Tag Archives: HR Expertise

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Are You Awake To Change?

  By Christina Lattimer • April 25, 2013 - 11:28 am

Change Change has been quite a topic for me this week, both from a personal point of view and from some of my clients.

Change models are helpful and I have found with clients that any approach to change and therefore the preferred model, depends pretty much on the situation and the preference of the person wanting to instigate the change.

Standard models, like Kotter’s “8-Step Process for Leading Change” are effective and helpful, and for some are enough.  I always find it helpful to illustrate Lewins “Force Field Theory of Change” when looking at resistance to change, although even setting out how behaviours and resistance will manifest, doesn’t usually prepare people for the actual experience of these phenomena when the process is underway.

Levels of change are best described in Bandler and Grinder’s which is for me one of the most helpful models, because it clearly describes the hierarchy of change.

There are many more models out there, so why is it then when change is happening, even when teams are aware of the Kubler-Ross change curve, does it often become so distasteful, stressful frightening and difficult?  Is it simply because the experience of actually going through change is much messier than the models lead us to believe it will be?

Through years of experience of leading change and helping to lead change I have found some common factors which help to make the process of change much easier, less painful and less problematical.    These factors I call AWAKE.  I am not a big fan of acronyms but without any effort the five factors fit, so without apology I present them in this way, because you never know, thinking of AWAKE might help you to remember these factors the next time you are involved in a change, whether personal or work based.

The five factors are all about the energy which is brought to the change.  It doesn’t matter which model is used, if the underlying energy isn’t right then the change will be more difficult; take longer and be riskier.  I have broken the factors down as follows.

Attention

We

Attitude

Kindness

Energy

 

Attention

Any change needs to have attention.  This is about the concentrated focus of the mind and the mind-set either in your personal life or your organisation.  To achieve real successful change, the change must become the most important thing in the universe during the time it takes to initiate, implement and achieve the outcomes. It is akin to Kotter’s first step about creating urgency, but it is more than that.  If you have several programmes, projects or changes going on at once, then the order of attention, priority and importance must be determined. If too much is going on, attention is diluted, the change is slower, and the impetus is lost.

We

It doesn’t matter if your change affects a team, an organisation, your family, or it is an individual change, like giving up smoking or moving house.  As an individual you have different aspects to your personality just as much as there are different personalities in a collective change.  For example if you want to give something up, then there are parts of your personality which don’t want to.  If you want to change something in the organisation then there will be people who don’t want to.  There will also be aspects of you, which do want the change, and people in the team who embrace change readily.  The difficulties arise when opposing parts of yourself or people in the team become pitted against each other, even if this is in the short term, and this is when conflict arises.

If you recognise that when change occurs, all parts of the organisation (or all parts of you), need to be understood and listened to:  Then conflict is understood and dealt with, and any potential for hidden or unconscious sabotage or resistance is lessened.  Coming from the power of “We” takes a certain level of maturity because it needs the understanding that “we are all in it together”, “the sum parts make a whole”, and “everyone counts”.  The stock phrase for this dynamic is that “we are changing, and we all count”.

Attitude

I would like to bet that instigators of change believe they have the right attitude because they fervently believe that they want the change, they know the change is for the better, it can benefit all.  They have a vision and they understand deeply the benefits.  Sometimes though, during the change, conscious or unconscious doubt becomes apparent. The doubt is not about whether the change is needed, it is about whether the change can actually be made.   For individuals they may fear their own levels of resilience, or for leaders they may doubt the ability of some of their team to make it.  The attitude to change must be one of “Can do”.  It sounds simple I know, but that resistance if not uncovered right from the outset can slow down and sabotage change unwittingly.

Kindness

If any of you have gone through difficult or long-winded change which has proved stressful, combatant, or fraught with problems, then along the way you may have experienced the tensions and conflicts brought out the worst in everyone involved.  If at the outset, you make one of the conditions of change to be kind to one another (or kind to yourself); the energy of the conflict, resistance or problem simply has to change.  It might sound corny, but if you are talking about a particular problematic aspect or dealing with fears or resistance, to start off the interchange with “How can we remain kind in this situation?” just changes the dynamic.

Energy

The AWAKE model is all about the often unspoken energy which is brought to the process of change.  To acknowledge the process of change as energy can be empowering, as it raises awareness.  There are two further aspects of energy to consider:

Firstly, Newton’s 3rd Law, “To every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction: or the forces of two bodies on each other are always equal and are directed in opposite directions” and

Secondly, Ghandi’s often misquoted declaration; “If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him”

If you are awake to change you will have a head start

What these mean in practice is: If you voice your frustration, or have low expectations about yourself or the people involved in the change then that becomes your experience.    If you complain about others, then you are slowing down the change, because the energy you are emitting becomes part of the change process.  Even though you might think others don’t notice, on the level of energy they know something isn’t quite right, and they will react accordingly.

So there you have it:  Are you AWAKE when making change?

If you are a leader, you are continually developing and "Sharpening the Saw".  If you lead and manage teams, then you must read about our Inspirational New Leadership Programme.  Sign up now to find out more details when we launch in July 2014.  There is no obligation to undertake the programme, if you sign up today, you will simply be sent more information about the programme.  You can unsubscribe at any time!  Click below to register for further information.

   
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7 Essential Steps To Create A Winning People Strategy

  By Christina Lattimer • March 14, 2013 - 8:31 pm

  154965544 A people strategy is essential if a business wants to drive up performance and get the best out of their people.

Underpinning business outcomes with a people strategy can be a pretty smart move.  Too often, business plans, aims and goals are set without any corresponding detail describing how people will help to deliver and achieve what the business has set out to do.

Developing a people strategy mustn’t be confused with an HR strategy.  Lack of understanding about terminology can make or break the success of a strategy, particularly around your people.   Too often an HR strategy is focussed on transactional and policy functions and this dilutes the emphasis about developing strategies to make sure the right people in the right roles deliver the right outcomes, in the right time.

In reality though it matters not what the strategy is called, except that it must be about people and not HR processes or transactions.   Making sure everyone is on the same page in respect of terminology being used when developing strategy is absolutely crucial.  A great people strategy will not only increase the odds of, but also accelerate the speed of, success.

Following these seven steps will help to maintain focus on what is needed to develop a great people strategy.

1.      Horizon scans internally and externally

Horizon scanning should not be a one-off event which is carried out to inform a proposed strategy, but an on-going knowledge/news bank preserved within a pre-determined framework to make sure new factors are identified at the earliest opportunity.  Organisations benefit from ensuring future scanning is a cultural norm.

There are a variety of horizon scanning models, used to pull external information together.  It is worth researching to find the best fit, but STEEP (PEST) is one of the most commonly used formats.

2.     Understand the business and its people

It is crucial the organisation’s business objectives, priorities and constraints are understood inside out. If the people strategy is being developed through the HR Department, then it’s essential that HR are involved in the formation and decision making of overall business strategy.   This is because HR will understand the capacity, capabilities and current potential of the people and such insights can temper and shape expectations around outcomes and any timelines being worked to.

3.      Establish the top five priorities

Establishing the top five people priorities is a key step, as they will contribute directly to help deliver on desired business outcomes and priorities.  Required cultural changes should not be sidestepped.  Quite often “the way we do things round here” can sabotage the most exacting and thought out outcome based people strategy.   Being tempted to include more than five priorities can be counterproductive, and using a Pareto Principle approach is more effective.  Too much detail dilutes efforts, while a vital few things will create the biggest impact.

4.      Involve others and share widely to gain maximum input at all stages

If HR is developing the strategy, make sure it is not perceived as being “owned” by HR.  The business must own the people strategy. The name must be carefully chosen, so it represents inclusion of everyone in the organisation.  Call it, the “people plan” or the “people element of the business plan”.

Involving as many people as possible is crucial to the success right at the formative stage.  Using focus groups made up of a cross-section of employees, employee representatives and external customers is an effective way to capture ideas and feedback.  Take constructive suggestions on board and if you don’t act on them, explain why.

5.      Benchmark across both industry specific and Non-specific companies

Identifying innovative and emerging people practices across a range of industries can help develop great ideas and create achievable standards and benchmarks.   Finding out about success stories in alternative industries can invoke creative and “out of the box” thinking and can lead to fresh parameters around best practice or introduce new processes.

6.      Monitor and measure progress

Setting specific, measureable, attainable, relevant and timely (SMART) criteria is essential to measure success.  Put in place a credible, simple and easy-to-compile measurement system to track progress in hitting specific goals. Link any people outcomes clearly with business outcomes   Monitor results using measureable milestones.

7.  Produce a user friendly working document in simple language

Present the final strategy in employee-friendly language so that everyone both inside and outside of the organisation can understand it. If it doesn’t fit on two sides of A4 paper at most, it’s too long and so will be put in a drawer and forgotten about. A teenager should be able to understand it.  Check it against the Flesch–Kincaid readability test which gives some ideas about how plain the English should be.

 

If you are a leader, you are continually developing and "Sharpening the Saw".  If you lead and manage teams, then you must read about our Inspirational New Leadership Programme.  Sign up now to find out more details when we launch in July 2014.  There is no obligation to undertake the programme, if you sign up today, you will simply be sent more information about the programme.  You can unsubscribe at any time!  Click below to register for further information.

   
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The Many Faces of Performance Management

  By Guest Post • October 17, 2012 - 1:42 am
The Many Faces of Performance Management – By Julie Gordon

I’m really pleased  to introduce a guest post from Julie Gordon.  I have known and worked with Julie for a number of years.  Julie was my tutor and mentor when I was taking my PAC qualification with CIPD.  I was and am still grateful for her help and support  during that time.  Many times I wanted to give it all up (it was hard work!) and in her calm and  positive way she managed to persuade me not to do so.  Julie’s experience in HR is vast and with her team at cHRysos, is committed to making the learning experience for students an enjoyable and productive one.  You can  learn more about Julie below.   

Reviewing performance and the performance management process takes on many shapes and forms in different organisations.

I had a look at what the Management Study Guide http://www.managementstudyguide.com/performance-management.htm and Armstrong and Baron say about performance management and some of the key points they make are:

  • It’s a strategic and integrated approach to delivering results by improving the performance and capability of teams and individuals;
  • It should include a focus on performance improvement, development and managing behaviour;
  • It’s part of an on-going communication process;
  • Continuous and cyclical in nature.
  • It establishes a platform for rewarding excellence.

That seems to make sense to me and is the kind of structure we are familiar with in the world of performance management.

A couple of points I hadn’t necessarily thought of though, are some of the activities identified as being part of the performance management system, such as:

  • Making sure we have a robust selection process in place – if we select the right person for the role in the first place, there is a greater chance of high level performance.
  • Carrying out exit interviews – for example, if we identify the cause of someone leaving as a performance issue with a manager, team or individual we can address this within the performance management process.

I think, as MSG suggest, that performance management should be a proactive process, but it often seems that this isn’t the case in organisations because they don’t see performance management as anything wider than the appraisal system.

These are worth a read:

http://www.cipd.co.uk/hr-resources/factsheets/performance-management-overview.aspx

http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=2927

cHRysos HR Solutions Ltd. offer professional qualifications in HR, Management and Leadership and Coaching and Mentoring as well as providing a HR and Business Consultancy Service.  Find out more at www.chrysos.org.uk
management [message type="custom" width="100%" start_color="#FFFCB5" end_color="#F4CBCB" border="#BBBBBB" color="#333333"]Julie Gordon heads up the team at cHRysos HR Solutions, an organisation specialising in the delivery of HR and Leadership-related training, professional qualifications, as well as HR and business consultancy services. With over 20 years’ experience in learning and development within the private and public sector, Julie’s key strengths are now in the management of the learning and development process and in work-based learning. As well as working in industry, Julie has held various academic teaching posts and has published journal papers in the field of learning and development[/message]

 

If you are a leader, you are continually developing and "Sharpening the Saw".  If you lead and manage teams, then you must read about our Inspirational New Leadership Programme.  Sign up now to find out more details when we launch in July 2014.  There is no obligation to undertake the programme, if you sign up today, you will simply be sent more information about the programme.  You can unsubscribe at any time!  Click below to register for further information.

   
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A Recipe for Visionary Leadership

  By Christina Lattimer • October 11, 2012 - 7:10 pm

When it gets down to basics, we all have the same psychological operating systems, we give out and absorb energy, we take in information, think, feel, and make decisions.  However we use those depends on our own preferences, beliefs, values and experiences.  For many leaders being congruent with the way they use their psychological operating system is key.

Expectations of our leaders are increasing   Ethical and value centred leadership seems to be the emerging priority across the globe.  The world needs leaders who can pull it from the current state of chaos with clear vision, great emotional intelligence and thinking skills.   For me, together with unity conscious beliefs therein lies the skills of visionary leadership.

For individuals; the raw material of those three skills creates our reality.  How you imagine your life to be; what you focus and think about the most; or indeed how broadly you may think, and how emotionally you navigate life, filtered through our beliefs are the play dough of life.

For a leader those skills, if used purposefully and with awareness can collectively create the reality of a nation. If that nation is a world leader, then the potential is staggering.

Of course, vision, emotional intelligence and thinking skills are all to no avail when the belief system those skills are filtered through is somewhat blinkered, limiting or biased.  If however the leader’s belief system is centred on unity consciousness then their intentions are for the greater good of all.

If you put all of those elements into a pot, then you have the ingredients for all possibilities, and a chance to shape the world; the organisation or the team anyway you want.  They are the play dough of true leadership, if done well could change the world for the better.   Here is a summary of what I believe are the top 10 ingredients which could enable a leader to shape the world for the better.

Leadership Play Dough Recipe:

Ingredients:

3 basic beliefs:

We are all equally as valuable

There is only love or fear of love

We can create our reality

 

3 components of vision:

Anything is possible

Our vision is for the greater good of all

What we can imagine we can create

 

2 parts emotional intelligence:

Our emotions are a guidance system not a result

Emotions help us learn who we really are

 

2 pieces of thinking wisdom:

We are not our thoughts, we can change them

Thinking and what we focus our thought upon creates our world

Preparation Method:

  1. Find the problem and develop a solution based on the 3 basic beliefs.
  2. Create a vision which involves the 3 components
  3. Flexibly navigate our way through using 2 parts of Emotional intelligence and 2 pieces of thinking wisdom

What other ingredients would you add to the mix and do you have a different preparation methodology?  If so, do please comment below, I’d love to hear from you.

 

If you are a leader, you are continually developing and "Sharpening the Saw".  If you lead and manage teams, then you must read about our Inspirational New Leadership Programme.  Sign up now to find out more details when we launch in July 2014.  There is no obligation to undertake the programme, if you sign up today, you will simply be sent more information about the programme.  You can unsubscribe at any time!  Click below to register for further information.

   
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Lead Yourself First – The Freedom of Taking Responsibility

  By Christina Lattimer • August 16, 2012 - 9:37 pm
Taking Responsibility is the key to greater freedom

Responsibility can be a tough bedfellow.  Today in a couple of separate encounters, one with a 14 year old girl and the other a 40 year old man, I heard how they had recently experienced difficult times in their lives. What both had in common was they blamed others for their plight.  The common theme was ”If only x had done y then z, and I would be ok”.

I watched this dynamic without judgment.  I too had taken such a position for a very long time.  I also felt a little saddened because I realised nothing could be changed permanently until they realised there was another way of seeing their situation now and in the future.

On both occasions, I attempted to suggest maybe there was another way of viewing their respective situations. Not to make them wrong, but to show them a way out of their agony.  Both firmly rejected my suggestions, because sometimes, just sometimes, as human beings we would rather be right .

Sometimes you only see the light when you experience the darkness

A number of years ago, I personally experienced hard times.  It was a depressing period in my life; the future looked bleak indeed.  I knew things had to change. I didn’t know it then, but I came to realise what had begun as a monumental disaster, turned out to be the biggest gift life could have handed me.

As I pondered on what had gone so wrong, I blamed everyone and everything.  The truth was some external and some internal factors had led me to that low point and blaming or focusing on external factors was getting me nowhere fast.

My first “light bulb” moment happened when I began to take total responsibility for my experience.   I couldn’t control everything in my world. What I did have power over was my response to what life threw at me. Focusing on whose fault it was and wanting to point the finger of blame was deflecting from the energy needed to move beyond the situation.

Secondly, I began to pay attention to my intuition.  I overrode my intuition pretty much of the time.  The rot began early in life,  times when I wanted to be like my peers;  I wanted my relationships to be harmonious;  I didn’t want to rock the boat with my parents. After many times of overriding my own internal truth, I realised my own best friend was inside me.

Acceptance releases the energy used for blame to finding a solution

Accepting my situation I began what I thought would be a slow and torturous route out of the fix I found myself in.  On the contrary, it was the most enlightening and exciting of journeys.  It wasn’t easy, but it was transformational.   I went from being broke, dispirited and in despair, to a place where I was financially secure, optimistic and at peace with myself.  The experience was like replacing a house of straw with a house of bricks with very solid foundations.

Taking Total Responsibility

I developed a vision: I set goals for my working life, I set figures for my income, how I would feel about my work and how good I would be at it.  I achieved them almost 2 years ahead of target.

I set out a detailed plan.   I needed certain skills and experience.   I articulated the detail of “how” in my plan. I achieved all milestones and was offered the job I wanted before I had met the outcomes in the plan.

I engaged my team.   I needed a support network around me.  My beloved network included my family as well as my professional colleagues and friends.  I let the right people know things had changed, and I got them on board to help me.

I focused on my successes and goals.  I didn’t waste time thinking about the reality of the situation I found myself in.  I faced up to it, identified the gap between where I was and where I wanted to be, and concentrated on closing the gap; not the past.  In the present moment, I chose to be grateful for what I had achieved and the help and opportunities which came my way.

I let go of unhelpful doubts, thoughts and beliefs.  I got in touch with the power of my mind.  Doubt and negativity simply create resistance to achieving what you want

I have used those steps many times when leading teams at work as well as creating my life outside of work.  Repetition should create mastery, yet I still struggle at times, but at least I now take total responsibility, so if things don’t work out, I only have myself to blame.

If you are a leader, you are continually developing and "Sharpening the Saw".  If you lead and manage teams, then you must read about our Inspirational New Leadership Programme.  Sign up now to find out more details when we launch in July 2014.  There is no obligation to undertake the programme, if you sign up today, you will simply be sent more information about the programme.  You can unsubscribe at any time!  Click below to register for further information.

   
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Challenges for Organisational Change – Four Ego Traits

  By Christina Lattimer • July 26, 2012 - 6:40 pm
Real Organisational Change needs new paradigm thinking

Last week I discussed the 5 ego traits individuals bring into the workplace.  This week I discuss the big 4 ego traits which organisations bring into the workplace.

The opposite of “ego” is “unified self”.  The difference between the characteristics of the unified self to that of the ego is that the unified self acknowledges and respects the sameness of ourselves as human beings and is more concerned for the “good of all” or a “collective” win/win philosophy for example. Organisations need to be aware of this.

When we recruit, vote or elect people into power and into organisational leadership roles, we all secretly hope they will demonstrate a “unified self” mentality, but frequently we are disappointed. Just mention Banks, G4S, Barclays, News of the World, and MP expenses (in no particular order or priority) and hopefully the picture conjured up saves me paragraphs of explanation.

The merits or not of ego thinking are probably too complex and diverse to discuss in one article, and much depends on your own experiences and beliefs.  However, it is useful to highlight some common ego traits which can  be found in some organisations and which may not be sustainable moving forward.

Operating from an ego level in an organisation is becoming increasingly untenable, and the following four ego traits are ones which will I believe will require a seismic shift over the next years – a completely new paradigm.

  • Working too hard because of scarcity

The scarcity principle is one which is one of the most prevalent ego traits and one which people feel most justified in bowing down to.  There is no real scarcity in the world, except a one manufactured by ego thinking and practices. For a business leader, this is a difficult one because the thought and “evidence” of scarcity through downturns in economy, reduced budgets, income etc. is compelling.  The scarcity principle is one which makes people work longer for less with little hope.

The unified alternative is to find the opportunity in any situation whether reduced economy or other situation where scarcity is the fear.  Use the experience to find ways of creating more, leveraging growth and learning to challenge beliefs and assumptions and “the way things have always been done”.

  • Profits instead of integrity

Unfortunately this is the battle cry of many businesses.  You only have to look at popular TV programmes to see that some of the most successful business people will dismiss ideas, ventures etc., if they don’t make substantial profits.  Money in itself is not the root of all evil, the “love of money” is however a truly prominent ego trait.

The unified alternative is to see money for what it is:  It is an exchange of energy for services and contribution made. If seen as a symbol of contribution and a means of giving and receiving, then our language would be very different, and the focus would be on contribution and value.   It is when such integrity exists that true sustainability may well arise.

  • Favouritism

We warm to people  when they are like us, and who agree with us.  There is nothing wrong with this unless we then bestow favours on others because of this.  Favours can consist of securing contracts, promoting, awarding bonuses, praising, promoting, spending time, allocating quality work etc. to others with little regard to contribution or effort but because they are in the “favoured few” circle.

The unified alternative is to be open to many different types of contribution and value them all.  To develop a framework of fairness, appreciation and reward open to all.   Be aware of, and guard against biases.

  • Persuading or forcing

Someone once told me that if you say “no” to a request and another person continues to try to persuade you,  they are attempting to control you.  It seems outlandish at first, but when you observe such a dynamic in action then you will see the truth in this.  Trying to force someone to your point of view, or to go the route you want is a means of control.  Organisations do have to advertise and promote their products and services.  As people wake up to manipulative practices, there will be a greater need for honest and sincere “pitching” of goods and services.

The unified alternative is to outline benefits and consequences and allow people to choose.

What do you think?   Do you think these organisational ego traits are present in our businesses today?  Do you think change is needed?  Do you have any traits to add? I’d love to hear from you. Leave your comments below.

organisational

If you are a leader, you are continually developing and "Sharpening the Saw".  If you lead and manage teams, then you must read about our Inspirational New Leadership Programme.  Sign up now to find out more details when we launch in July 2014.  There is no obligation to undertake the programme, if you sign up today, you will simply be sent more information about the programme.  You can unsubscribe at any time!  Click below to register for further information.

   
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Young Entrepreneurs – Start–up and Start-thinking

  By Christina Lattimer • June 1, 2012 - 5:17 pm

121242255 Start off by getting the detail right:

If you are thinking about starting up a business, you can get a head start by giving some serious thought to what is involved right now.  I offer some introductory advice which might help you to formulate some questions for your mentor to help you decide if and how to get started. Before you enter the process:

  • If you have previously been employed, or have just come out of full time education; working for yourself can seem lonely.  You need to have determination and self-belief at the outset and the ability to acquire resilience and the right personal qualities.  It is not for the faint-hearted.  Don’t let fear stop you however, if you’ve a great idea, with willingness, your personal qualities will develop as you grow your business.
  • Gather all relevant information so you understand the implications before you invest any money or effort.
  • Check you have industry level qualifications and experience relevant to your target market
  • Look at competitor websites and publicity information to see how they advertise their credentials for what you want to sell or deliver.
  • Develop your unique selling point, have some clear ideas about what will set you apart from the rest and be clear about your niche market.
  • More details will follow I believe about the process and how to access a mentor.  There are currently well established mentor networks which you will no doubt be signposted to.  In the meantime, your local business enterprise organisations can help you discuss your intended new business start-up and give you expert advice.
  • Work with a mentor who understands your industry/sector.   There are many great business people from most industries who love to share what they know.  When selecting a mentor, don’t be afraid to ask some basic questions to get the right one.
  • You can be thinking about what you might use your loan funding for, as well as any other capital you may have to invest.  Have a realistic idea about how much help you need and how much it might cost.  Make some initial enquiries and then prioritise when planning to use your loan and or capital.

Once you’ve entered the process: How will you promote your business?

  • Consider your brand.  It’s competitive out there and great branding can set you apart.   Your branding should clarify your unique selling point and appeal to your niche market.   A good brand can include a logo and how you design your publicity material.  You need to consider protecting your brand or product, by patenting or trademark.
  • Before you get started with a website consider exactly what the function of your website is.  You need to be clear about the purpose before you go to any expense.  Get some expert advice from more than one website designer, and be clear about the purpose and design needs so it is accessible and useful for your customers.
  • When choosing your web designer, be clear about how fixed or fluid you want your website to be. How often will it be updated and will you do this, or will you be paying them to do this on an on-going basis?
  • Understand  on-going maintenance and hosting costs
  • If you haven’t any marketing experience then your mentor should be able to point you to some local firms which might give some initial free or low cost advice to get you started.  You will need a good feel for how much your start up marketing costs might be, and any on-going costs.  Remember, the money you invest in marketing should be giving you a demonstrable return on investment, so get some evidence about effectiveness before you pay hundreds of £s to place that advert.

Understand how widely you will need to network

  • There are many business networking groups based regionally.  Networks can be great resources, offering news, learning and training events for members.  These can help keep you up to date and current on many subjects. Some of these are free resources and some are subscription based.
  • Do your homework before joining and make sure that the network group is right for your kind of business before committing to subscription based networks
  • Get your social media networking right and if you aren’t already expert at this take advantage of one of the many courses out there.  Online communities are growing especially on social networking sites like Facebook, Linked in and Twitter.   At the very least sign up with these.  But do not limit your online social media with just these three, there are many more.  Much depends on how much time you have to develop relationships.  Also search to find and join industry specific groups.

Consider where you might be located

  • Get your location right.  You may need premises, a virtual office or work from home.   To be effective you may want to use a combination of these.  You need to think not only about the cost of hiring any premises, but also insurance costs while you are using the premises.   You also need to make sure that if you work from home, your home insurance covers you.
  • If you work from home and wish to meet clients, you need to give some thought and maybe visit some local hotels to see if they have a business area you can use as a virtual office.
  • If you work from home, you may wish to consider hiring a PO Box or linking with a local enterprise centre who can offer virtual office facilities.

Understand the legal and financial issues

  • Don’t underestimate your initial investment and funding.   You will need to provide set up costs and some on-going costs until your business begins bringing in customers. Most of the suggestions included in this article will have a cost attached to it, and you need to understand those costs before you start off.
  • Understand how your business is to be structured.  HMRC have a number of publications which can help you understand your anticipated tax liabilities.  Book a free tax surgery with a local accountant
  • If your new business start=up involves taking on employees, then make sure you get the right advice and understand what your legal responsibilities are.  A good HR firm can give you expert advice and guidance at a relatively low price.  ACAS also gives free advice and guidance with some great publications about employers’ responsibilities.
  • You will need a business bank account, and appropriate business insurance.  Some websites offer a wizard to work through so you can determine the type and level of insurance you need.
  • Most banks offer free banking for the first year for new business start-up.  There will be a monthly charge, but transactions are not billed.  Banks offer a range of services included in their business bank account provision.  Use a comparison website, or do your research to see which one will be best for you.
  • Business insurance is not a one size fits all and you need to make sure your insurance is customised and contains all the elements you need.  Use a good comparison site to help you work through the maze of what’s on offer.    Industry specific insurance is usually more competitive and can provide details which more general insurance companies miss.  This should be your first search.
  • If your business will involve submitting tenders for contracts there will undoubtedly be insurance requirements.  If this is over and above your regular insurance specification then make sure you cost this in.

You can usually find the I hope you found these start-thinking tips useful.   There is lots of great information out there, so do your homework and good luck with your venture!

If you are a leader, you are continually developing and "Sharpening the Saw".  If you lead and manage teams, then you must read about our Inspirational New Leadership Programme.  Sign up now to find out more details when we launch in July 2014.  There is no obligation to undertake the programme, if you sign up today, you will simply be sent more information about the programme.  You can unsubscribe at any time!  Click below to register for further information.

   
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Getting the Performance Management Equation Right

  By Christina Lattimer • May 3, 2012 - 11:51 am
Performance Management is an Art!

If you want to be cutting edge you need to measure your results and performance manage your team.

Getting the best out your people can sometimes be a stressful business. In my many years of managing and subsequently as an HR professional, one of the biggest barriers to great performance management is that people have different perceptions of what performance management is about.

Even terminology around performance management can be misconstrued. For a business to succeed you need to make sure that when planning, developing and communicating your performance framework you get it right.  Your performance framework sits underneath your overall  organisational purpose and mission.  It is not the end result: a performance framework is the  examination and monitoring of the factors which will make you profitable, or successful;  or not.

Businesses who get their performance framework right have a huge advantage. I know of some organisations who don’t actually have a performance framework in place, and frankly they are missing a trick.  Because performance can contain a myriad of factors; the first hurdle is to decide on the unique framework for your business.

Measuring and managing performance are two different processes. They are frequently confused. Depending on style and culture of an organisation, these two simple elements can be approached in different ways. A good organisation will have no doubt at all about all of the elements of their performance measurement and their performance management regimes.

Performance Measurement

There are six basic equations: These are:

  • Productivity. – You can measure productivity individually or by team. Basically this measurement is about the quantity being produced in a given time. You can measure productivity across most outcome based processes, which could be a product, a service or an administrative task.
  • Performance. – This measurement is a little more sophisticated. It is the measurement of productivity for all of your team. It will include the team members who are perhaps not involved in the productive process. For example, managers or specialist advisors. The purpose is to see how effective the structure of the organisation is against outcomes.
  • Effectiveness – This is about throughput. Or in other words the length of time it takes to reach an outcome. Effectiveness links to productivity, and encourages businesses to examine the process to see if better results/profits can be achieved, or if customer expectations are met.
  • Efficiency – This is about the cost of the outcome. You can have great productivity and effectiveness, but if profit margins are too low, then you have to understand this.
  • Standards: The standards that you set. These can include for example standards about quality, quantity, impact or timing.
  • Service: – The impact made on your customer. You may have service level agreements or targeted customer satisfaction levels. The way you measure impact on your customer must be relevant and result in your business improving and increasing positive impacts.

The six components all work best when they work in a balanced scorecard framework comparing each equation against each other. So for example, you might be the most efficient team, but if your customers aren’t happy then that could affect profits. Likewise if your productivity is top end, but your costs are high then you haven’t got the right balance.

Performance measurements can be introduced at organisational or team level. They can include outcomes, targets and results, both quantitative and qualitative.

Once you have decided on the most impactful performance measurements, then your next task is to have a sound framework of performance management. This is the golden thread that runs throughout your business, and links your outcomes, standards and processes to your people and how well they perform.

Performance Management

Performance management is all about how your individual employees work. What makes performance management different from performance measurement is that it is about individual contribution. Performance Measurement is about the collective organisational and team results of individual contribution. It is a subtle distinction.

Obviously the elements of performance that you decide to manage should link into the measurements on your balanced scorecard;  but they are about the specific elements of that person’s job, and ability to do that job. So for example, the performance requirements of an office junior will be very different from an MD. For that reason it is essential that your business has the right job roles to get the right results!

The elements of individual performance can vary greatly. A way to keep this simple is to break down the components of what an individual needs to bring to the party to help your business be successful. The four most common components are:

  • Capability – This includes, knowledge, skills, competence any specialist knowledge as well as physical ability to do the work.
  • Impact – This is about individual objectives productivity, efficiency, effectiveness in relation to their specific job, their team and the organisational results.
  • Behaviour – This can be about attitude, buy in or engagement, contribution to the desired culture and values of your business.
  • Talent – this can be about how the contribution and potential of the employee impacts or can benefit the organisation. It can be about suitability for progression either across or up the organisational career path.

A good business will have aligned the overall desired measurements or results, with the elements of managed performance. I have seen literally hundreds of performance frameworks, and if you are intending to or in the throes of developing a performance framework, I would contend that there are only two rules:

1. Keep it simple. If your 13 year old can’t understand it, then it won’t work
2. Make it relevant. If the golden thread, connection or link isn’t made, then it won’t work.

What do you think? Do you have a great performance management system? Have you different views or essential elements you would include?

Performance Management

If you are a leader, you are continually developing and "Sharpening the Saw".  If you lead and manage teams, then you must read about our Inspirational New Leadership Programme.  Sign up now to find out more details when we launch in July 2014.  There is no obligation to undertake the programme, if you sign up today, you will simply be sent more information about the programme.  You can unsubscribe at any time!  Click below to register for further information.

   
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Building Reputation Through Your Employees

  By christinapd • January 26, 2012 - 10:26 am

Building Reputation through your Employees is always the first step

It is even more important to encourage behaviours and demonstrate values which enhance your reputation.  There is a lot of competition out there.  Businesses are growing stronger through the power of networking, collaborating and becoming social.  Great businesses have already caught on to the fact that building reputation is a multi-faceted process which of course includes customers, but also stakeholders and employees.  Increasingly employees have a voice and it is being heard.

You and I both know that when we do business with a company, it’s not usually the leader or the marketing manager we are transacting with.   It is the people who work in that organisation.   We all have tales of great customer service and poor customer service.  And people in the organisation are the experience we remember.

Many of your people will be great at what they do:  Some will know what to do, but won’t always, and some will likely need more information.  In some respects the levels of ability are a bit of a red herring, because what will be infectious is your employees’ attitude about you as an employer.  I would rather have a room full of people who loved the business, bought into the concept but needed some training, than fully trained employees who were luke-warm or even disliked the organisation.

Not only will customers get the vibes off your employees; It can’t be helped, energetically we are all giving off vibes;  even more importantly, your employees are likely connected in a way they have never been before in human history.  Such is the power of social media.

Knowing that my employees were a kind of social media business card for my business could well fill me with horror.  The truth is, if as a business you make a gaffe that is newsworthy, then it’s entirely possible many many people  would know about it in seconds.  We all know bad news is inevitable.

Consider the potential for either sharing good news or bad news.   All of your employees have friends, family, social networks, whether they are online or not.  What your employees are saying about you, your business, your product, your service, is vital.

It follows that it’s increasing vital to know what you are building with your team.  What do they think? What are they saying to friends and family and potential customers about your business?

I talk to people a lot about their work.  I ask them whether they like it or not.  Whether they believe in what they do.  I can honestly say that I have met people who love what they do, they are enthusiastic, and they believe that the organisation’s mission is their mission.   These are the people we would all love to have working with us.

I have also met people who detest what they do.  They don’t buy into the company values; they don’t respect what the company does.  But they come to work because it’s a job; they need to feed their kids.  You can usually spot these people in your team.  They can’t help their attitude.  While this is a problem, it’s an easily identifiable problem, and you can do something about it.

But what about the people who are in the middle?   They quite like their job; they are rubbing along quite well.  They aren’t too bothered about what you do, it pays well, and as far as their own responsibilities go, they do what they have to do.  Are you content with the messages they are giving?  If your employees are pretty neutral about the work they do, then it will come as no surprise that those who should be the biggest resource building your reputation are not talking about your business in the way you would like.

Your employees are one of your biggest advertisements.  What they think say and do is totally representative of your organisation.  Your business is the sum total of all of your employees, like it or not.

If you don’t know what your employees think about your organisation, ask them.  Don’t make assumptions.   Just because you think your idea’s are the best thing since Edison invented the light bulb, doesn’t mean your employees share that thought. If they don’t think much of your business, then you have work to do.

If you are a leader, you are continually developing and "Sharpening the Saw".  If you lead and manage teams, then you must read about our Inspirational New Leadership Programme.  Sign up now to find out more details when we launch in July 2014.  There is no obligation to undertake the programme, if you sign up today, you will simply be sent more information about the programme.  You can unsubscribe at any time!  Click below to register for further information.

   
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Employee Surveys, 10 Ways They Fail

  By christinapd • January 14, 2012 - 11:30 am

Employee Surveys Employee surveys can be costly mistakes

Despite the heading, I do not advocate ditching your employee survey.  Employee surveys are great ways to find out globally what your employees think about your organisation, their experience as an employee and also how bought into your vision, values, mission etc they are.

The problem is that an employee survey can become the big elephant in the room and create even more embedded views by the very people who should be advocating your business.  If your employees feel obliged, or even worse cynical about completing an employee survey, then you should be picking this up from the survey results or lack of them.

I once ran an employee survey for an organisation about how well a team was doing “living” their vision and values.  One of the values was, “Employees views will be surveyed about how well we are doing.”   You would think that the team would rate that quite well, given they were going through an exercise which was doing just that.  But no, about a third of the employees voted negatively; the team weren’t living up to that value.   You can’t get away from the fact that, their denial was pointing to a deeper problem.

I have heard many managers dismiss employee surveys.  If they don’t believe in them, well you can’t blame their staff.

So if your employee survey displays any of the following characteristics, my advice to you is to ditch it and start again.

  1. You have a lower than 70% return rate
  2. If the focus of the survey is to get a good response rate
  3. If more than 50% of your staff state in the survey that they don’t believe something will be done about the results of the survey
  4. If your managers believe that employee surveys are a waste of time
  5. If following the survey, there is no real or lasting research or work completed on the results
  6. If the questions on the employee survey don’t actually tell you anything meaningful
  7. If you don’t give your employees dedicated time to complete the survey
  8. If the employee survey is your only means of getting staff feedback
  9. If you dismiss even one single response in the survey as being a whinge
  10. If your managers don’t understand or aren’t mature enough to deal with the negative results from a staff survey and turn it into a positive experience.

I hope you found my list useful.  If you have any reasons to add, or any views, I’d love to hear from you.

If you are a leader, you are continually developing and "Sharpening the Saw".  If you lead and manage teams, then you must read about our Inspirational New Leadership Programme.  Sign up now to find out more details when we launch in July 2014.  There is no obligation to undertake the programme, if you sign up today, you will simply be sent more information about the programme.  You can unsubscribe at any time!  Click below to register for further information.