The whole employee rating process is a recipe for disaster
I was 23 when I got my first promotion to Acting Assistant Labour Relations Manager in the UK’s Health Service. My boss’s gift to me was my one and only report, Megan, 20 years old, grumpy, difficult and the department’s secretary. My first task in my new position was to deliver her end-of-year review. My…
And watch your business go down the drain
A lack of productivity is a serious concern because the more it costs us to produce something, the less competitive we are in the global marketplace. And the less competitive we are leads directly to fewer jobs, diminished earning power and a lower standard of living. The usual explanations as to why we struggle with…
Attitudes and beliefs equal character, while values and competencies equal competence
Sitting just alongside the attitudes and beliefs of an organization is a companion set of attributes that round out the cultural blueprint. It is represented by: The Values: espoused and held to be important. The Competencies: nurtured to drive performance and build talent. It is a pretty simple formula – so simple that many seem…
It’s a dangerous myth to believe there is a trade-off between safety and profitability
It was a small terraced house in a northern English city. The young couple did not look old enough to have a son in our apprentice programme. They gave me a cup of tea and I sat down on their sofa. There was no TV, just some chairs, a picture of their son and the…
Employees don't quit their companies; they quit their bosses
Contrary to popular belief, a low salary is usually not the primary reason for quitting a job. Statistics predict that most career-builders won't be working for the same company a decade from now. They're likely to have at least two more jobs. Even though frequent job changes often have a lot to do with variables…
It's time to change the view that managers will simply learn "on the job" and experience comes with "practice"
Let us ask a few simple questions to help illustrate our point. How many hours of driving school does the average teenager need before they get a licence to take your car onto the road? How many hours of flying time does a pilot need before they are fully licensed to fly an Airbus or…
Accurately evaluating human potential is critical to long-term success
The mining industry has long known the importance and value of good geology and sound prospecting. It understands how operating performance is inevitably linked to the location of the ore body and the "grade" of the ore being mined. The same thinking, skill and science need to be used by every organization in order to…
Treat them as adults
John reached out to me because he had heard we were able to help leaders like him reduce their stress and have better outcomes. John’s problem was that his company was growing quickly. While his company had been around for 20 years, the size of the business had tripled in the last three years, and…
Offers insights for helping us deal with change
I’ve been studying change leadership for over 25 years, but only recently have researchers been able to use technology like functional magnetic resonance imagery (fMRI) to look at the brain and see what actually happens when we’re facing a major organizational change. For example, most of our daily activities, including many of our work habits,…
How they can accelerate and maximize their effectiveness
I was preparing to facilitate a board strategy retreat and the project sparked thoughts about bringing a psychologist into the boardroom. “Let me be clear; I don’t do strategic planning,” I stressed when I got the call. The chair assured me they weren’t looking for a strategic planning expert. They wanted someone who is really…