As a radio station sales manager, it was challenging to find people who could sell.
Salespeople at our small radio station in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin either couldn’t sell or were quickly pilfered to work in bigger markets if they could.
Searching for high-performing salespeople was a constant focus. To hire correctly I needed to know the type of person I wanted, and whether they could sell.
It didn’t take long to determine the “type of person” I wanted and how to identify them. Discovering whether a candidate could sell took several years. (To find top-performing sales candidates I recommend https://www.advancedhiring.com/)
First Who, then What
Jim Collins Good to Great, “First Who, then What” maxim states nothing is more important than getting the right people on the bus.
If you don’t have a vision of Who to hire, determine this immediately.
Danny Meyer, in Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business, has a clear vision of his perfect employee.
49% Task, 51% Feeling Hiring Rule.
Meyer first learned this concept of “51 percent” from Rich Melman, a restauranteur from Chicago, who he visited in the late 1980s.
Union Square Hospitality Group staff performance reviews weigh technical job performance: perform their duties (49 percent) and emotional job performance: how staff members relate to others on a personal level (51 percent).
Here’s how he explains this.
Moths
Imagine if every business were a lightbulb. The primary goal for each lightbulb is to attract the most moths possible.
You discover, 49 percent of the reason moths are attracted to a bulb is for the quality of its light (brightness being the task of the bulb) and 51 percent of the attraction is to the warmth projected by the bulb (heat being connected with the feeling of the bulb).
Many businesses shine brightly, master the tasks, yet emanate the warmth of a cool fluorescent light.
A flawless four-star restaurant can attract less loyal fans than a two-or three-star place with soul.
In business, Meyer wants to be overcome with moths. Union Square Hospitality Group staff must be like a scintillating string of one-hundred-watt lightbulbs, whose product is the sum of 51 percent feeling and 49 percent task.
Hiring 51 percenters today saves training time and dollars tomorrow. Another benefit: they are commonly the best recruiters for others with strong emotional skills.
Nice people love the idea of working with other nice people.
Excellence Reflex
Danny Meyer hires people who possess an emotional skill that chef Michael Romano calls the excellence reflex.
The excellence reflex is rooted in instinct and upbringing, and constantly honed through awareness, caring, and practice.
The overarching concern to do the right thing well isn’t something you can train for. It’s there or it isn’t.
You need to train how to hire for it.
Union Square Hospitality Group hopes to develop 100 percent employees whose skills are divided 51-49 between emotional hospitality and technical excellence.
To be champions in the team sport of hospitality Meyer’s 51 percenter have six core emotional skills:
Danny Meyer knows exactly who he wants to work for his business. How clear is your vision of your “Right People?”
How well does your hiring process get them onboard?
Need help?
To create an environment where everyone is inspired to give their best, contact Positioning Systems today to schedule a free exploratory meeting.
Growth demands Strategic Discipline.
Building an enduring great organization requires disciplined people, disciplined thought, disciplined action, and superior results, to produce a distinctive impact on the world.
A winning habit starts with 3 Strategic Disciplines: Priority, Metrics, and Meeting Rhythms. Forecasting, accountability, individual, and team performance improve dramatically.
Meeting Rhythms achieve a disciplined focus on performance metrics to drive growth.
Let Positioning Systems help your business achieve these outcomes on the Four most Important Decisions your business faces:
DECISION |
RESULT/OUTCOME |
PEOPLE |
|
STRATEGY |
|
EXECUTION |
|
CASH |
Positioning Systems helps mid-sized ($5M - $500M+) businesses Scale-UP. We align your business to focus on Your One Thing! Contact dwick@positioningsystems.com to Scale Up your business! Take our Four Decisions Needs Assessment to discover how your business measures against other Scaled Up companies. We’ll contact you.
NEXT BLOG – 1% Plan, 99% Behavior.