You have died of dysentery

My love for tech sparked when my 3rd-grade teacher handed me a 3.5-inch floppy disc labeled “The Oregon Trail - Disk 1.” I was hooked. Nostalgic memories of a dot matrix printer, Windows 95, HTML, askjeeves.com, zip disks, and holding a genuine Intel Processor with a chip setter flashed before me. It was magic.

One of my first mentors said,” Always sharpen the saw.” Referring to the tools you use daily. Fast forward to today, I’m an entrepreneur who runs a consulting firm. We are a mighty team of three full-time consultants and one intern. We are 100% remote with a rented co-working space at the Grandin CoLab. How do we stay connected? Up to date?

When I started Building Beloved Communities, I had to make some tech decisions. Mac or PC? Cloud or Network? Desktops or Laptops? MS Office or Google? I studied our customers. They are nonprofits that use Google Workspace and prioritize security. I decided we are an Apple-based company that uses Google Workspace. Easy! One teeny issue. I’ve been a Windows and MS Office user since dinosaurs walked the earth. I never used a Mac and dabbled with Google workspace in early 2018. Yet, there I was, pulling out my credit card to buy my first MacBook on a Thursday afternoon, hoping to be up and running for my new client on Monday.

It took six months of cursing, occasional tantrums, and ah-ha moments before I felt confident in my digital workspace. The learning curve was just as brutal for each of my team members. All except for our intern - who uses a hybrid of devices and platforms to do homework and art. I’m telling you, GenZ is built differently.

Today, we schedule biweekly, in-person meetings to learn software, review our workflows and get tech support from each other. This year we are investing in our technology and understanding of it to create efficiency and automation. This is in preparation for scaling Building Beloved Communities in 2024.

I’m amazed at the free resources online. Google Workspace offers different, comprehensive learning paths for end users, administrators, to programmers. YouTube is not just for fixing dryers anymore! There are channels dedicated to teaching and reviewing software. Interestingly, there are high-quality creators with exceptional information on my Social Media Reels and TikTok. These are easy bite-size videos to build your foundation over time. Don’t even get me started on AI and ChatGPT!

We need to know our tools and how we can use them to amplify our work and showcase our clients. We have to remain curious or die of dysentery.

Your people system #1: hire the right people

For greater employee engagement, you need systems to HIRE RIGHT, ENGAGE EMPLOYEES, and LEAD WELL. Your HIRE RIGHT system’s goal is to better recognize good candidates when they show up, make more objective hiring decisions, and have less turnover.

Key outcomes for your HIRE RIGHT system are - know what you're looking for, recognize it when you see it, and start new employees off right. How do you make this happen?

1. Benchmark. If you don’t know what you’re looking for, how will you know when it walks through your door?

• Have clear job expectations in addition to job descriptions. Expectations help in recruiting, onboarding, and performance evaluations.

• Know what makes a Top Performer. What are the behaviors, traits, attitudes, and other reasons that some perform well - and what traits need to be avoided?

• Consider “fit” for the job. Potentially great employees may not be a good fit to the position, their boss, and/or your company.

2. Interview. How well do you do this and what can help you be better at it?

• Screen. Save time and gather information with assessments to reduce your time in the hiring process.

• Objective Data. Almost everyone has hired someone they regretted. Supplement your experience and gut with consistent data that challenges your feelings.

• Know how to interview. Have a format and tools that prevent you from talking too much so you listen more and dig deeper for the person you want.

3. On-Board. You’ve done the work and found a good employee – don’t blow it at the finish line.

• Create good first impressions. What’s your plan for Day 1, Week 1, and Month 1? How will your new employee answer the question, “How was your day?”

• Explain how and where they fit in. People have a natural desire to feel like they belong and have a purpose.

• Provide ongoing feedback and mentoring. Don’t wait until the 90-day probationary period ends to tell them the things you wanted them to do better.

I’ll share more about your second system, ENGAGE EMPLOYEES in my next column. Want to HIRE RIGHT more often? Subscribe to my newsletter and download resources at www.AssessmentPros.com or contact me at Jennifer@AssessmentPros.com.