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In Today’s Workplace You Must Have A Change Strategy

Sunday, August 14th, 2011

I am not sure why so many managers approach each day in the same way when the world just isn’t the same place. The result is organizations that have outdated or ineffective strategies to deal with today’s world, on today’s terms. They continue to do what they have always done, expecting better results. We all know the adage, “Insanity is doing the same thing, expecting different results.” If that is the case, then I have met an amazing number of insane managers.

In an economy that constantly changes a significant rate, all organizations must have a change strategy – a strategy for dealing with change to be successful and responsive. Many times we see organizations offering outdated “value” because the world has changed and they have not.

This process should not be limited to management. Employees have perspectives; they are also connected to networks. Today’s employees are now the eyes and ears of the organization. They are a critical component of a successful change strategy.

All employees should be regularly requested to share their perspectives of what they see and hear, and how it impacts the company. Creating a culture of constantly reviewing the world, the economy and workplace, to understand it and then to develop a powerful response, is now an urgent priority for management.

Here are a couple of things I suggest to the companies I work with to encourage them to clearly understand their world, their company, and how they fit with each other:
1. Identify any significant change going on in the world, economy, local environment or other area that could impact the business.
2. Assess the impact of the change. Gather input and ideas from everyone in the organization (there is no role too junior to be excluded from this process). All employees have ideas, input and connections.
3. Review your current strategy to determine if your strategy will respond to this change in a successful way; if not, brainstorm ideas for change.
4. Review all ideas for change; management then decides the right course of action (if any).
5. Share the change or response with the organization – be clear about how it impacts each employee’s work and the direction of the company.

Nothing stays the same. What makes it more urgent in today’s workplace is that the speed of information movement makes us all aware of the changes. Those who have a mechanism to assess change, related it to the organization, and quickly and nimbly respond, are those who will lead instead of follow. And to do this just takes a new attitude about how we welcome and use change.

Tags: brainstorm, building a strategy, change strategy, economy, employee networks, employee performance, handling change, management, recession, strategy, use change, welcoming change
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Three Things M&M’s Tell You About Hiring Great People

Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011

Yum, M&M’s – those delicious little candy with a mix of colors on the outside and great filling on the inside. Who would have thought that an M&M would have so much to tell us about hiring and performance?

Today’s workplace in an intellectual or service workplace – much of manufacturing has moved offshore. Most employees are now face-to-face with customers, not hiding behind machines or out of view. This changes everything about performance as employees must now be good at what they do and interested in doing it (because if not, customers know it). Today, talents and passions impact performance – and these are resident in our employees “filling” – in their minds and in their hearts – not in their “candy coating.”

Think about M&M’s as you start your hiring and job interviewing process:
1. Hire for filling – hire for a candidate’s unique abilities. Since we are all unique, there is no way to judge the caliber of the talents, strengths and passions by reviewing the exterior candy coating. Be clear about the talents, strengths and passions that drive success in the role, and hire those. Get past the candy coating and hire what really matters – filling.

2. Appreciate the candy coating – the candidate’s ethnicity, age, gender, religion, etc. are all the added value that accompanies the right “filling.” Hiring older employees may bring stability and greater loyalty; hiring younger employees may bring greater technology and energy. And the right combination of talents and passions for a particular role could be resident in either.

3. Mix them up for the greatest impact –blending the right thinking (filling), with a diverse combination (candy coating) creates a workforce that emulates the true consumer population, encourages greater idea and opportunity thinking (because of diverse backgrounds) and helps the workforce learn to appreciate differences.

M&Ms remind us that in today’s thinking workplace, “filling” matters most. It is in how employees think and respond that inspires customer loyalty and adds value for the organization. Not only does this approach eliminate any bias against protected classes, it offers organizations the best workforce in today’s diverse economy.

Tags: A-level talent, diversity, hiring, hiring bias, how to hire, M&M, management, right employee, workforce, workplace diversity
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Core Values – They Tell The World What You Stand For

Monday, July 25th, 2011

Once a year, on January first, my family’s tradition was to celebrate the new year with a walk to the beach (we lived on Cape Cod), have a great dinner (we’re Italian – food is the way to celebrate everything) and then get to writing New Year’s resolutions. This was the one formal time of year we were reminded that to advance in life, not only do we need a plan, but we need to be clear about who we are and what we stand for.

Most organizations could benefit from a similar process of clearly defining their core values – what they stand for. Company core values can do the following:
1. They clearly define the behaviors the organization commits to in its day-to-day activities – it defines beliefs and performance commitments.

2. They tell job applicants what they can expect in the workplace – and attracts A-level talent (great employees want to work for organizations who share your values – and to share the values, they must know your values).

3. They share with clients or customers the core behaviors customers will find in dealing with employees (and creates a standard of performance).

4. Distinguishes the organization from others and openly shares its commitment to excellence.

Core values are so critical that in the Zappos culture, all job interviewing includes an assessment of the candidate’s talents/skills as well as an assessment of values fit. Both components are required for an employee to not only get the job but also to keep the job.

Here are the 10 core values of my organization:
1. Consistently deliver an extraordinary client “experience.”
2. Embrace and drive change.
3. Be creative, solutions-focused and open-minded.
4. Build a positive team and family spirit.
5. Always learn and grow.
6. Communicate openly, honestly and respectfully.
7. Be accountable – do your share.
8. Add value and make a difference.
9. Be a force for good in the community.
10. Have fun and keep it real.

Values create organizational culture; culture inspires employee performance and customer loyalty. At least once a year, like my Italian family, go through an exercise of defining (or redefining) your guiding beliefs and values.

What are your values and what do they tell the world about your organization, workplace, client experience and focus on excellence? Why should the best work for you or buy from you?

Tags: company values, core values, customer loyalty, employee performance, workplace culture
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Make All Your Employees Talent Scouts

Sunday, July 17th, 2011

Today’s intellectual (thinking) workplace has redefined what we need from our employees. Employees no longer complete rote tasks; today’s service workplace now requires employees to think their way through constantly changing customer situations to provide responses that are customized and personalized. This means today’s employees must think in particular ways to be consistently effective, to inspire customer loyalty, and to drive profitability.

An organization’s most significant asset is the intellectual capital of their employees – how they think, invent, create and respond. Therefore, every organization needs employees who are the right fit for the job – employees who have the right talents, skills and experience – they connect to customers and drive results. This makes the sourcing and selection process both more critical and more difficult.

No longer will most any employee be able to do any job. Fit matters. And to find employees who fit the role, the organization now needs a greater list of candidates to select from – to ensure the attributes needed to drive performance exist within the candidate. This focus on fit now requires a fuller pipeline of viable candidates. And one of the greatest ways to fill the talent pipeline is to use your workforce’s connections and sourcing ability.

Consider the following ways to use your workforce to identify, find and recruit A-level (the right fit) employees:

1. Clearly identify the talent profile of for each role (this should identify the talents, skills and experience needed to be effective in the role). Share this information with all employees. Now employees know the attributes needed to be effective in each role.

2. Have all employees take a talent assessment, to be better aware of their natural abilities (talents and strengths) and to become familiar with the nomenclature of talents. Having a common language of talents allows the organization to better define, discuss and understand what attributes are key for each role, and what attributes must be sourced.

3. Provide talent scout business cards to all employees; these cards have the employees’ name and “Talent Scout” as their role. Coach employees to give cards to those people they see in their normal day who exhibit the talents and attitudes needed in company roles. Invite these people to find out more about the company. This starts to fill the talent pipeline so that when openings do happen, the organization has already started to source good fit candidates.

4. Have employees talk about open company roles to their (social and professional) networks.

No longer can management be solely responsible for sourcing all talent. Employees see and talk to (talented) people all day. They are connected to personal and professional networks. Be sure they know what attributes encourage great “fit” in each role and send them out to the world to scout for (the right) talent.

Tags: A-level talent, find the right employee, Hiring employees, hiring the right employees, job fit, manager, social networks, talent
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