You can get a job!

Hey Boss: Do you look at your employees as disposable and useless nuisances? Do you think the people who work for you are lazy and worthless? Do you tell other managers what pieces of garbage work for you? Do you tell your spouse that your people just don’t care?

Guess what? …it’s your fault, not theirs.
(employees, I’ll be hitting you in a later post, so be ready!)

To the bosses:
If your people are useless and negative, it’s because you are a bad leader, period.

A famous Baptist preacher once said, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.”
That statement is true in business, politics and even your personal life.
There are “bad” employees.
I realize there are people out there who are just out to screw over an employer, but it is your job to have a progressive discipline policy intact so you can weed them out quickly, consistently and fairly. Be methodical, and make the right decisions.
Some employees are like a cancer that will spread to others, and you either need to get these people on board by leading them to success, or get rid of them so they don’t drag down the others. You owe it to yourself AND your people to weed out the bad apples. The “good” employees will take notice and respect you for it, as most people do not truly want to work in a miserable environment.
If you are unaware of how to do this, or unwilling to experience the pain and stress involved, then you are the one in the wrong position and should step aside or down.
 

“You GET What You ARE”
Another issue that could be causing your employees to disrespect you are your own work habits, appearance and mannerisms.

• If you arrive everyday to work late, they see that.
• If you call in sick often, they will too.
• If you do not follow company dress code policy, they won’t either.
• If you take frequent coffee and/or smoke breaks, your employees will also.
• If you surf the internet all day checking your email and MySpace, your employees will too.
• And here’s an important one: If you bitch and complain openly about your own boss, your employees will bitch and complain about you.
• This will also shape a negative view of all levels of management in your company, which will eventually come through to your customers.
  
• “What you do to your employees, they do to your customers,” - unknown

How to turn it around
Once you rid yourself of the bad apples, and fix your own shortcomings, it’s time to lead your team.
“A Leader is someone who instills within the heart of the follower, a desire to follow” - Wendell Evans

You should look to invest in your employees. Teach them to be successful and work to help them achieve. Show them how to be like you!
Let them know where they stand by setting proper expectations, and recognize them when they hit or exceed goals.
Finally, find each employee’s “hot button” and push it when appropriate.
A hot button is that one thing that the employee is most motivated by. For some, it’s recognition, others awards, money or time off. Still others just want to know they have job security and the potential to advance.
It’s easy to find a hot button by simply asking and paying attention to unspoken signs.

Remember, Boss, it is you alone who should be shaping the future of your team. They will be what you lead them to be, and that starts with you earning their respect and using it for good.

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I’ve been accused of giving out simple, obvious information on this blog. Well, guess what? Here’s more simple and obvious information that several of my applicants this year have not understood or thought about:

If you smoke, you are making a bad first and lasting impression on the employer. You are hurting your chances in the interview process.

I am not being mean here, I am being honest. If you are a smoker, your jackets and clothing emit a terrible sour smell of smoke that turns people off! I had a guy come in today and I had to hurry the interview because of the smoke smell coming off of him. Sadly, he seemed to have a good resume and decent communication skills, but my only thought was, “If this smell is bothering me this badly, how will potential clients react during a sales call?”

If you are a smoker, you should be sure that on the day of your interview you do the following things:

I shouldn’t need to tell people these things, but it happens way too often. Remember, you are trying to get a job by marketing yourself. Marketing yourself is like marketing a house for sale.

Bad smell in house means: NO SALE

Bad smell on interview day means: NO JOB

It’s that simple, any questions?

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In a previous article I spoke about ”How Your Email Address Can Stop You From Getting an Interview.” But have you thought about the impression your voice mail or answering machine makes on the employer?

So you’ve found a job opening that seems perfect. The pay is right, the location is prime and the hours work well with your schedule. You’ve sent in your shining, clean resume and are awaiting that call for a phone screening and interview time. But you are busy and can’t always pick up your cell or home phone. This means that your perspective employer will probably need to leave you a voice mail message. Just what impression are you leaving him or her?

Friends, this is one of those times when you want to be plain and beige! (read this article to learn about “Job Search, When to be Beige, and When to be Bright“). Don’t get me wrong here: I think it’s cool that you can rap alongside Snoop Dogg and hit every word while giving a “shout out” to your “shorties” on your voice message, but your new boss may find it childish and sophomoric. He or she may decide on the spot that you are not right for the job.

I also think your tough-guy-smooth voice sounds really cool, but is this the impression you want to make on your new manager? What I’m trying to tell you is that while you are in a job hunt, make all of your voice mail and answering machine messages plain and professional… I’m sure your “shorties” will understand.

A very basic and unassuming message would be something like, “You have reached John Jones; Your call is important to me, so please leave a message with your name and number. I check my voice mail often and will return your call promptly, thank you.”

When you leave this greeting, be sure to speak clearly. It is best to use a traditional land line phone to record the message to avoid any flutter or word-dropping.

I also recommend you leave an actual voice greeting and NOT the generic computer generated voice message that merely reads back the phone number. I do not like this greeting during a job search because it could leave the employer wondering if he actually reached the correct person. Also, if your message is professional and clear using your own voice, you will be leaving a good impression on the manager! (When I hire sales reps, I can tell immediately if they will be good based on their voice recording!)

Finally, in the case that you are using a home phone as your contact number: Once you have a professional voice mail message, be sure to alert other members of the household as to the job search. Believe it or not, I’ve attempted to reach applicants via phone and their parents or relatives will lie and say they are not there because they automatically assume that I am a telemarketer trying to sell something!

In conclusion I will leave you with this: Over the past 10 years I have conducted thousands of phone screenings looking for new employees.As I look back, I wonder how many of them may have made excellent employees, but I never called them back because their voice mail message made them sound undesireable, or because their family members were rude to me and wouldn’t even let me speak to them?

Simple things are what make the difference in getting your dream job, and serving cold french fries and flipping burgers!

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A recent 60 Minutes’ report on today’s “Millennium” generation has created quite a stir in the corporate world.

The gist of the entire segment was that young adults these days (19-27 year-olds) want to earn a living only on their own terms, which means having a flippant attitude towards management, rules and corporate structure. In my company alone, there have been literally dozens of memos handed down from senior management attempting to give us front line managers the tools needed to reign-in this new crop of “spoiled kids.” 

Here’s a quote from the 60 Minutes print story to sum up how many employers view those of you who belong to the Millennium Generation:

“Faced with new employees who want to roll into work with their iPods and flip flops around noon, but still be CEO by Friday, companies are realizing that the era of the buttoned down exec happy to have a job is as dead as the three-Martini lunch. “

Interestingly enough, the story ran on Veteran’s Day 2007. I thought it ironic for 60 minutes to be running such a story on this particular holiday. It makes me think of all the Millennium Generation 20-somethings sitting in sand bunkers in Iraq right now: something tells me that they are not as flighty and lazy when it comes to their workplace. Telling their boss what time they want to arrive at work would earn them a quick trip to a court martial. Is CBS somehow using this as a strike at our troops? What’s more, all things being equal, the big advantage the military has over most corporate workplaces is LEADERSHIP.

I am of the belief that 20-somethings today are no different than those of my era (the 1980s) or those of the Baby Boomer era (the 1960s)… the label “Millennium Generation” changes nothing. The truth is, if you are a manager in today’s corporate society, and you feel disdain or frustration towards young workers; it is you who have a problem and need some coaching on true leadership. It may actually be time for you to put yourself out to pasture. In contrast, if you are young, vibrant and ready for the world,  it would serve you to take a step back from your FaceBook profile and learn a little something from that dinosaur, or you may well end up like him in another 20 years.

There is nothing new under the sun when it comes to genuine leadership and solid people skills. Employees will follow someone successful whether he is wearing a 3-button business suit, or cutoffs and Teva’s with a tank top. In fact, followers will emulate their leader if he carries himself correctly. Whether you know it or not, you all (no matter what your age) are influenced by someone, and most times, it’s someone you emulate or want to model yourself after.

In the coming months, I will write more on this subject. I will teach you old grumps to adapt with the changing times, as well as help you Millennials learn to cope with those above who appear as relics.

Together, we can do wonderful things by combining the wisdom of experience, with the freshness of bright ideas and technological prowess. I know, because I employ 36 Millennials right now, and I cherish everyone of them! (but I have to admit, they have given me early grays on my head at my young age of 35!)

I will leave you with this ageless quote:  “A Leader is someone who instills within the heart of the follower, a desire to follow.”

Your comments are welcome! (no matter what your age)

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