Sent: September 17, 8:00 a.m. From: Diana, Director of Human Resources To: Joe, Founder & CEO Subject: Sam Joe, I know you think the world of Sam, and he’s been with the company for going on twenty years, but this is literally the fourteenth position … Read more
CEO: Gina, I’m so excited—I’ve found the perfect person for our new PR manager! I want you to meet her as soon as possible because I want to make an offer tomorrow. Can you make some time to meet with her today? HR Manager: Wait … Read more
First Day at Large Technology Company in Redmond, Washington Nancy had just started her new position as a mid-level executive in the marketing division at Large Technology Company after going through a two-month recruiting and interviewing process. She interviewed with over ten different people and … Read more
Sent: July 25, 11:30 p.m. From: CEO To: Executive Team Subject: Jim’s Interview Hi, everyone. Thanks for taking the time to interview Jim McDonald this afternoon. He comes highly recommended by our board for the VP of Sales position. I know he’s the first and … Read more
Sent: August 25, 3:00 p.m. From: Karen, Founder To: John, CEO Subject: My Brother-in-Law John, I realize we don’t have any open positions in the warehouse right now and that I’ve been asked pretty specifically not to get involved in hiring or staff decisions, but … Read more
Notes for an upcoming book on leadership from the desk of the tone-deaf leader: When hiring, way too much value is placed on values. (Ohh, that’s a great title! Man, I’m so clever!) This seems to be the new buzzword, but frankly, it’s completely overrated. … Read more
From the desk of the snarky, inexperienced recruiter: As a leader, it’s always tough to find great talent. Because of this, one of the most important things to consider is whether or not the person is actually available when you need them. What this means … Read more
Interviewing candidates—you either love it or you hate it. Well guess what, if you hate it, you’d better start loving it because it’s one of the most important things you can do to build a great team. And to build great teams within your organization, … Read more
Last year my co-author Kim Obbink and I published, “How (NOT) To Build A Great Team.” It’s the second in our series of “how-not-to guides for leaders and managers,” and like our first book, “How (NOT) To Be A Leader,” it’s a quick-read collection of … Read more
For most small to mid-size businesses that made it through the first phase of the new normal pandemic world, the question now is, “how do I plan for next year and beyond?” A recent New York Times article discussed the “fail fast” aspect of reinvention … Read more