Questions to Help You Mind Your Business…

A Blog Series by Graham Edwards and Renée Cormier

Graham — We sat in a trendy bakery enjoying lunch, and as always our conversation turned to business, opportunities, and the dynamics of transitioning a business in the current business climate. This is always a fun exercise because it challenges our conventional thinking, offers insight into what we know (and don’t know), and reinforces how complicated (as well as satisfying) developing a business can be.

One of us, and I don’t remember who, asked, “Do you think people ask themselves the right questions to increase their chances of success?” This of course rallied the discussion and we could not help but list off questions.

By no means is the following a definitive list of questions because business is a rather broad discipline, but it did lead to an idea.

1. How can I create a fuller picture of the nature of my business?

2. Where should I spend my money?

3. Do I need a plan for my business?

4. Should I hire a sales person?

5. How can maximize the value of my employees?

6. Why can’t employees just do what I tell them?

7. How do I build a team?

8. How can I manage my business and still have a life?

9. How will I know if I am successful?

10. Do I need to be using social media and how much do I really need to do?

Renée  — So the idea here is to write a blog piece each week where we take on one of these questions using our unique perspectives and styles. Graham tends to be more philosophical in his approach to business discussions, and God knows I am a pragmatist of the highest order. We find our different ways of processing and relaying information inspires us to think differently about things and often spurs new ideas. It is our sincerest hope that you enjoy our next ten blogs and that you find the inspiration to contribute new ideas and help us all broaden our thinking around business. We invite you to provide your own ideas, questions and solutions in the comments section or email us directly.

Thanks to the social media platform beBee,  Renée Cormier & Graham Edwards developed a business relationship and friendship that typically involves regular meetings, goal setting sessions, etc. Our meetings often provide the fuel for plans around business strategy, blog ideas and more.

Moments — more money.

My day ended gloriously when I was caught in a summer rain in the city. I had my umbrella with me so I suppose I wasn't caught unaware.

It poured. People scurried to get where they had to and tried to stay as dry as possible — some didn't even bother. I shared my umbrella with a woman — she was trying to keep her hair dry with piece of cardboard. I talked to a man who was soaked — he lamented that he had just gotten a hair cut. I complimented him on his haircut and we both laughed.

The rain was warm and I was mostly wet (even with my umbrella). I was smiling as I walked home.

Earlier in the day I overheard a conversation where one person was saying he wanted to have more money. I couldn't help but say, "We all want more money."

And then I said, "The real question is what are you doing to make more money". The other person gave me a knowing glance and I continued on with my day.

iamgpe

It may seem like I want to discuss hiring... and I do.

Recently I wrote about ownership couched in a story about hiring and I was asked by a couple of people if I could offer some insight and thoughts into the topic of hiring itself — Bingo, Bango, Bongo a blog topic presented itself. Much of my hiring over the years has been for middle management and entry-level sales positions, and as I look back, it has added up to about seventy-five people (give or take) I've personally hired. And although I am by no means an expert, I do have strong opinions on the matter. 

My intention here is to offer perspective as a hiring manager for a role that has been defined and signed off on, and not for an opportunity that is ill defined and only being considered as a way to bring great talent into an organization — I might add this happens much more than I believe people appreciate (a subtle shoutout to the importance of networking).

In my mind the hiring process needs to start with four things: 1) a requisition to hire needs to be opened (or if it's a smaller organization the boss needs to give the definitive green light), 2) an interview team needs to be identified, 3) a job description needs to be written which also identifies the competencies needed to be successful in the position (these competencies should align with much of the overall interview discussion) and lastly, 4) an understanding that the hiring manager owns the hiring decision.

In the end you are looking for an individual who can effectively fulfill the requirements of the job description, work within the culture of the team (and organization), and is promotable in the future (it indicates you are bringing extra talent into the organization which is always a good thing). My process is quite simple — I like to interview candidates first (even before HR if possible), develop a short list of candidates, and then pass them onto the team. Once the candidates have been interviewed I assemble the team to review the candidates and get feedback regarding who is the best fit. I thank the team for their input and then go off and make a decision. If it's a hard decision I will re-interview the final two candidates and then make a decision. Many times there is a need for senior management to review the candidate, but ultimately I am putting forth the person with the understanding that "I want to hire this person, and please tell me why I can't". My process isn't particularly unique but it has served me well.

Regarding the actual interview itself, there are some mechanics and considerations I work into all discussions —

1) I break my interviews into three sections: a) a quick overview of the position, the objectives and expectations, as well as the company and it's culture b) my questions and c) the candidates questions. I always schedule at least an hour and work very hard to fill the hour with discussion.

2) I use the STAR interviewing methodology; the purpose of the questioning it employs is to get into the details of a Situation, the Task (or the resulting objective), the Action used, and the Result. This methodology allows you to get away from general responses and get into the detail so you can better understand a person's capabilities and competencies. More information on this is just a Google search away.

3) My first question is always the same — "I have your black and white resume in front of me; can you please add some colour to it". I am actually more interested in the approach to this question and how the candidate goes about answering because it offers insight into their thought process and ability to communicate. I never like when asked where I would like them to begin because I am also looking for initiative and independent thinking. My other questions are focused on the competencies needed to be successful in the role.

4) I try to create an environment for a conversation instead of a series of questions and answers. I believe it creates a more comfortable and realistic situation to better understand possible working relationships and interaction.

5) I don't think I have ever hired anyone who wasn't full of questions... it's a strong indicator of interest, curiosity and respect.

6) The interview process starts the moment you send in a resume (or application) and ends when a contract is signed; it is not just the agreed upon meeting time between 2:00 and 3:00 on a Wednesday when you have to be "on your game". I was part of an interview team once and my interview was over; as we waited for the candidate to meet with a colleague, he relaxed and decided to pass the time with his thoughts on women... it turns out he was quite the misogynist. He didn't get the job as you would expect and he was the lead candidate at the time. The Interview is always on, and besides, a good interviewer will always find your dark secrets.

I have always been of the belief that as much as a company is interviewing a candidate for a position, the candidate is also interviewing the company to determine if it is a place she or he wants to work. This is the reason I like to make my interviews a conversation — ultimately it is a discussion to determine if there is an opportunity to work together, be productive, build skills and enjoy what you are doing.

After all, we do spend an awful lot of time working, and there is nothing worse than being in a situation you don't like.

iamgpe.