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.

Image: Stuart Miles

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When I conduct goal-setting clinics for organizations, I often ask, “How many of you make new-year resolutions?” The majority of the group typically answers in the negative.

Why do they answer that way? They may have cast resolutions aside because in the past their goals were too big. Often people begin with a significant goal (lose 50 pounds or quit smoking), run into some barriers, get discouraged (didn’t lose 50 pounds), see that the goal is too much, and give up. Big goals are great, but if you want to achieve your objectives you need to break them down into smaller “chunks of achievement.”

In addition to establishing goals tied to focused organizational objectives, I encourage you to set personal professional goals. A recent article from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) outlines how more organizations need HR professionals who have expertise in compensation and benefits, project management, and technology. Reading this article helped me identify my personal professional goals; my focused plan revolves around how I will improve in all of these competencies, what the metrics for success will look like, who/what will help me, and how I will break it down into chunks of achievement.

Analyze where you are, where you want to be, and what actions you will take, with chunks of achievement built in throughout a specified timeline. Identify barriers that may crop up as you’re progressing to your goal and how you will fight them. Recruit resources to assist you in being accountable to your goals. And celebrate all along the way. 

I would LOVE to hear about your resolutions for 2012. Please share in a comment. We’ll hold each other accountable!

“To resolve” is a great way to start the year!

Linda Dausend is a consultant at FlashPoint. She consults with clients on talent management, helping to align their human resources programs with organizational strategies.

Image: dream designs/freedigitalphotos.net

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In part 1 of, The Secret to Gaining Competitive Advantage, we discussed ways organizations seek to create competitive advantage by optimizing employee performance and engagement. We determined that a fundamental contributor to employee performance/engagement is the work environment¹. I introduced a tool to help us identify the variables that influence the behavior of an employee and to help us diagnose any performance problem—The Human Performance System (HPS)². The HPS is comprised of the five components illustrated below.

In part 1 we examined potential input factors that can impact optimal performance and engagement. In this post I will share potential performer, output, consequences, and feedback factors.

To apply this to your organization, think about an employee who is underperforming. Ask yourself the questions below. Any “no” response indicates a potential problem that bears investigation.  

Performer Factors

• Has the required level of knowledge and skill for each position been identified?
• Is a systematic training program in place?
• Do employees have the willingness to perform (given the incentives available)?

 Consequence Components

• Are there sufficient positive consequences to perform (financial and non-financial)?
• Are incentives meaningful, administered fairly, and in proper relationship to the level of accomplishment?
• Are there any disincentives to perform (the employee is asked to complete the work of co-workers because he/she is more efficient)?

Feedback Components³

• Do managers provide feedback on a consistent, regular basis?
• Is manager feedback specific and performance-based?
• Do managers immediately praise employees for progress against goals?
• Do managers immediately re-direct employees when performance gaps are caused by a lack of competence?
• Do managers immediately reprimand employees when performance gaps are caused by a lack of personal commitment?

References 

1. Thomas F. Gilbert, Human Competence: Engineering Worthy Performance (San Francisco: Pfeiffer, 2007). View this book on Amazon.com
2. Geary A. Rummler, Serious Performance Consulting According to Rummler (San Francisco: Pfeiffer, 2007). View this book on Amazon.com
3. Ken Blanchard, Leading at a Higher Level: Blanchard on Leadership and Creating High Performing Organizations, rev. ed. (Upper Saddle River, N.J.: FT Press, 2010). View this book on Amazon.com

Bill Mugavin is a consultant at FlashPoint. He focuses his consulting in the areas of organizational development, and leadership and management development.

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My colleague, Jennifer Rufatto, recently posted a blog in which she used the term “learning vacation” to combine two ideas—taking time out to rejuvenate and continually learning in your area of expertise.

While preparing for SHRM’s national conference in Las Vegas (going on now), and in reading Jennifer’s blog I began to think about the conference experience in a new way. My time at the conference is a learning vacation!

With this mindset, I approached my learning vacation with planning and preparation, just as I would a personal vacation.

1. I began my “packing,” by thinking about what I wanted to get from the conference experience, as there are certainly many professional and personal benefits. By identifying specific outcomes, I was able to set goals for my conference attendance.
2. I reviewed the overwhelming conference brochure and created an itinerary for each day of the conference, outlining the sessions I would attend based on my goals. Fortunately, SHRM offers an online planning tool that allowed me to easily build and print my itinerary.
3. I met with my colleague, Linda Dausend, who is also attending the conference, to share my goals and itinerary. Together, we discussed our approach for attending the conference and agreed on the sessions that each of us would attend.
4. I reviewed and printed the presentation materials for each of the sessions that I had noted in my itinerary. In doing this, I discovered that some of the session materials were not aligned with the description and were not actually beneficial to me, so I was able to choose another session that was more applicable to my goals!

I thoroughly prepared myself to learn! I knew what I wanted to get from the experience and I had the tools to be successful. What awaited me was unknown, but I did my part in setting up a successful experience. With my plan in hand, I was off to Las Vegas! (Follow tweets about the conference @FlashPointHR #SHRM11.)

Andrea Moore is Senior Consulting Manager at FlashPoint; Andrea focuses on leadership development, training and performance improvement solutions, and one-on-one coaching.

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As we all know, Indiana is not known for being environmentally progressive. If there’s a top ten list on which we’re bound to be included, the list of least green states is one of them (followed no doubt, by the list of most obese states and the list of states with the most smokers). So imagine my surprise the other night when I noticed on msnbc.com an article titled, “Subaru of Indiana: America’s Greenest Carmaker.” I had to check it out.

Based on the headline, the article appeared to be primarily about Subaru of Indiana’s impressive stature as the nation’s first zero-landfill auto factory. (The plant recycles 98 percent of its waste and generates power by incinerating what it can’t reuse.) But as soon as I started reading, I discovered that the heart of the piece was really more about the plant’s HR programs and how they’re tied to the organization’s strategic objectives.

As the article points out, Subaru of Indiana invests heavily in its people in order to achieve its environmental goals. It provides employees with intense training to learn tools and techniques for reducing waste. It offers financial incentives to employees who find better ways of working. It leverages its environmentally friendly brand and its excellent pay and perks to stand out as an “employer of choice” and draw top talent. The results have been astounding: even amid the recession, the plant didn’t lay anyone off, and now it’s in a position to expand.

At FlashPoint we emphasize again and again the need for HR professionals to become strategic players in their organizations. The “Subaru of Indiana” article illustrates well this key point. At Subaru of Indiana the leaders had a key objective—to produce no waste (thereby reducing costs, improving efficiency, and increasing profits). Clearly, the HR staff got on board, making sure that they understood the goal, that managers and employees bought into it, and that workers had the resources they needed to achieve it. HR integrated the company’s strategy into all of its programs—including hiring, training and development, performance management, and compensation—and now the plant is reaping the rewards.

It’s an environmental success story—AND an HR success story—the Hoosier State can be proud of.

George Hanlin is a consultant at FlashPoint.

Image: bulldogza/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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Engagement research repeatedly shows that employees look to opportunities for growth and development for continued engagement, but it’s not enough to encourage participation in a learning exercise; to fully maximize the experience, the participant’s manager needs to be involved to help facilitate the development process.

In a 2009 ASTD (American Society of Training and Development) research paper, The Value of Evaluation, authors explore the complex issues of learning evaluation and measuring the success of training initiatives. While the paper is full of valuable information for learning professionals, there is one particular message that resonated with me—learning professionals have a tremendous opportunity to leverage the participant’s manager in the development process. Unfortunately, I don’t think that the participants’ managers always understand their role or how they can support.

For example, in the research paper, authors shared results from a study in which managers were asked to what extent they are held accountable for setting goals with employees prior to training and for giving employees opportunities to use new knowledge after training. As you can see below, the percentage of managers who are setting goals with employees prior to training is very small. The case is similar with the percentage of managers giving employees opportunities to use new knowledge after training. I believe that if each of these activities happened more often, it would have a tremendous impact on the transfer of learning from training to job performance.

So, what’s the message? HR and learning professionals who are leading/supporting training initiatives need to ensure that managers are involved in the process. Below are some activities that you can incorporate into your development process:

• Prior to the design of any training/development, meet with the participants’ managers to find out what the needs are. Ask them what success looks like for their employee’s participation in the training.
• Educate/coach managers to support the development of their employees.
• Coach managers/provide clear expectations on their role in following up with employees after training and their role in giving employees an opportunity to use the skills learned in training.
• Provide a participant/manager conversation guide to structure conversations during a training/development initiative. This will help ensure that participants are connecting with their managers throughout the development process.

Andrea Moore is a Senior Consulting Manager at FlashPoint; Andrea focuses on leadership development, training and performance improvement solutions, and one-on-one coaching.

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 We are discussing ten fundamental principles for business success (see February 14, 2011 post to review the ten principles). If we put these principles into practice in a consistent, disciplined manner, we will realize steady and significant progress toward our business goals. Principle number one is to understand your business. In the March 2^nd post we discussed the importance of understanding the environment in which our business operates. Today we will focus on understanding the fundamental components of our business’ management system.

Let’s start out with three simple concepts about management to ensure we are on the same page:

Management is:

• The process of working with and through individuals and groups and other resources (such as equipment, capital, and technology) to accomplish organizational goals¹.

The fundamental insight underlying all management science is:

• That a business enterprise is a system of the highest order…and one thing characterizes all genuine systems: all the parts are interdependent.
• What matters in any system is the performance of the whole.
• Successful performance of the whole system requires managers to constantly balance, adjust, and work to integrate all aspects of the organization².

 The critical actions of management are:

• Alignment of the organization’s goals, strategies, and priorities with the reality of the external environment (see March 2^nd post).
• Setting expectations for all aspects of the business.
• Ensuring effective and efficient operation of internal processes and systems.
• Closing any gaps between performance expectations and actual performance.
• Supporting performers as they execute the assigned work³.

 Therefore, if we are to:

• Align our organization’s goals, strategies, and priorities.
• Balance, adjust, and integrate our business systems.
• Ensure the effective and efficient operation of our internal processes.
• Accomplish organizational goals…

We need to be able to answer, without hesitation and in great detail, the 16 questions below.  Remember, a very important concept that will guide our exploration of all ten principles is “questions are the answer”.  Answering these 16 questions will help deepen our knowledge and understanding of our organization’s management system.  

 After you read through the questions below, use a 5 point scale to rate your understanding of your business environment (1 signifies no knowledge, 5 signifies very knowledgeable). Then, start working on finding the answers you need! Next time we will discuss how to gain a strong understanding of our organization’s process systems.  

Bill Mugavin is a consultant at FlashPoint. Bill focuses his consulting in the areas of strategic planning, organizational development, and leadership and management development.  

Flashpoint is committed to helping building strong organizations and helping client’s connect their business strategies to their people strategies. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Bill (317 735—3875) or Jeremy King (317-221-2617). We would love to learn more about you and your business.

References

1. Blanchard and Hersey, 2001, p.9, Management of Organizational Behavior- 8^th edition.
2. Drucker, 2008, p. xviii, Management- Revised Edition.
3. Rummler, Ramais, Wilkins, 2011, p.54, Rediscovering Value.

Questions to help you understand your business’ management system

1. What is your organization’s mission?
2. What is your organization’s vision?
3. What are your organization’s values?
4. What is your organization’s strategy and value proposition (low cost leader, product leader, complete customer solutions, etc.)?
5. What are your organizations strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT)?
6. What is your organization’s customer value proposition?
7. What is the profile(s) of your customer(s)?
8. What are the attributes of your products and services?
9. What is your corporate brand image?
10. What is your organization’s culture?
11. What is the availability of qualified leaders at all levels to mobilize your organization toward its strategy?
12. Are individual, team and departmental goals and incentives linked to attainment of strategic objectives?
13. Is knowledge with strategic potential shared throughout your organization?
14.  What are your organization’s performance goals (strategic objectives, measures, and targets)?
15. What initiatives and operating plans are in place for achieving your organization’s key performance goals?
16. What is your organization’s structure?

• Do people who do similar or closely related work typically report to the same manager or management group? 
• Do managers have a reasonable span of control?
• Is decision making authority placed at the lowest possible level?
• What are the locations and regions your organization operates in?
• What are the hours of operation for each location?
• What cross functional relationships and interdependencies exist across departments or business units?
• Are business and support unit goals and operations are aligned with your corporate vision/strategy?

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If you’re a manager and helped your employees set goals for the year, did you spend time worrying about setting the “right” goals?

If you did, you’re not alone. I’ve noticed many managers put undue pressure on themselves to craft “perfect goals.” In many cases they delay delivering final goals to their employees until they feel they have crafted worthy ones. Often, once they feel  they have done so, they relax, take a deep breath, and ignore their goal-setting files until the following year.

In situations such as this, goal setting becomes the key focus, and achieving the goal is ignored—the managers view the goal-setting process as the beginning and the end. But what if we focused on goal achievement rather than goal setting? Would that change how we looked at the entire process?

 If we did this, it might look something like this:

Step 1: Set the initial goal
Setting a goal is in essence documenting educated hope. Doing it doesn’t accomplish anything, but it gets you started in the right direction. When working with the employee to set a goal, apply your current knowledge about what is possible and what you need the employee to accomplish. Also consider what the organization must achieve in order to meet its strategic objectives.

Step 2: Regularly discuss progress
Check in regularly with the employee to see how he or she doing. The real work in achieving a goal is following up on progress, dealing with roadblocks, and assessing the viability of the goal. Without this a goal—no matter how “perfect”—is often doomed to fail.

Step 3: Restructure the goal when needed
Given all the things that change in an organization on a daily basis, how realistic is it that the initial goal you set will remain the best goal to achieve? The key is to monitor the goal progress and make adjustments as needed.

Step 4: Enjoy goal achievement
You did it! The goal began as a hope, and through planning, adjusting, and follow-up, the employee—with your guidance—achieved it!

I am interested in your thoughts on goal setting versus goal achievement. Please share!

Jennifer Rufatto is a consultant at FlashPoint. She focuses her consulting in the areas of workplace learning, leadership development, and strategic planning.

Image: Tina Phillips

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