Never use a shoe to do a hammer’s job

Why hiring right keeps things together

I once put together a bookcase with a shoe and a screwdriver.

I was young(er), impulsive, and it was too late to go to the store to get a hammer. I was tired of looking at the unassembled bookcase in the middle of my living room, so I looked around the apartment to see what was available. What I came up with was a shoe.

I pounded away at those nails for quite some time, but eventually, it got the job done. The nails were all hammered in, and I was able to put books on the bookcase. It held together for a while, until months later when I tried to move it.

Because shoes are great, they protect your feet from the elements.

But if you want things to hold together properly, you need to use a hammer.

It’s a matter of finding the right tool for the job and using it. When it comes to your credit union, it’s a lot more nuanced. What you need isn’t always obvious, and grabbing whatever is nearby to get the job done might seem awfully tempting.

There are positions where you need someone suited for charging up that hill and Macgyvering a solution. There are also positions where you need someone who is going to follow instructions down to the last detail, like a teller or member service rep. You can grab a shoe to do the task, and while it might be “good enough” for a time, in the long run, if you want it to last, you are going to need that hammer.

For all of the analogies, people aren’t simple tools used to get a job done. They are wonderfully complex individuals with rich experiences and often colorful personalities. They do more than just process transactions. They build relationships with members and create goodwill for the organization. If you could just look at a resume, or sit down and have a conversation with someone, and determine how those factors were going to interact in the long run with the existing structure of your organization, that would be fantastic! But a piece of paper or a conversation is not going to give you all the answers.

This is where an assessment like the OMNIA Profile comes in. It is a key to help you unlock the tool box of possibilities within your existing team or pool of candidates.

Being able to evaluate the members of your team and seeing how the pieces of their personalities fit together can help you manage them to greater success. It can also assist you when it comes time to hire new team members by showing you why certain people are a better fit for the task. The OMNIA Profile doesn’t just help identify what tools you have on hand, or those you need, it helps you figure out how to use the ones you have to maximize their potential.

Perhaps, under the right circumstances, that shoe can be used as a hammer, in a pinch. There are some tools though, if you try to use them in the wrong way, that will just end up breaking. That’s true of people as well.

Finding out the differences, and how to maximize your staff’s potential, is what the OMNIA Profile is all about. Contact Carletta Clyatt at 813-280-3026 or Carletta@omniagroup.com to find out more today!

Carletta Clyatt

Carletta Clyatt

Carletta Clyatt, a popular seminar speaker, is the SVP at The Omnia Group.  She offers clients advice on how to manage more effectively and gain insight into employee strengths, weaknesses ... Web: www.omniagroup.com Details