Roadmap to success

Recognize and implement the guidelines that put employees on the path to success

By Terry McKenna

Terry McKenna is principal and co-founder of Employee Performance Strategies Inc. (EPS), based in Chantilly, Va. You can contact him at (888) 788-9090 or perform@eps-i.com

I do a lot of traveling with my company and most of it is to small cities that don’t always appear on the map. So like many of you, especially when you’re planning a vacation, I jump online to Web sites like Yahoo or Mapquest to get my directions. Why bother? Because when you’re about to embark on a journey that you’ve never taken, you want to be sure that the trip is a success, meaning you don’t get lost and you get there on time, hassle-free.

Now, here comes the analogy: Hiring new employees should be done with the same care and planning as you would in planning a trip to a place you’ve never been before. After all, having never been to a certain vacation spot is a lot like hiring a new employee since you have no idea what his or her performance and contribution to your company will be. The great unknown! The key to any successful trip is in the planning. Good planning results is fewer hassles, no unpleasant surprises and a successful trip. Which is, after all, the goal.

The same can be said about hiring new employees. The goal with new hires is to ensure the right “fit” for your company, someone who will work well within your team and contribute in a positive way to profitable growth. The sad reality is I have seen management take more time and due diligence in planning vacation trips than in hiring new employees, particularly at the store level.

Many store operators employ the old “mirror test” when it comes to hiring. You know the mirror test? You place a mirror under the nose of a prospect and if you see their breath on the mirror you hire them on the spot. In all too many cases, the hiring process at the store level is performed haphazardly. The interview process takes 15 minutes (or less), consists of three meaningless questions, the offer is made and the new hire is quickly thrown on the register to work closely with an experienced sales associate, who may or may not be a good employee themselves. Is it any wonder why turnover is as high as it is and employees don’t perform at a higher level?

Roadmap For Success
Just as you would sit down ahead of time and plan out the logistics and details of a vacation trip, do the same with your hiring process. Here is a four point road map that will increase your rate of success in hiring new employees:

1. Define Your Expectations Up Front:
There are three sets of expectations that a new hire needs to fully understand: supervisor, customers and co-workers. Be as clear and concise as you possibly can.

• Supervisor: Job performance
• Customers: Buying experience
• Co-workers: Teamwork

2. Training
If the key to success is preparation, then training is the vehicle. When you sell the same products as a competitor down the street sells, the only advantage you have is customer service. And you can’t have good customer service without giving your employees the tools to deliver that service. Investments in people need to be a central element of your business culture.

3. Coaching
Hire for attitude, coach for performance. If great performance was automatic there would be no need for coaches in the world. Good coaches provide understanding, direction and guidance through their actions, and they role model the desired behaviors.

4. Reinforcement
Simply stated, what gets recognized and rewarded gets repeated.

A good, reliable employee team enables you, the boss, to take more of those family vacations you’ve been longing for.