The A in L.E.A.D.E.R.S.: ASSIGNMENT
“Square Pegs in Round Holes Never Fit!”
You will notice as we go through the seven steps in my the book, You’re In Charge…What Now? that there seems to be a sequential nature to these steps. Life, and certainly leadership, is not always linear or sequential, but there is some logic to thinking about the process in something of a sequential manner. There is little doubt in my mind that starting with the right mind set—Love—is an essential starting point. You probably agree that setting the expectations for the unit and the individual jobs is a logical first step in the journey toward having a productive work unit. The next step we outline, Assignment, is equally logical as the next step in our sequence. Once you decide what needs to be done (Expectations) as a unit leader, you obviously need to determine how it is going to get done and who is going to do it (Assignment).
Assignment is a critical to your goal of being a peak performance leader, because without the proper structure for doing a job and the proper assignment of staff to that job, there is not much that you will be able to accomplish regardless of your efforts and intentions. Your staff members must have the core characteristics that the job requires for success. No amount of training or leading on your part will be able to make a worker succeed in a job where he or she simply does not fit.
When you staff your team in the world of work, you must make clear decisions about what the job requires and what the person will need to do. Then you have to match that set of requirements with the right talent. Selecting the right people will at least give you a fair chance at achieving your goals. Without the right knowledge, skills, attitudes and work experience, your staff will undoubtedly fail.
Choosing the right people for the job is one of the toughest tasks you will be asked to execute as a leader. The recruitment, employment and placement of the right people is both an “art” and a “science.” There are many right and wrong ways to go about hiring your staff, but rest assured that success is not guaranteed on every hire. You will make mistakes (just as I have many times over the years) but you should try to learn from your wrong choices in order to improve your ability in hiring. Every wrong hire is far more expensive than the out-of-pocket costs associated with attracting and processing a new hire. The loss is even greater when you consider the cost of turnover when the hire fails.
The key to effective hiring is effective interviewing, and the key to effective interviews is to use your ears and brain, not your mouth and vocal chords. My most important advice to you for interviewing candidates is to listen to their answers, not your questions. You may ask the right question but still come away with a bad decision if you fail to listen carefully to the response. You must process the answer as a piece of information that you can use to evaluate the capabilities of the candidate. All of that said, interviewing takes practice and a solid understanding of human behavior. If you can get help in the form of formal training, take it. It will probably pay huge dividends for you.
