Bolan Consulting

When your reputation far exceeds your attempt at Branding!

Ever shopped at a Organization’s store after reading their post on LinkedIn and think to yourself.
I need to call their CEO in for an interview so he/she can answer the following question.

“Forget why you would want to hire me, after shopping in your stores why would I want to work for you?”

Forgive the arrogance, confidence, or just plain honest assessment sir/madam. I noticed you had job openings advertised for Store Manager and District Manager. I shopped in three of your stores today and I was a little less than impressed. There was poor or no service, dirty cluttered aisles, and poor in stock, here are my qualifications, experiences, and achievements. If I had 3 job offers today, why would I work for your company?

I assume the most common answer would be, “That is exactly why we need applicants like yourself to join our organization, we believe you are the change agent needed to pull the company in the right direction.”

But is that really possible? Can an organization be changed from the ground up? If it can, at what cost? What would you have to endure, and for how long? Don’t let organizations off the hook during an interview. Do the homework, have a good idea of their culture, understand what the commitment will look like if/when you join. Work on yourself, make yourself attractive to employers and never enter an interview without questions of your own. Know your worth, understand both the job and the job offer for this is the only way to ascertain if you are being oversold or undervalued.

I DIDN'T SAY THAT!

Yes you did!
Remember that associate you walked by disrespecting another associate? You told them it was ok to disrespect your customer. Remember that associate who said “I haven’t slept in two days” but still you let her continue working? You told her it’s ok to get hurt on the job. Remember that associate you asked “How are you?” and she replied “So so” but yet you kept walking? You told her you really don’t care. Remember that associate who said “I feel uncomfortable” yet you didn’t stop to find out why? You told him that your company doesn’t care about the state of their employees. Oh wait, remember that associate who told that joke about the handicapped employee and you laughed and had no retort? You told him that it was ok not to care about the team.

You say it all the time to your associates, whether you hear it or not, they sure do. Communication is most certainly art not science, It’s a objective art form. It’s Maya Angelou on a stanza; It’s Michelangelo with his hands; It’s Ralph Emerson with a pen; It’s Martin Luther King speaking to one million men.

Consider what you don’t say to associates, it’s what they hear the most. Consider your approach, consider your body language, consider your non-action. If you turn your back to a hearing impaired associate who reads lips, you have just communicated something that will be remembered forever. Talking involves speech which involves sound, Communication is a transfer of information. They are certainly not one in the same.

By Andrew Bolan

Truth stands on its own!

Quote of the day.