HR Tools For Everyone

Are you an 'A' Player in HR?

2010-01-03T22:26:00.000-08:00

We decided to take a short trip to Seattle this weekend, and I siezed the opportunity to re-read a few chapters from Bradford D. Smart's book, Topgrading. Smart emphasizes the importance of all decision-makers in organizations to top grade their talent into A, B and C players. The A players are the ones you want to find and keep, whereas the B/C players are either repositioned or exited from the company. Easier said than done, right?

So how does top grading link back to the title of my blog post - Are you an A Player in HR? Ever wonder where your name falls on the list of A, B or C players? If you are unsure, perhaps go through this 10-point list that Smart provided us in his book. If you answer "no" to most of these, start writing your resume.

#1. Top grade your HR team. Hire the best and hold them accountable to top results.

#2. Support the entire management team in top grading. It's not easy, especially if your organization doesn't typically encourage managers to top grade. You'll have to walk them through the steps and remind them every so often of when to do it again.

#3. Drive best practices in recruitment. HR should reinforce to managers to "recruit for life". Don't keep skipping from one probationary period to the next. It's costly and you'll never get your strategic vision off the ground.

#4. Coordinate job analysis and the creation of job descriptions that really describe jobs needed. Spend time articulating the right competencies for this role.

#5. Create strong recruitment sources. Prescreen search firms, hire powerful recruiters that aren't afraid to build a virtual and in-person network, and create a strong image with universities and websites.

#6. Lead design of top grading systems. Have the best systems in place for hiring and promoting A players. Specifically, applicant tracking system, performance management, management development, succession planning, compensation, and mid-year career reviews.

#7. Adjust the level of pay for A players. Utilize current pay surveys and tap into your network for other industry specific bonus and perks.

#8. Coach team (peers & boss) to follow through on Individual Development Planning process.

#9. Organize training, talent meetings, candidate visits, new hire orientation, etc. to impress and inspire your A player talent.

#10. Measure your effectiveness as an A Player in HR. E.g. Cost of mis-hires, percentage of A & A potentials at each level, follow-through on IDPs.

I highly recommend this book for all heads of HR, as well as new pros coming into the industry. Happy 2010 HR!

Great idea from a candidate - Self Promotion from Your Twitter Followers

2009-11-30T21:23:00.000-08:00

I doubled up on an interview today with my Marketing Manager and a candidate for our recently posted Communications Developer and Editor position at Aritzia. She passed along a great tip that I thought I would share with any candidate on the search for a golden opportunity right now (and, please don't all try this with future Aritzia jobs). In order for her to ensure her resume got to the top of the pile, the candidate started a Twitter account shouting out to her fans, followers and friends to vote on how cool a blogger she was and how we should consider her application. Now, I can't divulge where we are at in the hiring process, but I still thought it was an idea worth sharing!

Increasing My Comfort Level with Social Networking and Recruiting

2009-11-26T09:40:00.000-08:00

Since Linkedin came out a few years ago, I jumped at the chance to engage with colleagues and network with HR professionals world wide. But I was somewhat reserved when it came to Twitter and other tools to get my thoughts out. Now things are getting easier and there are even more tools to help you streamline your activities.

I remember when I first signed up with Twitter last year. I started sending out a few tweets here and there. I started following a few folks that I knew of. But then all of a sudden I started getting all these people following me...and not even requesting to follow me, as you receive on Facebook and Linkedin. I felt completely invaded and that my thoughts were on full view to the world. Yikes! I also started reading some draw-backs to using Twitter, like the Cisco Fatty incident, and more. That really deterred me from using the site altogether.

But that's not typically my attitude to most things I don't understand. So I started to investigate more into the whole purpose behind twitter and what the benefits could be to my company's brand and my own personal brand as an HR professional. I started following HR bloggers such as Fistful of Talent, Punk Rock HR and HR Capitalist. I started this blog and was really active...but then got side tracked (by the way, I'm back and have more ideas on how I can blow this out more). I've learned the trick is to stay on top of all of these tools, sites and resources. It's constantly changing, getting upgraded or tossed. And I thought the leap from Beta to VHS to DVD was fast (lol)!

Last Friday, I attended a session, hosted by BCHRMA and the HR Tech Group's Recruitment SIG, on understanding social networking tools. It was led by Barbara Agostini from NAS Recruitment Communication. Barb simplified many of the social media sites out there today and revealed some great tricks to help get you started. Here are some of my take-a-ways:

Great examples of career portals - Ernst & Young, Freddie Mac, Cisco, Best Buy, and local sites included - Elastic Path
Facebook - largest increase in new users is over 50 yrs. old and largest group still curently using Facebook is 18-24 years old.
Facebook advertising is a low cost and easy to manage method of posting new positions in your company. Plus you can track the amount of visitors to your posting.
You Tube is ranked #5 as most used social media tools. Some companies have seen recruiting success, like Cisco and their recruitment videos.
Linkedin also offers advertisement spots (on top of your inbox and down the right hand margin). This site might be better suited for the "professional" roles you need in your company.
I just added the Linkedin Toolbar for Outlook, based on Barb's advice. It's a great time-savings and you can easily add people to your network without having to login to Linkedin every time.
For more understanding on how to maximize the usage of Twitter, check out http://mashable.com/guidebook/twitter/
Companies that are using Twitter well - RogersCareers and MunicipalJobs
Tweet Deck helps you house all of the social network sites you are following
Wink - allows you to see all of the sites your network is using

A couple of other tips - whatever your method, it needs to open up dialogue to your audience and needs to appeal to your end user.

I'm still learning and experimenting. Love to know what you think!

Does EIQ still have a place in the new era of business?

2009-08-17T14:34:00.000-07:00

I was first introduced to the concepts of Emotional Intelligence Quotient (EIQ) over ten years ago. I went through an assessment that acknowledged my ability to identify whether I was happy or sad; whether I could recognize happiness or sadness in others; whether I would react with the appropriate emotional come-back; and whether I could monitor my own levels of happiness or sadness. When you are working with people, all this sort of stuff can be really useful, right?

Based on my obvious curious nature, I read books and articles, mostly through Harvard Business Review and the sensationalized works of Daniel Goldman. These resources marketed the benefits of knowing your EIQ and the your colleague's EIQ. We all walked around diagnosing each other - "high empathy", "low mood monitoring", etc. After the initial interest died down, we discussed how this could add value to our hiring and development practices with future leaders.

When hiring potential candidates, EIQ used in isolation can be costly. By relying on what an assessment tools concludes as being a candidate's natural tendencies, is very different than how a candidate would act in a real-life situation. That is why I would always recommend utilizing behaviour based questions in tandem with the EIQ assessment to determine whether a candidate will be a good fit for the role and organization. Likewise, when developing future leaders. I would not rely of the EIQ summary to help determine the promotion or succession plan of our next CEO. EIQ is a data point and can change based on a person's circumstances, context and time spent reviewing and answering the questions. Folded into a leadership development program that includes 360-degree, mentoring and professional and/or peer coaching can be very effective.

Here are some thoughts from other HR pros:
http://www.linkedin.com/answers/career-education/mentoring/CAR_MEN/326556-933031

I took another EIQ assessment a few weeks. Night and day difference from the one I took 10 years ago.

The Better Manager: Women vs. Men. Is there a difference?

2009-08-13T15:37:00.000-07:00

Some think yes. Some academics have studied the results (don't ask me to insert a link 'cause I don't have one). Being a woman and HR, I don't reallyhave a preference as long as there are leaders that can transform an organization when needed, can act with empathy, and can get results with their people.

Others have very clear ideas about women leading versus men leading. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/26/business/26corner.html?8dpc=&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1248613279-JEW0dz7C3wWnMeo7TQyxSw

You decide.

I have found though, in the tech community, women make up only 15-20% of a company's demographics. They want leadership roles, but struggle to be heard. There is a secret expectation that their skills should be obvious to the men who make most of the decisions regarding performance and promotions. Not so! In a heavily male dominated industry, women may need to stand out more and acquire a different tool kit to be heard.

Here's a few resources to look at:

Women Leading Women at http://www.tekara.com/learning_wlw.html

Effective Public Speaking (12 week course, BCIT, MKTG 1323)

Organizational Influence and Persuasion (12 week course, BCIT, ORGB 2455

HR Training: Compensation and Benefits 101

2009-08-11T14:28:00.000-07:00

Need to brush up on the foundations of compensation practices, or understand which federal laws impact compensation and benefits decisions, or need to put in place multiple country compensation programs, why not check out ERI.

The Economic Research Institute or ERI has a wide range of online self-study resources for all things relating to compensation and benefits. You can sign up for online sessions immediately for free. Or if you pay $25 you can receive accreditation towards your PHR, SPHR, GPHR.

http://www.eridlc.com/

Leadership Team Strengths

2009-07-02T13:08:00.001-07:00

What if your team is missing something? What if we keep hitting a wall and can't get through the blockade?

Tom Roth and his book Strengths Finder 2.0 suggests that you don't need to give up on the team. http://gmj.gallup.com/content/113338/What-Makes-Great-Leadership-Team.aspx#1

Instead, identify what strengths are shared amounst the collective group. Celebrate how those concentrated efforts have created successful moments in the organization. Now, look at where the group has a lower amount of strengths. Ask yourself, what would be the downside of not having these strengths on our people? Our clients? Our products? What would we need to do to compliment these strengths?

And it doesn't mean you have to eliminate members of the team. It just mean you might need to ask for help, use various resources inside or outside the company, expand the team's skill and capabilities, etc. Lastly, be aware of what strengths your group has in common and plan how everyone's strengths can be maximized.

2009-06-26T17:05:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I haven't written on my blog since April!!! That's a pretty long time to ignore something. I guess I was looking for something to inspire me to continue. I've been reading, surfing and chatting on various topics.

Found this tidbit today on IDEO Method Cards. Love this concept! I used to use Chiji processing cards years ago. It's the same thought process. Basically the random pictures on the cards can help get the group a log-jam and back to breakthrough thinking.

Check this out!

http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/craig-pelkey-landes/httpcplcreativewordpresscom/ideo-method-cards-turn-um-7

Dave Ulrich Webinar - HR in Difficult Times: How HR should add even more value!

2009-04-08T15:00:00.000-07:00

The HR Alumni, is delighted to invite all Management and HR professionals to attend the first in a series of Free expert Web Seminars presented by Professor Dave Ulrich, Professor of Business at the University of Michigan.

http://hr.wtgalumni.com/docs/prof-dave-ulrich-webinar

Date: 24th April Time: 14:00 – 15:00 GMT

You'll walk away with...
• Understand the current economic crisis
• Identify how HR can add value in this crisis
• Recognise specific actions that can be taken in HR, Leadership and Business
• Perform your competencies to be a successful HR professional

Volunteerism’s Impact on Talent Management

2009-04-07T08:51:00.000-07:00

Volunteerism is the willingness of people to work on behalf of others without being motivated by financial or material gain (from Wikipedia)

As companies struggle to maintain employee engagement in these turbulent times, organizations need to react creatively to re-inspiring their employees. Look to volunteerism within your organization. Taking part in a community action program encourages team building and camaraderie. It has also been linked to increases in productivity back on the job.

This article from Talent Management Magazine emphasizes how volunteerism can re-engage your employees and promote your company through community involvement.

http://www.talentmgt.com/talent.php?pt=a&aid=915

And, here's the first event you can get involved with in Vancouver - Earth Day at Jericho Beach on April 18, 2009. Plant 4000 trees in one day. What a great way to get your employees outside, working together, and doing something great for the habitat! They can even bring their friends and family members to help out.

http://www.evergreen.ca/earthdayvancouver/

Canada's Best Workplaces

2009-04-06T16:51:00.000-07:00

During these uncertain times, there are still companies leading the way in engagement. According the Great Place to Work Institute, to create a great workplace, managers must build trust by practicing credibility, respect and fairness, and by encouraging pride and camaraderie among staff members.

http://www.greatplacetowork.ca/best/list-ca.htm

The 2009 survey not only provides the list of Top Companies, but also shares cumulative feedback from Canadian employers and employees on their feelings about work and their workplaces in 2009 compared to last year.

For example, this question was asked: Most important issue facing your organization in the coming year?

Top 5 2009

Leadership Development - 18.3%
Employee Retention - 16.7%
Recession - 16.7%
Building Corporate Culture - 8.3%
Middle-Management Competencies - 8.3%

* Other - 31.7%

Top 5 2008

Recruitment - 30.3%
Employee Retention - 21.2%
Talent Management - 13.6%
Leadership Development - 7.6%
Maintaining Culture while Managing Growth - 7.6%

* Other - 19.7%

Will she stay or will she go? Retaining women in the workforce

2009-04-03T12:48:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of meeting Lisa Martin, author of Briefcase Moms and owner of Martin Group International. Lisa has been coaching women and consulting with organizations on how to retain women in the workplace. Through her book and services, she provides women with effective tools to get grounded in the values that suit their needs and help them shift to a more balanced approach to career goals and family life.

Lisa has been working with companies like Deloitte and Price Waterhouse Cooper, as well as speaking at the Vancouver Board of Trade to inspire organizations to take a different look at their retention strategies when women go on maternity leave, or are just returning from a year long absence.

Take a look at a recent panel session she led at the Vancouver Board of Trade:

http://www.boardoftrade.com/vbot_speech.asp?pageID=174&speechID=1264&offset=&speechfind=)

Here's the link to her website:

http://www.coachlisamartin.com

2009-04-02T22:46:00.000-07:00

Sign up for the Human Capital Institute today! Attend FREE webinars weekly on various management and human resources practices. There are various membership levels that can expose you to more resources, local conferences, etc.

http://www.humancapitalinstitute.org/hci/hci.home

Great resource website for HR Professionals and Managers

2009-04-02T17:22:00.000-07:00

Here's a great site that offers new articles and resources daily for HR Professionals and Managers.

https://www.hrtools.com

LinkedIn - Use LinkedIn to Market Yourself, Your Products and Your Company

2009-03-24T09:47:00.000-07:00

I have fallen head over heals for Linkedin. I have been on it now for almost two years, but am now just starting to maximize its potential.

Two weeks ago I attended a session with our BC HR Tech Group. We brought in Steve Barham, Senior Account Executive with Linkedin. Not only did he sing the features of Linkedin he also compared its effectiveness to other social networking sites, like Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, etc. Linkedin maybe ranked around #20 of all social networking sites, but it is #1 as the professionals choice for networking.

Check it out for yourself...
http://linkedinformarketing.com/ceo-of-linkedincom-gives-you-tips-on-how-to-use-linkedin/

So here are 10 Tips to maximize your company profile on Linkedin and get access to more talent out there:

1. Create and administer your Employee and Corporate Alumni Group -connect with employees past and present. Keep them update to date with what is going on in the organization and keep the word of mouth alive.

2. Improve your Company Profile page - after you get enough employees populating Linkedin, the admin support will create a FREE company page. They will provide a brief summary of your company, related companies, key statistics about your employee, and a list of current, past and most popular employees. You can update this page with your company address, website, blogs, specialties, change the company summary, etc. It's FREE so take advantage of promoting your employer brand image.

3. Join relevant industry and recruiting groups - Post resources, tools and useful information for your group network. Even if you are not connected to all members of the group, your messages go out to everyone and appear on their Home page. Also respond to other people's posts. Sharing information is a great way to expand your network - good Karma always comes back to you!

4. Use Saved Searches - You can save up to 10 searches and get alerts over email when new people match your search. Then you can decide to invite them to connect.

5. Broadcast Job Openings via your Status Bar - let people know who you are looking for. Provide a link to your website's career page so candidates can go there directly. Also post jobs on your Alumni Group Page so previous employees can either re-apply or refer you to someone in their network that would be a good fit.

6. Ask & Answer Questions - Look at questions posted from everyone in your network - that's your 1st, 2nd and 3rd degree network. Choose to post and answer. Again a great way to be transparent and share what you know with who you know.

7. Create Polls - Ask a question of your network and capture responses in a poll. E.g. Who is going to the Game Developers Conference in Vancouver on May 12-13?

8. Use Linkedin Applications - Savvy-up your profile page and share more with your network.

9. Create Events - let people know what you are up to and how they can get involved. Allows you to provide meeting information, venue location, time, etc.

10. Good Manners - Always be courteous and check your spelling and grammer. When sending an InMail or sending an invitation to connect, make sure you leave your full name, position, company name and contact information. Make it easy for people to click the "accept" button because they remember you, and not because they have to go back to your profile.

Have any other great tips to share with people - feel free to leave them here!

Innovative Thinking: Inside IDEO

2009-02-03T12:17:00.001-08:00

Ever wonder how to get an idea off the ground...or is your team stuck in a rut? Get some inspiration and ideas from this group of wacky idea-generating gurus!

By the way, TED is great for finding out about new approaches to creativity and thinking!

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=z6z-3ejvvGE

Warp Speed

2009-02-03T11:58:00.000-08:00

Welcome back!

I took some time off from my blog...but now I'm back for 2009. I've been trying to stay on top of things from a "global economic downturn" perspective, but the real challenges are the ones I deal with on a professional level everyday. It's so easy to get distracted with everyone's woes that you forget to remain focused on things you can directly effect and impact. Like your team...what is your team up to right now and are their working at warp speed. When change is occurring all around us, and certainty is lacking, teams can lose sight of their goals, communication can slip and ideas are untapped.

Try this activity with your team and encourage warp speed!

Warp Speed

Materials

1 Throwable Object (Small Balls, Dog Toys, Etc.)
Timer (stop Watch or Watch with a second hand)

Directions

· Start by asking the group to stand in a circle and throw the ball back and forth from person to person so that everyone in the group gets it at least once, and it ends up back at the first person. Without telling the group, time the activity.
· Once the activity is complete, tell the group the time in which they completed it.
· Then explain: "We are now going to see how quickly we can send this one ball from start to finish through the system. The only rule is that the ball must pass through the system in the same order that we have already established. (IMPORTANT: how you frame this rule will define the boundaries for how this task can be accomplished.) I will start time as soon as the ball leaves the first person, and I will stop time when it returns to him/her. You may begin when ready."
· Time their first attempt. Applaud their attempt, whatever it is (one second per participant or longer is quite normal). And prompt them with "you can do better."
· Allow for planning, additional attempts and more planning. At some point the group will ask you how fast this can be done or how fast you've seen it done or what the ultimate goal is.
· Answer for most groups of 20 people or less - less than one second.
· Continue until the group attains the elusive "warp speed" or ceases to be actively engaged in trying to reach it.

Facilitator Notes

· Once the group learns of the goal (of less than 1 second), expect responses like "no way" and "are you kidding?" This will however alert them to the fact that the whole system needs to fundamentally change. Don't reveal this goal too early.
· Fundamental changes that the group might progress through include movement (e.g. moving closer together, changing the position of the participants in the circle, moving out of a circle to a line or some other shape), changing how the ball moves through the system (e.g. from a toss to a hand off to a roll across hands or along the ground).
· How creatively you allow the group to interpret its objective and the stipulation is a function of your assessment of the group and your learning goals. Groups sometimes ask if they can just put the ball on the ground and then touch it in succession, does this satisfy the objective? [Does it? Pause here and reflect ...] A good response in this case is usually to ask the group to answer its own question. Does the ball actually pass through the system in the correct order? Most groups usually choose to continue to seek another solution, and it is good to encourage their creative thinking even if it didn't exactly provide the solution - it shows movement in the right direction.

Debrief Questions

What went well? How did communication and planning impact the process? What major changes did you make in how you processed the ball through the system?

Calling all recruiters - here is a blog I am following...

2008-12-18T10:51:00.001-08:00

http://people-shark.blogspot.com/

Workforce Planning Pitfalls - Watch Out!

2008-11-20T11:44:00.000-08:00

It's so easy to feel needed by doing the work for your business unit leaders. HR or Talent Managers are more effective when they are contributing ideas and solutions to creating a deliberate and thoughtful workforce plan.

Check out this article from Talent Management Magazine. I think it hits the right mark when defining HR or Talent Managers role in the workforce planning process.

http://www.talentmgt.com/talent.php?pt=a&aid=779

Networking for Those Who Hate Networking

2008-11-19T11:45:00.000-08:00

I thought this was a great article for all of my colleagues that can't stand networking (hint! hint!). Penelope Trunk, the Brazen Careerist, provides some great ideas.

http://finance.yahoo.com/expert/article/careerist/27020

Using Appreciative Inquiry for Teambuilding

2008-11-11T12:07:00.000-08:00

Purpose:

To get to know each other better.

To define “great team” characteristics.

Process:

Overview of Appreciative Inquiry

Appreciative Inquiry is a practical philosophy of choosing to seek out that which is positive and life-enriching, both in our own lives and the lives of others. It is a process for engaging people in building a team that they want to participate in or on.

Appreciative Inquiry is an idea that there is a connection between the images we hold of what is possible and the questions we ask about our past and present. AI is about focusing on the positive and moving forward from there – asking questions in a positive way and focusing on what is right, rather than always what is wrong.

The rationale behind AI is two-fold: (1) when you focus on the positive, it becomes a springboard or energizer for the future and (2) it also generate exceptionally useful information about what to enhance and build on as we move into the future as a team.

The phases of AI are (1) definition – building our team (2) discovery –what constitutes your memories of what a good team looks and acts like (3) dream – what are our collective themes about good teams and what would a “best team” look like (4) design – what will our best team look and act like (5) destiny – what are the action steps to make this a reality?

Sharing of “best team” experience (Discovery)

A. Have each of the participants think about the following questions:

- What is your best team memory?
- What made it a peak experience?
- Who were the significant players?
- What was happening on the team at that time?
- What was happening in your life at that time?
- Without being humble – what did you add to the team?
- What was the most important thing about the team that you can remember?

B. Have each person share – and flip chart all responses. Encourage members to set aside their preconceived notions about teams and get fully grounded in their memory of the actual experience, and fully explore what about themselves, the situation, the task, and others made this a “peak” experience.

Debrief the process

Ask everyone what the process of sharing was like.

Exploration of themes (Dream)

A. Have the group look at all of the flipcharts and begin to develop a list of the attributes of a highly effective group.

B. List these attributes on a separate flipchart.

C. Ask if there is anything else they have seen in others today that helped the group become more effective and add these to the flipchart.

Clarifying best team characteristics (Design)

A. After the list of attributes is made – clarify, as a team, what are to be the attributes of this team going forward

B. Be sure to have everyone’s agreement and buy-in.

Actions steps for making this happen (Destiny)

A. Break the group into smaller groups and allow each mini-group to come up with action steps for making this new group definition live on.

B. Bring the group together and share all of the action steps.

C. Agree as a large group what the action steps are for creating and maintain a highly effective team.

Debrief process

A. Ask: which part of today’s meeting most intrigues or engaged you?

B. What part of today’s meeting should we try to build on as we meet with others in the future?

C. What wishes do you have for the next time we meet?

Payoff:

Everyone feels more comfortable participating in the team and therefore more quality work is produced.

Action steps toward working together as a new team are defined and everyone is clear about their participation in the group.

Tapping Into the Best of Yourself

2008-11-11T12:02:00.000-08:00

Devote 10 minutes a day to reflecting on how you approached situations in the last 24 hours and how you intend to approach situations in the next 24 hours.

The 21st century will hand each of us opportunities to tap our true potential.

If we simply run on automatic pilot, we will miss them.

Ten minutes of reflection a day can allow us to embrace them with enthusiasm and truly feel the joy of leadership.

Where are you getting your talent from?

2008-11-10T17:33:00.000-08:00

Consider the facts:

- 40 percent of employers worldwide are having difficulty filling positions due to the lack of suitable talent available in their markets.

- According to the US Bureau of Labour Statistics, the shortage of skilled workers will exceed 10 million by 2010.

- 45 percent of workers say they want to change jobs every three to five years.

- It is estimated that there will be 913, 000 job openings between 2003 and 2015. Currently, there are nearly 680, 000 students in BC schools (K-12). If each of those students accepted jobs within BC, between now and 2015, some before they even graduate, only 74% of the upcoming job openings could be filled. (www.ecdev.gov.bc.ca)

“Most managers are made, not born. There has to be systematic work on the supply, the development, and the skills of tomorrow’s assignment. It cannot be left to chance.”
- Peter Drucker

Questions to ask yourself?

- What is your organization doing to develop its high potential employees?
- What are your competitors offering their employees?
- Where’s your team’s succession planning chart? On the top shelf? Well, dust it off!
- How often should you review your team’s succession plan?

“Top-performing companies allocate 20% of executive incentives to leadership development and assess them on the ability to retain this talent.”
- From Hewitt Associates Inc. 2005. “How the Top 20 Companies Grow Great Leaders", Research Highlights, Hewitt Associates, Toronto, Ontario.

Here are a few tips on how to set-up your succession plan:

1. Align your succession plan with your organization’s business goals. Look at the next 1-3 and 3-5 years and determine whether you have the right structure and individuals to support your business goals.

2. Identify the skills and competencies needed. Understand the difference between Job-Based Approach and Competency-Based Approach:

Job-Based Approach:
- It’s our first impulse.
- Quantitative and qualitative data to support decision.
- Suggests that individuals, who have successfully demonstrated their duties and responsibilities, will be equally successful in leading team, facilitating change, thinking creatively, etc.

Competency-Based Approach:
- Core competencies are extreme capabilities that serve as a source of competitive advantage for a organization over its rivals.
- Core competencies emerge over time through an organizational process of accumulating and learning how to deploy different resources and capabilities.
- Despite effective planning, the future remains uncertain. Skills need to change rapidly. Succession management should focus on the development of competencies.
- Examples include: providing constructive feedback, taking calculated risks, strategic alliances with key stakeholders, etc.

3. Identify high potential employees.

- What is crucial for your business to operate in the next 1-3? 3-5 years?
- Do you need leaders to relocate to other countries in which you will operate?
- Do you need leaders with multi-location supervisory skills?
- Do your leaders need to have strong business acumen and financial planning skills?

Articulate the characteristics, requirements and competencies that will make your organization successful in the future.

4. Provide development opportunities and experiences.

Want to rapidly advance your up-and-coming leaders? Try:
- Assign a mentor with the experiences you want your high potential to learn from.
- Enlist a coach to trouble-shoot with them on their approach with employees, peers and their business partners.
- Provide full-circle feedback so they know where they stand with their key stakeholders.
- Create development experiences, like assigning a “start-up” or “fix-it” project.
- Job rotations take people out of their comfort zone and provide perspectives in other areas of the business.

5. Monitor succession plan monthly. Things can change quickly with your employees (E.g. illness, moving away, going back to school, maternity leave, etc.).

6. Involve others in your plan. Enlist the support of your peers and supervisor in retaining your high potentials and observing their growth.

In conclusion, successful succession management is not a static event. In order to be effective and maximize your return on investment, succession management requires constant attention and readjustment to the changing needs of your business and individual circumstances.

Downsizing with Dignity

2008-11-06T13:11:00.000-08:00

Downsizing or doing layoffs is a toxic solution. Used sparingly and with planning downsizing can be an organizational lifesaver, but when layoffs are used repeatedly without a thoughtful strategy, downsizing can destroy an organization's effectiveness. How you treat people really matters - to the people who leave and the people who remain.

One outcome of downsizing must be to preserve the organization's intellectual capital.

How downsized employees are treated directly affects the morale and retention of valued, high-performing employees who are not downsized.

Downsizing should never be used as a communication to financial centers or investors of the new management's tough-minded, no-nonsense style of management -- the cost of downsizing far outweighs any benefits thus gained.

Lastly, if downsizing seems like the practical solution right now, remember that financial cycles can change. A year from now, your company may be in a position to hire new talent. The manner in which you dismiss your employees during a downsizing phase may have a positive or negative impact on your next recruiting efforts. Colleagues and friends talk and they will share whether their experience during your downsizing process was smooth and appreciative, or chaotic and neglectful.

Check out this article by Alan Downs for About.com

http://humanresources.about.com/od/layoffsdownsizing/a/downsizing.htm

The Call for Coaching

2008-11-06T11:50:00.000-08:00

Facts: Today’s Workplace

- Organizational change leads to loss of up to 75% productive work time.
- Job stress costs estimated at $3.5 billion ($300 billion in the U.S.).
- One of the top sources of job stress is poor interpersonal relationships.
- 85% of all organizational difficulties stem from interpersonal conflict.
- 60% of employees operating at 45% capacity.

Sources: Harvard Business Review, Globe and Mail, Peter Frost (2003)

Now, more than ever, leaders and employees need coaching to resolve issues in the workplace and create effective relationships.

As a manager, you wear many hats. You are expected to be a role model, mentor, as well as a coach. However, you cannot run the “shop” all by yourself. You need the support of a strong and effective team. Your role is to strengthen your team by coaching them through issues and situations so they are able to perform at their peak. By catching performance problems early, you will avoid them escalating into bigger issues.

So what is coaching?

Dennis Kinlaw (1989) describes “successful coaching is a one-on-one conversation between manager and employee that follows a predictable process and leads to superior performance, commitment to sustained improvement and positive relationships.”

However, a simpler approach to take is from the dictionary.

Coach – Origin – French – “A vehicle to transport people from one place to another.”

What’s the coaching process?

Build Rapport:
· Don’t wing it – be clear about the issues
· Create the right space
· Set context
· Ask for their perspective
· Do what you say and say what you mean

Observe and Analyze:
· Observe the impact the employee is having on others
· Avoid forming premature judgements
· Look for ways to test and confirm your observations
· Look for patterns in an employee’s behaviour

Question and Listen:
· Don’t be afraid to ask
· Ask curious questions
· Avoid pitfalls of listening
· Avoid interrupting
· Encourage the exploration of options

Provide Feedback:
· Ask permission
· Make it objective and descriptive
· Don’t just focus on the negatives
· Look at the bigger picture
· Deliver feedback in a timely manner
· Treat others how they want to be treated
· Use lightness

Facilitating Learning
· Model the behaviour you expect
· Agree on the action plan
· Schedule a follow-up meeting
· Make it clear you are there to provide support
· Evaluate progress

Hint: Asking Powerful Questions

When I say “powerful” I am not implying that you as the coach will have “power” over your employee or client. Powerful questions inspire thought, exploration and problem solving. They help to stimulate the coaching dialogue to get to the root of the issue.

Here’s some examples of powerful questions to ask in your next coaching conversation:

· What is the core issue?
· What perspective are you taking on this?
· What assumptions are you making?
· What do you want?
· What does success look like?
· If you had a magic wand, what would you have happen?
· What do you need to say “No” to?
· What does your gut say?
· What’s getting in your way?
· What’s stopping you from doing X?
· What’s the boldest thing you could do?
· What else?
· What is the worst thing that could happen?
· What are your next steps?
· What could you do by Friday?
· On a scale of 1-10, where 10 is totally committed, how committed are you to moving forward with this action?
· What support do you need to get this handled?
· What’s the learning for you?

Coaching employees through an issue can be one of the most challenging responsibilities that you encounter on the job, but it can also be rewarding. By taking some of these suggestions and applying them, you will increase your effectiveness and develop a stronger team.

Adapted from "Coaching for Leadership Excellence" Workshop, Sauder School of Business, Executive Education 2008.

Take Another Peak

2008-11-06T09:55:00.000-08:00

What goes up... must come down.

We’ve all heard this before. In fact, you probably could have finished the sentence on your own. A basic lesson in gravity.

Luckily, this isn’t true for personal performance. You work hard to reach a professional peak, struggle along the way, perhaps even have moments when you feel like giving up, but don’t. Then, at some point, you realize you’ve achieved something you didn’t think you could. You’ve challenged yourself and met the challenge. How rewarding and exhilarating this can be. Now what? A fall? No way.

Reaching a peak gives you a new vantage point, showing you new places you can go, new challenges you can take on, new peaks you can strive for. Your potential and what you can achieve look different. Your confidence and self-esteem are boosted by your success. New peaks look possible. Keep climbing.

So, how do you reach a peak? It doesn’t happen by accident. First, set a goal that you’re truly motivated to achieve. Motivation will carry you through the bumps you’re likely to encounter. Then, find a coach or mentor, someone to guide you along the way. Seek our people who can support you. It’s easier and more enjoyable to climb with others. With each step, hone your skills. Take a class if you need it, but keep in mind that experience is often the best teacher. And finally, work hard.

Working hard is exhausting. It’s also what makes success taste so good.

About the Author
Elizabeth Davies is an experienced leader and strategist in Human Resources, with expertise in talent development. After graduating from Indiana University and Stanford Law School, she practiced law before shifting her career to training and development. Over the past 18 years, she has held leadership roles at Gap and Apple. She has also formed her own consultancy, The Retail Training Institute, serving retail and non-retail clients such as Levi Strauss, Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, J. Crew, Williams
Sonoma, Tommy Hilfiger, Oracle, Visa, Philip Morris, and Miller Brewing.

Elizabeth is passionate about creating and executing global initiatives that support company goals and reinforce the brand. Her specialties include leadership & management development, design and execution of OD initiatives, and conference development and execution. You can reach her at bldavies@mac.com.

© 2008 Elizabeth Davies
Permission to reprint is granted on the following conditions: (1) the essay is used in its entirety, (2) Elizabeth Davies is named as the author and credited for the work, (3) notification of your intent to use the essay is sent to Elizabeth Davies at bldavies@mac.com prior to your use of work.

Four Steps for Building Leaders at Every Level

2008-11-03T14:53:00.000-08:00

Winning organizations and people who build leaders at every level come in all shapes, sizes and nationalities, and can be found in any industry. The goods and services they produce and the strategies and tactics they employ are widely divergent. But they all share a set of fundamental similarities.

First, leaders with a proven track record of success take direct responsibility for the development of other leaders.

Second, leaders who develop other leaders have teachable points of view in the specific areas of ideas, values, and something called E3 – emotional energy and edge. Winning leaders and teachers have ideas that they can articulate and teach to others about both how to make the organizational successful in the marketplace and how to develop other leaders.

Third, leaders embody their teachable point of view in living stories. They tell stories about their past that explain their learning experiences and their beliefs. And they create stories about the future of their organizations that engage others both emotionally and intellectually to attain the winning future that they describe.

Finally, because winning leaders invest considerable amount of time in developing other leaders, they have well-defined methodologies and thoroughly developed coaching and teaching techniques. Among these is a willingness to admit mistakes and show vulnerability in order to serve as effective role models for others.

“Every person in a key position has to see himself or herself as a minim-CEO. They have to conceptualize what has to be done in the same way the CEO has. Then it cascades.”
- Michael Walsh, former CEO, Tenneco

Take a moment to assess how ready you are to develop other leaders based on the following criteria in this questionnaire.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=MSbPZbHfxqv8N_2fVPCgraPQ_3d_3d

Congratulations!
If you scored 5 (or Strongly Agree) on all of these, you are rating yourself an outstanding leader/teacher. If you scores lower than 5, congratulate yourself as well. The first step in teaching others is an honest self-assessment of how prepared you are to do so.

Building Strength in Your Workplace

2008-11-03T14:29:00.000-08:00

“True belonging is born of relationships not only to one another but to a place of shared responsibilities and benefits. We love not so much what we have acquired as what we have made and whom we have made it with.”
Robert Finch, “Scratching”, The Primal Place, 1983.

Organizations exist to accomplish tasks that are too complex, expensive or difficult for one person to accomplish alone. We come together as teams to pool energy, experience and expertise and raise support.

Ask yourself, and your employees, whether you are building strength and increasing engagement in your workplace.

To get started, take a few minutes to read “Marcus Buckingham Thinks Your Boss Has an Attitude Problem” by Polly LaBarre, Fast Company Magazine.

http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/49/buckingham.html

How it works

Step 1. Read the story from the link above.

Step 2. Generate a brief survey (try using www.surveymonkey.com) using the following questions that Marcus Buckingham and the Gallup Organization developed.

Possible questions to ask your employees:

1. Do I know what is expected of me at work?
2. Do I have the materials and equipment that I need in order to do my work effectively?
3. At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?
4. In the past seven days, have I received recognition or praise for doing good work?
5. Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person?
6. Is there someone at work who encourages my development?
7. At work, do my opinions seem to count?
8. Does the mission or purpose of my company make me feel that my job is important?
9. Are my coworkers committed to doing quality work?
10. In the past six months, has someone at work talked to me about my progress?
11. This year, have I had opportunities at work to learn and grow?

Step 3. Distribute the questions to all employees that report to you. The objective is to get compelling answers to the questions about the day-to-day realities of their jobs.

Step 4. Talk to your employees and explain to them that you are handing out this questionnaire in order to help determine and assess the health of your organization. Explain to them what you intend to do with the information you gather.

Step 5. Collect and analyze the data. These factors will help you determine whether people are engaged, not engaged, or actively disengaged at work. From here you can better leverage making all of your employees engaged.

Important note: If you ask for the feedback, and don’t take action, don’t be surprised if your engagement levels decline rapidly as a result.

What it can do

Measure the core elements needed to attract, focus and keep the most talented employees.

Identify which workers are engaged, not engaged, actively not engaged in their work.

Help create more alignment between the dreams of employees and the drive of the business to win.

Food for Thought: Imagining Your Dream Team

2008-11-03T14:05:00.001-08:00

I continue to revert back to Jim Collin's book, Good to Great, when helping leaders discover the effectiveness of their team.

In Chapter 3, Collins looks at "First Who, Then What".

Imagine your "dream team" - the perfect team for the work you are managing right now and into the future. List the top 10 characteristics you must have on your team (E.g. creative, hard working, etc.)

Create a chart. On vertical axis, fill in the curent team member's names (including yourself). On the horizontal axis, transfer the top 10 characteristics you previously identified.

For each team member, review the characteristcs listed and indicate with a check mark whether they exhibit that particular characteristic.

Questions to Reflect:

- What do you notice? What are your areas of strength and areas of vulnerability? How do you fit in? Have you hired people like you or people who would compliment you?

- As you create the strategy and structure for your organization, what steps can you take to make sure you have the right people on the bus before you set the next direction?

- What are your biggest opportunities right now? Are they staffed with your strongest people?

Don't have time to read the entire book, well check out these two links for more information:

http://www.jimcollins.com/

http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/51/goodtogreat.html

Tool: Peer Coaching Circles

2008-11-03T13:22:00.000-08:00

“Truly authentic leaders are open both to their gifts and to their underdeveloped qualities. People who understand who they are tend to have a more powerful voice – and to make a more profound contribution to an enterprise…”
- Kevin Cashman, Founder and President, Leadersource

Can you answer these questions?

• What are my particular strengths? What are my development areas?

• What does my organization need from its leaders? Based on my current knowledge, skills, and abilities, how am I contributing to my organization? What skills am I missing that could be critical to my organization’s mission and my success?

• How can I take charge of my own development? What would I put on my development plan that would inspire me and help the organization?

If you are reading this, you probably understand the importance of continuing to expand your own knowledge base and capacities. Many leaders overlook their responsibility in self-development.

Welcome to a tool that can assist you with uncovering your strengths and development opportunities as a leader – Peer Coaching Circles.

What is it?

A safe, informal, and collaborative feedback tool for leaders to provide ongoing support, coaching, and feedback to one another.

A peer coaching circle consists of 4 participants and meets at least once a month for 2 hours to dialogue on individual and organizational development opportunities, challenges, needs, frustrations, and ideas. Each person has 30 minutes to present a leadership and/or management challenge they are facing, share how they are responding, and receive coaching from their peers.

Peer coaches are to be in service of helping each other gain greater self-awareness and continue to grow as leaders. Knowing our weaknesses is a critical first step in being able to do something about them. Lack of awareness, whether through neglect or arrogance is a major contributor to career derailment.

What can it do?

Enhance the development of the following:

• Cross-functional relationships and dialogue

• Individual skills, knowledge, and abilities

• Strategies and initiatives that address our business opportunities and challenges

How it works?

Step 1. Identify 3 peers to form a peer coaching circle.

Step 2. Invite the peers to join a peer coaching circle and determine the first meeting date.

Step 3. Conduct the first meeting, which should establish ground rules, participant expectations, and meeting structure (frequency, length, structure for coaching circle meetings).

Step 4. Conduct the monthly peer coaching circle meetings.

Great HR/Management Resource Site

2008-11-03T11:23:00.000-08:00

go2hr offers a resourceful site for small to mid-size business owners and HR folks in the BC Tourism Industry. Although the site focuses on the tourism industry, the management principles can flow into any industry/organization. Topics include: Recruitment, Retention, Training and Development, Legal, etc.

(It is also a great site for anyone interested wanting to enter the tourism industry.)

http://www.go2hr.ca/ForbrEmployers/tabid/79/Default.aspx

Performance Management - Common Rating Errors

2008-10-31T15:17:00.000-07:00

To be truly objective writing a performance review, you must look at the individual employee’s performance behaviour and rate accordingly. Watch for these common rating errors.

Contrast effect – The tendency of a rater to evaluate people in comparison with other individuals rather than against the standards for the job. Of the five managers with objectives to reduce turnover by 10%, four of them reduced it by 20%, yet one receives a Below Target because they reduced turnover by 10%.

Halo/Horns Effect – Inappropriate generalizations from one aspect of an individual’s performance to all areas of that person’s performance. Rating an Above Target to a manager who is great at a specific operational task yet has difficulties coaching their direct reports.

Similar-to-Me Effect – The tendency of individuals to rate people who resemble themselves more highly than they rate others. Rating a Below Target to a manager who is an effective recruiter yet who style of recruiting is not your preference.

Recency Effect – The tendency of minor events that have happened recently to have more influence on the rating than major events of many months ago. Rating Above Target to a manager who in the past month did a great job organizing the back room who had performance problems earlier in the year.

Central Tendency – Generally occurs when we choose to give all employees similar ratings rather than thinking about them as individuals and giving them realistic ratings focused on their own performance. Rating all managers On Target for their people objective even though one manager clearly leads to team in developing people.

Considerations When Assigning Ratings

- Whether or not the results were accomplished in the set time frame.

- The extent to which the result met or exceeded the standards of performance (Did the performance exceed expectations in only a few areas, or across of the board?)

- The relative importance of each of the objectives within the category.

- Obstacles that impeded performance. There may have been a circumstance in which an employee was on track for accomplishing the objective until some unforeseen and uncontrollable event occurred. If this was the case, you may choose to not lower the employee’s rating substantially.

- Were contributions made to the organization in a way that met your expectations?

- Would performance at a lower level have been acceptable?

- As a manager, is your judgement clouded because the employee may have achieved results using a different style or method that might have?

Times of Change - Effective Tactics to Lead Change in Your Organization

2008-10-31T15:08:00.000-07:00

John Kotter (who teaches Leadership at Harvard Business School) has made it his business to study both success and failure in change initiatives in business. "The most general lesson to be learned from the more successful cases is that the change process goes through a series of phases that, in total, usually require a considerable length of time. Skipping steps creates only the illusion of speed and never produces satisfactory results" and "making critical mistakes in any of the phases can have a devastating impact, slowing momentum and negating hard-won gains". From John Kotter’s book Leading Change, he summarizes the eight phases as follows:

1] Establish a Sense of Urgency
Talk of change typically begins with some people noticing vulnerability in the organization. The threat of losing ground in some way sparks these people into action, and they in turn try to communicate that sense of urgency to others. In organizations it is typically employee turnover, financial struggles or low morale. Kotter notes that over half the companies he has observed have never been able to create enough urgency to prompt action. "Without motivation, people won’t help and the effort goes nowhere…. Executives underestimate how hard it can be to drive people out of their comfort zones". In the more successful cases the leadership group facilitates a frank discussion of potentially unpleasant facts: about the new competition, flat earnings, decreasing market share, or other relevant indicators. It is helpful to use outsiders who can share the "big picture" from a different perspective and help broaden the awareness of your members. When is the urgency level high enough? Kotter suggests it is when 75% of your leadership is honestly convinced that business as usual is no longer an acceptable plan.

2] Form a Powerful Guiding Coalition
Change efforts often start with just one or two people, and should grow continually to include more and more who believe the changes are necessary. The need in this phase is to gather a large enough initial core of believers. This initial group should be pretty powerful in terms of the roles they hold, the reputations they have, the skills they bring and the relationships they have. Regardless of size of your organization, the "guiding coalition" for change needs to have 3-5 people leading the effort. This group, in turn, helps bring others on board with the new ideas. The building of this coalition – their sense of urgency, their sense of what’s happening and what’s needed – is crucial.

3] Create a Vision
Successful transformation rests on "a picture of the future that is relatively easy to communicate and appeals to customers, stockholders, and employees. A vision helps clarify the direction in which an organization needs to move". The vision functions in many different ways: it helps spark motivation, it helps keep all the projects and changes aligned, it provides a filter to evaluate how the organization is doing, and it provides a rationale for the changes the organization will have to weather. "A useful rule of thumb: if you can’t communicate the vision to someone in five minutes or less and get a reaction that signifies both understanding and interest, you are not yet done with this phase of the transformation process".

4] Communicate that Vision
Kotter suggests the leadership should estimate how much communication of the vision is needed, and then multiply that effort by a factor of ten. Do not limit it to one meeting, a presentation, or a couple of mail outs to employees. Leaders must be seen "walking the talk" – another form of communication -- if people are going to perceive the effort as important. "Deeds" along with "words" are powerful communicators of the new ways. The bottom line is that a transformation effort will fail unless most of the members understand, appreciate, commit and try to make the effort happen. The guiding principle is simple: use every existing communication channel and opportunity.

5] Empower Others to Act on the Vision
This entails several different actions. Allow people to start living out the new ways and to make changes in their areas of involvement. Allocate budget money to the new initiative. Carve out time on the upcoming meeting agenda to talk about it. Change the way your company is organized to put people where the effort needs to be. Free up key people from existing responsibilities so they can concentrate on the new effort. In short, remove any obstacles there may be to getting on with the change. Nothing is more frustrating than believing in the change but then not having the time, money, help, or support needed to effect it. You can’t get rid of all the obstacles, but the biggest ones need to be dealt with.

6] Plan for and Create Short-Term Wins
Since real transformation takes time, the loss of momentum and the onset of disappointment are real factors. Most people won’t go on a long march for change unless they begin to see compelling evidence that their efforts are bearing fruit. In successful transformation, leaders actively plan and achieve some short term gains which people will be able to see and celebrate. "When it becomes clear to people that major change will take a long time, urgency levels can drop. Commitments to produce short-term wins help keep the urgency level up and force detailed analytical thinking that can clarify or revise visions".

7] Consolidate Improvements and Keep the Momentum for Change Moving
As Kotter warns, "Do not declare victory too soon". Until changes sink deeply into a company’s culture -- a process that can take five to ten years -- new approaches are fragile and subject to regression. Again, a premature declaration of victory kills momentum, allowing the powerful forces of tradition to regain ground. Leaders of successful efforts use the feeling of victory as the motivation to delve more deeply into their organization: to explore changes in the basic culture, to expose the systems relationships of the organization which need tuning, to move people committed to the new ways into key roles. Leaders of change must go into the process believing that their efforts will take years.

8] Institutionalize the New Approaches
In the final analysis, change sticks when it becomes "the way we do things around here", when it seeps into the bloodstream of the corporate body. "Until new behaviours are rooted in social norms and shared values, they are subject to degradations as soon as the pressure for change is removed". Two factors are particularly important for doing this. People have to be helped to make the connections between the effort and the outcome.

Kotter writes, "There are still more mistakes that people make, but these eight are the big ones. In reality, even successful change efforts are messy and full of surprises".

Understanding & Connecting with Your Team

2008-10-29T16:48:00.000-07:00

"Leaders matter greatly. But in searching so zealously for better leaders we tend to lose sight of the people these leaders lead. Without his armies after all, Napoleon was just a man with grandiose ambitions. Organizations stand to fall partly on the basis of how well their leaders lead, but partly also on the basis of how well their followers follow."
- In Praise of Followers, Robert E. Kelley

Who are you without your team? Often items we take for granted the notion that leaders require followers. Moreover, great leaders require great followers. What do great followers want out of a leader? Among other things, followers want a leader that understands what they are working on, why they are doing it and how it is all connected to their larger goals. Also, they want to be involved and connected to making a difference in the business. The challenge is, followers often do not know how to ask for things.

I'd like to introduce you to an article I read a few years ago - The Agenda - Grassroots Leadership, by Polly Labarre, Fast Company Magazine.

http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/23/grassroots.html

How it can work for you:

1. Read the story about Navy Commander D. Michael Abrashoff.

2. Schedule 30-minute one-on-one meetings with all employees that roll up under your organization. If that is too many people, meet with a minimum of your direct reports along with their direct reports.

3. Ask the following questions:

What do you like about your job?
What do you like least about your job?
What would change about your job?
At the end of the year, what does success look like?

Note: Some people may be hesitant to discuss these questions. Try and create an environment where people can feel okay with being authentic without consequences.

4. Take what you have learned through all the one-on-one meetings and try to evaluate whether you can make some simple quick changes in your organization that will make a difference to your people.

5. Evaluate where there might be larger areas in your organization that need change. Connect with key stakeholders to voice ideas and concerns.

What it can do:

Create a platform for open and honest communication.
Identify potential problems with an individual employee and/or organization.
Aid in organization alignment to meet the company Mission and Strategy.
Provide steps to create a better environment to cultivate stability and employee retention.
Identify opportunities for improvement in your organization with employees and/or work process.

Food For Thought: Confronting the Brutal Facts (yet never lose faith)

2008-10-29T16:32:00.000-07:00

I often go back to Jim Collin's book, Good to Great, for inspiring concepts to evaluate my progress as a leader.

Chapter 4 ponders the brutal facts of reality in your organization.

Here are some questions for you to think about:

1. In your organization, what brutal facts are being ignored or justified? What behaviour will be required of you to raise and face these issues?

2. At your next team meeting, focus on creating a climate where the truth can emerge.

How could you practice leading with questions, not answers?
What would ensure that you and others engage in dialogue and debate not coercion?
How can you begin a practice of conducting autopsies without blame?
In what ways can you build red flag mechanisms that turn information into information that cannot be ignored?

3. Have you lost a "good" person because they were de-motivated due to brutal facts not being addressed? What did you learn from this experience?

Managing Star Performers No One Wants to Work With

2008-10-28T09:05:00.000-07:00

I found this article interesting. Our star performers are typically our bightest, talented and dynamic employees, yet they can annoy their peers and alienate themselves from the team.

Let's not forget about them, just because they know how to do all of the technical functions of their role. Focus on the leadership potential and building upon their self-awareness.

http://www.talentmgt.com/learning_development/2008/October/748/

Great Interview Questions

2008-10-27T16:26:00.000-07:00

Have you ever left an interview with a candidate wondering what you talked about and whether you learnt anything about the candidate to make an effective hiring decision?

Try Behaviour-based Interviewing...BBI interviews provide a more objective set of facts to make employment decisions than other interviewing methods. Traditional interview questions ask general questions such as "Tell me about yourself." The process of BBI is much more probing and works very differently.

Employers use the BBI technique to evaluate a candidate's experiences and behaviours so they can determine the candidate's potential for success. The interviewer identifies job-related experiences, behaviours, knowledge, skills and abilities that the company has decided are desirable in a particular position. For example, some of the characteristics most sought after into today's work cultures:

- Ability to operate and work effectively in a team environment.
- Technical knowledge of the function.
- Critical thinking
- Willingness to learn

As the Hiring Manager, it is paramount that you structure very pointed questions to elicit detailed responses aimed at determining if the candidate you're interviewing possesses the desired characteristics. Questions (often not even frames as a question) typically start with: "Tell me about a time..." or "Describe a situation..."

How to prepare for behaviour-based interviews?

The best way to prepare for this type of interview is to equip yourself with a small list of questions that relate to the job you are hiring for, yet will elicit stories from the candidates you interview. It's OK if the candidate uses examples from internships, classes, projects, activities, team participation, community service and previous work experience: you're seeking examples of past behaviour. Behavioural questions should try to get at how a candidate responded to negative or positive situations in their past.

10 Sample Behaviour Based Interview Questions:

Give an example of how you applied knowledge from a previous "XYZ" project to a current project?
Tell me of a time when you worked with a colleague who was not completing their share of the work. How did you approach this individual?
Tell me about a time when you went above and beyond the call of duty in order to get a job done
Describe a situation in which you found that your results were not up to your supervisor’s expectations. What happened? What action did you take?
Intuition, innovation and creativity are winning attributes of any organization. Can you share an example of when you had to create a leading edge initiative or system in order to simplify a process? What were the steps you took?
Providing constructive feedback to team members is sometimes difficult. Can you think of a time when you had to share difficult feedback or information that you knew was not going to be received well? How did you present the message in order to gain acceptance?
Tell me about a time when you had to gain support for an idea or initiative? Whose support did you solicit? How did you gain their support? What was the outcome?
I'm sure there are some highlights and successes in your career history. Can you think of a recent situation that resulted in a significant professional accomplishment that either benefited the project, a financial return or a colleague?
Tell me about a time when you had too many things to do and you were required to prioritize your tasks?
Outline a situation where you had to present an unpopular point of view. How did you deliver the message? What was the outcome?

Effective BBI Tips:

To ensure questions are from the relevant past, ask candidate's to provide you with the most recent examples. E.g. "Tell me about a time during your last job when..." or "Give me an example from last year when you..."
To ensure candidate's have multiple examples of the same skill, ask candidates how often their example would occur. E.g. "During the last year how often would this situation occur? or "How many times did you have to speak with them about this issue?"
Assist candidate's to avoid generalizations, by making the question as specific as possible. E.g. "Tell me what your role was in...".

Assessing the Candidate from a BBI:

Ask yourself the following questions when you are assessing the candidate’s responses:

Is the example relevant? Does it relate to the criteria for the position?
Is the example recent?
Does the example typify the candidate's beahviour or is it an atypical example?
Is the example a good match to your company's culture and values?
How does this example compare to other candidates applying for this position?

Meeting Effectiveness

2008-10-27T12:50:00.000-07:00

"We always seem to get off track at our meetings and as a result waste a lot of time."

Here are some suggestions to make the most of your meetings:

- Clarify your objective at the beginning of the meeting or at the beginning of the agenda topic. E.g. "What do we want to accomplish by discussing this?"

- Periodically ask yourselves: "Is our present discussion helping us meet our objective?"

- Try using an old stand by - The Parking Lot. Have a flip chart handy headed The Parking Lot. Any issues or discussion that arise that are not on topic are parked on the flip chart for future attention. Ensure you have time at the end of the meeting to decide how and when to handle The Parking Lot items.

- Remember that being off track is o.k. if the group has chosen to go off track. A bit of humor, an interesting side story or an unexpected important issue that needs attention are all examples of potentially reasonable side trips. Being off track becomes a problem when the team is happily off track and doesn't know that it's lost."

- At the end of a meeting in which action items are agreed to recap the understanding of what each person has committed to do. Verify with each member that they understand the timelines agreed to and that they are able and willing to meet them. [In most groups this is assumed and not discussed. When someone makes a verbal and specific commitment they tend to place that action item higher on their priority list.]

- Emphasize the importance of commitments being completed on time and ensure everyone understands how lack of follow through will affect the project and the work of other team members.

- If, after expectations have been made clear and agreed to, a member still does not live up to their commitments address the issue directly. Find out why the member did not follow through and problem solve together.

- Use reminders, if necessary, if a member has a habit of not following through. Although one might argue that members are "adults" reminders used for a period of time may help them to change their behavior.

Working Through Change

2008-10-27T12:33:00.000-07:00

To stay on top and remain competitive in today’s fast-paced business environment, we must continually change and reshape the way we run our business. Its likely things are changing around you – perhaps there was a recent change to the staff, or maybe a new policy was just sent over E-mail.

As a manager, you will be better able to manage change if you understand what happens to people during change. Knowing this will enable you to support your staff during change and help you effectively communicate change in your work environment.

What kind of change have you experienced?

Take a moment and review the list below. How many of these changes have you experienced? Think about which of these changes have impacted you the most:

- A new supervisor excited to try new ideas
- Introduction of a new training program
- Change in a policy and/or procedure
- Sudden change in the schedule
- Multiple managers resign in the same month
- Surprise visit from the corporate office
- New business trend
- Equipment failure, e.g. power outage
- Arrival of unexpected product
- Promotion to new position

It’s surprising how even the “simplest” change can bring on a multitude of different feelings and emotions. Think about how you reacted to those changes listed above. If you reacted negatively, what caused your fears or anxiety? If your reaction was positive, what made you feel the change was a good one?

As you consider these questions, realize you are probably not the only one who has experienced these feelings. Everyone is affected by change and reacts differently to change, depending on their personal needs or situation. Therefore, when trying to help individuals manage change, you need to focus on the behavioural clues that tell you what it is they need to accept a change.

Stages of Change

Knowing the stages of change and understanding behavioural clues, will help you support your employees while they adapt to change in their work environment.

Stage 1: Denial
The first stage, denial, happens when you cannot accept that real change is going to occur.

Typical comments during denial are:
“It’ll never work.”
“We don’t have a problem.”
“Nothing is really going to change.”

During denial people need:
- Information as to what’s going to happen: why, when and how it will happen.
- To know how it will personally affect them.
- Suggested actions they can take to adjust.
- Time to absorb and discuss the change.

Stage 2: Resistance
The second stage of change is resistance or anger. During resistance people become frustrated or fearful. Often they will verbally or physically withdraw from the situation. There’s a sense of loss because they begin to realize things will no longer be the same/

Typical comments of feelings during resistance are:
“This isn’t fair.”
“I’m just following orders.”
“Management doesn’t know what they’re doing.”

During resistance people need:
- To be listened to.
- Their feelings acknowledged in an empathetic and supportive way.
- Training new skills, if required.
- Goals to support the changes.

Stage 3: Exploration
During the third phase, exploration, people begin trying new ways of doing things and searching for personal successes related to the change.

Typical comments during exploration are:
“I agree with some of the change, but not all of it.”
“Working with the new manager isn’t so bad.”
“I’d like to make a suggestion that could make this change even better.”

During exploration people need:
- One-on-one coaching.
- Positive reinforcement and praise.
- Safety – evidence that some things are staying the same.
- Follow-up on projects already under way.

Stage 4: Acceptance
During the final phase, acceptance, people often embrace the change.

During acceptance, people often say things like:
“This new system has made my job easier.”
“I’ve heard so much more since our new manager has joined the team.”
“Customers are complimenting us more since the change was implemented.”

During acceptance people need:
- To be acknowledged and/or rewarded.
- To set long-term goals.
- Affirmation that the change is working.

Communicating Change

Knowing the four stages of change will make it easier for you to plan and implement change in your work environment. Clear communication is key to the success of change and it’s important to make a conscience effort to increase communication during change. By keeping employees informed, you reduce insecurity and anxiety that lead to gossip, unproductive behaviour and even turnover. Once you learn your work environment will be experiencing a change, take the following approach:

- Ask clarifying questions as to how and when the change will happen.
- Get a clear understanding of why the change is happening – what are the benefits to your business, customers or team.
- Become familiar with the implementation plan.
- Plan ways to prepare both yourself and your employees.

Once you are ready to communicate change:

- Move quickly to communicate the change.
- Determine the best way to ensure everyone who will be impacted gets the same information.
- Be straightforward, specific and direct about what’s changing.
- Encourage questions and comments. Let the staff give you ideas on how they can support the change.
- Be an active listener by paying attention and caring about what is being said.
- Be available (“open door” policy) to all members of staff.
- Have a plan for follow-up to ensure the change is going well for employees.