75 ways for managers to hire, develop, and keep great employees

354 Pages·2016·1.73 MB·English

by  Dixon

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75
Ways for Managers

to Hire, Develop,
and Keep Great
Employees
75
Ways for Managers

to Hire, Develop,
and Keep Great
Employees
Paul Falcone
American Management Association
New York • Atlanta • Brussels • Chicago • Mexico City
San Francisco • Shanghai • Tokyo • Toronto • Washington, D.C.
To my wonderful wife and best friend, Janet —
Thank you for giving me the time, encouragement,
and loving support to create this very special book.
Contents
Acknowledgments xv
Permissions xvii
Introduction 1
CHAPTER 1:
Effective Hiring and Selection 6
1: Establishing Your Brand: Social Network Outreach,
Recruitment Brochures, and Adding New Life to Your
Recruitment Advertising Campaigns 8
2: Becoming an Employer of Choice: An Investment
Worth Considering 12
3: Direct Sourcing: Alternatives and Options for Proactive
Candidate Outreach 16
4: Effective Telephone Screening Calls: An Incredible
Time Saver for Initial Contact 21
vii
viii Contents
5: Identifying Candidates Who Stand Out Among Their
Peers: Criteria to Help You Define the Best and
Brightest Talent 27
6: A Twist on Traditional Interviewing Questions:
The “Career Coaching” Approach to Getting Inside
Candidates’ Heads and Hearts 32
7: Achievement-Anchored and Holistic Questions:
Cutting to the Chase 36
8: Hiring in Our Own Image: Likability Equals
Compatibility 39
9: The Critical Importance of Reference Checks (and
Scripts to Help You Maximize Each Call) 41
10: Making the Offer and Closing the Deal: Don’t Flinch
at the Finish Line 47
11: Effective Onboarding to Maximize the Chances of
Initial Success and Create True Believers 52
CHAPTER 2:
Effective Leadership and Outstanding
Communication 59
12: The Nature of Positive, Constructive Communication 60
13: The Art of Successful Communication: Guidelines to
Help Your Message Soar 64
14: Human Nature: The Path of Least Resistance Is
Avoidance 70
15: Mediating Employee Disputes and Communication
Breakdowns: The Strategy Behind Constructive
Confrontation 73
16: Bearing Bad News: The Creative Art of Give and Take 78
Contents ix
17: Staff Meeting Tune-Ups: Upgrade Your Group
Communication to Strengthen Team Performance 82
18: Leadership SOS: Effective and Successful Turnaround
Strategies for Failing Teams 85
19: Addressing Uncomfortable Workplace Situations and
Personal Style Issues 90
20: Situational Coaching: How Do You “Coach Someone to
Normal”? 96
21: The Danger of “Off-the-Record” Conversations and
Over-Promising Confidentiality 100
22: Special Circumstances: From Coaching and Mentoring
to Verbal Warnings—Communicating with Skillful
Aplomb 103
CHAPTER 3:
The Importance of the Written Record 108
23: “Document, Document, Document:” Heightening
Awareness of the Record You’re Creating 108
24: Performance Reviews: The 800-Pound Gorilla in the
Room 112
25: Performance Reviews: Dealing Effectively with
Incorrectly Assigned Individual Grades 117
26: Performance Reviews: Correcting for Grade Inflation
Across Your Department, Division, or Company 119
27: Workplace Investigations: Understanding Your Role
and Knowing Your Limits 123
28: Workplace Investigations: Harassment, Discrimination,
and a Cautionary Tale 128
29: Effectively Invoking Attorney–Client Privilege 133
x Contents
30: The “E” in Email Stands for “Evidence” 136
31: Progressive Discipline: Appropriate Documentation
for Addressing Substandard Job Performance and
Attendance Issues 138
32: Progressive Discipline: Appropriate Documentation for
Addressing Inappropriate Behavior and Misconduct
Issues 145
33: Writer Beware: “Codifying the Damage” or
Documenting “Mental Element Qualifiers” Can Sink
Your Ship in Court 149
34: A Creative Alternative to Formal Corrective Action:
Letters of Clarification 151
35: Decision-Making Leaves: Dramatic Turnarounds
Without a Lot of Drama 154
36: Structuring Terminations That Will Withstand Legal
Scrutiny: Making Your Defense Lawyer Proud 159
CHAPTER 4:
Avoiding Litigation Land Mines 165
37: A Brief Employment Law History Primer to Show
Why Documentation is Critical—Even for At-Will
Workers 166
38: The Fine Art of Playing Employment Defense: Avoid
“Pretaliation” 171
39: Policies (the Letter of the Law), Codes of Conduct
(the Spirit of the Law), and Past Practices 175
40: Differentiating Between Performance and Conduct
Issues: A Critical Distinction 178
41: Sameness Versus Consistency: Looking at the Totality
of Events 180
42: Stopping Attitude Problems in Their Tracks 182
Contents xi
43: Performance Appraisal Bombshells: Delivering Bad
News for the First Time During the Annual
Performance Review 185
44: “If I Can’t Fire Someone, Can I Lay Him Off Instead?” 187
45: “If I Can’t Fire Someone, Can I Give Him a Separation
Package Instead?” 191
46: Whistle Blowers Versus Character Assassins: Dealing
Appropriately with Anonymous and Mean-Spirited
Employee Complaints That May Lack Merit 195
47: Vetting the Record Before Recommending Termination:
The Importance of a “Clean Final Incident” 198
48: Don’t Rush to Judgment: Learn All Sides of the Story
First 200
49: Wage and Hour Quagmires: Employee Classification
and Overtime Considerations 201
CHAPTER 5:
Inspiring Employee Engagement 205
50: Developing a Blueprint to Inspire and Motivate Your
Team 207
51: The Nature of Motivation: Rules and Myths that Inform
Your Reality 208
52: Creating an Environment in Which Employees Can
Motivate Themselves in Light of Your Organization’s
Changing Needs 211
53: The Nature of Motivation: Five Steps for Quick
Turnarounds 214
54: Delegating as a Means of Professional Development,
Not of Offloading Work 219
55: The Holy Grail: Motivating Staff Without Money 223