Let’s face it – no one enjoys interviews. They’re awkward, stressful and time consuming. In many (but not all) hiring cases, they’re a necessity.

This cartoon is a funny example to illustrate how you can create a memorable interview that reveals if the person you want to hire is right for the job. It’s both a metaphor as well as a practical example. In this instance it’s appropriate if you’re hiring for a position that requires the person to be able to read instructions, have manual dexterity and patience!

When I was in the printing industry, I had 3 or 4 specific tasks I would give a candidate at the first interview. All the tasks were designed to weed out the inexperienced or unskilled who “oversold” their abilities by revealing their deficiencies.

For example, I would ask them to open a ream of paper – if they proceeded to peel open the wrapping paper, I would stop them and end the interview.

I would ask them to stack a pile of a few hundred A4 sheets that had been collated, but were not neatly stacked. (There is a specific strategy to do this.)

These are revelatory and instantly assessable – they are pass/fail with no grey area for misinterpretation.

Every industry, profession, trade or process has tell-tale habits and techniques that you can use to quickly assess a person’s skills, abilities and aptitudes.

Ideally, you create 3 or 4 to ensure that the analysis is multi-dimensional. In my case, I had 4 tasks and a candidate had to pass 3 out of 4 to continue to the second, short list interview.

I worked for an IT company that had a technical proficiency test that you had to get 17 out of 20 to proceed to a second interview. PhDs would often struggle, obtain a score of 15 or 16 and would be rejected – to their utter bewilderment.

A process is a process and if it works to acquire the skills, aptitudes and capabilities you’re looking for – stick with it!

Of course there are thousands of personality and behavioural tests that can complement this approach, but that’s a discussion for another blog post!

I have mixed feelings about willpower and it’s importance in goal setting and achievement. The main reason is that if you have a clearly articulated goal, outcome or dream you want to achieve that really excites you, you don’t need any willpower to get it done.

Willpower to me is an excuse for impotent goal setters.

Without exciting goals you would need willpower to get motivated.

For example, I don’t smoke. It takes no willpower for me to avoid picking up a cigarette, cigar or pipe. The same is true for overeating. I value my vitality, health and wellbeing so much that I don’t overeat or abuse alcohol or other ‘substances’.

If you’re struggling with willpower and are trying to harness more of it – you’re probably heading in the wrong direction.

Focus on your goals, dreams and aspirations instead.

When you do, you’ll find an unquenchable thirst for achievement that will create relentless enthusiasm within you and you’ll be of the same point of view that willpower has no place in genuine and authentic achievement that is congruent with your life’s purpose.

Give it some serious thought the next time you think you’re lacking in willpower – or when you see someone with very little of it.

Share these thoughts with them because that’s what someone did with me when I was a teenager and it changed my life and perspective forever.

I know what you’re thinking… This is just another motivational play on words. It’s not. I mean it, I’m dead serious.

This is one of the most important time management lessons I learned early on in my career. When I got out of university and the whole world lay in front of me and my career was just starting, I wanted to ‘do it all’…

The problem is – there are only 168 hours in a week.

So what’s a driven, ambitious go-getter to do?

Simple: Apply the concept of Concentration Of Focus. Do one thing and only that one thing until you master it and can do it exceptionally well BEFORE you start something else.

Easier said than done when you have multiple interests and a lot of enthusiasm!

One of the strategies I use to ‘park ideas and concepts’ is to write them down and explore them in my journals. By writing them down and adding to them whenever I get a flash of inspiration helps me remain on focus with my current, primary goal or outcome.

I’ve achieved a lot by anyone’s standards and yes, I have achieved multiple goals simultaneously, but each one was accomplished with laser-focused discipline within the context of this philosophy.

I see it all too often, people flip flopping all over the place, trying to run a business, make money online, trading stocks, buying real estate with NO FOCUS OR DISCIPLINE.

They attend all the free weekend events and seminars hoping for the next big thing and off they go in 1, 2 or 3 different directions.

They are called DABBLERS.

I could go on and on about this, but I’ll save you the rant.

All I want to say is what’s in this blog post title – to get more done, you have to do less.

That means you need to cherry pick what you’re going to put your time and effort behind UNTIL you succeed at it.

What you’ll realise is that you might not be willing to do what it takes and you’ll need to switch to something else.

That will help you to better select your outcomes and goals.

One thing is for sure, if you don’t have Concentration Of Focus, you’re sub-optimising your results.

If you want more guidance on subjects like this, I offer a wide range of Business Coaching and Mentoring Services.

Motivation is one of the many subjects we discussed at the recent 1 Day Mini MBA event in Sydney. The list below is interesting because it dovetails into the discussion we had concerning motivational factors versus what Dr Herzberg refers to as hygiene factors (which can only serve to demotivate).

Most managers don’t understand the difference between simple concepts like this which is why they can be so ineffective as so-called leaders, but that’s a discussion for another day.

Today, I wanted to share with you a recent poll done by The Australia Wide Personnel group on LinkedIn.

Here is how engineering candidates ranked the 7 most important factors when considering a new job that was sent to me by Ray Keefe, one of our multi-award winning clients (and an engineer).

The  7 most important factors engineers consider
when assessing a new job offer

1. Work which requires imagination
2. Challenge of the role
3. Work environment
4. Salary & benefits
5. Employer’s reputation
6. Flexible work arrangements
7. Location

What do you think of the list?

Is it accurate or just what researchers want to hear?

You might have noticed a theme in the last few blog posts – toxic staff… You might think I am anti “employees”, but you’d be wrong. The problem does not lie solely with staff, but with who hired them in the first place.

Once someone has been hired, it’s increasingly harder to get rid of them, which is why you need to get rid of them as soon as you realise it’s the right decision. I see it over and over again – toxic staff destroying small businesses.

• Case #1: A software company had an unproductive ‘receptionist’ who didn’t want to handle a 50% increase in sales. Instead of moving her aside (and possibly getting rid of her), the owner CHOSE to keep her on. Within 12 months, sales went from a robust +50% crashing to an unprofitable -20%. The secretary was then happily doing less and getting paid more with her annual CPI-based raise. How does that make sense?
• Case #2: Service business needs to have field staff convert sales as part of their job description. Several field-based sales strategies and dedicated tools are developed tested and refined to maximise ROI on client call-outs. Over 6 months, these are  dropped by staff because they unilaterally decide they don’t want to be “in sales”. Sales plummet 40% and field staff go from full-time work to part-time schedules. Everyone loses.
• Case #3: Consulting company gets online strategies humming with more leads and contracts than ever, tripling sales. Now comes the challenge of delivery… No one steps up to take the lead. Consultant now working 80+ hours/week because she can’t find anyone willing to take up the slack and increase their salary by $50,000+ because they either have no drive or no time availability (external commitments she knew about when she hired them). Because she never hired for future growth, eventually sales slip back down to essentially a salary with marginal tax benefits. She should have kept her “real job” – at least then she wouldn’t be burdened with the administrative headaches!

What are the lessons to be learned from this?

• Hire the best who will get you from where you are to where you want to be.
• Once you hire them, train and develop them as much and as quickly as you can. Get their buy-in, don’t just give them FREE training, seminars and programs.
• Pay them according to their RESULTS, not the time and effort they put in, because that reinforces and rewards unproductive behaviour.
• Get rid of unproductive staff as soon as you can and hire BETTER replacements based on lessons learned.
• Have the courage to make the tough decisions – NOT making a decision is a decision made by someone else.

The saddest part of having poor (or terrible) staff is that they eventually leave and that’s when it hits home… How much damage they’ve done – by then it’s too late.

Today’s blog post is quick and easy. Letting someone go is never easy, but every once in a while, it’s necessary. Here is a quick way to know if you should let someone go.

Ask yourself this simple question:

“If I knew then what I know now about this person (all the good and bad), would I make them a job offer?”

If the answer is definitely “No!” then you have your answer.

Note to employee: If you are not sure of your current employer’s answer to this question, you’re on VERY THIN ICE. Shape up or ship out!

In future posts, I will delve into the cancerous implications of bad staff – something I usually avoid discussing, but is increasingly important when you adopt Exponential Mindset Thinking™ and Boundless Opportunity Thinking™. Neither can be fostered in a toxic environment of negativity.

More on that in the weeks and months to come.

For me, there are only two types of employees: Those who are assets and those who are liabilities. Wonder which one you are? Take this simple test:

When asked to do something, do you say “yes, then maybe, then no” or do you respond with “no, then maybe and then yes” (reluctantly)?

If you are predisposed to the first response, you’re a company’s greatest asset and if you’re the second, I hope your CV is current because I would fire you and suggest your boss fires you.

I see it all the time, small businesses with employees who are liabilities and obstacles to growth.

Employers, think about your staff – which category do they fall into?

You need to have the courage to get rid of the bad apples ASAP.

Otherwise stop beating yourself up if you’re working harder than ever, making less…

With no, maybe, yes staff, you’re dead in the water.

There simply is no room in today’s competitive environment to survive with a no-can-do attitude.

It’s like a cancer that kills you one response at a time.

Sorry to be blunt, but y’know what? Someone’s got to tell you.

Want to try to change someone from a liability to an asset – give it your best shot and then post a comment on this blog – I’d love to hear about it because it’ll be a FIRST in my 20+ years of coaching, consulting and advising.

I wanted to share an email with you – this was a friend who was running his business into the ground. I left it in its raw form to give you a sense of what it’s like to told what you don’t want to hear, but need to hear. It’s what my Platinum Program members expect. If you want to step up to this level of performance – you know how to reach me. But BEWARE – I will tell it like it is, with no sugar coating!

Here’s the first dose of telling you what you don’t want to hear. Get the
business right, make a s_ _ _load of money and THEN think of another opportunity.

Every minute you spend on something OTHER than the business means you’re
dissipating what Tony Robbins calls CONCENTRATION OF EFFORT – one of the keys to
exponential success.

I know you’ll say or think things like:

Successful people do MANY things at the same time.

Wealthy investors invest in MULTIPLE stocks.

Real estate moguls own MORE THAN ONE property.

This is all true – EXCEPT for ONE thing.

They all started creating a success with ONE thing they knew really well and
MAXIMISED the returns and rewards and then re-invested the profits.

They bought ONE stock that made a PROFIT.

They bought ONE property that appreciated in VALUE and then leveraged it.

They started ONE company that was successful and reinvested the PROFITS into
other businesses.

That’s one of the problems MANY people have – they have NO CONCENTRATION OF
FOCUS.

Like the magnifying glass that focuses the sun’s rays to create heat and
fire, the concept holds true for business ideas and innovation.

I know first hand how hard it is to put great ideas aside – I call it
‘parking an idea’ – putting it on hold to be picked up at a later time and
date. When it’s appropriate.

If you are struggling with the business such that you can’t afford to do what
you really want, that means you have not yet succeeded with the business.
You might be on your way, but the rewards are only available when you
BACKSTOP the backward slide that occurs from time to time.

Success really only happens when you OWN the business and have NO mortgage,
otherwise you are always a slave to the landlord or the bank.

Too many people in business think they’re entrepreneurs when in fact they
are employees with tax benefits and huge financial liabilities.

CONCENTRATION OF FOCUS is what made you a ______ champion.

You better than anyone KNOWS what it takes to WIN.

Why are you not using the SAME DISCIPLINE and FOCUS for the business?

Why are you not using all the sources of information/data/tools to make it
massively successful?

You’ve seen and heard what I’ve been able to do over and over again – this
is not magic – plumbers, electricians, retailers, gyms, lawyers, engineers,
employees, coaches, accountants, IT companies… They use these strategies
that have been tried and tested for over 30 years.

But it takes concentration of focus to make it happen.

Why bother with an Internet idea when you have no expertise in that area -
your website with no offence intended… ‘sucks’.

I know you’re going to have one soon, but do you realise it’s 2011?

You’re 10 years behind the eight-ball in respect of the Internet. You should
be getting at least 50% of your clients through the Internet by now. You
should be delivering value to you clients via online strategies and
concepts.

Does this make sense or do you still think you’re right?

If you think you’re right, answer me one question, again this is without
prejudice or judgment.

If you’re right, why aren’t you successful = profitable and swimming in
cash?

You are the MOST COMPETENT ________ I have ever met – you know more
than 10 people combined.

You are one of the MOST DISCIPLINED people I know – winning a __________
championship requires TOTAL and absolute commitment.

Also, you are one of the most stubborn people who wants to do it on his own
- without help/assistance.

When I was in +/- teens, I was the same way – it was all about ego, me,
myself and I. Then I realised something that was hard to admit.

I wasn’t smart enough to do it on my own.

That’s when I picked up Tony Robbins’ books and the rest is history. I started
seeking out the BEST sources of information and strategies and APPLIED them
- over and over and over and over again – until I mastered them.

I applied them with CONCENTRATION OF FOCUS on ONE concept/project at a time.

That’s my message for you today.

I know what you wanted to hear, and I asked you if you wanted me to tell you
what you NEED to hear versus what you WANT to hear.

All I can say is that everyone thinks they have a great idea.

My test is simple. If you can’t summarise it in one sentence, it’s all too
hard.

For example:

A super small device that can hold thousands of songs that you can buy on
the Internet and play in any pre-set order you want. (iPod)

I sell ice cream cones at the beach on sunny days. (DUH!)

For every $1 people give me, I guarantee they will make $3. (My business)

A computer that looks great, requires no technical skill to operate and
doesn’t get viruses because the operating system is bullet proof. (Mac)

Then of course there’s the USP… Without that, you’re just like everyone
else, but that’s a discussion for another day.

Let me know how you feel about this brutal full-frontal dose of reality.

Onward and upward!
Marc

I come from a family that valued higher education, hard work and integrity. I can’t say that it’s all that common these days.

One of the foundational principles I was brought up with was the understanding of the hierarchy shown below. This Professional Mastery Blog is all about helping you migrate from having ‘just a job’, to developing a great career, accelerating in your profession and ultimately finding your calling – the reason you’re here and the only way you get to feed your spirit living the dream life you’ve always wanted.

It’s what I describe as

“living a life of revolution by design
rather than evolution by default
to avoid extinction by stagnation” — Dr Marc Dussault

From Just A Job To Finding Your Calling

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