Hard Working People

Hard working individuals differentiate themselves from those that aren't willing to work as hard. We recently had a conference call in the office discussing the promotion of a colleague to a corporate position. When asked what she did to get herself into that position it wasn't being the best, or doing the most that got her to the top. Her answer was simple. She was a hard worker. She wasn't afraid to put in extra time to do her job properly.She understood that achieving most things in a business sense comes out of working hard. Most people have a tendency to give up when it gets difficult, she however, decided to push through the difficult situations and advance herself in her career.

This is an important lesson for all of us. In our organization there is a certain level of focus on a merit based system. Those that work harder or take more advantage of opportunities to learn and develop go further than those that don't do as much. This isn't true in all workplaces. I am fortunate enough to work in a place that focuses on this aspect and encourages it.

As a business partner I am constantly looking at the colleagues I have in my office and noticing the ones who are working harder to achieve a goal. Those are the people I want to spend time with, I want to help, I want to be around. To me, seeing others achieve goals is so motivating particularly when those goals are difficult for them to reach. The growth that takes place is amazing to see. I've had the privilege of being around many people who are willing to work hard for their goals. The hard workers will go out of their way to ensure that they are learning all they can about a business or specific job responsibilities. They hit goals in order to achieve more responsibilities. Depending on the workplace ideology, employee vs. entrepreneur, hard workers can be either intrinsically motivated to work hard or they can be motivated by the opportunity they have to better themselves and move up within a company.

I was always taught that working hard would get you to your goals and help you ultimately achieve success. In this business, I have seen it exemplified. I also work for an amazing company that rewards those that work for it in the most grandiose ways. All expenses paid trips to Miami and Las Vegas, group adventures to sporting events, like Lions games along with monetary bonuses and incentives. I have never worked for a company before that appreciated hard work. hard work is truly the gateway to bigger and better things.

Interview How To

We've all been in the position where we had to do an interview. Some of us may have been the interviewer. This blog was designed to give tips to interviewees based on what I look for while interviewing. In my office and in many others, preliminary interviews are conducted first with a candidate either over the phone or in person as an initial meet and greet for the employer to determine whether or not they believe someone would be a good fit for a position available in their office.

1. Give clear and concise answers. The preliminary interview is designed to be short, to allow an interviewer to see many candidates without spending too much time with them. Providing clear answers to the questions asked will show that you are well spoken and practiced. Understanding nerves, the more you practice before your interview, the more the answers you give to questions will sound more concise rather than nervously floundering for the answer you know you have.

2. Research, research, research. Everyone says it. Do your research! Most companies will at least have a website for you to check out and get a little more information on what the company values. Many businesses now have ties in social media which will typically be linked to their company websites. Google searches are also an excellent way to research everything about the company you're interviewing with. This knowledge helps you learn more about the company but also helps you sound informed about company culture, position, and their future plans. Doing your research can help you determine questions you may want to ask during your interview. You'll know what was covered on the website and what was not to keep the interviewer from repeating information you could have gathered yourself.

3. Dress professionally! I can't stress this enough. First impressions are everything, if you walk into a company your hoping for a job at and you look unprofessional or disheveled, you have a lot of making up to do in your interview. You want to stack the cards in your favor. This tip ties along with the previous tip. If you do research on the company, you can usually prepare how to dress. Another way to find out proper attire would be to ask when scheduling your interview or calling the company again to ensure that you'll dress appropriately. If you are unsure what they mean when they say "business casual" or "business professional", ask! You may think you'll look stupid, consider how stupid you'll look if you show up inappropriately dressed. Also, each company may have a different interpretation of what "business casual" and "business professional" look like. You can never be too dressed for an interview.

4. Arrive early. As a recruiter and interviewer I always noticed when people arrived. It told me a lot about how seriously they took the opportunity to interview with my company. If they arrived early I immediately knew that they were looking for a position, they saw my time as valuable, and they took my company seriously. I also noticed when people arrived just on time or late. First impressions are everything and that wasn't the way to make a first impression.

5. Bring at lease one copy of your resume. You probably submitted a resume to the company for their review which gained you the interview. Bring at least one copy of your resume to the interview as well so the interviewer(s) can reference it before they take you in and afterward when they are considering you for another interview or the position. Also, ensure that you take extra time to print your resume and account for any printer trouble you may encounter. It's unprofessional to you ask them to print it for you, particularly when they ask you to bring a copy with you. This is a first impression flaw that can be avoided.

6. Don't be afraid to ask for clarification. If you don't understand a question, ask the interviewer to repeat it or say it differently. This shows your concern for answering the question properly. Avoid trying to answer a question your unsure of, ask for clarification instead of answering it in a way that doesn't add to your interview or value as a candidate for a position.

7. Avoid explaining your life long story. If asked a question that requires personal explanation, include only the details that will contribute to your story, not every detail. I've done interviews where people tell much more than they need to. For me it won't immediately disqualify them but if the consideration comes down to a candidate that told too much versus the candidate that told enough, I will always choose the latter. Those doing interviews are busy, they have many things to accomplish in a day and filling their time with needless storytelling won't win you any points in the interview process.

Consider these tips when you go on your next interview. Remember, presentation is key. Dress appropriately and professionally and present yourself well. You want a new position and you don't want to cut yourself short on your attributes. Practice, research, and ask questions for every interview.

Let's be Leaders!

Being a leader is difficult. It's difficult to always be on top of things and always have the answers or the right answer for a situation. Just as much, as a leader, we're constantly in front of those we lead so awareness is key more than anything else. I have compiled a list of the things I've learned as a leader and recruiter along with things I've researched from reputable sites such as Entrepreneur.com and Forbes.

1. Lead by example. The only way to effectively lead is by setting the right example. No one likes a hypocrite. Before saying something to those we lead, we must first ask ourselves if we are doing the things we are asking others to do, if we are doing it correctly and efficiently, and if we could be doing more to make our example the best it can be. One of the best things I learned from being a leader is that those we lead will have 20% of our good habits and 80% of our bad. Though I disagree with the percentages the concept rings true. Those we lead will choose the things we do poorly often because they are a short cut to the bigger picture, they take less time or less effort. There can always be too little effort exerted for a task or situation but no one will every tell us as leaders we've gone too far above and beyond.

2. Have a mentor. Before entering the business world I was not a leader by any means. I was pretending to be a leader. A large contribution to why I became a better leader came from those that mentored me. Not only did I let them come to me to offer help, but I took the initiative to seek my own help with things I knew I was struggling with or wanted to know more about. Always seek help from those that are qualified, those that have been in your position in the past and have had a similar situation happen to them. They are the best to learn from, they've been through it and come out on the other side.

3. Have a no excuses mentality. For a leader there is no reason a task or goal isn't accomplished or reached. Leaders find a way no matter what to achieve what they have said they would or what they have set their mind to. This goes hand in hand with leading by example. Most of those that we lead will provide any excuse for why work isn't completed. For me, I would just prefer the truth. If work wasn't completed by those I was assigned to lead, rather than providing me with a laundry list of excuses, I preferred for them to tell me the truth. As a leader, these reasons are so much more valuable. I can teach and mentor based on these reasons rather than an excuse. We all fall short sometimes so it is my job as a leader to minimize the shortcomings to make a more efficient team.

4. Be solution oriented. It is easy to focus on the problems that arise during a day. A true leader will focus more on how to solve the problem. Innovation is key. Thinking outside of the box will help find solutions that fulfill the shortcomings of convention. Trust your instincts, if you think something may or may not work, try it and make adjustments as you go. Being a leader in business is about trial and error. What may work for you will not work for others and vice versa. Many times when I am having a problem, I will find out what others have done in the situation and put together the things I liked from all of them to form my own solution.

5. See the value in those you lead. Everyone on your team has something to offer. They all have different ideas and different talents that could lend themselves to situations you may run in to. Asking those you lead for advice does not make you a poor leader. It shows those on your team that you respect their abilities and want to utilize their talents. This will propel your leadership forward by showing your people you pay attention to their strengths. Most other employers or managers will not acknowledge individual strengths. Be the leader that focuses on the value of your employees.

6. Everyone has goals, focus on the goals of those you lead. Everyone likes to be cared about in their work environment. They spend 40 hours a week in the workplace. Be the leader to sit down with team members to determine their goals. Promoting a goal oriented environment allows your team to be more productive. It also means continuous growth for everyone in the team. As a leader, you probably have goals of your own. Most of these goals regarding your business will be affected by the individual goals set by your team. You will reach your goals when they reach theirs. This will also increase your teams overall satisfaction with you and your company.

7. If things aren't being done properly, it's probably due to lack of teaching. I found more often than not, if someone on my team didn't know something, most everyone on my team didn't know it. This was the same with regular day to day tasks. If tasks aren't being accomplished or being accomplished correctly it is usually due to lack of training rather than lack of will by the team. Take a look at why things aren't getting done properly to determine the reasons. Continuous teaching will also keep this problem from occurring or reoccurring. Many times when things are being done wrong it is because I, as the leader, had not taught it properly or didn't monitor that it was being done correctly. Awareness is key. This is also true for your team members. They may not know something, even if you know you've said it before. Reconsider how you say it again. They may need to hear it differently or see it again to really determine how to accomplish something.

This list is by no means the only things it takes to be a great leader. Everyone has their advice as to what can make someone better. These are just a few things I've found that helped me accomplish more with my team and to make sure I was bringing my A-game to my company everyday.

Does it Really Pay to be an Entrepreneur?

Since many of us were young, we have been raised on the idea that when we get older, we will work for a company with a boss, a set schedule, and yearly expected earnings. We will clock in, complete our work, and clock out. We will have to ask our boss for a raise, for time off, and for a change in our daily responsibilities. We will work until we are older thereafter we will retire to a comfy life of golfing and vacationing in Florida.

The less glamorous side of this working life that we imagined is that often, in an employee setting, one employee does more work than another. The boss won't grant all of the days off that we may have wanted to take, and our salary may not accurately reflect the work that we do or what we believe we're worth.

For those of us that have pursued an entrepreneurial workplace, there is generally a taboo around the uncertainty of entrepreneurship and those around us often will encourage us to just stick to convention and find a "stable" career elsewhere. In today's economy there isn't necessarily stability in any position. As a recruiter, I notice more and more often how many companies are still downsizing or closing due to economic hardship.

Forbes recently published an article titled "Does it Pay to Become an Entrepreneur?" In this article it states many compelling facts that suggest that more of us considering the employee workforce should much more seriously consider an entrepreneurial workforce instead. Entrepreneurs tend to make more than employees with a mean wage 50% higher.

How could this happen? Entrepreneurs control their environment. They make their environment work for them rather than the other way around. Not only are entrepreneurs more lucrative over time but they also enjoy their business much more. Of course you'll do what you love.

So, as an Entrepreneur, I would like to encourage everyone to at least pursue an entrepreneurial endeavor, just once to see if it could quite possibly be a great fit. It will be scary initially but give it time and it will pay off in happiness and of course in overall financial growth.

Reactionary vs. Visionary

There are two types of people in any given situation. The reactionary person and the visionary person.

Let's pretend you have a boat, you're in the middle of the Arctic Ocean. Your boat strikes an iceberg (think Titanic style). Now you have a hole in your boat. The reactionary person will determine the best way to plug the hole right now, in the moment. The visionary person will devise solutions to avoid future icebergs.

We need both people in a business. One cannot be both. Those that are reactionary only deal with the problems at hand and their exact solutions. The visionary person will find a solution to prevent the problem from happening in the future. Those that are reactionary tend to repeat situations over and over rather than finding a fix for the situation permanently. The visionary person will find a future solution but has trouble handling the solution now. Obviously, you can see why we need both of these people on our boat or in our business.

There are many day to day situations that happen in the business world that we need to both handle immediately and prevent in the future. It is certainly beneficial to determine the type of problem solver you are as well as those around you. We can all learn from each other on how to think more like those that are our opposites.

To Sink or to Swim

It is the age old question, will you sink or will you swim? This question is also one that is posed frequently in business. When a problem arises, as an entrepreneur, you can choose to either sink or swim. The success of your business rides on which option is chosen. Our reference for sinking and swimming not only affects small day to day problems and tasks but also affects the large problems and tasks over time.

Let's consider a situation, in your business, a few associates in your office decide not to show up for work. You needed them because they were responsible to run a meeting for the other associates in your office. To sink, you as the entrepreneur would make a big deal out of the fact that the associates did not come in to work and now you have to cancel the meeting for the rest of your associates. Though this may not ruin your business, it definitely effects how your business runs on a day to day basis. The reason you chose for those associates to run that meeting was because the information they had to present was important to the development of your other associates in the office. The associates may learn what they needed to learn in that meeting at a later date, at the expense of your business until they do. As the entrepreneur, you can choose this option. Or you can do something else.

In the same situation if you as the entrepreneur choose to swim instead of counting on those associates to run the meeting and choosing to cancel the meeting because they failed to come to the office. You choose to run the meeting yourself. Your associates learn the things they needed to learn and your overall business runs better because you chose to teach what needed to be taught.

The world of an entrepreneur means more swimming than sinking. Sinking isn't an option. There are solutions to all of the problems we have in the day. Whether it be better planning or thinking of a solution quickly to ensure the betterment of your company. Remaining calm in moments of possible sink or swim allow the entrepreneur to make the best decisions for their company.