Help Wanted
Attitude or aptitude? Which do you think is more important when it comes to hiring staff members: bringing in someone with an optical background or looking for the perfect personality?
More and more businesses report giving increasing weight to what are called soft skills. That is, the right personality and attitude.
This month, we look at how and why those soft skills are important. Stay tuned for the second installment coming in September, in which we address some of the steps to training those new kids on the optical block.
Two Sides of the Coin
To understand why soft skills are so critical for employees, you need only look at the other side of the proverbial coin…why workers are terminated. According to research conducted by Leadership IQ, a business survey firm based in Atlanta, nearly 90% of hires who don’t last “lose their jobs due to something involving their attitude or personality.”
Many businesses have learned this the hard way. Others seem to understand it from the get-go. One such category leader is Southwest Airlines co-founder Herb Kelleher, whose motto always was “Hire for attitude, train for skill.”
The proof, as they say, is in the pudding. Southwest’s recipe for success clearly works, and not just short term. For the third year in a row, it has been named by the consumer analytics experts at J.D. Power as tops among domestic airlines for customer service satisfaction.
The Optical Perspective
To see how this plays out in eye care, EB reached out to three industry consultants: Robin Elliott, president of consulting at Williams Group in Lincoln, NE; Mary Schmidt, ABOC, president of EyeSystems in Pleasant Hill, CA; and Tom Bowen, president of Thrive in Roca, NE.
→ POTENTIAL: “Invest in potential, not just past experience,” says Elliott. “Opt for employees who are eager to learn and have a solid work ethic. Even without optical experience, with the right training, these individuals can transform into invaluable team players.”
→ CHARACTER: Bowen agrees, “Beyond the short-term productivity benefits, experience is overrated. There are three primary contributors to an individual’s long-term performance. First, character; second, mentality; and, third, skills plus experience. We always consider these when hiring—in this order. Show me a person of high character and motivated mentality, and I’ll show you a person who in very short order will outproduce and greatly outvalue the most directly experienced person.”
→ ENTHUSIASM: “Our reality moving forward, will be most applicants are new to the field,” says Schmidt. “The biggest benefit is you may find a great new hire with the enthusiasm and desire to learn and grow.”
The caveat? “You must have an organized training plan with strong support and regular encouragement,” adds Schmidt. “We can no longer train in a fractured and disorganized manner. It’s too expensive.”
The consensus among these experts? Hire for personality and attitude. Then train. Train. And train some more.
How? That’s exactly what we asked each of them. And, in the September issue of EB, they’ll share their expertise, as well as offer tips and strategies for training staff members who are new to world of eye care.
