Keith Ferrazzi's Blog, page 2
December 4, 2015
August 10, 2015
6 Ways to Turn Managers into Coaches Again
The role of the manager is currently undergoing a transformation. Historically, managers embraced the role of coach and mentor. Through informal conversations during the commute to work, over a coffee break, or while enjoying a burger after hours, managers passed along crucial information and knowledge about the organization’s culture. Even more formal conversations, like one-on-one meetings and small group gatherings, transferred insight and understanding to employees. This invaluable information wasn’t found in textbooks, from a class, or over an app, but given from someone with years — decades even — of experience.
But today, tighter budgets, flatter organizations, a heavy workload, and too many direct reports often leave managers without the time — and sometimes without the skills — to shoulder the responsibility of being coach and mentor. And yet, this function remains critical to the long-term health and productivity of the organization.
This erosion in the role of the manager has not gone unnoticed. As part of a recent research project into how top executives view training and development programs, executives overwhelmingly said the most urgent problem they face is igniting their managers to coach employees. What’s more, it’s also the challenge where executives said they are most desperate to find and deploy effective solutions.
In response, my team has compiled six practical tips to help managers slip back into the role of coach as effortlessly and efficiently as possible.
Read full article on Harvard Business Review.
July 21, 2015
7 Ways to Improve Employee Development Programs
Making the right investments in learning and development programs has never been more important – or more of a challenge – for business leaders.
Unfortunately, despite spending approximately $164.2 billion dollars on learning and development programs, many executives still grapple with how to improve and enhance their effectiveness. As research shows, the need to revamp and improve learning programs is an important concern among HR executives.
To better understand this problem, my consulting firm did a thorough review of recent research into learning and development programs, followed by a structured survey with top training executives at 16 major corporations in a diverse set of industries, ranging in size from $1 billion to $55 billion in annual revenues. To understand how providers of training and development view these challenges, we also interviewed leaders of executive education programs at several leading universities.
From this research, we’ve observed seven challenges companies must meet to create development programs that really work.
Read full article on Harvard Business Review.
July 14, 2015
How to Build Trust on Your Virtual Team
Keith offers four tips for unifying and strengthening globally dispersed teams in this video produced for Harvard Business Reviw.
May 14, 2015
March 27, 2015
How to Run a Great Virtual Meeting
Virtual meetings don’t have to be seen as a waste of time. In fact, they can be more valuable than traditional face-to-face meetings. Beyond the fact that they’re inexpensive ways to get people together – think: no travel costs and readily available technology – they’re also great opportunities to build engagement, trust and candor among teams.
Several years ago, my company’s Research Institute embarked on an exploration of the “New People Rules in a Virtual World” to explore how technology is shaping our relationships and how we collaborate. This multiyear journey also evolved my thinking on the subject, helping me recognize that virtual is not the enemy of the physical if key rules and processes are maintained and respected.
Going back through that research now, I’ve put together a comprehensive list of some simple do’s and don’ts to help you get the most out of your next virtual meeting.
Read full article on Harvard Business Review.
March 25, 2015
Technology Can Save Onboarding from Itself
Competition among the most innovative companies is growing ever more heated for one of the most highly-coveted resources on the market: talented employees. But sadly, too many new hires slip away because of a poor initial experience with their new companies. Consider the following statistics, which represent broad data in the United States:
Nearly 33% of new hires look for a new job within their first six months on the job. (Among Millennials, that percentage is even higher … and it happens earlier.)
Twenty-three percent of new hires turn over before their first anniversary.
The organizational costs of employee turnover are estimated to range between 100% and 300% of the replaced employee’s salary.
It typically takes eight months for a newly hired employee to reach full productivity.
The problem is that managers’ lives are busier than ever, so it’s simply not that easy to make sure an employee’s first few months at your company are as welcoming, stimulating, and productive as possible. Ineffective onboarding has been a systemic challenge for as long as I can remember. Kristin Yetto, SVP HR, eBay, heartily agreed in a recent conversation we had, pointing out “when employees get off on the wrong foot at a corporation, it can have major implications for [their] long-term integration.” The unfortunate reality, as Kristin and many of her colleagues in HR know all too well, is that most companies — by their own admission — pay little to no attention to the onboarding process.
Read full article on Harvard Business Review.
March 19, 2015
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