Process of Elimination

A widely known fact in the HR world is that employers look at job candidates as potential assets or liabilities. More than ever before, company officials are concerned about the people they hire for the simple reason that they don't want to cough up the expenses incurred by a hangover which results in the loss of a well-paying client, a sexual harassment scandal, an OSHA fine, or a mishap press release, all while not having accomplished what the new member was hired to do. These are big ticket items to worry yourself about; the normal day-to-day concerns are more along the lines of talking the day away with coworkers without any real production, causing in-group conflict, or swiping petty company property. Of critical concern in the restaurant industry, are the people in the front-of-house, the ones carrying your name; so it's extremely important they be proficient in positive verbal and non-verbal communication. The difficulty with these concerns, is that very few technical ways exist for sniffing the indicators out of a resume. A company actually has to spend the time and money performing interviews, which bear strong resemblance to episodes of The Most Eligible Bachelor, and does very little in fending off bad cases of reputation-itis.
The elements which every company wants of its employees are things like honesty, reliability, commitment (especially when things are tough), and diligence. Technical knowledge can be trained into the right person, but character traits, whether good or bad, are pretty much there to stay. If you were in the market for a house, choosing one based solely on physical specifications, such as size of kitchen, number of bedrooms, how many square feet, etc., would be quite risky. Taking the time to examine the foundation for faults, the roof for damage, or the HVAC for efficiency would not only be a standard approach, but wise and good. To leave those aspects uninvestigated would be to put your capital in jeopardy, and possibly get hit with 'unexpected' losses. Although, if something is left uninvestigated, it can't be genuinely unexpected; you simply didn't do your due diligence. In the case of employees, you must inspect their foundation (moral code), curb appeal (verbal/non-verbal communication), and condition (personal hygiene/capability) before making the final call. What you want is someone that can be trusted when you turn you back, and put as much into their work as you do yours. How will you be able to find such desirable traits unless you thoroughly search?
As an employer, I would rather not hire anyone, and try to meet the demand using an existing workforce, rather than risk hiring a dope-hiding, brown-nosing, domineering slacker, who acts like work is being done while he's watched, but only serves to slows the momentum which everyone else has worked so hard to gain.
The question remains, "Where do you find good employees, and how can you discern them from run-of-the-mill lethargist?" You certainly can't depend on the name of a college or university alone, or even references from a friend or past employer (who may be of the same caliber, or not know the real person). I suggest taking a look at personal areas of a person's life, which reveal volumes, but for whatever reason, are grossly overlooked. These discrete indicators are more visible than you may first believe, but it does take knowing what to look for. Additionally, these are not mere rules, but a way of seeing, thinking, and living; in other words, you must have the integrity of mind to see them for the guiding principles they are. Okay, here's a brief list that worked well for me. This is only to get you started so that you can assemble one of various parts familiar to you -just remember, the following are based on character, integrity, and strong ethics:

1. Cleanliness: It's said that cleanliness is next to godliness. This isn't far from the truth. If you get a chance, take a look at the car of a potential new hire (chances are you won't see the inside of their apartment). Is it clean and well-kept? This will tell what his/her priorities are. If you are unable to determine the original color of the interior because of the coffee residue on the center console, candy wrappers and soda cans on the floor, CD's, papers, iPods and miscellaneous technology strewn across the seats, then it's likely that his office desk, company vehicle, or locker will look the same. What this tells me is that there isn't proper care and attention to detail of quality that I am looking for, and will probably treat company property and clients with similar attention. If you are confident about this candidate, have him meet you at your place of work, and ask him to drive the two of you to a local coffee shop. I'm sure you'll learn about his attitude and courtesy by watching the driving in addition to witnessing the neatness factor.
2. Diet: You are what you eat. For a serious candidate, ask him to meet for lunch for the final interview. Trust me, this is time and money well spent. The considerations are numerous, but here are a few: 1) Reliability: based on what he consumes, could you see him calling in sick every couple weeks, or will he be 'strong like ox'? Also ask if he/she is active, or likes exercise, another contributor to ones health. 2) Sharpness: diet contributes greatly to your mental alertness. Will you get everything you expect out this applicant? 3) Manners: the way a person behaves while lunching opens the shades on numerous other habits, such as patience, listening, and knowing when to quit.
   
3. Personal Composition: What's on the inside can't always be known by the appearance of the outside. A well-respected author and speaker once told me that, "People are like cups or containers; they may look great on the outside, but when they are shaken, what's inside comes out." Before handing over the keys to the front door to your new manager, look for opportunities to test the response and steadfastness of an individual. If you can't find situations, create them. No one says you can't give them a call at 5:30 in the morning (if you find yourself to be coherent at that time of day), and listen to the tone of the response. Are they caught off guard and irritated? If a person drops their new Blackberry in their coffee or introduces their toe to the break room table leg and throws across the room what ever is in reach, while yelling out curses on humanity, then you may not want the headache that person will bring. But if you decide to commence, then anticipate what level of responsibility they will hold.

Keep in mind that these methods aren't bulletproof, but they have offered some valuable insights as I went about recruiting people for my own firm. On the flip side, finding a clean, organized, respectable, and disciplined person who doesn't know the basics of the job may not be your best runner up. The key to making a successful hire is not a rule based examination of education and experience alone; it also requires a hefty amount of intuition and consideration of indicators, which are often misunderstood a being peripheral. If you have owned your own business, you will know better than most that good people are hard to find. This doesn't restrict you from getting the people you need and deserve, it just means you may have to work in unconventional ways to get them.

Purpose?

Most people don't know what to do with their life, yet they want one that lasts forever.

More than the alternative, men suffer with lack of purpose in life. I am not saying that this curse is never visited upon the female gender, but this is really something for you guys. I don't mean 'purpose', like "The purpose of life", but rather vocational purpose. Most men feel the need to do something great, accomplish big things, make a difference; but many get stuck doing something they wouldn't want their high school history teacher doing. This isn't because they are incapable of better, rather they often can't choose where to focus their efforts, which is prompted by the fear of being miserable, choosing poorly, loosing potentially better opportunities, and winding up a failure.
Over the past years, I found myself plagued by this paralyzing mindset. I knew there was a huge potential in me somewhere, but I forgot where I last had it. As days flew by, I would subconsciously tell my self that I am too old to start this or not talented enough to pursue that. What was really going on was a massive episode of excuse-making. There were a good number of things that I wanted to accomplish: products to develop, consultancies to start, web business that would be the next big thing, but I was stuck thinking that if I started out doing one, then I would be barred from doing the others just for scarcity of days. Then I got married. I had to get out of this blue collar rut... but how?
One day, I got to thinking about some of the products I had dreamed of taking to market, and how successful they might be. The only thing stopping me was my ability to visually render what was in my head. After a couple sleepless night, I took the plunge and bought a software tool that is well-known in the field of engineering: Solidworks '07 Office Professional. After 7 months and nearly eight thousand dollars, I was the proud, certified owner of this immense tool whose potential I hardly knew. NASA, along with numerous private brands, whose names you see regularly at Wal-Mart, use this very software to design products which would strategically position their monstrous figures against opposing forces. I had this weapon in my hands, but was completely useless with it. "Why did I put so much cash into this dead weight?" I would ask myself, "I can't get rid of it." For lack of counting the cost, the 3D mechanical engineering platform lie dormant on my office shelf for a quarter of a decade. I didn't even completely install the program onto my computer (which would barely open the program, let alone run it).
Well, after loosing my job to a manager controlled by the Peter Principle, seventy-five resumes and applications, job offers long delayed, and all at the deepest point of the 2008 financial recession, I realized what I had: a capable mind, an expensive piece of software, and plenty of time to learn the engineer's tool box. My determination was to take this $8,000.00 box, being about the size of a paper-back novel, containing a single DVD disc, and recoup my losses. This was going to require huge dedication on my part if I was to turn this stagnant investment into a profitable venture.
That long-awaited job offer finally came, and within days of having set my direction. You wouldn't believe the rush of energy I experienced by having both a means of income and a greater direction set! I had nearly forgotten what a structured, focused life felt like. I would learn Solidworks at night, and work days. In a year or so, I would be able to sell my skills as a 3D CAD draftsman, and maybe even obtain a patent or two on my own products. Without any regret whatsoever, I would no longer think about opening that brew pub, starting a coffee shop, or installing cabinets; I had a greater goal in mind! The freedom of having set boundaries in life was almost over-whelming.

What I learned through much of this process was something that I knew before it began: When a man looses focus on the few things in front of him, he looses focus on everything, developing an almost ADHD approach; never staying on one thought for longer than a minute. Consequently, the male mind lives vicariously through video games and sporting events, which become the means of satisfying the urge to accomplish greatness, as if HD flat screen living was somehow veritably effective or fulfilling. While I never resorted to video games or football, I knew that I was not living to my full potential while not putting a tighter focus on what I could purposefully do at that very moment. This is the sad state of of so many American men, and lives truly wasted.
Whatever your hands find to do, do it with all you might. If you are unsure of what to do, do whatever is closest to you, whatever you can do best, or whatever you find yourself doing instinctively. This may seem like living for the moment, but if you start with what is starting you in the face, while considering the end in mind, you will likely enjoy your work and be equally well rewarded.

Carpe Diem!

Keep Passin' That Buck!

There have been a ever increasing onslaught of what I would consider to be extreme articles and publications concerning the demise of our Great Union. Though I believe many of them to be extreme, I can't help but think they are on the right course, just going far faster than I see is right.
One thing that has kept coming up in these posts, is that both history and predictions about the future call for a healing period of seventy years. One article came from a Russian news journal, which has made some stir in a number of circles, stating that Russia's recovery of the Marxist period was nearly seventy years. Looking to the future, economists are anticipating a 7 decade recovery of America, should their chants of doom come. For me, the impression of a seventy year term is linked to the Biblical accounts of Israel defying God, and falling into the hostile hands of the Babalonians, Assyrians, Persians, Etc. It could be just the way people throughout time have responded to times like these, or it could be God's mercy in allowing ONLY 70 years. He IS the healer of the nations. Take a look at this to get one persons opinion; a little extreme, I think, but the point is clear.
There is no doubt, the financial mess we see is an indicator of the moral, social mess we've created.

"In any successful attack on freedom the state can only be an accomplice. The chief culprit is the citizen who forgets his duty, wastes away his strength in the sleep of sin and sensual pleasure, and so loses the power of his own initiative" - "Sphere Sovereignty," Abraham Kuyper

The strength of a nation is it's obedience to God. Too many people have Jesus in their hearts but guilt on their hands. America, as well as the rest of the world, needs a cold glass of water thrown in the face to wake us from the wrath to come. My fear is that what we are witnessing today, in our society, and those like the UK, are the alarm to rouse the world.

That government which tells you that drinking alcohol under the age of 21 or smoking under 18 is morally wrong, and also insists that sodomy is a lifestyle to envy, is the same governing body which has irreversibly plunged our country into trillions of dollars worth of slavery, and tips the scales in their favor. This government is made up of individuals who the rest of our country are pleased to have represent them. Look at the average American household's debt level, and the it is unmistakable that people follow their leaders. On the other hand, this is a Democracy, and the people are the leaders. The verdict is clear; we are all to blame.
A life of sin is the ultimate form of slavery.

Houses of Wood and Stone

My wife and I went to a Christmas play, which was held at a local Christian Church. While the performance was decent, even impressive, considering the extent of costumes, props, and cast, I felt a deep sense of anxiety for the 'Church', the Body. This disquiet was the result of the architecture; the materials chosen, colors, layout, elevations and roof lines, etc, of the newly built structure. It hit me that some of the most elaborate construction in the country consists of government buildings and banks. What we believe to be important, whatever is precious to us, we put in fine enclosures and we protect it well. The predominant Statist mindset of out culture is reinforced by the architecture which houses it. And money is so preeminent to us that it can only reside in protective houses of fine stature. Both of these are centrally located and easily accessible, conspicuous monuments; but God, the Creator of all things and the Savior of the world, on the other hand, can be shut up in a warehouse on the outskirts of town. I understand that there is an element of expediency controlled by budget, but that only further fueled the sorrow in my heart for the House of the Lord. King David, during a period of God’s blessing, was not at ease so long as men dwelt in houses of wood and stone, while the Lord was put in a tent. This whole scene cut me deeply, because of the condition of the people of our God.

Times and Seasons

Every year is marked with various highlights from different corners of our world, from politics to movies; national news to a new book series. Right now, Twilight is the novel on center-stage, which has caught many in its web, much the same way the Harry Potter series did. It was in more places than you could find Visa; it was in places you didn't want to be. When one much-beloved vicarious life dies, we are forced to possess another. Each fictitious life we haunt becomes a little more uncomfortable, a little more evil, yet it feeds a side of us which has been growling for some time. For a very poignant commentary on this, I would send my readers to one who's much more capable of pulling truths into the light. Here is Douglas Wilson, published in Credenda/Agenda magazine. Take a look.

http://credenda.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=131:twilight-6&catid=101:reviews&Itemid=122

Culture Makers

When the word 'culture' is mentioned, most people gravitate toward images of popular figures, music, movies, New York, etc. But the word 'culture', comes from the Latin, 'cultus', which literally means worship. The idea here is that your worship defines, or shapes the way you live. For Americans, we are still living in ways that were predominately shaped by our grand-parents and great grand-parents, even our great, great, great; you get the idea. What was the object of worship by the majorities one hundred years ago? How did their "religious" activities effect their day-to-day lives? More importantly, what and how do we worship today that will change the way our children and their children live years from now? Will the change be for the better? Would you say, that based on this premise, the future looks bright for the next generations?
About fifty years ago, a movement broke out, which has been given the name, Existentialism. This is the idea that there is nothing worth living for, objectively, so each individual must create a purpose and a meaning for the life they were randomly handed. The major component of this reasoning is, because there is nothing established and objective, there is no right and wrong; each person is entitled to believe whatever he has generated out of his own thought and experiences. Consequently, there is no firm, immovable standard, and the highest level of authority is the one holding the biggest guns. If this reasoning is run out to its necessary end, you arrive at only one reasonable place, which is Statism; the idea that government and law have produced the ultimate standard for right and wrong. Of course that would require being reasonable, and who's to say whether it is or not? Many people who fall into this category consider themselves 'non-religious'. This is an utter fallacy, because every last person worships something or someone; whether or not they acknowledge it.
Personally, I am of the mind that people are far more reasonable than they let on to be, and fortunately, quite a bit more inconsistent than they are aware. I say fortunately, because most people who have adopted this 'religion'of relativity have not thoroughly considered the historical construct and heritage they are held to, nor have they considered the full outcome of their beliefs. An old proverb reads, "Men are prone to destruction, as the sparks fly upward". Our ways seem right to us, but it's end is the way of death. If you can identify a problem in humanity, it was likely caused by people. More specifically, by people who are acting according to their own set of agendas and ideas of morality.
Until we are willing to acknowledge the standard given by the One who made us, the issues confronting humanity will only continue to grow. There is nothing that human kind can do to relieve itself of its problems. The only way to ensure a path of correction and peace is a complete, true heart of submission to The Creator, God. Past generations worshiped this God, granted with much to be desired, but their focus on Jesus Christ empowered them to become what they could not have without Him. What they became was what strengthened them to build the cultures we enjoy today. I think it is widely accepted that if each and every person were to become loving, selfless, truthful, clean, wise, and peaceful, then the world would be a perfect place to live. The only way to this end is to give every person the One who can make this a reality; Jesus Christ. Let us worship that like which we hope to become.

Societal Cancer

A little over four years ago, my mother died of cancer. During the last few months of her life, I began to read a bit on what cancer is and how it generally works. What I discovered amazed me, as I saw what was happening to my mother's body was happening in our country. Why my thoughts were drawing this correlation was beyond me, but I thought it quite interesting that the most common cause of death in America, was actually killing America.
Basically, cancer is this: weak, under-developed, and/or mutated cells of the body reproducing faster than good, healthy cells. Every human body has cancer cells; only the strong, healthy body's immune system can identify and destroy these cells before they reproduce. What surprised me more, was that every cell in the body communicates with every other cell it come in contact with. They exchange every piece of information, i.e. type and function, mineral/vitamin content, water content, even needs that other parts of the body may have. This process of communication, whether weak or effective, is the basis for how cancer spreads. In a cancer patient, when a good cell makes contact with a cancer cell, the good cell identifies it as a good cell, rather than a bad cell, and often, the cancer cell identifies the good cell as bad, and tries to destroy it. Consequently, the immune system is not made aware that a bad, weak cell needs to be eliminated, so it is allowed to reproduce.
So, how does this show that our society is in the same condition? Let's draw an analogy; society is the body, individuals are the cells; the legal system, along with law enforcement is the immune system, and violent criminals, of various kinds and degrees, are the cancer cells. Are you with me so far?
Our Criminal Justice system has taken a humanitarian approach in treating the disease by creating rehabilitation centers. This humanitarian effort has not done what it was created to do, which was to take dysfunctional people out of society, and process them into functional members. It's a nice concept, but it has completely backfired. Repeat offenders don't want to be made into anything different. They instead, they learn to use the system as a support for their lifestyle at the expense of the nation. If you have ever taken the time to learn the number of registered sexual offenders in your neighborhood, you would probably be aghast. I found that, in a neighborhood of roughly 1250 homes, there were 92 registered sexual offenders. Published in the Wall Street Journal, a California legislator confessed, "What we’re up against is the kind of criminal who, just as soon as he gets out of jail, will immediately commit this crime again at least 90 percent of the time.", and quoted later in the article, “Not only are they almost certain to continue sexually abusing children, but some eventually kill their young victims”. These are types of societal cancer cells. Why is our body (society) not willing to do what is needed to defend itself from within? How is the individual strengthening him/herself to produce a socially healthy next generation? Again, this has to do more with the integrity of the majority of cells, the individuals, than it does government, or any other organization.
Just as a side note, the same condition can exist in any organization. It can be seen when the productive, dependable employee is terminated by a corrupt and vengeful manager; i.e. the Peter Principle.