Five Ways to Maintain Authenticity With Social Media

Over the past several years, businesses have flocked to social media. Many have done so because they want to, and many more have done so because they think they have to.

The increasing use of social media amongst businesses reflects the fact that social media is important, even if its value can be somewhat difficult to define and quantify. But social media is just a platform, and realizing value from its use requires the right type of use.



Businesses have been flogged over the head with the advice about being 'authentic' when using social media. But what does that really mean? Here are five tips for being authentic and maintaining authenticity with business social media use.

• Make it personal
• Keep it real
• Don't be afraid of opinion
• Focus on interactions, not followers and fans
• Keep the distribution of traditional marketing messages to a minimum

For the full text click on the link above.

Views on Wasted Thought Leadership Concepts

I have had the opportunity to sit in on a group in metro-Atlanta discussing thought leadeship in HR and here is what I have observed. There are a lot of senior HR executives out of work right now and the value they bring to business is extraordinary. However, out of work means that their views and value to the business is sorely missed and their talents wasted looking for work.

I think that these individuals should put together a consortium and market their expertise in a consultancy role. That being said, they ahve to do the following:

• You have to do is to determine your leadership point of view—your thoughts about leading and motivating people. Your leadership point of view relates to who you are as an individual. It grows out of who influenced you, what your purpose is, what your values are, and what people can expect from you. This is important because research has shown that the most effective leaders have a clear leadership point of view and they’re willing to share it with others.
• I suggest that people use all the other forms of information technology available to get their message out—film, radio, blogs, television, newspapers, etc. You can also be so good at what you do that your customers become your sales and marketing team.
• A good reputation and word-of-mouth advertising is more effective than most marketing campaigns. The bottom line, though, is that you have to get the word out somehow. You can have the greatest, most innovative thoughts in the world, but if nobody hears about them, they’re worth squat.
• Some people still don’t know that their role as leaders is to serve, not to be served. The truth is, if you want love, you have to give it away. If you want money, you have to give it away. If you want success, you have to give it away.

I hope that the talents these individuals possess gets out into the business world because they have so much to offer and in todays economy every business can use their knowledge. I have tried to do this through my blog and slowly the word is getting out that the most talented HR executives have missed the boat on helping business. 

So, what are your thoughts on this important topic? Email me at wgstevens2@gmail.com .

Top Human Resources Issues for the Future

HR has been at the proverbial crossroads for far too long. Walking the fine line between demonstrating strategic value and providing traditional HR services, the industry remains stuck, as the business environment around it grows increasingly global and complex.



While there is no silver bullet, Hewitt believes HR’s survival and success depends on four “bold bets” that not only provide a solid foundation and add organizational value, but also work to expand the influence of HR leaders. While HR’s soft side is still important in today’s post-Enron business world, in order to thrive in tomorrow’s HR environment, companies need to take bold steps to provide holistic, business-focused, data-driven human capital solutions.
 

Four Bold Bets on Where HR Is Headed

Based on Hewitt research, HR must place their bets on four key areas: performing predictive analysis on human capital processes, delivering a steady talent supply, driving organizational performance, and building integrity and trust in the workplace. What makes these bets particularly bold is not so much the focus itself, but the fact that the HR of the future will drive and be held accountable for these areas in their entirety. Rather than reduce the role of HR, these four bets broaden the scope and impact of the role, pushing HR to operate more like a business unto itself—a business focused on driving organizational capability. All four areas bring a holistic approach to addressing human capital challenges with a clear tie to fact-based results and metrics, and produce a more strategic, business-focused HR organization.
 
Human Capital Research and Development



HR of the future is taking the lead in advanced data mining and predictive modeling of human capital processes to identify new business insights. Moving beyond traditional scorecards or dashboards that provide a static snapshot of progress, these HR functions are taking a true R&D approach using systematic, fact-based, and scientific methods, to uncover new relationships and opportunities for human capital to drive organizational performance.
 
Driving the Talent Engine



HR of the future is also redefining and expanding its focus in the area of talent by managing a seamless “human capital supply chain” to ensure the organization’s talent engine is always humming with a ready supply of top talent. This includes the challenge of harnessing the capabilities of a more diverse, global, and virtual workforce. Leading HR organizations are breaking down barriers and taking a holistic approach to managing the sourcing, development, and mobility of their top talent and inventing new approaches to accessing required skills for both today and tomorrow.
 
Organizational High Performance



HR of the future is taking accountability for driving performance at the organization, team, and individual levels. By managing performance as an end-to-end process and focusing on business outcomes, HR has an opportunity to integrate the various components that impact performance into one framework. This means a much more rigorous approach to establishing performance expectations, tying opportunity to potential, and ensuring rewards are tailored by population. This includes newer HR areas such as space management and organizational design that impact employee engagement and productivity.
 
Organizational Stewardship



HR of the future is also assuming a renewed role in building a sense of community, trust, integrity, and even spiritual meaning for the organization. In response to the anxieties of a post-9/11 and Enron world and the growing awareness that people want more meaning out of their work life, more and more companies are striving to build a stronger connection with employees and their communities. What HR brings to the table is not merely employee advocacy experience, but a unique ability to weave together the various components of stewardship, build a stronger bond between employer and employee, and prove the long-term benefits of investing in employees.
 
Pass along your thoughts to me at wgstevens2@gmail.com or kulshaan.singh@hewitt.com at Hewitt

A View From the Top

A good friend of mine has a search company in Atlanta that just put this out in an email. It is so important that I had to share it with our readers. Take heed future HR Execs:

It’s time for HR Leadership to shine!



During the later part of 2009 and in 2010, we have observed that corporate leadership and corporate boards are placing an increasing emphasis on knowing about the depth of talent, experience and competencies within their corporate ranks.


For the first time, boards are viewing leadership as a true enterprise risk. This has been highlighted and perhaps, exacerbated by the current economic situation and by the pressure on corporations to adjust to a new reality while establishing a baseline for growth. Shareholders are demanding enhanced value and are evaluating the depth of their corporate leadership for their ability to execute and deliver.


Now, the human resource function is in the spotlight and CHROs have a true opportunity to step forward. Talent, not access to capital, is at the forefront of this value equation.


Research suggests that the impact and success of talent management programs is largely determined by the continuing importance that is placed on these programs by the CEO. And, without CEO support, talent management fails to gain acceptance or be baked into the corporate culture and performance expectations. That is why that only a small percentage of companies that embark on these programs have met or exceeded expectations.

Now, the tables have turned.



Boards and CEOs are looking to their CHRO to “truly” be the Chief Talent Officer!


Our progressive clients are placing much more emphasis on talent management with recognition that it is a key element of developing and executing any growth strategy. It is “the” critical link that so often is missing or underappreciated. We are seeing this trend among companies of all sizes and dimensions.


Here is what we have learned about succeeding with talent management and a few thoughts to keep in mind.


One size doesn’t fit all.


As talent management programs are long term commitments, moving forward at a pace that is consistent with your organization’s willingness to “own” such a process is essential. Pressing ahead too quickly, oftentimes will lead to stumbling blocks or derailment that will not result in the desired outcome. We recommend a tailored approach specifically geared to your company’s unique requirements, thereby offering the best opportunity for creating a true leadership to value pipeline synching up with your corporate strategy and culture.


From a career point of view, we have conducted several HR searches in the past year. Companies seek strategic insight from their human resource leader. More to the point, our clients seek a CHRO who understands how to attract, evaluate and retain critical talent.


Are you one of those HR executives who possess this experience, mindset and competency?

Thanks you to the Koblenz Group

Leadership Development - 7 Quick Steps to Business Success

I have spent thousands of hours in the business world developing programs to develop leaders. I have also wasted hundreds of hours doing this because some organizations are not ready to develop leaders, do not believe in it, can't afford it or want to spend the money on it. There are a whole host of excuses but to succeed in the business world today and to retain your best talent you better rethink your position. 


A successful leadership development program starts with alignment to company strategy and understanding the leadership style needs. If you are the number 2 person in your organization or have a day-to-day close working relationship with the CEO you should have no problem with this.


Here are sever(7) quick steps that will lead you to business success: 

1. Develop a leadership style - that is identifying the type of work, complexity of the organization, and qualifications of  the followers. 
2. Identify your leaders and up and comers - if you know your human capital you would not need someone to tell you who are the leaders
3. Identify leadership gaps - yes you can do gap analysis all day long but if you understand the business you can see it in plain sight
4. Develop succession plans - simple to do without all the bells and whistles of expensive on-line cloud computing or software. You can dumb this down if need be or ramp it up based on budget
5. Develop career plans for the potential leaders 
6. Develop a leadership roadmap - there should be an end and time frame so the potentials will not walk away because of no action
7. Develop a retention program

This process is simple or it can be complicated based on your organization. I can tell you from first hand experience if you have a leadership development program that goes no place you will see your human capital walk out the door, that includes your HR team. There can be a lot of hard work that goes into this and if there is no activity and just an exercise you have lost your credibility. So what do you think of that? 

1.