Thoughts on people, teams, organizations, communities, effectiveness and success
Almost every exec and manager hires people – even in the flat organizations common today. Yet few do it well, and many put it down low on their list of favorite things to do.
It doesn’t have to be that way, and there are four simple steps you can take to make the hiring process easier, go smoother, and make better hires.… Read the rest
There is seasonality – cyclic variations based on the time of year or season – to any number of things. Just as it helps to know that back-to-school hits in July/August (so you avoid ending up with the dregs of what’s left for your kids), it advantages you to know the times of year when firms are hiring, and times when they’re likely not.… Read the rest
Reader Robert B. from Colorado asks this week:
“Between reading your blogs and filling out applications, I have come stumbled upon some questions. How legal and/or relevant are psychological assessment tests? Are those assessments relevant if the individual has PTSD? I think it’s possible that these test could be discriminating against people who went through traumatic events in their childhood. I have come across very few court cases that have tried to figure out the issue. … Read the rest
As an executive and team coach – or a CEO – you are can always use teachable moments. They are the times when you can draw a straight line between some moment of reality that’s staring you in the face in the here-and-now and a concept or principle you’ve been trying to teach.
Teachable moments come at any time, though they seldom have a predictable schedule.… Read the rest
I recently individually interviewed 10 biotech CEOs and 10 biotech venture capitalists as part of the data collection portion of an executive coaching engagement. It wasn’t the subject of the interview – which was to collect feedback data regarding my coaching client – but everyone to a person brought up the subject of venture capital and biotech.
Everyone talked about the model of investment and development that’s been in existence since Genentech (1976) and Amgen (1980) were founded.… Read the rest
Writer, recruiter, and thinker Martin Burns recently tweeted, “Amazing how ineptly so many companies – some of them “great” – still handle the job candidate. This will absolutely bite you in the keister.”
The next day business / biotech exec Mike Hart called attention to venture capitalist and managing director of the firm Foundry Group Brad Feld’s request to would-be investments: “If you are interested in talking to me about a potential investment, please just tweet it. … Read the rest