Revenue Journal®

As part of my work helping CEOs to re-engineer and rejuvenate their revenue-generation efforts, I help them with their employee issues. We always start by trying to bring their current staff up to a new standard or, if needed, we find a new person for a particular job. I help them recruit, screen, train and manage people in marketing, selling, web, and product management positions. I've been doing this a long time.

Here are a few key lessons I've learned about the difference between people who are a drag on revenues and people whose contribution is exceptional.

1. Attitude is (almost) everything. Someone with a can-do attitude is a valuable employee, no matter what position they hold. They get things done. They hold up their end of any project. They surprise you with new ideas and approaches that work. If you have employees with a can-do attitude, take good care of them. Meet with them regularly and ask them what you can do to make things easier for them - because they are the ones trying to get something done. And, I guarantee that someone else in the company is trying to stop them. This is the main source of frustration for a can-do employee. Focus on removing those barriers to progress, and your can-do employees will hum right along. (If you don't remove those barriers, your can-do employee will take their exceptional attitude to another company.) Make sure your can-do employees are challenged, but not overwhelmed - something that can happen easily because everyone else naturally turns to them when something difficult needs to get done.

2. After you've tried to change someone's attitude, and failed, a replacement is in order. Those who have a "can't do" attitude always have an excuse. Even if they're good at hiding their can't-do attitude, there are two ways to spot them. All of their comments sound a little whiny and defensive - everything is always someone else's fault (they especially like to blame their boss). And, when you ask your can-do people if anyone is obstructing their progress, they will mention these can't-do folks. But, before you replace the can't-do person, have a serious talk. Explain that their negativity is keeping them from being all they could be, that it's a drag on others, and that you need to see a change. Then watch what happens while you do what you can to encourage the correct behavior. If the behavior changes, great. If it doesn't, continue to document and have serious conversations, so you have a proper paper trail, and then start looking for a replacement. I should point out that some can't-do people are just stuck in the wrong job. Sometimes the best thing you can do is let them go, freeing them to find a job--maybe even with like-minded people in a dead-end company.

3. As you search, put more emphasis on the attitude than on the experience. I recently helped a client find an assistant network administrator. One of the requirements was for someone with Netware experience. The stand-out candidate (and there always seems to be one, among dozens of candidates) was a positive young woman whose Netware experience was fairly limited. "I understand it, I've worked with it, but I'm not an expert in it," she told me. Then she said: "However, I'm not afraid of it." She'd approach it the way she approaches everything: She'd learn what she had to learn. Obviously a can-do type, confirmed by her references.

Yes, a potential employee must have basic skills and experience that will enable them to do the job. But once you're satisfied that their knowledge and experience is appropriate, pay attention to their attitude. A can-do person will produce three to five times more than a can't-do person, will make a positive contribution to your revenues, and will help to make your company a pleasant place for other can-do people to work.

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Additional resources on this subject:

Top five candidate traits, How to hire a problem solver, and How to email top candidates, all by Harry Joiner (appearing in the always-useful Duct Tape Marketing Blog Channel)

Happy people are the key, in the Business Opportunities Blog (slightly off-topic, but not
really - happy people always generate more revenues for their companies)