Month: November 2015

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Jim Lyons Joins ITBPartners

ITB Partners is pleased to announce that Jim Lyons has joined our team.  Jim has had over 30 years of leadership experience with major restaurant and franchise brands. Jim’s expertise in the area of franchising, restaurant operations leadership, real estate and development has helped franchisers, franchisees and restaurant operators meet their operational, development and financial goals.  Read more…

ITB Partners is a diverse team of experienced leaders, project managers, and discipline experts with an established history of accomplishment, business relationships and networks. We have direct experience successfully working with public companies, Private Equity Groups, start-ups,  acquisitions and turnarounds across a number of industries – specifically restaurant, hospitality, services and retail segments.  

For more information contact Jim Weber at:  Jim.Weber@ITBPartners.com or by telephone at:  770-354-2817

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Ace Your Next Interview



Over the past few weeks I had had some interesting conversations with employers who told me of poor experiences with Executive Recruiters.  One situation was with a current client and the other a long-time friend and networking contact who I have not worked for.  In the former case the hiring manager (no longer with the client) hired a candidate who did not rise to my “top three.”  He lasted less than a year and I replaced him pursuant to my agreement.  In fact, the replacement candidate was among the first group of candidates I presented and an all around more suitable hire.  The original hiring manager was not a part of the decision process for the replacement and this candidate is working out just fine.
In the second conversation I was able to ask my friend a few questions about the company’s selection process.  They have no Human Resources Department so the traditional HR functions are spread between the other Department Heads, if at all.   They do not have job descriptions so it was not clear as to how the hiring managers made their selections.  No one has had any formal interviewing skills training.  They do meet as a group to de-brief and arrive at a consensus for each hire.  This is a major positive which can serve as a base to build a better selection process if they chose to do so.  

Most managers I have talked with over the years have not had any formal training in recruiting and selection.  While working for one of my Fortune 500 employers prior to entering the Executive Search field I did receive formal training which I have found to be invaluable.  The biggest problem with the untrained interviewer is that they talk too much.  If the ideal interview is 20% interviewer talking and 80% interviewee talking, they operate in reverse.   Then at the end of the interview they will say that they did not learn anything about the candidate.  Not surprising if they are doing most of the talking.    So, the question is; how do you ace an interview with an untrained interviewer?   The answer, of course, is to help him interview you.  
Fundamentally, the candidate must gain some control over the interview to ensure a favorable result.  To help accomplish this I recommend that my candidates prepare a one page, key accomplishments hand-out which they can present to the interviewer at the beginning of the discussion.  This is a bullet point list of up to ten prioritized accomplishments, in big bold type, that best demonstrates your ability to perform the job in question.  Of course the interviewer has your resume, but this hand-out can become the agenda for the discussion, guiding his questions.   Trust me, they will appreciate the additional information and will be impressed by your preparation for the interview.
In subsequent interviews I have found that a hand-out which summarizes your understanding of the employer’s need is very useful to close the deal.   Personally, I find the following format to be very powerful:
1.     Yesterday:
·        
2.     Today:
·        
3.     Tomorrow:
·        
This is a great way to demonstrate that you understand where the company has been; where they are today; and where they want to go.   If you are a little off base the interviewer will point that out and give you something more to talk about.   If you are right on target, which you should be if you have been listening and doing your homework, you will totally impress the interviewer with you grasp of their needs.  The assumption will be that if you understand their situation, you will be effective in the job.  
So, if you want to do well with trained or untrained interviewers, help them interview you by the use of visual aids to focus the conversation.

Thank you for visiting my blog.
Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read.  Your input is very important to me so please leave a comment.

Jim Weber, President
New Century Dynamics Executive Search
www.newcenturydynamics.com
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Conclusion: Pre-Planning Alignment; The Right Way to Start a New Job


Day two of our consulting project began with a check-in regarding the prior-day’s activities.  The consensus from the floor was that the process held great value for John’s team and they were grateful to have the opportunity to share their thoughts in a non-threatening environment.   Also included were introductions of new participants representing HR, Operations, MarCom, Public Relations, and Financial Planning and Analysis.  Since John’s team could not operate in a vacuum, these relationships are key to the success of the team.  They were included to ensure that they understood the Department’s objectives, the needs to execute those objectives, and generally, to make them a part of the team.  Additionally, their feedback and suggestions during the process proved to be valuable.
After the check-in, Stan provided the set-up to finalizing the team identity.  Stan introduced the concept of building a numeric value for the objective into their Logo and tagline.  Our experience has been that doing so would help keep their focus on the primary objective.  Then the small groups went back to work.  

When the time was up, each team leader presented their work.  The results were impressive.  Their thoughts were much more focused and relevant.  It was evident that there was a lot of talent and creativity in the room.   By the end of the presentations it was clear that they were close to a consensus.  It was time to turn their work over to the professionals and to move on to the next phase of the program, developing the plan.
Stan’s setup up for the Department’s final assignment included six buckets for consideration:  Staffing/Resources; Leadership and Strategy; Culture; Tools and Processes; Opportunities; and Results.  Each group was responsible for brainstorming each of those buckets, listing each idea on a single 3” by 5” Post-it ™ note.  When the allotted time had expired, group leaders placed their ideas in the corresponding buckets, (flip charts placed around the room).  Stan spoke to each bucket list, putting emphasis on the number of common thoughts in each category.  The results were striking.    It was revealing to note the high volume of thoughts around Staffing/Resources, Leadership & Strategy, and Culture, all three categories being closely related.  Tools & Processes, Opportunities, and Results had less than half the volume of Post-it ™ notes.  My takeaway was that the group was sending a clear message that John’s leadership was vital.  They seemed to believe that the Department’s objectives were realistic and attainable so long as they had a Champion leading the way.  I am certain that John viewed this as very favorable.
To wrap up the meeting, Stan recapped the process and talked about next steps.  John summarized his take-away to ensure that the Department knew that he “got it.”  He made a commitment to immediately address some of the more pressing issues and to factor remaining issues into the plan.  As a side note, the next week John gave Stan additional work that included facilitating the Quarterly follow-up meetings, and a few coaching assignments.  
The result of this assignment was a win-win-win.  For a new Executive it is wise to bring in an objective third-party to facilitate team alignment as we come without biases that could taint the results.  Additionally, it is more realistic for the Department personnel to speak freely in front of outsiders who are not in a position to influence their careers.  If you are looking to develop alignment and buy-in, a non-threatening environment is a good place to start.

Thank you for visiting my blog.
Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read.  Your input is very important to me so please leave a comment.

Jim Weber, President
New Century Dynamics Executive Search
www.newcenturydynamics.com