Thoughts on people, teams, organizations, communities, effectiveness and success
You have a testing problem – you probably just don’t know it.
As noted earlier [here , here and here ], the use of psychological and personality tests to make hiring and promotion decisions is on the uptick. With the recent US Supreme Court Ricci vs. Stefano decision, any number of ill-advised HR types will likely increase the use of these tests.… Read the rest
Like the obese man who can’t understand how he’s gaining weight as he grabs a diet Coke to go with his triple Big Mac and large fries, one of the easiest ways to fire someone – like dieting incorrectly – is to hire wrong: right person hired into the wrong culture, wrong role, wrong supervisor, wrong time, or wrong skill set.… Read the rest
The note from my cycling friend began:
“Hi Mike
Part of my problem is that I’ve never fired (or even broken up) with anybody.
Could you call me at your convenience – perhaps this afternoon? I can’t remember some of your keywords/points.
I would love if somebody could do this 4 me.”
Firing people from their jobs should be hard.… Read the rest
Daria Steigman has a short post titled The 7 Deadly Sins of Networking that’s well worth the quick read.
Networking, when done well, is about four things: interest, authenticity, follow through, and reciprocity .
Avoid spending other people’s time if you’re not interested in their story but rather want to simply hijack them with your story. There is much to be learned from what other people have to offer, and a little curiosity goes a long ways in displaying an interest in how other people got to where they are.… Read the rest
Life today seems to move ever so quickly. Though it’s likely an observation shared by people throughout the centuries, our Twitter / 24 by 7 news cycle lives seem to almost eliminate the time to pause, to think, and to talk deeply. It seems true for people, and it seems true for organizations.
It doesn’t have to be that way.
Earlier this month I had a chance to catch a reunion of college friends from the small liberal arts college (“the first university in the West”) from which I received my undergraduate degree.… Read the rest
Like the song of the Sirens , for some people the “right” backgrounds or the “right” personality test scores suggest “can’t miss” – the certainty that someone who comes from certain schools, certain environments, certain zip codes, or certain Meyers-Briggs personality profiles will be predictably successful.
You’d be wrong: predicting success in business or life does just doesn’t work that way.… Read the rest