Since Steve Job’s untimely passing, we have learned many things from him – innovation and creativity as well as a little risk-taking and take charge with an attitude kind of style. So many of us benefit from his vision, and indeed mission to enable people to communicate more freely, without restriction and also to utilize and spread knowledge through tools that were readily accessible by many…..this, is how learning and knowledge is disseminated in the modern world…..and yet, we see as outlined in the above link, advocates who would, if they had there way – push us to the breaking point and take away our ability to utilize the most innovative and wide spreading mechanism of knowledge yet created.

I am a huge fan of those who resist the “that’s the way it’s always been done” mentality -in an era in which we all have seen the outcome of sloppy work, piss poor attitudes and highly unsavory business practices – sometimes it;s better to look a pirate in his one eye and say “let’s parley” – parley meaning – to discuss, or confer – sometimes and originally used to discuss terms and conditions – such as surrender……this blog is dedicated to a man, who may have succumbed but never surrendered…..Mr. Steve Jobs.

Peter Sander wrote – An HR Lesson From Steve Jobs: If You Want Change Agents, Hire Pirates – you can read his blog over at http://www.fastcodesign.com/1665840/an-hr-lesson-from-steve-jobs-if-you-want-change-agents-hire-pirates – buy the book from Amazon, or many other retailers.

I could not agree more with his narrative – as a true change agent, you should never back down – always show courage in the face of adversity – demonstrate intellect in the face of stupidity – even if most don’t “get it” and react with agility, where others laboriously agonize over how hard they are worked….that they have too much to do and cannot take on yet another task….

If you work in any position in which the above words appear as part of the job description, you must read this blog and corresponding articles. You will note that I purposely chose not to use the word authority, from the stance in which you work, and indeed “play well” with others.

Why another topic on Leadership?

This article is about leadership – of which there are several kinds. Namely those that work, and those that don’t. We will briefly examine autocratic, participative and laissez-faire leadership styles to understand the models and process from which they derive their actions.We will then move to a greater understanding of whether or not our roles are transactional or transformational – regardless of industry, task, community stance or function; save for one.

The Three Main Leadership Styles in a Nutshell

Using Kurt Lewin’s descriptions; Autocratic leadership is generally assumed to be the most common type of leadership to which they provide clear expectations for what needs to be done, when it should be done, and how it should be done. There is also a clear division between the leader and the followers. Furthermore, they offer little room for creativity and innovation in their approaches to leading the most important of their responsibilities – people.

Laissez-faire leadership is in my opinion almost exactly as it sounds….kind of lazy…..(really is defined as let be”) proponents of this type of leadership argue that in cases where group members are highly motivated it is indeed effective and that the following benefits are found within the style.

• Very little guidance from leaders
• Complete freedom for followers to make decisions
• Leaders provide the tools and resources needed
• Group members are expected to solve problems on their own

I would argue that in leadership of others, one must not only serve as a conduit for resources, but also as a source of information, even if one is only acting as a liaison between additional sources.  Moreover, that within the realm of responsibility and accountability, one must be proactive, and expect the same of others in order to gain the most productive results.

Participative Leadership – a completely opposite approach includes for creative and innovative approaches in working with people.It  is generally assumed as the most effective leadership style. Serving a guides, and participant alike; democratic leaders allow input from other group members.

Kurt Lewin found that while in some applied cases, there were declines in productivity, however, these were offset by the higher level quality based contributions. Participative leaders encourage group members to participate, but retain the final say over the decision-making process. Group members feel engaged in the process and are more motivated and creative.

Another type of Leadership

Recently, in an interview I was asked to describe my leadership style to which I promptly described it as Servant Leadership; a style to which others are placed ahead of myself. Why? Simply because I hold fast to a belief that sovereign values garnered from beyond my needs and or wants, allow me to develop greatly a sense of wholeness of personality and moral strength of character. Indeed, the person of integrity will always be tested and the true measure of an individual as leaders comes when the demands of the truth or good appears to conflict with self-interest or prospects.

In Servant Leadership – one advocates that a leader’s primary motivation and role
as service to others. “…The great leader is seen as servant first…” – Robert K. Greenleaf – the founder of the term i s described as an individual who truly advocated for levels of leadership that includes

• Service to Others
• Holistic Approaches
• Community Focused
• Shared Power

Differences in Leadership

Transactional or Transformational

Table Source: Heroic Journey Consulting 2011

As I prepare to break for Christmas, and turn my thoughts more readily towards my family, friends and an optimistic outlook for 2012 – I encourage you the “Servant as Leader” to read more on this topic. Perhaps if enough of you are proactive in your approach to what you have understood in doing so, more people can get back to work, greater strides can be made in addressing social concerns and we can take the “sense and feelings of the holidays” and make them commonplace.

Have a great holiday everyone.

Human Resources – the body of science, art and communication that attracted me so much when I was first looking at options for employment and school. I had the opportunity to be engaged by an individual who I like to believe recognized a talent for problem solving, an art for creative innovation to overcoming challenges and being an integral part of the solutions, not another cog in the myriad problems that seem to encapsulate and impede organizations from what they could be.

Due to an economic downturn in the mid/late 90′s – I left that position voluntarily to start my educational pathway. Rather than being told no; I was asked what can we do to help? MacMillan Bloedel, who as an organization was once one of the largest lumber producers in the world, operated a divisional system that got results. What they offered was a series of options – namely access to training provided by local trade schools and paid for by a pool of forest industry employers. I however wanted to go on to gain a Bachelors degree….and then well that’s a different story. HR at MacMillan Bloedel made it happen.

So, when I read the following story, The Department of NO! by John Chovan I was immediately captivated. Despite the fact that it is a different industry from where my working career in part started, it is now in part where I am headed.

Why? Because, When it Comes to People…..

PERIOD!

My Experience with an organizational culture ahead of it’s time!

H.R. MacMillan recognized the future of his workforce and developed them accordingly to their needs, and appropriately to their individual characters and ensuing offshoots that those seeds would bring to the future of the organization.

This is how the art and practice pervades itself across industries, and how a premise that was supposed to increase trust, and reduce fear. How trade-offs could be transcended and communities of passion could be built within organizations. It is why I wanted to work in HR within an organization….despite the education, and several very excellent experiences….I have not been able to do what I once started out to do.

In Which Direction is Human Resources heading?

Some organizations are doing a complete 180 degree turn, and are indeed getting back to the core of the HR process, examining the fundamentals of how best to work with, and inspire others to offer their best, in exchange for desirable working conditions and safe work environments free of educational and cultural bias, and hostile or toxic management.

Let’s make a concerted effort in 2012 to remove the The Word NO in the HR lexicon.

I am not too sure about whether or not this holds water given the number of Face Book pages I have seen with totally unprofessional information on them. Also, given that organizations should in fact conduct due diligence with regards to the intelligence they gather on prospective candidates.However, a view of statistics according to the sources listed below the image indicate that I might be out of touch…

I personally want to attend to more professional, tried and true methods of getting to know more about people and their work habits etc., than their views on shopping, parties, personal relationships or food etc.

Social Media, no doubt is an effective tool for recruiting, and of course also for applicants to make new contacts via networking – however,  Face Book was never originally designed to have this type of reach – it was created as a tool for college students to keep abreast of who was hot, and who was not ala, Harvard’s Face Mash. While some recruiters may still view this as being criteria for hiring – I would argue that it had better not be the norm.

Face Book’s Boom In Recruitment

The following infographic illustrates how Face Book has made some significant strides forward…while my own personal use of Social Media has never really included FB, more Twitter and LinkedIn – perhaps I, and many others might need to reexamine this issue.

My spouse a Neuropsychologist leads me on some fairly in-depth journeys with respect to cognition and it seems that there are many similarities in understanding creativity, and innovation – just as there are policies and other preventative methods from enabling them in the domain of Leadership and Management.

This is a little journey…..and it seems to fit well with a number of scenarios within my stream of consciousness….

The Old Ways and The New Ways

The Old Way: In past workplace environments, the leader’s job was to know how to get things done, to craft a vision and make the all important decisions that would set the organization on it’s course. The Captain of the ship so to speak….

The New Way: Leadership’s role has changed significantly in the 21st Century. More often than not, this role has evolved to the extent to which facilitation and collaboration are cornerstones. Leaders who are encouraging, and promote social interaction, tend to reduce significantly, the conflict that often occurred in the Silo Approach.

The term Servant Leader has increasingly been utilized to describe individuals who act as an organizational resource generator. Their new found purpose is to engage, uncover and connect the collective wisdom of people. Organizations are a socially driven phenomena, where advances in technology have outstripped the leadership of yesterday, of their once assumed control; we see bold new ways of tackling old problems. Efficiently, effectively and as an engaged collective.

The Old Way: Ideals such as “information control” and “gatekeeper” are synonymous with the old ways of leadership – controlling people as pawns, pitting one against another, using some to mitigate potential risks, and envisioning the future as if they were the owners of some sort of a crystal ball.

Organizational Leadership and the inherent effectiveness, or lack thereof was a self appointed charge held and indeed administrated as if they had to know everything that was going on inside and outside the organization.

The old leader? When wrong, blameless…..A Rule Maker, and quite often rule breaker of those same constructs that they expected others to obey. Authoritarian in nature, demanding obedience and servitude, as well as gratitude for the employment that they provided others…or else….

The New Way: The 21st Century leader has as many if not more questions than answers he and increasingly more so She -serves as instinctual guide, a facilitator and collaborator; one who engages and encourages groups and individuals to develop meaning, aligning goals, inspiring vision, developing commitments, and energizing individuals across the company.

That crystal ball previously mentioned? All the “ships crew” have them now….the vision that they see looks a little fuzzy, if not funny. It’s not round but square, and is not clear but rather static filled, and is similar to the view of your future should there be no significant evolution from the “old way” of doing things.

There’s a message in there….for those w/o the means to tap this vision….

A review of previous generations of leadership, in multiple instances will reveal that leaders within organizations worked against one another – despite the idea that there was a sense of common purpose. Just take a look at the work of authors on Leadership/Management such as Gary Hamel or Daniel Pink – or pick up any Organizational Behavior Textbook for examples.

Bureaucratic organizations, either through individuals or teams (unknowingly) often served at cross-purposes from each other and at a cross-road of sorts from their leader’s plan for success.  I view this as a form of dissonance; in this reversal of Gestalt theory the organization runs against the wind, on the notion that the whole is greater than the sum of it’s parts.

Cognitively, and intuitively we know this is wrong – a social drive tells us that we have to work effectively and collectively in order to derive the greater value from our organizations. In fact, the experience and relationships of the group far outweighs the knowledge and experience of one individual if given a proper venue. This is in some ways similar to the term “grand strategy” (coined from it’s use in battle and political strategy planning) to which the idea that one person can assist in the art of employing all the resources of an organization to achieve the objects of business.

When a leader follows this new rule, and finds ways to get people knowing and talking about the same things, all together, all the time, they find creative ways to bring themselves into alignment.

The Old Way: Grand Inquisitor and Chief Watchdog, a “laser-like focus” on what’s wrong, who did it and meting out punishment for mistakes in all manner and form – with little regard, nor accountability for the actions of whom is reflected in the mirror.

The New Way: The 21st Century leader’s role is to foster credibility, to sustain high performance and by improve organizational culture. Rewarding through encouragement is in and of itself a thoroughly invigorating concept and engages employees to appreciate the doing right thing for others and for themselves.

Courage, integrity, and accountability, each are what we thought we were rewarding our Leadership for…. Providing them with grossly inflated incentive packages – for what? As a fan of Peter Drucker amongst others, I turn to view and share his stance on the issue; which has been articulated consistently over many years, and for some…proved to be very controversial. However, it was rooted in his belief that the best leaders are those who understand that what comes with their authority is the weight of responsibility, not “the mantle of privilege,” as writer and editor Thomas Stewart described Drucker’s view. It’s their job “to do what is right for the enterprise—not for shareholders alone, and certainly not for themselves alone.”

Now, courage, integrity, and accountability are simply adjectives used to describe the best of our employees. – Oddly enough, they are not rewarded even in a disproportionately way as they are/once were to “leaders”  Instead, they provide us with grand opportunities to reinforce publicly, those behaviors that build the Learning  Framework into Learning Organizations.

An additional way to think of the 21st Century – (and hopefully beyond) Leader is as a navigator, the individual who through cohesive teamwork, and collaborative planning can build optimism into a group or organization that has started to sink below the turbulent waterline. In some cases this is indeed a paradigmatic shift from what we have always known – interestingly enough when we adapt our ways, and shift our cultures we find that the greatest danger, as Peter Drucker once said ” is not the turbulence” rather, it is  to act with yesterday’s logic.

The New Way

Perhaps the Mayan Calendar is correct, such that, as we look forward to a new year, we also look forward to carving out a new way; new beginnings and new eras in how we run our companies. Organizational Leadership’s effectiveness and indeed the process by which change is enacted, is most certainly not the way it once was….

Casting your L&D Net Wide – Doesn’t necessarily mean catching more fish – It likely yields more failed efforts and bored, disengaged employees.

Building a learning culture is perhaps one of those things that organizations struggle with on a regular basis – not from lack of trying, but more likely a result of a focus that is tied to the belief that more equals better. You may have worked at or heard of organizations that offer hundreds of courses…..Is that Organizational Learning? No way. That’s course distribution. It’s costly, ineffective,and likely not properly managed from a L&D curriculum perspective.

L&D – It’s Broken…..Fix it – Measure Twice and Cut Once, if at all

Organizations that spend resources carefully in the learning endeavor are more likely to achieve successful outcomes PERIOD! This is proven, yet far too often under recognized, and under utilized, where L&D budgets are slashed at the merest whiff of economic trouble in a business. Why?

Another fact to keep in mind is this: Learning is not instantaneous. It is developed over time, and must be carefully monitored to ensure that key takeaways are transferred from the Brick/Click/Tap to the workplace. (Brick and mortar based F2F classroom or the digital e/m-learning environment)

Too often organizations seek the quick fix, thinking that some form of training will serve as a tourniquet for a hemorrhaging bottom line or a sling for strained and broken processes.

L&D – It’s time consuming….therefore it’s a waste of time!

Learning is and always should be measured over larger amounts of time than are other business processes.   Generally speaking, the long-term investment in the L&D Business Process Model is a derivative of a senior leadership team that has realized that investments in L&D, will if done properly equal a greater ROI.

Typically, organizations take the temperature of the organization, assessing a need, cobbling a course, calculating the cost, and measuring the satisfaction of a disengaged workforce who wonder why they are being punished…forced to sit through boring orientation sessions, training that they probably already know more about than the facilitator,  or an instructor who is clueless -  again! Sigh.

The various models and satisfaction scales, the smile sheets and other “touch feely” measures are as ineffective as the L&D teams who employ them improperly.There is a time for everything, and everything should be in place appropriately to garner the most effective results.

ROI / ROE / ROLI of L&D How is it Measured?

 It’s simple really; you should determine how to measure success of your investment and endeavor by imagining what success will look like. In other words, start with the end. ROI (Return on Investment)? Or Kirkpatrick’s ROE (Return on Expectations) or perhaps ROLI (Return on Learning Investment)

In my opinion, the best measures include the work of Jack Phillips, who, in his article The Corporate University Scorecard, provided examples of what percentage of programs are ideally measured, and at what level.

For example take a look at the L&D ROI Image below: 100% of programs should be measured at Level 1, 70% at Level 2, 30% at Level 3, 10% at Level 4 and only 5% at Level 5 (ROI). Numbers change with respect to industry, but the concept remains the same. Necessarily one should measure the results of compliance programs for example, but not to the depth and breadth one might on a larger, more expensive program.

Percentages, Profits, Weights and Measures

What is being measured is as important as what unit of measurement you choose to apply to the metric itself. Is satisfaction what you REALLY REALLY want to measure?

Good, then use a straightforward satisfaction survey. However, L&D as a whole, is far more weighty than simply making people happy – that’s engagement to a degree or two…. acknowledgement for a job well done, and to a lesser extent, a timely few extra dollars in the hand of an employee can also serve to remedy that.

A thorough understanding of what you are trying to change, or improve helps in isolating variables and measuring outcomes – pretesting, post-testing, as well as who is all involved helps to determine the outcome, the measures are determinant of whether or not an adventure in L&D is successful.

As leader, you serve everyone’s interests by asking a basic question;  “How can I dramatically increase my organization’s ability to learn?” Simple. Right?

Nope, it’s never as easy as it might seem. Logically, one assumes that the natural progression would be to discharge the process to the training or HR department – Wrong! There are a number of “internal cultures” that will get in the way, unless you as the leader continue to drive the process.

After all, was it not your vision that started the crafting of a solution? Don’t let the behaviors of others set the context, nor develop the solution without your involvement. Drive it like you stole it.

Take a look at what Fast Company’s Marcia Conner said about this in 2005, It held true, then and perhaps more so today, as we all look for greater leadership engagement set new courses in engagement and retention after a long period of uncertainty.

As a leader, your approach and attitude to the L&D functions within your organization will be a hallmark of, and indeed predictor of short-term business performance and long-term business growth. If you show enthusiasm, engage yourself occasionally in a class or two with some of the employees, especially at the initial L&D events – you have set yourself up for success and loyalty from employees. Nurture it.

Regardless of company size, you have demanded results. Results that include improved processes, and increased financial resources as a result of running leaner, and smarter. You have demanded more of your people, current and if hiring those whom you wish to retain. Just remember, to retain, you must train and develop.

At your disposal, are a variety of tools that if implemented can be a product multiplier – where a specific level of input can result in far greater results than anticipated. Josh Bersin and Associates speak of this in a number of articles, available in their library. For example:

The High-Impact Learning Organization: WhatWorks® in the Management, Governance and Operations of Modern Corporate Training. It’s up to you to figure out whether this investment in literature is sound and applicable…..for me, any investment in which the words, learn or education, or professional development exist with respect to organizational development is definitely a smart choice. However, just because I read it doesn’t mean it’s true.  I’ll expand on this further as you will see.

When I think about L&D in many of the organizations I have seen, worked at or been a part of in a secondary or tertiary role, I think mediocrity. I think flavor of the day and flash in the pan. Too often we see organizations trying to emulate another – and while imitation has been called the best form of flattery, I also call bullsh*t…..                          The best predictor of future performance is past behavior. What I mean by this is, if you were having difficulties, then let today be your beginning – a fresh start to make the changes, add the difference making factors that lead to success.

This holds true in the L&D Function as well……if you armchair quarterback leadership from a perspective that worked for another, you get hit or miss – models such as Monday Morning Leadership, or for that matter, even those I have referenced above, or in previous posts will not work in entirety. They might make you feel good for a moment or two in operational timelines but that’s about it. Bits and pieces are not what you are looking for……

It’s a small world….after all!

So when your L&D or HR team comes to you as the Leader of XYZ organization, which would you rather see/hear?

Imagine the following scenario; let’s call your central L&D figure(s) – perhaps comprised of Organizational Effectiveness, and Learning/Leadership Development. Whatever, just think about your leadership team as a whole……  If they came to you and said:

“I read this great book – it had lot’s of great suggestions about how to fix x or y. You know, that challenge we all have found to trouble our own organizations….”We should adopt it!”  “”We should adapt it! They crow, patting themselves on the back and chest at the same time…..…..Really?

Disney ran theme parks and entertained families….he did that well, they still do, but their business is not your business…….So tell them to keep that copy of “What if Disney ran your ….”(insert your organization here) on their nightstand and get busy being analytical, introspective and creative and innovative – have them think “outside the box” it’s for your organizations survival.

The alternative scenario goes something like this:

” Hey boss, I have been thinking about x,y,z challenge for a while – I realize I might have been looking at this issue completely wrong. I took some time to observe a process, question some stakeholders, ask for input and had some really great discussions. I would like with your permission, to spend a few more hours examining xyz.

I think that with a bit of effort, and a specific outlay of time/effort/$ – we can really dent/eliminate this challenge. This would save “thousands” – improve by “percentages” and/or engage/retain/reduce etc…

The L&D initiative should  a solutions seeking process. It takes courage and effort to embark upon, and it takes individual(s) who are willing to acknowledge previous errors. That’s leadership. That’s what I would follow……

Think about your challenges, and more importantly think about who needs to be involved in order to address the issues at hand…..If they are like the previously described “professionals or experts” then you need to re-think that issue before starting any L&D function, and any change management processes. They are doomed from the start.

Pardon me, but I think you dropped something!

What kind of L&D leadership is that? Unimaginative? Uninspired? Tired? Lazy? If you are a large organization – Why do you pay them a hundred thousand Benjamin’s or more a year? For reading something to help them fall asleep and then calling it a great approach?

As a leader, and hopefully like me, you have learned a great lesson in life – keep an open mind, but not so open that your brains fall out.

Too often, organizations say one thing, and perhaps even demonstrate much of what they say, however, underlying the surface however is a thin or thick layer of crud that often is the result of too many looking out for themselves and not for the organization, and the interests and needs of the employees.

This is where the “true leader” steps in…they know what’s what, and whose who, and they take no B.S.   If you are an L&D professional, take a stand and say enough…..We are going to do things right from now on. If you don’t know something, then you know what you don’t know – this is a definitive starting point. Perhaps some instruction on ROI? ROE? ROLI?

Butter Them Up…but not with B.S.

Organizations whose leadership has understood the value of L&D, have allowed a specific set of levers engaged – that from managerial and financial areas. Freeing resources from these areas, allows the improvements necessary within the learning culture. They have gotten past the Lies, Damned lies and Statistics that are not relevant, and moved on to far more important things. THAT IS NOT TO SAY THAT STATISTICAL EVIDENCE IS NOT IMPORTANT. It is very important, but it has to be done right, it has to be valid and reliable, and the results must be acted upon.

Developing people, embracing change and adding too, and listening for critical inputs to Organizational, Operational and Learning Cultures. In essence, strong L&D teams who “get it” as does “a good leader” provide resources, serve as catalysts and engage the other stakeholders to develop transformational processes that allow them to “pull knowledge to themselves”. Nothing more…. And most certainly, and absolutely nothing less!

The key to Learning and Development boils down to understanding, and acting to fulfill two simple functions:

 What business issues will we address?

• How do you design and implement training and development initiatives that create value for the company?
•  How do you ensure training leads to performance improvement and better workplace results?
• How can you partner with the other HR and line functions for more effective training?
• What will we/employees be able to do after participating?

As a result of answering these questions using a thoughtful approach, you will be better able to:

• Design training and development programs in line with corporate strategic objectives
• Make a visible impact on achieving those objectives
• Get the support from key stakeholders
• Manage suppliers
• Measure results effectively and communicate them to key stakeholders

It’s simple really…. Learning, Training and Development – often the first item to be cut from the budget when times are bad and the last to be added back when times are good. As a leader, you know how important building capability is to the competitiveness of your organization, but it can be quite difficult to convince others – including your L&D team…..

So in future, don’t spread the L&D Net so wide, it’s a strategy, so use a tactical and targeted approach. Cover manageable subjects and challenges first.

If you made it this far…thanks….like church, my L&D sermon? It’s over…..for now….

In addition, these value components are often shared both exclusively between groups and independently withheld as a leveraging tool for the individual user/owner.

Descriptors of Corporate Culture

Corporate Culture is cyclical, extrinsic, and intrinsic, it is learned, and adopted, assimilated and used on occasion for detrimental purposes to exclude individuals and groups. Corporate culture can be individual, divisional, regional, national and global. It is certainly competitive and is definitely repetitive, regardless of outcome, good or bad – though the latter is preferred.  It is a valuable marketing tool, and a huge additive to bottom line results.

Leadership from a variety of organizations, past and present have failed to extrapolate its true value, and in fact have placed the whole organization on the line for not paying attention to these pockets of value. Consider the following questions asked by the author indicated below: Why, after giving lip service to the importance of an organization’s culture, do so many leaders walk away from the task of shaping it, preferring instead to concentrate on the development of new strategies, systems, products, acquisitions, and facilities?

These questions, asked by author James Heskitt, are echoed by Learning and Development Leaders, and by Organizational Effectiveness Experts who well and truly “Get It.” It’s funny however the sheer evidence that is weighted against its’ effective, and regular use in defining organizational value.

I have written on Organizational Culture in the past, its value, the cost of forgetting about it, and have shared like minded posts and articles from this, and other talented authors. Moreover, we as a collective, and indeed much as Heskitt has found in part, that a complete failure on the part of an organization to maintain a specific set of data points, benchmarks and measures are the input failures, which organizational leaders have failed to implement. One outcome, as a result of maintaining the status quo is an erosion of any positive culture that may have managed to exist despite this regard.

Namely: four important sources of competitive advantage—the “Four Rs”—of referrals and retention of employees, returns to labor, and relationships with customers that foster customer referrals and retention.”

Generally, these are the first key terms taught both as introductory courses at universities, and indeed as part of graduate level curriculum, at many business schools with respect to economics and marketing and HR. Yet, they are also the first things forgotten as leaders assume or maintain the control of the corporate reigns – preferring to drive or whip organizations using a financial crop, looking for fast wins, big payoffs with little to no regard for the workhorse. Those who make up the rudimentary basis of where corporate culture comes from.

Extracted from Heskitt’s article are these key points about effective corporate cultures:

1. They benefit from higher job satisfaction and employee “ownership” behaviors (such as help in recruiting potential employees and providing suggestions for better, innovative ways of doing things).
2. Their recruiting, hiring, and training costs are reduced because of: (1) a higher proportion of hires from the pool of people referred by current or former employees and (2) higher retention rates.
3. Their employee retention rates are higher because of both (1) careful hiring practices that seek employees who subscribe to the organization’s values and (2) “self-selection” into the organization of people already attracted to the organization by its employees and their shared values.
4. Their wage levels are not inflated by many new hires from outside the organization.  Hiring from the outside tends to inflate wage scales for everyone, particularly at higher levels of management.  In fact, some employees may decide to accept lower wages in order to work in organizations with effective cultures.
5. As a result, they benefit from higher productivity per dollar of compensation, or as economists would put it, returns to labor.
6. Higher employee continuity leads to better relationships with customers which in turn produces higher sales levels as well as: (1) better retention rates for customers and fewer customers that have to be replaced to sustain sales levels and (2) a higher proportion of customers obtained through customer word-of-mouth referrals, resulting in lower marketing costs.

Managing Corporate Culture and it’s various cycles from a Financial Perspective is indeed important, however it is important to realize that it is just a small part of it. Corporate Culture is is so much more, and is worth every penny, and every minute spent understanding what it is and how it works in your organization. To learn more, read Manage the Corporate Cycle – from World Financial Review; and get the book.

I have been reading  various chapters from it over coffee over the past few days. I think I will be buying it for my collection of related materials, on my ever sagging bookshelf.

Imagine yourself as applicant to a position that you feel is a reasonably good match. I am not going to say a perfect match, as there is no such thing. If you think that there is, then you are deluding yourself, and your employer(s). One may review here, or here, or for an independent view - here, for examples of why this is NOT an Effective Recruiting Process. Go ahead, google the term and see how many results you get.

Clearly there is a disconnect between “organizational pie in the sky” and the actual requirements needed in order to get the job done effectively, all the time.

As an applicant, have taken the time to craft a responsive resume and cover letter and applied to the position using what is more often than not cumbersome applicant system. Hello Human Resources? Have you ever thought of utilizing a a parsing system? Where applicant uploads resume, clicks parse…multiple fields instantly filled for review. Oh wait, I get it, your old clunker system?, that’s a weeding out tool…..too bad…a really excellent match got frustrated, and left…oh wait, another individual who could have saved your organization millions, just left the application process as well.

Using new modern application systems contributes to what would be an elemental process in a Highly Effective Recruiting Process - Let’s back track for one quick second…..was the job description an accurate description of the needs of the organization? Take a look at what it takes to write the Perfect Job Description. The one you posted? Did it have all the necessary critical functions outlined?

As a recruiter, do you and your staff have knowledge of key terms, trends and skills necessary? That would be a part of an Effective Recruitment Process. If you at least have some knowledge, that is far better than being simply a bobble head  who seeks merely to fill a slot, or thinks that they know something and do not; which is far more dangerous and costly to the organization.

As an applicant, and after you applied, did you hear back from someone? Anyone? Hello? Helloooo? Hellloooo? Helloooo? That my friends is the sad echo of a poor and UN-Effective Recruiting Process. Let alone a “Human Resource Management process”

How hard is it for the recruiter in question to create a template, or perhaps god forbid, actually draft a response saying “thank-you for your time, however…..” That would be an Effective Recruiting Process……perhaps not the desired outcome, but still as an applicant, you now know what’s what.

Even amidst a high applicant/unemployment scenario, there is an appreciation for the auto generated “DENIED” email. An especially effective recruiting process and professional, people centered recruiter would include for a brief outline of necessary skills, a reason why selection /pursuit of other candidates is necessary. This adds a bit of the human touch back to the HR process……

OMG….LAWSUIT ALERT…..Are you kidding me? If you as a practitioner of a Highly Effective Recruiting Process knew the complete functions of the whole, or even another arm of the HR process; then you would know how to construct this properly.

Chances are the applicant wants to know in order to professionally develop. They do not want to be left out in the cold……with nothing but the cone of shame and the sound of silence left to accompany him or her down the career seeking path……

I have had the pleasure of speaking with and interacting professionally with several excellent recruiters – Skilled in networking, communicating, and articulating both their clients needs, and reciprocally, that of the potential applicant back to their clients….That is a HIGHLY EFFECTIVE RECRUITING PROCESS.

In the loop, inclusive to the process, with plenty of interaction…..that’s what it’s all about. If you are an organizational leader who makes decisions about how recruitment occurs in your firm – an assessment of applicant/client satisfaction might be in order. Remember that even a candidate who was not selected, has the potential to affect bottom line results, perhaps as much as that of a highly satisfied, accepted candidate. They are customers and clients as well.

An Effective Recruiting Process, as a whole is a marketing extension of your organization. It can help you find and retain top talent in areas that might have been difficult to source. Additionally, it may help you find talent amongst all the “perfect fit” candidates that have been received across your decision-making desk…..and then filed in the round cabinet that sits to the side of your desk at a later date b/c they weren’t….their application/resume etc,. will find company in and amongst the check stubs, that paid for all the legal hassle of making the wrong hire in the first place.

My recent interactions with recruiters was a mix of sour and sweet. Sour grapes? Perhaps…but unlikely……Sour from the one who just couldn’t get past that my experiences, while highly transferable, and my education far more than what was called for – might likely have been, just the set of key leverage points the organization was seeking. Let alone the skills brought to bear in providing vision and engaged culture. I won’t get that job, not b/c I couldn’t do it, not b/c of a lack of passion or capacity. Rather b/c the corporate gate-keeper was a dolt. Straight from the hip……

Highly Effective Recruiting processes engage and employ individuals who understand each of the metrics as found in the above quadrants.They also have very strong consulting and ACTIVE listening skills. They need these tools to understand what the role is. To be able to “think outside the box.”Just think about what a difference some individuals have made in the world of business…Gates, Jobs among a slew of others who were branded as “other” or not a fit…..Ooops.

In my most recent opportunities to be associated with recruiters, I experienced a “complete miss” on a key requirement of the job…way to go NON EFFECTIVE RECRUITER…..and a Can’t see the Forest for the Trees attitude on behalf of the Corporate Recruiter…..

I want to make an entry with respect to the “non-effective recruiter” portion. I reached out and spoke with this individuals superior the other day, an apology was extended to me, I accepted, we engaged in a great conversation and my materials are kindly being forwarded around…..How HIGHLY EFFECTIVE, and PROFESSIONAL!

As for the contract recruiter who wasted my time, the client’s time and the time of my references? Can you say KARMA? How sweet……can I offer you some grapes?

I hope that your time examining what went wrong is fruitful, but I hope also that your time spent pounding the pavement will not be as long as it has been for so many of us……Perhaps in a future and similar situation, you might imagine how the applicant views and feels the Highly Effective Recruiting Process.

For me, this was a time for learning, and fun too. Obviously from the academic perspective, but also from the cultural and professional as well. It all came flashing back as I was on my way to a particular coffee haunt, and I looked up in the mostly blue sky today, and saw a veritable cloud nirvana.

They say that visual, and other sensory inputs are great recall devices, and in this case, as I looked up, I also caught a whiff of the elixir that gets my nerves all happily jumbled. I flashed back to a different time, and recalled someone showing me their new cell phone, and what it did – accessed the net….. now while that feature was not new in 2004 it was to me…a digital immigrant so to speak. The author of Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants (Marc Prensky) was in fact, one of my inspirations to take my learning to the lifelong level.

It was at that moment, I suddenly realized the true power and opportunity of savvy cloud based organizations.  A People and Learning Centered Cumulus, if you will. From an organizational perspective, a storm cloud of learning and development, an opportunity to soak up and celebrate new learning. Continuously evolving…..

Earlier in the week, I had reflected to my wife about the proliferation of, and rapid expansion, adoption and utilization of social media, cell phones, smart phones blue tooth etc. It didn’t matter, those whipper snappers…always on their new fangled gadgets.….. In addition to a ramp up of public or private cloud based computing within organizations.

I was drawn to the idea of understanding the opportunity cost; which for any organization must be part of the decision process about adoption of new technology. Opportunity cost is an important concept as it allows one to assess the true cost of any potential action.

Blue Sky Thinking

Advocates of “blue sky thinking” say that brainstorming in an idealized, setback-free setting which allows you to focus solely on the idea, not the related obstacles or logistics. Development of the idea is incubated, so to speak in a perfect, immaculate universe, and then approach the potential challenges separately.

I mean I get it it, but I see so much resistance on the part of many organizations leaders… they feel threatened by it, they think that it will take away from the content of meetings and face to face discussions, they feel that it will impact the bottom line, as a result of poor usage decisions by employees “entrusted” with access to the like of You Tube, Face Book or Linked In. Despite the fact that there is evidence to the contrary.

To be sure, there are financial and security concerns to be addressed, but there is so much more value to add to an organizations effectiveness, such as increased employee engagement, rapid acquisition of internal and external knowledge, superior identification of subject matter experts as just a few examples.

This Blue Sky Learning and Thinking approach is innovative and unrestricted, and it essentially flies in the face of “The way we have always done it.”  The formal/informal dissemination of knowledge of a Learning Organization spells out the likelihood of success for those who choose to adapt and innovate processes for the Knowledge Workers of the 21 century and beyond…

While the words on paper of many of yesterday’s manuals and policies are still essential, a pile of papers, in general makes a great recycling project for an intern. A modern workforce, inclusive on Board Room Executives, CEO’s and the other C’s as well as managers and employee alike now have a true sense of  the “My Door is Always Open policy and mindset.” In short it is this type of transparency that allowed Jobs’ and Apple for example to become a creative, unstoppable learning force that drives how we interact personally and globally.

Organizations who choose to adapt and adopt this  “techno-cultural” shift will realize a variety of effectiveness rewards on a much more grand scale than ever before. Employees will become engaged, and loyal and more apt to suggest ideas that could solve major challenges. They will find ways to improve organizational and operational structure and function because,  they are less likely to be prone to hierarchical abuse. The use of technology in the Learning generation, serves to flatten the silo….. Conversely, those same knowledge driven, knowledge seeking employees may also become “free agents” as their talents need to be stoked. If talent is not recognized and rewarded at an intellectual level – poof…out into the blue sky they go, seeking greater stimulation. Cash is not the option here….. 

Current and future organizations, and the generations that make them relevant, will participate in a strong and effective digital link that serves to bind, and at the same time free up the imagination process. The cloud? Not an ominous thing, rather, a great repository for all things business.

People

Management

Knowledge

Organization, Process AND Technology

Organizational Culture: The Board Room is the Kitchen

I had some great experiences helping to prepare food for HRM; cooking for several political leaders north of the border, working on a yacht and creating some culinary delight or another for several celebrities. However,  those experiences pale in comparison to the skills developed in working, leading and learning with some really solid teams.

Several common attributes defined what we were all about, each which helped to bind and interlock us cohesively towards the best possible outcome: a customers complete satisfaction! Now, if you really boil down the process of teams, the output of product or service, the daily actions of individuals, the diversity of the group, you will find in essence the organizational culture.

This rang true for me then, as much as it does now. In fact, in several previous roles, I have been consulted on the strength and health of organizational and operational culture; to which  my observational review includes a laser like horizon scan, a raptor like, high level perspective, and a ground level  penetrating focus on individuals, small groups and leadership alike.

Integral to this process is an ability to maintain effective passive and active listening skills; am I hearing the sounds of an effective, collaborative group? Did I truly understand what an individual was telling me?

I ask myself, is this a place I would want to spend my talent? A place in which I add a specific set of values that will be appreciated? Am I seeing and hearing those attributes that define the health of the climate and culture? Is it a place in which the organization whole recognizes the sum of it’s parts?

To understand where the value really lies,  this recent Blessing White Article  describes “Corporate or Organizational Culture at its most basic level is the sum of an organization’s behaviors and practices. It reveals itself in big and small decisions as well as daily practices (“how we do things around here”) that tend to perpetuate themselves.

Now, I want you to stop for just one second….think back to the last really good meal you ate out at a restaurant. Were you out with family? Friends? Business? – It doesn’t really matter – the fact is that part of what added to the general feel of satisfaction is that you were likely part of a group.

Not just your personal entourage, but also the busy, yet efficient waitress or waiter, who served you, and all the others. It includes the back of the house: your bartender, the Chefs/cooks, busboys and the dishwasher who collectively gathered to labor over that which they loved to do, and turn out yet another great performance.

The really neat thing about organizational culture, effectiveness, and indeed development is that they are all entwined. Not only that, that when it’s truly working there are distinct feelings, a vibration if you will – perhaps this is the “corporate buzz” we hear about.

Extracted from within the above referenced article is this little gem of a statement: “The most fascinating aspect of this to me is that the organization has learned to draw strength, passion, and energy from within itself.

I could not agree more.

The next time you walk into an organization – especially your own; you need to stop, look and listen to what is going on around you….if you assume a leadership role, understand that what you hear and observe of groups, has more value than any individual contribution made. by you or any other individual.- If you are not “hearing it” “feeling it” or “seeing it” – you better roll up your sleeves and get to work.

By addressing the issues now, you can avoid by as much as 50-75% the failures in other change management projects, as a result of their not matching cultural needs.

Culture is about turning resistance in people and organizations into cooperative partners and high performance institutions. It provides leaders and employees alike with a clear and motivating vision and goal. It is informative and invigorating, and stimulates engagement, and finally, culture adds momentum in developing successful and sustainable change by reducing conflict and  improving strategy

It’s about attention to detail: In the culinary arts, to which I derive a great deal of my evolution and dedication to quality, there is a term: “Mise en place” Everything in place – everyone has done their due diligence, are responsible and accountable for their actions, and in fact have been selected and retained as a result of their ability to maintain their sharp edge in the completion of their roles. They also know how to assist another when they are slipping, or are caught up in a time consuming effort. They do it willingly, and never shirk.

As a team member, you ought to understand how your contribution adds either a harmonious, or sour note to what can be a very powerful aspect of organizational success: Culture.

If you did not click and read the Blessing White Article, then you had best do so now…………as I am adding it’s conclusion below.

SPOILER ALERT!

The following appears as the conclusion to the linked article

1. Culture is not optional — and letting your culture evolve organically will work against you.
2. Defining culture is the important first step — you do not need a “culture initiative” per se.
3. Leadership development and all employee-engagement initiatives are opportunities to reinforce and build the culture.
4. Executives ultimately have to hold themselves and others accountable for steering the culture.