It's Your Move

The Best Business Strategies for 2008:

2007 is history.  So get over it.

Do you want to really make an impact in 2008?  Here are the 10 best business strategies to catapult your career to new heights.  It's what separates the professionals from the rookies:

• Be Bold.  Take calculated risks and show em what you got.  Your mindset: NO FEAR. 
• Don't confuse efforts with results.  The only thing that matters is results.  At the end of the day, no one cares how hard you worked.
• Trust, but verify.  Enough said.
• Maintain and build upon realtionships. It takes years to develop trust and only seconds to destroy it.  Your word means everything and so does your reputation.  Should an issue arise, deal with it immediately.
• Hire and cultivate talent.  Surround yourself with integrity, you can teach skills.
• Choose a workplace wisely.  Do your homework and never rush into making a decision until you have exhausted all of the resources available to you. 
• Don't worry about things that you cannot control.  This may be the best single piece of advice that you will ever learn.
• Recover quickly and you'll always be successful.  It's not about falling down, it's about getting up.  Dust off the bruises and get back into the fight.
• It's not about being right, it's about being paid.  If you're in a service business, deliver your best and if things go wrong, make it right. Lose your ego. 
• Do not be held hostage to the past.  Reinvent yourself everyday and be open to new strategies that may lead you to new frontiers.

I am Bernie Reifkind, CEO of Premier Search, Inc.

Employee Retention: Fact or Fiction by Bernie Reifkind, CEO Premier Search, Inc.

Fiction:             Money and security are the most important reasons that people change jobs.

Fact:                 The most important reason that people stay or leave is their boss.  Are you providing an awesome place to work?

Fiction:             Employers should have a policy of fairness and should treat every employee the same way.       

Fact:                 Every employee is a dynamic individual and is motivated by tangible and non-tangible factors.  Your job is to find their “hot buttons.”  Some people respond with honey, others need vinegar.

Fiction:             With regard to an organization: A rule is a rule and we all must follow it.

Fact:                 Sometimes rules are outdated and can hinder true creativity.  At times we must break through the “tried and true” to increase efficiency and effectiveness.  Do you maintain rules that are stale?

Fiction:             The goal for employees is lifetime employment. 

Fact:                 Lifetime employment is over.  The average career will likely encompass two or three “occupations” and half-dozen or more employers. Hold on to your superstars.

Fiction:             Job mastery is essential to job performance.

Fact:                 We live in a world of ambiguity and change.  We need to thrive in ambiguity and master “the dance” of job requirements and job politics.

Fiction:             Employee talent is easy to recognize.  You either “have it” or you don’t.

Fact:                 Sometimes employee talent is there and you can’t see it.  Some things to look for in discovering talent:

a.      Passion

b.      An ability to inspire

c.       Loves action

d.      Thrives under pressure

e.      Emanates fun 

f.        Creativity

g.      Know how to finish the job

Fiction:              Employees should be happy that they have a job.   

Fact:                 The deepest human need is the need to be appreciated.  Does your staff know how much you appreciate them?      

Fiction:             The way to create leaders is by training after company seniority and loyalty.

Fact:                 If you have someone great, put them in charge and LET THEM LEAD.  Leading is not about age.  It’s about talent.  Don’t make a superstar “wait their turn.” 

"Help! I Need Some Bodies!"

A Beatles Guide to

finding and keeping

super talent!

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Its a “Hard Day’s Night” so

here's a "Ticket to Ride” 

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5 employment ideas in

Beatles songs:

       

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Help!

It’s Friday afternoon and one of your key employees gives notice that he or she is resigning.  At first your blood pressure begins to rise, your heart is pounding and you break out into a cold sweat and you are thinking, “how could you do this to me?” “You’ve got to be kidding me?”

a.       Keep a level head and do not panic.  Sometimes you can rectify the situation in the coming days. 

b.      Assess your available resources

c.       Take action immediately: call a professional recruiting firm, contact any leads and reach out to your vendors.  Sometimes referrals can come from the most unlikely sources.

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          Come Together

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“Here come old flat top”:  Remain calm even when panic is setting in.  Sometimes, having to replace a crucial employee can actually effect an even better and more efficient operation.  Things can seem flat at times and having the right energy and talent can boost your organization to new heights.

a.       Bring together your staff and let them know of the current situation

b.      When appropriate, solicit their input as to what is needed in the new hire

c.       Find out what challenges need to be addressed

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       Hello Goodbye

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“I don’t know why you goodbye, I say hello”:  The number one reason that most people change jobs is: their boss.  So you’re the boss and you’re doing your job and working long hours and demanding a lot from yourself and your team, but you know what?  Somebody may be very unhappy and you might not even know that you’re the cause of it!

a.       “You say goodbye and I say hello”- you’re not on the same page and you’re not communicating!

b.      Communicate, communicate, communicate!

c.       “I say yes, but I may mean no” : don’t assume that people understand your intentions or plans-if you believe there are doubts-address issues right away.

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        Can’t Buy Me Love

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“I’ll give you all I’ve got to give”: Are you giving your team the resources and freedom to do their job?  Are you treating them the way you’d like to be treated?  Are you paying them the most that you can?  Obviously money doesn’t buy love, but it does show love.

a.       Make sure that you are paying competitive wages.

b.      At the same time, don’t be held hostage to an employee that is making outrageous demands.

c.       Be fair with wages and lean on the side of generosity.  Your employees will reciprocate during “crunch” time.

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Get Back

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Get back to where you once belonged”: When a company is growing and hopefully thriving, it’s a good time to remember the basics that got you to this point.  Are you remembering the details?  Are you providing the level of sacrifice, service and production with the same (if not better) level of professionalism as you did back in the day?  How are you treating your human capital?

a.       Get back and remember that your employees are the most precious aspects of your business.

b.      You will attract talent and retain your best people by “getting back” to the basics of what made you successful.  Always pay attention to the details of why people work for you.

c.       When you are actively recruiting for a new employee, get back to the days leading up to your own employment and remember what led you to your present job.

 

I am Bernie Reifkind, CEO of Premier Search, Inc.

                                           www.psihealth.com

Promises, Promises Promises

A promising scenario in the life of a recuiting professional. 

             

Promises, promises, promises....

A recruiter finds an outstanding candidate for a client with a critical job opening and the candidate has expressed sincere interest in the job.  A resume is then requested. 

So what happens next?  A promise.

Monday

Candidate:        Candidate: “Yes of course, I’ll send you my resume-I will email it to when I get home.”

Recruiter: “Great!  I’ll call you when I receive it!”

Tuesday

Recruiter: “Hi, I haven’t received your resume………are you still sending it?
Candidate: “Oh I’ve been so busy…….I’ll email it to you tonight when I get home.”

Wednesday

Recruiter:          Leaves a message on candidate's voice mail: “Hi, I still haven’t received your  resume………and I do not want to push you, so can you please tell me if you are still interested in applying?  Are you sending me your resume? 

Candidate:         No response………..yet………….the candidate calls back late at night and leaves a voice mail message knowing that you’re at home sleeping: “Hi…..I have been so busy……..and I am returning your phone call.”

Thursday

Recruiter:          Calls the candidate and finds out that the candidate is in meetings all day and is not available.

You get the picture.

A rookie recruiter would keep chasing this candidate to get the resume when in fact:  this candidate is not really interested in making a change.  If this candidate really wanted to send a resume or investigate an opportunity nothing would stop them.

So why do candidates "lie" to recruiters about sending their resumes?  Because they can. 

It’s very flattering to receive a phone call from a recruiter about changing jobs.

When people make a promise to send a resume,  it’s easy to do so because they believe in the moment that they are telling the truth……..it feels good to think that change is on the way.  However it’s very difficult to call and say that they have changed their mind.

Friday

Seasoned Recruiter:       “Respectfully, this will be my final phone call to you.  If you are still interested in sending a resume, terrific, however until that happens I will assume that you are not interested and I will move on.  Good bye."

Conclusion:                  People (as they should) act out of their own self interest and (within reason) do what they want to do.   Don’t chase people.  Hold them accountable to their word and then judge them by their actions.

I am Bernie Reifkind, CEO of Premier Search, Inc.  "Its your move."