For those climbing the corporate ladder, you need to be prepared for what is ahead.  Being part of the “Executive Suite” is essentially a whole new game – not at all like you’ve experienced before.  Leaders in the organization would be ahead to spend some time with new executives, describing the lay of the land. 

For the new senior executive, the perks are great, the responsibilities critical to the success of your company, and you are making great money.  That’s the good part.  The challenge is to stay there and succeed in the new role!

An article on this topic by Jim Swanson, senior director for the American Bar Association and former CEO for USAF Legal Operations was published in the online news, December 2011, for the Society for Human Resource Management.  In it he outlines some of the differences as one assumes a leadership role.

One of the most significant differences might be obvious, but requires some thought.  The new Big Bosses are a very different group than those in middle management.  These people have a whole world of “bosses” to report to, including their board, shareholders, customers, and even Government.  Their work schedules are generally 24-7, and their time is always stretched.  Therefore a big part of your job is to communicate efficiently.  A quote from a former boss of mine – “Be brief, be bright, be gone.”  -might apply here.

Your attention and time will also be spent primarily on solutions to the overall company goals.  Your focus should be always on the results, without getting tangled in the details and processes of your internal organization.  Failing to deliver is a sure definition of failure in your boss’s eyes.  You also need to steer clear of turf wars or spending time on personal status issues.  These are NOT productive.

Don’t bring problems – bring solutions.  If you simply bump tough problems up to your boss, you are not providing value in the role.  If it is necessary to bring an issue to the Boss, be prepared with solutions and courses of action that are in line with the “big picture” as the Boss sees it.  This means that you have to be constantly aware of the current situation in the company so pay attention.

Executive suite language often requires interpretation.  The Boss doesn’t criticize in public, and speaks much like a diplomat – oblique and highly civil.  It is for you to understand underlying messages. In public settings, compliments are “diplomatic” and you shouldn’t read too much into them.  In one on one communications, compliments with a “but” in the conversation may be an expression of concern so listen carefully to the comments.  Also, any time the Big Boss makes a suggestion or mentions something more than once, take it as “Do it ASAP”. 

Finally, get used to NOT getting a lot of strokes from the CEO.  Also get used to criticism, as it is part of the territory.  There is usually not much time for coddling – the fact that you are still in the executive suite is reward enough.

For the “Big Boss” – help your new execs prepare for the role, and you will have a much more productive and stable group to support your success.  Good luck.

Tags: change management, Executive jobs, performance management

Companies look for ways to thank employees and incentivize them – keep the team happy and productive!  One traditional reward has been the holiday bonus.  The bonus can come in many forms, from checks in various amounts (or sometimes the same amount for all) to in one case, a holiday turkey…
The problem is, this particular reward doesn’t have much lasting effect on employee morale, job satisfaction, or productivity.  In many cases it becomes perceived as part of the annual salary.  It can also cause resentment when everyone gets the same reward no matter how much they contributed to the company’s success that year.  In a case I’m familiar with, the executive team got significantly higher holiday bonuses, creating resentment among staff that felt those folks already had enough money for the holidays and it should go to the “worker bees”. 
A better idea, as suggested in an article on the Society for Human Resource Management website, is incentive pay based on meeting company goals.  A reward should align the growth and wealth-building of the company and its employees.  When companies develop the correct incentives, their growth and success can increase significantly.
This requires some groundwork.  The first, as always, is to clearly identify company goals for the short term.  These goals have to be quantifiable in order to use them as a guide for rewarding employees.  Then comes the hard part – identify specific behaviors or work that will help achieve these goals.  In addition, employees should articulate their particular goals as they relate to the business of the company. 
Company leaders should recognize that employees are motivated by similar elements—an atmosphere that encourages development, participation in the decision-making processes, opportunities for professional growth and a comfortable living now and the ability to increase their well being in the future.
So how to reward:  bonuses, deferred compensation, stock plans or other options?  This has to be defined by the leadership and be based on the company structure and financial situation. 
Finally, the reward program won’t be effective unless it is kept front and center in the business process.  It will only motivate if employees remember the commitments made and rewards available.  This type of program serves as recognition and appreciation of the individual effort to make the company more successful.
There is always opportunity to celebrate and appreciate the employees of the company en mass via luncheons or simple gift exchanges.  Bear in mind, however, that not everyone celebrates the holidays in the same way, and some not at all.  That’s another reason for not doing holiday bonuses!

Tags: employee benefits, employee morale, performance management

There have been headlines in the news lately concerning performance bonuses in the banking and finance industry.  In some cases such as that of Goldman Sachs, lower overall company performance didn’t dampen the pay raises and bonuses significantly last year.  So is there really a connection, and how is “performance” determined?

According to an article in the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) news, over 90% of U.S. organizations tie salary increases and bonuses to specific performance measures.  There was a study done by the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp) that found high-performer organizations are more likely to use performance measures than the “low performers”. 

There is also a difference between companies saying they evaluate performance and companies doing so successfully.  Being successful depends heavily on identifying the appropriate drivers to use in the evaluation process, and clearly understanding these drivers.

The SHRM article said that high-performer companies were driven primarily by a desire to recognize and reward their best employees.  This desire also translates into needing to retain their best and brightest at a time when these folks may be a target for other organizations looking for new employees. As a secondary driver, the high-performer hoped to increase the likelihood of achieving corporate goals through their review program. 

In these times of tight budgets, very few of the companies studied identified the compensation budget as a driver for performance evaluations and raises.  During the 2009 downturn there was a general attitude among companies that if you kept your job, even if it meant a salary reduction, everyone was grateful.  Now, slowly, companies are able to give raises and bonuses, and are trying to do so effectively.

Interestingly, the i4cp study found that low-performing organizations put emphasis more on achieving corporate goals (in other words how well did the employee fit into that business vision).  While this might make sense, sometimes the best input you can receive from staff is why the goal/vision needs tweaking, and being able to provide new vision or innovation to achieve success.  Meeting corporate objectives and improving productivity are useful short term goals, but the best and brightest can see the broader picture and help the organization get there.

Tags: benefits, employee morale, performance management

The National Labor Relations Board is entering new territory as workers across the country file complaints because they were fired over Facebook indiscretions.  Although the Board has taken up the cases of a number of workers, others have been told they have no one to blame but themselves.
There are few guidelines in place.  General Counsel for the  NLRB is currently drafting a report outlining certain Facebook scenarios and how the board has acted on the complaints.
According to an article in the online Huffington Post August 2, the NLRB has been inundated with worker complaints, and has been handling them on a case-by-case basis.  Employers, meantime, need some idea of what the guidelines will be for dealing with this issue.
Two cases in point:  a Walmart worker who referred to his manager using a rude Spanish term for a female  on the social networking site after they fought over store displays, and a frustrated Illinois bartender who took to Facebook to complain that he hoped the “redneck” patrons choked on glass as they drove home drunk. 
The latter worker was canned, and the former admonished for their respective outbursts.  When they appealed to the National Labor Relations Board, the board declined to intervene, saying the punishments were legitimate.
In another case where an employee criticized her boss on Facebook (categorizing him as a psychiatric case), the firing was based on a company policy forbidding employees to criticize the company online.  The NLRB held that this policy was too broad and took up the employee’s complaint.  The argument was that the posting was no different than gossiping around the water cooler – what we used to do in the old days!
A spokesperson for the NLRB had some advice for employers.  “You can’t stick your head in the sand and tell your  workers to abstain”.  We  know that won’t happen, so work with your leadership to come up with some reasonable guidelines.  The NLRB should be releasing its report on Facebook cases in the next few weeks, so stay tuned.  Such an interesting world!

Tags: industry news, performance management, social network

Of course, because mobile computing devices,(smart phones, etc) are so popular now, companies are looking at the ability to offer training on these devices.  It is projected that by the end of the year over 50% of phones sold will be smart phones.  A whole new frontier for organizational learning!

SO – is it a good idea?  The Society For Human Resource Management (SHRM) July publication reviews a study by the American Society for Training and Development that recommends piloting mobile learning programs to find out what works.  They suggest rolling out the programs incrementally and take advantage of the mobile device features that enhance learning,.
So far the ASTD survey finds that 15% of the 1546 organizations responding to their survey use mobile learning.  Interestingly, those organizations that were using mobile learning found a high correlation between that factor and better performance – specifically in market performance and effective instructional design.  

 
Another 41% of organizations surveyed said they were considering developing mobile learning programs in their institutions.  Michael Green, research manager for ASTD cautions that this is no replacement for traditional formal learning, but augments that venue by making relevant content easily accessible to employees, and by providing real-time learning.

Recommendations for mobile learning initiatives from the report:
- Try to remain “agnostic”, as developing mobile applications and then having to provide devices represent big upfront costs.
- Don’t focus only on the importance for training.  Realize the other benefits, to help manage a workforce and improve productivity in the organization.
- Remember it’s OK to wait and see.  This market is still fragmented, so maybe being a beta test organization isn’t right for you.
- Take small bites – try one or two applications as a start.
- Utilize the unique capabilities of this type of device – otherwise you might as well stick with webcasts or internet-based products.
Good luck!

Tags: change management, effective learning, performance management