A Day in the Life of a CHRO

It's Been a While

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 10 Feb 2018 15:28:00 +0000

"Often when you think you are at the end of something, you're at the beginning of something else."

Fred Rogers

The last time I posted a blog post was in late 2016. I was on the road, I was a consultant, I was a business owner. I was 52.

Fast forward to February 2018, I am a CHRO for one of my former clients and I love it. I get asked the question at least once a week, "Why did you go back to corporate life?'

I get asked that question a lot by my former consultant colleagues. As an external consultant, the mantra goes something like this, "I could never go back to work for corporate America." I said that many times during my consulting career of 20 years. I can remember saying something similar to my business partner and now dear friend Barbara Hughes, "I would rather scan groceries than work at corporate." I guess I'd better call Publix, because here I sit, an employee of a very fast paced, growing business in Atlanta, GA.

The reasons are many, but the stars just lined up at the right time and I am so glad they did.

These reasons are in no particular order-

Reason #1-I know the company. I had been consulting for them since 2009, and I knew their CEO, their Executive Team, their culture and their challenges. I like them a lot. The company has a family feel, and I like that and so do our clients and members.

Reason #2-I want to actually see the end results of projects, recommendations and ideas. So many times as a consultant, you come up with the best plans but never get to see the end result.

Reason #3-I would not have to live on an airplane and in a Marriott. I was getting a little tired of being a road warrior. I was really enjoying my time off at the lake with family and friends. Travel was becoming more difficult and less fun.

Reason #4-I have figured out that I really like to "fix things" and "problem solve" and "teach people" how to increase their performance at work. These things take time and you usually can only do these in the short term as a consultant.

Reason #5-I need to be home in Atlanta. My family needs me.

So, for these reasons when my client asked me to come onsite last December to focus on their benefits challenges, I said yes. And then, eight months later, I said yes when they asked to be their CHRO in August of 2017.

I do miss all my consultant friends. But, we do stay in touch and hopefully we will continue to collaborate just in different roles.

It's been a crazy, fun ride so far. I thought it would be interesting to dedicate this blog to the real issues that a CHRO deals with, what keeps me up at night and how a growing business navigates its own growth pains. I say on a weekly basis, "I need to write a book" well this is the next best thing.

Stay tuned!

The Data Driven Approach to Culture Change

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 10 Aug 2016 18:07:00 +0000

I have had the pleasure of contributing to Halogen's Software's TalentSpace blog for the last few years. They are nice to still ask me to write!

Check out how YOU can take a data driven approach to culture change here.

5 Ways to Deliver HR Services at Lightening Speed

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 13 Apr 2016 16:20:00 +0000

I have noticed over the last year that expectations for speedy HR delivery has increased. In past years, it was ok to say that an HRIS implementation will take 18 months and a compensation review would take 6 months. I have been involved with both projects recently and the expectation has been cut in half. As a consultant, my client feels these pressures, which for me, becomes hard to strike a balance between what the customer wants and how to best deliver a quality project on time and on budget.

The drivers behind these expectations seem to be born out of the organization's business needs. The business has to deliver quicker, smarter and on time and so should HR. Another source that impacts the expectation around HR service delivery is our own profession telling us to "be more strategic." Its hard to be strategic when you are mired in inefficient processes and legacy technology.

As I look back over the last year's worth of projects and customers, I have noticed five common themes in terms of making sure HR service delivery is successful:

1) Does leadership support HR's vision for effectiveness and efficiency? Business leaders just want things done correctly and timely. Timely usually means today or even yesterday. HR must be able to articulate the value of improving service delivery and WHY it matters to the business. A business case is the best tool for this type of communication.

2) What is the current state of HR delivery? Be careful what you ask your customers. A simple survey regarding performance and importance of HR services can be a huge eye-opener. For example, you ask managers what they value most from HR, and they respond management training but give HR a needs improvement. What do you do?

3) Is there opportunity for process improvement BEFORE any technology solution is considered? Do not automate bad processes. If you have a recruiting process that is cumbersome and paper intensive, automating that process to "paperless" won't make it a better process. If you automate multiple approvals with complicated routing, you will be at the same exact place you started, minus a huge stack of requisitions.

4) What is the impact to employees? If any HR process changes, HR needs to explain the WIIFM clearly to employees. When you announce an Employee Self Service approach, do you think employees think that benefits them or HR? I have heard comments like, "what is HR doing now, that they aren't processing my W-4's?

5) How will I know HR is successful? Calculate the ROI. Period. End of story. In addition to ROI make sure you have a very good set of HR metrics coupled with analytics that point to HR efficiency, effectiveness and HR IMPACT!!!!

I believe my job is to be able to support HR leadership in the five areas above. Its difficult to manage all of these balls in the air, but I love it. I enjoy working in this profession that is changing rapidly both in terms of expectations but also skills sets and definitions for success. I say, "Let's be more than an HR business partner, Lets be a BUSINESS LEADER, that just happens to get HR!"

Creating Performance Metrics is Just the Beginning

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 18 Jan 2016 22:29:00 +0000

Many times over the last two years I have worked with clients that wanted to create performance metrics for their organizations. The clients have often thought that once you have these metrics the skies are blue and everything is done. Well, unfortunately that can’t be farther from the truth. Once performance metrics are created, organizations automatically set the expectation that “things are different” and we are now “accountable.” What if the culture is one where metrics have not been important and performance is not a top priority? The next issue after metrics are created becomes that of the potential of uncovering inefficient processes. Now what? Who is in charge of re-engineering that process? Who is going to make sure our culture is performance based?

The key is to make sure when you are considering creating performance metrics whether in HR or any other function in the organization that you use the best practice of including change management and process improvement in the initiative. All three parts are essential for metrics to be successful.

I had the honor of discussing this three-pronged approach with two very smart colleagues of mine, SusanHagood, Evolution Management, Inc. and AliciaButler Pierre, Equilibria, Inc. Susan is a subject matter expert in the area of Change Management and Alicia in the area of process improvement. Below are some of their observations regarding the need to take a more holistic approach when creating performance metrics.

Change Management

In todays ever changing business environment change is becoming the norm for most organizations. I think about my clients and it’s easier to count the ones that DON’T have a change in progress.

When embarking on establishing performance metrics organizations are best served when changes to people, process and practices are considered and acted upon. . Metrics can uncover inefficiencies, skill gaps and production issues. With this in mind, employees need to understand WHY the organization is moving in a direction of higher performance. The need for clarity is probably the one of the most basic components of change. Explaining the WHY behind the WHAT goes a long way with employees. This message needs to come from the top down and not be in “consultant speak”, but in words that employees can relate to.

In order to get buy in from employees on the upcoming change Ms. Hagood suggests:

“From a change management perspective, it’s important to invite the employee to share their ideas about the efficiencies and continuous improvement of their roles and responsibilities. They are on the front line – what does it take to be successful? What would make the work easier, faster, and more customer-focused? It’s very important with any personal change that is going to be required of an employee that they understand why the change is necessary and that they have a voice in what that change will look like. Encouraging the dialogue and planning that supports change planning can be very motivating and exciting to the employee – just the type of engagement the employer is looking for”

Ms. Hagood, discusses the importance of communications throughout the change initiative:

“During times of change – remember to communicate as frequently as possible through as many avenues as possible, since employees may not be exposed to certain messages. You can’t communicate too much.”

To read more from Debbie King also from Evolution Management and Susan on change click here.

Process Improvement

Many times as organizations will measure cycle times, backlogs, quality and customer service, which can point to a need for process improvement. When this is the case it’s important to keep in mind, the process owner.

According to Alicia Butler Pierre, “Process owners have the responsibility of ensuring that: 1) the process works, 2) people know the process and how to follow it, and 3) the right metrics are being used to track performance. “

When asked, “How would you ensure that the metrics are used to actually improve the process?” Ms. Pierre offered this insight:

“Processes and metrics go hand-in-hand and both should be tied to performance evaluation. Otherwise, they will simply sit on the shelf and collect dust. Processes are intended to be fluid, not static. In fact, the lack of change usually means the lack of innovation and growth for the organization. If you aren’t measuring, then you aren’t improving and if you aren’t changing, then you aren’t growing.”

“The Six Sigma methodology offers a proven formula to ensure processes and their associated metrics are used for continuous improvement. It includes using historical data to first define a baseline or expected level of performance of a process. Afterwards, you can measure and track metrics on a graph to monitor upward or downward trends. Upward trends could indicate a rock-star performer. Downward trends could indicate that either the process needs to be improved or the performer may need additional training."

Using the right metrics along with a solid change management plan allows Process Owners to identify when poor performance is the result of a process or people-related problem. To read more about this, click here.

Metrics are designed with continuous improvement in mind, whether it is people, process or practice related. Having sound change management and process improvement principles will ensure successful measurement outcomes.

Don't Forget This Important Stakeholder Group in Your Change Plan!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 05 Aug 2015 23:06:00 +0000

Susan Richards, Managing Director, Steelbridge Solutions, Inc is our guest blogger this week. Susan has extensive experience leading change in organizations and for clients. Susan has been a consultant specializing in the HR space for 20+ years. Her methodology for change management is both simple yet effective. Educate your stakeholders on the change and let them know what to expect before, during and after the change. I am honored to work with Susan on change projects as a learn so much!

In a LinkedIn post about communicating organizational change, Maya Orbach points out that most organizations spend a disproportionate amount of time and energy on leaders and top management. Ideally, every employee is a target for change messages; however, scarce resources usually make that impractical. In that situation, Orbach suggests that companies focus on three important audiences: future leaders, social hubs, and vocal members. These informal groups are influential, and you can count on them to spread the word.

Orbach is spot-on with her priorities, but we would add another critical group—your project team. Just because you've assigned them to your Merger Task Force or entrusted them with your Talent Management Implementation, you can't assume team members have bought in. It's rare that an organization-wide initiative has unanimous support, even at—especially at—the leadership level. When the project moves forward in spite of objections, the naysayers don't automatically climb aboard. They go underground, where they can scuttle your multi-million dollar project faster than a bomb in a battleship.

Since most project teams represent organizational functions and business units, they will most likely be a scaled-down version of your company's political and power structure. If everyone in your organization is happy and cooperative, you can stop reading now. But if the VP of Finance and the Marketing VP clash like stripes and plaid, or if business unit leaders regularly butt heads over strategy and headcount allocations, chances are that their delegates on the project team will be at odds, too.

Healthy differences and vigorous debate can be constructive, but ugly, open attacks waste time and divert attention from the task at hand. Even worse is covert infighting, when team members pretend to get along while they act as spies for their sponsors. They'll agree to an important decision—until they report back and their boss blows a gasket. Next time you meet, guess what? They will openly disrupt the consensus. They may act as a chronic roadblock, interfering with progress in general, or they may object selectively to any recommendation made by their boss's opponent. In extreme cases, they will keep quiet until it's time to launch, and then sabotage the results.

Intra-team rivalries or disagreements may emerge because sub-teams have different perspectives or competing agendas. For example, the project team is eager to complete tasks and meet deadlines, demonstrating tangible outcomes. The change sub-team, on the other hand, moves more slowly with less tangible results. Other issues relate to team members who may be threatened by the presence of a consultant or even a cross-functional team, especially if the project or initiative encroaches on their area of responsibility. Some members may believe nothing needs to change and their time could be better spent on other activities.

The list goes on…so what can you do? Awareness of the potential problem is critical. Having a project governance structure that includes clear guiding principles and ‘rules of engagement’ for the project team and leadership is a huge step in the right direction. Treating the project team as a separate audience/stakeholder group is another solution, as well as hiring specialists who understand team dynamics and periodically meet with the team to head off developing issues. I would love hear from you. What are you doing to ensure this very important audience is on board for the long haul?

Why is BEING Strategic so Hard?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 05 May 2015 13:56:00 +0000

Many professions besides HR talk about being strategic. I was speaking with an operations manager on a plane last week and he said that he was told he needed to be more strategic. Why is it so hard to do? It finally dawned on my this year that I'm not sure what "being strategic" means. Do you sit around and think big thoughts? Do you run scenarios all day to see which ones are right for the business? Do you conduct external scans until a big idea comes?

I believe its more about THINKING strategically than just BEING strategic. I can get my arms around thinking strategically. According to Forbes magazine:

First of all, what exactly is “strategic thinking?” To think strategically requires founders and key team members to continually assess your business and your industry, and to apply new business insights. The goal is to use these insights to reinforce a company’s differentiation in the marketplace to achieve competitive advantage. You need to think strategically before your team can move on to the long or short-term strategic planning. You need both of these to make smart decisions on a daily basis. If you don't know where you're going, you'll have a hard time getting there!

I love the above definition and I think it applies to all functional areas of a business. Thinking about HR for a moment, I believe you can apply the concepts this way:

In order to assess the business and apply new insights HR must:

Understand that insight comes from taking what you know combined with key data, turning that into information and developing something that is relevant to the business. I believe HR has struggled in this area due to the slow adaptation of metrics and analytics as tools to obtain insight.
Use critical thinking skills to be able to make connections between external and internal factors that lead to insight for the business.
Insight comes from understanding one's business inside and out. Enough said.

If you don't know where your going, you'll have a hard time getting there unless HR plays a key role in strategic execution.

By being involved in the strategic planning process HR can lead the communication efforts on what the strategy means and WHY it is important to the business.
HR has a perfect tool for setting strategic goals and cascading those down to the front line. It's all about performance management.
Because strategy fails most of the time at execution, HR can use its change management and communication skills to make sure the strategy is understood and executed.

I guess the question is can you learn how to think strategically? I have my opinion what's yours?

How HR Can Transition from Business Partner to Business Leader

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 01 Apr 2015 15:12:00 +0000

I have the honor of being a writer for Halogen's TalentSpace blog. I have written a two-part series on HR Business Leadership. I believe HR can be a business leader that just happens to be great in HR!

Click here to read part one.

What’s Your Super Power?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 18:17:00 +0000

Today, I am honored to have an awesome colleague and friend as a guest blogger. Angela Alper not only understands HR but she understands how HR can contribute to organizations by using insight to solve problems and develop world class talent. Angela and I have collaborated on a workshop, "Using Influence and Impact: Becoming an Effective HR Business Leader," which focuses on three very important areas for HR professionals; insight, influence and impact."

What’s Your Super Power?

There are lots of good quarterbacks. What makes Tom Brady better than someone else? There are lots of good CEO’s. What made Steve Jobs different? Thankfully, there are many fabulous cooks out there. So what makes Chef Jamie Oliver worth over $100M?

These people see the world differently than their peers; and they’ve figured out how to translate that vision into exceptional results! We call that Insight.

When combined with Excellent Execution, Influence and Impact, you can render yourself a force to be reckoned with. Many HR folks ask us if this kind of impact is realistic in our profession. The answer is definitely YES! But, if you’re one of the many leaders we hear lamenting “not having a seat at the table” or “not having your voice heard,” there’s a good chance you need to work on one of these areas.

Think about Insight. When you look at some exceptional leaders, one of the powers that make them unique is their ability to SEE things differently. They see the big picture…They see the little picture…They see things completely outside the lines of the picture…And they connect all of those dots to bring an understanding to their world that others just don’t have.

Steve Jobs could see the demand for play, ease and personalization in technology before the user even knew enough to ask for it. Brady can see the shift in the defense, process his options and settle on a course of action in the blink of an eye. Jamie Oliver can intuitively imagine and design a world where a love for food and the call for more conscious consumption can start in school. I call that INSIGHT. The ability to see more than others and the knowledge to use that vision to make an impact.

In a recent Fast Company article, Robert Greene, author of Mastery, a study of history makers like Darwin, Ford and Mozart, was quoted to say, “The worst thing you can do to your career—and your life—is to allow your brain to get stale…” He advises developing an interest in a study of science or literature. "Spend some free time delving into this new field that interests you but is not directly related to what you do," he says. Your goal here is to broaden your perspective and ideas.

Consider the findings of a Credit Suisse 2014 study. Evaluating the results of 3,000 companies around the world, the conclusion was that businesses with at least one woman on the board outperformed those with no women by an average of 5%. While the study did not attempt to address causality, it might not be a huge leap to assert that companies with more diverse perspectives might see more dots and, by connecting those dots differently, be able to arrive at more effective solutions.

If you’re not convinced, consider Booz and Company’s Global Innovation Study of why some companies outperform others. Booz & Company’s annual study of the world’s biggest R&D spenders shows why highly innovative companies are able to consistently outperform. Their secret? They’re good at the right things, not at everything. So how do they figure out what’s right? These innovative companies rely on Need Seekers, Market Readers and knowing their Technology Drivers (the company’s internal capabilities.) They are building the strategic and intentional formation of Insight into their model!

So ask yourself, HR Leader, can anyone do your job as well or better than you? If the answer is yes, well, that’s another subject for another day. If the answer is no, then why not? What makes YOU younique? Can you put your finger on it? Can you articulate it? Even better, can you leverage it to expand your impact?

Do you have Insight? Do you have a point of view? Do you intentionally and continuously cultivate it? Do you use it strategically to interpret the landscape in front of you and decide where and how to go? If not, there’s no better time than now to become Insightful! Until then, bon appétit!

(photo from canstockphoto.com)

15 Ideas for HR Leadership in 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 18:11:00 +0000

Never has the need for HR Leadership been stronger. The HR profession has definitely seen its fair share of negative press over the last few decades. What is needed today is STRONG HR BUSINESS LEADERS. We need business leaders that know and understand business and by the way, get HR. In other words, we need business people first and HR specialization second. Not the other way around.

The call for business acumen by organizational leaders has almost reached the broken record level. The problem is that HR as a profession has not stepped up and answered the need. The need for problem solving, financial acumen, ROI modeling for people investments and workforce planning that uses the business needs first not HR's.

The next question is HOW do get more business leadership in our profession? I wish I had all the answers but here are a few ideas that I have captured over the last year from attendees and clients when this subject came up in conversation:

1) When considering an advanced degree, think about an MBA. An MBA exposes students to all facets of the business, so a strong business foundation is laid.
2) Become best friends with your CFO and ask him questions about the financials. Participate in financial overviews and meetings
3) Get familiar with HR Metrics and the story they are telling
4) Spend time with you sales teams to understand the products and services your company delivers, understand the customers and the competition
5) Understand how a dollar flows though your organization. What is the profit margin? Is it good or bad?
6) Solve business problem proactively
7) Participate in all strategic discussions
8) Take the lead on the execution of business strategy as the execution piece is where strategy fails
9) Fix performance management. Period.
10) HR needs to learn the language of the C-Suite and Finance. It's universal language spoken by all business leaders.
11) Ask compelling questions to everyone
12) Link all data, insights and investments to IMPACT using ROI/Costs/Profits as the basis
13) Participate in external business activities that continue to hone your business acumen
14) Surround yourself with other effective HR Business Leaders
15) Be courageous...getting out of your comfort zone takes courage

This list is not exhaustive by any means. Please comment and let me know how you think HR can up its game as far as leadership is concerned. Maybe you think we are already there....do tell!

Why HR Needs to be Influential and Why Now?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 27 Oct 2014 23:12:00 +0000

At the end of last year, I wrote a blog on HR and Influence. Since that time, I have been doing a lot more thinking and researching on the topic and why it matters to HR. I really became interested in influence and why it matters to HR when I spoke to HR professionals in Shanghai, China. Its a concept that seems to be universal amongst our profession.

I have had the pleasure of working with Angela Alper on our new workshop, "HR Business Leader: Elevating Your Strategic Influence and Impact" this year. We have learned some very interesting concepts as it relates to influence.

First, its important to understand what we are talking about when it comes to insight, influence and impact and how they relate to one another.

Insight-
-The ability to understandpeople and situations in a very clear way
-An understanding of the true nature of something
-The power or act of seeing into a situation
-The act or result of apprehending the inner nature of things or of seeing intuitively

Influence:
-The power to change or affect someone or something without apparent exertion of force or direct exercise of command
-A person or thing that affects someone or something in an important way
-The power of capacity

Impact:

-To have an effect on, to influence, to alter,

For me, the relationship on the three concepts above is this:

You have to be able to use insight to gain influence in order to create impact

Why is influence important to HR professionals today?

The demand for people-related insight is in high demand from the C-Suite
HR is at a professional crossroads again being pressured to show impact, prove impact and demonstrate impact
If HR has influence then the whole discussion about the very tired table would never be an issue
Its about raising our profession to the next level
It's time

Why do you think influence is important to HR? Maybe it's not...do tell.

An HR Surprise in Shanghai

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 13 Aug 2014 15:12:00 +0000

I have just returned from Shanghai, China a trip of a lifetime. Ed Nangle sand I had the honor of delivering our workshop, "Moving HR from Transactional to Strategic: Becoming an Effective HR Business Leader" to approximately 16 top HR leaders from multi-nationals companies with operations in Shanghai and Beijing.

I didn't know what to expect when I arrived for our first day of class. I was definitely nervous. "How was the language barrier going to play out?" "Will our HR best practices translate well?" "Does their political and governmental situation impact the way they do HR?"

Well, language was not an issue, matter of fact I had one attendee say "Bless your heart" to me. Also, since the firms are multi-national firms, they employ best practices in HR form the US, Germany, Great Britain, etc. Even though China is a communist country they have some of the same legal implications as we do regarding contracts and overtime for example.

What I thought was fascinating were the similarities faced by HR professionals in China and the US. When we asked what their top issues were they sited:

Talent shortage (skills)
Employee productivity (getting more with less)
Employee engagement
How to demonstrate HR's value to the organization

Do those sound familiar?

What was even more interesting is that HR is a relatively new discipline for these companies. It's maybe 15 years old. But, what they have learned and absorbed in those 15 years is phenomenal when I think of where we are in the USA after having an HR discipline for 100 years.

I have never seen a group who wanted to stay AFTER class to chat and ask questions. We gave them a choice of 3 assignments to compete upon our return in September. Most of them wanted to do all of them not just one. Their thirst for HR knowledge was so refreshing.

I believe the Chinese HR professionals will make great strides in HR. They have and the advantage of lessons learned and what not to do. SO, they are taking that knowledge and building on that. So their attitude is not one of "why aren't we valued" and more of "I'll prove our value."

I think we could use a little bit of the latter in the US!

Changing a Profession Takes Courage

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 17 Jun 2014 15:57:00 +0000

Taking the bull by the horns

Making decisions quick and asking for forgiveness later

Speaking up, demanding to be heard

The three statements above have one thing in common. It takes courage to do all three. I have been thinking about some of the common themes I have heard from over 600+ HR professionals that have come to our workshop, "Moving HR from Transactional to Strategic: Becoming an Effective HR Business Leader." One of the themes I have been giving some thought to is the idea of courage in HR.

I think it's time to rustle up all the courage we have as a profession. At a time where we have our National Association fighting like siblings over our credentials, our profession continues to struggle. We have made strides post recession, but as Joe Gerstandt would say, "we need to fly our freak flags." HR needs to do an about face and revolutionize the way companies manage their most precious asset, it's talent. We need to make sure we use our INFLUENCE and IMPACT to make our businesses successful AND profitable.

In our workshops, we have heard statements like:

"I feel like I can go back to my company and demand to be involved in strategy. The absence of HR in those discussions could be the difference in executing flawlessly on strategy or failing miserably."

I could not agree more. When I ask our attendees why they don't BE MORE DEMANDING, I hear responses like these:

HR has been told its broken for years so why bother
HR professionals do not realize how what they do IMPACTS the bottom line
HR professionals that understand the impact, can't MEASURE it
Business leaders outside of HR have preconceived notions that HR is administrative
Courage is not a characteristic usually associated with HR professionals due to lack of respect

The last one of course made me pause for a minute, but then I realized:

Courage is something that everybody wants — an attribute of good character that makes us worthy of respect

And then it hit me...finance and accounting may be a necessary evil, but when they talk people listen. Those functions are respected. The same sentiments for sales, the are respecting because they have tangible results.

It's not about the piece of furniture...the question becomes how can I gain my company's respect. Answer....Be bold, don't wait on invitations, speak up, solve problems, do something innovative, dye your hair, get a tattoo....BE COURAGEOUS!!!

HR Metrics Can be as Simple as Asking the Right Questions

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 12:58:00 +0000

I bet many of you thought I had fallen off a cliff or got hit by a bus. I took quite a lengthy writing hiatus. I just got to the point where I felt I was repeating myself. I was not looking forward to Monday mornings when, "I had to get my blog out." So, I took a break.

So let me catch you up on the last two months:

We finished our spring workshop series, "Moving HR from Transactional to Strategic: Becoming an Effective HR Business Leader" with a bang. We interacted with approximately 200 really smart, savvy HR professionals in our workshops all over this country.
I spoke at the Association of Legal Administrator's national conference and it was a blast. It was help in Toronto and I got to see Niagara Falls.
I am getting ready to go to Shanghai, China with my colleague and friend, Ed Nangle to deliver our "Moving HR from Transactional to Strategic" workshop.
My son turned 21
I lost 44 pounds

Well that about does it...you are all caught up.

So, as I think about the last few months with my HR hat on, I have had many questions on getting started with metrics. The question makes me happy and concerned at the same time. Happy that I am asked the question. Concerned that I am STILL BEING ASKED the question. We are way passed getting started on metrics. We should be using metrics, making decisions based on metrics and delivering insights to our leadership team.

So my best answer to the question on getting started is taking the Nike approach...just do it. I really thing it begins by asking the right questions in your organizations. Think about what the most pressing issues are today that your leadership is facing. Is it growth, rising costs, competition, expansion, product differentiation or market share? After you've identified the most pressing issue, start asking questions to right people on that subject. So for example, if growth is the goal, what questions can you ask pertaining to growth?

What are our growth targets?
What have our sales been in the last five years?
Are we on target to make those goals?
If not, WHY?
If yes, how do we sustain that momentum?

Trust me, if you as an HR professional and you start asking questions like those above, leadership will think differently about HR. We talk about being more consultative in HR in order to work with our line managers to solve business problems. One key component of being consultative is the art and science of asking good questions. Sometimes I hear pushback like, "leadership might think I don't understand their business if I ask those questions." I think the opposite, you CAN'T understand their business if you DON'T ask the questions.

Lets say that in the answers to the questions above you find out that sales aren't on target and the reason cited from the sales manager is that turnover in the sales department has been trending upward. BINGO! What a great opportunity to use data that you already have in HR to solve a business issue.

I would start trying to get to the root cause of turnover by looking at engagement and exit interview data. I would then look at what drives results for those salespeople by analyzing performance data, sales data and engagement data to uncover what needs to stop happening and what need to continue happening as far as salespeople are concerned.

It's really that easy. I am sure you are wondering about the analysis and the math part. That tends to make folks nervous. If you don't have the talent in-house HIRE someone. It's worth it!

5 Ways HR can Impact Strategic Execution

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 18:19:00 +0000

I am always honored when I am asked to write for others. I have had the pleasure over the last year to write for Halogen Software's TalentSpace blog.

I was inspired by this recent article by the 300+ attendees we have had over the last year in our workshop, "Moving HR from Transactional to Strategic: Becoming and Effective HR Business Leader"

Check out the article here, and look around TalentSpace Blog, there are a lot of great writers and info on the site.

5 Lessons Learned in Becoming an Effective HR Business Leader

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 14:30:00 +0000

Over the last year my colleagues Ed Nangle and Charlette Stout and I have had the PLEASURE of teaching an awesome 1.5 day workshop called, "Moving HR from Transactional to Strategic: Becoming an Effective HR Business Leader." Over this year we have taught approximately 300+ attendees on how they can navigate a change in their HR model, HR services and HR brand using a strategic approach. It has been very rewarding and given us a new sense of pride for our profession.

Like all good learning environments, we have learned a ton of lessons from those same attendees and clients alike about what works and what doesn't during this HR transition. Some industries adopted a business partner model early on, and others like healthcare and education are just now embarking on this journey. Timing is not important, making HR relevant and impactful is the end goal.

Here are some lessons we have observed and learned over the past year regarding making a successful transition from a transactional HR environment to one that drives business results:

You have to have your HR transactional house in order. In other words if you can't get transactions right and on time, you lose credibility. In order to BE strategic and have your voice heard you have to have CREDIBILITY.
Culture does matter and it does eat strategy for breakfast (or whatever that saying is). If you have a culture that is paternalistic or doesn't value accountability…fix that first.
Senior leadership support is critical. Enough said.
If you are going make the decision to outsource, insource or centralize the transactional work, make sure you communicate the "why this is better" and "market" who is doing what. Also, make sure follow your own rules. (#1 still applies no matter who does the work)
Make the hard decisions within HR regarding skill sets. If different competencies are needed either close those gaps are hire new ones. Its hard to be strategic and business focused without the needed competencies.

There are definitely more than just five lessons, but these are the ones we hear the most. I also believe that HR is embarking on an era of impact and influence. It's about HR LEADERSHIP. It's about being a business person first and foremost and an HR expert second.

Tell us about your journey and what lessons you have learned along the way.

A New Mantra for HR: Leading, Influencing and Impacting the Organization

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 11 Dec 2013 17:10:00 +0000

I was delighted to be asked by Halogen Software to contribute to their TalentSpace blog. Check my post out and tell me what you think! It's all about INFLUENCE and IMPACT for HR. See how you can make a difference next year and many years to come.

Designing Performance Management with Line Managers in Mind

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 03 Dec 2013 15:27:00 +0000

Today’s Blog comes from Scott Mondore and Shane Douthitt of SMD. They have the only talent management technology with business analytics and have written two books on connecting HR to actual business results: “Investing in What Matters: Linking Employees to Business Outcomes” and “Business-focused HR: 11 Processes to Drive Results”. Visit them at www.smdhr.com, on LinkedIn and Twitter: @scottmondore @smdhr

Nearly every week a new article comes out about getting rid of performance reviews and starting over because of all kinds of reasons—poor ratings, fairness, poor feedback and managers not putting much effort into them. Those are certainly valid reasons—and every year it is an uphill battle to get managers to complete their ratings on time. As usual there are plenty of new unproven theories (and products!) that actually propose that we do MORE performance reviews and include MORE raters (crowdsourced performance appraisals?!?). This logic seems to say that “we have a bad system, so let’s get more people involved to do more low-impact ratings”. Academics have spun their wheels for years focusing on ‘rating’ training with little impact. But shouldn’t HR look in the mirror and ask ourselves why performance reviews have such a bad image in the first place? The real issue is that we in HR often focus on the execution and compliance of the process – not the business impact. Performance management, when done correctly, is simply an extension of the business planning process – and who will argue that we don’t need business planning? We need to focus more on goal setting, goal alignment, and the impact of the process using analytics.

Think about it from a manager’s (our customer’s!) perspective and this is what they hear from us:

“I need you to have your employees’ reviews entered into the system by November 22^nd, so that we have all of them completed on time. Once they are completed you won’t get anything back from us, just check the box. Hopefully you have a good conversation with your employees and you don’t get us into any legal trouble. We’ll see in you in a month to do a calibration meeting where we will change all of your ratings around anyway.”

Not very motivating from a manager’s perspective, is it? If you were a front-line manager, how motivated would you be to put in maximum effort to complete a quality review?

The good news is that performance reviews can be a treasure trove of data—and if analyzed properly can give us tremendous insights on how to drive real business outcomes. If you rate competencies along with goals (which you should), then you can do some analytics to uncover which competencies have the biggest impact on goal performance. You can then create leadership and organizational development programs around those competencies with the biggest business impact. In those talent review/calibration meetings, focus on making talent decisions based on who performs well on the important competencies.

As an HR Business Partner, use the goal ratings data to create development coaching plans for those employees who are struggling or work with managers to create performance improvement plans—or even exit plans.

A question you should ask yourself:

Do you train leaders on how to write strong, measurable goals with specific parameters?
Do you do goal audits?

Here’s an example:

Typical Goal: Hits Sales Quota

Better Goal: Makes 100% or more of sales quota

Even Better Goal: 5 rating: 100% or more of sales quota; 4 rating: 90-99.9% of sales quota; 3 rating: 80-89.9% of sales quota; 2 rating: 70-79.9% of sales quota; 1 rating: below 70% of sales quota

Now let’s revisit our customer’s perspective once we start thinking like business leaders and not box-checkers:

“I need you to have your employees’ reviews entered into the system by November 22^nd, so that we have all of them completed on time. Once they are completed I will conduct an analysis that will show us exactly which competencies have the biggest business impact—I will use that information to create development opportunities so that we move the needle on competencies that actually help us make more money. I will also examine the goal ratings and do two things: make recommendations on how we can write better goals (because, as your HR business partner, I have made it my job to understand our business as well as anyone) for employees and how we can get specific under-performers on-track or off of the bus. Finally, I will make sure all compensation decisions are directly tied and aligned with the ratings that you give your people.”

Sound different?

Let’s not fall into the typical HR trap, that if we make something prettier, faster and with minimal thought—it will get our leaders to buy-in more. How about if we tie it directly to business results? Leaders seem to be able to make time for things like that. There is nothing wrong with the classic performance appraisal process (just like there’s nothing wrong with the classic employee survey process)—companies that tie the process to business results and hold people accountable for quality follow-up seem to do just fine. Eliminating performance management is not a solution and would be as irresponsible as the CEO saying, “let’s not have a plan or goals for any parts of our business, let’s just wing it this year”. Likewise another fad/theoretical approach (like turning performance management into a social media event) will do nothing but erode HR credibility. The process doesn’t need prettier reports, it needs to be more business-focused.

Click here to read about ICC's new Performance Management workshop, titled: Results Driven Performance Management: Driving Employee Performance for Business Results

Is HR Really Becoming More Strategic

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 29 Oct 2013 19:44:00 +0000

This week's blog post is written by a dear friend and colleague of mine, Ed Nangle. Ed is President of Corporate Management Consulting, Inc. Ed has tons of HR wisdom as he has seen many changes in our profession over the years.

Having been in the human resources profession since the beginning of time (well almost!), for many years I was doubtful if HR would truly ever be viewed by most business leaders as more than a transactional hub and a place to dump all their “people problems”. Those of you that really know me might even say I was more than doubtful. The word pessimistic comes to mind. Even as I saw many companies moving to the “business partner” model, I continued to scratch my head and wonder if we were really making progress. Listening to my students who were in shared service environments that were mired in service problems (Center of Excellence…really???) contributed to my doubt. And, although many of them were providing business support to their functional areas, I heard them describing environments that still sounded like silos to me.

I can recall many debates on this topic with my business partner (aka my spouse Charlette). She continued to tell me that I was working in too narrow of a world…not really understanding that there were HR professionals and companies out there that were truly making progress…putting their human resources departments where they should be…in decision-making roles that really impact the bottom line. As I look back now, perhaps she was right. After taking an early-out from corporate life, I spent the last 17 years teaching HR Certification classes. Although over the years I have met many very talented HR professionals in my classes, many were in the early stages of their careers or even what I would call “wanna be’s”. I mean no disrespect to all of the hard working individuals I have taught over the years. This is more of self-criticism…perhaps I spent the last 17 years in my own silo!

Although being a major planner by nature, I’m still amazed at that path my professional life has taken. What I thought was my last career gig, turned out to be just another stop-over in the journey. Awhile back I partnered with my long-time friend and colleague, Cathy Missildine of Intellectual Capital Consulting, to deliver an educational program to a client. The topic was moving their HR department from transactional to strategic. Because we had such a positive response, we decided to take the show on the road. In my mind the major marketing point was the fact that our workshops provide 12.5 strategic HRCI re-certification credits. However, I have been pleasantly surprised at the number of people who are attending because they are ready and eager to become business leaders in their organizations and, for them, the credits are just the icing on the cake. I am even more encouraged by the number of workshop attendees that are working in organizations that truly see the value of HR as an integral partner in meeting strategic business results. And understanding that only happens through HR leadership that demonstrates the competencies and business acumen to make that happen.

So are we there yet? We still meet many people in our workshops that voice frustration at their inability to convince senior leadership that there are ways of accomplishing the necessary transactional responsibilities that free up HR leadership to have impact on things that truly produce business results. But by the end of our couple of days together, many go away with new plans and goals of how to make this happen. It has been such a rewarding experience to hear people say, “I know what this means now, and I have the tools to start the journey.” So my answer is YES…I can see us moving in the right direction and it is amazing and exhilarating. Take some advice from an “old dog”…you can learn new tricks. Get out of your own silo…and make your own plan to sharpen your competencies and business acumen and get up from the table and make something happen!

From Transactional Data to Strategic Insights

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 16 Oct 2013 20:20:00 +0000

It's been awhile since you have heard from me. Can I use the excuse I have been on the road for about 6 weeks? I did write an article on an airplane last week for HR Examiner. I think you all will like it. Think about all the transactional data HR has just lying around in databases, HRIS systems and Talent Management systems that isn't being analyzed. What an opportunity! Check out the article to see how to go from transactional data to strategic insights.

What's Up With Your HR Metrics?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 18:55:00 +0000

I have been so blocked the last few months regarding my blog. I used to pump out posts every Monday rain or shine. This year it's been tough. I am not sure why I have this writer's block. Maybe it's because I am going in 19 directions and can't focus. Maybe it's because my world is about as polar opposite as it was five years ago and I am shell shocked. Maybe I have run out of things to talk about.

How can that be true? I am never at a loss for words.

I have been writing this blog focusing around being strategic in HR and HR metrics since 1998. Maybe I have covered it all. (not hardly!)

I do know that HR metrics and analytics are now part of the HR conversation. No matter what you read, HR metrics is an area where HR is spending time, money and resources. So, I should have plenty to say.

I think I was talking about all this stuff before everyone was ready to listen.

So, now I think I will do the listening. I do see the change in HR conversations. I see the change in how HR is approaching metrics. Change takes time.

So...tell me what is going on in your organizations as it related to HR metrics. Is there a priority around metrics? Are you creating a HR dashboard?

What do you still want to know about metrics (this should give me some topics!)

If you still don't want to discuss metrics, how about commenting on my dog Titan...

12 Questions to Consider when Analyzing "Big Data" in HR

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 14 Aug 2013 20:08:00 +0000

I counted the messages in my inbox that had the words "Big Data" in them. In one week, I had 32 messages that referred to "Big Data." Now, I know that's partly because of the work that I do and the sites that I visit but that is a lot of noise about the data subject.

I wonder why they call it big? It sure does make data sound really scary when they refer to it as big. Data has been around since the beginning of time, large companies have always had a lot of data to analyze, manage and store. I had a client tell me recently that they had more data than the Library of Congress...I believe him! So what's the big deal?

For me, I don't get overwhelmed with the sheer volume of data, I know that it grows by gazillions everyday and I know that we are smart and will find a way to store it, analyze it, etc. What bothers me is getting to the most relevant and useful data. That to me is the bigger deal. What is the data that actually matters?

Looking at HR, we have "Big Data" on our employees especially if we have a lot of employees. So, which data matters and which data needs to be analyzed in the Human Capital arena?

If I could answer that in a succinct, easy to understand way, I think I could retire to a very lovely beach somewhere.

I believe the following questions are good ones to start off with when trying to figure out which data matters in regards to our people?

What is important to the company and where is the company trying to go?
What issues and problems are facing the company in trying to achieve #1
What do our customers say we do well and what needs improvement?
What human capital behaviors drive business results?
What human capital competencies drive business results?
What is our company's competitive advantage and is it sustainable?
Why do our customers keep buying from our company?
What knowledge, skills and experiences do our top performers possess?
Do we have bench strength in key positions?
Do we have capacity for higher productivity or are we maxed out?
Are our processes without waste and duplication?
Do we have the right people doing the right jobs?

That's just a start, I know there are other considerations. What do you all think?

The Most Underused Data Set in HR

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 12:56:00 +0000

In the name of recycling good content...

Check out my post for Halogen Software on their blog, "Exploring Talent Management."

We Need More Balls in HR

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 11 Jul 2013 13:51:00 +0000

Just coming off "the big HR Conference" I have been thinking about the theme of "becoming more" in regards to my HR colleagues, friends and clients. I have been analyzing some common themes and it gets down to this...

HR NEEDS MORE BALLS

I believe we need more balls in the sense of chutzpah and assertiveness. We need to get off the business partner train, grow balls and be a true business leader. I feel like a lot of HR professionals are waiting for a business problem to be solved. Why not figure out the pressing issues in the organization and begin to solve those proactively. Those are the problems that you will be recognized for not the obvious ones. Some of us are just waiting to be told what the new normal looks like. We need to help shape the new normal. We need to drive the new normal so it doesn't get created for us.

I know I am going to get some flack for this next statement, but we need more men in our profession. So, literally we need more balls. I think men bring a difference in thought, approach and experience that HR can really use at this time. Let's face it, I didn't see too many men dancing to Kelly Clarkson at the conference last month. We are at a critical juncture within HR. We are rethinking ourselves. As Jennifer McClure says, "We need to blow this thing up."

I think a more diverse group of professionals would do our profession good. I think we have a overwhelming amount of women because of our reputation as "caretakers" of the people. During our administrator days, women were perfect for pushing papers and organizing picnics. Remember those days, when women hadn't been in the work force that long. I am stating a fact...not that I agree with the stereotypes. I am a very strong-willed independent woman that happens to be in HR, so I believe we have way more to offer than we have been given credit for in the past few decades.

I think with the addition of more males in our profession, we would have a more well-rounded profession. Depending on who you read, about 67% of most HR departments are female and that is not surprising as females are great at intuition like when it comes to hiring and nurturing when it comes to employee development and problem solving when it comes to employee relations.

What we haven't been good at is understanding the business, data and metrics, efficiency, technology, project planning and decision making. In GENERAL these are competencies that men bring to the table. Not that some women don't...I personally have all of these, but I am the exception and not the rule.

Anytime you have a group underrepresented in a profession there are discussions that happen. Nursing is a female occupation. Teaching is for girls. HR is for women. If you think about organizations and their functional areas HR is really the only one that has this big of a gender bias. IT and Finance had a gap at one time, but even those functions are closing their gaps.

I believe there are many reasons for the stereotypes in these professionals. Historically, some jobs are seen as more "women" friendly so that women can balance their professional and personal lives. Fast forward today, roles in business and at home have changed dramatically. Women are now more often than not the sole bread runner or the primary bread winner:

According to a recent study from Pew Research, 40% of all households with children younger than 18 include women who are either the sole or primary breadwinners. Most of us -- 63% -- are single mothers.

As women are now in the bread winner role, does that mean typical "female" careers are no longer desirable and more "male" oriented roles are the target?

I see a huge shift in skills sets needed in HR, more left brain work as opposed to right. As, HR departments are morphing to meet these shifts and current challenges within organizations what do you see as far as demographics and skill sets?

Employee Engagement: The Great HR Credibility Killer

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 13:33:00 +0000

Today's post is brought to you by my friends and colleagues, Dr. Scott Mondore and Dr. Shane Douthitt. If you haven't' read their books listed below...read them. If you haven't heard them speak..do that.

Guest Bloggers: Scott Mondore, PhD (smondore@smdhr.com) and Shane Douthitt, PhD (sdouthitt@smdhr.com). They are the authors of two best-sellers on talent management and HR Analytics (Investing in What Matters: Linking Employees to Business Outcomes and Business-Focused HR: 11 Processes to Drive Results) and the managing partners of Strategic Management Decisions (www.smdhr.com)--the only talent management platform with integrated business outcome analytics.

OK, let’s get this straight: Gallup sends out a new report to tell us that Disengaged employees are at an all-time high. I’m sure there’s good reason for that with the economy being where it is. But this chart is absolutely absurd.

In 13 years, the needle hasn’t moved on engagement! What about all the money that organizations have spent on the Q12 and countless other surveys that claim to measure and drive ‘engagement’? What about all the consulting and so-called ‘best practices’ that are supposed to drive ‘engagement’? The HR profession has attached itself to another fad (see “empowerment”, “satisfaction” etc) that is touted as a savior and turns out to be a credibility killer. At some point, HR needs to step up and be actual business partners that only talk about, and drive, actual business results. The term ‘engagement’ was coined 20 years ago—and we still don’t have an agreed upon definition. We still don’t have any evidence that it consistently drives business outcomes.

Studies that say things like “organizations that score in the top 20% of engagement have a 40% higher stock return” are not real studies. This is not real research, and this is the laziest approach to data analysis available. It’s like saying that women named Cathy make 40% more money than other women. Should you just change your name to Cathy and watch your 40% raise come through?

There’s also no target number that organizations should strive for. At what point do you reach the perfect balance of engagement that maximizes results? Is it 4.5 out of 5? 4.6? NO ONE KNOWS. If your answer to leaders is “we just need more of it”, that’s a credibility killer.

Since we don’t know much about engagement (the value, the definition, the target), is it any wonder that front-line managers see little value in it and regard it as a BARRIER to their actual work? In our first book, we asked a simple question: “How much damage has been done by the book ‘First, Break All the Rules’”? Based on how much money organizations spend on poorly designed surveys and expensive, non-impactful consulting, the damage is quickly rising. ‘I have a best friend at work’ is a credibility killer.

We now have everyone saying that social media in the workplace will ‘drive engagement’, that frequent crowd-sourced performance reviews will drive engagement (even though we can’t get leaders to do one performance review, one time a year!). We have big consulting firms now talking about transformational engagement and sustainable engagement. When did we ever figure out regular, ol’ engagement? Re-branding a topic and calling it the next big thing is a credibility killer.

There is a better way. You can conduct an employee survey and connect the results to business outcomes. You can show leaders the exact areas of their management style and work environment that they can work on to maximize real business results (profits, sales, productivity, safety etc). You can get front-line manager buy-in by giving them the training/tools to work on business drivers. You can create metrics around business drivers instead of chasing a nebulous engagement score. You can rate your performance as an HR department based on the organization’s business outcomes and not around a vanity engagement benchmark/percentile score.

It’s only a matter of time before the next silver bullet phrase is coined, the next fad is born and the next HR credibility-killer creeps into our work. Let’s focus on driving business results and get our credibility back.

A Debrief on #SHRM13

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 13:58:00 +0000

Well, It's my first day back in the office following SHRM's Annual Conference. The theme was "Becoming More" which I really liked as I believe as HR professionals we need to always strive to become better at what we do.

I wanted to hit a few highlights:

1) The opening session on Sunday was really good. Fareed Zakaria opened for Hilary Clinton and both gave a very optimistic view of the future of our country and both emphasized talent as being a competitive advantage for the USA. It was a good opening to the next few days.

2) The variety of programming was really good. Upon talking with MANY attendees, whether SPHR, GPHR, entry or senior level, there was something for almost everyone.

3) I was really excited to have 1300+ in my "Moving from HR Metrics to Analytics" presentation. I can remember talking about metrics with 10 people in a room. I feel as if the conversation is definitely changing from "why do I have to measure HR?" to "I must measure HR."

4) I was able to reconnect and have great conversations with fellow colleagues, bloggers, clients and new friends.

5) The opening session on Day 2, was by far my favorite. I love a good story. Tom's Shoes founder, Blake Mycoskie told his inspirational story of starting Tom's shoes. He said, "You can do good by doing good." I believe that.

6) The exhibit hall was amazing. I was able to visit so many vendors and chat about what is new and exciting. I am sure the calls will start next week...LOL.

7) The extracurricular activities were awesome. From dinners, to the Tweetup, and Kelly Clarkston, a fun time was had for sure. What happens in Chicago, stays in Chicago!

I missed Gabby Gifford and her husband's session on Wednesday as I was on my way back. From all the social media channels, it sounds as if they were awesome as well.

So, I think its great to take a few days to "become more." I needed to become more informed. I needed to become more connected. I needed to become more of a subject matter expert. I think I accomplished all of that in Chicago.