tHRive - Perspectives on People and Performance

Building a High-Performance Culture: The Secret Weapon Behind Successful Teams

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 01:44:06 GMT

If you were to compare two organizations with similar products, comparable pricing, and equal market positioning, you might expect similar results. Yet, in reality, one consistently outperforms the other.

The difference is rarely strategy alone. More often, it lies in culture. Not the version captured in mission statements or displayed on office walls, but the one experienced by employees in their day to day work. The one that shapes how decisions are made, how teams collaborate, and how performance is delivered.

Culture Isn’t a Buzzword—It’s a System

Many organizations mistakenly reduce culture to surface-level initiatives such as team events, flexible schedules, or workplace perks. While these elements may contribute to employee satisfaction, they do not define culture in any meaningful or sustainable way.

But real organizational culture runs deeper.

It’s built on:

Clear expectations
Strong leadership habits
Consistent communication
Accountability at every level

Without these, even the most talented teams struggle to perform.

Where Most Companies Get It Wrong?

As organizations scale, the demands on their people and processes increase significantly. Without a deliberate approach to building the right infrastructure, growth can create inconsistency rather than progress.

There’s no structured onboarding process, limited training and development, and inconsistent performance management.

The result?

Employees feel disconnected
Managers operate differently
Decision-making becomes unclear
Engagement drops

And over time, performance follows.

The Shift to a Performance-Driven Culture

Creating a high-performance culture doesn’t mean pushing employees harder. It means supporting them better.

It starts with alignment:

Employees understand the company’s mission and values
Leaders communicate expectations clearly
Teams know what success looks like

Then comes structure:

Effective training programs
Regular feedback cycles
Defined career paths and succession planning

And most importantly—trust.

When employees feel valued, safe, and supported, they don’t just work harder—they work smarter.

The Role of HR in Culture Transformation

Culture transformation does not happen through intention alone. It requires structure, alignment, and consistent execution across every level of the organization. This is where strategic human resources consulting becomes a critical driver of meaningful and lasting change.

Instead of disconnected efforts, HR becomes the foundation for:

Leadership development
Employee engagement strategies
Performance improvement systems
Risk management and compliance

At HR Strategies Now, culture isn’t treated as an abstract idea—it’s built into every process, from talent acquisition to employee off-boarding.

A Story Worth Noticing

One growing organization was facing persistent turnover challenges. The issue was not a lack of talent. They had capable, motivated individuals in place, yet performance and consistency remained unpredictable.

The turning point came when they shifted their focus from individuals to systems. By implementing structured onboarding, clearly defined performance expectations, and targeted leadership development, the organization created a more stable and supportive environment.

The impact was measurable. Employee retention improved, collaboration became more natural, and overall productivity increased.

The outcome was not driven by hiring different people. It was driven by creating the right conditions for their existing people to succeed.

Final Thought

A high performance culture is not created overnight. It is the result of deliberate strategy, disciplined execution, and consistent leadership over time. When built with intention, it evolves into a true competitive advantage that competitors find difficult to replicate.

At its core, sustainable growth does not come from products, services, or market positioning alone. It comes from people. When your employees are aligned, engaged, and equipped to perform at a high level, they drive the business forward in ways that no strategy alone ever could. Investing in your people is not a support function. It is a growth strategy.

FAQs

What is a high-performance culture? A work environment where employees are aligned, engaged, and consistently delivering strong results through clear systems and leadership.
How does onboarding impact company culture? Onboarding shapes first impressions, helping employees understand expectations, values, and their role in the company.
Why is employee engagement important? Engaged employees are more productive, loyal, and motivated, reducing turnover and directly impacting business success.
What role does HR play in culture building? HR creates the systems, processes, and strategies that support communication, performance, and employee development.
How can small businesses improve their workplace culture? By focusing on clear communication, structured processes, training, and consistent leadership practices. CLIMB Cultures offers a full strategy and implementation plan for building a strong, ownership-minded culture.

Why Your Strategy Isn't Executing - And It's Not A Strategy Problem

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 23:31:56 GMT

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How to Build a High - Performance Culture in Your Small Business

Fri, 03 Oct 2025 22:23:42 GMT

You can have the best business strategy in the world, but if your people aren’t performing at their peak, you’re leaving serious growth on the table. Culture isn’t just about perks, beanbags, or Friday lunches - it’s about performance, accountability, and alignment. The kind of culture that makes your people lean in instead of checking out.

At HR Strategies Now, we help small businesses transform their workplaces into high - performance cultures - not through motivational posters, but through practical, repeatable systems that drive results. Our HR consulting in Houston focuses on one thing: creating alignment between leadership, teams, and the business mission.

Here’s the hard truth: you can’t buy culture. You build it - every day - through your leadership behavior, your people processes, and your willingness to hold everyone (including yourself) accountable. That’s where most companies stumble. They hire great people but fail to set clear expectations, measure outcomes, and reward accountability. The result? Mediocrity disguised as “teamwork.”

A true high-performance culture starts with clarity. When employees know the “why” behind the work, they perform with passion. When leaders commit to transparent goals and follow through on their promises, they earn trust. And when every team member understands that accountability isn’t punishment - it’s empowerment - you’ve unlocked something powerful.

Our leadership development programs and employee engagement strategies are designed to hardwire that mindset into your business. We help you create performance frameworks that keep your best people motivated and your new hires aligned from day one. You’ll start seeing results - not in a year, but in weeks. Meetings get sharper. Communication flows faster. Decisions stop stalling.

We call it the CLIMB effect - when courageous leadership meets operational clarity, and performance skyrockets. Through the CLIMB Cultures program, we help organizations break free from fear-based management and build a foundation of trust, accountability, and growth.

If you’re ready to stop fighting fires and start scaling sustainably, it’s time to take a hard look at your culture. Ask yourself: is it driving performance or draining it?

At HR Strategies Now, we’ll help you architect a culture where people are proud to perform - a workplace where trust fuels results and engagement drives revenue.

Ready to build your high-performance culture? Let’s make it happen - starting today.

Non-Profit Potential

Thu, 02 Oct 2025 16:55:23 GMT

Gaining Traction Through Human Resources

If you’re leading a non-profit organization today, there is a great chance that you are very passionate about the organization’s cause and its impact in the community. It’s great to know that you are making a difference in the lives of others and building an organization that can actually make that happen. Every day you step up to bring greater awareness and support to the organization throughout the Houston community.

Unfortunately, many non-profit leaders find themselves in a tug-of-war between that passion for building their cause and the challenges of building an organization and structure that can support growth. Are you interested in creating an organization with the ability to hire, engage, motivate and retain top talent?

Hi. I’m Brian Wallace with HR Strategies Now.

So many of the structural requirements of a thriving non-profit are similar to those you would find in a well-run business. In fact, wherever possible, smart business practices should be incorporated into the fabric of the organization in order to help ensure that it can thrive for years to come. That’s why many boards are comprised of people from the business community.

In leading a healthy organization focused on long-term growth, you need to be thinking about:

Growth and stability
Goal setting and planning
Beneficiary, volunteer and donor service and experience
Staffing, organizational and employee issues
Managing employee performance
Expectations on leadership / leadership development
Strength in teams and collaboration
Operational and organizational development
Marketing and branding
Financial acumen and wise stewardship of resources

Many non-profit leaders struggle to address these things effectively. Maybe you find that you face a lack of structure. Or perhaps you hesitate to create structure out of fear that it will lead to bureaucracy. The result is disorganization, inefficiency, and staff (including leadership) being stretched too thin. The passion for the cause can be overshadowed by process- and practice-related issues.

A supporting structure can strengthen the relationships within your team, fueling your mission rather than stifling it. There is freedom in structure.

HR Strategies Now provides strategic but pragmatic Human Resources consulting services for non-profit organizations and small businesses that lead to greater efficiency, effectiveness, and alignment. It’s about creating an organization with the power to attract, engage, motivate and retain top talent who can move your church’s mission forward. Passion may drive an organization, but execution is what makes it effective.

You don’t have to be a large organization to realize the benefits of effective Human Resource practices. Whether yours is a team of three or thirty, HR Strategies Now can help you create the development strategies and practices that improve your organizational results and enable your team to stay focused on its true purpose – pointing others toward hope.

Contact HR Strategies Now at (281) 853-4069 to get started today.

The True Cost of a Dysfunctional Culture

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 17:58:27 GMT

Most organizations don’t lose momentum because of bad strategy.
They lose it because of a culture no one’s managing.

Most leaders would agree that culture matters.

But here’s the harsh truth: most don’t actually manage it.

Instead, they let it drift. Like a ship with no rudder, their organization moves, yes - but often in the wrong direction. They obsess over tactics, chase KPIs, hire consultants to optimize conversion funnels, automate workflows, and cut costs...

But they forget that culture is the operating system everything else runs on.

When it’s broken - or worse, ignored - performance grinds, people disengage, and results stall. And it’s not just the business that pays. Leaders do too. Personally. Sometimes publicly.

This article is a wake-up call for executives, founders, and department heads who are unintentionally steering their organization toward dysfunction, not excellence.

Let’s get into it.

Culture Is Not a Perk - It’s Performance Infrastructure

Culture isn’t your mission statement, values poster, or team-building day. It’s how things really work when no one’s watching. It's the unwritten rules, the energy in the room, the courage (or fear) people feel when speaking up, sharing ideas, or challenging status quo.

A strong, intentional culture aligns people, fuels performance, and builds trust between employees, leaders, customers, and investors.

A dysfunctional one does the opposite. It breeds silos, politicking, blame-shifting, and disengagement. Metrics slip. Morale crumbles. Good people leave. And all the while, leaders scramble to fix symptoms-without diagnosing the root cause.

The Mistake Leaders Make: Letting Culture “Develop Itself”

Here’s the myth that kills momentum: “Culture will just form naturally if we hire good people.”

False.

Culture always forms-but not always in your favor.

If you don’t shape your culture intentionally, it will be shaped by the loudest voices in the room, the most powerful personalities, and the most deeply ingrained habits. You’ll end up with a Frankenstein culture-a patchwork of behaviors and attitudes that may be completely misaligned with your mission.

Worse, by the time the dysfunction is obvious in your P&L or Glassdoor reviews, it’s already metastasized.

Tactics Without Culture Are a Trap

Tactics-marketing campaigns, sales scripts, software stacks-can drive short-term results. But they don’t fix culture problems.

When leaders rely on tactics while neglecting the environment in which those tactics are executed, they’re setting themselves up for failure.

Here’s what that looks like:

You implement a new CRM, but your sales team won’t use it consistently-because they don’t trust leadership.
You invest in customer experience, but your frontline staff is disengaged-because they don’t feel heard.
You push for innovation, but your culture punishes risk-so no one dares speak up.

Culture isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s the multiplier - or the anchor-for every strategic move you make.

The Personal Cost for Leaders Who Ignore Culture

Dysfunction doesn’t just erode business value-it erodes leader credibility.

When your team loses trust in the system, they start losing trust in you.

You’ll feel it in the subtle resistance. The missed deadlines. The passive-aggressive compliance. The high-performer who quietly exits.

The board that starts asking harder questions. The investor who pulls back. The news headline you wish never ran.

Unchecked dysfunction creates career risk for even the smartest leaders. Don’t think culture is “HR’s job.” It’s your job.

The Hidden Costs Are Staggering - But Measurable

Want to know what dysfunction is really costing you?

It shows up in:

Turnover (both voluntary and involuntary at a cost of 100% to 150% of the departing employee's salary)
The inability to hire the talent that you really need because of a negative employment brand
Missed goals (because accountability is low and silos are high)
Slow decision-making (because fear trumps initiative)
Reputation risk (because internal chaos eventually leaks externally)
Stalled growth (because dysfunction suffocates innovation)

These aren’t vague culture metrics. They’re real losses - in dollars, opportunity, and time.

�� Want to know what dysfunction is really costing you? Use the CLIMB Loss Analyzer Tool and get a customized snapshot

The Lie: “Culture Change Must Be Big, Hard, and Painful”

The most dangerous belief leaders hold is that fixing culture requires an army of consultants, six months of workshops, or a complete organizational overhaul.

That’s nonsense.

Culture change is not an event. It’s a discipline.

Small, intentional shifts - when done consistently - create massive ripple effects. What matters is where you start and how you lead.

You don’t need to boil the ocean. You just need to spark the shift, build momentum, and show your team that you’re serious.

The Solution: Build a Courageous, Aligned Culture with CLIMB

At its core, culture transformation is about courage.

The courage to have hard conversations. To confront dysfunction. To challenge mediocrity. To lead with integrity. And to create an environment where others can do the same.

That’s why we developed the CLIMB Culture Program - a proven, actionable framework that helps organizations:

✅ Establish trust and transparency
✅ Embrace constructive conflict (without drama)
✅ Build accountability across teams
✅ Accelerate decision-making and execution
✅ Foster true collaboration across silos
✅ Navigate resistance with confidence
✅ Make space for innovation
✅ Drive consistent performance through aligned leadership

This is not another “feel-good” initiative. CLIMB is a strategy for results-driven culture transformation, grounded in real business metrics and 20+ years of real-world HR leadership.

Final Word: Fix the Foundation - Before You Build the Tower

Culture is not the cherry on top. It’s the foundation.

Get it right, and everything else moves faster: strategy, execution, growth. Get it wrong, and no amount of tactical brilliance will save you.

Don’t wait for dysfunction to show up on your balance sheet-or in the resignation letters of your best people.

➡️ Start by taking the CLIMB Loss Analyzer Tool.
➡️ Then visit HRStrategiesNow.com/CLIMB-Cultures to explore how your organization can start shifting today.

Because the true cost of a dysfunctional culture is far higher than you think.

And the ROI of fixing it is far greater than you’ve been told.

How Most Culture Programs Fail - And What Actually Works

Mon, 24 Feb 2025 21:55:49 GMT

The Culture Trap Most Companies Fall Into

Ask any executive about company culture, and they’ll likely agree: “Culture is critical to business success.” But ask them who is responsible for building and maintaining culture, and most will say, “That’s HR’s job.”

This is where most companies go wrong. Culture isn’t an HR initiative. Culture is how leadership drives accountability, decision-making, and execution across the organization. Unfortunately, most culture improvement programs fail because they focus on the wrong things. They look for quick fixes, inspiring words, or personal development solutions, instead of building sustainable accountability and execution systems.

The Three Traditional (and Ineffective) Approaches to Culture Change

Most consultants promise to “fix” culture, but they miss the real issue. Here’s where they go wrong:

1. The "Engagement & Perks" Approach – Surface-Level Fixes Without Accountability

Many organizations start by focusing on employee engagement initiatives. They send out surveys, host team-building retreats, offer wellness programs, and improve office perks. The thinking is simple: If employees feel happier at work, they’ll be more engaged and productive. It’s a logical assumption—after all, engaged employees tend to stay longer and perform better.

At first, these efforts seem to work. The surveys show slight improvement, and employees enjoy the added benefits. Morale lifts temporarily, and HR reports progress in engagement scores. Leaders begin to believe that culture is improving. But over time, the same underlying issues resurface—performance inconsistencies, lack of accountability, slow decision-making, and disengagement from leadership.

The truth is, engagement doesn’t drive accountability. If leaders aren’t modeling the right behaviors, holding teams responsible, and reinforcing execution discipline, no amount of engagement initiatives will fix a toxic or dysfunctional culture. Organizations that rely on engagement tactics alone are often left wondering why their culture hasn’t meaningfully changed despite all their investments.

2. The "Values & Mission" Approach – Words Without Action

Another common approach is to define or refine company values and mission statements. The belief is that when employees and leaders rally around a strong vision and clear values, culture will naturally improve. This often involves leadership retreats, workshops, and company-wide rollouts of refreshed mission statements.

Initially, this feels inspiring. Employees appreciate the effort, and leaders speak with renewed energy about the company’s purpose. Posters go up, new slogans are introduced, and values are repeated in meetings. For a moment, it feels like real change is happening.

But without reinforcement, values become empty words on a wall. If leadership doesn’t hold people accountable for behaviors that contradict those values, employees quickly become cynical. They see that the company says it values “transparency,” but managers still withhold critical information. They hear leadership talk about “accountability,” but poor performers continue without consequence. Eventually, employees disengage because the company’s stated values don’t match reality. Culture isn’t about what an organization says—it’s about what it actually tolerates.

3. The "Leadership Coaching" Approach – Personal Growth Without Organizational Alignment

Many organizations invest heavily in leadership development and executive coaching, believing that if individual leaders improve their skills, the culture will naturally follow. This approach includes emotional intelligence training, communication workshops, and executive coaching to refine leadership behaviors.

This makes sense—after all, strong leadership is essential to any great culture. And at first, the results seem promising. Leaders become more self-aware, communication improves, and some teams begin to feel more supported. However, this approach alone fails to create a sustainable culture shift because it treats leadership as an individual skill rather than a system-wide behavior model.

The problem is, a well-trained leader will still struggle in a broken system. If the organization lacks clear accountability structures, strong performance management, and effective decision-making frameworks, leadership training won’t stick. Leaders may feel more confident individually, but they won’t have the organizational reinforcement needed to drive consistent behavior across the company.

So Here Are The Issues

Most culture programs focus on symptoms rather than root causes. Many organizations assume low engagement or poor morale is the issue, when in reality, these are symptoms of deeper leadership, accountability, or execution problems.
Many organizations treat culture as an HR initiative, but HR doesn’t have the power to enforce behavior at the leadership level.
Engagement tactics, value statements, and leadership training all fail if accountability is missing.
Many programs fail to integrate culture into daily operations, leading to a short-term improvement that fades over time.

The CLIMB Approach: How Real Culture Change Happens

Here’s how CLIMB is different:

CLIMB correctly identifies that culture is built through leadership behaviors, decision-making, and accountability—rather than perks, slogans, or isolated training.
CLIMB shifts the responsibility to leadership, ensuring culture becomes a company-wide priority rather than an HR-driven project.
CLIMB ensures that leaders hold themselves and their teams accountable for culture-aligned behaviors.
CLIMB ensures reinforcement through hiring, performance management, and decision-making frameworks, making cultural change stick.

Instead of treating culture as an HR-driven initiative, CLIMB transforms it into a leadership-driven accountability system. Organizations don’t need another engagement strategy, a more inspiring mission statement, or just better-trained leaders. They need an execution framework that aligns leadership behaviors with accountability, performance, and decision-making.

How CLIMB Works:

We focus on courage-based leadership, teaching leaders to make bold decisions, own mistakes, and model trust.

We emphasize peer-driven accountability, shifting responsibility from HR to leadership teams, creating a culture of execution.

We drive systemic reinforcement, aligning leadership behaviors with performance management, hiring, and decision-making processes to sustain cultural change.

Why It Works:

Culture becomes a leadership priority—not an HR project. Accountability is embedded into daily operations. Leaders and teams execute faster, reducing decision bottlenecks.

Unlike traditional culture programs, CLIMB ensures that culture isn’t just a discussion topic in leadership meetings—it’s woven into how the company actually operates.

If your organization is stuck in engagement tactics, values statements, or endless coaching with no real culture shift, it’s time for a new approach. Let’s talk about how CLIMB can help your leadership team build a culture that drives performance, accountability, and real results.

Click HERE to Schedule a CLIMB Strategy Session Today.

The 10 Decision- Making Pitfalls That Hold Leaders Back (and How to Beat Them)

Fri, 08 Nov 2024 23:29:51 GMT

Improve Your Decision-Making Processes

Decision-making is the heartbeat of effective leadership. But for many leaders, even seemingly small choices can come with big consequences. Every decision you make impacts your team, your culture, and your bottom line. So, what’s standing in the way of making powerful, clear choices that push your organization forward?

In this post, we’re diving into the top 10 common decision-making challenges that leaders face - especially the ones that tend to go unnoticed. If you’re a leader who wants to cut through uncertainty and elevate your organization’s success, read on to discover the pitfalls to avoid and practical steps to strengthen your decision-making approach.

1. Lack of Complete Information

When you don’t have all the facts, how do you make the call? Many leaders feel pressured to act fast, but moving forward with partial data can create a risky foundation. Decisions made without full insight can lead to unintended consequences.

Tip: Set a standard for “80% data confidence” - gathering enough relevant information to make a sound decision without stalling. Focus on the key pieces of information that directly affect the outcome rather than trying to have every detail.

2. Overlooking Long-Term Impact for Short-Term Wins

It’s easy to get caught up in immediate gains, especially when stakeholders expect quick results. However, the most successful leaders understand that short-term wins don’t always translate into long-term value.

Tip: Start with the end in mind. Ask yourself, “How will this decision benefit the organization one year from now?” This perspective will help you assess whether the gains outweigh the costs and ensure alignment with your future vision.

3. Missing Stakeholder Buy-In

One of the biggest threats to successful decision-making is failing to account for stakeholder perspectives. Without their support, even the best strategy can fall flat. This is particularly challenging when tight deadlines make it difficult to gather input.

Tip: Build in time for quick check-ins with key stakeholders. Understanding their viewpoints early helps avoid roadblocks and makes them feel invested in the outcome.

4. Emotional Influence vs. Objective Judgment

Leaders are human, too. When decisions affect people’s jobs, emotions often come into play. While empathy is a powerful tool, it’s essential to strike a balance between compassion and business needs.

Tip: Set clear decision-making criteria that align with your organization’s values. This will help you approach even tough choices with a balance of empathy and logic.

5. Bias and Blind Spots

Even seasoned leaders fall prey to unconscious biases that shape their choices. Biases can cause leaders to overlook viable solutions or default to familiar but ineffective strategies.

Tip: Seek feedback from diverse perspectives to broaden your understanding. A fresh viewpoint can reveal blind spots and highlight new options.

6. Short-Term vs. Long-Term Trade-Offs

Decisions that provide quick wins can be tempting, but they may also sacrifice sustainable growth. Leaders who overlook long-term benefits for immediate results often find themselves constantly firefighting rather than building.

Tip: Use a decision matrix to weigh the impact on short- and long-term goals. This tool helps visualize how each choice aligns with your larger mission.

7. Not Enough Time for Strategic Reflection

In a fast-paced environment, leaders often feel pressed to act quickly, sacrificing thorough reflection. Without time to think deeply, decisions may miss key strategic insights.

Tip: Schedule regular “thinking time” each week. Even 30 minutes can make a big difference in processing information, identifying patterns, and refining your strategy.

8. Incomplete Risk Assessment

In a world of constant change, understanding all potential risks is impossible, but leaders who fail to prepare for unknowns leave their organizations vulnerable.

Tip: Conduct regular risk assessments with your team, discussing “worst-case scenarios” to identify and prepare for potential challenges.

9. Limited Outside Perspective

Leaders can become siloed within their organizations, making decisions without the benefit of external insights. Lack of diverse input can lead to groupthink or limited innovation.

Tip: Engage mentors, advisors, or consultants who bring an objective view to your decision-making process. External feedback can clarify your approach and reveal missed opportunities.

10. Neglecting Cultural Alignment

Even the most well-intentioned decisions can clash with a company’s culture if they’re not aligned with core values. Leaders who make decisions that conflict with the organization’s principles risk losing team morale and trust.

Tip: Before making a big decision, ask, “Does this align with our core values?” If the answer isn’t clear, consider adjusting your approach to reflect the culture you want to foster.

Ready to Build a Culture of Confident Decision-Making?

The most successful leaders know that clear, thoughtful decision-making is a skill - and like any skill, it can be improved. Whether it’s navigating complex data, balancing emotional and logical thinking, or aligning decisions with long-term goals, HR Strategies Now can help you build a culture that thrives on effective choices.

With expertise in organizational culture and decision-making strategies, we work with leaders to create resilient, agile teams ready to tackle today’s challenges and tomorrow’s opportunities. Ready to take your decision-making to the next level? Contact HR Strategies Now to find out how we can help you transform your organization, one powerful decision at a time.

The Role of Performance Management in Succession Planning

Tue, 05 Nov 2024 07:33:07 GMT

Are you ready for the next leadership transition in your organization? In today's fast-paced business environment, ensuring you have a strong succession plan in place is more important than ever. Organizations that neglect this aspect may face skills gaps and leadership shortages that can significantly impact their competitive edge. But how can you effectively integrate performance management into your succession planning strategy to ensure a seamless transition? Let's explore how these two processes can work together to empower your organization.

Identifying High-Potential Employees

A fundamental part of effective succession planning is the ability to identify high potential. Performance management processes open lines of communication and observation that reveal it. Clear performance measurements, delivered through fair and regular appraisals, enable managers to identify people who have the skills, experience, and qualities required to succeed as leaders.

For example, an organization will conduct performance reviews to evaluate its employees based on their ability to solve problems, work in teams, and make decisions. The sooner these high-potential candidates are identified, the better it is for organizations as they work to build a strong pipeline of future leaders. It’s a practice that enables organizations to avoid significant disruptions when key positions become vacant because competent candidates are immediately available to fill the roles.

Developing Future Leaders

The development of identified high-potential employees is truly crucial. Performance management systems are useful for this purpose, enabling the organization to tailor training and developmental programs to their specific competency gaps.

For example, a strong performer with little experience or exposure to leadership can work under a development plan that includes leadership workshops or mentoring programs. Organizations that invest in these individuals not only enrich their talent pool but they also foster employee loyalty and retention. Employees who perceive they are supported and valued are more likely to fully engage and remain with the organization.

Setting Clear Goals and Expectations

Effective goal setting helps ensure the proper alignment between individual and organizational performance. Performance management clarifies roles and prioritizes responsibilities to ensure that individual, unit, and organizational goals are achieved. Constant review and updating of these goals keep employees focused on their development while keeping an eye on organizational success.

Employees often seek more than just a job - they want to be part of something bigger, a vision or initiative they can rally behind. Performance management processes play a critical role in preparing future leaders to recognize, embrace, and actively engage with that greater purpose. Understanding how their role fits into the bigger picture and contributes to the organization’s success is essential, especially for those transitioning into leadership. It provides them with a clear roadmap for personal development and growth.

Fostering a Culture of Feedback and Coaching

Performance management plays a crucial role in shaping a culture that nurtures and prepares future leaders for succession. By setting clear expectations, providing ongoing feedback, and aligning individual goals with organizational objectives, performance management helps employees understand how their contributions fit into the bigger picture. This creates a sense of purpose and engagement, fostering an environment where individuals are motivated to grow and develop. The process encourages continuous learning, guiding employees to take ownership of their development and positioning them for leadership opportunities.

Through structured conversations and development opportunities, employees gain not only technical competence but also the leadership behaviors and cultural awareness necessary for future roles. Over time, this process builds a talent pipeline of individuals who are highly aligned with the organization’s values and capable of driving the company’s vision forward.

Conclusion

Integrating performance management with succession planning is essential for organizations that want to build sustainable leadership pipelines and maintain long-term success. By identifying high-potential employees early, developing their skills, and aligning individual goals with the company’s objectives, performance management ensures that future leaders are prepared to step into critical roles when the need arises. This proactive approach not only minimizes the disruptions caused by leadership transitions but also strengthens the organization’s ability to stay competitive in a rapidly evolving business environment.

Moreover, performance management fosters a culture of growth and continuous learning, empowering employees to develop both personally and professionally. When employees understand how their roles contribute to the organization’s success and feel supported through coaching and feedback, they are more engaged and motivated to grow within the company. This alignment between individual development and organizational goals creates a foundation for effective succession planning - ensuring that each leadership transition builds on a legacy of competence, purpose, and cultural alignment.

So, are you ready to take your succession planning to the next level? If so, contact us today. We’ll help you create a customized approach that ensures your organization is prepared for future leadership changes.

HR Strategies Now – HR consulting in Cypress, Houston, The Woodlands, and beyond.

4 Creative Ways to Create a Positive Off-Boarding Experience for Employees

Mon, 04 Nov 2024 07:42:50 GMT

Handling employee departures well is just as important as managing their onboarding. While it’s challenging to celebrate the loss of high-quality talent, it pays off in the end. Off-boarding provides a powerful opportunity to strengthen relationships, even as they move on.

By investing in a thoughtful and positive exit process, you can leave lasting impressions and even turn former employees into brand advocates.

Here are four unique and creative ways to create a smooth off-boarding experience that shows your genuine appreciation to departing workers.

1. Celebrate Their Contributions with a Personalized Farewell Event

Instead of just an obligatory goodbye email or a quick handshake, you should make their last days memorable by hosting a personalized farewell event. Tailoring the farewell to match their preferences shows you care deeply about them as individuals, not just employees. If they love casual, laid-back settings, organize an office party or a lunch at their favorite restaurant. For those who enjoy formality, a heartfelt speech and gift presentation can make a big difference.

Involving their team members in the process is another great way to celebrate their contributions. Encourage co-workers to share stories or moments that highlight the employee's impact on the company, making them feel truly valued. This simple, but effective act of appreciation can leave them feeling positive about their time with you. Even better, it turns the departure into a celebratory occasion rather than an awkward goodbye.

2. Create a Meaningful Alumni Network for Continued Engagement

Employees may leave the company, but they don’t have to completely disconnect. Establishing a strong alumni network fosters ongoing connection, giving departing employees the opportunity to stay engaged. You can build a structured alumni program that includes newsletters, exclusive events, or access to ongoing professional development resources. This helps former employees stay in touch with current trends at your company, as well as offering valuable networking opportunities.

Beyond formal networks, invite them to contribute to company projects on a freelance or consultancy basis. By keeping the door open, you send a clear message that their expertise is still appreciated. You might even invite them to share insights with your current staff through webinars or guest blog posts. An active alumni network not only shows that you continue to value their talents but also encourages them to remain advocates for your brand long after their official tenure has ended.

It also pays to remember that new employment opportunities sometimes appear better than they actually are, prompting the employee to re-think their decision and explore the possibility of returning.

3. Offer Comprehensive Career Transition Support with a Personalized Touch

When an employee leaves without a defined employment plan, a truly considerate off-boarding process may include helping your employees to transition smoothly into their next career chapter. Providing career transition support such as résumé reviews, interview preparation, and job search guidance is an extremely valuable resource. To take this a step further, you can personalize these services based on the employee’s future aspirations.

Consider working closely with them to understand their next steps. For instance, if they are pursuing a career shift, connect them with relevant industry contacts or provide them with educational opportunities, like free online courses. You could also create a tailored LinkedIn recommendation that highlights their unique skills and strengths, further supporting their career goals.

This level of personalized attention shows that you’re committed to their future success and fosters a positive relationship long after they leave. Departing employees who feel supported are more likely to speak highly of your company, which could also lead to potential future partnerships or referrals.

4. Capture and Act on Honest Exit Feedback in Creative Ways

Exit interviews often feel like a formal obligation, but you can make them an engaging and creative experience that benefits both parties. Instead of the typical question-and-answer format, make the process more interactive by using storytelling techniques. Ask departing employees to share their experiences in the form of stories that capture their key moments within the company. This allows them to provide more honest and nuanced feedback, which can offer invaluable insights into your company’s culture.

You could also offer anonymous feedback channels, such as digital platforms where they can submit their thoughts post-exit. Implementing changes based on their feedback, and then sharing those changes with them, shows that you genuinely value their input. This ensures that they leave with a positive perception of your commitment to improvement.

Additionally, consider using creative feedback tools, like interactive surveys or video exit interviews. Letting them record their responses on video adds a personal touch and gives them more flexibility to express themselves. It’s a modern approach that can leave a more lasting impression than the traditional written format. Plus, reviewing these videos allows you to better capture the emotional tone behind their words, giving you deeper insights into their experience.

Conclusion

A positive off-boarding experience ensures that employees leave your company with good feelings, even after their departure. By celebrating their contributions, offering continuous engagement, providing personalized career support, and having exit feedback, you can create a meaningful and lasting relationship with your former employees. However, if you are still confused then you may approach a good HR project management consulting firm to help you in creating the right off-boarding strategies.

Own Your Growth

Wed, 30 Oct 2024 22:00:21 GMT

Transform Your Performance Review from Routine to Roadmap

As we approach the end of the year, it's important to re-focus and fine tune performance management practices. This post is designed to assist employees in developing their perspectives and, in some cases, completing a self review in preparation for the actual review meeting.

Performance management is an essential process that aligns individual efforts with team and company objectives, fostering both personal and organizational growth. When approached thoughtfully, the performance review process becomes far more than a formal requirement - it can be a valuable opportunity to reflect, set new goals, and gain clarity on your career trajectory.

For those looking to get the most from this process, it’s helpful to view the review not as a critique of the past, but as a developmental conversation that influences your future. A well-prepared review creates space for growth, clarifies expectations, and opens a dialogue with leadership about how you can better contribute to the organization while receiving the support you need.

Performance Reviews: More Than a Scorecard

At its core, performance management is not just about evaluating past performance - it’s an opportunity for self-reflection, strategic planning, and open communication. When employees participate thoughtfully, the review becomes a collaborative process where individual aspirations and organizational goals align. This is the moment to assess achievements, identify challenges, and discuss ways to unlock new potential.

Leaders value specific, measurable input from employees. This feedback provides insight into your strengths, challenges, and aspirations while helping leadership understand how to tailor support for your development. A transparent and thoughtful review can also clarify how your contributions fit into the bigger picture, reinforcing the connection between personal efforts and company success.

How to Maximize the Value of a Performance Review

There are several strategies that can elevate the performance review experience into a meaningful process for both employees and managers. Here are a few practices that support a reflective and results-driven review:

Provide Specific, Measurable Feedback - Employees who reference concrete examples can offer leadership a clearer picture of their contributions. Whether it’s quantifiable achievements or personal growth, specific metrics and examples illustrate where you’ve added value. For instance, instead of a vague statement like “I improved customer satisfaction,” a better approach would highlight, “I increased our customer satisfaction score by 12% over the past quarter through proactive outreach.”

Reflect on Challenges with Honesty - Reviews that focus only on accomplishments miss an essential part of the growth process. Employees who thoughtfully reflect on areas for improvement demonstrate self-awareness and a willingness to develop. Identifying these challenges and discussing ways to address them builds trust and ensures that both parties are aligned on future priorities.

Set SMART Goals for Future Development - Goal-setting is a key component of the performance review, and SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) are often the most effective. Employees benefit from setting goals that are actionable and tied to business objectives. This clarity ensures that future efforts stay focused and measurable.

Highlight Both Individual and Team Contributions - While it’s important to reflect on personal achievements, it’s equally valuable to emphasize how your efforts supported your team’s success. Collaborative accomplishments not only demonstrate teamwork but also show how individual performance aligns with broader company goals.

Engage in Forward-Looking Conversations - The review process shouldn’t focus only on the past - it’s an opportunity to engage in a future-focused discussion about where you want to grow and how leadership can support that journey. This dialogue helps align your personal development with the organization’s evolving needs.

Structuring the Review for Maximum Impact - Performance reviews typically include key sections that guide employees through the reflection process. Here’s a framework that supports thoughtful participation:

Evaluate Past Goals and Achievements - Reflect on how well you met or exceeded expectations. Consider where your performance aligned with company objectives and how your efforts contributed to organizational success.

Identify Areas of Excellence - Discuss the competencies, skills, or behaviors that have enabled your success. Whether it's technical expertise, creativity, or leadership, identifying these areas helps reinforce strengths.

Acknowledge Opportunities for Growth - Honest reflection on growth opportunities creates room for constructive feedback. By framing challenges as areas for improvement, employees can signal a readiness to develop and grow.

Develop Future Goals with Clear Expectations - Goal-setting ensures that efforts are focused on meaningful progress. Align your personal goals with the organization’s direction using the SMART framework to create actionable steps.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

To get the most out of a performance review, it’s important to avoid certain missteps that can diminish the process:

Avoiding Specifics: Vague responses can make it difficult for leadership to assess contributions accurately. Use precise examples to illustrate your impact.
Rushing Through the Process: A thoughtful review takes time. Give yourself space to reflect on each section and provide meaningful input.
Focusing Only on Successes: Growth comes from addressing both accomplishments and challenges. A well-rounded review demonstrates balance.
Setting Broad or Unrealistic Goals: Goals that are too vague or ambitious can be difficult to achieve. Focus on goals that are clear and attainable.

A Collaborative Process for Growth

Effective performance management requires active participation from both employees and leadership. Employees who come to the table prepared not only demonstrate professionalism but also show that they are invested in their personal and professional growth. In turn, managers are better equipped to offer tailored feedback and support, leading to stronger relationships and improved alignment.

Supporting Thoughtful Participation

Organizations often provide resources to guide employees through the review process, such as templates or coaching sessions. These tools ensure that employees feel supported and prepared, enabling them to get the most value from the experience. Employees who actively engage with these resources can make more informed contributions to the process.

Conclusion: Your Review Is an Opportunity - Make It Count

Performance reviews are not just an administrative task - they are an opportunity to shape your career and build momentum for the future. Thoughtful participation ensures that your contributions are recognized and that you receive the feedback and support needed to grow.

Approaching the review with intention transforms it from a yearly exercise into a valuable part of your career development. For those seeking a framework to guide their growth journey, the CLIMB Program provides a structured approach to leadership and performance, helping individuals and teams align their efforts with long-term success.

Strong Cultures Drive Strong Results - Here's How to Build One

Mon, 28 Oct 2024 22:18:16 GMT

How Courageous Business Cultures Drive Lasting Success

N o matter the strategy or tactic, you will never accomplish the results you’re looking for if you have a weak culture. Culture isn’t just a buzzword - it’s the invisible force that shapes how your team behaves, makes decisions, and performs under pressure. Even the best business plans will fall short if your employees aren’t aligned, motivated, and empowered to act with confidence.

Business challenges are constant: turnover, disengagement, missed goals, and a lack of accountability can derail even the most capable teams. The common denominator in these issues is often a weak or misaligned culture. Without a culture built on trust, accountability, and courage, your business will stay stuck in survival mode, unable to move forward with the speed and impact you need to grow.

Why Culture Is Your Competitive Advantage

A strong culture isn’t just a “nice to have” or a bonus for good times - it’s your organization’s greatest asset. Cultures that thrive in the face of change share a few common principles. They foster trust through transparency, encourage open dialogue, and embrace accountability at every level. These elements create a psychological safety net where employees feel empowered to step up, speak out, and take ownership.

Building this kind of culture is what separates high-performing organizations from those that struggle with disengagement and stagnation. When teams trust each other and hold themselves accountable, they not only perform better but also innovate faster and recover more quickly from setbacks.

Courage at the Core of Great Leadership

It takes real courage to develop and sustain a strong culture. Courage to make tough decisions, confront underperformance, and navigate conflict. Courage to lead by example, especially when the path forward is unclear. Leaders who embody this kind of courage inspire their teams to follow suit - creating a ripple effect where everyone takes responsibility for driving results and solving problems proactively.

But courageous leadership isn’t just about bold actions; it’s also about consistency. It means setting clear expectations, giving teams the autonomy to act, and holding people accountable - not through micromanagement, but through shared ownership. When employees feel trusted and empowered, they take greater pride in their work and are more invested in the organization’s success.

The Power of Alignment and Accountability

A strong culture connects people to a shared purpose, making it clear how their work contributes to the bigger picture. Alignment is crucial - when employees understand the “why” behind decisions and goals, they are more engaged and motivated to deliver. But alignment on its own isn’t enough. Without accountability structures in place, even the most aligned teams will fall short.

Accountability is what transforms good intentions into consistent action. It’s not about blame - it’s about making commitments and following through. Teams with strong accountability operate with clarity: they know their roles, their responsibilities, and how their efforts contribute to collective success. This creates momentum that drives measurable results.

Transforming Your Culture Takes Intentionality

A great culture doesn’t happen by accident. It requires intentional, ongoing effort from leadership. This means:

Setting the right foundation with clear values and shared goals.
Creating space for healthy conflict so innovation can thrive.
Empowering decision-making at every level of the organization.
Encouraging collaboration to strengthen connections and foster trust.

As a leader, your role is to model these behaviors and make sure they are embedded throughout your organization. Culture-building is not a one-time project - it’s a continuous process that requires leadership to lean in, address challenges head-on, and create a framework that allows people to grow and perform.

Ready to Strengthen Your Culture and Leadership?

If you’re looking for a practical, proven way to embed these principles into your leadership style and team dynamics, the CLIMB Program offers a structured path forward. This program is designed to help leaders build courageous cultures that unlock innovation, drive accountability, and align teams with organizational goals. The future of your business depends on the choices you make today - will you take the first step toward creating a culture that drives sustainable success?

Four Reasons PSYCHOLOGICAL Safety is Critical in Manufacturing

Thu, 15 Feb 2024 00:53:37 GMT

The Value of Leaning In

Listen up, because I’m about to hand you the key to unlocking the full potential of your manufacturing powerhouse. Forget the traditional focus on just efficiency and productivity for a just hot minute. There’s a powerful weapon in your ranks, one that’s been flying under the radar, but it’s the linchpin to catapulting your success. I’m talking about psychological safety. And before you dismiss this as just another HR buzzword, let me break it down for you.

The Hard Truth

Manufacturing is tough, no doubt. It's all about the bottom line: outputs, deadlines, and cutting costs. But here’s the kicker: while you’ve been laser-focused on the numbers, you might be overlooking the goldmine that is your workforce's potential. Without psychological safety, you’re basically running a race with your shoelaces tied together. Sure, you might move forward, but you’re nowhere near the speed and efficiency you’re capable of.

Why Psychological Safety is Your Secret Weapon

Supercharging Team Performance

Imagine a team where everyone’s scared to speak up. Ideas stay buried, problems fester, and innovation? Forget about it. Now flip that script. In a psychologically safe zone, your crew will be firing on all cylinders, bringing A-game ideas, solving problems like pros, and driving efficiency through the roof.

This isn’t fluffy stuff; it’s the bedrock of high-performing teams.

Igniting Innovation

Manufacturing needs innovation like a car needs gas. Psychological safety is the spark plug. When your team feels safe to throw out wild ideas without fear of being shut down, that’s when the magic happens. These ideas are the seeds of innovation that can keep you miles ahead of the competition.

Reducing Accidents and Errors

Here’s a no-brainer: people who are afraid to admit mistakes or speak up about safety concerns are walking liabilities. By fostering an environment where it’s safe to flag up issues, you’re not just preventing accidents; you’re saving lives, reputations, and a whole lot of money.

Locking In Talent

Talent retention is the name of the game. In an industry where every skilled worker is worth their weight in gold, creating a place where people actually want to work is your best retention strategy. Psychological safety makes your workforce feel valued, respected, and engaged. This isn’t just about making people happy; it’s about keeping your best players on the field.

How to Drive Psychological Safety

Everything Starts with Leadership

This starts at the top. Leaders, it’s on you to set the tone. Show vulnerability, listen up, and back your team. Your actions tell your crew it’s safe to be human, to innovate, and to challenge the status quo.

Cracking Open the Communication Channels

Make talking the norm. Whether it’s regular check-ins, suggestion boxes, or anonymous surveys, make sure your team knows their voice counts. And then, most crucially, act on what you hear.

Skill Up Your Squad

Consider investing in training that builds up soft skills like communication, emotional intelligence, and handling conflict. Make sure everyone knows why psychological safety is critical to your operation.

Fail Forward

Normalize failure. Celebrate the lessons learned from screw-ups and make it clear that taking calculated risks is not just accepted; it’s encouraged.

Build a Band of Brothers (and Sisters)

Inclusivity isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s essential. A team that values diverse perspectives is a team that’s unstoppable.

Wrapping It Up

Psychological safety isn’t just another item on the agenda; it’s the foundation of a thriving, innovative, and resilient manufacturing operation. By embracing and cultivating this, you’re not just improving the work environment; you’re setting the stage for unprecedented growth and success.

So, what’s it going to be? Are you ready to unleash the full potential of your manufacturing environment? Remember, the path to peak performance is paved with psychological safety. Let’s get to work.

Building Alignment and Accountability

Sun, 30 Apr 2023 03:50:14 GMT

Practices to Maximize Your Team's Performance

When you observe your teams at work, what do you see? Are they highly engaged, motivated and powerful? Are they ineffective and dysfunctional? Or maybe somewhere between. If you’re interested in improving your team’s performance, the greatest opportunities lie in improving accountability (personal and organizational), alignment and communication.

Success rests on your team’s ability to work together effectively toward common goals. That means that you, as a leader, have to find a way to focus their efforts and then build and maintain momentum to accomplish your key results.

Here are three things that you can do as a leader to improve the overall performance of the team.

1. Establish Clear Expectations and Goals

One of the most important steps to improving team performance is to establish clear expectations and goals. Employees who have a crystal clear understanding of the work to be complete and the goals to be accomplished are able to work more effectively and with a higher level of engagement.

Without that clarity, employees may not understand what they are expected to do or how their work contributes to the organization's overall objectives. This can lead to confusion, frustration, and ultimately disengagement.

To establish clear expectations and goals, start by identifying the core objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs) that are most important to your business. These may include metrics such as revenue, customer satisfaction, or productivity. Once you have identified your KPIs, work with your team to set specific goals and objectives that align with these metrics.

Remember to narrow your list of objectives to a handful that matter the most. Otherwise the team’s efforts become diluted.

Be sure to communicate these goals clearly and regularly, so that your team understands what is expected of them and can stay focused on achieving their objectives.

2. Foster a Culture of Accountability

Accountability is a crucial component of team performance. When team members feel accountable for their work, they are more likely to take ownership of their tasks, work collaboratively with others, and strive to achieve their goals. However, accountability doesn't happen by accident. It requires a deliberate effort to create a culture where team members feel empowered to take ownership of their work.

To foster a culture of accountability, start by setting clear performance expectations and holding team members accountable for meeting them. Encourage open communication and feedback, and be sure to recognize and reward team members who demonstrate accountability in their work. This can be as simple as acknowledging their contributions during team meetings or providing opportunities for professional development.

3. Improve Communication and Collaboration

Effective communication and collaboration are critical for team success. When team members can communicate openly and collaborate effectively, they can work together towards shared goals, resolve conflicts, and achieve results.

To improve communication and collaboration, start by providing regular opportunities for team members to interact with one another. This may include team-building activities, regular team meetings, or virtual collaboration tools. Be sure to establish clear guidelines for communication, such as when and how team members should communicate with one another, and encourage open dialogue and feedback.

You might also consider providing training and resources to help (leadership) team develop their communication and collaboration skills. This could include courses on active listening, conflict resolution, or effective team communication.

Accountability, alignment and communication create a stronger team chemistry. That chemistry is powerful once its created and builds on itself over time, creating higher levels of engagement, motivation and collaboration. It’s a key driver of your long-term success.

Improving team performance requires a deliberate effort to foster accountability, alignment and communication within your organization. By setting clear expectations and goals, fostering a culture of accountability, and improving communication and collaboration, you can create a team that is engaged, motivated, and willing to work together toward shared objectives. The final result is a greater opportunity for you to achieve your organizational goals and set your business up for long-term success.

The Benefits of an Effective HR Strategy for Small Business

Sun, 09 Apr 2023 23:37:11 GMT

The Value Beyond Compliance and Administration

As a Human Resources consultant, I have seen first-hand the impact that a well-executed HR strategy can have on an organization. While compliance and administration activities are important, they represent only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the full breadth of a Human Resource strategy.

At its core, a Human Resource strategy is designed to align the organization's people, processes, and practices with its overall business objectives. By doing so, it can help to drive employee engagement, improve retention rates, enhance productivity, and create a positive and engaging workplace culture.

Here are some of the key reasons why organizations need to implement the full breadth of a Human Resource strategy:

Attracting and retaining top talent

In today's competitive business landscape, attracting and retaining top talent is critical. A comprehensive HR strategy can help organizations to do just that, by creating a compelling employer brand, offering competitive compensation and benefits packages, and providing career development opportunities that keep employees engaged and motivated.

Developing and nurturing leaders:

A strong HR strategy also focuses on identifying, developing, and nurturing leaders within the organization. By providing leadership development programs, coaching, and mentoring, organizations can cultivate a pipeline of skilled and capable leaders who can drive the organization forward.

Improving employee engagement:

Engaged employees are more productive, more loyal, and more likely to deliver exceptional customer experiences. An effective HR strategy can help to improve employee engagement by creating a positive workplace culture, fostering open communication, recognizing and rewarding employee contributions, and providing opportunities for feedback and collaboration.

Managing change:

Organizations are constantly evolving, and change is a constant. A well-executed HR strategy can help to manage change effectively by ensuring that employees are kept informed, engaged, and motivated during times of transition.

Driving business results:

Ultimately, the goal of any HR strategy is to drive business results. By aligning the organization's people, processes, and practices with its overall business objectives, HR can help to create a culture of high performance that drives growth, innovation, and profitability.

While compliance and administration activities are important elements of a Human Resource strategy, they are just the starting point. To truly unlock the power of HR, organizations need to implement a comprehensive strategy that aligns their people, processes, and practices with their overall business objectives. By doing so, they can attract and retain top talent, develop and nurture leaders, improve employee engagement, manage change effectively, and ultimately drive business results.

Creating Culture Clarity

Thu, 06 Apr 2023 04:05:57 GMT

The Key to Your Long-Term Growth

Looking for great power and potential in your organization? Your culture is the key.

If you’ve been in business for any length of time, you know the importance of company culture. It is the heart of your business and can have a significant impact on employee engagement, retention, and overall productivity.

Just to level set, we’ll define culture as the shared values, attitudes, beliefs, and practices that characterize the organization. It’s the way that business is conducted internally, the underlying tone and “personality” of the business.

There is tremendous value in creating a positive culture. It’s the key to attracting and retaining top talent and brings power to the organization. That power provides the internal energy that’s required for innovation and growth.

Are you willing to be intentional in creating it?

The Importance of a Positive Workplace Culture

A positive workplace culture is one in which employees feel valued, respected, and engaged. It is a culture where people are encouraged and motivated to do their best work. The end result is increased employee satisfaction, better employee retention, and higher levels of productivity. In contrast, a negative workplace culture can lead to low morale, decreased productivity, and high employee turnover rates.

Here's the key: If you want a positive (and powerful) culture, you MUST be intentional in creating it.

Creating a Positive Workplace Culture: What it Takes

Creating a positive culture requires intentional action. If you allow the culture to create itself, you’ll lose its power. Everything starts with defining what you want your culture to be and then taking steps to promote and reinforce it on a daily basis.

Understand that, while culture can be changed, the process becomes exponentially more difficult the longer it remains in its current state. So it’s important to get this right as early as possible.

Here are some key steps to take in creating a positive culture:

Define Your Values (Preliminary)

If you haven’t already done so, define the core values that are important to your company. These values should guide your decision-making and be reflected in your company's mission statement, vision, and goals. This will serve as the foundation for the culture.

Define What You Desire

The first step in creating a positive workplace culture is to define what you want it to be. What values are important to you? What kind of environment do you want to create? How do you want your employees to describe the workplace to others? How do you want your customers to describe their experience in working with your team? Once you have a clear vision of your culture, you can begin to take steps to promote it.

Conduct a Culture Audit

Take the time to assess your current workplace culture. This can be done through surveys, focus groups, and other methods. Identify areas where your culture is strong and areas where it needs improvement.

Lead by Example

Creating a positive workplace culture requires leadership. As a small business owner, you are the one who sets the tone for your company. You must lead by example and model the behaviors and values that you want to see in your employees. This means being respectful, honest, and transparent in your communications, and showing appreciation for your employees' contributions.

Communicate Your Vision

Once you have defined your culture and are leading by example, it's time to communicate your vision to your employees. Make sure that everyone understands what your company stands for and what you expect from them. This can be done through regular company meetings, employee training sessions, and other forms of communication.

Empower Your Employees

Creating a positive workplace culture also means empowering your employees. Give them the tools, resources, and support they need to do their jobs effectively. Encourage them to take ownership of their work and to contribute their ideas and suggestions.

Align Their Efforts

Alignment and personal / positive accountability are keys to performance. Ensuring that employees are crystal clear on their roles, responsibilities, goals, and targets reduces frustration and confusion. Reducing that frustration and confusion is key to protecting your team from an energy drain.

Celebrate Successes

Finally, it's important to celebrate your successes. When your employees achieve their goals, take the time to recognize and reward them. Celebrating successes helps to build morale and reinforces the positive aspects of your workplace culture.

Recommendations for Promoting Your Workplace Culture

Now that you understand the importance of creating a positive workplace culture and what it takes to achieve it, here are five recommendations to help you define and promote the culture that will help your business grow:

Recognize Touch Points

Because culture is a reflection of the practices of the business, it’s important to ensure that the practices, systems, and policies are consistent with the culture that you’re wanting to create. For example, if you’re focused on creating a higher level of innovation in your business, policies that restrict employees from taking appropriate risks would create a disconnect. If you’re interested in driving a better employee experience, organizational practices that create unnecessary frustration would be counter-productive. Ensure that you

Promote Diversity and Inclusion

Create a workplace that is welcoming to people from diverse backgrounds. Encourage open communication, respect for different perspectives, and a willingness to learn from one another.

Encourage Work-Life Balance

Promote work-life balance by offering flexible work arrangements, such as telecommuting if possible. But regardless of the work location, encourage employees to maintain an appropriate balance. Especially your top performers as they tend to push themselves harder (hence the results).

Prioritize Communication and Feedback

Open and honest communication is critical for maintaining a positive workplace culture. Encourage your team members to share their ideas, concerns, and feedback openly, and provide them with multiple channels to do so. Regularly scheduled team meetings, one-on-one check-ins, suggestion boxes, or online platforms for feedback and ideas are all excellent ways to keep the lines of communication open. Ensure that you respond to feedback quickly and transparently, and that you act on any actionable feedback to show your team members that their input is valuable.

Creating a culture of open communication and feedback is crucial for fostering a positive workplace culture. When employees feel that they can openly express their thoughts, ideas, and concerns without fear of reprisal, they are more likely to feel engaged and invested in their work.

To encourage open communication and feedback, start by creating a safe and respectful environment where employees feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and opinions. This means actively listening to what they have to say and being willing to address any concerns or issues that arise. Additionally, make sure to provide regular opportunities for feedback, such as employee surveys or one-on-one meetings with managers.

Celebrate Successes and Recognize Achievements

Celebrating successes and recognizing achievements is essential for maintaining a positive workplace culture. When employees feel that their hard work is appreciated and recognized, they are more likely to continue putting in the effort to help the business succeed. This can range anywhere from simple thank-you notes or shoutouts during a meeting to more formal awards or bonuses.

When creating a culture of celebration and recognition, it is important to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to participate. This means recognizing not only the top performers but also those who have made progress or contributed to the success of a project. Additionally, make sure that recognition is timely and relevant. Recognizing achievements promptly shows employees that their efforts are valued and that their hard work is not going unnoticed.

Conclusion

In conclusion, creating a positive workplace culture is a critical step towards building a thriving and successful business. A positive workplace culture can help to boost morale, increase productivity, and foster innovation and creativity. However, it requires intentional and consistent effort to establish and maintain it. By focusing on values, setting clear expectations, leading by example, celebrating successes, and encouraging open communication and feedback, small businesses can cultivate a workplace culture that promotes engagement, productivity, and growth. Remember, a positive workplace culture is an investment in your team and your business's success..

Planning to Win

Wed, 22 Mar 2023 19:25:32 GMT

Preparing Your Team To Achieve

Summary

A well-formulated plan is the difference between playing checkers and chess in business. It increases alignment, focus, and engagement while reducing waste in time and resources. This article outlines the benefits of effective planning and provides practical suggestions for creating and driving strategy throughout your organization.

What’s Your Dream?

What’s your dream for your business this year? Really… think about it for a minute. If you could accomplish something that would elevate your business to the next level, what would it be? And how would that position you to grow and scale the way that you would like?

The deepest desire for most small business owners is to win… to create a thriving organization that not only creates financial freedom but makes a significant difference in the world. For their customers, stakeholders, employees and themselves, winning is a big deal. And when your team wins, the sense of pride and accomplishment can be enormous.

When you lead your market, everything becomes easier and more (positively) challenging at the same time. You are able to attract customers, applicants, potential investors, suppliers, vendors, media, etc. more easily. The challenge is the effort required to handle all of the growth and activity. But what a problem to have!

But winning in business, or really any other organization, isn’t easy. It takes grit, determination, and, if we’re honest, some good old-fashioned luck. It requires the ability to capture the hearts and minds of a group of people and take them to a level of performance that others typically aren’t willing to achieve.

It’s important to remember that every win or success in business, or really any other organization, begins with a plan.

To say that planning is important is really an understatement. It’s critical because the plan helps you clarify your goals, identify the resources that you need, and layout a roadmap for achieving what matters most. To dive a bit deeper, the process of designing a performance plan enables you to:

Clarify your goals and objectives: Enabling you to hone-in on what matters most and build greater clarity around you’re your short and long-term targets. That clarity improves your team’s ability to make informed decisions and prioritize activities effectively.
Create greater direction and focus: A good plan helps you stay focused on your priorities and avoid distractions that can derail your progress. It also helps you stay on track by providing a clear direction for your actions and decisions.
Identify potential obstacles: Planning allows you to anticipate potential obstacles and challenges that may arise during the execution of your plan. By identifying these obstacles in advance, you can develop strategies to overcome them and minimize their impact on your progress.
Allocate resources effectively: Planning helps you identify the resources you need to achieve your goals and allocate them effectively. This includes identifying the right team members, budgeting for necessary expenses, and establishing timelines more effectively.
Improve communication and collaboration: A well-thought-out plan helps improve communication and collaboration within your organization. It ensures that everyone is working towards the same goals and has a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities .

The vast majority of successful businesses have an annual planning process. But this takes a significant amount of time and effort. And, for small business owners, allocating the time and energy necessary to develop a solid plan can be a challenge. But without a plan, you’re susceptible to a negative cycle as it leads activity and outcomes that are out of alignment with the long-term goals of the business. That, in turn, causes more challenge so time is constrained…. And the cycle continues.

My focus is on building stronger business performance through HR. That’s because everything that leads to the success of your business happens in one way or another through your people. And given the fact that the people in the organization are typically the most complex, costly, and potentially impactful variable, ensuring that you have a roadmap for your performance makes all the sense in the world.

Gaining great traction in your business requires you to move employees to the highest possible level of performance. That means they must understand and actively embrace the vision or plan you’re creating. It’s the only way they can do that is if it is clear and repeatedly shared.

The plan makes the difference between playing checkers and chess in the market. It’s part of effective leadership and it’s required if you want to win.

Everything Starts With The Goal.

Business is about delivering value (results) to stakeholders. Plain and simple. In fact, the only reason strategy, leadership and culture exist is to facilitate the delivery of targeted results. Putting employees in motion (developing strategy, culture initiatives or any other activity) without an end goal in mind sends employees on a fool’s errand. It creates disorganization, confusion, wasted effort, and diffused activity.

So, the practice of clarifying goals is the first step. These are the objective that you’re shooting for at the end of the year. These goal needs to be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results-focused and Time-bound). Only then can you begin making real progress on the plan that’s required to achieve them.

They say that “Culture eats strategy for breakfast”, but a core focus on results sets the table and prepares the meal.

The act of setting goals and objectives (business planning) may not sound like the most exciting activity, but the practice itself and the outcomes associated with it make all the difference in the world. And really, when you think about it, there are a few exciting things about it.

It allows you to dream big: When you're planning for your business's future, you’re able to dream big and envision what it could become. This can be an energizing process that helps you stay motivated and focused on your goals.
It fosters creativity: It can be a creative process that allows you to explore new ideas, strategies, and approaches. It’s an opportunity to think outside the box and come up with innovative solutions to business challenges.
It helps you stay organized: Planning helps you stay organized and focused on your priorities. This can be a satisfying and rewarding experience, as you see your goals and priorities come together in a clear and actionable plan.
It encourages collaboration: Business planning often involves collaboration with others, whether it's your team, partners, or advisors. This can be an exciting opportunity to work with others and tap into their knowledge, expertise, and ideas.
It helps you anticipate and prepare for the future: Planning helps you anticipate potential roadblocks or challenges and prepare for them in advance. This can be an exciting opportunity to stay ahead of the curve and position your business for success.
It sets the tone for action. Action without a plan is messy at best. Planning highlights the key actions that must be taken to accomplish your goals, creates greater alignment and leads to better follow-through and course correction when necessary.

Unfortunately, many small businesses don’t take the time to plan. In part, because their owners and/or leaders are so busy conducting business, they can’t take a step back to evaluate and strategize. They get lost in the whirlwind of everything going on and that distracts them from what really matters.

The fact is, it’s critically important.

Getting Started

So where do you begin? Start with your operating targets, such as revenue, profitability, customer acquisition, and retention. Be specific and write them down. They should be viewed in the context of your stakeholders (customers, community, board of directors, investors, members of your leadership team, your employee base, etc.). Then answer the following ten questions to help you create the plan of action:

What were the accomplishments and challenges of the previous year? What did you learn from these experiences and how do you want to build from them?
What are the major trends and anticipated changes in the industry and market? How will these impact your business?
What changes or innovations do you anticipate in your product or service offerings?
Are you anticipating any significant change in your competitive landscape?
What are your revenue and cost projections for the next year? Do you anticipate a change in your budget or financial plan?
Do you anticipate significant changes in your operational processes or supply chain quality?
What are your staffing and organizational needs for the next twelve month? Do you need to hire new employees or invest in training and development?
What is your marketing and sales plan for the upcoming year? How will you reach your target market and drive sales?
What are your risk management strategies for the upcoming year? How will you mitigate risks and handle unexpected challenges?
What is your plan for growth and expansion in the upcoming year and beyond? What steps will you take to achieve long-term success?

OK…. Eleven.

How will you reduce the amount of time that it is taking you and your leadership team to run the business?

You may also want to consider asking, “What should we start, stop or continue doing to make the operation run more effectively?”

Remember that there are four things that really constitute growth – Revenue, profit, market share and customer acquisition/retention. So, the answer to each of these questions should lead you toward one of those four.

Next, hone-in on the key elements that are going to make the greatest difference to the health and well-being of the business. Strive for three to five key objectives for the organization and they should serve as the anchor for all other objectives.

Why so few? Because creating a laser focus for everyone on just a handful of priorities creates greater power throughout the organization. So, work to reduce the number of non-essential projects that are not directly contributing to your short or long-term objectives. It’s really easy to lose your focus when you’re operating in a fog of busy-ness. Clear away what doesn’t add value.

Involve Your Stakeholders in the Discussion

It’s important to involve your key stakeholders, such as senior leadership, department heads, and employees, in the target-setting process if possible. This will ensure that everyone has a stake in achieving the targets and is committed to working towards them. People will care for what they’ve helped create.

Prioritize

Once the goals are nailed down, they need to be prioritized. If you’re working to achieve something substantial, the time and attention of your team will be stretched. And, as much as you want to achieve all of them, you may be put in a situation where you need to choose between them. Identifying the top three to five that will have the greatest impact on our short and long-term strategy and success is a good practice. This will help ensure that everyone is focused on the most critical targets.

Develop Incremental Targets

The best way to ensure that you are able to stay on track is to set incremental targets, smaller goals under shorter timeframes lead toward the accomplishment of the major goals. Identifying a missed target early on can help you re-group and recover quickly rather than waiting until you’re late in the game.

If you have the actionable, incremental steps in place, the path to accomplishing the goal becomes clearer. The team’s perspective will also improve because the goal becomes more manageable.

Prepare to Measure Progress

Then it becomes a matter of measuring your progress. KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) are the way to do that. They’re the metrics tracked to ensure that you’re continuing to move in the right direction and maximizing your results. Tracking your progress allows you to gauge your effectiveness but it also helps you identify when trouble is brewing that might derail your efforts.

Ideally, this would be accomplished electronically through a dashboard but it’s important to keep this information in front of you. For several clients, I’ve developed wall charts that highlight the key Initiatives, deliverables, and the progress being made against them. Make it as detailed as you would like but make sure that you, again, highlight those elements that are most directly tied to the three to five objectives that you set. Keep it in focus.

Then it becomes a matter of building the practices and processes that will support the journey.

The Employee Variable

The practice of achieving great results on a consistent basis is a serious challenge. The reason is that people are… well, people. With competing priorities and attention spans that are shorter than ever, the ability to keep them on track and motivated is more challenging than ever. But that’s exactly what’s needed.

Their focus and engagement is going to have a dramatic impact. Your ability to effectively drive the goal into their hearts and minds and keep it there makes all the difference. To use a sports analogy, this is about getting them to care as much for the name on the front of the jersey as the name on the back. This differentiates high performing leaders from the rest.

Goals should require stretching… or they’re not big enough. Before people are willing to stretch for something, they need to understand it and embrace it. So, the time invested in crafting a compelling vision of what needs to happen is key. Consider the following questions:

What is the overarching objective that I’m working to accomplish?
Why is the objective important and how will you communicate that importance? (People work harder toward objectives if they understand the reasoning behind it.)
What are you really asking the employee(s) to do?
What obstacles do you anticipate along the way?
How will they personally benefit from accomplishing the objective? (Monetarily or otherwise – Reciprocity is an important part of motivation.
If the objective will truly require them to stretch, how will you support and reinforce the additional effort that’s going to be required for them to pull it off?

Drive Clarity

Once the goals have been created and formalized, the critical work begins… putting them into action. Creating the energy and momentum that generates the results. If you want to maximize your chances of achieving the results you’re after, you have to make sure that your team is crystal clear on what’s expected / desired. Please hear me on this. Setting a clear objective from the very beginning is half the battle.

That means you need to share the information actively, repeatedly, thoroughly, collectively and individually. This is the only way to ensure that everyone will align the way they need to.

During your regular team meetings, the core goals need to be revisited frequently. This helps reduce the influence of competing priorities and reduces the impact of unnecessary work that doesn’t contribute to the result you’re really wanting. In time, all employees should be able to explain what the targets are, why they are important and what’s expected of them collectively to

make it happen.

The reason “Why” that lies behind the goal is important. People work hard for money…they work harder for great leaders…but they work hardest for a common purpose they are truly committed to.

Individual Performance Objectives

One of the pitfalls many small business owners fall into is that they attempt to carry too much of the weight on their own shoulders. Leaders who fail to delegate effectively are asking for heartache because they will end up spending way too much time in the weeds. Setting, managing and coaching on individual performance objectives is the solution.

You need to share the work and trust your team to perform. This is hard for some people as they want to play the “hero” role. But it short circuits growth.

Each of the three to five core organizational or business function objectives should be broken down into smaller activities and deliverables at an individual level. Once again, each element should be clearly stated and SMART (again, Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results-focused and Time-bound). And there should be a means of measuring progress against them.

Ideally, the goals should also be meaningful. Human motivation is messy. If you want the best results from people, it’s important to take the time and connect the dots between what matters to them personally and what matters to the organization. Otherwise, their focus will shift. The key is to help them understand how accomplishing the organization’s goal will benefit them personally – financially, in their career, etc.

If you want to gain more momentum, also work toward enabling your employees to identify each day whether they have progressed toward the goal. This can be a bit of challenge but the people that you want on your team (those that take ownership and strive for high performance) want to see progress and to know where they stand.

Coaching and Feedback

Let’s take a moment to clarify the difference between performance management and performance coaching. There’s an overlap between the two but there are also some subtle differences that are important.

Performance management is the overall approach, process and practice associated with managing the performance of the employee. It’s setting objectives, monitoring progress and reviewing performance. It can also include recognition for high performance and performance improvement plans (PIPs) or disciplinary action for lower results.

Performance coaching, on the other hand, is the act of a leader in guiding and directing progress toward goals. It’s the practice of engaging with employees on a regular basis (rather than once or twice per year) to understand 1) where they are in their progress toward their goals, 2) what’s standing in their way and 3) how the leader can help facilitate forward movement. This is a more frequent conversation and should be occurring on a monthly or quarterly basis. It’s not designed to be a formal conversation but rather an opportunity to identify ways to make additional progress.

Performance coaching is the key differentiator in building higher individual performance. If it’s handled well, it also strengthens the relationship between the leader and the employee. And that relationship is a major contributor in an employee’s loyalty to the business long-term.

Effective individual performance is part of the equation. Another is the team’s performance. The goal is to position the team to accomplish their work effectively, to improve the work product and to ideally deliver results without your direct involvement.

Potential Challenges to Goal Achievement

In the end, one of the greatest obstacles or opportunities (depending on your effectiveness) is in keeping everyone focused and engaged on accomplishing the goals and plans that you’ve established. There are three key challenges to employee and team performance that should be considered.

Becoming Spread Too Thin

One of the greatest challenges that businesses face is a lack of focus. A lack of focus often happens because the organization (and individuals) are spread too thin, trying to address too many objectives. Priorities get lost in the shuffle of all of the activity. The key is to really hone in on a handful of objectives that will have the greatest impact and focus more heavily on successfully achieving those.

Every objective should be carefully evaluated based on the level of impact that it will have on the organization. The key is to simplify, removing non-essential busy work that doesn’t add value. Narrow your list to three to five key objectives that really matter. This is a challenge for some people who tend to protect themselves under the umbrella of busy-ness. But it’s how you gain traction.

Lack of Communication

Entire books have been written on the importance of solid communication practices within organizations. When there is a lack of communication, when information is held close to the vest, and when there is a lack of cadence in sharing information, engagement, trust and focus decline.

Effective leaders work hard to ensure that communication is flowing up, down and sideways through the organization, especially when it comes to the progress being made toward the goals. This improves both alignment and engagement and decreases confusion.

Lack of Buy-in

A lack of buy-in can stem from a number of things including a mismatch in values, a lack of understanding, frustration over perceptions that employees are giving more than they are receiving, or a lack of resources to get their work done. Understanding where employees’ heads and hearts are is part of the battle. Once you understand that (through effective communication), you can respond and begin to build. The biggest issue that many leaders face is often that they don’t dig-in to really understand and build the commitment needed.

If you want to improve your chances of success, you must get employees on-board and enthusiastic about the work that needs to be done. How do you influence the way that people think, feel and act in regard to the goals?

Disengagement occurs when employees are simply told, these are the objectives, now get them done. They need to understand the underlying benefit of hitting the targets, both personally and organizationally. Helping people understand the “Why” behind the work is a big part of the equation. The idea of working on something without purpose is draining. But understanding that your work is contributing to something meaningful or progressing them toward an objective that they believe in leads to greater engagement. Why do the results matter? What does it mean to the overall health and well-being of the organization? What does it mean for the lives of your customers or community?

It's helpful to understand the personal side. What are their personal and professional goals and how does accomplishing the objective help them get closer to achieving them? This is about communication and reciprocity in the relationship and it needs to be instilled in the organization from the top down. The act of sharing success with the team increases buy-in and drives loyalty. You’re working to influence their belief system.

Conclusion

Effective planning is critical for the success of your business. It increases focus, alignment and engagement and it decreases wasted time, effort and resources. It doesn’t have to be a complicated process but the more clearly you define your objectives and the required supporting activity, the more likely you are to gain traction and grow your business.

Great bands use sheet music to ensure everyone is on the same page. It’s the only way to ensure that the melodies and harmonies work effectively together. Your plan is your sheet music. Huge talent without a plan often creates noise but a great plan can lead to a masterpiece!

Once your plans are in place, the next step is to ensure that they remain top of mind and that high levels of alignment, engagement, and accountability are developed within the team.

Remember that continual follow-through makes the difference. Avoid the temptation of shelving your strategy until half-way through the year. It should be a living, breathing document that you reference nearly every day. Progress should be measured through KPIs or general metrics almost religiously and this should be a regular topic of discussion. Continual focus on these reinforces their importance in the minds of employees.

For more information about creating greater alignment, engagement and accountability within your organization, schedule a free coaching call using the link below.

Building Energy In The Team

Thu, 09 Mar 2023 15:30:51 GMT

5 Keys to Driving Positive Results

Building energy in your team is crucial to maintaining productivity, engagement, and ultimately, success. When your team members feel energized, motivated, and excited about their work, they're more likely to produce quality work and collaborate better. Here are five recommendations on how to build more energy in your team.

Set clear goals and expectations

One of the main reasons why team members may lack energy and motivation is that they don't understand the goals or expectations set for them. As a team leader, it is your responsibility to clearly communicate the goals and expectations for each project or task. This helps team members understand their role and feel motivated to contribute towards the overall goal. Remember the importance of setting clear goals (specific, measurable, attainable, results-focused and time-bound) and revisiting them on a regular basis. Use your performance coaching skills to keep the focus and identify and remove obstacles.

Create a Positive Work Environment

Creating a positive work environment is essential for building energy in your team. This means fostering an atmosphere of trust, respect, and appreciation. It also means providing a physical space that is comfortable, bright, and inspiring. A positive work environment encourages creativity, collaboration, and innovation.

Remember to focus on acting as a "thermostat" rather than a "thermometer", intentionally setting a positive "temperature" or tone in the office. Leading can be stressful but always keep in mind that employee performance is easily influenced by how they perceive you and your outlook.

Encourage Open Communication

Effective communication is critical for building energy in your team. As a team leader, you should encourage open communication by creating an environment where team members feel comfortable sharing their ideas, opinions, and concerns. This helps to build trust and encourages collaboration, which in turn increases energy and motivation.

Do your best to be intentional and proactive in your communication, sharing as much information as possible, while recognizing that some things need to remain confidential until the timing is right. The key here is to make sure that employees see you as open to sharing rather than holding everything close to the vest.

Foster a Culture of Learning

Learning and development are essential for building energy in your team. Encourage your team members to continually learn and grow. This can be achieved through training programs, mentoring, or providing opportunities for professional development. It can also take the form of something less formal as you take the time to explain new or better approaches to their work. When team members feel that they are continually growing and developing, they are more likely to feel energized and motivated. They will also tend to be more engaged long-term.

Celebrate Successes

Celebrating successes is crucial for building energy in your team. This means recognizing and rewarding team members for their achievements, both big and small. It creates a positive atmosphere that encourages team members to strive for excellence and to continue pushing towards their goals. It reinforces their perception that their work is valued which is one of the pillars in driving engagement, performance and loyalty. As a biproduct, celebrating successes also strengthens the relationships between team members and fosters a stronger sense of community.

Building energy in your team is essential for maintaining productivity, engagement, and success. Be intentional about it and keep a consistent focus. It takes time as employees need to see a positive pattern before they will wholeheartedly embrace it. But once they do, the results can be tremendous.

Passion for People - Building More Than a Building

brianw.hr@yahoo.com (Brian Wallace) — Sat, 25 Feb 2023 13:41:13 GMT

Human Resources at Church

If you’re leading a church today, there is a great chance that you are very passionate about bringing people into a closer relationship with God and each other. There is nothing like the experience of being instrumental in introducing others to Christ and creating an organization where relationships can thrive and people can continue to learn and grow. It’s exciting when you are focused on the core mission of reaching others and building the kingdom.

Unfortunately, many church leaders find themselves in a tug-of-war between that passion for reaching others and the challenges of building an organization and structure that can support growth. Are you interested in creating an organization with the ability to hire, engage, motivate and retain top talent?

So many of the structural requirements of a thriving church are similar to those you would find in a well-run business. That’s not to say that the church should operate as a business, but it should use some of the same effective practices when it comes to the way that it operates and executes the mission.

When it comes to the behind-the-scenes organizational elements, healthy churches routinely focus on:

Growth and stability
Goal setting and planning
Member / Visitor service and experience
Staffing, organizational and employee issues
Managing employee performance
Expectations on leadership / leadership development
Strength in teams and collaboration
Operational and organizational development
Marketing and branding
Financial acumen and wise stewardship of resources

Many church leaders struggle to address these things effectively. Maybe you find that you face a lack of structure. Or perhaps you hesitate to create structure out of fear that it will lead to bureaucracy. The result is disorganization, inefficiency, and staff (including leadership) being stretched too thin. Unfortunately, one of the most common reasons that people leave the church is due to unmet expectations of leadership and that can easily happen when there’s a lack of organization. The passion for worship and teaching can be overshadowed by process- and practice-related issues.

A supporting structure can strengthen the relationships within your team, fueling your mission rather than stifling it. There is freedom in structure.

HR Strategies Now provides strategic but pragmatic Human Resources consulting services for churches, non-profit organizations and small businesses that lead to greater efficiency, effectiveness, and alignment. It’s about creating an organization with the power to attract, engage, motivate and retain top talent who can move your church’s mission forward. Passion may drive an organization but execution is what makes it effective.

Third Chances

brianw.hr@yahoo.com (Brian Wallace) — Tue, 10 Jan 2023 14:44:25 GMT

Addressing Repeated Issues

How do you know when to draw the line with an employee? Especially when it’s one of your best performers. Imagine that your business depends on a core group of employees to perform well day in and day out. You’ve noticed one employee who performs extremely well technically but you’ve noticed that over the last two months he’s been repeatedly late or absent for his shift. As a matter of fact, you review his attendance and find that he’s been late by more than 10 minutes on nine occasions. You’ve asked him about the issue before but the only response that he gives you is that traffic is bad.

On the other hand, you have another employee who has been with your team longer but struggles technically and requires a great deal of support. He’s just called in for the fourth time in the last two weeks saying that he’s going to be more than 30 minutes late. There’s no valid excuse offered. He’s just going to be late. It’s evident that this employee is not helping your cause. You’re tired of feeling that your employees are taking advantage of you and decide he will serve as a great example when he’s fired after he arrives.

Texas is an “Employment at Will” state so it should be just as easy as making the decision and delivering the news, right? Well, maybe. You have a basic attendance policy somewhere in one of the binders on your bookshelf but there’s been no communication to employees. The importance of getting to work on time should simply be “common sense”, right?

Realistically, it’s not that simple. You can be terminated in an “employment at will” state for just about any reason… or no reason. But an employer is at risk of a “wrongful termination” if there are other issues at play such as written or implied promises of continued employment, evidence of misleading or lying to the employee, discrimination, retaliation and the like. If the employee makes such a claim, the burden of proof then falls to the employer to show that the action was appropriate.

In this particular case, there are at least two known risks. First, there’s no evidence that you’ve shared the attendance policy with the employees and second, you’re being inconsistent in how the policy is administered. If the fired employee challenged the issue, you would first need to be prepared to defend your actions. And in that case, communication of policy and consistency in how that policy is administered is going to be your best approach.

Let’s say for a moment that the terminated employee claimed that they were let go because of discriminatory practices as they are minority or over 40 years old. You are then on the hook for somehow demonstrating that the decision was based solely on the attendance issue. How do you do that if you have no documentation to support it?

This is the reason that it is so important to follow a couple of basic HR practices. First, ensure that you provide each of your employees with an employment handbook that captures and explains at least the most basic expectations such as attendance, prevention of drug and alcohol use, safety, etc. Have the employee sign a confirmation page indicating that they have received it.

Second, ensure that you’re following effective performance management practices. At a higher level, performance management is about ensuring that there is a plan on how business is to be performed. But in this case, it’s an incremental approach to correct a performance or behavior-based problem. It often starts with a basic verbal warning, then progresses to a written counseling notice, a written warning, perhaps a final written warning and then termination. The key message in each of these steps is that you are trying to bring the issue to the employee’s attention and the desire is to return them to good standing.

An effective performance management process will help you in several ways: It will provide structure so employees know what to expect, it serves as a solid communication tool ensuring that expectations are conveyed and it provides the best chance of turning the situation around before it reaches the termination stage. If you are ever challenged on a termination, you will want to be able to demonstrate that the decision was appropriate based on the policy violation and that you are consistent in how you administer that policy. Otherwise you run the risk of having to pay back and future wages as well as court costs and attorney’s fees.

Remember, your communication to an employee that there is a problem is the first step in getting it corrected. And consistency in how you address issues is your best bet in making sure that you avoid a compliance problem.

Interviewing Smart

brianw.hr@yahoo.com (Brian Wallace) — Wed, 24 Aug 2022 20:27:57 GMT

Ensuring the Best Candidate Choice

Ever heard of a game called beanboozled? My kids brought it to my attention a few years ago. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s a game created by Jelly Belly in which players have to choose between two identical looking jellybean candies. The challenge of the game lies in the fact that of each look alike pair of jellybeans, one is the traditional tasty Jelly Belly flavor and the other is truly nasty. Flavors like skunk, sweaty socks, stink bug and dirty dishwasher are all part of the game. Typically, you don’t know the flavor you’ve chosen until your taste buds sound the alarm.

Unfortunately, that’s how the hiring process feels sometimes. You do your best to find the right fit for your organization…. someone who will really make a positive difference and a strong contribution. But it’s weeks or even months before you know whether you truly have that great employee or a challenge on your hands.

I’ve gained a lot of experience over the years in recruiting and interviewing and there are a few things that I’ve learned along the way that may be helpful for you to know. My hope is that these ideas will help you make the best decision possible and increase your odds of a successful hire long term.

First, make sure that you have a very clear understanding of the responsibilities and requirements of the job before you begin accepting or reviewing applications and resumes. Job descriptions are extremely important but they rarely include all of the nuances that can impact the employee experience. Make sure that you are ready to accurately and candidly describe the role in both the job posting and interview process. It may be tempting to try to sugar coat some elements in hopes of finding better candidates but long-term, this is counterproductive. Provide a balanced view of both the opportunities and challenges.

Second, ask the right questions…and avoid the wrong ones. Behavior-based interview questions in which you ask about how they’ve handled specific situations in the past are still (in my opinion) the best indicator of whether they have the experience and skills necessary to perform. Yes, I realize that candidates are more prepared than ever for these questions. The trick is to listen carefully to the answers and ask follow-through questions to ensure you're getting the full (and accurate) story.

Remember that it is not only ill-advised but illegal to ask questions related to their race, age, religion, national origin, disability, gender (including orientation) and even marital or family status. You can ask whether they are legally able to work in the U.S. but cannot ask where they were born. Focus on open-ended questions and commit to only speaking 20% of the time. Your goal is to enable them to talk as much as possible rather than dominating the conversation yourself. Also, prepare the questions ahead of time. Shooting from the hip is great in some settings but not in an interview.

Third, expect the candidate to be prepared. They should be dressed appropriately based on your environment (or perhaps one step above). They should have knowledge about both the position and the company and be able to discuss how they feel they will be able to contribute to its success. They should also have questions prepared other than pay and benefits. Overall, they should give you the impression that they have done their homework ahead of time.

Fourth, make sure that you are considering the match between the candidate and your operating culture. While you may be tempted to hire someone with incredible technical skill, if there is a mismatch between their style and your culture and you hire them, you will soon be going through the process all over again. When you ask questions, do their answers give you the impression that they are aligned with not only the “what” of the job but also the “how” and the “why”. You can train on technical skill. It is far more difficult to train on behaviors.

Finally, remember that you are far better off being patient and finding the right candidate than you are rushing to simply fill a position with a warm body. If the candidate is a 90% match and can easily be trained on the remaining 10%, that’s great. But if they are only a 60% match, can be trained on 30% and have a disconnect with your culture, wait. It’s better to have a vacancy than to spend your time trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.

Today’s hybrid work environment and all of the nuances of Covid-19 make it even more important to make sure that you’re hiring smart. Your customer experience depends on it. And the next time your kids offer you a Jelly Belly candy with mischievous smiles on their faces, think carefully before proceeding.

Compelled to Contribute

brianw.hr@yahoo.com (Brian Wallace) — Wed, 10 Aug 2022 00:07:14 GMT

Seven Engagement Actions You Can Take Today

This morning, I visited a well-known fast-food restaurant in hopes of grabbing a “highly nutritious” breakfast on my way to a meeting. As I pulled up to the drive through speaker, I heard “What can I get for you today?” I placed my order and received a short “$5.85”. And then silence. Driving further to the window it was easy to tell that the employee wanted to be anywhere but there. He had a long day ahead. In the end, I received the breakfast, and the order was correct but the experience was lacking.

Perhaps I’m expecting too much but the level of engagement that I experienced when interacting with this restaurant’s brand was really low. The next time I want breakfast, I will think twice about whether I want to visit that restaurant.

Now contrast that visit with one that you’ve likely experienced where an employee is highly engaged, happy to help you and believes in the product that they are selling. It’s a completely different experience and, more than likely, will result in your wanting to not only come back to the business but ask for that particular employee. Long term, you know that this business is more likely to thrive and grow than the former.

What’s behind engagement and why does it really matter as long as the work is getting done? In short, employee engagement is the demonstrated behavior of employees who are interested in performing their best work not only for a paycheck but because they believe in the business and what it stands for.

It’s the demonstration of a conscious commitment to spread the brand message and leads to employees exhibiting discretionary effort… the “more-than-minimum” effort that often makes the difference between a poor and incredible customer experience. It yields something greater than passive agreement and compliance. It’s also one of the reasons that businesses with highly engaged employees tend to outperform their competition by just over 200%.

The neuroscience behind employee engagement is interesting. When someone is highly engaged in their activities, the brain chemical dopamine is released and it activates the “reward” and self-regulation circuitry. The “threat” circuitry is also activated but to a much lesser degree. The result is an individual who wants to keep themselves in that reward state. Because the dopamine is released into the pre-frontal cortex (the “thinking” part of the brain) and other related regions, there’s a positive effect on several cognitive and emotional functions.

Over the last two years, it’s become increasingly important to focus on employee engagement, especially when it comes to managing the effects of the changes we’ve experienced in work environment, location and process. Middle managers in particular have had to develop an even better understanding about the importance of engagement and how it can be driven even in a hybrid environment.

How is your organizational health when it comes to employee engagement levels?

Can your employees visualize what happens when they are successful in their roles?

Do you notice that your employees are staying connected and interested in the nature of their responsibilities and your company overall?

Do you observe them putting discretionary effort into their activities to ensure successful outcomes?

Does your customer experience feedback suggest that employees are doing as much as they can to build your brand?

Is there regular and proactive communication occurring throughout your team about how to further improve and innovate?

Do you get the sense that employees trust and care for one another, building a sense of belonging and motivation?

It’s about far more than simply making sure that your employees are “happy”. Happy is fleeting. Focus on driving engagement.

Here's how...

Hire right - Make sure that you are only candidates who appear to have the capability and capacity to be engaged in what you're doing.
Talk with them about the purpose and impact of the business looking for connections with their personal interests.
Help them clearly understand the vision of what’s to come - Make sure there is clarity on purpose and direction.
Provide the proper tools and resources for them to get the job done.
Make sure that the values of the organization are consistent with how business actually gets done.
Work with your middle managers and front-line leaders to ensure that they are driving a sense of connection between your employees and the organization.
Take the time to recognize and appreciate situations where people are impactfully demonstrating your values
Remember that the biggest contributor to employee engagement is their relationship with leadership.
Find opportunities to be a living example of how to drive engagement in others.
Provide opportunities to learn and grow, regardless of whether it involves a position change.
Trust and support your employees as they take calculated risks
Find the means to support a healthy work/life balance (for yourself as well)
Support opportunities to speak freely. There is real value in two-way communication
Recognize significant progress as well as results

Engagement plays a major role in driving retention and results. Make it a part of your operating playbook.

The Human Resources Strategy

Tue, 02 Aug 2022 12:42:58 GMT

Navigating Toward Strength In Performance

Like any business-related strategy, the purpose of the Human Resources strategy is to help an organization make meaningful progress toward achieving an end state or goal. Over time, I’ve found that many small businesses partner with a payroll provider to ensure their people are paid properly and away they go. “But why would you need anything more?”, you might ask. The fact is that the long-term future and success of your organization is dependent on the performance of your people...even more than your products or services.

The Human Resource strategy is your overall plan for managing your human capital and aligning it with your business activities. It sets the direction for all of the key functional areas of HR, including organizational design, compensation, benefits, manpower planning, talent acquisition, on-boarding, training and development, performance management, employee relations, succession planning and off-boarding. The strategy also serves as the foundation for policy and procedure development and risk management efforts. All of these components serve one purpose… to move you closer toward your end goal of growing your business.

The starting point for any HR strategy should be the overall business strategy. Most annual business plans focus on five to seven key elements of the business where there’s a desire to drive improvement. This is in addition to the annual sales and revenue targets. Those objectives will often be impacted by market conditions, sales, operating conditions, supply chain, etc. But they will also be impacted by Human Resource practices, the employment market, the competency level of your team, the business culture, the availability of resources and much more.

Advances in team performance rarely happen overnight. It takes time and focused energy to find the right talent, align the right resources, create training and development experiences, ensure that procedures are identified and outlined and create the underlying structures and systems that keep all of it running. Left to chance, the results will be moderately effective at best. Business success happens when people do the right things the right way. The HR strategy is a roadmap that keeps the focus on the “right things” that will move the business forward.

In preparing your HR strategy, some of the key questions that you may want to address are as follows:

What are the connection points between your HR function and your company’s P&L?
What are the key operational initiatives and how does HR need to better support them going forward?
Is the organization structured properly to support your next phase of growth? Do you have the right people in the right seats with the right skill sets? Will they still be right in two years?
Is there a clear vision in place for the next three years and, if so, how well is that vision being communicated down through the organization?
Do you have an employee handbook in place along with policies and procedures for your day-to-day business? (HINT: This is where traction is most often gained.) Does it present the company’s mission and values?
Is there an intentional focus on articulating and designing the culture and other organizational dimensions that are going to propel your team forward? (HINT: This will have a significant impact on your ability to retain your top performers.)
Are all weekly transactional processes working effectively (payroll, recruiting, benefits administration, etc.)?
Do you understand your current top three risks in your HR practice and are you working to address them?
Have you created job descriptions for all positions?

These are just a few of the questions that should be considered each year and really cover the basics. Creating an effective HR strategy does not have to be difficult and it doesn’t have to monopolize your time. It’s a matter of using the right information to create incremental changes that can pay big dividends in the future.

Why Focus On HR

brianw.hr@yahoo.com (Brian Wallace) — Tue, 26 Jul 2022 13:33:46 GMT

Responding to The Great Resignation

If you’ve been in business for any length of time that requires employees, you’re aware that its success depends on your having the right people in the right seats at the right time doing the right things. That’s a tall order but if you miss it, you’ll likely struggle to keep everything running smoothly.

A well-planned Human Resources strategy ensures that you have the resources and capability required to achieve your operational goals and objectives. It provides the drive behind your operational strategy, aligning people with the right competencies to the goals of the organization.

Recently many companies have witnessed the impact of the Great Resignation as employees have sought greener pastures at record numbers. As a matter of fact, the Houston Chronicle recently reported that the “turnover tsunami” may not have crested yet. Businesses will continue to battle it out for talent.

But when you’re a small business with so many competing priorities, what’s the benefit?

Why spend the time and money necessary to put this together? Because strategy is part of smart business. You get things done by creating and executing a plan rather than hoping that the right thing is going to happen on its own.

The value of a solid Human Resources strategy for your business is more important than ever. because it places you in a more competitive position when it comes to your ability to attract and retain those you need to keep the business running. The availability and effectiveness of your most important (and often most complex) resource (your employees) largely depends on the amount of time and effort you put into establishing solid HR practices. You set specific operational goals and action plans to ensure that your team achieves the desired performance at the end of the quarter or year. HR activity should be no different, especially when your employees have the potential to be a competitive advantage.

Your HR practices, policies and activities are going to have a significant impact on your ability to attract, engage, motivate and retain top talent. They fuel the machine that performs the work that delivers value to your customers. They create the culture that centers decisions, influences performance and tells the community what you stand for.

Research has repeatedly shown over the years that companies who focus heavily on Human Resources and the development of human capital outperform those who don’t when it comes to revenue and profitability. Perhaps part of the reason is that there is power in discretionary effort. And those companies who focus on their HR practices are more able to tap into the discretionary effort of their teams. That’s a significant part of becoming effective as an organization.

Right people, right seats, right time, right things. That’s a lot to leave to chance. You could leave it up to your supervisors or leaders to feel their way through it. But why not be intentional instead? In light of the business strategy, a well-planned HR strategy builds and supports organizational capability and yields better results.

Why Talent Isn’t Enough: Building a Culture That Drives Performance

brianw.hr@yahoo.com (Brian Wallace) — Wed, 29 Jun 2022 15:12:36 GMT

The Impact of Your Employee Investment

Most leaders believe their biggest challenge is talent - finding it, developing it, retaining it. But talent alone doesn’t drive results. Execution does. Alignment does. Accountability does. And those are products of culture. If your organization isn’t performing at the level it should, the issue likely isn’t capability - it’s the cultural operating system shaping how your people think, decide, and act every day.

Consider the fact that the people in your organization (their efforts, ideas, performance and behaviors) will have the greatest impact on your customer experience, innovation activity, revenue growth and profitability. Payroll may also be the largest cost center in your organization. So doesn’t it make sense to focus on establishing Human Resource practices that lead to growth?

“But it’s a cost center”, you might say. “Why would I want to spend any more time or money on it than I have to?” The most important reason is that Human Resource practices, when managed properly, have been shown to have a massive impact on long-term profitability and growth.

Take your culture, for example. Human Resource practices play a massive role in ensuring the health of your culture, protecting it and ensuring that it permeates the organization. Effective HR practices are also designed to ensure that employees remain engaged and focused…bringing discretionary effort to the table.

Engagement happens when people are clear about the purpose, meaning and value of their work and when their core needs are met. While Managers are often the key influencers of engagement, HR practices support the design, evaluation and development of the career opportunities that bring about growth. Meaningful work, culture, personal relationships, appropriate compensation and development opportunities are five of the most important elements that impact employee retention.

Several HR activities also have a direct impact on the bottom-line results of the organization, including controlling recruiting, benefit, compensation and regulatory costs. The ability to minimize legal risk and related financial penalties is also a significant responsibility.

The effects of performance management, training and development, and general administration may be more indirect but play an equally important role when it comes to long term viability and readiness to drive the competitive advantage that comes with hiring, engaging, motivating and retaining top talent.

The role of HR has clearly evolved over the years. It’s about driving the strategies that create the organizational growth.

Six Ideas to Improve Your Performance Management Practices

Tue, 08 Mar 2022 17:05:29 GMT

Position Employees for Growth

Let’s talk about performance management for a few minutes. Why? Because I know that it’s everyone’s favorite topic, especially around this time of year. Typically, managers can’t wait to complete the annual performance review cycle in the midst of everything else that needs to be done wrapping up one year and starting the next.

Performance management is about more than performance reviews. Really it’s about focusing attention and energy in the right direction. Think about it for a minute. If you were to encourage everyone to energetically do whatever they please, the result would be chaos, right? But a solid performance management process is going to channel their efforts.

I like power washing. I know that’s weird but there is something satisfying about being able to remove the dirt and grime from my back patio. I could choose to simply use a hose or a bucket of water, but the power washing tool (the system) focuses the water and accomplishes work. A good performance management practice is similar in that it provides the system or structure that affects change (hopefully with a bit less pressure).

Here are a few of the pieces to an effective performance management practice:

SMART objectives – The acronym SMART refers to specific, measurable, attainable, results-oriented and time sensitive. Objectives are often tied to general performance metrics or strategic goals of the organization. They should be discussed and agreed upon with the employee at the beginning of the performance period. Ideally, at least one objective for the period will be development-related.
Coaching – The value of a coach lies in their ability to develop and execute a strategy through others. It’s a matter of teaching, encouraging and driving activity in a manner that drives results. On-going coaching throughout the performance period is needed to ensure continued focus. It also enables you to learn about and remove obstacles to performance earlier in the process.
Documentation – Few employees enjoy creating documentation. But it’s critically important. You may have heard the phrase, “If it’s not documented, it didn’t happen.” Documentation can be in the form of a performance review, a recognition statement, an incentive letter, a disciplinary action document or an investigative file. It’s the proof of action. And, when proof is needed to support an employment action or better understand an employee’s work history, it’s extremely helpful to have it in place.
Corrective Action – When it’s warranted, a clear process on how to correct performance or behavior issues is a benefit. And it’s necessary in order to keep the organization running smoothly. An incremental approach to improving employee performance allows you to correct issues before they become more “career altering” or life changing. Generally these start with a simple discussion and action plan on how to turn things around. And if the improvement is not made, you would then progress to a documented formal counseling notice, written warning, perhaps a final written warning and then termination. Some of these steps may be skipped when a more serious issue presents itself – something that’s especially egregious.
Reward and Recognition Systems – Reward and recognition systems are designed to tap into an employee’s extrinsic motivation. To capture their attention and give them a desire to accomplish a high level of performance. Examples may include compensation increases, incentives, public recognition, additional time off and other positive influencers. Ideally, there is a solid balance between the use of corrective action and reward and recognition systems.
Consistency – As I’ve mentioned in several other articles, your consistency in the manner in which you address successes and failures is extremely important. Assuming that you follow your performance management plans, it clearly communicates to employees and outside agencies that people are treated fairly, with dignity and respect when they are part of your organization. Demonstrate those three elements and your risk will be minimized.

Performance Management systems that are run effectively serve as important motivational tools to ensure that your employees remain engaged and focused and your business continues to move forward.

Your Employment Brand At Work

brianw.hr@yahoo.com (Brian Wallace) — Mon, 14 Feb 2022 18:48:54 GMT

4 "Musts" For Ensuring A Positive Employment Brand

When you think of a popular or powerful brand, what comes to your mind? Almost everywhere you look today, companies are putting their best efforts into creating and communicating their brand images and messages in a way that makes you want to do business with them.

When you think of a brand like Apple, Coca Cola or Proctor and Gamble, their marketing departments work incredibly hard to place the right thoughts into your mind and to influence you to spend your money on their products. According to Merriam Webster, the term “brand” refers to “a public image, reputation or identity conceived of as something to be marketed or promoted.”

An employment brand is not much different. It’s the reputation of your business in the community when it comes to your hiring, management and treatment of your employees. It’s the way that your organization is perceived by others as a place of employment. And it can have a substantial impact on your financials as well as your ability to attract high performing talent.

If you think you’re too small to have a reputation as an employer, you may want to at least review the Glass Door and Indeed websites to see if any comments have been made by current or former employees. While positive comments on these sites can drive talent your direction, negative comments can serve as a warning beacon to otherwise interested candidates.

Here are four recommendations on how to create and maintain a positive employment brand. And they don’t require a great financial investment.

First, treat your employees right… with dignity and respect. Hard to believe that actually needs to be mentioned but you might be surprised at some of the environments that I’ve encountered over the years where we have to revisit the concept of basic human kindness. If a member of your management team is damaging your employment brand through their actions, address it. First time managers in particular, take note… people will generally perform at a much higher level when they are treated well. A bit of appreciation and/or a sincere “thank you” goes a long way. I recently heard an executive tell his management team, “Your employees are going to talk about you with their families over dinner tonight. Make sure it’s positive conversation.”

Second, be intentional about marketing when it comes to the careers page of your website or advertisements for openings. Include (accurate) information about the work experience, the culture, the environment, the development opportunities, community involvement, etc. What is it like to work there? What is your Unique Value Proposition? Especially in light of the “great resignation”, now is the time when you must put your best foot forward in your messaging.

Third, be very intentional about developing your culture. Workplace culture refers to the environment that you create for you employees. It’s a general description of the way things are done. And its shaped in the minds of your employees every time they observe your leadership style and the decisions that you and the members of your team make. Keep your standards high, lead by example and work to surround yourself with people who are better than you are.

Finally, show sincere interest in the development of your employees. Whether it’s in reference to internal career opportunities, external training, stretch assignments or simply a gradual mastery of their responsibilities, most employees have a desire to progress and improve over time.

Remember… Your brand is created by the stories that your employees tell others about their experience with your company. And it’s about the perception that applicants have of your business as a place to work. When it comes to your ability to attract, engage, motivate and retain top performing employees, your employment brand is a powerful tool.

10 Questions to Improve Your Employer Brand

brianw.hr@yahoo.com (Brian Wallace) — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 17:34:44 GMT

Recruiting? A Great Employer Brand Matters!

More than likely, you are very familiar with the concept of a product or company brand strategy. It’s intentional messaging that’s created in order to shape a consumer’s perspective. Companies spend millions of dollars carefully crafting just the right message that’s designed to draw you in for the purchase.

Marketing works. And companies that know how to tell the right marketing-related stories often thrive. They understand the importance of drawing the audience in and piquing their interest. When it comes to recruiting the right talent for your business, a well-designed marketing plan can also make a huge (and long-term) positive impact as it draws high-quality candidates to your business. That’s your employer branding message at work.

Recently I’ve spoken with several small business owners who are having a hard time finding candidates to fill their open positions. Vacant positions that would normally be filled in a few weeks are taking far longer and this is putting a strain on productivity levels. If you have an opening or expect to in the near future, one of the most important things you can do is work on articulating your employment brand before you start recruiting. This will help candidates better understand who they are connecting to when they fill out an application.

The employment brand is your recruiting identity. A story, if you will, about who your company is as an employer and what it’s like to work there. It’s your reputation as an employer. And it’s something that more and more candidates are taking seriously, particularly those that are ambitious and career minded.

Similar to your marketing brand, it’s information that helps a candidate (customer) know what they should expect when they are interacting with you. While some companies use big budgets to shape candidate perceptions, even smaller businesses have a story to tell. The key is in unlocking (and articulating) your story. Whether you use pictures, videos, or simple text, your story needs to come through. It’s the face of the company and it should be presented in as flattering (and truthful) light as possible.

Here are ten questions to help you form your messaging as you engage candidates. The ability for a candidate to resonate with the answers will have a significant impact on whether they apply for and accept a position with your company.

How do you want to be described as an employer and where are you now in comparison?
What elements of your culture or company values are most critical for your long-term success?
What is the passion behind the business? And how far does that reach down through the organization?
What can (and should) employees expect when they are working for you, not just in the first 30 days but in years to come?
Besides a paycheck, what do your employees receive in exchange for their work?
When you ask your current employees what it’s like to work for your organization, how do they respond? How do they tell the story of your culture?
What is unique about your culture or your approach to business that may resonate with others?
What stories do people share about how others have progressed through the organization?
What should a candidate realistically expect in your application and hiring process?
What does "diversity and inclusion" mean to your business and how is that integrated into your cultural “fabric”?

The answers to these questions should ideally be formed into a narrative that you can include with your recruiting messages. Once the narrative is created, it can be shared on your website, social media outlets, within your advertisements, etc. Notice that this list did not include a reference to compensation and benefits. Those elements can be added but the core focus should be on the deeper identity and values of the business.

More than ever before, candidates are doing their homework and diving in to understand what it’s like to work for a company before they interview or accept a position. Intentional messaging and a bit of marketing can be very effective in drawing the right candidates close when an opening exists. Today's employment market is tight and those companies that can effectively share what makes them unique are better positioned to hire the top candidates.

Now is the Time for a Better You!

brianw.hr@yahoo.com (Brian Wallace) — Wed, 02 Feb 2022 15:41:44 GMT

Stop Putting It Off Until Tomorrow

Today is yesterday’s tomorrow. Stop putting it off until tomorrow! If you’ve ever held off on an opportunity to improve the day for someone, including yourself, today is your day. The world needs you and your positive influence. When it comes to making a positive impact, one of the questions most often asked is “How?”. Here are five relatively simple approaches that I’m hopeful make the world around you just a bit brighter.

Practice awareness and empathy – Emotional intelligence. Basically, it’s a matter of paying close attention to the emotional impact that your words and actions have on others and adjusting them accordingly to bring about the best possible result. The trick is often to stop long enough to think through what’s happening around you. When you ask someone how they are doing, stop long enough to hear the answer.
Encourage toward growth – Personal growth can be tough. But often, a clear word of encouragement can make the difference between someone stepping up to the challenge and backing away from it. It’s amazing the difference it can make when there is someone in your corner who truly wants the best for you. Be that person.
Challenge yourself to do something that will stretch your ability – Generally people enjoy comfort…the comfort of what’s normal for them. There is nothing inherently wrong with this but the decision to push past that comfort and do the things that expand your capability often leads to greater opportunity. That willingness is often the difference between mediocre and incredible results. Your dream is not going to wait for you. Chase it down like the squirrel on the movie Ice Age chases the acorn! You are always stronger and more capable than you realize.
Make the decision - There are some days when you simply have to wake up and decide that you’re going to take steps to improve your circumstances. That means deciding to get and stay healthy, develop a positive attitude and treat others right. It’s a matter of realizing that today is a gift and shouldn’t be taken for granted. Realizing that you do have power to succeed in life.
Stay grateful – Gratitude is powerful medicine. And there are plenty of times when I need to remind myself to take it. By taking stock not in what I’m missing but all of the blessings that are in front of me. Even when it doesn’t seem to be the case, we all have much to be thankful for. Feel your chest rise and fall? Thank God for that. Make a gratitude list and refer to it regularly.

Small Business Needs Human Resources

brianw.hr@yahoo.com (Brian Wallace) — Thu, 27 Jan 2022 16:46:01 GMT

The Value of HR Outsourcing

One of the functional areas often neglected by small and medium-sized businesses is human resources. The reasoning is easy enough to understand. When a company is in its early stages, focused on establishing itself and carving out a niche in a highly competitive business environment, production, operational and front-line staffing tend to take priority over “back office” functions like human resources.

Unfortunately, this strategy is shortsighted and can cripple the company for a number of reasons. Businesses that succeed are focused on the long-term. For example, when a company is growing and pursuing larger opportunities, that’s when the need is greatest to find and hire highly qualified staff.

Without an HR team in place, recruitment is difficult. Even worse, the lack of HR resources can lead to existing staff becoming disgruntled and leaving for greener pastures, which can be extremely damaging to productivity and morale.

As companies grow, procedural issues such as workforce planning, compensation, performance management, training and development, labor law compliance, Workers Compensation administration, benefits programs, and payroll all become more demanding.

Many owners of smaller businesses that are growing feel caught in a trap. They can’t afford to create a human resources department like the big companies have, nor can they afford to focus on HR issues themselves for fear of losing growth momentum at a time when hands-on leadership is needed for operations.

The solution that many successful businesses have employed is to hire an HR consulting firm to evaluate the business and undertake critical services. Outsourcing one’s human resources department is a national trend - from top five banks to small businesses across the country. The benefits of working with an outside professional are many.

Choosing to outsource HR services has the advantage of providing experienced human resources support without the disruption, distraction and expense of implementing an onsite HR department.

A full-service HR firm like HR Strategies Now partners directly with you to ensure that your operational strategies can be executed through solid practices from the creation of your HR strategy to hiring, compensating, training, managing, leading and even off-boarding if necessary. It’s a matter of implementing the critical processes that will help you deliver your brand promises and improve your customer experience.

By being proactive, not only will you position yourself for intermediate and long-term success, but you will have an edge over your competition by hiring and retaining better employees.

One of the greatest advantages to engaging with HR Strategies Now is the short timeline that’s required for you to be seeing meaningful results. When you hire an HR Manager directly, you can expect that it will take upwards of 45 days to hire a candidate and 90 days for full on-boarding and acclimation. By taking advantage of common threads of practice across industries, HR Strategies Now can help advance your initiatives much more quickly and at a lower cost.

If you’re interested in learning more, contact HR Strategies Now at 346-525-3600.

Seven Goal Setting Imperatives for Great Performance

brianw.hr@yahoo.com (Brian Wallace) — Mon, 13 Dec 2021 18:45:15 GMT

Do you actively set goals for your business? Are they written down? Are you tracking your progress against them? If you’re a successful small business owner, you know the importance of setting specific goals that can help you move forward.

As we approach the end of the year and businesses are setting goals for 2022, remember that goals create focus and direction. They build motivation, enable you to measure progress and serve as a powerful communication tool when it comes to mobilizing your team around a common purpose.

Here are seven key points that will help you make the goal setting process more effective.

Set them. Yep. That’s the first recommendation. But surprisingly few people take the time to set goals. And, as a result, few people accomplish the things that they believe are important in life or in business. The act of setting specific targets creates a sense of commitment and direction that propels you to focus on their accomplishment. If you want to achieve more in 2022, set meaningful goals (beyond your New Years’ Resolutions).

Remember the SMART acronym . SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time Bound. Well-written goals are detailed and provide a clear picture of what is to be accomplished and how. They contain metrics that can be evaluated, are reasonable, are relevant to the final outcome that’s desired and have specific deadlines. The combination of these elements provide clarity on how performance matches the desired end-state.

Stretch . In order for goals to be effective, they need to create some degree of stretch or tension. Otherwise they will be put on the back burner. When managed properly, stretch goals will often improve the competence and productivity level of your team. They can be transformative. The key is to balance the “stretch” with the “attainable” factor mentioned above.

Write them down . A goal that’s not written down is merely a wish. Writing your goals down not only helps you clarify what you want to achieve, it also creates the record against which you can measure your progress. That is what helps you repeatedly and regularly shape your daily activities toward the accomplishment. Remember that tenacity and resilience are key.

Create an underlying strategy for each goal . It’s one thing to identify a goal that you’d like to accomplish and something altogether different to plan specifically how it’s going to be accomplished. What are the specific actions that you must take in order to accomplish them? What resources will be required? What is the timeline? This is where the rubber meets the road as it keeps the focus on the key behaviors and action items required over time.

Share them . When you share your goals with others, you increase the likelihood that they will be accomplished. This is because people generally want to present themselves as being accountable. Of course that means that if you don’t progress, you will have to “own-up” to it. Most often, it provides the incentive needed to keep yourself moving forward.

Celebrate incremental progress . Most worthwhile goals require attention from your team over a significant period of time. The celebration of incremental wins builds dopamine feedback loops within their minds that can help keep their level of focus on progressing toward the final goal. Dopamine is a powerful brain chemical that reinforces action with positive feelings.

Setting goals and objectives is an essential part of small business success and the practice is worthy of your time and attention. As a matter of fact, setting and adjusting your goals and the required supporting actions is a never ending process.

Plan it out. Commit and drive an effective vision that’s clear for everyone on your team that keeps them focused on great things ahead. Build the motivation that leads to your team’s overall success and allow that to become a significant part of your culture and employee experience.

20 Questions HR Should Be Asking

Thu, 02 Dec 2021 23:10:50 GMT

Maximizing Your Impact

Have you ever played “20 Questions”? The objective is to ask a maximum of 20 questions that would enable you to guess the secret topic that another player has written down. The more strategic the questions, the fewer need to be asked. It’s a great way to pass the time on long car rides. The right questions can also help you a great deal in business.

In recent years, Human Resources professionals have increasingly focused on becoming more purposeful and strategic in their contribution to the success of their employers. While a great amount of progress has been made, there is still an opportunity to improve. In order to move forward, it's important to understand the real interplay between HR and the revenue generating or cost control functions of a business.

Every company and industry has its own nuances, but below is a starting list of twenty questions that I believe should serve as the basis for developing an impactful HR strategy that helps move business performance forward.

Business Overview

What are the core revenue streams of the company? How do we make money and what factors directly help or hinder our ability to do so?
How is the annual financial performance of the company measured? (Revenue, EBITDA, EFO, etc.)
What are the connection points between the HR function and the company’s P&L?
What are the business strategies or practices that most directly influence performance and how are they impacted by market conditions?
How well are the functional leaders aligned and able to execute on the short- and long-term business strategies? Where is additional coaching or support necessary?
What is the current state of the company as it relates to diversity and inclusion and how does this compare against established goals and objectives?
What is the current condition of the operating or commercial groups (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats, etc.)?
Are there major structural or operationally strategic changes anticipated within the next six to twelve months? Within the next three to five years?
Where is the greatest financial risk currently?
How is accountability defined and driven through the organization?

Human Resources

In what ways is HR serving the organization and what more does the business need in order to succeed? Are these strategic or transactional / administrative?
What are the metrics that define the current status and end state of the HR function? Are they process or results measures?
Are all weekly transactional practices (payroll, recruiting, benefits administration, etc.) operating smoothly?
What changes are anticipated within the next one to two years that require a new talent skill set?
When was the last functional audit of HR practices last conducted? Are there any compliance issues that need to be addressed?
What is the current budgeted headcount for each role / unit / function? Are changes required in order to execute on the business strategy?
What is the current voluntary and/or involuntary annual turnover rate? Are particular groups higher than others? Why?
Has the top performing 20% of employees been identified and are plans in place to ensure their retention?
How is employee engagement currently measured and what strategies are in place to drive it? Is the existing culture truly performance- based?
What protocols have been created to ensure work continuity during the pandemic? What steps are we taking to ensure a safe return for employees when it becomes appropriate?

Ideally, the answers to these questions will help you to better understand the core of the business and its high level HR needs. If you need assistance with your HR practices, call HR Strategies Now.

Nine to Thrive - Nine Areas of Focus for Optimal Employee Performance

Mon, 12 Jul 2021 22:37:12 GMT

Great Opportunity.... Great Responsibility

The street is alive with activity as Joseph steps onto the sidewalk from his company’s front door. From the whir of the cars driving by to the conversation between the young couple at the Mexican food truck to the siren in the distance, the sound envelops him while he walks to the parking lot. After this afternoon’s conference call, he’s feeling more confident than ever about the direction his new business venture is taking.

He opens the car door and the heat rolls out to him like he’s standing in front of a furnace. “Hot as a stolen tamale”, his father used to say. He rolls his eyes thinking about the corny comments and terrible “dad jokes” he hears repeatedly. Joseph is finally reaching his stride in his career and that’s changed the dynamic of their relationship for the better. Where he once saw doubt in his father’s eyes as Joseph talked about starting his business, he now sees confidence. “It’s all happening so fast.” he tells himself.

The business has grown substantially over the past year, much faster than expected. With a small team supporting several hundred clients, Joseph realizes that he needs more structure and a stronger staff to deliver the customer experience that will secure his business long-term. Unfortunately, he hardly knows where to begin. His cell phone rings and Joseph answers to hear his Sales Manager shout, “They gave us the whole order!”. A rush of adrenaline surges through Joseph’s body as he realizes the monumental challenge that is now in front of his team and the level of performance that will be required.

The Stand-Outs

Over the past 20+ years, I’ve had the opportunity to work with some great organizations, both in size and quality. Some posted great financial results, others drove an incredible customer experience and still others had operations teams that could execute work with precision. But these results were achieved largely because of the quality of leadership and rigor placed around their people practices. Two others without these respective practices continually struggled to achieve their operational and financial targets.

With these experiences as a reference, I’ve outlined a series of questions across nine categories...the “Nine to Thrive” if you will. While there are many sources of information on solid HR practices, these relate to the core practices that raise employee (and customer) outcomes to the next level.

Clarity

Is the leadership team able to present the vision in such clear terms that it resonates with employees and provides a “true north” for their choices?
Do you have an employment brand that stands out among your peer companies?
Are employees on-boarded thoroughly and given a solid introduction to the organization, process and system training, along with a 30, 60 and 90-day plan?
Are they clear on the organization’s mission and the results that will be required to advance toward it?
Do they understand the core values and how they are to be lived out?
Do you focus on helping your employees understand the “Why” behind their work and the value that it provides?
Do they clearly understand their core responsibilities and expected results?
Is there an intentional plan that’s moving the organization to a higher level of performance and do they understand their role in it?

Culture

Does your leadership team model the behavior that they expect from employees?
Do they understand what it takes for your business to “win” in the marketplace and are you working to create an environment where they can celebrate incremental progress toward that goal?
Do you intentionally create an environment where employees feel psychologically safe (able to admit mistakes, offer new ideas, express contrary opinions)
Do your words and actions drive positive accountability and a performance culture?
Does your physical space (layout, decor, imaging, etc.) support the culture you are working to create?

Constructs

Are your employment practices legally compliant?
Do you have an employee handbook AND policies & procedures in place? ( Hint: These are the primary tools through which you build ever-improving processes)
Are they clear on the roles and responsibilities outlined in their job descriptions?
Do the systems that you have in place help employees perform their work as effectively and efficiently as possible? ( Hint: If system-based processes are aggravating or inefficient, your "employee experience" may become and issue.)

Competency

Are your recruiting and selection practices yielding high-quality employees?
Do they possess the right knowledge, skills and attitude to perform well?
Do you have effective training processes in place?
Are employees encouraged and challenged to continue developing their competencies?
Are you actively working to grow your leadership bench?
Is your management team held accountable for developing the people beneath them?

Collaboration

Are you and the other members of your leadership team approachable?
Do you encourage your employees to collaborate with one another?
Do you focus on building trust, both vertically and horizontally in the organization?
Do you actively reinforce team-based achievements?

Client Focus

Have you communicated the definition of a “great client experience”?
Do your employees understand what it takes to deliver that experience and are they enabled to deliver it?
Do they work to improve the customer journey, evaluating the steps that a customer must take to complete a transaction or project and identifying improvement opportunities?

Creativity

Are you encouraging your employees to evaluate the quality of your processes and work to improve them?
Are they given the opportunity to expand their knowledge by working to solve challenging issues?
Are you creating an environment in which they are comfortable bringing new or better ideas to your attention?

Coaching

Are your leadership practices generating long term positive results?
Do your employees perceive that you are working to help them perform at peak levels?
Do you understand what is important to them personally and do you make a conscious effort to help them achieve it?
Do you schedule meetings with your employees on a regular basis (at least quarterly) to provide meaningful feedback on their performance and help them understand how to improve their results?

Compensation & Benefits

Are your compensation and benefits practices effective in helping you to attract, engage, motivate, and retain high-quality talent?
Is your benefit plan design helping employees focus on their health, wellness and long-term financial security?
Are your compensation plans structured properly to recognize performance and responsibility level while controlling cost?
Are you “re-marketing” the value of everything you’re offering or providing to your employees?

Implementing the right set of HR-related practices improves the on-going focus and performance of your business, helps to attract and retain high performing employees and reduces your risk. I hope this list serves as a starting point for some great conversation with your team.

If you answered “No” to any of these questions, I can help. Let’s prepare to win. Contact HR Strategie s Now.

Touchpoints - Driving Customer Engagement

brianw.hr@yahoo.com (Brian Wallace) — Mon, 12 Jul 2021 22:37:08 GMT

Driving Better Results Through The Employee Experience

I t’s 5:30pm as Gary shuts down his computer monitor and reaches to turn off his desk lamp. He’s feeling great about the progress he’s made over the last two months in getting acclimated to his new responsibilities. Keys in hand, he makes his way toward the lobby when he’s startled by a loud “thud”! Looking to his left he notices Angela sitting down after dropping two binders and a three inch stack of loose papers on her desk. Gary starts to ask her if everything is OK but, before the words come out of his mouth, Angela glances up with a look of frustration. He can tell that everything is definitely not OK.

Angela was hired as a Customer Service Manager one week before Gary. “Ever since I started with this company,” she says, “ it’s been a major challenge trying to gather the information that I need. I do not understand what is so difficult about keeping our records organized so people can actually find what they’re looking for.” She sighs heavily realizing that it’s going to be another late night. “It just seems like it’s been one challenge after another. You must be coming along with your new role since you’re leaving on time.”, she says. “Yeah, things are falling into place,” Gary says. “But I’m a bit late in leaving.” Angela glances at her watch and her expression changes to panic. It’s later than she thought and she realizes she’ll never make it across town to pick-up her child on time.

If you’ve ever been in either Gary’s or Angela’s shoes, you know the impact that a positive or negative employment experience can have on your outlook and the quality of your work. This is especially true when it comes to managing your customer’s experience.

The Customer Experience / The Employment Experience

Most businesses want to create an incredible customer experience because that’s what leads to engagement, loyalty, repeat purchases and growth. The customer experience takes both the product and the delivery of that product into account. It’s what customers come to expect when interfacing with the brand. It’s their brand promise.

Take Starbucks, Apple and Amazon for example. Strong brands like these are very careful to understand the needs or desires of their customer and then create the right product or system that will fill those needs. A customer pays for the product and trusts that it will function as expected. They also know what to expect when it comes to the purchasing experience.

These companies understand the importance of driving a perception of quality and value in their service delivery. It’s the delivery part of the transaction that keeps people coming back for more. It’s no different with your employee population.

Beyond an Employee Value Proposition

An Employee Value Proposition (EVP) is the set of “products” that employees are purchasing with their knowledge, skills, experience, effort and time. Compensation, health benefits and affiliation are a few examples. Traditionally this has been the core offering of the company. It’s everything that an employee receives (the product) in exchange for their work (the purchase).

An Employee Experience Promise is a collective view of the individual experiences that an employee has while working for the employer. In contrast to the EVP, this is the delivery experience, a collection of touch points that employees experience within the organization. It’s the perception of the day-to-day activities, processes, challenges and accomplishments. If managed strategically, they can dramatically increase both engagement and the quality of results.

Here are a few questions to consider related to your Employee Experience Promise:

What are the core touch points that your employees have with your organization? (For example: Talent acquisition, on-boarding, use of computer systems, training and development, accessing the information required to do their job, leadership meetings, physical environment, etc.)
For each touch point, what are the actions that an employee must take? What do they need to be able to accomplish?
What is the employee’s perspective on that touch point? Do things work smoothly? Does it strengthen or weaken their feelings about their role or the organization? Is it a source of frustration? Or is it a neutral element? This is where feedback directly from employees is beneficial.
What are the contributing factors that influence their feeling or perspective?
What changes can be made to improve either the ability to complete the action or their perspective on it?
What other insights can be gathered for that touch point that can enhance the business function as a whole?
How does that particular touch point build on or support your purpose, brand or culture?

If you want to build engagement within your team, this needs to become a core focus. It’s all about repeatedly affirming their decision to join the organization. When their work experience is positive, meaningful or rewarding, that decision is affirmed. When they run into continual challenges or frustrating experiences, it’s not. To get back to our earlier example, if you were continually frustrated with the performance of your iPhone, you would be less inclined to purchase the next version when it hit the market.

There is a strong correlation between the customer experience and the employee experience. If you want your customer experience to improve, make sure that your employees are in the frame of mind to deliver it.

When customers have a positive purchasing experience, they come back for more. When employees see that steps are being taken to improve their work experience, they give more. In both cases, an autopilot approach does not work. This needs to become part of your leadership team’s list of core objectives. You want to improve your customer experience and reduce turnover? Improve your employee experience.

You, as a leader, have a great opportunity to shape your employees’ work experience. Proactively identifying and removing obstacles to successful performance allows you to positively influence their perceptions. Allowing problems or frustrations to continue degrades the experience and increases the likelihood of turnover.

Still questioning the Return-on-Investment? Check-out Jacob Morgan’s Harvard Business Review article as he states that companies that "invest most heavily in employee experience were included 28 times as often among Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies, 11.5 times as often in GlassDoor's Best Places to Work, 2.1 times as often in Forbes's list of the World's Most Innovative Companies, 4.4 times as often in LinkedIn's list of North America's Most In-Demand Employers, and twice as often in the American Customer Satisfaction Index." Even more, "experiential organizations had more than four times the average profit and more than two times the average revenue. They were also almost 25% smaller, which suggests higher levels of productivity and innovation."

When it comes to hiring, engaging and retaining high quality talent, is your Employee Experience Promise a competitive advantage? Let’s prepare to win. Contact HR Strategies Now.

5 Thoughts for Fighting the Impostor Syndrome

Mon, 12 Jul 2021 22:37:03 GMT

Practical Steps for High Achievers

If you knew of a problem faced by up to 70% of today’s working population that had the ability to damage careers and hinder business growth, you would want to learn about it and solve it, right? Of course you would. You would find a way to combat the risk and make sure it didn’t impact your career or business.

The Impostor Syndrome

The Impostor Syndrome is a self-imposed belief that you are in a position where you don’t belong...that you’re in over your head. That, if anyone found out who you really are, they would know you’re not qualified to be there.

You tell yourself, “I don’t belong in this position”, “I’ve just been lucky” or “People wouldn’t appreciate the real me”.

Sound familiar? If you’re like most people who have high expectations of themselves and their capabilities, you’ve likely encountered that wonderfully supportive voice in your head. Especially if you’re in a position of responsibility and care about the perceptions of others.

Studies have shown that women are more prone to this line of thinking, especially when reaching higher level positions. But men deal with it as well. Women, you have the gift of being more attuned to the thoughts of others and that may be part of the reason. It’s becoming even more prevalent in younger generations.

There are physical symptoms associated with the Impostor Syndrome, including feelings of anxiety, fear and, in some cases, depression. In the workplace, that leads to hesitation, procrastination or even over preparation for tasks due to a higher level of self-critique. Long term it leads to fatigue and burnout from the energy you expended trying to keep up with what you believe others are thinking.

5 Practical Steps - Some Straightforward Advice

I’d like to give you five practical steps that you can take to address the issue.

First, understand that there is value in it. Most often, people are dealing with this line of thinking because they care deeply about what they’re doing and want to consistently be at their best. It means that you’re challenging your comfort zone which is the only way to grow. You’re growing courage. Lean into it. Take it as a signal that you’re on the right track and keep pushing forward. Remember that there is a difference between being "ready" for a promotion and being "fully competent" in your responsibilities. When you take on a new level of responsibility, there is going to be continued development. That's just part of it.

Second, resist the urge to pull inward. You have power in this situation and a choice about how you respond to the environment or comments of others around you. Realize that YOUR VALUE AND CAPABILITY IS NOT DEFINED BY OTHERS. It’s helpful to act with humility but taking this to an extreme can be a problem. You have to strike a balance between humility and overconfidence. If you start to ruminate on what others are thinking about you, remind yourself that your accomplishments are the result of your hard work, determination, knowledge and skill. Also, realize that often times, people are so preoccupied with themselves, they are likely not thinking about your deficiencies anyway.

Third, realize that the perfect standard that you are most likely comparing yourself to DOES NOT EXIST. If you’re comparing yourself to another high achiever, they’ve most likely dealt with it too.

Fourth, Talk about it with someone you trust. Someone who can give you a truly objective perspective.

Fifth, Fight it. Here’s what I mean. Imagine you’re out to lunch with a friend from work celebrating their recent promotion that they’ve worked extremely hard to achieve. You’re sitting at the table when a stranger walks up to your friend, looks them dead in the eye and says, “You’re a fraud and you’re not worthy to be where you are!" You wouldn’t put up with it, would you? Stop the thought cycle.. Step into it. Do something that requires you to act with greater confidence, even if it’s simply writing an audacious goal on paper. When you do this, you’re building self-discipline and actively changing your thought patterns.

Track your successes through a journal or file. Stay committed to doing your best work and actually embrace the discomfort that goes along with it. Realize that the harder you push yourself out of your comfort zone, the more likely you’ll experience this. Take it as a signal that you’re living!

Finally, there are many leaders out there that find it very difficult to provide positive feedback. Don’t be one of them. Where it’s warranted, take a few minutes and talk to members of your team about the contribution that they are making. You know the struggle they will face. Set them on a different course.

Remember - For people that are doing great things, these thoughts or feelings are not uncommon. it means that you are on the right track - That you are pushing and stretching yourself to live on the edge of your comfort zone. And that’s where life begins.

A Manager’s Messaging on Money Matters

Mon, 12 Jul 2021 22:37:00 GMT

Preparing Managers for Employee Compensation Meetings

58% of Businesses are Missing a Major Opportunity

Business leaders / Managers… If you could increase the return on your company’s largest investment with a few small adjustments to your existing processes, would that be of interest to you? What if you could also increase the long-term motivation and engagement of your employees while decreasing risk?

One of my primary areas of focus within HR has been Total Rewards which typically includes compensation, benefits, recognition and development. The focus of these combined elements is to help attract, engage and retain high performing employees. For years, studies have shown that higher engagement results in higher levels of performance.

Recently, I read a statistic that 57.8% of organizations do not provide manager training on how to communicate with employees about pay. This is a huge opportunity to drive engagement and, most often, it’s missed because people don't understand how to properly structure these conversations. So let’s change that. Here’s a phrase I want you to remember… “A Manager’s Messaging on Money Matters”.

I want to share a few ideas about communicating compensation changes but there are some initial assumptions we have to make before we begin. In managing compensation activity, organizations will typically have some basic structural practices:

A compensation policy that outlines its pay philosophy, the basis for increases, approval requirements, etc.
Pay practices that are tied to the market (perhaps within a certain industry if the industry has unique characteristics that affect the supply of qualified talent)
A series of pay grades that contain pay ranges. The pay grade represents the level of each position relative to others and the range includes a minimum, midpoint and maximum. Midpoint typically represents the median rate that is being paid for that position in the market.
A merit increase budget. This is a figure that serves as the basis for decisions on the amount of an increase. Once combined, all increases will need to average out to this figure.

The Preparation

The first thing to remember is that it’s important to prepare ahead of time. This is part of ensuring that your employee perceives you value both their contribution and them personally. I can’t stress this enough. Everyone is busy with competing priorities but these conversations are critically important to employees. Taking the time to prepare helps you to communicate that value.

As part of that preparation, review your company’s compensation policy (assuming there is one in place). Ideally, it will contain information about the organization’s compensation philosophy. Some will choose to lead or lag the market. Most will set the midpoint of their pay scales at the market rate.

Remember that the market rate for a position represents the pay an employee should receive if they are completely proficient in their responsibilities and are making a solid contribution to key business results. Employees with less directly-related experience will often start lower in the range. As the employee’s base compensation passes the midpoint of the pay range, the size of future increases should be lower unless their contribution level is greater than what would otherwise be expected.

It’s also important to realize that the combination of compensation (base, bonuses, incentives) and health and welfare benefit premiums may need to be considered. If the company pays a lower base but also includes a strong bonus potential or an above average premium contribution, the combination may be comparable to the market.

Next, give yourself time to identify several key points that you want to share with the employee about their contribution and value to the organization. Are they performing at the expected level? Are they needing further improvement or are they blowing the doors off? The overall merit budget for the period, the employee’s performance and their current pay in comparison to the market will typically be the basis for the pay decision. Whether they ask or not, be prepared to explain how they can increase their skill set, raise their pay and progress further in their career over time.

Finally, set aside at least 15 minutes of uninterrupted time for the meeting. Extra time should be added if the employee is a high or low performer or if you believe the approved action will surprise the employee.

The Presentation

Once you meet with the employee, share the pay decision and help them understand how that decision was made. If a formal compensation structure is in place (pay grades, ranges, etc.), let them know. If an increase budget has been set, explain that it’s the final average of all approved increases. For example, if its a 3% budget, some employees should receive higher than 3% because of their performance and others lower but the overall average should be 3%.

Tactfully discuss whether the employee is below, at or above the market rate IF it is relevant to the decision that was made. If they are not receiving an increase because of poor performance, there is no need to cover it. If they are not receiving an increase because their current pay is well above the market, that’s a relevant factor that they should understand.

Acknowledge the fact that pay is an important element of an employment relationship and the organization wants to do what it can to retain high quality talent. Pay is part of that equation. Discuss the performance factors that were considered. If they are eligible for other pay programs, they need to understand the program’s function, objectives targets, their progress against those targets and their potential payout.

I realize this may be a tough pill to swallow, but if you happen to disagree with the pay decision that was made by leadership, own it anyway. I have sat in meetings where a Manager told the employee that they had recommended a higher increase but it was not approved by leadership. This does nothing but undermine the employee’s perception of both the Manager (because they were unable to get it approved) and the leader (because they didn’t perceive the same value). It is not appropriate to give them additional detail on the increases that were provided to other employees, the reasons behind them or the impact on the budget.

Provide whatever context you can as much as it relates specifically to that employee. Remember that a lack of context for the decision will lead the employee to create their own narrative and that may be significantly different than the truth. Reinforce their strengths and achievements, sharing any additional feedback on their contribution or value to the organization.

Promises and Potential Predicaments

As you present your views on the employee’s performance and the two of you explore opportunities for them to progress, it may be tempting to promise (or hint) that they will receive an additional increase if they follow through. Unless you have a signed check with you that you can turn over to the employee at that moment, do not do this. Promises such as these have the potential to create something called an implied contract and, if the increase isn’t delivered, legal trouble can follow. If you believe that additional increases need to be considered in the future, explain that you will ask Human Resources or your leadership to continue monitoring the situation and then follow through on that statement.

Remember that the media is currently overflowing with commentaries on pay equity and unfair pay practices. There is much work to be done. But do NOT make any comment that could insinuate that a pay decision was in any way impacted by race, age, religion, national origin, disability, gender, sexual orientation or anything of the sort. Pay decisions are to be based on market comparative practices, employee performance, structured compensation programs and the like. Even if the decision is made to provide a female or minority employee with a larger than normal increase because of their classification, leave that out of the conversation. If that’s the sole basis for an increase decision, have Human Resources or your leadership team provide you with specific talking points.

Following Through

Finally, remember that communication related to compensation and career growth should not be a one time event. Employees need to understand the total compensation package that they are receiving, including base compensation, incentives, benefits, development opportunities, etc. Discussions on business performance should also be happening on a regular basis, enabling you and the employee to adjust performance objectives and developmental plans as needed.

Keep in mind that compensation and benefits are only part of the full engagement equation. But if they are supported by effective communication, they can make a huge difference.

Do your compensation or communication practices need work? Are they driving higher levels of performance effectively? If not, let’s prepare to win. Contact HR Strategies Now.

This Conversation Stopped Me In My Tracks

Mon, 12 Jul 2021 22:36:57 GMT

Last week, in the middle of a crowded department store, I overheard a telephone conversation between a man and his wife that stopped me in my tracks. I realized that it was a private conversation so I did what anyone else would do….I continued shopping and listened. Sorry. Judge me later. Here was his side of the conversation:

“OK. So today, after everything else, your manager threw a pen at you and was screaming at you? And HR was aware of the situation? Did they do anything about it? Why not? Have you called the police? OK. Let me get in touch with the attorney. But don’t leave. If you leave before the end of your shift, they can fire you and we won’t have a case.”

I was really curious about the events that were unfolding and, over the next five minutes, I listened as the conversation continued. It was obvious that this manager’s style had been a problem for some time. Before hanging up and walking away, my fellow shopper had given his wife specific instructions on what she should do and say to make sure they were in the best position to take legal action. It was clear that trouble was brewing.

I thought about the advice that I would give to the owners of that business and their Human Resources team if given the opportunity.

Your Workplace Culture Should Be Intentionally Created and Carefully Guarded

As I mentioned, I only heard one side of the conversation, but when he asked his wife if Human Resources had done anything about the situation, his follow-up question, “Why not?” gave me the impression that the problem had not been addressed.

One of the core responsibilities of a business owner or HR leader is ensuring that the work environment and culture is conducive for employees to perform their jobs well. It was clear that the issues she was experiencing with her manager were nothing new. A situation like this creates a ripple effect throughout the business unit or organization, damaging trust, inhibiting teamwork, disrupting workflow, and, as I’ll discuss later, creating a huge financial risk.

As a business leader, if a member of your leadership team has to resort to throwing pens and screaming to get the desired level of performance (regardless of how bad the current performance is) they simply have no business leading. They're damaging to the business and destroy your efforts to engage and retain high-quality talent.

Popular recruiting websites such as GlassDoor actively encourage employees to post candid comments about their workplace experiences, positive or negative, for everyone to see. Negative comments on sites like this deter high-quality candidates from applying to your open positions. Situations like this can cause long-term damage.

What is Workplace Culture, Anyway?

Loosely defined, workplace culture is the environment in which you and your employees work. It’s the manner in which things get done, the behaviors that are rewarded, the stories that illustrate what the company stands for. It’s the operating tone of the company and the image that it portrays to its employees and customers.

The Practical Value of a Strong (and Positive) Workplace Culture

Highly successful companies typically have a strong and intentionally crafted workplace culture that's closely tied to their core values. Effective leaders make a consistent effort to demonstrate the core values and make sure they're clearly understood and embraced by employees.

A positive and "effective" culture offers consistency and encourages behaviors that lead to the growth of the organization. It’s a competitive advantage as it’s difficult to replicate, it creates greater alignment throughout the organization, and leads to higher levels of trust, engagement, teamwork, retention, and loyalty. These, in turn, tend to lead to better performance and financial results.

Creating an Effective Workplace Culture

If you want your workplace culture to drive great results, here are a few things to consider.

Companies that excel in the marketplace do not leave their cultures to chance. They craft them carefully and focus constant energy on driving them, communicating, modeling, and molding behavioral experiences and the physical environment. If the characteristics truly drive successful performance, they need to be taken seriously and continually demonstrated, especially by leadership.

First, be very intentional about the characteristics and behaviors that you want to see. And, for that matter, the behaviors that you don’t want to see. The characteristics should support your core values. Whether it’s teamwork, professionalism, personal accountability, creativity, or any other attribute that will enable you to deliver on your brand promise, figure out the behaviors that would make it happen. Think about situations where your team was operating at its best. What was happening? Who was involved and how were they acting? Once you have a list of the key behaviors, review your processes, policies, and practices to make sure they support them.

It’s also important to remember that small businesses have a limited amount of time to establish their cultures. As they grow, culture becomes increasingly difficult to change.

Second, make sure that your hiring practices are yielding candidates who can operate in and support that culture. Let me be clear on this…do not hire an applicant who has great technical skill but is a bad culture fit. You can build technical skills. It is much harder to shape personality traits and behaviors.

Your interview process and questions need to reveal whether the candidate possesses not only the technical skill but the behaviors necessary to be successful with the team and your customers. Your on-boarding process should include very clear references to the desired culture and behaviors that are conducive to success. Your performance management practices? Yep. That too. Performance reviews need to focus not only to what gets done but the manner in which it gets done.

Finally, promote it. Talk about it. This is where many employers miss a significant opportunity. Make sure that employees clearly understand your vision of how business should get done. This requires coaching. When there is a disconnect between the desired and displayed behaviors, address it. When behaviors are clearly aligned with those you want to see, recognize and reinforce them. Remember that, in the absence of reinforcement, employees will revert to their natural tendencies which may or may not be aligned.

Today, focus on creating a culture where employees feel heard, valued, and respected. You can still have high-performance expectations but creating the right culture is like preparing good soil before you plant a seed. The resulting growth can be incredible.

One Final Point About the Phone Conversation

Just a final point to consider. As an employer, you are, in many cases, responsible for the actions of your employees, particularly when those actions are taking place in the course and scope of work activities. It’s called vicarious liability. If the employee mentioned above files a charge, the cost for the employer to defend it could easily reach $100,000. If the employee prevails, the judgment will far exceed that figure.

The financial risk of an unprofessional or potentially “hostile” work environment is real enough. But the damage caused by this type of behavior extends far beyond anything financial. It impacts both the customer experience and the employment brand.

There is a strong correlation between the treatment employees receive and their ability to deliver a great customer experience. Employees who are treated with dignity and respect are likely to treat others in a similar fashion.

HR Strategies Now is about helping small- to mid-sized businesses thrive through the development of solid Human Resource practices. Don’t leave your company culture to chance. Let’s prepare to win. Contact HR Strategies Now.

Maximizing Performance Through People

Fri, 09 Jul 2021 22:47:32 GMT

Defining the Win

How do you define the word “Winning”? More importantly, how do you define it when it comes to your business or organization? Winning is a matter of outperforming your competition, accomplishing your core objectives and remaining true to your core values. It’s about performing at a level where you are actively driven, highly focused and fully committed to reaching your goals.

As a business leader, you’ve set your focus and, on a daily basis, you defy the status quo in order to move that business forward. You’ve chosen this path fully knowing it’s a challenge, because you believe in an extraordinary future. Your belief in what could be propels you far past what is. There is no exact template for you to follow. You create it. You drive it. You stand up, move forward and do the work necessary to achieve the results you’re after.

You realize that when it comes to winning, there is nothing more powerful than a highly talented team, aligned, engaged and committed to exceeding their objectives, especially when it performs under effective leadership. The business plan is created. Now it comes down to putting the plans in motion…hiring, training, engaging and retaining a diverse group of individual performers and focusing their collective efforts to achieve the vision that you have created.

You lead, understanding the weight of your decisions and the challenges of that role. You focus your efforts on ensuring that you position others for success because, when your team is successful, you are successful. You work tirelessly to overcome the obstacles that stand in their way. You’ve lost more sleep than you care to admit and spend every waking hour looking for solutions, because that’s what it takes to win.

Winning in business takes more than a financial strategy, a slick marketing process or even a great product or service. Winning requires you and your team to be operating at the highest level. The keys to reaching that level include:

Clearly defining and communicating your vision for how business is to be conducted
Planning your HR needs in advance and creating a strategy that will guide your decisions
Creating the core administrative structure that provides direction, amplifies team capabilities and minimizes risk
Hiring, training and motivating talented individuals with the capability to reach far past basic expectations
Cultivating a culture that drives performance, engagement, trust and collaboration
Managing employee performance in a manner that helps you identify who to maintain, develop or safely exit

That's where HR Strategies Now comes in - moving your business forward through solid Human Resources consulting services that cover the full HR life cycle.

Choosing to Help You Win

Recently I realized that I had a choice to make. I could either continue pouring all of my effort into managing Human Resources practices for established businesses or actively partner with small to mid-sized organizations and help them create their HR practices, often from the ground-up. I chose the latter because I believe this is the best opportunity to make a solid impact on the lives of others.

My focus is on the tactical rather than big theory that often comes from major consulting firms. With over 25 years of HR experience including 17 years in a management capacity, I have actively driven strong Human Resources practices and witnessed their impact on business performance. Business growth, positive financials, operational success and world class customer experience - they are outcomes created by organizations who focus heavily on hiring, aligning, developing, managing, motivating, engaging and retaining high quality talent.

I’m passionate about creating environments where organizations and their employees can thrive long term. When I take on a new client, I make every effort to clearly understand the business operating model, mission, vision and core values. I explore the leadership imperatives and the challenges at hand and then create plans to methodically solve problems and improve performance across the HR spectrum.

Often, this requires a fresh start with a clear analysis of the current state, the development of the HR strategy and then the installation of initiatives to drive better results in workforce planning, compensation and benefits, talent acquisition, on-boarding, training and development, performance management, employee relations, talent management and off-boarding.

I’ve had the great fortune of working with teams ranging from 8 employees to over 18,000. I’ve carried full responsibility for HR operations within the United States and have partnered with international teams in Canada, Brazil, Australia, Norway and Turkey. My functional experience includes work in the finance, manufacturing, oil and gas, technology and medical industries.

I look forward to working with you toward improving the performance of your business. If you believe your team has greater performance potential than what you’re seeing, let’s talk. Call HR Strategies Now.

tHRive - Perspectives on People and Performance

Building a High-Performance Culture: The Secret Weapon Behind Successful Teams

Why Your Strategy Isn't Executing - And It's Not A Strategy Problem

How to Build a High - Performance Culture in Your Small Business

Non-Profit Potential

Gaining Traction Through Human Resources

The True Cost of a Dysfunctional Culture

Most organizations don’t lose momentum because of bad strategy. They lose it because of a culture no one’s managing.

Culture Is Not a Perk - It’s Performance Infrastructure

The Mistake Leaders Make: Letting Culture “Develop Itself”

Tactics Without Culture Are a Trap

The Personal Cost for Leaders Who Ignore Culture

The Hidden Costs Are Staggering - But Measurable

The Lie: “Culture Change Must Be Big, Hard, and Painful”

The Solution: Build a Courageous, Aligned Culture with CLIMB

Final Word: Fix the Foundation - Before You Build the Tower

How Most Culture Programs Fail - And What Actually Works

The Culture Trap Most Companies Fall Into

The Three Traditional (and Ineffective) Approaches to Culture Change

The CLIMB Approach: How Real Culture Change Happens

The 10 Decision- Making Pitfalls That Hold Leaders Back (and How to Beat Them)

Improve Your Decision-Making Processes

The Role of Performance Management in Succession Planning

Identifying High-Potential Employees

Developing Future Leaders

Setting Clear Goals and Expectations

Fostering a Culture of Feedback and Coaching

Conclusion

4 Creative Ways to Create a Positive Off-Boarding Experience for Employees

1. Celebrate Their Contributions with a Personalized Farewell Event

2. Create a Meaningful Alumni Network for Continued Engagement

3. Offer Comprehensive Career Transition Support with a Personalized Touch

4. Capture and Act on Honest Exit Feedback in Creative Ways

Conclusion

Own Your Growth

Transform Your Performance Review from Routine to Roadmap

Performance Reviews: More Than a Scorecard

How to Maximize the Value of a Performance Review

Strong Cultures Drive Strong Results - Here's How to Build One

How Courageous Business Cultures Drive Lasting Success

Four Reasons PSYCHOLOGICAL Safety is Critical in Manufacturing

The Value of Leaning In

The Hard Truth

Why Psychological Safety is Your Secret Weapon

Supercharging Team Performance

Igniting Innovation

Reducing Accidents and Errors

Locking In Talent

How to Drive Psychological Safety

Everything Starts with Leadership

Cracking Open the Communication Channels

Skill Up Your Squad

Fail Forward

Build a Band of Brothers (and Sisters)

Wrapping It Up

Building Alignment and Accountability

Practices to Maximize Your Team's Performance

1. Establish Clear Expectations and Goals

2. Foster a Culture of Accountability

3. Improve Communication and Collaboration

The Benefits of an Effective HR Strategy for Small Business

The Value Beyond Compliance and Administration

Creating Culture Clarity

The Key to Your Long-Term Growth

The Importance of a Positive Workplace Culture

Creating a Positive Workplace Culture: What it Takes

Define Your Values (Preliminary)

Define What You Desire

Conduct a Culture Audit

Lead by Example

Communicate Your Vision

Empower Your Employees

Align Their Efforts

Celebrate Successes

Recommendations for Promoting Your Workplace Culture

Recognize Touch Points

Promote Diversity and Inclusion

Encourage Work-Life Balance

Prioritize Communication and Feedback

Celebrate Successes and Recognize Achievements

Most organizations don’t lose momentum because of bad strategy.
They lose it because of a culture no one’s managing.