Leadership: Achieving extraordinary business results through people.

According to the Pew Research Center, approximately 10,000 baby boomers turn 65 every day (and will through 2030). This is creating a huge "brain drain" for American businesses. And with businesses facing more complex challenges and opportunities every day, determining who will lead and manage organizations into the future is critical.

Leadership may be the single most important factor to the success or failure of a company, because our leaders and managers inspire and motivate us to achieve the company's vision and goals. Not everyone has the ability to be a leader (or wants to be). But, for those who do aspire to being more than individual contributors, it's important to focus on developing their leadership skills and more importantly utilizing their strengths to their fullest extent.

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By now, you know mis-hires are expensive and that it is crucial to the success of your business to hire the right people the first time.

You may think that finding someone with an exemplary resume who also blows you away in the interview is enough to guarantee an “A Player.” That assumption could be very costly! A person is so much more than a piece of paper or an interview. Resumes can be embellished, and many people are experts at telling you what you want to hear. While you may think you are hiring an “A Player”, you could possibly be hiring someone who will cost you money in the long run.

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I once heard  John Maxwell talk about sending ducks to “Eagle School.”  He said that no matter how hard you try, as soon as you hand them their “Eagle School Certificate,” they’ll waddle right off the stage because they’re ducks. The point is that it’s almost impossible to turn historical underperformers (ducks) into “A Players” (eagles). It’s much better to hire “A Player” “Eagles” from the outset. 

Identifying “A Player” “Eagles” has always been like finding a needle in the haystack. Today, the haystack is considerably larger, and hiring right the first time is even more critical. You can ill afford under-performing employees that cost you valuable time and profits! 

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“If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there.” That's basically what the cat told Alice in the Disney Classic, Alice in Wonderland. The same is true in recruiting and hiring...if you don’t know "WHO" you’re looking for, you’ll take anyone you can get.

 

So, next time you begin a hiring or recruiting project, don't just dust off that same old job description and change the title...step back and "Begin with the end in mind!"

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Decision Making: Utilizing effective processes to make decisions.

Speaking with a CEO recently, I was reminded how important "decision making" is to career trajectory, when he related he would be demoting/terminating a senior executive who struggled with the skill.  A recent Gallup article reaffirmed this stating only 1 in 10 managers possess great decision making skills. They defined someone talented in decision making with the following:

They solve the many complex issues and problems inherent to the role by thinking ahead, planning for contingencies, balancing competing interests and taking an analytical approach. 

Making solid decisions in a timely manner is a trait of great managers and employees. Many who struggle with decision making have a bias regarding certain factors in their decision making process.  They often struggle with admitting they made a mistake too, thus compounding their poor decision making skills.
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