Ron Thomas MHCS, SWP

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  • Following Your Career GPS: Recalculating to Keep Yourself on Track

    Jun 14, 13

    Recalculating, make a right at the next light. Recalculating, make a left at the next intersection.

    With GPS in a car, there is no need to get lost anymore. I now live in Saudi Arabia, and of all the items that I brought over, my Google Maps app is something I never leave the house without.  

    Try following direction and the entire street markings are in Arabic. So if I am looking for Exit 8 this is how the signs look: ٨مخرج

    Sometimes, our careers can be like traveling in a foreign country. We get lost, we make the wrong turn, and sometimes end up in a destination that is far from our original target.

    Having a career GPS system

    The more we try to get back on track, the more lost we become. Then we make what sometimes is our biggest mistake — we ask someone for directions and they have no clue but they give us directions anyway. I call this “the blind leading the blind.”
    
    

    I shudder sometimes when I see someone who is in career turmoil and they reach out to a friend who has been doing the same job (probably since college) and is totally clueless. Their career is in “flux,” but they go to the clueless friend anyway.

    Back to my GPS: I got “lost” this week when I kept making the wrong turn, but with the miracle of the global positioning system, I kept getting back on track. No matter how many time I got turned around, I was immediately put back on track.

    It made me think of how wonderful it would be if we had a career GPS system with us at all times. No matter how many times we choose what we think is the right track, our internal GPS would recalculate and put us back on track.

    Recalculating!

    Like a lot of you, I have friends that are very dear to me, but the problem is they keep repeating the same career dilemma story over and over again.  Recalculating!

    They are in a job they dislike immensely, yet they keep moving in the same direction.Recalculating! They got laid off a few years back and they still discuss the particulars of it and how it happened.  Recalculating!

    When my daughter, Lauren, was in junior high, they had a phrase — “talk to the hand.” Today, I would redo that phrase to say — Recalculate!

    When you keep telling the same career narrative over and over, it is wasted energy. My question is what are you going to do about?

    If the response is that there is nothing they can do about it, it proves that it is probably time to move on. If you have plotted out your career destination, you should just recalculate and get back on track. Now it may that it is not that easy to get back on track, but it is that easy.

    The big issue is that so many times we never get the destination right. And if we do get that that anchor point right, all of our waking hours and energy should be directed towards that.

    It all hinges on the destination

    As a senior faculty member for the Human Capital Institute, I teach a course called Strategic Workforce Planning. You can’t start this process until you figure out the organizational strategy. Every step in this process has to have that in its sight.

    Our careers should be the same. What is the destination? If you don’t know the destination, any path will get you there.

    Our lives are all spent in recalculating mode. Like the GPS methodology, if we make the wrong choice and get routed into the wrong position or we realize we made a mistake the turn, it just gives us another route to take.

    If our destination is set and we know where we are [the starting point], we are halfway there. The problem is that we have problems determining the destination. We are all aware of where we are, and we sometimes get frustrated with the twists and turns along the way. We are always striving to get from point “A” to point “B,” just like in mapping out a trip.

    But twists and turns can be career killers if we do not put it in that context. Just like our driving, if we miss a turn [an opportunity], we are in the wrong lane and can’t even get over in time [wrong place and the right time].

    These type of metaphors can be used in all our scenarios. But with the wonders of GPS technology, we can be back on track in a heartbeat. I don’t care how many misturns we make, the technology will always get us back on track.

    Twist and turns!

    I remember quitting a job one time. I walked in, gave my notice, and in a couple of weeks I walked out. I had set my destination and just followed what I thought was the turn-by-turn directions. Well, I made some wrong turns, and, I turned right when I should have gone left.

    We have all been there. The u-turn that looked promising to get me back on track only got me more confused, and I got “more lost.” However in the back of my mind, I went back to recalculating. Eventually I made that one right turn, and based on my internal GPS system, I was back on track.

    You look at any person that has reached the top of their career field and they can regale you with stories about things  that seemed like career killers at the time, but they recalculated and moved on.

    So next time you get frustrated because that things are not working out, think of how your GPS would respond. That is easy because it only knows one word:

    RECACULATING!
  • Surviving in the Workplace: It’s All About Being Able to Adapt to Change

    Jun 06, 13

    This could be you but then again I hope not.

    1. We tell interviewers we are “not really into that social media stuff.”
    2. We have not stayed current in our field or we aren’t articulate about trends and leaders in our field.
    3. We dress like someone in a past decade, or worse, wear a suit and tie [or the female equivalent] in an environment that stopped wearing suits years ago.
    4. We still have a flip phone.
    5. We are not physically fit and sometimes overweight.
    6. We have so much experience and have interviewed so many times we don’t spend much time preparing for the interview. Fact is, top candidates spend 8-16 hours preparing.

     This is an excerpt from an article written by my good friend Bill Belknap, uber career coach with the 5’O Clock Club, the premier outplacement & executive coaching firm based in New York City but it has a national footprint.

    Bill, thank you — you nailed it!

    Shaking my head in disbelief

    I’m just amazed by the number of folks that fall into this category, people who are completely oblivious of what is going on around them and refusing to “get with it.”  We all know someone like this, and regardless of the change that is coming, they just refuse to be a part of it.

    I got an invite through LinkedIn the other day, and when I clicked over to check out this person, I found that he has all of three (3) connections. There was absolutely nothing on his LinkedIn page but job titles, company names, and duration of service. He was even too lazy to fill in his roles and responsibilities even though he has been in the banking business for over 15 years.

    This is the way you should look at this. Think of LinkedIn as the new business card. As a matter of fact, I now hear many people say, “Let’s connect on LinkedIn; I will send you an invite.”

    But, LinkedIn is not the only social media platform that is out there. Twitter has become the gathering place for whatever your profession is. No matter what the top issues are that your industry is faced with, hang out on Twitter and follow your profession to get a sense of what folks are talking about, as well as what people in your profession are reading

    The job market is tough, no matter if you are out of work or gainfully employed, but nobody is interested in anyone that is just too complacent to keep up. Everything today is moving at warp speed, from technology to disruptions in your industry.

    The starting point is out of sight

    Who would have ever envisioned how the Internet has changed our lives, from desktop computing to mobile, brick-and-mortar to e-commerce, foundational companies like IBM to Facebook and Google. If you think this does not affect you and your career, you are sadly mistaken.

    And the great part of all this is that it is now slowing down, but I still know many professionals who refuse to get on with it. Their thought is that if they can just hold on, they will be out of the market in 10 years or so.

    That is such a defeatist attitude. I had someone tell me that “I will give you a call, because I don’t have the time to do that ‘texting thing.’ ” I’m still SMH (shaking my head).

    A young lady told me the story of how she decided to give her grandmother an iPad. Everyone in her family told her that would be such a huge mistake. The grandmother was in her mid-80’s, however what they did not realize was that she was a “young mid-80’s. When she received the gift she thanked her granddaughter so much for it. She had been reading so much about “this iPad thing” and was very interested.

    She spent every day after that getting acquainted with her new toy. She took classes at the local Apple Store to learn all the tips and tricks. Now at the family gatherings, there she is showing off her apps, how she reads her newspaper, magazines, etc. She even created a LinkedIn and Facebook page.

    Even in her mid-80’s, she had a hunger to get with all these new things even though her working days are long gone. I tell that story to all of my friends who are still living back in the past as if it is coming back. It is like keeping old clothes in your closet that you are just sure will come into style again. It may show up  again, but it will be an updated version of before. If you haven’t figured it out, nothing EVER goes back to where it was.

    Change is hard

    Change is sudden; it is like the rules have changed overnight. It disrupts our equilibrium. Whether it’s the sudden loss of a job or the changing dynamics of your work, the world you once knew is gone, and sometimes, it’s difficult to know what to do next.

    Yes, it can be frightening because our survival instinct is based on being able to predict our environment and acting accordingly. When predictability disappears, so too does our sense of equilibrium.

    Survival is based on adapting. And that survival is contingent on developing strategies to adapt, survive and potentially thrive during some of the worst conditions that many of us have seen in a lifetime.

    Yes, my friends it is that serious.
  • Brand Strategy: If You Get Employees on Board, Customers Are Easy

    Jun 03, 13

    When I checked the bill, all they charged me for was the tire. No labor or anything — just the cost of the tire.

    I called them back and the guy on the phone said, “You and your family are such good customers that this was on us.” 

    My wife was driving home last week and had a slow flat on the interstate. She was able to creep into Meinke where we get all of our cars serviced. They promptly came out and took all her worries away. Long story short, the work was done and in a short time, she was on her way home.

    Moral of the story? We’re now a confirmed customer for LIFE. 

    This highlights something you should know: everyone that works in your business is a brand ambassador, from the lowest rung on the org chart to the top executive. We sometimes falsely assume that it’s only when you get higher up in the organization that branding matters. However branding has a lot more effect when it is contagious down to the street level.

    The importance of touch points

    How many times have we gone into retail establishments and the employees went above and beyond for you? Those encounters always tend to chisel an impression into our psyche. On the other hand, when the opposite happens and we are rudely treated as if we are bothering them, that also has an effect. Studies however, have shown that the later experience is shared amongst friends more so than the former.

    Companies spend enormous amounts of time and money developing, strategizing, and implementing marketing campaigns about who they are to their target audience and anyone else who will listen.

    A companies brand is not just a cute marketing statement or some logo. Regardless of what your advertising campaign is, if your employees do not embody your message, as the say in The Sopranos, “fuhgeddaboudit. “ It’s just not happening.

    Yes, but do your employees get it?

    Companies can ignore employees at their own peril, however, they are the best advertisement you could ever have. If they live the brand that syncs to your marketing message, you are at the intersection of nirvana.

    I had an experience at a local chain here in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia the other day (where I am working as an HR leader). I bought an extension card, took it home, and it was the wrong type. So I put it back in the container and on my way home from work, I stopped by not for a refund but an exchange.

    When I went to customer service, you would have thought that I was asking for double my money back. Because I had opened the package, the clerk adamantly refused to exchange it and basically walked away.

    I asked for the manger and he apologized and gave me one that was already opened. My suggestion to him was that his customer service reps need a lot of training and I would not be coming back to shop there at all. So, customer lost and the story was repeated at work the next day.

    Branding means starting with employees first

    The customer experience is paramount, whether in a retail environment or inside a call center. If that touch point with the customer is not a branding experience, you have lost.

    Each one of your employees is responsible for delivering what your brand promises. And if the employees don’t get it, their attitudes and behavioral patterns towards clients, colleagues, partners, suppliers means that the branding effort will have been in vain.

    Your entire organization is constantly at risk because in this age of social media. Yes, bad news travels especially fast!

    As part of your “brand strategy” you have got to get your employees to live it. An engaged workforce goes a long way in upholding that strategy. One the other hand, regardless of the campaign you devise if your employees don’t get it, it is not going to matter.

    So before you go into that conference room to start talking brand, make a detour into your workforce.

    That is an important first step. The process must begin by explaining to all employees the essence of the brand and what it is all about. The company must clearly define and elaborate the desirable traits and behaviors that they want their employees to exhibit. Most importantly, they should solicit feedback from those very same employees

    And if that key component of your branding effort — your employees — do not know what the brand stands for, it is hardly reasonable to expect that they will be able to “live it.”

    One day smart companies will spend the money getting more insight into their employees before they start the journey of getting to know their customers. They just might find that if you get the former right, the latter is a piece of cake.
  • Today’s Job Search: What It Takes to Get to the Top of the Pile

    May 23, 13

    
    

    A job search today is not your Mother or Father’s job search

    “I have some ideas as to how I am going to approach this and would like for you to take a look and give me your thoughts. My response was as usual, “talk to me first as to what you are thinking and then send me your draft [s].”

    The lady I was helping methodically walked me through her thought process and how she was going to take it and transfer it to marketing collateral.

    I realized after hanging up that a job search today is beyond anything that we have ever witnessed in years past. The day of just sending out a generic resume is a thing of the past. There is an entire cottage industry that has been built around resumes and LinkedIn bios.

    Bringing your “book” to a job interview

    I have friends that are former HR professionals who have hung their shingles out as resume writers, or shall I say, designers of resumes. Two of the industry best are Careers Done Write(Debra Wheatman) and The Resume Crusade (Chris Fields)

    Part of my job history was in the design and creative industry, and it was a given that when you interviewed, you had to bring your book (that is, your portfolio).
    

    Design portfolios today come in various forms. They have traditionally been print-based and something you would carry to an interview to showcase what you’ve done and how you did it. More importantly, they are about your interpretation at whatever it is you did.

    Today however, many designers take advantage of the Internet to publish and showcase their work via their online portfolios. The positive behind this is that having your work displayed online removes the geographical restraints that traditional portfolios impose on you.

    But, even the portfolio has moved beyond design into other areas. If you are in marketing and PR, you should also be thinking about showcasing your work.

    Making the pitch

    This young lady I was helping had an approach that was the same as a client pitch. Not only was her resume top-notch, but she had researched the company and made sure to capture their logo onto her documentation. She was able to show her PR and marketing output, but also had a recent video that she had produced.

    This job search approach is 180 degrees from a few years ago. However, if you think of trying to win over a client, would you just approach with generic documentation or would you try for something that had the “wow” factor?

    Would your collateral leap off the page and majestically inform them that they have the right candidate sitting across the table? If your verbal pitch coincides with your collateral, you have a much better chance to make the finalist list.

    The days of thinking that job interview is just to show up, with resume in hand and nothing else, are long gone. If that is what you think a job interview today is about, you are sadly mistaken. That train left the station years ago.

    You should be spending as much time on an upcoming interview as you would a major project. Will all your hard work guarantee you the job? Not by a long shot, because there are no guarantees in today’s life.

    But this approach, if done right, can move you to the top of the pile.

    Making the cut

    The cover page of my friend’s collateral was the main photo that was on her client’s website with her name and the following categories listed:

    • Name
    • Resume
    • Current responsibilities
    • Past experience
    • CONTACT ME

    Her resume was beautifully and artistically done. Since she is in marketing, she created a brand sheet under past experiences showing the logo of each company that she had been associated with. Under current responsibilities she had snapshots of all the marketing initiatives that she had created.

    The collateral visually told her story and she was the narrator. My thought was that if I were the one on the other side of the interview, she would have this job. I would want this kind of talent in my stable. I could almost imagine what she would do within our walls if she were set free.

    On the other hand, if you simply showed up with just a resume in hand, today, you sadly will not make the cut.
  • Dealing With a New Company Culture: Do you Compromise, or Adjust?

    May 17, 13

    
    

    How are you going to deal with a new culture? Do you think the leadership style in another country will make a difference? I know that you can be very opinionated, but you may need to tone it down in another country.

    Questions about workplace culture have always intrigued me. What is a successful model so that you are accepted into a new environment?

    What if you are rejected? How can you get a sense up front to make the changes to increase your chance of success? What will you have to give up — and what will they have to give up?

    These are all interesting questions, and they are all relevant.

    Compromise or adjustment? Choose one

    All of our lives we have participated in culture adjustments. For instance:
    

    • Going to school for the first time;
    • Changing schools;
    • Starting college;
    • Joining clubs or fraternities;
    • Starting a first job;
    • Changing jobs;
    • Finding a partner;
    • Marrying into a new family.

    These are just a few that pop out as I think back over my life. The funny thing is that we all make adjustments and compromises in order to be successful.

    In compromising, we let go of something so that we can create a balance in a relationship. In making an adjustment, we more often than not agree willingly to make the change for the greater good of the relationship.

    In order to make things better, you shade the degree of one or more of your “characteristics,” but you do not change the characteristic completely.

    That is the main difference between the two. An adjustment could be viewed as a voluntary act. A compromise, however, may be done under duress.

    In meshing with a new culture, it is all about making adjustments. You give, I give, we both adjust, and it is a constant period of adjusting until we get a personal model that works. In organizations, conflict arises because of this simple constant.

    Being aware of our foundation

    Our culture is our foundation in that it grounds and frames our lives. Our beliefs are built into our worldview and always provide a comfortable reference point of understanding.

    As we interact with people from different cultural backgrounds, we become aware of a different frame of reference. What we might see as a normal is only based on the way that we were raised or what we are familiar with.

    I grew up in a small town in South Carolina, and my frame of reference was based on that early in my working life. My first job out of college took me to New York City, and initially, that was big culture shock as I tried to get a lay of the land.

    I was blind to the elements of my own culture and how it contrasted with my new surroundings. My wife was a born-and-bred New Yorker; that was her frame of reference. As in any marriage or relationship, to be successful we all have to contribute, whether it is compromise or adjustments.

    So throughout life we have always been at that intersection trying to mesh all of it into a successful “marriage.”

    On the road to recovery

    There will always be the threads that bind us all. Our problem is not taking the time to find it.

    If we would listen more we would notice that people tend to talk about things that drive them. They will give you great insight into their thinking and their approach. You will begin to find out what and how people do things, but also, what their interests are.

    Once you get a glimpse of the real person, you can begin the process of connecting. Does the onus to do so fall to you? If you are the going into a new environment, the weight may be on your shoulders. And even if it is the other way around, leadership is about being flexible and trying to figure out how to make “it” work.

    The old mantra of my way or the highway will have to be mourned. Like out of date clothing and lifestyles, in this global and complex society, it is no longer about us getting our way.

    So, let’s all take a deep breath and let the goal of building a successful relationship drive our organizational culture. Success will be the offspring of that effort.
  • HR Leader Spot in the Middle East? It’s Just Another Check on My Bucket List

    May 10, 13

     I applaud you for having the gumption to make this move. Are you are really going to do that?Are you kidding me 

    You aren't afraid to move to another country

    Moving to the Middle East? Bon Voyage, I am so happy for you.All these comments came up over the   past month as I completed yes completed my career bucket list

    I had always wanted a CHRO (chief human resources officer) role since the     day I got involved in HR. My    

    other checkpoint was that I wanted to live life as an expat

    
    
    

    Checking off the list

    Lo and behold, these opportunities came in one package and allowed me to check off the last two items on my list. Career aspiration done, fineto, was how I tweeted 

    So I resigned my job and eagerly accepted the new opportunity — an opportunity that would allow me to move to another country and head up an HR department. My wife will be joining me later, and my two magnificent kids were our biggest cheerleaders. Having traveled throughout the world, this move was no big deal, really. My wife was somewhat of a skeptic, but she knew me, and, she knew what I wanted and we worked it out

    When we get out of college, we’re all in somewhat of a maze trying to figure out our path and where it will lead. Some people are more fortunate than others and some go through life on a perpetual treadmill. I remember my daughter telling me the story of some of her classmates in college changing their majors two or three times. This is every parent’s worse nightmare

    Where is your bucket list

    Just this past week my good friend, Robin Schooling, former head of HR for the Louisiana Lottery, gave it all up to check off a box on her list. I immediately sent her a note and told her that she will look back on this decision and will agree that this was her best move ever. She left the comfort zone of stability and ventured into the “unknown,” albeit with a plan

    There are so many of my colleagues that are absolutely miserable in their current jobs. Someone once told me that they start getting queasy on Sunday morning just in anticipation of Monday morning. I also know others who got a job out of college and they are still at it, although this is more government-related

    Both these scenarios are basically the same. The occupants are either bored out of their mind or they are on the career treadmill day in and day out

    I came across a blog post this week with the title, What would you do if you were not afraid? I immediately tweeted it out and sat back to see the reaction. Just as I figured, the dreams and hopes of many came alive. I could almost envision someone sitting at their desk, reading that post and looking off into the sunset and having a lovely and inspiring thought.

    Just what would you do if you could not fail — which basically means, if fear did not manage your life

    When fear holds us back

    I was amazed at some of the creativity and some of their things that readers chose. Fear is an obsessive blanket. It has held more people back in their endeavors than possibly any other reason

    FDR once gave a speech that said “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” I remember reading an article about people that were involved in an air crash, and they were told that the best way to deal with that fear was to confront it and fly again as soon as possible. Outside of that, you will become paralyzed, and many of us have become paralyzed just by thinking about it and how we want it so bad.

    There will never be a time in our lives when that little bell will go off and say NOW is the time, because now is always the time to move ahead and conquer. It must start with a step; the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

    A few of the Twitter commenters chose something totally different from their current role. My thought was, why not do it? But, I am not advocating that you walk in today and resign with no plan

    What I am saying is that each day the burning desire to accomplish that dream should get you closer to the finish line. Each day your task — whether it is research, follow up, networking, or something else — is whatever it takes to get you there.

    When people talk to me about what they want to do, I immediately ask them what is their plan and what have they done to this point to get there? That is almost always met with a stare, and sometimes, with a bogus reply.

    Finding the green line in life

    Fidelity has a brilliant marketing campaign that stresses staying on the path and following the green line towards your investment utopia. If your career goals were set and you had that green line to follow, we would all check off that bucket list and it would be game, set, and match

    However, a lot of us look for excuses, live by excuses, and never really have our career goal in mind. Or if we do, we head off and get on a threadmill and dream and hope that someday, somehow, someone will tap us on the shoulder and say “now is the time.” Unfortunately, that will never happen

    We all have to find that green line in our life and keep moving towards it. Someday you too will be able to say, done, fineto and case closed

    So as I look outside over the grounds of my new villa in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, there is a calmness that tells me that yes, I did pick up and move halfway across the world. Hopefully, it will inspire others to follow their own green line, because it’s always time to reach for the stars
  • PowerPoint Hell: Why Do We Put Up With 70 Slide Presentations?

    May 17, 13

     “We spent literally an hour trying to decide which whether the to use a period, capital letters, or the size of the boxes in the presentation. All this discussion went back and forth for so long that I could not believe we could waste all this time on something so trivial. But then again, all of our prep meeting are

    like this. It seems more time is spent on this than the actual content.”
    

    As my friend told me this, I could just see her stomach churning as she was regretting going into work for the prep session for yet another monstrous deck.

    I had lunch with a CHRO friend of mine last week when she told me the story of a vendor presenting a 70 plus PowerPoint slide deck. By the time they were finished, everyone was just plain exhausted and worn out.

    But did they get they content right? Well, yes and no.

    Lots of slides. Rethink your presentation

    PowerPoint has taken over corporate endeavors. You know it is a “major” meeting when someone has a deck of slides. When I see that my thought always is — what in the hell did we use before deck? We talked it through, I think.

    I remember reading once about a CEO who would wait until people came in with slides, and he would say, “Just walk me through it and forget the deck.” He didn’t like the time wasted on PowerPoint decks. He just wanted them to tell the story.

    I recall presenting a few weeks back and I used an age old technique. I started off by telling a story based on what we were discussing. By framing this story up front, I got instant audience connection to what we were talking about. My deck was a print out with only two (2) slides. We had a great discussion and I did not even pull that tiny deck out until near the end of the meeting.

    Mission accomplished.

    If you need a 70 slide PowerPoint deck to get your point across, maybe you need to rethink your presentation. Do you actually need all those pages? Not only that, but when you see this level of volume you can rest assured that the slides are busy with circle, semi-circles, multiples of everything, fade in/fade out, etc.

    Have you ever driven down a highway and noticed a billboard while you are driving at 60 plus mph? With one glance, you got it. The more info that you add, the less clear your message is.

    Is your deck the teleprompter

    I tend to think that these large PowerPoint decks are the cousin of the teleprompter and the brother of the notecards. It makes sure that you will not forget anything. If I put everything on a slide, it keeps me on track.

    I remember a politician a few years back got on stage and her notes got pulled out of order — and she was flustered. She kept asking for time to get her notes straight. She was frozen and she could not continue her speech.

    It  makes me wonder: What would happen if your deck was misplaced and you had to do it solo without the aid of the slides?

    However, if you concentrate on your story and what you are trying to tell, you will become a lot more confident, and that makes for a stronger connection with your audience.

    Simplicity has benefits

    The Harvard Business Review‘s Nancy Duarte judges PowerPoint presentations by applying the “glance test,” saying that it should take no more than three (3) seconds for viewers to intellectually process and comprehend a slide.

    If it takes any longer than that, the audience is going to be reading your slides and not hearing your message.

    Simplicity has its benefits. If they are going to read or glance, make it so that they can get to your point within three seconds.

    Take a quick look at the slide here and you get what simplicity means. This allows you to tell your story and make the story the business case and tell a compelling story.

    So next time you feel a deck beckoning you, let your story be the real story, which will be remembered a lot longer than a 70 plus slide deck.
  • The Battle For Top Talent: Will Your Workforce Policies Pass the Smell Test?

    Apr 25, 13

    
    

     “You mean to tell me that you tried to forbid someone to look for a job for two years until the program that they are in is completed? Are you guys nuts?”

    That was my reaction to an article concerning Morgan Stanley’sill-fated program to lock in junior level employees, at least until they had completed their two year analyst program. On top of that, this was a pledge that they had to sign.

    I picked up the phone and called a friend who worked there and we both kind of shook our head. He felt the same way as I did. He said the company wanted to keep these folks under lock and key so they could watch their investment.

    You’re hired — and you can’t look for a job

    Sometimes I wonder just where my HR folks are when these type of things are crafted. You do not need a PHR or SPHR to realize that this was not the way to go. You do not need an HR certification to realize that this would not work.
    

    The No. 1 problem is, how do you enforce this? Do you require everyone to turn their cell phones at the front gate?

    What type of message do you send to your new hires that they will then tell their friends? Who gets deputized to corral all the miscreants who were smart enough to figure out a way to ignore it? What is the punishment for them, and how severe is it? I can go on and on, but I think you get the point.

    “Telling employees that they can’t look for jobs while working for you is like telling them not to use the Internet,” says Wanda Cumberlander, assistant dean of applied management degrees at Georgetown University’s School of Continuing Studies. “These things are unrealistic.”

    On top of that, Morgan Stanley was the only one on the “Street” that had this hideous rule.

    Old rules need not apply

    There was a time (pre-social media) that you could have the most arcane and intrusive rules that you could think of — and you could get away with it.

    Those days are long gone. Everyone that walks into your employ, for the most part, is a free agent. They are always available to the highest bidder, and that currency is not always what you think it is ($$$).

    Unlike professional sports, where the shelf-life of a career is short, a person’s work career is a marathon. They start out at the ready, set to go but soon to find out that the destination will probably change. My wife majored in math and was destined to teach school until she got into that first job and found that detour was written all over her. She is now an executive with a major department store, and he job there has nothing to do with math.

    Someone told me over dinner the other night that the majority of people at their company have worked there since college. Most of them, according to her, were in their mid-40s and up. While I applaud their loyalty, this kind of workplace demographic is a double edged sword (but that’s another blog post).

    The workforce today is adventurous and inquisitive. It is not the same workforce as when I first got into HR. You might as well become as transparent as possible because tough questions will always percolate to the top and you do not want to have that “deer in the headlights” look.

    They are a lot smarter than you think

    Your workforce is smart. They read, they network with friends constantly, and they compare job. So realize that you are not the only employer in this rodeo.

    The days of people being thankful just because they work for you are over. They could just be counting down the time to escape. The very talented, and they can have a choice of roles within their industry.

    These new workers operate differently and think differently. In the age of social media, everything that goes on inside can get outside in a hot minute. How many times over the past few years have you seen copies of confidential emails to a workforce become not-so-confidential and downright embarrassing when they come to light?

    Can your policies pass the smell test?

    We have a worker today that has grown up with so much media and technology around them that they have, at their finger tips, a treasure trove of any information that they desire.

    Glassdoor has become the great equalizer and can give anyone an inside look into ANY company. This top of the mountain view can be had without setting foot in your door. So in actuality, the smart talented ones are interviewing you before you know it.

    Always assume that whatever you do in regard to your workforce is going to get out. Let that lens be the filter of any initiative that you are crafting. If it can’t pass the smell test – and by that I mean if your organization were put in the spotlight, could you or PR craft a believable response? — then don’t do it!

    Remember, sunlight and transparency are the best disinfectant ever!
  • Staying Relevant: Either We Continually Adapt, or We End Up Obsolete

    Apr 22, 13

    
    

     The headline in USA Today blared Columbia flunks relevancy test.

    
    

    Columbia University’s Journalism School just appointed a new dean. The uproar was astounding, to say the least.

    The new dean’s “alleged crime” is that he comes from a background of print [think newspapers and magazines] and he is taking over the training ground for the next generation of journalists whose skill set has changed.

    This new dean (his name is Steve Coll, an author and formerWashington Post managing editor), and while having impeccable credentials, he is not versed in social media and reportedly does not have a Twitter account.

     

    And while a Twitter or Facebook account should not be a requirement for a job, having them should be taken into consideration if you are going to be training students in an industry that has been decimated by social media. You should be well versed in the annals of digital media

    Industry changed but skills set did not

    In my prior life, I was Vice President of Human Resources for Martha Stewart Living. Our primary revenue generator was our magazine, which at one time as thick as a copy of the Yellow Pages. Now, the publication resembles the entire phone book of the small town I grew up in.
    

    The publishing industry has been terribly disrupted, perhaps more than any other industry. Every newspaper on this planet is having a tough time. Every day there are more layoffs as editors try an monetize their properties. And magazines also have gone on a tremendous diet, with some now as slim as a comic book.

    What all this means is that print media as we once knew it is over. Social media, combined with the Internet, has cleaned the clock of the publishing industry. This begs the question: How DO you train the next generation of leaders when the future is not clear?

    Current State vs. Future State

    I had an executive tell me a story last week about hiring a facilities executive with the same duties and responsibilities that they had for the last one who left abruptly. They pulled out the last job description took a quick look and agreed that “yes, this looks good, let’s run with it.”

    They found the right candidate, or at least that what they thought until they announced the building campaign which would take up the next 10 years. Suddenly, that brand new facilities person was under water. She said they knew then that they had the wrong person in the role. The skill set that they hired was no longer relevant for the future needs of the position.

    Skill sets of jobs today are changing at warp speed. How do you hire for the future? Today’s workers need to be able to work in almost any medium, be comfortable using different technologies, and stay abreast of current and future trends.

    Roles and responsibilities change fast

    As part of year-end evaluations, job descriptions should be thoroughly scrutinized to make sure that are in sync with not only the current state of the job, but the future state as well. Every time someone leaves, a thorough analysis of the job should take place to make sure that the skills needed for the role are current and up-to-date

    Today, keeping a job is a job in itself.

    This is especially the case with succession planning because I have always figured that every role within an organization should be looked at through the lens of succession.

    If this dean’s role at Columbia had gone through this process, perhaps they would have realized that the dean who had been in place for years and had the skill set for print media would not be the ideal candidate for the future. It appears that they hired from the same job description that the prior occupant had. As a matter of fact, both the new and old deans worked at the same companies

    If you think of your current role and think five years out, how much do you think it will change? Social media has changed the vast majority of our jobs and that change will continue uninterrupted like a runaway train while we hold on for dear life.

    Either we adapt and improve our skill set, or, we end up obsolete in an industry that has moved on without us.
  • Engaging Employees: Don’t Overlook That They’re Your Greatest Experts

    Apr 11, 13

    
    

    "We need to have a discussion on your work ethic.”

    This message was the response sent in reference to an email that was mailed at 9:20 pm on a recent evening. The recipient was still at her desk toiling away. The sender, her boss, was already home.

    When I saw this woman a few days later, I asked her to tell me about the work ethic conversation her manager mentioned. She said, in a matter of fact manner, “Oh, she does not want me working that late every night.”

    Nothing was mentioned about the department being short one person, or, that the one person they were short had left because of long hours.

    Getting close to the problem

    I asked her what would she do if she were in the position to bring in that one person to solve this conundrum. She methodically walked me through her department’s organizational design and made a pretty good business case on the fly. I was impressed, to say the least.
    

    Business and team success are determined by how well the inner workings of the organization are in sync.

    There is no mystery behind that. The closer you are to a situation, the better you are able to come up with an answer. Real answers are hard to come by in the conference room where people making the decision far removed.

    That conversation aligned with a recent article at Harvard Business Review article titled How SAP Labs India Became An Innovation Dynamo.

    A gentleman by the name of V.R. Ferose became the managing director of SAP Labs India at the ripe old age of 35. He was the youngest ever managing director. He managed a workforce that was 4,000 people strong.

    His primary task in his new role was to shore up employee morale, because the attrition rate had reached a painful 19 percent back in 2009. Leadership’s mandate to him was to reduce employee turnover to below 10 percent by 2012.

    New leadership model from a different mindset

    Rather than leaping into putting together “engagement programs,” Managing Director Ferose took time to get to the root cause of employee dissatisfaction. One of the things that kept popping up was that the company was unresponsive to employee needs. They were complaining about the lack of amenities such as child care facilities on campus and the stifling bureaucracy which, for instance, made expense reimbursement a time-consuming process.

    This new-age CEO felt it was not trying to find ways to make employees more engaged. He felt that workers already know what will make them happy and more engaged. No, Ferose felt that his role was to give employees the freedom to test and deploy their own solutions.

    He also directed the organization to ditch its top-heavy corporate culture, allowing bottom-up creativity and innovation to blossom. He wanted his workforce to experiment with bold new ideas during their work time. In addition, he wanted all managers to free up time for their staff members to work on solving the very problems they were complaining about.

    Ferose directed his employees, who were primarily engineers, to expose themselves to new environments that would expand their existing perspectives, unleash their innate ingenuity, and accelerate their learning.

    This management style caused many employees to self-organize to work on many innovative solutions to boost productivity. To handle the expense reimbursement problem, the employee teams developed, piloted and rolled out a system to expedite the entire expense reimbursement process. Turnaround time is now within 24 hours.

    How did they solve the day care issue? A group of frustrated working mothers developed a day care program. The vast majority of these initiatives utilized existing resources, thereby limiting budget exposure.

    A new approach and its outcome

    During Managing Director Ferose’s first 12 months as head of SAP Labs India, empowered employees successfully implemented a total of 52 new morale-boosting projects.

    This new way of empowering employees compressed the whole concept-to-market cycle into 90 days versus the two years it would typically take. Their organizational design was based on managing each project as if they were running a start-up.

    All of this “innovative thinking” built on employees solving their own problems has created tremendous results.

    Within two years of Ferose taking over, attrition at SAP Labs India dropped from 19 percent in 2009 to 10 percent in 2011, to 7 percent in 2012. His organization now ranks No. 1 in employee satisfaction within SAP’s global network of 15 R&D labs.

    In the annual ranking of best employers in India, SAP Labs India has risen to No. 4 in a very short time. All this success caused headquarters to take notice; now, more strategic projects are shifted Ferose’s way.

    What I like most about this story (outside of the employee empowerment) is that among global corporate leaders, Ferose is rare because he didn’t graduate from a prestigious university, nor does he have a MBA. That may have seemed like something that would hinder him in rising to the top at SAP.

    Call in the experts

    Ferose’s wise leadership allowed him to approach a problem from a totally different perspective that had nothing to do with education or learned knowledge. He was smart enough to bring in the experts. Those experts knew what the problem was, and, they damn well knew how to fix it.

    Yes, those experts within your organization are the ones that are so often overlooked.

    Always remember that the further you get away from the heat, the colder you become. If you want a situation resolved, get as close to the problem as you can. That’s where you’ll find the real experts, and they may already have a solution.
  • Doing the Right Thing Is Always the Right Thing

    Apr 04, 13

     Even though she didn't put in the $20, the crew at Keller Williams decided to kick in a bit of their winnings — they won’t say how much.

    
    

    “As a team, we put together a fat pile of money,” Finkelstein Reader said. “If we do the right thing and always care about other people, the right thing will happen to us.”

    Those were the remarks from a realtor at Keller Williams concerning their good fortune of winning 2nd place in the recent lottery – which just so happened to be a cool $1 million. By now we have all heard about the winner of the top prize, but 2nd place provided for me a more compelling story about human nature.

    “Creating workplaces everyone wants to be part of”

    A new hire had just joined the company as the team members were putting together a pool to purchase lottery tickets. She did not have the money to pay hr share since she had not gotten paid yet and just did not have any extra cash. She politely declined to join in the pool.
    

    When she returned to work the day after the drawing, she saw the celebration going on in the office and was told that yes, they came in second place [all five numbers but not the Powerball] and their prize was $1 million.

    As I read this my heart went out to her because the story has just said that she did not participate because of lack of funds.

    But this is where the organizational/team dynamic comes in: Her team members decided to include her in the winnings even though she did not participate. Yes, she would be getting a share that would be chipped in on by all.

    When I did a little research on Keller, I came across an announcement that said Keller/Williams was named to “One of America’s Top Workplaces by Workplace Dynamic, ranking No. 9.” But what really caught my eye was the quote by the CEO Mark Willis who said, “Our associates are creating workplaces that everyone wants to be part of and no one ever wants to leave.”

    Wow, talking about alignment. Take that employee engagement!

    When you do the right thing, word gets around

    This type of small gesture always gives me hope for mankind because, “Doing the right thing is always the right thing.”

    I have always been a big believer that when you do the right thing, word will get around. Whether it is recognition, acknowledgment, promotions or even layoffs. you always send a message.

    While this decision on the Powerball jackpot was not a corporate initiative, it does say a lot about a company that would foster this type of team environment. They will surely reap some rewards from that story.

    From the time that we get up in the morning until we close our eyes at night, we are always faced with making decisions. Some we do not give a second thought to, while on the other hand, others may require some additional thought.

    The ones that take the additional thought are the ones that we sometimes labor over. We may continually ask ourselves whether we are correct, and even if we think we are, we may still second guess ourselves.

    The compass that we all should follow to points to doing what is right. This will always allow for a good night’s sleep.

    Making the right thing happen

    How many times have you made a decision that you knew was not the right thing to do and it gnawed at you forever? You may have even wished you could come back to that intersection and do it over again. Unfortunately, that does not happen.

    It should, however, provide a framework for Decision Making 101 that should guide you in the future. When you come to that fork in the road that requires you to make that decision, do yourself and everyone around you a favor and “do what is right.” It doesn't matter whether it is a public decision like the Keller Williams team made, or a private moment where no one is watching.

    That is when your character in on full display. John Wooden, the great basketball coach from UCLA, put it beautifully — “The true test of a man’s character is what he does when no one is watching.”

    Or as one of the Keller Williams team members said: “If we do the right thing and always care about other people, the right thing will happen to us.”

    Think about this story and think about what you would have done.
  • You Can’t Solve Today’s Problems With Yesterday’s Solutions

    Mar 27, 13

    
    

     “Twenty-first century leaders might benefit from thinking of themselves as being in the center of a web rather than on top of a pyramid” — Dr. Ben Dattner.

    When I read that statement over at Smart Brief as their quote of the day, I was pleasantly surprised to see my good friend Dr. Dattner being quoted.

    He is a nationally known organizational psychologist that I have worked with numerous times over the years. His recent book, The Blame Game, is centered around two words that causes so much angst in an organization: the dynamics of credit and blame that is percolating 24/7.

    Today’s problems, yesterday’s solutions

    
    

    In another great book, Employees First, Customer Second by Vineet Nayer, he turns the pyramid upside down with employees at the top and customers at the bottom.

    Both these statements are powerful new ways of looking at both leadership and the people that make it happen.

    And both these statements get to the heart of it: We can’t solve today’s problems with yesterday’s solutions.

    If you think of how change has come to our lives, especially with the advent of social media, everything is different. The organization and its people, however, are struggling as to how to keep pace. If leaders use the model of being at the center of the web, or if your organization puts its people first, these are innovations that would be unheard of in years past.

    The old org chart is a thing of the past. The Scottish-American engineer Daniel McCallum is credited for creating the first organizational charts of American business around 1854. Based on that calculation, the org chart is approximately 158 years old. With project-based work, team approaches and virtual work, it almost makes the org chart obsolete.

    Helping someone to get what they want

    On the other hand, if you look at the concept of Employees First, Customers Second it notes that ”[EFCS] … turned the traditional management hierarchy upside down. The aim of EFCS was to create trust, to make managers as accountable to employees as employees were to their bosses, to transfer the responsibility for change and value creation to front-line employees working in the what they describe as the ‘value zone’ where HCL and its customers interact. Systems and processes were put in place designed to achieve these goals.”

    Starbucks is another company that works with this concept. Even part-time employees get health insurance. Costco’s CEO recently said he was an advocate of the raising of the minimum wage.

    Both these organizations pay above average wages and have other initiatives that mirror the employee first philosophy. If you think of any organization that makes employer of choice or best places to work lists, you can see leadership from the web. You can also see the inverted pyramid.

    In order to get what you want you have to help someone get what they want. That means that organizations must do whatever they can to help their collective group of employees get or achieve what they want.

    This model has a host of benefits — increased productivity, increased employee engagement, innovation and creativity. The derivative of this is the bottom line looks a lot stronger.

    We are all in this together

    Organizations of the future are going to need to adapt a new model of doing business. This is the era of “talent,” and that talent as a whole will not be mistreated in any way. They walk out every day and are not tied to anyone.

    Everyone within the organization has to buy into the concept of helping each other. It is not just leadership at the top; it is leadership from every corner of the organization. Team leader, project lead, VP or C-level — all must adhere to that new mindset.

    No organization will survive, talent-wise, unless adjustments are made. The brouhaha over the Yahoo decision to rein in work from home appeared on the surface to disrupt the new people-friendly policies. Best Buy followed a few weeks later when the new CEO squashed their highly acclaimed ROWE program that was heralded a few years back for the focus on results and not on where workers accomplish those results.

    There will always be adjustments made going forward; there is no one size fits all. You can’t duplicate another company’s culture no matter how hard you try. But, what you can do is pay close attention to your organizational culture, experiment, and make adjustments.

    Whether you are leading from the web or putting your employees first, remember this: today’s issues cannot be solved with an Industrial Age mindset.
  • 4 Steps to Career Success and Fulfilling That Longtime Dream

    Mar 23, 13

    
    

     When did you know?

    “When I caught that pass and realized that I was about to score a touchdown, that is when I knew. I have replayed this scenario numerous times since the time I was a kid playing in my front yard. Now I am in the Super Bowl and it is happening”

    A Hall of Fame pro football player was recounting his childhood dream and how it all came true.

    What were your childhood dreams?

    When we were all kids, we all had dreams of being “something.” We were very clear when someone asked us about it.
    

    As we progressed through school, those career goals sometimes changed. When we entered college, we were (in some ways) forced to choose a career.

    When my kids were in college, I heard many stories of people changing their major numerous times. Sometimes, those choices would severely limit their market potential. In a lot of cases, they were mandated to make that choice in order to graduate.

    What I found amazing with this football story is that this person kept that dream alive. I am also sure that he had days of doubt and wondered whether he would ever really make it.

    Fulfilling that dream

    Human Resources is a field that is now coming into its own. Colleges are offering not only a major in HR, but also in things like Organizational Development, HR Analytics, and other related fields. I find this a win-win for the profession, because so many of my colleagues got into HR by chance and did not have a college major in HR or credentials behind them.

    My transition was through training and development before the head of HR at the company I was working for coaxed me to move into HR proper. My big moment came when I was asked to speak to a local HR group on talent management. I did not feel qualified but jumped at the opportunity. I had only been in HR for about four years and there I was, giving a speech.

    When that speech ended, I had a line of people wanting to meet me, ask advice, give me business cards. As I walked out of the door and back to work, I knew then that I had hit my sweet spot. I LOVED this thing called HR.

    4 steps to career success

    There were four things that made me realize that this was my sweet spot

    1. Passion — I was passionate about HR and fascinated that I could eat/sleep/breathe it. I was reading white papers like novels, and, working on Saturdays and evenings as part of my self-development.
    2. Excellence — The speech that I gave was a tremendous success. My ideas went over extremely well. It all seemed so easy.
    3. Focused — Can you just lose yourself in it and be totally happy about it. Are you laser focused about it?
    4. Economics — We all have to survive and that survival number takes on different meaning at different point of our journey. You notice that I list this last because your destination should not have this as the main motivating factor … but we all know that it plays a role.

    When we are in that sweet spot, we toil away endlessly on projects we care about deeply. Regardless of the projects or initiatives, you do it because you love it. If you can put “passion, excellence, focus, economics” at the center of your efforts, you are more likely to make an impact in what matters most to all of us.

    Readjusting that career trajectory

    There are so many people today that are not energized at what they are doing. They tend to not like Sundays because they know what the next day is. They commute to work with a blank look on their face.

    Sure, they make a decent living at it, but it is not what they enjoy doing. Their dreams are someplace else. We all know these people, we talk to them, and sometimes, they are us.

    That is why we should always live our lives with our career dashboard in view. Consistently doing a career tune-up is a strategic imperative. You are in charge of that dream and you are the only one that will make it happen and make that dream come alive.

    “Is this what I want to be doing?”

    That wistful dream that you had so long ago is still within reach. Whether it was your childhood dream, mid-life career change desire, or just a passion that you have had for so long, it does not matter.

    Take some time and look off into the distance and ask yourself this question: “Is this what I want to do the rest of my life?”

    If your answer is in the negative, then the next question this is: “What am I doing each day to change that?”

    The rest is up to you
  • The Most Important Organizational Dynamic? It’s the Art of Managing Up

    Mar 26, 13

    
    

     “No, I just know how to kiss ass.” 

    My immediate reaction was simple: What?

    The answer was in response to a question I asked someone about how she was getting along with her manager.

    This person had a rough relationship with her manager initially. They seemed to always be butting heads on the smallest of issues. Most of time, she did not feel she could connect.

    The most important organizational dynamic

    
    We had discussed this dynamic from time to time over the years. It seemed that, finally, it was now taking hold.

    Yes, the most important dynamic in organizational hierarchy is the process of managing up.

    Her statement sounds a lot like the type person that we all have come in contact with — the one who is the proverbial “yes” man or woman.

    Her explanation cleared it up. 

    "I try and do what I can to make her job easier, and as a result of doing that well, I’m now seen as a valuable asset to the team. I now realize that I had to earn that; it wasn’t automatic just because I worked in the department. After watching the manager’s style and studying her way of working, I can now anticipate things and be proactive in department issues.” 

    By mastering the concept of “managing up,” she is now recognized as a valuable part of the organization. By righting that relationship, she has an advantage when greater job responsibilities come up.

    The concept of managing up

    When you learn this concept it will help in your career advancement and give you an edge over the competition when you are being considered for promotions or important projects.

    So the phrases like kissing up, sucking up, or brown nosing that we have all heard about should not be construed with managing up.

    Managing up is about getting to know one’s style and way of working. If there is conflict between the two of you in your working relationship, is it because you are both speaking different languages? Say your boss is a data person and makes decision based on numbers, and then your role is to present your idea and be prepared with analytics to back it up.

    If your manager is a people person, regular communication is important even if you are not. This is a relationship that needs to be masterered, because knowing your manager’s style — and adjusting your own to meet it — will help you manage up and be successful.

    What you should do?

    So your role is to pay attention to what is going on around you. Look at the relationships that work within the organization and try and figure out the secret sauce. Jump in when needed and always maintain a good attitude no matter what goes on around you. That means staying level headed.

    Your work should always be top notch as you also work to keep your manager informed. In addition, you need to build strong relationships among your peers as well as your manager’s peers.

    All this sounds good in theory, but managing your boss is a way to have a win-win-win situation where everyone — including the team, department and organization — wins. Failing to master this will result in misunderstandings about expectations and cause wasted time and effort on tasks not in line with organizational goals, and more importantly, your career goals.

    Yes, it’s about your career

    And to put it plainly, career progress rarely happens if you don’t manage your boss successfully.

    Whatever your role within the organization, everyone has a manager, and in a lot of cases, may have multiple ones. So the quicker you learn this process and put it to use, the better off you will be.

    Yes, it is that important.

    As a matter of fact, your career depends on, it so manage up with that in mind.
  • The Power of Frequent Feedback: It’s a Key to Driving Better Productivity

    Mar 10, 13

    
    

     “Listen, I want you to take the lead in LA on the next project. You are doing an amazing job and deserve it. You continue to impress me. Keep up the great work!”

    If you got this note from your boss, would you be pumped?

    Well, the recipient of that note was. She shared that with me and was very excited. A written note sharing some feedback — how powerful is that?

    What’s a cheap, fast, and easy way to stoke employee productivity and interest? Just tell them how they’re doing and provide some feedback. It took just a few seconds to send that note over, but the employee’s ROI was through the roof.

    What is this thing called leadership?

    
    This executive who took the time to send the note showed what true leadership is about.

    No classes needed. No books to read. No off-sites needed. If she treats her team this way, they will walk through walls for her.

    The recipient of the note was so proud of her work. When I remarked about the type manager that she had, she said, “Oh, she sends them to me all the time when I do a great job on a project.” When there is a concern, she also sends a note.

    If you go to Amazon Books and search on the word “leadership,” you will get approximately 100,000 results. They all boast giving you the skills needed to motivate you, your team, and your company.

    However, there are some basics that you have to know and that is dealing with and motivating people. If you have to read a book to get a sense of how to get that right, you may just have a little problem.

    It is about the people

    In the end, it is all about the people. We all want to be treated with respect, and for the most part, we want to succeed. How do you help your people do that? University of Michigan Professor andHR author Dave Ulrich said in an interview that HR’s role within the organization is to help the company succeed.

    Yes, a manager’s role is to help their team succeed. And that my friend is done one peep at a time.

    You need to help them to be successful. Coach them when they are struggling and mentor them when they need it. It is your job to get them on board and keep them on board.

    A coach’s role is to increase performance, whether that is on a field or in an office. If you are leading a team, your role is to bring out the best in your people. Great coaches look to increase performance any way they can, and some of the best coaches in our world have proven over time when they have.

    There probably is no one single attribute that all excellent coaches possess. Great coaches can be comprised of many stripes, but they all connect with their charges, they all know how to make changes with them, and they all know how to get results.

    Bottom line: they get the work done through their people. More importantly, they care about the people across from them. That is why feedback is so important.

    Feedback is an essential element

    Feedback is an essential element for everyone in an organization’s workforce. Giving feedback is a task you perform again and again as a manager. It’s about letting people know where they are and where to go next in terms of expectations and goals — yours, theirs, and the organization’s.

    This CAN’T wait until some performance review. It has to be done on a consistent basis. Would the coach wait until mid-season or season’s end to have a one-on-one with a player? I think not.

    Your objective in giving feedback is to provide guidance by giving information in a timely manner, either to support effective behavior or to guide someone back on track toward successful performance.

    There are two approaches that I love in this situation.

    Feedback should be given as soon after an event as possible. Otherwise, the input isn’t memorable and may not come across as sincere.

    If someone was very helpful, creative, or insightful at a meeting, say so before you leave the room. Tomorrow or the next day or week may not matter. Whether it is in an email, handwritten note, or one-on-one, it does not matter. The important thing to remember is give it up as soon as possible.

    You gotta make it frequent

    Always look for feedback moments. Don’t wait until performance review time to bring it up. Don’t wait for annual or quarterly appraisals.

    On a regular basis, start thinking about the key people you work with. Be more observant, and when you notice, let them know. Become known as the type of manager who develops people, because that is always the sign of a great manager.

    And I’ll say it again: the type of communication does not matter, as long as it comes frequently and is sincere.

    Without feedback, we are all left wondering. We want to know how we are doing, otherwise, we feel invisible and insignificant. We may feel that our hard work is being taken for granted. We may also feel that we are doing OK when we are not.

    Feedback builds and reinforces the connection between you and your direct reports. Without it, you might as well wait for performance review time, tell them once a year, and see where that gets you.

    That is, if they are still around to hear it.
  • Turnover is Turnover: What Churning Employees Says About Your Culture

    Mar 26, 13

    
    

    “You are not going to believe this, but our admin just quit. She just handed in her two weeks’ notice.”

    This is the third admin to come in within the past year and within a month all showed signs that their exit is imminent. Working till 10/11 pm three to four nights a week will cause anyone to rethink a job, especially if you are the new person on the block.”

    As our discussion continued, I asked what the manager/HR is going to do about this. Her remarkable reply was, “Oh, they just reposted the job.” I almost dropped the phone reacting to that statement.

    How could you allow the job to be re-posted after having three people walk out the door?

    When this turnover issue first surfaced, I was told that the first person in the job had been there for just a few weeks, went to lunch one day and did not return or call back. The phrase for that is quitting over lunch.

    
    The dysfunction and the after shock

    When there is dysfunction in an organization, these type things happen all the time. But the question is what type of job causes organizations to churn dollars over and over again? What I found out was that this role requires lots of late nights and flying out on Fridays to work through weekends in various cities.

    The ones that need the job will stay till they get something else. The ones that are probably financially stronger will look for the exit sign right away.

    The last young lady that survived (and has been there over year now) made it through the gauntlet. She could not quit — student loans, rent, and other bills served as a weighted ball that would not allow her exit. However, she was rewarded with a promotion and a substantial raise. She said that there were many nights of coming home in tears, sleep for a few hours, and then back to the grind.

    Even now, with a new title and lots more money, she said that she will eventually leave. Working 50-60 hours is commonplace, and she said that she cannot live the rest of her life like this

    Leading from behind the desk

    What I always find amazing is when leaders of companies discuss their workplace culture; you almost can hear the violins playing in the background. However, if you were to stand outside the door at the end of the day or night and get an unvarnished opinion, there just may be a huge disconnect.

    This is what I call “leading from behind the desk” — saying great things in an email, blog or company monthly newsletter and thinking that just doing that is going to drive the culture. This was borne out in a recent study by Deloitte titled Core Beliefs and Culture. It says, at one point:

    There is a disconnect between organizations simply talking about their culture and those that are embedding their beliefs into their operations.”

    Leadership disconnect!

    Leaders often time have an inflated sense of their workplace culture when compared to what their workforce thinks. According to the Deloitte report, when considering what factors impact workplace culture, executives rank tangible elements such as financial performance (65 percent) and competitive compensation (62 percent) among the highest, whereas those factors were among the lowest for employees.

    In contrast, employees rank intangible elements such as regular and candid communications (50 percent), employee recognition (49 percent), and access to management/leadership (47 percent) the highest.

    So executives perceive employee satisfaction and their company culture as being stronger than it really is. Recognizing employees for their achievements, honestly communicating with them, and ensuring that you are connecting with them in person are all critical aspects of embedding values into a culture and expressing forward-thinking leadership.

    These disconnects show that what connects with employees has no significant cost, dollar wise. Yes, honest communications, employee recognition and access to the organization’s leadership don’t cost a lot.

    Turnover, and why it should matter

    These turnover numbers should push an extensive look into an organization’s turnover rate to figure out why. Even though this admin role is probably at the low end of the totem pole, it shows that there is a serious fissure in this corporate culture. It should cause concern not only for the managers of that department, but an organizational concern that calls for an all hands on deck look into this situation.

    Imagine what would happen if, instead of this situation being about an administrative assistant, that it was three VP’s who resigned within a year. If that happened, it would surely cause a serious look into the situation. The fact that it is an administrative position should not matter at it shouldn’t be looked at any differently.

    Maybe, by finding the root cause of that level of turnover, it could give you some insight into how to fix the problem and avoid behavior that could drive other employees to the exits.

    Titles don’t matter. Turnover is turnover.
  • Doing the “Pope Thing”: Lessons From the Day I Walked in and Quit My Job

    Feb 21, 13

    
    

     When I got in my car the other morning, the news flash that came through was that Pope Benedict XVI had resigned.

    This was big news since apparently a pontiff has not resigned in the past 600 years. That is quite a record since the last resignation was by Gregory XII in 1415.

    As I drove along my HR mindset kicked in. Although it was reported that the Pope resigned for health related reasons, I was fixated on the act of resigning. We have all at some times is our career had jobs that we could not wait to resign from.

    When I walked in and did the “Pope thing”

    I remembered one job that I had, and I realized over a weekend that I just could not do it anymore. With no job in sight, I walked in on a Monday morning and said that was it. I did the Pope thing before there was a “Pope thing.”
    

    However, the thought of that resignation hovered like a dark cloud over me for close to a year before I finally did it. Trying to decide what to do, and trying to find a job, was all consuming.

    In hindsight it was the best career move ever. Sure, it was scary but I had a plan and with adjustments, it did work out although not quite the way I expected. Still, it was a successful career move overall.

    Back in those days before I resigned, there were days that the sun shone through the clouds and I would rethink what I wanted to do. But just like a summer rain storm, that would fade away and it was back to reality.

    Not an easy decision to make

    I am sure there were thoughts in the heads of a lot of people I knew when I resigned, and a lot of them may have wished that they could do the same. Walk in, hand over the letter, and the load would be lifted like a huge weight from their shoulders.

    But having been there, it is not easy to arrive at that decision. The reason is that it builds up over a period of time. Sometimes, we rationalize over and over about the pros and cons. Other days we see clarity, and still other days, the clouds reappear.

    When I was in corporate HR, one of the defining questions that I would ask that would open the flood gates was this: “Tell me about the day that you made the decision that you were going to leave. Walk me through that, if you will.”

    What I was looking for was the trigger that caused them to make their decision — because everyone makes the final decision at some specific point in the process.

    For me, it came when I was sitting in my backyard having just finished reading The New York Times. I remember it as if it was yesterday.

    When one becomes mentally unemployed

    I had become mentally unemployed, simply going to work and going through the motions until the end of the day. What I found, was that I was not the only one.

    Workforces today are made up of lots of employees that are mentally unemployed. They have already resigned and mentally checked out while they try to figure out how to get out. They’re just waiting for that phone call or email that would serve as the lever to pry them away from their job.

    They just can’t walk away for numerous reasons either sound or unsound. Being in that orbit is not a pleasant spot. The sleepless nights, the loss of energy, the constant fog — they can all play a role in a person’s well-being.

    Yes, lots of employees continue to go to work every day, but it becomes harder to give 100 percent attention and commitment. Their heart is telling them to resign and devote time to looking for a new position where there may be some job satisfaction, but that voice also says that leaving a steady job in today’s economy is dangerous, and, that interviewers may reject me for a new position because I’m unemployed.

    You need a game plan to do it

    Before resigning, consider how you’ll react to being unemployed. It may feel like a relief to be out of a non-productive situation, but you’ll also lose your sense of purpose and structure — unless you can handle waking up in the morning with a “What am I going to do today?” feeling. Strategically, you have to have some type of game plan if you do decide to make your move.

    Unemployment can be mentally trying, and you may feel that getting a little frayed around the edges is a small price to pay for the chance to escape your current job. But, feeling good about yourself and your decision is key.

    So if you are in the Pope’s mindset, I know what you are dealing with. I wish I could tell you that it will get easier, but it won’t.

    There is no easy way to do it like the Pope did unless you have something waiting. If you don’t, you are like so many others trying to figure it out how to make a smooth transition.

    Good luck.
  • The Remote Work Advantage, or Why a Big Storm Wasn’t a Big Problem

    Feb 19, 13

    
    

    Sometimes when we hear weather reports we tend to turn a blind eye or ear depending upon your medium.

    This past weekend in the New York City area, we were warned of a big snow storm that was bearing down on the region. By all estimates, it was a giant one.

    I thought of this when I read a press release earlier in the week titled Telecommuting Could Save Employees and Employers Time, Money, Grief. This release by outplacement consultants, Challenger Gray & Christmas discussed the big question about whether the nation’s employers should consider making a serious commitment to expanding the use of telecommuting strategies.

    Working during the storm

    
    I worked from home that day last week, but I was also joined by my daughter who also worked from home that day. She chatted with me on her breaks from conference calls, and I did the same from my end. I told her that during my first jobs out of college this would have NEVER happened. She could not understand why; she said she felt more productive working from home.

    I have always suspected that this reluctance to allow people to work from home was the result of industrial age thinking and leadership in a Digital Age environment. Today’s work environment is light years away from the workplace of even 10 years ago.

    Having once worked for IBM, I did a two-year work from home project. This was basically unheard of during that time. When I told people of my work, they could never get over the fact that I did not have to “go in” to the office every day.

    It’s not for everyone

    What I found was that over time, I did not enjoy working from home. My reason was twofold.

    One, there was no separation of work and home. Although I had a dedicated office, I found myself working on Saturdays, Sundays or whenever I wanted to. I could not turn it off. This was something found in the study that Challenger referenced.

    Companies that have embraced telecommuting have found that their remote workers are just as, if not more, productive than traditional office workers. Analyses of Best Buy, British Telecom, Dow Chemical and many other employers have found that teleworkers are 35 percent to 45 percent more productive. American Express found that its teleworkers produced 43 percent more than their office-based counterparts.”

    The other reason I didn't like working at home was the lack of face-to-face contact with people. I needed it, because the interaction of colleagues was what I missed most.

    From time to time however, I enjoy the option of working from home — just not everyday.

    Productivity: office vs. home

    Were my office-bound mates more productive than me?

    Just because you see someone in the office does not mean that are productive. This is one of management’s major concerns about people working from home.

    How can I be sure that they are actually working? But, if being in the office was the key to productivity, everyone would be a superstar. Geography does not denote high performance.

    People that are good, productive workers will exhibit that trait no matter where they work. It all comes down to the big “T” — trust. Don’t let your yardstick be based on the imaginary worker in your mind, or for that matter, on the one that you found who was not pulling their weight.

    If certain people slack off and take advantage of the situation, believe me, you’ll know it. But don’t punish the others who work hard and responsibly, even if it’s from the comfort of their own couch.

    Real estate cost savings

    Add to this the reduced cost of real estate. According to a 2008 Workforce Management article, a Sun Microsystems spokesperson said the company had realized “huge cost savings” as a result of 18,000 workers participating in its telecommuting initiatives. According to the article, the San Francisco-based technology company saved $67.8 million in real estate costs in fiscal 2006 alone.

    This is the conundrum in talking to senior leadership about this growing phenomenon. If they have the mindset that everyone would just be goofing off working from home, they are sadly mistaken. The new breed of worker is expecting this type of opportunity if their job duties allow it.

    The 21st century  worker will expect certain things from an employer. The pendulum has swung in their favor and it is not going back. On top of that, employers have to compete with other enlightened organizations that may offer this opportunity to their workforce.

    Not doing so “is simply a lack of vision, a shortage of trust and an irrational adherence to antiquated notions of how and where work should be done,” said John A. Challenger, chief executive officer of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

    So the next time a major storm is coming your way, use it as an opportunity to give your employees the opportunity to work from home. Let them know this ahead of time so they can prepare for it. Come out of the dark ages and you will be pleasantly surprised.

    Oh and by the way, I finished my day at 6 and my daughter was done around 7. We both did not skip a beat.
  • Are You More Than Just Your Lofty Job Title?

    Feb 06, 13

    
    

    Being powerful is like being a lady; if you have to tell people you are, you aren’t. – Margaret Thatcher

    I read an article a few years back about a minister in a wealthy suburb that had been hit severely by layoffs because of the financial hiccups that the country was going through at that time.

    He noticed that the demeanor of many once high-flying executives, who had all the swagger that they wore when the world was theirs, had changed and now they were just a shell of themselves. The vision of having that super title vanish took all their perceived power away. They were truly not themselves.

    I am Mr. SVP, that is WHO I am

    What was his prognosis? These executives had lost the aurora of no longer being the Senior Vice President, Executive Vice President, or some other fancy title. The minister said it seemed that all their being was tied tightly around that title.
    

    With the big shot tag long gone, their whole self being was gone. They could no longer introduce themselves in their normal way. “Hi, I am Mr. Smith, SVP of Marketing, and what do you do?”

    I like dinner parties, but what I do not like is that everyone credentials themselves with some title. You can almost see it in slow motion from afar: the chest sticks out, the smugness rears its head, and viola, I am the SVP or EVP of this or that. It’s like  – POW, take that. The relief of letting everyone know that, yes, I am a big shot.

    Titles do not transfer

    Titles that appear on org charts have come a long way from foreman, supervisor and manager. They have now gone warp speed. The problem is that people tend to take ownership of them, when in reality, you are just borrowing it until you either leave, get promoted, or are let go.

    The title remains; you are just the current rental. That means you rent it for a period of time. Do not take ownership in a way that the role becomes you. There is no transfer of power when you walk out the door.

    So, why should you feel a lost of pride if you were to lose it? It was, in reality, never yours anyway. It just went with the job the same as your desk, office, or workspace.

    Losing a title is not the end of the world unless you let it be. Sure, your ego may be a little bruised. What a bummer! You just lost your job title! This is the end of the world, right? No, it’s not unless you let it be.

    Who are you anyway?

    I had a good friend who made VP and he wore it like it was a badge of honor. Any conversation would eventually get around to the fact that he was a VP. He wanted everyone to respect the title because he was the big shot.

    Well, that was how it was until he lost the title after getting laid off. He never recovered. Every conversation related back to that job and title.

    He was never able to land another job because he would never consider a role below the VP level. He had it one time and he never wanted to even think about getting a job with another title. He would not even consider it. He thought he owned the title.

    My question is — who are you?

    You need to look inside yourself to see who you really are. If you can see yourself without focusing on the title you had, you will have an easier time realizing your true identity. That’s because your true identity is NOT a title. If you have strong sense of self, the disappearance of your title should not mean anything.

    Think about how your title made you think and act. Did you think you were better than everyone else? Were you snobby or inconsiderate? If losing the title made you a better person, it was worth it.

    You have the option to move on. When you have no control over what happens to you, you must put the matter behind you and go forward. Until you land again, you must learn to deal with the loss.

    So, if you look at your door, business card or stationary and you have arrived with the big title, always remember you are just renting it. Some day you will have to give it back or transfer it to someone else.

    You should prepare for this ahead of time and don’t let your self worth get tied up in a few words.

    You are bigger than that. Or at least you should be.
  • When Rudeness Dominates Your Work Culture, Everyone Pays the Price

    Feb 19, 13

    
    

     You’re rude because your boss is rude.

    WOW! That was an article in my feed from the Harvard Business Review this week. I could not wait to click over and absorb that one.

    What happens when you have bad behavior and you do nothing about it from an organizational perspective?

    When you do not address it in the flick of a switch, this could become your culture. Yes, I’m talking about a culture of screamers. How long do you think you can keep that a secret?

    When rudeness dominates, everyone pays a price

    
    I always thought that The Devil Wears Prada is a great movie. I would suggest that movie to all entry level job seekers because it tells such a great story about organizational behavior and having the boss from hell. It also tells a story of how to deal with these challenges. Then again, no matter where you are on your career journey, it is still a good movie.

    The character in the movie that I could never quite figure out was Emily. Here is someone who is an administrative assistant, and you would have thought she was one of the major players in the company. She was rude because she saw her boss use that behavior and she was able to exemplify it. Like a cascading water fall, you are rude because your boss is rude.

    However, the downside to having the boss from hell on the premises is that it not only affects that direct report, it affects everyone who walks past and happens to hear it. It affects the person who sits in the vicinity of that sound chamber. It affects the friends of the people who hear that story.

    But the most detrimental effect that it has on your organization is that it affects the bottom line. When you have an organization of screamers, you are churning money because you probably also have a high turnover number, and your so-called innovation initiatives are likely stalled because people are just not into it when the culture is challenged. Your workforce is probably spending a great chunk of their time just trying to get out.

    The HBR article mentioned companies creating a 10/5 rule. I wondered, what is that?

    Civility should be at the top of the list

    The “10/5 way” says that if you’re within 10 feet of someone, you must make eye contact. Within five feet, you say hello. As my daughter would say, “really?”

    That was a new one for me, mandating niceties. However, I should report that the company has already reported greater patient satisfaction and an increase in patient referrals

    Another solution was that the executive was going to take some behavioral training classes because he had gone through six (6) administrative assistants.

    To be successful, an organization has to make it a priority to manage its interpersonal relationships so there are positive and respectful interactions among employees and managers. This is not brain surgery, folks.

    If the boss is abrasive, then everyone else has an excuse for being abrasive. If the boss is polite and encouraging, everyone else will likely follow in the boss’ footsteps.

    Leadership should take the lead in this. Everyone should respect each other in the workplace. Title, status and hierarchy should not matter.

    From the boardroom to the mail room, everyone should get equal amounts of respect. Having the leaders of the company make a commitment to civility goes a long way toward sending the message that it will not be tolerated..

    Zero-tolerance is the Golden Rule

    You must have zero-tolerance expectations for abrasive behaviors in the workplace. Make sure you take action, otherwise, you are condoning it.

    Teach employees how to self-monitor their own behavior. Employees need to know what their triggers are and how to control their impulses and responses.

    As part of the development curriculum, stress management should be offered (I prefer not to use the term anger management because of the strong emotions it has attached to it).

    Encourage employees to consider the impact of their words and actions on others before they act. Think before you respond to that email; do not react the same way that you are being reacted to. It never works and it could head downhill from there and escalate the situation.

    You may think the issue of civility in the workplace is too big to tackle, however like anything else, change comes one person at a time. If today each of us shows respect and good manners to our colleagues, that can make a difference.

    So if you are that rude boss, take some time to think about the message you are sending about yourself and the enormous amount of stress you are responsible for in the workplace.
  • Are You Committed Enough to Invest in Yourself?

    Jan 25, 13

    
    

    “I don’t read this crap. When someone gives me an article to read, I just say yes I will. I don’t read anything anymore. When I leave work, the last thing on my mind is HR.”

    This was from one of my HR peeps.

    My thought was, “boy they have checked out.” Not only that, but they have checked out and don’t even know it.

    Do you “invest in the night?”

    My favorite TV channel is CNBC. When I get home at night, that’s what is on my office TV. But the other night I noticed something new on CNBC — their new marketing push with the tag line, “Invest in the night.”
    

    I love that phrase because it says a lot about what we all do for a living no matter what your career is about. Are you investing in it, or, has it become a dormant asset?

    My commute routine at the end of the day is the same as it has been for as long as I remember. I cull 10-15 articles from across the Internet that I want to read and digest on the way home, and it is always all HR/organizational development for me.

    Yes, you must invest in yourself, so I “invest in the night.” That’s because once you embark on your chosen profession you must create a process of investing in yourself. That is the ultimate ROI.

    Getting a fix on your career ROI

    One of the advantages of the Internet is that it has enabled us to move past weekly or monthly magazine articles. We now can read any number of different articles, blog posts, or other information about our profession daily across the globe. Thought leaders are more accessible on the various social media platforms, and some of the most thought-provoking bloggers are putting out first-rate stuff. There are web sites dedicated to any and every profession imaginable.

    Are you interested in what you do? That is, are we interested? If your career was an investment portfolio, what would be your rate of return?

    To get an adequate return, you have to invest in the right assets. That means you have to be cognizant of the issues facing your profession, your organization, and your industry. Your head has to be out of the sand.

    To add value to your role and your career, you must invest in it. In professional sports, the really committed players watch game film all day whether at work or at home. They study — and then study some more.

    Are you really committed?

    A 9-to-5 career, if that is your model, is a recipe for career failure. Because of the constant change that is swirling around all of us and our organizations, it does not matter where you are. We are all in the middle of the storm. And by the way, when I mention the negatives of being a 9-to-5 person, I am not talking about having to be a workaholic instead. I am talking about being committed to what YOU chose as a profession.

    Our only solution is to prepare and then prepare some more. Read and then read some more. Analyze and then analyze some more. Even people that have reached the pinnacle of their careers must still continually invest in themselves to stay relevant.

    Yes, they really do invest and we all should be investing in our most important asset — and that is, ourselves and our career. It’s not just something you do if you work in HR; whatever your career choice is, you must invest in it.

    Remember that commercial from a few years back that said, “be the best you can be?” That’s what I’m talking about.

    Time to re-invest in yourself

    Take a moment and look at yourself in the mirror. Are you striving to be the best you can be? How valuable are you to those around you? Do you stand out as an asset, or do you simply slip through the day with an eye on the clock?

    If that is you, you will do yourself a great favor if you get out while you can. If you do not have the burning desire to invest in yourself, it may be time to load your belongings up and ease on down the road.

    Hopefully, that future state will reignite whatever you need to power up your ambition and have you ready to “invest in the night” once again.

    Use every opportunity to get a little better. Use every moment to get excited. If you don’t, somewhere along the line you will regret it.
  • What Message Do Your Organization’s Workforce Policies Send?

    Jan 17, 13

    
    

    “I am glad I do not feel pressured and I have a job to come back to.”

    Right on ABC! That was my response when I read that.

    Robin Roberts, broadcaster on ABC’s Good Morning America,made that statement the other day in talking about her cancer and her career.

    This reminded of a friend of mine who took a leave of absence to deal with her elderly parents. When it was nearing the time for her to return, she tried logging in to her company’s computer system, but for some reason, it was not allowing her to get in.

    The message: “We take care of our own”

    When she called a friend at work, the friend told her that she should speak to her boss. That was when she found out that she had been let go. Just like that she was out with the usual drivel about downsizing, workplace adjustments, etc.
    

    These are two different scenarios and they both sent a message. When my friend told me her story about her job loss, it was in front of lots of people and they all basically said they would never shop at that company again.

    On the other hand, the value proposition of ABC went through the roof on the day that Ms. Roberts made her declaration. “We take care of our own” could easily become their employee mission statement. All the viewers, vendors, affiliates and every other entity that touches ABC will now view them in a different light.

    I am always a sucker for this type of corporate dynamic because it makes an organization come alive and shows they care. It shows that an organization is “human.”

    Now, I know some of you may say that because Robin Roberts was a senior and very public employee that she was a special case. However, my view is that ABC opened the gate and now it is out there for the world to see how they treat their “employees.”

    Layoffs in the wake of Hurricane Sandy

    Once the bar is set this high, it improves the lives of everyone.

    So many times, organizations will do things that ding their reputations. There was a company that had planned layoffs but then Hurricane Sandy came through the region. This company was closed for two weeks.

    The problem for them was that they had planned a big layoff. Their solution: call everyone on the phone and tell them that they were fired and papers would be sent and that there was no need for them to come back into the office — just mail in the paperwork.

    But linger for a moment on that scenario and the message it sent to the remaining staff, or important outsiders such as customers, that management would handle that situation the way they did, and right before the Christmas holidays.

    Every day every organization sends messages to their customers, to their employees, and to everyone else that is listening. That is why every decision should factor in the larger meaning of any message that is being sent. Sure, PR can spin the situation, but the message can be more authentic if no spin is needed.

    Anyone, anywhere can talk about your organization

    Over at ABC, the treatment of Ms. Roberts did not need any PR spin because that was the way they felt, unfiltered. The other situation would definitely need spin, but I have no idea as to how that could have been spun in any positive way.

    In the wired world we live in today, with so many levels of connection through the use of the Internet, it’s important that organizations always understand and be aware of the beacon of light that emanates from the corridors of every company.

    Organizations should be aware that along with all the advantages that come with an online corporate presence come risks as well due to the openness of being online and an almost instant global reach. Because of that, scenarios like the ones I mentioned above took on a life on their own online.

    With the way the Internet works, anyone, anywhere can talk about you, about what you do, and about the services you provide. The interactions people have with any organization, whether it is a business or community group or (more importantly) your valued employees, are some of the most critical and talked about issues you’ll have in the online community.

    How will your message be perceived?

    All organizations operate by making decisions both big and small. At the manager level, plans are made and teams are led based on decisions. The effectiveness and quality of those decisions always send a message.

    That is why, as hard as the decision making process is, that you must remember that a valuable component that has to be added in today’s climate is the message and how it will be perceived in the larger world.

    Any people-related decision should not be made without taking that component into consideration, and that includes layoffs, downsizing or any other action you and your organization take.

    Yes, it is just that important.
  • HR's Big Challenge for 2013: How Do We Help Our Organizations Succeed?

    Feb 19, 13

    
    

    What did you learn today?

    
    

    “Morning Joe,” which is a show that I watch on MSNBC, always asks the most profound questions at the end of every show. Each guest talks about their learning moment for the show.

    During the hiatus from work last week, I heard the question asked and thought about it in the context of what I do as a consultant, blogger, and social media enthusiast.

    
    

    Given that it was the end of one year and the beginning of a new one, I looked back and thought about 2012 and what I learned.

    
    

    What did you learn?

    
    

    
    HR has been headed into an unrelenting storm. Transforming HR has been the focus for the past few years. It makes you wonder: where are we headed and when will we get there? Then again, maybe you are already there. I do know that there is no one size that fits all. Best practices, while good to be aware of, are not the silver bullet.

    
    

    HR is in an enviable position at this point. Our work is being discussed in the board room; our work is being discussed by the CEO (CEO Insomnia Index).

    
    

    As David Ulrich said in his book, HR Transformation: Building Human Resources From the Outside In,“Simply stated, we propose that the biggest challenge for HR professionals today is to help their respective organizations succeed.”

    
    

    That, to me, is our overriding mission and that is my learning point for 2012. How do we help our organization succeed? That is the big question in all of our lives — or it should be.

    We have better buckle up because the runway is clear. There are no planes ahead of us. We are positioned to take off. We have to become students of our own profession.

    
    

    The organizational environment has become far more complex than ever before, both the internal complexity as well as external forces of Hurricane Sandy magnitude. This complexity has been driven by huge technological changes, layoffs, industry disruptions, economic turmoil, and more. In every walk of our professional lives, change is at the forefront.

    
    

    These changes have in turn been an equal opportunity affecter. Whether in your industry, your organization or individually, change has permeated our environment. The world in which we all operate has become extremely complicated.

    
    

    Do you understand the position you are in?

    
    

    What are the main issues facing your organization? That should be at the top of your 2013 to-do list. HR must know what it takes to get your organization back on track, or to stay on track for that matter.

    How can HR make sure that alignment between the organization, its employees, and other stakeholder groups stays aligned? As Dave Ulrich said, “How can we help your organizations succeed?”

    Today, organizations are more complex than they were 10 or 20 years ago. The factors that I see that are:

    
    

    • The economic environment (which includes the organization’s financial situation as well as the competitive and general economic environment).

    • The technological environment has disrupted our entire society. How do we play in the new environment?

    • The social/cultural environment.

    • The sustainability environment (what is your organizations strategy and how does that align with your people?).

    • The regulatory and legislative environment. New taxes, new health care laws will be felt for years to come.

    This is the whirlwind that has engulfed your environment. The unrelenting pressure shows no sign of letting up. But then this is not be a pity party for HR because Marketing and IT and other departments are all both trying to navigate this within their organizations.

    
    

    So as we analyze what we have learned and use those as anchor points to move forward, we must remember what I think are the four most important words in our lexicon: Read, discuss, analyze, and formulate.

    
    

    Happy New Year and welcome to the new normal

  • The Office Christmas Party: One Last Chance to Get Engagement Right

    Feb 19, 13

    
    

    “Yeah, our Christmas party is on Friday night in the conference rooms. In the conference rooms! They will bring food and drinks in. Nobody wants to attend so everyone is planning on going to the area, spend maybe a half-hour, and then get out.”

    One of my commute companions told me that story the other day about his company’s “Christmas party.”

    It reminded me of someone telling me last year that their company made the Christmas party MANDATORY. I said to him then that if you have to make it mandatory, a loud siren should go off in someone’s head. That should show one and all that there is a bigger problem besides some celebration.

    Signals that management don’t seem to see

    
    In this particular case (the MANDATORY party), the attendance was so low that they basically gave a party and no one showed up. Imagine for a second that you would invite people over to your home for a cookout and basically no one showed up. Would you not know that there just may be an issue with you or some other dynamic around you? That same scenario works for organizations as well.

    When I read (or shall I say when I used to read) employee engagement studies, I would often wonder about the various workforce signals that beam back to management all the time, and these signals seem to just fly over their air space.

    I contrast that with my daughter, who went to her company’s Christmas party this week. My daughter and all her friends went shopping for outfits for the party, and some even left work early to go home and get dressed so they could come back and celebrate. Basically, everyone showed up and no one left until the establishment advised them that it was time to close.

    During my days at Martha Stewart Living, the Christmas party was off the charts. People would take the day off to rest up for the party that night. Some would rent hotel rooms to hang out without worrying about how to get home after they had had a few too many “adult beverages.”

    Based on those scenarios, which one do you think has the most engaged workforce? There’s no need for surveys or focus groups. If you can’t pull them together for a year-end celebration, you have hit or are nearing rock bottom.

    How holiday parties improve engagement

    
    

    123RF Stock Photo

    
    There are lots of companies that use the recession as an excuse for getting out of the event. This short-sightedness will cost you more than any amount that you thought you would have saved. That cost will be measured in engagement dollars. Matter of fact this celebration continue in spite of the recession.

    Christmas parties are important in helping to improve employee engagement. It is vital to recognize the hard work of your employees for the year. Think of this as a big end of yearTHANK YOU. Employee engagement has never been as important as it is now, but it must go hand-in-hand with actions that show that you mean it.

    There are so many examples showing that the poor quality of management and leadership in companies is at the heart of this engagement dilemma. The benefits to organizations of employee engagement cannot be understated. A truly engaged organization can expect to experience high levels of staff loyalty, retention, productivity, innovation and profitability — as well as low levels of absenteeism.

    Given the current economic climate, these signs cannot be ignored as they are stepping stones towards the future and long-term success of the organization.

    Smart companies have found that the value in entertaining staff far outweighs the cost in terms of loyalty, networking, motivation, team spirit. And, they enjoy a halo effect of higher productivity after such a Christmas celebration.

    Sharing in the successes of the year

    This party atmosphere can also be further enhanced by giving out recognition awards during the night of thank yous. These awards could encourage increased future performance.

    A company party at the holidays is an opportunity to all get together and share in what has been successful that year so you can engage people long-term. This should be a moment for the organization to shine. This moment should exemplify team spirit that encapsulates everyone’s efforts to get to a common goal.

    So organizations, you get one last opportunity this year to drive engagement right.

    I know; it is probably late for this year, but you now have 12 months to work on getting it right for next year.

    Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. 
  • The Key to Great HR? It’s All About Great Customer Service

    Dec 19, 12

    
    

    “OMG. I was dreading coming down here. When I knew I had to come to HR this morning, I was not looking forward to it. I will definitely have to tell all my friends about this experience.”

    
    

    Sometimes we get stories second hand, but this time, I was in the room. This was a new employee who stopped by to fill out a few forms as I just happened to be a visitor.

    He probably dreaded going to what he thought was possibly surly service, no personality, and lots of rudeness as an appetizer. This was his reference point to HR. Sadly, this is a lot of folk’s reference point to HR. Reference points are always based on fact.

    In the end, it is all about the customer

    As we all talk about the new direction of our chosen profession, one of the tenants of human resources should not be overlooked as we march to a different drummer. We are a customer service department which means we should treat each person that walks into our doors with the utmost respect and that treatment should not be dictated by their titles.
    

    I say title because I have seen the world of HR stop when a senior leader walks into the room. The big shot needs help and everyone must stop to make sure they are taken care of. Contrast that with someone from lower down the spectrum coming in, and you could almost see a mask of annoyance on people’s faces. No one is tripping over themselves for this lost soul seeking direction.

    Our work in HR has us dealing with our customers over the phone, by email, and more importantly, face-to-face. Customer service is important to HR for a number of reasons. Foremost, it would be difficult for what we do to survive without customer service.

    The role of HR in any organization is to serve employees — who are our customers. Our department is, most of all, a service department. While we strive to manage the human capital aspect of our organizations accordingly, our focus is also on meeting the needs of employees and their managers.

    The importance of customer service with internal customers also relates to our external customers, which in many cases, are the prospective employees coming in during the interview process.

    Customer service is the HR brand

    HR is a normally the first interaction that a lot of people have with your company. From the receptionist to the recruiter to the hiring manager, customer service skills should be front and center with every interaction.

    Rudeness, non-attention and all the other competencies of bad behavior will do a lot more harm to much more than just the person that is on the receiving end. This bad behavior and the narrative surrounding it will be spread like someone with a bullhorn.

    I will never forget how as part of an engagement study we added an area on the effectiveness of our department. What we found was that under our very nose, we had someone in recruiting that had caused some people to want to turn down their job offer because of the way they were treated during the interview. Our thoughts were now on the ones that did turn down the offer and ran as far away from our organization as they could. It all came down to customer service.

    I am sure their story was told to friends and their friend’s friends. It surely multiplied as it spread throughout the industry. And if we had not asked how we were doing, we never would have known.

    Our organizations need to have the ability to recruit employees whose skills and abilities are aligned with the job. We are to provide orientation and training to ensure productivity. We are to manage turnover through ongoing coaching and counseling. You can’t do any of this without people skills.

    I always smile when I hear people in the HR profession say they are in our business because they LOVE people. That being the case, how can you mistreat something that you LOVE?

    Understanding customer needs

    To ensure high levels of customer satisfaction, it is important for HR to continually measure and monitor the needs of its various customers, determine how well it is meeting those needs and identify any areas that represent gaps.

    This needs analysis requires balancing various perspectives and determining which take priority. For instance, managers may value high levels of production and long work hours whereas employees may value more time off and a focus on work/life needs. Effective HR customer service will work with both groups to find the right balance.

    We are all aware of the stress involved in HR. Internal customer needs are often in conflict, external needs are changing, and the role involves a wide range of responsibilities. Effective HR leaders understand the importance of focusing on the needs of HR staff members — who are customers themselves –to ensure their ability to serve the broader organization.

    Every interaction is an opportunity to show what we in HR are about. Never let any opportunity pass where you can add value to what we have chosen to do.

    In order for our profession to change, in a lot of cases, WE may all have to change.
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  • 

    Ron Thomas, MHCS SWP GHCS

    Human Resources & Administrative Officer

    Aviation & Aerospace | Saudi Arabia, SA

    Summary

    Ron’s background spans many industries and cultures, including technology, media, publishing, banking, insurance & IT consulting.

    Senior Faculty member at the Human Capital Institute. Certified as a Master Human Capital Strategist (MHCS), Strategic Workforce Planner (SWP) and Global Human Capital Strategist.(GHCS)

    Board Membership: Harvard Business Review Advisory Council, McKinsey's Quarterly Executive Online Panel, Expert Advisory Panel on Talent Management Strategy at the Human Capital Institute. Board member of Aberdeen Business Review panel.

    Created and implemented numerous successful strategic initiatives: Talent Management, Performance Review System, Employee Engagement survey, Leadership Institute, Online University, Competency Analysis, On-boarding Program.

    Webinar Leader: Topics: Talent Management, On-boarding, Employee Engagement, Leadership Modeling 3.0

    Books:Contributing Author: Getting HR Technology Back to HR Reality-LBI Software e-Book
    “Creative Onboarding Programs” - McGraw Hill, Learning to Lead: Lessons in Leadership.Sky Light Path Publishing

    Guest Blogger: TLNT, Human Capital Institute, Altruistic Leadership.

    Blogger: “Named to Top 50 HR Blog by Human Resources Executive Online, Recognized as Top 25 HR Influencer and Top 25 Talent Management Influencer for 2011

    Global Experience: "Strategic Leadership Award"-World HRD Congress-Mumbai, Member of SHRM Global Executive Exchange Program. Assignments: China 08, India 09, China '10, Brazil 11

    Published: Work has been featured in The Wall St. Journal (print), Inc. Magazine, Canadian Business, Workforce Management Magazine, Crain’s New York Business and Chief Learning Officer Magazine

    Panelist/Speaker: The New Model of Leadership 3.0, Human Capital Institute. “Managing Talent in a Turbulent Economy” produced by Workforce Management Magazine & Crain’s New York Business”. “Well-Planned Onboarding”, “Real-Life Retention Practices”, Managing a Young & Changing Workforce”,

    Specialties: Talent Management Strategy, Strategic WorkForce Planning, Leadership Development, Blogger, Author, Speaker, Social Media, HR Blogger, Author on HR Strategy

    Experience

    • May 2013 - Present
      Human Resources & Administrative Officer / Al Raha Group for Technican Services
    • Nov 2011 - Present
      Senior Faculty/Executive Workshop Facilitator / Human Capital Institute
    • Jan 2011 - Present
      Regular Contributor_Talent Management & HR Management / TLNT.com
    • Sept 2010 - Present
      McKinsey's Online Executive Panel / McKinsey & Company
    • Jun 2008 - Present
      Member Global Executive Exchange Program / SHRM
    • Jun 2012 - May 2013
      Director, Talent & HR Solutions / Buck Consultants
    • Apr 2008 - Jun 2012
      Talent Management and HR Strategy Consultant / Strategy Focused HR
    • May 2011 - May 2012
      Webinar Leader / Progressive Business Conferences
    • May 2010 - Jun 2011
      Expert Advisory Panel: Talent Management Strategy / Human Capital Institute
    • Apr 2000 - Apr 2008
      Vice President Human Resources & Organizational Development / Martha Stewart Living
    • 2000 - 2005
      AVP Human Resources / Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia
    • Mar 1997 - Mar 2000
      Training Manager / IBM Global Learning Services (Catapult)
    • Feb 1998 - Aug 1998
      Learning Consultant / Met Life
    • Apr 1997 - Aug 1997
      Learning Consultant / Toronto Dominion Securities

    Education

    • 2010 - 2012
      Human Capital Institute
    • 2001 - 2003
      New York University
    • 2002 - 2002
      SHRM
    • Benedict College

    Additional Information

    • Websites:
      StrategyFocusedHR, Human Capital Institute
    • Honors:
      Named to Top 25 Influencers in Talent Management by HR Examiner for 2011 Strategic Leadership Award for HR Excellence by World HRD Congress in Mumbai, India 2/2012 Named to Top 25 list HR Influencers-2011 by HR Examiner Expert Advisory Panel: Talent Strategy at Human Capital Institute McKinsey's Online Executive Panel at McKinsey & Company HR Hall of Fame-HR Network Blog: 4 Awards 2010 HR Executive of the year-HR Network New York-September 2007. Contributing Author:Creative Onboarding Programs-McGraw-Hill Blogger: http://strategyfocusedhr.blogspot.com/ Guest Blogger: TLNT.com, HCI.org., PongoResume.com Member of SHRM Global Executive Exchange Program
    • Interests:
      HR & Talent Management Strategist |Author | Blogger |Speaker |Panelist on HR Strategy |Organizational Development
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  • Cancel your meetings and go for a walk around the office | SmartBlogs SmartBlogs http://t.co/DgcCvmADyY

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  • FireMe App Tracks Tweets From Employees Who Hate Their Boss - AppNewser http://t.co/zWPsUVohh5

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  • 70% of workers can't identify their company's strategy http://t.co/cBu4Yw1K7S

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  • The Telecommuting Tempest http://t.co/0ucUMNT1gX

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  • Talent and Human Capital: Why It Determines Today’s Business Success http://t.co/BkZVIXVRpA

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  • Identifying skills and poor interview technique are greatest challenges for young jobseekers, report finds http://t.co/xYTrdgFYew

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  • HR Magazine - Expectant mothers plan to take shortened maternity leave due to money worries http://t.co/uphsmhYSFv

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  • Morning Advantage: Why It Pays to Pay Your Employees Well - Dana Rousmaniere-Harvard Business Review http://t.co/vgFniSxRxz

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  • HR needs to remove the leadership pipeline to change its approach to talent management, says leading HR thinker http://t.co/lHVBlRwEzu

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  • Recipient of the "Outstanding Leadership Award" at the World Human Resources Development Congress in Mumbai 2/17/13 http://t.co/qyXsEGftWt

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  • HR Magazine - Attracting staff is easy enough in the current climate, but retaining great staff is the challenge http://t.co/g05Ot409r6

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  • HR Magazine - Employers warned that staff satisfaction is no longer enough to keep key talent http://t.co/ZHFR1BYCt7

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  • 21st century leaders might benefit from thinking of themselves as being in the center of a web rather than on top of a pyramid @bdattner

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  • second lives club: How to move from a corporate job to being an entrepreneur http://t.co/BXxUbkhnFi

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  • HR Magazine - Diversity needs to be tied to commercial strategy, says PwC director of diversity http://t.co/7AYicLHsri

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  • HR Magazine - If engagement is left as a purely HR initiative, it will remain on the sidelines http://t.co/y7Lr66rPcy

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  • HR Magazine - Confidence in job security for older workers falls by 10%, figures reveal http://t.co/ZVIP9CeWZt

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  • How You Can Benefit from All Your Stress - Heidi Grant Halvorson-Harvard Business Review http://t.co/IU05wSbz6o

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  • Want Productive Employees? Treat Them Like Adults - Tony Schwartz-Harvard Business Review http://t.co/FajZzZyWkJ

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  • Diversity should be about the talent pipeline, not short-term gain, says Google’s head of diversity and inclusion http://t.co/wqD4ife2KM

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