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.
As the business world evolves, development tools evolve to fit the needs of today’s learners. For example, the traditional mentoring relationship with a rigid meeting structure now looks much different, as mentoring occurs virtually and just-in-time. Certainly the traditional mentoring structure is still applicable in some scenarios.
As mentoring has evolved, it is also increasingly confused with other development activities, such as coaching. The challenge with confusing these two disciplines is that when used inappropriately, we miss opportunities to leverage their full potential. Human resources professionals and managers must understand the purpose and desired outcomes for both mentoring and coaching to ensure they are used in the most effective way.
The visual below shows the different focus of mentoring and coaching. Notice that mentoring is more directive—its purpose is knowledge transfer from the mentor to the protégée, so key activities within the mentoring relationship include sharing expertise and offering advice. Coaching is more non-directive, with a focus on eliciting ideas and thoughts from the participant, hence, the focus on asking questions.
I am currently in the midst of a coaching engagement, focused on helping a person transition from individual contributor to leader of a new team within her organization. Specifically, I am coaching her to develop a vision for her team and create a structure that best supports their direction. The essence of the engagement is asking key questions to help her identify what she needs to do; it’s an empowering process. My colleague, Jennifer Rufatto, wrote in a blog about demystifying coaching, “the essence of coaching is helping someone learn to think better.”
Because this manager has the management skills (from previous positions) necessary to lead this group of people, coaching is the most effective development opportunity for her; she is getting what she needs to support her success, and ultimately the organization’s success. Andrea Moore is Senior Consulting Manager at FlashPoint; Andrea focuses on leadership development, training and performance improvement solutions, and one-on-one coaching.
I am often asked for guidance from clients, friends, and colleagues about how best to manage their increasingly heavy workloads. While I certainly don’t have “the answer” to this ongoing challenge, I do have one simple strategy and a mindset that has served me well over the last couple of years in managing all of the activities of my life.
First of all, my philosophy around time management is at the heart of this strategy; my belief is that it’s not the “stuff” of life that creates stress and frustration. It’s how you approach it that creates the feeling of challenge. The “stuff” of life is always neutral; it’s your attitude about it that makes it what it is.
This mindset is incredibly empowering, as it gives you a feeling of control over your life experiences. The reverse is that you allow your calendar and activities to have control which causes a feeling of perpetual frustration and spinning your wheels.
So, what can you do to create a feeling of control? Begin your day in a way that sets a positive tone. By starting the day in a rushed, hurried manner, focused on activities (the news, emails, packing lunches, etc.), you perpetuate the challenge of feeling out of control.
Consider this . . . upon waking, you make your way to a comfortable place in your home. In this comfortable place, you give yourself the gift of silence—allowing thoughts to rise and fall without judgment, paying attention to your breathing, basking in the quiet presence of the morning. In these few minutes (yes, just a few minutes) of quiet reflection, you are renewed and much more prepared to react to the events of your day in a positive way.
What if you did this for just a few minutes each morning before you jumped into the activities? I suspect your results would be similar to mine. By consciously starting my day in a reflective way, I have experienced the following results:
I have little to no stress in my life and much less worry
I feel prepared to handle whatever life has to offer
I am confident about my ability to act in a way that represents my values
I am less reactive and much more thoughtful about the choices I make
I step into the day with a clear mind and an open heart
I carry a relaxed, peaceful feeling with me
You are in the driver’s seat. Between sleep and action, give yourself time to transition and leverage the quiet of the morning as a time for renewal. You and those you influence throughout the day deserve it.
Andrea Moore is a Senior Consulting Manager at FlashPoint; Andrea focuses on leadership development, training and performance improvement solutions, and one-on-one coaching.
One of my favorite commercials is from Monster.com where a child states, “I wanna claw my way up to middle management.” I remember the first time I became an assistant manager. I was so excited to send my new business cards to my whole family (even though they live in Colorado and couldn’t do business with me) and I readily gave one to anyone who would take one. We all love the American success story about the person who started in the mail room and worked his way up to CEO—what a great story. Everyone should strive to accomplish that, right?
What happened to simply being “the best” at what we do? Why if we are considered “the best,” do we have to get promoted to feel valued? By that rationale, Peyton Manning should be the coach and not the quarterback. Imagine what would happen to the Indianapolis Colts if Curtis Painter took over and Manning was simply his coach? Do you remember when Magic Johnson tried to coach? He failed miserably, yet no one would argue that he is one of the greatest basketball players of all-time. The role of being a coach is different from being a player. Just like the role of being a manager is different from being a contributor. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of contributors who have what it takes to be a manager and I firmly believe that leadership can be taught; but, it is not for everyone and that should be ok.
So, what do you do? You can’t stop promoting from within your organization because you do not want employees to feel stagnate.
Here are some considerations:
How does a promotion impact your customers?
Think about how you show that you value your employees. Does everyone know how they contribute to the success of your business? What is their impact on your business?
Do a job analysis and consider job enrichment and/or enlargement versus simply promoting people into management. Few people want to do the exact same job each day, but it doesn’t mean the only way to change that is through promotion.
Consider a pay-for-performance compensation plan as many people want and take a management position simply because it pays more.
Ask employees how they feel about their contributions and their role within your organization.
There was a time in my career when I would have ranked advancement as the most important part of my job. As I have matured in my career, I value the impact I can have on an organization. It didn’t come naturally and it took a lot of work. I now chuckle a bit when I hear titles dropped in conversations. My current title will not raise the eyebrows that my CEO title once did, but I can tell you confidently that I would have a much larger impact on your organization today than I would have six years ago.
As part of the 2010 Indiana State Human Resources Conference, FlashPoint asked HR professionals across the state to tell us about the innovative HR-related programs they have introduced at their organizations. I had the opportunity to collect these innovative ideas and present them at the conference where attendees were invited to vote for the idea they considered most innovative. While a winner was selected (to be highlighted here soon), FlashPoint thought that all the ideas were deserving of a little more attention. Now I get to share the details of these exciting and innovative programs. My hope is that these “mini case studies” will inspire you and your organization to be innovative!
Innovative idea submitted by: Deb Lang, Director, Training
The Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc. (Midwest ISO) is an essential link in the safe, cost-effective delivery of electric power across all or parts of 13 U.S. states and the Canadian province of Manitoba. As a Regional Transmission Organization, the Midwest ISO assures consumers of unbiased regional grid management and open access to the transmission facilities under the Midwest ISO’s functional supervision.
Coaching Certification (Peer Coaches)
Joellyn: Can you briefly describe your innovative HR-related program? Deb: The employee coaching certification program is designed to create peer coaches within the organization. The program consists of classroom training, hands-on coaching, and a final assessment before employees are given the designation of peer coach. Employees are nominated for the coaching program based on criteria including corporate reputation, degree of influence, role within the organization, and relationship skills. Coaches are given assignments that support existing development programs.
Joellyn: Why did you develop this program? What problem/situation were you hoping to address?
Deb: This program provides a resource within each division—someone who assists employees with topics ranging from how to have a career discussion with their supervisor to identifying how to strengthen leadership skills.
Joellyn: Why do you consider it innovative?
Deb: Innovation is found in providing a structured way for employees to empower other employees and, in the process, to provide a non-threatening way to discuss issues (note: coaches are provided with parameters regarding the topics they can address and topics they should refer to a supervisor or HR professional).
Joellyn: What impact have you seen? How did the program address your problem/situation and how has it improved the company and/or the HR function?
Deb: Impact is seen in two areas:
Increasing awareness of internal coaches regarding the impact coaching can have if done properly
Providing a resource to employees who can help them identify how to become stronger employees (creating a more personalized approach to development)
Although the majority of coaching engagements are through assignments made as part of development programs, coaches are now being requested by employees and, in the case of development program assignments, coaches are now seeing requests for extensions beyond the one or two pre-planned sessions. This is occurring with minimal promotion of the program within the organization.
What idea does this inspire for you and your company? Each month I’ll highlight another HR-related innovative idea. I invite you to subscribe to this blog so you don’t miss other, similar posts. Joellyn Detjen is marketing manager at FlashPoint and helps tell the company’s story.
My advice to all leaders: Spend less time talking about what’s going on in your life and more time talking about how you are reacting to your life.
I recently conducted a coaching session with the head of an organization, and he described to me his challenge in working through a situation that had had a dramatic impact on his company. When I asked him to tell me more about the situation, he noted, “I don’t really think the issue has anything to do with it. It’s not the issue that defines me as a leader; it’s how I react to the issue.”
As this very insightful leader observed, the way in which you approach and react to situations defines them. If you’re like most leaders, you likely find yourself getting carried away or caught up in the content of your life, when actually the content is irrelevant. It is all one big storyline and you are the lead the character. Every situation and circumstance you find yourself in is actually neutral. The only meaning a situation has is the meaning that you give to it. So stop talking about the situation and start talking about what you are doing in relation to it. That is where the opportunity for growth and change can be found.
Andrea Moore is senior consulting manager at FlashPoint. She focuses on leadership development, training and performance improvement solutions, and one-on-one coaching.
I sat in my kitchen watching the television intently as Lebron (James) stated that he was “taking his talents to South Beach” and joining the Miami Heat, arguably the most talented basketball team currently assembled in the NBA. Sports radio could not leave the topic alone and the debate was not if they would win a title, but how many they would win and could they break the record for most wins in a season.
Reminiscent of the 2004 Dream Team II basketball team that shocked the world by winning only a bronze medal in Athens, the Heat started the season with a dismal 7-9 record. What was going on? You had three of the best players in the league on one team and you couldn’t buy a win. Then it happened. . .eleven wins in a row and now the Heat sit near the top of the NBA food chain.
What do I mean by “it” happened? They started playing as a team. They started to work within the game strategy (offensive and defensive systems), and stopped trying to individually create opportunities. They checked egos. They leveraged talents instead of trying to trump everything with talent. They started listening.
When I take FlashPoint’s message on the road I often state that great systems are better than great people. I say it in part to get people’s attention, but FlashPoint definitely believes that without a great system you will underutilize superstars and eventually lose them. A great system will also maximize the potential of your average worker by clearly explaining expectations and accountabilities.
What systems am I talking about? Here are just a few:
Even if you don’t have Lebron on your team, if you have great systems in place you can acquire the right talent for your business, maximize their potential, and ultimately make your business more successful.
Coaching. Yes, you know it is the new management and leadership trend. But what is it? I find that people avoid implementing coaching programs simply because they don’t know what it is or how it can help their organization.
Last month I read Quiet Leadership by David Rock and he described coaching in the simplest way I have ever heard. While discussing his leadership philosophy he notes that what we pay people to do at work has significantly changed in the past 50 years but our leadership style has not changed. Years ago we paid people to DO something; run a machine, work an assembly line, file papers, etc. The command-control style of management was very effective for workers who, essentially, conducted processes. Today we have found ways to automate or outsource most processes—now we pay people to think. Yet, the dominate management style has stayed command-control. If the nature of what we ask employees to do has changed from conducting a process to thinking, doesn’t it make sense to change our management style?
Rock suggests that if we pay employees to think, then managers and leaders should help employees learn to think better. That is the essence of coaching. Coaching is helping someone learn to think better.
Consider this example which demonstrates the difference between the two management styles.
Managing the Process
Employee: I have a customer who is irate that we charged shipping even though the product was three days late. What should I do?
Manager: Was it our fault the product was late?
Employee: Yes, we ran out in the warehouse.
Manager: Then credit the shipping and offer a 10% discount on the next order.
Helping the Thinking
Employee: I have a customer who is irate that we charged shipping even though the product was three days late. What should I do?
Manager: Sarah, you have good instincts about customer service. What do you think?
Employee: It was our fault since we ran out of the product, but the customer knew when they placed the order we were backordered. I don’t know.
Manager: If you were the customer what would you want the company to do?
Employee: I would want the free shipping, but I wouldn’t expect them to give it to me.
Manager: What would you think about the company if they did give you free shipping?
Employee: I would be impressed they went above and beyond. Our mission is to exceed the customer’s expectations and that would do it!
The manager took 60 more seconds so the employee could learn how to think instead of how to do. Next time the employee is in a similar situation she will have the confidence to handle the issue and will take ownership over the solution.
See, this coaching thing isn’t so complicated. Take time to help people think better and you are coaching!
Try it out and let me know how it works for you.
Jennifer Rufatto is a consultant at FlashPoint. She focuses her consulting in the areas of workplace learning, leadership development, and strategic planning.
“On the other side of right thinking and wrong thinking there is a field. I’ll meet you there.”—Rumi
During a section of a recent leadership development training session which I facilitated, participants were exploring the impact of their personal style on the way in which they deliver feedback. Participants were tasked with reviewing their unique areas for improvement (based on their style) and identifying what they could do differently to be more effective. Suddenly, a participant raised his hand and asked, “How can the overuse of praise be ineffective when giving feedback?” After a brief group conversation, I suggested to the questioner that when the same type of praise, said in the same way, such as “thank you,” is used repeatedly, it may lose its significance and meaning. As the questioner nodded in agreement, I added that because of his natural style, he might want to be more specific in the feedback that he provides to employees. Nodding in agreement once again, he said, “So, I should say, ‘thank you, s—head.’”
Fortunately, his response was very funny to others in the group, and his colleagues erupted in laughter. In that moment, I was so glad to be laughing along with everyone else in the room, because I didn’t really know how else to respond to his sarcasm. When the laughter subsided, the questioner became much more serious and shared a couple of ideas for how he could be more specific in giving feedback. Being given the space to be sarcastic and funny, he quickly rebounded into what he could do to improve his effectiveness as a manager.
This experience reminded me of the important message in the Rumi quote above. In the facilitation of leadership development, there is no right and wrong. My role as the facilitator is to create a safe place for learning to occur. Who am I to say what will work for someone? I do not walk in the shoes of any participant; the participant must come to the perspective that works best for him or her. I can certainly share my personal experiences and what I have seen work for other leaders, but never can I credibly give the participant advice on what he or she should do.
As a facilitator, focused on development, I am meeting the participants on the field beyond right thinking and wrong thinking, for this is a safe place for growth to happen.
Andrea Moore is a senior consulting manager at FlashPoint; Andrea focuses on leadership development, training and performance improvement solutions, and one-on-one coaching.
When I started working for FlashPoint earlier this year, I got to sit in on one of our strategic HR peer groups. As the marketing manager, it was one of the best onboarding activities I could have done. I got to hear first-hand about the challenges that HR professionals face, witness peers suggest solutions based on personal experiences, and learn about best practice alternatives from Krista Skidmore, the facilitator. Ok, so maybe it’s not really akin to a play date. But I consider it fun to get like-minded people together and experience great outcomes.
In December, we’ll kick off our 7th year of facilitating the strategic HR peer group. From my co-workers, I sense great excitement of welcoming a new group of HR professionals who are ready and willing to commit to thinking strategically about their roles within their companies.
Have you ever wanted to be in a group like this but wondered if you have the time to commit to it? Perhaps you’ve felt anxious about opening up with your peers or admitting that you and your organization face challenges? Those are questions I would have. To get some perspective, I sat down with Krista and posed my questions. In this video, she shares about the vision for the group, answers questions that prospective participants might have, and provides an example of a success story.
If this sounds valuable to you, if you have questions, or if you would like to apply, contact us at info@flashpointhr.com or 317.229.3035. You can also get all the details on our website. You’ll learn things like how you can get strategic recertification credits toward SPHR, PHR, and GPHR recertification. You’ll also see where some of the other participants work and what they have to say about the program.
Is this a program that would benefit you and your organization?
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 am often asked for guidance from clients, friends, and colleagues about how best to manage their increasingly heavy workloads. While I certainly don’t have “the answer” to this ongoing challenge, I do have one simple strategy and a mindset that has served me well over the last couple of years in managing all of the activities of my life.
One of my favorite commercials is from Monster.com where a child states, “I wanna claw my way up to middle management.” I remember the first time I became an assistant manager. I was so excited to send my new business cards to my whole family (even though they live in Colorado and couldn’t do business with me) and I readily gave one to anyone who would take one. We all love the American success story about the person who started in the mail room and worked his way up to CEO—what a great story. Everyone should strive to accomplish that, right?
As part of the 2010 
My advice to all leaders: Spend less time talking about what’s going on in your life and more time talking about how you are reacting to your life.
Coaching. Yes, you know it is the new management and leadership trend. But what is it? I find that people avoid implementing 
“On the other side of right thinking and wrong thinking there is a field. I’ll meet you there.”—Rumi
