Back to School

Start a teaching position on HR management tomorrow at local college. Will try not to tell too many stories about prior employers, good or bad, as not to discourage students who may want to enter HR as a career. But there are no guarantees.

Honoring A Local Hero

Yesterday, my wife and I attended a visitation for a young marine, RJ Newton, killed in Afghanistan. We did not know him, or any of his friends or family members. It was my wife's idea, and at first, to be honest, I was reluctant to go simply because I did not know him or his family.

Yet, afterwards, I did know him. Not personally, but as a young man who volunteered to serve his country and two days after his 21st birthday, died in that service. I knew him for something that I wish I had, the courage to do the hard work for the rest of us. When looking at all the photos spread around the funeral home, those photos were of me...and just about any other young American man or woman. The difference is, he took the stand. He took the steps that many of us won't do...and he made the ultimate sacrifice. There was sense to me of both pride..and guilt. I may be too old to serve in the military, but not too old to serve my country in some capacity. I knew a hero, but never met him. I'm glad my wife wanted to go. I'm glad I went and met his parents, to shake their hands, and all I could express was my sympathies and a thank you. What his parents did not know is their son taught me a very important lesson. It's not necessarily who you meet that will make an impression, it is more important to know the character of the individual..maybe from a distance, yet, in some way, we all know RJ Newton. He is what we aspire to be, a man who made his country the top priority in his life, so we can live our lives.

So next time you hear complaints about today's generation (and don't we hear that about EVERY generation), think of our men and women who wear the uniform in 120 degree heat, with 60 pounds of gear, fighting in places like Anbar province, Fallujah, or Kandahar. There is a greatest generation in all of us. It's what we do with the steps we take that will impact the lives of others. RIP Mr. Newton. You showed at least one man that he can some more steps forward to serve. Semper Fi!

Supervisors

My son started his first FT job with a local manufacturer as a saw operator cutting metal materials. He is not the fastest worker, but seemed to get to like the job, and according to him, received little feedback from his supervisor about his job performance. Well, today, just after three weeks, he was let go. No information on why, just told it was not working out. If he did not give notice of two weeks to his previous employer, he would have been assigned to a different department (this was told to me by the HR manager), and may have been able to stay on. Instead, he got a semi-skilled job and was given just three weeks to succeed, without knowing where he stood?
Yeah, this simply sucks. High unemployment, so they can toss you out and hope they can find a better replacement who may..just may.. be a bit faster. Also, by cutting him loose before 30 days, employer avoids unemployment. And employers wonder why employee loyality is not as strong as it use to be. Every employee deserves to be told where they stand regarding job performance, but when inadequate supervisors are placed in position they are neither trained, or have the people skills necessary, this is why we end up having third party representatives in the workplace.

The Social Media

In looking for new career opportunities, I have become immersed in the new social media sites, though I've barely scratched the surface (just like Blogging). The business LinkedIn is generally a free for all kind of networking with about any group of people you like (or don't).
Usually, posters will place questions on line, mostly in the form of "if you could describe a CEO in one word, what would it be?" Hundreds of responses will follow. My choice was "ethical". My second choice, was "why in the hell am I bothering to answer these questions?"
In my 25 plus years in business, I've unfortunately encountered few quality leaders running companies. Most think they are some form of gods based on their job title and refuse to listen to differing opinions from managers they've hired and pay huge salaries. Frankly, in my non-psychological opinion, these type of leaders are insecure in their abilities. Ruling as tyrants or worse, trying to be liked by every employee, just causes the organization to gradually deteriorate in anarchy. Pushing their own agenda without obtaining other opinions, no matter how divergent from their own beliefs those other opinions might be, just sets up the company for failure. If managers don't have that "fire in the belly" attitude in their jobs, it's basically because their boss doesn't, because their input is relegated to their spouses when they come home from work every night.
How many times have I heard the CEO say to employees: " I have an open door policy." Makes me want to hurl. What they do NOT have is an 'open listening policy' once you enter their open doors. Use more of those two objects on the side of the head, they're called ears...they're not just on your head to hold your glasses. Listening is the most critical aspect of a successful leader in my opinion...something I also need to learn and improve. It's not easy, but it can be a learned attribute for all CEO's and managers.

ROI on Employees

Over my 25 years in HR management, I have worked for several employers, so I do have the experience in working with different types of cultures. Some work environments were run on fear, and others more on indifference, when it came to employee relations. Actually, my experience in the public sector with local government was probably the best ER culture, maybe due that the workforce was primarily union and they had nothing to fear from management.

In all these employers, the one thing that stood out was the notion that employees were not the same in terms of investment as opposed to capital parts of the budget, such as equipment, and other parts of the "overhead" business. Yet, employees are an investment, not just in salaries and benefits, but more importantly, in TIME. Employers I experienced had the money to pay for employees, but when it came to the investment of time, well, that seemed to be too much of a precious gem to give up on.
Recently, articles have been written about whether performance appraisals are a necessary function of a business. In my experience, if performance appraisals are used solely as a tool to gather negative information over the past 12 months, or as a discipline tool, well no wonder both management and employees dread the annual review. We lost the meaning of communications to employees, including myself, during my career. Appraisals should be done everyday, not in a literal sense of writing up an action plan for each employee, but discussing with employees about what they are doing and how are they going about doing their job effectively.

I once worked with an owner of a business that stopped by my office everyday and asked me "How's progress?" I usually responded by saying things were OK and that was pretty much it. Finally, one day I asked him if he wanted me to implement a formal PA program for our 150 employees, including myself. He replied that he had been asking for job review everyday by walking by my office and asking 'how's progress'. I replied I did not want to bore him with the mundane aspects of my job and concern him with minor problems. He stated that he hired me to not only see the problem, but to bring the solutions of the problem to him. This was one of my first positions in HR management and in made sense. He knew his business would have problems, and hired me to identify the issues and create the solutions to solve them. He provided the trust in me to get the job done.

Unfortunately, as I gained more experience after that position, my employers would not accept new approaches to issues, becoming either micro managers of all departments, or worse, not really caring about most operations unless serious problems arose. The employees they hired, not just management, but the employees in key positions, were not allowed to integrate their concerns and advice to the overall business operations. In other words, the employer ignored their investment in their people, causing poor or untimely decisions that created a bad work environment, which will inevitably transfer back to the customer. I am not a business writer or professional consultant, but from hands on experience in the business culture. If senior management fails to recognize the employees as a true, most vital investment within their operations, they will eventually lose their business customers, and worse, the trust of the workers.

Standards have changed

If you purchase a health policy, and the insurer pays the required claims when needed, is this considered outstanding service, or going beyond what the insurer is required under law?

Actual marketing program going on. Have consumer standards sunk to the new low that basic service is considered outstanding? When an employee comes to work and does a good job, is that considered an excellent rating?

I guess standard service has become "outstanding or going far above what is needed to do".

Let me tell you of outstanding service. True story:

My father went to a local grocery store to shop. Because of his age and health, he did not have a lot of energy to stand for a long time. Once he paid for his groceries, he sat down with his cart of groceries at the front of the store. An employee came up to him and ask if he was OK. Dad replied he was tired and needed to rest a bit. She asked him if he gave her his car keys, she would have someone come drive his car to the front door and load his groceries in the car. Dad was reluctant at first, but the employee convinced him for their assistance.
So an employee drove his car up front door, and loaded his groceries in the trunk of his car and backseat. Dad thanked the guy and drove off.
End of story? Not hardly.
Unknown to my Dad, the first employee who asked him if he was OK, followed him home from the store (about 4 miles), and unloaded the groceries from his car and took them inside his house and placed them in the kitchen. Now, that is customer service that definitely goes beyond what anyone is expected a company to do.

"Would you rather be Vice President, or right?"

The above statement was made to me by a senior executive at a former employer. Needless to say, since I was told this by another CEO at the same company a few years earlier, I did not believe the statement. And I was right!

Ethics in the workplace is more rare today than in the past 30 years. Once, you were told where you stood regarding one's performance in the workplace. Now, that tends to be more 'behind the back' comment. Seeing managers, supervisors, and worse, the people of the company that should be leading by example, the executives, lie to employees or worse, never tell them what they can do to improve their work performance.

What about saving the company money? Employees at one employer I once worked for, suggested to senior execs about how we should book company travel flights online, instead of going through a travel agency. What most of those employees were not aware, the travel agency the company used for all company flights, was operated by a relative of a former President of the company. Instead of saving the company thousands of dollars a year (and saving the employee taxes for spousal travel), the employer ignores the suggestion. The former President has been retired for years, but they continue to book flights via agency and pay the associated fees. But, ah, at least the relative of the former President is making money...and a lot based on the number of travel assignments that go on at the company.

Is this ethical? You decide.

Is Ethics Needed in Business?

Saw this question on some website the other day. Interesting question, since one would think the answer would be obvious. Yes, of course we need ethics in the workplace. After scandals of Enron, WorldCom, Madoff, etc., it would not only be needed, but mandated. Yet, you are dealing with the human element that can have differences on what "ethics is".
I see it more of leading by example. If you want to create a policy in the workplace, don't counter what you want by doing the opposite. If, you wish to promote a good health in your office (for the benefit of the employees themselves and save on you health plan costs), don't counter that argument by leaders going around and smoking in the parking lot. If you wish to promote a healthy lifestyle, should executives promote a culture of drinking at company events, or have have severe weight issues themselves? Leaders will be followed if the employees believe their efforts are sincere. Do as I say, not as I do, can not be the mantra of the work space.
Promote positive work culture via examples of the executives. They must lead (is that why they were elevated to these positions?). Encourage by setting the pace, and if further, provide monetary incentives to employees to promote a healthy lifestyle. Make sure you set the tone.

When consultants go bad.

Actual case by personal experience. The quotes are pretty close to being accurate, but I can't say it is word for word.
One day, CEO decides to hire a consulting firm to review department A. This is a first for the employer's long history of operations.


Consultant: " We interviewed every employee in department A, and their biggest complaint about the work environment is that it is a good old boy culture. Is that true?"
HR Director: [Note: This is a loaded question. If you lie to the consultant and disagree with the employees' assessment, than you are considered 'out-of-tune' with the rank and file. If you tell the truth and state the employees are right, than that information goes immediately up to the CEO, and the consultant states "your HR Director is not a team member or part of the management team.
So, I stated the truth: "Yes, to a certain degree, I can see the employees point. There is a culture that favors males over females." [Note: When the current CEO use to dress-up in a cheerleaders outfit (blond wig, pronounced brazzier, skirt and poms poms) and dances around the office and outside company events, than you got example of a frat house mentality].
Consultant: "If it is a good old boy culture, what have YOU done to stop it?"
HR Director: " Change of culture is not initiated by HR manager, but by the senior executives. HR implements the new culture. I, as any other HR manager, advises execs of possible problems or a work environment that promotes a negative or worse, hostile work environment."
Consultant: "That sounds like you did not make much effort to change the perception of employees about the company."
HR Director: [Can now see he is not going to win this debate]. "It's not a perception, but a culture that has been established long before my arrival. I just advise on singular issues, that's about all I'm allowed to do. And it is not liked by my execs."
Consultant: "What are you going to do about the culture?"
HR Director: "Maybe I will wait for your recommendations. Have you told the execs on what the employees in this department stated about the work environment?"
Consultant: "Yes we did."
HR Director: "What was the response?"
Consultant: "The CEO did not agree with it. He stated 'how can we have a good old boy network? My brother-in-law was fired'.
HR Director: "Well, I guess that addresses that matter"

And so it goes. So after four months of "training" by consultants, who love to use buzz words, or as I call it, consultant speak, interrogated our department. We get a series a recommendations that are to be discussed with myself and senior execs. After attempts to set up a meeting, I get called up and asked to resign with absolutely no explanation, no reason given. Two weeks later, CEO fires consultant. But out of all that, the employer does change the logo and puts signs around the building reminding employees who are the customers (middle men, not actual purchases of our produts). There. Mission accomplished. The culture has been changed.

Consultants. What you should fear

Consultants can help any business improve its operations and bottom line, but one must remember, just like any other profession, they are in the business to make money. Not for their client, but for their own firm. And if a consultant should land a client that has senior executives who, for the most part, are hardly able to run a cost center much less a company, than the consultant has just found the proverbial gold mine.
Consultants will come in under a specific request by a client for a specific job or assignment. If an employer is not use to working with consultants, than some will take advantage and "expand" their domain or assignment into more aspects of the company than originally planned. Consultants, like attorneys, are kept on board by THEIR firm based on billable hours. If they get a client who has little experience with certain consultants, bingo, the proverbial vein of gold has just been struck.
Yes, I experienced consultants with prior employers. Have both good and bad histories with these firms. Yet if you have not had this kind of experience, as one of my employers did, than the gold mine opens up and money is thrown out the door. As one executive once said: "If we spent all this money for a consultant to tell us how we should improve an area of our business, than we might as well go ahead and try it their way." That is good notion. In other instances, I've seen consultants come in, provide recommendations after several months of work, and basically management ignores the recommendations, or at best, makes cosmetic changes just to say they got their money's worth.
Yes, it is best when hiring a consultant to make sure both sides understand the clear level of the assignment, make it specific, and made damn sure that any deviation from that assignment has sound basis to move forward with the additional cost. And once the consultant provides recommendations, make sure the executives read it and implement what is necessary. If not, the employer has not only wasted the dollars, but has admitted to the employees, who have gone through months of uncertainty and tepid fear of the potential changes, that the company really was not serious in making the necessary changes to their organization. If it was important to make the investment, than expect to make the needed changes to move the company in a more positive direction. Would you buy a new car and just keep it in the garage?
Same with recommendations. But changing one's logo or putting posters up are hardly worth the hundreds of thousands of dollars spent. Believe me, I've seen it happen.
Part 2 on how consultants can be a terrorists within your company.

Standard Ethics 101

"Don't promise anything to any employee unless you will honor it".

Simple huh. Yet, with one employer, I was promised twice by two separate executives that I would be promoted to an officer level (VP) position. Instead, I was let go provided no reason whatsoever. If I was suppose to implement programs that the executive's hired consultant wanted me to do, than decided he was not going to implement such changes under my command, that means eating his words and admit to wasting a lot of time and dollars in the process. Far be it to admit a mistake.

Well, life is not fair. And it hasn't been to me in a professional sense. I tend to work for employers that have little knowledge of business management, or skills to deal honestly with employees. In other words, I have yet to find an employer that at least will accept different point of views, than choose the option and let us implement the plan. This is not rocket science, but some employers are so reluctant to listen to new ideas, much less take risks to grow a business, they are way over their heads and become more insecure in their leadership ability. Thus, they take it out on their employees (blame them for not working hard enough or complaining about petty stuff).

I may not know how to run a business, but I do know how NOT to run a business when it comes to developing and listening to people. No CEO is the Wizard of Oz with all the answers, but must utilize the talent to help them in their decision making process. Don't listen to what you want to hear, but what you need to hear, and if you're wrong, admit it. No one made you God, so don't pretend that you are one. The employees know that, and so should a CEO.
Egos can be a wonderful aspect to have to drive oneself towards success, but if abused just like anything else, it can implode a company or organization.

Ethics in the Workplace Part 2

In my career, I have worked primarily in small companies, and unfortunately, they tend to be small minded when it comes to innovation and creative thought. Now, that does not mean these employers were bad to work for necessarily, but if you were someone like me who desires to better the organization and to think "outside the proverbial box", it does not mean you were going to be the golden boy of the organization.
Small businesses tend to be old school. For example, if you have an employee in a professional role working 80 hours per week, the employer believes that employee is deemed for greatness and has so much loyalty to the company. What they do not ask is WHY is that guy or gal working 80 hours a week? Are they working smart? Are they capable of delegating duties to others in their sphere of influence? In other words, if this person is in management, should their #1 priority be developing future leaders? Are they either incapable of leading, or worse, too insecure and not trusting of people to have their office run more effectively, thus saving the employer money?
So what does this have to do with ethics? Well, to me, it is not ethical if a manager insists of "hoarding" his/her responsibilities and not developing future leaders. This will come back to haunt the employer in the future, even losing quality employees to their competitors. How I know this? I worked for such employers who were in this frame of mind. Even some department heads elevated to that position after their predecessor retired, were at a lost for several weeks or months trying to learn what they needed to do in their role. No succession planning killed the department, or at least slowed it down, hurting business operations, if not morale within the department, which in turn, affects other departments.
Ethics is not just a morality method of dealing with people directly, but to be a leader by example, to use coaching and mentoring methods to ID quality personnel, and prepare them to take charge when that time comes. And it will. Problem is, businesses are still in that "machine mentality" that if it keeps running smoothly, why change the motor?

Business in the 21st century

In a difficult economy, adaptation to new ways to operate a department, division, or entire company is critical towards growth and success. Once adaptation takes place, you can bet that change will, and must come around to meet, if not beat your competition.

There are so many keys to a business success, that many books have been written on the subject. The core value for any successful business is simply ethics. Trust your employees and your customers. Be forthright and keep a constant line of communications open. Business success is not a one-way street. Diverse ideas are essential for the organization to develop its full potential. In my professional experience, I have rarely worked in that culture. Mostly small business remain small and just merely exist due to the fact of lacking a sense of a commitment to excellence that begins with a strong culture of ethics. Always communicating to one group of individuals but ignoring others is a method towards disaster, or at the minimum, loss production and pride within the employer. When new ideas or approaches to operations are mocked or marginalized by management, the trust, what little there may have been, will further diminish. People will simply "show-up" to work, punch in, assemble their widgets, and run home at the end of the work. No "fire in the belly" among those employees who are seen as a cost of doing business, instead of an investment.

Look at the success of major companies, whether the are small, mid-size, or large global empires. The solid core of these companies is the ethics instilled among the employees who feel a sense of ownership, thus a feeling of pride in what they do.
The fire in the belly exists because they "own" their work, their success, and recognition of such to further the entire team organization to profitability. Ethical behavior be stills a culture of trust and support that only fuels not only dollar growth, but something that money can't buy: Love of their work and pride in their jobs! It's simple, but so difficult for organizations understand or implement.
Going beyond the capabilities of the individual takes dual trust, an openness to accept new ideas and constructive criticism for one purpose. The team comes first.
The business comes first, and most of all, the customer who pays the bills and salaries are the essential boss.

Ten rules of fear in the workplace

The link below is a good article about a work culture of fear and being non-productive. Just the quote below says it all:

"Talk to my boss?" my friend exclaimed. "Are you nuts? I tell my boss exactly what he wants to hear. People who tell my boss what he doesn't want to hear are people who get laid off at the end of the quarter."

Been there, done that.

From prior experiences in work cultures (careful now....someone may be monitoring these posts...), these comments are so true. Unbelievable when you have unqualified people who only learn from their other incompentent predecessors become top dogs. In-breeding in business is so common, and in most instances, bad for the employees and customers. Read the link below (copy and paste in the URL) and see if you are one of the "lucky" ones to work in such an environment.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38206989/ns/business-bloomberg_businessweek/