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From Gallup.com

The majority or U.S.  workers are completely satisfied with their relations with coworkers, the flexibility of their hours, and the amount of work required of them. Of 13 job characteristics rated, they are the least satisfied with their on-the-job stress, followed by their pay.

By Andrea Herran

Imagine you are hiring for a position in your company – pick a position it doesn’t matter which one. You have done interviews and have two candidates you are considering. One is experienced and brings a wealth of knowledge however the attitude they possess is not what you would consider acceptable. The other one is “green” in their experience and would require additional training however they have the “go get ‘em” attitude and is very pleasant – would fit right into the company.

Which one do you choose? Why?

While you may think the answer is obvious – skills first – many people select on personality. This is especially common with first time interviewers or those lacking confidence in their interviewing skills. I have to tell you that it may not be that straight forward. Honestly the answer is usually somewhere in between.

What can happen if you hire strictly on skills?

A poor attitude that infects everyone else at the office.
You have to constantly “put out fires” because of what this person says or does.
If they talk to your clients – look out! You may have client issues.
It will eventually get to the point where you don’t care what skills they have and you will have to get rid of them.

What happens if you hire strictly on attitude?
You later find out they can’t handle the stress of the position.
You spend all your time training them.
They give their best effort but still can’t pick up the job.
Each task takes longer so they are not completing all the requirements of the job.

Of course these are extreme examples as more likely you won’t ignore skill or attitude altogether. What does become difficult is finding that fine line between the two.

Things to think about…

So in my usual manner, I won’t answer but give you some things to think about.

Can the job be trained or are the skills learned at a school?
How much time does the position spend with a client (in person or over the phone)?
Do you have someone to train the person or would it be you?
How long would it take to train someone with less than ideal skills?
How much can the person’s attitude affect those around them?
How tolerant are you of various kinds of attitudes? (this is a big one)
Does the candidate have skills from another type of job that translate easily into your position? (don’t toss someone aside just because they had a different job title than the one you are looking for)

Answer these questions either before you start interviewing so you know what concessions you are willing to make or after you have the final candidates to put the answers in perspective. Either way it will make you more comfortable with your choice.

Hiring new people for your organization can be one of the most stressful things you do because these are the people who will be the face of your company. These are the people who will help you grow, give ideas, provide customer service and let you go on vacation. Take a thoughtful approach, understand your needs, what you consider acceptable and don’t compromise. It may take a little longer to find the right person thats ok since it is about quality.

Create your plan and determine your needs

To ensure you have the best hire – create your plan and determine your needs before you even write an ad or interview candidates. This will help reduce the stress of hiring your next team member.

Andrea Herran is the principal of Focus HR Consulting ( http://www.FocusHR.biz ), which provides full human resources support to small business, provides a membership service through My HR Helpline for those who want expertise just a phone call away, and provides webinars and public speaking on HR topics. Subscribe to her bi-weekly newsletter http://conta.cc/a98j1n

© 2010 Andrea Herran All Rights Reserved

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrea_Herran

From the Center for Creative Leadership

Businesses with effective corporate social responsibility programs often reap significant benefits from “doing good.” They can build a winning brand and encourage a positive outlook by both customers and shareholders. But can the same social responsibility programs have an impact on employee retention?

The Center for Creative Leadership (CCL®) explored that question during its 2008-2009 World Leadership Study, which sampled the opinions of 2,215 workers around the globe. There were three key findings related to how employees respond to social responsibility initiatives:

1.Corporate social responsibility programs are linked to how committed an employee is to an employer. This finding holds true across all ages and job levels and is particularly strong among women workers. The higher an employee rates an organization on its commitment to good corporate citizenship, the more committed the employee is likely to be to the organization.

2.Employee perceptions about corporate social responsibility remained constant during the depth of the economic decline. Despite budget reductions and layoffs becoming commonplace, employees were bullish about at least one thing. They believed their employers were committed to acting responsibly in the community.

3.Corporate social responsibility programs are not a panacea for retention issues. CSR is related to organizational commitment, but not to turnover, so companies can’t consider corporate social responsibility programs a cure-all for retention issues.
“If an employee isn’t happy, a strong corporate social responsibility program isn’t likely to tip the balance,” says Sarah Stawiski, Ph.D., a CCL post-doctoral research fellow and co-author of a report on the research. “Though a good social responsibility program won’t reduce turnover, it can impact how employees view your organization and the kind of ambassadors they will be when they come in contact with your customers, shareholders and community members. There are definitely positive benefits to be had.”

Stawiski’s recommendations to employers: Look for ways to leverage social responsibility initiatives internally. Communicate the contributions you’re making in the community and get employees involved.

Further details on CCL’s study are available in the report Employee Perceptions of Corporate Social Responsibility and the Implications for Your Organization. It was authored by Stawiski and her fellow CCL researchers, Jennifer Deal and William A. (Bill) Gentry.

In April, renowned executive coach and author Marshall Goldsmith visited Center for Creative Learning’s global headquarters in Greensboro, NC. Goldsmith, who made best-seller lists in 2007 with What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, talked with Center for Creative Learning’s President John Ryan about his newest best-seller, Mojo: How To Get It, How To Keep It, How To Get It Back If You Lose It. In this excerpt from that conversation, Goldsmith reflects on what matters most for leaders.

This is my favorite coaching exercise. Imagine that you are 95 years old and you’re just getting ready to die. You’re on your deathbed, but before you take that last breath, you’re given a wonderful gift, a beautiful gift — the ability to go back in time and talk to the very person you are right now. What advice would come from the wise 95-year-old you, who knows what is really important in life and what isn’t, what matters, what doesn’t, what counts and what does not count? What advice would that wise old person have for the you that is here right now? And I ask people to answer two questions. No. 1 involves professional advice. That old person wants you to be a great professional. And No. 2 involves personal advice. Then I tell people, “Whatever you are thinking now, do that.”

A friend of mine got to interview old folks who were dying and got to ask this question. Three themes come up, on the personal side, in the answers of old people facing death. Theme No. 1, be happy now — not next week, not next month, not next year. The great Western disease is “I’ll be happy when. When I get the status, the money, the car, the promotion. When I retire. I will be happy when.” A learning point from old people is “I got so wrapped up looking at what I did not have and missed what I did have. I had almost everything. I wished I had taken a few more minutes to appreciate it.”

Learning point No. 2. Friends and family. Many people have wonderful companies that they work for. But when you are 95 years old and look around the deathbed, ain’t no employees waving goodbye. You start to realize those friends and family kind of matter.

Learning point No. 3. If you have a dream, go for it. Because when you don’t when you are 25, you may not when you are 85. It doesn’t have to be a big one, maybe a little one. Go to New Zealand. Speak Spanish. Other people may think your dream is goofy. Who cares? One thing I talk about in the book — the only person who can define happiness for me is me. And the only person who can define meaning for me is me. Other people can’t tell us what our dreams are. We got to figure those out ourselves.

Business advice isn’t much different. No. 1: Have fun; life is short. No. 2 is people. Do whatever we can to help people. The main reason to help people has nothing to do with money or status or getting ahead. The main reason to help people is because 95-year-olds will be proud of you because you did it and embarrassed or disappointed if you don’t.

I’ve interviewed a lot of retired CEOs and ask the question, “What are you proud of?” So far none of them have ever told me it’s how big their office was. All they ever talk about is the people they helped. That’s a good thing about the Center for Creative Leadership; you help people do better with people. Sometimes I get asked a question in business, “Does this people stuff matter?” When you are 95, you know what you learn? That’s all that did matter. That’s the only thing that mattered. And the other advice is saying, “Go for it.” The world is changing. The industry is changing. Old people seldom regret the risk they took and failed. They almost always regret the risk they failed to take.

By Steve J. Jackson

When you are trying to resolve a personal debt problem it can be very frustrating if you feel that your debt management company is providing a bad service. We consider what your options are if you find yourself in this situation. Thousands of people start debt solutions each month and most people are very satisfied with the service they receive from their debt management company.

However, if the service you are getting is poor, this can be extremely frustrating. If you find yourself in this situation your options will really depend on the type of solution you are using.

I am in a debt management plan

A debt management plan (DMP) is an informal agreement with your creditors to reduce the amount you repay each month so that this fits into a budget that you can afford.

The most important thing to understand about a debt management plan is that there is no legal contract between you, your creditors or your debt management company. This means that any of the parties can change the agreement at any time.

Often this flexibility can work against you because it means that your creditors can demand that you increase your monthly payments or start charging interest on the outstanding balances without warning.

However, it can also work for you. If you want to increase or decrease your payments or you are getting hassle from your creditors but feel that your debt management company is not responding, there is nothing to stop you moving to another company.

You can simply stop making payments to your old debt management company and start making the payments to one that you feel more comfortable with. There will be no penalties.

I am in an Individual Voluntary Arrangement

An individual voluntary arrangement (IVA) is a formal legally binding agreement.

Once an IVA is in place your creditors make a commitment to you that they will add no further interest or charges to your outstanding balances. They also agree to write off a certain amount of the debt you owe. These are of course significant benefits. However, unfortunately once you are in an IVA, you cannot change your IVA provider.

Even if you are unhappy with the service you are receiving, the only way you can come out of an IVA is if you stop making your monthly payments. However, you must understand that if you simply stop paying your IVA, it is likely to fail.

At best this would mean that you would be back at square one with any remaining unpaid debts still outstanding. But if you are a home owner, your IVA provider could very well then make you bankrupt.

Choosing the right company

The best thing is of course to pick the right company to work with in the first place. Follow the recommendation of a friend if you can. Failing this you need to do plenty of your own research.

The internet is a great place to start looking for the right debt management company. Have a look at the quality of information that they provide and familiarize yourself with the different options available.

Also have a look at some debt management forums where you can ask questions anonymously and judge the quality of the answers you get. Then speak to 2-3 different companies and choose the one that you feel most comfortable with. The bottom line is that if you decide to do a DMP or you are already in one, it is possible to change your debt management company.

If you want to do an IVA however, changing the IVA provider is not possible once the arrangement is in place. As such, making the right decision about which company to work with at the beginning is very important.

Steve Jackson is a debt adviser from BeatMyDebt.com in the UK. For more quality and unbiased information on Debt Management Plans, visit our website at http://www.beatmydebt.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_J_Jackson

A new book reveals the essential elements of a life well-lived

By Tom Rath and Jim NHarter, authors of Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements

“Much of what we think will improve our wellbeing is either misguided or just plain wrong.” So begins the new book Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements by Tom Rath and Jim Harter, Ph.D.

Rath leads Gallup’s workplace research and leadership consulting practice, and his bestselling books StrengthsFinder 2.0, Strengths Based Leadership, and How Full Is Your Bucket? have sold more than 2 million copies in the United States alone. Harter, Gallup’s chief scientist for workplace management and wellbeing, is coauthor of the bestseller 12: The Elements of Great Managing.

That’s a lot of intellectual firepower. But what could they know about wellbeing that the rest of us, who are intimately aware of our own, have overlooked? For starters, the fact that we overlook too much. As Harter and Rath discovered — through a thorough review of decades of scientific research and a comprehensive global study of more than 150 countries, which gave them insights into the wellbeing of more than 98% of the world’s population — most people don’t know what’s good for them.

For the complete story, go to gallup.com

By Jan Leslie and William A. Gentry

In the office the word politics makes many of us think of favoritism, back-stabbing and self-promotion at its worst. But workplace politics is present in all organizations and probably always will be. Avoiding or ignoring it limits you and your organization. To be an effective leader you must acknowledge political reality in your organization and develop your political skill.

Politics, at its core, is neutral. There is good political skill, which most people appreciate, and there is bad political skill, which causes a lot of dissension. People who think badly of politics often associate it with negative personal experiences. Someone got a raise that didn’t seem justified or a promotion for which better candidates were bypassed. When politics works to a person’s advantage, however, they are more likely to see it as a justified result of skill and hard work.

Politics: the ability to understand and effectively influence others

What is political skill? We define it, based on the work of Professor Gerald Ferris, a management and psychology professor at Florida State University, and his colleagues, as the ability to understand and effectively influence others for personal or organizational benefit. Politics does not have to be a zero-sum game, so good political skill can bring positive results for all parties, allowing people to tailor their behavior to particular contexts and people and helping organizations unlock their potential. Leaders continually need to adjust to different people and situations, particularly in this economically rocky time. Politically skilled people know how to do that. They can diagnose a situation and adjust their behavior accordingly. They can also rally support for their views because their peers typically perceive them as more competent than leaders who lack political skills.

A lack of political skill, on the other hand, can have serious consequences both for leaders and their entire organizations. Our research at CCL shows that managers who are not politically astute run the risk of being demoted, fired or otherwise slipping off their intended career tracks, inevitably leading to real disruptions in personnel charts and organizational performance. We’ve found that the less politically skilled managers are, the more likely they are to have problems with interpersonal relationships and with building and leading a team. That means they’re more likely to damage their careers, since CCL research has also shown that poor interpersonal skills are the biggest reason promising leaders’ careers go off course.

Leaders who aren’t skilled look manipulative or self-serving

Here’s an important paradox: If you have political skill, you appear not to have it. That’s because skillful political behavior usually comes across as genuine, authentic, straightforward and effective. Leaders who aren’t politically skilled, on the other hand, end up looking manipulative or self-serving. We all know both kinds of people.

Professor Ferris says politically skilled leaders are masters in four crucial areas: social astuteness, interpersonal influence, networking ability and apparent sincerity. At CCL our research has identified two additional dimensions of political skill: thinking before speaking and managing up. As a leader it’s wise to work steadily on each of them. Here’s a rundown of all six:

–Think before you speak. Politically skilled managers are careful about expressing feelings. They think about the timing and presentation of what they have to say.

–Manage up–and down. Leaders need to skillfully manage up by communicating with their bosses and keeping higher-ups informed. But this can become a double-edged sword; research shows that the people who are most skilled at managing up tend not to invest enough energy in building and leading their teams. True political skill involves relationships with teammates and direct reports as well as higher-ups.

–Influence effectively. Managers who are effective influencers have good rapport with others and build strong interpersonal relationships. They also tend to have a better understanding of broader situations and better judgment about when to assert themselves. That, in turn, creates better relationships. Skilled influencers are not usually overtly political. They are seen as competent leaders who play the game fairly. Their graceful political style is taken as a positive, not negative, force within the organization.

–Get your cues right. Socially astute managers are well-versed in social interaction. In social settings they accurately assess their own behavior as well as that of others. Their strong powers of discernment and high self-awareness contribute to their political effectiveness.

–Network well. Skilled networkers build friendships and working relationships by garnering support, negotiating and managing conflict. They know when to call on others and are seen as willing to reciprocate.

–Be sincere. Politically skilled individuals display high levels of integrity, authenticity, sincerity and genuineness. They really are–and also are viewed as–honest, open and forthright, inspiring trust and confidence.

Whether we like it or not, politics are a mainstay of organizational life. As leaders we can pretend they don’t exist, or we can get in the game right now in a positive way.

From Center for Creative Leadership

36% of small businesses look to step up with Twitter and Facebook.

Small businesses are confident about their ability to weather the recession, with more than one-half saying they have either fully recovered or will do so by the end of 2010, and nearly three-quarters claiming they will drive recovery in the overall economy, according to the “Third Annual FedEx Office Signs of the Times Small Business Survey” from FedEx Office and Ketchum.

To that end, almost two in five small-business owners reported they would be growing their businesses with social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. That was up from less than one-quarter who planned to up their game with social in 2009 and made social media the only tactic to increase in importance since last year.

About 42% of small-business owners said they would increase spending on advertising and marketing this year overall.

“Small businesses are definitely getting it right when it comes to identifying and investing in the tools that will help them bounce back from a difficult period,” said Randy Scarborough, vice president of marketing for FedEx Office, in a statement.

E-mail marketing solutions firm Constant Contact likewise found small businesses optimistic about their economic prospects in 2010, with 70% expecting to grow this year. Website and e-mail marketing were a bigger priority than social media, but Facebook was considered important by more than one-half of respondents.

More than one-quarter said blogs, LinkedIn and Twitter were other key tools for marketing their business.

For complete data charts and story, go to e-marketer.com

How your employees can make—or break—a brand relationship

By Roland Smith

With today’s stale job market limiting employees’ mobility, executives have a unique opportunity to boost the motivation and productivity of their top talent without spending lots of money. Unfortunately, many companies are missing the mark – especially when it comes to managing their emerging leaders, or “high potentials.” Here are the five biggest mistakes companies are making with high-potential talent:

.1. Ignoring the view from the pipeline. This is the first big mistake – and it fuels the others. Talent managers and executives tend to discuss the leadership pipeline as if it is theirs to define and control. But talented people inside the leadership pipeline bring their perspectives and experiences to the process. Do you know what they think? Have you asked what they want? Are expectations on both sides understood? Is your relationship with your talent transactional or a mutual and reciprocal relationship?

High-potential talent can always go somewhere else. Center for Creative Leadership research shows that even though 95 percent of high potentials say they are committed to their organizations, 21 percent are still actively looking for another job. In a down economy, they are weighing trade-offs. On the plus side: staying in their current role means greater responsibility, highly visible assignments, good money in a recession. On the negative side: brutal hours, no support from senior team, uncertainty as to what’s next. If you could move “senior team support” to the pro column, for example, you’ve boosted your chances of retaining a valued employee.

2. Treating all high potentials the same. If you aren’t considering the view from the pipeline, chances are you have a one-size-fits-all approach to dealing with top talent. High potentials expect (and usually get) greater visibility and access to senior managers, special assignments and training, and greater responsibility. But they also want some say in how these perks and assignments play out. If relocating every few years is the primary way for high potentials to increase their value, you automatically lose when a manager needs to stay put for a spouse’s career or family commitments. Don’t wait to find this out during an exit interview. Have “stay conversations” with your top talent before it’s too late.

3. Leaving high-potentials on their own. It’s a mistake to give high potentials free rein to direct their careers. While they want to influence their direction, they are also more committed and engaged when they have a clear career path. High potentials want to know what the next steps are in terms of development, experience and movement. Plus, companies need to be sure the talent they have is the talent they need and that it’s deployed well. You need to intervene, redirect or coach if a high potential is staying in a position too long, not building needed skills, or is in danger of derailing (and yes, high potentials can derail).

4. Not using high-potentials to develop others. While high potentials receive increased opportunities and investment, they are also powerful talent developers in the organization. They have insight and experience needed for developing the next layer of high potentials as well as the larger talent pool. To multiply the impact of your top talent, train them to coach others and have effective developmental conversations. You should not only hold them accountable for doing it, you should reward them as well.

5. Being unclear about high-potential status. Using your high potentials well means knowing who they are – and ensuring they know it, too. Organizations that do not formally identify their top talent (or keep it under wraps) are undermining their performance – and run the risk of losing valuable people. CCL research found that formal identification as a high potential is important to 77 percent of managers. Not being formally identified as a high potential keeps the door open for doubt, lessens engagement and weakens commitment. Only 14 percent of formally identified high potentials are seeking other employment. That figure jumps to 33 percent for employees who are informally identified as high potentials.

Loyalty may be dead – for both employers and employees. The best strategy for growing and maintaining top talent in today’s workplace is to understand it’s all about mutuality and reciprocity. When you think about your talent from their point of view, the relationship becomes less transactional – and organizations and high potentials will benefit.

Printed with permission of Center for Creative Leadership

About the Author
Roland Smith is a senior faculty member at the Center for Creative Leadership, a Greensboro, N.C.-based provider of leadership education to companies, government agencies, nonprofits and educational institutions.

By John Riley

Recently, I was invited to lunch at a Business Clubs America luncheon where the speakers were owners of a successful jet-management company. It was the usual business luncheon where invited speakers recount their experiences in building successful enterprises. But it didn’t turn out that way.

When the CEO rose to speak, I quickly noted he was a well-built, robust looking 45-year old whose commanding presence told you he was an executive. Instead, Scott Bolzan was a man whose life literally began a little over a year ago because his former life was completely erased from his memory. On that fateful day in December 2008, he walked into the bathroom of his office, slipped and fell striking his head. With that fall went his knowledge of his former life.

When he awoke in the hospital, there was no memory of his school days, his college education, his pro football career or his wife, Joan and daughter or the business he built. Doctors diagnosed his problem as profound retrograde amnesia and historical and autobiographical amnesia.

Doctors expected his memory to return so he was released three days later. The thinking was that being in familiar surroundings would help him recover faster. His short term memory was fine. Now, nearly a year and half later, the only memory he has is what he has learned from his wife and friends. Joan told herself the business was dormant, but Scott would be back.

With a succession plan, the business could have continued to prosper

No one could have foreseen what happened to Scott. So his business suffered. Had there been a succession plan, the business may have continued to prosper. Too many companies fail to devote time to designating potential successors for their key executives and consider it a risk worth taking.

Owners and CEO’s themselves can be a big part of the reason because:
1) They feel indestructible
2) They don’t want to be replaced prematurely by a potential successor
3) They don’t want to share power
4) They feel there isn’t anyone that can replace them
5) They want to wait until they decide to retire and then worry about a successor based on the circumstances at the time.

Establishing a succession plan is usually a Board imposed process. Larger companies usually have succession plans that will go down several layers in the management structure where they identify three or four candidates to replace the incumbent for each position. It’s a dynamic process and the plan is reviewed and updated each year.

A combination of top operating executives and an HR executive constitute the personnel selection committee.

Personal development is a key component of the planning

One of the outputs of the committee is a personnel development component. Fast trackers are identified and gaps in their training or experience are identified. Subsequent assignments are decided upon to give those individuals the training or experience they need to prepare them for greater responsibilities. Each assignment is a test whose outcome will help determine the individuals’ future career path.

Scott’s experience is not unique in corporate America. Anyone who follows business can recall some top executive whose health unexpectedly intervened to temporarily or permanently remove him or her from active duty; Steve Jobs at Apple is a well known example.

For the health of the company, succession planning is an essential diagnostic tool.