My colleague David Zinger, over at Slacker Manager has an AWESOME contest going on. It’s called the 6 Management Story Contest. His idea for the contest came from Jodee Bock who wrote a post called What’s Your Story (In Six Words..?) I like this contest, because it should challenge you to think about who you are as a manager. Do you know?

Take a moment and visit Slacker Manager. Read some of the comments people have left. My 6 Word Management Story is Living to Shape Minds and Destinies. That’s who I am. It is my mission in life. And I have been doing it for a long time. What’s your story? Can you declare it in six words or less?

Contest Details:

You have 6 words to capture your management approach, style, and way of working.

Write your 6 work management epiphany in the comments over at Slacker Manager. David will send a real Canadian “Toonie” with a polar bear in the middle (Canadian coin) to the person who writes the coolest management 6 word or less story.

David’s 3 teenagers will judge the winner(s). You have until April 1st (6 days from now) to get your comment posted. That means you have to write just one word a day to complete this assignment. I know you want to play! I did that in six words!

I shared a post with you I found over at BossHatch on Monday. Here is the ethical dilemma:

Frank is your go-to guy in sales. You recently hired him after you decided to expand your business. His résumé was put together incredibly well and he had a long list of references. With his charismatic approach and a long list of credentials, you hired him. About one month later, you decided to do a little searching. You find out he lied on his application… not just one lie, but 50% of his references have never met him, and he had only minimal experience in the sales industry.

Before you pull him aside to talk, you have a few things to consider. This guy is ranking top in sales… granted, you don’t have many employees; but he has potential. Then again, he has only been working for about 2 months. Should you continue his employment if you can’t fully trust him? Should you terminate him? Where should you draw the line?

Here are my thoughts on this issue:

The owner/manager is completely at fault in this situation. That said, he absolutely has a responsibility to do more than pull Frank aside. He must deal with this issue. Whether he fires him or not, really should come down to what the standard is in the organization. If there is no standard for situations like this, than the owner/manager needs to make a determination for future situations - because it will happen again until the organization comes up with a formal process for hiring employees.

Frank should not have been hired without the owner/manager picking up the phone and doing some research. Ultimately, the company is at fault. The candidate has probably been doing this longer than a minute. As a result, I would determine that he cannot be trusted. Employees that can not be trusted, probably shouldn’t be working for you.

The conversation from the owner to the employee, Frank:

First the owner/manager should set up a meeting. This is not a conversation that should be held on the fly. Especially if the end result is termination. Second, the owner/manager should begin the conversation with an apology for not doing hi/her do diligence prior to extending an offer.

Next the conversation should communicate what you know. If 50% of his references do not know who he is, be specific and communicate that information. REMEMBER, do not accuse Frank of anything, just state the facts as you know them and then allow him to respond to the information. If he admits that he “doctored” his resume, then the conversation should be easy from there. You just have to decide whether you want to maintain his employment with your company.

If Frank does not ‘fess up immediately, ask him to explain why the people on his reference list are unwilling to admit they know him. Ask for supporting documentation for the jobs he claims he worked. In other words, put the responsibility on him to bring supporting documentation for all jobs, references, education, etc, that are on his resume. If Frank is unwilling to do that, you again, should have an easy decision, terminate his employment and move on.

Did I miss anything? What do you think?

This morning as I was scanning the various posts here at b5media Business Channel, I saw one that caught my eye from BossHatch: Oh Crap Situation 16: The Resume. It was the resume portion that got my attention. I wondered about the situation.

Here it is:

Frank is your go-to guy in sales. You recently hired him after you decided to expand your business. His résumé was put together incredibly well and he had a long list of references. With his charismatic approach and a long list of credentials, you hired him. About one month later, you decided to do a little searching. You find out he lied on his application… not just one lie, but 50% of his references have never met him, and he had only minimal experience in the sales industry.

Before you pull him aside to talk, you have a few things to consider. This guy is ranking top in sales… granted, you don’t have many employees; but he has potential. Then again, he has only been working for about 2 months. Should you continue his employment if you can’t fully trust him? Should you terminate him? Where should you draw the line?

Here are some additional questions for you to consider:

1. Who is responsible for this mess?

2. If Frank should be terminated, how should the owner handle that conversation?

3. If you decide that Frank gets to keep his job, what consequences do you recommend to ensure that he works within your organization with integrity?

4. The manager made the offer without doing his homework, is he ethically required to allow this employee to continue working?

I am really curious about what you think of this situation. I will share my thoughts tomorrow. Go ahead, scroll down and leave your thoughts.

Here is an interesting video I found on youtube tonight. For hiring managers, here are some simple principles that are geared toward small businesses. I believe these principles are good for any segment of the business world you may find yourself. Principles are transferable.

Summary - Microsoft - Hiring the Right People

1. Do business with people you like

2. Look in their eyes and their heart and see if they believe in what you are trying to accomplish

3. Develop a list of outstanding people

4. Build relationships with outstanding people

Resume and cover letters are great ways to find talent, but don’t rely on those two data points to make your decisions. Your success depends on the people you hire and bring into your organization.

Take a look at this cartoon from Word Sell, Inc. I found the cartoon while visiting Home Biz Notes. Do you assume your employees understand your expectations? When is the last time you actually clearly communicated your expectations for their specific job assignments, work arrival time, lunch and break time, performance?

It is your responsibility as a manager to clearly communication your expectations. Otherwise you leave it for your employees to interpret for themselves. Many managers spend lots of time frustrated, or angry with those employees who get creative with instructions given. This cartoon depicts creative interpretation on a sign. How can you restructure your instructions to ensure your employees are crystal clear about what you need them to do or accomplish?