Guessing is not a strategy: How to build decision velocity with AI and real-time data
June 10, 2026 | Live Webinar
Candidate Selection & MySpace Appearances
| Miss New Jersey can keep her crown. The embarrassing photographs that probably originated from a MySpace account will not ruin her chances of getting into the next Miss America Pageant.
So should you cut job candidates slack if you find photos of inappropriate behavior on MySpace (or a similar site) before you hire them? Probably not. Think about what it says about their judgment if they are looking for a job and leave those photos available. Is this the kind of judgment that you want in your organization to make critical project decisions on the ground? I should think not. Bring the individual into an interview if you want to – just to make sure. Ask this question: “How do the photos on your MySpace account reflect the good employee judgment our organization needs to remain a world-class competitor?” |
Posted on: July 16, 2007 09:26 PM
| Permalink |
Comments (1)
Another Great Technology Misuse: Using IM to Fire Workers
| OMG! IM FIRD! It was an unscientific survey on Yahoo, but it still matters. 14% of men and 11% of women would use an IM to fire someone. What’s the matter with these people? Evidently they did not hear the sarcastic abuse of those who have fired workers en masse using e-mail. What values and priorities usually associated with supervisory work are these people missing?
The rationale for using IM to fire someone appears to be dependent on the use of an emoticon. Well, that resolves the problem. If you use a “happy face” or a “sad face”, according to these people, then it’s OK to send SORRY,YR FIRD. This is the latest in a continuing stream of revelations of how technology is used to insulate people from tough interactions with others. Perhaps this is just a young generation too comfortable with technology. If so, I’m worried about making them supervisors. |
Posted on: July 15, 2007 09:16 PM
| Permalink |
Comments (0)
A Better Way
| OK, yesterday I was feeling bad vibes or something, so I was only able to think of ways to shut down the possibility of a solution. Much better today, so I can help you let the employee come up with a solution that the employee ‘owns’. Very important. This can be tricky, no doubt about that, but you can do it by avoiding preachiness and using the Socratic method (‘questioning’ for those who are classically challenged) Thusly:
Once the employee and you have agreed to a solution, the employee then owns that solution. It’s much better than you forcing a solution. When a forced solution fails, you are to blame, even if you aren’t. When the employee owns it, the employee will most likely carry it out, whether that is
It works. But practice to make it a habit. |
Posted on: July 11, 2007 09:14 PM
| Permalink |
Comments (0)
Blowing Your Solution Before You Even Begin
| The other day I overheard a conversation in the hall where a supervisor said to an employee, “You’re just not looking hard enough.” Everyone in the hall could hear it.
This sounds helpful, in a tough love kind of way, but is not likely the best approach to get a solution. And if you are dealing with a difficult employee, it’s even worse. What’s your purpose? To get a solution - preferably a solution agreed to by both you and the employee.
Here are things you might say that shuts down the chance for a solution:
This language might come easily to you, so you may have to build better habits. Tomorrow, I’ll post better language to initiate a solution agreement. |
Posted on: July 10, 2007 01:11 PM
| Permalink |
Comments (0)
Get Ready to Run
| OK, check your judgment with this question:
Which of these four performance management strategies was found to drive far more “business impact” than the others?
(1) Cascading Goals: aligning goals to manager or corporate goals
(2) Coaching: formal or well established coaching programs for employees
(3) Establishing Goals: establishing clear and measurable goals for all employees in organization
(4) Development Planning: creating consistent development plans across the organization
Here’s a hint: One of these four items drove 48% business impact, while the other three were around 33%.
It turns out that (1), (3) and (4) all had about the same effectiveness. It was option (2) coaching that was the most effective to the organization. In fact, coaching had the highest impact of any talent management strategy evaluated by Bersin. So how aggressively do you manage the coaching in your project? in your organization? Did you even know coaching was so important? If not, why do you think that is? While you wrestle with those questions, do two laps around the gym (no talking!), then start working to improve how you plan and control coaching. |
Posted on: July 03, 2007 01:39 PM
| Permalink |
Comments (0)