Guest Article: The Talent Mandate Book Review by Ben

The Talent Mandate: Why Smart Companies Put People First by Andrew Benett

I have learned that based on my own interests and daily work, I am eager to consume just about anything I can find related to talent management. When I got this review copy, I dove in and while it’s been a while coming, I finally had time to put together a review of this excellent resource.

Things I liked

• Show, don’t just tell. Stop saying, “People are our greatest asset!” and actually demonstrate how it’s true. Actions speak louder than words.

• Make culture a priority. “There is something strangely intangible about culture, something that can be felt but not always articulated.” In other words, culture is what happens when you are not looking. So how do you embed that into your organization? Codify what is important. Form a “Culture Corps” to define why people like working for the organization, what the organization and people aspire to be/achieve over time, and reinforce both.


• Always be asking three critical questions: is the culture grounded in values, does the culture promote cohesion, does the CEO make culture a top priority? If the answer to any of those is “no,” then you’re going to face difficulties in maintaining the best culture for the organization.


• Consider a “manager detox.” New managers at Rackspace are required to undergo a three day training to “un-learn” outside thinking to avoid polluting the new environment. We’ve all run into “that’s how we did it at my last job” situations, and many of those with questionable results. This process helps to overcome those potential conflicts.


• “Be comfortable with what you don’t know.” The best ideas come from a team, not just from a single executive. Every employee wants to make an impact, so give them a chance!


• Hiring for agility as a competency. This means looking for strong thinkers who can apply their knowledge to different types of business problems. Agile leaders focus first on big picture and then on how their piece will contribute to that. Dave Ulrich provides a model describing four types of agility: learning (curious, finds simplicity in complexity), people (self-aware, makes other succeed), change (likes to experiment), results (flexible in ideas, works well in teams). The bottom line: find someone with those traits and you’ll have an excellent example of an agile leader on your hands.

Final thoughts

If you’re also looking for ideas and tips on talent management, then I encourage you to check this book out. I think you’ll learn a few things, see some old concepts in a new light, and challenge yourself and your organization to be better at managing talent overall. The Talent Mandate is a great book. Click here if you would like your own copy.

The post The Talent Mandate Book Review appeared first on upstartHR.

Article source:Ben - The Talent Mandate Book Review»



Check out more of Ben Uebanks' work at Upstart HR

4 Strategies to Reducing Turnover

Employee turnover can be a high expense to a company. The time and money that go into recruiting and training staff is remarkably costly, and the added pressure to the remaining team can affect the company’s success when turnover is high. To avoid this problem, employers need to identify potential triggers of turnover and devise strategies to prevent it.

Review your hiring history

Sometimes it’s not your workplace that is the issue but perhaps you could simply be hiring the wrong people for the job. The hiring process should not only successfully identify qualified and capable candidates but also accurately filter out those do not fit the criteria and may not be a long term solution. In order to achieve this it is important to review your hiring procedures, interview questions, and the people who are making the recruitment decisions. Effective recruitment procedures will save your company both time and money.

Conduct exit interviews for every departure

The purpose of exit interviews is to obtain feedback on why the employee is leaving and to find out what the employee likes or dislikes about their role. This information is vital because it allows you to reflect on possible areas that require improvement in order to increase employee satisfaction, reduce turnover, and move your company forward.

 

Open lines of communication

It is important to have open lines of communication with your employees where they can easily approach you if they have any suggestions or concerns. It is understandable that not all suggestions will be viable but it is important for them to know their opinions are valued. Open communication boosts employee satisfaction and can also give you advanced warning if someone is unhappy. You will then be able to address their issues, reduce their likelihood of leaving and reassure employees that they are valued.

Employee recognition and investment

Increased opportunity for recognition helps your employees feel more valued, and shows them that you are invested in their work and career. This is vital in retaining top talent and also identifies employees that require more training and mentoring. This is beneficial to your company because it creates an environment where new ideas are encouraged and good work is rewarded. Thus employees are motivated to perform and stay within the company.

Need assistance increasing retention?

Psych Press has developed online and highly cost effective tools that identify long term employees long before you run the risk of loss. Learn more about the benefits of online screening here.

Guest Article: I'm Invincible by Jay Kuhns, SPHR

I juggle a lot of priorities in my life, both personally and professionally. I'm the strong one, the one that can handle everything, the one who is cool under pressure, the one with a clear vision, and the one who never gets too flustered when things don't go as planned.



At least that's the feedback I get sometimes...and humbly try to deflect for one important reason: I'm human. I'm not infallible. I feel the pressure just like you do.



Leadership is Hard

Sometimes the role of "leader" gets lost in the trappings of adjectives, and compliments, and a little bit of sucking up. I understand. Those things are part of the world we live in, and usually are well intended and sincere.


What I find that can be more difficult for others to see is that despite the self-confidence and willingness to take risks, leaders are still regular people who have the same emotions, concerns, and fears.


We're just better at not letting them show.


Be Real...Be Invincible

It's funny that despite the leadership development programs, thousands upon thousands of leadership books, and the new wave of thought leaders in the blogosphere, there continues to be such dramatic differences in how leaders do their work.




Some of us try to connect more effectively with our teams by sharing our real selves, discussing personal issues, and making fun of ourselves when we make mistakes (I have to do that last one A LOT!)


Yet somehow, we're also expected (perhaps self-imposed) to be strong regardless of the situation. Calm, as the hurricane winds of change blow violently around us. Champions for all in the middle of the chaos.



Friends, sometimes that feels like an awful lot to manage for one person.


How About You

Is the balance between human being and super-human leader something you have mastered? If so, I want to know your secret. I will admit, I love my role as a leader, and wouldn't trade it for any other job in the world. But in the spirit of keeping it real...sometimes it scares the hell out of me.



I'd love to hear from you.


No Excuses.




pic







Article source:Jay Kuhns, SPHR - I'm Invincible»



Check out more of Jay Kuhns' work at No Excuses HR

Guest Article: Recruitment industry used as easy scapegoat, yet again by Ross Clennett

Yet again we see the recruitment agency-bashing focus of the mainstream media is alive and well in Australia. Witness a recent a one-sided non-story in Fairfax Media’s Canberra Times entitled Public sector employment freeze proves a jobs boon for private recruiters. Writer Noel Towell decided that the new Abbott Government’s use of recruitment agencies while ordering

Article source:Ross Clennett - Recruitment industry used as easy scapegoat, yet again»



Check out more of Ross Clennett's work at hisblog

Guest Article: Happy Mardi Gras! by Robin Schooling

The post Happy Mardi Gras! appeared first on HR Schoolhouse.

Article source:Robin Schooling - Happy Mardi Gras!»



Check out more of Robin's work at HR Schoolhouse and Silver Zebras

Guest Article: HR Philosophy from the Trenches by Ben

I have 2 HR philosophies; “Keep It Simple” and “Deal With the Problem”. My that I mean that people always seem so scared of dealing with something going wrong because they see it as conflict and that they will upset the person involved. The way I approach it is, something has happened, and that is what we need to address. I’m not going to belittle them, or attack them, we just need to address the issue as soon as possible. ~Leeanne, a dedicated upstartHR reader

Recently I asked some questions of a few of my audience members as a way to learn how to provide content that is better targeted toward their needs. I received the comments above from Leeanne, and I got her permission to share them here. I absolutely love them and wanted to take some time to unpack the comments here for the benefit of the rest of you out there. As we say here in the Bible Belt, I’m going to step on some toes today, but it’s good for each of us to get that once in a while. Heck, half the advice I give here is to hold myself accountable for doing the right thing instead of the easy thing. Listen up, school’s in session…

Keep it simple

When people come to HR with an issue, they expect a complicated answer, whether one is required or not. I will never understand the unnecessary over-complication that many in this profession leap to, because it doesn’t do a single thing to endear us to the rest of the organization. Give a long-winded and unhelpful answer often enough, and people will stop coming to you for help, advice, answers, etc.

Look at the problem. Help dig up all of the potential pitfalls and snags. Ask good questions (be curious, not demanding or accusatory). Then help the person arrive at a conclusion, whether you provide it or they come to it organically.

Bottom line: stop trying to make things more complex because it makes you feel smarter. It makes people hate you. That might hurt, but it’s true.

Deal with the problem

If you’ve been in HR for any length of time, you know we run into conflict on some level fairly often. Probably every seven minutes on average. :-) Seriously, it’s just a part of the job. How you handle it (as with the suggestions above) can help to improve the situation or make it much, much worse.

Look back at the directions for asking questions above: be curious. Be genuinely curious. Detach yourself from the situation, pull the emotions out of it, and try to determine the response that will result in a winning solution for all parties involved. Sometimes there are situations where that just isn’t possible, but it’s amazing how often you can arrive at a solution that the “problem” person will be happy with.

Recently I had to help a supervisor counsel an employee, and the employee went out of their way to thank the supervisor for bringing it to their attention, showing them that they cared, and not giving up on them during their difficult times.Yes, a disciplinary action followed by a “thank you.” It can be done, if you and the manager care enough to make it work. That’s not to say the situation is immediately and permanently resolved, but if you give respect you’ll often get it in return.

A few more things to keep in mind: don’t demand answers immediately, be focused on the facts (instead of only opinions), and mentally put yourself in the position of both the “problem” person and their manager. How would you want someone to advise you if you were in one of those positions? Don’t just say, “This is the policy. Follow it.” Any idiot can point to a policy, grunt, and go on with their day. It takes courage and wisdom to handle these situations with more attention and care than that. These are the people that drive your business. Don’t they deserve at least that much from you?

Again, thank you to Leeanne for the input. Those were excellent comments, and I appreciate you taking the time to share. If anyone else ever feels like shooting me an email, I’m always happy to get them (even if I can’t always respond to everyone due to the volume!). Hit me here if you have ideas or comments. Thanks!

The post HR Philosophy from the Trenches appeared first on upstartHR.

Article source:Ben - HR Philosophy from the Trenches»



Check out more of Ben Uebanks' work at Upstart HR

Choosing to work for a small or large company

“Should I work for a small or large company – what is right for me and my career?”

In today’s competitive job market, some of us may dismiss this question as unimportant as we often prefer to prioritise getting any job offer that comes along. However, corporate size does matter when choosing which company will help you and your career the most, the size of a company can provide great insights into the kind of work environment you’re going to be working in. Both small and large companies come with their own pros and cons, and selecting which is right for you will depend on your personal and professional preferences, values, and goals.

Here are five elements that distinguish small and large companies, some of which may help you decide which one fits you better:

Resources

Large companies win a clear advantage over small companies when it comes to resources. Generally speaking, large companies have greater amount and access to financial, capital, and human resources. This means that larger companies have better abilities to invest in new ideas, support the research and development of new products, finance employees’ professional development, and provide higher financial incentives for their employees. In contrast, small companies tend to have more limited access to resources, pushing them to utilise their available resources wisely, efficiently, effectively, and creatively.

Structure, protocols, and systems

In large companies, there tend to be more established structures, protocols, and systems in place. As such, if the organisation defines and organises these structures well, the minute you walk into the organisation, you should have little difficulty figuring out your role and responsibilities, as well as how things normally work in the company. Conversely, small companies tend to have less structure. This may facilitate flexibility, communication, and decision-making processes as there are less people to go through.

Business agility

Business agility refers to the speed at which a company can respond to changes in the business environment. Due to the large amount of resources that large companies need to manage, they tend to lack agility. Major changes often need to be run through multiple levels of executives and therefore cannot simply be made overnight. Small companies, on the other hand, may be able to get the wheel running at a faster pace. Communication processes are generally simpler in smaller companies, allowing for swift decision-making.

Visibility of your success

In a big company, being one out of the hundreds (or thousands) of employees in the company means your successes may be less visible to your colleagues and bosses unless your position is high up and your accomplishment is immensely significant. In comparison, your successes tend to be more magnified in small companies, and everyone across the board is more likely to recognise them. This makes small companies a great environment for those who are looking to establish their skillsets and abilities, build reputation and credibility, and gain references.

Advancement opportunity

Large companies are more equipped to provide you with set advancement opportunities. This is simply because there are more roles to fill in large organisations than small ones, and thus, if you are looking to get ahead without having to move companies, working for a large organisation is for you. This being said, smaller companies can allow employees to expand their responsibilities within the same role without formal hassle, making it simple to try new areas and build on certain skills.

Hopefully the above list helps you to decide which environment suits your personal and professional values and goals. Think about the pros and cons of each, and what would enable you to achieve your long-term professional goals instead of the short-term ones. Remember, while the characteristics of a small vs. large business are often very different, it's important to be objective about how each organisation you come across relates to your goals. So regardless of the size be sure to stay open minded and ask questions!

Need career advice? Get objective advice on your potential future career choices with CareeringAhead™