| Hiring happy, optimistic job applicants
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| | For example, the interviewer could ask,
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| can increase your company's productivity
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| | "Tell me about the two worst situations
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| and lower turnover. Plus, optimistic,
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| | you got into in your last job." Then,
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| confident employees are vastly more
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| | the interviewer needs to observe if the
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| delightful to have on-board.
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| | job applicant answers like an optimist or
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| Methods to help companies have
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| | a pessimist.
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| optimistic, positive employees include
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| | LEADERS MUST BE ROLE MODELS OF OPTIMISTIC
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| pre-employment tests, job interviews of
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| | ACTIONS
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| applicants, managing being role-models,
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| | Ralph Waldo Emerson wisely observed,
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| and reinforcing smiles.
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| | "What you do speaks so loudly that I
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| What are happy, optimistic employees? In
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| | cannot hear what you say." This quote
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| a book I co-authored - "Spontaneous
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| | illustrates why leaders, executives and
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| OptimismÂ(R)" -- we explained optimistic
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| | managers must be employees' role models
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| people focus on solutions and not on
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| | for optimistic and upbeat behavior.
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| problems, have a "can-do" mindset, and do
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| | Every leader can be a fabulous role model
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| what is needed to achieve goals despite
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| | simply by focusing non-stop on
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| all odds.
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| | 1. Goals - measurable goals with
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| In contrast, the opposite of optimism is
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| | deadlines that help the company grow and
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| pessimism. Pessimists focus on problems
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| | prosper
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| and not on solutions. Pessimistic people
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| | 2. Solutions - every time a problem
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| love to do three actions: Complain,
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| | arises, instantly focus on implementing
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| blame, and whine..
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| | solutions
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| PRE-EMPLOYMENT TESTS HELP YOU HIRE HAPPY
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| | Also, the leader or manager must not
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| EMPLOYEES
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| | allow employees to act pessimistic by
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| The quickest, easiest and cheapest way to
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| | whining, moaning, and complaining. When
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| have happy employees is to hire human
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| | an employee complains or whines, the
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| beings who are optimistic and upbeat.
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| | optimistic leader simply needs to say, "I
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| The most objective and customizable
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| | can tell that bothers you. Now, please
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| method to assess job applicants is
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| | tell me your possible solution to
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| pre-employment testing. When a company
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| | overcome the problem." Insist the
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| tells me it wants to hire better
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| | employee conjure up solutions, and not
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| employees, we start by customizing
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| | wallow in moaning about problems.
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| pre-employment tests. How? We conduct a
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| | LEADERS NEED TO REINFORCE SMILING
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| "benchmarking study" by testing current
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| | Eye-opening research revealed the more an
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| employees in each job. From this, we
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| | employee smiles, the happier the
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| discover test scores of the company's
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| | customer. Harvard Business Review (5/07,
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| high-achieving "superstars" - that is,
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| | page 24, reported Patricia Barger of
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| employees who are both highly productive
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| | Bowling Green State U. and Alicia Grandey
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| and low turnover.
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| | of Penn State U. studied employees and
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| Valuable finding: Almost invariably,
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| | customers in a coffee shop. They found
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| high-achievers score above-average or
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| | the more an employee smiled, the more the
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| high on two scales of the pre-employment
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| | employee's customers felt happy with
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| test:
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| | their coffee shop experience.
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| 1. Optimism test scale
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| | Leaders and managers can apply the same
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| 2. Reactions to Pressure test scale
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| | actions in any company. The leader needs
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| In contrast, underachievers in the same
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| | to smile, reinforce smiling by employees,
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| jobs in the same companies usually score
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| | and hire employees who readily smile.
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| (a) low on Optimism (i.e., they score
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| | This gels to create a positive, happy
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| pessimistic) and (b) low on Reaction to
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| | corporate culture.
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| Pressure (i.e., they score like whiners).
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| | 3 KEYS TO HIRE HAPPY EMPLOYEES
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| For example, one company recently did a
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| | Managers and leaders are smart to create
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| "benchmarking study" for hiring employees
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| | an optimistic, upbeat workplace. My
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| into seven jobs. On the pre-employment
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| | pre-employment testing research reveals
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| test, "superstar" employees in all seven
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| | high-achieving "superstar" employees
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| jobs scored high on both (1) Optimism
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| | overwhelmingly are optimistic and poised
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| scale and (2) Reactions to Pressure
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| | under pressure. To create a workforce of
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| scale. Note: Although these seven jobs
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| | happy, positive employees, leaders and
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| covered a wide range of skill-levels and
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| | managers can do the following:
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| abilities, pre-employment test scores
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| | 1. Hire optimistic, upbeat job
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| showed high-achievers in all jobs exuded
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| | applicants - predicted by pre-employment
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| an optimistic, 'can-do' personality.
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| | tests and interviews
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| KEY JOB INTERVIEW QUESTIONS ASSESS
| |
| | 2. Be a role model - always displaying
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| OPTIMISM
| |
| | optimists' actions
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| A second method to assess a job applicant
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| | 3. Reinforce employees' optimistic
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| is job interviews. Unfortunately,
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| | actions - e.g., focusing on solutions and
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| interviews prove quite subjective, and
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| | smiling
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| managers generally do lousy at predicting
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| | By leaders using these three keys, the
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| job success based on interviews.
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| | result is a company composed of
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| Question: What should managers do to
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| | optimistic, 'can-do' employees who are
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| assess a job applicant's optimism?
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| | A. Highly productive
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| Answer: Ask open-ended questions about
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| | B. Low turnover
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| confronting problems. Then, notice if
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| | C. A pleasure to work with
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| the applicant (a) focuses on solutions -
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| | D. Highly profitable
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| like an optimist or (b) wallows about
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| | © Copyright 2007 Michael Mercer, Ph.D.
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| problems - like a pessimist.
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| |
|
