Thank You Notes – An AFZ

Posted on April 10, 2013 by John G. Self

In our increasingly cryptic world of digital communication – an email filled with shorthand here, a text or tweet here, there and everywhere – I am wondering if this is just a temporary fad, driven by connected hordes of Gen Xers and the Millennials who use tweets and SSM as a primary communication tool, or if it will give way to more complete forms of communication as these two generations mature and move up the corporate ladder?

Or, are we seeing the end to proper letter writing and actual thank you notes, replaced by: GAS. AEAP need team to do OOTB. Current P2C2E. (Translation for Baby Boomers: Got a second? As early as possible, I need your team to do some out of the box thinking. The current process we are dealing with is too complicated to explain.)

For those who argue that this shorthand is all perfectly understandable, my response is: RUMCYMHMD. (Are you on medication because you may have missed a dose?)

Sending letters and thank you notes – in an AFZ (acronym free zone) format – is perhaps one way to slow down this increasing reliance on text shorthand.

For those who regularly follow my blog, you know that I am underwhelmed with LinkedIn’s endorsement feature. I think it misses the “adding value” goal by a million miles since it allows users, for those so inclined, to endorse people in their network whether they know them or not. Perhaps one way to make it somewhat helpful – if you are the endorsee – is to send an actual thank you note with no shorthand. You get that Dan or Sue may be trying to suck up but now you have a legitimate reason to reach out to them and sell yourself.

As an executive recruiter who is retained to work on senior level assignments I am always trying to bolster my network of candidates or networking contacts that can help me identify the top candidates. Being endorsed almost always triggers a response to the endorser, whether I know them or not:

Dan, thank you for endorsing me.

Don’t hesitate to contact me if you:

Would like to connect with someone in my network. If it’s someone I know personally I would be happy to make an introduction
Would like me to speak at an event
Are in need of career advice. I often mentor others who are just starting their career or are looking to make a career change
Know someone who would be an ideal candidate for one of our open positions
Would like to submit your resume for consideration. Our firm is focused on executive level healthcare positions so if that is where your experiences lie please send your resume to us at resumes@JohnGSelf.com
Want to guest blog with us at www.JohnGSelf.com/Self-Perspective? We are always looking for a fresh perspective

Thank you again for endorsing me.
John G. Self
JohnGSelf Associates, Inc.
www.JohnGSelf.com
info@JohnGSelf.com

This helps me build my brand, and is so much more effective than:
10X, also known as thank you.

Telling A Story

Posted on March 18, 2013 by John G. Self

Why am I an executive recruiter?

That is a question that I am frequently asked, given my background — from being a newspaper reporter and the first director of Hermann Hospital’s acclaimed Life Flight program and national marketing manager for the aircraft company, to running a wholesale home infusion therapy pharmacy and the largest private EMS system in Texas.

I always begin my explanation by saying, “It makes perfect sense.” It does, really.

I like to inform people. That is why I took up with those very smart, hard drinking, fast living reporters and editors at three daily newspapers in Texas. For me, it has always been very rewarding to provide people with information that they need or want to know. From the grisly details of a double murder or a chemical plant explosion that snarled traffic for hours, to the unconventional workings of a highly successful skid row detoxification center. I enjoy the whole process of learning — gathering facts observations — and telling the story.

That is how I approach the executive search process. Many of my long-time clients believe that is why I have been so successful in matching leaders with healthcare organizations.

It all begins with the site visit. New clients are a little startled that I want to interview so many people, to look at so much data. Why? Organizations are complex, particularly hospitals. In every successful search there is an important story to be told. If an organization is struggling; why, and can the trends be reversed? They all have what I call the great, the good, the bad and, hopefully, very few of the ugly qualities. If the culture is so unique that only a certain type of candidate personality profile will be successful working in this type of environment, then the candidate screening process is probably the least embarrassing time for him or her to understand this dynamic. Part of my job is to tell the client’s story to the qualified candidates. Knowing this story, helps me decide which candidates should hear this story and which ones the client should meet.

Candidates have their own interesting stories to tell, their own complexities to understand. Sometimes they can be a little less forthcoming than even those clients who are skeptical of the in-depth nature of the JGSA search process. While most candidates finally got the memo that you should not lie about your professional or academic credentials, there are still more than a few candidates who feel they can be creative with their professional accomplishments without getting caught — a form low-risk image enhancement. Without going into great detail about the ethics of this questionable career management strategy, let me state the obvious: mediocre operational, clinical or financial leaders cannot make themselves any better — as a candidate or employee — by distorting the truth.

My job is to trust but verify. The vast majority of the time I can get to where I need to be with a candidate’s story without resorting to third-degree interrogation methods; friendly but probing questions wrapped around a 3.5-hour friendly conversation usually does the trick. The majority of candidates tell me what I need to know, most without realizing how candid they have been in the interview.

In addition to the interviews, we use background investigations, DiSC profiling and 360-degree referencing, drawing on the assessments of primary and secondary references.

I am always humbled when my clients — and the vast majority of our candidates — laud our approach and the professionalism of the JGSA team. What we do really is not rocket science but the praise for our work and the compliments regarding the quality of the JGSA team is nice to hear.

In the end all I am doing is something that I love — learning the facts, making observations and informing my client.

Leadership Lessons From My Love Affair

Posted on February 22, 2013 by John G. Self

I have a confession to make.

For more than eight years I had torrid and wonderfully fulfilling love affair — with the game of baseball as an umpire, working my way up from dad’s pitch games at the YMCA to high school and the community college conferences.

As I lovingly recall my days in baseball, I have come to realize that umpiring taught me a lot about people, decision-making and leadership.

The first and hardest lesson for me to learn was that playing the game versus umpiring the game are very different activities. I had to lose the “I know the rules” mentality quickly. The difference between knowing the rules and applying those rules on a close play or some whacky situation is like night and day. As I worked my way up the ladder, I made more than my share of butchered calls. That was the second lesson: you will make mistakes and people will get upset. Stay focused.

Anorther lesson I learned was that there is a similarity between umpiring and working as an executive recruiter in that we both see people at their very best and their very worst.

As I worked my way through the various leagues and levels, I met more than a few coaches who knew the game inside and out and were always more than a little gracious while I mastered the ins and outs of becoming a good official. They could be a little testy when my slip-up was not in their favor, but after the game most offered an encouraging word, praise for being professional or for hustling to be in the right position to make a call.

I found that many parents frequently cared more about winning than their son. They were always right even when they weren’t. I learned that the more emotional they became in pointing out the errors the more likely it was that they did not have a clue about what happened, the rule or how that rule should be applied. Most parents thought there was the rule book and that was the end of what an good official should know. That there was something called a casebook that explained how rules should be interpreted was not something most parents cared about unless, of course, it benefited their child’s team.

Then there were baseball’s leadership lessons, the most important of all:

Be prepared.
Be professional, including appearance (pants and jersey freshly pressed, shoes shined). Appearance fosters confidence. If you look professional, if you act professional, usually you will be treated appropriately, even given the benefit of the doubt on a close call.
Sell your decision. In a close call, be demonstrative to reinforce the certainty of the decision. A feeble signal for a called third strike, or a half-hearted out call on a bam-bam play at first base is an invitation for a robust, dirt-kicking argument, or a discussion in which your mother’s sexual heritage might be called into question. High school coaches were usually more circumspect in their characterizations of their analysis of your call. They also know there is a lower threshold for an ejection.
Treat people with respect. Listen to their complaint(s). Do not make them look bad, especially in front of the home crowd. Be professional in all your interactions with players and coaches, which means do not lose your cool even when you know you are absolutely right in your decision.
Be confident. Do not allow yourself to be intimidated. Unless there is an issue with the actual role – versus a judgment call – do not change your mind. It is OK to ask your colleague if they had a better view, but if you allow an aggrieved coach to appear as though he has influenced you to change your mind, you will lose respect from both dugouts, numbers 2,3, and 4 notwithstanding. The best rule of thumb is to make the call, and move on. If you start second-guessing yourself because of a reaction from a player, a coach or the crowd, you will surely miss the next call and make matters worse.

The truth is that the coaches and ballplayers want to win, but they really want professional umpires who will instill confidence and demonstrate that there is integrity on the field and in how the game is played. After all, that is what leaders do.