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I am not an attorney and my videos are not meant as legal advice

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What I felt compelled to write about after helping someone fill out an online application is this:  Dear Lord……please stop making it SO hard for people to send their initial application!!!!!  The entire process should take literally a few minutes not almost an hour for God’s sake!  

I get it…..I really do.  I used to be a stickler for having the entire application filled out right off the bat.  And I do still advocate for a full application collected in the hiring process.  I want that application that requests information that I want to know versus the resume which is information the candidate wants me to know.  I still believe that this is very important and can lead to discovering critical information about your candidate.  I’ve simply changed my mind about WHEN I want that information.  And if you just can’t see your way to changing it, PLEASE don’t put fields like date of birth on your application.  Are you asking for a ADEA (Age Discrimination) suit?  Again, another article.  

But seriously, times have changed people.  We are not living in the same world we did even 5 years ago.    My perspective has changed in the last few years and I believe that we need to keep it simple and make the process faster.   Get the long tiresome application later in the hiring process.  Please.  

Why you ask?  

Well, I’ll tell you.  It’s pretty simple really.  

Because you are going to lose candidates.  

We are operating in a very interesting employment environment.  In the beginning of October the Department of Labor posted that for the 18th month in a row there were more job openings that people to fill them.  Think about that for a minute.  For a year and a half employers have been in competition for candidates that have a LOT of options.   

Additionally, we have historically low unemployment rates AND the workforce is filling with new generations.  Did you know that in just 4 very short years that 75% of our entire workforce will be made up of Generation Z & Millennials?  To top this off our Boomer generation is finally retiring—not only leaving a physical talent gap but also a skills gap.  In our industry, many of these Boomers hold our top management position.  Do you have a succession plan for this? 

So………..

So, we have candidates with options, very different wants and needs, who are doing EVERYTHING with their phone—and won’t be spending an HOUR to fill out an application for a position they MIGHT want to take.  Chances are they are already working and if they are dissatisfied and looking for a new employer they are going to apply with the company that gets them.  And if you don’t make the process quick and easy—that’s not you.  

So, rethink your application process—who knows what amazing new talent you are missing and gifting to the competition with an archaic process.  The talent pool is smaller than the ocean of open positions plus they are vastly different in their expectations.  

So, don’t be so old school in your recruiting strategies.  Update your thinking, update your process, update your application, update your ATS (my favorite is www.automotohr.com).  Make it simple, easy, and mobile friendly.  Talk to candidates—sell them on your dealership and your employee value proposition (yes, another article)—THEN once YOU know you want them, and THEY are convinced they want YOU—get them to fill out the application.  

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So, who showed up for work today? The visionary or the arsonist?

On my recent vacation I read a book named DO/SCALE by Les McKeown which increased my awareness of this dichotomy. Generally speaking, the book is a practical guide to scaling an organization. For me, it quickly became a practical guide in self-awareness as it introduced some common traits of visionary leaders. 

Of course we can all think of those mega-stars like Jobs, Bezos, and Musk… but I think there are many more of us in this boat who indeed fit the description of “Visionary Leader”; Most of us are just too hesitant to give ourselves the title. So, for the purpose of this exercise, I’m letting your humility off the hook and grouping you in if you are the type of person who leads with your head up, looking for opportunity to improve the lives of yourself and your team. 

The Blessings

There are plenty of reasons that you make a positive impact for your organization: You are willing and able to see new opportunity, for starters. Once you do, you know how to believe you can wrangle that opportunity and can inspire your team to do the same. You don’t listen to the outside nay-sayers and embrace the pivot. Truth-be-told, young companies would ALL die if it wasn’t for the blessing of your abilities. Yassssss!!!!

The Curse

Here is where the alter ego takes over: Things are going as planned aaaaaaaaaand maybe a better opportunity comes into view… Maybe some discouraging news comes in… or maybe all the routine of life and business are making you feel “boxed in”.

Enter the Arsonist. The Arsonist burns those mundane or less opportune items to the ground. And they do it in the name of pivoting, progress, or some other justification. And while this is happening, you are burning out your team, family, and losing credibility along the way. Nooooooo!!!!!

The Fix

The fix is, as I say, simple but not easy. The simplest fix is knowing the truth about which person showed up for work today. Which persona are you acting out of? Sometimes the right decision is to pivot. Self awareness is your friend here. For me, simply asking myself the question of “who” is making the decision is all it takes. Better yet, share this post with someone you trust and allow them to ask the question every time they suspect the Arsonist has the matches out. 

In my business, I have pivoted many times over the past 17 years and can argue that my mentality in doing so has made us a more successful company. However, when I really look closely, I see that half of those pivots were made by the Arsonist and stunted our growth, burnt out my team, and decreased opportunity.

Recently, I had a moment of clarity about our current business model and began going through the Visionary Leaders’ toolkit of excitement and vision casting while proposing a new business model that I believe will be rocket fuel; creating big opportunity for everyone on our team. I stopped myself and considered that this might be the Arsonist. I landed on the belief that it was not, but I didn’t stop there.

I then explained the Visionary/Arsonist principle to some of my leaders and asked them what they thought this was. They agreed that it seemed like the Visionary, confirming for me that the Arsonist’s matches were nowhere to be found. 

So for all of the Visionary Leaders reading this, and also all who work for, or are married to one, today is a great time to understand the blessing, the curse, and most importantly, the fix to determine who showed up today. The Visionary… or the Arsonist?  

Pursue clarity and respond accordingly  

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I talk about this topic and others on my weekly Clarity Compressed Podcast. You can also listen on the platform of your choice: iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, or Castbox. Connect with me on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. And if you want to learn more, you can check out my website pauljdaly.com

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Making Meaningless Guidelines

Companies need rules. However, rules have to be designed with respect for the individual, and not be a quick attempt at generating order. From overzealous rule-making concerning attendance, to cutting down on employee benefits, there are many rules with which the supervisors annoy their staff. When workers feel the need to check their six, they begin to look for another place to function.

Letting Great Work Go Unrecognized

Rewarding achievements is more than making someone feel good. It’s also about demonstrating that you pay attention to who works well and who doesn’t. Recognition, in one type or another, can help create a better atmosphere for success. When you make recognition difficult to find, you send away your best employees.

Employing Mediocre Employees

To many people, the opportunity to work together with intelligent and competent co-workers is a crucial part of the satisfaction that comes with their work. This means that when managers hire thoughtlessly, they take away a good part of the reason existing employees come into work. Cautious, well-planned hiring is an important part of the manager’s job.

Treating Everyone exactly the same

Kids need to be treated the same as everyone else. This works for children because they aren’t graded on performance. The grownup workplace is different. Here workers are usually ranked based on how well they execute their duties. Bringing the equality rule from the planet of children to the grown-up world can cause problems. Adults who work hard and are talented need to be graded on the quality of their work. Grading everyone exactly the same only results in loss of motivation. Supervisors need to be willing to reward quality.

Being Lax with Poor Performers

People don’t always perform at their best and need a little slack every now and then. Laxity all the time, however, can make it seem as though poor performance is acceptable. Best performers anywhere can begin to really feel unappreciated when others at work have the ability to slow down without consequence. It’s important to reward those who perform and use discipline on those who don’t.

Getting Trustworthy

Whether it is a promotion or a chance to create a speech before the CEO, promises to employees need to be kept. When promises are kept, you begin to appear reliable. When promises are not kept, you can’t be relied upon. Since trust is an important part of the work that managers do, it’s important they never do something that erodes this quality.

Managers often stroll a thin line; they need to become the voice of the management and also from the workers. The difficulty of this position, nevertheless , disappears when you realize that all it requires to do well is to be trustworthy and honest.

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