Saturday, March 26, 2011

Trust the Experts...

While we all have a breadth of knowledge, we also have to learn how to sit back and let the “experts do their thing”.  I was really made aware of this while on the “Yo-Yo circuit” and did countless shows to thousands of youngsters.  When I arranged for the show, many people wanted to “rearrange” the program to what they “thought” would deliver a better show for their students.  Rarely was this the case – much like it is when I talk to business owners and executives about bringing on temporary staffing.

This reminds me of a very typical experience I would have when I was doing a Yo-Yo show at a school.  The administrators, principal and others would give me what they “thought” was going to be the best situation for the show.  “We want you to do this show outside in the courtyard instead of indoors”, they would tell me.  I knew better.  Doing it outside was full of distractions, poor acoustics, bad lighting (too much glare) and a host of other issues.  Eventually I would just as them to “trust me on this one” and let me do what I know how to do best to deliver a great show.  It always worked out to be a great show for them and they thanked me for taking charge.

I relate this story as it is almost a direct parallel to what I see in the staffing business.  Every manager has hired temporary people, “on boarded” them, directed their efforts, etc.  Yet, without question, they don’t do it generally as often as I do it – meaning I do it every day and they do it occasionally.  As such, many of the ideas they have, while not bad ideas, they just aren’t the best way to handle the situation.  I do this hundreds of times a year and they might do it several in a year. 

Like with my Yo-Yo shows, I tell them to “trust me” on this because I am the “expert” in this situation – mainly from lots of experience.  When I have built a trusted relationship, this works fabulously well.  When I am just beginning to work with someone, they are skeptical – mainly because they have been burned by someone who really wasn’t the expert.  My recommendation – find someone in the staffing area (or any business area you need help with) and create a trusted relationship.  When you do, just like the administrators, kids and parents found out, the “show” will turn out GREAT! 

This is why my focus in everything with my clients is “making hiring a non-issue so you can do what you do best”.  Find the “expert” and let them work their “magic” – it is truly magical…

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Generations in the Workforce is One of Five Hot Topics for PSBJ Event

I was recently invited to speak at a trade expo and the topic requested was the four generations in the workplace.

Of the numerous speakers the expo team had to decide upon to fill the limited speaking slots for the day, I am not surprised the generations topic was chosen. I wish I could say the topic was selected because I am known as such a dynamic speaker but there were other reasons. The truth is, companies are looking for answers to deal with the unprecedented reality in America today about how to address the issue of having four generations working side by side in the workforce. Talk about a powder keg and the potential for conflict and misunderstanding!

In future posts I plan to talk about this topic in greater detail to hopefully equip you with some tools to help navigate the potential pitfalls when dealing with these four generations.  I also plan to give you some tips and techniques from other experts as well to help you see there is a great opportunity to improve team morale and productivity by talking about this issue with your team. More on this to come in the near future...

Just to help set the stage for what the four generations include, there are The Traditionalists, born between 1922-1945, The Baby Boomers, born between 1946-1964, Generation X, born between 1965-1980, and The Millennials, born between 1981-2000. What do you know about them? Stay tuned and we'll share some interesting insights and stories that should help eliminate many of the stresses management faces when dealing with a combination of the four generations.

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