CEO Success Report -
February 2003
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CEO Success Report
- February 2003
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Increasing the Effectiveness and Enhancing the Lives of CEOs and business
owners.
Contents of this issue...
.. Welcome - A few words from the publisher, Gary Lockwood
.. Thought-Starter - "Take a Hike!"
.. Guest article - "Find and Keep Good Employees"
.. CEO Resources
.. Quotes to use in your staff meeting this month
.. Humor to lighten up the executive suite
.. Contact the publisher
.. Subscribe and unsubscribe instructions
See past issues of the CEO Success Report at:
http://www.CEOSuccess.com/archives
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WELCOME to this issue of the CEO Success Report!
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Hello again. I'm Gary Lockwood, President of CEO Success.
Welcome back once again to the CEO Success. I know you have
no shortage of material to read and I thank you for choosing to read our
newsletter.
We work hard to provide practical ideas, thought-provoking concepts and useful
information for you.
You (and about 1000 of your CEO peers), have honored me by being a loyal
subscriber. For that, I appreciate you.
When we think of secrets of business success, we generally include things like
vision, perseverance, creativity, and so on. I want you to add physical health
to the list. You can increase your well-being, jump-start your days, boost your
confidence, turbocharge your creativity, and knock down stress by exercising
consistently. My "thought-starter" in today's issue is to
encourage you to exercise regularly. It's good for business (and for you).
May I ask a small favor? Please forward this issue to other CEOs and company
presidents who may be interested in receiving these messages. Thank you.
And now for our guest article this month...
Our guest article this month is from Jim Anderson. Jim is an expert on hiring
and retaining great employees. Jim says that typical employment interviews are
only accurate 57% of the time. Hardly better than a coin flip.
Jim continues in his article by outlining a step-by-step approach for accurately
hiring the best employees... and keeping them.
Read more about Jim at the end of his informative article.
I hope you enjoy receiving these articles and ideas to
help you sharpen your thinking about being an effective CEO.
My wish is that you use the ideas in the CEO Success Report to get the results
you really want. If you want some help in putting them into practice, or if you
have questions, email or call.
As you know, our specialty is Increasing the Effectiveness
and Enhancing the Lives of CEOs and business owners.
Enjoy this issue with my compliments.
Sincerely,
Gary Lockwood
CEO Success
P.S. One of our well-received previous guest authors, Jody Urquhart, has just
released her new book, "All Work & No Say" - How to Captivate Your
Workforce, Boost Morale and Increase Productivity.
From my quick read, this looks to be a thought-provoking piece on engaging and
enrolling your employees. Check it out. You can purchase it just by sending an
email to ido@idoinspire.com or call 1-877-750-1900 The price is only $15.99 (US)
and $24.99 (cdn)
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This month's THOUGHT-STARTER
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"Take a Hike!"
by Gary Lockwood
Or a jog, swim, or bike ride. When we think of secrets to business
success, we generally include things like vision, perseverance, creativity, and
so on. I want you to add physical health to the list.
With few exceptions, successful business owners, entrepreneurs and professionals
have lots of energy. They have the stamina and the energy to be creative, to
tirelessly serve their clients, to put in the extra effort when necessary and to
go the extra mile.
Where does that energy come from? Most of these successful entrepreneurs
exercise regularly. They walk, run, bicycle or swim. They work out at the gym or
they do their exercises at home. They know that regular exercise builds up
strength and endurance.
Special Note: Before we go further with this, remember to see your doctor before
you start on an exercise program.
How do you get started? First, decide what part of the day would be best for
you. There are not many things more stimulating than getting out in the early
morning for your exercise. Cool air, birds singing, the fresh smell of flowers
and the morning sun, all ready for you. While you're jogging, walking or biking,
you can daydream, plan your day, and just enjoy the experience that most people
miss.
Some people prefer to workout at mid-day. A brisk walk or run will elevate your
metabolism, so when you grab a bite of lunch, your body will burn it off more
quickly. Use your mid-day workouts to reduce the stress of the workday.
Perhaps you prefer to take your exercise after work or even after dinner.
An end-of-day workout will likely help you stay more alert in the evening,
instead of dropping off during the sitcoms.
What kind of exercise should you do? This is really a matter of preference. As
long as your workout elevates your heart rate for at least 30 minutes, you'll
get a good aerobic workout (good for the heart and lungs). For this type of
exercise, try running, brisk walking, bicycling, swimming, aerobics, handball,
Jazzercize etc.
Wait a minute! Where are you going to find the time to exercise? The time is not
going to magically appear. You'll need to "steal" the time from other
places. Get up a half-hour earlier, shorten those two-hour lunches, head for
home 30 minutes earlier or watch one less television program.
The bottom line is that regular, strenuous exercise is good for business,
because it's good for you. You can increase your well- being, jump-start your
days, boost your confidence, turbocharge your creativity, and knock down stress
by exercising consistently.
And that's not all. Think of exercise as a gift to yourself and to your loved
ones. A gift of longer life, more energy, happier disposition, increased
creativity and reduced pain.
Take a hike!
About the Author...
Gary Lockwood is Increasing the Effectiveness and Enhancing the Lives of CEOs,
business owners and professionals. Get the Free BizSuccess newsletter -
http://www.bizsuccess.com/newsletter.htm
or send any blank email to mailto:subscribe@BizSuccess.com
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Guest Article
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How to Find and Keep Good Employees
by Jim Anderson
Do You Hire Like Everyone Else?
These days it is easier to find good employees, but keeping them once you find
them is another issue. With high unemployment across the board, it is easy to
get overwhelmed with candidates and lose sight of what it is costing you to look
at all these candidates. Good training is needed more than ever for this very
reason, yet it could also be your own albatross. This should cause us to examine
hiring procedures closely, and look for ways to do a better job at retaining the
employees we already have, before we let them go.
A survey done by Professor John Hunter of Michigan State University indicated
that typical employment interviews are only accurate 57% of the time. This means
that only about 60% of our hiring decisions can be successful.
In another survey, 95% of managers say they have made bad hiring decisions, yet
good hiring is either first or second in importance to their personal success.
Also, 95% of these managers said they didn't like the hiring process. They also
said that a "no" decision can be made with confidence in less than 30
minutes 90% of the time, while coming to a "yes" decision with
confidence takes one to three total hours of interviewing. Then these same
managers said that it takes at least three weeks to three months after a
candidate starts a job to determine true competence, most of the time.
We can see that the typical interview process is a flawed way of hiring.
Emotions, biases, chemistry, and stereotypes have too much influence on the
decision. The competency of the interviewer is often questionable, true job
knowledge is weak, and candidates can give misleading information because they
are not asked good questions.
Standards for hiring fall as desperation grows. What actually happens is, most
hiring decisions are dependent on the interviewer-candidate relationship
developed early in the interview, and not enough on job skills.
Even though hiring decisions are some of the most important decisions ever made,
most are made in less time than it takes to order lunch. According to the
experts, most hiring decisions are made in the first seven seconds of the
interview! The rest of the interview is spent gathering information to
rationalize the emotionally based decision that has already been made.
A Better Way
What is a manager to do, with all these factors working against them? Hiring
right is the first step to good retention. Prepare properly and gain objective
information about the candidate's ability to do the job, make an objective
assessment to assist you in making the hiring decision after the interview.
Maintaining objectivity is easier said than done. It starts in the recruiting
process. The first step is to design a description of the job that focuses on
the results that you need from the position. Those results need to be specific,
measurable, action oriented, results based, and time bound.
Next, you need to plan your strategy for finding the right candidates. This
means designing the "advertisement" for the opening, and choosing the
methods that will deliver the message to candidate prospects. The third step is
to execute that strategy and competently screen the resumes that come in.
Once you have chosen resumes that qualify, conduct a telephone interview looking
for the candidate's biggest accomplishment. If that candidate has a lot to say
about that accomplishment, schedule an interview. If the candidate stumbles,
move on.
When you get to the interview stage, focus on performance first and personality
last. Too many managers do the opposite, because it is a natural tendency. Look
for energy, drive, and initiative in your questioning. This doesn't mean that
you are looking for an "extrovert." This is about the candidate
showing that they take the initiative over and above the typical employee. Get
examples of the candidate exceeding expectations.
Other things to look for are performance trend over time, comparability of past
accomplishments to your position's objectives, experience, education and
industry background, problem solving and thinking skills, overall talent,
technical competency and potential, management and organizational abilities,
team leadership abilities, and then character, personality and cultural fit.
After the interview, rate each area on a scale; thinking objectively about the
information you were able to get in the interview. Total the score and compare
with other candidates you interview. Hire the candidate with the highest score.
Once you hire the candidate, manage them according to the objectives you created
for the position and used in the interview. One of the best things you can do
beyond hiring effectively is to be a good leader. But that's another article.
About the author - Jim Anderson has successfully owned and operated a number of
small businesses. His current company, Lighthouse Human Capital, is dedicated to
helping business owners and executives improve their competitive advantage
through more effective people strategies. For a free copy of an interview
evaluation form, email him at mailto:jima@lighthousehumancapital.com
Website is http://www.lighthousehumancapital.com
=============================================
RESOURCES for CEOs =============================================
The BizSuccess Strategy Book
http://www.StrategyBook.com
** Are you doing the RIGHT THINGS at the RIGHT
TIME? ** Why are some people successful in their business AND they don't work
all the hours you work? How do they do it?
---> The BizSuccess Strategy Book reveals the secrets
The BizSuccess Strategy Book will help YOU grow your business, make more money
and have more fun.
Click to http://www.StrategyBook.com
for details
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QUOTES to use in your staff meeting this month
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"What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make
a beginning. The end is where we start from."
T. S. Eliot
"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored."
Aldous Huxley
"Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a
thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved."
William Jennings Bryan
"Lots of folks confuse bad management with destiny."
Kim Hubbard
"Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names."
John Fitzgerald Kennedy
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HUMOR to lighten up
the executive suite ===================================================
Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and
laserprinters all have in common?
A. All invented by women.
Signs seen around the World
----------------------------
Cocktail lounge, Norway:
LADIES ARE REQUESTED NOT TO HAVE CHILDREN IN THE BAR.
At a Budapest zoo:
PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS. IF YOU HAVE ANY SUITABLE
FOOD, GIVE IT TO THE GUARD ON DUTY
Doctors office, Rome:
SPECIALIST IN WOMEN AND OTHER DISEASES.
Hotel, Acapulco:
THE MANAGER HAS PERSONALLY PASSED ALL THE WATER
SERVED HERE.
In a Nairobi restaurant:
CUSTOMERS WHO FIND OUR WAITRESSES RUDE OUGHT TO
SEE THE MANAGER.
On an Athi River highway:
TAKE NOTICE: WHEN THIS SIGN IS UNDER WATER, THIS ROAD
IS IMPASSABLE.
On a poster at Kencom:
ARE YOU AN ADULT THAT CANNOT READ? IF SO, WE CAN HELP.
A sign seen on an automatic restroom hand dryer:
DO NOT ACTIVATE WITH WET HANDS.
In a Pumwani maternity ward:
NO CHILDREN ALLOWED.
In a cemetery:
PERSONS ARE PROHIBITED FROM PICKING FLOWERS FROM
ANY BUT THEIR OWN GRAVES.
Tokyo hotel's rules and regulations:
GUESTS ARE REQUESTED NOT TO SMOKE OR DO OTHER
DISGUSTING BEHAVIOURS IN BED.
Hotel elevator, Paris:
PLEASE LEAVE YOUR VALUES AT THE FRONT DESK.
Hotel, Yugoslavia:
THE FLATTENING OF UNDERWEAR WITH PLEASURE IS THE JOB
OF THE CHAMBERMAID.
Hotel, Japan:
YOU ARE INVITED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CHAMBERMAID.
An advertisement by a Hong Kong dentist:
TEETH EXTRACTED BY THE LATEST METHODISTS.
A laundry in Rome:
LADIES, LEAVE YOUR CLOTHES HERE AND SPEND THE
AFTERNOON HAVING A GOOD TIME
Tourist agency, Czechoslovakia:
TAKE ONE OF OUR HORSE-DRIVEN CITY TOURS. WE GUARANTEE
NO MISCARRIAGES.
Advertisement for donkey rides, Thailand:
WOULD YOU LIKE TO RIDE ON YOUR OWN ASS?
Airline ticket office, Copenhagen:
WE TAKE YOUR BAGS AND SEND THEM IN ALL DIRECTIONS.
***excerpts from: http://www.joker.org/ ***
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CONTACT CEO Success
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Gary Lockwood is the publisher of the CEO Success Report.
Email: mailto:Gary@CEOSuccess.com
Office: (800) 272-1575 (USA) * (909) 739-7444
Fax: (909) 494-4314
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Your Comments, please?
========================================
I appreciate feedback, corrections, and comments about the
CEO Success Report. Please send your thoughts to:
Gary@CEOSuccess.com mailto:Gary@CEOSuccess.com
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