Attracting Talent in Spikes and Firms

If you want to create wealth, find and address scarcity. Chris Anderson proclaims the economics of abundance, but abundance in certain areas inevitably generates relative scarcity in others.

Emerging Scarcities
I have posted in the past about the growing relative scarcity of attention. This is a key factor in the growing power of customers and their ability to squeeze margins of firms, especially in times of great abundance. There’s another scarcity that will also squeeze margins of firms, at least in the near-term. That’s the relative scarcity of talent. In times of great abundance, the ability to stand apart from all the others becomes increasingly valuable and this in turn depends upon the ability to mobilize talent. In more and more domains, talent is capturing growing premiums. Between pressure from customers and talent, corporations will find it increasingly challenging to capture economic value in times of great abundance because they have not yet mastered the techniques required to address the new scarcities.

These two scarcities are related at multiple levels. As just one example, the growing power of customers resulting from the relative scarcity of attention increases the need for sustained innovation which in turn increases the relative value of talent.

Talent in Spikes
Richard Florida recently did a great post summarizing the role of talent in driving regional economic development (by all means, don’t miss the study by Edward Glaeser on “Cities, Information and Economic Growth" cited in Richard’s post). Reading this account, I couldn’t help but think about the role of talent in driving value creation for the firm. One of the most important observations Richard makes is:

While most economists . . . continue to conceptualize human capital as a “stock” or “endowment” of a given place – either you have it or you don’t. But the reality is that human capital is a flow. The key question thus becomes: What factors shape that flow and determine the divergent levels of human capital across regions?

Human capital, or talent, is definitely not a stock, especially in rapidly changing times. Talent flows readily across geographies (immigration laws permitting – for a fascinating comparison of trends in immigration laws in seven high income countries, check out this report and then this discussion of "brain drain" from rural to metropolitan areas in the US), attracted by opportunities to realize greater economic value. Talent similarly flows across institutional boundaries.

But talent also flows in the sense of more rapidly evolving and developing in times of great change. Today’s talent is tomorrow’s incompetence, unless the talent is continually refreshed. People with talent generally realize this. They increasingly seek out geographic and institutional homes that will help them to refresh their talent more rapidly. This is one of the reasons that the spikes – geographic concentrations of economic activity, innovation and talent - Richard talks about will become more rather than less important. They provide fertile ground for refreshing talent more rapidly.

Talent in Firms
Firms are a different matter. They may or may not do a good job of refreshing talent. There’s a reason that people keep citing General Electric for its talent development practices – most corporations are not very good at it. Unfortunately, certain management mindsets tend to limit the success of many firms. I’ll briefly mention five of these mindsets:

Attract and retain vs. develop. When management focuses on talent, it tends to emphasize the challenges of attracting and retaining talent, while paying much less attention to the need to develop talent aggressively. Unfortunately, many executives view the war for talent as being won upon acceptance of offers to join the firm. From my experience, the firms that focus on developing talent more rapidly do the best of attracting and retaining talent. Word spreads and talented individuals seek out these companies. Once in the firm, these individuals are less vulnerable to offers from other firms because they realize that their value will increase more rapidly if they stay with the firm that develops them more rapidly.

Training vs. learning. When companies do focus on developing talent, they often emphasize formal training programs. While these programs certainly have a role in talent development, they pale in comparison to the rapid learning that occurs when employees are put in situations that challenge them to get better faster on a daily basis. Toyota does a remarkable job of this, expecting all of their employees, especially the front-line factory workers, to push the boundaries of performance. For Toyota, talent is far from a static concept. It is continually refreshed by defining and tackling performance issues throughout the company.

Attract and retain vs. access and motivate. Talent strategies of companies often focus too narrowly on the talent that resides within the enterprise. One of my favorite quotes is from Bill Joy, a founder of Sun, who noted that “there are always more smart people outside your company than within it.” Few companies make a systematic effort to map the relevant talent that exists outside the company. Even fewer companies develop effective strategies to access and motivate that talent through networks of relationships, including positioning in relevant spikes around the world. Internal talent will develop more rapidly when it interacts with relevant talent outside the firm through these networks. Don’t just focus on developing your own talent. Find ways to accelerate talent development in your business partners as well by defining challenging performance targets and then mobilizing your own talent to help these business partners become successful. Companies
that do this well will find leading companies approaching them to become business partners, creating a virtuous cycle in talent development.

Automation vs. amplification. Too many companies have concentrated their IT investment on initiatives to automate processes – removing people wherever possible – rather than exploring how IT might be better used to amplify the talent of the people left. New generations of collaboration tools, supported by new IT architectures, could help firms to more rapidly develop talent. Flexible e-learning platforms and collaboration on demand platforms represent just some of the opportunities available to harness IT for talent development.

Strategic importance of growth. Growth offers many benefits to the firm, but one of the most overlooked is the value in terms of talent development. I have written about this here and here. Talent develops a lot more rapidly when firms grow rapidly because individuals are more frequently placed in new and challenging roles relative to individuals working with lower growth firms. A low growth firm is often vulnerable to talent erosion.

At the most fundamental level, the rationale for the firm is shifting. As JSB and I have written, the rationale for the firm articulated by Ronald Coase back in the 1930s – that firms exist to economize on transaction costs - is diminishing in importance as continued innovation in IT systematically drives down transaction costs. In its place, we are seeing a new rationale for the firm emerge – firms exist to accelerate talent development. This is increasingly the reason why people choose to affiliate with firms. They believe they can get better faster by working with others within the firm, as well as with others across firms, through the privileged relationships built by the firm. If firms can’t find ways to deliver on this promise, talent will exit and Tom Malone’s e-lance economy will flourish.

In a perverse way, geographic spikes and firms face opposite challenges. As spikes form and achieve critical mass, network effects begin to take over and a virtuous cycle emerges – the more people that participate in the spike, the more valuable the spike becomes as a source of talent development. In contrast, the larger the firm becomes, the more difficult it is to sustain high growth rates and the more likely that inertial forces will take over and limit the potential for talent development, setting in motion a vicious cycle – talent tends to leave to seek out more hospitable homes and growth slows even further. The winners in the global economy will be the firms that can find ways to break this vicious cycle and harness network effects for talent development both within and across firms.

Posted by John Hagel on November 29, 2006 | Permalink
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Hi --

What is in-play is a transformation of the firm from TCE (transaction-cost economics) to the KBV (knowledge-based view.)

In KBV the firm is a unique social construct. It is a set of potent networks that create and monetize knowledge. These value networks are irreproducible and sustain mighty competitiveness.

As noted, with the KBV, talent and leadership development is intensely collaborative and flow centered. This usurps traditional talent and leadership development models, measures, offerings and their proponents. It unnerves the typical command-and-control TCE mangers. KBV talent methods include conversation, network analysis, value visualization, complexity science, individuated social media and knowledge markets.

The leadership goal for KBV talent is mastery of distributed phronesis -- wisdom in determining ends and the means of attaining them.

The Corporate Lifecycle

At the foundation of effective management for any organization is the fundamental truth that all organizations, like all living organisms, have a lifecycle and undergo very predictable and repetitive patterns of behavior as they grow and develop. At each new stage of development an organization is faced with a unique set of challenges. How well or poorly management addresses these challenges, and leads a healthy transition from one stage to the next, has a significant impact on the success or failure of their organization.

Leading an organization through lifecycle transitions is not easy, or obvious. The same methods that produce success in one stage can create failure in the next. Fundamental changes in leadership and management are all required, with an approach that delicately balances the amount of control and flexibility needed for each stage. Leaders who fail to understand what is needed (and not needed) can inhibit the development of their companies or plunge them into premature aging.

The challenges that every organization must overcome at each stage of development first manifest themselves as problems that arise from the growth and success of the company and from external changes in markets, competitors, technology and the general business and political environment. This simple, unavoidable reality leads to the following five important insights about the nature of problems in organizations.

Problems are normal and desirable. Problems are the natural result of change. The only place on the lifecycle curve where there are no problems is the place where there is no change, which is

Death. If you think that good managers are those whose organizations have no problems, think again. Your reward for successfully resolving the problems that confront you today, is a set of new problems tomorrow that will be larger and more complex. If your company faces a high rate of change in your markets, technology or industry, your challenge is magnified. The faster the rate of change, the faster problems appear and grow.

Your role as a leader is not to prevent problems or slow the pace of change. Instead, focus on accelerating your organization's ability to recognize and resolve problems. Your ability to work together as a team and quickly tackle any and all situations, or decide not to, is your ultimate competitive advantage.

Some of the problems you face are normal and some are abnormal. Normal problems are those that are expected for a given lifecycle stage. Abnormal problems are those that are not expected (or desirable) in a stage of the lifecycle. Since you will never have enough time or resources to address all the problems you face, focus on abnormal problems. Many normal problems can be ignored since they tend to resolve themselves during the natural course of growth and development.

You can drive your organization faster when you know the road ahead. Most of the issues you face are common to all organizations. There is no need for you to reinvent the wheel. You can save a lot of time and effort by thoroughly understanding the nature of all 10 stages in the lifecycle, and knowing what it takes to transition from one stage to the next. If you and your management team share a common understanding of this knowledge before problems arise, it will also help you attack the problems, instead of attacking each other.

Prime is the Fountain of Youth for Organizations. One key difference between the lifecycle for human beings versus organizations is that living things inevitably die, while organizations need not. The "age" of a company in terms of its lifecycle is not related to its chronological age, the number of employees, or the size of its assets. Instead, the lifecycle age is defined by the interrelationship between flexibility and control. There is a fountain of youth for organizations called Prime. An organization that is in Prime has achieved a balance between control and flexibility. A Prime organization knows what it is doing, where it is going, and how it will get there. It also enjoys both high growth and high profitability. Once an organization reaches Prime, leadership must work to sustain that position.

About Adizes

Adizes is a change management organization that specializes in helping CEOs, top management teams, boards and owners quickly and effectively accelerate through lifecycle transitions. The relationship it forges with its clients is much like that between the Olympic Training Center and the complete program of support they provide to athletics that want to become world champions. Adizes strives to help its clients dramatically improve the performance of their organizations, achieve sustainable revenue and profitability targets, and "Prime" conditions of operations. Adizes is careful about the companies it selects as clients. It is a small highly specialized "boutique" company on purpose. Since 1973, the organization has worked with clients in 48 countries from 75 different industries that range in size from the Global 100 to start-ups. All Adizes clients share a common goal of getting to "Prime" on the corporate lifecycle and enjoying both high growth and high profitability.

About Dr. Ichak Adizes

Dr. Ichak Adizes is one of the world's leading experts on improving the performance of business and government organizations by making fundamental changes without the destructive conflict that plague many major change efforts. Since 1973 he has been involved with companies that range from the Global 100 to start-ups in more than 40 countries serving many different industries. He has also consulted to several heads of state. He is the author of seven books that have been translated into 22 languages. His work has been featured in Fortune, Forbes, Business Week, Inc. Magazine, Financial Times and the New York Times. Dr. Adizes is the Founder and Professional Director of the Adizes Institute.

Managing Corporate Life Cycles, 2nd Edition by Dr. Ichak Adizes.
Published by the Adizes Institute. © 2004, Ichak Adizes.

http://www.adizes.com/corporate_lifecycle_overview.html

Leading by Example in a World of Copy Cats

When you are in a leadership position, what is the one principle that is the root of everything you do across the board? Lead by example. Why is that? Because we live in a world of copy cats and people do what they see their leaders do.

For example, say the CEO of a company is using his petty cash account for personal expenses (such as a 2008 Mercedes), rather than business expenses. Now Bob in sales knows what the CEO is up to. And it’s likely that Bob won’t report the events. Instead, he’ll follow in his CEO’s footsteps and start requesting reimbursements for the dinner he had out last week. No one has to know it was just him, the wife and the kids. He can say it was a business dinner with potential clients. Afterall, if the CEO gets away with it, so should Bob.

Think about it. Every part of business (and personal life) in which you are trying to teach someone goes back to the fact that people will duplicate the actions they see from their superiors or those the admire. For example:

Values
As shown in the example above, the values your company has on paper mean nothing unless everyone, especially those at the top, consistently abide by them. Being in a position of leadership, especially as the owner of a company, requires integrity. Ethical values have to be in place in order to maintain a trustworthy work environment for you and your employees.

It’s unfortunate that many people have high values and morals at home, with their family and friends, but will often become a completely different person when at work. Someone that may never yell at his children may yell at his employees. Integrity means consistency in all areas of your life. And if you don’t have it, people will notice and it will reflect in their own morale at work.

Motivation
When you try and motivate an employee, the outcome isn’t all that great if you yell at him and give him an ultimatum, is it. Of course not, because your employee just gets stressed out and angry themselves. You must motivate by being enthusiastic. If you don’t enjoy your job, then your employees probably won’t enjoy theirs. Your negative attitude will rub off on everyone. Instead, choose to be positive and excited about each day. Pat your employees on the back once in awhile.

Training
Though some people would like to think it does, handing a new employee a book that details how to do each task and leaving her to herself to figure things out just won’t work. Sure, she might get some things right, but most of the time she will be at a lose for what exactly to do. That’s why most companies train their employees by showing them how to do each new task the right way. If they see you do it correctly, then they will likely do it correctly as well (eventually).

Additionally, if your employees see you jumping at the chance to learn something new, they will be more likely to do the same. When they see you putting yourself out there for something, most employees will recognize that acceleration in the company requires a willingness to try something new and challenge yourself.

Mentoring
Mentoring someone, whether it’s an employee, intern, friend or family member, requires that you share your struggles and successes. You listen to the issues and questions that person may have and give advice on how best to resolve them. This often means explaining to him a time when you dealt with a similar situation, maybe even failing on the first attempt, and how it all worked out in the end. When you mentor someone, they respect you and often heed your advice to the letter.

It all comes down to the fact that, when in a position of leadership, you should never say or do anything you would not want those under your supervision, who admire and respect you, doing as well. Follow the golden rule and lead by example. Things will run a lot smoother if you do.

Source:
• Leadership Wired e-newsletter: People Do What People See

The Secrets of Great Supervisors
Dear soon-to-be-more-effective supervisor,

Did you know that supervisors have a bigger impact on productivity and morale than top management? But you don't get treated that way. In fact, you don't get much support at all. Not even training.

When you got promoted, you were probably an individual contributor one day and a supervisor the next, with no training or preparation for your new role. You almost certainly don't get any training in supervisory skills.

The Wall Street Journal reports that American companies spend less than 10 percent of their training budget on supervisors. Most of that is spent on how to fill out forms and follow the policy manual.

My name is Wally Bock. The first time I got promoted, almost forty years ago, that's exactly how it was for me. Sadly, things haven't gotten any better.

Three of our children have been promoted to management jobs. Not one has received any training in how to be a boss. When you get promoted, learning how to succeed is up to you.

It's sink or swim, just like forty years ago. But I can help.

When I was starting out, I looked everywhere for practical advice on how to be a great supervisor. I read books and talked to people, even academic "experts." I didn't learn much.

Some advice wasn't specific enough. Lots of books and people told me I should "motivate" my team. But they didn't tell me how.

Other advice was just wrong. "Experts" told me that when I talked to someone who worked for me about performance, I should start out by setting them at ease with small talk. But I found that only worked for some people. Smalltalk made others uncomfortable.

I knew that the books and courses didn't have the things I needed. But I couldn’t figure out how to find it until the day I talked to a friend who was a great supervisor.

"How did you get so good at being a boss?" I asked him.

He looked at me for a long moment. "I knew there were good ones out there. I'd even had a couple of them. I figured that if I could figure out what the good bosses do, then I could learn to do it, too. And if I did what they did, I'd get the same results. It worked."

I almost laughed. It was so simple. Figure out who the great ones are. Find out what they do. Then do what they do and get the same results.

That has become my life's work. I've followed the model my friend suggested.

First I had to find some great supervisors to study. So I went to different organizations and said I wanted to speak to their best supervisors. I got names from management, from other supervisors, and from the people they supervised.

I talked to all of them. But I studied the supervisors that management and their peers and their subordinates all thought were great.

I spent full shifts with those supervisors. I talked to them and asked them questions. I talked to people who knew them. Some lessons jumped right out.

All the great supervisors touched base a lot. That single, simple action made all sorts of good things happen. You'll find out why in my Working Supervisor's Support Kit. And you'll learn what to do when you show up.

All great supervisors I studied analyzed performance issues in the same way. I never found that in any book or course, but you'll learn how to do it in the Working Supervisor's Support Kit.

Some things surprised me. Those great supervisors weren't any smarter than the other supervisors in their organizations. Their personal leadership styles varied all over the map. In fact they only had two things in common.

They all got great results. Not only did they have the most productive teams in their organizations, those teams had high morale. The best workers in their organizations wanted to work for these supervisors.

And they all did the same things in pretty much the same way. That got me really excited.

Great supervisors are great because of what they do. They weren't born to be great with some magic in their genetic code. They didn't have the benefit of some special education. Instead, somehow, they learned what to do to get great results.

The Working Supervisor's Support Kit will cut your learning curve. It will help you learn what great supervisors do. If you do what they do, you will get the results they get. It's that simple.

That doesn't mean the great supervisors are perfect or that they get everything right. They don't. But they do the things that assure they will consistently lead teams that produce great results and have high morale. You can, too.

The Working Supervisor's Support Kit is a complete package. Here's what you'll get.
My highly rated book: Performance Talk: The One-on-One Part of Leadership, in a specially modified 153 page e-book version
A comprehensive workbook of more than 100 pages that will help you learn the lessons of the book and how they apply in your workplace.
A complete set of forms, developed by supervisors that I've trained over twenty years, to help you organize your thoughts and your analysis of supervisory situations.
A set of pocket reminder cards so you can check out key points while you're on the job.

This is more than a collection of materials, the Working Supervisor's Support Kit introduces you to all the ways we know that help people learn supervision.
a story, because that's the way humans learn the most the fastest
bulleted lists of key points to aid memory
a workbook to help you understand how the lessons apply to your unique situation
forms to help you apply what you learn on job
suggestions for how to get feedback and learn more, faster

Here are just some of the things you'll learn from the Working Supervisor's Support Kit.

The one thing that all great supervisors do that makes everything else work.

A three-step method that will increase the odds that your conversation about performance will get the right result.

A simple way to adjust your behavior and communication to get better results.

How to improve the way you give instructions.

5 kinds of conversations you will have with people who work for you about their performance and when to use each one.

How to make the performance evaluation system work for you … and your people.

A proven way to analyze performance issues effectively. Great supervisors do this. Others don't.

A three-step way to improve your discussions with people about their performance.

4 ways to assign work to subordinates and when to use each one.

A simple way to decide how much control you should allow a subordinate in any situation.

Why you can't "motivate" another person, but what you can do that's more effective.

5 things to be sure of when you make an agreement with a subordinate

How to document behavior … and when you shouldn't.

4 rules for using rewards

5 rules for punishment and reprimand

The one goal you should have in mind every time you talk to a subordinate about behavior.

This is field-tested stuff. People who've been through my programs or read my books have been using it to do a better job for decades. I'm so confident that this will work for you that I stand behind it with my unconditional money-back guarantee:

If you are not 100 percent convinced that the Working Supervisor's Support kit can help you do a better job as a supervisor, just let me know and I'll give you your money back.

You could spend hundreds of dollars on books that are just theory. You could spend thousands on fancy courses that don't have the practical, street-level information you need. Or you can spend just $39.99 and give my Working Supervisor's Support Kit a try.

So, what are you waiting for? To examine my Working Supervisor's Support kit risk-free just click below.

http://www.threestarleadership.com/supervisorsupportkit/

The Core 21 Beliefs of Managing with Aloha

In honor of the day, 07~07~07, and as part of the inspired effort with 7 Wonders of Joyful, Jubilant Learning, these are the twenty-one sentences or phrases within my book, Managing with Aloha, that I most wish my readers take to heart. In doing so, I believe they can make management the noble profession it has the capacity to be.

1. The epigraph; “Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them to become what they are capable of being.” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), German writer, scientist and philosopher

2. Within the Foreword; “Wealth is also defined by family, connection to our ancestry, and our best vision of the future. All of these find their inner spirit, their constancy, and their strength in the values that shape our thinking and our actions.” ~ Nainoa Thompson, navigator and kupuna

Starting with this next one, the quotes are my own.

3. I now believe heart and soul that it is a calling to be a great manager … Sam [Ainslie, my mentor then at Hualalai] did not know it at the time, but he gave me a new mission. I would define what it meant to be a great manager. Being one would be my new calling.

4. It may often require a charismatic leader to create excitement, and lead the way with new and innovative thinking. However it will require a great manager of people to actually inspire employees to get the job done.

5. First one learns. For the learning to stick, be fulfilling and become meaningful, one must apply what they have learned to what they do. They must allow their learning to evolve to personal belief — it becomes their mana‘o, the deep and certain belief that drives one’s instinctual actions.

6. We learn best from other people. I will forever be grateful to the employees who were the bountiful gifts of my management assignments, awakening within me my passion for the art of management … Management is about getting things done through other people; it doesn’t get any more basic than that.

7. You will best get things done through others by incorporating the values you share with them, values that embrace collaboration, and values that also are fundamental good practices … and Aloha is the most universally held value of them all.

8. The Aloha Spirit does not sit streamlined and variation-free within your bulletproof processes; it swims around within your people, surfing the low and high tides of their disposition each day they report to work.

9. To execute their jobs well, employees need teachers, coaches, cheerleaders and mentors, and that’s what managers need to be for them. Great managers relish the opportunity.

10. Employees don’t really want you to be a father figure, second mother, best friend, soul mate, or even confidant. They want you to be their boss! A strategy-mapping, consistent, objective, organized and predictable boss with an inspiring vision, and a boss who has the same high expectations for everyone they manage — including themselves.

11. To manage with Aloha is to draw out the best performance of your own management practice from the values that are inherent in your nature and a match for the demands of your business.

12. “Soft concepts” are exceptionally good for business. They work better for those hard, gut-wrenching decisions than the exclusionary brutality of the numbers game, because they carry people through the long haul and help you achieve long-term success that can be perpetuated.

13. Numbers can be healthy when your success has grown infused with Aloha, and perhaps more important, you can feel good about achieving them.

14. We must overcome fear; [the value-based management of] managing with aloha is the polar opposite of the fear-based management that can weaken and destroy the ethical and humanitarian hopes we have for business today.

15. Acts of caring drive us to high performance levels in our work with others. We give and become unselfish. We accept responsibility unconditionally. We become better.

16. Aloha is within all of us, it is something we were born with. Each of us has this choice to make: Do we release our Aloha and share it? Do we live it, and do we celebrate it?

17. In my way of thinking, the work someone did defined them — and the work I did defined me. Even the barest hint of hypocrisy was unacceptable.

18. I wanted to teach them how to think. If there was anything my management career had done for me up to this point, it was grooming the importance I placed in people developing intellectual honesty with themselves.

19. I would learn that the search for meaningful work starts within you. I would learn that sense of place is a very powerful and personal thing, and ‘culture’ is defined in one’s values, one’s attitude, and one’s own choices, not in circumstance.

20. There is so much hope. “This time, I’ll be able to say I work for the ‘hospitality industry’ and hold my head up with pride and dignity. We will manage with a respect for [this] culture and for our employee’s sense of place. We will engender an ‘Ohana in Business.”

21. To be a manager is to touch the lives of others in profound ways. As a manager, you must accept this responsibility. With care. With Aloha.

Just one more thing: Remember that

“One of life’s greatest laws is that you cannot hold a torch to light another’s path without brightening your own as well.”

~ Rosa

Ten Habits to Boost Your Happiness

Entry added on Wed, July 4, 2007

« Do You Need to Be a Competitive Jerk to Succeed? || Nine Tips to Stay Productive in a Spontaneous Life »

Good habits can make you more effective. Great habits will make you happier. I’ve recently been trying to collect habits that make me appreciate life more. Finding the habits that make you more productive isn’t that hard, but placing the right rituals that impact your happiness is more difficult.

Here are the top ten I’ve found helpful:

Keeping a Checklist - I agree with Gretchen Rubin of the Happiness Project, I like gold stars. Gold stars are those little markers of accomplishment. Keeping a checklist of to-do items doesn’t just make me productive, it makes me happier. When my checklist for the day is complete, I don’t feel pressured to continue working. And each check gives me a temporary feeling of satisfaction.

Filling the Day With Activity - I always strive to reach that balancing point where my day is full but I can still accomplish what I want to. I can get into a depressed slump if I’m given too much time where I’m not doing anything. Making sure I don’t leave huge schedule gaps keeps me happy.

Journaling - Taking time to dissect your thoughts on paper helps you feel better. Becoming happier means reducing the time you spend in slumps. Writing cuts off slumps by giving you more control over your thinking.

Silence - Cut out the noise for a period of time. This may seem contradictory to “filling your day with activity” but it’s not. The absence of activity usually results in noise: television, web surfing and other distractions. Silence requires you will yourself to forgo the noise and simply think. Not easy to do in a busy world but it can keep you sane.

Picking Up the Phone - Don’t isolate yourself. I make it a regular habit to reach out to friends. This helps maintain the connection and keeps me happier. I’ve found social networking sites like Facebook to be useful to keep track of some of my friends from University while I’m at home for the summer.

Be Productive
- Being productive at something you are passionate about can be a great source of happiness. Although it can sometimes be frustrating if I’m writing a post that doesn’t seem to be heading in a direction I want, I normally get a lot of happiness from writing here.

Entertainment - Cut out activities that aren’t valuable or entertaining, but don’t scrap every source of high entertainment. Separate the activities you really enjoy from those that are only mediocre. That way you can fully enjoy them without feeling guilty about an imposing to-do list.

Make Time For Goals - Carve out a portion of your week for regularly reviewing your goals. This time doesn’t just help you plan, it makes you happier. Thinking about your goals for an hour or two a week will inject some of the motivation you had when originally setting them. I check over my goals almost every week and I usually leave feeling much more enthusiastic than when I started.

The Now Habit - Stop the flurry of planning, worry, guilt and frustration and focus your thoughts. Eckhart Tolle calls this focusing on the Now and realizing it is complete, that only your thinking makes it incomplete. The Hindu Holy book, The Bhagavad Gita, calls this focusing on the universal Atman or the underlying perfection of the world. Buddhists call this Nirvana and enlightenment. Focusing your thoughts onto something constant can anchor your emotions and make you happier.

Spontaneity - Get the habit of allowing yourself to break your habits. Organize on the fly and be willing to take opportunities as they come. When I went to University, I learned not to plan every section of my day, but to take opportunities as they come. It takes discipline to stay productive in a chaotic environment, but it can create more happiness then if every portion of your time is predetermined.

…Now for a Shameless Plug:

How do you make these a habit instead of just an idea? I’d suggest getting a copy of my book, How to Change a Habit, which includes sections on how to change your patterns of behavior and thinking.

Seven Secrets of Highly Creative Meetings

Are your company’s training sessions designed to inspire maximum creativity, innovation and productivity? In a successful session, participants are actively engaged, groups are collaborating successfully and energy levels are high. You’ll improve overall quality and get results that ultimately contribute to the success of your organization.

ARAMARK Harrison Lodging (AHL) conference centers and park and resort destinations have helped hundreds of companies introduce fresh and unusual ideas to energize their sessions. By partnering with AHL, companies benefit from flexible and creative thinking that opens employees’ minds and gets ideas flowing— resulting in peak performance and dramatic results.

Don’t expect this article to give you the usual dry academic concepts. Our goal is to share with you ideas that have sprung from real-life situations where goals have been met in new and exciting—and sometimes unconventional—ways.

1. Book a venue with a new view
Choosing a destination is one of the first—and most crucial—choices. Instead of something typical, planners should consider how location might broaden participants’ horizons—literally. Even a small change of place—or pace—gives a different perspective and a refreshing sense of separation from everyday routines. So if your company typically sends groups to the city, try the experience of a country setting with wooded surroundings and invigorating recreation.
If you normally spend your workdays in suburbia, a vibrant urban environment offers a stimulating alternative and opportunities to enjoy a dining, athletic or cultural event.

A good example of an inspiring alternative is ARAMARK Harrison Lodging’s Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas. Located on the Arizona/Utah border, this breathtaking landscape of dazzling red rock canyons and turquoise blue water is popular for managerial retreats and incentive groups. Here participants get down to business on the Resort’s luxurious houseboats equipped with every amenity from fridges to fireplaces.

The experience is exhilarating. Lake Powell’s Director of Sales Sarah Bailey explains: “There’s nothing better than seeing our business guests arrive with white knuckles wrapped around their briefcases, then seeing them leave after a week on Lake Powell with sun on their faces and much more relaxed! Groups love the unusual experiences here, from the four-course meals served on a tiki-torch-lit beach to teambuilding rafting trips down the Colorado River.”
A houseboat venue is all about thinking outside the box—or the four walls of a hotel room. It’s the kind of thinking that can launch a truly creative session for your organization.

2. Try teambuilding with a twist
Most destinations will lack the thrill of Colorado River whitewater. But there are still plenty of ways to infuse groups with enthusiasm and create an atmosphere of collaboration and fun. Conference planners from AHL properties around the country shared these ideas to keep your team’s energy levels high:

Include opening activities that help participants get to know one another and kick up energy and enthusiasm for the session.
Groups arriving at ARAMARK Harrison Conference Centers feel energized about their meetings immediately when they experience a special welcome at check-in, receive motivational messages tucked into box breakfasts and participate in high-energy team-building activities.

At a recent meeting, when the company president joined the session, his arrival was memorable. An enterprising ARAMARK Harrison employee had created a huge replica of the company’s new logo on the grass as a landing pad for the CEO’s helicopter. Everyone was thrilled to see their brand-new logo featured center stage.

Introduce games and activities to your group. Here’s a simple but useful exercise from ARAMARK Harrison Conference Centers planners. Called “New Glasses,” this activity can help participants look at the session’s topics in fresh ways.

Simply buy each participant a pair of silly glasses and hand them out before the meeting. Ask them to put on the glasses when they feel they are falling into old ways of looking at the world, or they may ask any other person to put on the glasses when they are expressing old habits and viewpoints. This is a fun and effective way to help people leave their biases and old perspectives behind.

Instead of the same old cocktail reception or “I trust you to catch me before I fall” exercise, try something brand new like fire-walking. When Tom Clancy, Chief Learning Officer of EMC, brings together new employees at an ARAMARK Harrison Conference Center, he plans an activity where participants actually walk on hot coals. Tom reports this unusual event, typically something his employees haven’t tried before, is a fantastic way to build camaraderie.

Another unusual idea comes from Harrison Conference Center & Hotel in Princeton, New Jersey, where groups have partnered with local charities, rolling up their sleeves for a day in a soup kitchen or a Habitat for Humanity homebuilding site. Doing good together brings their team members together.

www.aramarkharrisonlodging.com

3. Comfort counts
Do your creative juices flow freely in a windowless conference room where the furniture’s uncomfortable, the temperature’s too hot (or too cold) and the buzzing fluorescent lights overhead are too bright? Of course not. To feel creative and ready to learn, we need to feel comfortable first.

Fortunately, comfort is something you never worry about when your company chooses a bona fide conference center, like those offered by ARAMARK Harrison Lodging. For anyone unfamiliar with their advantages, here’s a brief primer. Real conference centers are approved by the International Association of Conference Centers (IACC), an industry group with more than 30 stringent standards that ensure quality in all aspects of the meeting experience.

At an IACC-approved conference center, you’ll find a distraction-free environment that’s equipped with everything you need to be comfortable, focused and productive. Features include everything from ergonomic furnishings and adjustable controls for both lighting and temperature to an ample supply of meeting materials and chilled bottled water. Continuous refreshment breaks are convenient to the meeting room, plus you have excellent technology resources and the services of a professional conference planner. Beyond the meeting room, your employees enjoy delicious dining with lots of choices, a comfortable guest room complete with work desk and Internet access, and so much more.

If this all sounds fundamental, it is. Absolutely. And don’t stop with the environment. Casual meeting attire can help participants feel more comfortable and more productive, too.

4. Transform an ordinary room into a collaboration room
Most conference rooms are designed for meeting presentations, but it’s easy to turn them into spaces that spark collaboration. The key is communicating with the conference planner so he or she can modify a center’s space and services to meet your company’s goals. Here are just a few ideas from resourceful AHL conference planners:

At the Warren Conference Center & Inn, a historic property just outside Boston, the conference team customizes spaces for clients who want to host productive brainstorming sessions. Sofas and big, comfortable chairs are grouped around a glowing fire to provide a relaxed, informal atmosphere that invites creative thinking and collaboration. This same space has been transformed to look like a movie theater, complete with popcorn and snacks, to create a mood of anticipation and fun for a key presentation.

Helen Morton of AHL’s Skyland Resort in Virginia’s Shenandoah Mountains also transforms spaces at this Resort’s historic Conference Hall. Her team often combines two breakout rooms, both with fireplaces, into one large, relaxed living room with comfortable sofas and chairs. For Helen’s clients, this setup is a welcome solution when the session requires an alternative to more formal draped tables and chairs.
Technology can enhance meeting and learning environments in different ways.

Even something as simple as utilizing a sound system to pipe in classical music can help expand minds during brainstorming or learning sessions. Many AHL locations, such as Babson Executive Conference Center in Wellesley, Massachusetts, have a room designated solely for video conferencing so groups unable to travel can access the facility and obtain real-time updates. Technology like web cams can also bring in creative minds and ideas from those who might be unable to attend in person. To take advantage of these possibilities, use your conference planner as a resource. He or she is an expert in how technology can be used to inspire and share ideas.

Finally, be ready to capture all those new ideas! All AHL meeting venues equip their rooms with an abundance of materials—easels, sticky notes, colored markers, etc.—to encourage everyone to express ideas, build on ideas and make new connections between ideas. It’s an effective way to encourage high-energy collaboration and visually shape those new ideas into real possibilities.

5. Find a theme for your team
A theme generates enthusiasm and gives participants something to rally around.
It should reflect your company’s goals and help set the tone for the duration of the session. Whatever the focus of the meeting, a theme helps keep it “top of mind” throughout the event.

With a theme in mind, you and your conference planner can creatively incorporate it into many aspects of the meeting, including decorations, props, music, food and beverages. Even if the budget is limited, creativity with a name, color and simple props can go a long way to making any session fun and memorable. It’s simple and economical to liven up a meeting room with inexpensive themed items that create a sense of camaraderie and excitement as participants walk though the door.

Your AHL Conference planner can suggest innovative ways to incorporate a theme and further the goals of your meeting. When a group at The Conference Center at Marlborough in Massachusetts requested an informal icebreaker, the staff turned the dining area into a replica of the Cheers TV Bar. The result was a relaxed, fun atmosphere that immediately encouraged conferees to mingle and get to know everyone in the group.
Another option is to select a destination that has an interesting theme of its own.
AHL’s Mesa Verde National Park, for example, is the nation’s richest archeological preserve with over 4,000 ancient sites and spectacular cliff dwellings. This natural environment creates wonderful opportunities for themed events and activities.

Judith Swain, Sr. Director of National Sales for ARAMARK Parks & Resorts, reports how Mesa Verde creates a memorable environment: “The delicious menus highlight traditional and regional foods, while meeting settings incorporate native American artwork and pottery. And best of all, attendees can gather for breaks or after-meeting cocktails on a patio overlooking Soda Canyon’s wildlife and glorious sunsets.”

6. Reward everyone’s efforts
When wrapping up an event, it’s rewarding to recognize how individuals and teamwork contributed to the success of the session. Finish with a flourish and acknowledge everyone’s focus and hard work.
When the best is saved for last, no one will want to miss the grand finale. The Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, recently hosted a sales meeting for a large group from around the country. The Inn is adjacent to the University of North Carolina campus and used this proximity to great advantage by hosting the gala at the University’s planetarium—a perfect venue for its “Reach for the Stars” theme! The evening began with the elegantly attired guests walking the “red carpet” to the planetarium’s entrance as “paparazzi” captured their photos.

Inside, guests were given top hats and tiaras and treated to a glittering reception amid gorgeous ice sculptures carved into shimmering stars. As the evening progressed, the stars theme continued during a wonderful sit-down dinner, awards presentation and dancing to live entertainment.
By the end of the evening, this group truly felt like the stars of the show—and of their company. This upbeat mood even carried over to the next day, when photos of the evening’s festivities were projected onto a large screen during the group’s wrap-up session. Imagination and a sense of style transformed what might have been a typical awards dinner into a magical evening that rewarded guests with a great time and memories that will last forever.

7.Measure and share results
Upbeat, energetic meetings are likely to produce exciting, tangible business results. Make sure your planners build quantifiable goals into the meeting and then follow up with participants after the event to let them know how well goals were achieved.

Typically, meeting success is gauged by asking participants and organizers to evaluate how well it conveyed information, improved communication, increased morale, and so on. While these intangibles can help measure a meeting’s success, there is an initiative within the industry to calculate a meeting’s return on the investment (ROI) of both time and money. A recent partnership of Meeting Professionals International (MPI) with the ROI Institute based in Birmingham, Alabama, promises to make measuring tangibles in the meeting industry a reality.

Stay tuned to the progress of this initiative and the tools it may offer you to measure the success of your sessions in more depth. Remember that creativity and enthusiasm remain high when individuals know their time was well spent.

ARAMARK Harrison Lodging has been planning successful training and learning events at its conference center properties for years. Now, with the recent integration of ARAMARK’s national parks and resorts division, the company offers even more opportunities for stimulating and productive learning environments.
“The world of corporate learning is very familiar to our company,” explains Vice President of Sales and Marketing Jeff Weggeman. “At all levels of our organization, we’re attuned to our customers’ needs, staying informed about learning trends and always innovating to enhance our learning environments. That’s why many ideas in the articles were contributed by meeting planners at our properties.
They are learning every day what works best for our customers when they want to create a high-energy environment for meeting and training events.”

Resources: Links to Topics in this Article

ARAMARK Harrison Lodging
http://www.aramarkharrisonlodging.com

Lake Powell Resorts and Marinas
http://www.lakepowell.com

International Association of Conference Centers
http://www.iacconline.com

Mesa Verde National Park
http://www.visitmesaverde.com

Shenandoah National Park
http://www.visitshenandoah.com
Article with more details about ROI for meetings:

“The Fifth Element,” By Suzie Amer
Successful Meetings, April 01, 2005
http://www.mimegasite.com/mimegasite/articles/article_display.jsp?vnu_
content_id=1001262529

Meeting Professionals International
http://www.mpiweb.org

Lifestyle Coaching as a Strategic Talent Management Tool
Kenneth M. Nowack, Ph.D.

It's common in many coaching engagements to hear employees share challenges and stressors associated with organizational outcomes, including burnout, fatigue, inability to concentrate and lower performance.

Although most organizations consider health care costs, they tend to ignore the fact that up to two-thirds of an organization's costs are indirect. These costs often carry long-term impact such as absenteeism, "presenteeism" (the employee is at work but not 100 percent effective because of poor health or extreme fatigue), workers' compensation and short-term disability.

Chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome and stress all lead to absenteeism and reduced productivity. Although health benefit costs increased an average of 10 percent in 2006, more employers are adopting health management programs to help control costs — in part by getting employees involved in disease- and lifestyle-management programs aimed at obesity, inactivity and smoking cessation.

Increasingly, today's most successful businesses understand that investing in their employees' health and well-being can have tremendous bottom-line results, including increased retention, improved performance and reduced costs because of health insurance, accidents and absenteeism.

For example, the 2005 Mercer National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans revealed 62 percent of large employers rated health and productivity management as a significant or very significant cost management strategy for the next five years.

Lifestyle-Modification Coaching

Consultation regarding lifestyle behaviors has seemed to be part of the domain of physicians, psychologists and other health professionals — not that of executive coaches. But coaches who attempt to increase effectiveness and performance of clients should consider coaching for lifestyle modifications.

The increasing prevalence of work stress, job-family imbalance and chronic health problems has a direct adverse effect on individuals and organizations. In two recent Envisia Learning studies, employees in a large aerospace and public utility organization who exercised more regularly, practiced positive overall health habits and used appropriate emotion-based coping reported significantly less absenteeism because of physical illness, less burnout and greater job satisfaction at the end of one year.

One of a coach's biggest challenges is to link an employee's health goals to an organization's profitability and productivity goals. Despite the challenge, health and productivity management (HPM) research suggests investments in the overall health of an employee do contribute to the organization's bottom line.

For example, individuals on disability comprise about 10 percent of all employees, but they account for more than 50 percent of all employee health costs in most organizations.

Lifestyle-modification coaching can be a strategic talent management tool to facilitate both individual behavior change and organizational outcomes. Coaches who contract with an organization to enhance a client's individual effectiveness can help focus the behavior-change effort to provide awareness, skills and motivation to become more productive and healthy at the same time.

Figure 1 illustrates a comprehensive lifestyle-coaching model based on the latest theories of successful behavior change. This model suggests successful lifestyle-modification coaching will lead clients systematically through three distinct stages, each with specific goals and techniques to facilitate successful behavior change.

Stage 1: Enlighten

The "What's in it for me?" is a critical leverage point for coaches to be successful in lifestyle modification. Helping clients become more aware of areas of risk and resources can increase readiness for behavior change and goal definition.

A personal stress and health assessment can be an invaluable tool at this step to help coaches facilitate awareness and motivation. Such assessments help clarify lifestyle assets and risks that are associated with health, well-being and productivity.

Once coaches have some specific data about possible areas of health resources and risks, they can assist the client to reflect on resistance to change, ambivalence or unrealistic goals that might interfere with lasting behavior change.

Motivational interviewing (MI) is a useful approach to help clients reflect on and target specific lifestyle goals that need work. This approach emphasizes the client's values and interests, and it uses reflective listening and investigation to help the client make lasting behavior changes.

From an MI perspective, coaches working with clients listen carefully to understand their professional goals, work-family challenges, self-efficacy, health beliefs and specific attitudes linked to behaviors. Coaches should ask open-ended questions to help clients see that the ability to concentrate, be productive and maintain high energy is related to nutrition, sleep and physical activity, as well as inadequately coping with work-family stress. Coaches help clients reflect on the advantages of maintaining optimal wellness and help them set some specific behavioral goals.

Stage 2: Encourage

Successful behavior change is in the planning process. The coach's role is to ensure the lifestyle-modification plan is realistic, specific and measurable. To help the client translate awareness and motivation into actual behavior change, the coach can begin to ask some critical questions to facilitate a plan for successful behavioral change.

This is the stage at which coaches begin to help the client acquire knowledge and skills to initiate and maintain important lifestyle practices and behaviors.

In general, most clients are more likely to try new behaviors for which they are confident there will be a successful outcome. If clients lack confidence in their ability to implement the lifestyle-modification plan, they likely will not maintain it. The coach should provide an encouraging and supportive role and help clients explore their feelings about the wellness journey through writing or by looking for reactions, reflections and insights in each session.

Stage 3: Enable

This third phase is critical for the long-term success of lifestyle-modification programs and is often overlooked. During this stage, coaches should help clients manage lapses, recognize successes, enlist the power of social support systems, focus on progress through structured reminders and evaluate overall success.

The coach's role is to help clients re-evaluate the importance of their wellness goals and explore some relapse-prevention strategies. Encouraging ways for clients to reward sustained behavior is also something the coach can discuss during follow-up meetings, along with an analysis of the client's social support network.

The strategy of goal reappraisal should be emphasized during the entire coaching process. The coach and client should mutually define ways to track, monitor and evaluate the progress of their specific lifestyle goals.
Kenneth M. Nowack, Ph.D., is the president, co-founder and chief research officer of Envisia Learning.

http://www.talentmgt.com/learning_development/2007/July/361/index.php?pt=a&aid=361&start=0&page=1

Human Resources: Culture Stewards in High-Performing Companies
July 2007 - Ron Lawrence

What creates high-performing companies? It’s a question every customer, investor and employee tries to answer, and one that academics and business theorists study and debate incessantly.

Jim Collins, author of “Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap … and Others Don’t,” writes that companies can’t achieve great things without great people.

But what defines “great people?” Are they the smartest, most ambitious, most aggressive?

In reality, creating a high-performing company depends on finding and hiring the right people, then nurturing, developing and rewarding those people to deliver “great things.”

This is the role of human resources departments: managing human capital in such a way as to create a healthy company culture that delivers high performance.

Every company has a culture, whether it is positive, negative or somewhere in between. Within this environment, there is a cultural steward: the company’s HR department.

The role of stewardship is a complex one. A steward can serve as an advocate and an assistant, as a guide and mentor — someone who often has to deliver the truth, even when it’s difficult to hear.

Within this context, the best HR professionals are people who shape a company’s culture by balancing creativity, especially in finding and developing talent and discipline.

Core Tasks of HR Professionals
As effective company culture stewards, HR professionals perform five key tasks:

1. Attract and identify talent. This process begins during recruiting with effective sourcing strategies and selection practices, and it continues once people are hired. HR needs to make sure the right people are being placed in the right roles within the company and that early on, employees understand and truly feel they are valued contributors.

2. Assimilate talent into the workforce. To accomplish this task effectively, the HR department needs to integrate new talent effectively, whether that talent comes as a result of hiring or from an acquired organization. Clearly, HR seeks to assure employees the company will strive to meet their needs while employees actively work to excel in their jobs. If done consistently well by HR, the company’s culture takes on a positive tone from the very beginning of an employee’s tenure.

3. Develop and assess talent. In this role of stewardship, HR and senior leaders stay invested in employee growth and development. One of the keys to effective training and development within a company is clear, visible support from senior leaders. Senior participation shows that development and growth matter to the business and that personal investment in improvement is really encouraged. If leaders say development matters but then fail to support that message with their actions, cynicism takes root quickly and deeply. Nothing will diminish employees’ personal investment faster than seeing a lack of commitment from senior leadership.

In addition to employee development, companies need to assess people’s performance in their roles to see whether they are learning and improving as a result of their training experiences. Accordingly, effective performance management practices, such as clear goal setting, midpoint reviews and annual appraisals, need to be part of a healthy culture — it’s what guarantees that people understand what’s expected and know how they are doing.

In this stewardship role, HR should provide common standards determined according to the company’s values and collaborate with management so that employee contributions can be measured accurately. Remember: Assessment is not just a matter of determining who’s a high-performing employee and who isn’t — it’s also about recognizing human potential (who can be developed into a leader and raise the company to a higher level of high performance?).

4. Develop rewards and incentives to increase retention. Effective HR professionals continually ask such questions as, “Are we offering the right combination of compensation and benefits that allow us to optimize our workforce? Do our rewards drive the behaviors and performance we want? How do our company’s employment practices stack up against Fortune 100 companies or those rated as ‘best places to work?’” Coupled with the right performance plans and assessment mechanisms, higher retention based on effective compensation leads to a high-performance culture, as well as the productivity and results every organization desires.

5. Implement an effective exit strategy. Although this role sometimes can be a challenge, especially in the context of stewardship and preserving (or improving) a company’s profile, the best HR departments are good at both identifying the best talent and also making the tough calls on marginal contributors. Of course, there is a continuum here: from aggressive “top grading,” in which the best employees are handsomely rewarded and weak players managed out, to being endlessly patient and forgiving of poor contribution. The ideal strategy lies somewhere in between, where, guided by HR, a company establishes and abides by employee performance standards and measurements and then commits to making decisions based on them.

The desired outcome for all these HR core processes is to create a positive, engaging company culture. To do their jobs consistently and effectively, HR professionals use several human capital metrics to do their work. For example, they monitor attrition and retention rates, levels of employee engagement and industry-specific salary and benefits packages.

But the intangibles need to be measured, as well. For example, is the company parking lot empty promptly at 5 p.m.? Or are there still cars there at 8 p.m., a reflection your associates are giving you greater discretionary effort? Do employees seem happy, and do they say so? Are employees striving toward what Collins calls Level 5 leadership, where ego takes a back seat to company goals?

Although there is no single measure within HR that conclusively points to the existence of a positive or negative company culture, HR professionals must rely on and analyze several indicators before making decisions related to their roles as company stewards.

Nurture an Employment Brand
In truth, the goal of every HR department is to create not only a positive company culture in which employees strive to emulate Collins’ Level 5 leaders but also a positive “employment brand.”

Companies with a positive employment brand are seen, simply, as good places to work, a reputation that creates a cycle by which it becomes easier to find and keep great talent.

Being labeled this way is no accident, and it requires high-level strategic work.

Fortune magazine’s annual list of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” is filled with examples of businesses with a positive employment brand.

Such companies as Genentech (ranked No. 1 in 2006), Whole Foods Market, The J.M. Smucker Co. and others consistently perform well in part because they have a good employment brand. The No. 1 company on the 2007 Fortune list, Google, is almost as well-known for its work culture as it is for its search engines.

Collins’ book lists other companies that constantly enjoy good financial performance, including Wells Fargo, Pitney Bowes and Walgreens, because they value their employees and treat them well.

With those conditions as a backdrop, companies have a much better chance at reaching their highest level of performance.

Mediocrity Leads to Disappointment
HR is charged with inviting the right people into a company and then building a positive company culture. The right people can take an average set of employment goals and elevate them to a higher level.

On the other hand, brilliant strategy executed by mediocrity inevitably leads to disappointment. If a company’s HR department isn’t using the firm’s human capital effectively, executives and others need to find out why.

Quite simply, it’s one thing to hire people — it’s another to hire the best people and have them show up ready to work, truly prepared and enthusiastic about contributing.

If a company isn’t there just yet, HR professionals and others within the company need to tackle some important questions: What will it take for us to become a high-performing company? How can we make our employment brand more attractive? How can we create a company culture that encourages our employees to strive to take on leadership roles?

The answers might take work, but as the stewards of company culture, HR professionals must seek to create that unique value for the organization. HR can help find, develop and leverage the right human capital, which is just as integral to high-performing companies as the creation of the strongest business plan.

Ron Lawrence is vice president of organization development at VF Corp., an apparel company that is one of Fortune’s “Most Admired Companies.” Lawrence can be reached at editor@clomedia.com.

http://www.clomedia.com/content/templates/clo_article.asp?articleid=1873&zoneid=77

Soaring with the Phoenix

Dr. James A. Belasco, professor of Business Management at San Diego State University and Jerre Stead, CEO and Chairman of Ingram Micro Company, share insights about their need for continual renewal from their book Soaring With the Phoenix in this video program written and narrated by Collin Siedor and produced by Dystar Television, Inc.

The video program profiles three highly successful organizations that have taken the renewal spirit of the Phoenix to heart: Ingram Micro Company, the largest distributor of computer products in the world; the Sheraton Berkshire in Reading, Pennsylvania, owned by the Meyer-Jabara Hotel chain; and the U.S. Navy's North Island Naval Air Depot in California's San Diego Bay, where the Navy's Fleet of F-18 fighter aircraft go for repairs.

The success of these organizations can be attributed to, in part, four key tenets:
1. Turn over the responsibility for work to the people who do the work.
2. Give people learning opportunities and facts that enable them to make key decisions
3. Reward people for keeping customers always in their line of sight.
4. Leave a legacy that makes a difference.

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How To Soar

Dare to soar above the ordinary - and challenge others to be extraordinary. Welcome to Soaring with the Phoenix. Let us help you revivolute your career and your organization.

The message screams at us from the headlines and 6 PM news every day. "Times they are a'changing -- too fast for most of us." The earthquakes rearranging our business, economic, political, technological and social landscapes force us to rapidly change our organizations and ourselves. But, change is a rare bird, talked about often and seen only rarely.

A second message assaults our senses daily also, only in a softer and dulcet tone. See nature's way of change in the daily sunrise and sunset and in the changing of the seasons. Nature speaks not of change but of renewal - the renewal of the sun every day and the trees every spring.

Combining these two threads is our word revivolution - renewal through revolution (or rapid evolution that looks a lot like revolution). Each and every one of us, in our personal and career lives faces the urgent need to revivolute.

Thus is born our use of the Phoenix - that mythical symbol of the continuing self-renewing life-force. Throughout the pages of history the Phoenix is the ultimate symbol of optimism, representing organizations, nations and individuals that emerge, rise, soar, rebound, return, make amazing comebacks, reappear and spring eternal - all through growing people to meet and overcome difficulties.

Our challenge is to become the self-renewing Phoenix in our personal and professional lives, revivoluting to meet the ever changing needs of all the good people with whom we are connected. We'll provide three tools to help you: gain Line of Sight to all those important people with whom you are connected, energize Learning for yourself and others, and create a Legacy that outlives you.

Soaring with the Phoenix sounds three themes - three Phoenix red and gold threads: Continual Renewal, developing Phoenix Leadership that simultaneously develops "soft" heart connections and "hard" fact-based, disciplined decisions making, and building the Phoenix Pyramid that provides the launching pad for future growth. With segments on self-evaluation and specially designed Phoenix workshop sections we'll show you how to step beyond the boundaries to:

Renew yourself and revitalize your business
Reinvigorate employees' spirits
Energize learning and create a learning organization
Create your own breakthrough future
Create a culture that values performance and continuous learning
Fashion relationships with customers and associates that enable you to exceed their expectations
Build a customer-focused, people-based organization
Leave a legacy that makes a difference


If you want to revitalize your career or your business, then Soaring with the Phoenix is a must-read for you. Our rich personal experience and systematic proven methods will inspire you to unleash the hidden power of your business and your associates - and discover the depths of your own potential. The book puts you right in the middle of the meetings, deadlines and challenges faced by breakthrough companies and individuals. It challenges you to take yourself and your organization to a higher level, daring you to soar above the ordinary and become extraordinary.

Read and become actively engaged in the Phoenix.

http://www.belasco.com/phoenix2.htm

6 C's of Credibility

Influence used to largely be a function of position. Today, our understanding of the leadership process veers away from the ideas of positional power, authority, manipulation, and coercion. Instead, we now believe that influence occurs when leaders build and use their credibility. Real leadership, in other words, transpires when people choose to follow their leaders because they are seen as credible.

According to author Tony Smith and the Leadership Research Institute (LRI), of which he is Co-Founder and Managing Director, leadership credibility is based on six dimensions:

1. Conviction. The passion and commitment the leader demonstrates toward his or her vision.

2. Character. Consistent demonstration of integrity, honesty, respect, and trust.

3. Care. Demonstration of concern for the personal and professional well-being of others.

4. Courage. Willingness to stand up for one’s beliefs, challenge others, admit mistakes, and change one’s own behavior when necessary.

5. Composure. Consistent display of appropriate emotional reactions, particularly in tough or crisis situations.

6. Competence. Proficiency in hard skills, such as technical, functional, and content expertise skills, and soft skills, such as interpersonal, communication, team, and organizational skills.

The Taboos of Leadership: 10 Secrets No One Will Tell You About Leaders and What They Really Think

Think it's lonely at the top? It's also filled with pain, shame, emotional conflict, power struggles and embarrassment, according to author Dr. Anthony F. Smith's findings. Not every minute of every day, but there are moments where a top executive wishes for a roadmap to navigate all the feelings surrounding leadership.

Through history, research and high-profile as well as anonymous examples culled from his coaching experience, Smith exposes the secrets in the executive suite, leaving leaders to examine whether the taboos are helpful or hurtful to the organization.

Secret #5 touches on a hotly debated subject — executive compensation, and why a double standard often applies to CEOs. Smith points out that actors and sports figures who command multimillion dollar salaries and endorsements are not subjected to public criticism, yet the inflated paychecks of corporate leaders are often under scrutiny.

The non-judgmental attitude we have for Julia Roberts and Tiger Woods does not seem to apply to business leaders, "perhaps because we view them less as stars than as employees. Or maybe it is because we expect more from them in terms of leadership," Smith says, but "as talented experts in a specialized field, they create value that far exceeds the salaries they earn."

In Secret #8, Leaders Need to Demonstrate Work-Life Balance (No Problem; Work is Their Life), Smith takes on flextime, working parents and the needs of Gen X to state that top executives know they are supposed "to say the right things about having a balanced life, but they don't really mean it. But to say what they really feel is taboo." The external pressures from family, society and colleagues may cause leaders to decrease the time in the office, but, in reality, the leader may equate work with fun and their drive toward immortality.

The Taboos of Leadership: 10 Secrets No One Will Tell You About Leaders and What They Really Think [2007, Jossey-Bass] not only demystifies many of the real-world experiences of corporate leaders, the presentation is without judgment, as Smith's insightful analysis dilutes the power of taboo.

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10 Taboos of Leadership Exposed

It’s important to be respectful of history and even cherish it; but living in the past can be stifling and oppressive. So it goes with taboos, some of which are with us out of respect for culture and tradition; others because they hang around like old vines that strangle new growth. Taboos can polarize and alienate. We can reduce some of their power by first understanding and openly acknowledging that they exist. If taboos of leadership are holding our organizations and leaders down, they should be pruned back and weeded out, allowing our organizations and leaders to grow in new directions.

Taboo 1. We Know What Leadership Looks Like (But We Don’t Know What It Takes)

Despite all of the effort we’ve put into explaining leadership, we still don’t understand its true nature. In our attempts to create formulas and answers, we have invented sanitized and stylized theories (“the conscious leader;” “the servant leader “). As a result, we have developed a tendency to overlook the realities of what leaders do, and why they do it.

Taboo 2. Charisma Shouldn’t Make a Difference (But It Does)

Like it or not, charisma plays a critical role in what we have come to see as leaderly. People who posses charisma have a certain "magnetism" that involves vision, passion, confidence, communication skills, mystique, and the ability to identify with their followers. Such leaders add a transformational quality that serves to attract and inspire employees throughout the organization.

Taboo 3. Real Leaders Don’t Play Politics (They Take It Very Seriously)

Politics is not a necessary evil in the leadership game -- it’s just plain necessary. No leader achieves his or her goals without playing politics. Politics is the air leaders breathe and an important source of an organization’s energy and dynamism.

Taboo 4. Women Make Better Leaders (When That’s What They Really Want To Do)

Enough women are making an impact at the “C” level that no one can label them token representatives anymore. But while things may look better in terms of numbers, something still isn’t quite right below the surface. Most women really don’t want to be leaders to the same degree as men; nor are they compelled to do all that it takes to reach the top.

Taboo 5. The Double Standard is for Cavemen (And the Corner Office)

Is there anything more toxic in today’s organizations than the notion of the double standard? Yet the double standard is standard to executives. As talented experts in a specialized field, they create value that far exceeds the salaries they earn. They also give up many aspects of a “normal” life in service to their organizations and therefore deserve the additional perquisites they command. As a capitalist society, we must understand this concept (however begrudgingly).

Taboo 6. Thou Shalt Not Play Favorites with Friends and Family (Except When It Makes a Lot of Sense)

One of the touchiest issues in corporate life is the role of favoritism. Is it more important for a leader to surround himself with the best people, or the people he feels comfortable with and can trust? The rationale for favoritism and nepotism can be uncovered by considering the real nature of leadership. Leaders are human: they’re vulnerable, and thereby put a high value on trust, predictability, and support.

Taboo 7. A Leader’s Fundamental Duty is to Groom a Successor (But It Hurts Like Hell)

Today’s leaders generally understand that they are stewards of an organization with an obligation to eventually pass the reins to the next generation. They’re comfortable empowering themselves, but have difficulty empowering others. Succession planning is the most difficult task of all -- it forces leaders to confront the moment when they’ll cease doing the most significant thing in their lives.

Taboo 8. Leaders Need to Demonstrate Work-Life Balance (No Problem, Work is Their Life)

Leaders are fundamentally unbalanced because they love what they do and live to accomplish something important. Yet they often face pressure to demonstrate better work-life balance in order to set a healthy standard in their organizations. If they’re happy and healthy, leaders can’t allow others to calibrate their work-life balance scale. But companies need to be clear about expectations for all employees upfront.

Taboo 9. Blatant Self-Interest is Dangerous (In Followers, Not Leaders)

Leadership is rooted in the urges of blatant self-interest. The most effective leaders tend to be the ones who do whatever it takes to achieve their own, selfish agenda. Ethics and principles have to be a part of the business equation; they are tools that leaders use to be more effective. And often, blatant self-interest is good business, benefiting a lot of people in the process.

Taboo 10. It’s Lonely at the Top (But Leaders Wouldn’t Have It Any Other Way)

During the workday and at the end of a long career, it is the leader who is irrevocably left alone. Yet, a leader needs distance from others in order to be effective. The sense of disconnection has an impact, and leaders often use aloneness as a psychological tool. Being put in a position of ultimate authority is easier if one is alone. Yet the discussion of loneliness may be the ultimate taboo.

Copyright © 2007 Anthony F. Smith

From CooperativeGrocer #130, May - June 2007

Handling Emotional Conflict of Interest
B Y  C A R O L E E  C O L T E R


By now, probably most co-op boards of directors have a policy on conflicts of interest. For example, when a board member has a financial stake in a company that potentially or actually competes or does business with the co-op, this information is revealed to the board, and the affected board member may be barred from voting on certain matters. The issue is straightforward enough that a board member who works for a co-op vendor, or who owns property the co-op might purchase, is not likely to take offense when the subject of conflict of interest is broached.

But what about emotional conflicts of interest? Ponder the following scenarios, all of which have occurred in co-ops, with some of the identifying details changed.

Scenario 1: The Protective Parent

The board presidents daughter is a co-op employee. After she is denied a raise of the size she had expected, her father begins bringing up concerns at board meetings about the fairness of the pay raise system and staff turnover due to low pay. When the general manager provides a monitoring report on staff compensation, the board president antagonistically questions the validity of the general managers interpretation. The other board members know the intensity of the presidents opposition is due to his daughters experience, but none of them feels comfortable pointing this out.

Scenario 2: The Ex-Employees Revenge

An employee serving on the board reports directly to the general manager. The general manager fires this employee for poor performance halfway through his board term. The ex-employee stays on the board, but now he is motivated by revenge. Outside of board meetings he lobbies his fellow board members to terminate the general manager when her contract comes up for renewal at the end of the year. He cites noncompliance on several financial condition monitoring reports from earlier in the year, although by now the variances have been corrected. But more importantly, he argues to his colleagues, the general manager is just not a good fit with the culture of the co-op. And some board members are getting swayed. The general manager does have a rather prickly personality. Other board members can see through the ex-employees motivation, but they dont know how to address his behind-the-scenes maneuvers.

Scenario 3: Pillow Talk

A board member is married to an employee. The general managers compensation has been a hot topic among some staff and members who are demanding to find out just how much she gets paid. However, the board has steadfastly maintained that, like all individual employee pay rates, the general managers is a confidential personnel matter. In an executive session for the general managers annual performance review, the board decides on a pay increase and bonus. Somehow, the next day the word spreads among the employees and from them to certain co-op members about the exact amount of the general managers salary, raise, and bonus. The other board members have their suspicions about how this information leaked out, but they shrink from the prospect of accusing the board member married to the employee. And what if she flatly denies she told her spouse?

Scenario 4: The General Managers Romance

The general manager is dating the grocery manager, who reports directly to him. Some board members get calls at home from employees, and eventually the board receives a petition asking them to instate a grievance procedure that allows staff to go directly to the board. The current procedure requires employees to bring their concern first to their own manager and then to the general manager. The grocery staff feel they have no recourse because the general manager is dating their supervisor. In his most recent monitoring report on staff treatment, the general manager claimed compliance with the policy to Provide for a fair and thorough review of any grievance by means of a known procedure that can be used without bias. The board accepted his interpretation, but that was before they heard through the grapevine that he was dating the grocery manager.

What makes situations like these so difficult to address is the emotional intensity of relationships between lovers, spouses, parents, and children. To even raise the possibility that a fellow board member or manager might be biased due to a special relationship can strain the collegiality of board and management. All too often, the person in the relationship reacts as if his or her personal integrity were under attack.

And when it comes to those we love, we can be amazingly blind. Once, a general manager asked me in bewilderment, Why dont the employees feel they can come to me if theyre having a problem with [my girlfriend]? Ive heard board members, including presidents, say that the fact that their partner or child is on the co-op staff has absolutely no effect on their decisions as directors. If the person in a relationship denies even the possibility of bias, its asking a lot of board members to challenge him or her.

Before suggesting solutions to emotional conflicts of interest, I want to acknowledge all the couples and families who have selflessly served their co-ops through the years, sometimes as founding members. Some have been able to navigate the turbulent waters of relationships between board and staff members without drama. They seem to manage this by maintaining awareness about appearances and taking the initiative to remove themselves from decisions that could call their impartiality into question.

Sweeping prohibitions against spouses, parents, children and domestic partners of employees on the board could deprive a co-op of some dedicated board members. And in any case, proposed bylaws with prohibitions like that might not win member approval.

Board members Code of Conduct

Rather than barring persons with conflicts of interest from even serving on the board in the first place, a Code of Conduct provides for disclosure of those potential conflicts to the rest of the board. To quote from Hanover Co-ops Board Members Code of Conduct:

When a conflict of interest exists, a Board member must take one of two actions to address the conflict:
The Board member may advise the Presidentthat the Board member has a conflict of interest, and thereafter the Board member must absent herself or himself from all discussions and voting of the Board on any matter related to the conflict of interest.
The Board member may advise the Board that a conflict of interest exists and may ask the Board to waive the conflict and permit the Board member to participate in discussion and voting on the matter. In the second circumstance, the Board member may participate in discussion and voting on the matter only by affirmative vote of the other Board members present and the Board may impose such conditions on the Board members participation as the Board deems necessary to assure openness, competitive opportunity, access to inside information and the public perception that the Board is conducting its business fairly and ethically.

Room for discretion

If conflict of interest could be more broadly defined than a material financial interest, and if individual board member relationships with spouses, domestic partners, parents, or children on the staff had to be formally declared to the board as a whole, then perhaps fellow board members might feel more empowered to raise the possibility of emotional conflicts of interest in board decisions.

If it became an accepted norm for directors to discuss and vote on whether a fellow board member with close ties to an employee can participate in a decision that affects their loved one, then some of the emotional charge might be taken out of bringing up a potential conflict, and the board member in question might be less likely to feel attacked.

Confidentiality is an appropriate element of a Code of Conduct, as well. But this topic deserves some discussion as part of ongoing board training. Does confidentiality mean that you cant tell your spouse the exciting news about the location that the co-op is bidding on for its new store? Does it mean that if you come home visibly upset after a board meeting, you cant vent about it to your life-long partner? What if your spouse or partner is also an employee? By discussing possible scenarios before an actual situation arises that could require confidentiality, board members raise individual awareness and build trust among the directors.

A Code of Conduct for employee directors

While confidentiality can be expected of all directors, some co-ops still choose to bar employee directors from participating in certain types of executive sessions. For example, here are two policies from Brattleboro Food Co-ops Board Member Code of Conduct:

Employee Directors shall not attend or participate in any Executive Sessions which determine the General Manager contract.

Employee Directors may participate in Executive Sessions regarding issues other than the General Manager contract, at the discretion of a majority of non-Employee Directors present and voting.

But what of the case of a terminated employee serving on the board? When members vote for an employee candidate in a board election, we cant expect them to consider that down the road the employee might be disciplined or even fired. An additional Code of Conduct for employee directors could address such situations. Here is a sample:
A board member who is also a paid employee is responsible to the membership as a whole and not a board representative of staff.
A board member who is also a paid employee has attendant responsibilities to adhere to the code of conduct policy at all times, including in the work environment.
If the board member who is also a paid employee becomes subject to employee performance concerns such as written warnings or probationary status due to substandard performance of his/her duties at the co-op, the board president has the discretion to require that the board member take a leave of absence from the board until his/her performance improves and s/he is no longer subject to said performance concerns.
If a board member who is also a paid employee terminates paid employment at the Co-op for any reason, the board member will resign from the Board effective the date employment at the Co-op terminates.

Of course, it is much easier to create policies like these in the abstract than to hammer them out in the heat of a current situation.

General manager relationships

Many companies, including some co-ops, have personnel policies that prohibit spouses, relatives, and domestic partners from supervising each other. Typically with such policies, if relationships form between a supervisor and her or his direct report, a full disclosure must be made to management and the parties reassigned so that one no longer supervises the other.

If your co-op has such a policy in its personnel policy manual, that policy applies to the general managerunless explicitly stated otherwise in the policy manual or in a general managers contract. But if the general manager enters into a relationship with a direct report, to whom does she or he make disclosure? The board president? And to whom is the general manager accountable for reassigning her or his partner to the supervision of another manager?

Boards have the option of clarifying their intent by including a policy in the Executive Limitations. For example, here is one from Outpost Co-op: The general manager shall minimize the appearance of and actual conflicts of interest and shall not directly supervise or manage the work of any person who is a spouse, partner, immediate family member, or person with whom a romantic or close familial relationship exists.

As with an employee director Code of Conduct, it is less controversial to adopt an executive limitation policy on general manager relationships with staff before there is any such relationship on the table.

In fact, the time to address all the possible emotional conflicts of interest is nowbefore your co-op becomes embroiled in the next one.

Thanks to Mark Goehring, Bill Gessner, and John Mabbott, who contributed their insights to this article.

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