My daughter, Lee, and her family arrived from El Paso last week. They are on a two-week vacation, visiting friends and family and the beach — something that's in short supply in El Paso!

Lee made her plans in the spring and when we first discussed the dates, I started making mental notes of things I wanted to do around the house and yard to prepare for the visit and the subsequent big family gathering. As the time grew closer, I made my list of everything that had to be done. Ah… the inevitable list!

The Overnight Guest Factor

I discovered years ago that if I wanted to motivate myself to get something done in my home (paint a room, clean out a closet, tidy up the garden, etc.) all I had to do was invite guests to come and spend an overnight. I found that I work best with an imposed deadline. I first make my mental list and then transcribe that to paper. Then I'm off to execution (or I'm sending my husband Don off to execute on a few things).

Because here's the honest truth. I (probably like you) have walked by the mess in my garage endless times thinking that I should straighten it out. However, tell me that our friends are coming to spend a weekend, and I'm all over that mess! As a matter of fact, I take it one step further. I am of the school of thought that you should invite overnight guests at least twice a year to make sure you get done the things you tend to procrastinate on. And, most people I know say the same thing!

Deadlines are Critical for Hiring Too

When it comes to hiring, I have noticed that most companies don't work with a deadline. Invariably, when I ask the question to a hiring manager of when he would like to have a salesperson or a marketing person onboard, he replies, "Oh, ASAP." Or "Yesterday! We're really behind on our numbers." Or, "When we find the right guy or gal."

Making it Work

If you've found yourself saying the same thing, I suggest you adopt the "Overnight Guest Factor" into your hiring process. That's right — give yourself a "drop dead" deadline date to have that hire made.

And here's how you do it:

Pick a Date
Depending on the level of sales or marketing person you want to bring on board, choose a date that is realistic and attainable. In this candidate-constrained market, that could very well be eight to twelve weeks out. Or, you might want to pick a date that coincides with something that is happening in your company, like a product launch or a trade show. Just make sure that the deadline date is aggressive yet realistic. While you want a date that is aggressive, you also don't want to set yourself up for failure.

Make it Public
There's nothing like announcing your goals to your team to make it "real" for you — and for them. Put the deadline date in your BlackBerry, DayTimer, Whiteboard — wherever you look every day. Put reminders out for yourself. Keep the date front and center in your mind. This is nothing less than you expect your sales team to do with its quota goals, and nothing you don't expect your marketing team to do with its initiatives as well.

Make a Plan and Work Your Plan
Now you want to plan how to make your hire happen. Start with the end in mind and "backplan" from there. Here's how:

• Set a "Start Date" for your new employee. That date might coincide nicely with your fiscal year, or a fiscal quarter, or a product intro date.
• Set a date to make an offer (and realistically expect your candidate to start work three weeks after that offer date).
• Have dates for interview weeks and clear your calendar.
• Have two to four weeks to gather qualified candidates through your HR department, your recruiter, or your own posted ads.

The Key to Making it Work
This is very important. Even though this deadline date may be an arbitrary one, treat it the same way you would treat a date that is not arbitrary. Treat it like you would a board presentation, or an important customer meeting, or like you were having overnight guests! Don't let the deadlines working up to your "start date" slip.

Lee, hubby and kiddos are off having a great time for the next few weeks, enjoying the beaches and the intense green of a New England late summer. If you live in the desert, this is a real treat! The family gathering this weekend was a hit. It all "came together" in the past few weeks and Don and I can breathe a sigh of relief — that is, until our California friends come in October!