What Sort of Boss are You?

Happiness seems to be a much sort after commodity in this day and age. More and more organisations are realising that individuals are seeking far more than just a pay-packet at the end of the day. They are seeking to be inspired, to be part of something worthwhile, and most importantly they are seeking to be treated like fellow human beings. 

I have recently finished reading Dan Buettner’s book, ‘Thrive’ which explores the components that contribute to long-term happiness in pockets of communities around the world. Dan has discovered that there are individuals and workplaces who have uncovered the secrets behind combining work and happiness that ensures they are not only surviving, but they are thriving into the future. 

Within this book Dan mentions a Gallup-Healthways poll which showed that having the right boss is the single biggest determinant of workplace satisfaction. So what sort of boss are you? How are you contributing to whether your organisation is surviving or thriving? 

What struck me most about the list of qualities of a ‘thriving’ boss was that none of the qualities spoke about the boss who ‘did up the best roster’, or ‘had the best strategic plan for the team’, or ‘always kept within budget’. Every single quality involved having a boss with strong human skills - being approachable, providing regular feedback, establishing clear requirements, practicing good listening, earning trust etc. 

I believe this same list of qualities works for connecting with colleagues and for generating long-term relationships with clients. If you seek to be approachable, listen genuinely and build trust than your clients will keep coming back. And any business who’s clients love what they do is thriving.  

So as you step forward into your work today, whether it be managing others, working with colleagues, or connecting with clients then seek to be aware of these 3 things: 

1. Make someone’s day better - Acknowledge the initiative, the foresight, the hard-work and the joy of others. There is nothing more reinforcing than praise and acknowledgement.
2. Be approachable (no really) - Remove yourself from your phone, your computer and any distractions and really be available to discuss challenges and problems with the person in front of you. 
3. Get out of the way - Once you have set clear expectations then get out of the way and let others do their job. If you are with clients, then this means get out of the way of your own agenda and listen to what is going on for them. 

Yours in pursuing a thriving future, 

Darren and Alison 

Invite your friends and colleagues to sign up to our newsletter

The PLUG: Dealing with the Tough Stuff Program Exclusive Showcase

Thursday 31 March 2011

Having trouble delivering results from critical conversations?

'Dealing with the Tough Stuff' gives you, your management or organisation practical tools to deal with the really tough conversations within your workplace.

Many managers struggle with the process of dealing with tough conversations and in many cases actually avoid them completely.  This strategy of avoidance reinforces undesired behaviours and may precipitate further problems.

One of the biggest responsibilities with a leadership position is the importance of addressing and dealing with staff issues.  At times this requires you to 'step up to the plate' and ultimately deal with the tough stuff.

Visit www.toughstuffprogram.com for more information on Dealing with the Tough Stuff.

To register your interest  for Dealing with the Tough Stuff on Thursday 31 March 2011 please contact Matt on 0418 577 277 or matt@pragmaticthinking.com. 

THE GIFT:  The Best Happiness Test on the Internet

This weeks free gift has to be the best happiness test on the internet!
In collaboration with Ed Diener, Ph.D and Ryan T. Howell, Ph.D, Blue Zones 'True Happiness Compass' measures;

• how you remember your life,
• how you experience your life,
• and the effect of your environment.

Check it out!

9 Things HR Sections Continue To Do Badly

I love Human Resources.

I hate Human Resources.

Both of these comments serve as end points of a continuum I find myself constantly moving up and down. Some days I sit back, in magnificent awe of the contribution and progress of a group of dedicated HR practitioners... And then other days see me thinking, in no uncertain terms, that an organisation would be significantly better off if they wiped out their entire HR section.

So what are the differences between the HR departments that do a fantastic job, and the ones who justify their existence? Well, to get it started, how about we look at the 9 common mistakes HR makes.

1. It's all in the title

Human resources. I am sorry, but humans aren’t a resource and any department that treats them like one have sold their soul to the highest paycheck. Today’s modern workforce need people to turn up showing the very best of themselves. Their innovation, creativity and artistry are the skills we really need to see. But if people feel treated like a number, they will reciprocate... Numbers such as 30% staff engagement, 70% turnover rates... These are the numbers you will see in return. HR departments should be renamed RH departments. Resourcing Humans... That’s actually the true essence of any high performing HR practitioner’s role.

2. They don't walk their talk

I’d love a dollar for every time I see a HR department not having it’s yearly reviews completed on time, exhibiting really poor people skills, or placing emphasis on the spreadsheet in front of the person. Modeling is such a powerful tool to use, and yet many HR units model the very behaviour they wish to avoid. HR should adopt the persona of the ‘cool class nerd’ - first to finish everything; back this up with exceptionally well communicated policies and procedures, and exemplary customer service. Unfortunately there are more than a few do as I say not as I do type of operators in the HR industry. HR should always be a do as I say...because we truly believe in it too.

3. Their R.O.I s.u.c.k.s

If some HR departments were valued as a business, they would be sent into liquidation and receivership overnight. HR, like any other department within an organisation should be accountable for clear outcomes and should be measured against it. Grievance procedures that last months if not years, performance reviews that are underperforming, and diabolical return to work practices that see people sent to some work-enforced purgatory... If you’re selling these, then I have news for you; no-one’s buying! Return on investment for the performance for the HR department should be measured across more than data that can be manufactured. Hands down the best measures, as in any business, are; word of mouth and return business. How do your internal and external customers view your HR unit? Have you built relationships with people that see them use your services constantly rather than desperately? And the big question; what is your value proposition to your organisation?

HR sections should be lean, agile and ‘profitable’... Interestingly, high performing organisations don’t spend a greater percentage of their budget on HR, they spend less than poorer performing organisations.  

4. They use out-of-date tools on a 2011 workforce

As human behaviour shifts and evolves at such a rapid rate, you would think our methods and processes would change with it too... You’d think. But it is sad how often we see the same old systems and processes being wheeled out. Don’t get me wrong, some of the old theory is as strong today as it has always been, but large parts of it look like a hypercolour t-shirt or a flock of seagulls haircut; some things will never come back into fashion (hopefully!). The biggest culprit: old-fashioned performance incentives, that worked for 1930‘s depression factory workers, provide no incentive at all. Human resources staff should be continually educating themselves not just about process, but about emerging behavioural trends.

5. Right fighters are rarely happy

There is an old saying in behavioural sciences, “you can choose to be right, or you can choose to be happy”. Many relationship breakdowns, conflicts and general roadblocks between two parties are when both are ‘right’. I have seen my fair share of ‘right fighters’ in the HR profession. They defend underperforming systems like a dog with a bone, and wonder why their boss, their staff and their workforce aren’t happy. Be humble and admit when something isn’t working... You might just end up happy.

6. Their reputation economy is bankrupt

“They don’t respect the work we do here” cries a HR professional, distraught his/her work is not valued by the wider organisation. Yet at no time has thought been put into ‘selling’ the products or services they offer to the buyers/customers/clients. The truth is HR as an industry tends to market themselves poorly. 

How do you get greater buy in? 

How do you get more recognition at a board or executive level? 

Answer: Have a great reputation.

If you’ve done something great as a unit, you should use it to build a strong reputation. You have to blow your own trumpet... There’s no music if you don’t.

7. They’re like the angel of death

It breaks my heart, but too many HR professionals see their entire job as ‘putting out fires’. They only turn up for the bad stuff. Plenty of workforces recognise if HR are in the room, then it must be really serious. 

What about all the good stuff? Having a strong presence in the wins and successes of the organisation is critical to be seen in a good light. If all you do is work on problems, then how do you not become a problem yourself?

8. Bring in business, don’t turn it away.

Too many HR units try not to attract attention. It’s like they are almost hiding under their desk, petrified the phone will ring or, God forbid, someone will walk in the door! It is tied to the last problem of constantly ‘turning up for the bad stuff’. Because the work is mostly problematic rather than positive, some HR professionals slip into a pattern of dreading the next point of contact because it is going to be ‘the bad stuff’. The high performing HR practitioners are constantly buzzing around and organisation, they know the names of the high performers as well as they do the people who cause grief. 

9. Engagement is supposed to be a happy place

For a great many HR units within organisations, one of their primary objectives is to put into place practices to achieve greater levels of staff engagement. Yet sadly you walk into the office and are greeted by a group of uninspired, clock-watchers who seem to think engagement is simply the process you go through before you enter a boring marriage.

To inspire people you yourself have to be inspired. To get people engaged, you too must be engaged! Ben Zander calls it ‘sparkly eyes’. Look around your office right now; how many sparkly eyes do you see? A recent report shows Australian Employees Among the Most Disengaged in the World. The good thing? The turnaround may as well start in the HR department; it’s as good a place as any.

So there are 9 major roadblocks for success for HR units. You could do a lot worse than print off this blogpost and discuss at your next team meeting. Are you avoiding these traps? Or are you right in the middle of the muck? We'd love to get your feedback and commentary. Send it around to your peers... Do they agree or disagree? 

One thing is for certain, there are countless sensational HR practitioners out there with a desire to do even better. That fact alone is the reason why I constantly gravitate back to the high end of the continuum I spoke about at the start of this column; I love Human Resources (or as I prefer, Resourcing Humans!)

Warm wishes,

Darren and Alison

Invite your friends and colleagues to sign up to our newsletter

The PLUG: Dealing with the Tough Stuff Program Exclusive Showcase

Thursday 31 March 2011, The Chancellor Apartments, Varsity Lakes.

Having trouble delivering results from critical conversations?

'Dealing with the Tough Stuff' gives you, your management or organisation practical tools to deal with the really tough conversations within your workplace.

Many managers struggle with the process of dealing with tough conversations and in many cases actually avoid them completely.  This strategy of avoidance reinforces undesired behaviours and may precipitate further problems.

One of the biggest responsibilities with a leadership position is the importance of addressing and dealing with staff issues.  At times this requires you to 'step up to the plate' and ultimately deal with the tough stuff.

Visit www.toughstuffprogram.com for more information on Dealing with the Tough Stuff.

To register your interest  for Dealing with the Tough Stuff on Thursday 31 March 2011 please contact Matt on 0418 577 277 or matt@pragmaticthinking.com. 

7 Reasons Why Performance Reviews Don’t Work

It’s a sad fact, but performance review processes and the people who implement them have a fair bit to answer for. Ouch! It hurts to hear it, but it is simply the truth.

For starters, most of them probably cause more harm to the employee’s relationship with the organisation, boss and colleagues than if they simply didn't have a process at all.

But this post is not a call to do away with employee performance systems... it is simply a very loud call for us to do them better. The critical conversation that occurs between an employee and their manager when discussing performance is arguably the most defining exchange when trying to create a common goal for high performance within a workplace. They should stay, and they should be at the very forefront of our efforts to resource humans at work.

So to get the best out of our employee performance systems, we should view the most common mistakes made in the process, starting with the biggest mistake of all:

Mistake Number 1. It is focused on review rather than preview

The single biggest mistake performance reviews make is right there in the title!  Focusing on past performance is not reliable indicator of future performance to start with, but even more concerning is that a review focus is an even less reliable indicator of potential; possibly our most important trait for forward-thinking workplaces. 

I could give you the quaint cliches like the size of a rear vision mirror versus the front windscreen blah blah, but it just makes sense. You can’t change what has happened, but you can change what is going to happen! And therein lies the solution to this biggest of problems in under-performing employee performance systems.

Consider the following table to see the basic frames of a review process versus a preview process;

Review	Preview
Reactive	Proactive
Driven by past	Focused on future
Examination	Cooperation
Goal assessment	Goal creation
System focused	Performance focused
Recognises what has been done	Recognises what can be done
Critique	Conversation

Whilst many organisations have in place an employee performance system that has elements of review and preview within it (as they should), the focus is most definitely on what has happened rather than on what is to come.

So if your employee performance system is not performing, start by pulling it to pieces...and the easiest place is to examine is if it is a forward-thinking process, or is it like too many, focusing on review.

Mistake Number 2. Managers lack confidence and skills in the process

Picture this; a highly talented team member gets so good at their job they are promoted out of it...and into a skill set they have no real idea about. Sounds crazy in theory but happens in practice every single day. People who are experts in their job don’t automatically make good managers/leaders of people.

The human skills element of people management takes time and training to learn. Faced with the critical conversation that might just define the relationship between a supervisor and an employee, they come up short... but what did we expect?

By not equipping the manager with the right skills, employee performance systems suffer a mortal blow; the manager then usually lacks confidence in the system at best, and publicly castigates it at worst. How are employees supposed to enjoy or respect the process if their boss doesn’t?

  

Mistake Number 3. The top tier don't walk the talk

Executive leaders within organisations should operate within the same employee performance system as any other person, full stop. It is simply jaw-dropping how many top-level leaders don't walk their own talk. 

I once had a rugby union coach I thought was a fantastic mentor, and a wonderful coach. What set him apart from other coaches was he got in and ran amongst us for the fitness sessions. His message was not said, but certainly declared: I do not expect you to do anything I myself would not do.

Executive who want to see employee performance systems work should get in and run with the team.

Mistake Number 4. Carrot and sticks belong on farms

A staggering number of employee performance systems are still aligned and anchored to monetary bonuses. And yet we still pursue the concepts of engagement and alignment for staff.

Let’s rewind; we impose a extrinsic motivation practice (people driven by an external reward) but hope for intrinsic (drive from within) motivation to occur. 

In a factory or metric based workplace, extrinsic motivation works. Job satisfaction isn't really as big an issue as operational excellence. But in the modern workplace where innovation, creativity and lateral thinking needs to be a daily job description, we need people lit up from the inside, not driven by cash.

Mistake Number 5. Performance systems aren’t assessed on their own performance.

What is the point and purpose of your current system? Do you even know what it is trying to achieve other than maybe tick a box for ‘best practice’ or meet legislative requirements? The sad fact is that a vast majority of performance review systems aren’t performing. 

Set some measures and goals for your system. Perhaps they could be;

• Completion rates
• Feedback responses
• Overall increases in productivity
• Eagerness to undertake meetings
• Thought leadership

Simply putting in a system to measure performance of the staff is not the end of the exercise. We need to validate and ensure the system itself is meeting the need for which you have employed it to take care of. The return on investment should always be a positive one.

Mistake Number 6. Performance reviews replace real conversation

Too often managers tend to ‘save’ critical conversations for the 6 monthly meeting that characterises the employee performance system in place. This is fraught with danger on a number of levels. 

Firstly, immediacy is always the best strategy for critique to be used to best effect. Secondly, for managers who tend to avoid conflict it can become an easy ‘out’ rather than deal directly with the issue. Lastly, it shuts down the true understanding between a supervisor and employee of the work dynamic; this is only ever realised by having regular, open and immediate conversations. 

Employee performance systems should never substitute ongoing feedback. Ever.

Mistake Number 7. They create a beige workforce

A combination of the above mistakes often leads to an employee performance system culture of ‘let’s give everyone 3 out of 5’.

Not wanting to offend people within the team by giving someone a 5 out of 5, everyone is ‘means tested’ by the manager and we avoid outliers. The big problems with this approach; the worse get better (through no effort) and the best get worse (in spite of effort).

In the past risk management approaches tended to favour building a workplace full of 3 out of 5 workers. Sadly, far too many employee performance systems are stuck in the past, creating very average performance cultures.

Wrapping Up

So there are the 7 big reasons why performance reviews just aren’t delivering on what they promise. There are sure to be many other reasons, and would love to get your opinions and thoughts on the systems you have worked within. Which one’s worked, which one’s didn’t. 

The pursuit of excellence in a system that delivers excellence in people is always a journey worth taking...

The PLUG: Dealing with the Tough Stuff Program

Thursday 31 March 2011

Having trouble delivering results from critical conversations?

'Dealing with the Tough Stuff' gives you, your management or organisation practical tools to deal with the really tough conversations within your workplace.

Many managers struggle with the process of dealing with tough conversations and in many cases actually avoid them completely.  This strategy of avoidance reinforces undesired behaviours and may precipitate further problems.

One of the biggest responsibilities with a leadership position is the importance of addressing and dealing with staff issues.  At times this requires you to 'step up to the plate' and ultimately deal with the tough stuff.

Visit www.toughstuffprogram.com for more information on Dealing with the Tough Stuff.

To register your interest  for Dealing with the Tough Stuff on Thursday 24 March 2011 please contact Matt on 0418 577 277 or matt@pragmaticthinking.com. 

THE GIFT: Performance reviews are a big fat waste of time.

This weeks free gift is controversial.  Chief Happiness Officer Alexander Kjerulf explains why performance reviews and appraisals are such a waste of time and why our workplaces would be better off without them.  Let us know if you agree, or not.

Check it out what's so abrasive here!

Redesign your thinking

Take a minute to come back in time with me. I want you to picture the exact moment when Thomas Edison realised that his invention, the lightbulb, actually worked. What a eureka moment that must have been! 

When you picture this moment, what do you see? Who else is with Thomas as he excitedly flicks the lightbulb on and off? 

Most people picture the inventor in a lab somewhere on his own (probably wearing a white coat because they all do). The reality is that Thomas had about 30 research assistants that worked with him all sharing ideas, suggestions and adaptations to the design. And even after the eureka moment, Thomas and his team set about refining and improving the lightbulb.  

‘The Dragonfly Effect’ by  Jennifer Aaker and Andy Smith, is a great book that talks about the need for us to use ‘design thinking’ in business. We need to be able to develop an idea, prototype it, share it with others, keep what works and adapt what doesn’t.

Too often in business we have this misconception that we need to have the perfect plan, the perfect idea, the perfect website. Designers, inventors and creatives think differently, and we ought to take a leaf out of their book.  

Whether it is a project you are working on, a new website you are building, or a company strategy you are implementing redesign your approach use the following steps: 

1. Develop it
2. Share it
3. Refine it
4. Implement it
5. Repeat (again and again...)

Remember it only needs to be perfectly good enough!

Darren & Alison 

Invite your friends and colleagues to sign up to our newsletter

THE GIFT: 'The Dragonfly Effect' by Jennifer Aaker

This week’s gift is a recent article by author of ‘The Dragonfly Effect’, Jennifer Aaker exploring the link between time and happiness. Jennifer outlines five keys to happiness using your time wisely. 

Download the entire article here 

Do You Mind?

Do You Mind?

5 ways to change your mind

What an incredible power we sit on each and every day.

Actually, when you think about it, this power sits on us. 

Sitting on top of our shoulders is arguably the single most powerful thing on earth. Now I am not talking about that new haircut you just shelled out $75 for, I am talking about your brain, and more specifically, your mind. 

Interestingly, our aptitude to use logic, reasoning, language and so many higher-order thought processes is only the foundation for us (human beings) to be pretty cool. Where we realise our true power is via the mindset we adopt; that’s when we can apply these amazing cognitive gifts. 

So here are some simple but effective things to consider to truly realise your full potential, to use that beautiful mind to full effect. 

1. Accept it takes effort

Interestingly, setting our mind a certain way (adopting a mindset) is not usually a preference for us. We tend to live our lives in autopilot, adopting a mindset that is governed by external circumstance and culture. 

To consciously adopt a mindset needed (eg. Possibility mindset, Courage mindset etc) we have to view the world through a different filter and think differently. Our default is to not consciously adopt a mindset, it is to simply accept what is there for us already. Changing a mindset takes energy and effort.

2. Get into routine

I listened to someone just yesterday speak about how they regularly meditated for 30mins to start their day, and the days where they found themselves ever out of routine often were pretty tough days at the office. Choosing a regular method that accompanies your mindset makes sense. Whether it is a meditative practice or prayer, a run in the afternoon to relieve the days stress, or simply a quiet 5 minutes to gather your thoughts for what might be ahead, having a routine or process you engage upon can be the trigger to adopt or reset the mindset you seek.

3. Consider the consequences

Take the time to reflect on the difference that a mindset shift might have. Take the following  series of events; a proposal you put forward for work is refused, later in the day you get a parking ticket, and when you try and ring a friend to seek comfort, they blow you off. 

One mindset might view the whole world is out to get you, and nobody cares. So you stop putting forward proposals, rip upon the ticket in disgust, and text your friend accusing them of being selfish! Ouch.

Another mindset might see the refusal as valuable feedback, the parking ticket as a reminder to watch time more effectively and the phone call as not the right time for your friend and they will more than likely give you a call back. Forget positivity, just look at the facts; same three incidents, very different consequences. Think about the resultant differences between the following pairs of mindsets;

• Cynicism vs Possibility
• Ignorance vs Empathy
• Isolation vs Collaboration
• Loss vs Opportunity
• Miserliness vs Generosity
• Arrogance vs Humility
• Conformity vs Innovation

There’s a huge difference in the results of those battles within our own mind.

4. Mantras work, man.

OK, so you don't have to sit cross legged and chant away like a Tibetan monk wearing a business suit for a mantra to have profound effect on your mindset.

Perhaps it is as simple as a Post it note on your computer monitor, or a couple of select phrases you rehearse before a presentation, or maybe even a recurring word you embed into your writing or speech; however you decide a mantra will work best for you is cool. My personal favourite all-time mantra when I was growing up? The words the late Michael Conrad used to say on Hill St Blues at the end of the morning briefing. “Hey, let’s be careful out there.”

5. No time like the present

So what are you waiting for? Mindset shifting needs not happen tomorrow, it can happen today. Whether it is yourself, your work team or even your organisation, a fundamental shift in how you view your world can start right now. Time’s-a-wasting.

So whatever your current circumstance, no matter how good, bad, or indifferent, it’s worth checking up on your mindset. After all, it’s where your most extraordinary power exists... the power of your mind.

Warm wishes,

Darren and Alison

Invite your friends and colleagues to sign up to our newsletter

The PLUG: Dealing with the Tough Stuff Program

Thursday 24 March 2011

Having trouble delivering results from critical conversations?

'Dealing with the Tough Stuff' gives you, your management or organisation practical tools to deal with the really tough conversations within your workplace.

Many managers struggle with the process of dealing with tough conversations and in many cases actually avoid them completely.  This strategy of avoidance reinforces undesired behaviours and may precipitate further problems.

One of the biggest responsibilities with a leadership position is the importance of addressing and dealing with staff issues.  At times this requires you to 'step up to the plate' and ultimately deal with the tough stuff.

Visit www.toughstuffprogram.com for more information on Dealing with the Tough Stuff.

To register your interest  for Dealing with the Tough Stuff on Thursday 24 March 2011 please contact Matt on 0418 577 277 or matt@pragmaticthinking.com. 

THE GIFT: Zig Ziglar on Attitude.

This weeks free gift is an 'oldie but a goodie'. Zig Ziglar, the grandfather of the motivational movement talks about how attitude is everything. It's like listening to Grandad tell a great story!

Check it out here!