Rhino Wrestler Newsletter - Distributed semi-monthly by Rhoberta Shaler,
PhD & Optimize! Institute
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Hello, The adventure of going to work every day can be stressful. It’s not just the problems that create the stress. It can be the excitement, the uncertainty or the requirements for constant change. In the Rhino Wrestler you will find articles that hopefully help with the day-to-day situations of the workplace. As a consultant and executive coach, I hear daily about the joys and trials, the challenges, changes and choices that you face. Whether I am working with an executive team, an executive or an entrepreneur, the need for strong skills and new insights is clear. One thing that comes up over and over is the need for learning and shoring up ‘people skills’ so that we feel competent, comfortable and confident in the workplace. Workplace People Skills certification program!See details in this newsletter, or look online: www.WorkplacePeopleSkills.com The people skills you need to feel competent, comfortable & confident. All classes taken on the phone. To find out more about Workplace People Skills Certification and how it can benefit your organization...In this Issue:
KEEP READING…. Not all staff members need the same skills, so, to meet the needs, I have created a new program, Workplace People Skills, that you’ll find at www.WorkplacePeopleSkills.com The twelve-week certification courses begin March 5 [sold out] and May 1. Non-certification training is available too, if you want only certain parts of the course. Let me know. Mail to: RS@OptimizeInstitute.com These can be created in two-session teleseminars for your company. Do you have specific issues you would like me to write about here? Please send them along. You might have a question that many would like to hear an answer to, so, include those as well. I want this newsletter to be as useful and pertinent to your needs as possible. It would be my pleasure to work with you and your company. If you have an upcoming retreat, conference, meeting or training need, let’s talk. I wish you well in the wilds of work,
Rhoberta Shaler, PhD
INSPIRING WORDS FOR YOUR POST-IT™ NOTES
IMPROVING YOUR WORKLIFE:Hire For Who They Are Not Only What They Know
Certainly we want to work with people who we think would be easy to get along with. We are unlikely to go looking for perceived conflict. What is problematic is our lack of understanding that we often NEED people who are not like us and that we may not particularly like in order to create effectiveness, productivity and profit! At one firm I consulted with, they had an internal policy of bringing a candidate to the team to “interview” to see if they felt they were a good addition. The result of this process—and, when well informed, it can be useful—in this case was that the particular department was filled with folks whose primary interest was each other! They could talk for hours about things that had no bearing on the mission of the company or the tasks at hand. They really liked each other! But, work was left waiting and money was left on the table—repeatedly. We come into this world with tendencies and preferences in our make-up. They are innate. Great news because there will always be someone who loves to do what you hate doing. When creating high-performance teams, this is essential information. Thinking of the average small business or team, here are some thoughts on what attributes we require, keeping in mind that the focus of the business will skew this somewhat. We need at least one someone who:
And, that is not a definitive list. So, you can clearly see that it is impossible to find those qualities in a single candidate. In fact, you will likely need at least four people to optimize these qualities…and they may not necessarily ever become friends! HIRE PEOPLE FOR WHO THEY ARE Think of the way people advertise openings. Would you ever expect to read this ad? Wanted: Person who likes financial detail, is vigilant to a fault (persistent and picky even), is not particularly interested in people or relationships, can always find things in a heartbeat, and is willing to work long hours in a windowless room alone for minimum wage. Not likely. Yet, there are people who fit that bill perfectly and will be superb for that set of tasks you have in mind. No, it is more likely that you want that person and write this ad: Wanted: Bright person, self-motivated, experienced with accounting practices and reports, team-player, highly disciplined, responsible and looking for an entry level position. Sounds good, doesn’t it? The number of nebulous terms in the second ad—and, of course, that’s the one that would be placed—leads to the requirement for a very strong interview and testing process. Why? Because we’re really looking for the person in the first ad—except, due to the problem at the top of the article, we also think we have to like them! This is the crazy-making world of hiring. It’s crazy-making for both the human resources side and the candidate side. Both sides have agendas and both are trying to ferret out what is really wanted. This leads to hiring mistakes that everyone regrets. Couple this with the “putting the best foot forward” and “tell them what they want to hear” and we’ve got a pervasive issue that consumes thousands of dollars with a poor result. That is why it is essential to HIRE PEOPLE FOR WHO THEY ARE AS WELL AS FOR WHAT THEY DO. Continue to remainder of article online >>>
Find out more about Workplace People Skills Certification and how it can benefit your organization.. © Rhoberta Shaler, PhD All rights reserved. This article may be reprinted or republished if the complete copyright/resource information is kept intact. For a formatted version for print, email info@optimizeinstitute.com |
Volume 4, Issue
1 - %$today$% Get this from a friend? Get your own subscription at www.OptimizeInstitute.com/ezines RESOURCES & RECOMMENDATIONSThe revised & expanded 2nd Edition of Wrestling Rhinos: Conquering Conflict in the Wilds of Work is now available. An excellent book on specific communication, conflict & anger management and negotiation skills…available right when you need them. It's a great book to give to every person on your staff. Then, you can all find ways to 'play nicely together in the company sandbox'! We all need these skills and we usually did not learn them at home. Equip yourself right away and calm your communications. BUY YOUR COPY NOW. JUST CLICK HERE. Want to read more from Dr. Shaler?HERE’S HER NEW BOOK…
You can READ MORE ABOUT IT AND BUY YOUR OWN COPY AT WWW.SOULSOLITUDE.com
What about Teams?"Gallup gave respondents a list of 13 work-related
skills and subject areas and asked them to rate each one as "critical," "very
important," "somewhat important" or "not too important" to
their ability to do their jobs successfully.
Teamwork is the ability to work together
toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments
toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common
people to attain uncommon results." For more on Teamwork and Teambuilding, visit www.OptimizeInstitute.com
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION© This newsletter is the property and copyright of Rhoberta Shaler, PhD and Optimize! Institute. Please honor our copyright. If you would like to publish one of our articles, in your print or electronic newsletter or journal, or, you would like to include it for your website visitors, you may do so IF THE copyright/ resource information is kept in tact. Thank you. Make it an optimized day!
The Rhino Wrestler™ is a publication of Optimize! Institute. Published by People Skills Press. © 1998-2008 Rhoberta Shaler, PhD
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As
a counselor, coach and business consultant, one of the biggest general problems
that I see in the hiring process is that a natural tendency is to hire: 
