THE LION AND THE FOX

It's a fine sunny day in the forest, and a lion is sitting outside his cave, lying lazily in the sun. Along comes a fox, out on a walk.
Fox: "Do you know the time, because my watch is broken"
Lion: "Oh, I can easily fix the watch for you"
Fox: "Hmm. But it's a very complicated mechanism, and your great claws will only destroy it even more"
Lion: "Oh no, give it to me, and it will be fixed"
Fox: "That's ridiculous! Any fool knows that lazy lions with great claws cannot fix complicated watches"
Lion: "Sure they do, give it to me and it will be fixed"

The lion disappears into his cave, and after a while he comes back with the watch which is running perfectly. The fox is impressed, and the lion continues to lie lazily in the sun, looking very pleased with himself.

Soon a wolf comes along and stops to watch the lazy lion in the sun.

Wolf: "Can I come and watch TV tonight with you, because mine is broken"
Lion: "Oh, I can easily fix your TV for you"
Wolf: "You don't expect me to believe such rubbish, do you? There is no way that a lazy lion with big claws can fix a complicated TV"
Lion: "No problem. Do you want to try it?"

The lion goes into his cave, and after a while comes back with a perfectly fixed TV. The wolf goes away happily and amazed.

Scene: Inside the lion's cave. In one corner are half a dozen small and intelligent looking rabbits who are busily doing very complicated work with very detailed instruments. In the other corner lies a huge lion looking very pleased with himself.

Moral
IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY A SUPERVISOR IS FAMOUS, LOOK AT THE WORK OF HIS SUBORDINATES.

In the context of the working world:
IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY SOMEONE UNDESERVED IS PROMOTED, LOOK AT THE WORK OF HIS SUBORDINATES

Top 10 HR tips

For many businesses, people are the most important asset Top Ten HR Tips provide advice on how to find and keep the best employees and offer hints on helping them develop.

1. Draw up a job description, no matter how simple or low-level the job

The more information you put down, the better your chances are of getting the right person for the right job. Cover areas such as the level of skill needed, whether training is necessary, and how much experience or responsibility the job requires.

2. Use specialist or trade publications to target your ads

If you are looking to fill a particular position, consider advertising in specialist or trade publications. Find out from people who work in that area what publications they read. If the job is not that specialised, consider advertising in a local newspaper, which will be cheaper. Word-of-mouth can also be useful and cost-effective.

3. Always take up references

Before someone joins your company, ensure you get references. It can be a good idea to contact a referee direct on the phone as they are often more responsive than in a letter. Ask questions such as Would you re-employ this person

4. Get help from your friends and family

Recruiting employees is a costly exercise, both in terms of time and money. Think about whether you need someone full time. Help from your friends and family is also an option, and it wont cost you a penny to advertise. If you need someone specialised for the short-term, its worth paying that bit extra for contract or temporary staff.

5. Make your employees feel welcome

First impressions count and the first three months of employment with a new company are important. Make your new employees feel welcome. Consider setting up an induction into the company with on-the-job training and a buddy system to help a new recruit with any questions.

6. A business is only as good as the people who work for it

As a small business, you can be closer to your staff, suppliers and customers than larger ones. Involve your employees in the work culture from day one and keep them up to date with the progress of the company and any developments that may take place in the near future.

7. Use incentives other than money

A competitive package need not only be about money flexible working such as job-share and flexi-hours can give you the opportunity to tailor benefits more suited to the individual. Look carefully at what motivates each employees some may be driven by security, others by ambition. Group days out, or brainstorming sessions combined with a fun activity can also work well.

8. Appraise your staff regularly

An effective appraisal system should allow for realistic, but challenging objectives. There should also be interim reviews to ensure objectives have not changed and to give an opportunity to identify training and development. Consider who is best placed to carry out the reviews in some cases it may be more appropriate to use a middle manager.

9. Enforce strict absence procedures

In order to deal effectively with absenteeism, staff should be very clear about the company policy. A staff handbook is an ideal way to state policies clearly. Areas such as holidays, sickness and absenteeism should be included and clearly outlined.

10. Create a culture of good leavers

Hold exit interviews, particularly for key staff, which will help you identify any problems going forward. The aim is to create a culture of good leavers this is the type of person who will flag up any problems beforehand, tell you about concerns with work, and once they ve left, will not say negative things about the company.

Ten Top Performance Management Tips

Sadly, Performance Management has got itself a bad reputation. Dreaded by those on the receiving end and considered an unproductive chore by the manager, the value and benefits have been lost. But there is another way and here are Ten Tips to help.

Talk to Your People Often

By building a great relationship with your people you will bring trust, honesty and information. This gives you a head start in Performance Management of your people.

Build Feedback In

On the job two-way feedback processes gets rid of the nasty surprises that gives Performance Management such a bad name. By building it in as a natural activity, you take the edge away.

Be Honest

By being frank and honest, which the preparation work in building a great relationship has afforded you, both parties treat each other with respect and see each other as working for everyone’s benefit.

Notice Great Performance

When you see good stuff, shout about it! Let people know. Celebrate successes and filter this into formal processes.

Have a System

Performance Management is a process and needs some formality - especially for good personnel practice and record. This need not be complicated, but it needs to be organised and have timescales.

Keep it Simple

But do keep it simple. If you have a relationship with your people that is strong anyway, you already know what they are about. Formal discussions can be friendly and simple, with formality kept to a minimum.

Be Very Positive

Celebrate great performance! Focus on what’s going well. It's about successes and building on strengths, not spending ages on their weaknesses - that serves no-one. Go with the positives!

Achieve Their Needs

Remember that we all have needs that we want fulfilling. By working with your people to create outcomes that will do this, you will strengthen your relationships and channel effort in a constructive direction.

Tackle Discipline

Whilst it often happens, Performance Management is not about managing indiscipline. That has to be managed in a different way. By setting clear standards in your business that everyone understands and signs up to, discipline becomes much, much easier.

Learn from Mistakes

As part of regular on-the-job and informal review, mistakes will come to light; things will go wrong. By using the ‘What went well? And ‘What could you do differently?’ format, the unsatisfactory performance becomes controllable and a positive step.

Try these ten out, maybe not all together, but one at a time. Have fun! There are other benefits apart from just improving the performance of your people - can you spot them?

Avoid the 10 Most Common Interview Mistakes:

By University of California Berkeley Career Center staff You've made it through the first hurdle-the resume screen-and now it's time for the interview. For many job seekers, the interview is the single most stressful part of the job search process. Any number of things can go wrong, and a big part of being successful is avoiding simple mistakes. Recruiters share the 10 most common mistakes job seekers make and how to avoid them.

1. Failure to research the company Recruiters say that they expect candidates to spend at least one hour doing research on their web sites and reading about their companies via other web sites (see Fortune Magazine, Bloomberg, Wetfeet Press, and Vault Reports). Do your homework before the interview; know what the company does, and who their competitors are. "If students have not taken the time to review the employer web site and understand what we are recruiting for, they reduce their chances of continuing on through the interview process," said one recruiter,

2. Being unclear on which job you are interviewing for Become familiar with the job description so you can explain how your experiences, talents, strengths, and abilities will connect with company needs. Highlight how you're suited to that particular job.

3. Not marketing yourself Define yourself. What makes you different from other job candidates? Know your major strengths and accomplishments as they relate to the job you are applying for and the company.

4. Asking silly questions Have at least three or four intelligent questions to ask the recruiter. It's OK (it actually leaves a positive impression with the recruiter) to have them written down in advance and to reference them at the appropriate time. Interviews are an exchange of information, and arriving without questions shows that you did not prepare for the whole interview.

5. Dressing inappropriately for the interview Professional attire and attention to detail still count. You can never be too professional. Remember that everything-your appearance, your tone of voice, your conduct-contribute to the impression (positive or negative) that you make. Be presentable. Wear a pressed suit and shirt and polished shoes.

6. Trying to wing the interview Practice! Get a list of general interview questions, a friend, a tape recorder, and a mirror and conduct an interview rehearsal. Practice until your delivery feels comfortable, not canned.

7. Not being yourself Be yourself and be honest! Don't pretend to understand a question or train of thought if you don't. If you don't know an answer, say so. Relax and be yourself. Remember you're interviewing the company, too.

8. Listening poorly Focus on the question that is being asked and don't try to anticipate the next one. It's OK to pause and collect your thoughts before answering a question. Pay special attention to technical- or work-process-related subjects that are unique to a given firm or organization. The interviewer may have provided information you will need to answer the question earlier in the conversation. Employers will be looking for your ability to assimilate new information, retain it, and, most importantly, recognize that information as useful to you later in the interview.

9. Offering too little detail When answering case questions or technical questions or solving technical problems, take the time to "talk through" your thought processes. Recruiters are interested in seeing how your mind works and how it attacks a problem. Interviewers consistently place a high value on students who articulate their problem-solving process. These individuals receive job offers more often than those who could solve the problem but fail to verbalize their thinking.

10. Lacking enthusiasm Maintain eye contact, greet the interviewer with a smile and a firm handshake (not too weak, not too strong), and show common courtesy. Don't be afraid to display your passion for the job/industry and to show confidence.