HR’s Strategic Role in Innovation

Historically, Human Resources (HR) has not played a very strategic role in innovation. This needs to change rapidly as we move in the 21st century. HR needs to support the cultural change to enable innovation; and the upcoming generation of HR practitioners are not going to settle for an ‘administrative-only’ role.


Innovation is primarily a social thing. Really. While processes are important, ideas come from interactions between and among humans. At the 2nd Open Innovation Summit and at the BIF-6 conference this came through loud and clear. The most fundamental asset a company has is its humans. So, wouldn’t you think the organization assigned to maximize (20th century business = manage) that resource is critical to a company’s success?


Companies are good at managing tangible, concrete, known assets, and they try to manage humans the same way. Business schools, corporate training etc. don’t do well teaching us how to ‘manage’ or ‘measure’ social assets – to train, support, and enable people to create the social networks that enable the flow of knowledge, not the storage of knowledge, needed for innovation. Hence, the current debate on whether big companies can really innovate again.


Well, what kind of things could HR start to do? HR can:

• Put strategically-focused people into decision and influence making positions.
• Help design the organization’s structure, reinvent/innovate roles & responsibilities, to increase multi-discipline knowledge flows, internally and with external partners and provide tools.
• Address organizational cross-functionally and cross-disciplinary challenges
• Train people to develop the competency of applied learning, with reward and recognition.
• Help the organization overcome FEAR -of losing control, the unknown, looking stupid, failing, punishment, peer pressure, etc. through shaping the culture, encouraging the needed leadership and providing some tools to help overcome fear.

Obviously this list is not complete. And this sounds a bit formidable (okay, it is). But it can be done. Believe it or not, a stodgy, 160+ year old company in a perceived boring old industry is one of the best in class at using HR strategically for innovation. Menasha Packaging , in the middle of Wisconsin, is using HR in ways I’ve virtually never seen before…with very positive, and obvious, results. So, give it a try. You don’t have to remake all of HR, try with a small step, and see where it goes.

Submitted by Blogging Innovation by Deborah Mills-Scofield

Developing a HRM Strategy

Faced with rapid change organizations need to develop a more focused and coherent approach to managing people. In just the same way a business requires a marketing or information technology strategy it also requires a human resource or people strategy.

In developing such a strategy two critical questions must be addressed. 

• What kinds of people do you need to manage and run your business to meet your strategic business objectives?
• What people programs and initiatives must be designed and implemented to attract, develop and retain staff to compete effectively?

In order to answer these questions four key dimensions of an organization must be addressed. These are:

• Culture: the beliefs, values, norms and management style of the organization
• Organization: the structure, job roles and reporting lines of the organization
• People: the skill levels, staff potential and management capability
• Human resources systems: the people focused mechanisms which deliver the strategy - employee selection, communications, training, rewards, career development, etc.

Frequently in managing the people element of their business senior managers will only focus on one or two dimensions and neglect to deal with the others. Typically, companies reorganize their structures to free managers from bureaucracy and drive for more entrepreneurial flair but then fail to adjust their training or reward systems.

When the desired entrepreneurial behavior does not emerge managers frequently look confused at the apparent failure of the changes to deliver results. The fact is that seldom can you focus on only one area. What is required is a strategic perspective aimed at identifying the relationship between all four dimensions.

If you require an organization which really values quality and service you not only have to retrain staff, you must also review the organization, reward, appraisal and communications systems.

The pay and reward system is a classic problem in this area. Frequently organizations have payment systems which are designed around the volume of output produced. If you then seek to develop a company which emphasizes the product's quality you must change the pay systems. Otherwise you have a contradiction between what the chief executive is saying about quality and what your payment system is encouraging staff to do.

There are seven steps to developing a human resource strategy and the active involvement of senior line managers should be sought throughout the approach:

• get the big picture
• develop a mission statement or statement of intent
• conduct a SWOT analysis of the organization
• conduct a thorough human resources analysis
• determine critical people issues
• develop consequences and solutions. To expand on this you need to:
• • employee training and development
  • management development
  • organization development
  • performance appraisal
  • employee reward
  • employee selection and recruitment
  • manpower planning
  • communication
• implementation and evaluation of the action plans.

Have you re-evaluated your strategy plans and taken into account this issues and approaches? 


©2010 Accel-Team

The 10 Best-Designed Intranets For 2011

Here is the list of the 10 best designed intranets from Jakob Neilsen's Alertbox:

• AMP Limited (Australia), a wealth management company
• Bennett Jones LLP (Canada), one of Canada's largest law firms
• Bouygues Telecom (France), a telecom, mobile, fixed, TV, and Internet communications services company
• Credit Suisse AG (Switzerland), a global financial services company
• Duke Energy (US), an electrical power holding company
• Habitat for Humanity International (US), a non-profit, non-denominational Christian housing ministry
• Heineken International (The Netherlands), a leading brewer and owner and manager of a portfolio of beer brands
• KT (Republic of Korea), an information, communications, and technology company
• Mota-Engil Engenharia e Construção, S.A. (Portugal), a leading construction enterprise
• Verizon Communications (US), a provider of wired and wireless broadband and communications services to US consumers, as well as of global business networking, data, and managed solutions to enterprises worldwide

More and more companies are designing their intranets like extranets and internet sites. How imaginative and innovative is your intranet site? Let me know at wgstevens2@gmail.com

IBM Makes Social Media The Responsibility Of Every Employee

As a global technology leader focused on delivering forward-looking technology and solutions, IBM is no stranger to taking a unique approach in order to generate a stronger end result. To encourage discussion and foster a cultural affinity for social media across its vast network of 400,000 employees, countless partners, and global customer base, IBM made social engagement a key responsibility of every employee. Through a collaborative effort led by marketing, employees embraced social media to help get the word out about IBM solutions and events. The result was a measurable increase in awareness and tighter collaboration among IBM employees to better meet customer needs.


by Jeff Ernst

New Hires - Where Do Yours Rank?

In a recent HR Executive poll, 19% of all newly hired employees achieve "unequivocal success" with in 18 months of hire. If on-rolling (which includes orientation), mentoring, and training play a part in this, which they do, where does your company rank against this statistic?

How Current Are You - Interior & Exterior Redesign

I went to a meeting this past week and was struck by a conversation I overheard about age discrimination. So in my ususal manner I excused myself and entered the discussion. I want to make sure I place this post in the right context so there is no misunderstanding on what I mean.

A person I know has been out of work for over a year and a half and has not had any luck in landing a position. Yes, this is another human resources professional at the senior level looking for work. I have talked to her in the past and asked what is her approach, her story, and how she attacks the interviews. To sum it up in less than five(5) words, "I do not fit"!!! WHAT, you do not fit ,what does that mean. Her comment to me was "age discrimination". In addition she said, I think they are not considering me because I was at my prior company for 28 years. Have you heard that before, I bet you have, probably coming from your mouth to a hiring manager behind closed doors and telling the candidate he/she is overqualified or something like that - right!!

Here is my observation of this person and what she needs to do going forward. I told her this by the way in very clear and concise terms and descriptive words:

• you dress like you are 10 years older than you are
• people think I am too old
• you present a negative image in your discussions with people around you
• you feel you are a victim
• your hairdo is 10 years behind the times
• you do not think up to date
• you do not show any confidence
• you do not sell yourself on your resume
• you do not have a plan when going into the interview

I could go on but these are the key elements of what is wrong and what she needs to do to change her image going forward:

• dress your age, but in a modern way, check out the fashion magazines to see where you can make changes
• be positive in your open discussions with people so they get a sense you can contribute rather than criticize
• think and have a survivor mentality
• use your age as a degree in business experience and how that can help a company
• go to the beauty salon and tell them to style your hair for the times and to the shape of your face and height
• think current and relate that to business and engagement conversations
• exude confidence in every discussion
• use your 28 years as stepping stones to your last job- that means never in the same position or responsibilities for XXX months/year(s)
• have a plan when you go into an interview - be smart and do your homework. etc, etc

I cannot wait to see what happens the next time I see her in March. If she looks, acts, and does the same things she does not want to be employed. If she makes these changes she will be employed by then.  

Failure as a Necessary Component of Innovation and Breakthroughs

In most organizations failure is implicitly, sometimes explicitly, understood to be career limiting.

Regardless of the rhetoric, and I have heard loads of it over the years of working with senior executives. They will say things like: "it OK to fail around here"; "we value failure as evidence of pushing the envelope"; "no success without failure" and so on. The truth is failure is not acceptable in most organizations.

Now if we distinguish between carelessness and failure we may have an opening for a new freedom to invent, create, discover, and take responsible risks - and in the process make major advances, even breakthroughs.

Carelessness I distinguish as not paying sufficient attention in performing in task that has a proven and established process or methodology to ensure the desired outcome. This thoughtlessness in executing a step or missing a step means that the desired outcome is not produced. And, in all likelihood what is produced has unwanted consequences.

Failure on the other hand is the consequence of trying to produce an outcome where there is no clear path or process. Where there is no precedent for a successful outcome. 

In every set of accountabilities there should be a component that requires invention, experimentation, and discover so as to produce a new level of performance. People cannot be free to be fully expressed in this area of their accountabilities if failure is taboo. Innovation and creativity will be stifled.

Posted by Peter Roche

Leaders Should Know What to Do

Leaders need to be prepared. Often times this is just a simple matter of thinking ahead. There are certain circumstances that you can see coming. For example, if you take a new position and soon realize that you will probably need to let a particular person go, you should be prepared for that possibility. You should have thought through the best way to handle it and most importantly you should have thought through the ways you are not going to handle it–ways that could create an even bigger problem.

Making decisions is a big part of leadership and the more intelligent your decisions, the better of a leader you can become. A decision made on whim is much less likely to be the best choice as compared with a carefully planned out decision made in advance.

Leaders Create Leaders

A good leader leaves a legacy of leadership skills in others. Well led organizations become even more well led because of this. It all starts at the top with the organizational leader. If you invest in the people under you, they will learn how to invest in the people under them. If you avoid making promises you can’t keep to people under you, they will be less likely to break promises to people under them.

Many times you will find an organization that is extremely dysfunctional in a particular area. When you trace the problem, it becomes evident that the problem started with leadership at the very top. Everyone else followed the example that they were shown and turned a small flaw in one or two people into an organization wide dysfunctional problem.

What Leadership Looks Like in 2034

Workplace leadership has changed enormously in the past generation. There is far less top-down, command-and-control leadership, and greater flexibility. Leaders are more highly trained and give greater attention to human resources. How will leadership continue to change and evolve in the next generation?


Bernard M. Bass was one of the foremost leadership scholars, with a career that spanned 7 decades. In 1967, he was asked by the American Management Association to speculate what management/leadership would look like in the year 2000. Remarkably, most of his predictions came true. For example, in 1967, Bernie foresaw that managers would make daily use of computers in analysis and decision making (he did not foresee the invention of personal computers, but assumed leaders would be connected to mainframes). He also predicted that leaders would have to adapt to workers with greater knowledge and skill and desire more challenging work. He also predicted tremendous growth in leadership training and development. All of these predictions came to pass.


In 2001, Bernie made predictions for the year 2034. Here are some of his predictions:

• Leadership development efforts will continue, with ongoing training a requirement for leaders (much of the training will be web-based)
• Second careers will become commonplace, as will 85-year-old employees.
• Women will become the majority of leaders and directors in most organizations (he argued that this is due to their more transformational qualities and greater concern for equity, fairness, and social justice)
• Leaders will make regular use of artificial intelligence to aid in decision making.
• Biotechnology and genetics will play a part in both understanding leadership and in leader selection
• We will "outgrow" bureaucracies, and most organizations will be flexible and mission-driven
• With technological advancements, it will be much more difficult for dishonest leaders to emerge in organizations and greater transparency in organizational operations will be the norm.
• Virtual work (e.g., virtual teams; web-based collaboration) will be the rule rather than the exception.

As we enter into 2011 it is clear that many of Bernard's predictions are already true and more moving that way. 

Reference:
Bernard M. Bass (2002). Forecasting Organizational Leadership: From Back (1967) to the Future (2034). In Bruce J. Avolio & Francis J. Yammarino (Eds.), "Transformational and Charismatic Leadership: The Road Ahead." Elsevier, Oxford, UK.

Don't Forget Training & eLearning in 2011

In an economy like what we are experiencing today one of the first budget cuts we see is usually in training & development. As we all know, training is one of the key life bloods of an organization that builds your workforces skills and is a platform for growth.One of the key elements for continuing training of your human capital is instilling that training is important to them and that they should take the time to expand their skills, grow their competencies, and make it a ritual in their working lives. So how do you do this? Here are a couple of important guidelines:

• make sure there is a solid training strategy that ties to the corporations' goal/objectives
• keep the training budget as much in place as possible
• make sure your managers buy into the training strategy
• managers must emphasize that training is important to them
• offer eLearning options for your employees through companies like Skillsoft
• provide time each week for learning
• show the outcome of skills training so people see the end result
• post notices on your intranet regarding skills training
• make sure that you subsidize if not pay in full the training that people take that is relevant to their current position or one that in next in line for them. There has to be a solid ROI

These are just a few areas where you as managers and leaders of organizations can ensure that you build and maintain the most competent workforce that will help you drive revenues and profits. It will also help reduce turnover and build loyalty within the organization.


Your comments are welcome at wgstevens2@gmail.com .

Start The "New Year" Off Right - Reassess

Now that we have entered into 2011 it is time for every HR executive and manager to reassess everything top to bottom. When you think of it you probably did your budget in September or October, your staffing plans about the same time when the strat plan was being done. You also built your own strategy plan around the company plan. 


Well, now that 2010 is gone and some assumptions may not be valid today reassess everything. It is also time to reassess your own value to the organization and how you can add additional value and less HR bureaucracy and other HR administrivia. Now I know that as executives in the new world of HR you do not focus on this stuff you should make sure your managers and key subject personnel have a direct line of sight to the business and not to build their own castle. 


So, in summary, reassess the following in detail and re-evaluate the net effect on the bottom line:

• HR strategy plan
• HR budget for 2011 and subsequent years if you are on a multi-year planning basis
• HR staff and what the business needs today vs last year
• Staffing plans by group(s), division(s), department(s)
• Training and development - although in your budget, make sure you have departments that are outliers re-added to your budget and reassess each individual plan
• HR technology needs
• HR products that move your company to a self-service, self-reliant organization

Check these things out now and make sure that you are ahead of the game rather than your CEO telling you to look at these things 

Development in the Role of Human Resources Leadership

In order to be recognized as a successful HR leader, there are three roles you must manage. 

• first is the ability to implement organizational strategy. 
• second is controlling the strategic planning process by sorting through the positive and negative outcomes associated with making a decision. 
• lastly, one must manage the formulation of a strategy to protect against the negative effects caused by unexpected outcomes.

Have you and can you manage these key roles?

from EzineMark.com

Happy Holidays and Festive New Year!

I want to wish you all a very happy holiday season and prosperous new year

New Ideas and Innovation From Human Resources

I woke up in the middle of the night thinking when was the last time you, the HR leader, came up with a new innovation or idea that led to increased revenue for your company?  I don't mean reductions in staff or reorgs that led to decreased fixed costs but real innovations or ideas that the company took on that grew the revenue stream.

So what do I really mean, well, it could be a new product line, a technology innovation, product redesign, production change that led to faster to market achievements. The things that most HR people do not get involved in on a daily basis. I have said early on in my career that HR is a revenue stream not a cost center. When I first mentioned that at my first HR job in Boston most people thought I was nuts.

I think it is incumbent for all HR practitioners to be so involved with the business that they provide daily input into the operations that lead to revenue gains. This is what the senior executive team looks for and most important the CEO of his team. So, I will ask the question again "when was the last time you provided a new idea or innovation that led to increased revenue and profit". This is part of your job!

Talent Edge 2020: Blueprints for the New Normal

As companies worldwide struggle to move beyond the great recession of 2009, many business leaders are adjusting their talent strategies to meet the shifting demands characterized as the “new normal.”

While the inclination may be strong to revert to strategies that served them well prior to the economic crisis, many executives seem to recognize that the forces shaping future talent needs, such as globalization and an aging workforce, continued to accelerate during the downturn and now require new talent strategies to position their companies for success.

To bring these issues into clearer focus, Forbes Insights and Deloitte launched Talent Edge 2020—following in the path of the 2009-2010 survey series, Managing Talent in a Turbulent Economy. Based on a survey of 334 senior executives, this first Talent Edge 2020 study aims at exploring talent strategies, concerns of global companies, and unfolding employee trends as companies confront a fresh set of challenges that could influence the next decade and beyond. 

To download a pdf of the study, please fill out the following information. The report will appear in a new window. If you experience any trouble, please send an email to: insights@forbes.com.


a reprint from Forbes Insight

Sharing Knowledge

I just spent a week in Mexico at a great resort and had a lot of time to think. There was a global environment conference near Cancun where thousands of people were sharing their knowledge on how to save the environment.  So began my thinking process. 


There are a lot of retired practitioners of HR that have faded away or just left business totally to spend time playing golf, sailing, reading, tennis or some other athletic sport. But what they have not done is passed all that great business knowledge on to the next generation of HR practitioners. What a shame that is to not share that great knowledge. 


I am sure there are those who will say that business has changed, technology has passed them by and I say to that, not so. Dealing with people, executives, managers, and other policy related items have not changed and that is the rub. 


So my challenge to you is find an avenue for passing on your HR and business knowledge. Get involved, I have through my blog and a local community college. 

LinkedIn Thinks Publishers Need Yet Another “Share This” Button

It’s no secret that professional social network LinkedIn is actively working on making its platform more socially connected. In the past year, the company has launched a deep integration with Twitter, the ability to follow a contact or company, a better groups functionality and enhanced sharing on the site. And a few months ago, the professional social network launched LinkedIn Signal, which allowed users to apply the professional social network’s filters to Twitter’s firehose. Today, the network once again adding another social feature with the release of a brand new official Share button.

Similar to the Facebook Like button or the Tweet button, publishers can now embed a branded LinkedIn share button with a few lines of code onto their sites. The “Share on LinkedIn” button will allow readers to share content (i.e. news, white papers, presentations) with your professional social network on LinkedIn.

If you click a LinkedIn Share button on a publisher site you’ll be asked to login with your LinkedIn account, and then you’ll be able to share a URL (with the network’s shortener) in your status update box. The button will also show how many shares have been made for a particular piece of content.

At launch, Bloomberg.com, Forbes.com, and SiliconValley.com will be integrating the new button. The network initially rolled out the Share button on the Huffington Post a few months ago. A universal Share button definitely makes sense for the professional social network, whose members tend to share content like news and presentations with contacts. Developers has created WordPress-plugins to add similar functionality in the past, but an official Share button from LinkedIn gives both publishers and the network compelling data on what type of content readers are sharing with their professional contacts. But with the growing number of “Share This” buttons on the web (Tweet, Like, Buzz, Digg), the “Share” real estate on blogs is growing competitive. Not every publisher will want a plethora of share buttons populating their site.


Of course this is part of LinkedIn’s broader strategy of bringing LinkedIn to any sites or platforms that people may use in their professional life, including Twitter and now blogs. The big question remains as to whether LinkedIn will plug-into Facebook’s social graph. CEO Jeff Weiner said recently that a social hookup with the world’s largest social network would depend on the value of the integration.


a reprint from Tech Crunch

The Art of the Deal - Not Trump

I thought it would be important to mention the art of the deal when talking about mergers and acquisitions. There is an important part that HR plays that really is not talked up in the media or among executives. That is "the final say in a deal".


If you look at the posts I have made over the years on M&A activities you will see a consistent pattern. That is that the lead HR person really looks at balance sheets, agreements, policy contracts, and the like in a totally different light that say the CEO, the finance team, the legal team. Yes, a different light than the legal team!!!. 


Since we are driven to understand the written relationship between people and the business we have to look at these thing differently. My feeling is that the lead HR acquisition person should lead the due diligence team and not the legal team or finance. Why, they MISS things, yes they MISS things. So the next time you are on a DD team stand up and take the lead, show your stuff, and make the M&A process a success. 


So, are you on board with this or do you see it a different way? Let me know. 

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing everyone a very happy and joyous holiday

William G. Stevens
Blog Publisher

Human Capital Institute Picks Human Resources Strategy for the 21st Century as a Top Blog to Read

The Human Capital Institute, the global association for strategic talent management has chosen "Human Resources for the 21st Century" as one of the top 100 human resources blogs to read. I am delighted that the institute has recognized the importance and influence this blog has on human resources and the on-going development of HR strategy.

HCI's Center for Human Capital Excellence (CHCE) is the global clearinghouse for thought leadership, best practices and innovation in strategic talent management and new economy leadership.

Five Minute Management Course

Lesson #3

A sales rep, an administration clerk, and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp.



They rub it and a Genie comes out. The Genie says, 'I'll give each of you just one wish.'


'Me first! Me first!' says the admin clerk. 'I want to be in the Bahamas , driving a speedboat, without a care in the world.' Puff! She's gone.


'Me next! Me next!' says the sales rep. 'I want to be in Hawaii , relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of Pina Coladas and the love of my life.'


Puff! He's gone.


'OK, you're up,' the Genie says to the manager. The manager says, 'I want those two back in the office after Lunch.'

Moral of the story:



Always let your boss have the first say.

Talking Heads- Ten Principles for Social Media Marketing Success #2

Today it is the norm to communicate, consort and associate with each other over social networks – it’s almost weird not to.  So much so, that the likes of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Linkedin have become household names and collectively generate millions of dollars in revenue.  Many other businesses use social media and social networks to gain a competitive advantage in the world of business, which requires them to be up-to-date with the advancements and changes of technology that they are using. 

MeetTheBoss.tv has interviewed some of the most influential C-level executives within the industry including: Julian Persuad- MD of Google, Ken Mandell-VP Advertising Sales of Yahoo! and Ji Hee Nam-VP Digital Media MTV.   In this program these executives explain the difficulties of having to adapt constantly to an ever-changing sector and the advantages of being part of a new generation of business.

A very engaging interview from MeetTheBoss.tv on the new way in which marketing and brand organisations have to work with today’s technology and digitalisation.  Chuck Brymer, who was elected President & CEO of DDB Worldwide in 2006 gives his insight to the ever-advancing nature of marketing which runs parallel and works hand-in-hand with the new types of social networking and telecommunications.  In this interview he highlights the importance of keeping people engaged with the product and acknowledge their feedback and authorise their participation to improve it: “You no longer own that property.  It’s owned by your customers.”  Brymer explains, in this way brand managing is not invasive and is a 2-way dialogue solely between the customer and the company, B2C.

Learn from the experts, sign up and watch for FREE at MeetTheBoss.tv

From the Front

In the past month, Joel Koblenz had conversations with three highly reputed CEOs of mid cap public companies where the specific topic was their expectations for their CHRO leader and where that leader could truly create value. While a sample of three is certainly not scientific, the themes we heard were remarkably similar.


Here is what we learned;

First, while all three CEOs sought the contribution of their CHROs, none, when we inquired, could really delineate tangible strategic benefit and accordingly, none really understood the full breadth and value of the function. All admitted that the impact of human resources was the least understood and appreciated. This is interesting as every successful CEO know that talent and how it is acquired, managed and motivated is the backbone of any successful enterprise.  What flummoxed the CEOs was how to make their company’s talent more effective.

Secondly, the CEOs spoke about investing in leadership and their development and strategically aligning their talent with flexibility to take advantage of opportunities and/or meet critical challenges. They viewed this as the direct responsibility of their CHRO as the leader of this effort and the manager of human/executive capital. All three felt that their CHRO’s were too structural and bureaucratic with little knowledge the basic tenets of change management and none, in their view, truly appreciated the operating levers of their business units. One commented that their CHRO was the culture keeper of,”what was/is and not what will be.”

Even with a small sample, it is clear that CEOs are seeking CHROs that will act as a strategic human resource advisor. This creates a great opportunity for HR executives to play a pivotal role linking strategy and operating models with the necessary executive talent to execute “the plan.” Talent management centered on a,” just in time” focus.

Plans are plans and rarely do they unfold overtime as anticipated.  CEOs are all under pressure to deliver results regardless of market and competitive conditions. In the CHRO, progressive CEOs are seeking a “partner” who is willing to accept the risk of recruiting/ developing leaders to meet the requirements of the unknown. The CEOs all pointed out that while today’s environment is uncertain, the honing of leadership depth is an “investment” that all three CEOs were ready to make and their boards were willing to support.

Koblenz's  advice is to show commitment, courage, and great care at tuning up your approach to developing and retaining leadership. This is a perfect storm opportunity to work closely and build a new level of trust with your CEO, executive team colleagues, and perhaps with your board of directors on a critical front of mind strategic challenge .. leadership depth and succession.

By Joel Koblentz on October 5, 2010

Thinking With No Boundaries - Red & Green Lights

I attended an HR conference last week in Atlanta and was  amazed at the number of senior HR practitioners who were so set in their thinking. The topics ranged from how to acquire talent to how to organize the HR department. Most of the participants had at least 10+ years in HR with a minimum of 6 in a senior management role. 


So what was so amazing? Let me tell you my observations and what I see as an outcome from them:

• managers were not interested, for the most part, to use social networking as a recruitment tool, not even Linkedin - my outcome from that is they are missing key passive job seekers and not utilizing the latest technology to get to talent. 
• Many were not even beginning the process of looking at the changes in health care and how it would affect their current plan designs - outcome is they will miss out on savings and current tax advantages. But with the changes in the mid-term elections they may have saved a lot of time of the Obama health care agenda is repealed. 
• Most still have a traditional HR department designed organization - outcome to me is the HR managers reporting to these people are not on the line and cannot get to problems and solutions until the issues become full blown fires. Where are these people and how can they be at the table with the CEO recommending solutions.
• Some, more than some, do not have a clear reporting relationship  with their CEO - outcome is they do not have the CEOs ear and the issues are softened by the reporting relationship (IE: reporting to a CFO, COO, or CLO)
• Most have not challenged their organization with employee self-service - outcome is this will keep the HR department in a more administrative role than a strategic role.
• Most of these HR practitioners do not know the full scope of their product lines - outcome is how can you be a business partner if you do not know the business?
• and finally, most are still doing the managers job in performance appraisals, compensation and salary administration - outcome to me is they are doing the managers job and he/she should be doing these things with HR as the final gatekeeper. 

I would be interested in what you think about these issues and how you would resolve them in your organization. 

Meet the Boss - Warren Gatland, Coach of Wales National Rugby Team on Success

MeetTheBoss.tv has an exclusive video interview with Warren Gatland, the recently re-signed Head Coach of the Wales National Rugby Club.  The New Zealand-born coach gives an insight to his emphasis on leadership and successful coaching skills for the national side. Gatland explains to MeetTheBoss.tv that the most important way to measure success in any circumstance, is to “over achieve.”  Moreover, he adds that as a coach in Rugby Union, his role as leader is not about dominating and overpowering the team but empowering them and building trust, loyalty and honesty.

Check this video out on http://www.meettheboss.tv/

Which Key Human Resource Function Has The Greatest Influence On Management’s Opinion Of HR?

If one could list the five major functions of a quality HR department, what would those five functions be and which of those have the greatest impact on management’s opinion of HR?


This question was asked in a number of human resource groups on the professional networking site Linked In. There were approximately 41 individuals who responded to the question and provided a broad range of thoughtful, intelligent answers. This article is a summary of the thoughts and comments provided by human resource professionals and consultants. The purpose is to make the information available to all and allow additional comment and debate.

“I don’t think it’s about which HR function has the greatest influence but rather which HR person. That person most assuredly will be the one who builds credibility as being a business person first and an HR professional second.”



In reviewing all of the comments and responses, a few general themes became clear. A major theme that seems to be important is the idea of human resources as a strategic, business-focused function. Many respondents used language that implied a strategic value to the functions and capabilities of HR. Clearly, respondents felt it was very important for HR to demonstrate commercial sense, knowledge of the business, the competitive landscape and a strategic understanding of how the business needs to develop.
“I think these are all great answers. But the one I have found to have the biggest impact of an HR professional on upper management is to have an understanding of the business. By truly understanding what the company does, who they are, what services they provide and where they want to go, uppemanagement will be more likely to see HR as a business partner, and not an administrative function."

Therefore, it is perhaps reasonable to assume that there are HR functions that are clearly focused on the commercial and strategic aspects of the business. Additionally, it might follow that most HR professionals would include those in one of the top five or six functions of a quality human resource department.



As a follow up to this, many people made comments about human resource functions and the importance of those functions connecting together in support of the business.



“We have to connect the delivery of our activities with their business impact. We’re delivering talent so that clients are served by smarter people. We’re delivering motivation so that we generate better solutions for customers. We deliver employee relations so that we retain a stable and knowledgeable workforce our customer’s value. We deliver all these things so that our company’s people create superior value for stockholders.”

These comments imply a relationship between the delivery of talent and the achievement of strategic objectives. This might mean that talent acquisition and recruitment would be very important.

“I would like to say that recruiting the right person for the right place, keeping in mind business requirements and retaining him as per organization requirement is so important that he or she should be kept by any mean, i.e. motivational or tools.”
This would also imply that talent management is very important.

“I really believe talent management will have the biggest impact on the perception of HR.”



Respondents also commented on the importance of being trusted by those managers they support. The issue of trust with respect to HR is one that Quorum has seen come up in a number of ways.



Yet the negative perception of human resources by management continued to surface and some comments seem to express a deeply felt frustration.

“Unfortunately HR is yet widely considered as a support function and not an initiative (innovative) one. And the fact of the matter is that when HR tries to be initiative (innovative), the management would shoo them off by saying, "You don’t understand the market. Please do what you are asked to." Unfortunately, this is the fact! But if we don’t understand the market, then how do we provide them the best of the available human resource to do the business?”


Given the breadth and range of responses, the individual functions that were listed by respondents, were organized in their order of importance. These were then grouped into nine major categories. Only those respondents who gave a list of important functions were included. Some respondents seemed to agree with a particular list, but did not provide their own. In this case, that particular list was not included twice.


As an example of how functions were categorized, functions like change/transformation management, leadership succession, organization design, organization development and succession planning were all grouped in the category organizational development. Functions like delivering HR information, HR metrics, HRIS (human resource information systems) and HR reports for decision making, were all put in the category of analytics.



The top two issues of importance from the survey were: Talent Acquisition 83%, Business Knowledge & Strategy 72% .

For more information please go to the Quorum website at: http://quorumassociates.com/thoughtleadership/five-functions-of-a-quality-human-resource-department

If you are not in the top two categories you are really not a true HR leader.

How Leaders Set Themselves Apart From Others

The question I am sure every employee asks is "what makes him a great leader and not me?". Well I know that I asked myself that question when assessing people I have worked for over my career. I think Jack Welch has said it best in his book "Winning". I have always been a fan of Welch and have read all his books and even was a stockholder of GE for many years. In his latest book, "Winning", I think he really articulates what leaders do and after re-reading this book for a 2nd time it finally hit home. So, what leadership knowledge has Jack imparted upon us, here are his eight key points:

• leaders relentlessly upgrade their team, constantly assessing their progress and evaluating them along the way
• leaders make sure people breath the vision set, not just see it
• leaders get into people's skin, through positive energy and optimism
• leaders establish trust and credit. There is transparency and candor with their style
• leaders have the courage to make unpopular decisions
• leaders probe and question how things are done to see additional opportunity or new methodology
• leaders inspire risk taking
• leaders celebrate

Also ask yourself does your CEO possess these qualities and if not how does your business rank against the competition. I would like to hear your comments. Also link to Meet the Boss.TV for more on leadership.

Holding the Silence: Powerful Listening

Silence may mean quietness or refraining from making any noise. Some powerful synonyms
are stillness, hush and calm. The dictionary concludes that silence means not speaking, ignoring
something, to suppress something or to stop someone from making noise. Silence can be powerful within communication systems, including, ironically, mere conversation. As you have surely found, that silence properly placed in a heated argument can bring an element of strategic leverage and emphasis. Silence on the other end of a phone line can speak volumes or invoke fear and insecurity.



Certain personality profiles cause people to talk more than others. Many times leaders struggle
with silence for various reasons. Some reasons leaders and managers resist silence is the fear of what may fill the silence from the other person. Also, some just think they have more important things to say. Other leaders just are insecure and resistant to the fact that others possibly have a better idea or solution.



Silence, on the other hand, can be like dynamite in a conversation. As a great coach learns to
hold silence, as a leader why not try it on for size? When someone listens, really listens to you, how do you feel? Do you feel understood? Do you feel appreciated? Do you feel that you have value? Holding your silence as a team member speaks will give you better insight and understanding. I believe that as you practice using silence when other leaders are speaking with you that you will become more powerful because your discernment and wisdom will go up and up. You will transform into a powerful listener who hears and understands.



Next time a friend or family member is telling you a story, work hard at holding the silence.
Sometimes it can become so heavy you can barely hold on. Practice this. You will be amazed, as I have been, at how you will hear more and understand more as you keep quiet. Listen behind the story. As you keep silent try to hear the essence of what they are saying. As a leader or manager this will serve you well. It actually could be life-changing for you.



Remember that silence brings a calm to a conversation and the peace may even extinguish
some heated emotions. It could be that you will desire to have some communication coaching or have a coach demonstrate holding the silence in your sessions to model the technique. If you have a meeting coming up or a crucial conversation, attempt to hold the silence and see what happens. This one technique may change your leadership style and bring some great power to your influence.


a reprint from Rick Forbus of TROVE, Inc