School's out, and kids are on vacation. The school buses aren't running. Moms are at work or in the home and not waiting at the bus stop for "big yellow." Wipers aren't wiping, wheels aren't turning, and the driver is not saying, "Move on back." Since school is out, kids aren't hearing the school bells. However, with kids around or at camp, dads and moms are at work, metaphorically "loading the bus" every day. The corporate bus is loaded with matters of business, and it's important who is put on the bus. And it's just as important where you place the people on the bus.
Business
It is essential for a company to hire those who have the talents they need. The questions asked in the recruitment visit and on the HR forms -- and the totality of all answers given -- are important in assembling a team. Lots of resumes are sent to me for various reasons. It's a matter of helping people more than anything else. Industry veterans who know me frequently ask my opinion about leaving their employers and what their chances may be of getting on with another firm. My opinions are cheap -- no fees, just advice regarding timing, location, interest and industry movement. Recently, a person with about 10 total years' experience asked me to review and edit his resume. What I discovered was the guy had an "I" disease. Every sentence in the paragraph labeled "objective" started with an "I." My advice was to eliminate the "I" disease and position the resume without seeming obnoxious and egocentric.
Customer's view
Before a big project, customers often ask to see the contractor's resumes of potential project participants. The client then requests the "A" team, and the contractor may reply that all their employees are "A" players. Not so, in my opinion. I have worked for multiple employers during my long career, and I've seen the good, the bad and the unwanted. Somehow, many of the benches were loaded with the unwanted. Just like an athletic team, no employer can have all the best players! There has to be some "B," "C" and "D" players, as the law of averages dictates. What happens is the marginal players will be supported by team superiors. Project managers are supposed to be the best in class, but they alone can't do all the work needed to complete a project successfully. So, in support of the best in class, there are some average players filling roles as needed.
Sales team
Let me share a lesson I learned while rehearsing for a sales presentation. All the department heads were getting their Powerpoint™ presentations and notes ready for the big dog-and-pony show. Each was a heavily experienced veteran of engineering and construction services. The lesson I learned that day has stayed with me for many years: The most knowledgeable person may not be the best presenter. Around the table sat the company Einsteins, each with credible education and experience; many had patents and written papers with industry impact. However, one of the most experienced was not a good public speaker. He had no disabilities; he was just not a gifted speaker. After the rehearsal, the least experienced person in the group made a great suggestion: Let the best speaker be the presenter and the technically talented sit in the back of the room as a resource in case the speaker needed help. Guess what? It worked. The customer gave the company a long-term contract for engineering/construction services. From that meager suggestion came a corporate lesson not easily forgotten.
The wheels on the bus
Soon, the wheels on the bus will roll again for the kids. In the meantime, employers are placing employees on their own buses to provide needed services for customers. Not only are the bus riders important, but their positions on the bus are also important. All cannot be "A" players; no company has that. But supporting each other through the good, the bad and the difficult can make an average team a superior team. Minimizing quality, schedule and safety issues moves the riders from average to world-class. So, how do you make a world-class team? You must develop them, because there are fewer people waiting at the corporate bus stop today.
For more information, contact HASC by visiting www.hasc.com.
