Attention HR: Vilfredo Has Our Answer
By Ron | December 1, 2009
As we all know, Vilfredo Pareto developed the 80/20 Theory in the early 1900’s. He observed that 80% of the wealth in Italy was held by 20% of the population. Since then, management gurus observed that we typically spend 80% of our efforts to get 20% of the results and that, of course, we should be spending 80% of our efforts to get 80% of the results we want.
The Paredo Principle can make our job in Human Resources so much easier and so much more effective. Most of us believe that if managers were actually “managing,” that our companies would be wildly successful and our own jobs would be easier… not that we want our jobs easier, but you know what I mean.
If we put 80% of our efforts into hiring and promoting the right people into management and keep them trained to be great leaders, most of the issues that plague us would diminish significantly – employee relations problems, law suits, etc. Vifredo would be proud of us because we would be focusing 80% of our efforts to get 80% of the results we want.
Because of this principle, I have focused much of my career on helping managers manage. I even wrote a manuscript on the subject because I felt so strongly about how important good management is. The manuscript covers 10 ways to manage successfully:
1. You have a vision and you share it
2. Effective business planning
3. Staffing for success
4. Shaping a positive culture
5. Teamwork
6. Communicating with purpose
7. Establishing a motivational environment
8. Setting exciting goals and managing projects successfully
9. Performance Management that works
10. Exceptional Customer Service
So, stay tuned. I’m going to cover each one of these management areas one by one…
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College Ain’t What It Used To Be
By Ron | November 24, 2009
If you’re wondering why your new college grads can’t spell or write coherent emails, wonder no more. A recent survey revealed that half the students in College spend more time drinking than studying. You may also get fooled when hiring them because of grade inflation. Don’t be too impressed with a good GPA. From 1991 to 2005, the average grade rose from 2.93 to 3.11 in public schools and 3.09 to 3.30 in private institutions. The average GPA in the 1930’s was 2.35. 50% of the students at Harvard get A’s. No, the students aren’t getting smarter – the SAT scores have been declining for decades.
At the same time, The University of California is raising tuition by over 30%. It seems that colleges are immune to cutting back unlike private enterprise. Instead of cutting salaries, cutting expenses and demanding more excellence out of their professors, they simply raise their prices. And, why not? Daddy and mommy keep paying the bills to send little Johnny to college. Meanwhile, companies are hiring Johnny and teaching him how to read and write.
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Why It Is Almost Impossible To Change HR
By Ron | November 23, 2009
We continue to try to reinvent ourselves. Sometimes it works, most times it doesn’t. So, why is this?
Reality tells me that HR is a blank screen. Everyone outside HR projects their image of what they think we are. What do “they” see?
Or… Social Services? Bureaucracy? Benefits Administration? This is an interesting challenge – how do you change the movie when someone else controls the film and the projector?
Datsun took this kind of challenge on years ago by spending millions of dollars to slowly become Nissan to their public. Today, oil companies spend zillions on advertising trying to change their image from ”big oil” to multi-energy companies with little success (me thinketh). And…almost every corporation is trying to project themselves as “Green” to various levels of success. Many products have simply bitten the dust because they could not create a new image.
The Human Resources function has an even more complex problem – our image is confusing to begin with (all of our internal clients could be projecting a different image of us).
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Changing Titles Is Not Enough
By Ron | November 19, 2009
I recently was in a store that we all know and overheard the sales personnel calling each other “Team Members” and the shoppers “Guests.” I smiled and thought about how good these terms sounded. I also remembered an earlier time when many companies started calling their employees associates. This was another good idea except…
Just changing titles is not enough. If nothing else changes, such as the values, communication, management, supervision, training and personal interfaces, then the title change is a mockery and employees know it.
Words are important, but actions are critical. I told you about the company which changed the title of their staffing unit to “Talent Acquisition” without changing how they did things. Hiring managers became even more critical of the service because they expected a lot more from a Talent Acquisition department.
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More Adventures With Stacy And Jean In HR
By Ron | November 18, 2009
Jean: Stacy, I have an idea.
Stacy: Oh, I can’t wait to hear it.
Jean: No, seriously Stacy, I just want to talk like we used to. You know, when we used plain language. I also think it might help us with our coworkers in the other departments too.
Stacy: What in the world are you talking about?
Jean: Stacy, in plain language what is our mission here in HR?
Stacy: To optimize our talent management initiative by…
Jean: Stacy! Let me interrupt and rephrase it for you the way I want. “Hire great people and help the company be a great place to work” or something like that.
Stacy: I don’t know, that doesn’t sound very lofty or important enough to me. Besides that, I’ve been to many outside Human Resource meetings and conventions and they don’t talk like that anymore.
Jean: Frankly, Stacy, I don’t care about that. We need to communicate in terms that everyone, including me, can understand. Futhermore, I don’t care about that table you talk about all the time either. I’m going to sit at my own table and get them to come to me. And, they’ll come too if they want what we have to offer, but first they need to understand what we have to offer.
Stacy: Well, look at you. I kind of like the new Jean. So, where do we start?
Jean: Well, let’s look at our employee communications and eliminate all of our jargon. Oh, first we should talk about our mission statement…
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Back To Stacy And Jean In HR
By Ron | November 17, 2009
Meanwhile back in the Human Resource Department with Stacy and Jean…
Jean: Well, Stacy…quite frankly, sometimes I don’t understand what you are saying.
Stacy: Jean, it is simple. In fact, it is totally seamless and transparent.
Jean: Okay…
Stacy: For example, remember when I told you that you were having a problem with Project Governance while you were working on the HR Strategic Workforce Planning Project?
Jean: Yes, I remember, but I’m not sure I understood what you meant.
Stacy: That’s what I mean, Jean. How are we in HR going to accomplish our Outcome-focused Communication if you keep failing to understand?
Jean: (starting to cry) I don’t know.
Stacy: Tracy, you are part of our Core Team here in Human Resources. We are trying to be a Center of Expertise. I need your Talent to be totally focused or we are not going to get our rightful Seat at the Table.
Jean: What table, Stacy?
Stacy: Oh, forget it, Jean. I’ve got to get back to my project on surveying the Vendor Landscape.
Jean: (mumbling) yeah, whatever that means…
Topics: HR | 1 Comment »
HR: “No One Understands Us”
By Ron | November 16, 2009
Overheard in a Human Resource Department near you…
Jean: No one understands us.
Stacy: I hear you. The other day, I was talking to our CEO and told her about our new HR transformation project and she looked at me with a blank stare.
Jean: Oh, I know. I tried to explain to her about our new thrust in the talent management diversification process and I got the same reaction.
Stacy: Well, I don’t know how she expects to engage the employees if she doesn’t listen to us. After all how are we expected to implement our Shared Services Program without her support?
Jean: But, Stacy, I’m not sure we need her support or even want it. Just look at her personal brand; I mean what is it anyway?
Stacy: I don’t know. I would like to do some crowd sourcing to find out what they think. Maybe we could show the results to our CEO and get leverage that way.
Jean: Good idea Stacy. In the meantime, why don’t we work on our Peer-Coaching initiative.
Stacy: I thought we HRO’ed that?
Jean: I hate to ask you Stacy, but what does HRO mean?
Stacy: HR outsourcing, silly!
Jean: Oh, I’m sorry. I keep forgetting that we are in the process of transforming our HR function.
Stacy: C’mon Jean. You know it is all about TM.
Jean: Transcendental Meditation?
Stacy: Jean! Talent Management!
Jean: Excuse me. I guess I wasn’t onboarded correctly.
Stacy: No wonder nobody understands us, if you don’t Jean.
Topics: HR | 1 Comment »
I Told You So
By Ron | November 12, 2009
Remember when I told you that some great companies avoid layoffs by freezing or cutting employee pay and they still are able to maintain good morale? My example has always been Hewlett Packard in the good old days of Silicon Valley. Currently there are three more companies who engage in this practice and they are on Fortune’s top 100 best companies to work for. They are doing well in this recession and have never laid anyone off:
Devon Energy withholds raises during the tough times.
The Container Store freezes salaries.
Scottrade cuts bonuses.
Trust is the glue that keeps the morale high durning tough times. Employees at these companies trust that their employers have their best interests at heart.
Topics: HR | 1 Comment »
Managing By Gimmick #4
By Ron | November 11, 2009
The manager who uses Management Gimmick (MBG) #4 spoils his/her employees just like an indulgent parent. I call this “Laissez-Faire Management.” We in Human Resources know these managers well. We can spot them easily because they…
- have departments with high absenteeism and tardiness
- have lower productivity due to lax supervision
- want to be liked by their employees
- write surface performance appraisals with higher than warranted ratings
This lay-back type manager is not to be confused with the good manager who sets mutual goals with her people and turns them loose to meet the goals after training, development and coaching. Laissez-Faire managers really don’t manage at all.
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Management By Gimmick #3
By Ron | November 9, 2009
This gimmick may not be a biggee, but I’ve seen it used many times. C’mon, you’ve heard it too…
“We run this operation by food.” When the boss says this, everyone laughs because they know that it is true at some level.
There are managers who supply an endless parade of food… donuts, bagels, pizza, etc. as a motivator to get projects done. I’m not totally against the idea if it is a rare occurence – I just don’t like it as a substitute for good management.
Topics: HR | No Comments »
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