They come and they go. Sometimes it seems as though you just hired them and now there gone. Regardless of their reason for departure, replacing an employee means having to fill a “hole” in the schedule. According to a 2012 Center for American Progress report that hole will cost you 16% of the annual salary for the position, that is assuming that the position makes less than $30,000 a year. You better make sure you pick the right “spackle.”
Needed: Part-time Assistant Manager. Apply within.
It took about two weeks. But I felt that I had chosen the right candidate – a natural born leader. Throughout the battery of interview questions the applicant characterized himself as goal oriented often citing examples of his ability to achieve and exceed the standards of his previous employers regardless of constraints through creative thinking and team work. While he may not have used those actual words, that is what I heard. Hopefully this applicant would be the right “spackle” I needed to fill the hole.
After a few months of working together, I had the impression that the candidate I chose could make a good candidate to take my place. While it was not widely known, I was getting ready to return to school and step down from my position. During the course of the next year I noticed that my new hire took initiative to finish corporate directives in my absence and completed his tasks with good intention showing his ability to be responsible and driven. He would often successfully handle customer complaints by ethically aligning his decisions with his knowledge of company policies and procedures. He was always willing to accept last minute changes to his schedule and easily started conversations with customers and staff. I found him to be not only smart, but intuitive. But was he willing to take “THE” lead?
Little did I know at the time that the traits I was searching for had been the subject of a long standing debate. I had never heard of the “Great Man Theory” nor did I know that in 1974 Stogdill conducted a survey identifying 10 traits linked with leadership some of which included: “drive for responsibility and task completion; vigor and persistence in pursuit of goals; venturesomeness and originality in problem solving; drive to exercise initiative in social situations; self-confidence and sense of personal identity; willingness to tolerate frustration and delay;” and the “ability to influence other person’s behavior” (as cited in PSU WC PSYCH 485 L. 2 p. 3). And while at that time I had heard of the Five Factor Model, I was never cognizant of its use.
After reading about the above methods, it appears that I had chosen my “spackle” wisely. As stated in our lesson commentary (PSU WC PSYCH 481 L. 2 p. 5) the research conducted by Judge, Bono, Ilies and Gerhardt (2002) found that “extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and emotional stability were all positively correlated with leadership success.” However, now that my not so new applicant has assumed my role he will undoubtedly encounter new situations and a staff with varying demands. Will the “spackle” hold?
References
Boushey, H., & Glynn, S. (2012, November 16). There Are Significant Business Costs to Replacing Employees. Retrieved May 24, 2015, from https://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/CostofTurnover.pdf
Pennsylvania State University World Campus. PSYCH 485 Lesson 2: Trait Approach. Retrieved from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/su15/psych485/001/content/01_lesson/printlesson.html
rkb5149 says
As I was reading your post, I kept wondering if you wanted your replacement to have the traits of a leader or if you wanted them to be like you. It looks as though your main concern was how the new leader would do in their new position as opposed as running the business as you would.
I agree with your assessment on hiring being crucial to the business. Aside from the monetary loss from having to fill the position, another concern is how that new person is going to interact with your staff and how they are going to make the business better. I don’t think a hiring manager hires someone with the intent of continuing the status quo. As a hiring manager myself, when hiring, I’m looking for someone who can help take us to the next level. I want someone who wants to be the best they can be and in turn, help their peers be the best they can be.
I’m happy for you in that you made a good hiring choice. Sometimes in interviews, people say one thing which makes them stand out, only to exhibit different behaviors after they are hired. I’m glad that the person you interviewed is the person you got. Making the wrong decision as a hiring manager can have consequential effects on your staff as well as your business. I’m happy things worked out for you!
jbh5133 says
Even though we have only started class this week, we are already learning a lot we didn’t know but already practiced. Your “spackle” seemed to fit into his new role with ease. He also took on the responsibilities right away and was very flexible. I believe his traits and behaviors were signs of a good leader.