A leader leads twice, first themselves, and then others. One must lead themselves to gain experience, and then use it to lead with others. The leader becomes a source of empowerment, information, experience and inspiration for the followers.
The leader needs twice the amount of willpower to lead for they are going through thick and thin with their followers, together as one. Nobody is born a leader, but shaped into one. One’s character must be built, and vision felt, for one to rise. You are not only leading others, but yourself as well
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Are you a leader or boss?
Are you a leader or a boss?
That is a question you need to ask yourself to know where you truly stand. They are not the same and are polar opposite of each other. The differences are huge and that can either make or break your business.
A leader is a person who leads by example and guide his/her followers to the vision they are all trying to reach. The leader helps and assists people who needs help and unify them all with an honor code and a noble vision. Responsibilities are shared and no on gets left behind. The leader doesn’t blame but share the responsibilities with others. Ideas are shared and changes happen constantly.
A boss is a person who direct orders and relay what needs to be done. He/she will make the shots but will not assist or pitch in. Blames are constant and responsibilities will be directed at the employees under him/her. They hate changes and like to stick with the old rules and principles. Bosses are old fashion and like to micro manage.
So what are you and which do you believe in? It is up to you to decide what role you want to be. Will you be a leader that leads or a boss that bosses?
By Marketing Deviant
That is a question you need to ask yourself to know where you truly stand. They are not the same and are polar opposite of each other. The differences are huge and that can either make or break your business.
A leader is a person who leads by example and guide his/her followers to the vision they are all trying to reach. The leader helps and assists people who needs help and unify them all with an honor code and a noble vision. Responsibilities are shared and no on gets left behind. The leader doesn’t blame but share the responsibilities with others. Ideas are shared and changes happen constantly.
A boss is a person who direct orders and relay what needs to be done. He/she will make the shots but will not assist or pitch in. Blames are constant and responsibilities will be directed at the employees under him/her. They hate changes and like to stick with the old rules and principles. Bosses are old fashion and like to micro manage.
So what are you and which do you believe in? It is up to you to decide what role you want to be. Will you be a leader that leads or a boss that bosses?
By Marketing Deviant
Code of Honour
In every company there is a code of conduct, but what about a code of honor? Code of conduct regulates the employees physically while the code of honor regulates them psychologically. This should be implemented in every company in order to create a positive atmosphere.
Code of honor had existed for a long time and enforcing it will be beneficial. The code itself establishes loyalty, trust, pride, respect and teamwork. By enforcing the code in your company, unity will prevail. The code builds a stronger bond among employees.
Code of honor is very psychological which makes it very powerful. Many employees lack honor so the code helps establish righteousness that will help benefit the company in many ways (happiness, unity, morale and etc). It is a belief system that will carry on from person to person. Promoting honorable actions from the code creates a positive atmosphere for the company.
The code help promotes a positive atmosphere where people will rely and trust each other with dignity and respect. In most case scenarios, employees lack honor so it is wise to enforce a code of honor for the welfare of the employees and company. A positive atmosphere is very important for it affects morale.
Blair Singer
Code of honor had existed for a long time and enforcing it will be beneficial. The code itself establishes loyalty, trust, pride, respect and teamwork. By enforcing the code in your company, unity will prevail. The code builds a stronger bond among employees.
Code of honor is very psychological which makes it very powerful. Many employees lack honor so the code helps establish righteousness that will help benefit the company in many ways (happiness, unity, morale and etc). It is a belief system that will carry on from person to person. Promoting honorable actions from the code creates a positive atmosphere for the company.
The code help promotes a positive atmosphere where people will rely and trust each other with dignity and respect. In most case scenarios, employees lack honor so it is wise to enforce a code of honor for the welfare of the employees and company. A positive atmosphere is very important for it affects morale.
Blair Singer
Monday, January 3, 2011
Mapping the Values of Organisation
- Organisational culture is the new frontier of competitive advantage, partucularly in a situation where talent is in a short supply. Talented people will always stay to companies that care about their employees and their customers
- Organisational cultures can be changed either by changing the leader or through whole-system change. Failing companies tend to bring in new leader from the outside with a different consciousness and different priorities. Successful companies, tend to promote from within so they can preserve their winning culture.
- The intangible assets of an organisation, such as culture, have a significant impact on the share price of a company. The intangible can represent as much as 65% to 85% of a company's stock price. Therefore, one of the ways to improve your share price is to focus on improving the culture.
- Whatever you focus on and measure gets done. Individual leaders, managers and supervisors are accountable for the culture of their units.
Article by: Richard Barret
Business Needs Scorecard
The 6 Categories of Business Scorecard:
1) Finance
Values and behaviours that have an impact on the bottom line such as a cost reduction, profit, financial stability, etc.
2) Fitness
Values and behaviours that have an impact on performance such as productivity, efficiency, accountability, quality, etc
3) Client Relations
Values and behaviours that have an impact on client relationships such as customer satisfaction, customer collaboration, client focus, etc.
4) Evolution
Values and behaviours that have an impact on the development of new products or services such as innovation, creativity, risk-taking, etc.
5) Culture
Values and behavours that have an impact on the culture of the organisation such as HONESTY, OPEN COMMUNICATION, TRUST, COMMITMENT, etc
6) Social Contribution
Values and behavours that have an impact on the relationship of the organisation to the local community or society at large such as environmental awareness, community involvement, human rights, etc.
Article by: Richard Barret
1) Finance
Values and behaviours that have an impact on the bottom line such as a cost reduction, profit, financial stability, etc.
2) Fitness
Values and behaviours that have an impact on performance such as productivity, efficiency, accountability, quality, etc
3) Client Relations
Values and behaviours that have an impact on client relationships such as customer satisfaction, customer collaboration, client focus, etc.
4) Evolution
Values and behaviours that have an impact on the development of new products or services such as innovation, creativity, risk-taking, etc.
5) Culture
Values and behavours that have an impact on the culture of the organisation such as HONESTY, OPEN COMMUNICATION, TRUST, COMMITMENT, etc
6) Social Contribution
Values and behavours that have an impact on the relationship of the organisation to the local community or society at large such as environmental awareness, community involvement, human rights, etc.
Article by: Richard Barret
Building a Values-Driven Organization
Full-Spectrum Consciousness
To be resilient and remain resilient organizations need to learn how to master every level of consciousness
· They master Level 1 by focusing on financial stability and employee safety
· They master Level 2 by focusing on open communication, respect for individuals, and customer satisfaction
· They master level 3 by focusing on performance, results, and best practices
· They master level 4 by focusing on adaptability, innovation, employee empowerment, and continuous learning
· They master level 5 by developing o cohesive culture based on a shared vision and shared values that create an increased capacity for collective action
· They master level 6 by building strategic alliances with like-minded partners, providing mentoring and coaching for their managers and leaders, and embracing environmental stewardship
· They master level 7 by focusing on social responsibility, ethics, global thinking, and keeping a long-term perspective on their business and its impact on future generations.
by: Richard Barret
To be resilient and remain resilient organizations need to learn how to master every level of consciousness
· They master Level 1 by focusing on financial stability and employee safety
· They master Level 2 by focusing on open communication, respect for individuals, and customer satisfaction
· They master level 3 by focusing on performance, results, and best practices
· They master level 4 by focusing on adaptability, innovation, employee empowerment, and continuous learning
· They master level 5 by developing o cohesive culture based on a shared vision and shared values that create an increased capacity for collective action
· They master level 6 by building strategic alliances with like-minded partners, providing mentoring and coaching for their managers and leaders, and embracing environmental stewardship
· They master level 7 by focusing on social responsibility, ethics, global thinking, and keeping a long-term perspective on their business and its impact on future generations.
by: Richard Barret
Sunday, December 5, 2010
7 Strategic Steps in Rebuilding Trust
How do we rebuild trust in our leadership?
It is up to all levels of management to take the lead in the rebuilding process.
How do we repair broken trust?
Trust underlies a foundation of success. But what practical fixes does this entails?
In this time or organisational restructuring, rapid operational/technological changes and uncertainty, rebuilding trust is definitely a challenging, and not uncommon task.
However, all levels of management can take the lead in this rebuilding process if they follow some basic principles and seven strategic steps.
1. Hold a focus group
One of the best ways to begin a healing and trust-building process is a meeting, or a series of meetings, that allows people to appropriately share their concerns or vent frustrations about people or processes that have contributed to a destabilizing or trust-eroding organisational atmosphere or culture. Definitely, you need a skilled and very objective Leader/facilitator. When employees see that management does not get defensive during this exchange and acknowledges broad concerns and in fact, takes meaningful problem solving steps, trust levels begin to rise.
2. Acknowledge hidden agenda
When possible, speak the unspeakable. Being transparent does not mean you have to put everything on the table, but certainly share appropriate information about problematic issues or about what is and is not in your immediate control, along with what information you do and don't have.
3. Talk straight and ask good questions
Try to get to the point without too much digression or over-explanation, as this will diminish your credibility with your employees. When possible do some preparation; precision of language command attention.
If this is an issue, what keeps you from talking straight - fear of consequences or being wrong, fear of hurting others, wanting to be liked (read..being popular), etc...?
Ask good questions. The essence of a good question is:
a) Humility..I don't have all the answer
b) Openness...I really would like to hear and learn from your point of view.
Remember, when a person is communicating with high emotion, he or she likely still feels misunderstood.
4. Do not bad-mouth others behind their backs, especially members who no longer in the company.
All this does is fuel employee mistrust. What do, or will people say about me when I am not around, or when I am retire? And if people are talking negatively about a current employee, encourage people to talk directly with the person; offer to mediate (or to find a mediator) when appropriate.
5. Do not over-promise and under-deliver (Keep your commitments)
As I like to say, beware of being motivated by ego goals; that is, when your goals are driven less by the needs, demands, resources and challenges of a situation and more by ego and false pride.
Remember the advice from the Guru of Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen R. Covey), WHEN YOU MAKE A COMMITMENT, YOU BUILD HOPE, WHEN YOU KEEP A COMMITMENT, YOU BUILD TRUST
6. Create a learning, trust building culture
In addition to acknowledging a personal mistake in a timely manner, when possible view errors as less sign of incompetence and more an indicator of inexperience or some maturity, perhaps even boldness.
7. Extend trust
Design rules and procedures for the overwhelming majority of people you can trust. Grant trust abundantly to those who have earned it.
Extend conditionally to those earning it, while examining the situation, risk potential and credibility - the competence and character of those involved for more opportunities to extend trust.
This Q&As are partly extracted from the following source:
[Source: Mark Gorkin; AMT]
It is up to all levels of management to take the lead in the rebuilding process.
How do we repair broken trust?
Trust underlies a foundation of success. But what practical fixes does this entails?
In this time or organisational restructuring, rapid operational/technological changes and uncertainty, rebuilding trust is definitely a challenging, and not uncommon task.
However, all levels of management can take the lead in this rebuilding process if they follow some basic principles and seven strategic steps.
1. Hold a focus group
One of the best ways to begin a healing and trust-building process is a meeting, or a series of meetings, that allows people to appropriately share their concerns or vent frustrations about people or processes that have contributed to a destabilizing or trust-eroding organisational atmosphere or culture. Definitely, you need a skilled and very objective Leader/facilitator. When employees see that management does not get defensive during this exchange and acknowledges broad concerns and in fact, takes meaningful problem solving steps, trust levels begin to rise.
2. Acknowledge hidden agenda
When possible, speak the unspeakable. Being transparent does not mean you have to put everything on the table, but certainly share appropriate information about problematic issues or about what is and is not in your immediate control, along with what information you do and don't have.
3. Talk straight and ask good questions
Try to get to the point without too much digression or over-explanation, as this will diminish your credibility with your employees. When possible do some preparation; precision of language command attention.
If this is an issue, what keeps you from talking straight - fear of consequences or being wrong, fear of hurting others, wanting to be liked (read..being popular), etc...?
Ask good questions. The essence of a good question is:
a) Humility..I don't have all the answer
b) Openness...I really would like to hear and learn from your point of view.
Remember, when a person is communicating with high emotion, he or she likely still feels misunderstood.
4. Do not bad-mouth others behind their backs, especially members who no longer in the company.
All this does is fuel employee mistrust. What do, or will people say about me when I am not around, or when I am retire? And if people are talking negatively about a current employee, encourage people to talk directly with the person; offer to mediate (or to find a mediator) when appropriate.
5. Do not over-promise and under-deliver (Keep your commitments)
As I like to say, beware of being motivated by ego goals; that is, when your goals are driven less by the needs, demands, resources and challenges of a situation and more by ego and false pride.
Remember the advice from the Guru of Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen R. Covey), WHEN YOU MAKE A COMMITMENT, YOU BUILD HOPE, WHEN YOU KEEP A COMMITMENT, YOU BUILD TRUST
6. Create a learning, trust building culture
In addition to acknowledging a personal mistake in a timely manner, when possible view errors as less sign of incompetence and more an indicator of inexperience or some maturity, perhaps even boldness.
7. Extend trust
Design rules and procedures for the overwhelming majority of people you can trust. Grant trust abundantly to those who have earned it.
Extend conditionally to those earning it, while examining the situation, risk potential and credibility - the competence and character of those involved for more opportunities to extend trust.
This Q&As are partly extracted from the following source:
[Source: Mark Gorkin; AMT]
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Workforce Planning and Analytics
A good article written by Trish... for your reading pleasure..
Recently in NYC and at the end of one conference, I was granted a press pass into the HR Week ‘Human Resource Executive Forum‘. Many thanks to Eric Winegardner from Monster and Rebecca McKenna from Human Resource Executive Magazine for helping me get there. I’m always amazed when you go to a “real conference” vs. an “un-conference”. The vibe at the real conference is so formal. I was greeted by the very efficient team of people at registration and soon, badge and information in hand, I was rushing down the hall to catch a session.
One I was able to attend was “Workforce Planning and Analytics: New Face of Planning” which was led by Dr. Jac Fitz-enz. He is a leading authority who specializes in measuring human capital. You can learn more about him here.
I quickly got settled in the back of the room, next to Eric Winegardner, and we fired up our netbooks to take notes. I wanted to tweet during the sessions but earlier I noticed that there was no wifi available to participants UNLESS I WANTED TO PAY $100!!! WHAT?? Anyway, we were just getting ready to take notes when something shocking happened. Dr. Fitz-enz introduced himself and one of the first things he did was ask participants not to text or use their computers. I’m stitting there thinking, how on earth am I supposed to cover this session as “press” without being able to take notes? This attitude is completely behind the times. I will suggest that conferences going forward should make sure to offer wifi to all participants and should certainly allow netbooks or pcs to be able to take notes to bring back to the organizations. That said though, I really enjoyed the session and learned quite a bit.
Words matter
Although the session was called workforce planning, Dr. Fitz-enz wanted us to understand that words drive attention and action. So by using the phrase “capability planning” rather then workforce planning, you will be creating a mindset that is receptive to thinking in terms of the capabilities that individual employees bring to your workforce.
What human capital is about
According to Dr. Fitz-enz, human capital planning is not about, “filling jobs or putting butts in chairs.” It’s about looking at how capable your workforce is and how that affects your organization’s mission. How capable are the incumbents? If you’re not considering the skills of the people waiting in the wings, you may lose them. You have to keep them challenged and progressing. Human capital is about managing the risk of losing your great players. You need to find employees that can anticipate what you’ll need them to do A YEAR FROM NOW, not someone who is able to do what they did for you last year. Dr. Fitz-enz says, “when you have about 75% of your mission critical positions with someone ready to step in tomorrow, you begin to see revenue per employee increase. Until that point, it’s flat, and research bears this out.”
What about planning analytics?
Planning analytics is about applying logic, accounting, statistics, and data mining to analyze current and historical data to make predictions. But, what if people were your brand? Whenever knowledge is your product, it is much harder to apply metrics and measures. Even so, you have to find ways to tie performance to business measures so that you can predict. In addition, Dr. Fitz-enz believes that in the future, HR professionals will need to focus on the future instead of looking at the benchmarks of the past. You have to look at what is going on in the environment both internally and externally in the marketplace. Only then will you be able to plan and get all departments integrated and focused on the organization’s vision.
On processes and effectiveness
One critical component of effective workforce planning is how well you organize your workforce. Is the facility they work in configured properly to maximize efficiency? What steps can you take to improve productivity relative to the way in which people are working? You’ll also need to take a hard look at your organization’s processes before you just decide to make and upgrade and throw technology at it. That is not what will drive effectiveness. Careful analysis of current processes will help guide what type of technology makes the most sense. This should be done after you’ve taken time to examine each process.
Engagement is not correlated with productivity
This was something that came up in two sessions and really caught the attention of the audience both times. I think it’s because as HR professionals, we are constantly told that if you have a high level of employee engagement, you will see productivity increase. It just makes sense. I think the clarifying point that Dr. Fitz-enz made is that while that may be true in most cases, there is not a mathematical correlation. So, if the engagement scores increase by 2%, you will not see a 2% increase in productivity. Related, not correlated.
Where I disagree with Dr. Fitz-enz
Whenever you hear an industry expert speak, you are most likely going to be hard pressed to find flaws. Not that I was looking for them, but one thing he said I whole-heartedly disagree with. He said, “Leadership is a finite thing. There is only so much that can be said about it.” In my notes that day, I actually followed that sentence up with an expletive. Very unusual for me to do that. It just struck me as an odd thing to say for such a progressive thinker. I think the only way we’ve heard enough on leadership is when we are at the point where a “right” way of leading has been established. I do not ever think we’ll be at that point. As long as there are people leading companies, there will need to be many types of leadership styles to put toward making the organization a success. Therefore, the discussion of what makes good, solid leadership will continue.
Recently in NYC and at the end of one conference, I was granted a press pass into the HR Week ‘Human Resource Executive Forum‘. Many thanks to Eric Winegardner from Monster and Rebecca McKenna from Human Resource Executive Magazine for helping me get there. I’m always amazed when you go to a “real conference” vs. an “un-conference”. The vibe at the real conference is so formal. I was greeted by the very efficient team of people at registration and soon, badge and information in hand, I was rushing down the hall to catch a session.
One I was able to attend was “Workforce Planning and Analytics: New Face of Planning” which was led by Dr. Jac Fitz-enz. He is a leading authority who specializes in measuring human capital. You can learn more about him here.
I quickly got settled in the back of the room, next to Eric Winegardner, and we fired up our netbooks to take notes. I wanted to tweet during the sessions but earlier I noticed that there was no wifi available to participants UNLESS I WANTED TO PAY $100!!! WHAT?? Anyway, we were just getting ready to take notes when something shocking happened. Dr. Fitz-enz introduced himself and one of the first things he did was ask participants not to text or use their computers. I’m stitting there thinking, how on earth am I supposed to cover this session as “press” without being able to take notes? This attitude is completely behind the times. I will suggest that conferences going forward should make sure to offer wifi to all participants and should certainly allow netbooks or pcs to be able to take notes to bring back to the organizations. That said though, I really enjoyed the session and learned quite a bit.
Words matter
Although the session was called workforce planning, Dr. Fitz-enz wanted us to understand that words drive attention and action. So by using the phrase “capability planning” rather then workforce planning, you will be creating a mindset that is receptive to thinking in terms of the capabilities that individual employees bring to your workforce.
What human capital is about
According to Dr. Fitz-enz, human capital planning is not about, “filling jobs or putting butts in chairs.” It’s about looking at how capable your workforce is and how that affects your organization’s mission. How capable are the incumbents? If you’re not considering the skills of the people waiting in the wings, you may lose them. You have to keep them challenged and progressing. Human capital is about managing the risk of losing your great players. You need to find employees that can anticipate what you’ll need them to do A YEAR FROM NOW, not someone who is able to do what they did for you last year. Dr. Fitz-enz says, “when you have about 75% of your mission critical positions with someone ready to step in tomorrow, you begin to see revenue per employee increase. Until that point, it’s flat, and research bears this out.”
What about planning analytics?
Planning analytics is about applying logic, accounting, statistics, and data mining to analyze current and historical data to make predictions. But, what if people were your brand? Whenever knowledge is your product, it is much harder to apply metrics and measures. Even so, you have to find ways to tie performance to business measures so that you can predict. In addition, Dr. Fitz-enz believes that in the future, HR professionals will need to focus on the future instead of looking at the benchmarks of the past. You have to look at what is going on in the environment both internally and externally in the marketplace. Only then will you be able to plan and get all departments integrated and focused on the organization’s vision.
On processes and effectiveness
One critical component of effective workforce planning is how well you organize your workforce. Is the facility they work in configured properly to maximize efficiency? What steps can you take to improve productivity relative to the way in which people are working? You’ll also need to take a hard look at your organization’s processes before you just decide to make and upgrade and throw technology at it. That is not what will drive effectiveness. Careful analysis of current processes will help guide what type of technology makes the most sense. This should be done after you’ve taken time to examine each process.
Engagement is not correlated with productivity
This was something that came up in two sessions and really caught the attention of the audience both times. I think it’s because as HR professionals, we are constantly told that if you have a high level of employee engagement, you will see productivity increase. It just makes sense. I think the clarifying point that Dr. Fitz-enz made is that while that may be true in most cases, there is not a mathematical correlation. So, if the engagement scores increase by 2%, you will not see a 2% increase in productivity. Related, not correlated.
Where I disagree with Dr. Fitz-enz
Whenever you hear an industry expert speak, you are most likely going to be hard pressed to find flaws. Not that I was looking for them, but one thing he said I whole-heartedly disagree with. He said, “Leadership is a finite thing. There is only so much that can be said about it.” In my notes that day, I actually followed that sentence up with an expletive. Very unusual for me to do that. It just struck me as an odd thing to say for such a progressive thinker. I think the only way we’ve heard enough on leadership is when we are at the point where a “right” way of leading has been established. I do not ever think we’ll be at that point. As long as there are people leading companies, there will need to be many types of leadership styles to put toward making the organization a success. Therefore, the discussion of what makes good, solid leadership will continue.
Building a High Performance Workforce
Building a High Performance Workforce
Research from the Corporate Leadership Council concludes that to build a high performance workforce - organizations need to think beyond the typical performance management system. A high performance culture is much more than filling in appraisal forms and following a performance management process. It is not a quick fix and it requires commitment to creating a sustainable approach to performance improvement. It is a culture that goes beyond short term metrics and one that must include a range of organizational, managerial and employee principles.
Research predicts a minimum of 5% productivity improvement all the way up to 35%. As a way of visualizing this - the minimum 5% improvement is equivalent to your people having an extra 2 hours productivity per week.
1. Organizational Principles:
1a. The Performance Management Approach.
Be clear on the expected standards of performance. This ensures that all employees understand what is expected of them in their role and how their role contributes to the success of the organization. Any system for providing feedback should allow for multiple sources of feedback - not just the direct line manager.
1b. A High Performance Culture.
Ensure there is a regular and open communication of business performance data. Managers and leaders should make a clear distinction between employees making good and poor contributions. They should encourage employees to take suitable risks and remove the fear of failure.
2. Managerial Principles:
2a. Interaction with employees.
Managers should set clear and consistent expectations and try not to constantly change plans and priorities. Using a coaching style of management helps your people find solutions to business problems. Managers should provide the resources needed by their people to allow them to be successful.
2b. Formal Reviews.
The emphasis should be on the positive aspects of performance. Performance weaknesses should only be discussed when the manager has also thought of specific suggestions for improving performance. Formal reviews should also include a discussion and agreed actions relating to your employees' medium- to long-term career aspirations.
2c. Informal Feedback.
Informal feedback should be provided on a regular basis. The most powerful driver of high performance is feedback which is specific, timely, accurate and balanced and comes from a knowledgeable source.
3. Employee Principles:
3a. Day to day work.
Take some time to provide the big picture for your people. Help them understand how their roles and current assignments contribute to organizational success. People who understand and enjoy their work deliver greater contributions - so take time to carefully match people to their roles.
3b. Opportunities.
Understand your people's strengths and then look to provide them with opportunities to utilize those strengths. Timely training and on-the-job coaching provides the most effective learning. Any learning and development provided should be relevant to people's assignments and their role.
Implementing a High Performance Workforce
The good news is that these principles are simple to understand and both managers and employees can intuitively understand the connection to improved performance. Done effectively - the benefits of high performance workforce can be achieved without the need for huge capital expenditures, high-profile change programmes and major upheavals.
However simple should not be confused with easy. To execute successfully - the organisation's leaders must position high performance as a key priority. They have to insist that line managers (not Human Resources) become the champions of high performance activities.
The first step is for the managers of other line managers to hold those line managers accountable for performance improvement in their staff. This starts by including performance management-related goals into managers' own performance expectations.
Visit http://exceptional-performance.co.uk for free resources and inspiration to help you develop your workforce.
Peter Leather is a specialist in improving the productivity of your workforce and he is a recognized expert in implementing skills frameworks and developing Communities of Practice. He is MBA qualified with over 20 years experience advising major IT, financial services and professional services organizations. He prefers to work collaboratively and to coach and motivate internal teams in order to bring about sustainable change.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Leather
Research from the Corporate Leadership Council concludes that to build a high performance workforce - organizations need to think beyond the typical performance management system. A high performance culture is much more than filling in appraisal forms and following a performance management process. It is not a quick fix and it requires commitment to creating a sustainable approach to performance improvement. It is a culture that goes beyond short term metrics and one that must include a range of organizational, managerial and employee principles.
Research predicts a minimum of 5% productivity improvement all the way up to 35%. As a way of visualizing this - the minimum 5% improvement is equivalent to your people having an extra 2 hours productivity per week.
1. Organizational Principles:
1a. The Performance Management Approach.
Be clear on the expected standards of performance. This ensures that all employees understand what is expected of them in their role and how their role contributes to the success of the organization. Any system for providing feedback should allow for multiple sources of feedback - not just the direct line manager.
1b. A High Performance Culture.
Ensure there is a regular and open communication of business performance data. Managers and leaders should make a clear distinction between employees making good and poor contributions. They should encourage employees to take suitable risks and remove the fear of failure.
2. Managerial Principles:
2a. Interaction with employees.
Managers should set clear and consistent expectations and try not to constantly change plans and priorities. Using a coaching style of management helps your people find solutions to business problems. Managers should provide the resources needed by their people to allow them to be successful.
2b. Formal Reviews.
The emphasis should be on the positive aspects of performance. Performance weaknesses should only be discussed when the manager has also thought of specific suggestions for improving performance. Formal reviews should also include a discussion and agreed actions relating to your employees' medium- to long-term career aspirations.
2c. Informal Feedback.
Informal feedback should be provided on a regular basis. The most powerful driver of high performance is feedback which is specific, timely, accurate and balanced and comes from a knowledgeable source.
3. Employee Principles:
3a. Day to day work.
Take some time to provide the big picture for your people. Help them understand how their roles and current assignments contribute to organizational success. People who understand and enjoy their work deliver greater contributions - so take time to carefully match people to their roles.
3b. Opportunities.
Understand your people's strengths and then look to provide them with opportunities to utilize those strengths. Timely training and on-the-job coaching provides the most effective learning. Any learning and development provided should be relevant to people's assignments and their role.
Implementing a High Performance Workforce
The good news is that these principles are simple to understand and both managers and employees can intuitively understand the connection to improved performance. Done effectively - the benefits of high performance workforce can be achieved without the need for huge capital expenditures, high-profile change programmes and major upheavals.
However simple should not be confused with easy. To execute successfully - the organisation's leaders must position high performance as a key priority. They have to insist that line managers (not Human Resources) become the champions of high performance activities.
The first step is for the managers of other line managers to hold those line managers accountable for performance improvement in their staff. This starts by including performance management-related goals into managers' own performance expectations.
Visit http://exceptional-performance.co.uk for free resources and inspiration to help you develop your workforce.
Peter Leather is a specialist in improving the productivity of your workforce and he is a recognized expert in implementing skills frameworks and developing Communities of Practice. He is MBA qualified with over 20 years experience advising major IT, financial services and professional services organizations. He prefers to work collaboratively and to coach and motivate internal teams in order to bring about sustainable change.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Leather
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