The trusted employer March 30, 2007
Posted by impassioned in Careers, Leadership, Retention, Talent Management.2 comments
I just posted a comment to a great article on Charles Green’s site “Trusted Advisor Associates”. If you operate anywhere near professional services, you couldn’t have missed the impact of Green’s book “Trust Based Selling”and his renowned work with David Maister “The Trusted Advisor”. Charles Green and David Maister promote the idea of trust as a cornerstone to all business relationships and how building, nurturing and sustaining trust is the multiplier for profitable business.
I’d like to suggest that trusted relationships extend far beyond those you are selling to or advising. With the current market for talent, building trusted relationships must also be the route to getting, keeping and leveraging the most talented workforce.
Here are five ways you can build trust with your employees to develop a lasting and profitable relationship with them:
- Allow time for trust to develop. Trust does not happen overnight. When you are working with new people acknowledge that you will both need to invest time in the relationship to develop trust and let them know you are prepared to do that. I don’t expect people to trust me from the first moment but I do want us both to be open to the possibility of trust.
- Keep your promises! As a leader, everything you say will be interpreted as a commitment, and anything you don’t do after suggesting it will be interpreted as a broken promise. Don’t say or promise anything, no matter how seemingly inconsequential, unless you are 100% committed to following through.
- Show them how to achieve their goals. All employees want to see personal progression. For some that might mean promotion, for others it may be something different. If you understand the goal that someone is working towards; understand and appreciate the needs that are driving them to get there; you can show them the way.
- Allow them to prove themselves. Trust is a 2 way process and often one side has to reach out and offer trust before the other can receive it and reciprocate. If someone bestows their trust on us, we will often feel compelled to ’step up’ and validate the honour. Allow your people to prove their trustworthiness in increasingly high profile areas.
- Trust in the power of mistakes. No-one is infallible. Mistakes happen. People mess up. Often the best opportunity for learning comes from the greatest errors. If we worry too much about falling and hurting ourselves, we never learn how to skate, ski, ride a bike or do anything worth doing. Build an environment where people do not fear mistakes but know that if they do mess up, you will guide them rather than berate them.
I am sure there are many more ways you can think of to build and sustain trust in the workforce but these were the first 5 I could think of. Please feel free to add more!
As for Charles and David, maybe your next book should be The Trusted Employer!
Talent Management or Brand Management? March 29, 2007
Posted by impassioned in Brand Management, Leadership, Talent Management.5 comments
In my professional capacity I operate in the field of Marketing and Business Development, helping the organisation establish and grow its brand presence and convert prospects to advocates. Why then, some might ask, am I speaking/writing about employee engagement, recruitment and retention issues and other such stuff? Surely these are HR topics and belong to the realm of human capital experts? But not so. These topics are critical to everyone wishing for the success and longevity of an organisation, and with brand equity increasingly becoming the domain of the CEO, it is vital that everyone plays a part in creating and sustaining an impassioned workforce.
The corporate brand is only as strong as the company’s ability to deliver on the brand promise and to craft meaningful customer experiences. Any and every employee who interfaces with the customer is part of the branding, ergo the value-building process. In fact, every employee in the company who doesn’t interact with the customer is part of crafting the overall corporate brand, as well, since their job performance has a direct impact on the company’s product or service offerings and its public perception. This impact can be good or bad.
The effects of employee engagement or disenchantment with an organisation can have dramatic impact on its ability to grow. Just as an unhappy customer can spread the word to many connections, so can a dissatisfied employee. And sometimes its the quietly disappointed that are the most dangerous. They have disengaged but are still occupying a seat on the bus; lurking but not really helping progression. Engaged employees don’t just make for a happier work environment, they are essential to the expression of the brand and a critical component of brand management. For brand management to be fully realised, HR and Marketing personnel need to work together to ensure consistency.
Keeping employees March 28, 2007
Posted by impassioned in Leadership, Retention.1 comment so far
A short post today – making up for the LONG post yesterday.
If you are interested in employee engagement and talent retention, you’ll find some excellent topical resources on Anna Farmery’s site “The Engaging Brand Blog”. Anna runs a blog carnival called “keeping employees” and posts links to the best submissions on a regular basis.
Take a look. You are sure to find some interesting and different perspectives on this wide reaching topic.
Do these feet fit here? March 27, 2007
Posted by impassioned in Leadership, Retention.add a comment
Anyone who may have happened to glance at my blog in the week since I started will notice that these are early days for me in the blogosphere (no kidding batman!). I am just finding my way, learning how to use the tools and trying to find my voice.
These early day ramblings and efforts to figure out what I’m doing and how I can make a difference are analogous to the awkward first moments of any new job. The excitement of the chase is over, the job is yours and you now need to claim it and make it your own. You start your new position eager to impress and motivated to deliver results. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out that the first few days and weeks after starting your new position are the prime opportunity a company has to really capture your attention, ignite your interest and develop a firm foundation for your ongoing loyalty. In the HR community they call this phase ‘on-boarding’ (Heres the Dilbert version) and a whole body of knowledge is emerging about what works and what doesn’t work to fully integrate new members of staff into the organisation.
While we have probably all got tales of woe from bad on-boarding experiences, I want to share with you a story about my best experience. The way that my position started with my last employer was so impactful and positive that it drove me through 12 years of loyalty, passion and committed performance, crossing 2 continents, through 3 very different positions and spilling out into every connection that I made both inside and outside the organisation! I am not speaking about a regular ‘induction’ process. My energies were inspired because of the graciousness and humanity of the way I was introduced to my new workplace and my colleagues to me. ItzBigBlog has several posts reflecting on humanity and graciousness in recruiting, and in particular, the role of the executive in setting the tone of graciousness for new recruits. The manner in which my integration was supported, not just at inception but for an extended period beyond the typical 2-3 weeks of being ‘the new gal’, followed many of these ideals.
It started on a September day in rural England. I was arriving for my first day of work at the most beautiful and imposing country manor house. A residential training and conference facility I was invited to join as a sales training manager. When I arrived at the front desk, the receptionist was aware that I was coming and welcomed me warmly, saying they had all been looking forward to me arriving. My new boss David spent about half an hour verbally walking me through the basic information I would need (how the place operated, who’s who, the org chart etc.) and then took me to see the Director, who oversaw the entire operation. At this point, most people would assume a cursory introduction to the Director and then back to meet with the rest of the team, but that wasn’t to be. Ralph, took me for a guided tour of the facility, along back corridors, through oak panelled rooms, up to the residential blocks and into the kitchens. While the place was magnificent (the manor was the birthplace of Benjamin Disraeli, one of Britain’s most famous prime ministers), I was most impressed with the way in which Ralph personally introduced me to each and every staff member we came across on our tour. Kitchen maid or training manager, office admin or groundsman, Ralph knew them all and they all knew him.
The day continued in the same vein. A meeting had been prearranged with my new training colleagues. Several people joined me for lunch (okay, it helped that we had a fully functioning restaurant on the premises), and the icing on the cake was that I started on the same day as a company fun day. At 3pm the entire staff of the building and grounds (close to 100 people) gathered in the gardens and we had a barbecue, played boule and mingled til the early evening. It was the most amazing entry to what turned out to be a wonderful working experience.
While not every facility can claim to be so attractive, and it’s not always possible to start people on a day when you have a fun event taking place, it was the little things on that day and the days to follow that made the biggest impact. The way that people really seemed to know each other and care about each other. If I was due to have a meeting with one of my new clients (my clients were the Partners and Directors of one of the UK’s largest firms of chartered accountants and management consultants), David would coach me on the interpersonal dynamics, communication preferences and the politics underlying every meeting. Our team meetings were an opportunity to review not only what we were working on but also how we were working together and where we could improve. Ralph encouraged everyone to take daily coffee breaks together so that training staff and admin staff would connect frequently and silos would be minimised.
Now, like any organisation, we had workplace challenges. Days when things went wrong, people disagreed, conflicts occurred and crisis hit. It wasn’t sweetness and light every day. But the work that had been done by David and Ralph to lay the foundations for a strong and integrated workforce carried most of us through those moments. We had a strong team who could weather most storms and who worked really hard to make a difference because David and Ralph made it worth it! I decided my feet fit on day one and never looked back.
Are you listening? March 26, 2007
Posted by impassioned in Communication, Leadership.add a comment
In the 2000 movie “What women want”, Mel Gibson suddenly gains an ability to hear the unspoken thoughts of the women around him. The film is hilarious, tapping into a collective consciousness of the gap between what we think versus what we actually do, especially in the workplace. While Mel initially uses his new-found insights against his boss Helen Hunt, he quickly becomes astonished at the depth and quantity of unspoken and unmet needs in the women around him. He begins to notice Erin the file girl, who is so disheartened with her work and her life she wonders if anyone would even care if she just disappeared one day.
Current studies of employee engagement suggest that people need to feel their job is important and meaningful, that they have opportunities for advancement and they share a positive and rewarding relationship with peers, superiors and subordinates. They need to feel like they are being valued and understood. That others care what is on their mind. The fact is, just because someone doesn’t voice an opinion, doesn’t mean they don’t have one!
If you were to develop extra-sensory perception with those around you, what might you learn? What are they not saying? What are their unmet needs? What do they speak about behind closed doors and in whispers around the water cooler? How many Erins are walking the corridors wondering if anyone would even notice if they didn’t show up tomorrow? The grapevine exists in every organisation. The question is, are you listening?
Talent management Jim Cuddy style March 23, 2007
Posted by impassioned in Leadership, Performance Management.add a comment
Channel hopping last night, I landed on the CBC show The Hour. Now, I can’t say I am a regular consumer of this show. In fact, this was my first time watching it. But I got caught up last night watching Jim Cuddy speaking about his life with Blue Rodeo, his new ventures as a solo artist and his efforts at parenting.
When asked about how he felt about getting older, Jim revealed that he is happier now than he was at 35. Why? Because he has learned acceptance. Rather than trying to change people, he has learned to work with who they are and what they bring. He reflected on how, throughout his career, he has gravitated towards people who compliment his own ways of working and who’s talents are amplified when working with him.
It struck me that this was a supreme lesson in talent management. It is Jim’s job as a leader in the entertainment industry to encourage the talents of his co-performers and enable them to come forward during the recording process. His acceptance of himself and others allows him to work on developing and enhancing their strengths rather than trying to ‘fix’ their weaknesses. And no-one can deny the high performance effect this has on their results. As one of Canada’s most prolific song writers and front man to one of our most successful bands, the financial impact of Jim’s approach to talent management (rather than performance management) are self-evident. Not only that – but the people who worked on his first solo album came back to work with him on his second because they enjoyed the creative process so much under his leadership. THAT’S an impassioned workforce.
What are you doing today to bring out the talents of others working with you? How are you making sure that it is their talents (and not their weaknesses) that you are helping them to strengthen? How many of your current co-workers or staff members would actively choose to work with you again in the future because they know you bring out the best in their performance? Think about it! talentmanagement strengths leadership
Is the ideal workplace a physical or a mental state? March 22, 2007
Posted by impassioned in Performance Management.add a comment
If you haven’t already caught the news, Best Buy are being applauded for a unique workplace project called ROWE (results only work environment) which flew under the radar for 2 years before gaining executive sponsorship. Far from the usual selective flexible working arrangement scheme, ROWE enables employees to choose how, when and where they get the job done. No begging application forms, no schedules, no selective ‘qualification’ processes. The changes have already resulted in 3.2% reduced turnover and raised profitability by 35%. For more detail on the original story check out the Business Week article here or Tony DiRomualdo’s excellent post in his Next Generation blog here.
Best Buy are not condoning anarchy in the workplace. In fact, it is precisely because employees are trusted to deliver results and managers are trained how to maintain communication and manage performance with ‘liberated’ workers that the productivity returns are proving so high. If you don’t trust your employees to be working if they say they are working from home or away from the office then you can’t trust them period, and that begs another question…
Pause for reflection – helping to make each day count March 21, 2007
Posted by impassioned in Careers, Self-improvement.add a comment
Every day of your life is an investment in your future. Every day carries with it defining moments of opportunity. Moments when you can ‘bring it’ and show your qualities, and moments when you continue learning, growing and trying new things.
If you agree in the investment idea, and it follows that the value of investments can go down as well as up, then how do you track the balance?
Get in the habit of reflecting on your day. Make a note of how each day is building towards your future success. What new skills have you learned today? What new ideas have you had (and which are worth exploring further)? What got you ‘off-track’ today and how will you prevent that in the future? What did I do today to become a better worker, colleague, leader? Maybe write in a journal, scribble in a notepad, set up a file to record your progress. Your reflections are personal and can be in whatever form you like but make sure that days don’t pass you by without you thinking about how they are being invested.
If you are leading a team, managing a project or just plain trying to keep everyone moving forward towards the common goals, try sharing daily reflections within. In his post about improving internal communications, Jochen Lillich (blog of geewiz) describes his practice of a daily blog where employees record their working day in 4 areas: Results, Decisions, Findings and Good news, which enhances communication and enables people to reflect on the investment of their days. work self-improvement careers business
It begins at the beginning March 20, 2007
Posted by impassioned in Recruitment.1 comment so far
Its been said that first impressions count and I would agree. Nothing is more important to the creation and sustenance of an impassioned workforce than the way you recruit your new believers. Everything counts – first, second, third impressions – and actions speak far louder than words. When you are looking for new team members, do you treat potential recruits with respect and courtesy? Do you follow-up all communications promptly? Do you make swift decisions and advise the candidate as soon as possible? As a candidate, I would always prefer a quick and decisive no, with useful feedback, over a delayed and tortuous “maybe, we haven’t decided yet, we’re still interviewing more people…”
As someone who is wholeheartedly experiencing career transition, taking the time to fully consider my options and determine where I want to spend the next few 240’s of my working life, I am being just as selective with my choices of potential employers as they are over their new recruits. This is as it should be. Why then, do some organisations not seem to realise that all applicants, even those not ideally suited to the position or the organisation, are still potential influences and sources of future word of mouth?
Under the Kimono March 16, 2007
Posted by impassioned in About.add a comment
The obligatory background check and references…
If you are interested in learning more about my corporate life and background, feel free to read my profile on linked in 
What follows is the more conversational potted history.
I usually tell people that I started my working life with a yellow pages in one hand and a telephone in the other making 100 cold calls a day, selling Software application training at the start of the PC/Windows revolution. That’s not strictly true. I went through the early morning paper rounds, waitressing and bartending to pay my way through college and a few other odds and sods jobs. But my first official ‘comes with a semi decent paycheck and expectations to behave in a corporate manner’ job began with the phone and the big yellow book. Back then, as a newly employed Gen X worker, I was simply expected to ‘get with the program’, do what was required, don’t ask too many questions and demonstrate my work ethic by starting early and finishing late. Watching the clock was definitely not a career advancing behaviour. Neither was taking a regular lunch break. But my survival instincts must have kicked in because I got through the boot-camp and managed to stick around through a couple of years of active deployment. I quickly learned which areas I could use my initiative and which areas were ‘out of bounds’ and I even found ways to enjoy the demanding workload. Despite being expected to turn cold calls into appointments (the equivalent of alchemy), I found moments of inspiration in the development of relationships, the expansion of new accounts and the accomplishment of aforementioned alchemy.
Fast forward a few years and I am in a different setting (major high street bank) with a different role (sales training advisor) and I am still occassionally glimpsing workplace utopia. Finding the spark in my work was not so much the content but the context. I was fortunate to work with some fabulous managers who shaped and moulded my potential into something productive. My sharper edges were give a gentle sanding and my youthful enthusiasm given expression in directed outlets. My heartfelt thanks go out to those early managers who nurtured my talents instead of quashing them.
The Bank led to The Firm, where I worked with Partners and Principles to define their business goals, develop their plans and practice their client handling skills to build their business. Once again, the topic was not the drive as much as the people I was working with and my ability to impact their success. I was working in the field of learning and development; sharing ideas on influence, creativity in the workplace and personal empowerment. Here I was tapping into people’s values and beliefs and helping them develop their talents in the workplace. Helping to create a more innovative and creative workforce by reconnecting people with the boundary-less imagination of their childhood. Accelerating learning through the use of play and experiential exercises. While workplace training is not the panacea of performance, it certainly raises observations about why there may be such a discrepancy between the promise shown at the point of recruitment and the reality of workplace performance.
The last few years have seen me engaged in marketing and business development activities, trying to build a population of inspired and engaged clients through brand positioning and client communications. However, try as you might to position an organisation with its clients and prospects, if you don’t have a passionately engaged workforce who believe the propaganda (branding 101) then your efforts may be doomed to failure.
I continue to believe that a meaningful work existence is possible in a corporate environment. That it is possible to find yourself connecting with beautiful (in spirit), intelligent and committed individuals who inspire you to give your best. By my reckoning I still have another 20-25 years left of working life and I’d rather find myself a situation where I love what I do and I derive meaning from the hours and days I spend ‘on the job’.
