Football vs. Corporate Recruitment - How to Get Your Best Team

I have been a die-hard football fan all my life. I love the game and look forward to the start of the football season each year. I especially love watching college football every Saturday. I am a native Nebraskan (Go Big Red!) and huge fan of all things related to Nebraska football.

As a recruiter, I pay particular attention to the recruitment process that college as well as professional teams execute in order to achieve a championship caliber team. In a professional football organization, the recruitment process starts with a draft. The NFL draft process is an exciting journey for the teams and the draft picks alike. The teams spend a tremendous amount of time and energy putting together the potential list of players that they would like to draft to their team. The draft picks are recruited to specific teams for their specific top-notch skills which they can be bring to the game to make the overall team stronger.

In the business world, organizations put together a list of qualifications they need candidates to possess to become a stronger firm. What I think is the "teachable moment" about the football recruiting process at either the college or pro level is the organization understanding of the importance of proper recruiting. The energy and commitment that the organization puts forth throughout the whole recruiting process is indicative of the quality of team that they will end up with.

For draftees in the NFL, there are typically no job descriptions provided. They know what they’ve signed themselves up for. All that’s required of them is to continuously “bring it” every day on the field and keep up the appropriate attitude to support their level of play. They learn from their mistakes in past games and practices and then move to improve their small imperfections that have decreased their chances of winning, ending up leading their team to victory. They’ve been chosen as recruits for a particular reason - because they work hard, give their best, and continuously work to improve themselves above all others.

Along with recruiting the right skills for your business or team, trying to find that “perfect fit” within the culture is a definite must! With a strong focus on company and team culture, everyone can work together striving towards the same goal. No one will deviate away from the main goal and only focus on themselves. Both coaches and managers should prioritize building a close bond with prospective employees and then develop that loyalty once they are part of the team. Developing a strong trust will lead the employee to feel wanted and appreciated by the organization which in the end will make a productive team. This is what ultimately makes a championship caliber company!

I hope your team goes undefeated this season!

David Lammert

Conduct a Talent Assessment of your staff

Today's business owners and managers are tasked with getting the greatest productivity out of their team - it’s all about leading, motivating and inspiring people to do their absolute best. A Talent Assessment is a tool that managers can employ to ensure that they’ve got the right people in the right jobs, and can really make a profound impact on performance when done correctly.

A Talent Assessment is a process by which a business owner or manager takes stock of their current staff by asking two simple questions:

1. Is there anyone on this team who is (or appears to be) struggling with consistently hitting their performance objectives?

2. Do I have the best possible hire in each position in my company or department?

Question #1 is fairly straightforward. Chances are, you can immediately think of one or more team members whom you know are not meeting expectations on a consistent basis. If that’s the case, you have an obligation to the business to take action. For many of us, the “not-so-fun” part of managing a team starts with telling someone that they aren’t performing at the level expected; so we avoid doing it. You don’t need my help to figure out what to do in this instance. Coach, and then monitor results. Make changes if the situation doesn’t improve.

Question #2 is much more complicated, but it’s where the real payoff lies if you can determine the right answer. Sometimes, the answer may be that you have a superstar employee, but you have them in the wrong role. Many managers are hesitant to move A-Player staff members because they’re worried about losing or offending that person. However, that’s simply counterproductive.

Think of it like the coach or manager of a sports team who takes a high-performing player and puts them into a different position on the team because it’s more suited to their skills - like a baseball manager who moves their leadoff batter into the second or third spot because such a move increases their chance of scoring runs. Done haphazardly, reactively, or without forethought and analysis such moves can be risky and even destructive to team production. Done well, however, and you can turn a good team into a World Series contender. Tweaking your lineup can help people from becoming static in their role and lets others know that you are watching and aren't willing to accept the status-quo.

The methodology for addressing the situation outlined above is a process I refer to as the Talent Assessment and it’s a tool that you should invest time and effort in. Simply put, the Talent Assessment is the process by which you analyze each position in the organization, asking the question, “Do I have the best possible hire in this position?” The process begins with reviewing the Job Profile for each position, and then scoring the team member currently in that role against the benchmark score for a “perfect hire” that’s contained in the job profile. The goal is to make an emotions-free assessment about whether or not it’s time to make personnel adjustments that will have a positive impact on team performance.

I advocate the continuous use of the Talent Assessment by owners and senior managers because performance is never static. It’s an especially important process to consider if any of the following are true:
• You’ve had the same team in place for longer than 12 months, with no adjustments to personnel. Time to look at that lineup.
• Your hiring process is ad hoc or you’re getting inconsistent results from your interviewing / hiring process. Time to validate your original decisions.
• Your business or team is not hitting the performance objectives that have been set. Time to analyze the problem at what is likely the root cause – the wrong people in the wrong jobs.
• You have high staff turnover. Time to find out if you have the wrong person managing staff.

Think of the Talent Assessment process like any other investment decision - by dedicating a little bit of time on the front end, you can dramatically cut your risks and improve results over the long run. Cutting risk and increasing reward - two no-brainer reasons to consider a Talent Assessment for your business or organization.

Four key follow up steps to the interview

Okay, you have had your interview (and give yourself a high-five just for that in this economy). The interview seemed to go positively and you leave feeling hopeful. Now comes what is the single most agonizing part of the job hunt for most everyone: waiting for the hiring manager to call. Relax a bit; you do still have some control over the process from here. Try the following steps to maximize your chances for success.

* Send thank-you notes
Don't stress too much over whether they're emailed or handwritten. The most important thing is to send them. Even if you think the job is in the bag, there are some people who expect this important letter.

Your thank-you letter should contain three parts. Thank the interviewer, and then explain why you're a good fit. Close by saying you're looking forward to the next step.

* Breaking through the silence
The interviewer said she'd let you know by Tuesday if you made it to the next round of interviews. It's now Friday, and you haven't heard anything. It's possible you didn't make the cut. However, it’s also very possible that the interviewer just got busy.

What should you do next? Call or email. If you don't get a reply in a few days, try again. Yes, you might occasionally annoy a frazzled hiring manager. But as long as your messages are polite and brief, most interviewers are more likely to be impressed by your perseverance, communication skills, and interest in the job.

You should be most concerned about making people see how you can contribute to the organization. The key is to keep your messages positive - don't sound accusatory or indignant, just remind the interviewer of your conversation, say you enjoyed it, and ask for an update on the process. It may help you to prepare a script ahead of time.

* Correcting a bad first impression
Perhaps you feel that you didn't make the best impression in the interview. The follow-up is your chance to recover. Tell the interviewer you would like to provide them with some additional resources. If you can send documentation of your abilities--or even get references to send notes on your behalf--consider doing so.

If your reason for thinking you blew the interview is something minor (perhaps spilling your coffee) ignore it. Drawing attention to your embarrassment about little things might lead the person to think you're too insecure.

* Dealing with rejection
When you hear from an interviewer but the news is bad, what should you do?

First, thank the person for letting you know. Then ask if the interviewer would be willing to give you any feedback that you could use for future interviews. The answer will likely be no, but it demonstrates you are interested in improving.

Then keep networking with the interviewer, perhaps an occasional, well-chosen article related to your industry, for example, or by joining a group on LinkedIn. You never know when the position or a similar one might open.

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Before your interview, make sure you prepare, prepare some more and follow these follow up options and your chances of receiving an offer will dramatically improve.

Best wishes!
David Lammert

Is Your Potential New Boss the Right Fit for You?

Are you interviewing for your next great position? Perhaps you've already considered the following:

1. What kind of company do you want to work for?
2. What is the product or service they provide?
3. Is the company financially solid?
4. Is the company growing?
5. What is the company culture like?
6. Do they have a strong executive leadership team?
7. Have the executives been with the organization for a long time?
8. Is the compensation and benefit package competitive?

However, before you accept a position, make sure you have given the proper thought to who you'll report to; no matter how great the company, the product, or the position, if you don't match well with your manager's style you're going to be starting with a considerable burden that you can’t likely overcome. How do you determine if a manager's a right fit for you? The list below includes some indicators to consider before you make your decision.

Before the interview:
Determine your work style and the type of manager that your style will match with. Go online and do a search for management styles to get more detailed descriptions. However, what you’re likely to find are these common management styles: Autocratic; Paternalistic; Democratic; and Laissez-fair.

Autocratic - the manager makes decisions unilaterally without much regard for his subordinates. He's operating only by what he thinks is best.

Paternalistic - this style is also dictatorial. However, they consider the best interests of the team and the business before making decisions.

Democratic - this manager allows his/her employees to participate in the decision-making process. Matters are decided by majority rule.

Laissez-faire- this manager does not communicate with his team and evades his/her management duties. Uncoordinated delegation occurs.

During the interview:
Ask about the manager's style of managing, leading and delegating. Today’s busy managers don't have the time to stand over your shoulder. Remember micro-managers never think they are micro-managers. If the manager mentions their style is hands-off and are available to the team when needed it's a good sign. Have an in-depth talk with them about their team. Try to ascertain if they're the type of manager who operates from a diplomatic and fair viewpoint. Are they friendly and open to answering your questions? Or is your gut telling you something different? Ask questions about staff problems or issues they've had to deal with. How was the problem resolved? Does the resolution seem logical and right or wrong to you? Answers to these questions will give some insight into how the manager thinks. Are there similarities in how you approach things or vast differences?

If a strong team atmosphere is promoted and you're offered a job without meeting the team, something might be off. If there's really a strong team culture you usually have a chance at some point to interview with other team members. This is an opportunity for the manager to show his team respect and get their buy in. For candidates it's the chance to find out important details about the team. How long have the team members been there? If they're long term employees it's another great sign. Be sure to explore how they feel about their manager and note the answers you receive.

Do your homework and use your social networks (like LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter). Ask friends, family and colleagues to see if anyone has any insight into the management or the company? Do some homework and see what you find. Lastly, evaluate the information you receive and trust your instincts. If something doesn't feel right, it usually isn't.