Ever wondered why some workplaces are buzzing with positivity, while others feel like a drag? The secret sauce is: HIGH-QUALITY CONVERSATIONS!
They’re the cornerstone of a thriving workplace culture!
Let’s dive into why workplace conversations matter and how you can create an environment that fosters better communication. 🌏🤝
Continue reading Discover the secret to a thriving workplace
The term “human resources” has been used to describe the people who work for an organisation for decades. However, in recent years, there has been a growing movement to replace the term with more human-centric language. Proponents argue that the term is outdated and does not accurately reflect the value and importance of employees. This article explores the case for retiring the term “human resources” and what actions HR professionals can take to facilitate the change.
In 1999 Harvard Business School Professor of Leadership and Management Amy Edmondson discovered that Psychological Safety was the most crucial factor for determining team performance.
Edmondson defines Psychological Safety as including the following three traits:
One of the biggest challenges faced by #21CenturyLeaders, is receiving regular, honest, #feedback.
You can overcome this challenge by using the following technique.
When you are conducting your regular one on one #conversations with your direct reports or peers, consider saying the following:
“Like yourself, I’m eager to improve myself as a leader, and I want to be the best leader I can be for our organisation. Over time, I have learned that it is challenging to improve without feedback. No doubt I have a view about how I’m performing and behaving, but it is never quite the same as hearing other people’s perspectives on how I am doing.
In that context, I would appreciate it if you would be willing to provide me with specific regular feedback? By regular, I mean every month or so, while sometimes it would also be helpful if you gave me immediate feedback if you saw something that needed instant attention.”
Is this something you would be interested in helping me with?”
(Assuming they agree – which most people will)…
To help them be effective with their feedback to you, they will need clarity and structure. In this context, there are four questions I recommend you ask them to focus on.
Continue reading The no-fuss way for leaders to seek feedback
Anna is a confident senior leader with seven people reporting to her, and Jo, one of her direct reports, is a trusted colleague.
Last week, Jo asked Anna if they could have a chat about something “sensitive”. Anna agreed.
Here is their dialogue from the start of their meeting.
Anna: What sensitive issue would you like to discuss with me?
Jo: It’s about Jason. He has asked if I can share some feedback with you on his behalf, but he doesn’t feel comfortable telling you.
Anna: Why doesn’t Jason feel comfortable telling me whatever he wants you to say to me? As you know, I have an open-door policy, and anyone can give me feedback. I always tell everyone they can say to me whatever they like, and I will listen. I thought I had a good relationship with Jason, which is disappointing news. And he has been part of our team for nearly a year now. I can’t believe he can’t tell me what is wrong. What is it that he wants you to say to me?
Have you ever been in Anna, Jo or Jason’s position? All three are tricky, aren’t they?
Last Thursday evening, I delivered a speech that was a first-time for me. I had never started a talk at 11 pm!
The speech was delivered to Paris, France, for L’Orèal as part of its Luxury Lab – a conference for developing senior leaders.
One of the topics I covered was the difference between a 20th Century Leader and a 21st Century Leader.
I commenced the speech with a quote from Russel Ackoff, Professor Emeritus, Wharton Business School.
“Ages don’t stop and start. One fades in, while the other fades away.”
To understand the characteristics of a 20th Century Leader and how its underlying thinking persists into the 21st Century, it is essential to understand its evolution.
The Industrial Age commenced in Britain in 1760 when ‘machines’ were used to replace handheld tools. Early examples included looms and steam engines.
One-hundred-forty-eight years later, in 1908, Henry Ford hired Frederick Winslow Taylor to work with him to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Ford’s production line. Through their relationship, Taylor formed and released his Scientific Management Method theory.
The core principle of this theory is that humans are ‘part’ of the machine. From this thinking, concepts such as human resources, human capital, and human assets were created.
Resources, capital and assets can all be owned.
On 12 April 1861, the American Civil War commenced over the idea that humans could ‘own’ other humans, yet, the Scientific Management Method had that principle at its core and was adopted throughout the 20th Century.
It is little wonder that 20th Century Leadership is flawed when at its core is the belief that humans can “own” other humans.
Continue reading The differences between 20th Century and 21st Century Leaders
There isn’t a single client of mine that doesn’t value innovation. Helping the people in your organisation recognise the innovations to which they contribute is essential for cultivating an innovative culture.
Below is a simple yet effective technique you can use in under two hours to recognise and celebrate innovation in your organisation. The method can be applied to on-site, online or hybrid delivery techniques.
Following the principle of keeping things simple, I define innovation in two categories. The first is Disruptive Innovations which are the first of their kind anywhere in the world. They produce benefits that disrupt the way we communicate and work. For example, Apple created the world first in the early 2000s when they created the swipe function for the mobile phone. This innovation disrupted everything from social communication to music, the way business is conducted, and more. By definition, disruptive innovations are rarer than the second form of innovation.
Incremental Innovations occur when you take something that already exists in the world and adapt it to your context where it didn’t previously exist. If the outcome benefits your organisation, then it is an incremental innovation! Technology is a significant driver of these types of innovations. A simple example may be the use of technology to increase the ease of an online application so that similar fields are auto-filled, making it easier for the applicant to complete the form. Please note that incremental innovations are not limited to technology.
Below is the outline for an innovation workshop you can modify for your purposes. Feel free to contact me if you require any clarification on the process.
Continue reading It is time to recognise and celebrate innovation
Collective Inquiry is the name I use for the process to help people manage complex challenges and identify practical actions they can apply to either resolve or lessen the impact of the challenge.
The process enables the collective wisdom of the participants to be surfaced, which builds trust and facilitates ownership of the eventual actions. Please give it a go and let me know what you think in the comments.
Collective Inquiry is summarised in the following seven steps, each of which are explained in more detail, below:
Continue reading How to use Collective Inquiry to take effective action
There are many names for what is described as The Great Resignation.
Michele Hunt from DreamMakers.Org calls it The Great Soul Searching. Employees are asking, “Is this organisation worthy of my commitment?” When the answer is, “No”, they are leaving (up to 50% of these folk are doing so even if they don’t have a job to go to). A record 3.98 million Americans per month quit their jobs in 2021, up from the previous record of 3.5 million per month in 2019. This figure does not include redundancies or people “sacked” from their job, and many other countries are experiencing a similar phenomenon.
Why, in 2022, do we continue to accept the terms “human resources”, “human capital” and “human assets”? The last time I checked, we are all human beings.
You may say, “They are only words and aren’t you getting a little too politically correct!” The fact is, words have meanings.
Continue reading Why do we continue to use the term, “human resources”?