Posts Posts by: "Mark Moser"

Many small companies choose their new employees based on a single interview. Unfortunately research shows that interviews have extremely poor validity when it comes to selecting the right employees. (In case you’ve forgotten, “validity” means an instrument measures what it’s supposed to measure). Interviews are supposed to measure the likelihood that a candidate…(Read More)

Sometimes I’ll get a call from a client because they’re ready to fire Bob. I’ll ask a few follow-up questions and discover that there is no major policy violation, they’re really just irritated with him for an accumulation of stuff that seems important today but is somewhat minor in the…(Read More)

A famous executive reportedly used to take prospective new hires out to lunch. If the candidate salted his food before tasting it, the exective wouldn’t hire him. This story has been attributed to Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Howard Hughes and J.C. Penny among others. It’s really an urban legend, but there’s…(Read More)

I was recently asked to lead a presentation on the topic of multiple generations in the workplace. I’ve heard several speakers present on this topic and the punchline is generally something like this: – kids today are selfish and lazy – baby boomers must adapt their behavior to accommodate them I have a slighly different…(Read More)

It’s only been a week since your new hire started and you’re already wondering, Is that the same person I interviewed? I call this the Evil Twin Syndrome. You interviewed the good twin. The one with all the right answers to your interview questions. The one with the engaging smile and the firm…(Read More)

Ever have that boss who told you during your annual performance review, I don’t give 5s. Everyone has room for improvement? This is the workplace equivalent of the perfectionist parent: – Dad, I pitched a no-hitter!        But what about those two batters you walked? – Mom, I made dean’s list!    …(Read More)

I have a Facebook contact who frequently bashes her employer on her posts. Does her employer have to take that or can they take employment action? Social media has been around long enough now that there is a decent amount of legal precedent. But as you might expect, the answer is, it depends. If the…(Read More)

When our grandparents went to the doctor, they described their symptoms, the doctor conducted an exam, ran some tests, made a diagnosis and prescribed the recommended treatment. Today, patients come into the doctor’s office having already researched their symptoms on WebMD, diagnosed their condition, and researched the various drug alternatives. Before the doc even…(Read More)

I once called a prospect and asked for an appointment. He replied, “My CFO is a CPA, so we’re fine.” Another prospect responded, “we outsource our HR to our payroll company.” Both of those responses instantly told me that these mid-sized companies have half of an HR department, but don’t know it…(Read More)

In my work with small and mid-sized companies, I see three common mistakes related to terminating poor performers. The first, and most common, is waiting too long. Most small business owners and managers are basically nice people. They sometimes tolerate poor performance much longer than they should, hoping the employee will turn things around…(Read More)