Social Media and Your Personal Brand

I recently spoke on the topic of personal branding and social media for a session of Leadership America. If you don't know about that program, I encourage you to visit the web site (http://www.leadershipamerica.com/) and explore the program.

After the presentation, I was interviewed about some of the key points and those were captured in this video http://bit.ly/69g1sg .

I hope you find the tips helpful.

A lesson from Garrett Gilbert and the Texas Longhorns

I happen to be a Longhorn mom. My daughter Megan graduated from the University of Texas and I was glued to the set last night when they went down in defeat to Alabama.

The drama of the loss began to unfold in the first quarter—but this post isn’t really about football—it is about clarity—and I think that game showed the value of clarity.

The superstar quarterback for Texas, Colt McCoy, was injured very early in the first quarter so the freshman back-up quarterback, Garrett Gilbert, was tapped to lead the team in this crucial BCS Championship game at the historic Rose Bowl.

Colt left the field and Garrett took his place—what you and I might call an “interim” role, while the trainers and doctors checked on Colt’s injury. In that first half, the freshman quarterback was hesitant and unsure of himself. He held back—didn’t take any risks—and the Crimson Tide rolled on to a sizeable lead by half-time.

At half-time, Garrett and the team learned what all of us watching the game on TV knew—Colt McCoy was not coming back to the game. His college football career was over.

After half-time, Colt did come out to the sidelines and he talked to Garrett and the team—he brought the leadership that has made him such a star for Texas (okay—I am a little prejudice).But that is not the story here. The real story is what happened next.

Garrett came into the second half a different player. He was no longer an interim place holder for Colt. He knew clearly that he was in charge—the role of quarterback of the number 2 NCAA team, playing against the number 1 NCAA team, was much clearer now than it was in the first half. Colt was out—Garrett was in and his passing game came alive. He took risks. He played with confidence. He took charge. And he went from negative four yards passing in the first half to two touchdown passes in the second half.

I wished this story ended with a win for my Longhorns---but it didn’t. But I did come away with insight—and while not a fair trade for that crystal trophy—I’ll take it—and I will pass it along.

Once Garrett had clarity in his mission—once he knew that the role of quarterback was his and his alone—he took charge. He gained confidence. He owned the role.

And then this question came to mind as one that every leader should ask: Is there someone on my team who could do the same if they had some clarity?

Please Don't Skip Step 6

Whether you are hiring an entry level accounting clerk or a CEO, there is a step that is too vital to neglect. The reference check.

It is “Step 6” in my workshop “The 7 Must-do Steps in the Hiring Process” and the step that I find many companies overlook.

In my retained search practice, this step gets my undivided attention. I have found that all too often though, especially when the fit seems to be perfect, companies skip this step or rush through it because they don’t have the resources or think it is not important.

I know it is tempting to skip or rush through this step when you have an empty chair and are anxious to get the new hire on board. But ultimately, this step is too vital to be considered a “nice to have.” In my workshop, I urge clients to remember the old adage, “marry in haste, repent in leisure.” That applies to hiring as well.

Why check references? First, the reference check is where you verify the information that you gleamed during the interview. When done correctly, the reference should enable you to confirm not only that the person did what they said they did, but as important, it should help you to understand how they did it. Understanding that last piece will help you to be more successful in matching the candidate to your culture.

To verify every aspect of what you discussed with the candidate during the interviews, you should get as much of a 360 degree view of that person as you can—talk to peers, former managers and, if applicable, former direct reports.

What are you looking for in those conversations beyond what and how the candidate did the job? You are looking for consistency. Did the candidate make a similar impression? Did the candidate have a consistent temperament and style? Does each reference explain the same event in a similar way? Consistency is a sign of accuracy.

Recognizing both the importance of the reference checks and the obstacles that keep companies from completing these checks in-house, I began to offer reference checking for companies as part of my "unbundled services" . The very first set of references that I conducted for a non-profit organization involved checking the references for three closely-ranked finalists for the position of Executive Director of the non-profit. The Board had not done reference checks in the past due to limited resources, but they really wanted to get this one right and they realized the step was essential.

Two of the three candidates submitted references that I knew would provide a 360 degree view. One of the candidates provided a list that I considered suspect since it failed to include people to whom the candidate had reported. I went back to the candidate and obtained more pertinent references (clue: the list that the candidate provides is the beginning of the “check”).

I completed three calls to references provided by that third candidate and uncovered some discrepancies during those calls. I then conducted some research on my own and I identified another person who would have known that candidate (but not someone provided in the original list from the candidate). That call uncovered a serious issue----and explained why there were inconsistencies from the other references. The candidate was eliminated and a potentially costly error was avoided.

The situation that I described above doesn’t happen often, but if you are the one doing the hiring, you know that once is too often. So I encourage you to take the time to complete “Step 6” and conduct a thorough reference check for every hire.

Make Note of These Posts

I recently read posts on two different Blogs (both are great to follow if you aren't already doing so Your Sabbatical and Great Leadership by Dan). The first post from Dan's site is about a new study by Deloitte that indicates that companies are expected to increase leadership and management training. The second post from Your Sabbatical blog proves that Deloitte has actually taken their own study to heart by rolling out two sabbatical programs.

You owe it to yourself to read about the study---and to get into action like Deloitte has done--whether it is a Sabbatical program (no secret that I am a big fan of sabbaticals), leadership development training or any other investment in your people that will give you a tool for attracting and retaining great people and therby having a competive advantage post-recession.

Interviewing Tip--Be More Like Barbara Walters

There are many books out about the "perfect interview" questions, but I think you will improve your skills in this area if you simply try to be more like Barbara Walters.

Her interviews are conversations. She gets people to open up, to reveal their true selves because they don't feel like she is firing questions at them (even though she is). They relax and simply engage in the discussion with her. That discussion is organic—one response leads to Barbara taking a path to another topic that you sense was not pre-planned, but was rather inspired by the dialog. This seemingly casual, yet very organic process, consistently results in a meaningful and insightful discussion.

I say “seemingly casual,” because I believe that Barbara enters into her interviews like a good interviewer enters into a discussion with a candidate. Not with a full list of pre-planned questions, but with a discussion plan that is based on the candidate's resume, their experience, and the qualities and characteristics that will enable that candidate to be successful in the new role. When entering a discussion with this broader outline rather than with a script of questions, you, like Barbara, will more likely discover the essence of the person. You will not only learn what they have done in their career, but equally important, you will discover why and how they did it.

One more important piece of the equation—in having a conversation versus an inquisition, you are more likely to discover (through the enthusiasm in their voice tone, for example) where the candidate's true passions lie.

And when the candidate's passion aligns with your opportunity—you have found an exceptional match.

Follow-up on Sabbaticals

There are more and more articles, posts, etc. on Sabbaticals.  Check out this article from the NY TImes (thanks Elizabeth for sharing this in your LinkedIn Group--yourSabbatical).

http://www.linkedin.com/redirect?url=http%3A%2F%2Ftinyurl%2Ecom%2Fdfmew5&urlhash=3wfB&_t=disc_detail_link

Elizabeth Pagano and Your Sabbatical

I recently had lunch in Atlanta with Elizabeth Pagano (www.yoursabbatical.com) co-founder along with her mother Barbara Pagano, of Your Sabbatical. These two ladies know a thing or two about sabbaticals having undertaken a life changing one themselves.  You can read all about it here:  http://yoursabbatical.com/people/my-sabbatical/

I came away with many wonderful insights from Elizabeth---including two very timely ones that I want to share with both  employers and employees.

One of the hardest things about the recession for any employer is having to let someone go.  While the immediate pain is hard enough-----the long-term pain is even worse.  In my search practice, my clients retain me to find the perfect match for their vacancy--the perfect skill set, the perfect attitude and the perfect match for their corporate culture.  So when they have to let that person go, they already know how hard it will be to replace them once the economy turns around (and really now, regardless of all the headlines---we know it will).  But Elizabeth and her company provide the perfect solution---a win-win solution.  What if you could offer your people a sabbatical (partially paid or unpaid) during this economic crunch time?  What if they could renew themselves, freshen their skills and be ready to return reinvigorated, grateful and ready to help you grow now that they have had a chance to do so?  

Or, they could walk out the door with the proverbial "pink slip" and perhaps end up at your competitor when the tide turns.

And for those of you who are worried about gaps on your resume, I suggest you visit Elizabeth's Blog post for some inspiration(http://yoursabbatical.com/blog/2009/03/08/resumes-turning-employment-gaps-into-sabbaticals/).  I couldn't agree more with her premise--turning employment gaps into sabbaticals. I think everyone in transition should reframe the time as a “sabbatical” ---- a time used for renewal and study.  While I know most of you hope for the shortest of sabbaticals---if you frame it as one no matter how long it is, it adds another purpose to your time----an intentional purpose. 

Thank you Elizabeth and Barbara for offering a fresh and innovative approach just when we need it most.