Masonry Magazine August 1986 Page. 38
THE
WORKLINE
by Fred Pryor
QUESTION: Last year I hired an employee whose resume was impressive and who came highly recommended by previous employers. But his personality just doesn't fit into our organization. How can I avoid making the same mistake again?
ANSWER: A number of management books offer a variety of scientific models that can help you recognize if a prospective employee's personality style will mesh with the personalities of other staff members. ("The Name of Your Game" by Dr. Stuart Atkins is a good one.) But one of the most important, and perhaps most overlooked, tools is your intuition.
Too often we let our intuition become obstructed by a person's credentials or experience. Pay close attention to how you feel about him on a personal level. Notice the way he presents himself. If he is coming on too strong or trying to make himself look too good, he may tend to be more controlling and manipulative than you would like. Ask him questions about his workstyle to see if it is compatible with those of other employees with whom he will be working. If he likes a tight structure and your staff prefers a free-floating environment, he may not be the right employee for you, regardless of how impressive he looks on paper. Include others in the interview process. When they have input, they are more committed to making the new employee a part of the team.
QUESTION: There's a morale problem in my department, but I'm having trouble pinpointing its source. What measures can I take to find and resolve it?
ANSWER: To see how the energy in your department is being used and misused, try taking the pulse of the department by answering the following questions:
* Am I listening with my third ear to what people are telling me, that is, am I reading between the lines?
* Are managers putting each other down and sabotaging each others' efforts?
* Do employees give each other immediate feedback or do problems build up and then explode?
* Is the staff willing to get involved in one another's problems and find solutions together or does the attitude of "It's not my problem" prevail?
* Is your department built on feelings of trust and authenticity or do employees worry about what others "really" say and think?
Armed with the answers to these questions, you can help your employees air the problem and begin to breathe new life into the department.
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38 MASONRY-JULY/AUGUST, 1986