We all know Steven Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.  If you haven’t read it lately, take another look.  The first habit, “Be Proactive” is universal – it applies to everything we do. 

The second habit, “Begin with the End in Mind” has wonderful applications to hiring.  Combining the two habits, being proactive and beginning with the end in mind, will enable you to envision what the…

There is an old lawyer’s axiom – Never ask a question you don’t already know the answer to. I think this saying also applies to employers extending job offers to management level candidates. I’ve seen too many clients extend offers before they know if the candidate will accept, only to get a turn-down.

Once the offer is extended, the power shifts to the candidate, and often, that is when negotiation begins. The negotiation should be done before the offer is extended. An employer…

My last post was about the importance of keeping your best people, especially in a recession. Today I’ll focus on what motivates an “A” player. These factors need to be in place in order for you to keep your top people loyal. “A” players are motivated to stay with you when they are:

• Inspired by your vision and leadership – make sure you articulate this clearly and stay positive in your communication.
• Impressed by your business plan – You do have one, right? A roadmap to…

Many employers are mistakenly feeling secure about their current workforce, under the possibly erroneous assumption that no one would dare leave now. There is in fact a real danger of losing great people

within the next year.

Here’s my rationale. I’m assuming that any employer who has let people go has tried hard to keep the “A” players, and let go of only the poor performers. Now the “A”s are overworked, and possibly

under-utilized or under-challenged. If your…