KeenHire Blog by Margaret Graziano

How Can You Improve Performance Metrics and Employee Productivity?

A study of the Corporate Executive Board found that since the recession began, managers have become less effective at defining employees roles and accountability. Before the recession, only 60% of employees said their managers did an okay job of effectively communicating expectations, since the recession that number has dropped to 45%, which considering is quite low.  Before, Front Line and HR Managers told employees how they fit in to the overall strategy and market share objectives, now they tell employees to get to work and be grateful they have a job.  Ouch…….that is pretty short sighted thinking.

The highly interesting part of this is that when employees understand how what they do fits into the overall strategy of the business and the achievement of their corporate objectives productivity can increase by 10% at a minimum. Ten percent of ten employees equates to an additional headcount.

When I lead my Maximize Your People ROI workshop and keynotes I speak a great deal about Jim Collins’ call to action, “Put the right people on the Bus”.  Five years ago I learned two provocative processes for assessing, evaluating & validating job specifications, at Keen we call these Benchmarking and Role Analysis.  Both of these tie Organizational Development and Recruitment processes together and drastically improve hiring metrics and recruiting success rates.

If you want to attract more of the best, you first have to truly understand why some of your employees are high performers. Is it coincidence, dumb luck or a lot of hard work when a key manager assembles a team of high performers?  Or is it a calculated and well-executed strategy?

Experts say that building a high performance work-group does not happen by anything other than a well defined, executed recruitment plan and selection hiring process. High performing teams are not created by accident.  There is always a plan of attack that attracts people with solid competencies, required behaviors, complimentary traits, and shared values.  Companies like HP create programs for this by assessing their top performers and understanding what drives their performance; aspects like competencies, motivators, behaviors, values, work style, and emotional intelligence.  They then build a hiring model that vets candidates with similar winning formulas.

This is what KeenHire refers to as benchmarking.  The Keen team has assessed over 1000 high performers conducted over 200 corporate benchmarks since our launch.  In one company alone, we saved the employer over $1,000,000.00 in poor hiring costs  Download Keenhireclarknatcasestudy because they stopped hiring people who they thought would fit and they started hiring people they knew would fit.  This new age Talent Management stuff really works!

Conducting a Role Analysis on positions that you are filling whether through an internal promotion or a new hire impacts not only your ability to put the right person on the bus, it effects your companies ability to improve workforce production and engagement. When your employees know that you chose them because they had the natural ability to do the job in a way that amplifies the companies mission and vision and they know what is expected as well as how these accomplishments impact the big picture; they are awake and aware to exactly what you are counting on them to achieve on a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual basis they are much more likely to achieve it. 

The Bottom Line is if you want a more productive, engaged workforce hire the right people for jobs they are well equipped to do, make sure they know what you expect from them and then encourage them to use their natural talents and abilities to get the job done.

If you have professional HR Management, Contract Recruitment staff or In Sourced Recruitment consultants on your team make sure they are trained in these critical hiring selection programs and strategies; if you do not and you need to go outside to Recruiting services require these service providers to offer solutions that enable you to hit your hiring and retention metrics. 

2010 Goal Setting and Accountability

It is January 26th, Have you Set your 2010 Goals and Action Plans yet?

Here is a quick overview of the process that Keen Coaching utilizes with our Emerging and Executive Leaders. 

1. List 2009 Successes - Celebrate, pat yourself on the back, kiss the mirror, get a hug, give a hug

2. List 2009 Resentments, In-completions and Disappointments - then say what you need to say, burn them, laugh at them, but get over it.

3. List your 100 Life Goals 

4. Look 5 years old and imagine your life as the masterpiece you want. What are you doing? Where are you living? What is your bank balance? How does it feel? Create Affirmations for each area of life that is important to you, be very descriptive of how life looks, feels and is in the future that you create. 

5. Create a 1-2 page 2010 Plan - Business & Personal Goals in the areas of life that are important to you. For me it is Fitness,Family, Fun, Financial, Love Life, Work - not in that order. Chose what your overarching area of concentration for 2010 is going to be. Chose the Values that you will use to monitor your behavior. Set dates to each goal. Make them measurable.  Add some ZIP and ZAP to the goals. Loose 10 lbs gets old and boring, like washing the toilets. Looking fabulous and sexy in the speedo is a bit more enticing. 

6. Create a monthly habits chart - things you will do that bring out the best in your. Drink lots of water, do Yoga, meditate, Say thank you, etc. Download MonthlyHabitschart

7. Create a monthly score sheet for your goals so you can track your progress.

8. Create a Weekly Activity Tracking Sheet Download WeeklyGoalTracking2010

9.Use a daily 6 Most Inspired Actions worksheet to keep yourself attached to the weekly, monthly and annual goal.

10. Create a HOT, Fun, Inspiring Vision Board  -See  Above..... :)

11. Engage  buddy you can count on to schedule weekly accountability calls with you, have a consequence for blowing the call.

2010 - Your Time To Ascend !

From The Trenches-Strategic Positioning For Recruitment and Staffing Firms

KeenHire's Keen Recruiting Institute began it's 1st 2010 training session on Friday, January 22. It is an exciting course for me to lead as I have 3 member companies who have already taken Keen's Talent Strategy 3.0 / NAPS CERS course in attendance and 3 brand new Keen customers, 2 whom are Key contributors of dear friends of mine who own extremely successful staffing operations in California.

The students were challenged with coming up with their Unique Selling Proposition, reading Attracting Perfect customers and tying their 2010 personal goals with their business and sales goals.                                                                                                                                                  

Some highlights of the 1st weeks course are:

1. The Customer getting what they want, when they want it - Is critical. Actually, it's all that REALLY matters.

2. The look and feel of the competition in Staffing & Recruitment is very different today than it was 24 months ago. Your current and future customers do not need more of the same, they need full scope solutions that effect retention, engagement and profitability.

3. If we are not being more efficient and more effective in our Recruiting process and exceeding our customers needs, someone else will!

4. It is not about us-- Find out what is important to them.

5. What are their challenges and frustrations as it relates to their people - what keeps them up at night?

6. Sell to Decision Makers or don't bother selling at all. Companies do not need to pay your rates to have you submit a resume to a VMS or a MSP. Your success will be temporary, at best with that approach.

7. Know what makes you better and different and if you sound just like everyone else, get to work on figuring out WHY a company should work with you instead of everyone else.

8. It is about them, what they need - not about what you want to sell them. For some of your that statement alone will be worth taking the time to read this.

9. They have big problems to solve, like global competition and we need to be more than an ista fix.

10. Follow a process for defining your ideal customer, targeting & prospecting to them, qualifying their pain, budget and possible gain, engaging in their purpose, creating a win/win solution, a process for closing as well as a process for quality service delivery.

11. Do the work or none of what you learn matters

Next Week we will be delving into

Defining Your Market Niche and Prospecting 101

Some Aspects For Staffing Companies To Think About

A trend I have noticed is those who cut all costs necessary to operate their businesses are financially in worse shape than those who have methodically evaluated where to focus cost cutting.

I call these "knee-jerk" blanket cost cutting decisions Emotional Management and will suggest that everyone be wary of it. Are you cutting costs because of a fear of the unknown - the length of the recession, the direction of the economy, the ability for you to make a sale next month? Or are you cutting costs because you are determining which costs are necessary for survival, which are necessary for growth, and which costs are "lifestyle” costs? Food for thought.

 By Adam Peterson, CEO, Vipe Inc

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It is all about differentiation.  Keen recently surveyed over 25 large staffing and or recruitment firms, what is on everyone of their minds is how to generate more business and come out ahead of the rest. The following is a brief summary of what they said.

1. You are either the largest in your niche and you differentiate because you are the biggest

2. You have some new innovations that separate you from the competition

3. Your price is better

4. You have a means like RPO or VMS that catapults you to the front of the line.

5. You dominate multiple markets all selling to the same end user

6. Your brand is known to all

Think about it.....what is it for you? If you don't know, figure it out, and figure it out fast.

Best to You 

Margo

Choosing Your Talent Wisely-Save Money By Doing Your Homework

SPECIFIC HOLISTIC HIRING TECHNIQUES THAT SAVE MONEY.

With a tree top look at your company and a foundation in place to grow from, it’s time to look at each role on a tree trunk level. Focus on the needs of the business and how each

role in the company is attached to the key performance indicators of the company as a whole. When you are clear on the performance objectives for each role in the company and how those affect the big picture of service, sales, retention, and profitability, it is much easier to determine who the best person is for these roles.

To help you get started, here are some specific holistic hiring techniques:

1) Hire right the first time:

• Thoroughly define each role in your company.

• Define specific success outcomes that are expected in the role.

• Isolate the CAN DO (Intellectual Quotient).

• Isolate the WILL DO (Emotional Quotient).

• Isolate the FIT IN (Character Quotient)

2) Follow the hiring protocol:

• Train each hiring manager on the CPR for their positions.

• Conduct a preplanned behavioral-based telephone screening.

• Employ a cursory pre-interview assessment.

•Hiring managers interview following an established position specific interviewing guide.

•Hiring decisions are made according to the predetermined hiring matrix.

3) Set up an effective ramp-up process that validates your hiring choice out of the gate:

• Socialization – on-boarding.

• Manager – new employee meeting.

• Game Plan – expectations, communications, work style.

With established hiring procedures adhered to consistently, your company will jump over and pass dangerous hiring traps, turn the tables on the mishaps of poor hiring and reap the benefits that come with having the right people in the right roles.

Choosing Your Talent Wisely With An Internal Hiring Process

WHAT IS AN INTERNAL HIRING PROCESS AND HOW DO WE CREATE ONE?
If you hire someone you don’t really know, for a position you have not thoroughly defined – chances are neither the person, nor the position will deliver. Hiring the right people right from the start requires  implementation of a comprehensive internal hiring process that selects the best and eliminates the rest.

Importantly, it all starts with benchmarking. Whether benchmarking the role, the top performers in that role, or benchmarking key traits of the best performers in the company as a whole, the first step is creating the model of what right looks like. Companies that take the time and effort to do so fully understand not only who they need, but why they need them. These are the companies that excel in the employee selection process and the capacity to build a “dream team.”

WHAT RIGHT LOOKS LIKE.
Before you evaluate your immediate needs, evaluate the company and team. This is called
the Internal Human Capital Inventory & Assessment and involves:

Choosing Your Talent Wisely The First Time

What does it take to Build the right team?

Have you ever thought you hired the workplace version of John Wayne, only to find out you’ve been duped and ended up with a Woody Allen?
 
Poor hiring decisions are costly mistakes that can range from 150 percent to 300 percent of an employee’s base salary.

Financial losses include expenses associated with hiring and training, low employee morale and decreased productivity. Plus, poor hiring choices frequently lead to deteriorating client relationships, loss of new business, unemployment, and more.

The bottom line is that bad hiring decisions can make or break a business.

You may have asked yourself the question, "Why did I make such a big hiring mistake?" You may also have asked yourself, "How can I avoid having this happen again?"

The two most common hiring traps are hiring in a hurry and hiring the resume rather than the person.  Companies that don’t have succession plans in place or that fail to practice cross-training often rush to relieve the pain of the empty chair. Businesses that ignore the hiring process in the interest of expediting it are far more susceptible to missing important clues that could otherwise prevent a poor hiring decision.

For example, studies on the behaviors of job applicants report that more than 65% of all candidates do not prepare their own resumes. Even more unsettling for prospective employers are the findings that more than 45% misrepresent the credentials on their resumes with one or more “tall tales.”

Retention Is Everyone’s Issue

One might argue that retention is not a recruiters issue and should be none of their  concern.

I have a different opinion, I think it is very much a recruiter's issue and that as an industry or an as individual we need to step in and show concern for this very real inhibitor to our ability to build long term relationship with our hiring managers.  There are some recruiters who feel if their clients did a better job in retaining people that they would lose revenue and then there are the other recruiters who feel if their clients did a better job of retention, employee development and succession planning that would lead to additional revenue, more placements and more credibility.

Let's get real;   in today’s business climate everyone wants top talent. Very few companies are settling for what they can get, on the contrary they are taking the stand that they can be picky and hold out for the right candidate. With that attitude they are opening themselves up to the better candidates, however a great candidate being hired for a not so great team is just as bad of an investment as a mediocre candidate being hired for a great team.  It makes sense to take a look at your retention strategies and determine if you have what it takes to attract and secure top talent.

When looking at Retention, look for strategies that fall into one of five categories; Environmental, Relationship, Support, Growth and Compensation.  There are many of schools of thought that believe that as I have listed it, compensation is the last of the 5 most influential strategies. 

Environmental strategies can include creating an environment that people feel they are part of something really great, something bigger than what they bring to the table as an individual, and something where they feel collaboratively that the team is out to make a difference. This includes elements like a compelling mission & vision, customer focus, ethical business practices and a company that operates with a high level of integrity.  It also includes ensuring that the employees work in a safe secure environment, as well as an environment that is consistently staffed with likeminded, competent people. In a nut shell companies that practice environmental retention, walk their talk, hire right and believe that like attracts like; they also de-emphasis status and privilege. Additionally, they take the stand that every team member is just as valuable as the next, regardless of their role.

Recruiting The New Generation Taking It By Storm!

My adventure in training the “20 some-things”

What a cool experience it was for me to work side by side with some young people in the recruiting industry. Their desire, passion, curiosity and openness were as energizing to me as a good morning run, the more I worked with them, the more engaged & passionate I became. As I worked with my group of young successful recruiting trainees it became apparently clear to me that these young gen-xer & millennial talent had real power to offer our industry & Corporate America. After almost a week with these young people, I am clear that they are our industries future; they are the ones who will carry the torch long after most of my peers are spending their time on the shores, courses and consultancy agreements of modern day retirement.

Before I headed to their corner of the world, I offered up a basic and challenging homework assignment which most of them politely blew off.  As I began the 3 day training and called them on the homework, I got a glimpse into the power and the reticence that is lingering in our young people.  The assignment was to list 100 goals that they had, not for this year, but for their whole life.  While I could have taken the position of annoyance, my heart called for empathy. My head thought, “How could our youth not have a laundry list of goals, things they are eager to accomplish with their long and luscious lives” and yet my heart told me that they had already become part of the human condition; resigned, cynical and immediate.  My head told me that without real written goals a normal human being fails to follow a course and drifts along life like a sail boat missing a rudder goes no where …it just drifts in the water.   Before I could really do the work with them I was intending; I had to find out where they were going and how my training would impact and guide them on their journey.