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Picking Good People…The Test of Your Leadership

 Picking good people for your business can sometimes seem like a treasure hunt and it is a test of your leadership. In fact, this has been the area of operating a childcare business that has tested my leadership on may occasions.

During the interview process the applicant appears to be positive, he or she will say all the right things and wear the right clothes. However, the test begins on the first day of employment.

One thing that I have learned with selecting employees, is the simple fact that people do not reveal their true self until after they have been hired. Today I want to share with you some tips on how to pick good people for your child care business.

Selecting a Good Employee For Your Child Care Business

Schedule an interview with potential applicants during a time when the kids are gone are sleeping. Ask the following questions:

  1. Tell me about you
  2. Why should I hire you
  3. Are you willing to work flexible hours
  4. What would your previous employer tell me about you
  5. What are your goals
  6. What would a day be like in your class

Asking the  questions above, will help you to determine if you want this person working in your childcare business or not. Be sure to contact the applicant’s previous employer, to verify employment dates and ask the following question, “Would you rehire this person.” If they say “No”, then I think you can make an educated decision and decide if this person is right for your business.

What happens if you discover that this person is not  right  for your business

Another Lesson that I have learned in this business is; “Be fast to fire and slow to hire.” If you notice behavior that you do not like, address it immediately and discuss a plan of correction. If the employee continues to repeat the behavior, do not hesitate to terminate employment.

Employees are very observant and if they notice that you will allow them to slack in the beginning, they will continue that behavior throughout their employment in your business.

If you keep the wrong person on your team, it will cause you more headaches than you ever thought you could have. The wrong person= wrong results.

Here are some traits of the wrong person: gossip starter, negative about your business, does not honor your request, slacks in performance along with many other negative attributes.

There is no perfect employee, however, you would know when an employee is right for your business, because you will see good results and  you would be so glad that you made the decision to hire the employee.

Moreover, picking the right people will make your job easier and they will be an extension of you and represent your business well!

Bob Biehl says that 60-80% of the success of any company is in these 3 factors:

  • Clear direction
  • “The Right people”
  • Sound finances

Happy Employee Selection,

Shiketa

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Category:

Employee Management, Hiring Employees, Human resource, Leadership, Work Place Laws

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A Camera System Can Help To Improve The Hiring Process

 

Several month’s ago ADT Alarm company installed cameras in my classrooms and on the outside of my childcare center. I am so excited about having a new camera system that records the daily operations in my center.  In fact,  now that I have a camera system, I feel that I have a second pair of eyes on my center.

There are three reasons that I love having a camera system:

  1. It is a great training tool for staff meetings
  2. If a parent has a concern, we can show the parent what really happened in the classroom
  3. I love to use the camera system in the selection process of new employees (with their permission)

Recently, I interviewed a potential applicant for a Lead Teacher position in my center. She met the educational requirements for the job, however, I was not too sure about how she could handle a room of 2 and 3 year olds.

So, I asked her if she would be willing to come in for a classroom observation for 1-hour. She agreed to the observation and she understood that I would review her classroom management skills by way of the camera system.

When she entered the room, there was another teacher in the class for the first 40 minutes of the observation, then the teacher informed her that she would step away from the class for 20 minutes (as instructed by me) to see how the children will respond to her leadership.

As I watched the video recording of the potential applicant and the children, the applicant appeared to be engaged with the children the first 10 minutes of being alone, then the applicant sat with one group of kids and there was another group of kids that decided to around the room. The applicant redirected the behavior, then went back to interact with a group of children.

The potential applicant was doing an awesome job  working with the children in small groups, however, there was a group of children that were climbing on tables and running in circles. It appeared to me that supervision would be a major issue and this helped me to form my decision in not hiring the teacher.

In fact, watching the video recording reminded me of the importance of hiring teachers that can effectively supervise young children.

Do you have a camera system on site? Is it used to observe potential employees? Feel free to share your thoughts about this blog post.

Category:

Employee Management, Hiring Employees, Human resource

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