I've spent the last ten days in El Paso, Texas, taking care of that cute little critter you see to your right. And I don't mind telling you, I'm exhausted! You see, my daughter gave birth to her second child two weeks ago. And, like my mother did for me years ago, I went to help out during those first few critical days. My main responsibility was "just" to take care of baby's sister, Maria, thereby freeing up mom to focus on new baby.

Mary Poppins and Julia Child — Move Over!

My day went something like this: up at 6:30 a.m., prepare bottle and breakfast, entertain Maria while trying to make breakfast for all, keep my eye on her at all times to make sure no accidents happen, put her down for a nap at 10 a.m., clean up house and breakfast mess, do laundry, make grocery list, etc. etc. Although I'd love to bore you with all the gory details, I'm sure you get the picture. After I bathed Maria and put her to bed at 7 p.m., I then proceeded to prepare dinner.

I crawled into bed every night and didn't fall asleep — I passed out!

Now, don't get me wrong, I love my daughter, her husband and her darling children. But I simply was not prepared for what a workout those ten days would be.

I Used to Know That

I could not have been further off the mark about my expectations in taking care of Maria. (Why I even brought four books to read and my running gear so I could get some exercise.) And I was totally perplexed as to how someone who had had two children herself could have forgotten how physically rigorous those first few months (and years!) can be.

That's when I started thinking that this happens to many managers when they are hiring. Even though they may be hiring someone to do a job that they did themselves years before (like me raising my children), they have forgotten what it is like to actually do the job. They have forgotten (or in some cases, maybe never even knew to begin with!) the day-to-day activities of the job.

And, here comes the important part — not knowing what an actual "day in the life" is like can considerably raise the possibility that you hire the wrong person!

Get in the Trenches — Now!

So, what can you do to avoid that possibility? Go to El Paso for ten days!

Seriously though — get in the trenches. Do the job that you are hiring for, even if it's just for a few hours or days. If you're a sales manager who has not been in the field for some time (and you know who you are!), get out there (the longer you can stay out there the better). If you're a Vice President of Marketing who hasn't worked a trade show booth in years, correct that situation! And, if you are hiring for a new position in your company, do the job (or what you think will be the job) for a day or two so you can correctly ascertain the skill set you will need in the job.

You'll come away from your experience with a renewed appreciation of what the job really entails — just like I did when I left El Paso. That appreciation will impact your hiring decisions.

I could hardly wait to get back to the office because I realized that I have the easy job compared to my daughter's!