Recovery-Proof Your Team in 2011
February 1, 2011
Keeping Your Best Talent from Jumping Ship in 2011
According to a recent Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) press release, the majority of the Human Resource (HR) professionals and managers surveyed agreed that employee turnover will rise significantly as the job market continues to improve.
56% of HR professionals surveyed agree that turnover will increase. Not might. Will.
If organizations intend to keep their best employees from jumping ship, retention efforts need serious attention. Now.
In addition to running MPOWER Consulting, I am Managing Partner and Director of Homework of Masse Family Enterprises (i.e. wife and mom at to my great family). In that position, I had a recent “retention lesson” that is absolutely applicable to the workplace.
First, a Little Backstory
Just this weekend I was helping my first grader with a report on Neil Armstrong that he will present before his class this week. How excited I was that he selected a true American hero as his subject. I jumped right in to help and before you know it was micromanaging the whole show.
With my son’s “help,” I emailed the offices of The Space Foundation (HQed right here in Colorado Springs) and asked for “props” we could borrow. Mission accomplished: my 7-year-old has a large, colorful poster of the famous photo of Buzz Aldrin suited up standing on the moon with Neil Armstrong’s reflection in his helmet; a stack of books we used for reference for dates and more; a “footprint” lapel pin of the first, one small step for man; and a NASA-logoed lunch bag that proudly carries his peanut butter sandwich and applesauce today.
Next step, filling out the homework paper with the content of his presentation. Oh, my son will deliver a Nobel prize winning report of literary perfection! Well, let’s at least make it interesting for a class of fidgety first graders.
We establish ourselves at the kitchen table and set to work. And it all goes downhill from there.
Micromanaging At It’s Finest
I want him to add more content for the “WOW” factor; he’s content with a few sentences that answer the question to stay precisely on point. I suggest he repeat the celebrated words Neil Armstrong made famous upon setting first foot on the moon; he agreed but reluctantly. I pushed to hurry up and get it done so he could play; he was visibly tired and needed a break.
He was frustrated at me for “bossing him.” I was weary because he didn’t want this to be the report I wanted it to be and wasn’t sitting still long enough to just get it done. I was not paying attention to the way he wanted to do his homework. We were not working together. And I was spending more time outlining “better ways” to do it versus praising him for doing it well his way.
At the very least, we needed a change of scenery. I asked where he’d like to sit. “On the couch.” Off we went, smoke clearing, frustration calming. He finished the written portion and when asked if he wanted to practice the obvious answer: “No.” He was done. “Disengaged” to say the least.
Creating Disengagement
Could you blame him? As the “manager” I assumed we shared the same vision for his report. I pushed for him to do it the way I would have done it. I forgot that he mainly needed me as a resource, to help read complicated websites and other resources to get essential information. And along the way neglected to tell him what a nice job he was doing.
Bad… bad manager. I created disengagement and of course the little project that was supposed to fun “Mommy & Son” time not only took longer than needed but put an emotional dent in our quality time. We were not as productive as we could have been, not as efficient, and the results… while the report is “effective” in the sense that my boy does have a presentation to deliver this week our relationship took a minor, yet hopefully only momentary, blow. What do you think he’ll think and do the next time he needs my help on his homework?
Leaders and managers, the lessons from my mistakes are undeniably applicable to the workplace. There IS a better way.
1. Respect ‘em.
It starts with understanding employee needs from every perspective. Not just the over-emphasized tools and resources or even how much of your time they may require. Most importantly, it begins with understanding their unique modis operandi or M.O. – literally what their brain needs conatively in order to do their best for you.
Managing “Fact Finders”: They need and naturally uncover all the relevant facts, figures and data. Give them time to research and prioritize the necessary details that ensure they will give you the most strategic decision.
Managing “Follow-Thrus”: They need and naturally create order and systematic approaches. Empower them to create a solid plan that keeps the project organized and expertly managed. They will actually see it to completion.
Managing “Quick Starts”: They need to experiment as they are natural risk-takers. Give them leeway to brainstorm ideas, jump in head first to try out a few, learn from their mistakes and suggest creative ideas for new projects or new ways of tackling strategic goals.
Managing “Implementors”: They are your “hands-on” employees. They need to and naturally create quality, long-lasting solutions. No thrown-together shoddy craftsmanship allowed. Give them time and resources to test their ideas and plans before rolling out the final version. Never have to “go back and re-do” again because the first implementation was the right implementation.
In other words, don’t do what I did with my son. Rather, understand the way THEY work best and let them do it. When employees are given tasks and activities that are a mismatch in terms of how they naturally solve problems, make decisions and take action, managers and leaders are forcing them to work against what is natural. It takes longer and the results often don’t meet expectations.
Multiply this by the number of individual contributors to calculate the cost loss of productivity in an organzation. Conversely, when you have the right employees in the right roles (that is, a role that allows them to do what they do best naturally) imagine the organizational cost savings and increased earning potential resulting from measurably higher productivity.
2. Train ‘em.
Of course there are cases where tasks must be accomplished in a specific way… to meet quality standards, ensure personal safety, guarantee efficiency. Invite employees, based on their natural inclinations as outlined above, to be partners in creating those solutions, empowering them to contribute their personal best (again, based on above). Then train them – and train them to train others effectively – on these best practices for reaching the common goal – be it improved quality, personal safety, higher efficiency.
And by all means, train managers to manage. A vastly different skill set than any “technician” role.
In other words, again, don’t do what I did with my son and expect him to do it my way without talking to him first about what his ideas were for how we would get the project finished. We did not agree ahead of time to how we would work together resulting in wasting time being frustrated.
Multiply that by the number of employees and teams in your organization to calculate the cost of lost efficiency. Ouch. On the other hand, when a true culture of collaboration exists – we agree on the goals, define clearly how we will work together toward that end, and we rely on one another for what each does best – how much more efficient (and therefore cost effective) we are.
3. Reward ‘em.
As managers and leaders we are quick to correct “bad” behavior. Reprimands, development plans, official warnings are all to be documented, in fact.
As parents, however, praise seems to come a little more naturally (indeed, I hope… “When you cleared the table, it really helped make clean up faster, and we got to play your game sooner!”). How often is this same idea forgotten in the workplace?
Especially after surviving the economy of the past 2+ years, employees are feeling overworked, undervalued and just plain ol’ disengaged. Rightly or wrongly, their perception is their reality, and many are ready to jump ship. In a January 2011 survey conducted by Harris Interactive in conjunction with CareerBuilder North America, 76% of the 3,900 employees surveyed indicated they were ready to leave current jobs for the right opportunity. Is their mind 100% on the work at hand?
More surprisingly, rewarding them with more money was not what would keep them on board. 68% reported that affordable benefits were more important than salary.
In fact, more money is rarely the answer for keeping best employees, especially when they feel disengaged.
Published in 1999, a study by Kenneth Kovach of George Mason University compared employees’ ranking of what they wanted from their jobs with what their bosses thought was important to the associates. “Good wages” was fifth for employees after the more important:
- Interesting work – interesting to them not the manager; in my view interesting = a good fit based on M.O. + “meaningful” to the individual
- Appreciation of work – a simple, inexpensive “thank you” may suffice; thank you note, family pack of movie tickets, gift card for lunch to a favorite restaurant, an extra vacation day…
- Feeling “in on things” – knowing what the rest of the organization is up to… breaking down the silos as it were… and, they may surprise you with creative solutions to challenges outside their job descriptions
- Job security – how much more engaged they are when they don’t have to worry about their basic needs?
Again, lessons from the homework assignment… Only when I saw that my son was completely disengaging from the work, did I bother to make changes to how we were working together. In the end, “good job!” praises flowed but was it too late?
I made it up to him with a matinee showing of “Megamind” and Whoppers. It wasn’t too late for us.
Organization leaders and managers take heed: Work now on creating respect, getting the right people in place and training them, then rewarding them with what’s meaningful to them so it’s not too late to keep your best employees from jumping ship.
My Job Sucks: How to Love (Tolerate) the Job You Can’t Afford to Quit…Yet
February 1, 2011
How to Love (ok, Tolerate) the Job You Can’t Afford to Quit… Yet
If you’ve seen the movie “Office Space” you’ll remember the scene where the female coworker overhears the main character, Peter, saying he’s about to lose it because his commute stinks, his bosses are idiots, his work is meaningless and he thinks his girlfriend is cheating on him. “Uh oh…” says the Sally Sunshine coworker. “Sounds like somebody’s got a case of the Mondays.”
Not to be crass but, really, you want to inflict on her exactly what Peter’s neighbor suggests. (Rated R for language; not for little ears.)
Let’s Get Real
In all seriousness, do you have a case of the Mondays? Every day? Do you feel this way at work? Stuck. Wishing for something better. Knowing that there just has to be more to work than TPS reports (again, from “Office Space”).
A few words of encouragement:
- YOU control your professional and career development. Not your boss or the company you work for. It’s up to you to make something positive happen… and YOU CAN DO IT.
- And, a favorite idea from Claire Colvin, Senior Editor for TruthMedia Internet Group, your job does not define you but how you DO it does.
How do you show up at work now? Are you pouting or positive? Do you mope with a little black cloud over your head or do you find something productive to do every day (or at least week) that is in alignment with your career goals and personal brand?
It starts with clearly defining what you want from your career and what you want to be known for (your career vision), then making those opportunities happen for yourself even in — especially in — a job you can’t afford to quit.
Because here’s the best news: It won’t last forever if you are intentional about reaching your career goals. You can start looking for a new job whenever you want. In the meantime, until you find something “better”…
Add Something New
Find … better yet create … an opportunity for yourself at work to shine. To do what YOU do best.
Fact Finders: Find a new or existing project that needs your data-digging strengths. A new research project, a feasibility study, a fact-checking assignment. You naturally need and seek the facts, figures, data to justify and prioritize your work. Volunteer to do what you do best to make sure work the company is doing is worth the investment of time, energy, money. The natural strategist, you’ll make sure what everyone is working on helps move the company toward meeting its business goals.
Follow Thrus: Is there a project that isn’t being managed as effectively as it could? Without ruffling feathers of the current project owners, offer your natural expertise in creating a plan, defining the steps, helping to manage those steps and measuring the results. It’s what you do… you can’t help it. Put your talents to use to help your team or organization complete what they’ve started and measure the outcomes. The natural project manager, you’ll make sure it gets done.
Quick Starts: You’re the natural brainstormer. Are any of your colleagues “stuck” and can’t seem to think what to do to make progress on a project or set of tasks? You are the natural “unsticker.” Offer to brainstorm different solutions with your counterparts to help them work their way out of the paper bag and get moving again. You’ll save them from wasting time in “analysis paralysis.”
Implementors: You strive for quality outcomes, not just band-aid quick-fixes. Jump in and support a project that needs “beta testing” before a full roll out. Run the project through quality tests to ensure the biggest bugs are worked out before the whole team or organization has to implement something new. It’s what you do best! You’ll have your company time, money and other precious resources.
Delegate Something Old
Is there something in your job description that you’ve done a 1000 times and, well, you’re “over it?” Could it be a development opportunity for a junior colleague? A chance for growth for someone else on your team or someone you manage?
Three reasons to delegate it:
- When you delegate a task, activity or project that empowers someone else to put their strengths to work and do what they do best, you’re not only giving them the opportunity to show the team and organization what they’ve got but you’re increasing their level of engagement.
- When you give it away to someone whose natural talent(s) fits the task, that task will be accomplished more productively and efficiently than if you try to complete something that pushes you against your natural modis operandi (M.O.).
- When you give up one thing, you’re freeing yourself to take on more in your role to fit your unique strengths… to do what YOU do best. Please reference “Add Something New.”
Stay Positive
Get rid of the black cloud. And fast. No one likes to work with a Negative Nelly (or Ned). Fake it if you have to for a while. But put on a positive attitude and focus on doing something productive. Especially if you suffer from what I call “workplace depression,” the best cure for on-the-job doldrums is helping someone else accomplish something great. (See #2 on this list of 10 tips for staving off depression.
Your Career: Tuning In to Career Success in 2011
January 19, 2011
Whether you seek a new job or want to achieve more in the position you have, ask yourself these questions to tune into everything you offer to an organization in 2011m whether in a current role or with a new company. Then write down the answers to help you articulate the answer to every manager’s toughest question: “What’s in it for me if I hire [promote] YOU?”
Tune in to your own strengths and needs first so it’s easier to articulate the value you bring to the business.
“How do I solve problems, make decisions, take action?”
Because isn’t that what you do all day, every day on the job?
We each have a unique way of doing these things, our M.O., that is hardwired for a lifetime. Unlike skills that can be learned or personality that changes over time, our M.O. is hardwired. And how we use that circuitry is instrumental in career success when we embrace our M.O…. or failure when we try to “do it” someone else’s way.
Start with identifying how you uniquely tackle challenges when they come up at work:
- Look for all the information to help make sound decisions?
- Create order from chaos, creating a work plan, schedule, charting a course for mitigating the challenge?
- Jump in and figure it out as you go?
- Create a “model” of the solution and beta test for quality?
Your way IS the right way… for you. Start with understanding your unique M.O. then sell yourself as the ideal person for the functional role that allows you to operate “in your zone.”
“How do I want to make a difference, a true, positive impact?”
What does meaningful work look like to you? It’s different for everyone. For some it’s the honorable pursuit of finding the cure for cancer. For others it’s closing a sale. Forget what society, the boss, your colleagues, significant others say is the right thing to do and take time to define what “meaningful work” looks like for you. What would make you jump out of bed every morning and think, ” I GET to go do this today!”?
Then focus on finding opportunities to make that kind of difference. Even if it means adding responsibilities to your current role or finding a job that pays a little less in exchange for a purpose. There’s more to a job than just a paycheck!
“What kind of environment brings out my best work?”
And by environment we mean everything from your personal workspace to the people you work with and for. Get intentional about articulating exactly that you need to do your best work.
- Office with a door for quiet focused work?
- Windows and bright colors to give you energy?
- Open space for open collaboration and constant sharing of ideas?
- Being outside?
- A boss who allows you to work from the occasional coffee shop for a change of scenery?
- Colleagues who share your sense of humor? Values?
Understanding this about yourself will help you know to whom to attach yourself politically in your current role, what to ask for in terms of workspace and justify why you need it. It also helps job seekers ask the right questions to know if a new company is a good fit culturally.
Prep for the Turnaround: Hire Right the First Time
July 13, 2009
RIGHT FIT = SKILLS + INSTINCTS
You meticulously reviewed the resume. Used your best behavioral interviewing techniques. Checked references until you were blue. But the new hire still turned out to be a dud. What was missing? He looked great on paper and blew the interview out of the water. But once on the job he not only didn’t play well with others and ran with scissors, he didn’t fulfill the responsibilities of the job even though his skills indicated he could. What happened?
More importantly, how do you make sure that never happens again?
To quote an article from Landscape Management — featuring friend and fellow Certified Kolbe Consultant Jason Cupp — “There is solid evidence suggesting that defining an employee’s or candidate’s natural instincts will often provide the information you need to make your best job placement decision. While employers can choose from many assessment tools, the Kolbe Index is a simple and accessible tool to outline and reveal a person’s initiating and supporting instincts.”
Bingo! The missing link: instincts.
When a hiring manager can rate candidates in an unbiased (by gender, age, race, national origin…) way based on matching their natural instincts to the instincts required for the job, they have the ability to identify the required methods of operation of the ideal candidate. In addition to skills listed in a resume or motivators discovered in behavioral interviewing. The power to predict performance — based on those instincts that drive actual, observable behaviors — can save another bad hire, which saves an enormous amount of time and financial resources. Can you afford afford not to do this triple-check?
COST OF A BAD HIRE
I’ve read several articles, blogs and tweets recently talking about hiring and the cost of making a bad choice. Some of the information I read included results from a 2007 survey by Right Management reporting that the cost of a bad hire ranged from one to five times annual salary. Twenty-six percent of respondents reported that replacing an employee that doesn’t work out cost their organizations three times annual salary and another 42 percent said bad hires cost two times annual salary.
“How do they figure that?” I wondered, which prompted me to throw together this perhaps unsophisticated yet telling formula:
Total cost of a bad hire =
% of salary paid
+ portion of benefits paid
+ direct management time (supervisor’s time spent with employee face-to-face)
+ indirect management time (time on planning for arrival, coordinating training, etc.)
+ management stress time (time spent not focused on work, putting off the inevitable)
+ IT time for computer, phone, and other systems set-up (and take-down for security purposes after the firing)
+ HR time setting up benefits, payroll, etc.
+ % salary of colleagues’ time spent/wasted on the time-sucker
+ cost of time to rebuild postpartum team morale
Yes, I’d say this adds up to somewhere between one to five times the annual salary of the departed disappointment. So the question then is…
Is it worth investing a small amount up front to ensure a candidate’s fit with the role, the team, the organization?
Don’t Take My Word For It
June 3, 2009
Dear Meredith,
Thanks so much for taking the time to further discuss my Kolbe results. While I’m very happy to be “out of transition”, I’m even more excited to understand my natural strengths.
Our discussions on how my strengths relate to our larger [cross-functional think tank] team and my own team were extremely eye-opening. I love knowing that I no longer need to “assume” or “perceive” people are a certain way from the way they act – rather, I understand they have different natural strengths which are beneficial to making a team successful. Just because someone is quiet and reserved does not mean they are not interested or engaged, they just have a different way of approaching a task.
I immediately shared our discussions and my results with my manager as we are going through a large number of job role changes in the next few weeks. She felt like she better understood who I was and what I needed to be a successful contributor to the team. Our conversation ended with deeper understandings and a renewed sense of excitement for my job. I look forward to our continued discussions during my time with the [cross-functional team]!
Thanks,
Michael A.
Mega Retail Corporation with a long, political approval process for using testimonials from their employees… so we’ll just leave their name out of it…
Do More With Less…No, REALLY!
June 3, 2009
Doing What You Do Best, Every Day
Kolbe Wisdom is a field of study that helps us tap into our natural method of operation. When we do we actually can accomplish more in less time and with less stress. I use the Kolbe A Index assessment with individuals and teams to understand how each person uniquely tackles problem solving and taking action — and after all isn’t that what we all do… every day… all day… especially on the job? — and use that to make them more productive, more efficient and more effective. Kolbe is backed by 30+ years of scientific research and validation, and unlike personality assessments, your Kolbe A results are true for your lifetime.
Bottom Line:
Kolbe identifies your hardwiring and with the help of a Certified Kolbe Consultant — that’s me! — we can develop a path for your team or for you personally for a lifetime of success. Kolbe gives you the freedom to be YOU and as a result do your best work on the job… at home… at play…
Kolbe with Teams
Make the most of every person, every moment, every PENNY. When managers and leaders do the work to put the right people in the right seats and empower them to work from their natural strengths, the team will be more productive, efficient and effective! Oh the stories I can tell…!
Kolbe with Individuals
It’s about doing what you do best every single day. With Kolbe we uncover how you operate which helps us understand the functions of a job you do most naturally (and therefore more efficiently!)… then work to pinpoint what motivates you, that is what does “meaningful work” look like for you personally… and outline the best environment for you to be your most productive, efficient self, including the kinds of partners you need to take on who complement your strengths. It’s career coaching and leadership development based on what you do naturally.
Learn More
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