Organizational Change

Let's say you need to move your business in a new direction. You are hoping the evolve the skill set of your staff, revamp your product and service lineup, and find new ways to partner with those in your industry.

So you've done a lot of research, worked through many different strategy ideas, analyzed the technological systems requires to make this change, and come up with a vision for your future. Maybe you've even created a PowerPoint presentation to communicate this change, and scheduled a roadshow to meet with each group in your company to get them on board.

But now, you are a few months into the shift, and finding it tougher to affect change. System roll outs are progressing, senior leadership has been working with you to revamp product and sales offerings, and others in your industry are impressed with your vision. And yet, the change comes more slowly than you would like, and at every turn, you find an entrenched business practice, a team that isn't developing as you had hoped - a ship that can't turn.

Organizational change is hard. It requires more than just the proper systems, technological savvy and strategic direction. Why? Because it's easy to get a room full of 100 people to clap at a PowerPoint, but difficult to align and balance the needs, fears, motivations, and skills of those 100 people.


Sure, we try to pretend that this doesn't exist. That every employee isn't motivated by logic alone, but perhaps some deeper human emotions. I don't mean that anyone has any ill-will, just that human beings are a funny bunch. And shoving them into a gray cubes and asking them to drink the PowerPoint Kool-Aid doesn't always have the intended results.


Below are some ideas to help organizational change:

• People Want Something To Believe In
• People Want To Be Involved, Not Managed
• Make It Seem Like Their Idea
• Personal Goals Must Be Aligned With Professional Goals
• Make it Easy to Feel A Sense of Achievement
• Make It Fun

So I'll ask you do you do these things in your organization and who leads the change, hopefully the keeper of the culture, the HR leader. Thanks to Dan Blank for some of this information.

In Memory of Those Who Lost Their Lives

The Challenges of Human Resource Management

The role of the Human Resource Manager is evolving with the change in competitive market environment and the realization that Human Resource Management must play a more strategic role in the success of an organization. Organizations that do not put their emphasis on attracting and retaining talents may find themselves in dire consequences, as their competitors may be outplaying them in the strategic employment of their human resources. 

With the increase in competition, locally or globally, organizations must become more adaptable, resilient, agile, and customer-focused to succeed. And within this change in environment, the HR professional has to evolve to become a strategic partner, an employee sponsor or advocate, and a change mentor within the organization. In order to succeed, HR must be a business driven function with a thorough understanding of the organization’s big picture and be able to influence key decisions and policies. In general, the focus of today’s HR Manager is on strategic personnel retention and talents development. HR professionals will be coaches, counselors, mentors, and succession planners to help motivate organization’s members and their loyalty. The HR manager will also promote and fight for values, ethics, beliefs, and spirituality within their organizations, especially in the management of workplace diversity.

The role of the HR manager must parallel the needs of the changing organization. Successful organizations are becoming more adaptable, resilient, quick to change directions, and customer-centered. Within this environment, the HR professional must learn how to manage effectively through planning, organizing, leading and controlling the human resource and be knowledgeable of emerging trends in training and employee development.

Communicating Up, Down and Across the Organization

I have been preaching that you have to stay close to your CEO, communicate daily with him/her as well as have daily meetings. I am sure I do not need to tell you that it is equally important that you are able to communicate across the organization to be effective.

If you are a good communicator you should be able to portray a high level of self-confidence, self-concept, and project a positive external image to the managers you support up, down, and across the organization. There are ways to do this and the best way is to make sure you have established  trust and credibility. If you have these two(2) key elements you will have stronger working relationships with those that you support. These key elements are the foundation of your level of effectiveness in your organization.

If you have these two(2) building blocks you then need to make sure you are an effective influencer,that you provide a clear and direct image and knowledge base. You need to make sure you have targeted your audience and built a message that is clear and concise that people understand and not mistake or feel it is HR speak. If you can do this you will reap beneficial results for your project/program/initiative or whatever. This will also flow though to your subordinates.

I hope that this short message on communication is helpful especially to the mid-level HR manager, director. For those at the top, the CHRO, CPO you should already know this.

Top 10 Strategies for Combating Employee Stress

Workplace stress is a bigger problem than it used to be, and employers have good reason to be more concerned about it than in the past, says Barry Hall, principal at Buck Consultants.


Eighty-two percent of participants in a recent survey reported that their organization’s healthcare costs are significantly or moderately impacted by worker stress. In addition, respondents said they have seen a significant or moderate impact on absenteeism (79%) and on workplace safety (77%), according to the survey by Buck Consultants (www.buckconsultants.com), a Xerox Company.


Proactive Approach


Worker stress levels have increased within the past few years as a result of economy-related factors, such as layoffs, greater workloads, the need for some employees to work second jobs to make ends meet, and lower household incomes due to family members’ lost wages, Hall explains.
 
In response, many employers are taking steps to help their employees manage stress. In fact, Buck Consultants found that 66% of participants in its “Stress in the Workplace” survey have implemented four or more programs aimed at reducing stress, and 22% have at least eight programs in place.
 
According to the survey, the top 10 strategies being used by employers to address stress are:
 
1.An employee assistance program (78%)
2.Flexible work schedules (63%)
3.Work/life balance support programs (46%)
4.Leadership training on worker stress (45%)
5.Online healthy lifestyle programs (45%)
6.Onsite fitness centers (43%)
7.Physical activity programs (38%)
8.Stress awareness campaigns (35%)
9.Financial management classes (30%)
10.Personal health/lifestyle management coaching (29%)


Although offering an onsite fitness center requires a substantial investment, Hall notes that other strategies are not necessarily expensive, such as incorporating more flexibility into work scheduling and promoting underutilized employee assistance programs that the company is already paying for.


Significant ROI


Implementing stress management programs makes good business sense because the return on investment (ROI) is high. “It is a business issue for employers,” Hall says.


Employers that help employees manage stress tend to experience greater employee productivity, higher morale, lower absenteeism, reduced healthcare costs, lower turnover, fewer accidents, and lower workers’ compensation costs, reports Hall.


“Employers increasingly realize they must address the rising tide of employee stress and not just to improve employees’ well-being,” says Hall. “Those who ignore stress will take a hit to their bottom line in higher costs and lower productivity.”


Acknowledge Stress


He says employers should not be “afraid” to acknowledge and address workplace stress. “I think there is still a lot of hesitancy to address it or to bring it up [with employees]. A lot of employers realize that they are a key contributor to it.”


Even if your employees have relatively stress-free jobs, they might still be dealing with stress caused by factors outside of work, he points out.


Although there is no “magic” number of stress management programs to implement, Hall encourages employers to use as many effective programs as possible, because a program or resource “that works for one employee might not work for another.”


What is your company doing to address this issue. Your comments are welcomed.

a reprint from BLR

Long-Term Planning Review

A lot has been said over the years about strategy, and I mean stategy that ties to business objectives and business strategy but not enough has been said about long-term planning.

Long-term planning is essential for a business to maintain their niche or competitive standing. However, as we look at how the economy has impacted our businesses over the past 2 years we have potential lost sight of the long-term and focused on the short-term. Well, short-term is important as we adjust to market conditions but if we do not constantly plan for the future we a business will nor survive.

I maintain that as you develop strategy of the year you need to also look to the future, making sure you have placed enough budgetary emphasis on R&D, product development, and product launches to maintain your competitive advantage.

Have you focused on long-term planning? Please email me your thoughts on this important subject to wgstevens2@gmail.com

Are You Sure Your LinkedIn Profile Is Effective Today?

Is your LinkedIn profile as effective as it could be? While you can see your “profile completeness” score on your profile page, it doesn’t measure profile effectiveness — how good your profile is at attracting contacts, generating leads and showing off your skills. Use this checklist to ensure your profile is thorough, effective and updated.
Use the name you’re known by. Perhaps your name is Robert, but most people know you as Rob or Bob. Or, for women, perhaps you worked under a maiden name for years. Use the name that most people know you by professionally. Cover all your bases by using your main name in your basic information and mention any other names elsewhere such as in the “Professional Headline” field, or in your recommendations. Upload a professional photo. It’s worth the price to use a professional photographer. Create an effective Professional Headline. Add a “Professional Headline” in the “Edit My Profile” page. This is a short bio that sums up what you do. Mine says, “Content Maven aka writer and editor behind meryl.net.”Pick the industry that best represents what you do. Alternatively, you could use your clients’ industry if they all come from the same one. Enter details for current and past positions. Highlight the activities that represent what you do or want to do by mentioning them first. Write a summary that highlights your most important business information. Keep your summary clear and to the point. Remember you can list details under “Current Position.” The point of a summary is to give people instant information on what you do. I’ve looked at various summaries, and there’s no right or wrong way to do it. I used to have a bulleted list, but switched to a short paragraph. When I come across long paragraphs in the summary, I find them hard to read and follow. The shorter ones hold my attention and get the point across fast.List your web sites and blog. Rather than using the name of your web site and blog, use keywords that describe what you do. For example, I use “Writer for hire and blog” instead of “your own name notes,” the name of the blog. Add your Twitter ID.If you haven’t already, add your Twitter name. Request recommendations. It’s OK to ask people to recommend you, but make sure you ask the right people. Write recommendations. Writing recommendations can lead to receiving recommendations. Add applications to enhance your profile. If you have a blog, feed your blog entries into your LinkedIn account with one of LinkedIn’s applications. You can also turn LinkedIn into an online document collaboration platform. Send selected Twitter tweets to LinkedIn. While you can connect your Twitter account to your LinedIn profile, many of us tweet too often or tweet about things that would be irrelevant to our LinkedIn contacts. Instead, select just the tweets you want to show up in your LinkedIn profile by adding the hashtag “#in” to the tweet. You can turn on this feature in Twitter Settings. Select what to display in your public profile. People not connected to you can only see what you allow them to see by setting your Public Profile options. The more you reveal, the easier it is for people to know if they have the right person. Here, you can also set up your Public Profile URL, which shows up as to http://www.linkedin.com/in/yourname.Review your settings. Though I’ve been on LinkedIn for a long time, I still run into new features and settings. Settings cover everything from profile views and email notifications to personal information and privacy settings. You can provide advice on how people should contact you on the Contact Settings page. Mine says, “Email is the best way to reach me.” I have been a strong and forceful proponent of social networking and self promotion in this new world order. I hope that this post will help you in truly distinguishing you from the millions of other HR professionals. 


from Web Worker Daily by Meryl Evans

What Marketers Can Learn From Old Spice

Old Spice rolled out a series of videos on YouTube where their spokesperson directly responded to people's Twitter updates in short, funny clips. This marketing program spread like wildfire on the web, and to me, it seemed to be an incredibly important example of how the web is changing marketing and how businesses connect with customers. Instead of the top-down one-to-many approach, Old Spice tried the opposite. They tried one-to-one. In a single day, the marketing team behind the Old Spice campaign produced 89 videos. That's crazy. And most of them were really offbeat and engaging.


When many businesses try to leverage the web to create an "innovative' marketing program, they focus too much on the technology, and not enough on the people. They create complicated systems where customers earn 'points,' and ask customers to give before they can receive. (eg: opt-in, log in or sign up). But what often works best are things that are simple. Things that engage real people in basic ways. And that's what Old Spice did. These are the lessons from it:

• Get Closer to Customers
• Be Nimble
• Target Influencers
• Target the Little Guy
• Don't Worry About Owning the Platform
• Real-Time is a Powerful Engagement Factor
• Have Fun

Does your marketing program have these elements?

How Good Are Your Delivery Skills?

One thing I learned early on in my career (Career 1.0) was you had to have strong delivery/speaking skills. As I moved up the HR ladder to the executive suite those delivery skills were so important that if you did not have strong speaking/influencing skills you would not be successful. Now in a consulting  and blogging role they play an even more important part in Career 2.0. That also goes for strong grammar and the ability to utilize vocabulary effectively. 


So what should you take away from this blog post? Here are some questions/pointers you should look at or ask to measure your personal ability to communicate and influence effectively:

• do you have command of the audience?
• do you utilize effective use of your voice and inflection?
• do you practice articulation to make sure your delivery is clear to the audience, not just to you?
• do you apply a speaking/delivery strategy to your delivery?
• do you prepare effectively?
• is your presentation at a level that people will understand it clearly?

I can tell you from experience if you do not ask yourself these questions and work on how to fine tune them your ability to communicate effectively will stumble. As I said in the opening paragraph, you need to work on this even prior to your career and hopefully your professors in college provided you with insight and your college with courses on how to "communicate and influence effectively". 

How Heads of HR Should Spot the Future Leaders in Your Business

HR is typically responsible for identifying the future leaders of an organization through succession planning sessions, talent development programs and yes being in the business daily to observe. If you where to look at areas to determine your future leaders, what would you use to do this, absent any formal programs? Here is what I would look at in addition to your programs:

• individuals who consistently deliver ambitious results for the company
• individuals who consistently demonstrate the ability to grow, adapt, and be more flexible than their other top performing peers
• individuals who ask for opportunity and expand their capacity of operation and influence
• individuals who take things to the next level (ie: imagination, creativity, product futures etc)
• individuals who have strong powers of observation, judgement, reactions that are spot on, and EQ
• individuals who are clear thinkers and have a point-of-view that may be counter to the trend, and finally
• individuals who ask questions that are insightful that get the thought process into a creative frenzy.

The bigger question is are you astute enough and involved enough in your organization to see these features in your talent pool? If you need a book to help you read Ram Charan's book Know-How. 

How to Keep Your Top Talent

Practically every company these days has some form of program designed to nurture high-potential employees. But a recent study by the Corporate Executive Board demonstrates that nearly 40% of internal job moves made by people identified by their companies as "high potentials" end in failure. Disengagement within this cohort of employees also is remarkable: One in three emerging stars reported feeling disengaged from his or her company. Even more striking, 12% of all the high potentials in the study said they were actively searching for a new job--suggesting that as the economy rebounds and the labor market warms up, organizations may see their most promising employees take flight in large numbers. Why do companies have so much trouble bringing along their next generation of leaders? The Corporate Executive Board's research showed that senior managers make misguided assumptions about these employees and take actions on their behalf that actually hinder their development. When dealing with high-potential employees, firms tend to make six common errors: assuming that all of them are highly engaged, equating current performance with future potential, delegating the management of high potentials down in the organization, shielding promising employees from early derailment, expecting stars to share the pain of organization-wide cutbacks, and failing to link high potentials and their careers to corporate strategy. These mistakes can doom a company's talent investments to irrelevance--or worse.

Here are some things you should do to keep your top talent on track:

1. don't just assume they are engaged - give them stimulating work, a chance to prosper, and recognition or they will walk
2. don't mistake current high performance for future potential - test candidates for ability, engagement, and aspiration
3. don't delegate talent development to line managers - this will limit the talents access to senior members
4. don't shield talent - place talent in live fire roles
5. don't assume top talent will take one for the team - compensate top talent differently and creatively
6. don't keep young leaders in the dark - share strategy with them

How does your talent management program stack up against these areas? If you think your program needs a thorough review you should click on the link above and read this article in detail.

Goals vs. Objectives and Strategy

First, lets give a quick clarification of definitions. Goals are your general intentions, the big picture aims or you or your company.

Your objectives are the outcomes that represent achievement of that goal. Things you can actually observe. In order to be classified as an objective, you have to measure them. You need a way of defining whether you have or have not completed them successfully.
Strategies are the action plans you’ll execute to reach the objective. Tactics are the pieces and parts of the strategy:

GOAL(S): To increase our company’s footprint through participation in social media.
OBJECTIVE(S): Increase our blog subscribers by 15% in 6 months. Grow our LinkedIn connections by 250 members (a 25% increase) by the end of the year. Establish a Facebook Page with 500 fans within 6 months to 9 months
STRATEGY(IES): Develop a strategy or set of strategies for each one. It is a roadmap for how you will get there.

So that is the set hierarchy. Set these rules in place for as you review and edit your goals, objectives, and strategy for the remainder of 2010 & planning for 2011 to increase your exposure to the world and build your social media portfolio.

Executing in a Fast Changing Environment

This excerpt summary from Workforce Magazine (June 2010) caught my eye because of the ever changing environment HR people are in today. Not only is the business models changing but so is the economy and the drivers of competition.

Executives must be able to lead their companies to quickly adapt to new market forces in this unpredictable economic climate. Under these extreme conditions that face companies survival depends in part to sound strategy but even more so on effective strategy execution. HR executives or aspiring HR executives this is a key point for you in your HR execution.

Because execution plays such a critical role in success or failure, especially during a crisis, many companies are turning to new technology solutions to ensure they can deliver on strategies and emerge even stronger. Any company that fails to adapt quickly and efficiently to market changes can miss important opportunities ir risk their very survival.

With that prologue, here are some key barometers to attain or execute to going forward if you are not already doing this:

• A new strategy is not enough - executing under these extreme market conditions is not enough, meaning you need to make sure you touch every point of the strategy timeline and product offering.
• Align your workforce with what you want to accomplish - workforce alignment and performance is critical.
• Be prepared to change course or rethink your strategy monthly - it is difficult to get your strategy right the first time so review religiously. 
• Leverage performance and talent management solutions for business execution - this will help you attain the top and bottom line results. 

If you are an HR practitioner you need to make sure you are working directly with your CEO to accomplish these goals. If not then you better begin or you will be left out in the cold and people will question your value to the organization. 

Corporate Social Responsibility: HR's Leadership Role

In a global economy, increasingly organizations have a responsibility to facilitate, demonstrate and promote corporate social responsibility (CSR). Long-term sustainability demands that organizations rethink their business goals and objectives from solely focusing on making a profit to corporate citizenship and employee involvement.

Today, the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is beginning to be seen in communities throughout the world--from human rights and labor practices to health care and the environment. At home and abroad, human resources heads play a critical role--that of leading and educating their firms regarding the importance of CSR while at the same time strategically implementing sound HR management practices that support the company's business and CSR goals.

Do you as a human resources leader fall into this cateory, if not why not?

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? 

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How to Transition Your Career

I though that since there are a lot of human resources professionals out in the market today that this information would be helpful. Although, HR practicioners always say that you should network I have found that HR people are the worse offenders. Given that statement, I hope this helps or that you tweak your strategy.

If you are searching for a job or for a new career entirely, you are likely faced with a mixture of emotions: You know you awesome, but you have to convince a hiring manager of the same thing! Maybe you are considering a new path for your future, and are trying to start some things from scratch. Either way, here are some tips on how to approach the next chapter of your career:

• Get Social - You know how they say that your next job will come to you via networking? Increase the chances of that happening by getting more involved in social media. If you're not on Facebook, join. If you're not on Twitter, join. If you're not on LinkedIn, join. But even though these are powerful tools, being social extends offline. Take people out to lunch or for coffee, set up phone calls with people you admire or former colleagues, and meet new people at meetings & events. Don't just rely on Twitter or email to extend a connection, get in touch with people in other ways to build relationships.
• Get Over Yourself - Sorry if this one is blunt, but it has to be said. Oftentimes the biggest barrier we face is ourselves. Maybe you already use Facebook, but have very strict rules about who you friend. You know, like you will friend current real-life friends and close family members, but not second cousins, former colleagues or childhood friends. I totally get that, but...
• Create a Brand Identity - I know, this sounds creepy. You don't want to be a "brand," you just want a job that you deserve. And you're right. But... now you need to find that new gig. So, by 'brand identity' I mean, just find a simple way to explain your value, and be consistent with that explanation across all your networks. How you talk in person with folks, and across online networks. Consider reading "Start with Why" by Simon Sinek.
• Get Involved - Let's just say that now you are on LinkedIn, on Facebook, on Twitter, and maybe even have a blog. Now, get involved with people. This is not about 'having a profile,' but about sharing expertise, sharing your life, listening to others and finding ways to be of assistance. If you are still at the place where you are saying 'nobody cares about what I am eating for lunch,' then you have to ask yourself: how will ANYONE know of your value if lunch is the only thing you can think of updating Twitter with? Your resume is one of a thousand sitting on someone's desk. Find a way to share your value in other ways, not as a resume, but as a person.
• Embrace LinkedIn, Not as a Thing, but a Place - Get serious about LinkedIn. CRAFT your profile, and continually maintain it and make it better. Ask people for recommendations. Get involved with LinkedIn Answers and Groups. There is so much information and networking going on in LinkedIn, and so much of it is in the business context, with each response 100% connected to a person's real name with their real bio/resume. So powerful.
• Help - Seriously. Help people. On Twitter, on Facebook, on LinkedIn, in real life. If you aren't helping people every week, then how are you proving your value? And don't overthink it - don't only help people that you think are 'worth it.' Help everyone you can. I can't stress this enough.
• Create a Support System - This is critical. Transitions wreak havoc on your emotions. Everything is now in question: your identity, your future, your day-to-day. This is going to sound like pre-school, but find a buddy. I'm serious. Find someone that you schedule a weekly phone call with. This call is unchangeable, nothing can get in the way. This is the person you brainstorm with, the person you help and who helps you, the person that you gain some sanity with. If you can, get a few buddies, two or three people you touch base with each week, people who keep you accountable, and help you set and achieve goals. Important caveat: these people need to be outside of your immediate family. People who have no immediate stake in your future.
• Publish or Connect Every Day - This is my rule: every day I must publish or connect. Why? Because it would be all too easy for me to get caught up in SEO research or diving into web analytics reports, but after a few days, realize that NOTHING I did affected anyone else's life. So every day, I must publish something to the web or connect with someone in a meaningful way, usually a phone call, Skype call or lunch.

I want to thank Dan Blank for this information.