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August 02, 2005
Hiring for attitude, not just skill
The world is filled with retail store employees who have no interest in their work. Just a paycheck.
This help-wanted sign posted in the window of a Tea Gschwendner store in Chicago recently stopped me in my tracks becaust of its well-defined cause ("passionate about tea") and its unique filter for potential employees.
Without stating it directly, the company is saying: "We don't want just anyone. We hire for attitude, not just skill."
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» First, Hire The Right People from Searching For Great Customer Service
If you don't have the right people, it's going to be much tougher to deliver great customer service and CRM. As a former manager who hired my own people i like the attitude of the company Church of the People [Read More]
» Is it legal to hire for passion? from Management Craft
Upfront caveat: I am not a lawyer and would never play one on TV. Perhaps a few of my lawyer blogging buddies will comment with their thoughts! The Church of the Customer offers this interesting post about a Tea store [Read More]
» Want a Job? How's Your Attitude? from studentl.inc
Church of the Customer has posted a great example of a company, Tea Gschwendner in Chicago, that has placed a unique Help Wanted sign in their window. Are you passionate about tea? they prominently ask passerbys. I think this company [Read More]
» The Power of ... the right attitude from the/genuine/idea/blog
A good service is indeed free, and it helps your business a lot, but the right attitude is even more important. The power of the right attitude is more than just giving a good service to your customers. [Read More]
» Hiring Passionate Employees from Just Looking
Church of the customer has a great quick post talking about hiring Hiring for Attitude, Not Just for Skill. A sign in a store window is what Ben saw during a walk down the street. It is a help wanted [Read More]
Here's an idea:
Ask a retailer/restauranteur what their hiring process consists of. They probably hire based mostly on availability.
Ask them what their process is for purchasing product/supplies. This is probably a more rigorously filtered process.
Now, ask them how much time they spend on managing personnel problems (absenteeism, tardiness, lackluster performance, conflicts, attitudes) vs. product/supply quality problems.
I wonder if the lightbulb would light up.
I couldn't agree more with this post. Customer service is the business we're all in, just like we're all in sales, and a positive attitude is most often the common element in successful customer service and sales people.
Its all in the heart. If the heart refuses to acknowledge the Source of Joy, then "Houston, we have a problem"
Correct Attitude + Product Knowledge = Skills?
Its all in the heart. If the heart refuses to acknowledge the Source of Joy, then "Houston, we have a problem"
Correct Attitude + Product Knowledge = Skills?
The media perpetuates the idea of hating what you do -- just listen to the radio at 5:01 any afternoon...
Imagine how much better life would be if everyone was passionate about their work! What would that be like? Is it possible? Can everyone find something they love to do AND get paid to do it?
The media perpetuates the idea of hating what you do -- just listen to the radio at 5:01 any afternoon...
Imagine how much better life would be if everyone was passionate about their work! What would that be like? Is it possible? Can everyone find something they love to do AND get paid to do it?
"Passionate about tea" brings to mind an article I wrote to help those passionate in IT (Information Technology.)
I proposed a 3-D model for hiring. The 3 components were x = technical competence, y = motivation and z = ability to work with others. (Passion is part of that y component.)
Like today, employers complained they couldn't find anyone qualified. Baloney! As several IT practitioners and I saw, employers wanted someone who knew it all for something out 1 to 2 years at most. (What employers were really masking was their irrational fear of making a hiring mistake. Letting the capable slip by is what's really wrong with hiring today.)
I wrote the article primarily because I felt the IT industry focused way too much on x (e.g., knowledge of tea. Ironically the hot computer langauge then was Java.) I knew both those inside in IT and recent grads had much to offer in terms of y(passion.) It was that sense of initiative that got them excited about computers, that kept them learning day and night, quickly. They also knew that software that means anything to anybody can't stay in a vacuum. The passion has to be directed towards team members and paying customers. So I offered ideas to give more importance to y and z.
I got several reviews. Most definitely, it appealed to hiring managers who hated operating from HR checklists, who saw themselves as one day looking for a job and not knowing all the latest. College students also thought they could downplay not having experience. And one recruiter said that through motivation and teamwork he had his clients see that a candidate without domain knowledge could do fantastic anyway. His example was Lou Gerstner who moved from RJR Nabisco to IBM.
However, I then got the very kind of response that gives IT engineers the reputation of being unsociable geeks. It also exemplified why software can be unfriendly. It also showed how some who have expertise can be morale-drenching prima donnas who think they're God's gift to tea or IT. The most demeaning said, "If you have to use motivation and teamwork to get hired, you're hiding the fact that you, sir, are technically incompetent."
Thankfully then, I heard a fascinating saying mentioning IT, namely, "Computer chips? Potato chips? They're all chips!" I heard about product management and product marketing. I saw these were much more welcoming towards passion, in its workers and the customers they'd serve. With that saying, some in product management didn't place as much on the knowledge, that if you had the passion and drive to bring a product from start to finish in one industry, you could in another. And, most of all, you'd want to tell others about it.
I developed special love towards another word that begins with 'P': Promotions! I made my move from engineering to marketing, and promote with passion, whether we're talking products or people!
Without passion, you're dead and unhirable! That's my x, y, and z of it.
I love that.
Choosing the right sales person is not a matter of miracles or random good luck.
I believe any manager or owner of an enterprise had face it... I have found this study cases very helpful, hope it will work for you too http://www.hirethebestsalespeople.com/cases_4.php#candidate
Choosing the right sales person is not a matter of miracles or random good luck.
I believe any manager or owner of an enterprise had face it... I have found this study cases very helpful, hope it will work for you too http://www.hirethebestsalespeople.com/cases_4.php#candidate
Worst Employer I ever had.
