Ask yourself this key question at the end of the day: Would you hire yourself if the decision was in your hands?

To answer this question honestly it is important for job seekers to take a few moments and reassess what exactly they can offer a potential employer.

Among the things to look at include:

• What sets you apart from the competition and how would you convey this message during an interview?
• Are you ready to take on this job in the event that you are hired or are you just sending out resumes blindly and are not really prepared for this job should you get the call?
• From past job interviews, what can you do better this time around to enhance the chances you get the job you want?

The above-mentioned are just three areas to look at as you search for another job (whether you are currently employed or are out of the job market altogether and looking to get back in). In addition, you will be preparing yourself for the interview should you secure one.

Can You Sell Yourself?

There is little doubt that being able to sell yourself is key to increasing the odds of obtaining any job, be it a CSO, Investigator or Information Security Analyst. Going into the interview with some nervousness is fine; going in with doubts about yourself and your abilities can be the kiss of death.

As part of the pre-interview process, look at the following from an employer’s point of view:

• What would you be seeking from this candidate?
• Would the candidate’s education and work history play equal roles or would one overshadow the other?
• How much stock would you put in what the candidate does outside their work responsibilities? If a candidate told you they were a couch potato outside of the job, would that lessen your interest in them coming to work for you?
• Would how a job candidate dresses, talks about former employers or their posture be important to you or are results the only thing guiding you in your decision?

As part of the post-interview process, look at the following from a candidate’s point of view:

• What did you want to accomplish in this interview and were your goals met?
• If there is one thing you would have liked to be able to do over again from the interview, what would it be?
• What did you learn from this interview that will influence you on your next one?
• Were you more substance or more flash?

Consider Interviewing a Learning Process

Each interview you go on is different from the previous one and will not be the same as the next one. Keep in mind that employers doing the interviewing have different ways they conduct such meetings. Some are aggressive and to the point, while others are more laid back.  What you want from an interview is the ability to sell yourself, plain and simple.

If you go into the interview, make your points on why you’re the best candidate for the job and why a company is wise to select you. If you’ve done that, you’ve done your job.  In the event you don’t get the job, you have wasted nothing. Look at each interview as a learning experience, one that will assist you today, tomorrow, the next day and through the future.

Most importantly, remember, finding a job can be a full-time job in and of itself and preparation is the key to a successful interview.

A Talent Review is a process by which a business owner or security manager takes stock of their current staff by asking two questions:

• Is there anyone on this team who is (or appears to be) struggling with consistently hitting their performance objectives?
• Do I have the best possible hire in each position in my company or security staff?

Question #1 is fairly simple. I want you to stop and immediately think of the one person in your company whom you know is not delivering to expectations on a consistent basis. Newsflash: you have an obligation to take action.

For many, the “not-so-fun” part of managing a team starts with telling someone that they aren’t performing at the level expected – so we avoid doing it. At some point, you end up in an awkward limbo where you’re afraid to rock the boat – and the person in the job knows that they’re walking on thin ice. It is obvious that this situation is doing more harm than good.

The first step is to be honest with your employee and tell them where they’re missing the mark. One of three things will happen: 1) they’ll tell you that you never told them what their goals were 2) they’ll shape up; you’ll be happy, 3) they’ll start looking for another job. All of these outcomes are good.

Question #2 is much more complicated, but it’s where the real payoff lies if you can determine the right answer. Sometimes, you have a superstar employee but you have them in the wrong role or they have outgrown that role. Many managers are hesitant to move “A” Player staff members because they’re worried about “losing” that person and what they contribute. This is counterproductive thinking because there’s a good chance that they’re already unhappy and not feeling challenged (great employees don’t like to feel like they’re not doing great work).

Think of it like the coach of a sports team who takes a high-performing player and puts them into a different position on the team because it’s much more suited to their skills. College football coaches do this all the time. They move a recruit who played safety in high school (where he was really good) to a linebacker role and four years later he’s in the NFL. Is this risky? Yes, because they took a great safety off the field – but in this case they gained a superstar in return. That opportunity exists somewhere within your organization, I guarantee it.

How do you begin to answer these questions? The methodology for addressing this situation is a process I call the Talent Review, and it’s a tool that you should master. Simply stated, the Talent Review is the process by which you analyze each position in the company, asking the question, “Do I have the best possible hire in this position?” The process begins with reviewing the job profile established for each position and then scoring the team member currently in that role against the benchmark score for a “perfect hire” that’s contained in the job profile. The goal is to make an emotions-free assessment about whether or not it’s time to make personnel adjustments that will have a positive impact on team performance.

I advocate the continuous (every six months at least) use of Talent Reviews by owners and senior managers and security team leaders, because performance is never static. It’s an especially important process to consider if any of the following are true:

• You’ve had the same team in place for longer than 12 months, with no adjustments to personnel. Time to look at that lineup.
• Your hiring process is ad hoc, or you’re getting inconsistent results from your interviewing process. Time to validate your original decisions.
• Your business or team is not hitting the performance objectives that have been set. Time to analyze the problem at what is likely the root cause – wrong people in the wrong jobs.
• You have high staff turnover. Time to find out if you have the wrong person managing staff.

Think of the Talent Review process like any other investment decision – by dedicating a little bit of time on the front end, you can dramatically cut your risks and improve results over the long run. Cutting risk and increasing reward – two no-brainer reasons to consider a Talent Review for your business or organization.

Please share your Talent Review outcomes with me. I look forward to hearing about your success!

The idea of consulting during your job search sure sounds like a good idea. On the surface it offers many positives like:

- make some extra income or prevent dipping into savings or retirement accounts

- keep your skills fresh, learn new ones, network and perhaps earn your way into a full time role

- show employers that you kept busy working while you were “in-between” positions

Yes, it sounds good. And it can be.

But, as with most things, I like to look at both sides of the issue.  There are times when “sounds like” isn’t good enough. After all, you don’t get a bunch of “do-overs” in your job search. If you don’t do it right, you can damage your ability to get a first round interview and, eventually, make an offer hard to come by.

Why? You’ll find your answers below:

The PROS

You heard some of them in the “sounds like” section up above, but here are some more details:

1. Clearly there can be a significant financial benefit to security consulting. If you were laid off and received a severance package, it can extend your nest egg for some time. If you are already into your savings, consulting can ease some of your financial anxiety. Let’s consider this the number one benefit.

2. While there probably is limited value to “keeping your skills fresh”, there is a perceived value here for employers who can see an extended job search as unproductive down time. The question you might fear from an employer: “What did you do for 6 months?”

3. Consulting for a company, especially one on your target list, gives you a chance to test drive the environment, the culture and “the boss”. And, if you are a hit, you can build a nice story for yourself – one that can pave the way for a job offer down the road.

4. You might have heard me say it before: you can’t search for a job 12 hours a day. So the benefit here is that consulting gets you out of the house and into a business environment. This is important for two reasons. First, you are kept in business dress (even if business casual) which helps you get out of your shorts and flip flops and away from a computer screen. Second, you maintain active knowledge of the corporate culture. As you go in and interview for jobs, you have the correct sense of urgency. You don’t look like someone who has been shut-in staring at job boards for days on end and may lead to you coming off as desperate.

5. Consulting is good networking. Not only does it get you out into the world of the working (the folks who are aware of those hidden jobs you’ve heard so much about) but it may also open a door to another company. The boss who loves your consulting work should know that you are looking for full-time employment. They should also know a lot of other people with whom you could network.

The CONS

1. Consulting is a distraction away from your ultimate objective – finding a job. How big of a distraction it becomes is up to you. A great consulting assignment can become all consuming, exciting and very financially rewarding. If you don’t manage your time, it can steal away precious hours of networking.

2. Contracts can be hard to come by. They take really strong networking to obtain because consulting jobs don’t tend to grow on trees. You have to earn them and they can take time to find. You have to be working on finding the next one while you are working on the current one.

3. If you were expecting $200 per hour, you may be in for a letdown. Many of the easy to get consulting contracts are really not consulting at all. Rather, they are just contract positions – glorified temp jobs. You might be filling in for someone who is on leave. So, don’t be surprised if the pay is less than you hoped.

4. Related to #3 above, consulting sounds nice because it carries the promise of a big, strategic assignment. That you’ll be brought in to solve a significant security related problem for the company or restructure a struggling security department could happen. But, more likely, that project will go to a consultant who has done that before . . . as a consultant.

5. As a consultant, you are the person from the outside. Don’t be surprised if you are not invited to lunch and are not included in company functions. You come in. Do your job. Leave. If you are a social person who likes to be part of the fabric, this may make consulting a bit less interesting to you.

 A Few RULES

1. If your name is Jed Smith, everyone who sees that the last job on your resume was with JS & Associates will know that it is just you, and that there are no associates. Never were. So my advice is to not create a consulting company just to do consulting. Unless you plan to move into that career full time and long term.

2. If you do consult for a company, list that company on your resume just like with any other job. However, instead of “Security Director” say “Security Consultant”. Everyone will get that it was a planned temporary engagement designed to generate income and achieve specific results during your transition.

3. As a follow-up to rule #1, what’s the risk of establishing a personal name to go with a consulting assignment? Well, if I am a hiring manager spending many hours interviewing you and considering making you a formal offer, I’m going to want to know that you are intending to be a permanent employee. By establishing what appears to be a consulting practice, you now have entered doubt into my mind. How do I know that you won’t jump at the chance for another engagement?

4. If someone asks you about consulting, the correct answer is that was a great experience, one that helped pay the bills – a practice that you will gladly cease for the honor of a full-time position with this new company. Any hesitation here turns doubt into fear and you go into the “hold pile”.

5. Set limitations on the hours you dedicate to consulting. Twenty hours a week allows you twenty-thirty hours left in the week to look for a job. Also, make sure the consulting hours are as much on your schedule as possible. What if a great interview opportunity comes up? ”Sorry, future perfect new boss, I’m consulting that day” may not be the message to send.

The Final VERDICT

So, should you do it?

Absolutely

In an extended search it can mean staying busy vs. growing stale – generating income vs. spending savings – contributing vs. feeling unwanted.

Do it. But do it right. And make sure everyone you interview with knows your final objective.

Permanent employment: With Them

Using Executive Recruiting Services

There is also a need for your company to contract the services of executive recruiting firms that have a talent acquisition specialization in sales and marketing, if you want to get the best candidates for your job openings within this specialty.  If you don’t do this, then you might just be paying money for a service that will not get you the desired results that you want. Because a great number of talented people are already gainfully employed in the sales and marketing field, having an executive recruiting firm at your service is essentially the way to get to them.

You have to realize that it will take much of your time, money, and effort to run your business as well as find time to seek and attract the potential sales and marketing employees that you want from other companies as well as from competing companies. This is where the executive search firm that you hired will really work for you. Because headhunters working for this kind of firm will do whatever it takes to get the kind of talent that is needed – you may not be able to “poach” employees on your own from other firms, but they can. You will be thankful for this service.

Worth the Investment

Although some say hiring the services of executive recruiting firms is a waste of money, you will see that the money is well spent. This is because there is a big difference between hiring a first rate potential candidate and one that is in the middle of the pack. The impact that a highly talented employee can bring to your business is worth more than the amount that you paid to the executive recruiting firm. Also, remember that reputable search firms offer a guarantee to reduce the risk associated with any hire. In addition, if the search is performed on a contingency basis, you will only pay a fee if the recruiting firm delivers better than you have been able to find on your own. So if you want the very best, then you must remember that quality also comes with a price tag. You have to know that you will get this fee back, perhaps many times over, with the revenue that your new employee will bring in.

Great people, then, begin with a great hiring process. The symptoms of a weak hiring process show up throughout your company – it’s important that you know what to look for in an employee in order to correct the deficiencies.

1.) You’re not meeting your goals. I have never – and I mean never – heard one of my customers tell me that the reason for the under-performance in their company is that their terrible hiring process has led to sub-par talent.

“Bad luck” – Check

“Bad economy” – The current favorite

“Competitive industry” – Wish I had a dollar for each time I hear this

“David, we’re not performing at the level we need to because we don’t do a good job selecting the right person for the team.” – Not once

I suspect this is because most hiring managers like the people who work for them and they aren’t ready to admit that they’ve hired good people who are the wrong fit for their security team.

If there’s an aspect to your business that isn’t moving in the direction you want it to move, the very first thing you need to determine is whether or not you’ve put the right people in charge of the result. Great employees find ways to succeed. Mediocre employees find ways to make excuses. It all leads back to your hiring process.

2.) You continue losing candidates to other (or counter) offers. It’s the most frustrating feeling in the world – you’ve found the right candidate, and you’ve made a job offer. Unfortunately, your competitor made a better one, and now this great candidate and all your time and effort is for not. You end up having to select your 2nd choice that is measurably weaker than your top candidate.

A strong hiring process prevents last-minute candidate catastrophes. A weak hiring process prevents jobs from getting filled with great talent. Believe it or not, you don’t have to be the top-paying organization in town in order to pursue the best talent in the security industry. Great people want to work for well-run companies. A loose hiring process signals a lack of management capability and believe me…top candidates can see this a mile away.

3.) You have high turnover. It doesn’t matter if you’re in a high-turnover industry or not – people who do well at their jobs have higher retention rates. Why? Because they’re happy; happy people stay in jobs.

If you’re hiring people who aren’t quite “great” at the job for which you’ve hired them, at some point they’re going to quit and take a job that they feel will make them “happier.” How about hiring people who are good at the job you’ve hired them to do? A great hiring process ensures that you’ve measured their ability to do exactly that.

4.) Your employees don’t know what is expected of them. This is often because they haven’t been given specific, measurable goals to meet. Does your company’s Security Director know what must be delivered each month in order for them to be considered successful? Can your District Manager describe their P & L targets? Can every employee in your company go home every day without wondering if they’ve met expectations?

If the answer is no, then take a look at your hiring process. If you’re screening candidates for prior evidence of accomplishing certain specific, metrics-driven goals, then you’ll be forced to define the goals for which you’re screening. You’ll know that you’re in good shape when you can tell a candidate, “One of the things that you’ll need to accomplish in the first 180 days here is to get X accomplished. Tell me about how you have done this at your current employer.” When you have a strong hiring process, this problem solves itself.

5.) Too much time is spent solving problems for your staff. Great employees don’t need your help on everything. They also should not have to seek your prior approval for routine matters and decisions. As a matter of fact, great employees prefer not to have you poking around all the time.

If you took two weeks off, would your department or business fall apart? If the answer is yes, then it’s probably because you’re not delegating properly. Now, think about the reasons why you’re not delegating. If it’s because you don’t trust your staff with the tasks that need to be delegated – that you’re better off “just doing it yourself” – then you have the wrong people on your team.

Keep your eyes peeled for these five symptoms – if you recognize any of these issues in your organization, it’s time to work on your hiring process. A few changes and a bit more effort in this area will yield noticeable and lasting results!

David Lammert

While most people in your organization run in place when it comes to their skills and their knowledge development, a few committed souls manage to fight the gravitational pull of doing-nothing and break-away from the pack.

Is this your year to break-away?

Professional Development Success Stories to Motivate & Inspire:

Here are just a few of the examples from individuals I encountered in my work last year. They are to be commended for their efforts and results. Names changed for privacy purposes.

• Jeff set his sights on moving into a front-line, corporate security leadership role last year. Along the way, he took on every possible assignment he could that might teach him what it takes to be a leader. Not only did he prove to himself that he was cut out for the role, he proved it to the people he worked with and most importantly, he proved it to the person who had to select him for the position he desired…his boss, our client.

• Carol had long struggled with self-esteem issues in spite of her stellar work performance as a CISO. With guidance, coaching and a lot of effort on her part, she has become more comfortable with herself, and her excellent performance is now matched with an appropriate level of self-confidence.

• Stan, a candidate of ours, was selected for a Regional VP of Operations position and inherited what seemed like a no-win situation.  He was given the directive to turn the region around in a hurry. His team was a demoralized and burned-out group and his budget was filled with overruns that would have scared off many other colleagues. Six months later, after working tirelessly to lead and support this team and return his budget back to a healthy status, the organization is looking to Stan and this group as the model for how a high-performance team should function.

• Carlos consistently displayed great passion for his work as an Investigator for a Fortune 500 firm, but he was limited by his confidence – in part due to his struggles to master English. He finally did just that – and his boss described to me that he could see Carlos’s confidence and contributions grow overnight.

• A little over a year ago, Adam was told that he needed to develop more “executive presence” to break through to the next level as Director of Security. Armed with the world’s most ambiguous advice (“You need more executive presence”) he researched and worked to strengthen his presence, authenticity and yes, confidence. Recently, we placed him with a large multinational firm as a VP of Security.

I love these stories…because they serve to inspire us all. Will you write your own success story in the next year?

7 Quick Ideas to Help You Take That First Step Forward:

1. Call a personal time-out to reflect. Take some quiet time and think about where you are going professionally and if you are comfortable with your direction, pace and progress. You know if you are running in place. You also know in your heart of hearts when it doesn’t suit you.

2. Ask Questions About You. While uncomfortable, you will be well served to find a small group in the workplace and ask them what they think of your professional performance, as well as areas for you to improve and develop, along with your visible strengths. Fair warning…not all feedback is created equal, so you need a few perspectives before you decide where to focus.

3. Focus on the Performance Feedback in Your Previous Reviews. While there’s not enough space here for me to pick apart most review processes, I’m a fan of mining them for nuggets of truth or at least clues to the truth. Be open-minded and you might learn a lot from your review.

4. Eat the Elephant One bite at a Time. You’ll be tempted to dive in head-first and “fix” yourself all at once. Resist this temptation…it’s a formula for failure. You’re better off starting off running a 5K and not the entire marathon. Identify one thing to get better at – and develop a strategy for doing just that. Remember, if you improve 1% per day….well, you do the math. The outcome will be impressive. Expand your areas of emphasis once you score some victories and build confidence.

5. Read Often and from Various Genres. In addition to reading about security related topics, try reading about people who have overcome adversity and accomplished great things in the process. Histories and biographies are great for this!

6. Surround Yourself with Positive Influences. You are better off reorienting your workplace relationships to those who like you are striving and moving forward. Don’t let the “Run in Place” crowd hold you back.

7. Celebrate the Victories, No Matter How Small. Give yourself a psychological break or reward. When you’ve scored a point, moved the bar a bit, overcome a historic weakness or fear, celebrate for a few moments. And then get back to it.

The Bottom-Line for Now:

Remember, if you are running in place, you’re falling behind. Here’s to moving forward!

David Lammert

The following apps will help you while you are on the go, will help move the search process along, and help to make sure you don’t miss out on any opportunity that becomes available.

LinkedIn (Free)

Many people update their Facebook statuses from their iPhone, but have you ever thought of keeping your LinkedIn status up to date? This app allows you to do just that, as well as receive the latest updates from your network. If you’re about to head into a meeting or meet someone at an event, you can quickly look them up to see if you have any connections to them in your professional social network.
                                   
iPQ Career Planner (Free)

Have some extra time while you’re waiting for your next appointment? Use the time to brush up on your career skills with this app. You can take an assessment to determine the jobs for which you’re best suited. The app looks at your skills and makes recommendations for related jobs. It’s particularly excellent for recent grads or those who want a managerial role. In addition, iPQ’s site offers career guidance resources and questionnaires to help you hone in on what you really want to do in your career.

LinkUp (Free)

Stay up to date on the latest job openings no matter where you are. This application posts listings found only on company websites, so you won’t run into any scams, duplicates, or positions that have already been filled. Easily search by keyword, location, company, or category, and then apply straight from your device or email it to yourself to apply later.

Jobs by CareerBuilder.com (Free)

Another job search application that is connected to the popular website CareerBuilder.com. Plus, you can search and apply for jobs right from your device. What makes it unique is the ability to utilize GPS to find jobs nearest to your current location!

Indeed (Free)

Find jobs using Indeed.com – the most comprehensive search engine for jobs. Indeed is a powerful job search aggregator that collects job listings from all the major job search engines and job boards into one convenient location for you to review.

Pocket Resume ($2.99)

Pocket Resume is the best-selling app that uses class-leading PDF rendering technology allowing you to create, maintain, and email your resume straight from your iPhone.

Great Career from Stephen Covey ($4.99)

If you’re a personal development fan, like I am, you’ll enjoy this application from Stephen Covey, author of Great Work, Great Career. Watch the videos, read the content, and use the interactive exercises and tools to discover your strengths, create your “contribution statement,” build a network of people to help you, and much more.

SnapDat Digital Business Cards (FREE)

The #1 app for designing and sending digital business cards directly from your iPhone! You can create unlimited digital business cards with a provided template or picture and can email it instantly to your contact’s address.

Business Card Reader ($5.99)

You’ve attending a networking event, and now you have a pile of business cards. How do you keep them organized? Save yourself the time of inputting the information with this application. Simply photograph the business card, and the Reader will instantly enter the information into your contacts.

Interview Questions Pro ($0.99)

You have the interview – now, you have shine in the interview. This app allows you to customize your preparation and covers a wide variety of topics you might be asked about. It is essential to be well prepared and this will help you do it.

There are many other apps to help you. If you have any additional suggestions please let me know.

I look forward to hearing from you!

David

Control the Outcome of Your Performance Reviews

The number of performance reviews that don’t reflect a favorable performance is too high. Whether it is managers showing favoritism, not knowing what accomplishments you’ve made during the year, or not putting in the effort to make it meaningful, performance reviews remain as one of the least favorite activities to work on.

But your career path, raise and (perhaps) bonus depend on it.

A mid-level security manager recently told me that unless she did better than a “successful” on her performance review, she didn’t get a bonus. And, despite all that she does — and compared to her coworkers — she never gets better than a successful review. That costs her a lot of money in addition to causing a festering resentment.  If this pattern continues no matter what she does, that tells me she should consider alternative employment.

While this is an example of an employee actively trying to influence her performance review, too many just passively wait for the review without trying to influence it — start today with serious goal-setting and continue this during the course of the year. Set measurable goals that can be reviewed regularly and that you can make a part of your review. Make a list of notable accomplishments you achieved during the year. If you just take the review as it comes, that can lead to frustration, exasperation, even anger — and missed dollars for your family’s well-being. That one extra level of performance can mean a world of difference to your career growth and income.

Focus on Improving Your Career Search and Interview Skills

The recession has highlighted the importance of having excellent interview skills and I have written many blogs here on this topic. It is also an important area of emphasis in my candidate preparation. You know why?  Candidates are security and business professionals–not professionals at interviewing. Even when you have secured an interview through a security industry recruiter or another contact, you still must prepare for the hard work of getting properly prepared for an interview. The employer likely has several talented candidates to choose from and those who are prepared are going to standout above the others. Research and practical experience demonstrate that those who practice answering interview questions go further in the interview process and get jobs more than those who don’t practice and prepare for interview questions.

Before my career in recruiting, I was also a hiring manager and I can tell you that well qualified candidates are routinely passed over because of their lack of preparation and skill at interviewing.

Constantly networking, conducting a job search and knowing how to interview is now a basic, needed job skill in your career profile. With nearly 6 people looking for work for every job opening, job interview skills are more important than ever because of your competition for the job.

There are good materials and resources out there (and on this site) to help with your interviewing skills. It just takes a little effort.

Build Employment Security, Not Job, Security

We are still experiencing layoffs from the recession. The recovery is painfully slow. As a result, the natural reaction to that is to hold on to your current job no matter what.  Although this is understandable, a job is the least secure thing to hang on to because a company can take that job away in an instant. Instead, we should focus on building employment security. Employment security says that, though I may lose my job, I’m still employable because of the work I have done and unique ability, knowledge and skills that I possess.

We know that long-term unemployment is at one of the highest points in our history. The longer someone remains unemployed, the harder it is to get a job. It is truly a vicious circle. You can build employment security. It requires a dedicated effort and commitment to invest in you. Come to the realization, as I have, that in today’s world job security is gone and employment security needs to replace it. Hopefully, I have laid a foundation that you can build upon to create employment security for you in 2012 and beyond.

Wishing you prosperity in the New Year!

David Lammert

Here’s how:

During the job interview find out as much as you can about what needs to be done. Ask the interviewer to define the results needed from the individual they seek to hire. Ask about the criteria by which the selected person would be reviewed on in 90 days. Rephrase your questions several different ways to make sure you elicit the objectives for the role. Ask what accomplishments they would want you to achieve after your first 30 days on the job follow up with the same question for 90 days, six months and one year.  Do all you can to identify what critical problems need to be solved.

Once you have a clear picture of what is needed, begin to portray how your skills will enable you to achieve the objectives and meet the accomplishments desired. Since the interviewer will have a specific agenda for the time you have together, you may not be able to get all of this across, so don’t stop when the interview stops. That night, at home, put together a plan for what you would do in the first 30, 60, 90 days, and e-mail it to the interviewer and hiring manager (if you met the person who would be your boss) so they have it on their desk first thing in the morning. Put yourself in their place. Wouldn’t you be impressed? Even if you get a few things wrong in your plan, you are demonstrating that you WANT to do the job, and that you have the drive and initiative to do whatever it takes.

Employers are always impressed by this effort. Any follow up after an interview is good, but showing the employer that you can do the job, in writing, overnight, is one of the most powerful messages you could send. This is a real tangible way to separate yourself from others competing for the same job. Give it a try – I have had candidates successfully use this technique to secure new jobs.

We talked again the following week and I asked if he had selected the two key roles to upgrade and was he ready to begin the search process?  He said he was ready and we recently completed the entire process and his new team members are in place and several key projects have been launched. His entire team is reinvigorated and everyone has a new sense of direction. Now he has highly qualified staff members to help achieve their corporate vision and goals.

Initially when we talked in Orlando he had reservations about making staff changes.  At the time I asked him, “What’s holding you back?”  During our consultation he shared some of the items that were preventing him from making the moves he knew he needed to make to upgrade his teams talent.

Here are some of the “reservations” I have heard from him and other Security Managers when they consider upgrading the staff around them:

• This person has been with me a long time and is loyal
• I’m afraid of making the same mistake again
• The person is okay – they do some things well enough to get by
• I feel embarrassed that the hire didn’t work out – I’m hoping it turns around
• I have been hoping this person will eventually get better
• I am not sure I have time or budget to spend on hiring someone new
• Maybe I can live with this person – I could shift some of their job responsibilities to others
• What if I screw up the hire – that wouldn’t look good to my boss

Can You Say: Dysfunctional?

ONE of the top traits of successful managers and executives is the ability to hire and surround themselves with an outstanding team of people. Are you a great manager/executive or an average one?

• Do you have an exceptional team in place right now?
• Are you tolerating average or mediocre performance?
• Are you or others on your staff doing part of the work someone else on your team should be doing?

Do you have some people on your team that are good at doing 70-or-80% of their job, but stink at the other 20–30% of their job? Who does the portion of work your subordinate cannot do? You guessed it – you do. If other staff members are doing the work of someone else they will question your leadership ability and will likely resent you for not addressing the situation.  Before you know it, 50% of your workload is doing the work your team should be doing. You’re doing 8% of Bill’s job, 10% of Susan’s job, and 20% of Mike’s job. Now you can’t do your job because so much time is being consumed by doing the work of your team.

Why are you continuing to accept this less than stellar performance?

Take action now and upgrade a few key roles that are below your expectations and causing productivity issues. Emerge from the recession with a team that truly delivers a strategic advantage.

Recognize that right now is a unique and historical time for hiring. There are some exceptionally talented individuals who might want to consider your opportunity. As the job market recovers, you may never again be able to acquire and/or afford this talent.

What’s your action plan to upgrade your talent?