Customize Communication Messages count.  Know that what you say and how you say it makes a difference.  Small, daily actions add up to a larger communication pattern that either draws others in, or pushes them away.  Communication across the generation gap is flexing and employing media and methods that appeal. What to do first?  Ask yourself: Are your methods of communication current and up to date? How often do you communicate? How frequently do you engage your employees in conversation? Ask your employees: What are your communication preferences? Do you have the information you need to do your job? What to do next?  Walk around, say hello, and greet people at the beginning of their day.  Connect with people in person, by email, phone or text messaging. Connect with people in person.  At least once a month tell people why and how their work is significant. Meet with employees at least once a month to discuss work.  Ask: What’s going well? What’s not going so well? What can I do to support you? Frequently express your appreciation for employee’s contribution. Make sure your employees see the link between their work and the organization’s mission, goals and values.  Use positive messages to inspire. Create Climate Team atmosphere is a reflection of management tone and priorities.  Create a positive, empowering work environment.   Respect work style differences.  Consider the value or importance of work and life balance and quality of life issues. What to do first? Begin by imagining your team members are volunteers, not paid employees.  Identify what about your leadership keeps them coming to work for you.  Create a climate that fuels engagement – a climate that energizes and empowers. What to do next?  Keep commitments and appointments with employees Schedule lunch with employees; take time to get to know them Keep a sense of humor, celebrate successes, and encourage … [Read more...]

Hire More Millennials A large part of preparing your organization for the future is to begin hiring younger workers. I’m not advising anyone to avoid hiring workers of any age, and certainly not to push out older workers.  The fact is, soon 50% of your pool of job candidates will be Millennials, and you’ll want to attract the best of them, even if this requires additional training for inexperienced new hires. Although Millennials sometimes get a bad rap, the fact is, the generation brings to the table a great work ethic and desire to do well.  Millennials are optimistic and accomplishment-oriented, excel at working in teams and love to be challenged. Targeting Millennial candidates means changing how you hire, and the message you send out through job postings. For example, unlike many older job seekers, Millennials welcome working for lean organizations.  A job description that includes wearing many hats will actually appeal to Millennials, who value work with variety and many responsibilities. Other values to target (and follow through on) include the ability to move quickly (not necessarily up), flexibility and the ability to speak up. If your organization does not have family friendly policies like flextime or job-sharing, consider implementing some in order to attract this younger generation—and to keep up with changing work force expectations. Help your human resources department move away from traditional hiring models to reach today’s Millennial-rich job market. Partner with trade schools and high schools that can funnel young workers into your organization. Not sure kids will be willing to start at the bottom? Use these relationships to set expectations of what work will be like, namely that they might have to work their way up or across your organization. Ask your managers and supervisors to keep an eye out for sharp, trainable young workers who are ripe for hiring.  They may be waiting tables, hooking up your cable TV or … [Read more...]

To Measure Learning Impact for Competencies, First Define Specific Desired Behaviors Previously, I covered the importance of identifying the set of observable behaviors that would indicate successful application of a leadership development learning program.  I also pointed out that these behaviors typically fall squarely between the traditional concerns of the Learning and Development organization (which focuses on the accomplishment of appropriate learning objectives) and the realm of Performance Management, which looks at sets of behaviors (often referred to as competencies).  I concluded by saying that, unless specific desired behaviors resulting from participation in leadership development programs are clearly defined it is virtually impossible to measure the behavior and impact of these high visibility and typically expensive programs! To address this common deficiency I suggested that Learning and Development professionals should initiate discussions with Performance Management and senior organizational leaders to identify and define these behaviors as a component of each leadership development course or program. To illustrate this concept, I will explain this process of identifying and measuring some specific, intermediary, observable (Level 3) behaviors using an example from the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) used by the U.S. government.  (For more on the ECQs visit http://www.opm.gov/ses/recruitment/ecq.asp) Example: The Entrepreneurship Competency in the U.S. Government ECQs The ECQs consist of five essential qualifications that the U. S. Office of Personnel Management has defined, based on current research of effective leaders in successful organizations. The five ECQs are 1) Leading Change; 2) Leading People; 3) Results Driven; 4) Business Acumen; and 5) Building Coalitions.  Each of the ECQs in turn consists of a set of competencies.  Unfortunately for those seeking to measure the impact of learning programs, these competencies are … [Read more...]

Leadership Development Risks and Rewards In this era of rapid and disruptive change, (technological, economic, generational, etc.), human resource and training organizations stake the future success of their organizations on their ability to develop leaders with a broad range of competencies and skills who can meet the challenges of the times and steer their organizations effectively.  In response to this need, the leadership development universe has exploded with varied and complex learning approaches that address strategic alignment, transformational leadership, innovation, emotional intelligence, globalization, etc. And yet, amidst this explosion of new content and approaches to developing leaders, most organizations possess precious little data to inform them which programs produce results for them and which do not.  Without this information, it’s simply impossible to weigh the potential risks and rewards of any program, resulting in decisions based not on evidence, but on faith in a particular management ideology, celebrity leader, or popular book. The potential rewards of “getting it right” with a program that genuinely responds to the pressing needs of managers, and supports them in addressing the strategic challenges of the day, are compelling.  This hope and optimism often rules the day.  After all, most trainers are essentially optimists, believing in the in the potential for change, growth, improvement, etc. But, as optimists, many of us gloss over the real risks involved in making a decision that cannot be verified by data.  The risks of wasting time and money are bad enough, but the additional risk of distracting your managerial and leadership team with a program that does not lead to positive, measurable outcomes looms even larger.  Worst of all is the risk that many organizations experience:  they don’t even know whether their leadership development programs are effective or not! Measurement and Evaluation of Leadership … [Read more...]

Embracing a diverse workforce is one of the most pressing organizational development challenges facing industry today. Many people are interested and invested in the Federal Government enhancing organization's individual capacity to appropriately manage the multicultural workforce.  The good news for those invested in this critical issue came a few weeks ago when President Obama signed Executive Order 13171. With this Executive Order comes the expectation that organizations are going to develop Strategic Plans to address diversity. It also provides diversity professionals an opportunity to engage in dialogue about how to take meaningful steps to deal with important issues related to diversity. Much of the meaningful conversation I had at the conference centered on the challenges people are facing in implementing successful diversity programs, including: Significant budget challenges Other organizational priorities that oftentimes occupy the attention of senior executives Given that landscape, some of the themes for the conference include: Many different perspectives of diversity in today’s workplace: My assessment is that what’s really important is for us to understand our own biases and appreciate diversity in the largest sense of the word.  There is now an opportunity for all the intricate elements of diversity initiatives to come together and leverage our collective perspectives and our collective strengths. We no longer need to continue working without any coordination or working across purposes. Need to Innovate: Using the same tools, the same resources, or delivering training in the same way and expecting the same results is not likely to produce the changes that are needed. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing but expecting different results. Now is the time to break out of old habits, traditions, and resources and embrace innovation as the key to change. As I discussed in my breakout session on creating senior leader … [Read more...]

Stuck in traffic on the way home, Chris started talking to herself.    “Ok, what happened this afternoon? Is this good news or bad news? I mean, in the last nine months, it seems that we all have been required to do more with less: More assignments with quick turnaround time. More duties with fewer direct reports. More tasks with less information. “And now, I’ve been ‘informally’ promoted. If I bring in the Axis project in on time and under budget, I’ll be named manager of this ad hoc team. How can I possibly succeed, given the project timeline, the budget, and this particular group of people?! And how in this world will they want to work for a person who has less seniority and less experience than any of them, someone whose success is linked to their buy-in and cooperation, and a person who talks to herself in the car?!?” Before the first sip of her first cup of tea the next morning, problems with her new team began. Dwight barged into her office with a list of questions, most of which they had discussed and resolved two weeks ago. Why can’t he ‘stay told’ once the decision has been made? Elaine e-mailed asking for a one-on-one afternoon meeting. She attached an agenda which covered everything from suggestions about the design of a team t-shirt, to revamping the critical path of project plan, to detailing the lack of initiative of all the other team members. Bob popped in with a draft of the first team communication. Chris scanned it and wondered why her idea of results and Bob’s understanding of results seemed worlds apart? Chris closed her office door, put her head on her desk, and mumbled under breath, “Oh, this definitely is NOT good news!” This is a prime opportunity for Chris to use her influence with her team. Influence has been defined as the ability to affect others—seen only in its effect—without exertion of force or formal authority. Keys to being influential with others are the skills of attentiveness … [Read more...]

Shawn, HR Manager, recently was chosen to lead a special project to streamline all HR processes.  Members of the project team include fellow managers throughout the company, including two managers in remote locations. “This project is a nightmare,” Shawn complained. “My team members ignore my e-mails. They ‘forget’ team meetings, or, worse still, they come unprepared. They seem more interested in their favorite sports team results than they do in getting this work done. I can’t make them do anything I ask! Something’s got to give, or we won’t meet our report deadline. And my yearly bonus is riding on our success!” Perhaps you can identify with Shawn. Teams are formed and given a list of deliverables. Team members must complete their regular job duties while juggling the project tasks. And the person who is given the responsibility of the project often has little authority to complete the assignment. Effective use of personal influence is essential to success. Here are two steps Shawn—and you—can take to be influential with co-workers: Analyze First, think about each individual co-worker. Identify his/her style of interaction. What clues can you gather from body language? Does the person gesture broadly while talking? Is he fidgety? Does she bite her nails? Does he sit with hands and legs crossed? From such clues comes an awareness of that person’s comfort level with working as a part of a group. What about speech patterns? Does he speak softly or in a loud, booming voice? How does she begin meetings? Does she dive right into the business at hand, or does he take time for small talk, sports, family, etc.? Does he want details, charts and graphs, or is she satisfied with broad outlines, outcomes and results? Adapt Once you have gathered information about other team members, you now have a choice. You can continue to struggle by giving information in the format and manner you are comfortable with. You can continue to … [Read more...]