Today with a good economy and a solid job market, the challenge for everyone recruiting new employees to find the “right” person… is at an all-time high. Resumes, cover letters, college transcripts, letters of recommendation and calls to reference people all are and need to be given extra attention during the selection process!  Is the process easy… NO!  But is the process in your organization mostly traditional??  Do you ask many of the same questions… follow the same patterns of scoring candidates and assessing the same areas of qualification?  Do you ever specifically consider THE COMPATIBILITY FACTOR during the hiring/interview process?

What do I mean by THE COMPATIBILITY FACTOR?

I would suggest that THE COMPATIBILITY FACTOR focuses on the personal and personality “fit” of someone in your organization.  Do you assess their:

• Compatibility with your groups professional culture (or do you even know your culture?)
• Compatibility as an idea person or someone who focuses on stability
• Compatibility to flex with the different educational levels of personnel in your organization
• Compatibility to share information and blend into a team
• Compatibility to eliminating an “its not my job” attitude in your workplace
• Compatibility with diverse gender, race, age and ethic service groups

Think about the documents you review and interview questions you ask.  Do they give you enough information to rank THE COMPATIBILITY FACTOR of every candidate?  Someone may have all the credentials and interview very well… but would they positively/progressively contribute to your organizational culture and enthusiastically support the business/service CAUSE you stand for?? THAT IS THE COMPATIBILITY FACTOR!

Every once in a while, I can’t help but wonder about what our Founding Fathers would think/say regarding how far we have progressed as a country.  Then I ask: “Would they be supportive if we considered changing a few governmental approaches that they placed in the Constitution so many years ago?”

Well in my Repurposing Public Administration, American Society for Public Administration quarterly article, I took the position that the Founding Fathers would say: “Let’s hear what you have in mind!”  So, keep these thoughts in mind as you read the article.

PATIMES.ORG: Repurposing Public Administration

As you watch and read the multiple newpieces that evolve out of the area television, radio, newspapers and social media, aren’t you always disappointed at the level of negative information and volume of inaccuracies? Don’t you wonder how this happens and more importantly how organizations and businesses enable this to happen?

Well first be advised that often sad and poor news is unavoidable.  However, the purpose of this TRIPLE III TIME message is to encourage you to take a proactive position and work to progressively, positively and regularly Manage Your News!

What do I mean?

First get in the habit of “feeding” the media a regular diet of good, positive newsworthy items about your group.  News outlets are always searching and investigating for stories concerning their broadcast/circulation areas.  If they can receive quality information with minimum effort… the odds of their using your story/data is very high.

Second, always attempt to point their “interest-arrow” more toward what is coming progressively in the future… instead of focusing on “old-news”.  Timing is always critical to those trying to get the best story… first.  Therefore, if you promote/hype an upcoming event or action they should be part of … the greater your ability to better control the resulting front page highlights that may appear.

Finally, I believe there is extra value in preparing and practicing “newspiece-simplicity”.  Newspiece-simplicity means minimizing the readers/viewers ability to misinterpret your messages.  Often in your efforts to effectively and efficiently Manager Your News… you only get one chance to “Get-It-Right”… so simplicity (again) matters!

Managing Your News will never be a single or simple job responsibility.  However, as it becomes a professional habit, the return on your time invested will be realized.

Every now and again individuals are asked to take on a unique tough task and to organize a group to “git-r-done”! Most times those assigned the challenge are familiar with co-workers and other partners … people who would/could help in getting the best result for the time and effort required.  But did you ever take the time to identify and list the qualities you would look for while Assembling the Dream Team?

Well during all of my career I have had to put together teams of professionals that I believed were “the best in the business”.  However, at no time did I ever find a helpful list of personnel traits that would aide in Assembling the Dream Team to take on a specific challenge.  So as you can guess this week’s TRIPLE III TIME message is all about a special TOP 10 for that purpose.

1. Each candidate must be able to “see and feel” the outcome goal… before anything even starts.
2. Diversity of team member skill sets is an expectation.
3. Familiarity with the objective is not a must for all members… but at least half.
4. Compatible senses of humor are helpful… because FUN is a teamwork must.
5. Debate is required… not just expected regarding the best actions for the initiative.
6. A realist in the cost area is a mandatory membership area… maybe even more than one.
7. Likewise a designated “keeper-of-the-records” must be included to ensure documentation of steady progress and proof of goal achievement.
8. This is hard to explain… but a common sense, practical application team member is required to “tell the story” of how and why.
9. An add-value team member would be someone who is artistic… and can help offer the VISUAL.
10. Finally (but for sure my priority member) DREAMERS! Members who can have a futuristic, creative, new era, innovation-based mode of conduct and influence!

I could probably extend the list but I think it is important to everyone reading this Assembling the Dream Team message to add their own ideas.  I hope this helps!

I believe it is beyond vital to offer yourself some time each week to dream and think about “WHAT IF?”. The beauty of taking a “WHAT IF?” dream break… is that the focus and possible results would be as individual as the smile on your face. Understand that you would NOT be assigned a topic, goal or timeframe. No, your “WHAT IF?” time would be totally independent, personal and maybe most important CREATIVELY FUN!

Ok… as you can see the TRIPLE III TIME title A Walk-In Leadership Clinic?… gives away one of my secret “WHAT IF” dream moments. So let me explain.

What if in every region there was A Walk-In Leadership Clinic. Inside the Clinic you would see a menu of Leadership Services. The menu may include: Defined Lectures, Special Tutoring, Books & Articles, Technological Assistance and Example-Based Sharing. Leaders from around the region… from both the private business and public service sectors would help drive A Walk-In Leadership Clinic services. In my “WHAT IF?” dream moment, service provider leaders would receive some form of monetary stipend but would primarily be interested in building the leadership capacities of residents in their communities… with no age restrictions!

You know I could write more but I hope my A Walk-In Leadership Clinic “WHAT IF?” example gives you an idea of the potential value of dedicated dream time. And yes, it is true that I have a box or two full of “WHAT IF?” thoughts and YES… all of them are CREATIVELY FUN. But I believe the ultimate value of each dream moment is yet to be determined. Why… because the 22nd Century is just around the corner.

One of the experiences I take my American Government & Politics classes through each semester is creating a list of traits that apply to someone being a great leader.  Naturally, the experience starts with students tossing out trait suggestions like: Good listener, Creative, Humble, Intelligent, Good Sense of Humor, and many other positive concepts. Then we discuss each trait in detail and rank those in major public positions in our country and State as to HIGH (5) or LOW (1) with regard to these traits.  But this week as we went through the exercise a young lady asked if we could add one more leadership trait to the list.  Of course, I responded yes… and let me say I am always so pleased and surprised when I have my own NEW learning moment!

She said: “I don’t know where or when I heard this but a Strong Leader Is One Who Knows When To Ask For Help.”

In quiet unison, all of her classmates proclaimed their support that this was the best trait of all!  And as any wise but proud and curious instructor would do… I asked them why?

• “Because no one is good at everything”
• “Maybe they are old and don’t understand younger people so asking for help… might help”
• “Yeah and they may not like technology much”
• “And they know if they get help they will know more”
• “Remember 10 brains are smarter than one”
• “It might help if others feel like the leaders want to include them”
• “Nobody likes a know-it-all”
• “Who knows by asking for help they might find the cure for cancer”
• “Most people really like to be asked to help”
• “I don’t think most leaders know when or how to ask for help… and that’s why no one even thinks about it”

I told them I was proud of them all… and that all of their “Why?” comments were great. Also, think… do the leaders in your world of work know when to ask for help? Do YOU ask?

Last week I had the privilege of offering congratulations to a friend and colleague who was celebrating his 25^th year of special public service employment.  As part of our brief telephone conversation, he shared multiple unique memorable personal development “Lessons” he had learned during our time while employed in the same organization.  Each recollection lesson was professionally impactful… yet simple in its delivery and purpose.  It was a GREAT conversation.

So guess what?  As I have reported before I never know what may generate a TRIPLE III TIME message thought… but the conversation I just described caused me to reflect: What and When did I realize My First (personal development) “Lesson”?

Well as I think back… and even before I was age 10… my Dad assigned me the full PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY for care of all the baby calves that were born throughout the year.  Morning and night feedings, pen cleaning, vitamin sharing, and any forms of special care required.  This PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY lesson included understanding cost and impacts when a calf died, and profits realized when the calf grew and was sold or joined the herd. And interestingly, when I did well I did not wait for a “way-to-go” from my Dad.  Instead, my “way-to-goes” were offered every day as I watched the group of healthy, good-looking calves running around the pen!

Bottomline: Recalling My First “Lesson” which came in the form of PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY… was/is helpful even today as I continue in my career building activities.  Even more important is the realization that accepting PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY has led to engaging in other progressive personal development “spin-offs” including innovation, customer service, quality communication, and leadership.  I trust you understand.

So, do you recall YOUR FIRST LESSON?