A Touch of the JK's

Recently I went and saw John Kirwan (JK) speak at the launch of his new book- All Blacks Don't Cry. The place was packed and everyone was treated to an entertaining evening with this very honest and charismatic NZ sporting hero. JK talked about his battle with depression while relaying a number of humourous stories from his time as an All Black. In particular he took the mickey out of his good friend Richard Loe on a number of occasions and had the audience in stitches.

His plight to break down the stigma associated with depression and to make it more acceptable for sufferers to seek help is both extremely commendable and particularly courageous. Especially considering his high profile status in a rugby mad country where traditionally men are expected to grin and bear any problems they experience. Anyway I wanted to share some of the pearls of wisdom that JK offered when he was talking about his experiences with depression:

• "Don't ever give up but stop fighting it. The day I accepted it was the day I started getting better."
• "I had to change as I had a perception of what a man was. I couldn't tell anyone that I was not coping as I was a man. That was my biggest mistake."
• "The hardest thing was knowing what normal life was and what depression was."
  
• "Do something for your soul every day."
• "You've got to stop and enjoy the smalls things- like the pleasant feeling of the water on your back in the shower."
• "The worst bit of advice I have ever been given is 'if you make a mistake you can never go back'. That is absolute nonsense!!! Just turn around and go back."
  
• "Generally guys don't like to go to counsellors but they do like to read."
• "If you get cancer what would you do? You would get all the help you could, so it should be the same if you get depression."
• "If you fall over and it hurts then get up because you're a man, but if you soul is hurting then have a cry."
• "Accept and forgive yourself."
• "Success is what you want it to be. Just give it your best shot and if it doesn't work then it doesn't matter."
  

JK's campaign has been so pervasive in New Zealand that 'I've got a touch of the JK's' is now a euphemism for 'depression'.

What a legend!!!

Winning Eagar quoted by the National Business Review

It's a very proud day for us when things we've been saying on our blog are echoed in the National Business Review!!  See below for the reference to Winning Eagar Psychologists regarding the difference that psychometric assessments can make when they are used correctly.

NBR 12 November 2010 pp. 7 (click to enlarge)

Also, if you're interested in my blog post related to this topic about how to get the most out of using psychometrics, check it out here: Psychometrics for Candidate Selection.

Lastly, if you've been wondering about the recent appointment blunders (e.g. Stephen Wilce), you may also find this NBR article of interest: How to Smell A "Rat" in Job Applicants', as well as my blog post: How to Spot Candidates who Stretch the Truth.

Reference Checking - The Stag Who Got Away

I attended a friends stag do on Saturday. The day had been rolling along quite nicely and we had been very gracious and polite to the fella. He seemed to be enjoying himself, and even appeared rather high spirited after being pelted with paint balls for his sins by the rest of us lads. Things were just starting to heat up as we visited a couple of bars in the city, but then the evening hit an all time low as the sneaky and cunning little man somehow managed to escape his own stag do. It was too late for us; by the time we realised he was gone, he had slid unnoticed out of the pub and moved swiftly to a taxi stand before making his get away.

This situation got me thinking about the importance of reference checking. As a boss how can you feel confident that your new hire won't be a quitter? How can you ensure they will have stick-ability and the mental fortitude to keep going even when faced with adversity and challenging situations? Or like the rest of the stag party, will you be left feeling let down and abandoned by somebody who you thought you had a good measure on? Will you need to stand over them and watch their every move?

Perhaps we could have done a little more homework on our friend before letting him out of our sight. We perhaps should have considered past examples of his shifty behaviour before giving him our trust that day. Perhaps he could have provided us with some referees.

Here are some tips to help you when it comes to verifying psychometric assessment, interview and CV findings with a candidate's referees:

Checking with the Referee
• Carefully prepare the list of questions you are going to ask. While you will also need to ask follow up questions based the referee's responses, prior question planning is essential for successful reference checking.
• Base your questions on the job relevant information (duties, role competencies, etc) collected from the psychometric assessments, CV, job application form and interview.
• Ask behavioural descriptive questions or questions about how the person has responded in past situations.
• Ask for examples to back up statements that the referee makes. Delve further into their descriptions and try to get a feel for their personal grading system.
• Check to see that the referee actually worked with the candidate and is a credible source.

So while this one got away fairly lightly, next time we will be more studious and make sure we know who we are dealing with and the kind of behaviour to expect.