WINNING AT WHAT’S IMPORTANT

WINNING AT WHAT’S IMPORTANT

Every week, I work with clients to help them achieve results.  We work on crafting the right strategies, identifying a targeted vision, and executing successful action plans.   In order to equip them to accomplish these tasks, I share with them the principles I’ve learned from years and study and partnership with Covey, Canfield and Ramsey.  What I share with them, I’ll share with you:

Visualize the result you want. 

See it in your mind’s eye every morning.  See the master’s degree you want to earn hanging on the wall in your office.  See your business growing from 10 employees to 25.  See yourself on your dream vacation in the Greek Isles.  See yourself 30 pounds thinner and wearing your skinny jeans.  That vision is an ever-present reminder of where you want to go.  It can help you stay focused on why you work so hard, stay up late studying, or deprive yourself of certain foods.  You are relentlessly pursuing a target. 

Stay Motivated and Accountable.

It’s not always easy to stay focused.  When you feel like giving up turn to those things, people, or memories that motivate you.  For me, my mind is cluttered when my environment is cluttered.  When I’m loosing focus, I tidy up my office.   I’m also motivated by a change in scenery.  I get my best ideas when I’m on vacation.  In fact, research shows that typically our best ideas come while we’re in the shower, running on the treadmill, or working in the garden.  When we remove ourselves from the work environment, our creativity is stimulated. 

Share your goals with someone who supports you and/or someone who has already arrived where you are trying to go.  Talk to them weekly.  Tell them the top three things you will do each week toward that goal.  Allow them to hold you accountable. 

Be patient. 

You will not get to the end of the journey right from the beginning.  You have to take the journey step by step.  It will take time.  Some goals take longer than others to reach.  You should also set smaller, incremental goals and accomplishing them one at a time.  For example, if you’re goal is to earn an MBA, you might start with an objective like this:  Complete statistic class with a grade of B or above by the end of the year.   Take the steps, do the work and the results will come. 

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Talent Challenges: It’s a War for the Best.

A recent U.S. survey shows that 41% of companies named “competing for talent” as one of their top challenge in 2011. 

Conversely, 49% of employees say they intend to look for a new job when the economy gets better. 

Employers must expertly manage their talent life cycle.  That means they must consider succession, reward, global mobility, learning and development, orientation, workforce planning, recruitment, performance management and leadership.  We’ll take a closer look at a few of these key areas.

RECRUITMENT

When the most successful companies recruit, they consider current and pending corporate strategies in their hiring decisions.  They examine the tasks associated with deployment of each strategy.  This helps them determine what competencies are necessary for successful deployment of those strategies.  Then, they hire accordingly – select candidate that possess those critical competencies.

SUCCESSION PLANNING

Companies that are winning to talent war also examine the gaps between readiness and promotability.   They ask themselves these key questions:

1. Do you have the talent we need in house or will you have to ‘buy’ it. 

2. If you have the talent already in the organization, how do you develop and nurture them to be promotion-ready.

DIVERSITY

Hispanics will be the majority ethnic group in U.S. by 2015.  Companies that are determined to recruit the best talent available are focusing on recruiting within this demographic.  Equally important, these companies are focused on gaining market share amongst the Hispanic population.  Consumers buy from companies that value and respect them.  When the companies’ landscape reflects the national landscape, consumers are more likely to buy that companies goods and services. 

Women are graduating from high school 69% more often than boys.  For the first time ever, women also have higher math, reading and science scores on average, across the U.S. and the world.  Companies that recruit the best are masters at attracting and retaining this demographic. 

Who are these best-in-class companies? 

Best Buy, Starbucks, AT&T, and Google are consistently attracting, retaining, and motivating top talent. 

Laws - They Are A-Changing

During a recent conversation with a legal beagle, I discovered some interesting facts that will impact employers, HR professionals, my clients, and employees as well.  I call them the 4 Rules of Understanding ADA.

Here they are:

1.  According to the law, we are ALL disabled (with very few exceptions) because of all of the bodily functions covered under the Act,  and how impairment is defined.

2. When an employee claims they have a disability, employers must engage in an interactive process.  That means talk to the employee to find out what they need to accommodate them.  The employer must not assume that all cases are the same or every employee will need the same solution for a similar impairment.

3.  Employers are expected to make reasonable accommodation for the disabled employee so that employee can perform his/her responsibility on the job.  If the employers does not accommodate it must be because a. it was cost prohibitive and/or  b. doing so would cause harm to the employee or others.

4.  Temporary and intermittent condition that create an physical or emotional impairment are considered disabilities.  Even conditions, such as migraines and high blood pressure, that are controlled/managed by treatment/medication, can still be a disability if it impairs the employee physically or emotionally.  This might also include pregnancy, allergies, depression and numerous others.

What this means for employers:  Know the law.  Be prepared and willing to accommodate. 

What this means for employees:  Know your rights.  If you feel you have an impairment that affects your ability to perform a major life function, be prepared to engage in a healthy two-way discussion with your employer, if you need an accommodation of some sort.

A Loyal Generation - Dedicated to their jobs while committed to their lifestyles

Taking off the Boundaries

27-year-old recruiter, Matt Powers, declared to his managers at a staffing company that he wanted to take the summer off.   Powers had been with the company less than a year, but he explained to his managers the he had taken every summer off since he graduated from college five years earlier.  His bosses scoffed at him and told him there was no way that would happen.  They told him that he could quit his job and then re-apply for a job when the summer was over.  Being re-hired would not be automatic or assumed.  They further stated that this would set a dangerous precedent amongst his colleagues.  What would happen if everyone wanted to take the summer off?, they wondered.  How would be business survive and who would do the work?, they questioned.  The managers at that staffing company did not understand the needs and expectations of Powers’ generation.  Work-Life balance is a critical issue. Had Powers worked for Austin Texas-based software company, HotSchedules, he would have had no problem convincing his higher-ups to give him the summer off.  In fact, HotSchedule offers unlimited paid vacation to it’s full-time employees.  That’s right: unlimited paid vacation.  The software company is focused on creating an environment where people want to come to work, have fun at work, and feel appreciated. 

Who They Are

There are roughly 50 million people between the ages of 18 and 30.  They are known as Generation Y, or millennials.  It is believed that Generation Y cannot be expected to stay with the same company for their entire careers as many other generations have.  But, in my own non-scientific research, I’ve found that is not entirely true.  I spoke to 15 Gen Y-ers across the state, all working Fortune 500 organizations.  12 of 15 told me a different story than many psychologists and career strategiests.  These Milliennials say that if they work in a fun, engaging environment where their needs are being recognized and met, they could see themselves staying there until they retire. 

They have a common upbringing, as well.  They watched their parents work hard, show great loyalty to organizations, and have very little time for family.  In return, their parents either got laid off, were forced into early retirement, or left their organizations after 30 years to collect their minimal pensions.  The Gen Y group I questioned does not want the same life their parents had.

With these lofty expectations, why would anyone want to hire the millennials (Gen Y)? 

Here are some great contributions they can make:

They want to make a difference and leave a legacy.  This mean hard work, dedication, and determination. 

They are going beyond the status quo, which translates to new ideas, innovation, and creativity. 

They speak up when they see something that can be improved.  They are not ‘yes men and women’.  I think this means they can move organizations from good to great.

They are the leaders organizations should be grooming.

Research shows that this generation is on course to become the most educated group our world has every known, and the largest group as well; even bigger than their parents, the Boomers.  The statistics show that within a decade they will make up more than 30 % of the workforce.  We as business owners and leaders need to prepare to hire and engage them, if we are not doing so already.  If you can capture and keep their attention, they can be wonderfully productive employees and great assets. 

Values that drive successful businesses

I’ve been traveling all over the Americas coaching and training leaders and future leaders in organizations.  I’ve worked with teams and individuals in government, private business, non-profits, fortune 500 companies, and faith-based organizations.   In the past 15 years, leaders have shared with me these common foundational values that drive successful business. 

Transparency - create simple easy to understand strategies, processes and communications.  Make the purpose and importance for all of them clear.

Warning:  Don’t assume people already know your intentions.  Tell them. 

Continual Learning – encourage the sharing of ideas.  DURING the sharing of idea, receive them without judgment.  Look for opportunities to improve.  Share lessons.  Teach others what you know.  If you are a leader, delegate.  Give people access to external and internal learning opportunities as well.

Warning:  Don’t limit learning opportunities only to a favorite few performers.  Share the wealth.  How else with the good get to great and the mediocre get better?

Fiscal Responsibility – look for ways to achieve maximum results with minimum resources.  Seek the highest quality parts, materials, and supplies you can get with the most economical expenditure.    Use time, energy, and talents in a way that reduces/eliminates waste.

Warning:  Don’t be cheap; be frugal. Get the most value for your dollar without sacrificing quality.

Be Competitive – know the competition.  Know what they are doing – good and bad.  Benchmark against the best.  When you have successes, celebrate them, acknowledge results and recognize accomplishments.  Then set new goals and reach for higher (realistic but challenging) heights. 

Warning:  Don’t compare yourself against the average.  Sometimes businesspeople look at mediocre competitors and say,  “at least we’re better than them”.  You don’t want to be better than the average.  Strive to be as good as the best. 

What businesspeople can learn from the NBA finals.

 Teamwork is key. 

                             

I, for one, am not a Dallas Mavericks fan.  In fact in this year’s final series, I was cheering for the Heat.  However, I can appreciate a team who individually and collectively plays with excellence.  The Mavericks have a set of skills, attitudes, talents and working styles that forge a winning combination. 

Work Together.

LeBron James often talked about sharing the ball.  He clearly understood the importance of playing together and utilizing the strengths of others.  But, ultimately, it was difficult for him to practice it, when it was time to do so.  The statistics don’t lie. Mavericks are #2 in the league in assists.  The Heat is close to the bottom.   Mavericks know how to executive collectively.  Synergy = Success. 

Know your role.

The Mavericks also know how to execute individually. Each team member knows his personal strengths and seems to have a clear understanding of his role on the team.  Each player knows what is expected of him.    You can not deliver on expectations if you don’t have a clear vision of what they are.

Practice the winning combination.

The Mavs obviously had the ultimate goal in mind.  Win the franchise’s first championship.  In order to get there, they had to achieve the smaller objectives that make the ultimate goal possible.  They practice that winning combination repeatedly.   Drive.  Pass.  Assist.  Shoot.  Recover.  Block.  It becomes a rhythmic chorus that the team has masters through practice.  Begin with the end in mind.  Set a plan for how you will get there. 

Finally, the six-game series re-affirms an adage I learned years ago.  Together we can do much more than the sum of what we can do separately.  Here’s what that means in a business setting.  Say Jane, Tom, and Megan are tasked with building widgets.  In an hour, each person can build 10 widgets respectively.  That’s 30 widgets total.   However, if Jane, Tom, and Megan work together, each taking on a role in the widget building process, they get more done.  Jane sorts, Tom assembles, Megan packages - they now can build 50 widgets in an hour.  Their collective total is greater than the sum of their individual totals. 

Work Together.  Know Your Role.  Practice the Winning Combination. 

Adversity - A Poem

What in the world my dear are you clinging to? -- some propaganda stating you’ve gone as far on your going to.

That your skies are finite and limited, that you’ve dreamed the impossible dream; your future inhibited.

Oh please, they’ve been shoveling that lie since the 60s.

No one can decide what you can or can’t move thru

This is your challenge, your life. What is it that you want to do --

Sit and be still and not shine the way your light was meant to.  

Oh, I pray that ain’t true, I pray that ain’t true.

Please… don’t fall into the abyss because something negative once rules you

Please… understand I’m from where you are and I got to fight my demons too

Please… don’t give up because somebody broke your heart and some things fell thru.

Please… This is life, you own it, it does not own you.