Pay Plus Benefits

Success Through Strategic Leadership

Many companies do not realize the importance of strategic planning, let alone having a leader who is well versed in practicing strategic leadership. You may be wondering what I mean by those two statements so let’s look into the concept of strategy and strategic leadership.

Strategy is a carefully devised plan of action to achieve a goal.  Practicing the art of developing or carrying out such a plan is described as Strategic Leadership.  The ability to think, act, and influence in ways that promote the sustainable competitive advantage of the organization are instrumental in the success of any company. Establishing the organizational structure, making judicious use of power and communicating the vision of their company are high on the list of attributes for strategic leaders.

 

Establish Organizational Structure

The strategic leader must have the ability to see the organization path and where it leads the company. They must also be focused and have the commitment to take their company to the highest level of success possible.  All of these skills are inter-dependent and vital. A strategic leader cannot succeed unless they are well balanced in all three of these arenas. Communication skills cannot be underestimated or the leader cannot share a vision with the team. A good strategic leader must able to negotiate and provide conflict management as well. A successful strategic leader will have to motivate and carry their team along towards their vision.

 

Judicious Use of Power

Strategic leaders make very wise use of their power. They must play the power game skillfully and try to develop consent for their ideas rather than forcing their ideas upon others. They must push their ideas gradually. In addition, the effective strategic leader must lead, guide, and influence the skills of team members. The objectives of strategic leadership are strategic productivity, to develop an environment in which employees forecast the organization’s needs, and to encourage the employees in an organization to follow their own ideas. Strategic leaders determine the appropriate use of reward and incentive systems for encouraging productive and quality employees. The best strategic leaders practice inventiveness, perception, and planning to assist all individuals in their organization to realize objectives and goals.

Determining Your Strategic Vision

To be a strategic-leader, corporate priorities and the ability to envisage the future of the company must be paramount in your mind. Strategic leaders work in ambiguous environments on very difficult issues. This requires objectivity and the potential to look at the broader picture. They need to determine a direction for the growth of the organization and what part they will play in that plan.  Ascertaining how to influence the growth of their own organization will help them write their own future. Strategic leaders are consistent and determined to make a difference. They convey their vision until it is an accepted component of organizational culture.

What are the tools you have used to enhance your strategic leadership abilities? I would love to hear from you!

 

Here are links to more information related to this topic:

Strategic Leadership 101 - EmergingLeader.com

Strategic Leadership - Inc.com

Learn Strategic Thinking - Harvard ManageMentor

 

The ROI in Innovation and Education

It is with great pleasure that I inform you that John Heaton, CEO of Pay Plus Benefits, is featured in the April/May 2012 edition of NFIB (National Federation of Independent Businesses) magazine, My Business.  The article asked ten members of NFIB about investment insights and what has given them the greatest bang for their bucks. 

Mr. Heaton’s response inspired this week’s blog for me: problem-solving skills and innovation. In the article he states that he wanted a solution to hearing a conversation that went something along the lines of “I’m sorry, we don’t do that here.”  He decided that he wanted to better serve his future customers by finding innovative methods of providing what the customers needed.  This would involve problem solving methods and skills.  He embarked on a journey to find a solution, which led him to the world renowned company IDEO.  He visited the company and then Stanford University’s “d.school,” where he hit the jackpot.  Their methodology was exactly what Mr. Heaton was looking for.  They had developed a human-centered process of innovative problem solving that works in virtually any industry.  This model so impressed him that he approached our local community college, Columbia Basin College, with the idea of creating a similar educational tract.  The program is a huge success for the college, the students, and Mr. Heaton’s company by providing a ready-made pool of potential hires.  There are three interns currently working here and two former interns now have full-time positions with us.

As you may know, I came to this company and am one of the interns I mentioned.  I can vouch for the methods taught in the program first-hand, as I now hold an Innovation & Design Thinking technical certification and in June, 2012 will have earned my AAS degree in this as well as Applied Management.  These will springboard me into the BAS program in Business Management beginning this summer.  I believe the foundation of knowledge that I have acquired through the Design Thinking program has totally changed the way I personally and professionally approach problems. Even a minimal understanding of this process will be useful so let’s look at the broad overview at the five basic modes.

The Empathy Mode

Wouldn’t it be nice to have people who are trying to solve your business problems actually understand them as they relate to the pain they are causing you or your company?  This is exactly what the empathy mode teaches FIRST!  The basic idea that solutions should be human centered revolutionized my approach from one of “bottom line results” to results for the greatest good for people.  By engaging with the people who have the problem you get a “new set of eyes.”  Seeing problems from their point of view is essential.

The Define Mode

Turning your empathetically derived findings into compelling insights and needs is accomplished in the define mode.  Here is where you get into the details of the problem and develop your solution, your point of view (POV), and the focus of your scope.  As taught at Stanford d.chool and CBC’s Center for Innovation and Design (CID):

As a test, a good POV is one that:

• Provides focus and frames the problem
• Inspires your team
• Provides a reference for evaluating competing ideas
• Empowers your team to make decisions independently in parallel
• Fuels brainstorms by suggesting “how might we” statements
• Captures the hearts and minds of people you meet
• Saves you from the impossible task of developing concepts that are all things to all people
• Is something you revisit and reformulate as you learn by doing
• Guides your innovation efforts

The Ideate Mode

Most people refer to this as the “brainstorming” phase of design.  The basic principle is to generate as many ideas as possible which will solve the problems you have identified in the previous modes.  Strive for volume and variety.  “Encourage wild ideas!” as my professor loved to say.  Explore all possible solutions available and even discuss those which do not yet exist.  You may be surprised at what you come up with.

The Prototype Mode

Now that you have all those ideas generated, prototyping is the mode where you need to bring them to life.  A prototype can take any physical form: post-it notes, an activity, an object.  At first focus on rapid prototyping just to give a general form to your ideas.  A wonderful aspect taught in this mode was that it was okay to fail, to fail quickly and to fail often! The main purpose of prototyping is to give people a tangible version of your solution so you can empathetically observe their interactions to determine whether you have reached an appropriate solution to take on to the test mode.

The Test Mode

 I love the way I was taught to “Prototype as if you know you’re right, but test as if you know you’re wrong.”  This new approach to testing for the things that did not work was truly the hidden treasure within the process for me.  This mode is where you get to refine your point of view through punching holes in your own solutions… if there are any shortcomings to the solution you are offering, you will find out here.  And if you do find them you simply go back to the drawing board beginning with the empathy mode and try again!

Design Thinking is such a simple process and yet so many do not understand the importance of investing the time and energy to practice it.  I am certainly glad that Mr. Heaton had the vision to do so!  As I continue my career with his company I am certain his investment will pay off… for both of us!

 

Here are some helpful links to assist in developing your own Design Thinking programs:

d.school Boot Camp

Scott Cook of Intuit on Product Innovation | Inc.com

Design Thinking » Thoughts by Tim Brown

Free Your Frontline Workers to Innovate -  Harvard Business Review

The Challenge to Communicate

Almost all of us have interaction with people we label as having “challenging personalities.”  These are the people who you just cannot effectively transmit your messages to; nor do they seem to make any sense to you at all. Interestingly, this is very subjective and dependent upon your own personality, not theirs. 

There are many methods of determining which personality type a person generally fits.  I am a huge fan of an evaluation method called “The DISC Profile” which issues measurements related to the traits of dominance (D), influence (I), steadiness (S), and compliance (C).  While these areas are by no means the only important aspects of a personality, they are comprehensive enough to identify both strengths and weaknesses of those who have honestly completed evaluations.

For instance, when I completed one recently I scored levels from high to low being a dominance (D), influence (I), steadiness (S), and compliance (C).  Consequently, the report indicated I “may have a tendency to be rather critical of others.”  It also noted that others may see me “as being rather domineering and overpowering.” For some people I would be considered a “difficult personality.” This would be especially true if their opinion was based only on that small section of the report. Others, basing their interactions on that very same section of the report people would find me very easy to get along with. 

The majority of people who I successfully interact with are those who look a little deeper into me as a person and find out that I also “have a strong inner motivation to influence people and circumstances” in a positive manner.  They also know that I “thrive on competitive situations and challenging assignments,” as is also indicated in the report. There is also the fact that “stresses and pressures of everyday work and life are unlikely to reduce effectiveness and enthusiasm” from me.  Most people who really know me depend on me in situations where others may be less equipped to respond to compelling deadlines with a cool head, especially when life is throwing them curve-balls.

Additionally, my report indicates my “concern for people and people's feelings” is quite high and this might influence me to only reluctantly “disturb a favorable situation or relationship.” It states that I may seek to stretch myself “intellectually and physically.” Lastly, it notes that I believe “repetitive detail and routine work is best delegated or avoided.”

These conclusions are true and extremely helpful to me in learning how to communicate with those around me, especially those I find to be my “difficult personalities.”  The mixtures of the four types mentioned in the DISC profile are numerous, with each mixture having their own strengths and weaknesses, just as I have.  Becoming aware of these unique styles of communication is an ongoing challenge.

As an example, when I interact with one who is S-I-C-D, indicating traits from high to low as steadiness (S), influence (I), compliance (C), and dominance (D), I have to take special care not to unintentionally belittle or embarrass them through what I consider simple and direct responses to their questions.  I must be mindful that they prefer to and “have the ability to deal with the task in hand and to do routine work with patience and care.” Being mindful that they dislike being challenged directly, and will “avoid risk-taking,” preferring the more established methods, it serves me well to introduce new ideas to them in a very methodical manner.

When communicating with a person who is tiered with high to low levels of compliance (C), dominance (D), steadiness(S) and then influence (I), there is a completely different set of guidelines I strive to work with.  With these personalities I remember that they “tend to be cautious rather than impulsive.” Rather than bombard them with the next “great idea” in my normally exuberant manner, I have learned to approach them with precise details and let them ask me all the questions they naturally will ask.  I have also learned that these are not the people to ask to be the leaders of project teams as they “prefer to let others initiate action and resolve problems.” This can be a fine balancing act when I also know they “are goal orientated and want to be recognized for their efforts.”

As you can tell, the need to understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses is not an easy task and should be something we continually strive to improve upon.  It is vital that we understand our own preferences in communication first, working always to improve those.  Then it becomes a rewarding challenge to learn about others’ styles through observing and listening closely.  After identifying their basic natures, the goal of effective communication is much easier to attain and the “difficult personalities” appear less often in our lives.

Do you have other methods of successfully interacting with difficult personalities? I would have you share them with us!

 

Here is the link to the DISC test which I mentioned above:

Free DISC test at 123test.com

Effective Action: The Art of Great Execution

Have you ever said, “I don’t understand why this idea failed?  I worked so hard on it!” Or what about: “That new product is just what I was thinking about!”  And then there is always: “I really need to do something with this great idea before someone else does.”

What we consider to be really great ideas are not distinguished solely by the essence of the idea, but upon its execution into a sustainable product or service.  Many who considered their ideas to be “great” have been left with nothing to show for their work, despite their well-intentioned and precisely, thought out ideas.  A common factor is simply taking effective action.  Notice I said effective action. What makes one idea succeed and another fail can seem a mystery at first.  However, there are specific guidelines which lead to success.  Let’s take a look into the world of successful, systematic, and effective action, which I call the “Art of Great Execution.”

Find an Idea Worth Pursuing

According to Webster’s online dictionary, a problem is defined as, “In general, any question involving doubt or uncertainty, and requiring some operation, experiment or further evidence for its solution.” The real “problem” with solving problems is asking if they are really worth allocating time and resources toward their solution and away from other activities.  Many times people spend an inordinate amount of resources on what are deemed to be problems, which in reality were only inconveniences, not worthy of the efforts spent on them.  Weigh the costs versus the benefits of pursuing these types of ideas before moving forward with them.  It would also be wise to bounce ideas off of others through what is called brainstorming.

Synergistic Solutions via Brainstorming

Brainstorming means to generate creative problem-solving ideas spontaneously, especially in a group discussion that does not allow time for reflection. When participating in this activity the most successful results will be achieved if values related to the solutions offered are suspended until the end of the brainstorming session.  Work with a group of people to simply generate as many ideas as possible.  Build on the ideas of others.  Encourage participants to think outside of the box and voice even those “wild ideas” running around in their heads.  Get these all down on paper before analyzing whether they are feasible or not. Henry Ford once said, “Don't find fault.  Find a remedy.” His wisdom is appropriate to apply in brainstorming sessions and their follow-up activity of refining solutions to align with the mission and vision of your company. 

Edit and Refine to Align Ideas

When the myriad of ideas has been generated, the next step is to group them into categories for evaluation.  The groups can range from improbable to solid, and every level in between.  Make certain to clearly define value statements which are hoped to be achieved following the resolution of each problem before investing resources that might be better utilized in other areas of the business. A guiding concept to keep in mind is to determine whether the idea you have in mind aligns with the mission and vision of your company.  Many successful entrepreneurs have brought themselves misfortune by trying to implement ideas which are far beyond their stated ethical or strategic stances.  Make certain the ideas do not cloud the “big picture” plans of your company.  Take a thorough look at all the strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities involved with each idea.  Then, and only then, make a commitment to move forward with your team to execute the idea.

Another of my favorite role models is the late, great Vince Lombardi, who reminded all of the importance of making a commitment that was for the benefit of synergistic execution of ideas.  He said, “Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work. “

These are just a few suggestions for bringing ideas from thoughts to execution.  Do you have successful methods you have tried?  I would love to hear from you!

 

Here are a few other sources for you to check out:

How to Execute Great Ideas...Inc.com

How to Implement New Ideas... eHow.com

Implement Ideas Instead of Getting Stuck...ezinearticles.com

The Carrot Doesn’t Work on Everyone!

No matter what business you are in, competition is expected.  The question is how do you motivate and incentivize people to participate in competition in a healthy manner?  My suggestion is to look toward other successful entrepreneurs as the examples from which to craft a healthy form of competition, and the right incentives. Many respected mentors have three common principles which they use to successfully encourage their personnel to succeed. Those principles are autonomy, mastery, and purpose.   When these are used synergistically, they can amaze you with the results achieved. Let’s explore what those principles mean and then look at some examples of those who have combined them to spur successful competition, which led to impressive results for their companies.

Typically, most companies base their culture around the performance equals reward system.  There have been many studies, including those performed at MIT, which have proven that if you are working with algorithmic tasks, this methodology works well.  As long as employees are following a step-by-step, precisely designed procedure, greater results are produced when monetary “carrots” are offered.  However, as soon as you take on work which involves even rudimentary levels of problem solving tasks the reward equals performance ratio begins to drop.  When you are working with very high functioning employees, the equation fails almost 100% of the time.  Autonomy is a key factor in empowering the higher level employees to work at their highest levels of performance.

Autonomy is defined as desire to be self-directed.   It has been found that when employees have ownership of their assigned projects and tasks, along with the right to decide how to complete them, performance improves significantly. Atlassian Software achieved amazing results when they set aside one day per quarter where employees could work on anything they wanted.  The results from this endeavor included solutions to internal problems that no one had ever considered in all their team meetings. They also came up with the development of several new products that were eventually brought to market.  Being autonomously engaged led to people reaching deep within themselves for superior results.  This also allowed them the opportunity to continue to master their skills, which is another valuable motivator.

Mastery, defined as having expert knowledge or outstanding skill, has been shown to provide more incentive than you would imagine.  Think about those people who devote endless hours of study or volunteer to work on a project.  There are even those who bring products all the way to the market and then give it away for free! (This is how we got Linux, Apache and Wikipedia, for example.) These people are not motivated by the typical financial reward. They are motivated by the desire to master the skills and to become experts on those topics.   Make certain your company culture is inclined toward helping your employees get better at what they do. Encourage them to enhance and develop their talents by leading projects, encouraging healthy risk and taking time to participate in formal training. You will have employees who continue to master their skills and have a transcendent sense of purpose driving them to succeed.

Speaking of purpose, this is often overlooked as a motivator. I put it to you that knowing you make a difference is perhaps the one principle that is basic in every person I know.  The “need to be needed” is intrinsic and, when incentivized, can spur people to greatness.  They want to “count”, or “leave a legacy,” or be referred to by peers as mentors. Sometimes they want to “leave a ding in the Universe,” as Steve Jobs said… and did!  What could happen if you let your employees become what I call purpose driven maximizers?  What would your company be like if every employee knew that their contribution really fit into the bigger scheme of your objectives as a company?  You may have those amongst you who are already spurred by their own sense of purpose, just waiting to be encouraged to pursue it to the highest level imaginable!  Look for opportunities to encourage them to follow those directives and watch what happens!

So, the next time you evaluate how you want to give incentives to those employees who have bright minds and are driven to succeed through autonomy, mastery and purpose, don’t bring them carrots!  They don’t work!

Failure Walls Inspire Success

Columbia Basin College Business Human Relations Student Project: "Failure Wall" (Winter 2012)

Thomas Edison: “I have not failed; I’ve just found ten thousand ways that won’t work.”

Most people have heard this quote in relation to Mr. Edison’s quest to invent the light bulb.  His insight proved sound as anyone will readily admit… today!  But I wonder how his contemporaries treated him when he could not get the “product” delivered… over and over again.  I wonder how he was treated in the social circles by his peers… if perhaps they felt sorry for the man who just couldn’t get it “right!”

Looking at the numerous attempts he made might have generated what is referred to as a Failure Wall. This concept comes from Jeff Stibel, the chairman and CEO of Dun and Bradstreet Credibility Corp. He decided to openly honor those who tried and failed and tried again… and again!  Taking the largest wall he had available and turning it into a whiteboard, he listed quotes from famous people on failure and their lessons learned, along with quotes from internal personnel.  Soon, even the visitors were signing the Failure Wall.

Personally inspired, I recently led a group of students through a similar project.  We created a large Failure Wall in the marketing department of our local college.  The border area has reminders of principles related to learning from failures such as insight, inspiration, perseverance, and motivation.  The “roads” through these principles all end up in the same place, which is wisdom.  Students were asked to go into the community and gather stories from people they respected and who had failures they were willing to share.  Some approached their parents and some approached their bosses. Others went to their professors and still others wrote stories themselves.  These valuable lessons were then typed and posted on the Failure Wall, for all to read.

The effect has been wonderful to watch as others come into the classroom.  Many stop and read the postings and our hope is they will learn from those who have already blazed trails through the jungles of attempts and failures.  We hope they will take those lessons to heart and perhaps build on the wisdom buried behind each story. Others have approached us with stories of their own to add to the wall.

I challenge you to try this out at your site and here are just a few quotes to help get you started!  At the end of this article are links to other sources of inspiration you may find helpful!

“You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try.”  Beverly Sills.

“A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.”  George Bernard Shaw.

 “The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows.” Buddha.

“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.”  Michael Jordan.

“In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.”  Bill Cosby

 “Should have sold simpli.com to that little company in Silicon Valley (Google).”  Jeff Stibel, CEO of Dun & Bradstreet Credibility.

“Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything - all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.”  Steve Jobs.

“Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.”  Dale Carnegie

“Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.” Mahatma Gandhi

 Look here for more quotes to get your own Failure Wall started:

Failure Quotes - BrainyQuote

Failure Quotations

Failure Quotes and Sayings

Great Bosses on Being a Great Boss!

Being a great boss has to be one of the most subjective qualifications on earth!  Most will agree that it takes real courage to take on the leadership role for others. This is one area which I especially respect; for I have personally been influenced by many of those I would call great bosses.  I want to explore what really makes a boss stand out.  I also want to take a look at what some of my own mentors, who also happen to be great bosses, say, believe, and practice.

I wrote to several of these mentors and asked three basic questions:  1) What is the most important trait a great boss should possess? 2) What is your personal style of management? 3) If you could offer one piece of guidance to my readers related to being a great boss what would it be? These respected leaders include Dr. Matt Kincaid, Ph.D., Business and Leadership Instructor, Columbia Basin College; Gene Holand, Associate Professor, Columbia Basin College; Eric Van Winkle, General Manager, Townsquare Media; and Jason Schlegel, Assistant Director, Bachelor of Applied Science Program, Columbia Basin College.  Let’s take a look at how they responded.

What is the most important trait a great boss should possess?

This is the question which I thought would be the most enlightening, and I was right!  Here are the responses in the order I have them listed above:

“In my opinion, the most important trait a good boss should have is authenticity. Research shows that bosses who are authentic display more consistent behaviors and are able to build trust much more quickly. Without trust, organizations will never reach their potential.”

 “Listening skills. Above all it is the least used communication skill.”

“Concern for the well-being of employees.  In my view, this creates a climate of trust that supports organizational health.”

“Understand the specific carrot of each and every coworker.”

Even these great mentors have differing ideas on the most important trait for a great boss.  The interesting aspect of their response to this question is that they each have a clearly defined, significant principle by which they operate. Additionally, all of their responses fit into what other researchers determine to be top traits of successful and respected leaders.

What is your personal style of management?

An area that is dynamic and vital is the individual style of a boss.  What was interesting here was to notice the differences according to the background, interests and current positions of each person.

“I don’t know that I achieve this, but I strive to lead through principles and behaviors of both transformational leadership and servant-leadership. Both styles are empowering rather than autocratic, seeking to elevate people to higher level or moral ground and critical thinking, and both styles focus on long-term success instead of short-term profitability (that often diminishes over the long haul – as ethics fall by the wayside.“

“Followership mixed with the best traits of the leaders that I have followed. No one style works best.”

“Provide support, feedback, remain open to possibilities and change—and support these traits in others.”

“Firm grip on a long leash, be clear and concise in expectations and then let them go.”

Notice that none of those who responded dictate to their employees.  An effective boss doesn’t tell their employees how, nor do they make demands that the work get done.  More successfully, they talk about consequences, outcomes and results.  Then employees are entrusted with execution of the details and the process in the way they see fit.

If you could offer one piece of guidance to my readers related to being a great boss what would it be?

Here are some words to take to heart:

“Establish a set of core values that will help guide you on your leadership journey. When times are tough and you don’t know the answers, your core values will help you make decisions and reach a healthy place – both you and your organization.”

“Let your people do their jobs. By this I mean train them well, follow up on their progress, constant communications to discover what needs or improvements are necessary to make their tasks easier. And finally celebrate successes and failures.”

“Stay engaged which is different than micro-managing.  AND Ego always gets in the way, so keep your Ego in check.”

“Get the right people on the bus early and then be “Harold and the Purple Crayon”.   Always make sure they see your vision.”  

Curiosity nudged me to find out what Jason meant.  Harold and the Purple Crayon is a classic children's book by Crockett Johnson, centered on Harold, a curious four-year old whose imagination - and ubiquitous purple crayon - lead him into a world of his own invention.  Painting a picture of what you want your team to see makes a huge impact. 

It is true that some bosses have natural leadership, inspirational and motivational abilities. However, a great deal of what it takes to be an effective leader is learned behavior, and if it can be learned, it can be taught!   Developing those capabilities from the traits possessed in a good boss could make them great.  Don’t ever forget that no one stays at the top of their game without consistent effort.  In speaking with our very own CEO of Pay Plus Benefits, Mr. John Heaton shared that he wakes each day at 4:30 and spends the next two hours studying.  He said he reads several periodicals each morning and evaluates whether the ideas and practices would be beneficial to our company.  The most important piece of guidance he offers is “Those who know how to do follow those who know why.”

What are your answers to my questions?  I would love to hear from you!

Here are some helpful links for learning to be great bosses:

The First Requirement for Becoming a Great Boss

What Makes a Great Boss?

Traits of A Great Boss

 Management Traits of Great Boss

Hiring for Attitude!

Our company has employees with great longevity.  Many have been here for over ten years and some for more than fifteen.  I find this remarkable!  A recent article I read in Forbes magazine declares that 46% of new hires fail within 18 months and that 89% of the time can be contributed to attitude. 

How does this happen and what can you do to assist in the success of the candidates you hire?  First, create a well thought-out interview process. An important thing to remember is managers assume interviews reveal the true employee. This is not usually the case. Actually it is more like dating or a courtship, when everyone is on their best behavior. No weaknesses are shown.  There is no insight as to how the person will react when the pressure is really on.  It may only give you a slight glimpse as to how the person will react in a formal setting.   So be careful to not rely on first impressions.  Make certain to take a few other steps to ensure you have the right candidate for the job.

Mark Murphy, founder and CEO of Leadership IQ and the author of Hiring for Attitude, Hundred Percenters, and HARD Goals was interviewed by Forbes magazine for the article I mentioned. I’d like to share some of the ideas that were emphasized.

When asked why so many failed within the first 18 months of taking a job several great points were made.  Specifically were that 89% of the failures were “attitudinal deficits that doomed these failed hires included a lack of coachability, low levels of emotional intelligence, motivation and temperament”.   He points out the fact that technical abilities have tools to measure proficiency while there are no tests in place to measure attitudes.  The tests also do not ask whether one is motivated to learn new skills, or if they practice innovative thinking.  Nor do you get to assess their ability to cope with and bounce back from failure.  These are called “soft skills” and they seem to be just as important as the technical skills when assessing your candidates.

In one of my recent college course we were asked to assess our “preferred communication styles”.  There was a questionnaire which determined whether we were more likely to be “thinkers” or “feelers”.  In another setting we took a survey and determined whether we communicated passively, aggressively or assertively.  Another exercise determined whether we were likely to be “motivators or diminishers”.   I found the result to be very insightful and helpful in learning how to communicate with my fellow classmates.  I also sought out additional tools to help develop skills in those areas where I had less than desirable results.  These are tools employers should use more often when hiring so that all the pertinent skills, including soft skills, would be measured to ascertain whether the right candidate is being hired for the right position. Otherwise, valuable discretionary effort is lost after new hires come on board and then misplaced within the organization.

Another area discussed is the corporate culture.  Is yours social or competitive in nature?  What are the attitudes that make your organization unique and special? You need to understand the answers to these questions and take them into account when interviewing.  Otherwise you will set yourself (and the candidate chosen) for failure.  For instance, if you have a social culture and you hire someone who is a hard driving and authoritarian, no one will be happy and productivity can suffer.  And, if you hire a social butterfly into an extremely competitive sales position, the results will likely be the same.  Make certain to match the environment with the nature of the candidate for successful results.

These are a few simple suggestions and reminders on hiring for attitude.  I would enjoy hearing how you have been successful in these areas and your feedback!

Mobile Mania!

It’s hard to believe how conducting business has changed from just a few short years ago.  I also notice the great difference in how my personal business behavior has changed.  I recall the days of clipping coupons from the newspaper. I remember shopping trips had to be coordinated with great care to coincide with the store sales days, which was usually on Saturday. There is nothing wrong with either of those activities, but I cannot tell you the last time I participated in either! Most of my personal purchasing is done electronically rather than in person.  Many times I am not even at home in front of the computer when I make a purchase.  I have my electronic world right at my fingertips with my smart phone.  And it appears that I am not alone!

According to Steve Strauss in a recent USA TODAY column the Top Trend for 2012 is: Mobile Mania! Examples of what Steve means are:

Employees will increasingly expect to work when and where they want.

Working in the office from 9 till 5 is no longer a given.   With the remote access available to almost anyone with internet service more and more often the most sensible thing to do is to work from a home office.  This can increase productivity and reduce commute related expenses to your employees.

Customers will want to be able to interact with your business via their mobile device.

Smart phones, iPads, and laptops are the norm for communicating these days in most of the U.S.  Most people want to access what they want right when they think of it rather than waiting until they are sitting at their desktop computers at home.  They get alerts sent to their mobile devices and are able to take advantage of any of a number of opportunities with immediate action.

Sooner rather than later, you will be using apps to run your business.

Instead of the traditional style of desktop computing and location based servers, your data and software are hosted online (or, "in the cloud"). This means you can leave the office (and maybe even travel the world!) and still have your whole business at your fingertips.  You are not even required to have your laptop with you.  You access your data and software through any internet connection.

Geo-targeting mobile marketing offers are a good idea.

Geo-targeting is the method of determining, especially via mobile devices, the geological location of a website visitor.  Different content can then be delivered to that visitor based on that location. A typical example for different content by choice in geo targeting is the UPS website where users have the choice to select their country location first and are then presented with different site or article content depending on their selection.

Your website needs to be mobile friendly.

Try to bring your website up on your own mobile device.  If it is not easy for YOU to navigate it will not be any easier for your potential clients.  Remember that simplicity is the key. Good mobile sites are quick, simple to navigate, easy to read, have large buttons, and prioritize key information.

Mobile ad campaigns should probably become part of your marketing mix.

According to a new study from Millennial Media, mobile advertising campaigns that include a store locator function grew 47 percent month-to-month. You should also watch how other companies are using mobile marketing and make use of those ideas which have already been successful.

So if you have not taken a hard look at the mobile access ability of your company, now is a great time to do so.  If you have made this jump into the world of “mobile mania,” I would love to hear what works best for you!

Here are a couple of great articles:

Interactive Agencies and Mobile Ad Networks

Five Mobile Campaigns

Workspace Innovation… the New Challenge!

With spring just around the corner, many people and companies are beginning to think about creating a new look either at home or in the office.  Most simply add new curtains or change out the carpeting, which sounds pretty commonplace, right?  This very thinking motivated me to start doing research into how to take this a step further into what is called Innovative Workspaces.

As you may recall from my previous writings, our company is a huge supporter of Innovation and Design Thinking.  As we continue to evolve this into a corporate environment we have also begun to make physical changes at our office.  In considering what our own goals are for Design Thinking in action through the physical setup of our workspaces, I decided to research to see who else has adopted these types of changes.

One of my favorite sources when it comes to anything related to innovation or design thinking is Stanford University’s Design School or, d.school as they call it.  In researching innovative workspaces, I learned of Scott Doorley and Scott Witthoft, co-directors of the Environments Collaborative Division at the d.school.  They have written a great book, called “Make Space: How to Set the Stage for Creative Collaboration.”  Another great publication is “I Wish I Worked There!: A Look Inside the Most Creative Spaces in Business.” Both of these books place special emphasis on the importance of setting the stage for creative collaboration. Some of the points they make are so interesting I wanted to share them with you.

Stimulate the Senses

Take a look around you and really observe the type of people you work with. Reflect upon the specific industry you are in.  Taking these two factors into consideration, can you do anything to stimulate the senses?  This can be accomplished using colors, objects, sounds or textures.  At our company we are allowed to display whatever inspires and motivates us. Some have family pictures, some have vacation destinations, one of our ladies is a huge hockey fan and her workspace leaves no question of who her team is!  I encourage you to help your employees do whatever it takes to foster creativity and productivity. You will be the one who wins in the long run.

Promote Elaboration and Collaboration

In our conference room we have 3 walls fully covered with white boards.  One of the greatest times I have here is when we get together and brainstorm through an idea or a problem.  Brightly colored sticky notes in various sizes are always lying around the room, or filled with ideas and stuck in a group on one of the boards. There are all sorts of marking pens for drawing out ideas.  We have an environment where we are encourage to “tell me more” and “build upon the ideas of others.”

Our conference room also has a great audio-visual component so we can interact with other people in remote locations. We can hold meetings and capture ideas electronically for sharing. Additionally, we are in the process of finishing our new recording studio for designing our own videos… perhaps even a vlog or two!

Revel in Playtime

How often are your employees taking time to recharge their batteries? Can you offer them a game of foosball or a state-of-the-art game room? Maybe you will have leather chairs to relax in while watching flat panel screen TV's. Or maybe it is a pool table.   I am sure you get the idea!  Ask your employees what you can add to make it easy for them to take breaks to revitalize themselves.  Chances are they have wonderful ideas and are just waiting for you to take the initiative!  I was just mentioning to my co-workers how nice it would be to have a “hot yoga room” -- maybe when we design our own building in the coming years!

So these are just a few ideas for innovative and collaborative workspaces.  I encourage you all to take a look around you and, even if it seems like a simple or small thing, make your space at work more worker friendly!  After all, you are the worker!

I would love to hear how you have made your work areas collaborative and innovative!  Write me a comment below so we can build upon each other’s ideas!