their hearts by fostering their dreams. As a steward of the talent entrusted to his, we receive 100% of our team member's efforts when they know we care about their dreams and desires.  We receive their extra efforts when we help them achieve them.  When their hearts are engaged in their work, our guests reap the benefits.

To foster the dreams of our employees, we must know and understand what the dream is and be willing to encourage the accomplishment of it.  Do you know what each of your employees aspires to be and do?  Are you willing to coach and encourage their dreams?  If so, then you are on your way to being a steward of the gifts entrusted to you in the talent that has chosen to work for you.  The man who fostered my dreams was known for often quoting a popular phrase:  "If you help enough people get enough of what they want, you will eventually get what you want."  It worked out well for my boss.  I think it is a principle that works for all of us.  Let's do a little dream work with our teams today.

5 Important Steps to Selecting Talent

People decisions are, perhaps, the most important decisions we make.  That is true whether we are selecting an employee, a business partner, a mate or a friend.  Who we decide to take on the journey with us can ultimately determine our success in business, marriage and relationships.  Making wise choices in the beginning provides a better chance of success in the end.

Understanding the WHY of an organization through determining the purpose is critical.   Understanding WHAT the organization will produce, serve, sell is crucial.    However, it is the WHO that actually produces, serves and sells.  The WHO delivers!  Purpose, strategy and tactics can be carved in granite and become somewhat static.  The WHO is dynamic, ever changing, depending on the skills, talents, personalities, ideas and thinking involved. 

There are 5 important steps to selecting the right WHO:

1.  Carefully craft the profile of the role you wish to fill on your team. Consider current strengths and weaknesses and staff to the gaps.  Use every hire as a chance to make adjustments of your team to maximize everyone's talent.  

2.  Cast a wide net in search for candidates.  Source candidates from different networks to generate a diverse candidate pool.  Differences can energize a team and introduce new ideas.  Sometimes, fresh ideas from different perspectives can stimulate a breakthrough to a new level of team performance.

3.  Always check references.  When properly conducted, referencing checking can be the most valuable tool in the selection toolbox.  It has been said, "past performance is the best predictor of future performance."  If that is so, then fully understanding someone's past performance gives you great information to choose the best candidate to help your team.  Invest the necessary time to gain this helpful insight.

4.  Encourage the candidate to carefully evaluate joining your team. The best people decisions, are the ones in which both the candidate and the team are certain it is a great fit.    It is not enough for the leader to make a good decision to select talent.  For long-term, successful relationships, the candidate must be sure it's the best choice, too!  Be sure the candidate gets an inside look at your organization . . . the good, the bad, the successes and the failures.  Then, try to talk the candidate out of joining your team.  If the potential team member can be talked out of it today, that is better than six months from now, when you have both made significant investments into forging the relationship.

5.  Commit to success.  Once you have decided and the candidate has accepted, commit yourself to the candidate's success.  Do whatever is necessary to leverage the investment you have made throughout the selection process.  Implement a development plan for the new employee that leverages strengths that help the team succeed.  

Surrounding ourselves with talented people whose character matches our own, whose competency matches our need and whose chemistry matches our team not only sets us up to win, but makes the endeavor much more enjoyable.  

Don't Only Retain Talent, Sustain It, Too!

While in New York this past week, I visited a store that specializes in paper products made from repurposed elephant dung.  Another store nearby displayed products  - everything from bracelets to clocks - made completely from recycled vinyl records.   Reusable, recycled, renewable and repurposed are all words we hear often about precious natural resources.  It begs the question:  what about the sustainability of people?

If we are to have the talent we need to be competitive in the future, we must focus on the sustainability of people.  Our talent needs to individually be holistically healthy to position our organizations for future success.   There is not an endless supply of talented people and that is why it is important to sustain the current talent.  An organization's cultural health is dependent on the holistic health of the individuals in the organization.

Sustainable talent is physically healthy. Wellness is a popular benefit in many organizations now.  Fitness centers, personal training, nutrition counseling and on-site medical clinics are highly sought after perks among job seekers.  Leaders must juggle competing priorities, stressful schedules and endless demands. Encouraging good physical health ensures that our organizations are stacked with available and capable talent to produce healthy organizational results.

Sustainable talent is mentally healthy.  Investment in the mental health of our talent pays great dividends.  Rested minds are more innovative and creative.  Stephen Covey's seventh habit of highly effective people is to "sharpen the saw."  Mentally healthy people read, study, listen and observe to refine and perfect their craft.  Promoting time for rest and renewal invites the opportunity for mentally healthy talent.

Sustainable talent is emotionally healthy.  Access to employee assistance programs, programs and activities for spiritual development and emphasis on healthy relationships inside and outside of the marketplace enhances emotional health.  Emotionally healthy leaders manage day-to-day stress better and are more able to inspire other talent.  Emotionally healthy people make better decisions for the organization.  

Organizations that want to sustain, not just retain talent understand the mind-body-spirit connection and nurture all three.  Sustainability is defined as something that is able to be used without being completely used up or destroyed. Retention is simply just holding on to something.  Retained people can be warm bodies.  Sustained talent is competitive advantage.  

Create a Compelling Culture

It's an elusive concept to describe.  When someone asks me how our organization cultivates such an incredible culture, my first reply is "we started there."  

It is much easier to create a compelling culture from the beginning than to rebrand a struggling culture later.  It's an essential beginning, not just to a business, but also to any organization, including families, teams, churches and educational institutions.

A compelling culture begins with a clear purpose for existing.  WHY are we in business?  From early on, our company ownership decided that stewardship and influence were key motivators.  Sure, serving great food in a clean environment by friendly and courteous people is what we do, but what unites an organization is a common purpose; a reason for existence.  For our business, we have a higher calling than just selling chicken.  Selling chicken is a means to glorifying God by being a faithful steward and having a positive influence.  A compelling culture is built on understanding the all-important WHY an organization exists.

The next step to growing a compelling culture is a challenging mission.  WHAT are we in business to do?  Over time a mission might change depending on the goals of the organization.  Once the goal associated with the mission is achieved, it might be time for a new mission.  A mission should be clear as to what is the business of the organization and what it aspires to do and for whom.  The Orlando Magic's mission statement is: "To be world champions on and off the court, delivering legendary moments every step of the way."  They are clear that they aspire to be world basketball champions and deliver special experiences for their fans both on and off the court.  

Determining core values is the next crucial decision necessary to create a compelling culture.   These are the fundamental beliefs that inform decisions and action and sometimes are called the heart of a culture.  Core values answer the questions:  What do we believe in?  How do we express those beliefs?  Do we have experiences in our organization that support our beliefs?  The key to identifying core values is to select a few of the very most important attributes that our families, teams, organizations can remember and live out day-to-day.  Teach for America has 5 Core Values that describe the behavior expected to fulfill their mission to:  "grow leaders who work to ensure that kids growing up in poverty get an excellent education."    Their five core values of transformational change, leadership, team, diversity and respect and humility are critical to achieving their mission. (Learn more at teachforamerica.org.)  When the core values of an organization match the purpose and the mission, its members are inspired to be an integral part and help the organization succeed.

With a clear purpose established, a challenging mission before us and a commitment to core values, establish guiding principles that acts as "true North" on the compass of your organization.  The principles serve as a guide of what the organization does, why it does it and how it does it.  Every organization needs key guiding principles that direct its members and shape the behaviors that support the purpose and mission. The ownership of our company decided we would be closed on Sundays and that practice has continued since 1946.  He also decided to remain privately held and family owned.  Another principle for our company is to treat everyone with honor, dignity and respect.  Guiding principles serve to enhance and strengthen the understanding of the overall purpose.  

While creating a compelling culture is an essential beginning for an organization, it's never too late to help your family, team or organization strengthen theirs.  Start your strategy with the WHY through defining your purpose.  Continue with the WHAT in developing your mission and then focus your efforts day in and day out on the HOW through constant commitment to your core values and guiding principles.  With unwavering focus and discipline on the process, you can create a compelling culture for your organization.  Given the great success of organizations that do, why would you not?

Consider Your Calling

On a crisp fall morning, I recently had a rare opportunity for a weekday breakfast at a local restaurant.  As I sat down with my coffee, I noticed a large group encircled around tables pushed together.  I was the only other guest on the patio, so I could not help but overhear their conversation.  It became obvious that they were younger retirees that gather regularly for breakfast at this restaurant.  Finally, one gentleman stood up to leave.  One of the women called out, "you are leaving?  Where do you have to go?  You are retired!"  

As I left that morning, the scene and the words the woman spoke reverberated in my mind.  I think, sometimes, especially those of us who have been in the workplace for a long time, fantasize about such mornings and gatherings -- days when we can sip coffee at our leisure and have no place to go. I don't.  Please understand, I will retire from my job, but I will pursue my calling until I am called Home.  

Christine Caine, founder of A21 Campaign and PropelWomen, recently made the comment, "What are you going to do -- retire and play golf, really?  As long as we are breathing, God has placed us on this earth for a purpose."  

Many years ago, I found my calling to be using my path to help others find theirs.  Maybe, my journey can serve as a roadmap for others trying to find their way.  Perhaps, by studying the path I took, someone else could avoid pitfalls and stumbles along theirs.   Possibly, I made a decision at a fork in the road that is helpful to someone else to discern direction and the right steps to take on their road.

How do you find your calling?

1.  It's the thing that gets you up in the morning.  It resonates not just in your heart and mind, but sizzles in your soul.

2.  It's what others tell you that you do best.  A calling draws upon your greatest gifts and deepest talents.

3.  A calling is the way you use your energy that makes an impact on the world, or at least your part of the world.

4.  It's the moment and the activity in which you feel God's pleasure.

Unlike a job that is for a season, a calling will beckon us for a lifetime.  It creates an inner drive and restlessness when we live outside of it and peace when we are embracing it and living inside of it.  A job is printed on your resume'.  A calling echoes in your epitaph.  

Consider your calling and diligently pursue it.  For one person or maybe many, it may make all the difference.

How Big Is Your Contrail?

While sitting on my back porch right at sunrise yesterday morning, a plane flew across the blue sky and left a bright white line in the sky known as a contrail, or a condensation trail.   As the plane continued its journey and left my sight, the trail behind it began to dissipate.  While most of the contrail disappeared, there was a spot where the contrail had intersected with the cloud and it widened a bit and remained for a long time.   Finally, it too, grew more faint until it was just a tiny mark in the sky. 

Watching the last bit of the contrail extinguishing in the cloud reminded me of my own life.  Like the plane traveling at hundreds of miles per hour, my journey on this earth is speeding past.  I am moving through life doing the things we were put on earth to do:  serving, laboring, learning, growing and sharing.  I thought about my own contrail.  Is it a straight line that never becomes very wide and disappears quickly?  Or perhaps, is it like the contrail I saw that fades and fades, but one part of if remains longer, wider and brighter?  

It was interesting to me that the place where the contrail burned the brightest was where it intersected the cloud.  Scientists believe that the higher the altitude of the plane, the bigger the contrail. This is possible because the air in the higher clouds is wetter and when the water vapor from the engine of the plane, collides with the wet air in the cloud, ice crystals form to create the contrail.   The more ice crystals, the bigger the contrail.

Isn't that true about our life?  Our chance to burn brightest is often in the clouds where it is the darkest and the wettest.  Our struggles and our challenges provide us the greatest opportunity to make an impact for good.  I have found four qualities that I believe enlarge our impact.

1.  Integrity.  Do the right thing even when it is hard.

2. Excellence.  Work hard and give of your best all day, every day.

3.  Loyalty.  Maximize the opportunities in good times and hang tough during challenging times.  Be true 

to yourself and others.

4.  Generosity.  Give of your time, talent and treasure.  Adopt an abundancy mentality instead of a scarcity mentality, believing there is enough opportunity for everyone.

I want to adopt the qualities and practices that help me have a longer, wider and brighter impact on others.  I hope we all do.  

Hire People or Select Talent?

One of the most important decisions to make in any business is choosing who will work in the business.   Hiring enough people is a good beginning.  Selecting Talent is an essential beginning.  When I think of hiring people, I think of quantity.  Do I have enough to get the work done?  Do I have enough people to run this shift?  Do I have enough people to serve the guests?  When I think of selecting Talent, I think of capability.  Do I have the talent to grow the business?  Will my Talent provide the kind of service that will attract more customers?  Will my Talent possess soft skills that encourage our guests to tell others about their great experience in our business?    When I just look for people, I could just be looking for warm bodies and beating hearts.  When I look for Talent, I am wisely matching the skills and abilities needed to grow my business with the competency of individuals committed to helping me.   

When hiring people, the questions asked are about how many hours they are available and which days they can work.  When selecting Talent, the questions asked are about the unique skills and abilities to meet the expectations of the role.  Hiring people drives me to think about how much can this person do for me?  Selecting Talent moves my thinking to how can I steward this valuable resource to grow the business and grow the individual?

People take orders, deliver products and complete transactions.  Talent identifies sales or service opportunities, exceeds guest expectations and creates memorable experiences.  

People and Talent are both trained, but Talent is developed and nurtured.  People will stay with you to make a living, but Talent will stay with you to make a life.  

So what will I invest my time in:  hiring people or selecting Talent?  I will choose Talent every time. What will you choose?

The Mystery of Chemistry

The Periodic Table of Elements was not my friend in high school.  In fact, had it not been for my boyfriend, I might not have ever passed high school Chemistry.  I am still fascinated, however, that the combination of certain elements creates a new compound.  Some elements, when combined, are beneficial.  Some elements, when combined, can be disastrous.

A basic understanding of chemistry is helpful when building a team and selecting its members.  It is important to discern which styles, personalities, strengths, weaknesses, attitudes and desires will combine well to benefit and move the team forward.  The saying, “one bad apple spoils the whole bunch,” can be very true in considering the chemistry of a team.   One team member who does not fit can be such a distraction to a team that the team fails to accomplish its mission.  For the team member who does not fit, it can derail an otherwise successful career.

Out of the 3 C’s of selection:  Character, Competency and Chemistry, Chemistry is always the most difficult to identify.    When selecting a team member from outside of the organization and you have had no opportunity to observe the potential member in a team setting, there are a few options.    Consider the recruiting process for college athletes.  College recruiters have the opportunity to see the player in action, talk to coaches about the performance of the player, watch the player interact with teammates at a practice, visit the athlete at home and invite the athlete to visit with coaches at the college or university.  As employers, we have similar opportunities if we are willing to take the time to invest in the process.

 References of former employers, coaches and volunteer leaders of the candidate can provide excellent insight into the candidate’s likelihood to fit the chemistry of your team.   You can also invite the candidate into a meeting of your current team.  Take in a ballgame or  arrange a team dinner and include the candidate.  Give the candidate the opportunity to select your team, just as you give your team the chance to help you select the candidate.  This will ensure a win-win for the chemistry of your team and the successful addition of a new team member.

Character Counts

My son and I had just finished watching a college football team lose a key conference game one hot fall Saturday.  I asked him if he knew at what point the team had lost the game.  He recounted missed field goals, questionable penalty calls and bad play choices by the offensive coordinator.  Our favorite team did not lose that game on that particular Saturday.  They lost it three or four years earlier.  This team had recruited, several years previously, three young men lacking the character to manage being a football star in the popular conference in which this team played.  Early in their college career, each of them began making poor choices off the field that caused them to be suspended and significantly impacted their team in key games.  Finally, their lack of regard and respect for the program that provided them an opportunity for a college education, caused them all to be dismissed or transfer from the team only months before the season opener.  The coaches had to field an inexperienced defensive secondary to replace them.  The team lost the game long before it was played when the wrong players were chosen for the team.  Entering the season with great talent at other positions, this team did not have the defensive secondary to keep their opponents from scoring points.  In the end, poor choices of talent in the beginning led to the team's key loss and sent them on a trajectory opposite of the outstanding season they expected.

Character counts.  In selecting talent, it is most important.  People can be taught to do a lot of things, but if they have poor character, skill and talent will not compensate for the negative impact they can have on an organization.  Individuals with strong character can lead and inspire teams to achieve what talent alone will not.  Choose wisely and begin with character.