I was coaching a line manager, helping her to better deal with conflict within her team. I raised the issue of under or poor performance and how she dealt with that. She said, “Oh, we don’t deal with that, it has to go to HR, they deal with those issues.” I said, “Really, how does […]
Gallup’s data shows that 82% of managers are ‘wrong hires’. As CEO, you are ultimately accountable for that error, aren’t you? The HR department can only go on what is given them and they are often so risk averse that they’ll not effectively challenge key assumptions that lead to the wrong hire. Untested role description, […]
“I’ve done it David!” my client, the CEO of a mid-sized professional service provider, told me, the relief in his voice apparent. “What?” I asked. “I’ve canned our performance management process!” he replied. “Fantastic!” I couldn’t help expressing. “I’ll bet you had no push back on that” I tested. “Well actually I did, but not […]
Since we are in a VUCA world, where volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity are the dominant characteristics, we need to be agile to adjust continuously. The message of ‘enterprise agility’ is slowly being heard, if not yet accepted. There are still too many enterprises in all sectors which remain rigid, unable to adjust to the […]
He’d had enough. There was too much bureaucracy and costs coming from his HR department and he couldn’t see a return on investment from what they were doing. So he did this, honourably and efficiently: Closed down his HR department. Kept one HR person to manage records and ensure compliance – there are software systems […]
How come we call people skills ‘soft skills’ when they appear to be the most challenging, difficult and needed skills in commerce and government, requiring courage, authenticity and practice? I wonder if they were named by a boss who was scared to be seen as both caring and competent and wanted to be seen as […]
I have met some really wonderful, expert HR professionals in my time. They know their stuff. They are trusted and respected by the whole organisation. They are also in the minority. Sadly there are too many of a different kind. They are usually savvy when it comes to process. Many are idealistic about their value […]
The moment I hear someone say “Our employee engagement program” I have to contain my mirth. All the research with scientific rigor points to employee engagement being a product of leadership engagement where the leaders ensure that the organisation’s environment and culture are both functional and attractive. That is not a “program” – that’s simply […]
