2015 - Optimus Performance

More of Happiness, Contentment and Abundance

Dec 21, 2015 Comments

To have more happiness, contentment and abundance we need to first understand where it comes from. At this time of year we are bombarded by advertisers and marketers urging us to buy more of what we already have and don’t really need.

The desire to have something new and the feeling we have when we get it happens inside of us. Yet we tend to think that it’s the objects we desire that creates that feeling of happiness or contentment.

Since that feeling occurs within us the source of that feeling is always there inside of ourselves. We don’t need something new or better to tap into that feeling every day.

Appreciation

The simplest way to tap into happiness, contentment and abundance is to connect with that source, with that feeling that’s already inside of us. We can do that every day by just sitting quietly and appreciating the simple fact that we’re alive.

Perhaps we don’t always like what’s occurring around us or how we’re treated or treat others. Some things we have control over and others we don’t. However, we can take the time to appreciate life and the fact that we exist and can make choices.

Just that simple acknowledgement can change our perspective and bring joy and satisfaction and the feeling of wealth and abundance.

As we approach the holiday season I encourage you to take the time to feel the happiness, contentment and abundance that’s constantly resonating inside of you.

Enjoy your life, every day and every moment. It is a precious gift!

Happy holidays!

Stephen Goldberg

Hire for Attitude, Train for Skills

Dec 07, 2015 Comments

Attitude is a huge component of job performance. Attitude can be defined and described in different ways, but I use integrity, reliability and work ethic.

I use these three attitude attributes because I can measure them in the person using the pre-hire survey tool the Step One Survey from Profiles International.

Integrity lets me know if I can trust the person to treat information and property honestly and that they will conduct themselves with acceptable morals and ethics.

Reliability tells me about their attitude towards following established rules and procedures and in dealing with others positively.

Work ethic is the belief in the value of work and this will tell me how hard a worker they might be.

Well-known entrepreneur business man Richard Branson puts attitude and personality before other qualifications when he hires. He looks for people with great attitudes who are passionate about what they do. He doesn’t want yes people and likes those who can challenge the conventional way of doing things.

He says that you can train for skills but you can’t train attitude. I don’t entirely agree with this but I do agree that checking for attitude is the first step in the hiring process and that is why I use the Step One Survey. Why hire somebody with a bad attitude and try to change it? It’s better to hire someone with the right attitude and develop their skills so they can become top performers.

It doesn’t mean you don’t hire someone with the basic skills to do the job. You wouldn’t hire an accountant to do engineering work.

Branson went as far as picking up candidates in a taxi that he drove without them knowing in order to see how they treated the taxi driver. If they lacked courtesy and didn’t treat the driver with respect or displayed a bad attitude he would take him back to their home and not go further with them.

If somebody is skilled and talented than having the right attitude will permit them to learn new things and find the right niche for them to grow in their organization.

Testing people’s attitudes is also important because people tend to lie or exaggerate on their resume and this will force them to lie in the interview. When surveyed 80% of employers believe that most people lie on their resumes, mostly about their education passed job titles and responsibilities and also about their technical skills.

Learn from Richard Branson and higher for attitude and personality that is appropriate for the job and company and train for skill development. This is a smart strategy to develop a high performance workforceA

Stephen Goldberg

Attract Top Talent Within About Us Company Video

Nov 22, 2015 Comments

Using an about us company video is a great way to attract top talent and stand out from the crowd.

One company that I’ve worked with for several years is Fonex Data Systems and earlier this year I produced a video for them with the purpose of using as a tool during the recruiting process for attracting top talent.

Fonex Data Systems is a growing value added re-seller and manufacturer of telecommunications equipment and the need for talented technical people is ongoing.

Lately I’ve been helping them with recruiting and I’ve been using the video as a tool to create a connection between the company and the candidates. Having the video as a tool to send to potential candidates provides them with a way to get to know the company and the people they would be working with.

When a new employee joins a company they work people with whom they need to form new relationships and thus the chemistry needs to work.

Most people who leave a job do so often because of a bad relationship with either their boss or co-worker. So moving to a new company needs to feel right beyond just the opportunity and the compensation.

A good about us company video needs to be honest and transparent so that a connection is made between the people in the video and the candidates.

The video we created for Fonex Data Systems was made using interviews of key people in the company who spoke honestly about their experience and what motivated them to work there.

An about us company video can serve multiple purposes. It can be used to attract new employees but also to give a sense of the philosophy and values of the company, which is great to introduce the company to potential partners and customers.

Every company needs to differentiate itself and show its uniqueness and what better way through people working there expressing themselves honestly and speaking from their heart about their company.

Rather than having great graphics and stock images on a website and about us company video can help the visitors connect with the human side of the company and people is what makes the company. Here is an example of another good about us company video from Zappos.

Stephen Goldberg

Lessons to Learn from Champions

Nov 09, 2015 Comments

The Kansas City Royals just won the World Series last week and I am glad they did. They demonstrated they have the stuff champions are made of. What can we learn from witnessing their ascent to the top?

Have a vision and mission. The team had this very clear in their minds and it showed in their focus and determination.
Have goals and objectives. A vision and mission starts at the top and is sharpened by clear objectives down to each team member and support staff. Everyone knew what they needed to contribute.
Develop belief and confidence. Believing that you can do something comes from being confident in your skills and that everyone will give their 100%. Last year the Royals lost the World Series in game 7 but they learned from that experience and knew that they had the right stuff to win this year.
Create team spirit. Team spirit is not an accident, you make it happen by getting to know each other and helping each other work through the difficult times that everyone goes through.
Be a Leader. Everyone can be a leader when the time is right to use their strengths to contribute to the situation. This might be hitting a home run to take the lead or make a cracker play to get an out. It’s about stepping up to the plate and doing what you do best to contribute to the cause.
Be creative and Take Risks. The Royals pushed their opponents to the limit by being aggressive in all aspects of the game and this forced errors by the other team. This was risky because it could have led to failure on their end but they continued to use this tactic throughout the playoffs.
Be Consistent and Determined. The royals were the most consistent team in the playoffs in all aspects of the game. They did more of the little things right. This translated into consistency fueled by a fierce determination to win.
Celebrate Your Victories/ Learn from Your Defeats: It’s easy in sports as each great play and win is celebrated. Take the time to celebrate both your big and small victories. Celebrate each win and take the time to discuss what went wrong and how you can do to improve the situation next time.

How does your organization measure up to these winning strategies? What can you do to be a champion organization in your field?

Perhaps assemble your team and discuss these attributes of a champion team and set one or two goals to improve your batting average and rise to the top in your field.

Stephen Goldberg

Yearly Archives: 2015