Author Archives: Larry Janis

Thriving at work in the post-pandemic world

 

 

by Darren Overfield and Wanda T. Wallace

Leaders can take four steps to show employees how valued they are and ease the trauma of COVID-19.

Let’s call the past two years what they have been: a collective trauma. We haven’t always labeled it as such because we tend to think of trauma as a horrendous experience, like war or a physical attack, that happens to a discrete set of people. However, in organizations across every industry, the impact of the last two years has a lot in common with what would widely be considered traumatic events.

In our work as consultants in the workplace, and in the academic research on the topic, we see people exhibiting a decreased capacity to deal with emotions (their own and others’), increased displays of anger, higher rates of anxiety and depression, difficulty concentrating, and memory problems. We believe one of the key drivers of the “great resignation” is the trauma we have been through. So how can leaders and managers help people reduce anxiety and regain balance and energy?

Moving forward after any trauma depends in large part on both feeling heard and sharing common experiences. We know that these two workplace conditions are essential for employees to feel engaged and do their best work. According to a May 2021 study by Glint, a company that creates employee engagement platforms, the top two drivers of a work culture in which employees are happy, satisfied, and engaged are (1) an opportunity to learn and grow and (2) a sense of belonging. Researchers reached these conclusions after analyzing millions of responses from 629 companies on Glint’s platforms and studying more than 275,000 job postings from 375 organizations on LinkedIn. (more…)

WHAT IS TOP TALENT AND HOW IS THAT IDENTIFIED?

 

 

As a part of our talent acquisition engagements, we ask our clients how they define “top talent” and how they would assess those traits in the interview process. Reflecting on the insightful comments we hear every day, we thought there would be great value in a new blog in which senior executives/thought leaders share their “Take on Talent.”

This is the thirty-second in a series of blogs/interviews with senior executives who are thought leaders in the areas of Talent Acquisition, Career Development and Leadership who will share their perspectives on this ever-present question.

 

Matt Milton is the President for the US at Kyndryl, leading the talented team of thousands of experts across the United States who are helping the world’s leading organizations build strong, secure, resilient and adaptive digital capabilities.

Matt has spent 20 years in the IT services industry, including managing large, multi-billion-dollar global businesses. Previously, Matt served as General Manager, Financial Services Market for IBM Global Technology Services, North America, where he partnered with customers in the financial services industry to leverage data, cloud, cognitive and security to modernize and run their most critical infrastructure.

Matt was also the General Manager for the Communications market in North America for IBM Global Technology Services, and prior to that spent six years in Europe where he had several roles, including the Managing Director of IBM’s partnership with EVRY and General Manager, Global Technology Services, Nordics.

Matt joined IBM in 2002 after earning his Bachelors of Economics from the University of Western Ontario.

 

Please share with us the top five characteristics (in priority order, first to fifth) of the most talented people you have encountered during your career, and your definition of each.  

       

  • Restless: they are never-done. They want to find the next discovery, the next best way, the next advancement. They thirst for growth and enjoy the discomfort that comes with change. These are the people who power progress. They push technology, science, professions, industries, society — and the world — forward.
  • Endlessly curious: the most talented people I’ve ever met don’t delegate understanding. They constantly seek out knowledge and are on a continual adventure of discovery. They are vivacious readers and seem to always have an inside track to all current events, regardless of industry, pop-culture, scientific breakthroughs, and more.
  • Authentically empathetic: literally putting themselves in the shoes of their customers, their employees, their partners, their peers, and their team — these are those unique humans who are in it for the success of others, and feel joy and pain based on the highs and lows of others. In return, they build tremendous trust with those who are fortunate enough to know them.
  • Pure grit: they don’t just do the hard work, they crave it. They seek it out. This is usually at the heart of their exceptionalism.  They recognize progress is not linear and are resilient in the face of the setbacks they will inevitably face. They believe deep down that there is a solution to every problem.  They don’t see roadblocks; they only see speed bumps and they drive around those speed bumps or find a way over.

 

How do you communicate these characteristics to your HR and senior management team?

Communication is certainly important, but character and culture are much more about behaviors and actions. I have the great privilege of being part of a company that is both in its early days and simultaneously well-established with more than 4,000 customers — some of the world’s most influential companies — around the globe.

We earn the right to do this through our daily actions. The characteristics I described are those we know we must exhibit every day to earn the right to be the partner of choice for our customers.

I work diligently to live these characteristics and lead by example. We are in the middle of a major hiring effort and these characteristics are the barometer I use for who we bring into our company and leadership team as we fill hundreds of open roles and seek out new talent.

 

How do you handle challenges to the existing culture by talent you have brought in?

We are building a culture that is restless, empathetic, and devoted to the success of others.  As we bring in new talent through all levels of our business there will be natural challenges to our existing culture. We aim to be open, transparent, and empathetic creating an environment where people feel comfortable bringing their true self to work and pushing every day to get better.  Issues and challenges are raised and discussed, and I believe our culture is enhanced by that. In fact, the new talent we are bringing into Kyndryl is challenging us to move faster in our transformation.

 

Make the “new manager bounce” work for you

 

 

by Ben Lyttleton

Turning around the fortunes of a soccer team requires a special combination of skills. Leaders of all kinds could benefit from studying them.

When an organization’s performance starts to decline, at least one if not three things need to change: strategy, culture, and talent. In soccer, the go-to method to stop a run of bad results is a change at the top. The expectation is that the appointment of a new manager to coach the team will strengthen strategy, improve culture, and upgrade talent.

That’s a big ask for one person. But in the current English Premier League season, which started in August 2021, eight of the managers in the 20-team league have already been replaced, close to a 50% turnover at the top. Five went in October alone. And this pattern of firing and hiring persists even though research suggests that there is only a brief “new manager bounce” before results return to what they’d been.

“The new manager doesn’t usually cause the swing,” write Simon Kuper and Professor Stefan Szymanski in their best-selling book Soccernomics. “He’s just its beneficiary.” Poor results can happen because of bad luck, a tough schedule, more injuries than usual, or other factors beyond the manager’s control.

So why do team owners continue to bring in new managers? Some recent arrivals can change strategy for the better in the long run; others can improve the culture. And given the right budget, incoming managers also usually have an eye on what talent the team is missing. Rarely can one person do all three.

Here are a few lessons on managerial succession from the English Premier League that might also ring true in the C-suite. (more…)

How introverts can prepare emotionally for offices reopening

 

 

BY HARVEY DEUTSCHENDORF

After two years of working remotely, going back to in-person work can be rough. Here’s how to ease the transition.

With COVID-19 infection rates stabilized or declining around the country, we may be returning to a world that more closely resembles life pre-March 2020. This likely brings feelings of relief, excitement, and hope to many—especially extroverts who may have struggled by not being able to take part in their usual social activities.

But for many introverts, this public reengagement may cause some anxiety and trepidation. Despite the many challenges of the pandemic, some people did experience an upside to quarantining, especially the respite it provided from dealing with taxing social situations, meetings, and noisy gatherings. For these individuals, working remotely provided a time of self-reflection and perhaps even allowed more time for meaningful activities.

There is a misconception that introverts are cold, shy, and socially awkward. That’s just not true. Introverts often do enjoy being around people but prefer small groups of people they are close to, rather than large crowds. The difference between extroverts and introverts is how they regenerate their energy. Extroverts regenerate from being around people and social events. Introverts need alone time, as they find themselves drained by being around a lot of people. (more…)

Interview questions you should be asking if the job is remote

 

 

BY GREG KRATZ—FLEXJOB

Asking remote-specific questions will help you figure out if they are the right remote employee for your team.

Contrary to belief, remote work isn’t all pajamas and coffee shops. Working remotely means working, which means getting the job done and being productive all day, every workday.

As a remote-friendly employer, you know this. However, applicants may apply for the job because it’s remote, not because it’s the right job for them. Even with the right skills and experiences, not every candidate is cut out for the remote work life. So, here are interview questions to ask potential remote workers.

QUESTIONS TO ASK REMOTE WORKERS DURING INTERVIEWS

1. Have you ever worked remotely? What were some of the challenges you faced?

Some candidates are attracted to the idea of working from home but don’t understand the reality of it. For example, first-time remote workers might be shocked by the transition. If the answer is, “Never,” follow up with, “Why do you want to work remotely?

When the candidate has worked remotely, even if it was only once in a blue moon, follow-up with, “What were some of the challenges you faced when you worked remotely?’” As a remote employer, you know that remote work isn’t as rosy as the stock photos make it seem. Someone who has worked remotely before probably knows this. More importantly, they should know what the challenges of remote work are and have strategies in place for tackling them.

Conversely, if the candidate says there were no challenges, you can bet that they aren’t being honest or didn’t work remotely enough to face the challenges that come with remote work.

2. Why do you want to work from home?

This may seem like a strange question to ask, but it’s important to understand a person’s motivation for seeking remote work. If people want to be home to care for aging parents or children, it may affect the hours they can keep or the distractions they face. That won’t necessarily disqualify them, but it is something to explore during the interview.

It also gives you insight into who they are as an employee. For example, if someone talks about how they are more productive working from home, or they like the idea of working without geographical limitations, they are framing their answer in a way that talks about the professional advantages of remote work. This helps demonstrate that they are career-oriented and (hopefully) a loyal and stellar employee.

On the other hand, if the candidate talks about how they want to work in their pajamas or that they don’t like having a boss breathing down their neck, they’ve framed the answer in a more personal way. There’s nothing wrong with personal reasons for pursuing remote work. However, answers like these indicate that a candidate is more motivated by personal gain than professional growth. This, in turn, could be a warning sign that this candidate will not be a great addition to your team.

3. Have you worked with a distributed team? How did it go? (Or how will you deal with the challenges?)

When you work in an office, you can usually get the answer you need when you need it. Simply pop into a coworker’s or supervisor’s office and ask your question. If that person is in a meeting, no big deal. Swing by later and get the answer then.

When the team is remote, though, it’s not so easy to get an answer when you need it. Not only is there no “office” to pop into, not everyone works the same hours. When the team is distributed across as many as 24 time zones, it may be a full working day before a question is answered.

New remote workers may be in for a shock when they find out their supervisor is 12 time zones away, and they can’t always get the answer they need when they need it. Ask how they plan on dealing with that. How will they get the answers they need? What if it’s an emergency? Finding out how they will deal with the situation will give you insight into their problem-solving and answer-seeking skills.

And, if they have some experience working with a distributed team (even if the applicant has never worked remotely), ask how they handled the inevitable issues that arise. How did they get their questions answered? Did they sit back and wait for an answer? Or did they actively pursue the answer? Were they persistent without being obnoxious? There are right and wrong ways to communicate with a distributed team, and how an applicant pursued the answer will help you determine if that person understands the difference.

4. Where Do You Prefer to Work?

Ask how and where the candidate plans on working. If they already work from home, ask about their home office setup. Does the candidate already have everything a remote worker needs to be productive? Is it someplace that is relatively free of distractions? Ask what the home office setup is like and, if possible, conduct a video interview and encourage the candidate to participate from that home office. Reiterate any home-office requirements like a wired internet connection, a private area for calls, or anything else you specified in the job posting.

Keep in mind, though, that not everyone works best in a traditional office set up — some people like the couch, the backyard, or the public library. Ask about the technology they have access to and how they have access to it. If they like working from the coffee shop, do they have a way to connect to your office server privately? Or, are they relying on a public internet connection? Not having a “home office” should not disqualify someone from the job. However, understanding how and where an applicant works best helps you understand them as a potential employee.

And, if this is a first-time remote worker or a hybrid position that’s both in-office and work-at-home, the candidate may not yet have a home office setup. Ask the candidate what their office setup plans are, or if they plan on heading to a coffee shop or coworking space. For a hybrid position, ask if the candidate is going to invest in a home office, or use the kitchen table. Asking the questions now will help you see if the candidate has thought through all of the particulars of remote work.

5. How Would You Rate Your Tech Skills?

No matter what kind of hardware and software you provide employees, they have to be comfortable using it and troubleshooting it on their own. As a remote team, your staff won’t have easy access to tech support, so what happens when their computer crashes or the virtual meeting won’t work?

If they talk about how they hate dealing with new technology or can’t stand updating their computer, dig into this a little more. If someone wants to work remotely but can’t—or won’t—deal with the inevitable tech hiccups that will come their way, they could lose hours of productivity while they wait for technical support. Not every tech problem can be solved by an employee, but they should have some comfort with handling the easier tech problems that will occur.

6. How do you plan on communicating with a remote team?

The thing about working remotely is that you never bump into your coworkers for a random conversation in the break room. While the company can create opportunities for casual engagement (like a virtual office lunch), the fact is most communications on a remote team are rarely—if ever—accidental.

Ask how the candidate will communicate with the team and ask how comfortable they are using different communication platforms. Do they stick only with email? If so, why? What about using virtual meeting spaces to communicate in real-time? How about chat rooms?

Remote employees should be comfortable using a wide range of communication platforms. Email is great for some types of communication, but not others. Chat rooms are great for collaborative projects, but maybe not so much for personal ones. Asking what communication platforms they use and why they use them will help you better understand how they communicate and collaborate with their team.

7. How do you stay focused on your tasks?

Distractions are a fact of life for any worker, but they’re different for remote employees than the ones people face in an office setting. That might be a noisy roommate, getting distracted by news alerts, or even living on a busy street.

Asking candidates how they stay focused on tasks now (no matter where they work), will give you some insight into how they might face distractions as a remote employee. By starting with the broad question, you’ll be able to hone in on a more remote-specific follow-up question.

For example, if the candidate says, “In the office, I use noise-canceling headphones to block out noisy coworkers,” you can follow up with, “Will you face that same distraction when you work remotely? Do you think the same strategy will work, or will you need to do something different?”

Follow-up questions that focus on remote-specific distractions will help you learn more about the candidate’s work environment. And it will also help you see if the candidate has thought about (and can deal with) the unique distractions remote workers encounter.

8. What challenges do you think you’ll face working remotely, and how will you deal with them?

People that haven’t worked remotely before haven’t experienced the unique challenges of remote work. If all someone can come up with is, “Which pair of fuzzy slippers to wear,” then they haven’t thought through all of the potential problems that can crop up when you work remotely.

New remote workers should have something a little more realistic. “I’m worried about feeling isolated, but I’m going to join a sculpting class,” tells you that the person has identified the problem and has a plan in place for dealing with it. This also shows that the person is a forward thinker and anticipates and heads off problems before they spiral out of control.

9. What do you like and what do you dislike about working in an office?

One often overlooked but important aspect of remote work is that some people need the office atmosphere and the presence of colleagues to do their best work. Unfortunately, not everyone thinks about this before transitioning to remote work.

Explain to the candidate that while working remotely doesn’t mean you’ll never socialize with your coworkers, it does mean they will socialize differently. Instead of having lunch together, they might have a virtual lunch over video. Or, instead of hanging out by the coffee machine, they’ll hang out in Slack instead. Ask how the applicant feels about his, or if they have any experience with virtual hangouts.

And, be on the lookout for red flags. For example, if a candidate says that they love the company’s team-building opportunities, or their favorite activity is the 10 AM coffee cart, dig a little deeper and see why the candidate is interested in remote work. You may find that they never thought about the lack of face-to-face socialization and may discover that remote work isn’t right for them.

10. What’s the most challenging project you ever designed and executed?

Working remotely requires employees to be very self-motivated. Without a manager nearby (or breezing past their desk), it’s easy for people to get distracted or lose their drive. The answer will speak to the candidate’s motivation and ability to get the job done when there’s nothing else motivating them—except themselves.

11. Tell me about a risk you took and failed. What did you learn?

Adding a new team member to any kind of team requires an adjustment from everyone. However, it’s the new hire that will adjust the most. As the newest team member, applicants have to be flexible, open to suggestions, willing to experiment and try new things, and learn from their mistakes.

Asking for an example will give you some insight into how the candidate operates. Do they have one way and only one way of doing things? Do they learn and grow from their mistakes? Are they willing to admit they made a mistake? These answers will help you determine whether or not they are truly flexible and can mesh well with your existing team.

12. How do you switch off from work?

No matter where you work, working remotely can sometimes blur the line between work life and personal life. When your office is five feet from your family room, it’s hard to ignore that unfinished project that will only take “just a few minutes” to complete.

Ask how applicants plan to manage their days, take appropriate breaks, and stop working when it’s quitting time. Just as you need them to focus on tasks during their work hours, you also need them to have balanced lives if you want to avoid burnout.

Understanding how they switch out of work mode will help you better understand how they will do it when they are working for you. Whatever it is, try to find out what they do now that can help them “turn off” when they make the switch to a fully remote employee.

THE RIGHT QUESTIONS

Asking the right questions of any applicant gives you insight into who they are as an employee. Hiring remote employees is no different. But asking remote-specific questions will help you figure out if they are the right remote employee for your team.

Source: Fast Company