Spotlight
Archive for October, 2010
We all have a boss, even when you work for yourself you have a boss…you. I have always been fascinated by the topic of leadership and now that I have also become a different type of leader (a mom, leading a child into the world), I have come to a higher understanding of the role and its impacts. More so, I have realized that women leaders or women who manage people are probably the most successful by having found the perfect blend between the hard and the soft skills. The coined term ‘tough love’ can not be successfully applied if you don’t truly know how to be tough and also how to deeply love.
What makes a great leader? As simplified as it can be, a leader is the most important person in the organization, the person that the subordinates monitor, mimic and magnify with every move. Your first most important task is to convince others that you are inspiring and you are in charge. Second, you need to boost your subordinates’ performance by ‘watching their backs’, making it possible for them to learn and to take intelligent risks. (and this is how you lead a child into discovering the day to day life as well).
Bob Sutton, a professor in management at Stanford, offers some pointed advice for those who are at the top of the organizations. Again, while reading this, I made the correlation between people management and parenting, just to look at things from a different perspective and also, for other women out there, to perhaps offer a different type of support in their leadership style. I am not saying that you should act like “a mom”, rather infuse some of those skills into your leadership style for I would say: amazing results.
Here are some suggestions for taking charge and bolstering performance:
1. Express confidence even if you don’t feel it – confidence is crucial for inspiring your followers, because like all emotions, it’s contagious.
2. Don’t dither – indecision, delay and waffling are the hallmarks of a crummy leader.
3. Get and give credit – as the boss, you get credit for the work your people do. Make sure you pass it on to them or praise them at the right time.
4. Blame yourself – when people fail under your direction, do not shy away from the blame, you were there too.
5. Provide psychological safety – good bossed spark imagination and encourage learning by creating a safety zone where people can talk about their half-baked ideas, test them and make big mistakes without fear of ridicule, punishment.
6. Shield people – the best bosses invent, borrow and implement ways to reduce the mental and emotional load heaped on their followers. Thus, the followers have the freedom to take risks and try new things.
7. Make small gestures – always…the ‘attitude of gratitude’ lesson is very important.
The most effective leaders/bosses devote enormous effort to understanding how their moods, quirks, skills and actions affect their followers’ performance and humanity (big word for me, in everything I do). They constantly make adjustments to be a bit more helpful and constructive tomorrow than they were yesterday. To be a great boss or parent for that matter, you must constantly ask and try to answer many questions. Perhaps the most crucial is: What does it feel like to follow me?
If you are interested in entrepreneurship, this is quite an interesting talk that Dave McClure gave. It’s said as it is…:)
http://www.seattle20.com/tv/clip/StartupDay-2010-Why-Not-To-Do-A-Startup-Dave-McClure.aspx
As mentioned in a previous blog, there is a map we can follow to become more effective in either our personal life or professional life. We all know (I hope) that sometimes you have the chance to report into a fantastic manager that has a certain “je ne sais quoi” that makes them very special and sets them apart from the crowd. Most of the times, those types of managers exude positive habits and inspire us by their determination and ability to listen and guide us. Kathy Simmons, director at Canada Life Assurance Company in Atlanta, has analyzed some of the habits that are proven to be great career boosters for those individuals who contemplate management and for those who want to do better while already in management positions:
1. Increase Your Self-Discipline
As manager, like it or not, you are a role model. You set the standard when it comes to personal behavior, so make sure that standard is high. A moment of impulsiveness can tear down years of hard work when it comes to your career and reputation.
2. Show Consistent Kindness
Good managers don’t throw their weight around or rely on intimidation to get results. Do you? Any job–especially management positions–involves the support and assistance of others. You can’t perform effectively as a one-man band. Thus, it is foolish to burn bridges and alienate co-workers.
3. Stretch Goals
A recent survey polled 7,800 workers, and more than half of them (58 percent) believe that management does a poor job setting goals. How can you avoid this? Write your personal goals and work area goals down. Place them in a visible area so that you–and others–can be reminded of them daily. Writing goals down greatly elevates the likelihood they will be met, but only 5 percent of employees have actually developed this habit.
4. Welcome Criticism
Criticism may sting, but you must embrace feedback and not avoid it. After all, how else will you know what to improve upon? Don’t fool yourself into thinking other opinions don’t matter. In the business world, your credibility and reputation play a key role in how far–and how quickly–you move ahead. Soliciting input from others always leaves you with a clearer view of your blind spots. Becoming defensive and hostile when faced with constructive criticism will insulate you from the truth and greatly limit your potential.Have you asked your employees what you could start doing better?
5. Be a Solution-Finder, Not a Problem-Identifier
It takes no particular talent to find fault, but many behave as though their “gift” must be shared again and again. You may know people at work who constantly nit-pick about company decisions. These professional problem-identifiers generally get stuck mid-way up the career ladder. Choosing to criticize or blame your superiors for their decisions shows great disloyalty and sets a lousy example for your staff. You have a duty to stand behind the powers that be, regardless of whether or not you agree whole-heartedly with their decisions.
6. Show Boundless Enthusiasm
Enthusiasm is contagious, and successful managers realize the effect their attitude has on their mood and productivity. Constantly whining and complaining depletes valuable resources of energy. Can you afford it? The same situation, when presented to positive and negative personalities, will be perceived differently. An optimist looks forward to change and solves tough problems with enthusiasm. Good things seem to routinely come their way!
7. Embrace Those Opportunities
Great opportunities are often disguised in work clothes. Do you use weaknesses within the organization as avenues to show your skill and leadership? Are you like so many other managers, content to sit back and wait for opportunities to appear on a silver platter? You could wait forever. Instead of waiting for “them” to take care of it, get busy, show some initiative, and take a risk. Organizations change when managers seize opportunities with boldness and confidence–and encourage their staff to follow suit.
In this interview, Karina Ling is providing us with a quick insight to the world of Talent Management. Karina is a Talent Management professional working with a large Canadian telecommunications company. Karina has experience in Organizational Development, Compensation, Recruitment and Talent Management as well as her current pursuit of an MBA with the University of Toronto – Rotman School of Management.
Karina, thank you for accepting to interview with us. You are a successful HR professional with experience in the enrollment and talent management areas. Can you tell us more about your choice of exploring these parts of HR knowing that you are currently enrolled in an MBA program as well?
To be honest, I’m not sure if I intentionally chose these parts of HR in conjunction with entering an MBA program. I have always had a passion for HR in terms of setting up employees for success and laying a good foundation for the organization to achieve on its business objectives, therefore being able to experience many aspects of HR has allowed me to explore the many ways to do this. I decided to pursue an MBA because I was looking to upgrade my knowledge and experience to take my work to the next level. I wanted to be able to have the big picture perspective and I was looking to an MBA to help give me that vision. I also enjoy learning immensely and I was eager to get back into the classroom and engage with other students.
What is talent management in its true sense since talent management is often confused with performance management, incentive compensation or talent acquisition? Also at times, it is defined as leadership management.
Great question! I think that talent management is defined differently in different organizations which is absolutely fine in my opinion. So often we take the cookie cutter approach to HR programs when many times they need to be customized to meet the needs of the specified organization or client group. However when I think of talent management, I think of it as all of the above – performance management, compensation, acquisition & leadership development – since it is basically, managing talent! I perceive it as managing the organization’s workforce and focusing on the areas that are needed to help them achieve its goals. That means being aligned in all the programs that relate to managing the workforce. So often these programs and processes work in silos when they need to work together to have a common strategy. For example, if the organization is focused on building talent within instead of buying talent, it would be essential to ensure that the same vision is shared through talent acquisition, compensation, performance management and development. Without those linkages, it will be almost impossible to achieve our targets.
Many companies throw financial incentives at senior executives and star performers during times of change, such as the ones we are living now. Are there other better and less costly solutions? Also, are leadership opportunities a powerful incentive in any sector?
Yes absolutely there are better solutions but their cost will of course depend on the situation. Often it is very easy for us to use financial incentives as a retention tactic and in many times, that is the best solution in the short-term. However, other solutions are certainly available such as promotional opportunities, special projects, job sharing, etc. It will really depend on the individual’s development plan and goals for the organization. I know that personally, incentives that mean the most to me are the ones where I can practice the skills that I am learning in my MBA program and having exposure to different aspects of the organization. These would provide a higher value to me right now than financial incentives.
Can you share with us your high level thoughts on succession planning and how it should be managed? We often hear that HIPO’s are being identified for the purpose of the succession plan however they are not made aware and potentially disengaged to the extent of leaving the organization.
Again, I think that processes and programs are different based on the objectives of the organization. However, succession planning begins with identifying the roles that are most critical to the organization. This can be defined in ways that make sense to each organization but basically these are the jobs that have the largest impact to achieving on the organization’s objectives. Once those roles are identified, we need to look at where the top talent is located within the organization. Are they placed in the critical roles identified? Research shows that having high performing/high potential employees in those critical roles will allow the organization to achieve its objectives much more successfully. If high performers/high potentials are not placed in those roles, you might want to create action plans to move them into those roles. In addition, succession plans can be created for each of those roles utilizing the internal talent pool of high potentials identified.
In terms of communicating whether an employee is high potential or not depends on the culture of the organization. However, differentiated retention/development plans should be created for high potential employees to ensure that they do not leave the organization. This is especially important if they are listed as a successor to a critical role.
What would be your best advice for a new business in terms of talent management?
My advice is to work to ensure that all your talent programs are aligned with a common strategy. It does not need to be complicated or complex but each program needs to work together to a common goal. If compensation policies and practices do not align with a focus on promoting from within, your business objectives will not be achieved.
Karina, thank you so much for your thoughts and advice. Good luck in your MBA program!