Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

The next time you are interviewing a candidate and you want to access their leadership skills, consider asking the candidate these questions: What personal qualities define you as a leader?  Describe a situation when these qualities helped you lead others. Give an example of when you demonstrated good leadership. What is the toughest group from which you've had to get cooperation? Have you ever had difficulty getting others to accept your ideas?  What was your approach?  Did it work? Describe a situation in which you had to change your leadership style to achieve the goal? One leadership skill is the ability to accommodate different views in the workplace, regardless of what they are.  What have you done to foster a wide number of views in your work environment? Thanks to Sharon Armstrong, author of  The Essential HR Handbook , for these helpful questions!

Dig into the book,  Talent ,   to learn the case studies of Johnson & Johnson, Hemnet, Argus Media, HireRight, Vishal Retail, Depop and Oak Street Health.  Authors  Anish Batlaw  and  Ram Charan  provide you through these case studies a guide for how to take a  data driven approach and playbook  to identifying, hiring and investing in the right people, placing them in the right roles, and then setting them up for success.   Anish Batlaw   Ram Charan Batlaw and Charan share these insights with us:  Question: How do you identify, recruit, and support high-performing executive talent?   Batlaw & Charan : We start by developing a scorecard that captures outcomes we expect the incumbent to deliver over 18-30 months as well as the key competencies and experiences the incumbent will need to be successful. It’s critical that the scorecards be very specific and not include vague terms like “curious” or “very smart,” which a...

"Ninety percent of business problems are actually recruiting problems in disguise," declares  Jeff Hyman , author of the book,  Recruit Rockstars: The 10 Step Playbook To Find The Winners And Ignite Your Business . Hyman, who has recruited more than 3,000 people during his career, also explains that "nothing will accelerate the growth of your company faster than a commitment to placing Rockstars in every role at every level." As you read the book, you'll discover Hyman's  10-step method  for landing the very best talent. Progressing through the book chapters you'll learn how to: Prepare for Rockstars Recruit only Rockstars Grow your Rockstars Keep in mind, however, that a Rockstar at one company isn't necessarily one at another. Rockstars are Rockstars because they are a fit in terms of both  competencies  and  DNA characteristics . And, the three things Rockstars prize most are: A challenging environment that allows for their best work Professional ...

Despite the temptation to hire someone like yourself, hire someone to complement your skills --not to duplicate your skills. Managers often find it easier, more comfortable, or less threatening to hire someone with similar skills and work habits. But, to build a well-balanced team and to achieve maximum success, you need to have employees who can fill in your weaker areas. So, if you are a great idea person, but a poor communicator, hire someone with strong communications skills.  Similarly , if your team  excels  in sales but lacks  organization , add an employee who leads in organization. This may all seem like common sense. And you obviously need to hire someone to meet certain/minimum skill sets and who will be a good overall fit. But, do what you can to avoid the trap or temptation to hire someone just like you.

Hiring Greatness is the book by David E. Perry and Mark J. Haluska , who combined have closed more than 1,800 hiring search projects. In their book, the authors share their guide for how to attract, recruit and retain star executives . They advise that it is far more important that a leadership candidate possess specific intangible core attributes, than just decades of industry experience. And, these core attributes go far beyond mere technical skills. For Perry and Haluska, there are 28 core attributes they always look for in a candidate. Those 28 fit within  five pillars of success : Character Intellect Business Intelligence Leadership Emotional Intelligence They also recommend that when interviewing a candidate you particularly like that you take a healthy step back to figure out why you feel so strongly about that person. So, that you ensure you are not being biased by the following prejudices: Charm - Outward personality is...

The following statements from author  Scott Wintrip  convinced me to read his book,  High Velocity Hiring: How To Hire Top Talent In An Instant : "Hiring is broken. There's a new way to hire that's faster, efficient, and effective. Instead of waiting for the right  person  to show up, the new way to hire is to wait for the  right job  to show up. Instead of waiting until a seat is empty to search for talent, the new way of hiring starts the talent search before that job opens." Wintrip explains how companies across the globe have applied the principles of the on-demand economy to hiring. And, perhaps counter-intuitively, he demonstrates how hiring faster creates better employees and improved working relationships. The book takes you through a  five-step process : Create Hire-Right Profiles Improve Candidate Gravity Maximize Hiring Styles Conduct Experiential Interviews Maintain a Talent Inventory Most in...

The following statements from author  Scott Wintrip  convinced me to read his book,  High Velocity Hiring: How To Hire Top Talent In An Instant : "Hiring is broken. There's a new way to hire that's faster, efficient, and effective. Instead of waiting for the right  person  to show up, the new way to hire is to wait for the  right job  to show up. Instead of waiting until a seat is empty to search for talent, the new way of hiring starts the talent search before that job opens." Wintrip explains how companies across the globe have applied the principles of the on-demand economy to hiring. And, perhaps counter-intuitively, he demonstrates how hiring faster creates better employees and improved working relationships. The book takes you through a  five-step process : Create Hire-Right Profiles Improve Candidate Gravity Maximize Hiring Styles Conduct Experiential Interviews Maintain a Talent Inventory Most in...

Hiring Greatness is the book by David E. Perry and Mark J. Haluska , who combined have closed more than 1,800 hiring search projects. In their book, the authors share their guide for how to attract, recruit and retain star executives . They advise that it is far more important that a leadership candidate possess specific intangible core attributes, than just decades of industry experience. And, these core attributes go far beyond mere technical skills. For Perry and Haluska, there are 28 core attributes they always look for in a candidate. Those 28 fit within  five pillars of success : Character Intellect Business Intelligence Leadership Emotional Intelligence They also recommend that when interviewing a candidate you particularly like that you take a healthy step back to figure out why you feel so strongly about that person. So, that you ensure you are not being biased by the following prejudices: Charm - Outward personality is never an accurate...

Despite the temptation to hire someone like yourself,  hire someone to complement your skills  --not to duplicate your skills. Managers often find it easier, more comfortable, or less threatening to hire someone with similar skills and work habits. But, to build a well-balanced team and to achieve maximum success, you need to have employees who can fill in your weaker areas. So, if you are a great idea person, but a poor communicator, hire someone with strong communications skills. Similarly, if your team excels in sales but lacks organization, add an employee who leads in organization. This may all seem like common sense. And you obviously need to hire someone to meet certain/minimum skill sets and who will be a good overall fit. But, do what you can to avoid the trap or temptation to hire someone just like you.

These statements from author  Scott Wintrip  convinced me to read his book,  High Velocity Hiring: How To Hire Top Talent In An Instant : "Hiring is broken. There's a new way to hire that's faster, efficient, and effective. Instead of waiting for the right  person  to show up, the new way to hire is to wait for the  right job  to show up. Instead of waiting until a seat is empty to search for talent, the new way of hiring starts the talent search before that job opens." Wintrip explains how companies across the globe have applied the principles of the on-demand economy to hiring. And, perhaps counter-intuitively, he demonstrates how hiring faster creates better employees and improved working relationships. The book takes you through a  five-step process : Create Hire-Right Profiles Improve Candidate Gravity Maximize Hiring Styles Conduct Experiential Interviews Maintain a Talent Inventory Most interesting to me is Wintrip's ...

These statements from author Scott Wintrip  convinced me to read his new book, High Velocity Hiring: How To Hire Top Talent In An Instant : "Hiring is broken. There's a new way to hire that's faster, efficient, and effective. Instead of waiting for the right person to show up, the new way to hire is to wait for the right job to show up. Instead of waiting until a seat is empty to search for talent, the new way of hiring starts the talent search before that job opens." Wintrip explains how companies across the globe have applied the principles of the on-demand economy to hiring. And, perhaps counter-intuitively, he demonstrates how hiring faster creates better employees and improved working relationships. The book takes you through a five-step process : Create Hire-Right Profiles Improve Candidate Gravity Maximize Hiring Styles Conduct Experiential Interviews Maintain a Talent Inventory Most interesting to me is Wintrip's Talent Inventory conce...

Hiring Greatness  is the book by  David E. Perry  and  Mark J. Haluska , who combined have closed more than 1,800 search projects. In their book, the authors share their  guide for how to attract, recruit and retain star executives . They advise that it is far more important that a leadership candidate possess specific intangible core attributes, than just decades of industry experience. And, these core attributes go far beyond mere technical skills. For Perry and Haluska, there are  28 core attributes  they always look for in a candidate. Those 28 fit within  five pillars of success : Character Intellect Business Intelligence Leadership Emotional Intelligence They also recommend that when interviewing a candidate you particularly like that you take a healthy step back to figure out why you feel so strongly about that person. So, that you ensure you are not being biased by the following prejudices: Charm  - Outward person...

Hiring Greatness is the new book by David E. Perry and Mark J. Haluska , who combined have closed more than 1,800 search projects. In their book, the authors share their guide for how to attract, recruit and retain star executives . They advise that it is far more important that a leadership candidate possess specific intangible core attributes, than just decades of industry experience. And, these core attributes go far beyond mere technical skills. For Perry and Haluska, there are 28 core attributes they always look for in a candidate. Those 28 fit within  five pillars of success : Character Intellect Business Intelligence Leadership Emotional Intelligence They also recommend that when interviewing a candidate you particularly like that you take a healthy step back to figure out why you feel so strongly about that person. So, that you ensure you are not being biased by the following prejudices: Charm - Outward personality is never an accurate predictor o...

Many Human Resource (HR) managers have moved away from questions like "What's your weakness?" and prefer  behavior-based questions , which ask you to: describe how you handled specific situations  at your former jobs If you are about to interview for your next leadership position, be prepared for questions like these (from an article in  Reader's Digest ): Tell me about a time when your integrity was challenged . What was the situation, and what did you do? Tell me about a time you had to work with someone you did not personally like . If you could come to work with  only three tools to get your job done, what would they be ? What personal and professional development have you been engaged in outside the workplace  over the past year? Describe your Outlook calendar  on a typical day

One of the reasons you want to  interview people in three different places  is that candidates will usually be at their very best in the first interview (likely  in your office ). After that, if they are pretending, the veneer will come off in subsequent meetings in out-of-the office locations. Also, because most employees can only be successful in their jobs in different locations as well, it makes sense to witness your candidates in different settings. So, consider interviewing the candidate  over a lunch  at a nearby restaurant. And, finally, consider interviewing them  in a group setting  where you invite a variety of your employees to be part of the group. If you do this, be sure to let each employee voice their "vote" regarding the candidate after the meeting. There are lots more great tips like this one in Thompson's and Tracy's book,  Now...Build a Great Business!

Awhile back, the  Harvard Business Review  published some great questions that  Gilt Groupe  CEO Kevin Ryan asks when he is checking references. Ryan serves on the board of Yale Corporation, Human Rights Watch, and  INSEAD , and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.  He holds a B.A. from Yale University and a M.B.A from INSEAD. His main seven honest-feedback-extracting-questions (and follow-ups) are: Would you hire this person again?  If so, why and in what capacity?  If not, why not? How would you describe the candidate's ability to innovate, manage, lead, deal with ambiguity, get things done and influence others? What were some of the best things this person accomplished?  What could he or she have done better? In what type of culture, environment, and role can you see this person excelling?  In what type of role is he or she unlikely to be successful? Would you describe the candidate as a leader, a st...

If you are stumped for how to write performance appraisal goals for a particular title and role in your organization, buy Paul Falcone 's book, 2,600 Phrases for Setting Effective Performance Goals . Falcone devotes about a third of the 200-page book to lists of goals for all types of titles and roles in a variety for organizations and companies -- including, this list of performance appraisal goals for a nonprofit fundraiser and development executive : Develop effective strategies for donor engagement and the solicitation of top prospects. Research, identify, and cultivate individual, corporate, and foundation donors. Devise and implement strategies for donor cultivation. Drive the necessary development efforts to meet the organization's annual revenue goals. Create and manage a portfolio with an emphasis on corporations and individual giving. Develop strategies to approach large multinational corporations regarding national gifts. Maximize opportunities for c...

"Don't Hire Jerks, No Matter How Talented," said Michael Lebowitz a couple years ago in a interview for  The New York Times . Lebowitz is the CEO of  Big Spaceship , a marketing and communications agency.  He claims, and I agree, that no matter how talented the person may be, if he/she can't fit into the company culture and work effectively with co-workers, it doesn't matter how talented he/she is. The other advice Lebowitz gives is: If you are the CEO, be the  FIRST  person to interview a candidate .  Don't be last, as is typically the case. "I completely step back from trying to assess their skills. I leave that to the people they're going to be working with really closely," said Lebowitz.  "And, so I spend as much time as an hour, sometimes 90 minutes, just trying to figure out who they are and if they're going to be a good fit for the culture." In his interviews,  Lebowitz asks these open-ended questions : So, wha...

"Don't Hire Jerks, No Matter How Talented," said Michael Lebowitz in an interview for The New York Times awhile back. Lebowitz is the CEO of Big Spaceship , a marketing and communications agency. He claims, and I agree, that no matter how talented the person may be, if he/she can't fit into the company culture and work effectively with co-workers, it doesn't matter how talented he/she is. The other advice Lebowitz gives is: If you are the CEO, be the FIRST person to interview a candidate . Don't be last, as is typically the case. "I completely step back from trying to assess their skills. I leave that to the people they're going to be working with really closely," said Lebowitz. "And, so I spend as much time as an hour, sometimes 90 minutes, just trying to figure out who they are and if they're going to be a good fit for the culture." In his interviews, Lebowitz asks these open-ended questions : So, what do you do?...

"Don't Hire Jerks, No Matter How Talented," said Michael Lebowitz in an interview for The New York Times awhile back. Lebowitz is the CEO of Big Spaceship , a marketing and communications agency. He claims, and I agree, that no matter how talented the person may be, if he/she can't fit into the company culture and work effectively with co-workers, it doesn't matter how talented he/she is. The other advice Lebowitz gives is: If you are the CEO, be the FIRST person to interview a candidate . Don't be last, as is typically the case. "I completely step back from trying to assess their skills. I leave that to the people they're going to be working with really closely," said Lebowitz. "And, so I spend as much time as an hour, sometimes 90 minutes, just trying to figure out who they are and if they're going to be a good fit for the culture." In his interviews, Lebowitz asks these open-ended questions : So, what do you do?...