Messy Desk = Messy Perception: It Can Hurt Your Career

This week, I cleaned my desk.  Not just a reorganizing-of-piles type of cleaning.  I sorted through everything and even took the Clorox wipes to it.  In comparison to others, I’m not necessarily a messy desk type of person.  However, after a couple hectic weeks it begins to look a little disheveled, and a pile or two of papers begins to form.  I recently found an article online from the University of Texas about how people perceive people who have messy desks.  The study from UT found that people with messy desks or offices are less efficient, less organized and less imaginative then people with clean desks.  And you know what – I bet you didn't need an academic article to come to that conclusion.  Why is that?  The bottom line – it can hurt your career.  If you have a messy desk, you look like you operate in a constant state of chaos and are out of control.

Now, I think about some of the people at my organization who have messy desks.  What I often hear from these individuals is that, “It’s not really that messy”, or “it’s an organized mess – I know exactly where everything is”.  Their argument essentially is that they operate just as well and efficiently in their messy space than the person next door who is neat and tidy.  The more I think about it though – that could be true, but it doesn't really matter.  Why?  Because my perception is that they aren't efficient or organized, even if they insist they are. 

I think this goes a little deeper though.  Having a messy space is really undermining their career, even if just in subtle ways.  If you’re a senior leader, buried in a mess, the perception is that you’re in over your head, or you can’t handle the responsibility of your role.  If you’re in middle management, you may be overlooked for special assignments, or even promotions, because people worry that when they trust you with something important, it may disappear in a pile of papers, never to be seen again.  Consider the idea of someone wearing a clown costume to work.  I know it sounds ridiculous, but in actuality, the job could likely still get done.  However, it wouldn’t instill confidence in others to work with or rely on that person.  Appearance is an important part of human nature, whether you agree or not.  This means that the tidiness of your space is as important as your outfit.

Consider the study cited above as a warning to managers as well.  Are you considering promoting someone who has a messy work space?  Perhaps it’s a mistake.  It probably seems to others as though the person might be in over their head, or they just don’t care.  Is that the type of confidence you want to instill in staff through your new leader?

Another anecdote I've heard from messy deskers is, “It’s an expression of who I am!”  And this I believe is true – it does seem like a messy space may be a reflection of what is going on in someone’s head.  But being efficient, organized and creative are important in today’s workforce, and those individuals are setting themselves behind.  I would encourage them to create a reflection at work of their best self – especially if you don’t want to unknowingly hurt your career.

Action plan and food for thought:  consider implementing a practice where everyone tidies their work space before leaving each day.  It might sound a little extreme, but as a leader (and from an talent development perspective); in a small way it allows you to build your people up to their greatest potential by not allowing them to undermine themselves.

Picture:  In the spirit of practicing what I preach, I've included a picture of my desk after I cleaned up.  I left out the before picture, so as not to undermine myself or give you the wrong impression ;)

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic - leave your comments below!

3 Steps for Developing People Through the "Art" of Difficult Conversations

Part of my role includes talent and organizational development, and one of the 2014 initiatives in this area that I've been spearheading is leadership and manager development.  To kick things off, our entire leadership team (managers and above) just spent two intensive days at Kellogg’s Allen Center participating in a customized leadership development session around the managerial gaps in our organization.  We covered several topics including performance management, coaching conversations, and fostering team collaboration.  However, I want to speak with you about one particular tool we learned around the “art” of difficult conversations.  The session on "Developing People Through the Art of Difficult Conversations” was lead by executive coach and faculty member Brooke Vuckovic and this blog post is based on her presentation.

This topic would be relevant in nearly all leadership development or management training sessions.  Our organization is no different.  I mean, who enjoys tough conversations?  Who even knows someone who enjoys tough conversations?  If there’s one thing I've come to believe on about training and leadership development, it would that it’s much easier to approach what can be an intimidating task if you have a framework to work from.  The framework that Brooke highlighted in her session is the CPR model from Patterson, et al Crucial Conversations, 2005.

Before going into the framework, I want to emphasize a couple points, and the first is to examine whether you should have the conversation at all.  Some things to consider when deciding to have a difficult conversation:

• You’re beating a dead horse – the person gets it
• Timing
• You don’t have the facts
• You don’t understand your emotions or you feel morally superior
• Expectations are not clear
• What’s your intent?  Are you enforcing standards to stick it to others?
• The relationship is superficial or time limited – you should let it go

Additionally, I can’t overemphasize the importance of choosing the right problem to address.  Many leaders fall into the trap of choosing the wrong problem.  Some warning signs that you may have chosen the wrong problem include:

• You’re constantly discussing the same issue
• You feel increasingly frustrated, even if the problem itself isn't escalating, just continuing
• You resolve the issue you originally discussed, but you still don’t feel quite right:  the discussion didn't address what you really want

Once you have correctly identified the problem that needs to be addressed, it’s time to consider the CPR model.

Content:  For first time problems, stick with observable behaviors:  

“Sally, I notice you missed the meeting you had agreed to attend with the client.  I was wondering what happened.  Are you OK?  Did you run into any setbacks?”

Pattern:  If the behavior occurs multiple times, the pattern becomes the issue:

“We've discussed this before.  You agreed it would not happen again, and I’m concerned about the pattern of disappointing our clients and putting the onus on less senior members of the team.  What are our options for resolving this?”

Relationship:  The issue is no longer the behavior or the pattern; it’s that you've lost trust in them; and it’s affecting how you treat one another.

“This is starting to put a strain on how we work together.  I feel like I have to check up on you to make sure client care is managed well and I do not like doing that.  My fear is that I can’t trust you to keep the agreements you make.”

Most difficult conversation topics can move progressively through this model – although it could be argued, that skipping steps can sometime be appropriate, depending on the employee situation. 

When you think of difficult conversations with employees, asking yourself questions to determine if you should even have the conversation is a meaningful exercise, and one that many managers miss when leading their people.  Another potential pitfall for leaders, is addressing the wrong problem.  Consider the three questions above when determining if you've wrongly identified an employee problem.  And lastly, use the CPR model when having those difficult conversations.  Focusing on behaviors, patterns and relationships can keep these tough topics from becoming too personal, and will keep you pointed at the right things.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on handling difficult conversations, and if you've encountered any other models or tactics that work well for you.  Share them in the comments below!

2 Things that Surprised Me about HR in Baseball

I work in HR for a pro baseball team.  I don’t typically tell people a lot about my job, other than the fact I work in HR.  If they probe, I usually say that I work for a small family business, which is true.  The reason is that reactions tend to be extreme – either a lot of excitement, a lot of negativity, or people want something, like a job or tickets.  People also assume that I hire players and give me grief about team performance (I do not hire players).  However, I am able to occasionally have a serious conversation with someone about the matter – typically other HR pros – and they always ask me the same question (or a version of the same question).

When you started your job, what surprised you about working in HR for a baseball team?  I have two answers. 

1. Firstly, I’m surprised the role that worker’s comp plays.  This may not seem that exciting or sexy, but in all of my previous roles, worker’s comp was a fairly small component of HR.  Someone tripped, you fill out the paperwork.  Someone cut themselves, you fill out the paperwork.  I know it sounds silly and I risk sounding clueless here, but it truly didn't occur to me that when players are injured during workouts, practice or games, that the injury is an HR matter.  Granted, some teams organize themselves differently, and player worker’s comp can be handled within baseball operations, but it’s still an HR function.  The scope also covers all major league and minor league players, and it also covers them from the time they play for you, into the future.  What I mean is that a player may have had injuries that were treated in the 1980’s, but may develop a condition today that a doctor can attribute to their years playing baseball or previous injuries.  It’s quite complicated, particularly when a player moved between several teams.  Additionally, when you consider the reality that most sports teams are actually small businesses, the worker’s comp claims represent a significant line item on the budget.  For this reason, most teams develop strong relationships with both medical providers and injured players, in order to facilitate the best recovery at the best price.  Teams who facilitate the worker’s comp process well can save hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.
2. Second, I’m surprised at how much talent development is at the core of the business.  Many organizations considered to be “world class” are known for their talent development, and great HR people tend to be drawn to those organizations.  However, few organizations can say it’s truly vital they do as a business and what they provide to customers.  Some organizations have a core competency of engineering, others health care, others customer service or information.  In baseball, your ability to become or remain competitive is based upon how well you develop talent, baseball talent that is.  Some people argue that in sports, media and hospitality are equally central to the business as competencies.  But, if you break away the layers of today’s more sophisticated sports empires, the game is still at the heart of it all.  As an HR pro, it’s not a far stretch to bring talent development to other areas of the organization in a robust way, which is something I’m grateful for. 

Are you interested in hearing more about HR in sports or baseball?  If so, let me know in the comments.

Studying for and Passing the SPHR

I’m excited to say that I recently took and passed my SPHR certification exam.  This piece is all about the SPHR – what I think about the certification, why I took it, and how I prepared to pass.

For many individuals and organizations, the jury is still out on the value of HR certification.  I have now taken and passed both the PHR and SPHR certification exam.  Here are some of my takeaways and opinions after reaching this achievement.

Why I Got Certified:  During my 2012 performance appraisal at work, I needed to set some professional development goals and outline a plan.  Sitting for the SPHR seemed like a natural next step, and something I thought I could achieve.  So, I set my goal for taking the exam during the winter testing window at the end of 2013.  

Value of Certification:  I’ll be honest – I was frustrated studying for the SPHR.  Why you ask (other than studying is not my favorite night and weekend activity)?  I struggled to see how all the effort I put into studying was going to actually make me better at my job (or future roles).  Most of the content was repetitive from the courses I took while receiving my master’s degree at Purdue University.  There were areas I needed to brush up on, mostly because I don’t or haven’t used those topics extensively in my career.  When I was ensuring I was well versed in these areas, I became a little negative about the process since I knew this knowledge was not necessarily going to make me perform better in my current role.  HOWEVER (here it comes), I do think there is value in obtaining HR certification. 

 

I know this comes across as contradictory, but bear with me.  I’m taking a long-term and holistic stance on this one.  In the long run, HR certification is an added bonus for any skilled HR professional.  While some organizations are unsure of the value of certification, other organizations recognize the PHR or SPHR as a highly desirable resume point when hiring HR pros.  Additionally, there is a whole slew of research on the topic that suggests obtaining HR certification can be fuel for promotions, a door opener to the executive suite, and that it provides HR professionals with greater career satisfaction.  Check out this report on the topic by PayScale:  Sugarcoating or Career Sweetener?

Preparing for the PHR/SPHR:  I used a similar method to prepare for both exams.  Therefore, this sentence is a disclaimer to let you know I’ve not tested all of the methods I mention in this post.  My preferred method of preparation is self-study.  For both exams, I went to Amazon.com and purchased the highest rated study book for each exam.  Both times, I spent about $35-$40 on the prep book.  Both times, I also purchased one of the timed web-based practice tests available on HRCI’s website ($45).  I made sure that the books I bought through Amazon included practice questions – and they actually included a web-based option as well to access additional practice questions and a practice exam.  Simulating the test-taking experience is helpful for me.  Why did I choose this method?  Two reasons – I have the self-discipline to study on my own, and I didn't want to spend a lot of money!  Between the book and HRCI practice exam, my preparation set me back about $85.  Here is the book I used for my SPHR preparation:  PHR / SPHR: Professional in Human Resources Certification Study Guide.  Most other options are far pricier, which I’ll get into next.

The SHRM Learning System is a favorite among the professional for preparing for certification.  I know many HR pros that have used the SHRM Learning System, and honestly I don’t know of anyone who has failed using this preparation method.  In fact, I just recently purchased it for members on my HR team to use to take the PHR in the spring testing window of 2014.  I can do an update to this post after I see this the product in action.  Overall, I think the SHRM Learning system provides a very comprehensive way to prepare, including online features and several opportunities for web-based practice.  I would have used this study method myself, if it didn't cost $870 ($695 for SHRM members). 

The final method I've seen for preparation that appears to be effective is to take a preparation course taught by an instructor.  This method is particularly effective for individuals who lack self-discipline when it comes to studying (which there’s nothing wrong with).  For example, I have a terrible habit of slacking on my workout routine, but when I take a class, the accountability of actually going to class, and sitting with other individuals tends to get me more active, and works better for me than self-directed workout regimens.  Some people find this to be true for studying, and if that’s you, I recommend looking into a course led by an instructor.  These courses are offered through local colleges and universities, local SHRM chapters, or other various locations.  The downside, the typical cost I see for these courses in my area is about $1300 - $1700.  Wow – that’s expensive!

As a closing note, I would say that if you’re interested in obtaining HR certification, you should definitely go for it!  While it may not contribute directly to getting you promoted or landing that HR dream job, it definitely won’t kill your chances either.  Besides, putting those initials behind your name is sort of cool.

What are your thoughts on HR certification and preparing for the exams?

Product Review: Halogen Software's eAppraisal

Product Review:  Halogen Software’s eAppraisal

I want to start a new type of post on Catapult HR – product reviews!  There are so many products sold to the HR function.  When selecting an HR product, it can be daunting to know what to choose from background screening services, applicant tracking systems, HRIS systems, talent management software, reference checking services and more.  I've had the fortunate experience to use several HR products in my career, and want to share what I've learned.

To start off the product review posts, I want to start on a positive note, and will be reviewing Halogen Software’s eAppraisal product.  In general, I would recommend this software to both small and large firms looking for robust appraisal software. 

Background on Halogen Software:  I’m unsure when Halogen was founded, but I believe they have been in business for more than a decade.  Halogen is a full talent management suite of products built from the ground up to work seamlessly together.  Halogen is not an HRIS system, and does not include payroll, time keeping or general HR information modules.  However, their offerings include just about everything else.  They are headquartered in Ontario Canada.  The available modules include:

• eAppraisal
• e360 Multi-rater
• eCompensation
• eLearning Manager
• eSuccession
• Job Description Builder
• eRecruitment

My interactions with products other than eAppraisal is fairly limited, but I do belong to the Halogen User Group on LinkedIn, and from the conversations I've seen, the feedback seems to be overwhelmingly positive for all of the modules, with the exception of eRecruitment.  eRecruitment is the newest module, and from my understanding, there is still some work to be done for it to be on par with other leading ATS offerings.

Perks:  One of the perks of eAppraisal is that it can be used for processes other than annual appraisals.  It’s actually a pretty powerful form builder and administrator.  I've actually used eAppraisal for a few other HR processes including onboarding and request forms.  Another perk of using Halogen in general is the efficiencies gained by having your talent management software full integrated.  The ability to seamlessly tie your appraisal process, compensation process, succession process, learning and development process, and hiring processes together gives you full insight into your talent management.  You can’t overlook the benefit of truly being able to calculate HR metrics such as your quality of hire, learning and training effectiveness on performance (ROI), or if your succession plan is fully supported by your training, performance and other talent management initiatives.  Halogen is one of the few pieces of technology that provides such a well-rounded and robust talent management offering.

Implementation:  I implemented Halogen on a fairly tight timeline – about 4 weeks.  Our implementation specialist was very helpful in ensuring the project adhered to our tight deadlines.  Configuration and customization was the most time consuming part of the implementation.  It was the reason we selected Halogen, but ultimately took almost half of the implementation schedule to ensure our appraisal forms and process looked exactly the way we wanted them to be designed.  Part of implementation was having a Halogen trainer come on-sight to train our HR staff on the system.  The training took the majority of one full work day, but was very comprehensive.  The trainer was not an employee of Halogen, but rather a retired HR professional who had used the product for many years, and not trained on it part-time.  Our trainer made himself available after the training for questions.  I utilized our trainer for weeks after the training, and he had a lot of great “insider” tips since he had been a user and customer of Halogen previously.

Customer Service:  Halogen has multiple methods to receive customer service, three of which I utilize.  First, they have a support website.  From the website you can place a ticket for technical support.  They respond to tickets you submit via the website very quickly.  I usually have a response within about 20 minutes, with the longest I've waited being about 2 hours.  They try to fix your issues quickly as well – only once have I had a ticket open more than 24 hours.  They also have a feature on their support website called the “Knowledge Base”.  This allows you to type in a question, and receive an instant, pre-determined answer.  This is a great place to go if you forget how to perform a particular function, or if you have a keyword you can use to search for your question, such as “Third Party Feedback” or “e-signature”.  True technical problems or questions are better handled by placing a ticket.  Lastly, you are assigned an account manager at Halogen.  My account manager rarely answers questions herself, but does a good job of pointing me in the right direction, whether it’s to tech support, or to other clients who I can talk to about best practices.

Halogen User Group (HUG):  Halogen has a group on LinkedIn specifically for Halogen users.  It’s an open forum where you can ask questions of other Halogen users, explain your situation to see if other companies had similar questions or situations, or peruse to find ideas for your own processes.  They also hold HUG meetings in larger cities each year for users of the system to come together and learn from one another.  The HUG meetings are usually a daylong event, where they setup discussions around topics the participants voted on prior to the meeting.  I actually found more learning value from my HUG meeting in 2013 than I did the annual national SHRM conference.  I also gained a network of Halogen users in my region that I can connect with if I have questions or want to learn further best practices from.

Configuration and Customization:  Halogen is a highly configurable software product.  It seems like there are endless options to choose from to make your forms look the way you want and to make your process run the way you want.  For configuration, I give Halogen two thumbs up.  With so many options, I’m sure all of their client’s forms and processes look entirely different.  When it comes to customization in Halogen, it’s slightly more challenging, but it can be done.  They typically charge a fee if you require extensive customization beyond the standard eAppraisal offering.  I've not been through the process, so I cannot attest to the price or time frame that such customization requires.  The good news is that the product comes with so many options already, that I think most organization can make their appraisal process align with the software’s capabilities, and vice versa.  The other good news is that your assigned Account Manager will take requests you have to make updates or changes to the software, and submit them to the technology team.  Not all requests make it onto every release (which happy 1-2 times per year), but it’s exciting when you see your requests as part of a future update.

Compatibility with other Software:  Halogen offers an “HRIS Connect” product which helps streamline the data transfer between your HR system and Halogen.  To manually update Halogen isn't the worst thing in the world, but it’s slightly cumbersome as might be expected.  I recommend obtaining the “HRIS Connect” product.  The annual fee is pretty minimal, and if you have a mid to large sized organization, it definitely makes sense.

Pitfalls:  So, what are the pitfalls?  While my review is generally a glowing one of the eAppraisal product, there are a few pitfalls, as with any software.

1. With so many options for configuration, you have to be incredibly detail oriented when setting up a form or process.  It’s easy to overlook one box to check, which can substantially throw off part of your form or process.  As someone who has experienced this, and because there are so many details to configure, I cannot emphasize the importance of testing, testing and retesting.  And when you’re done testing, test again!
2. Software updates typically happen once per year, maybe twice.  Each update is fairly significant since they occur infrequently, but when you put in a request, it’s a bit of a bummer when you must wait up to a year to see if it will be implemented.
3. I receive LinkedIn and email updates from Halogen.  Sometimes I will ask my Account Manager about something I see in my Halogen updates, and she’s not been briefed on the topic yet.  For example, I saw a press release that Halogen would be adding a module that facilitates the Myers Briggs type indicator personality assessment.  I was interested in it, but my Account Manager did not know the press release had gone out and had zero information on the new product or when information would become available.

Overall, I've been very satisfied with Halogen’s eAppraisal product, but more importantly, the managers I work with and associates I support find the software to be easy to use and an asset in managing performance.

I hope this is helpful to anyone considering appraisal or talent management software.  

Please let me know if you have questions about my experience with Halogen’s eAppraisal and if you have used the product, what your experiences have been.

If you like the product review posts, please let me know and I'll be sure to include them more often!

3 Lessons from the Millennial Generational Debate

Happy New Year!  I've been MIA recently on the Catapult HR blog, but one of my goals for 2014 is to post on a regular basis.   To kick off 2014, I wanted to begin discussions around generational dynamics in the workforce.

I’ll admit, I enjoy reading about generational differences in the workforce.  Some people like reading about cars, others politics or beauty.  This is a nerd alert – I like to read about stuff like different generations in the workforce.

 

I hear about generational differences regularly in discussions with my managers and various organizational leaders.  And guess what?  Millennials (or Gen Y) have a generally terrible reputation.  Anyone who has ever read an article on the topic is not surprised.  Now, I need to preface all of my comments with the fact that I am a millennial - I was born in the 1980’s.

 

I speak to business leaders all the time who are actually PART of Gen Y themselves, and have pretty negative things to say, especially as they regurgitate the characteristics that have come to define the generation such as narcissism, instant gratification, laziness, entitlement, job hoppers and even delusional.  Managers often talk about Gen Y as if they’re Millennial aged staff don’t know what they’re saying.  They also pretend like even though they are part of the generation, these stereotypes are not characteristic of them…they’re different…they’re “special.”  The problem is, that’s exactly part of the negative stereotype.  Everyone thinks they are a “special snowflake”.  My personal feeling on the matter is that there is some truth to the stereotypes, as there is to many stereotypes, but generalizing a group of people born over a 25 year period (or any group of people for that matter) is dangerous and misleading.  But this post is less about my opinion on Gen Y, and more about what I've learned after some thought on the matter.  I don’t disagree that the direction millennials have taken some cultural norms is not a positive one.  So, if or when I have children, there are a few things I plan to teach them based on these heated millennial debates.

1. I plan to set expectations.  I plan to set these expectations based on what I've learned.  These include things like the importance of a college degree and hard work.  The expectation that education is important, but does not equate success, and the importance of giving.
2. Avoid student debt.  I took on student debt to go to graduate school, and while I’m grateful for my degree and the doors it helped to open, the debt associated with my degree took away some of my freedom and life options for the early part of my career. 
3. Get paid to do what you love.  Leading a happy life that you’re satisfied with at the end of it all is so important.  Start doing what you love, and then find a way to monetize it!  Too many people do this backwards – they get a paycheck, then wish it was from doing something they really loved.

Future generations will have their own stereotypes, and challenges to overcome.  However, it’s important for everyone to reflect and pull upon the wisdom of current and previous generations.  

What lessons have you learned from the millennial generation debates?

The Only 4 Jobs in the Entire World

I recently read a LinkedIn post by Lou Adler, who is a seasoned recruiting and talent expert.  His post struck a chord with me, because I appreciate when someone has the ability to break something incredibly complex into something very simple.  It seems to make everything so clear.  His post was focused on job descriptions, and he goes on to describe that if you really think about work, no matter the industry or function, it can be broken simply into 4 jobs.  While people can incorporate pieces or dabble in two, three or all four of the categories of work, a vast majority of people generally have a natural affinity toward one or maybe two jobs.  That is to say, that in one of the jobs, you will not only be successful, but likely thrive.  Likewise, recruiters and hiring managers need to ensure the right mix between which skills the position requires, and the candidate that fills the role.  It’s really interesting way to think about work and talent.  I hope you enjoy this article and find it as fascinating as I did.

Here is Lou Adler’s article (all remaining content is non-original):

Everything starts with an idea. This is the first of the four jobs – the Thinkers. Builders convert these ideas into reality. This is the second job. Improvers make this reality better. This is the third job. Producers do the work over and over again, delivering quality goods and services to the company’s customers in a repeatable manner. This is the fourth job. And then the process begins again with new ideas and new ways of doing business being developed as the old ones become stale.

As a company grows and reaches maturity, more of the work gets done by the Producers and Improvers. However, without a culture of consistent improvement, the Producers soon take over and implementing change becomes slower and slower until it stops. Long before this the Thinkers and Builders have left for some new venture. Improvers soon follow to join their former co-workers and hire new Producers to add some order to the newly created chaos. The old Producers who aren’t continually evolving, learning new skills and processes, are left behind to fend for themselves. Maintaining balance across all four work types is a constant, but a necessary struggle for a company to continue to grow, adapt, and survive.

Every job has a mix of all four work types dependent on the actual work involved, the scope and scale of the role, and the company’s growth rate. To ensure balance and flexibility, all of these four work types should be taken into account when preparing any new performance-based job description. 

Here’s how:

Producers: these people execute or maintain a repeatable process. This can range from simple things like working on an inbound help desk and handling some transactional process like basic sales, to more complex, like auditing the performance of a big system, writing code, or producing the monthly financial reports. Producers typically require training or advanced skills to be in a position to execute the process. To determine the appropriate Producer performance objectives, ask the hiring manager to define how any required skill is used on the job and how its success would be measured, e.g., “contact 15 new customers per week and have five agree to an onsite demonstration.“ This is a lot better than saying “the person must have 3-5 years of sales experience selling to sophisticated buyers of electro-mechanical control valves.”

Improvers: these people upgrade, change or make a repeatable process better. Managers are generally required to continually monitor and improve a process under their responsibility. Building, training and developing the team to implement a process is part of an Improver’s role. Improvers can be individual contributors or managers of teams and projects, the key is the focus on improving an existing system, business or process. A performance objective for an Improver could be “conduct a comprehensive process review of the wafer fab process to determine what it would take to improve end-to-end yield by 10%.”

Builders: these people take an idea from scratch and convert it into something tangible. This could be creating a new business, designing a complex new product, closing a big deal, or developing a new process. Entrepreneurs, inventors, turn-around executives, deal-makers, and project managers are typical jobs that emphasize the Builder component. Ask the hiring manager what big changes, new developments, big problems or major projects the person in the new job would need to address to determine the Builder component. An example might be, “lead the implementation of the new SAP supply change system over every business unit including international.” This is a lot better than saying “must have five years international logistics background and strong expertise with SAP."

Thinkers: these people are the visionaries, strategists, intellects, and creators of the world, and every big idea starts with them. Their work covers new products, new business ideas, and different ways of doing everyday things. Ask hiring managers where the job requires thinking out-of-the-box or major problems to solve to develop the Thinker performance objectives. “Develop a totally new approach for reducing water usage by 50%,” is a lot better than saying “Must have 5-10 years of environmental engineering background including 3-5 years of wastewater management with a knack for creative solutions."

Now for a little secret. Recognize that every person is comprised of a mix of each work type, with one or two dominant. Likewise for every job. Most require strengths in one or two of the work types. As you select people for new roles, it's important to get this blending right. This starts by understanding the full requirements of the position, the strengths and weaknesses of others on the team, and the primary objective of the department, group or company. In the rush to hire, it’s easy to lose sight of this bigger picture, emphasizing skills and experience over performance and fit. This is how Builders get hired instead of Improvers and Thinkers get hired when Producers are required. While there are only four work types, hiring the wrong one is often how the wrong work gets done.