People & Purpose - Hiring Issue by Formium Development

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Featured Content Cover Story The Coaching Habit Interview with Michael Bungay Stanier

Features 101: Gold standard strategies for recruitment & selection Part 1 - Recruitment In the first article of her two-part series, Fiona McPhail talks about the importance of analysing the role and establishing your requirements at the start of the recruitment process.

Career: Calling women to leadership Excuses and justifications will not get women anywhere, they have to believe in themselves and “take their seat at the table”. A summary of Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In by Agi Galgoczi.

Strategy: The business benefits of strength-based recruitment The Centre for Applied positive Psychology outline why companies such as Nestle and Barclays use strengths in their selection process.

Articles Perspectives: Why the best hire might not have the perfect resume Regina Hartley talks about “silver spoons” and “scrappers”. Fairy tale CVs are not everything, you might want to give a chance to the candidate who doesn’t look that good on paper.

Purposeful People: The key factor almost every hiring manager overlooks Jeff Haden points out why we shouldn’t choose the person who just wants the title rather than the job.

5 of the Best… Twitter influencers Great leaders never stop studying. Twitter is a great resource for thoughts, ideas and examples. We collated five profiles that you should follow if you want to improve your leadership skills or company culture.

Recommended Reads: Maverick by Ricardo Semler Happy Ltd founder and Chief Executive Henry Stewart recommends the book that changed his life and had a significant impact on his training organisation.

Words to Lead By: Boomy Tokan Small business advisor Boomy Tokan shares his most impactful piece of advice. Your feedback would make us happy. Tweet us your opinion at @People_Purpose If you’re interested in contributing don’t hesitate to contact us: support@peopleandpurposejournal.com

Editor’s Note Welcome to the March 2016 issue of People & Purpose – the Positive Leadership Journal, thank you for joining us on this journey. This issue is dedicated to the topic of hiring and in particular selection. If the old adage that ‘people are our most important asset’ is true, then getting hiring decisions right is clearly one of the most important management activities – certainly one that has a significant impact on the organisation and its leaders. Hiring well provides an excellent opportunity to add great value to your team. Explore how to get the selection process right, why successful companies recruit for strengths and the importance of having an open mind about the best fit – read on and we will help you consider and build your hiring practice. We have an exciting line-up of features planned for the coming issues. In bringing you their interviews, I am privileged to be speaking to inspirational leaders and am very much looking forward to sharing their insights with you through future People & Purpose videos. This month I spoke with Michael Bungay Stanier, award-winning coach extraordinaire of Box of Crayons, about building the coaching habit – the topic his new book. He provides excellent advice for putting into practice what Henry Stewart highlighted in his interview with me in the last issue: coaching as a core management role. To share your suggestions for future topics and contributors, please e-mail us at support@peopleandpurposejournal.com. Eszter Molnar Mills, Editor-in-Chief

Coaching

The Coaching Habit Interview with Michael Bungay Stanier

Box of Crayons helps people and organisations to do less Good Work and more Great Work. Michael Bungay Stanier, the founder and senior partner describes what is Great Work in his interview with Eszter Molnar Mills, and talks about building the coaching habit, the topic of his latest book.

According to Bungay Stanier, everything you do, falls into one of three different categories: Bad Work, Good Work, or Great Work. Bad Work - the mind-numbing, soul-sucking, life crushing sort of work. Good Work is basically the work in your job description, when you are being productive and getting things done. Finally, Great Work is the kind of work that has the most impact and meaning. Bungay Stanier says that you need three things to do more Great Work. These three are focus, courage, and resilience.

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Focus: What you care about, what work matters to you. You also focus on the opportunities in your organisation.

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Courage: It takes a degree of courage to say yes to doing more Great Work, because the question that's at the heart of Great Work is: What are you going to say no to so you can say yes to the work that matters?

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Resilience: Sometimes you think everything is flowing, other times you doubt yourself. When you get off the path it takes resilience to stand up and find your way back to continue the journey to do Great Work.

Bungay Stanier thinks coaching is one of the best ways to help people access resilience for themselves. In his new book he draws on his experience of teaching over 10,000 managers how to deliver practical coaching – coaching in 10 minutes or less.

Coaching could be a secret source to working less hard but having more impact. In The Coaching Habit he shares the 7 essential questions that will help you be an effective coach.

“Everybody intellectually gets what coaching is about but nobody puts it really into practice.”

“Everybody intellectually gets what coaching is about but nobody puts it really into practice” says Michael. He encourages people to start by becoming more aware of how quickly they want to offer advice and solutions, rather than asking questions. Before you can start coaching others, Michael challenges managers to understand how to change their own behaviour. He proposes a 3-step process for changing habits in 60 seconds or less: 

When the context where I would like to change a habit arises - e.g. a colleague asks me for advice

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Instead of the old habit - e.g. me providing an answer

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I will follow the new habit - e.g. ask one of the coaching questions: "I think I understand the situation. What do you want from me here? Just out of curiosity, what do you want from me?"

This new habit is going to encourage your staff to articulate a specific request, allowing you to have a more thoughtful, mindful response to the help that they're looking for. Fnd out more about The Coaching Habit and Michael Bungay Stanier’s advice on putting coaching into practice in the interview above.

Michael Bungay Stanier is the Senior Partner of Box of Crayons, a company that helps organizations do less Good Work and more Great Work. Box of Crayons is best known for their coaching programs that help time-crunched managers coach in 10 minutes or less. His latest book, The Coaching Habit is now available on amazon.co.uk and amazon.com.

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101 Gold standard strategies for recruitment & selection Part 1 - Recruitment

We all know the cliché that people are your most important asset, but the reality is, that the cliché is true. It’s an organisation’s people who are critical in the success of any business and it is their knowledge, skills and behaviours which lifts one organisation above its competitors.

Although much time may be put into the Recruitment and Selection process, organisations may be missing a trick by not maximising the benefits which a recruitment opportunity brings. Many people will have worked in organisations where there was a tendency, perhaps through time constraints and the pressure of other work, to simply revert to the original Job Description and Person Specification and then, by doing what they always did, get what they always got.

If you take a look around your own organisation, it is worth asking the question, who is here and who is not? If you see considerable homogeneity and clear occupational segregation, then a recruitment opening provides you with the opportunity to take a fresh look at what you are doing and make sure that you are reaching out to all possible talent. If you wonder why you should, then you might like to take a look at the latest research by consultants McKinsey which finds that â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;companies in the top quartile for gender or racial and ethnic diversity are more likely to have financial returns above their national industry medians. Companies in the bottom quartile in these dimensions are statistically less likely to achieve above-average returns. And diversity is probably a competitive differentiator that shifts market share toward more diverse companies over time. (Diversity Matters, McKinsey February 2015.) Some organisations have not yet reaped the full benefit that a diverse workforce can bring and some managers can also still hold the belief that a role is full time or no time, thus missing out on valuable skills and experience from those who have family or other commitments which preclude full time work. This rich pool of talent is waiting; the organisation which is diverse and flexible may find that it has given itself a competitive edge. Know your statistics Larger organisations should hold monitoring data on their staff. The analysis of application rates for roles, the shortlisting outcomes and the final hires can sometimes come as a surprise when looked at in detail. If particular groups are not applying, then this begs the question why. This is where an organisation needs to go back, not just to the job description, person specification and the advert, but they also need to look at the messages they are sending out more broadly. What does the website look like? What images are used? What sort of language? Do you promote your positive working practices? What about other material? Who is this appealing to and what unconscious messages might it be sending?

It may be that the patterns you see in your data sets suggest that some upskilling is required for recruiting managers, including ensuring that they have had training in unconscious bias as part of broader recruitment and selection programmes. Few managers would like to think that they overtly discriminate, but it is the recruitment in one’s own image and the construction of cultural fit that can inadvertently lead to exclusion. Such exclusion could, of course, amount to unlawful practice - but would certainly suggest a waste of talent. Analyse the role There are key stages to any review of a job opening and clearly, a primary one is to analyse the role. It may be that the departure of a member of staff provides the opportunity to review the position, disperse some of the tasks and duties to other staff, thus providing greater variety and stretch in their roles, it may be that some requirements are no longer needed. It is more though, than just analysing the role’s requirements. It is about presenting them in a way which is appealing. If you look at how the role is described, has it been articulated in a way which might make it more desirable to one group than another, have you inadvertently turned off a candidate group? A common error is to use adjectives which infer traits which can be strongly associated with a particular gender. Care is needed in the presentation of the role to ensure that it doesn’t inadvertently deter candidates whom the organisation would like to attract.

The Person Specification is what enables candidates to assess themselves against the requirements of the post. It should outline the skills, qualifications, abilities and experience which is required in relation to the position. In putting this together, it is important to interrogate the information included. Is the person specification put together in a way which identifies those aspects which are Essential and those which are Desirable and thus trainable? It’s important to avoid adjectives such as ‘Excellent or Good … skills’ as this is not measurable, rather it seeks subjective decision making which is hard for the candidate to demonstrate and even harder for those shortlisting to assess. Also, no numbers!

Numbers of years’ experience does not give you any evidence of ability and you risk breaching the Equality Act in relation to age discrimination. Demonstrable experience to the level required in the job is what you need. Don’t forget, many candidates can bring transferable skills from other sectors, yet often personal specifications screen out candidates from other sectors who may bring a valuable perspective. Advertising the role Where do you advertise? Do you use the same outlets and approaches? Seek feedback from your current staff, where did they look when applying to your company. What attracted them? Was there anything that put them off? If you are seeking to diversity your staff group, think whether the current channels you are using are likely to reach your target group. If your advert comes with images, proceed with care. Any images you use, just like your text, must not infer that you have a particular group in mind for the role. Also, don’t forget, YOU is the most important word in any advert. What will excite the person, why should they want to apply to your organisation? Don’t forget the basics, what is the role, which department, and where is it located? Crucially, what does it pay. Don’t use phrases such as ‘competitive salary’ this wastes people’s time and is frustrating. State the salary/ salary band. The applicant will decide if it’s competitive or not! In part 2 in our next issue Fiona McPhail will outline effective strategies for selecting the right candidate.

Fiona McPhail BA (Hons) MA FCMI Chartered FCIPD HR Consultancy, Equality and Diversity, Training and Professional Development An experienced HR Professional, Equality and Diversity specialist and trainer providing ongoing and interim support. http://www.mwaconsultancy.co.uk Contact her here.

See how we can support your leadership and career at formium.co.uk info@formium.co.uk 020 7416 6648

Career Calling women to leadership Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg

Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Facebook, gave a TED Talk about why are so few women in leadership roles. Her book, Lean In started from that 15 minute talk.

Sandberg’s point is that excuses and justifications will not get women anywhere. In her book she provides practical advice to urge women to take their place in the working world while taking ownership of a leadership concept. Women have to take a seat at the table, even if they feel uncomfortable at first, says Sandberg.

They have to lean in and have the will to lead. She says women have to break with internalised attitudes that hold them back. Throughout the book, Sandberg carefully weighs the double binds, internal and external, that keep women from reaching their goals, their potential at the workplace. Lean in:    

Be more open about taking risky career choices Don’t please people It’s about working smarter and taking the opportunities It’s about not letting yourself be guided by fear and pressure

Sandberg’s book is a combination of hard data, academic research, her own stories, observations and life lessons with a hint of humour. Lean In is more than a book, it’s a sort of feminist manifesto as she calls it; part of a movement to Agi Galgoczi build a more equal world. The book is available at amazon.co.uk and amazon.com.

Get published in We are always looking for contributors to keep our magazine fresh and interesting. We publish various types of content, including articles, videos, audio, presentations and infographics. Getting published in the magazine helps you: •

Build more credibility in your market by positioning yourself as an expert

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We happily promote your book or a specific web page

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Strategy The business benefits of strength-based recruitment Capp founder Alex Linley defines a strength as ‘‘something that you do well and enjoy doing. When using a strength, people feel authentic and energised as they deliver successful performance.’’ We asked Gurpal Minhas, Head of Customer Solutions at Capp & Co Ltd (www.capp.co), to explain strength-based hiring. Capp work with a range of UK and multinational corporations across the FMCG sector to banking, helping them hire for what applicants are great at doing alongside where their energy passion and motivation lies.

"When using a strength, people feel authentic and energised as they deliver successful performance." Alex Linley, 2010

In contrast to traditional competency-based selection, a strength-based approach allows companies to focus on more than just what candidates have previously done or on their competencies, and to consider their potential, engagement and energy. Minhas outlines the business benefits as shorter time to competence, improved engagement, improved performance and reduced attrition. On an individual level, employees are more engaged, and “there's an increased level of self-esteem because they're able to work on things that they enjoy and do well.” – he adds.

A strength-based approaches are also shown to create a level playing field between applicants with different social or cultural backgrounds, to improve the employer brand and to attract better-matched candidates. The process starts with a Success Analysis. The Success Analysis identifies what the best people currently do in that particular role within the organisation. It also considers what the future of the job entails, for instance, how it will look in 2020 or 2025. The requirements are established through stakeholder interviews, focus groups and a review of the existing job description. Where a company has a competency framework, assessments using the competency framework and the strengths framework can be jointly applied. “That's where that makes a big difference because you continue to be able to use existing language in the organisation, but you're getting a lot more specific to what you're looking for” adds Minhas.

The Success Analysis establishes a number of core strengths and potentially some role-specific strengths, such as ‘relationship manager’ or ‘Technofinity’ - all of which will be used in attracting and selecting the best candidates, based on a balance of performance, energy and use. Candidates are assessed against the required strengths through assessment centres, the Situational Strengths Tests and Strength-based Interviews. “A strength-based interview is quite different from competency-based interviews in the fact that assessors are not probing candidates and likewise applicants can’t necessarily prepare for the questions. We may ask 12 questions in 45 minutes, whereas in a competency interview we might ask 6 questions in half an hour. The questions are shorter and significantly more varied. Candidates are having to share a bit more depth about what they do and how they approach tasks. We ask about how you feel about working on tasks- something that with a standard competency response, you can’t necessarily answer,.” explained Gurpal.

When using strength-based interviews, 74% of assessors felt they could better distinguish between low, average and high performers and 85% of candidates agreed the strength-based interview allowed them to show who they really were. In particular Generation Y and Generation Z candidates are eager to learn about themselves, gain more self-insight and feel recognised as individuals. Working in partnership with EY, Capp found in a representative sample of over 1000 students, 65% of graduates would select a job that would allow them to use their strengths rather than a role that paid them a higher salary. Ultimately strength-based recruitment allows the selection of employees who are naturally, authentically good at the role and are energised by it, which in turn leads to better performance.

Founded in 2005, Capp have an established academic background in positive psychology and an extensive experience in the provision of strengths-based talent management solutions. The Capp vision is "To match the world to their perfect job" - whether that's an individual seeking a new challenge or someone growing and developing with their current employer.

9 Strengths-Based Interview Questions Making the full move to strength-based selection is a large task that involves extensive research. Here are 9 questions add to your interviews for a better understanding of what energises candidates for high performance.

Get your free copy HERE

When people use their strengths, they perform better.

Perspectives Why the best hire might not have the perfect resume

In her TED Talk, Regina Hartley, UPS’s human resources director makes an argument that candidates who often don’t look that good on paper might be the ones that you want to hire, rather than those people who have a ‘fairy tale’ CV. When it comes to choosing the right one for the position most of us would think that ‘the right one’ is the candidate with the perfect resume. Hartley talks about “scrappers” and “silver spoons” – and the advantage of hiring people who had to fight for their achievements versus people who were destined for success. Watch the video above or read the transcript. We’d love to know your views and experience: @People_Purpose This recording is reproduced with permission from TED.com. TED is a non-profit organisation devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks of 18 minutes or less.

Purposeful People The key factor almost every hiring manager overlooks Maybe you're looking for the right qualifications. Or the right experience. Or the perfect hard skills. Or great soft skills. Or an outstanding work ethic, or proven leadership ability, or seamless cultural fit. Or, most likely, you're looking for a blend of skills and attributes.

Always select the person who wants the job - not the title.

But here's another way to look at choosing the best person: Always select the person who wants the job - not the title. Don't tell me there isn't a difference. Years ago I had an opening for a shipping supervisor. We decided to stay internal. One candidate was clearly better than the rest. He'd worked in the department for over a decade, had great skills, possessed a broad range of shipping and distribution experience, he was really good at training new employees... he was great.

Plus, I was glad he was the best candidate because it helped spread the message that, even though the company had just changed hands (and I had recently been hired), I valued the experience of current employees and wasn't just going to bring in "my guys.â&#x20AC;&#x153;

"Win-win," I thought. Nope. Lose-lose. He was terrible. It turned out he wanted the job because he was tired of sitting on a forklift and wanted to sit in a chair. He was tired of taking breaks and lunches on a schedule and wanted the freedom to set his own schedule. He was tired of taking direction and wanted to be the one who gave direction. He was tired of punching a clock and wanted to come and go as he pleased. In short, he didn't want the job. He didn't want to motivate, inspire, lead, manage, discipline, improve, optimize, develop... all the things that come with a leadership role. He wanted a title. He wanted what he saw as the perks of the title. He felt he had already paid his dues. He wanted the title, not the job. Unfortunately we didn't need a "Shipping Supervisor." "Shipping Supervisor" is just a job title. What we needed was a person who loved getting product out the door. We needed someone who wanted to be in charge because he or she wanted to have greater impact on how quickly and accurately we got product out the door. We didn't need a person obsessed over a title. We needed a person obsessed about creating an outcome. Sounds obvious, I know, but in this case it was only obvious in hindsight. During the selection process I didn't focus on the future. I focused on qualifications, not on the initiatives and projects he had in mind and not on his motivations and aspirations and goals.

I focused on what he had done, not on what he planned to do.

And I picked the wrong person. I should have picked someone who wanted to do the job. I should have picked someone driven to excel at those tasks so they could make things happen. I didn't need a person who wanted the position only because he wanted the "stuff" that came with the position.

You need people who want the job because they want the responsibility of making things happen.

And that's what you need. You don't need a Director of Sales; you need a person who loves selling, and loves helping other people sell. You don't need an Engineering Manager; you need a person who loves working with other people to create new products. You don't need a Supervisor of Whatever; you need a person who long ago made the choice that their happiness

comes from someone else's success and who thrives on working through other people to get stuff done. You need people who want the job because they want the responsibility of making things happen. You need people who want the job because then they can be even more successful at what they do well and can help others be more successful too. You need people who want the job because they want to do the job -- and only value the title because it easier for them to do that job. Always select the person who doesn't care about the title. Even if that person is less experienced or less skilled, his or her motivation and drive for doing the job will quickly make up for any shortcomings. This content is reproduced with permission. Jeff Haden, ghostwriter, speaker, Inc. Magazine contributing editor, LinkedIn Influencer. In 2014 his Inc. articles were read by over 25 million people, LinkedIn posts over 20 million.

5 of the best… …Twitter influencers Great leaders never stop learning, they know they can always improve themselves. We have found Twitter to be a great resource for thoughts, ideas and examples. Here are some of the best influencers that we follow and retweet on leadership skills or company culture. Check out our list: Through Alison Green’s Ask a Manager profile you can ask her a question like ‘this is what my boss says, what does it mean?’ Send her your questions or learn from others’ cases.

Based in London, David Shepherd tweets about HR, employment law, pay, benefits, the labour market, data services, b2b media, and much more. Aadil Bandukwala is a social recruiting consultant with a background in Talent Acquisition and Social Media. Worthwhile following him if you want to know everything about hiring.

Lolly Daskal’s Twitter feed is about coaching, management, leadership, consulting. You can find really informative posts, inspirational quotes and pictures shared by her.

Dan McCarthy, self-described leadership and management development geek. His profile has everything that has to do with leadership and management.