Hiring & Firing 1

Image by Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com via Flickr

A very interesting, technical and most of the time a very sensitive
issues to touch. But in any management practices, this issue can also
be very critical in nature. To some extend, it may even involve
legalities for the organization concern.

There are a lot of mistakes that many organizations made during the
process of hiring and firing and they have to live by it for quite
sometime. It may also affect the productivity and damage the morale of
other workers within the organization.

The saying goes that if we're buying food stuff or clothing in any
departmental store, we would definitely buy quality food and clothing.
Nobody wants to buy spoiled food stuff and torn clothing for that
matter. But when it comes to hiring, most organizations today simply
just hire any people that they can come by to make sure that the human
resources is enough to fulfill the production demand. Be it in the
manufacturing sectors, hotel industries and even corporate organization.

I have seen it, in the hotel industries, where they just simply take
in any Tom,Dick and Harry, down them with uniform and off they go tho
perform their task without knowing even the basic of customer service,
hence smile nowadays are very expensive gestures to come by.

But the biggest Mistakes that any organization do in hiring
perspectives is to get in friends or family members or next of kin to
work in the office. These practices in one way or another will
definitely create problems later on within the office environment.

Relating my experience with my consultation work; the week that I
started off with the company, the Executive Director has requested me
to meet up with him at the office. We started to talk about 430pm and
ended up almost about 7pm. It was nothing to that is important to look
into but a great lesson for all to learn.

The discussions circles only on the General Manager. Slandering and
painting negative pictures from behind, all the bad elements of a
person being laid down on the table. Towards the end, the actual
message is that the Executive Director wants to dismiss the General
Manager, but no historical grounds. None was recorded or any warnings
or consultation was done. Any person can own and manage a company, but
without the basic knowledge and skills of the local government law and
requirements, the proper management skills, just with a technical know
how and profiting skills won't make you to be able to shape a good
company. Then the next solution is to hire the right people to fit
into the right job requirements for the company. And reframe you r
attitudinal perspectives. Stop managing company like the 60's. It
won't work. You can't groom your kids today like how your fathers use
to groom you those days. Time change, people change, culture change.
It won't work.

Now, comes to the critical part, getting the right people for the
right job. You just don't simply pluck them from the trees. That is
why pre-interview or pre-recruitment profiling is important to get
close to the right people with the right attitude and competencies.
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1.0 Determine the areas of work that you need for your company. HR,
Admin, ICT, Operations etc.

2.0 Draw out the scope of work, responsibilities required of the
position. Determine the areas of achievement needed from the position.

3.0 Determine how the person in that position is required to interact
and integrate with the rest of the department's / people within the
company, to deliver coordinated goals for the company.

4.0 What would be other related tasks and responsibilities other than
the core competencies required. Any other additional skills and
knowledge that would enhance the persons efficiency while performing.

5.0 What would be the required values and principles that is pertinent
to the person in order to enable him/her to fit into the position and
to fit into the company's corporate culture.

6.0 What would be other required areas to conform such as the
government or company's laws and regulations.

7.0 What benefits and perks would follow the position for the person
concern. The wrong expectations can cause conflicts and demoralization
to occur at a later stage.

8.0 Evaluate the person's strength and weaknesses before fitting him/
her into the position. This is where profiling comes into play.

There are many more added features into hiring the correct person that
can be tailor made to the company's requirements. However, there are
also certain elements that has to be avoided, in order to pick up the
right person for the position.
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Next Issue: Things to avoid during the hiring process

Sidetracked...

Mission is defining. That's what organizational mission statement and vision and values is all about. It requires companies to make choices about people, investments and other resources, and it prevents them from falling into the common mission trap of asserting they will be all things to all people at all times. Truly majestic, as written by Jack Welch, in his book, 'Winning'.

Mission tells us how we are going to do our business, and values tells us about the behaviors that is required for the people to be able to move the company to the desired destination.

But what is the worth of any mission and vision of any companies if there is no shared values,there is no corporate culture embedded in the soul of each and every employees. Most companies will put up the mission statement on almost every walls and corners in the building. The sad part is no one bother to read about it and worst still no one believe in it. Nobody bothers to capture the essence of the business and hence they do not feel for the business. As such, have we ever ask why people are not bothered to do so? WHy? This is the place where they spend most of their time in and this is where they get their bread to bring home to the families.

Remember, people don't care about any other thing unless you start to show how much you care for them. Most of the time, the CEO's and the Directors instruct, tell, order but they do not sell! That is when people skills comes in. We can be technically proficient to the very last details of business acumen, financial analysis, having the mind of quantitative scientist for that matter, the belly of a millionaires. But when you do not have the people's skill, you are going to fail in managing any organization for that matter.

The sad part when I was having my consultation with the local company here is that no one knew what the mission statement of the company is. The only thing that keeps pouring out of the Executive Director's mouth is that we are a productivity company, a human capital company, selling to other agencies that they are capable of turning people around from non productive to being a productive employees. For my time there, what I have seen is just the other way around. Much spoken words rather than action to back up the so called Board's Vision.

Sometimes, we forgot that we can't be the only person to come out with the mission of the company, even though it is our company. There won't be any shared values in it. The sense of belongingness is missing. One has to realize that the journey of any organizational achievement and success is a team effort. We is much greater than I. And for that reason, in my perspectives, the company fail and has a long long way to go to make things happen collaboratively.

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1.- It is crucial to understand that a leader can only produce 20% greatness within a company, the rest of the 80% comes from the people.

2.- Shared vision and shared values will bring people together. It brings out the feeling of ownership and camaraderie among employees.

3.- When you involve your people in the important things in your company, they will feel important. With that commitment and feeling of ownership will start to bloom.

4.- The sense of ownership does not just comes along among the employees. It has to be nurtured and cultured. Groom with caring and understanding and further develop and strengthened through training and job enlargement.

5.- When the people's ideas are accepted, then they will work for it, realizing the sense of responsibilities. One has to remember that every human being, whatever status quo they may be at, they want to be proud of what they are doing.

6.- Treat people as how you want them to treat you. Do not do unto others as what you do not want others to do unto yourself.

7. Be a person, a leader of values.
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Next Issue: Hiring & Firing

Integrity

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As what Jack Welch wrote in his book ‘Winning’, ‘Integrity is just a ticket to the game. If you don’t have it in your bones. You shouldn’t be allowed in the field. You see Integrity is part and parcel of any leadership perspectives. The days of you do what I tell you to do, but you don’t do what I do is over. People don’t care how much you know, you high you may be positioned, how rich you maybe, but people do care about how much you care about them.
We may view Integrity to be a small matter. It’s my company. You do what I told you to do. But then again, people of principles and integrity may not blend in that well with the type of values that we a re having. Hence, the company tend to lose all of it’s valuable asset within the company, i.e., the right people, the right team player that every company needs to win in the business world.
Definition: Integrity is consistency of actions, values, methods, measures, principles, expectations and outcome. A value consists of an assumption from which one can extrapolate implementation or other values.
So how can a company thrive in their business with good people leaving because of dissatisfaction with one or more individual. The decision makers who doesn’t walk the talk. Saying one thing and doing another, without even realizing that they are the ones not following the values and principles, mission and vision of their own company? These tend to be prominent after a few seating with the Executive Director of the company. Preaching Corporate Culture of values and selling the idea of productivity company based on human capital, while the real action does not jive in with the preaching. Sometimes, when we are trying to show too hard to others that we are knowledgeable, we always end up the opposite.
Integrity involves the three R’s: Respect for self; Respect for others; and Responsibility for all your actions.
Sometimes we expect people to respect us because of our position. Wrong! Respect can’t be forced onto anyone. For matter, respect have to be earned. By giving, you shall receive. Give respect in order to receive respect. Respect does not comes with position. It comes from the heart. I have seen people who wants to be respected but do not know how to respect others, just for the sake of the egotistical nature, carrying the position within the company. People couldn't care less, unless for the unfortunate who dare not take the risk of challenge in life. Some of us call these group of people, ‘Playing Safe’.
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1.0- By all means, irregradless of whatever position we may have within any company, take care of our integrity. build integrity by giving respect to others.
2.0- Walk your talk. Make sure that we conform to everything that we speak. Especially the ones that we tend to sell aggressively. Action often lies louder than words.
3.0- Give more in order to receive. Make you sure you provide your people with the required directions, clear and concise and the assistance required of them to reach their goals.
4.0- Be a team player. Remember that no one person can get things done by him/herself alone.
5.0- Value your people and never underestimate the capabilities. Sometimes without realizing we tend to put up barriers and hurdles for our own people to achieve the company goals.
6.0- Communicate Expectations and listen to their expectations too. By doing so, we enlarge the critical performance factor within the company.
7.0- Be a simple and humble human beings. Lead without your Title. It delivers more results than you can ever imagine.
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TRUST

It is the most important and core element of success in any relationship. Be it personal or professional. It is important in every aspect of our lives. How can a company thrive when the trust of our employees keep on thinning day by day, just by our unrealized actions. The words we say, the instructions we give, the credibility (Integrity) that we portrays to our staff. It is the crucial element to lead others. People will only start to perform and do anything that you ask of them , when the trust element starts to build within them. Same as respect, trust has to be earned. You got to work for it. You have to show it. You have to give it in order to earn it.

Without TRUST, repsect won't exist. Communication cease to take place, people tend to avoid you, they talk behind and commitment dimish with time.

Why do TRUST diminish in our office then?
1. Thinking negatively about others ~ The moment you start to think and talk negatively about your own employees or staff within the workplace, it goes around. TRUST will diminish in time! It is better to talk to the person conern. Give advice and look for the positive side of the person to improve him.

2. Be sincere is when you are interacting ~ people can feel it.

3. Walk your talk. Deliver your promises. Many leaders, CEO's and Directors wants the spotlight and by laying down false dream and hoes is the very first step into failing your own organization.

4. Treat people equally. Do not push aside those people that you are favorable of. This creates more diverse group of people within your workplace. It destroys TEAMWORK. Remember, people have the tendency to compare, even our kids!

5. People are diverse. You have to understand that different people needs different way of intereacting or handling them.

6. Human are emotional creatures. Of ocurse, one have to remember that if we have feelings so does the other person sitting in fornt of you. Treat them with respect and every sense of human values.

7. Remember, negative thingking results in negative talking and eventually relaise through negative action. Be positive with your people. As Mark Twain wrote, there is nothing that a humanbeing can't do provided they are training enough. There a re 3 things that a great leader can do with his/her people, give them a dream to work on, if you can't, give them a hope to cling on, otherwise give them work to move them.

8. Eventually, in order for your to be trusted among your people in your workplace, TRUST them to do the task assigned to them. Be a person who enable rather than a person who destroy. When you degrade your people, you destory your company.
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Next Write Up; Integrity

Divide From Within

It is the most dangerous thing to happen to any company. Any company for that matter looks as Unity as their strength, the pillars of sustainability. All these negative elements starts of when the there is a missing link in the vital element of any company's success, and that is TRUST.

I greatly believe in the phrase,'people do not listen to what you say, but they observe to what you are doing.' Hence the term, action lies louder than words.

Now working in this company, I tend to realize that the Board not only divide their people into their own group, worst still you can't even touch on what they are doing, even though you are advising them for the better. Adding salt to injury, the management team even notice that the Board can't even talk to themselves directly. Always have to use FedEx to communicate which eventually give birth to FedUp among the management Team.

If you ever watch Night at the museum 2, the statue of abraham lincoln spoke,'When the house is divided within itself, then it is doom!' I totally agree to this statement.

Sometimes, we do not realize what we are doing and the impact that it has on the company. Should it be bringing a positive impact, then it's good. However, if it is other way around, then rectify the situation. In order to be able to do so, start listening to others who are giving advise and tips to make the company better.
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1. Work towards building the strength of your company and not the other way around.
2. Believe in team work for no one individual can make things happen on their own. 'We' is always the magic words to use.
3. Communicate clearly and make sure the channel of communication is open to all.
4. LEarn to listen. Listening is the most powerful tools there is in communication. Talk less, listen more.
5. Be genuine to your colleagues and all that work for you. Stop Office politicking or strategizing as you may term it. Strategize in business competition but not inwardly. It destroy the good feeling and eventually the company.
6. Finally, stop dividing your company. You're doom to fail eventually.
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Next Write Up: Let's Talk About TRUST!

Abused!

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Psychological abuse according to the wikipedia means; when one person manipulates another's emotional or psychological state for their own ends. Today I would like to explore the meaning of

Career or work abuse which I would term as,'when one person or more manipulates another's creative ability to perform, solve problems and manage task and people etc, in the management and leading perspectives for their own ends.

Some of us, do not mind. Oh, I've seen it right in front of my eyes. How pitiful it can be, just for the sake of survival. Sometimes, when I tend to think of it, we're the ones that let's other people abuse us. No one to blame. Then, we start to cover our shame with reasons to justify for our non action, such as family, age and so for. Well, I say 'Shut Up' or move on.

That's what happens to me, after 3 months of work, I kick it down the trash bin. I have choices in my life, even at my age and I refuse t let others treat me like garbage.

I was asked whether I am able to do consultation for the company and I said 'Yes, of course'. Well, guess what I was engaged at that point onwards. However, I was asked to prepare the terms and conditions, the appointment letter, or what I term commonly as the agreement. Fine. I did it and emailed to the Board. I was asked to start work, and so I did, with very cold reception from the General Manager, which was later demoted to Head of  HR / Admin. Just a puppet play, I guess.
Just to realize at then end of my probationary period, that the agreement letter was not signed, not even prepared.
When the extension period arrive, they asked me to start to attend meetings and start work, while the appointment letter can be prepared later.

Period..that's it. There is no professionalism in this Company and the Board loves people to bow down to them and you're right, love to abuse people. Sadistic Directors would be the right words to hang on the door..ehh!

Well, I was told to go down, see the people..make surveys and get feedbacks. Then again, I was told to just stay in the office and look into the HR systems and admin and rectify the systems. Just to my surprise, I was told again one month later as to why I'm only in the office and why I didn't go down to make surveys and evaluate the situations down at the grassroots, just to find out that problems and dissatisfactions starts to brew down there. And later, to be pulled back to the office to sort out a lot of administrative problems. That's Flip-flopping and abusive.

Consultants normally comes in about 4 hours, give or leave an assignment, advise, trouble shoot. Now because for the sake of good friend, I end up to work 3 days in a week for a full fledge hours of 8.00am - 5.00pm. Travel about 150 km per day without claims, and the best part of it is being lowest paid. Consultant being paid much lower than the managers pay in the company. Oh dear,that's sheer abuse of human professionalism.
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1. Make sure you stay away from working with Friends
2. Ensure that everything you are about to embark on should be in black and white.
3. Friends and business does not mix, just like water and oil. So if you are into it, then make sure business comes first. Avoid the sentiments of 'we're good friends...' There's no such things.
4. always be ready to say NO. As they all keep on saying that sometimes 'No' is the best loving words in business.
5. Remember, people in business are always abusive and do not care. So care about what you're doing. Set your price with a take or leave it attitude.
6. Professionalism first. Always remember, documentations first, then work.
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Next Issue: Do Not Divide From The Inside !

Communication et all...

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Everyone knows that communication is the vital essence in delivering the required results in any company. Especially is we're talking about getting things done right the first time around. But then again the ones who complicates matters are the human themselves. Not the system. We're trying to making things simpler and simpler each and every day of our lives so that task would be able to achieve in an easy manner. However there are some that simply love to complicate matters.
I realize that the company that I was asked to troubleshoot and make things better, have a weird way of communicating with each other.

The best way to communicate is not through email, writings. Just talk directly to the person concern. We're not talking about a large organizations where there are many managers and executives, not counting the supervisors and finally the workers. These are small setup. But the Board have a unique way of communicating with each other. They tend to create the snookering effect to communicate with each other within the company. Communication is so difficult that they tend to use 3rd party person to deliver the message to the person concern, when the person that they need to relay the message is just in the room beside.

One of the essentials of being a good manager or executive is to have the courage to confront their problems and tackle it positively. But what I realize the way these people communicate is to use the executive to get to the managers. This has create a very unhealthy atmosphere within the company. People are tense up and can't be working healthily as everyone are having a big question mark behind their head when they move around within the office. The element of Trust starts to diminish each and veery day and the feeling of unrest starts to take place in each and everyone's heart. The moment a worker (Irregardless of their position) starts to grumble behind the Bosses back, then something is wrong somewhere.
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• Stop this practices if ever it exist in your workplace.
• It creates distrust, develops office politics and pushes each and everyones weaknesses out in the open.
• Work with values and respect each and every individual. We're different in essence and yet we are required to work as a team, irregardless of our status quo or background. No one person can run an organization by him/herself.
• In order to to this, put EGO behind us. All of us have EGO. Nevertheless, do not make it a killing point in the office.
• Put hatred behind.
• Do not run away from problems or confrontation.
• Settle conflict as soon as possible. It stops rumor mongering and kill the negativity within the organization.
• Realize that we're not perfect, so be open to ideas and suggestions. Do not be a DEMI-GOD in the office.
• People are your organization's greatest asset, so go down and be with them. Know them and now their problem. By doing so, you know what is brewing in the pot!
• Do no prejudge people in your own paradigm.

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Next write-up: Abusive Nature To Avoid