by D. Kevin Berchelmann | Sep 4, 2006 | Brazen Leader, Human Resources, Kevin Berchelmann, Miscellaneous Business Topics, Organizational Effectiveness
Well, not exactly. But close…
So, you feel that your organization’s culture – its core behaviors, mannerisms, decision-making processes and “way things are done” – is a bit less that desired. How do you change it?
The most effective and efficient way to change and guide desired culture and organizational behavior is through compensation. Not just “pay more, they’ll do more,” since most of us have tried that and know it’s a crock. But behavior-driven compensation does work.
So, how do we go about this? Well, it’s easier than you think, though I must warn you: be careful what you wish for, you may just get it. A basic tenet of compensation is “that which is rewarded is repeated.” I’ll say that again: That which is rewarded is repeated. In other words, you don’t get what you want, you get what you compensated for.
So, compensation is certainly the best route to culture maintenance and change, and behavior modification. But make sure what you want is what you are trying to pay for…
by D. Kevin Berchelmann | Jun 19, 2006 | Brazen Leader, Kevin Berchelmann, Miscellaneous Business Topics, Organizational Effectiveness
I recently had a senior-level human resources professional ask me for creative ideas to market and showcase the value that the HR team provides. This executive went on to say how he was fortunate enough to work for a company in which HR works in close partnership with Operations. However, he thought they could do a better job of marketing their successes and accomplishments.
This is a great topic for HR folks, so pay attention…
If you’re really serious about it, approach the marketing effort strategically as would any business.
First, determine your market. This is absolutely the most critical step. It’s unlikely that your primary market is a bunch of employees unless you are solely an employee relations and benefits provider. In fact, if you still believe you are there as a simple resource for employees, you probably shouldn’t be reading my blog. You’ll just get frustrated.
Your primary customers may be a dozen executives or a couple hundred managers. Determine who your true customer is, and start there.
Then, as Tom Peters likes to say, “Do something really strange… TALK TO YOUR CUSTOMERS!” Find out how your customers want to be updated, communicated, and sold. They’ll tell you – if you are truly of value to them.
Now, if you want to find out what you should be doing, instead of just after-the-fact publicity, go to the next step in the planning process: Do a gap analysis. Determine where you are today, in relation to what your customer(s) want/expect from you. The delta between the two is the “gap,” or your targets of opportunity. This analysis will require substantial thought and time commitment; you’ll want to discuss, cuss, analyze, cipher, ad nauseum with a variety of key stakeholders within your organization.
Then, develop an action plan around that gap analysis, complete with measurements. Determine what your future will look like, then plan the steps to reach that future. Now, you’ve got your marching orders and marketing fodder — the easy part is “how” to get the word out. Trust me, when general managers see you as a resource for operational success, you won’t need to “market”…
by D. Kevin Berchelmann | May 28, 2006 | Brazen Leader, Human Resources
After 20-something years of Human Resources management, many of those at the senior-most level, I’ve developed some beliefs.
For example, I believe:
…that HR is, sometimes, too important for human resources professionals. It ain’t about party-planning, tranascations, and rote compliance. If that’s your emphasis, it isn’t necessarily bad, it’s just not HR leadership. If you aren’t part — and integral part — of an organziation’s future success, you should be outsourced. Or something equally painful.
…that HR isn’t really changing much, but it should be. HR leadership should be about aligning HR strategies, efforts and resources directly with organizational goals. Can that be done by a “non-” HR person? Maybe so, but a better question is, “Should it be??” A competent senior-technology executive MAY be able to lead a progressive HR shop, but a competent senior-HR executive SHOULD be able to. Where’s the disconnect?
…that not all HR can be “strategic,” in the common definition. Face it — block-and-tackling is what day to day functional work is all about. Transactional HR can be a part of HR’s strategy, but it can’t be strategic HR. Finance can be strategic, but they still have to close monthly and quarterly. Nothing strategic about calling an Ops Manager and asking why an invoice was coded as is. Strategic is merely properly aligning with business objectives; it’s not a lofty, unreachable ideal.
…that competent senior Human Resources leaders can make great business leaders, as long as the business believes they can lead. That requires risk-taking (personal and professional), incredible accountability, and in-depth competence in business. And finally, it requires successful alignment with HR efforts and business strategy. In other words, the work must matter.
Oh, well, just felt the need to ramble. Too often, we get caught up in matters of little importance (and perhaps this fits there also), and wanted to just take some time to put words to what I think regarding the profession.
But, that’s just me…
by D. Kevin Berchelmann | May 28, 2006 | Brazen Leader, Kevin Berchelmann, Organizational Effectiveness
I’m working on a really interesting project right now… the organziational design and restructuring of a $750M distribution company. My primary client is a private equity firm (they are acquiring), but of course, I must work closely with the executive team at the operating company.
The organization is fundamentally sound, and quite profitable. My charge, then, is to add to those results through efficiencies, logical processes, and helping organize corporate and support functions from a very decentralized position to something that offers a little more continuity and standardization. Add to that the need for keeping their succesful commercial operations as the “true north” of our efforts, and it’s quite an enjoyable challenge
Great project, lots of interesting twists and turns. Great bunch of people, too.
by D. Kevin Berchelmann | May 28, 2006 | Brazen Leader, Executive Improvement, Kevin Berchelmann
This question is a regular in executive circles… are leaders “made” or “born?” Do we have to find that person who by birthright is destined for leadership greatness, or can we cultivate, foster, and nurture someone with currently-unrealized potential to be that leader?
Combat Leadership
Leadership is necessary in combat, but doesn’t hold its definition there; it may do so for current and/or former members of the military (of which I’m proudly included), but not necessarily the rest of the world. I’ve known many combat leaders who could only purportedly “lead” while in combat. They were ineffective without a crisis. Combat needs leaders; we don’t require combat, though, to have leaders. Long-term organizational leaders don’t have the “luxury” of crisis to be effective.
Critical Leadership
To use simple criticality as the overarching criteria, then trauma surgeons would be more of a leader than a high-performing CEO, merely because of job function. I don’t agree with that thinking, either. Again, crisis management — maintaining a calm, authoritative head under pressure — is an incredibly valuable skill. But it’s not the core foundation for effective leadership.
Leaders are made, not born. It’s easier, of course, to start with someone who has a known propensity (assessments or demonstrated performance) to “learn to lead.” It’s not, however, a necessity. If we take the time and effort, and are willing to marshall the appropriate resources, we can make the leaders of tomorrow from within our existing organization.
Additionally, leadership is entirely situational, which drives people to say things like “She has no potential to become a leader.” They actually mean “Given what I know about leadership from my experiences, this person doesn’t fit that description.” They could easily become an incredible leader elsewhere, as many have proven out in other organziations. the converse is also true: Given again that leadership is largely situational, a successful leader in one organziation may or may not be completely successful in another. Change the dynamics, change the opportunities for success.
I also believe that management and leadership are inextricably linked, so I don’t spend huge amounts of time trying to split hairs on the definitions. That, of course, is a posting in and of itself, so I’ll save the details for later.
by D. Kevin Berchelmann | May 28, 2006 | Brazen Leader, Human Resources, Kevin Berchelmann, Organizational Effectiveness
I have a huge library. I like to read, and I like to stay abreast of current business thinking, in a variety of disciplines.
So, I have the 1969 edition of Dartnell’s “Personnel Director’s Handbook,” which is just chock full of valuable tidbits. For instance:
Personnel administration is never a job; it is a vocation, a ‘calling,’ carrying with it divine undertones.
And another…
As we said at the outset… women are really competing in a man’s world. Right or wrong. the simple fact is that man was here first.
Interestingly, we all realize how we’ve evolved regarding the second comment. Woman have ascended to all levels of organizations, including the CEO’s office, as well as reaching a great degree of parity in general development. We have work to do still, of course; but no one can argue that we’ve made incredible progress since those 1969 comments.
More disturbing, though, is the first comment. I have a friend who — long before I read this — would say simply, “It’s a job, not a calling.” He is so right.
HR professionals are business people first, functional (human resources) experts second. Our focus is not a “calling;” we shouldn’t provide anything to an organziation except better pathways to success through available human capital. Yet some of us remain confused — and believe that we are the “keepers” of an organization’s “soul,” or something similar.
We are not. Stay focused on measurable deliverables, and let the clergy worry about the other stuff…
