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County office success - Be the right kind of leader and hire the right employees
T
he true measure of a leader is how they treat their employees, not their equals. The flip side of that is that most employees don’t quit jobs; they quit their bosses. Counties have many resources but the one that we often overlook when doing an inventory is the talent and skill of the men and women who work for county government. From custodians to administrators; from truck drivers and heavy equipment operators to office personnel; from law enforcement officers to road department laborers; we are fortunate to have individuals who, in many cases, have dedicated their work lives to serving residents of our counties. We cannot all do the same job — but the job requires us all. Every calling is great when greatly pursued. We need the right person in the right position, and we need to adequately compensate in order to keep the right people. As an elected county official or department head do you hire the right person or do you just fill the position? If you don’t hire the right person, then you’re just asking for problems. If you wonder why some private sector companies take so long in deciding which candidate to hire for a particular position, it’s because they’re looking for the right person. They know that selecting the wrong person can run into thousands upon thousands of dollars, not to mention the potential negative impact to morale and productivity. During an interview an applicant gave an unusual response when asked how she would solve an issue. She said “Nike.” When asked what that meant, she said, I “just do it.” She then continued to answer most questions with I “just do it.” Although “Just Do It” has been a successful trademark tagline for Nike commercials since 1988, it is not the answer to every job interview question. I assume she was not hired. The Harvard Business Review points out that as much as 80 percent of employee turnover is due to bad hiring decisions. In Arkansas county government we like to blame a low pay scale for the employee turnover. No doubt, that is a significant cause for turnover in Arkansas county government, but there is no good reason to doubt the studies that blame a lot of the turnover on bad hiring decisions — hiring someone who is not a good fit for the job and for the rest of the staff, or making a sympathy hire. Don’t do it. The interview process should be thorough and exhaustive. Pay attention to what the applicant says during the interview and to their reactions to your questions and comments. One man said he was interviewing a young man for a customer service position (most county government jobs are customer service positions). He had worked at a hair salon and in describing his experience there, he said, “I had to deal with a lot of old biddies.” Needless to say, that’s where his candidacy ended. COUNTY LINES, SPRING 2018
In another true story, a woman was being interviewed for a clerical position. On her application, she checked “Yes” to a felony conviction and wrote, “Will explain during the interview.” She said she got Eddie A. Jones mad at her now-ex-husband and hired County Consultant someone to kill him. But at the last minute she called it off, and he is still alive. She stated she was now on medication and is “all right.” The interviewer said, “She was a great interview up until that point.” The success of your office operation or department depends on the quality of your employees. One bad hire can ruin the entire team’s productivity. With many relatively small office operations in county government, you should consider obsessing over hiring. Here are some hiring pointers from successful entrepreneurs and companies: • Always look for integrity. Often it is more important than experience. • Attitude and work ethic are always more important than a set of technical skills. Almost all skills can be trained, but a person’s personality and demeanor are difficult to adjust. Make sure they will fit your team. • Let the applicant do 90 percent of the talking. It’s amazing what they will say. All you need to do is listen. • Pick people with natural enthusiasm for life and a connection to the cause and mission. • Identify candidates willing to roll up their sleeves and make things happen. • Look for — and hire — humble, hungry and smart people. These are the key ingredients to building a great team, and when those traits are in balance, great things happen. • The most important criteria for hiring are competency and fitting the team. • Hire for passion first, experience second, and credentials third. Attitude and aptitude come first. You can train for skill. • Never make a compromise hire. You are better off waiting to get the right person than settling for a less than ideal candidate. You can’t get best results with a mediocre employee. Never compromise your hiring standards. We have addressed the hiring of the right employees, now let’s see if you’re the right kind of boss. At this point you may be like the parishioner who said, “The preacher has stopped See
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