Author: Bruce Weinstein -- Former FBI Director James Comey is sworn in during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, Thursday, June 8, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) One idea, more than any other, defines political and business news today: character. Consider, for example, former F.B.I. director James Comey's...
Ethics
Author: Bruce Weinstein -- Dear Bruce, What’s the difference between ethics and business ethics? Jen --- Dear Jen, Thank you for your question. Ethics is ethics. I once asked an eighth-grade class in Bronxville, New York, "What group of people do you think about when you hear the phrase, Do No Harm?." "Hippies," said one student. "Vegetarians," said another. "Police officers," said the teacher. Yes, it certainly does apply to hippies, vegetarians,...
Author: Bruce Weinstein -- Distracted employees can create headaches for you as an HR manager. The following questions may help you evaluate a job candidate’s commitment to being present, which I define as the performance of a single task for a reasonable period of time. (Some people prefer “mindful” or...
Author: Bruce Weinstein -- I once saw a photograph of a dandelion plant. On its own, that image wouldn’t be anything special: dandelions are everywhere. But these dandelions were nestled atop a small mound of asphalt. Somehow they had managed to push through this seemingly impermeable barrier and reach their...
Author: Bruce Weinstein -- Loyal employees make the lives of HR managers a lot easier. The following questions will help you evaluate how loyal a job candidate is likely to be in the organization. How have you responded at a previous job when a better opportunity with another employer came...
Author: Bruce Weinstein -- Humility is one of the ten crucial qualities of employees of high character, and smart businesses seek out people with humility to work for them. These employees inspire their coworkers, instill confidence in their supervisors, and move up quickly in their organizations. Humble people are generally...
Author: Bruce Weinstein -- Suppose that Helen is the HR manager of a large clothing company, and Adriana and Mirabel are two women applying for a position in Helen’s department. Both women moved to the area recently. Here is an excerpt from their interviews. Adriana Helen: I see that...
Author: Bruce Weinstein -- Of the ten crucial qualities of high-character employees that we’re exploring in this 10-part series, fairness—the commitment giving to others their due–is among the most difficult to evaluate in job candidates. But having fair people on board makes the lives of HR managers easier, because there...
Author: Bruce Weinstein -- Courageous employees make the lives HR managers easier because they are willing to address problems that would be easier to ignore. The following questions and suggestions may be useful for evaluating a job candidate’s commitment to courage. The questions are courtesy of Bill Treasurer, founder...
Author: Bruce Weinstein -- In business, the term care is generally applied to the business-client relationship. It has given rise to unwieldy terms like customer care associate for the people formerly known as sales agents. High-character employees, however, care not only about their clients but about every relationship they...