Guest Article: Michael Page in deep snow: A monumental failure of leadership by Ross Clennett

It's a month now since the Michael Page ski trip to Mt Buller became very bad news for the company, very quickly. The resulting publicity was a nightmare of epic proportions (just search 'Michael Page ski weekend' to see how widely it was covered). As you can read from an anonymous comment on my original blog about this incident (22/07/2016), it appears that the 'impact' made by some (or
Article source:Ross Clennett - Michael Page in deep snow: A monumental failure of leadership»

Check out more of Ross Clennett's work at hisblog

Guest Article: Help Your Team Be More Productive with these 4 Tips by Jennifer Miller

If you asked your team members what saps their productivity, what would they say? They’d probably mention unnecessary meetings, interruptions or poor communications, right?

What if — shockingly — you were listed as one of the reasons that your team couldn’t get their work done? Wait a minute, you say, I’m not a micromanager; I give them space. And I’m here to help them prioritize if needed. Even though you might not directly interfere with your team members’ daily actions, you may still contribute to their lack of productivity. How? Because you have ignored the one element that helps everyone focus on things that matter most: You haven’t helped them create the space to attend to those important tasks.

The modern office is notoriously bad when it comes to supporting work that requires deep concentration or creativity. Add to that the difficult-to-avoid distractions of technology and interruptions and your team risks operating on a sugar-based work rush, which offers a direct hit to productivity. As a leader, it’s up to you to create an environment that makes it OK to devote more than 15-minute increments to a project. If you don’t proactively set up systems that help your team do that, in essence, you are just one more roadblock that stands in the way of your team getting things done.

 

Most of us tend to think that we’ll do the high-value thinking or planning work “when we are less busy” or “when we get the time.” The reality is that an uninterrupted block of time will never magically appear on our calendars; we have to create that space. Executive coach Marshall Goldsmith says that we all operate under this “dream” that “tomorrow will be different than today,” we’ll have more time, things will slow down.

In this video, Goldsmith has some bad news for us: “It is always going to be crazy out there, and we are always going to be under pressure.” As the saying goes, “Someday is not a day of the week.” One of the biggest gifts you can give to your team is to assist in creating that space so they can concentrate on the most important work to be done.

 

The concept is simple: Create a system that allows people to focus for an uninterrupted amount of time. You might try “Theme Days,” in which people give focus to a whole day (or a four-hour block of time) related to a theme such as “Business Development Day” or “Customer Outreach.” Forbes contributor Kevin Kruse interviewed highly successful people in all domains of work and found that theme days are powerful because they establish a rhythm of focus and attention. Or, you can suggest a time-management method called “batching,” in which people do similar tasks, such as setting aside a morning to tackle all of the week’s paperwork. For the highly analytical among us, ask your team to plan and analyze their common tasks using a timer and 25-minute bursts of work, using the Pomodoro technique.

Regardless of which system you implement, keep these ideas in mind to improve your chances of success.

Get input. Research a few time-management structures and ask your team which ones will work best for the department. You’ll likely find that different people prefer different structures. Set up a few different types so that the majority of people will adopt the system that works for them. Research indicates that most people do well with a 90-minute chunk of time, so start with that if you think that setting aside a whole morning or afternoon isn’t feasible. When people know they can count on one or two times throughout the week when they have time set aside, it frees up their mind from the stress of figuring out, “When will I find the time?”

Try it yourself. Take one of the systems your team identified and test-drive it. When you do this, you set an excellent example. You’ll also uncover flaws in the system. Share these discoveries with your team. Ask them to brainstorm ways to work through the roadblocks. You’ll likely learn something that will help you — and them — improve the use of the system.

Stick to it. If you don’t honor the process you set up, your team will see it as just one more “flavor of the month” idea that you cooked up. If someone comes to you with a request for improving their productivity, back them up. Remember that everybody has differing ideas of how to organize their work, so what works for Tom may not work for Rory. As long as the work gets done and adheres to your company’s values, who cares if it’s unorthodox? You might also have to sell the idea with other departments (“we can’t meet on Tuesdays from 10 to noon, that’s our team Think Time”) so you can gain acceptance throughout the organization.

Pair it up. Chery Gegelman is a leadership-development consultant and owner of Giana Consulting. Years ago, as a team leader, she used a “pair and share” idea as a way to cope with an overwhelming influx of work her customer service team experienced. She created teams of two and batched tasks into two main categories: phone-related work and work requiring direct contact with customers. The pairs worked together on their assigned category (phone or people-related) for a three week cycle. Then the team members switched roles. This method, she said, prevented burnout and kept team members’ skills sharp. There was a positive business aspect as well: of the 10 similarly-structured teams throughout the nation, Gegelman’s team was the only one to meet all of its goals that year.

As a leader, it’s important to consider the role you play in how well your team members manage their time. When it comes to time management, good managers avoid micromanaging and help team members prioritize. Great leaders take things a step farther to create and support systems that help team members devote quality time to solving organizational business problems.

This post originally appeared on Smartbrief’s leadership blog.

Article source:Jennifer Miller - Help Your Team Be More Productive with these 4 Tips»

Guest Article: The Show-Me-State Put on a Real Show by Jay Kuhns, SPHR

We've all been to many conferences over the years. Candidly, some are better than others. Last week I had the privilege to speak at the Missouri SHRM Annual Conference, and was impressed with the entire event.

Now before you think I'm simply praising the conference leadership team please keep this in mind...

The conference is over. If there was going to be a suck-up post it would have come two weeks ago.

Something For Everyone
One of the hallmarks of a good HR conference is the opportunity for leaders at all levels to find something that they can learn. As I've moved further along in my career that has become more challenging. Kudos to the team at #MOSHRM16 for finding ways to include not only the first line managers out there...but the executives as well.

Something Beyond the Presentations
The other part of my experience at Missouri SHRM that was so impactful was, quite honestly, selfishly motivated.

I had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with amazing friends whose leadership and skillful delivery of their presentations make this conference go. People like Lori McCombs, Kristi Jones and Angie Schaefer. New friends Kevin Call and Jamie Notter, as well as old friends Rachelle Roberts, Chris Fields and Charlie Judy.

As it turns out...just like in the workplace, it's the people that make all the difference.

How About You
As you review the various conference options for next year, make sure next August 1st - 4th at #MOSHRM17 is on the top of your list!

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

Article source:Jay Kuhns, SPHR - The Show-Me-State Put on a Real Show»

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

Guest Article: The Difference Between the PHR and SPHR Exams by Ben

The winter testing window is coming up with HRCI (the Human Resources Certification Institute, for you newbies), and you might be wondering what the difference is between the PHR and SPHR exams. With both of the exam pass rates hovering around 50% (54% PHR, 53%  SPHR), it’s critical to make sure you understand the requirements of each and develop a proper plan for preparing. Today I want to explore some of the variations I have seen as well as from some of the feedback from previous students I helped with the certification exams.

Exam Content

The most obvious difference is the one that HRCI tells you about. The exam content for each has a slightly different focus. This is because for lower level HR roles, it’s more important to have a grasp of the laws and other legal requirements. For SPHR test takers, they are typically in higher level roles that require more planning and strategy, hence the big bump in the Business Management and Strategy content area. Here’s the breakdown:

PHR Exam Content Outline

• Business Management and Strategy (11%)
• Workforce Planning and Employment (24%)
• Human Resource Development (18%)
• Compensation and Benefits (19%)
• Employee and Labor Relations (20%)
• Risk Management (8%)

SPHR Exam Content Outline

• Business Management and Strategy (30%)
• Workforce Planning and Employment (17%)
• Human Resource Development (19%)
• Compensation and Benefits (13%)
• Employee and Labor Relations (14%)
• Risk Management (7%)

Specialized Knowledge Requirements

The content for the exams can run across a variety of topic areas. The guide supplied by HRCI is just a starting point, but it helps us to see some of the key differences in PHR and SPHR exam topics. Below is a sampling of the SPHR-only topics that PHR test taker should not have to worry about. That’s not to say they aren’t important, but when you’re prioritizing PHR study time and might not have enough to focus on every topic, skip these. If you’re going for the SPHR, prioritize these.

• Participate as a contributing partner in the organization’s strategic planning process (for example: provide and lead workforce planning discussion with management, develop and present long-term forecast of human capital needs at the organizational level).
• Develop and utilize business metrics to measure achievement of the organization’s strategic goals and objectives (for example: key performance indicators, balanced scorecard).
• Perform cost/benefit analyses on proposed projects.
• Develop policies and procedures to support corporate governance initiatives (for example: whistle-blower protection, code of ethics).
• Identify and evaluate alternatives and recommend strategies for vendor selection and/or outsourcing.
• Oversee or lead the transition and/or implementation of new systems, service centers, and outsourcing.
• Determine the strategic application of integrated technical tools and systems (for example: new enterprise software, performance management tools, self-service technologies).
• Develop, implement and evaluate the succession planning process.
• Evaluate effectiveness of employee training programs through the use of metrics (for example: participant surveys, pre- and post-testing).

Again, this is just a selection of the SPHR-specific content that shows up on the exam, but it is critical to make sure you understand these not only in theory, but in application as well. Just looking at this list, it’s easy to see how “Knowledge of FMLA requirements” is a little different than “evaluate effectiveness of training programs with metrics.” One of them requires a broader knowledge base, skill set, and point of view. That’s not to say the PHR is easy or simple, but there’s a reason there are two separate exams.

Application vs Synthesis Thinking

I alluded to this, but it’s one of the most critical pieces that I always try to explain when people come to me for advice. The way you approach the exam preparation, and the way you develop your mindset/framework for evaluating test questions and answers, is going to depend on the exam. I’ve tried to lay it out below in terms that reflect my own experience as well as the dozens of students I have supported over the years.

The PHR is more about learning terms, concepts, and ideas and then remembering them for the exam. Simple memorization might not work, because you still need to know the “best answer” in some cases, and that requires some critical thinking. However, getting a good set of testing materials and studying well will go a long way towards success on the PHR.

The SPHR is more about blending knowledge from a variety of areas into a cohesive strategy. In fact, “strategy” is the number one way I explain to students that the SPHR is different when they are preparing for the exam. Not only is the first module around strategy and business the largest piece of the exam content–it is also woven throughout the entire question set, forcing test takers to evaluate multiple courses and select the best one. As I wrote in my previous piece on how to pass the SPHR exam:

Seriously, though, there is a strategy to answering questions on the exam. This is critical if you are trying to figure out how to pass the SPHR exam. Here are five keys I used:

This is strategic in nature, meaning that it’s about how HR ties in, and drives, business activities and measures. Write that on your scratch paper when you sit down and every time you read a question glance at that little phrase.

Know how HR activities tie into the business objectives, and look for opportunities to highlight that in an answer everywhere possible

“Strategy,” “company objectives,” and “business needs” are usually the answers when they are options.

It is important to measure, assess, analyze, etc. before actually taking action.

Imagine that you’re not in HR, but that you’re the CEO, especially when the question is focusing on marketing, operations, or another aspect of the business. Answering from that mindset will help to ensure that you’re giving the broad, strategic perspective the test warrants.

Wrapping Up

As you can see, the exams vary in multiple ways. The most important thing to do is pick the one that is a right fit for you and then develop a study plan that prepares you adequately for the test. Your preparation isn’t meant to come simply from a book–your experiences and interactions with other HR professionals both help to drive your certification preparation.

For those of you that have taken both, what differences have you noticed with the PHR and SPHR exams? If you’ve taken just one, did what I shared above line up with your experience? 

Article source:Ben - The Difference Between the PHR and SPHR Exams»

Check out more of Ben Uebanks' work at Upstart HR

Guest Article: Noise is a Failure of Leadership by Jay Kuhns, SPHR

I've been thinking about real work vs. the noise of work. The real work is easy to identify...it's what you were hired to do. The noise of work however often supplants the real work.

How does that happen? Why does it happen? What can be done about it?

Three Questions - One Answer
When I was in high school I was never surprised when some kids lived for gossip, acted immature, or thought they were really slick stirring the pot.  I always thought they were embarrassing themselves.

As I entered the workforce I was surprised to see that those behaviors don't stop.

Ever.

1.  How does it happen?
The noise happens because:
- the immaturity that dominated many of our high school classmates simply does not go away
- leadership allows it to happen

2.  Why does it happen?
The noise happens because:
- those same immature and frequently miserable colleagues of ours are so self-absorbed that they are unable to think at the big-picture level. They will never understand how organizations actually function because they are still wallowing in their own mess.
- leadership allows it to happen

3.  What can be done about it?
This one is easy, but most leaders will not do it.
- leadership needs to be direct, even confrontational if necessary, to not only stop the behavior, but to ensure it never happens again (yes, that means sometimes those team members need to move on and mess up the competition instead of your company)

Attention Leaders: Do Your Job
I've worked with so many leaders that are constantly lamenting the fact that certain members of their team are disruptive (not the good way); unable to lead, etc...yet they are unwilling to take firm, decisive action.

Why?

This answer here is easy too. They are scared to death. Leadership is not a popularity contest. Think about all of the other hardworking, loyal employees who are watching you sit idly by as this scorcher of an employee wreaks havoc on the team.

Guess who looks foolish now?

How About You
Isn't it about time you held the negative influencers accountable for real? Just imagine how impressed the rest of your team will be...with you.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Article source:Jay Kuhns, SPHR - Noise is a Failure of Leadership»

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

Guest Article: How to Analyze Source of Hire Data to Validate Recruiting Efforts by Ben

If you’re interested in additional insights on measuring talent acquisition success, be sure to sign up here to get a free copy of the upcoming report I’m working on. 

What if you had a way to not only see what sources your candidates were coming from, but which ones delivered you the best people that you ended up hiring? This isn’t just possible–it should be a regular activity you perform as an HR/recruiting leader so that you can validate your hiring efforts and expenditures. For instance, what if that job ad you post with every opening sends you a lot of traffic, but nobody actually applies? Or what if your job ads net you a lot of low quality applicants but never anyone that you actually hire?

Recently I was talking with a client about their recruiting practices. While they have things like salary negotiation and first year retention down as far as recruiting goes, they are having some challenges on the technology side. They currently spend a healthy chunk of money every month sponsoring job ads to reach candidates. I am working with them to put a new applicant tracking system in place to allow candidates to apply online and be reviewed by hiring managers. Best of all, there are EEO reports and applicant flow logs they can run to be compliant with the OFCCP regulations. Win, win, win, right?

The challenge comes with their limited budget. If they are spending the money on a recruiting system, then there is less to spend on the sponsored job posts. The problem immediately arose that there were fewer candidates flowing into the system than were found previously with the sponsored advertisements. Hiring managers were a bit unsettled, and the HR team felt like it had to continue spending on ads even though they were also committed to paying for a new applicant tracking system.

My recommendation to them? Look at your source of hire data to see where your best candidates are coming from.

Analyzing Source of Hire

The process for determining source of hire is not challenging if you’re not hiring many people. If you are hiring a lot of people on a regular basis, then hopefully you have a system in place to at least track where they are coming from.

Here is the simple process for determining source of hire.

• Create a spreadsheet
• Put in the names and jobs for your last 20-30 hires
• Add a column to track the source of the candidates (employee referral, sponsored ads, career site, job board, etc.)

Once you have this data, it’s time to do a bit of analysis. Where are you finding your best candidates most often? What source is driving the most hires?

Validating Your Approach

At this point you should be able to see where I’m going with this. By looking at where the candidates are coming from before they ultimately become hires, you are ensuring that your spending is in line with your results.

This ensures you aren’t spending money on resources and advertising channels that aren’t actually performing. Consider this example of a marketing professional trying to gain exposure for her business. She puts $2000 into radio advertising, $2000 into online ads, and $2000 into TV ads.

• The TV ads bring her 100 leads and 10 of them become customers.
• The online ads bring her 1000 leads and 90 of them become customers.
• The radio ads bring her 50 leads and 2 become customers.

Which source was the most effective? If we look purely at conversion rates, the TV ads converted 10% and the other two channels were lower. However, the online ads brought a higher volume and still had a pretty good conversion rate. The radio option was the weakest performing in terms of quantity and quality. Going forward, the marketing pro would use a mix of online and TV ads to continue bringing customers to her business. We can also use the dollars spent to show an ROI. On average, the TV ad customers cost $200 to acquire. That’s valuable information to have, because it tells you how much you have to make on a customer to achieve a breakeven point and start making a profit.

The same concept applies for recruiting. Let’s say you have spent $1000 on sponsored job ads, $1000 on job board posts, and $1000 on your employee referral program. In this example:

• The sponsored job ads brought you 500 candidates and 10 of them were hired.
• The job board posts brought you 600 candidates and 5 of them were hired.
• The employee referral program brought you 10 candidates and 7 of them were hired.

So, what should you continue spending money on, and what should you scale back? Let’s break it down.

• Sponsored ad conversion rate: 2%
• Job board conversion rate: 0.83%
• Employee referral conversion rate: 70%

Clearly the employee referrals were the winner, but as with life, this isn’t a clear cut answer. While it might make sense to spend more money on employee referrals to drive more leads, it also is a somewhat finite resource, which makes it important to evaluate other sources and continuously try to see what is bringing you the best return. Maybe you tweak your job ads with some split testing and find out that you’re able to triple your conversion rate by linking to some employee testimonials or your salary/hiring data on employee review sites.

One final reminder: this might not be the same for all of your jobs or job classes. You may find that for technical/engineering jobs, the best source is a third party recruiter or LinkedIn sponsored content. You may see that admin roles are best filled by job board postings or referrals. That’s why in the first step I had you break down the last set of jobs filled because it’s a good chance that there is a cross section there representative of your organization’s overall hiring efforts.

Once you have your top sources of hire identified, you can move on to things like the candidate experience and recruiting like a marketer to improve your overall results. I recommend a regularly scheduled analysis of your recruiting performance from a source of hire perspective as a way to determine the best sources for finding the right candidates for your organization.

Reminder: be sure to sign up here to get a free copy of the upcoming report I’m working on around measuring recruiting efforts.

What sources consistently bring you the best candidates and hires? How do you know? 

Article source:Ben - How to Analyze Source of Hire Data to Validate Recruiting Efforts»

Check out more of Ben Uebanks' work at Upstart HR

Guest Article: Don't Bring Me Back Again by Jay Kuhns, SPHR

"If only. Those must be the two saddest words in the world."
- Mercedes Lackey

Earlier this summer I had an opportunity to speak about my career to our team of interns (and other team members!) at Kinetix. They were kind and listened and smiled at me. 

As I was talking about the most important decisions in my professional life a theme emerged.

Taking risks.

But Something Bad Might Happen
No kidding. That's why it's called risk. For me, risk has turned out to be one of the only ways I could move my career forward at the pace I wanted it to move. 

Did every decision turn out for the best? No.

Would I be as blessed as I am today without taking those big chances? No way.

Live Your Life
Following the talk about my professional journey I was asked a number of questions in private about those choices. I urged them all to put in more effort (which almost always equals more time invested putting in that effort.) 

I know all about "work smarter, not harder" - but, the reality is everyone I've ever seen get ahead in this life put in a heck of a lot of time, and didn't make excuses about leaving early because they "worked smarter that day."

How About You
Have you embraced risk as a career strategy? The payoff can be more than you ever dreamt possible. Plus, you won't be stuck wallowing in regret. That is a place that no one ever wants to go.

A little bonus is that you might also find ways to take some pretty exciting risks in your personal life as well. It sure worked for me.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Article source:Jay Kuhns, SPHR - Don't Bring Me Back Again»

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