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Poll closes May 31, 2012

Admittedly, many Managers are often not effective delegators.  They need to learn how to put aside their pride (or urge to control everything!) and show respect for talented employees by confidently relying on them.  Manager delegation strategies are an important skill — and one that typically needs to be learned!

Often, people don’t delegate because they assume their potential “delegatees” will not live up to expectations. However, if they take the time to know their staff and learn their strengths, a savings in time, frustration and sometimes even dollars and cents can be realized.

Of course, there are several factors to consider before randomly delegating. These include the experience, knowledge and skills of the individual as they apply to the delegated task.

• What knowledge, skills and attitude does the person already have?
• What is the individual’s preferred work style?
• How independent is the person?
• What does he or she want from their job?
• What are their long-term goals and inherent interests, and how do these align with the work proposed?

Fortunately, there are behavioral assessment tools that can quickly and accurately provide answers to the above questions.  The Omnia® Profile, for example, rates a person’s leadership potential, independence, administrative tendencies, preferred work pace and comfort dealing with people, among other traits. Many managers are learning to rely on such data-based technology to cross-train employees and maximize their full potential within the company.

Think about your needs.

Delegating work tasks can result in greater overall productivity, innovation, smoother operations and increased morale and teamwork among employees.

Do you want to spend less time mentoring new employees? There’s probably someone already on your team well equipped to take on this duty. The Omnia Profile will rate, among other things, your potential delegatee’s communication style, patience, ability to relay complex information into simpler terms and potential to actively listen to others. These are all qualities desirable in those who can successfully mentor fellow employees. Expecting someone with different traits to train and encourage new staff members is unrealistic.

Are you looking to focus more on the big picture and less on details?

At first sight, delegation can feel like more hassle than it’s worth. However by, delegating effectively, you can hugely expand the amount of work that you can deliver. When you arrange the workload so you’re working on the tasks that have the highest priority for you, and other people are working on meaningful and challenging assignments, you have a recipe for success.

To delegate effectively:

• Choose the right tasks to delegate
• Identify the right people to delegate to
• Delegate in the right way.

By selecting the right member of your team to do this, suddenly you’ll find yourself not pulled in too many directions but with extra time on your hands! There’s a lot to this, but you’ll achieve so much more once you’ve opened yourself up to the process!

Want to learn more about the Omnia Profile?

The fact is, it largely depends on the specific worker you’re reconsidering, the position planned, the culture of your company and your own ability to “play nice” with a person who may have left you and your entire team in a lurch at their departure.

Still, it is possible for a rehire to offer a win-win situation for everyone!

Here are our top 5 reasons to re-hiring a previous employee, when the following potential benefits can be realized:

If you do choose to rehire a former employee, clearly communicate to your existing team your reasons for doing so. Also brief the returning employee on the company’s current situation and spell out your expectations. And finally, be sure to follow up regularly with the returning employee to be sure he or she is adjusting well.

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Employee interview right around the corner?
Download our FREE and very helpful interview questions!

We are pleased to have Omnia’s new EPIC and Target reports highlighted on the show, and below you will find a list of the current air times that will actually be broadcasting the full 30 minute piece, featuring our 5 minute segment!  we have…there will be more in the future:

Seattle-Tacoma area | Headline News on Comcast Cable
>Wednesday – April 4th – 11:24am PST
>Thursday – April 5th – 7:24am and 8:24am PST

Stay tuned for more air dates and times!

>CALL TODAY to learn more!  >800.525.7117

Check out our video now!

Surprisingly, many companies fail to develop a culture to invest in and grow their greatest asset…their people!

Companies with clearly defined cultures are typically better places to work giving them a powerful edge over competitors because they draw and retain top talent.

Corporate culture is a powerful tool in a company’s long-term success…here are some key ways to help boost yours:

While outlining a winning corporate culture might be relatively simple, instilling the set principles in others may be less so. You can make this task easier, however, by gaining insight into the inherent work approaches, objectives and expectations of your staff.

Tools, such as behavioral assessments are designed to provide you with this, making work easier and more enjoyable for everyone on the team. While many of these products provide some insight into your job candidates and existing staff, The Omnia Profile is the one offering a unique benchmarking feature, where individuals can be compared to one another and indications of one person’s needs over another’s are made. Additionally, these Profiles are interpreted by trained analysts — not computers – who know how to allow for the specific quirks of an individual or factor in an employer’s unique needs.

Are you sure you’re doing all you can to create a winning culture and boost business results?

	See if you’ve got the right people in the rights seats in your organization, with an Omnia Profile!

Managers should not be swayed by how experienced the new hire is, as everyone is not above learning new business tactics.

Often a newly hired employee feels compelled to exhibit confidence and an upbeat demeanor to impress a new boss. Conversely, the new boss often mistakenly buys into the newbie’s exhibited behavior believing (or maybe hoping) he or she is ready to launch into the job, be an instant superstar and set the business world on fire.

This is probably not going to happen. The reality is that every new hire will likely need – and expect – at least some coaching from you. But a one-size-fits-all training tactic won’t work, even when training multiple people for the same job, as individuals have their own unique set of hot and cold buttons.

Consider these 3 different personality types:

Naturally self-directing and confident

Workers who are naturally self-directing and confident prefer to actively participate in the coaching process. They might politely turn to you for some input and advice but are probably hoping for freedom to also voice their own strategies; this can be a great way to blend your expectations with their needs and uncover the secret to a successful mutual relationship.

Serious and straightforward

Others look for serious, straightforward, one-way formal training from a manager or appointed mentor. Give them “just the facts please” on how to best approach their role, what to expect, how to avoid pitfalls and what to do when unusual circumstances arise. These typically introspective, cautious people are good listeners and wait to follow your lead.

Calm and methodical

Don’t be surprised if the obviously calm, methodical person you hire needs extra time to learn your procedures and acclimate. A more measured learning process does not necessarily translate into incompetence, but more likely a cautious work approach and a concern for doing things properly. These are traits often seen and desired in administrative service types.

New employees typically have many underlying worries; among these are concerns about meeting expectations, fitting into the role, being satisfied with the job, achieving success and establishing rapport with co-workers. You can help allay fears and decrease new-hire jitters simply by using the appropriate training tactics when onboarding. Doing so helps increase the chances that the person you hire will be a happy, thriving member of the team who works confidently and stays loyal to your company.

When planning the arrival of your new employee, be sure to consider:

• The first day
• The first week
• The first 3 months and beyond

A good manager knows the importance of training new employees and doesn’t dare just cross-fingers and hope for the best.  A great manager has insight into diverse work orientations and behaviors and knows how to bring out the best in people.  Overall, an effective on-boarding process is a great way to show all of your employees that you value their happiness and want them to succeed.

	Get our FREE 5 PAGE PDF of behavioral based interview questions!

Therefore, we decided to put a quick little video together, answering some of the “unique” questions we get about what an employee behavioral assessment is!

It really is a bit entertaining…sit back for a minute (only 2), press play and enjoy the ride!
(If you are having trouble viewing the video below, you can also check it out on Youtube! What is a behavioral assessment video!)

How do you decipher the answers that a reference cannot say legally?

Gaining information regarding the previous work approach, attitudes and behavioral tendencies of would-be employees is a tricky business. Though legally free to provide reference checkers with any work-related information about a previous employee, many past employers still refuse to offer more than just dates of employment, salary history and job title.

So…how can you REALLY get the answers you want about job candidates?

Establish trust!

Establishing trust with each reference is critical for gaining information that goes beyond the surface. Try to convey to the person giving the reference that your goal is to ensure a good fit for both your organization and the individual – not to pry into personal issues. This should encourage more open communication.

If you reach this point, you’ll now need to pull out that crystal ball to gain a better understanding of what the applicant’s reference is really trying to tell you.

For example, if the previous employer notes your candidate was a great manager or great salesperson but didn’t get along with the owner of the company, it could be the two had opposite personalities or held different expectations of one another. Are you and this candidate apt to get along? What is your own personality? Are your short-term and long-term objectives for the candidate in line with his or hers? The answers a reference gives to your questions points you in the direction to take when holding further discussions with a potential new hire.

If at all possible, avoid questions that elicit a “yes” or “no” response. Focus on questions that are open-ended and allow the reference to describe events, accomplishments, and difficulties. Ask for examples and explanations. Listen between the lines, try to pick up on clues and drill down below the surface of initial comments to make a reference truly useful.

It’s important to assess not just the overall comments a reference makes, but also the specific word choices as well as the tone and enthusiasm with which the reference describes the candidate. If he or she makes a comment that seems unclear, ask a follow-up question. Keep in mind though, that some people are naturally prone to offering vague, one-word answers while others, with a little prompting, become extremely open.

Keep your antennae up for shifts in tone, long pauses, or hesitations that might indicate you’ve hit a sensitive or troublesome subject. Acknowledge the shift, be willing to follow up, and, most importantly, probe the source. Also keep an ear out for overly enthusiastic references without sufficient depth of examples to back up the praise. Some references may simply be in a hurry – and willing to tell you whatever they think you want to hear.

Be sure to get written permission from the candidate before taking references. You cannot start the process until they do so. To protect the reference-giver, do not attribute sources of specific quotes or comments, and destroy hand-written notes once the referencing report is written. A candidate can request a copy of their reference report.

Download our FREE Business Reference Checking Form to help you get started!

Or wait, is that an alarm clock?

Yes – just another bad dream experienced by another stressed employer who’ll soon be spending the whole day interviewing job applicants.

Unfortunately, the real, waking world of a new-hire search is almost as nightmarish as the bad dream. With the overflowing pool of eager and sometimes desperate job candidates it’s difficult, as well as time consuming, to try to assess who’s really right for your open positions. Some managers still rely exclusively on interviews, resumes and references, but these usually tell only a small part of a much larger story. Trying to save time by trusting gut instincts about an applicant or, worse yet, simply hoping for the best, is often a big, costly mistake.

Statistics show that at least 30 to 40 percent of all job applications and resumes include false claims or inflated assertions. And there are plenty of sites easily accessed online that give would-be employees “helpful” tips on how to do this. That’s enough to give even the most confident, experienced employer nightmares.

So what’s the fastest way to get a clear picture of who’s really staring back at you during the interview? Consider using behavioral assessments. These valuable, insightful hiring tools can save time as well as the expense and frustration that come when the wrong person is brought onto the job.

Designed to quickly and accurately alert employers to a prospective new hire’s typical traits, abilities, strengths and weaknesses, these screening devices also gauge a candidate’s probable fit with:

• the job
• existing team members
• management’s leadership style
• policies of the work culture

Some even go a step further and offer additional decision-making information. For example, The Omnia Profile allows managers to compare the traits of potential new hires to a target candidate or to specific existing employees. Screening for promotability and leadership potential is also possible and a good way to uncover who to keep in mind for succession planning, senior management and outside-the-box thinking.

And knowing who’s strong in back-office administration, for example, as opposed to sales or high-end management lowers your risk of putting a service-oriented worker into a role that overtaxes him. Often, when a manager or salesperson struggles on the job it’s because he or she is cautious by nature, disinclined to push an agenda and worried about taking risks.

Today, given the false impressions the rush of applicants can paint of themselves via web-enhanced resumes, social media and online coaching, it’s more difficult than ever to know if he or she is anything like the last employee you terminated.

People can be so good at the interview and so nightmarish at the job.

FREE interview questions to help you weed through job applicants!