“Again Randy and Nancy, you have proven over and over that the Tech Support people you employ, like John, are the best at what they do…one of the many strengths of IQMS.”
This quote, from one of our customers, came after our support team handled an especially tough system problem that was brought on when their corporate network was infected by a nasty virus over a weekend. We love to hear these types of comments from our customers. The good news is that it happens a lot.
IQMS will be 22 years old in 2011. During the years we have learned much regarding the most important ingredient to success – hiring and retaining the very best people. Everything starts and ends with the right people. We at IQMS have a simple mantra that has permeated our corporate culture. Regarding most any decision but certainly for the hiring process: "Maybe Means No."
Here are a couple of scenarios all managers have experienced after hiring new people. “How’s the new guy working out” you ask the supervisor. Typically the supervisor answers one of two ways. “This guy is great! I wish all new hires were as sharp as he is” or “Well, he has a few issues but maybe he’ll work out”. This is the moment of truth – maybe means no. Cut the “maybe” loose before any more resources are spent. The costs and drawbacks of employing a maybe person are too great.
It’s easy to fall into the “maybe” trap. We hire a person that’s just good enough to be labeled a maybe. We want to wait to see if they improve. We try different things, we give them a third and fourth chance. We may even institute rules for everyone that addresses the person’s issues which can add unnecessary bureaucracy. In the end if we’re lucky, the person leaves or finally gets fired. Look at all of the wasted time and effort that could have been avoided if you hadn’t settled for less than “This guy is great!” More important is the effect that hiring and keeping “maybes” have on the outstanding people that are in your employ. There is no better way to sabotage the morale of your workforce than accepting mediocre performance from employees that maybe will improve.
At IQMS, new hires are required to go through three months of rigorous EnterpriseIQ manufacturing ERP product training. Depending on the job they’ve been hired for, the product training mostly takes place in the classroom. During our hiring process we incorporate multiple interviews to understand the potential employee’s experiences, education and training. This includes reference and background checks and computer based behavioral assessment analysis. Even after all of this due diligence we have learned by experience to hire twice as many people as the minimum required. These methods certainly cost more and lead to higher turn over in the short term but we have found they produce the best results in building a world class workforce for the long run. The three months of product training tells the story and maybe means no.
