No Bull Business Blog

Succession planning: You can't afford NOT to do it

Excerpted from the Executive Report: Succession Planning – How Small to Mid-sized Businesses Can Do It, Too.

Succession planning had always been something big companies did to prepare for when the CEO left.

Not any more.

Due mostly to a mobile and rapidly changing workforce, companies of all sizes are realizing the importance of mapping out a plan for the eventual replacement of key managers and key employees at all levels.

What can a good succession plan accomplish?

It’ll strengthen your talent pool. The process of identifying high (and low) performers and possible gaps in your employees’ skillsets gives companies an opportunity to make adjustments before they’re left in the lurch when a key team member departs.

You’ll make better use of the talent you’ve got. By definition, succession planning includes an employee development component. That means companies can allow workers to stretch their skills, increase their earning power and likely strengthen their commitment to sticking around.

No fat to tide you over

Why has succession planning become so essential?

Years ago, many companies had an extra layer of fat at the managerial level, so bosses had more time to train and coach. Employees planned on sticking around – perhaps their entire careers.

There was a greater familiarity between the rank-and-file and management, and the work being done. Managers observed employees grow and develop over the years. When positions opened, they were more familiar with which employees were ready to step in.

Today is an era of job hopping, staff consolidation and downsizing. Organizations are lean.

It’s a lot tougher for managers to give individuals much-needed personal coaching – first, they have a lot less time, and second, you never know if people will stick around long enough to make it worthwhile.

Since most compensation structures are now based on production, a lot of supervisors see themselves more and more as project managers and less and less as people managers.

The end result: Not all managers really know what their employees might be capable of achieving, they only know what they’re capable of doing right now.

DIGGING DEEPER
Every company needs to do succession planning. But where do you start? To find out, read the Executive Report: Succession Planning – How Small to Mid-sized Businesses Can Do It, Too.

Interviewing job candidates: Picking up on cues

Excerpted from the Executive Report: Interviewing - Weed Out Slackers, Stupid People and Bad Fits

If interviews were just about questions and answers, we could just write down the questions and ask job candidates to respond in writing.

Of course interviews are about much more than just questions and answers. A lot of what you get from candidates lies in how they answer - their language, mannerisms and expressions, for instance. Or in what you might call the parenthetical statements they make.

Let's not make the mistake of believing we can use mannerisms as a crystal ball to tell, for instance, if a candidate is lying. We can't. Still, we can study some typical traits and what they generally reveal about a candidate. For example:

• Complaints about current job or boss.  That's a sign the candidate thinks "it's everyone else's fault," and an indicator of questionable loyalty.
• Speaking quickly before processing a question, or cutting off your question. If the answer's on-target, maybe that's fine. You might have a quick thinker in front of you. Otherwise, though, the person may be a careless worker who lacks preparation.
• Pretending to know all about your organization. Someone who studies the company beforehand is a candidate worth considering. But you'll know when the person crosses the line and professes to know more than you do. That's a danger sign of conceit.
• Criticizing, lacking respect for or poking fun at junior staff, support people or others in lesser positions. You're probably dealing with an inconsiderate bully.
• Showing poor manners. Smart candidates pick up the expected manners and culture of a prospective employer. Ignoring the manners and culture is a sign that someone's oblivious to what's appropriate and what's inappropriate.

DIGGING DEEPER
The interview is full of opportunities for misinterpretation, misunderstanding and just plain missing the mark. How can you be sure your next interviews lead to a successful hire? Read the executive report: Interviewing - Weed Out Slackers, Stupid People and Bad Fits

What employers don't want to see on Facebook

Excerpted from the Executive Report: The HR Guide to Recruiting with Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter

Even though most job seekers are warned to clean up their social networking profiles so they'll make an attractive impression, many don't - or just don't seem to care.

So what do hiring managers find that reflects badly on a candidate?

A CareerBuilder study found that 35% of managers reported finding content that turned them off. The top examples cited:

• Candidate posted provocative or inappropriate photographs or information - 53%
  
• Candidate posted content about them drinking or using drugs - 44%
  
• Candidate bad-mouthed their previous employer, co-workers or clients - 35%
  
• Candidate showed poor communication skills - 29%
  
• Candidate made discriminatory comments - 26%
  
• Candidate lied about qualifications - 24%
• Candidate shared confidential information from previous employer - 20%
  

Just using a "smiley face" or emoticon prompted some managers (14% at least) to disqualify a candidate. Another 16% dismissed a candidate for using text language such as GR8 (great) in an e-mail or job application.  

DIGGING DEEPER
Social media has made a lot of information available about job candidates. But what can an potential employer do with it? Find out in the Executive Report: The HR Guide to Recruiting with Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter

Warning: Don't let Generation Y get bored

Excerpted from the Executive Report: Managing Millenials - 9 Ways to Get the Most Out of the Internet Generation

The fact is, Generation Y, Millenials, the Internet Generation (or whatever you call them) bore easily.And while it's not your job to entertain them, if you want them to produce great work and retain them as workers, it's best to make sure they're not stuck in work ruts.

They crave newness and want to be challenged. So give them the chance to learn from new projects, people and challenges, and they'll thrive. It's an easy way to keep them engaged in their work - and keep them from jumping ship.

Example: Have Millennials try a new task at least once every two months. Whether it's a new assignment, team or group, switching their job up - even just a little bit - will increase their job engagement.

Another option? Cross-train them. Once they've nailed down their job, let them work in another department for a day or two. It'll keep them interested in the job and it'll benefit the company by uncovering new ways for departments to work together.  

DIGGING DEEPER
It doesn't matter whether your older workers think Millenials are a bunch of spoiled brats. This group will become a dominant force in the workplace as the Boomers retire. How do you deal with them? Read the Executive Report: Managing Millenials - 9 Ways to Get the Most Out of the Internet Generation

Keeping the good employees that you hire

Excerpted from Why Good People Jump Ship - and What You Can Do to Stop Them:

Understanding and clarifying expectations is key to keeping good people. It should start at the time a prospective employee is first interviewed.

During that initial interview, the candidate should get a detailed description of the job, the work schedule and the type of environment the person can anticipate.

Job priorities, accountability and potential for growth and advancement should also be discussed.
Once a candidate is hired, it’s important to provide this information again in various forms, such as during an introductory meeting with a manager and a handful of co-workers.

A “welcome” packet, employee manual and other printed material is helpful to reinforce some of these expectations.

Whether an employee is brand new or a veteran, managers must strive to create an environment where questions are welcomed. Good people need to know they can always ask a manager to clarify expectations.

When good people are asking questions about expectations, it means they are concerned about getting results, too. If a manager doesn’t hear anything, it doesn’t mean things are rosy. And by the time you do hear the news, it may be too late to fix.

Practice communicating expectations early and often, and relating how those expectations fit into overall organizational goals.

Remember: Good people want to feel they are a part of something special – and “special” things are worth talking about!

DIGGING DEEPER
Keeping good people isn't an accident. It takes good managers who know how to create an environment that employees see challenging. For more help, check out the Executive Report: Why Good People Jump Ship - and What You Can Do to Stop Them.

3 questions that will boost motivation - and business

Excerpted from the Executive Report: Why Good People Jump Ship

Involved employees are motivated employees. So how do you make sure they're involved? Ask employees these three questions and you can boost morale and business:

1. Can you tell me our top three goals for this year? (To analyze the level of engagement, people need to be on the same page.)
2. If you were competing against our company, what would you do? (Managers are often surprised to learn that employees know right where the weaknesses are.)
3. What is currently impossible to do that if it were possible would change everything? (This forces people to think is there something different we can do? What drives us crazy and how can we fix it?)

DIGGING DEEPER
Making sure your best people stay is key to boosting business. To get help doing that, read the Executive Report: Why Good People Jump Ship - and What You Can Do to Keep Them

Recipe for conflict: Comparing one employee to another

Excerpted from the Executive Report: Dealing With and Eliminating Unacceptable Behavior

A rule of thumb when dealing with unacceptable performance is to avoid comparing the employee to co-workers. That just creates more problems.

Instead, focus just on the person in front of you, giving a straightforward assessment.

For instance, it should never be "You only do six of these a day, and Beth does 10."

Instead, it should be "You do six of these a day, and there is room to do more. I'd like to find a way to build you up to eight, or even 10. What do you think of that? What do you think we need to do to help you get to that number?"

DIGGING DEEPER

One of the biggest headaches that managers have is dealing with inappropriate behavior in the workplace. For additional help, see the Executive Report: Dealing With and Eliminating Unacceptable Behavior.

5 ways to salvage a difficult employee

Excerpted from the Executive Report: The Supervisors Guide to Managing and Motivating Difficult Employees

 

Firing a difficult employee is always an option, but it's not always the best option. Salvaging the person and turning him or her into a productive and reasonably cooperative employee is often better for the company.

 

But to do that, you must shift the responsibility from you, the supervisor, to the employee. The employee has to become responsible for changing.

 

After all, it's the difficult employee who has to change, not you.

 

There are five key steps for shifting the responsibility for changing:

1. Clarifying expectations. Tell the employee exactly what you want, in the way of performance or behavior, or both. And make sure the standards can be observed and measured. That's why you don't want to say, "Fix your attitude." There's no standard of measurement for that.

2. Provide training. You can't push someone out to sea alone in a boat and expect good results. Arrange training, and work with the employee to decide what training is appropriate and reasonable.

3. Specify consequences. Let the employee know the consequences - the bad ones for failing to change and the good ones for implementing change. That gives them a goal to shoot for.

4. Provide feedback. You can't expect the road to change to simply have a start and a finish. There's a whole area in between where you have to let people know if they're making progress and how much or how little.

5. Remove obstacles. Ask the employee what's preventing change. If you can control and remove the obstacle, do so. If it's up to the employee to remove the obstacle, make that clear, too.

DIGGING DEEPER

Getting difficult employees to turn over a new leaf isn't easy. To get help, check out the Executive Report: The Supervisors Guide to Managing and Motivating Difficult Employees

10 most outrageous lies on resumes

Only 8% of employees admit to stretching the truth on their resumes, but 49% of hiring managers say they’ve caught job applicants lying on their resumes, says a CareerBuilder.com survey.

The most common lies included:

• Embellished responsibilities – 38%
• Skill set -18%
• Dates of employment -12%
• Academic degree -105
• Companies worked for – 7%
• Job title 15%

But some folks make incredible claims: Here are some of the most outrageous:

1. Claimed to be a member of the Kennedy family
2. Invented a school that did not exist
3. Submitted a resume with someone else's photo inserted into the document
4. Claimed to be a member of Mensa
5. Claimed to have worked for the hiring manager before, but never had
6. Claimed to be the CEO of a company when the candidate was an hourly employee
7. Listed military experience dating back to before he was born
8. Included samples of work, which the interviewer actually did
9. Claimed to be Hispanic when he was 100 percent Caucasian
10. Claimed to have been a professional baseball player

DIGGING DEEPER
Spotting bad hires before they're on the payroll saves you a lot of angst and money. Get help with this Executive Report: Interviewing: Weed Out Slackers, Stupid People and Bad Fits.

10 dumbest excuses for being late

One in four workers admits to making up excuses for arriving late.

More than 32% blame traffic and another 17% blame it on falling back asleep, says a CareerBuilder survey.

Most of us would probably buy those answers, but the 10 below are a bit beyond belief:

1. While rowing across the river to work, I got lost in the fog.
2. Someone stole all my daffodils.
3. I had to go audition for American Idol.
4. My ex-husband stole my car so I couldn't drive to work.
5. My route to work was shut down by a Presidential motorcade.
6. I wasn't thinking and accidentally went to my old job.
7. I was indicted for securities fraud this morning.
8. The line was too long at Starbucks.
9. I was trying to get my gun back from the police.
10. I didn't have money for gas because all of the pawn shops were closed.

DIGGING DEEPER
Spotting bad hires before they're on the payroll saves you a lot of angst and money. Get help with this Executive Report: Why Stupid People Get Hired - And What You Can Do To Avoid This.

You can teach a bear to dance, but it will always dance like a bear

Excerpted from the Executive Report: Why Good People Jump Ship - and What You Can Do to Stop Them. 

Perhaps more than any other aspect, trait or quality, employee retention hinges on a good job fit.

Remember: You can teach a bear to dance, but it will always dance like a bear.

Consider this real-life example: A small, bottled-water company in the mid-Atlantic region was trying to grow. It had some early success using some of its delivery drivers as salespeople to drum up new business at grocery stores and other retail outlets the drivers were already familiar with.

Then the company tried to expand the sales effort by including all drivers. The company offered significant training and a handsome sales commission package. Yet managers were stumped as to why more of the drivers weren’t able to succeed in their new roles as salespeople.

Was it a poor fit? It’s a fair question to ask.

When fitting an employee to the job, the first question to ask is: What is the benchmark? What does it take to be a top performer in this position? Then: Which of these characteristics does the employee already have and which does he/she need training on?

It’s all about fitting a square peg into a square hole. But because managers are dealing with people and ever-changing work roles, it’s not quite as simple.

A clear job description is essential. So is gaining feedback from the employee on his or her strengths and weaknesses, then playing to the strengths first. That builds early success and sets the stage for future success.

Another question to ask: Is the job description realistic?

DIGGING DEEPER
Keeping good people isn't an accident. It takes good managers who know how to create an environment that employees see challenging. For more help, check out the Executive Report: Why Good People Jump Ship - and What You Can Do to Stop Them.

Don't ditch HSA plans just yet

Don't write off health savings accounts as a means to reduce your health costs. There's good news.

Health savings accounts (HSAs) are seen by many as a flop. But a recent insurance industry study by America's Health Insurance Plans' Center (AHIP) saw a 37% increase in HSA enrollments over the last year. Key reasons:

• The growth of wellness programs has helped make HSAs more realistic for employees enrolled in high-deductible health plans
• More employers are willing to contribute to employees' HSAs, providing a stronger enrollment incentive, and
• Employees are getting the hang of managing their own accounts. The average HSA contribution in 2007 was $1,380 for the year. The average total deduction was $1,080.

A powerful combo with wellness

In general, employers with the greatest success getting employees to sign up for health savings accounts have been companies with wellness programs.

But wellness programs need time to do their thing before employees are ready for HSAs. One report suggests that the wellness program should be in place at least two - and preferably three - years before the HSA is likely to get widespread buy-in and help moderate or cut costs.

DIGGING DEEPER
To help you understand these issues better, you may find these Executive Reports helpful: New Rules for Wellness Programs - What's Working, What's Legal and Cafeteria Plans - The Rules are Changing.

5 ways to turn negative employees positive

Excerpted from the executive report Handling Difficult Conversations with Employees: What Every Manager Needs to Know.

Conversations – especially those dealing with emotional issues – rarely follow a logical pattern or system. Every conversation is a little different.

You can’t shoe-horn a conversation into a pattern or system. What you can do, however, is develop a method for getting the other person’s feedback and moving toward a desired result. This five-part conversation method and system has worked for many managers when they’re seeking a change in behavior or performance. A step-by-step example of dealing with someone who’s always negative and critical of others’ ideas:

1. ‘When you ... I feel ...” You can use this to set up the problem: “When you say, ‘That’s a dumb idea,’ I feel as if you’re being disrespectful to the person who offered the idea, and you discourage others from speaking up.”

2. Wait for their input. This is one of those points when your silence can be golden and when you can put into practice one of the “don’ts” we described earlier – “Don’t feel as if you have to fill every silence.”

Let your “When you” sentence hang and wait for a response. And here’s where it gets a little tricky, because you can’t be certain of the response.

The person may deny it, in which case you’ll have to give examples: “I can describe at least three times in the last week ...” Or the person may say, sincerely, “I didn’t realize I was doing that.”

Sometimes, too, the person will offer an excuse – valid or invalid. For instance, the response may be, “I’ve been losing a lot of sleep because of migraine headaches, so that may account for some of it.”

If you believe the excuse is valid, take steps to help or accommodate the employee. That’s what supervisors are supposed to do. Even if you do that, you still can move on to the next step.

3. “I would like ...” Here’s where you describe, specifically, the change in behavior you’d like to see: “I would like you to come to the next meeting with at least three ideas of your own on how we can improve.”

That sets the standard and results in positive terms: “This is what I want you to do.” Instead of “This is what I want you to stop doing.”

Consider how that works in any number of conversations involving performance or behavior. For instance, the person who’s always
coming in late.

Negative: “I would like you to stop coming in late.”

Positive: “I would like you to be on time every day.”

4. “Because ...” In almost any situation, you have to provide a reason for requesting change (other than “because I said so”).

Again, try to stay positive: “Because I know you have a lot of good ideas, and I think we’d all benefit from hearing them.”

That beats the negative attack mode: “Because we’re tired of hearing your criticisms.”

5. “What do you think?” You’re asking straight-out for feedback here, and you’re doing so with more than one purpose:

• You don’t want the person to walk away with the feeling that he or she has been given some iron-fisted orders.
• You can move toward a commitment from the person to change.
• You’ll get a real feel about whether the conversation worked and you’re headed toward a desired goal.

Try this system the next time you’re in a difficult conversation, and see how it helps to get you where you want to go.

DIGGING DEEPER
Every manager has at least one negative personality on the staff. Who do you deal with those folks? For help, check out the executive report: Handling Difficult Conversations with Employees: What Every Manager Needs to Know.

Becoming a great manager: What it really takes

Excerpted from the Executive Report: Turning Good Employees into Great Managers

Being out on the front lines is key to be a good manager, particularly new managers. It doesn't take long to become disconnected if you don't venture out of the Ivory Tower.

How do you become more of a hands-on manager? Here are a few surefire strategies:

1. Manage every day. It’s easy to get bogged down in getting the job done: meeting deadlines, serving customers, etc. But you need to be out with your staffers and managing them every single day.
2. Go one staffer at a time. It can be overwhelming to tackle a whole team at once. It’s easier to meet your manage-every-day goal if you start with one person at a time.
3. Up the accountability. If staffers understand that both you and they will be held accountable for each other’s actions, everyone will have to take a more active role.
4. Track performance. If you’re going to turn up the accountability, you’ll need a way to track people’s progress.
5. Offer help. Don’t leave your people guessing. That can only result in frustration. Instead, you want to tell your people what’s expected of them.
6. Don’t treat all staffers the same. Not every member of your team is going to need the same amount of attention. Give more to those who are struggling and less to those who are holding their own.

The ultimate goal is too send this message to your team: “You can count on me.”

DIGGING DEEPER
It's tough being a manager and even tougher for those in their first management positions. To get help, check out the Executive Report: Turning Good Employees into Great Managers.

Finding the best and brightest

Where are the great hires hiding? Not all of them are on Monster.com or Craigslist. So try tapping these resources:

• Beef up the referral program. The best hires often come from employee referrals. A little incentive for employees might bring in a great new crop of recruits.
• Network everywhere. The person next to you in the grocery store line could end up being a great hire, so strike up a conversation and find out.
• Have staffers fill their own shoes. If a promoted employee has a suggestion for the best person to take over his or her old job, give it a try.
• Keep an eye on bigger businesses. They're more susceptible to layoffs. Smaller, more stable companies can often pick up valuable talent.

DIGGING DEEPER
Hiring is the most important thing a company does. So how come we make so many hiring mistakes? To make sure you're hiring the right people, you're invited to check out the Executive Report: Why Stupid People Get Hired.