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Chris Young
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1 year ago
in Where’s the Diversity in HR? on KnowHR Blog
Frank - looking at some recent research from the Corporate Leadership Council business acumen was identified as the trait that has the largest impact on determining the strategic role that an HR executive has within his or her organization.
This isn't really that surprising.
The problem seems to come from the fact that HR departments are commonly inbred and promote from within the ranks. In most situations I don't have a real big problem with this. However, within HR the effects seem to be more pronounced as most people enter HR in a highly administrative role and never get any real exposure to how a business operates and provides value to its customers.
By the time that someone makes it into a senior HR position they have likely become so accustomed to dotting all the i's and crossing the t's that they have lost all sight of how HR can be leveraged to provide real value to the organization.
It's hard to blame the C-suite for not taking HR seriously.
The real issue is how do we get the right people into these key roles to articulate the strategic role that HR plays in a business. I think Steve's CEO client made a brilliant move by putting an individual who has lead several business units in charge of HR. Kudos to you Steve!
This isn't really that surprising.
The problem seems to come from the fact that HR departments are commonly inbred and promote from within the ranks. In most situations I don't have a real big problem with this. However, within HR the effects seem to be more pronounced as most people enter HR in a highly administrative role and never get any real exposure to how a business operates and provides value to its customers.
By the time that someone makes it into a senior HR position they have likely become so accustomed to dotting all the i's and crossing the t's that they have lost all sight of how HR can be leveraged to provide real value to the organization.
It's hard to blame the C-suite for not taking HR seriously.
The real issue is how do we get the right people into these key roles to articulate the strategic role that HR plays in a business. I think Steve's CEO client made a brilliant move by putting an individual who has lead several business units in charge of HR. Kudos to you Steve!
1 year ago
in What’s Your GPA? on KnowHR Blog
Frank - good stuff... With so many surveys and studies out there showing a pitifully low correlation between measures of intelligence such as IQ and GPA and success in a job it makes me wonder why these measures still play such a prominent role in the selection process.
This is one of the reasons that there are so many hiring mistakes mad every day... we become enamored by the honors and accolades achieved in one's education and look past the obvious reasons why a candidate is not a good fit for the job.
Personally I am much more interested in a candidate's behavioral tendencies, what motivates them, and their ability to communicate effectively and perceive the emotions of others and act accordingly.
This is one of the reasons that there are so many hiring mistakes mad every day... we become enamored by the honors and accolades achieved in one's education and look past the obvious reasons why a candidate is not a good fit for the job.
Personally I am much more interested in a candidate's behavioral tendencies, what motivates them, and their ability to communicate effectively and perceive the emotions of others and act accordingly.
1 year ago
in Sure, We Trust You…Now Bend Over on KnowHR Blog
I say, "trust but verify"...
Everything starts out wonderfully... Then... Reality sets in.
You never know when someone is going to turn on you, the team, or the organization.
I've seen the nicest, meekest, mildest mannered people you would never suspect do the nastiest things electronically.
Then one day they decide to copy competitive trade secrets to CD. It happened to my company. Is that respect?
I've seen employees who were given opportunities to improve performance begin searching for a job on company time. Is that family-oriented?
And the current generation has what I call "boundary issues." They believe it is acceptable to do whatever they like while on company computers.
Many people don't do anything wrong. But some do...
Set the policy. Explain the policy. Then measure the policy.
Excellent topic... Love your blog btw...
Everything starts out wonderfully... Then... Reality sets in.
You never know when someone is going to turn on you, the team, or the organization.
I've seen the nicest, meekest, mildest mannered people you would never suspect do the nastiest things electronically.
Then one day they decide to copy competitive trade secrets to CD. It happened to my company. Is that respect?
I've seen employees who were given opportunities to improve performance begin searching for a job on company time. Is that family-oriented?
And the current generation has what I call "boundary issues." They believe it is acceptable to do whatever they like while on company computers.
Many people don't do anything wrong. But some do...
Set the policy. Explain the policy. Then measure the policy.
Excellent topic... Love your blog btw...
1 year ago
in Suffer from Motivational Deficiency Disorder? on KnowHR Blog
Uber has some good points... Managers do have a lot to do with motivation, but employees have to bring some to the table to.
Typically it starts out strong when one first comes on board and then slowly dwindles away. This is especially true when team members are hired for positions that don't strike their personal motivational cords.
A sales person who isn't motivated by money is a great example. What is there to drive this individual? Nothing really... at least not for a long period of time.
Sadly it seems that many are doomed to suffer from MDD before they ever start their job...
Chris Young
The Rainmaker Group
Typically it starts out strong when one first comes on board and then slowly dwindles away. This is especially true when team members are hired for positions that don't strike their personal motivational cords.
A sales person who isn't motivated by money is a great example. What is there to drive this individual? Nothing really... at least not for a long period of time.
Sadly it seems that many are doomed to suffer from MDD before they ever start their job...
Chris Young
The Rainmaker Group
1 year ago
in Can You Motivate Someone? on KnowHR Blog
Amazing what thought of playing X-box on a giant plasma television can do to motivate the youth of society!
Unfortunately most organization can't shell out the dough to motivate their team members in this way.
I find one of the best ways to motivate people is by ensuring they are placed in jobs that are inherently motivating to them given the nature of the position.
Take a sales job for example. Hiring somebody who is highly motivated by money for this position will result in a team member who is motivated to achieve sales goals as achieving these goals will result in monetary reward.
Have somebody in a commision based sales position who isn't motivated by money? Good luck motivating them to achieve sales goals with a heafty performance bonus... it just isn't going to happen.
I think it all boils down to getting people in positions that match their natural behaviors and the values that motivate their behavior. Doing so will save an organization big bucks not having to shell out a flat screen TV everytime it needs something accomplished!
Chris Young
The Rainmaker Group
Unfortunately most organization can't shell out the dough to motivate their team members in this way.
I find one of the best ways to motivate people is by ensuring they are placed in jobs that are inherently motivating to them given the nature of the position.
Take a sales job for example. Hiring somebody who is highly motivated by money for this position will result in a team member who is motivated to achieve sales goals as achieving these goals will result in monetary reward.
Have somebody in a commision based sales position who isn't motivated by money? Good luck motivating them to achieve sales goals with a heafty performance bonus... it just isn't going to happen.
I think it all boils down to getting people in positions that match their natural behaviors and the values that motivate their behavior. Doing so will save an organization big bucks not having to shell out a flat screen TV everytime it needs something accomplished!
Chris Young
The Rainmaker Group
1 year ago
in HiPo or Hippo? on KnowHR Blog
Michelle has a great point - HiPos can be a dangerous crowd when left to their own devices.
With this group I find that in most cases they realize their high potential and feel that they are not maximizing their potential. This can lead to a variety of problems when it comes to managing and retaining these employees.
Knowing their talent are likely to be desired by other organizations, HiPos aren't afraid to jump ship if they feel there is a better opportunity elsewhere.
One thing that I have found works well with these high potential employees, especially those in the Generation X and Y cohort, is succession planning and leadership development.
Including these individuals in a succession plan or leadership development plan of an organization indicates that their potential is recognized (very important to HiPos) and that there are plans to put their knowledge, skills, and abilities to work in a greater capacity with greater responsibilities within the organization.
Leaving these intelligent and talented individuals without much direction and assurance of their future role within an organization can be disasterous and help to drive them to one's competition.
It all boils down to communication, which is really the essence of management.
Chris Young
With this group I find that in most cases they realize their high potential and feel that they are not maximizing their potential. This can lead to a variety of problems when it comes to managing and retaining these employees.
Knowing their talent are likely to be desired by other organizations, HiPos aren't afraid to jump ship if they feel there is a better opportunity elsewhere.
One thing that I have found works well with these high potential employees, especially those in the Generation X and Y cohort, is succession planning and leadership development.
Including these individuals in a succession plan or leadership development plan of an organization indicates that their potential is recognized (very important to HiPos) and that there are plans to put their knowledge, skills, and abilities to work in a greater capacity with greater responsibilities within the organization.
Leaving these intelligent and talented individuals without much direction and assurance of their future role within an organization can be disasterous and help to drive them to one's competition.
It all boils down to communication, which is really the essence of management.
Chris Young
1 year ago
in Want Results? Work for Them on KnowHR Blog
Great points about IQ being a poor predictor of academic success. I find it is as true for academics as it is for predicting success in the workplace.
Studies show the correlation between IQ and professional success to be dismally low when compared with other metrics such as emotional intelligence (the ability to read others emotions and react appropriately) and of course, as you mention, hard work and determination.
Smart people are always attractive candidates, but the truth is that standardized tests such as IQ don't truly measure a person's likelihood of success in work and in life.
Chis Young
The Rainmaker Group
http://www.therainmakergroupinc.com
Studies show the correlation between IQ and professional success to be dismally low when compared with other metrics such as emotional intelligence (the ability to read others emotions and react appropriately) and of course, as you mention, hard work and determination.
Smart people are always attractive candidates, but the truth is that standardized tests such as IQ don't truly measure a person's likelihood of success in work and in life.
Chis Young
The Rainmaker Group
http://www.therainmakergroupinc.com
