Season’s Greetings from all of us at Helm and Associates!

‘Tis the season, as they say, for shopping, Christmas jingles, and more shopping.  Speaking of shopping, modern psychological research has discovered that there is a gender difference in the way shopping is approached.  For women, shopping is an end in itself.  The more time devoted to it, the more pleasurable it is.  On the other hand, for men it is a means to an end, and the more quickly it is over, the sooner we can get back to important things, like football on TV.  Most men rate shopping on a par with dental surgery.  Consequently, on a good day, the average guy can shop for everyone on his list in fourteen minutes flat, fight his way through the holiday traffic and still make it home for the third quarter.

The December Hiring Doldrums

Hiring tends to drop off a bit in December for a couple of good reasons.  First, the holidays are not a good time to deal with the anxiety of changing jobs.  The season calls for security, and as much vacation time as possible.  If a person quits a job, it usually means going from a more secure position (having a job) to a less secure one (not having a job.)  Generally speaking, the holiday season produces enough stress all by itself, without the additional stress of looking for work.

‘Tis the Season for Higher Anxiety in the Interview

Therefore, the holiday season, with all its special pressures and demands, adds to the normal anxiety associated with looking for a job.  When a person is looking for a job, it’s natural for them to have a slightly higher anxiety level.  After all, they are putting themselves in the position of being judged, both professionally and personally by potential employers.  Even individuals who usually have nerves of steel are a bit more anxious in such circumstances.

So, if an applicant seems overly nervous in an interview this month, take an extra moment or two to put him or her at ease.  Often the simplest way to do so is to acknowledge what a difficult time of year it can be, both for conducting business and for job-hunting.

 How does “Sociability?” show itself in a manager?

“Sociability” on the Performance Profile measures how comfortable a manager is being around, and interacting with, people.   Sociable managers are energized by contact with other people.  I have a friend who can be exhausted at the end of a long and grueling work day, spend a few hours in a theater audience or just “people-watching” at a mall, and get pumped enough to work again late into the night.  Managers who have a low Sociability rating on the Performance Profile are more energized by what is going on inside their heads, by being at a distance from other people and the demands that interacting with people makes on them.  These managers, many of whom genuinely like people, can be drained of energy by the demands of casual conversation at parties or even with just one or two people.  These two examples represent the extreme ends of the “Sociability” scale on the Performance Profile, but all of us fit somewhere on that scale.

When is a “Low Sociability” rating a liability for a manager?

The extent to which low “Sociability” is a liability for a manager depends on three things:

            · how much contact with people the job requires;

            · how many people the manager must interact with daily;

            · how structured the interactions are.

It is easier for a person with a low “Sociability” rating to interact with people in a highly structured situation, such as making formal presentations where there has been adequate time to prepare.  However, when interacting with others is less structured, as in the Question & Answer session and in the informal moments before and after the presentation, it is not uncommon for a manager who has delivered a fairly smooth and poised presentation to stumble a bit and appear awkward.

A manager with low Sociability is not naturally comfortable interacting with people.  As a result, he or she may prefer to “manage by memo” rather than communicate face-to-face with co-workers.  This kind of manager will often describe his management style as “hands-off,” and may say things like, “My people know their jobs.  If I try to talk with them every day, it just looks like I am trying to micro-manage them.”  This manager may also tend to leave social events early, or avoid them altogether if a plausible enough (in the manager’s eyes) excuse is available.  The long-term problem for such a manager is that communication tends to break down when talking with co-workers is minimized or avoided.  In particular, the low “Sociability” manager may avoid informal interactions with co-workers, such as small talk about hobbies, family and other non-business subjects, that are the very type of interaction that is the “oil” that promotes the building of trust, encourages open communication and reduces friction.

Coaching strategies for the Low Sociability Manager

Managers with low sociability usually have not learned well enough the skills of listening, “reading” others’ cues, and making small talk.  Combined with the discomfort they experience when interacting with others, their lower skill levels mean that it is easy for them to justify minimizing or avoiding interaction with others whenever they can.  Unfortunately, this is not a strategy that serves them well.  A better strategy, as suggested by a wise old Marine Sergeant I once knew, could be summed up as, “Nothing to it, but to do it.”  When managers whose natural preference not to spend time with others has limited their development of effective communication skills, they need to put themselves in structured situations that demand interaction and reward them for improvement.  Courses offered by the Dale Carnegie Institute, participation in Toastmasters International, and other similar training programs provide the opportunity for regular practice with positive reinforcement that can lead to higher levels of comfort and competency in dealing with others.

We all have “bad days” from time to time, brought on by a variety of factors:  the slight funk that signals the onset of flu, the emotional stress of a sick child at home, or the computer system that keeps crashing and the phones that won’t work.  In addition, temporary physical conditions such as hunger, lack of sleep, or a nagging worry about personal problems can make it difficult to focus on work.

When an interviewer has a “bad day,” it can distract him from all that needs to be done in the interview.  He may not ask all of the relevant questions, or he may misunderstand or misinterpret something the applicant says.  An interviewer who is preoccupied or distracted may end up misjudging a candidate’s suitability for the job in question.  This can result in an applicant being hired who should have been passed over, or not making an offer to an acceptable applicant.  Either of these outcomes can cost the company a lot of extra time, effort, and money.

How to Correct for a “Bad Day”:

First, be honest with yourself about the “bad day.”  You are not a robot, able to function at peak performance under all conditions.  Do a quick mental check before an interview and, if you need to re-focus, give yourself the time to do so. Try to find something humorous in office or equipment “glitches” because a good laugh can distract you from the distraction of your “bad day,” pulling you back into the moment and helping you focus on what needs to be done in the interview.  If problems outside of work are nagging at you, remind yourself that there is nothing you can do about them at this very moment, and give yourself permission to mentally set them aside.  Take a quick time-out and get a cup of coffee, or a healthy snack.  If you really feel off your mark, have a colleague relieve you and conduct the interview in your place.  Whatever is causing your “bad day” is most likely temporary, and finding ways to do the best possible job under trying circumstances will help you bolster your sense of accomplishment and competence – by itself an excellent way to recover your ability to concentrate.