Leadership Tips

Hiring

	Want to use a pre-employment test? Here's what to look for A test may ask all the right questions and assess all the skills you are looking for, but it needs to be able to perform well statistically. Any theories, regardless of the field of study, only become fact if they can stand up to rigorous analysis. You don't need to be a psychologist to assess the quality of a test. Use this checklist.
	Hiring mistakes you may not realize you're making HR managers have to be fair and objective, and put aside any assumptions, stereotypes, and prejudices when going through the hiring process. But alas, we are human. We can be charmed by a charismatic job candidate, or completely dismiss someone whose interviewing skills are unpolished. Here is an informative "cheat-sheet" on how to sidestep the most common interview errors.
	When Honesty Is Your Company Policy While honesty tests in general need to be taken with a grain of salt, research has shown that honesty testing in the employment setting does have its merit. In companies where testing has been implemented, theft and other forms of dishonest behaviors have decreased dramatically. Research has also found a reasonably strong link between integrity test results and overall job performance.

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Employee Development

	Bridging the gap analysis Whether you're assessing a job candidate's potential or want to optimize the performance of your existing staff, the next step (after assigning psychometric tests and reviewing test results) is to conduct a Gap Analysis. Here are a few tips on how to optimize a new hire's performance by bridging the gap between their skills and your company's needs.
	Employee Transformers - Can Your Staff Change and Adapt It's probably a safe assumption that most jobs will undergo some form of technological advancement that will require learning, training, and adapting on the part of employees. As a result, it has become increasingly important for HR personnel to find an accurate way of evaluating both existing and potential staff's ability to adapt to change.
	Like Seeds in Fertile Soil - Work Environments That Nurture Productivity In a business world where company loyalty and morale can't be boosted by simply dangling a bonus like a carrot, employees are more likely to be dedicated to a manager who understands and motivates them. Here are some ways to promote a healthy work environment for workers and the organization as a whole:

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Leadership Development

The Managerial Jigsaw - Finding the Right Piece to Fit Your Company's Puzzle One of the most difficult positions to fill in a company is, arguably, a managerial one. It has to be filled by someone who can wear a lot of different hats - coach, cheerleader, leader, innovator, visionary, etc. Finding a manager who possesses the right set of competencies is important, but so is the type of organizational atmosphere and circumstances you're hiring for.

The Ultimate Leaders: PsychTests Releases Study on Leadership Qualities That Differentiate the Best from the Rest It's important for companies to recognize that management and leadership are distinct, and that in order to bring out the best in employees, a person must have the business know-how of a manager but the finesse of a leader. Good leaders are in a class of their own with a very distinct personality profile.

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Motivation

	Quarterback, Shortstop, Goalie, Bob - Finding the Right Team Player for Your Company We all know that a team player is someone who places the success of the team frst and is willing to make personal sacrifces. Of course there is more to being an effective team player than simply a desire or willingness to be one. There are specific attributes that constitute an effective team player, as well as different types of team players.
	Performance Evaluations Don't Need to Taste Like Brussels Sprouts - Making Reviews an Appealing Experience Giving evaluations, especially where there's some negative feedback involved, is like a ripping a band-aid - you just want to get it over with, and suffer as little pain as possible. Here are some tips on how to ensure that the performance appraisal process of your company is a productive one.
	Do Your Employees Spell Team with M-E? Reasons Why Teamwork Isn't Always a Pleasant Experience Teamwork is the foundation of success for many companies. Creative ideas are more easily generated, large workloads can be shared, and it's always great to have others to turn to for help. For many people though, teamwork rarely works like a well-oiled machine - more likely, they see it as a rusty set of gears that creak and squeak at each other.

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Employee Well-being

	The Stress Response: Fight, flight, freeze, or have gas When you sense danger, your body's sympathetic nervous system and neuroendocrine system are activated. These stress hormones regulate a number of physiological functions that put your body on alert, getting it ready to spring into action in order to deal with the perceived threat. This is your instinctual "fight or flight" response, which generally takes the following route:
	Techniques to help you deal with the physical impact of stress Not all stressors are avoidable, but their influence can be buffered by adopting healthy coping strategies. Coping skills are like any other skill: The more you practice them, the more effective they will be. Dealing effectively with stress is a four-step process: Recognize the signs of stress, identify the source, evaluate its impact, and decide on a course of action.
	Misconceptions that result in unnecessary stress As a manager, you probably have an image in mind of your ideal employee. Someone who is hard-working, dedicated, not opposed to putting in extra hours, and who follows orders. The problem is that there are some traits and skills that can appear to be a strength, but are actually a liability, resulting in a lot of stress for the employee.

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