In this issue
Holiday Specials
It really wouldn't be the Holiday Season if we didn't
have some year end specials to offer you. Visit our
website and they will jump out at you.
Recent tradition at Kolbe Corp has seen our business
office close over the Christmas-New Year holidays.
This year we will close at mid-day, Tuesday, December
24 and reopen on Thursday, January 2. This allows our
staff, many of whom are originally from states outside
of Arizona, to travel and spend the holidays with family.
This exercise has become easier over the last few
years as the store is always open online. This means
that Kolbe Indexes can be purchased online and paid for
by credit card while we are enjoying holiday cheer. For
those of you who have invoicing arrangements with
Kolbe, we urge you to review your needs and make any
purchases necessary to carry you through the year end
now.
Holiday Specials Page
Quick Links...
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Seasons Greetings!
In our Quote of the Month below we are challenged by
no less an authority than Abraham Maslow to be all
that we can be. At this time of the year reflection
comes naturally and all the things that could have been
and should have been are brought sharply into focus.
Our wish for each one of our readers this Holiday
Season is that you join us in resolving to use your
talents - your most creative gifts - in ways that make
a positive difference in the world. May each one of us
be an agent for peace and good in 2003.
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Quote of the Month
"If you deliberately plan to be less than you are
capable of being, then I warn you that you will be
deeply unhappy for the rest of your life."
Abraham Maslow, Creator of the Concept of Self-
Actualization
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Downsizing: A Corporate Solution to Increased Productivity?
At Kolbe Corp we have long preached that downsizing
per se does little to improve overall productivity of a
company. As people leave and tasks are redistributed
among a diminishing pool of workers, mismatches
often occur. Workers are frequently overburdened
and the stress of trying to do too much intrudes.
Furthermore, workers do not always have the cognitive
preparation through skill development and training for
high-level performance.
The other disregarded aspect of this common scenario
is the conative mismatch that frequently happens. No
one makes sure that the employee inheriting the
additional tasks is naturally suited to efficiently perform
them. All of a sudden that detail-oriented assignment
so suitably handled by an initiating Fact Finder is thrust
into the arms of a woefully ill-suited generalist whose
strong suit is cutting through the minutiae and going
straight to the bottom line. Guess how soon problems
begin to show up irrespective of the inheritor's positive
attitude and willingness to do what's best for the
company.
In a new book entitled "Less is More: How Great
Companies Use Productivity as a Competitive Tool in
Business", this issue is dealt with head on. One of the
findings is that the most productive companies in the
world never effect massive layoffs. The author cites
the wisdom of the CEO of Nucor, the largest steel
producer in the USA and one of the Great Companies
mentioned in the book. The CEO first debunks the trite
sayings of his peers about "Our people are our most
important asset." His counter is "The "right" people are
a company's only asset."
The distinction should not be lost on Kolbe
consultants. Better yet, Kolbe hands out the tools to
determine who these "right" people are for each job. It
starts with the Kolbe B™ Index as a measurement of
the employee's fit for the job and the Kolbe C that
measures the supervisor's requirements for the
position. From all indications we will continue to see
massive layoffs as a solution to ailing companies around
the world well into next year. This Neanderthal
approach is not likely to ever go away but here's our
chance to do some good by helping pick up the pieces
and alleviating some of the stress that's out there.
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Question for Kathy Kolbe
Q: I've bought the Kolbe RightFit™ program and the logic
of it makes sense to me. I've followed the instructions
by doing the Kolbe C™ Index to define the
requirements of the position and found that the results
seem to cover my detailed job description so that gave
me some additional confidence. The problem is that all
the candidates for the position seem to be rated "C" or
below on your system. I'm getting impatient with the
process and wonder why we can't find any suitable
candidates to interview. Am I doing something wrong?
A: If you've done all the procedural steps you've
described to build a Range of Success™, you're
certainly on the right track. It's easy for me to preach
patience but when critical tasks are not getting done
on a daily basis, patience soon runs out. Here's my
hunch: your advertising for the position may not be in
synch with your job description and your Range. If you
send me a copy of your ad, I can verify that for you
and even provide some language that will attract the
candidates with the right stuff.
You've described the job as needing initiating Quick
Start energy. Does your ad contain such words and
phrases as fast-paced, open-ended, flexible, and
rapidly-expanding? Is it clear that you're looking for
someone who thrives on challenges, works with a sense
of urgency and is a change agent? I'll bet not. Too
often we describe the job well internally and then turn
around and use the same tired old language for virtually
all positions. If you want to reel in a Quick Start (or
any other MO), you've got to use the right bait.
Email your idea or question »
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Kolbe to Lithuania
In bitterly cold weather, even by European standards,
Stephen Booy of the UK and Rainer Matthies of
Germany recently presented two ground-breaking Kolbe
seminars in Vilnius, Lithuania. In Steve's own
words "whilst the temperature outside was minus 20 C -
the enthusiasm and interest inside was not daunted."
Two separate sessions were held for 40+ interested
executives over two days. Senior executives and
human resource specialists from such areas of
Lithuanian business and political life as the Parliament,
banking, advertising, energy and communications were
represented. There is no question that interest is
running high in this Baltic Republic and our thanks go
out to Steve and Rainer for helping stir the pot.
Together with a recently certified consultant who came
to London for Kolbe training, some aggressive follow on
offerings are being contemplated. Meanwhile, Steve
has instituted an open Forum on his website to serve
as a discussion site primarily for European based
consultants. All interested parties are invited to log on
and see what business issues are engaging Europeans
and how Kolbe fits into the mix.
Visit the MBF International website for more information »
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