Workshifter had a conversation recently with Lisa Mininni, President of Excellerate Associates and Human Wiring Expert. In this interview, Lisa talks about ways that managers, employees, and job seekers can see more success through better communication based on the principles of Human Wiring.
To see Lisa in person, attend Workshifter’s Healthcare Leadership Empowerment Summit, February 21st at Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, MI. Tickets are available here.
What is your advice to a business owner or manager frustrated at their inability to find and hire the right people for their organization?
I think the very first place to start is take a look at your hiring process. And what does that mean? Look at the entire organizational goals. If your organization doesn’t have any goals, how can you possibly interview someone and let them know how they’re going to contribute to those goals?
So first and foremost, you’ve got to look at the overall vision of the organization. Ask questions like:
- Where are you taking your company?
- What is the contribution of your organization?
- What is your vision, your mission, your values? A lot of people think that that’s just a poster on a board, but it is so much more than that.
That vision is important because this generation entering the workforce and already in the workforce wants to be part of something bigger. If you organization is making a contribution through its products or services, then this is an integral piece of that interview process – applicants want to know about the culture of that organization and your contribution to the world.
So, an organization’s goals, and even their core values, impacts the ways they should be recruiting and hiring?
Yes! That new employee is going to directly relate to the organizational goals. So when I am setting up that interview opportunity and I want the person to understand that the position that we’re talking about is connected back to some important organization goals — and those are goals that everybody knows about.
An organization’s goals – supported by its core values – should be used in the state of the company address and actually demonstrated each and every day. So, if you have a value of excellence, how is that excellence determined by a behavior? Too many companies have not operationalized this at a level where people see that they are part of that brand.
How does all of this alignment between core values and hiring the right person impact the overall business?
You’ve heard of burn and churn, right? Remember that this disruptive cadence ultimately impacts the customer. So, here’s a way of making it better – and it involves Human Wiring, which is different than behavior – it is something you’re born with. It’s present at birth and stays with you your entire lifetime. Once you understand the impact of human wiring, you see the value in how it helps successfully connect people to the work that supports your organization’s mission.
I worked with a company that was hiring just the wrong people. They had a 99 percent turnover for a position and could not figure out why. So we had the person who had successfully been in the position the longest take our psychometric assessment. From that we learned how she was naturally wired, and her warm and methodical approach with some routine responsibilities showed how well she enhanced conversations with clients. That taught us how to use psychometric words to attract the ideal employee – and the company went from 99 percent turnover to zero in three months, simply by understanding who best thrives in the given role.
The approach is a win for everybody. It’s a win for the employee because they’re doing a job they love. It’s a win for the employer and most importantly, it’s a win for your customers because they’re going to experience somebody who loves their job.
How does a person’s “human wiring” direct the ways a manager needs to communicate responsibilities and goals?
A good manager will deliver communication that recognizes and honors the recipient’s wiring. It means a manager can be a better coach and see better results.
A client called me one day completely stunned because her employee (her assistant), a very nice and very methodical person, suddenly blew up at her. Because my client was constantly interrupting her assistant with changing priorities and tasks, the assistant, wired to handle a task, complete it, move on to the next – became unproductive and frustrated,
I advised her to manage differently – meet the employee every morning, identifying the priorities of the day, and if the priorities shift, send her an email inviting her to meet with her boss about any new priority. Because the person in question needed to button down what she was working on before moving on to the next thing, or to a conversation about a change, we agreed to this change in management style. The result? she increased her productivity by about 40 percent in 30 days.
How do you think about the skills that a person needs to be successful today?
Communication. Personal development in better communication is key. Without it we end up spending a lot of time managing drama rather than managing what’s important today and what is important ultimately: the contribution that we want to make in the world.
Jim Rohn said that success is not to be pursued, success is to be attracted by the person you become. So if you want to be a better you, the best you, the most attractive you to other employers, Focus on your own personal development.
Keeping up with what’s happening – and what the trends are — is very helpful, particularly if you have an interest in a passion that you want to pursue.
But remember that your superpowers often come in the form of what some call soft skills. I refer to these as critical skills. Simple sounding things like brushing up on your verbal communication skills can set one apart in a fast-paced hi-tech world – and make you a more productive and valued employee.
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