Have you ever made the frustrating mistake of expecting everyone you hire to perform at the same level of service that you personally provide? A friend of us shared his Three Point Litmus Test for hiring only the best people.
such as lawn maintenance, handyman services, plumbers and other odd jobs. We can't all be in the position of creating a large job force, but if we think hard about it there are tasks needing to be done around our homes and businesses that we can farm out.
So, during our conversation we expressed our frustration that sometimes we do hire people and they aren't providing the level of service they led us to believe they would. Steve said that during the interview process or the first day on the job, he and the person he is considering have a brief conversation. He lets them know he is expecting three very simple but critical things from them, disappoint him on any of the three and no matter how much he might like them personally - he will not be able to work with them.-
RETURN PHONE CALLS!!! Depending upon the nature of the work, it is understood if someone is working with loud equipment you might not hear the phone but check the phone periodically and return the call no later than the end of the day the call was left.
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SHOW UP WHEN YOU SAY YOU WILL!!! Not doing so indicates a clear disrespect of everyone's time and schedule but your own. Legitimate reasons for not arriving as scheduled can be acceptable IF they are offered BEFORE you are supposed to start and only if you have an offer of when you will be able to reschedule. Oh...and if legitimate reasons don't turn into ridiculous excuses (alarm didn't go off, traffic problems, car troubles, arguments with spouse, dog ate my homework).
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DO THE WORK YOU SAY YOU WILL!!! and in the manner you indicated you could. Please, please, please don't say you are willing to do something and not tell me it is something you hate doing (pulling weeds, cleaning toilets, ironing), it will be made quickly apparent in the manner you accomplish (or not) that task.
The simplicity of this litmus test is that it can be applied to any profession. Wouldn't you rather have this simple conversation upfront, whether you are the employer or the employed instead of dealing with frustration, exasperation, resentfulness and ultimately having to find someone new after all?
Well, I'm all about using the Three Point Litmus Test now. Life is too busy and can be too stressful to not just hire the best people to start with.
Speaking of the best people...if you or someone you know will be undergoing a real estate transaction of any kind, hiring MoonDancer Realty is one of the best choices you will ever make. WE WILL RETURN YOUR CALLS, WE WILL SHOW UP WHEN WE SAY WE WILL and not only can we assure you that WE WILL DO THE WORK WE SAY WE WILL - we'll do it so well you will recommend us to others!
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