by thepeopleplan | Jul 7, 2012 | Uncategorized
A leader is best when
- people barely know that she exists,
- not so good when people obey and acclaim him,
- worst when they despise her
- But of a good leader, who talks little, When his work is done, his aim fulfilled, They will all say, ‘We did this ourselves.’
-Lao Tzu
Most employees want to be involved in decisions that affect their work.
Every manager has her own style in how much they involve employees to make decisions that are important to their performance and to the quality of their working lives. Some choose to “command and control” and some are more lenient —see continuum of leadership chart below. Studies show that employees have higher engagement under a manager that is more participative and democratic (toward the right side of the chart).
Employees do not expect that they will make the final decision in all cases, but if it affects their work they want to at least be given an opportunity to discuss and suggest.
Read abstract of Tannenbaum & Schmidt article on this leadership continuum
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
by thepeopleplan | Jun 21, 2012 | Uncategorized
Henry Ford said, “The only thing worse than training your employees and having them leave is not training them and having them stay.”
When employees feel they are acquiring new skills, have development opportunities and a clear career path they are more likely to be engaged with their job and stay with the organization.
It is not enough to offer training programs, it is critical to communicate and provide appropriate and engaging learning and development opportunities to your employees (especially to Gen Y employees). If you identify high potential employees and systematically increase and broaden their skills, you will also do more to retain rising stars in your organization.
There are two types of development Job specific or in current knowledge area (depth) and new skills (breadth). Both are important but there are many reasons to expand the skill set of your employees to add new potential strengths:
- You don’t know what they might turn out to be great at, or interested in, beyond what their current role involves.
- You need to build a broader talent pool, a network of possible replacements that could be tapped as business needs change (or as key people leave the organization).
- You need to develop a strong learning culture, one where employees naturally seek out new skills and competencies with less explicit prodding from you or your HR partners.
- You want your people engaged and interested in the work and research shows that new, challenging assignments are one of the best ways to accomplish this.
(source: Taleo Research White Paper -Learning and Development: The New Business of Business Leaders)
Large employees are continuing to use training and career opportunities as part of their Total Rewards portfolio. A recent Aon Hewitt Total Rewards survey reports that over half of organizations focus on Career development (61%) and training/ learning (56%) to increase engagement and retention.
Image courtesy of PinkBlue at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
by thepeopleplan | Jun 11, 2012 | Uncategorized
“Every company has a culture, whether they like or not. It’s an undercurrent, sometimes silent, sometimes outspoken.” (Tom Foster management blog)
Culture is the #1 factor that influences employee attitudes, actions and results and cannot easily be overcome by standard “motivational” tools (pay, incentives, performance reviews).
This post is an excerpt from a report of the 2012 Human Resource Roundtable was held at the Harvard Club in New York City.
“How many of you have worked in more than one organization? How many of you have noticed different attitudes, habits and ways of doing things? Did that cause different values and behaviors to show up? Culture is the unwritten ground rules. Everyone in an organization leads culture.” Senn Delaney, consultant.
What is culture?
- Culture is creating a sense of who you are as an organization and representing that culture in everything that is done in the organization.
- Culture is the history of the organization that defines how things get done.
- Culture is the attitudes, belief sets, values, written ground rules, and unwritten ground rules that set the tone of the organization.
Why does culture matter?
- A healthy, high-performance culture impacts financial performance and increases employee engagement (often twice that of low performing cultures).
- Companies with a strong and aligned culture perform better financially, are more resilient and last longer.
- Culture is a top concern for CEOs (fourth on a list of “top risk concerns”) and should be a critical part of a CEO’s strategic focus and business model.
How to change your culture (short list)
- Get consensus on organization direction and goals
- Build and communication the business case for the change and goals
- Communicate the required beliefs, values and activities (Culture) to support the goals
- Recognize and reward those employees that become committed and engaged with the direction (behaviors that support the Culture)
“The leader is a critical part of change; they either enable or create the culture.” — Craig Ivey, president, Consolidated Edison Company of New York Inc.
Read our related Blog post— Are your employees aligned to achieve organization’s goals? Some signs this is lacking….
Image courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
by thepeopleplan | Jun 7, 2012 | Uncategorized
To achieve your organization’s goals, you need employees that are competent in their jobs, committed to the goals (believe in values and direction) and engaged to use their talents to achieve those goals.
When employees do not share the values of the organization, do not believe that they can/ should work toward the goals, or do not perform with the required activities (actions) to achieve their own required results, there is mis-alignment in the organization.
Signs of lack of alignment:
- People remain silent and don’t voice their opinions when you call for a decision/ input
- You are being surprised by the actions people take because they are inconsistent with the agreed-upon direction or core values
- You don’t see tangible progress on goals when by all rights you should be moving forward
- In meetings, people keep bringing up the issues that you thought were resolved
- People complain, make excuses, and blame others for lack of results
- You observe a lack of ownership and enthusiasm for implementing an established course of action
- People voice disagreement with a decision or a direction that has already been taken
The solution:
A company’s culture will not become aligned by itself. This change will take a concerted effort to brief alignment to the fundamental beliefs that employees (including managers) hold that prevents the change in behaviors to support the new direction. Here are the overall steps to the “Leadership Alignment Process.”
- Get consensus on direction and goals
- Build and communication the business case for the change and goals
- Communicate the required beliefs, values and activities to support the goals
- Recognize and reward those that become committed and engaged with the direction
-source, Partners in Leadership Culture Change model
Image courtesy of Vichaya Kiatying-Angsulee at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
by thepeopleplan | May 31, 2012 | Uncategorized
My maternal grandfather often told the advice of his father (a second generation business owner of a lumberyard on the banks of the Erie Canal): “you should have a job where you whistle on your way to work and whistle on your way home.” (I believe this was even before the dwarves in Snow White sang something similar).
The type of work we do and how it makes us “feel” is an important reward for employees, and one that greatly impacts engagement with your job.
There are several elements that impact our perceptions of our work and a sense of satisfaction (which impacts engagement):
- Achievement: A sense of achievement is the #1 factor for positive job attitude. Do I feel that I have accomplished something at the end of a week?
- Meaning or Purpose: Does the work I do make a difference to the organization or to others? (See story below).
- Challenge: Does this job use my talents and abilities, are my assignments challenging without being overwhelming?
- Variety: Is there enough variety of the work to keep me from being bored? (People have different standards for what is too repetitive or monotonous so a job fit match is critical here).
- Minimal frustration: Several “hassles” are key factors that impact retention. Employees expect the necessary tools and resources to do their job and a reliable workgroup, or they find a new job with fewer constraints on their achievement.
What can you do to add to the sense of achievement and purpose for your staff and co-workers, and to minimize their frustration?
Story of Purpose (3 laborers):
There once was a traveler who journeyed all over the globe in search of wisdom and enlightenment. In the midst of one village, he came upon three laborers.
He approached the nearest laborer and asked, “Excuse me; may I ask what’s going on here?” The first laborer replied, “Can’t you see? I’m busting rocks. It’s unpleasant dirty work but it’s a job.”
The traveler approached a second laborer and asked the same question. The second laborer replied, “Can’t you see? I’m earning a living to support my family.”
The traveler then approached a third laborer and posed the question a third time. With a broad smile and a gleam in his eye, the third laborer replied with great pride: “Can’t you see? We’re building a cathedral.”
Clearly the last laborer was engaged in his work. It became meaningful to him because he had a larger purpose – the cathedral.
PS Grandpa decided that he would not be whistling on his way to the family lumberyard, so he became a pioneering heart and lung surgeon. He passed this advice down to his eight children, six who became business owners like their grandfather.
Image courtesy of Robert Cochrane at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
by thepeopleplan | May 23, 2012 | Uncategorized
Benefits work best as a package that complements your compensation program.
There is no evidence that a “rich” benefit package provides engaged workers as long as your organization offers something similar to other employers in your area. There is some link between your health care coverage and retention, especially if your organization drastically lowers the coverage or raises the employee contribution.
Two benefits are important to attract candidates to take your job offer—health care and retirement. Most organizations contribute more than 50% toward family health insurance and at least 3% of pay to a defined contribution retirement account. If you offer less than this then you may have a hard time encouraging top candidates to leave their current position to join your firm.
Flexible hours or at least the flexibility to occasionally leave work to address personal needs is greatly appreciated as many workers have either children or parents that need assistance (or both).
Time off is also somewhat important to attract employees. Employees also expect a reasonable amount of paid time off – if you do not allow any vacation for the first year this may not be attractive to a new candidate.
The solution:
Offer a competitive benefit package for your area and industry, and focus on the big three: health care, retirement and time off.
Contact us for a summary of benefits offered in WNY and USA
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
