Hire Slow, Fire Fast

I've read several books in the areas of people management and building effective organizations. All of them echo the same message - "Hire Slow, Fire Fast". But, I've seen companies doing just the opposite. Companies/managers hurry to hire a person due to project pressures. They don't hire GREAT people. They just settle for AVERAGE people who may be good at one particular thing. When the project is over, they don't know what to do with that person. They try to put the person in a different project and realize that the person is not suitable for that. Nor, is the person willing to learn the new technology/skill. They give him/her time to learn. But, the person doesn't learn. They put him/her in a performance improvement plan. The person shows slight improvement. They think that the person has 'good' attitude and they just end up keeping him/her in the job. The person gets fired only when there is a real 'crisis'.

When you hire a GREAT person, your benefits get doubled. First of all, he/she contributes a lot to the product/project. Second of all, he/she will also help others in the group to perform better. At the same time, if you hire an AVERAGE person, you get beatings twice. First of all, he/she doesn't contribute what is expected out of him/her. Second of all, someone (usually, the performer) has to help him/her to perform even their day-to-day work. Indirectly, you are affecting the productivity of the performers, too.

When you complain to the management about the inefficiency of AVERAGE performers, you'll most likely hear the 'five fingers story'. "Note... Not all the team members can be STAR performers. Look at your fingers. They're not alike. But you need them all to do your tasks. Similarly, do not expect everyone to contribute the same to the project/product". I pity these managers. They have actually 'mis-understood' the five fingers story. The real message behind the 'five fingers story' is - each of the team members will bring-in different skills/expertise to the project/product. The combined set of skills/expertise will help to achieve the project/product goals/milestones. So far, I've not come across a manager who embraces this theory when building teams. At the end of the day, a manager has to realize that we are not running a 'charity institution' to give jobs to 'everyone'.

Companies have adopted lineant hiring policies and tough firing policies. If a person in the team is not 'rising' up to the challenges, the person is not fired right away. He/She is given time after time after time to improve. Or, the manager is not 'bold' enough to make the tough decision. There are managers who want to 'demonstrate' their people management skills by trying to 'get the best' out of the non-performers. There are managers who want to keep a 'proper mix' of performers vs non-performers in order to maintain the salary structure, performance incentives etc., There are managers who do not want to keep 'smart' folks under them - so that, subordinates will always say "Yes!" to every decision they make. To me, all these are 'absurd'. Once again, we are not running 'charity instituitions'. We are running 'business'. We want the company to be profitable. Shareholders do not invest money into the company to give jobs to 'everyone'. They want to get 'good returns' on their investments.

If you are a manager, you should take time to hire GREAT folks, and shouldn't think twice before firing NON-PERFORMERS. Hire Slow, Fire Fast

How to be a STAR performer?

You are a person who completes all the assigned tasks on time. You check emails or work from home almost daily. You even sacrifice some of your weekends to complete the project. You travel for your company on a very short notice. You hardly have any time for you and your family. But, in spite of doing all this hard work, you don't get the rating that you wanted.

At the end of the review cycle, your boss says "You did a great job in completing your tasks. I wish you had done better on other areas also" or your boss says, "I personally wanted to give you the best rating. But, the top management didn't approve it". Does this sound familiar to you? Don't worry. You don't have to hear those statements again in your life. I am going to give you 5 simple tips to get the "best rating in performance reviews".

Tip #1: Understand your objectives

This is one of the important things to do to get the best rating. Are your objectives well defined? Do you know the criteria that your boss has to measure your performance? Are those agreed upon and documented?

Let me give you an example. Say, you have an objective like "Deliver a high quality product". The perception of quality varies between individuals. A person from Microsoft may think that a high quality product can crash or reboot twice a day. Whereas, a person from Apple may think that a high quality product should not crash at all.

Ask your boss this question "What should I do against this objective to get an Outstanding rating?" Get a clear understanding about your objectives and the measurement criteria before you sign-up for something.

Tip #2: Always go the extra mile

If you are expected to just develop a product/feature - go the extra mile - and do some extensive testing. If you are just expected to test a functionality/feature, - go the extra mile - and complete the test automation.

Your boss may come to you and ask "Eric, I know that you have so many tasks in your plate. There is a new hire who just joined our team. Will it be possible for you to mentor him?" Your boss comes to you because he thinks that you can help him. Do not disappoint your boss. Be willing to take additional responsibilities. Go the extra mile.

Tip #3: Be Consistent

At the beginning of the review cycle, you may be very excited and motivated to achieve your goals. But the motivation should sustain.
If you are expected to send "Weekly Status reports" once a week, send it without failure every week.
If your manager expects you to complete your deliverables on time - make sure that you complete them on time, every time. You should have the same levels of commitment and performance throughout your review cycle.

Tip #4: Have a few Bulleted/Star Achievements

This is an important thing that differentiates you from others. Imagine that you are one of the 5 mechanics who work for a car service shop. You check brakes, rotate tires, change oil, change filters and fix the issues with the car like every other mechanic. If you want to differentiate yourself from others,

- come up with a strategy to service more cars in less time,
- volunteer to train the new joiners in your team,
- learn how to fix issues with the new cars in the market,
- go beyond your customer's expectations

Don't just do what you are expected to do. There should be some star items (things that are not the USUALS) and those items should be BULLETED in your performance review form.

Tip #5: Project what you do

I've seen many people slogging day & night to get the work done, but they fail to project their hard work to their bosses. How would your boss know that you are spending extra hours unless you let him know? How would your boss know that you are doing the work efficiently unless you let him know? How would your boss know that you are completing things on time, unless you let him know? Typically, a manager has 10 or more people reporting to him. So, it is hard for the boss to keep track of what each & everyone is doing.

Make sure that you send your Weekly Status Reports. Have regular 1-on-1s with your boss. Send emails after completing tasks or let your boss know in person. Some managers don't read their emails. Make sure that your team also knows about your accomplishments. In many organizations, peer reviews are considered to rate your performance. Your peers should also acknowledge your work.

In order to get the best rating in performance reviews, you don't have to work for 12 hours per day. You don't have to sacrifice the weekend movie that you had planned with your family. You don't have to be super-smart. Just follow these 5 simple tips.

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I'm sure you all would come out with flying colors in performance reviews.

3Cs to be a STAR in the hi-tech world

Hi-tech companies throw loads of money at people. Getting a hi-tech job has proven to be the easiest way to lead a comfy life. No wonder, why there is lots of institutions incubating engineers in India. Hi-tech jobs are very competitive. What do companies value? How do you become a STAR? The answer is 3Cs - Creativity, Communication & Contribution.

Creativity - Ballpoint pens carried by astronauts were leaking due to pressure in high-altitudes in the space. Americans spent nearly $11 million to invent a pen that doesn't leak. Russians just used a pencil. This is what is called "creativity". Creativity saves lots of time, resources & money. Creativity helps companies to venture into new domains. Creativity is hence valued the most.

Communication - Most of the hi-tech companies do job for offshore firms. As part of your day to day work, you'll have to interact with folks from different geographic domains. You should be in a position to express your ideas effectively. You've to excel in written, oral & non-verbal. One who is able to express his/her ideas effectively, often gets more credit.

Contribution - Hi-tech engine runs on the contributions from people. Typically, 80% of the work gets done by 20% of the people. So, the 20% who are STAR contributors are valued the most. If you get enough opportunities to learn, don't hesitate to work hard. Hard work cannot substitute smart work - but it can definitely complement it.

If you have any of the 3Cs you'll be fine. If you have all the 3Cs, you'll be a STAR in the hi-tech world.

How to be a top performer? - 4Cs for a successful career

I had been to GCT, Coimbatore to attend a technical symposium (Infoquest 2007), last week. I was asked to talk to the current 3rd year students who are preparing for their placement interviews. There were about 120 people assembled in a hall. I gave them tips about "What do software/IT companies look for, in fresh graduates? What does it take to be a top performer in IT companies? How to be successful in your career?". In essence, you need to have the 4Cs - Commitment, Communication, Competence and Collaboration.

1. Commitment - Companies look for committed people. Commitment can reflect in multiple forms such as hardwork, availability, ownership, and attitude. At the end of the day, a manager wants his team member to get the job done. The manager can develop confidence in you, only if you show your commitment towards work.
2. Communication - You may have wealth of technical knowledge and skills. But, you should be able to express your knowledge/skills in a way that others can understand. Communication is not just about talking to people in fancy English. Communication is expressing your thoughts in a way that others can understand. In an IT industry, you get to communicate in multiple ways - by writing documents, sending emails, chatting over messengers, participating in conference calls, participating in discussions, and providing status updates. The one who communicates well, gets higher visibility and recognition. 
3. Competence - Competence includes knowledge and skills. Knowledge is something that you can develop by reading books or by listening to lectures. However, you need to have hands-on exposure to develop your skills. Working on a number of projects would give you the real world exposure and thus, you can develop your competence. If you are competent enough, the employer spends less time in training you and hence, saves cost and time.
4. Collaboration - You cannot live in your own world, when you work for an IT company. Most of the times, you tend to work as groups/teams. You need to be able to work with others to get the job done. You are not only expected to collaborate with fellow team members who are sitting across the aisle, but also with folks who are located around the world. Advancements in IT industry has turned the world into a small village. You are too interdependent and your ability to work in a team would go a long way.

Having the 4Cs (Commitment, Communication, Competence and Collaboration) will guarantee you success.

Fresh college graduates can find a number of freshers job openings at www.chennaifreshersjobs.com