Signs are popping up all over.

Help Wanted

But shouldn’t the sign say “Helpers Wanted”?

When you begin the process of hiring seasonal workers, look for truly helpful people. Look for people with a track record of doing more for others than expected.

You can find these people by asking the following questions…

• Tell me about a time when you went above and beyond what was expected of you. (helps you see what they consider above and beyond)
• Give me an example when you made a difference in someone’s life. (shows you how helpful they can be)
• What is the best customer service you have ever received? What made it so special? (shows you what they think is good customer service)

At the end of the day, a person who isn’t truly helpful is not the kind of help you want to find.

-Phil

(Here is another excerpt from the book Hiring and the Potter’s Wheel: Turning Your Staff Into a Work of Art)

Chapter 4 Lesson #1 Raw Ingredients
“The first ingredient in conversation is truth, the next good sense, the third good humor, and the fourth wit.” – William Temple, Sr.

Mary arrived at the deli early and sat at the same table she and Dr. Scott had shared last week. She had worked herself up to really let Dr. Scott have it when he arrived. But as he walked through the door, seeing Mary already seated, Dr. Scott waved in her direction and exclaimed with a broad grin, “Wasn’t that fun? I just love digging my hands through clay. Forget pottery, I could just play in the mud and be happy.”

Dr. Scott’s outburst disarmed Mary, but she gathered herself enough to respond, “Sure it was fun, but I didn’t learn a thing about human resources, and I still don’t have a plan for how I’m going to be successful hiring twenty new people. I think you set me up just to fill up your brother’s class. You owe me for that.”

Dr. Scott could see Mary was upset, but he peered over his glasses and started in, “Mary, you can…”

“Stop, I know what you’re going to say. I can do better,” Mary replied. “Don’t go there right now. I’m not happy about all this. I’ve got this job to do and you’re toying with me.”

“Okay,” he said. “I probably should have warned you about my brother. But he is a great teacher, and I stand behind what I said about this class being the best program on human resources.

“Tell me, Mary, what did you learn last night?”

“I learned about clay. Not people, just clay.”

“But what did you learn about clay?”

“That there are three main types of clay, and you must choose the right raw ingredients to get the right final product, otherwise your pottery will be flawed before you even start.”

A thought hit Mary… the right raw ingredients. It dawned on her. Yes, that’s it! It was there all along. You have to have the right raw ingredients before you even start.

Dr. Scott could see Mary’s face dawning with realization. “Something’s coming to you, isn’t it?” he said with a grin.

“It’s all about the raw ingredients. If I want to find the right twenty people for the job, I have to know what raw ingredients I’ll need. Otherwise, I may pick people without those ingredients and they’ll be flawed at best.”

Dr. Scott smiled with approval. “I always said you were one of the smart ones. You are absolutely right. It’s all about starting with the right materials. You have to identify the right traits your potential applicants should have. So, the next step… how are you going to do that?”

Mary thought for a moment. “I’ll need to make a list of all the traits the perfect person would have for the job.”

“And what else?”

“What else? Isn’t that it?”

“You did say there would be a training program, right?”

“Yes,” she confirmed.

“What will you teach in that program?”

“Oh, I get it. I need a list of traits or skills that will not be taught in the training. Sort of the… uhh… ‘non-teachable’ traits.” Mary thought further. “I know. I’ll make a complete list of traits and break them down into two lists, non-teachable and teachable. Then I’ll know first, what I’m looking for and second, what we’ll be training.

“Dr. Scott, I must apologize. I take back all the mean thoughts I’ve had about you since last night. This is great. I feel so much better about this.”

“One more thing,” Dr. Scott added. “After you make your list of traits, draw up a list of questions for the interview that will help you identify if the applicant has those traits. You have to have some means to truly find out if your applicants have what you want. If you need, you can email your list of traits and questions to me for review. Maybe that will make up for the little deception you feel I played on you,” he added with a slight grin.

Lunch was served and Mary spent her meal making mental notes of how to get her staff to brainstorm a list of teachable and non-teachable traits. Mary was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t notice that Dr. Scott had already paid the bill and was ready to leave.

“Have fun Wednesday night,” Dr. Scott said as he departed. Do you want to meet again Thursday?”

Mary was so excited about her new discovery she had forgotten about the next pottery class. “Sure, I’d love to meet Thursday. But this time I’m paying.”

“Deal.”

Mary felt like skipping back to her office. The rest of the day she and her staff interviewed the current sales reps trying to identify all of the traits necessary to be successful in that position. By the end of the day Wednesday, they had their list, and Mary had the start of her plan.

Here is what people are saying about the book…

“Phil, Just finished reading your book, and I loved it! Perfect length. Easy to follow. Beautifully written. Seriously, pulling off dialogue like that is incredibly difficult to do, and it deepens one’s understanding and appreciation for the lessons you taught. The topology between hiring and pottery was spot on. I’ve done a poor job of hiring employees in the past, and really wish I had this step-by-step process when I owned my retail business years ago. I especially like the tip about giving new employees a safe place to practice their new skills. How true!” Tom Wanek – Marketing Beyond Advertising

“Just finished your book and loved it. A very easy read with a format that will be helpful to many small business owners as it follows a story line with a company in need of hiring fast and hiring right. You take it one step further though and stress the importance of integrating the new employees correctly. I especially love your tying the job to specifics found in the job description and by interviewing the hiring manager to formulate interview questions as well as your stressing having a set process to follow when hiring since all of us HR types understand the importance of following a consistent process too.” Karla Dobbeck, PHR – President, Human Resource Techniques, Inc.

Get your copy of the book today!

-Phil

I admire Doug Fleener. I follow his blog. I get his daily email full of great advice for retailers.

Recently he sent an email about hiring seasonal employees. I’ll recap some of his main tips here:

• Hire a Specialist – someone just to do one task rather than a jack of all trades – much easier to train
• Hire a Customer – she already knows your business to some degree
• Don’t Compromise Your Standards – a poor employee does more harm than no employee
• Recruit Former Employees – some of your good people have moved on, but might have a few hours to give you around the holidays

To that I would add one important point…

Hire Personality, not Experience
Experience does not necessarily mean “good with people”. And experience at a national chain is not the kind of experience you want, anyway. Unless that experience is specifically with your store, experience may be as much a hindrance as a help. You can expend more energy untraining than you do training.

When you hire someone who is truly friendly, caring and helpful, they will learn your way of doing things more quickly. They will treat your customers the right way. They will treat their co-workers better. They will find solutions. In short, even when they don’t know exactly what to do, they will do it in a way that makes the customer happy. An occasional incompetence is a lot easier to swallow when a friendly, engaging person makes a mistake, a lot harder when done by someone with an attitude of indifference.

Everyone wants their seasonal staff to perform at the same level as their full-timers. Your best chance starts with hiring the right personality for the job. Everything else you can teach.

-Phil

For more tips on hiring and training get the book that one MBA and HR professional said,

“It is frankly one of the better business books I have read (and I have read quite a number!)”

Hiring and the Potter’s Wheel: Turning Your Staff Into a Work of Art

Another excerpt from the book “Hiring and the Potter’s Wheel: Turning Your Staff Into a Work of Art”… Read previous excerpts here and here.

Chapter 2 The Lunch
“Just as our eyes need light in order to see, our minds need ideas in order to conceive.” – Napoleon Hill

Thursday arrived and Mary breezed into work. But even then, the minutes ticked off slowly as Mary anticipated her luncheon meeting. Finally, at 11:30, Mary grabbed her coat and headed out the door. It was only three blocks from her office to the deli. With the sun shining, Mary walked briskly down the street, her enthusiasm putting a bounce in each step. As Mary grabbed the door handle, she noticed Dr. Scott a half block away. Mary waited.

“Thank you so much for meeting me. I am so grateful,” Mary blurted out.

“Oh no, the pleasure is all mine,” Dr. Scott responded with a grin as they entered the deli. “Shall we sit?”

Dr. Scott led her to a table near the back where it would be quiet enough to talk. A waitress took their drink order as Mary stared at her former professor, not sure where to begin. This was a different side of him that Mary had not seen as a student. Dr. Scott motioned to the menus tucked away between the salt & pepper shakers. “Order first, then we’ll talk. If we don’t order now, we’ll get hammered by the rush.”

As Mary scanned the menu, she could see the tables beginning to fill up. They both ordered quickly, and settled in to wait for their meals.

“As I recall,” Dr. Scott started, “you were always one with an open mind. No matter how many times I challenged you to do better, you did. So it was funny you would call the day you did. I was opening my mail when the phone rang and had just received an invitation to the best human resources training program ever. It’s in the evenings, right during my HR308 class. Believe me, this program would be perfect for you. It meets twice a week at the downtown YMCA and runs for five weeks.

“I know, I know, before you protest about not having time, trust me. You’ll be able to start applying the lessons immediately. And anyway, it’s too late to worry about all that. I’ve already signed you up. Here’s the brochure.”

Dr. Scott slid a simple tri-fold brochure, black ink on white paper, over to Mary.

Mary was confused. “The ‘best human resources training program’ came on a simple black and white brochure in a class down at the Y?” Mary thought to herself. Mary took the brochure from Dr. Scott and read the front of the flyer. Now Mary was even more confused.
“Pottery?! Dr. Scott, this must be a mistake. I think you’ve given me the wrong brochure,” Mary said indignantly.

Dr. Scott pulled back the brochure, peered at it though his bifocals. “No, it’s the right one,” he replied as he slid it back across the table. “Trust me, Mary. Use that wonderfully open mind of yours. The class starts this Monday and you’re signed up. But I’ll tell you what. Go to that first class Monday night, and I’ll meet you here Tuesday for lunch. If you haven’t learned anything new, we’ll figure out something else. You have my word on it.”

Before Mary could respond, the waitress brought their food. And Mary could tell by the way Dr. Scott dug into his ham & Swiss that further discussion was out of the question.

As Mary walked back to the office, she grappled with the idea of how taking a pottery class could teach her to find, hire and train twenty great sales reps. No answers came and even the sunshine could not force its way into her furrowed brow. “Pottery?” she continued to question.

Here are more testimonials for the book…

“What a wonderful book! I will certainly be recommending it to a few people. I like the analogy used with the pottery class in the story to develop a step-by-step best practice for finding, interviewing, hiring and training new employees. The story really made for a quick, relaxing read but with a remarkable number of “take-aways” to apply back on the job. It is, frankly, one of the better business books I have read (and I have read quite a number!) because in a short time you walk away with tips to use immediately.” – Gina Abudi, MBA – Partner/VP Strategic Solutions

“Phil, Your book was excellent. I really liked the digestible size. That’s perfect for managers who don’t have the patience to trudge through a lengthy dissertation. They could basically read it during a lunch break. The story was very engaging and fun. It kept my attention throughout. I loved the short chapters and the quotes, they really spoke to me. One of my favorites was “Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.” That is so true, and I wish more managers understood that. There’s so much focus on quality and checklists and process to get things right, but if you gave someone something they’d be excited to do, then they’ll do the best they can. Thanks for creating and sharing your own work of art. This will be an excellent resource.” -Rex Williams – Grootship

Buy your copy of the book here and transform your staff into the masterpiece you want them to be.

-Phil

Here is another excerpt from my new book. You can buy it here.

Chapter 6 Lesson #2 Wedging
“The first problem for all of us, men and women, is not to learn, but to unlearn.” – Gloria Steinem

Mary was ready when Dr. Scott entered the deli.

“So, what did you learn last night?”

“I learned that even if you have the right raw ingredients, you can still make two mistakes that will keep your pottery from turning out right. First, you have to select the right amount. Too much and you can’t work with it, too little and you can’t get anything done.

“The same is true about hiring new people. If we hire too many people they won’t have enough to do. They’ll get bored, complacent or lazy. Too few and we run the risk of burning them out by overwhelming them with too much to do, or worse yet, they can’t get the job done.

“I thought about this last night, and I think the company was right in choosing twenty. Based on the vision they have laid out, twenty should be perfect.”

“And what about the second lesson?” Dr. Scott asked.

“That was the fun part. We wedged our clay bodies by slamming them against the table. I still ache from that,” Mary said rubbing her arms.

“So are you saying you need to slam your trainees?” Dr. Scott queried.

“No, not slam them. But we do need to make sure we get all the impurities out, all of the air bubbles in their previous trainings. I guess I was thinking of the air bubbles as being bad habits they may have picked up, or even ways they were trained to do things that are different from our ways. We have to get rid of their bad habits before they crack,” Mary added with a smile.

Dr. Scott chuckled.

Mary continued, “It really comes down to setting the right expectations from the start. I know that the training program has to be clearly defined. In fact, I’m going to be working on the training manual this weekend to make sure our new vision is distinctly outlined.”

As they continued to talk and eat, Dr. Scott said, “I think you’re getting a handle on this. I’d love to keep meeting with you, but I’ve got a conference next week. Would you like to meet the week after that on Tuesday or Thursday?”

“Thursday’s fine. I’ve got plenty to do until then. Oh, Dr. Scott, thank you again. You’ve been such a big help.”

Transform your staff into a work of art. Buy a copy of the book today.

-Phil

Here is an excerpt from my new book, “Hiring and the Potter’s Wheel: Turning Your Staff Into a Work of Art”

Flipping through her Rolodex, Mary knew she needed help. And there it was. Dr. Scott, of all people, her least favorite professor. Mary could still picture Dr. Scott peering over his wire-rim reading glasses as he handed back her assignments each time saying his catch phrase, “You can do better.” Although hard on every student, Dr. Scott had been especially tough on Mary. No matter how much effort she put into her work, Dr. Scott would still say, “You can do better.” The students often laughed that he should tattoo the phrase on his forehead and save his breath. Yet, each time he said it, Mary became more resolved to show him improvement. The more he pushed her, the more she did. Mary always felt that Dr. Scott disliked her immensely. She couldn’t have been more surprised on graduation day when he told her how proud he was of what she had accomplished – first in her class, Summa Cum Laude. Beaming like a proud father, he handed her his business card saying, “I push hardest on those I believe have the most potential. You certainly lived up to my expectations. Call me if you ever need help.”

Mary laughed at the memory, thinking at the time that this was one card she’d be glad to toss. But she found a pocket beneath her graduation gown and tucked it away. When she bought her first Rolodex, somehow his card found its way in.

Now she looked at the card. Should she call? Mary feared that all he would say was, “You can do better,” and she had no response. Doubts and fears battled across her mind.

She was muddled on what to do. Mary glanced at the memo staring back at her. Twenty great sales reps in three months. She had to find them, hire them, and train them with no room for error.

Mary picked up the phone and dialed. “He’s probably not even there,” she thought.

To her surprise, Dr. Scott picked up on the third ring…

Would you like an easy-to-follow method that takes your hiring and training to a new level? The book is an enjoyable read and will produce results for you immediately.

Here are a couple testimonials from the first batch of books sold…

I just read the book last night, cover to cover–I loved it! As a store owner, I thought the information was invaluable. I struggle with the correct steps to take in hiring and training new staff. The steps laid out in this book are so easy to follow…common sense really. The story was one that you didn’t want to put …down. Following the process of someone learning pottery, was a beautiful way of describing just how we are to create a “work of art” staff. Thanks Phil!

-Julie Wells, Imagination Station, Franklin, IN

I just received Phil’s book yesterday. If you didn’t purchase it at market you should order it. It is a easy read and worth the money if you struggle with hiring good employees. Phil, great job on the book, I started it this morning and didn’t want to put it down.

-Connie Hoeft, CR Toys, Kearney, NB

Buy it today right here. Happy hiring!

-Phil