The Latest from Kristy-Lee

“I can’t make a decision because you have presented 2 great candidates – if we hired one of them we’d always wonder whether the other would have been better....”

This was the exact words that came out of the employers’ mouth after we had carefully and meticulously conducted a thorough and rigorous recruitment campaign for them, providing a strong shortlist. So strong in fact that they simply couldn’t (and didn’t) make the final decision. Whilst the team rightly pointed out that we had done such a stellar job we made it difficult for the employer to choose, I found the situation fascinating.

How does it sound to you?

Ludicrous? Funny? Typical?

At first, I assumed that really they just didn’t want to hire anyone, that it was a total waste of time and resources because they clearly had no intention of hiring – I mean surely one candidate stands ahead of the other for their needs?

But as I reflected...

In a competitive market where applicants are in short supply and the struggle to even find one person who might be suitable for your role is real, it’s easy to think that there is no need to screen and assess applicants. Well, there is no one to screen, or so few applicants so what’s the point, right?

Actually, wrong. You see, despite there being far fewer applicants to chose from, the importance of making the right hiring choices hasn’t changed. The reality is you can’t outrun a bad hire. So even if there is only one applicant, hiring the wrong person is guaranteed to cause you more frustration, more stress and cost you more than hiring no one at all.

When we had only a handful of applicants to select from, screening effectively is even more important because in these moments we can lose focus and clarity on what’s really important, out of desperation, overwhelm and stress. We waiver on the previous non negotiables, and start to consider...

Did you know that up to 46% of new hires ‘fail’? That’s right – almost half of employees who start a role with a new employer don’t make it through 18 months, according to a study released by Leadership IQ.

Whilst it’s easy to conclude that obviously the applicant has misled us, lied in an interview, is not able to do what they promised or for some other reason the fault lies with them, is that really the case?

There is no doubt that making great hiring decisions is essential to creating the best possible team for your business, a team that is motivated, capable, productive and high functioning, but when we get the hiring decisions wrong, we are so often quick to look to others as the reason for this.

In an era where we are ‘panic hiring’ due to the lack of applicants in the market, a situation which is not likely to change in the short term, hiring the best person for the role can feel difficult, or even...

What are you doing to attract the right applicants in a tough market?
Hiring right in a tough market isn’t anything new but we are experiencing a particularly challenging period for attracting great applicants to roles across the board.

If you’ve hired in recent years, or are in the process of hiring in certain industries or locations right now, you’ll know what we’re talking about.

For some roles, gone are the days where you would be inundated with applications, right now it’s looking more like a dried-up oasis. Even the bad applications aren’t coming through.

You don’t always want to hire anyone as a stop-gap because they could create more damage to your business and team in the long-run. It’s still incredibly important to be considered and strategic with your recruitment processes.

Business owners and managers alike are frustrated, desperate for help and uncertain about how to continue without finding the right...

We all know the feeling, we’re losing sleep, we’re avoiding the person at work, we’re angry, frustrated and tearing our hair out. We have an employee who is not performing, not showing up how we want them to at work or behaving in a negative way, a way that isn’t sitting right with you.

We can’t always quite put our finger on the exact issue, it’s just not quite right, but it’s wrong enough to be consuming our time and attention. Or maybe it is more obvious, but we feel like we’re going over the top if we bring it up – we don’t want them to feel like we are micromanaging them or pulling them up for something that feels petty and insignificant (yet the fact that it’s consuming our time and attention does in fact mean that at some level it is significant to us).

So, we tolerate it, whether it’s behaviour, attendance, performance or something else, we tolerate it. We think maybe it’s not that...

What is micromanagement at work?

Micromanagement at work refers to a management style that is typically excessive and controlling and usually exercised by a supervisor or manager. This management style focuses heavily on task-specific elements while often neglecting the bigger picture, such as overall outcomes, staff development, and collaborative teamwork.

Micromanagement can impede team efficiency and arise from several underlying factors. These factors usually encompass a lack of confidence in team members' competencies, a tendency to seek control due to apprehension or self-doubt, and a need to maintain close oversight to ensure tasks meet personal expectations.

Micromanagement frequently emerges when leaders encounter challenges in effectively delegating tasks, motivating their team, and fostering a culture of accountability. Although the motivations behind micromanagement might be rooted in aspirations for success, the approach inadvertently restricts autonomy,...

Policies that support your business and team

If you run a business or an organisation, the Code of Conduct is one policy you want to invest in.

Creating policies for your business might not be the most exciting task, we get it – but some guidelines are essential, and this is one of them.

 Having a code underpins and informs almost everything your business does, from communication best practices to acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. In this blog post, we explore what a Code of Conduct is, where and why it's useful, and how it can significantly benefit your business.

What is a Code of Conduct?

A Code of Conduct is a formal document that outlines the guiding principles, standards, and behavioural expectations for all team members within your organisation. It serves as a set of rules and guidelines that govern interactions, communications, and behaviour between employees, management, and other stakeholders.

A well-designed Code of Conduct promotes ethical...

Understanding Motivation:

Understanding how to motivate your team can be one of the biggest challenges business owners, managers and leaders face. Finding the right people for your business is just the first step, once you have the players in place, getting the most out of them, motivating them and pushing for greater productivity and motivation is an ongoing pain point which can often feel like some sort of secret witchcraft.

Our Usual Default:

For many managers, when thinking of ways to motivate staff, our automatic default is to entice them with some form of incentive, or show them recognition with some sort of gift, reward or show of gratitude. Some people even think that the bigger the gesture, the more expensive the gift or reward, the higher the motivation should be.

Then, after outlaying the money, expecting a huge return on their investment by achieving high motivation across the team, they are disappointed, frustrated and resentful that their efforts have had...

Time to Pause

As we kick off a brand new financial year, it can be a perfect time to pause, and take a look at how we are tracking with our vision, goals and objectives for the year.

For many businesses the plans, goals, strategies and projects they put in place at the beginning of the year may be just gradually moving along, or in some cases things may have been switched direction, or upended more than once.

The New Year Shine

At the beginning of the year, we are typically all bright eyed and bushy tailed. We are refreshed from our traditional Christmas close down and break, we are motivated by our vision for the year ahead and excited to share it with our team.

For many of you that may have looked like a team planning and strategy day, where you got the whole team together, virtually or in person, to share the vision, get them excited and communicate clearly their role in making that happen.

That results in a great spike in engagement, as our teams all want to be part of...

At the time of writing this article, it’s smack bang in the middle of the calendar year, and the very beginning of a new financial year.

This is always a great opportunity to reset, revisit things and take a look at the structure of your team.

Maybe you’re starting to feel like the constant bottle neck…

Or like you are trying to squeeze a square peg into a round hole when it comes to someone on your team and the role they are in….

Possibly everyone is feeling stretched too thin, burnt out even and you know that at any moment one of those things you’re juggling is going to come crashing down.

Why We Feel These Pains

It’s not that your people are doing a bad job, or underperforming, but simply that the skills they have no longer suit the business, or that the business has changed and needs new skills.

All businesses face these challenges as they grow and evolve. The skills that were once critical to your service delivery perhaps are now...