Dec 31, 2011
The Predictability Factor: Another View of Change
Change happens. We all know things change. Spring turns into summer. Fall turns into winter. Pre-teens turn into teen-agers. Teenagers turn into young adults. High school graduates go off to college. A date turns into a serious relationship, turns into a proposal, turns into marriage, turns into a family – and before you know it you have grand kids! Yes, change happens. Most of the change we easily think about is change we generally can predict. Every employee and every leader and every human resource practitioner and every change agent and...
read moreMove the Needle Towards Results with One Word
The pressure is on. It’s a do or die for many businesses. Businesses must push forward regardless of a sluggish economy. Efficiency, productivity, profitability, competitive advantage, quality, or customer satisfaction are all critical objectives. To achieve those results we create plans that use action phrases such as: Manage by walking around, planning, presenting, cascading information down, holding managers accountable, training, communicating, implementing, rolling out, analytic reporting, evaluating, visibility, holding meetings,...
read moreFive HR Red Carpet Moments
The Golden Globe Awards serves as an inspiration for this article. As I write this article I watch stars with glamour and shine walk on the red carpet. Crisp tuxedos, beautiful gowns and gleaming smiles approach the red carpet with anticipation of what is yet to come. There is a “mani-cam” available to show off the jewelry and manicures. Really? Anyway, I digress. Highly visible Human Resource professionals work diligently day in and day out balancing the needs of employer and employees. Unlike celebrities we do not have stunt body...
read moreNew Tires and Fear of Change
There is much written about change, change management, implementing change, and on and on. So what? For the longest time when I talked about change, listened to others talk about change, read about change or did research on change, I got more and more confused. And then I figured out predictability. From my perspective, all of life is all about change. Really, at the end of the day, what does not change? In actuality, everything changes. The start of each day is different from the end of the day. The day itself even changes. The seasons...
read moreElectrify Communication Strategies Through Storytelling
When I was in 4th grade, Miss Leigh was my teacher and while not the most attractive woman, weighing more than she should have, going bald with only a few remaining black hairs on her head and never married, we loved her. To see her at first glance, you might have certain assumptions, but she was able to move you quickly beyond your biases because we knew she cared about us, and boy could she tell us a story! After recess, our energies still wildly high, she knew how to immediately settle us down in the classroom and create a listening...
read moreAnatomy of a C-Suite Change Initiative Failure: Re-Engaging Employees by Closing “The Empathy Gap”
Twelve senior leaders in a large health insurance company I consulted for spent nearly 18 months in active, often heated debate over the direction their organization should take to address then president-elect Obama’s promise for health care reform. Each team member possessed strong opinions—believing that he or she alone saw the big picture and had the right answer for what the future required. Finally, after countless shouting matches, numerous planning retreats, hundreds of hours of research, and various consults with some of the...
read moreYou Can Speak Truth To Power, But What If It Won’t Listen?
Have you noticed that “I didn’t know” has become the excuse of choice for leaders on the Capitol Hill hot seat? Here I have to quote DOJ head Eric Holder: “I can’t be expected to keep up with” all the many programs going on in his agency – like gunwalking and the murder of one of our own. “I didn’t read the memo,” “I didn’t read the report,” are two lame excuses for not knowing what was going on, therefore not being responsible for what was going on. At least theoretically. Can you really hold a...
read moreStuck in a rut? Lessons Learned from Early Pioneers
The phrase “stuck in a rut” is thought to come from the early 1800’s when wheels from covered wagons would eventually end up in a “rut” or in a worn groove in a path. Of course quite literally being “stuck in rut” in that day meant that it would be difficult to get out and move along in the journey. Today, we often use the phrase referencing the feeling of doing the same things over and over which leads to boredom. By boredom I don’t mean having nothing to do. There is always something going on in the workplace that needs...
read moreHow the OWS Crowd Could Change Recruiting Forever
There is plenty to say about the Occupy Wall Street movement – most of which is uncharitable. But out of the noise, confusion and general sense of being appalled, one point has emerged to knock, knock, knock me on the head to say, “Something worth considering.” The broadening gap between the rising cost of higher education (which is outpacing every other economic trend, including healthcare) and its ROI in terms of releasing employable new grads into the economic bloodstream. Don’t get me wrong, as a middling brainiac myself,...
read moreHow Dreams Can Ignite the Magic in a Flat Job Interview
You really have to feel sorry for that person sitting in front of you in a job interview. You know how excruciating it can be, especially when there’s so much at stake. Mortgage. Family. Food. Job interviews are so hard to come by these days for most people. Depending on the type of job this person is qualified for, this could be one of only a handful of interviews after sending out hundreds of applications. Talk about pressure. Is it any wonder that the candidate might be nervous beyond all tolerance? Some people just freeze. This can...
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