Sharlyn J. Lauby's Blog, page 175
June 4, 2015
Business Travel: Who Keeps the Points [poll]
Loyalty points are all the rage. My credit cards offer points. The airlines and hotels I use offer points. There’s even a new one called Plenti that offers points on everything from gas to my phone bill. You get the point (no pun intended).
But when it comes to rewards on business expenses, who owns the points? I can see a couple of ways to interpret this:
Alison Green, author of Ask a Manager, had a great explanation for allowing employees to keep their points (especially travel points). It’s part of the reward for dealing with the drudgery of travel. Let’s face it – most business travel involves airline delays, cramped seats, and spotty hotel WiFi. And that’s on a good day! Personally, I can never seem to get a good cuppa tea on the road. So why not let employees keep the points for leaving their family and friends and putting up with all the hassles.
I can also see the points belonging to whoever initially pays for it. For example, if the company issues you a credit card and you use the credit card to pay for your travel, then the company gets the points. However, if you don’t have a company credit card and you have to pay for business travel and wait for reimbursement, then keeping the points can be part of the transaction. It’s your credit rating. You are ultimately responsible for the bill. You should get to keep the points.
I’m curious to hear what you think. Please take a moment to answer this one question poll. In your organization, who owns reward points on business travel?
Thanks for answering this question! I’ll publish a recap of the results in a couple weeks. And, if you have a great creative approach to this please feel free to share it.
Image courtesy of Sharlyn Lauby
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June 2, 2015
Corporate Culture: Small Changes Create Big Results – #RethinkTheDailyGrind
(Editor’s Note: Today’s post is brought to you by
Mars Drinks. They believe the workday can be much more than the daily grind. That’s why they’re 100% dedicated to the workplace. They deliver workplace drink solutions that inspire organizations and their people to rethink the daily grind and be more productive, collaborative and engaged. Learn more at
marsdrinks.com/rethink
.
Enjoy the post!)
For a second year, I’ve had the opportunity to attend the Great Place to Work conference. You might think that the conference would be the same from year to year, but that’s not the case. Last year, there was a theme around innovation and Victoria B. Mars, chairman of the board for Mars, Inc. spoke about the company’s programs that encourage employee innovation.
This year, a key theme emerged around building and maintaining corporate culture. Several CEOs in attendance (not just speakers) commented on how sustaining their corporate culture was a top priority.
I’d like to believe that, by now, we realize that having an authentic and transparent culture is necessary for business success (translation: bottom-line success). But that doesn’t make creating culture any easier. The steps and components to building a compelling culture can often still elude us. Part of the reason is that, while organizations understand that culture is important, they are sometimes reluctant to dedicate huge resources toward developing culture without knowing the return.
During this year’s Great Place to Work conference it occurred to me that maybe we’re looking at the culture conversation all wrong. Is it possible the foundation to building a corporate culture already exists and we simply need to rethink or change our mindset?
I was honored to have the opportunity to interview Xavier Unkovic, global president of Mars Drinks, and Michael C. Bush, chief executive officer of Great Place to Work. So I decided to ask them what it takes to build and maintain a positive workplace culture. Here’s what they said are the 3 must-haves:
Trust: It starts here. Trust is very easy to say and very hard to build. But it’s absolutely necessary. If you want employees to be engaged with their work, they must trust their manager and the organization. Employees need to trust the people they are expected to collaborate with.
Freedom: Employees need the freedom to do things, to try things and to (safely) make mistakes. This ties into the trust component. Employees need to have the ability to talk about their work without apprehension. It’s how they learn and grow professionally.
Community: Organizations that build employee teams where trust and freedom are valued at every level of the organization…well, they’re really building community. And communities get stronger when all the members of the community feel they are able to do their best work. Employees need the positive well-being to contribute to the community.
Another aspect of culture that Xavier and Michael agreed upon is this: businesses that do not look for ways to continuously evolve their culture can will quickly find themselves obsolete. There has never been a time like today when organizations can become irrelevant in a heartbeat. The good news is that evolving the business does not have to involve grandiose and expensive initiatives. It does need to challenge and motivate us to become more productive, collaborative and engaged.
Every organization is looking for big results from their culture. During our conversation, Xavier said, “Our goal as managers and leaders is to take care of our community.” They want engaged associates who collaborate effectively to achieve the company’s goals. At , they call it workplace vitality. It happens at the intersection of well-being, collaboration, engagement and productivity. Mars Drinks wants to lead the business conversation about workplace vitality and help businesses manage their most important asset– their people.
Mars Drinks has developed a list of practical tips for business pros to use in taking the first step toward building a more collaborative, engaged, healthier and productive work environment – these tips can help you “Rethink the Daily Grind” – you can download them here. They are easy to implement, practical ideas that you can share with your management team over a cup of coffee or cuppa tea that will lead to big results. Again, it’s those small steps that can lead to big results!
Now, there is one thing you might be wondering. How does Rethinking the Daily Grind and creating workplace vitality impact the bottom-line? It’s a good question. And one I had the chance to ask Xavier and Michael.
Building workplace vitality and a maintainable culture of innovation isn’t all about a company’s product, service or brand. It’s about the people. It’s about making small changes every day that move the organization forward. It’s about creating a workplace that places importance on building engaging relationships. It thrives on employee collaboration. It values the well-being of people. And it focuses on delivering productivity and results.
Trust, freedom and community at work #RethinkTheDailyGrind
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How does your organization rethink the daily grind? Leave us a comment or share your thoughts with @MarsDrinks on Twitter using the hashtag #RethinkTheDailyGrind.
Mars Drinks logo, video and image used with permission.
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May 31, 2015
Everything #HR Needs to Know About API
A few months ago, I talked about developing a 5-Day Plan to Learning Twitter. In it, I mentioned using Twitter chats as a way to engage with other professionals. A common platform for participating in a Twitter chat is TweetChat. Of course, that’s when it’s working.
Twitter is having API issues at the moment, We’ll let you know when they are fixed.
— #TweetChat (@TweetChat) April 27, 2015
I’m sure it can happen to anyone and the problem is fixed by now; that’s not the point. Hopefully we all realize that downtime is a part of doing business these days. But it did occur to me that API is another technology term that HR pros need to know.
So I reached out to my friend Chris Lennon, vice president of product management at SilkRoad. As you know, SilkRoad is a longtime partner with HR Bartender and they offer talent apps which integrate with their talent management suite. What better person to enlighten us about API! So go grab a cup of coffee (or cuppa tea) and find a nice quiet place to get your geek on…
Chris, what is Application Program Interface (API) and can you give us an example of how API works?
[Chris] If you really want to get your geek on, you can reference Wikipedia to learn more about APIs. However for most of us, myself included, that’s a little too deep for what we need as HR practitioners.
An API is basically a way to send a request from one piece of software and get a response or initiate an action from another piece of software. Software applications often leverage APIs within themselves. You don’t need to know they exist unless you’re a developer for that software.
For most of us, an API is a generic term for having the ability to tie into a vendor or partner’s software programmatically. Non-developer types care about APIs when they are published, or made available to customers/users outside of the vendor. For example, a vendor might publish an API that allows customers to add users to their Talent Management module. This is probably the most common use case that would allow someone technical on the customer side (information technology) to build a connector to that API from their HRMS to add users to the Talent Management module in real time.
There are less common use cases where companies pull data out of the Talent Management module to populate information in other mission critical systems. For example, one of our customers pulls training completion from our learning management system to prevent pilots from flying airplanes if they haven’t taken and passed all of the required training (in conjunction with other requirements).
What is a Web API? How does it compare to a software API?
[Chris] Web API, or often ‘Web service’, is an API framework for building HTTP requests that can be used by browsers, mobile phones and tablets. It is more lightweight which gives it more flexibility to work across multiple devices/browsers, like smart phones. It’s also typically public which means there’s a broad community you can learn and borrow from.
Modern Web APIs usually leverage Representational State Transfer, or so called RESTful Web services , which are a more direct style of API that allow software providers to target cross-devices and generate content like images, pdf files, etc..
Does API exist in every piece of software we use? What about mobile apps?
[Chris] While there are examples of software that do not or cannot use APIs, most modern software uses APIs. Yes, native (as opposed to browser-based) mobile apps most certainly use APIs to allow data to transfer from your mobile device to the vendor and vice versa.
Most of the time when I hear about API, it’s in reference to a tech company (like Apple) releasing its API. Why would that be important to businesses? And to HR?
[Chris] When a company ‘releases its API’, they are making it ‘public’ for other software developers to tie into and leverage. This way, content created in one place can be easily shared with other sites/applications. Examples might include embedding a YouTube video on a LinkedIn feed or sharing photos from sites like Facebook and LinkedIn with your intranet or Exchange server (Microsoft Outlook).
It is important to businesses and HR because it can provide new tools. For example, when LinkedIn or Facebook make their APIs available, companies like SilkRoad can tie them into our Recruiting module allowing companies to not only have the benefits of an applicant tracking system but they can feed their job openings to the company’s Facebook page, or they can allow candidates to apply using their LinkedIn profile.
Is API and releasing API secure?
[Chris] Unfortunately, APIs are not inherently secure or not secure. There will be some APIs that are more secure than others. What makes an APIs secure is the developers building secure code. It’s a never-ending battle and unfortunately a reality of doing business on mobile devices and in the cloud.
It’s important that, before a company decides to dedicate resources to build software to tie into an API, they understand how seriously the API provider takes security. It’s important that software be built with an intent to make it secure form the start. Building in security after the fact is more difficult. It’s also important that the API provider requires their employees to take security training and they take measures to keep their staff aware of the latest security threats and trends.
The same holds true for consumers of the API. When you decide to build to an API, make sure your team takes security seriously. No software is 100% secure; it is the responsibility of all of us: vendors, practitioners and consumers to stay vigilant so we can continue to create new tools that make it easier for employees and HR practitioners to do our jobs.
Last question, what do you see as the future of API?
[Chris] Space travel. Teleportation. Autonomous flying cars. Robot maids and butlers. In some respect, I’m joking. But in all seriousness, APIs will continue to allow communication between software applications and a multitude of devices.
Most new software is built ‘API first’ and very API heavy and even the vendor’s own user interface is a customer for the API. This will continue to open new opportunities for HR. Your smartphone will start interacting with your autonomous car and allow you to interview a candidate while sitting in traffic. After you decide to hire that person, you will direct Siri or whatever your electronic personal assistant is to send the candidate through the approval process in your ATS so you can get an offer letter sent out, potentially before you even make to the office.
Here’s everything #HR pros need to know about API
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A HUGE thanks to Chris for sharing his expertise on this subject. Be sure to follow the SilkRoad blog to learn more about how technology is changing human resources.
I must say I’ve heard the term API tossed around in conversations and thought I had the gist of it, but Chris really helped me understand the importance. As HR pros, we don’t have to become an API expert but we do need to know enough and know how to ask good questions to gain better understanding.
Image taken in Chicago but nowhere near the SilkRoad offices courtesy of Sharlyn Lauby
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May 29, 2015
Quick Shots for #HR and Business Pros – #ATD2015 Edition
Internal coaching is growing in practice! I’ve heard this topic at two conferences now. Organizations are creating internal coaching practices as part of employee career development programs. Most companies recognize that connection is important, but in many ways we are less connected in the ways that matter. This impacts engagement. One speaker used the example of the Gallup Q12 being all about connection.
Coaching = Connection = Engagement
Storytelling is king! There were many sessions during the conference devoted to the art and science of storytelling. One particular session that I enjoyed was by Doug Stevenson (@DougStoryCoach on Twitter). He outlined 9 specific steps to telling a great story – you can get them if you sign up for his newsletter. What stuck with me while he was speaking was the importance of having a story. The recruiter who needs a story about the company for candidates. The candidate who needs a story for the interview. The trainer who needs a story to make a point. Being able to tell a memorable story is key.
People hate role plays (still)! Years ago, I wrote a post titled “Nobody Likes Role Plays”. And it’s still true today. I went to a session on revitalizing the role play activity. There was an interesting dialogue about the semantics of using the term role play versus practice or simulation. On one hand, that might be lipstick on a pig, but maybe it has some merit. The conversation that really struck me was that many trainers are having to abandon the role play because of time constraints. With the trend toward bite-sized learning, role plays and debriefs just take too long.
It’s time for employees to set the agenda! I had the opportunity to meet Dr. Ken Blanchard during the conference. He was speaking about today’s workplaces and how it prompted him to update his classic book, “The One Minute Manager”. One of my takeaways from his session: He said that one thing he discovered years ago that still holds true today is managers should have a face-to-face meeting with every direct report once every two weeks for 15-30 minutes. But let the employee set the agenda. Employees need to control the conversation. It creates engagement.
Curation is a much needed skill! There is so much information on the web. Finding reliable sources of information is a challenge. ATD recently shared an online tool called “It’s a Juggle” that curates the best education and professional development resources on the web. It’s FREE! and features talented business professionals like Miriam Salpeter, Kate Nasser, and Jennifer V. Miller. A nice resource to share with employees. Oh, and did I mention it’s FREE?!
It’s an exciting time to be in the learning and development function. But it’s also a critical time for learning and development to forge partnerships with the other functions of human resources and the business. No function, whether it’s learning or recruiting or whatever, can operate in a silo. It doesn’t benefit the function or the company.
Photo with Dr. Ken Blanchard taken by Cathy Fyock, other images courtesy of Sharlyn Lauby
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May 28, 2015
Corporate Culture: Your Company Is a Community
There’s an emerging theme I’m hearing about comparing companies to communities. I heard it at the Great Place to Work conference and again at the Association for Talent Development (ATD) International Conference and Expo.
If companies are communities, then it’s the obligation of businesses to take care of their community and to support their “members” (i.e., employees). During the ATD conference, I had the chance to hear Michael Lee Stallard talk about his new book, Connection Culture. I thought it really tied into this idea of organizations being more like communities so I asked if he would share this thoughts.
Michael, I certainly don’t want you to give away the entire premise of the book but can you briefly tell readers what defines a “connection culture”?
[Michael] A connection culture is a bond based on shared identity, empathy and understanding that moves self-centered individuals toward group-centered membership. It is in contrast to ‘cultures of control’ and ‘cultures of indifference.’
In cultures of control, people with power, control, status and influence rule over others. This culture creates an environment where most people fear to make mistakes and take risks. Cultures of control have low employee engagement.
Cultures of indifference exist when people are so busy and overwhelmed they don’t invest time to build supportive relationships that are essential to employee engagement. This is, in essence, the culture that drifts organically toward relationship apathy.
A connection culture makes people feel like part of the team. Other cultures can make people feel unsupported, left out or lonely, which diminishes productivity, wellness and well-being. Your readers can take the Culture Quiz at ConnectionCulture.com to see what type of culture they work in.
How does a connection culture compare to high-performing teams? Are they the same thing?
[Michael] All high performing teams that last have connection cultures. The neuroscientist Matthew Lieberman calls connection a ‘superpower’ because it makes people more productive, healthier and happier. When people feel connected to their teammates, they perform at the top of their game, they give their best efforts, they align their behavior with the leader’s goals so that everyone is pulling in the same direction and they are proactive when it comes to contributing to innovation and overcoming obstacles. These attributes I described add up to provide a powerful source of competitive advantage.
In contrast, disconnection sabotages team performance. Culture affects biology. If people don’t feel connected, their bodies are more likely to be in a state of stress response so that blood glucose and oxygen are allocated to the fight or flight systems (i.e., heart, lungs and big muscles) while the brain, digestive, immune and reproductive systems are shortchanged. This makes people vulnerable to anxiety, depression and addiction.
We are hardwired to connect. Absent connection, we dysfunction, and so do our teams and organizations.
Connection cultures do not appear to be exclusive to large organizations. Would you share with readers your connection culture examples using the rock group U2?
[Michael] U2 is a band that people booed and laughed at in its early days yet it went on to become one of the greatest bands in history with more Grammy awards that any other band and the highest revenue producing tour ever. Their story is all about connection.
Bono, the band’s lead singer, lyricist and leader among equals communicates an inspiring vision and lives it, values people and gives them a voice. They have had each other’s backs through the sickness and deaths of loved ones, death threats, one band member’s problems with addiction, and divorce. They encourage each other. They share profits equally among the band members and their manager. They give each other feedback but they are kind and considerate about how they communicate it. Each band member has a voice in decisions made. If someone feels disconnected, they work to reconnect. These are just a few attributes of U2 that work to connect them.
(Editor’s Note: You can read U2’s story by downloading the free sample chapter from Connection Culture.)
You mention that the case for connection is backed by science. What does the evidence show?
[Michael] Connection Culture includes a chapter on the science of connection that lays out the research. The chapter has three parts.
Part One: I review research that has shown connection leads to greater personal productivity, superior health and more happiness and research that shows disconnection (i.e., feeling unsupported, left out or lonely) leads to dysfunction and a greater likelihood of premature death.
Part Two: I present research evidence that connection is essential in order for organizations to achieve sustainable superior performance.
Part Three: The science of connection provides an assessment of the current state of connection. It shows that America and other market democracies have become more disconnected so that people come into the workplace with a connection deficit. Some leaders say it’s not my problem. But it is their problem because the lack of connection in their organization’s culture is contributing to underperformance and will eventually lead to managerial failure.
The lack of connection is a major reason why the average Fortune 500 Company has a life span of less than 50 years. We’ve developed too many workplace cultures that are more like machines than communities suitable for human beings.
Speaking of organizational life span, what are the bottom-line results of having a connection culture?
[Michael] Connection contributes to thriving and life. Disconnection leads to dysfunction and death. This is true when it comes to individuals and groups of all kinds including teams and organizations. When my colleagues and I began researching organizational health more than a decade ago, we had no idea it would lead to this conclusion. We followed the clues from a wide variety of fields and they led us to connection.
Take the Culture Quiz: find out about your corporate culture
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My thanks to Michael for sharing his expertise. If you want to connect with him, check out his blog and follow him on Twitter. You can find his book, Connection Culture, on Amazon and in the ATD Store.
Before companies spend focused energy and resources on building a brand to attract and retain talent, the first question they need to ask is “What kind of culture do we want for our community?” The answer drives everything.
Oh, and P.S. Michael and I had a moment to chat about burgers and wine during the ATD conference. His vote for best burger is Tarry Market in Port Chester, New York and the fave bottle of wine under $10 is Les Halos De Jupiter’s Cotes Du Rhone. So next time you’re in New York City, take a short train ride to Greenwich, Connecticut and see what you think of his recommendations.
Image courtesy of Sharlyn Lauby
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May 26, 2015
5 Business Lessons Learned From Adult Coloring Books
I’ve noticed a few themes emerging in the professional development space that center around the need for individuals to find ways to decompress, de-stress, and detox from their digital lives. One of the ideas I heard was adult coloring books. Now before you laugh, check out these articles on CNN, Huffington Post, the NY Post and the LA Times about the popularity of adult coloring.
So when Free Period Press offered to send me a coloring book, I jumped at the chance to see firsthand what coloring would bring. Lora DiFranco, one of the founders, said they created the coloring book as a result of “not being very crafty” but wanting to spend time away from computer screens and feel creative. After successfully funding a Kickstarter campaign, she heard from people that they were using the books during breaks at work.
I spent a couple of weeks with the coloring book on the edge of my desk and, when I needed a break, I decided to color. Here’s what I learned:
Old skool isn’t bad . How do I say this? Just because something is old, vintage or retro doesn’t make it bad. Frank Sinatra, Manhattans, and coloring are evidence of this. Conversely, there are some things that are better left in history. It’s about putting things into proper context. It’s okay to revisit pieces of our childhood.
To be successful, you must have the proper tools . In the case of coloring, you need proper lighting and some good colored pencils. I honestly didn’t think I would enjoy coloring as much as I am. I should have bought the 24 or 48 count package of colored pencils (instead of the 12). The point is, to really get the benefit from anything, you need to have the proper tools.
Give creativity time . I worked on a page for over a week. Every time I looked at it, I saw something different or I would get a new inspiration. Granted, it’s coloring and I wasn’t under a deadline. I enjoyed taking my time. In a work context, we need to remember that giving people time to think and ponder the possibilities can be valuable. In my book, Essential Meeting Blueprints for Managers, Fran Melmed at Context Communications Consulting offers a brainstorming tip that mentions giving participants something fun to get into the creative spirit. I could see coloring being an option.
Having a low-tech or no-tech activity is a healthy break from the computer screen . There are studies that say staring at a computer screen all day isn’t good for our eyes. And looking at our tablets right before bed isn’t good for our sleep. Why not color? I loved ending the day with 5-10 minutes of coloring.
Beware! Coloring is just as addictive as chocolate and computer games . Like I mentioned earlier, I really enjoyed this and will probably color some more. My only question was what do I do with the finished pieces? Maybe the activity is sufficient by itself? When we were kids, our finished coloring went on the refrigerator. I guess you could still do that. But, Lora suggested turning your works of art into cards for co-workers, clients and vendors. Just cut them into the shape and size you want and glue them to thicker cardstock. Also, I can see my finished coloring making for nice binder inserts.
If you haven’t tried coloring, and are looking for something different, give it a try. Check out the Free Period Press site for details. You might be surprised. It takes very little time and money to get started and coloring can offer a lot in terms of creativity as well as relaxation.
Image courtesy of Sharlyn Lauby
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May 24, 2015
The Interview Series on #HR Bartender
Tomorrow is Memorial Day in the United States. It’s a federal holiday to remember the people who have given the ultimate sacrifice while serving our country. It also marks the beginning of summer vacations.
Since this is a long weekend for some, I thought I would put together a list of a few interviews we’ve done over the years. Enjoy your Sunday with a cup of coffee or cuppa tea and some great reading.
Dr. Marshall Goldsmith on Becoming a Better Leader
Dr. Daniel Goleman on Staying Focused
Dr. John Kotter on Creating Organizational Change
Dr. Eduardo Salas on Best Practices for Developing Teamwork
Libby Sartain on Human Resources Branding
Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz on Financial Literacy
Dr. Peter Senge on Education, Systems Thinking and Our Careers
Dr. David Ulrich on Finding Meaning at Work
Zappos CEO, Tony Hsieh on Customer Service
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May 22, 2015
There Are No Easy Ways Out – Friday Distraction
(Editor’s Note: Today’s post is brought to you by Kronos , the global leader in delivering workforce management solutions in the cloud. Did you know that Kronos has nine (9) blogs devoted to helping organizations be the best they can be? Topics focus on Lean Labor Strategies , Technology Services and Human Capital Management . Enjoy the post!)
Remember the story of “Jack and the Beanstalk”? Here’s the Wiki page as a refresher.
I know there are other morals to the story, but my biggest takeaway is don’t look for an easy way out. Jack tries to find instant riches by trading his cow for the magic beans. Then he resorts to stealing from the giant. I know, the giant is mean, but does that justify stealing?! Doesn’t that fall into the category of two wrongs don’t make a right?!
Our friends at Kronos understand that easy doesn’t always translate into results. Today’s Time Well Spent reminds us that results take hard work and time.
Businesses have to be alert to how “easy way outs” get started. Sometimes it happens when a person doesn’t fully understand the task ahead of them and they don’t want to take the time to figure it out.
Here’s an example: People and businesses tend to throw about “the Cloud” term all the time. I sometimes wonder if they really know what it means. Well a few months ago, I wrote a post on “Everything HR Needs to Know about the Cloud”. If you haven’t had the chance to check it out, I hope you will.
Don’t chase short cuts, find what works for you
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Delivering business results is about doing the work, not searching for short cuts.
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May 21, 2015
Your Blueprint for Employee Performance Meetings
(Editor’s Note: Today’s post is an excerpt from my book, “ Essential Meeting Blueprints for Managers .” The book is available on Amazon in hard copy and Kindle , in the iTunes store, and directly from the publisher.”
Employee performance meetings happen all the time in business. At least, they should happen all the time in business. We’re not talking about meetings that address employee discipline or terminations. Your organization has a policy for that and managers need to follow it.
Employee performance meetings are about helping employees succeed. They are the regular conversations that take place in an ongoing manner. These discussions tell employees what they’re doing well and possibly what they need to improve upon.
Here’s a blueprint you can use during a performance meeting with the employee. You can create a one-page form with this outline and use it to plan your conversation or print it on an index card so you have all the steps handy.
Let the employee know the purpose of the meeting. Don’t minimize the importance of this conversation by spending a huge amount of time talking about the latest reality television program and a little on the topic of performance. This is an important matter and should be treated that way.
Share what you have observed. Offer specifics about actual behaviors you’ve witnessed. If someone else witnessed the behaviors, try to have that person there. Employees don’t like the line “someone told me you did this…” If you’re trying to support or correct behavior, be able to specifically discuss behavior.
Give employees time to respond. It might be tempting at this point to keep talking but resist the urge. Allow the employee to answer. You might learn a few things about what’s currently taking place in the business.
Explain how their performance impacts the team. Employees might not realize how their behavior impacts the organization or the team. It’s important to draw a connection between their behavior and impact to the company. If impact can’t be explained (positive or negative), then an employee will question why their behavior matters.
Reinforce the expected behavior. It’s possible an employee will not know what they should be doing. Or could have questions about the existing standard. Come to the discussion prepared to explain the current company standard and how an employee can achieve and even exceed the standard.
Solicit solutions from the employee on how to improve the situation. This is so important! Let the employee tell you what they’re going to do in the future. It creates buy-in. If you tell an employee what to do, they haven’t bought into it. Give the employee time to think about possible solutions.
Convey the consequences. Let the employee know what will happen if the situation is – and isn’t – resolved. You’ll notice I haven’t written one word about disciplinary action. Sometimes the consequence is an employee will not be eligible for a transfer. Or they will not be able to participate in flex time. Maybe the next step is discipline. Regardless, make sure the employee is aware of next steps.
Agree upon a follow-up date. Remember, “no news is good news” is not a management philosophy. After agreement has been reached, set a follow-up date to discuss progress.
Express your confidence. Since the goal of this conversation is to support or improve performance, don’t be afraid to tell an employee you’re confident they will achieve their goal.
The conversation needs to stay dedicated on helping the employee be successful. Don’t let the conversation become personal and emotional. If the discussion is focused on performance, then it’s a win for everyone involved. Here are two examples of performance meetings (one positive, one not):
Example: Positive employee performance meeting
Manager: Hi Jim. Thanks for meeting with me today. I want to talk with you about an important matter, the Wilson account. Last week, you did an awesome job handling the client after our production error accidently sent them a past due notice.
Your customer service skills were very effective. Proactively contacting the client, explaining the situation, and following up to make sure the client didn’t have any additional concerns.
Jim: Thanks! The company’s customer service training was helpful. One thing you should know. In dealing with this situation, I did discover a small glitch in our accounting system that’s creating the past due notices to be generated. I’ve already told someone in accounting.
Manager: I didn’t know that. Thanks for sharing and telling accounting. Obviously, when we are able to effectively deal with customers – whether it’s our internal or external ones – it only makes our jobs easier. And our customers happier.
After handling this situation, do you think we need to put any other steps in place to deal with the billing issue?
Jim: You know, I’ve thought about it and can’t think of any.
Manager: Very well, if this occurs again, please let me know so we can escalate the situation. Let’s plan to touch base next month just to make sure there are no outstanding items with the Wilson account.
Thanks again Jim.
Example: Improvement needed performance meeting
Manager: Hi Jim. Thanks for meeting with me today. I want to talk with you about an important matter, the Wilson account. Last week, we had an issue with them when our production error accidently sent them a past due notice. I received a call from the client who was upset about the incident.
Jim: I forgot to call them. Sorry. I did discover a small glitch in our accounting system that’s creating the past due notices to be generated. I’ve already told someone in accounting.
Manager: I didn’t know about the accounting glitch. Thanks for sharing and telling accounting. It’s important for us to remember that when we deal effectively with customers, it helps everyone on the team. We can spend more time doing activities to improve our business versus putting out fires. And our customers are happier.
What can you do if this situation occurs again?
Jim: Definitely give the customer a call as soon as I realize the error.
Manager: Yes, and if you have any questions about whether or not to contact a customer, I’m always available to discuss the situation.
Jim: OK, I will bring my questions to you and not make assumptions.
Manager: Thanks. Please remember that in matters like this it’s your responsibility to proactively contact the client, explain the situation, and follow up to make sure the client doesn’t have any additional concerns.
Let’s plan to touch base in a month to make sure everything is fine with the Wilson account. If you have any questions in the meantime, please let me know.
Oh, and thanks again Jim for handling the situation with accounting and accepting responsibility for this issue. I know you have the ability to handle these kinds of situations in the future.
If for whatever reason, the conversation becomes emotional, it’s important to remain empathetic without letting the conversation go off track. Remain calm, listen to the employee, and if necessary ask for more information to help the employee stay engaged.
Your blueprint for employee performance meetings
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I do realize every conversation might not go as smoothly as these examples. But don’t underestimate the power of planning. Whether the conversation is positive or not-so positive, planning the conversation keeps the discussion on topic and productive. This is the key to achieving the goal of the meeting, which is to ultimate reinforce or change behavior.
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May 19, 2015
Corporate Culture and Company Profits Are Not Mutually Exclusive
A few weeks ago, I had the chance to attend the Great Place to Work conference in Dallas. It’s a terrific event that companies should check out – regardless of whether your organization aspires to be on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For list. And here’s why:
We’re beginning to see a significant change in the labor market. There are fewer qualified candidates for job openings. Organizations will have to engage their workforce at a high level and compete for talent. Candidates are doing their homework about companies before they apply. They want to know that a company is worth it before applying. This means that having a great corporate culture and promoting a great culture should rank right up there on your priority list.
Now I do understand that all of the conversation happening today about creating a best in class employment brand and building a top notch corporate culture might take this conversation on the verge of becoming corporate buzzwords or clichés. Some companies might feel that building an outstanding culture comes at the price of the bottom-line.
I had the chance to speak with Great Place to Work CEO Michael C. Bush during the conference and he said it’s something the business world needs to have more conversations about – connecting corporate culture with company profits. And Great Place to Work really delivered with their closing keynote, David M. Gordon, president of The Cheesecake Factory.
I didn’t realize that The Cheesecake Factory is a publically traded company. So make no mistake – they need to deliver profits. Their shareholders demand it. But David pointed out, their culture matters. He said they look to hire staff members who have “Cheesecake in their veins” (figuratively, not literally of course). He talked about the importance of nurturing the bodies, minds, hearts and spirits of staff members. He even shared how actions within the organization are labeled, “So Cheesecake!” The point being: The Cheesecake Factory has invested heavily in developing their culture.
David also shared what it meant in terms of results. He said that they could tell the locations that have embraced The Cheesecake Factory culture because staff member engagement was higher at those locations. In addition:
Attrition was significantly less than average
Guest satisfaction scores were meaningfully better than average
Profit goals were attained and exceeded, in most cases
In an industry where the average turnover is 60+ percent, these are impressive outcomes. The Cheesecake Factory is a great example of a company in a highly competitive industry that is realizing success by drawing a connection between their culture and their bottom-line. And we know that the restaurant industry is a very tough industry to work in. It can be known for high-turnover and not always viewed as a long-term career. Places like The Cheesecake Factory are changing that with their investment into culture and employee engagement.
Corporate culture and the bottom-line are not mutually exclusive. In fact, they are intertwined more than ever.
The Great Place to Work logo is used with permission.
The Cheesecake Factory logo and video are used with permission. The Cheesecake Factory trade name, logo, and trade dress are owned by TCF Co. LLC.
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