GuestX: Mel Kleiman on Hiring Great Employees

Mel Kleiman, CSP, is a man full of energy, and it was prevalent during is session, “Uncommon Common Sense: Hiring Best Practices,” at IAVM’s GuestX conference, March 1-3, in Dallas, Texas. He had attendees standing, laughing, and he punctuated his presentation with some thought-provoking ideas on how to hire the right employees for your organizations.

One item in particular that he focused on was the concept of turkeys and eagles, offering four things you need to know about them. (A turkey is someone hired who turns out to not be a good fit for your company, while an eagle is a great fit.)

1. Turkeys have all learned how to dress up and look like eagles.

2. Eagles don’t always look like eagles.

3. The turkeys are all on the endangered species list.

4. All the eagles are working.

“Don’t look for people who are looking for a job,” Kleiman said when addressing point No. 4. “Start looking for people are looking for a better job.”

Kleiman suggested that attendees make a list of 10 reasons why someone should work at their venues.

“Go to your best people to compile the list,” he said.

Finally, he offered this takeaway on how to reduce turnover.

“Hire bad people,” he said. “They never leave!”