10 HR Lessons we can learn from the Olympics


Posted Under Employers, Human Resources, Leadership - Tags: , , , , , ;

While watching the Winter Olympics, it occurred to me that there are several parallels between the Olympics and the workplace.

 

1.      Coaching – Most of the competitors at the Olympics have at least one coach.  Someone to monitor their performance and give them feedback on how they might improve, or to provide suggestions on how they might change their style or approach.  I believe everyone in the workforce could use a coach who is dedicated to giving feedback on how to improve performance.  Further, great performers often become coaches.  Do you have a coach or are you coaching a future star?

 

2.      Perseverance and persistence – If you fall down, get up and keep trying.  In the figure skating competition, many of the competitors fell down, but got up and completed their routine and received a score.  In other events – snowboarding, for example – if you fall, you receive no score for that event.  However, there are several examples in these Olympic games where competitors fell down four years ago, but came back this time to win a medal.   If you make a mistake, learn from it and move on.

 

3.      Play to the strengths – There are numerous Olympic events with similarities.  For example, in skiing you have alpine, freestyle moguls, cross country, jumping, etc.  Based on skills, competencies and passion, athletes compete in the event that takes best advantage of their strengths, and doesn’t promote areas of weakness.  How can we design jobs in the workplace that allow employees to focus on their strengths?  Too frequently, we spend too much time trying to turn an employee’s weaknesses into strengths rather than playing up the strengths and designing the job to allow the employee to be successful.

4.      Everyone has a story to tell – NBC has done a commendable job trying to highlight the human element of these incredible athletes.  The boy who was abandoned on the streets as a baby, the young man raised by a single immigrant father, or the figure skater who lost her mother that week and still went on to compete.  Too often we try to keep the personal element out of the workplace.  It’s just a job, get it done.  We have very diverse workplaces, with people of different backgrounds and cultures, which all comes together to create a variety of expectations and values.  Treat everyone fairly, but treat them as individuals.  Do not paint everyone with the same brush.  Frequently, when an employer has an employee who is a poor performer, or who shows up late or not at all, the employer may create a blanket policy dictating, for example, that any employee who shows up late will be terminated.  You owe it to yourself and your employees to hear their stories.

 5.      Sometimes the difference between winning and losing is very small – There are several Olympic events that the difference between a medal and no medal is a hundredth of a second or fraction of a point.  Not everyone can win a medal.  However, this does not diminish the effort, skills or abilities of those who tried and came up short.  In addition, there are numerous examples of athletes who came up short in the last Olympics, only to win a medal this year.  Often employers create a narrow definition of what it means to successfully complete a job, with no allowance for a bad day or a mishap.  I will be the first to tell you that many employers wait too long to terminate a problem employee.  However, what do we do to help those who are close to succeed in the future?  We need to be sure we have a positive performance appraisal process in place, with plans for improvement by the next appraisal.  Or create a mentorship program to help those who want to reach the next level. 

 

6.      Potential for an award inspires performance – Much has been written on intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.  However, the potential for an Olympic medal can certainly cause the competitors to go beyond their personal best.  Do we create opportunities for our employees to want to perform beyond their personal best?  Do we know what motivates our employees?  Do we reward performance?

7.      Where you start does not determine where you end – I watched competitors in several events come from last place only to win in the end.  In fact, it seemed some athletes used it as a strategy.  They allowed their competitors to set the pace, only to cruise by them in the final lap or stretch.  Just because an employee starts his or her career on the loading dock, he or she is not precluded from someday becoming the CEO.  Do we have systems that allow and even encourage our employees to grow within our organizations?  I’ve seen too many organizations with barriers or roadblocks that prevent and even discourage employees from growing.

 

8.      Competition makes us try harder – Many athletes achieved beyond what they thought was possible because a competitor earned a higher score or set a faster pace.  Competition at work can be good, but it can also be destructive.  If you pit employees against each other it will certainly eliminate any potential teamwork.  Focus their competitiveness against the company’s competition: it is us against XYZ Company, we need to have better quality, products, customer service, or price than they have.

 

9.      Alliances can change quickly – In men’s hockey, teammates on the same NHL teams are now competitors in the Olympics.  The teammate an athlete would normally assist and celebrate with in scoring will now do everything in his power to prevent that goal.  Check this out: Sabres coach Lindy Ruff is on the coaching staff for the Canadian Olympic team, and Sabres goalie Ryan Miller is starting goalie for the US team.  Most commentators believe Ruff would provide insight to the Canadian players regarding Miller’s weaknesses to help them beat Team USA, even though it could be detrimental when those same players go back to their NHL team and play against Miller.  Likewise, if an employee goes to our competitor, he or she will quickly become part of that new organization, and will do what it takes to help the new employer succeed, even if it is detrimental to your company.

10.    Vision and Focus – Just about every medal winner has talked about vision.  I often describe vision as a dream with an action plan.  Are we providing an organizational vision for our employees?  Are we helping employees create and successfully accomplish their personal vision?  How do we help them stay focused on shared goals?

 I’m certain there are many more parallels between the Olympics and the workplace, and would enjoy hearing your observations.

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Published By admin on Feb 24 - Comments (0)

What if Leadership could be more like twitter?


Posted Under Human Resource Professionals, Human Resources, Leadership, Social Media - Tags: , , , , , , , ;

Hello there – I’m following you. 

Hi back at you – thanks for following me. 

I have been a student of leadership for decades, and I’m still learning.  I teach graduate leadership courses at Daemen College and Medaille College.  I can be very opinionated when it comes to leadership and my opinions don’t always follow the mainstream opinion.  For example, I generally believe there is no difference between Leaders and Managers, but I’ll discuss this more in a future blog.

Back to my point.  I find it very interesting that on twitter there is no hierarchy – no one is designated as a leader of someone else.  Most organizations tend to have defined hierarchy: We are the “Leadership Team” and you must follow us.  Or I’m a leader and you are a follower.  Or I’m the boss and you are the subordinate.  Organizations often don’t find ways or even encourage people throughout the organization to step up to a leadership role.

On twitter, no one is designated as a leader, you are either following or being followed (hopefully not the same as being stalked).  You can choose to follow anyone you think might benefit you in some way.  That person can choose to allow you to follow them, or block you, or follow you back.  It kind of works this way in the real world.  I can choose to follow any boss, manager, or supervisor, or I can move on and find a different boss, supervisor or manager to follow.  This point is made frequently in surveys, that employees frequently leave their organization because of the relationship (or lack of) with their supervisor.  Ultimately in a work environment the follower has a choice.  Do I want to continue to follow this person, or block them and follow someone else?

The bottom line is that everyone is following someone and being followed by someone else.  I think it would take a lot of pressure off people in a work world if we eliminated the use of the term “leader.”  Instead we might say, “I have 10 employees who choose to follow me, and I choose to follow Mary.”  This changes the perspective entirely – who am I following (and why) and who is following me (and why)?  I certainly realize that this isn’t very practical in most organizations, but it sure is an interesting idea.  Instead of having someone anointed as a leader, we get to choose to follow.

So I would be honored if you choose to follow me at HRBuffaloBob.  I may even choose to follow you in return.  Happy following!

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Published By admin on Feb 15 - Comments (0)

My Top Ten Pet Peeves: Things Interviewees do during an Interview


Posted Under Human Resource Professionals, Human Resources, Interview, Management - Tags: , , , , , ;

bad interview10.  Showing up late. This is worse than not showing up at all, which results in some free time.

9.   Not having any questions to ask of me, or asking superficial questions.

8.   Answering a cell phone.  This annoyance includes the cell phone ringing, or even vibrating.

7.   Knowing nothing about the company with which they are interviewing.

6.   Using foul language or telling inappropriate jokes.

5.   Dropping names, especially of people I don’t respect.

4.   Chewing gum or eating anything.

3.   Telling an obvious lie.

2.   Answering a question before I’ve finished asking the question.

1.   Taking over the interview or giving an answer so long that I forget what question I asked.

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Published By admin on Feb 08 - Comments (0)

All Human Resource Professionals are………


Posted Under Employers, Human Resource Professionals, Human Resources, Uncategorized - Tags: , , , , , , , ;

How many stereotypes are there about HR professionals? 

 

  • They are touchy feely – what does that mean anyway? Are we all supposed to go around touching and feeling everyone?  I don’t think so!  Or does it refer to our vast understanding of the soft skills? Yeah right! This also brings into play the “I’m a people person,” but that is the subject for another blog.
  • They aren’t very good with numbers.  I don’t know about anyone else – but I love numbers.  Especially when they are big ones and they are in my paycheck.  I got straight A’s in math and would much rather use a spreadsheet than a word processor.
  • It’s a women’s profession – this probably stems from another stereotype that women are more touchy feely than men.
  • I was recently at a social gathering with some HR practitioners as well as some other folks. (I was about to say normal folk)  Then the jokes started.  The non HR person looked at one of the HR people and said I probably shouldn’t be telling these in mixed company (sexual jokes). The HR person without asking blurted out – oh no – we are HR people we can take it.

 My point is stereotypes may be a way for humans to simplify complex things by grouping similar people into the same mold.  However, if there is one thing all HR people should know is that this can be a very dangerous practice.

 I believe we need to continue to work on developing the positive image of the Human Resource profession and start eliminating some of these stereotypes.  We also need to be cognizant of this bad habit when we refer to other professions or groups of people.

 Fill in the blanks – all engineers are____________, all computer people are ___________, all accountants are____________, all lawyers are___________, or all bosses are____________.  This may make for funny jokes or laughs in conversations – but are at the expense of a person.  It certainly doesn’t take a great leap to go to all Blacks are_________, all Hispanics are__________, and all Blondes are__________.  Not!!!!!

 We really need to be careful with that thought combination All (fill in the blank)___________  are__________.

 

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Published By admin on Jan 22 - Comments (0)

Part 1 of 2 – Questions Employers Should be Asking Regarding Social Media


Posted Under Human Resources, Social Media - Tags: , , , , , ;

Picture 23There are so many different issues associated with social media for employers to consider, that I’ve divided these questions into two blogs. Stay tuned for more on this topic coming soon. For now, consider these questions:

How can we use social media to establish our brand? How can our employees use social media to establish their brand? How can we use social media to position our products and services?

What is a Brand? “Our Collected Definitions” by Derrick Daye (http://www.brandingstrategyinsider.com/brand_definitions/) has several definitions you can review. Regardless of the definition you use, social media can be a vehicle to help establish or build a personal or organizational brand. The best way to ensure success is to have a strategy for how you intend to use (or not use) the various components of social media to accomplish your goals.

How can we use social media to recruit candidates?

Social media can be used to communicate with many people very quickly, so it can be a great tool to get the word out when recruiting. However, you must recognize that this approach is not very targeted. Your appeal could go to many people who are not viable candidates, either based on lack of required skills or geographic location, possibly resulting in an overwhelming response that increases the administrative burden of sifting through the deluge to find qualified applicants. At the other end of the spectrum, this approach may be too targeted and result in a disparate impact on certain protected classes. For example, there may be fewer seniors using twitter (I don’t know if this is true), therefore, if all the recruiting for one position is done using twitter you may be unintentionally excluding seniors, which would be discriminatory.

How should we use social media for reference checking?

I’m sure this is a controversial area – whether a potential employer has the right to explore your personal life when deciding if you are the best candidate for a position. Employers have been doing this forever through reference checking, however, social media has made it so much easier now. Making good hiring decisions is not easy. If I want to make sure I hire the best candidate, I would be remiss if I didn’t do my due diligence. This would include reviewing all readily available information. My concern, from the employer’s perspective, is what you do if during your research you discover information regarding a protected class. What do you do with that information, and how do you prevent this from not becoming a potential discrimination lawsuit?

How can we use social media to improve communication in the workplace?

Many workplace surveys indicate that there is an opportunity to improve communication within the workplace. There are many ways employers could utilize social media as a form of communication to keep employees connected and informed. For example, it could be used to send information regarding new benefits, schedule events, roll out new products or services, or share employee’s personal milestones – a marriage, a new baby, or completing a degree. I think the employers who utilize social media to create competitive advantages – including with their employees – will lead the way in their industry.

Be sure to watch for my next blog for even more answers to questions about social media and its impact on the workplace and employees.

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Published By admin on Nov 20 - Comments (0)

Success in Life Depends on Sales Skill


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I am not a professional sales guru, but I came to the realization late in life how important the elements of sales are to success.  I now tell all of my students – and anyone else who will listen – how critical sales skills are to personal and professional success.

My first exposure to the sales scene was when I was 16.  My brother and I took a bus downtown to apply for “management positions.”  We were loaded into a car, driven to a strange neighborhood in the suburbs, and told to knock on doors to sell magazine subscriptions.  That experience left such a nasty taste in my mouth it took me almost four decades to get over it.  I’m sure my story is not uncommon.  It also doesn’t help that many people picture someone in the sales profession as a telemarketer or a high-pressure used car salesperson.

Get over it! 

Our entire economic system is based on sales.  Every day of your life you are on one side or the other of a sales transaction.  Additionally, you sell yourself to a potential employer, convince your supervisor of your value to the department, or convince your CEO of the value of your department to the company.  You also sell yourself and the value of your relationship to your spouse, significant other or life partner every day!

In 2002, I started my own Human Resource consulting practicein the Buffalo NY area.  It became apparent very quickly that if I wanted to put food on the table, I needed to sell my services.  (I might also mention that I’m an introvert.)  So with a sense of urgency, I worked to get over my four-decade-long distaste for this sales stuff and tried to make sense of it .

Understanding the Sales Process by Components

The elements of sales as I see them are:  networking, listening, problem solving, creating value, negotiating, and learning to accept rejection.  In my business, I see sales as relationship building.  I want my clients to stay with me for a long time, as opposed to a one-time sale.  Therefore, it is also important for me to deliver quality with integrity.
Networking is one of the skills that many people think they do very well, but actually do very poorly.  It is not enough to go to an event, hand out 50 business cards and talk to everyone in the room.  What have you learned from each person?  What are they looking for, what do they do, and how can you help them?

It is a hard skill to master, but you need to listen more than you talk.  How can you learn what someone is looking for, or what his/her expectations are unless you listen?  I learned this valuable lesson from doing thousands of employment interviews.    As a business owner, listening carefully allows me to explore opportunities to solve a problem.

A successful salesperson must  be able to describe whatever he or she is offering in such a way that it creates value for the customer.  This value proposition is critical.  If you can’t describe your offering in a manner that creates value in the other person’s eyes, you’re not likely to make the sale.  Furthermore, once you create value, the task of negotiating the sale becomes a piece of cake – you’ve already created the proverbial win-win situation with your customer.
One of the hardest skills to learn is accepting rejection and moving on.  I’ve seen too many job candidates get rejected for one job and then get into a funk.  Who wants to hire someone who is in a funk?  Don’t kid yourself –it shows!  Almost every successful person I know excels in being able to accept rejection and use it as motivation to try again.
One tool for handling rejection is the concept of getting 99 no’s.  Successful salespeople understand that they are going to be told no, so they check them off as they come.  The law of averages kick in and by the time you reach the 99th no, you’ll have gotten at least one yes (and hopefully a lot more than one).  Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and do it again.
The final lesson I needed to learn was to actually ask for the sale (whether that sale is a  promotion, job, date, etc.).  If you don’t ask, how will you get a yes?

I’m still not sure if I would enjoy – or be able to – go door to door selling magazines, but I do know I can build relationships and help solve problems by networking, listening, creating value and moving beyond rejection.  .
Now it’s your turn – go be successful!

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Published By admin on Oct 22 - Comments (0)