Those who have heard me speak publicly or have been clients of HireBetter are very familiar with my insistence that Job Descriptions are largely worthless when written by starting at the beginning.  What I encourage people to do instead is to consider the Outcomes first.

The exercise goes a bit like this: at this time next year, what will this person have accomplished that will make you consider them "successful".  To drive the point home further I like to use this example:

You're going to take this new employee out to dinner at either (a) the nicest restaurant in town or (b) Applebee's.  How will you decide the right destination when looking back on their performance?

The running joke that I've always chuckled about in my head is, "Does Applebee's even exist any more?" As it turns out, it does.  I found myself in Wal-Mart earlier this week with my kids redeeming gift cards from Grandma and I snapped this picture while checking out.

Food for thought:

1. How would a superstar feel about you giving them an Applebee's/Outback Gift Card as a Holiday Bonus?
2. Would a bureaucrat and time-waster feel the same way or would they be thrilled at the gesture because it meant you knew their name?

P.S.  If you're remotely interested, here's a link to download Applebee's Nutritional Information - ouch!