Yea, well, here it is – State Fair time. Time for corn dogs and just about anything else on a stick. What is the latest food item? I’m not sure. And Able Frake isn’t sure to since he spends all his time in the hog pavilion with Blue Boy. But I guess it was worth it for ol’ Able standing here with Blue Boy and his Grand Champion Ribbon. This carving may be made of wood, but for Able, the pig is all pork.

Manager’s ’New Hire’ Objectives

For the hiring manager, taking on new talent should make a positive impact to the organization. Getting that new hire off to a good start eliminates future problems down the road. The manager must focus on the objectives for the employee, while giving a positive image of the job. Orientation is important for the new hire to understand what those objectives are. Again, an employee must have a good start to succeed in the organization.

The new hire must have the time to meet all the employees. A warm welcome is always a great start. The hiring manager should do the task, not an HR employee. This would demonstrate that the manager is interested in bringing in the new hire. The hiring manager needs to take the time to make the new employee feel welcome. This puts the new hire’s nerves at ease and builds their confidence about being ready to get to work.

During, or after the orientation, the manager must make the performance objectives clear to the new hire. If the manager leaves the objectives out, the new employee does not have an understanding about what is expected and will spend a long time in frustration while trying to figure out what the manger wants. So many new employees begin to hate their jobs when the manager does not stay in communication with objective feedback and positive assurances of value. Bringing the new employee in properly should be the manager’s objectives.

Russell Scott – Strategic Business Partners – Craig Lindell and Associates – craiglindell.com/

Having troubles moving up the corporate ladder?

If moving up the corporate ladder is important and no matter how much you try you seem to get nowhere. Or, you ask yourself, when is it my turn to grab the golden ring? Or, when will my executive managers give me the opportunity to go to the next level? Then you may be ready to make your move. You need to develop a strategy to get results; a strategy where you pursue your goals in a more aggressive manner.

“If your career is moving too slowly, stop and look around. Talk to others in your organization. Compare your progress to that of people who have moved along as you would like to,” said Marge Rossman, author of When the Headhunter Calls.

Are your on-the-job experiences similar to those who have made the next corporate leap? If not, then you need to broaden your job credentials and qualifications. Start by asking questions about what experiences they have that you need. This could come down to either work experience or education. Or it could simply be a matter of attitude and willingness to work harder to get the recognition you need from your superiors.

If you discover that you do have problems climbing the corporate ladder, then take action. “The longer you drift along without taking a careful look at your career progress, the harder it will become to make the corrections and changes necessary to get back on the right track,” Rossman stated.

Do not sit and complain about those who have received promotions and not you. Start doing research: What is your manager looking for? Do you fit the mold they are looking for? Again, take action. If you are truly determined to climb up the corporate ladder look around (starting with yourself) and see what it takes to get to the next level. Don’t wait for someone else to do this for you or you will sit and watch others climb to the next rung before you.

If your credentials, determination, and willingness to work are all in place and you still don’t get the recognition of promotion within your current company then it may be time to seek a management position with a new employer. Even in tough economic times companies are seeking top-notch executives. If you feel your management skills are honed and you are ready to make a move then a good headhunter may be exactly what you need.

Rossman, M. (1981). When the Headhunter Calls –A Guide for Women in Management. Chicago, Ill: Contemporary Books pg.49

Russell Scott – Strategic Business Partners – Craig Lindell and Associates – craiglindell.com/

Older Employees are Untapped Resources

The economy may be at its lowest point, but in the near future, when the economy begins to strengthen, employers need help to make the organization grow. Today, most management prefers the younger crowd for their stamina and possible employment longevity, but organizations should consider taking on older employees, the ‘Baby Boomers’. They have grown up during major wars which give them a greater sense of patriotism. They hold a more traditional belief about authority of respect and trust as-well-as the importance leadership. They also have more training and expertise that organizations need to lift from this bad economy to higher profitability.

Does age lead to low productivity? No. “With their extensive knowledge and experiences, mature workers can compensate, often by filtering out ‘noise’ and focusing on essential decisions or actions” (Dychtwald, 2006). Older employees can focus more on the tasks that are given to them and accomplish more because of that focus. Coupled with their large stores of knowledge and experiences, they can be more capable of thinking out side of the box more efficiently than the younger employees. Also, older employees have a greater job satisfaction and respect to their managers. Most likely their pride comes from their work and career. They put more emphasis on building efficient for teams and team cooperation.

Though younger employees have energy and stamina for the work, older employees can act as performance coaches to help younger employees have a greater ability to ‘think outside the box’. These younger employees would become more valuable to the organization because of their new ability to focus. Together both young and older would then make up a more productive team.

Russell Scott – Strategic Business Partners – Craig Lindell and Associates – craiglindell.com/

--

Dychtwald, K., Erickson, E. J., Morison, R. (2006). Workforce Crisis. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press

Involve Your Employees

Employee involvement
Today, employees are less committed to the organization than ever before. Interesting, the pay is not the highest concern for the employees to stay, but it is the way employees are recognized for their total worth in the organization. Employees seek to be a bigger stakeholder in the organization. They want to be part of growth of the organization, to have their ideas heard and considered. If the employee is not part of the organizations plans for growth, dangling money in front of them is not effective enough to keep them.

Find the value in your employees now before it is too late
Great talent is hard to find. Top managers and CEO’s are looking for quality employees. One way is for them to go fishing in the competitor’s pond and reel in great talent because that pond is no place to grow. What are you doing to keep your A+ employees from nibbling on your competitors offer? Yes, good pay, what they are monetarily worth is an important security to keep them, but organizational involvement has proven to be more significant to keep them.

Do you hire liabilities or assets
Seeing employees as an asset to the organization, instead of as a liability will allow them to be stakeholders. Executive managers need to respect both the people as well as the process. By seeing the employee part of the success of the organization, they will become more loyal to the organization and not be tempted to leave. Giving respect to the great talent builds trust. Constant encouragement builds commitment to the organization and to the leaders.

The employee has “to feel the rewards that go with winning – in the soul as well as in the wallet.” Jack Welch

Managers as Performance Coaches

A performance coach is someone, preferably in management, to help an employee develop skills to peak performance. CEO’s who want their managers, and all employees, to reach their full potential, may wish to coach them. This requires an investment in time to gain a positive payoff. This takes commitment of the coach’s time to realize the full potential of the employee.

The performance coach starts (and always) gathers data from the employee’s performance. During the data gathering process, the coach must give objective feedback, tactfully, for any change to take place. For best results, the feedback should be immediate, as soon as the coach has information to give. That feedback should be specific and pertain only to the subject, don’t drag anyone else in who should not be involved.

Managers themselves need to have a performance coach so they can pass down what they have learned. “Many managers have grown up in a culture that doesn’t value coaching. Having never received it themselves, they have no role models for offering feedback except negative ones.” (Branham, 2001). Having not been couched should not be an excuse to avoid couching others. Perhaps, this would be a good time to ask your manager to coach you on your performance. This may be risky if you do not have trust from your manager, but this would be a great way to gain that trust and understand what the manager’s responsibilities are. Performance coaching should be a win-win situation.

Russell Scott – Strategic Business Partners – Craig Lindell and Associates – craiglindell.com/
---
Branham, L. (2001). Keeping the People Who Keep You in Business. New York: AMACOM

Since the down-turn of the economy many organizations have discontinued their hiring process, forgoing bringing in new talent. Because of economic fears, employers proceeded to ‘batten down the hatches’ and weather the storm and not make any talent investments. Many companies had to make do with what they had in hopes they would have enough talent to keep the company operational.

The economy has since bottomed out and begun a process of recovery. However, many companies are still afraid to invest in new talent on the possibility that the economy could take another nose dive. But what if the economy doesn’t falter, but continues to rise? And the recent bad economy has brought a lot of great talent to the surface, ready for the picking. Maybe it is time for organizations to make that investment and make their company more profitable than before.

Are you ready to get your company back on its growing path, or do you want to wait for your competitors to make the investment, take all the good talent, and lead in your industry? Are you like the automobile driver sitting at the four way stop looking at the other drivers waiting for them to make their move? Do you want your competitors to take all your customers? There is an ocean of great talent to be plucked, both by you and your competitors. So who is going to make the first move and bring in the best talent?

Russell Scott – Strategic Business Partners – Craig Lindell and Associates – craiglindell.com/

Trust and Respect to Find and Keep Talent

Trust + Respect = Finding and Keeping Talent in Your Organization

The purpose of this blog is to create discussions concerning the relationship between management and employees – as-well-as understanding how that relationship effects the organization. Discussions will come up on how the CEO, president and other upper-management personnel can improve business quality by treating employees properly. This process helps to create greater revenue for the organization and a harmonious environment for the entire staff. On the other hand, by mistreating the staff, the CEO may see a decline in productivity and the quality of the staff. A badly mistreated, valuable employee will seek his/her fortunes elsewhere.

Secondly, this blog provides a forum for others to offer input on their views of employee respect. Some may voice their past experiences, good or bad, and the results so that their experiences may help others. Those of upper-management may benefit from this forum to help understand how to gain trust and respect from their staff to get the best productivity from them.

Please feel free to add anything towards the subject of employee respect and trust so that others may benefit from your experiences.

Russell Scott – Strategic Business Partner – Craig Lindell and Associates – craiglindell.com/