I was recently working with a client on a new recruiting process and we made a major discovery! Managers were hiring to replace what they just lost rather than hiring for what they needed. This approach left gaps in the team and duties. As the organizational strategy evolved the roles did not. Sound familiar?
To ensure a solid new hire, ask yourself these five questions before you begin the process:
What results does the organization need from this role today? 18 months from now? Three years from now?
What skills and competencies are required to meet those needs? Do I need to modify the job description to encompass these skills?
What level of employee do I need to fill this role? (For example, if you have a department of senior level project managers, do you really need another at the senior level or would someone at entry level be most appropriate?)
What type of personality will work best with my team and my leadership style? Do we need someone similar to us or a different, fresh perspective?
Are there different sourcing options I should consider given this analysis?
It might require a bit more time up front, but I think you can see how this might save you a headache or two in the future.
Jennifer Rufatto is a consultant at FlashPoint. She focuses her consulting in the areas of workplace learning and leadership development.
Can a person be a leader and a manager? Or, can a person be a leader or a manager, but not both?
One of the best-known sources advocating the leader or manager view is Abraham Zaleznik’s Harvard Business Review article “Managers and Leaders: Are They Different?” (1977). Zaleznik wrote that the difference between managers and leaders lies in the conceptions they hold, deep in their psyches, of chaos and order. He wrote, “Managers and leaders are very different kinds of people. They differ in motivation, in personal history, and how they think and act.”
More recently, Warren Bennis has done much to popularize the distinction between leadership and management. He wrote, “There is a profound difference between management and leadership. . .managers are people who do things right and leaders are people who do the right thing.”
Another view (to which FlashPoint subscribes) is that a person can and should be both a leader and a manager. Leadership and management are two distinctive and complementary systems of action. Each has its own function and characteristic activities. Both are necessary for success in an increasingly volatile business environment.
According to John Kotter, management is about coping with complexity and leadership is about coping with change (1990). These two functions shape the activities of individuals who manage in today’s environment. As Peter Drucker wrote, “Organizations that exhibit a high spirit of performance are led by managers who are committed to doing the right thing [leadership] and to getting the right things done [management].”
Henry Mintzberg sums up the need for being a leader-manager by saying “I think people who lead without managing don’t know what is going on; just like people who manage without leading are very discouraging (Mintzberg, 2011).”
What do you think?
References
Drucker, Peter F. Management. Rev. ed. New York: HarperCollins, 2008.
No one can create any training program, let alone a corporate university, by themselves. Once you have a clear sense of the purpose and objectives for your university (see part 1 and part 2 of this series), gather a governing body or an advisory team. Select participants from various areas in the organization and stakeholders from all areas. Introduce the mission and purpose and get them involved immediately on implementation ideas and the framework.
I was working with a global real estate investment firm and we had just started the discussions on building a university, starting with a pilot curriculum for the marketing group. We knew early in the game we would need a “steering team” to help us determine the competencies for various roles in the organization, as well as the performance needed to help the organization achieve its goals. Focusing first in the U.S. market, we created a university project team that included all levels of the organization and even some customers! The result was a comprehensive program that marketing team members could use to improve performance on a macro level.
Who do you want on your team? An even more important question: who needs to be on your team to get the perspective and knowledge that will create a university to drive engagement and results? As you think about this team, what other stakeholders do you think should be involved? How have you leveraged your talent in the past?
Linda Dausend is a consultant at FlashPoint. She consults with clients on talent management, helping to align their human resources programs with organizational strategies.
Leadership is influence, and to effectively influence others, a leader must be clear about where he or she is going. It’s a clear vision that gives others something to aspire to and work toward. The challenge is that often leaders are so caught up in the midst of the day to day that they fail to take time to reflect on what’s most important and what it is they truly want.
I am such a visionary myself, so it’s no surprise that one of my absolute favorite things to do is to lead others through a creative visioning exercise. In my experiences with this type of work over the last ten years, I am continually amazed at how leaders respond to the process. If at first a bit resistant, they typically emerge feeling empowered and energized.
The visioning process usually works like this:
Step 1: Look to the past for key themes
After affirming what’s most important to the leader (his or her core values), he or she will work through an exercise that serves as a trip down memory lane and identifies key situations/life events that have shaped his or character; reflecting upon these events, the leader identifies theme(s) surrounding those situations.
Step 2: Consider the possibilities of what could be
Using the themes and core values as a strong foundation, the leader then answers a series of questions about the meaning and fulfillment in the work that he or she does.
Step 3: Bring the vision to life
At this point, the leader has a lot of thoughts in his or her head and words on paper. Through a creative, vision-board exercise, the leader brings the vision to life through images, colors, words, etc. This visual helps to tell the story of what it is the leader is creating. The picture below shows a group of leaders who currently went through this process.
As part of a ten-month leadership development initiative at Savvis, a global leader in cloud infrastructure and hosted IT solutions for enterprises, leaders spent time articulating their vision for their roles in helping the organization accomplish its goals.
I cannot believe it is already the middle of April! The first quarter is in the books and I am still writing 2011 on my checks! When time flies by like this, I often feel like I am already behind. At a time when I should have a quarter of my goals accomplished I am still wrapping my mind around what they entail and what I want to achieve this year.
Can you relate to that? If so, I have good news. While a quarter of the year is already past, we still have three quarters left. Knowing I have nine months left, I am:
More inclined to set realistic goals as compared to when I think that I have a whole year to accomplish things.
Clear on my organization’s strategy for the year which helps me understand what the business needs me to accomplish.
Able to use my accomplishments from the first quarter to influence the direction for the rest of the year.
If you are like me and initially panicking because three out of twelve months have already past—take heart! There are several good things about where we are in the year and we still have nine whole months to make it happen! So let’s kick it in high gear and get centered on what we want to accomplish by December 31, 2012.
Jennifer Rufatto is a consultant at FlashPoint. She focuses her consulting in the areas of workplace learning and leadership development.
“Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal: my strength lies solely in my tenacity.” – Louis Pasteur
I have known managers who were able to set solid performance goals and logical action plans, but struggled to consistently meet the goals they established. In my experience, this struggle can be lessened by applying the characteristics and principles of tenacious management.
Characteristics of Tenacious Managers
Tenacious managers are:
Rigorous in supporting and holding team members accountable for meeting individual performance goals.
Relentless in their pursuit of goal achievement (but always ethical).
Stubborn in resisting setbacks.
Tough in the face of adversity.
Courageous in their willingness to deliver praise and corrective feedback.
Principles of Tenacious Management
Tenacious managers do the following:
Identify three to five high impact SMART goals. Three to five goals are the ideal number on which peak performers can concentrate, according to most research.
Train staff in the specific knowledge and skills required to meet SMART goals (tell them how to do it-show them how to do it-let them do it-provide feedback).
Be tenaciously consistent in requiring staff to deliver the results they are paid to deliver and to do so within organizational policies and procedures.
Provide timely, specific, direct (with respect) feedback on performance:
Provide training or coaching when a performance gap is due to a skill problem.
Immediately discipline when a performance gap is due to a will problem.
Inspire staff to perform to their highest potential:
Lead by example.
Be genuine.
Know your people and make a real investment in each person’s growth and welfare.
We’ve previously defined the corporate university (click here to read the blog post “Defining Your Corporate University”) and with this clarity and consensus in mind, we are ready to get started.
Well, not quite yet. We still have more clarifying to do so that we can determine the purpose and establish an initial build-out plan.
This diagram illustrates the different phases of university development and is a great guide to start the initial build-out. Depending on your resources, urgency, and current state, you may be ready to start with any of these phases. Your first step, then, is to determine where you want to be and where you are in the life cycle of university development.
Source: Adapted from Jansink, F. (2005). The knowledge-productive corporate university. Journal of European Industrial Learning, 29(1), 40-57.
Many companies with whom we work on university development want to see results right away. But even though you’re being strategic about the entire university design process, you’re not going to be in the Strategic Phase until you’ve laid some groundwork. That groundwork requires thoughtful planning on how the university will need to function operationally and what tactics need to be put into place to achieve the strategic objectives.
If it hasn’t become apparent to you already, you will realize that one person can’t build a corporate university on their own. We will talk about that further in a future post, but in the interim, I’d love to get your thoughts on this life cycle. Do you agree with these phases? Are there any phases missing?
Linda Dausend is a consultant at FlashPoint. She consults with clients on talent management, helping to align their human resources programs with organizational strategies.
Stay tuned for more from Linda in this blog series about corporate universities. It’s easy to get our blog updates! Just look for Feed Subscription in the right column of our blog and enter your email address. Our blog updates will be delivered to your email inbox.
Full disclosure: I used to be an intern at FlashPoint and I was hired full time so I may be biased. However, I think that many companies today do not take full advantage of internship programs and what interns can offer both during the internship and beyond. What part do interns play in your company’s talent management strategy? If you have an intern fetching your coffee, or if you’re thinking about hiring an intern this summer, consider the following reasons why you should or should not hire an intern full time:
Why you should not* hire your interns:
They’re used to simple tasks (e.g., brewing coffee, making copies).
They’re accustomed to a lax work schedule—short work weeks and no overtime.
They get praised for menial tasks and may expect this to continue.
The sudden shift in expectations and responsibilities can make for a challenging transition.
*Note: Most of these reasons have to do with how you manage your interns.
Why you should hire your interns:
They know your organization.
They just experienced a long, realistic job preview and you were able to preview their work.
They’re motivated (enough to get an internship) and willing to work hard.
They’re used to learning quickly and being flexible.
Obviously, I’m making a lot of generalizations, but the point is to encourage you to make the most of your interns. View them as a potential full-time employee. Give them opportunities that will challenge and stretch them. Set expectations up front and tell them what kinds of projects they may work on. At the end of the internship, they will have more knowledge and a better experience, and you may just have a prime candidate for hiring.
Have you ever hired an intern full time? How can HR maximize the intern experience and leverage this talent?
Megan Crowley is an associate consultant at FlashPoint. With a background in industrial/organizational psychology, Megan contributes a unique perspective based on some of the newest research and techniques in her field.
At FlashPoint, we work with some clients to provide career transition coaching to outplaced employees. We always encourage these individuals to use their networks to help them identify job opportunities. After all, most people find jobs not through ads but rather because of a personal connection. Some sources say that up to 75 percent of jobs are filled as a result of networking.
One tip I’ve begun to share focuses on improving the networking experience. The idea comes from an acquaintance who was herself looking for a job a couple of years ago.
As she was beginning her search, this acquaintance e-mailed me and others. She asked if we’d serve on her job search network. The purpose, she said, was to e-mail us regularly with updates on where she had applied and was interviewing, as well as to ask us for help in connecting with people at companies she was interested in.
She did what she promised. Every week or two she’d send the group a brief message outlining her activities. It was a great way to ensure we kept her in mind. (How often do we promise others to our eyes peeled for job opportunities, only to forget about it amid our work demands?)
Eventually the acquaintance got an interview at a company where I knew the HR director, and I e-mailed the director with a recommendation. I’m not sure that my input had any sway, but the acquaintance did get the job–just three months after her search began.
The key in all this is to think of creative ways to leverage your connections. Using e-mail, social media, and other technology to communicate effectively, make an impression, and stand apart from the crowd is important, and as this example shows, it often pays off.
I have the privilege of facilitating a dynamic human performance improvement peer group for the Central Indiana Chapter of the American Society for Training and Development (CIASTD). We meet monthly to discuss the concepts and skills needed to practice strategic human resources in each of our organizations. In assessing our readiness to practice strategic human resources, we answered seven thought-provoking questions. I share them here (adapted from Roadmap to Strategic HR: Turning a Great Idea into a Business Reality, Ralph Christensen, 2006).
Answer these questions from your business partners’ perspective. Or, set up a meeting to have them answer the questions directly. Some of the answers may be painful. However, they will be invaluable for helping you identify the perceptions or skill/knowledge gaps that are hindering your practice of strategic human resources!
Do I discuss the details of human resources work in a way that relates directly to the issues of the business?
Do I provide meaningful leadership and direction to line management?
Do I have the detailed business knowledge that allows me to talk intelligently about the business issues? Do I understand the customers, the technology, the industry, the competitors, the channels, and so on?
Do I tie human resources initiatives to the bottom line well enough?
Do I use human resources jargon that doesn’t resonate with employees or management?
Do I bring enough to the strategic conversation or do I move too quickly to the details of execution?
Have I helped others at the business table understand either through concept or experiences why HR should be at the table?
I was recently working with a client on a new recruiting process and we made a major discovery! Managers were hiring to replace what they just lost rather than hiring for what they needed. This approach left gaps in the team and duties. As the organizational strategy evolved the roles did not. Sound familiar?
Can a person be a leader and a manager? Or, can a person be a leader or a manager, but not both?
o which FlashPoint subscribes) is that a person can and should be both a leader and a manager. Leadership and management are two distinctive and complementary systems of action. Each has its own function and characteristic activities. Both are necessary for success in an increasingly volatile business environment.
No one can create any training program, let alone a corporate university, by themselves. Once you have a clear sense of the purpose and objectives for your university (see 
As part of a ten-month leadership development initiative at 
lieve it is already the middle of April! The first quarter is in the books and I am still writing 2011 on my checks! When time flies by like this, I often feel like I am already behind. At a time when I should have a quarter of my goals accomplished I am still wrapping my mind around what they entail and what I want to achieve this year.
We’ve previously defined the corporate university (
At FlashPoint, we work with some clients to provide career transition coaching to outplaced employees. We always encourage these individuals to use their networks to help them identify job opportunities. After all, most people find jobs not through ads but rather because of a personal connection. Some sources say that up to 75 percent of jobs are filled as a result of networking.
I have the privilege of facilitating a dynamic human performance improvement peer group for the Central Indiana Chapter of the American Society for Training and Development (CIASTD). We meet monthly to discuss the concepts and skills needed to practice strategic human resources in each of our organizations. In assessing our readiness to practice strategic human resources, we answered seven thought-provoking questions. I share them here (adapted from Roadmap to Strategic HR: Turning a Great Idea into a Business Reality, Ralph Christensen, 2006).
