by Kathi Crawford, SPHR, IAC-CC

A one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t fit today’s age-diverse work force, where the generation gap between the youngest and oldest workers can span more than 40 years. For the first time in history, there are four generations of workers. On one end of the spectrum, there are the 20-somethings, who are fresh out of graduate school or college; on the other end are employees nearing retirement.

It’s well-documented that each generation comes with its own set of values, needs and attitudes, and vastly different expectations on communication styles and work expectations. While this may be true, I constantly ask myself “isn’t this the way it’s always been?” We have always had an “age-diverse” workplace and it’s likely that we’ve had multiple generations in the workplace at one time.

What’s changed is the landscape of the workplace today. Let’s face it—the world of work is vastly different than it was even 30 years ago. Economic drivers have influenced not only how we work together but also the nature of jobs. To compete globally today, we need every worker using his or her unique strengths to maximize productivity. We need everyone to tap into their creativity and desire to contribute.

As a Leadership and Career Coach, I hear daily examples of how companies and leaders are wasting their human resources because of unfounded and biased beliefs about groups and individuals, whether based on age or other characteristics. Some leaders are making assumptions about employees rather than getting to know each of them as individuals.

So, if a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work, what can a leader do? Rather than generalizing age-related behavior, a leader should use a coaching approach to connect with his or her employees. The most successful leader finds a way to ensure every generation is heard.

I teach a leadership class at the University of Houston called “The Power of People,” where leaders learn ways to increase workplace productivity by improving processes to attract, select, develop and retain people with the required behavior, knowledge, skills and aptitude to meet current and future business needs. We ask each leader to make a list of their direct reports and identify the following:

 Full name, month and year they joined the company
 The main reason the employee wants to work for the company
 What the employee considers to be his or her biggest achievement this year
 What the employee believes is his or her most important professional goal for this year
 How, other than money, the employee would like to be rewarded
 The last time the employee expressed his or her opinion on a work issue to the leader
 The most recent development program the employee attended

I was surprised to see that many leaders struggle with answering all of these questions for every one of their employees. They might find that they can answer the questions for the employee(s) they favor or connect with the most, but not for everyone. These leaders often find that this exercise motivates them to learn more about their employees. They also discover this is the first step in developing a coaching approach with their employees.

It’s here that I provide companies with a word of caution. Coaching is an over-used term in the work place today. It is an often misunderstood process and is generally not used correctly by leaders. Forcing people into what WE want has never worked, and it’s not coaching. Instead, I encourage them to get to know their employees. To find out what motivates them at work and at home. To find out what inspires them to action and give them the opportunity to do their best work.

So, I’m left with the question: When the Generation X and Millennial generations reach their fifties, will they be asking the same questions about younger workers as the Baby Boomers are today? My guess is that they will. And the cycle continues.

Do you have experience coaching leaders of age-diverse teams? Please share your comments below this post.

This article originally appeared in VOICE, the newsletter and blog of the International Association of Coaching
(www.certifiedcoach.org) in July/August 2010, and is reprinted with permission.

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By Aubrey Bloom, University of Houston

On June 8^th 2010, the EMPOWER Program at the University of Houston hosted their inaugural Leadership Luncheon on campus at the University Hilton. The luncheon focused on helping participants to prepare for careers in the post-recession workplace. The event was led by a panel of experts including Kathi Crawford, SPHR, IAC-CC, President of People Possibilities LLC, Cheryl Smith-Bryan, Executive Coach and President of Coaching for Career Success, Kathy Rapp, Vice President and Managing Director for hrQ-Texas and Mercedes Suraty-Clarke, Assistant Director of Continuing Education at the University of Houston.

Guy Felder, Program Director for the University of Houston EMPOWER Leadership Program, opened the luncheon with a presentation about the concept of organizational flattening. One of the trends in the post-recession era that is expected to continue, he said, is a movement away from an emphasis on technical skills and toward emotional intelligence. According to Felder, it is becoming increasingly important to be able to work with diverse groups of people in a variety of situations. In the past, advancement within an organization was based on the ability to perform tasks. While technical skill is still important, often it has become secondary to the ability to motivate others and collaborate with co-workers. As a result, career paths often no longer go “up.” Modern career paths can involve constantly shifting roles across multiple departments or organizations. To read more of Guy’s views, check out his blog “Work Need Not Feel Like Work.”

Following Felder’s presentation, the panel shared ways in which you can prepare yourself for the modern workplace. The topic that participants were most interested in was awareness of your personal brand. The panel agreed that in the post-recession era, it is important to showcase not only your ability to perform in the role you have, but also to demonstrate your ability to perform in roles you want to move into. This is key in interviewing for new roles. A growing trend is demonstrating not how a prospective employee fits a role, but how a role fits them. Companies want to hire dynamic individuals who can influence beyond their title. Your title in your imagination is as important for your career advancement as the title on your door.

Much of the conversation also focused on how we work with those around us in the workplace. Emotional Intelligence (“EI”), as coined by Daniel Goleman, who wrote a book by the same name in 1994, has become an integral skill for the modern workplace. The basic components of EI (self awareness, self management, social awareness and relationship management) are vital to effective communication, building relationships and increasing productivity. An increased awareness of how we behave and what others need from us can easily bridge behavioral and cultural gaps in the workplace.

Participants in the luncheon came away with a better understanding of the current trends in the workplace, and some advice on how to get the tools they’ll need to succeed. The biggest theme that came across throughout the luncheon was awareness. Awareness of the roles you have held compared to the roles you see yourself in moving forward. Awareness of how your personal brand affects the role you currently hold in your company. Most importantly, awareness of how your Emotional Intelligence influences yourself and those around you.

The host of the luncheon, the University of Houston EMPOWER program, has a course designed to increase understanding of Emotional Intellegence and how it affects the workplace called the EMPOWER Leadership Fundamentals Certificate Program. People interested in the program can visit the program website.

Aubrey Bloom is a freelance writer and the Program Coordinator for Continuing Education at the University Houston. Aubrey’s passion for writing is mostly around sports. If you want more, you can follow Aubrey’s blog “A Bloom With a View.”

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As we turn the corner into a new decade, it’s a good time to reflect on past events and consider the future. Who could have known that we would experience the worst U.S. economic threat since the Great Depression? And, what twists and turns will we take this year? And, how is it even possible to determine what’s going to happen in 2025? We look to Futurists to guide us.

Futures Studies (we espouse more than one, so we reflect it as the plural “futures”) is the science, art and practice of postulating possible futures. Modern practitioners stress the importance of alternative and plural futures, rather than one monolithic future. They also warn of the limitations of prediction and probability, versus the creation of possible and preferable futures. Futurists attempt to gain a holistic or systemic view based on insights from a range of different disciplines. They challenge and unpack the assumptions behind dominant and contending views of the future. Strategic Foresight focuses on a time horizon much longer than a “typical” five year planning process. This is where the distinction between a trend and an uncertainty come into play.

A trend is what we are reading about today. These are incremental changes on the horizon that we have a general degree of certainty will happen because we can see some of the size and shape of their existence. Trends are likely to occur in the near term. Those that are the current style or “in vogue” may also not be long lasting. The problem with trends is that they prepare you for today, but do little to get you prepared for the future. And the future is where strategy takes place. How do we know whether a “trend” is an indicator to consider in our future strategy? As Olive Gatling, CEO, G-Squared BMS (www.g-squared.org), states, “When the questions become more difficult to frame around the impact of a trend because of the uncertainty surrounding its emergence, then you know you’re getting close to the realm of the future.” Uncertainty is a state of being unsure of something. And, uncertainty is the best position from which to formulate strategy. What is impossible today may be the norm tomorrow; the future is on the fringes.

Talent management is the strategic management of the flow of talent through an organization. Its purpose is to assure that the supply of talent is available to align the right people with the right jobs at the right time based on strategic business objectives. As business and human resource leaders, talent management is the most critical area to focus on when we develop our future strategy. To drive performance, deal with an increasingly rapid pace of change and create sustainable success, an organization must integrate and align its talent management processes with its business strategies. A Talent Management strategy encompasses: 

• Talent Acquisition – Sourcing, Selection and Onboarding
• Talent Development – Performance Management, Career Development, Leadership Development and Succession Planning
• Talent Assessment and Alignment – Internal Mobility and Workforce Planning

Below is a top ten list of trends currently being discussed for Talent Acquisition. Are you already addressing any of these trends in your organization? Is there a trend you are uncertain of? If you could ask a question about the future, what would you ask?

Top 10 Talent Acquisition Trends in 2010 

1. The Recruiting process is changing
   • Sourcing is both separating from the selection process and transforming itself – why?
   • Technology
   •  The Internet
   • Social media
   • Social Connection
   • Networks
   • Online applications create a barrier to top candidates – it’s time to consider the best use of technology such that it does not interfere with the candidate-recruiter-employer relationship
2. The Recruiter as we know it today will cease to exist
   • The profession is 30% to 50% smaller than it was 18 months ago
   • Buyers of Recruiting services are sourcing their own candidates via technology and Social Networks
   • The leverage is in niche/hard to fill positions where predatory/direct recruiting is required to tap into small candidate pools
   • Need to be proactive, influencing, technically savvy and adaptable to emerging work trends
   • The role of the Internal Recruiter is changing – HR Generalists are adding recruiting responsibilities to their job
3. The Job Creation Index – the job creation index is a factor, running at a negative number over the course of 2009
   • Structurally, a large percent of job losses during recessions reflect creative destruction: big companies who lay off workers in recessions downsize permanently. Jobs are not replaced at the same companies; the old jobs go away forever, and new jobs are created at the grass roots of the economy. We have to look to small business for continued job growth.
   • The process of job destruction (from big companies) and job creation (from small companies) are two sides of entrepreneurial “creative destruction.” The problem today is that we have the destruction without the creation.
   • Companies with less than 50 employees predominated in job creation during the great economic expansion that ended in 2007
4. The skills gap —defined as “a significant gap between an organization’s skill needs and the current capabilities of its workforce”— is widening
   • Demographics – declining births, retiring baby boomers, global workforce
   • Shortage of skilled, educated workers in the U.S.
   • Decline in low skilled jobs during the recession create availability of workers with skills not needed to restart the economy; recessions accelerate the trend to eliminate low-wage, low-skills jobs and those jobs don’t come back
   • Business growth is in new markets where necessary skills are hard to find or are unknown
   • Technology is replacing current skills; new jobs require education and skill beyond that of many current candidates
   • Companies are ineffective at leveraging learning investments
5. Job satisfaction is at an all time low.
   • A recent study by the Conference Board research group says that only 45 percent of all workers are satisfied with their jobs. That is the lowest level ever recorded by the Conference since they began studying the issue back in 1987, when the survey showed that 61 percent of workers were satisfied with their jobs.
   • The youngest cohort (those currently under the age of 25) expresses the highest level of dissatisfaction ever recorded by the survey for that age group
6. Retention strategies are required that bridge ideal candidates inside and outside of the organization
   • Traditional Employee-Employer “contract” does not exist
   • Employers must engage ideal candidates on a one-to-one basis, with the ability to offer roles or projects that continuously develop and challenge them
   • Employers must maintain long term connections with ideal candidates as these individuals manage their own rise, moving in and out of corporate positions with increased freedom
7. An independent, networked workforce will become the norm – employers (flexible) and employees (free agency) want options; the only thing keeping Dilbert in the cube is health insurance
   • Free Agent workforce (Contractor, Leased, Part-Time, Temporary or Project Based) is expanding; employers need to adapt internal regulations to respond and consider +/- impact on employer brand
   • Flexible work arrangements (i.e., Telecommute/Tele-work/Mass Career Customization)
   • Outsourcing/Consulting
   • Home-based Business
   • Multiple revenue streams
   • Entrepreneurs today are creating work environments for the future
   • 24/7 Culture (global; customer service)
   • Virtual with human connection – collaborate with others in virtual and local communities
8. Candidates are smarter about who you are and what they want
   • Candidates are reluctant to accept the same conditions in which they worked – they are wary of empty promises and deferred compensation; Employment contracts will increase
   • Information is readily available – whether you’ve defined your company’s brand or not, you have a brand and potential employees know what it is
   • Top performers will negotiate – salary transparency makes candidates smarter about the deal
9. Talent management takes a tumble
   • A buzzword three years ago, “talent management” dropped off the radar when companies made drastic cuts to their talent rosters
   • Many organizations continue to view talent as a cost and not an investment
   • Besides layoffs, many organizations eliminated classroom training entirely, opting to make all training online and just “push it out” to all employees.
   • Talent will shuffle as the economy recovers; retention of top talent will be tough if the company has not invested in their employees during the recessio
10. Training and collaboration are being facilitated through virtual worlds and social networking tools
    • Internal portals will enable the use of these tools and they will replace classroom training and e-learning (i.e., IBM is making this shift now
    • Social networking will spawn just-in-time mentor relationships across borders and time zones
    • Discrete, structured training is happening less often

Sources:

1. “As Long as Small Businesses Aren’t Recovering, New Job Creation Remains a Fantasy” by David Goldman, December 17, 2009: http://seekingalpha.com/article/178568-as-long-as-small-businesses-aren-t-recovering-new-job-creation-remains-a-fantasy
2. “What’s Hot for 2010” by Kevin Wheeler, January 7, 2010: http://www.ere.net/2010/01/07/whats-hot-for-2010
3. “Emerging Talent Acquisition Trends for 2010: Are You Ready for a Roller Coaster?” by Dr. John Sullivan, January 4, 2010: http://www.ere.net/2010/01/04/
4. “U.S. Job Satisfaction at Lowest Level in Two Decades”, The Conference Board, January 5, 2010: http://www.conference-board.org/utilities/pressDetail.cfm?press_ID=3820
5. “At Work in 2020” by Adrienne Fox, SHRM, January 1, 2010: http://www.shrm.org/Publications/hrmagazine/EditorialContent/2010/0110/Pages/0110fox.aspx
6. “2009 Trends in ReView”, Training & Development magazine, December 2009: http://www.astd.org/TD/Archives/2009/Dec/Free/0912_TrendsInReview.htm#RowG

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Have you heard these words before either from someone you just met or someone you’ve known for years? What is your response? Do you trust this person automatically or does this person have to earn your trust? And, who trusts you? Why?

In today’s workplace, trust is a big concern as more pressure is placed on leaders and employees to deal with economic pressures and an uncertain future. Building a culture of trust expands the level of contribution each of us can make. Yet, many people are not sure where they should place their trust as more and more examples of leaders who have taken advantage of others’ trust come to the surface. What can you do as a leader in this environment?

James S. Coleman offers a four-part definition of trust behavior from the perspective of social theory in his book “Foundations of Social Theory”:

1. Placement of trust allows actions [based on incomplete information] that otherwise are not possible.
2. If the person in whom trust is placed (trustee) is trustworthy then the trustor will be better off than if he or she had not trusted. Conversely, if the trustee is not trustworthy, then the trustor will be worse off than if he or she had not trusted.
3. Trust is an action that involves a voluntary transfer of resources (physical, financial, intellectual, or temporal) from the trustor to the trustee with no real commitment from the trustee.
4. A time lag exists between the extension of trust and the result of the trusting behavior.

The strength of Coleman’s definition is that it allows for a discussion of trust behavior.

In early 2000 Development Dimensions International (DDI) completed a study entitled “Trust in the Workplace” (CLICK HERE  to read the report).

In this report the formula for trust is described as: Business Competence + People Orientation = TRUST.

The first half of the equation, business competence, is generally easy to observe and evaluate and is oftentimes the reason a person advances to leadership. You can and should readily re-tool your business competence to deal with changes in the market and in your industry.

The second half of the equation, people orientation, tends to be a challenge for many leaders to adjust and improve. People orientation is described as having three components: 1) a fundamental belief in people, 2) open communication and 3) consistent behavior. These three components are the most critical for building trust with employees.

It is our people orientation that we need to evaluate, particularly in these turbulent times. As a leader, ask yourself:

• Do I believe that people have a deep-rooted need to do a good job and that people are honest and can be trusted?
• Do I remove barriers that prevent my employees from fully actualizing their potential?
• Do I take time to explain?
• Do I know the strengths, needs and stress behavior of my employees?
• Do I take the time to engage in coaching employees so they can perform at the highest level?
• Am I consistent in my actions, decisions and moods?
• When I don’t have the answer, do I say so and find the answer?
• Do I keep my promises?

If you answered all of these questions in the affirmative, your effectiveness in people orientation is high. And how many of us score a perfect ten every hour of every day? As leaders, we are pulled in many directions and sometimes, we take our employees for granted. Make a commitment to build trust with your employees. Strive to move the needle on these questions to a “yes”. Start today.

People Possibilities provides one-on-one coaching by fully trained, certified and experienced business and executive coaches. Our coaches offer the fresh viewpoint of an objective third party who has worked at senior levels in organizations. We can assist you and your leaders to develop more effective leadership behaviors. If you would like to find out whether a coaching program is right for you, please contact us.

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Wikipedia defines “Employee Engagement” as a concept that is generally viewed as “managing discretionary effort, that is, when employees have choices, they will act in a way that furthers their organization’s interests. An engaged employee is a person who is fully involved in, and enthusiastic about, his or her work.” 

Gallup developed its Q12 benchmark specifically to correlate its measure of employee engagement to worker productivity, customer loyalty and sales growth. With 5.4 million responses, it is by far the largest employee benchmark available. Nationally, in 2005, Gallup found:

• 29% of the workforce is Engaged and works with passion. Because they feel a strong connection to the organization, they work hard to innovate and improve.
• 56% are Not-Engaged. These employees do the work expected of them, but do not put in extra effort.
• 15% are Actively Disengaged. In this case, employees aren’t just unhappy, but are spreading their unhappiness to other staff.

In a recent Whitepaper entitled “Employee Engagement: A Silver Bullet”, Lyle Potgieter, Chief Executive Officer, PeopleStreme, asks the question “why bother with employee engagement?” He notes that industry experts Becker and Huselid in “High Performance Work Systems and Firm Performance” that only 15% of organizational outcomes are due to strategy and 85% are due to execution (i.e., employee effort). Engaged employees make the largest contribution to organization outcomes and deliver more than disengaged employees.

New approaches are needed to shift employee engagement even a few percentage points, yet the factors that need to be addressed remain the same. They are:

1. Job Importance – an employee needs to know how their job is important to the organization.
2. Clarity of what is expected of them – an employee needs to be very clear on what their manager expects of them.
3. Career Advancement – employees want to know that there is a fair and equitable system for career advancement and that, if they perform, they will be considered for advancement.
4. Improvement and Reward – employees want to make improvements to the organization and if they do, would like to be rewarded where possible (remuneration and a thank you).
5. Regular Feedback – employees want to know when they, the department and the organization are doing well or not so well.
6. Good Relationship – employees want to communicate with their manager. Even if the news is not good.
7. Clear values – employees want to know the values and behaviors that will be looked upon favorably, they don’t want to be left in a vacuum to guess.
8. Good Communications – “Tell me what is happening, I don’t want to be the last to find out, I want to be included.”

Potgieter outlines a solution that addresses each of the major factors identified above in his Whitepaper. You can CLICK HERE to request a copy.

If you would like to take a pulse on employee engagement in your organization and measure employees’ personal and practical commitment to your company strategy, contact People Possibilities. In partnership with StratACHIEVE™ / PeopleStreme, we have the tools to identify your most critical workforce issues and can identify which initiatives will best address them.

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We’ve all seen the headlines.

Times are Tough Unemployment Rises Again

The US economy is clearly in terrible shape

Distracted Congress Loses Focus on Credit Freeze

And we’re all feeling the effects, whether directly or indirectly. If we have a job, we’re working harder to do more with less. If we don’t have a job, we’re frustrated at the limited opportunities and the slow hiring process. And many are suffering financially as a result. If we are a business leader, we are shifting priorities and, in many cases, “waiting” to see which direction this tornado is going. Many are in a “freeze frame” not sure which steps to take next. This is new territory.

Last year I had the opportunity to attend the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD) Leadership Conference. The keynote was delivered by Afterburner, Inc., a company founded by James D. Murphy who wrote “Flawless Execution”. The book teaches us how to use the techniques and systems of America’s Fighter Pilots to succeed in business, no matter what the conditions. Murphy talks about how the better the individual executes, the better the company performs. Yet, he points out, the individual rarely acts alone. Individuals are part of a team. Teams require leadership; individuals on the team require missions and tasks. A team benefits from the individual execution of each of its members. So the goal of each individual is to flawlessly execute.

It’s possible that your team is experiencing one of the biggest stumbling blocks to flawless execution that Murphy discusses in his book – task saturation, which is too much to do with not enough time, not enough tools and not enough resources to get the mission accomplished. There are three coping mechanisms for task saturation: quitting, compartmentalizing, or channelizing. Quitters shut down. They don’t say much or do much. They come in late and leave early. They are generally easy to spot. Compartmentalizers act busy but do little. This can be dangerous as we don’t notice the weak link until it’s too late. The most common coping mechanism is channelizing (or target fixation). With multiple problems at hand, the channelizer picks one and focuses on it, to the detriment of any of the other problems. And, who knows, the channelizer may have picked the wrong problem to focus on.

The example that Murphy uses to demonstrate task saturation is the story of Flight 401. On December 29, 1972, this flight was inbound to Miami International Airport. There were three pilots to fly the plane. It was wintertime, a clear night – weather was not a factor. On the ten mile final approach, the first officer says to the captain: “Let’s put the landing gear down.” The captain looked at the copilot and says, “Roger”; he reaches up and grabs the gear handle and puts it in the down position. Only two of the three lights to illuminate the forward instrument panel go on. The nose wheel light does not go on. They pull out the emergency procedure and read it. The captain tells the copilot to check the lights. They are at 2,000 feet. The captain tells the copilot to put the plane on autopilot.

The copilot and the rest of the flight crew did not use their resources well. They were all so focused on fixing the light no one noticed that someone bumped the wheel and disengaged the autopilot! The jet had been in a slow descent. No one noticed – they had a light bulb to worry about. The sky was black. The water and everglades below were also black. No reference to a horizon. The light is finally fixed. At this moment the pilot expects to be at 2,000 feet. Instead he is at 100 feet! He has twelve seconds to react – but he’s so task saturated, as are his two other crew members, that his pilot instincts are gone and in twelve seconds he and ninety-nine people die when the plane slams into the everglades.

Here is the 1st of four videos on YouTube that re-enact Eastern Airlines Flight 401:

(1/4) Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 (YouTube)

So, in today’s business climate, what can we learn from the lessons of Flight 401? First of all, assess yourself – are you in task saturation? If you are, it’s time to re-focus. Are you using your resources well? Pull your team together to re-assess the mission for your company or department. What shifts do you need to make to adapt in the current environment? Rather than pulling back, where can you invest time, money or resources towards objectives that move the organization forward? Managing a stable business is a lot easier than leading through a crisis. As leaders, we need to be courageous. The biggest risk of all is to do nothing. This economy WILL turn around. What investments are you making in yourself and in your employees to be ready?

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By Kathi Crawford, SPHR, IAC-CC

Are you confused about personal branding? Everyone’s talking about it and why it’s so important to have a personal brand and how you must communicate it in person or on the web. Do you feel like you’re behind the eight ball on this one? Trust me, you are not alone!

What is a personal brand? Simply put, it’s your total perceived value, relative to competitors, as viewed by your audience. If you haven’t checked in with your audience lately, it’s hard to know what your personal brand is. And how can you communicate something you’re not sure about?

Did you know that you have both an external and an internal brand? What your audience sees is your external brand. Who you really are is your internal brand. Until you know who you are on the inside, it’s impossible to create and communicate your personal brand. Are you caught in the trap of “irreconcilable differences” between your inner game and your outer game. Are you afraid to let people know who you really are for fear they won’t like you or hire you or give you the time of day?

We try so hard to craft an image that we believe people want to see and experience with us. Over time, we get caught up in this image we have created and forget who we really are. We try to ignore our failures and hope they don’t come up instead of embracing them and finding the perfection in the experience. We feel that we have to “succeed” over and over again to keep up the image, yet we’re not really sure what success is in our hearts.

Don’t get me wrong, the image and perception we create is what defines a personal brand. That’s my point – if your intent does not equal reality then you have some work to do! If you don’t have a clue about what your true identity is and you are creating an image that isn’t congruent with who you really are, people will figure it out most likely before you do!

I promise you, if you can get in touch with who you really are to the point that perception is reality, and really know what makes you different, you will be able to leverage that difference in the marketplace.

Nobody can take away who YOU are. YOU are your richest asset.

Today it’s all about the B.R.A.N.D. If you want to explore your personal brand, join me at an upcoming workshop where you will learn about these key components and how to create your B.R.A.N.D. YOU Cloud:

–        Bio +/_

–        Relevant

–        Authentic

–        Noticeable

–        Differentiated

Experts agree — “personal branding” is a key to long-term career success. Join us in this workshop to find out exactly how to create your personal branding statement and the profound impact this work will have on your career.

For registration information go to: http://peoplepossibilities.eventbrite.com

Testimonials

“This was a very good process to complete. Thanks very much for your help. I learned that your Board of Directors will give you a lot of feedback! I also learned that it takes a little time to think about that feedback and come up with words and phrases that were common in that feedback. Lastly, I learned that my personal brand is a good summary of the words and phrases on the B.R.A.N.D. YOU CLOUD. It’s something I can talk about and expand upon when I’m talking to others.”

-          Larry Sherrell, Workshop Participant

“The B.R.A.N.D. YOU exercise was excellent and I believe what it did for me was to take a closer look at my recommendations and see what individuals thought about me and gave me a new perspective of myself, especially at this time of being out of a job.”

-          John Orrange, Workshop Participant

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By Kathi Crawford, SPHR, IAC-CC

The ability to effectively lead is a crucial factor in the success, or lack thereof, of entrepreneurial ventures. By understanding and embodying what it takes to lead effectively, entrepreneurs can maximize their chances of success. To be successful and grow our business we must be strong in personal leadership. Leaders with this characteristic are people who lead themselves with strength and confidence so that others are inspired to join them. Personal leadership requires a commitment to balance and a sense of purpose and values. If you practice personal leadership you recognize that in order to teach and motivate others, you must first learn to teach and motivate yourself. To be a leader today you must be an agile learner and apply new skills and experiences as lessons are learned under first time conditions. A leader sets the example for employees and coaches them to excel. You may have heard the expression “fail forward”. This is the mantra for effective leadership. If nothing is tried, nothing happens. An effective leader tries, fails, learns, adjusts and tries again. 

Business owners are naturally self motivated. Starting a business requires it. As our business grows, it gets tricky as we realize we need help. Many wait too long to hire someone. Finally, we take the leap and hire an employee to help us. At first, we feel a sense of relief. We say, “Now I have somebody that can handle those calls for me!” Let’s say we got lucky and the employee we hired is doing a fabulous job. We can’t live without him or her in that job, they are so good! Until the day that person comes to us to resign, for whatever reason, and a replacement is needed right away. We hire the next person and realize that the person that was doing such a great job didn’t create a “template” for the job. The new person doesn’t know what to do or where to start. So they do what they think needs to be done and it’s not as good as the first person. We start to pay attention to things we didn’t have to pay attention to and the business suffers. Two steps forward, two steps back.

What’s a leader to do? Whether you have one employee, fifty or five-hundred, a leader needs to recognize his or her role is to communicate a vision and create an environment where employees can do their best work. How does this happen? The first step is to know what your strengths are. If it’s in building and maintaining client relationships – do that and hire others to do the things you don’t excel at. Before you hire anyone, identify and document the work processes in your organization and identify the roles and responsibilities for each job. Once you have identified a job that you need to fill, you can identify a person who is a match for the job. Follow a hiring process that requires several steps to qualify the right candidate for the job. And hire the person who is passionate about doing that job. Give them the tools and supportive work environment to be successful.

One of the key challenges for a leader is balancing people and tasks. Two common mistakes are when a leader views questions from people as interruptions and when they try to fix mistakes rather than teach people how to fix their own. The desire to help others succeed is the mark of a truly great leader. Synergy is created when a leader truly invests his or her efforts in the success of others. Zig Ziglar says it like this, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care about them.” Continue to develop your ability to coach your employees for success. Remember, they need to try, fail, learn, adjust and try again. Give them the room to grow and be there to assist them. Leadership is an art, not a science. As you develop your own leadership style stay focused on your vision and maintain a long term commitment to personal leadership. Over time you will create an inspired organization.

To lead people, walk behind them. – Lao Tzu, Father of Taoism

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By Kathi Crawford, SPHR, IAC-CC

Today I spoke at the Houston Non-Profit HR Leaders Forum about the most significant human resources trends for 2009. In my research I found more than ten HR trends! So, I’ve done the work for you and selected what I believe are the trends that are most significant. 

No doubt about it, it’s going to be a challenging year. Why do I say that? Well, it’s not a secret, is it? The only constant in business today is change. Non-profit leaders are faced with an increasingly competitive environment coupled with a growing need for services. Given the downturn in the economy, many are worried that there will be a drop in funding as companies and individuals scale back on charitable giving. There is escalating pressure to do more with less: to maximize resources, lower costs and meet the needs of a diverse stakeholder group. In this environment, whether you’re a non-profit or a for-profit organization, it’s essential to have a sound strategy to survive and prosper.

ACTION: Identify the ONE idea or application you can use to leverage your organization’s human capital programs this year that you believe will have the greatest impact. A participant in the group today suggested that this list could be used to open a dialogue with your leadership team and to build the business case for implementing your ONE idea or application.

If you implement your ONE idea or application, you can win $1,000. The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) has announced it will grant an Economic Stimulus Prize to each of ten SHRM members who send them the best examples of programs or strategies they and their HR departments are implementing in response to the current economic conditions. CLICK HERE for details.

Drum roll please …. here are the TOP TEN HR TRENDS FOR 2009:

(If you would like to read more about each trend, CLICK HERE)

1. Smart HR pros will help their organizations weather the economic storm. HR will add tremendous value to the organization, but not in the areas they desire. For some, this will be their last year in HR!

2. It’s a buyer’s market – hire key talent now: tap into encore workers who are choosing to work for non-profits. Hire Gen Y college graduates and energize your team.

3. Join the HR 2.0 community: Don’t be left out!

4. Invest in training and development. Create a retention strategy through retraining workers.

5. Employers are taking steps to trim health care costs. What can you do?

6. It pays to invest in employees’ health! Large U.S. employers increase wellness incentives by 9% from 2007 to 2008.

7. Hey, Who Stole my 401k Match? Is your decision to suspend the match a strategic one?

8. Flextime and job sharing: Where is it headed, and what are the pros and cons?

9. The new President and Congress: The four soon-to-be laws that you MUST get up to speed on and laws that may be reconsidered in 2009.

10. Now is the time to coach and develop your leaders: It is easy in hard times to lose sight of long term goals!

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