Ripple Effect’s Post

When it comes to hiring and leading people it’s a combination of art and science. The science is the data we gather through the process, the analysis of information and past performance against what’s critical for a role. The art is the space for considering things creatively, relying on something other than hard data. Your intuition. A feeling, a sensation in our gut, a knowing that can’t necessarily be explained. When you are dealing with people you need both and you need the power to connect. In life you need both. In leadership you need both. Which one do you use most? Data and analysis or the art of intuition? #hiring #leadership #intuition

👷♂️🏛️ Engineers and Politics Many times, I hear engineers express their reluctance to get involved in office politics. They prefer focusing on their technical work and often complain about the presence of excessive politics within XYZ Company in Glassdoor and AmbitionBox reviews. What I've learned through experience is that people frequently misinterpret certain individual's abilities within the organization to influence decisions and guide the organization's direction as mere politics. The 3 main category of people who have such influencing power are: 1️⃣ CXO layer around your CEO: These individuals are like the trusted advisors to the CEO, they have the CEO's ear. They provide insights, align strategies, and ensure that the CEO's vision becomes a reality. These guys have substantial power in influencing key decisions and the overall direction of the company. 2️⃣ Product and Data team: Product managers, data analysts are often unsung heroes when it comes to shaping the organization's trajectory. While their titles may not scream 'influence,' they have a great impact on what products get built, how they're marketed, and, ultimately, their success in the market. 3️⃣ Folks from operations: Their power lies in their ability to get things done on the ground. Regardless of how impressive the product may be with all its bells and whistles, these are the guys who are there when the rubber hits the road, without their support your wheels might come off on day one. 🔑 The takeaway? It's not all politics; it's about influence and alignment with key functions in your organization. No matter how technically skilled you are, these skills are crucial for success. I've learned this the hard way a few times! 😉 #Engineering #OfficeDynamics #InfluenceAndSuccess"

🚀 Building a powerhouse team is more art than science, but it's an art you can master. Success isn't about hiring to fill gaps; it's about strategic foresight and meticulous preparation 📈. 🔍 Strategic Hiring: It's tempting to rush when there's an immediate need, but that's a shortcut to mistakes. Instead, anticipate needs and hire ahead of the curve, ensuring you get the perfect fit every time. ⛔ Avoiding Drama: Every leader's nightmare is workplace discord, often the result of ill-defined roles and mismatched hires. Time spent in precise role definition is time saved in conflict resolution later. 📜 Crafting Job Scorecards: This isn't your usual job description. It's a holistic view of the role, diving deep into expectations, outcomes, and the "why" behind each position. Getting this right means setting clear paths for success right from the start 🎯. Elevate your hiring game and create a team that’s not just talented, but harmonious and driven. Dive into the depths of strategic hiring with the full carousel. And for those who truly want to transform their business approach, consider joining the Master in Business Dynamics community. Unlock unparalleled insights and strategies for success 👉 https://bit.ly/3qO9HYJ 💼 #HiringStrategy #TeamBuilding #SuccessBlueprint #BusinessMastery

Hiring managers, this one's for you! If you're using bots to reject paper, you're missing out on good people. If you're refusing projects because you don't want to work with people, you're not gonna get far in your career. Check your bias. Reappraise your reality. Act differently if necessary. Allow the possibility of opportunity. #biasawareness #communication #selfawareness

Have you ever procrastinated on tasks in your business that you just don’t really like doing? The tasks you HAVE to do but don’t necessarily LOVE doing? On the flip side, have you ever fully invested yourself in a task just because you like doing it? It’s something that you’re good at, something you enjoy, something that you’re talented in. When hiring a new teammate, the roles and responsibilities you set for the job can be a mix of those just-get-it-done tasks and those exciting tasks. Hiring based on meeting requirements can be a little rigid. Afterall, you’re not hiring a robot right? You’re hiring a person! So let’s say you come across someone who has amazing talent and skills in one particular area. And this area will be a huge value boost to your business. But, maybe they struggle with social interaction sometimes and can be sort of introverted. Do you move on to the next candidate simply because they don’t check all the boxes? Or can you step out of the box and create a role that’s dynamic, compromising on the areas that are lacking but investing in the areas that are outstanding. When someone really loves what they’re doing, they’ll give you the best they can offer! And isn’t that better than someone performing tasks in a mediocre way just because they fit the mold? There is so much to gain from focusing on talent and potential! So why not break the mold and try something new? How do you feel about highlighting talent vs just checking all the boxes? Let me know in the comments! #theopsbuilder #hiring #talentbasedhiring

Check your fundamental assumptions. You’ve got them. I’ve got them. And they keep us from accurately identifying and solving the right problem. You’ve got fundamental assumptions around: 1- what you think the problem is, 2- what you think the solution is, 3- and what you think the cause is. Solving for the wrong problem is a big problem when hiring. The roof is rarely on fire. Slow down when hiring - whether replacing an executive, building a team, or adding a position. Deliberate intentionality around root cause, what problem you are solving, and what the desired outcome looks like - all will help you create the team, the department, and the function your organization needs. #strategichiring #insurancerecruiting #checkyourfundamentalassumptions (another #awkwardhashtag)

Have you ever procrastinated on tasks in your business that you just don’t really like doing? The tasks you HAVE to do but don’t necessarily LOVE doing? On the flip side, have you ever fully invested yourself in a task just because you like doing it? It’s something that you’re good at, something you enjoy, something that you’re talented in. When hiring a new teammate, the roles and responsibilities you set for the job can be a mix of those just-get-it-done tasks and those exciting tasks. Hiring based on meeting requirements can be a little rigid. Afterall, you’re not hiring a robot right? You’re hiring a person! So let’s say you come across someone who has amazing talent and skills in one particular area. And this area will be a huge value boost to your business. But, maybe they struggle with social interaction sometimes and can be sort of introverted. Do you move on to the next candidate simply because they don’t check all the boxes? Or can you step out of the box and create a role that’s dynamic, compromising on the areas that are lacking but investing in the areas that are outstanding. When someone really loves what they’re doing, they’ll give you the best they can offer! And isn’t that better than someone performing tasks in a mediocre way just because they fit the mold? There is so much to gain from focusing on talent and potential! So why not break the mold and try something new? How do you feel about highlighting talent vs just checking all the boxes? Let me know in the comments! #theopsbuilder #hiring #talentbasedhiring

A question I’m frequently asked: What EXACTLY am I looking for when hiring/building a team? I’ve spent a lot of time trying to distill what those traits, responsibilities and skills might look look. And since I am a visual person, I spun up this diagram. Essentially there are 4 vectors: Process Systems Analytics  Strategy I like a balance in all skills/areas of expertise with 1-2 spikes. But everyone has some base ability in all four. This way the whole team has complimentary skills and an understanding of what everyone does. If you’re running a unified Ops team, what are the core skills/traits you prioritize in the hiring process? Feel free to steal this and run the exercise with your team. Maybe you’ll find you’ve got a good mix of these skills as well. Maybe you’ll find some gaps. Hope it helps!

Most people have the wrong idea of a 10x engineer/scientist. A 10x employee is not someone who produces 10x as much as her teammates. That would be an imbalanced and unhealthy team. Moreover, productivity is not performance. Neither at the individual nor the team level. A 10x contributor helps others scale themselves and increases the team performance. You can't have that impact by outputting more code. Someone who problem solves fast is an asset for execution. When given complex but well defined tasks, this person will deliver great solutions. But they are not ideal for leading broad initiatives that involve many different functions and individuals. To be an agent of strategic advancement, a person needs to gather context, understand constraints, build consensus, and then delegate and execute efficiently. I think we hamstring individual growth by over indexing on technical output in early career. While contributions that have the most impact on the business are strategic and tactical decision making, enabling others, and assessing the current state and outlook carefully and often. A 10x team member does these things, and increases team performance and cohesion. #performance #growth #team