Why Chase the Purple Squirrel?

Where to start in our reflections about the current hiring paralysis that affects organizations?  With the manager who will not hire anyone who does not bring a pen to the interview? (He is in the food industry). Or with a company that was unable to fill a standard engineering position despite having 25,000 applicants*? Or, maybe with the stubborn reliance on gut-decisions that often run against better knowledge and – job descriptions in general?

I start with the hiring manager and their mental schema of a prototypical dream candidate, the “purple squirrel”. One who thinks and acts the way they expect, require and desire. In short: their "Ideal Employee", who embodies a plethora of (often) unrealistic expectations towards real people. People who might never be perfect, but who could become pretty close to perfect. If they only let them.

 Don't chase the purple squirrel

Every single manager I have ever asked admitted that they have a certain ideal image of a perfect employee. While there is nothing wrong with high expectations and a sense of perfection, it becomes a problem if it hinders our judgment about others. I strongly believe that today’s hiring problems such as the perceived lack of qualified candidates and the use of exhaustive interview processes are in part due to the way hiring managers consider applicants. 

Sure, if we look for a purple squirrel in a hoard of brown squirrels, our search will be unsuccessful. Our response to this initial frustration is to want to make them all purple. We either reject the brown ones, or torture them with (ridiculous) questions just to make sure we get the candidate closest to purple. But what if we never find it?

4 steps for a better hiring process

If you find yourself with unrealistic expectations towards new job applicants or existing employees, try this:

     1.      Functional aspects test:  What do you actually need from your employee?

Focus on the business objectives at hand and define the skill set and required qualifications of employees as precisely as possible. Leave out all unnecessary qualities that are not absolutely crucial. Write a short and well-thought-out job description. Be reasonable. (For example, does a head chef really need a pen to be a great cook?)

     2.      Reality Check: What is the potential impact of your Ideal Employee image on applicants?

Be aware of your Ideal Employee image. Do not allow your real candidate pale beside your imaginary creative-and-efficient-and-independent-and-team-working imagined superhero/heroine. (Remember, none of the 25,000 applicants in our above example ever had a chance).    

     3.      Re-Adjust Focus: What is the goal that you want to accomplish?

Put the emotional aspect on the back burner. Don’t wait for the magical buzz between yourself and the applicant but focus on the things you want to accomplish through and with them (see point 1.). Do not get carried away with personal traits too much (you don’t want to make friends but need a great business associate).

      4.     Create the right context for Your Real-Ideal Employee

People can be made into great employees: in an amazing work place they will thrive, in a healthy organizational culture they will grow, through your leadership style and management skills they will become what you need. 

Bottom line: if your old strategies didn't help you find great employees, try to change your mind. Think forward, not backward: allow future employees to be molded into your vision instead of forcing them into something they don't even know yet. It will make your work relationships and - hiring processes - easier.

References:

* Cappelli, P. (2012). Why Good People Can’t Get Jobs: The Skills Gap and What Companies Can Do About It. Wharton Digital Press.

** http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_squirrel

Managing the German-American culture gap

German-American business relations are healthy and booming. They are pleasant reminders of the fact that countries can overcome their dark histories by pursuing economic endeavors and sharing important goals. But positive intense relationships can also pose new challenges. Although American and German business partners might have a lot in common, it is the subtle differences that make them puzzle over, and get upset about, each other sometimes.

Often, dissimilarities make their appearance during important interactions such as meetings, telephone conferences, negotiations or customer interactions. Without briefing on potential differences between business partners, certain behaviors of the cultural counterpart can be mind-boggling and troubling. Existing stereotypes and biases (which we all hold!) also don’t help when misunderstandings crop up, complaints arise or business relationships cool off.  Lastly, existing literature about cultural diversity (e.g. Hofstede’s all-encompassing culture dimensions) takes time to be combed through and matched with the right solution. Not all managers have the time or inclination to do that. Still, the bottom line is: leaders who deal with international teams will benefit from increased cultural sensitivity and an ability to cope with the differences that arise on seemingly mundane levels of daily cooperation.

What is the biggest issue for American-German liaisons?

Differences in communication style are the most common problem between American and German business partners. Where Germans are blunt and direct in bringing their point across, Americans like to say things in a roundabout way. Any attempt of the more sociable American to make small talk before it comes down to business is nipped in the bud by the German who is enthusiastically task-focused and simply not used to talking private before business.

Make no mistake, though: neither of them is intentionally rude or superficial. Both might just be who they are, fine representations of their respective cultures. More interestingly: behind these different communication styles could lie a difference in a varying perception of what it means to be respectful. Germans show respect by being totally (and sometimes brutally) open. Americans, on the other hand, show respect by maintaining the other person’s dignity by not being so direct. Neither perspective is superior over the other. They are simply - you guessed it! - different.

How to lead across the American-German gap?

No matter if the situation requires the ‘Americanization’ of a German or the ‘Germanization’ of an American (both is fine in certain contexts), the basic rule for all individuals involved should be :

Cultural Awareness = Eradicating Existing Expectations.

Managing ideals (e.g. believing that this is how business people should be/behave/talk) means to let go of set expectations. It is the first and most important aspect of leading through intercultural differences. This can be practiced by anyone, but it is a more pressing issue for leaders and managers of international teams. Such a mindset begins with keeping an open mind towards the other person, regardless of their passport. This includes a mental deletion of existing stereotypical attributes (e.g. Germans are harsh, or Americans are superficial). The next steps involves the engagement with the other person(s) on a new level. Real engagement. Listening carefully not only what they say, but how they say it.  And never, ever taking things too personal.

Naturally, there are many more challenges other than their communication style which German and American business partners will encounter during their cooperation. But this is the first issue that they will probably come in touch with the next time they communicate with each other.

For more information about the way leadership consultants can help improve existing and future American-German business relations, please contact me: andrea.derler@gmail.com