Technical competence is important, but that should never be the only thing to look for. If the proper training program is put in place, individuals can be skillfully trained to do what they need to. Think more about their soft skills...Does their personality and attitude fit your workplace? Are they easy to get along with? Optimistic and self motivated? Can they make decisions on their own? Do they have common sense; a sense of humor?

For many, it's the hard skills that get the interview, but it's the soft skills that are needed to get (and keep) the job.

Q: What do you look for in a new hire?

Consider implementing a 3-solution policy if people keep coming to you with their complaints. My good friend Jason always said, if you have something to legitimately complain about, I will listen, but only if it also includes 3 solutions -3 ways that you feel can potentially make it better; otherwise all you are doing is whining.

Q: Complaining is easy. How easy is it to help solve the problem? Can you see this type of strategy worthwhile in your office?

What ABOUT it?

Job Satisfaction is credited with enhancing performance, lowering absenteeism and turnover, producing committed loyal employees with eagerness to "go the extra mile" in order to achieve operational excellence. Is job satisfaction within reach at your workplace?

If employers appreciate their staff, now is the time to tell them. What's their incentive for doing so? Author Cecil Selig said, "When the grass starts looking greener on the other side of the fence, it's probably because they take better care of it there."

Q: What do you think? What gives you the greatest sense of "job satisfaction? What keeps you coming back day after day? Do you look at your job as "JUST" a job...or do you get much more personal reward out of it?

Doctors...what do you do to create a "satisfactory" workplace?

Want a sure-fire way to demotivate your staff? Micromanage them! However, if you'd rather give them the opportunity to function at optimum efficiency, consider allowing them some flexibility to manage their own work. Here's a few questions to ask yourself. Answer yes to more than two or three and your employees may award you with a lifetime membership into Micromanagers Anonymous!

• When you delegate a duty to your staff, do you need to give your "stamp of approval" before it is considered good enough?
  
  
• Do you review and critique your employees' to-do lists?
  
  
• Do you insist that employees do things YOUR way?
  
  
• Do you spend most of your valuable time watching what your employees are doing instead of "managing" or "coaching" them?
  
  
• Do you criticize more than you compliment?
  
  
• Do you get frustrated when your employees cannot do the work as well as you can?
  
  
• Do you find yourself re-doing work they've already done?
  
  
• Do you feel the need to 'check out' an employee's work after they've accomplished it?
  
  
• Do you focus more on the "details" of a project or the "big picture" outcome?
  
  
• Do you visit each employee at his or her work area more than once a day?
  
  
• Do you give unsolicited advice to employees on personal matters that don't involve their work?
  
  
  

Questions for Discussion:

1. What's been your experience with micromanagement?
2. How have you personally dealt with being micromanaged?
3. Based on your responses to this quiz, could you be a borderline or full blown micromanager?
4. Do you feel micromanaging can be a positive thing or is it all bad?
   
   

Staff:

You've just returned back from a seminar where you received lots of new ideas for efficiency that you are anxious to implement with the anticipated help of your doctor and yet they refuse to change things from the way they are. You don't understand why you are met with resistance; after all..they PAID for you to attend! How do you convince them that your suggestions can be worthwhile?

Doctors:

Same scenario...you return with new ideas with a list of new and exciting changes for the practice... but everything turns sour (and nothing gets implemented) when your staff does not share your enthusiasm. What do you do to remove them from their comfort zone and convince them to at least try new ideas?