As I mentioned last week, I’ve been in HR quite a while now and have conducted hundreds of reference checks. I’ve found most to be a waste of the referee’s time and my time since (almost) nobody is going to give you the name of...
Throughout my 20-year HR career, I have conducted hundreds of reference checks and can think of only two instances where I was privy to information that hurt rather than helped the candidate. Those two instances were years ago, back before companies were worried about being...
Back in the good old days of playing outside without hovering parents, my friends and I played Tag. I’m sure most of you are familiar with the game. To get the game going we all gathered around in a circle, decided what kind of tag...
F Word #2 Last week our F word was Feedback and this week we’re moving on to Fit, or lack thereof. A few ways the word ‘fit’ is used in the work world: Hire for Fit, train for skill Fit is essential to our organization You...
An F Word..or two The first F word is great for covering all manner of excuses and criticisms, covering up cowardice, and providing a seemingly acceptable answer to uncomfortable questions and conversations. The second F word is offered once a year, like it or not, and maybe...
Civility Fundamental #2 My previous post shared the importance of smiling (1st Fundamental) and that a smile is good for our health and our careers. Smiling is also a great way to build relationships, so slap on a smile and let’s get started. Building relationships in today’s...
Civility's Big 3 The Big 3 (fundamentals) of civility is straightforward, and perhaps that’s why it took me a while to write this post. Smile Build Relationships Listen The fundamentals couldn’t possibly be so simple to understand given how difficult it seems for people to recognize and...
Civility Civility encompasses numerous behavioural and cultural norms. Civility is the foundation of society and has been a topic of conversation and debate going back as far as Confucius, Plato, and Lincoln. Civility is inexorably linked to manners, etiquette, respect, rudeness, bullying, and harassment. Civility is defined...
If I asked you to define civility, what would you say? Most answers have a combination of demonstrating good manners, being nice, being polite, or waiting to speak. If I asked you to define incivility, what would you say? The opposite of the above: no manners,...
We all have a bias - at least one - and sometimes many. Most of us try to hide, change, or rationalize the biases we have because the word ‘bias’ tends to have a negative connotation. As a business leader, it is essential to learn about...