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the completed application. I'm not going to chase these kids down! If they can't follow simple instructions in a timely manner, we don't have time to mentor them in our office this summer." The veterinarian is won- dering whether applicants are taking advantage of the unemployment system by professing to have applied for work but aren't complet- ing a real application. He said his office schedules interviews with candidates who submit online applica- tions but, "They don't call, they don't email, they just disappear. Of course, we don't pursue them after this happens." The Internet has made it easy to apply for jobs; shoe leather not required. Many employers are inundated with both qualified appli- cants who deserve thought- ful consideration and incred- ibly unqualified applicants who are simply pushing but- tons. When hirers find a good candidate, they're understandably interested in moving forward with the application process – just like job hunters who believe they're right for the position. But, as is the case in so many ways, bad apples taint the barrel. Applicants who follow the rules in the time frame allotted are penalized by employers' suspicions that they, too, don't really want the job or won't justify the employer's time and expense vested in them. In a perfect world, appli- cants – even those frustrated by a longer-than-expected period of job hunting – would be more judicious about applying only for jobs that truly are right for them based on their experience, talents and interests. And, if they hear back from a prospective employer, they would respond promptly, and clearly express their intent to pursue the hiring process or back away. In an equally perfect world, employers would have more time and a terrific culling system to separate promising, credible appli- cants from those who are merely fishing or abusing the system. Clearly, perfection isn't going to happen on either side. It's up to individual conscience and business conditions to decide how much serious effort goes into any workplace match- making. Despite the odds, some matches will be made. 2 GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS • March 26, 2015 March Madness: Let the workplace distractions begin A publication of Conley Media Distributed by: Conley Distribution 262-513-2646 ©2004 by Conley Media, LLC Waukesha County Independent and Locally Owned GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS is published weekly by Conley Media – Waukesha County, 801 N. Barstow St., Waukesha, WI 53186. Contents of this publication may not be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the publisher. GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS assumes no liability for any error in copy or content. It is the advertiser's responsibility to be aware of the laws pertaining to employment advertising. Subscriptions are available for $34 (non-refundable) for a 6-month subscription. Call 262-306-5008 for information. Call Center Director: Cindy Shaske 262-306-5016 cshaske@conleynet.com Account Executive: Julie Sears 262-306-5008 jsears@conleynet.com Production: Patricia Scheel 262-513-2690 GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS Volume 17 • Number 28 March 26, 2015 To place an ad: Call us at 262-306-5008 or fax us at 262-542-6082 deadline: Noon on Wednesdays Liz Reyer is a credentialed coach with more than 20 years of business experience. Her company, Reyer Coaching & Consulting, offers services for organizations of all sizes. Submit questions or comments about this column at www.deliverchange.com/coachscorner or email her at lizdeliverchange.com. Developing a well-rounded management team By Liz Reyer Tribune News Service (TNS) & A Q Q. I'd like to help the managers on my team become more effective with their direct reports.They tend to have different approaches — one is highly organized with a "command and control" approach, one has a more empathic approach, and so on. How can I help them all become more well rounded? A. Use your managers' strengths to build a whole that is stronger than each of the parts. The inner game Think about the suite of skills that a manager needs. A good man- ager needs to be able to teach, coach, delegate, oversee and some- times, to set limits and enforce expectations.They also need to be able to create a vision and inspire employees to build commitment and engagement. As you prepare to work with your team, start with self-assess- ment. Identify areas where you're strong; you can use those strengths to help your team. Also pay atten- tion to areas where you have less skill. Don't devalue them as areas for development for your team just because they don't play to your strengths.This could be the chance you need for some additional growth. Do some analysis and planning for each of your managers. Know what strengths you'd like to lever- age and the top opportunities for improvement for each. Also consid- er whether they are out of balance, relying too much on one approach rather than having more leadership flexibility. Then create a vision of your team as a whole so that you'll know when you've achieved your objective. Determine the resources avail- able within your company so that you can make a realistic plan for growth that fits within time and budget constraints. The outer game Have one-on-one meetings with each manager, talking about your assessment and engaging them in considering next steps for their development. Be aware that they may resist the feedback, or may simply have blinders on that are hard to get through. Be consistent with your expectations — and be ready to both push and support. Also, make the point that you're not trying to create clones and that the best outcome will be that each manager grows in unique ways. Then pull the group together, using this as a team-building oppor- tunity. Consider a one-day off-site meeting, where you can step away from day-to-day work and collabo- rate on ways to become more effective. Ideally, you'd have a facili- tator so that you can participate and so that there is some neutrali- ty. Encourage mutual support and teaching, perhaps having managers share their best practices.Your goal will be to have specific action plans so that your managers are ready to move forward once they get back to work. Build progress into goals and objectives, and observe perform- ance and provide feedback on a regular basis. Make it clear that refusing to build new skills is not an option, while recognizing that growth also involves the risk of fail- ure (and trying again), so it needs to be a safe environment. And seeing their managers continue to push themselves will send a power- ful message to more junior staff. The last word Growth is challenging but could be the path to a strong and cohe- sive leadership team. wasted time ... from page 1 The madness that is March Mad- ness is shifting into high gear in offices around the nation. An estimated 60 million people are trying to put together a winning bracket for the 2015 NCAA men's basketball tournament, which start- ed last week. Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc., the outplacement firm, esti- mates companies lose as much as $1.9 billion in wages paid to dis- tracted and unproductive workers as they become glued to smart- phones, tablets, laptops and other devices to watch games, check scores and nurse their office pool brackets. "This tournament and the betting and bracket-building that come with it are ingrained in the national fabric," John Challenger said in releasing the firm's annual March Madness report on workplace pro- ductivity. Gray said an employer would be hard-pressed to come up with a legitimate reason to limit employee involvement. "Trying to stop it would be like trying to stop a freight train." Companies in Atlanta reached last week were allowing employees to keep track of the tournament, mostly during breaks: • Employees at Equifax, the con- sumer credit reporting and research agency, can keep track of tourna- ment action with personal devices or television monitors in break rooms, spokeswoman Demitra Wilson said. • Coca-Cola, a major NCAA Final Four sponsor through its By Christopher Seward The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (TNS) see MARCH MADNESS . . . page 6

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