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10 BusinessLink, Wednesday, October 17, 2007 HAVE YOU SEEN OCTOBERS YET? Georgetown Volkswagen 203 Guelph Street 9 0 5 . 8 7 7 . 5 2 8 5 georgetownvw.com The 2007 Jetta All-In Lease $399/mo. All taxes included $0 down payment $0 first payment $0 security deposit 2.9% APR lease for 48 months Melissa & Leslie Guerette are all set for Halloween now that they picked up their pumkins from Allison's Farm Market. SO MANY TO CHOOSE FROM See page 13 Inside INFOCUS 3 GEORGETOWN FALL FAIR 4 FOCUS AROUND TOWN 6 ACTON FALL FAIR 8 CALENDAR OF EVENTS 10 SPINAL CORD TOURNEY 11 VOLUNTEERS & DONATIONS 13 ROCK & ROLL CAR SHOW 14 FOCUS ON OUR COMMUNITY 15 COLOURING CONTEST Name _________________________________ Address _______________________________ Telephone _______________ Age __________ Contest open to boys and girls age 13 and under F A L L C O L O U R I N G C O N T E S T H e y K i d s Colour th is pumpkin and drop i t off to the Independent & Free Press Off ice in the Georgetown Market Place by October 26, 2007 by 5 p.m. to win some fabulous pr izes. 1st pr ize: 2nd pr ize: 3rd pr ize: 4th pr ize: A special section of The Independent & Free Press OCTOBER 2007 16 Pages Vol. 1 No. 8 See page 4 See page 6 See page 15 FREEA MONTHLY PUBLICATION www.infocushaltonhills.com also check out... www.infocushaltonhills.ca Once in a very rare while does oneencounter an individual like ChrisMiller. From the first moment of meeting Chris, I could sense a compassion- filled spirit. Once we sat down and started discussing his remarkable track record in volunteering, it became apparent to me that this was no regular volunteer. His reasoning is simple, I believe we are put on this earth to give. Chris forty (yes, 4-0!) years of volunteering started at the ripe age of twenty-one when Chris lived with his family in South Africa. His early volunteer activities included the TOCH Charity, Toastmasters and Lions. He embarked on these early volunteer endeavours because he felt he lacked confidence. But once he started, he was hooked. He had found his calling. He enjoyed helping people grow and watching them develop. And in the process, he grew as well. No longer lacking in confidence, Chris found that he embraced the leadership and communication elements of his volunteer practices and in training others, he was also training himself. When his family emigrated to Canada, Toastmasters sought him out and he eventually became president and area governor, just as he had in South Africa. His volunteer efforts here have ranged from Kinsmen and VON, to the Terry Fox Run, United Way and Classics Against Cancer. Many of these activities have been a part of Chris life for well over a decade. He has sponsored a child through World Vision for thirty years and dreams of one day visiting his child in Indonesia. Chris and his wife, Sally, enjoy travelling and one thing that they have noticed in their travels is that there are always people better off and worse off than they are. Chris finds himself cringing at poverty and the imbalance of wealth in many countries. Chris is currently focussing his volunteer efforts through his place of worship, St. Albans Church in Acton. He has been volunteering there for the past fifteen years and enjoys visiting with seniors and bringing some sunshine into their days. Forever the organizer, Chris put together a successful dance and silent auction fundraiser in celebration of the 135th anniversary of the church. Fortunately, there is no slowing down in Chris future. He views the spirit of volunteering as a part of my life and is eager to share his experience and enthusiasm with others. This 78-time blood donor will continue to give of himself for many years to come. Congratulations on your award, and thank you. Chris Miller 2007 Winner of Marg Tannas Award By Marnie Hughes, Communication Artistry The Four Levels of Fit When conducting job interviews, it iseasy enough to judge candidatesby their technical knowledge, education and skill sets, but that final element fit is harder to pin down. Yet, it is this elusive quality that will have the biggest impact on success or failure. But how do you measure fit? The closest Ive come is by breaking it down into four different levels: job fit, boss fit, team fit and culture fit. First, determining whether an employee is the right fit for the job means more than simply matching knowledge and skills. Each job has its own personality. Some want conservative and compliant while others want flexibility and proactive. A person successful in one role would struggle in the other. Unlike skills, which can be trained, personality factors are engrained and difficult to change. Second, you have to match the employee with their boss. A study by The Saratoga Institute cited relationships with bosses as one of the top reasons people left their jobs. A company defined its culture as being entrepreneurial and hired an independent and creative manager. But his boss was very hands-on. The new manager left within a few months. Third is team fit, which is often a double- edged sword. While no one would dispute the benefits of a cohesive, tightly knit team, some companies take this to extremes. They hire clones with similar interests and cultural backgrounds, prone to groupthink. Sometimes it is good to challenge the status quo and hire someone who does not fit. Fourth is culture fit which can take up to two years at senior levels. To measure cultural fit we use a comprehensive hiring process that includes behavioural job descriptions, personality assessments and 360-degree interviewing. A corporations culture is influenced by many factors, including senior executive philosophy, location of parent company, industry, level of competitiveness or regulation. When hiring, its also important to be up front and candid about existing culture describe the true nature of the organizations corporate culture. Every company says it is dynamic, fast-paced and entrepreneurial, but that might not be the actual picture day-to-day. Examining fit through these four levels makes it easier to measure, especially when using practical tools such as panel interviews, behavioural interviewing, and personality assessments. Given the importance of fit in an organization, its safer to rely on these measures. By Jim MacLeod, James MacLeod Group, (905) 877-2146