What makes a good recruitment process? Research shows that three things are most reliable at predicting on the job performance: 1. Work sample tests = 2. General cognitive ability tests = 2. Structured interviews Yet, few recruitment processes include sample work or cognitive ability tests.… 40 Tips to Find Your Next Superstar Recruit
There is something deeply uncomfortable about listening to a recording of our own voice1. So when I listened last week to my first podcast effort – as a guest on Founder’s Ascent – I had to go through it more than once, just to get… Impact Society featured on the Founder’s Ascent podcast
Do you have an everyday management or leadership dilemma that you’re grappling with? Our new advice column – The Guide – coaches readers through the ordinary difficulties of leadership life. in each edition, we will answer a reader’s question about a management problem, big or… Introducing The Guide
When we take on more responsibility, many of us respond by working more hours. This isn’t much fun. But it’s also dumb. Because adding more time isn’t a scalable solution. And it stunts our growth. First, it turns us into super individual contributors, not better… Working longer hours isn’t the solution
According to Harvard Business Review, highly engaged teams are two to three times more productive than other teams. Many leaders want to engage their team, but just don’t know where to start. So here’s five everyday actions to get you going. 1. Say hello to… Five everyday things you can do to engage your team
It pays to be respectful. It’s the right thing to do. But it’s also usually the smart thing to do. Here’s why. Imagine two debt collection agencies. One uses high pressure tactics to get people to pay their money back. While the other tries to… It pays to be respectful
Managers often wish their team members were more coachable. What’s the best way to make that happen? Be more coachable ourselves. Why? First, it’s good role modelling. Second, demonstrating this will attract more coachable people to our teams. Here are two ways to demonstrate greater… Want your team to be more coachable? Start by being more coachable
What’s the difference between a team’s mission and vision? They’re fundamental strategy concepts. Yet, people often confuse them. Here’s a simple overview of their differences and how they fit together. A team or organisation’s mission is it’s purpose. It’s reason for existing. The mission is… What’s the difference between mission and vision?
It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do. We hire smart people so they can tell us what to do. Steve Jobs I’ve managed plenty of smart people. And I’ve told many of them what to do. But, it’s… Don’t hire smart people and then tell them what to do
Hard conversations are called ‘hard conversations’ for a reason. They’re hard. But they’re critical to relationship building. And they’re the price of admission to meaningful relationships. When we shy away from tough conversations, we limit the depth of connection we create (whether it’s with a… Uncomfortable conversations are the price of admission to meaningful relationships
I used to love saying, “if you want a job done properly, do it yourself”. But what that really said was, “I’m a terrible delegator”. And I was. When we first move into management roles, we’re typically bad delegators. We’ve often been promoted because we’re… Say this instead of “If you want a job done properly, do it yourself”
Can you trust someone who only tells you good things? I don’t think so. Here’s why and what it means for leaders. If someone is only sharing good news with you (including feedback on your performance, opportunities you’re seeking or anything else that could personally… It’s hard to trust someone who only shares good news
Taking total responsibility means measuring communication at the listener’s ear, not the speaker’s mouth. This is what former Google executive Kim Scott talks about in her book Radical Candor. If we seek to take total responsibility, we must accept that – if someone doesn’t understand something –… Communication is measured at the listener’s ear, not the speaker’s mouth
Can someone have a bad interview, but still be the best choice for a role? Absolutely. Here’s why. Often, the best fit will interview well. When people know their stuff and they’re at ease, they’ll normally perform well. But, that’s the point: they must be… Can someone have a bad interview, but still be the best choice for a role?
You can’t be a kind person and criticise someone, right? And you definitely couldn’t sack them, right? Wrong. You can be a kind manager and still: Take criticising someone as a common example. Some managers criticise people and they are unkind. Some managers criticise people… You can still be a kind manager and…
ChatGPT has blown everyone’s mind with the many cool things it can do. And – more than just being impressive – it can save managers time and help them do a better job. So, here’s 10 simple ChatGPT prompts you can try today: Where to… 10 ChatGPT prompts to save managers time and help them do a better job
The hardest people to manage are those with attitude problems, not capability issues. So why do recruitment processes focus so much on technical fit, rather than cultural fit? I think there are two reasons: What’s the answer? Recruit people through the lens of the matrix… Hire for attitude. Train for skill.
Update: Our Strategic Planning Toolkit has launched! Download a free preview here. Most leaders know they need a good strategic plan. But few know where to start. A Google search reveals lots of conflicting information on what a good strategic plan looks like. Most of… Download a free preview of our Strategic Planning Toolkit
Being influential is a key leadership quality. Making persuasive arguments is critical to leading your team forward. And to managing upwards. What drives influence? There are three things: The first lever takes time. But the better and more consistently we do 2 and 3, the… Three ways to be more persuasive
Are problems on repeat in your organisation? Is it like a game of whack-a-mole, where you fix one problem, only for another to pop up? This happens when organisations are stuck in a firefighting death loop. Gaps between organisational capabilities (in systems of work, people,… The firefighting death loop