There are many different opinions as to whether or not a company needs to hire the absolute best “A-Player” talent for every single position listed on a corporate org. chart. That said, most CEOs believe their company will perform better if the executive team is populated with the absolute best “A-Player” executive talent available.

Unfortunately, many companies actually fail in their attempts to hire the best possible executive talent. When this failure occurs, in retrospect, many executive hiring authorities feel the process broke down somewhere during identifying, attracting, qualifying, recruiting of executives into their respective roles. The truth is that in most cases the process was broke even before any attempt has been made to engage candidates.

So where does the process typically break down when attempting to hire the absolute best “A-Player” talent?

The process typically breaks down in the preliminary stage where the specific quantified objectives for the executive role in question are actually being defined or failed to be defined.

Typically either the role’s objectives and/or charter have only been loosely defined in concept, but have not been defined at all in detail in terms of the quantified specific business objectives/metrics the role will be responsible for delivering against. In other words, no one has defined explicitly what the role is expected to accomplish/drive in the near term let alone the long term with respect to the measurable impact the role is expected to have on quantifiable business metrics.

Many times all that is known is “We need an EVP of Sales”, or “We need a CFO” as far as the functional concept of the role. The problem with this is it translates into simply focusing only on – what – a prospective candidate has done in their career. This in turn translates into candidate assessment overly focusing on whether or not a candidate does or does not have the required scope & scale of quantifiable responsibility/experience implying they will not be “in over their head” and possess “been there; done that” experience of appropriate scope & scale.

So why is it so important to quantify and define the specific business objectives/metrics the role will be responsible for delivering against? This might seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how often this isn’t done in a deliberate concrete way.
It is important to quantify and define the specific business objectives/metrics the role will be responsible for delivering against because, from a specific objective, you can derive/infer the specific executive capabilities, skills, and attributes that a candidate must possess in order to have a chance at achieving the specific objective. This “peeling the onion” so to speak causes you to focus on – how – a prospective candidate achieved – what – they claim to have accomplished.

Focusing on – how – they accomplished something exposes the prospective candidate’s executive capabilities. Identifying a candidate’s executive capabilities will give you a much stronger indication of their ability to meet/exceed – your company’s – business objectives chartered to the role you’re trying to fill.

Example Business Objective:
* This executive will be required to drive revenue growth in excess of our industry’s growth rate while maintaining planned profitability.
From this you can derive/infer the specific requisite executive capability an “A-Player” candidate must possess.
Example Executive Capability:
* Executive must be able to ensure our organization actively monitors and manages financial performance in both up and down business conditions while driving measurable success.
This required executive capability translates into an interview question:
Example Interview Question:
“How has your ability to ensure your organization actively monitors and manages financial performance in both up and down business conditions driven measurable success?”
Example Candidate Response:
“Fluctuating business conditions would cause me to alter my plans, either to accelerate hiring or promotional activities, or to suspend them. My primary goals were to exceed the industry’s revenue growth rate while maintaining the planned profitability of 26%. It’s interesting to note, I did not look to exceed the profitability goal as excessive profitability would indicate we were not aggressive enough in pursuing maximum growth.”

Expanding on the profitability objective for the executive that own revenue production for the company could translate into the following executive capability:

Example Executive Capability:
* Executive must be able to ensure, through a predictable formal sales process, the “right deals” are pursued and won to maintain margin targets by minimizing/wasting the deployment of company resources on deals that either don’t close or aren’t scalable, repeatable, or referencable.
Again, this required executive capability translates into an interview question:
Example Interview Question:
“Describe your approach to sales strategy, planning and execution, including any “solution selling” methodologies you’ve consistently employed, specifically focusing on how your incremental assess/qualify opportunities has translated into a win/loss close ratio.”
Example Candidate Response:
“I make sure every deal over $250K goes through our strategic selling competitive war gaming session in order to bullet proof deal specific sales strategy, tactics, and execution ownership. This also involves incrementally categorize opportunities based on associated Can We Win, Do We Want to Win, Will We Win ongoing qualifying/assessment criteria through the entire lifecycle of the specific revenue opportunity. Our close rate for deals managed through this process is over 90%.”

By beginning the process of filling a new executive role in your company with quantifying and defining the specific business objectives/metrics the role will be responsible for delivering against, and then deriving/inferring the associated requisite executive capabilities, you can then develop very focused probing interview questions to draw out a prospective executive candidate’s resonant executive value proposition associated with – each – requisite executive capability an executive candidate must possess to excel in the role. This will give you a much clearer picture of what you are investing in when considering bringing a new executive onto your team and give you a much better indication of an executive candidate’s ability to excel in the critical role you’re trying to fill on your executive team.

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About the Author:
Ron Bates is an expert in mission critical retained executive search. has been referred to as “the most connected man on Earth” with +31,000 direct contacts on on-line professional networking platforms. Find his Internet Presence: Case Study – Recipe for Success at http://www.search-advantage.com

The country’s brightest female students are rejecting careers in the City as they see the Square Mile seen as unethical and rife with discrimination, a survey has shown.

Source: Recruitment and talent management: News from People Management 22 March 2010

"Employee Engagement"… is the new Buzz Word(s) of the day. A recent "Google" search reflects over 800,000 potential hits on sites offering wisdom or potential surveys on Employee Engagement especially for Gen X and Gen Y employees.

Before a reflection and sharing data on the new Present Environment, and Future Ramifications, allow me a moment to reflect on the past… Many of us in Senior Leadership positions have suggested that our employees are our greatest asset. In many organizations, it may be a case of words speaking louder than actions.

Leaders of the Past

I think most Leaders would subjectively agree that employees are more likely to produce in an environment where they are generally satisfied and comfortable. But many Leaders often fall short on two major assumptions. First, we have a tendency to define "satisfied" in traditional terms of financial compensation/benefits, and second, we have a tendency to interpret employee perceptions through "our" traditional frames of reference. Maybe it is not your fault, or even to be expected as we are all products of our traditional cultures. But concepts such as "Trust" and "Feeling Valued" by employees are clearly replacing pure money as catalysts for dis-engagement and turnover. Many Leaders just don’t recognize or understand the shift in employee values because it forces us to change the way we perceive our organizational effectiveness.

But perhaps most importantly, historically it has been really difficult to quantify any correlation between workplace environment and financial return. And since we have been trained over the last 75 years to judge success based on ROI, and the efficiency of the "process," if we cannot measure the return on people engagement, it becomes a good idea, but ultimately, a low priority. Traditional Management Theory, taught most of us, "measure it, or dismiss it…" Thus training budgets are usually the first to be cut, especially training for critical soft skills, Leadership, and I am not even going to discuss senior management’s "old school" perception of training related to Culture.

All of that is changing, and changing fast. The statistical data is overwhelming. Recent research led by Gallop (Q12) and many other quality surveys, including those by ISR, are changing the priority of workplace environment, especially an environment where the employees feel as though they are "Engaged" in the Mission. I believe this can be a tremendous future advantage companies or organizations with the courage and foresight to look inside their organizations for a long term sustainable competitive advantage.

So how do we define this Buzz around Employee Engagement? ISR Global Research Director Patrick Kulesa defines Employee Engagement as: "Committed, Believe in the Values of the Company, Feel Pride in their Employer and Go the Extra Mile – and Business Results."…

In short, engaged employees feel as though they are truly valued at work. Engaged employees feel as though they directly contribute towards the Mission, and enthusiastically communicate the value of their organization. Recent data reflects the transformation from warm and fuzzy directly to the bottom line. But understanding the radically different set of values of today’s employees is a necessary catalyst for engagement success.

Leaders of the Present

For those Leaders looking for support data: 2005 ISR Study (over 600,000 employees worldwide) revealed that those organizations with High Employee Engagement realized a 5.75% difference in operating margin and a 3.44% difference in net profit margin versus low engagement companies. The Gallop research reflects only 29% of the three million surveyed employees felt engaged, 55% not engaged, and 16% actively not engaged via an interview with Co-Author Curt Coffman, First Break All the Rules. Gallop estimates that this last 16% of actively not engaged employees cost the American Economy over $ 350 Million per year in lost productivity.

There are two critical potential danger signals for Leaders of today. First, of the 55% that are not engaged, they are typically not negative towards the organization in any way, almost a sleeping danger or cultural liability. And secondly, national statistics reflect a direct correlation between the length of time an employee spends with an organization and being more likely to become not engaged. For many of us, we are never as excited as we are in our first week of work. We join our organizations believing we can make a difference in the lives of our customers and co-workers. Then in some most companies, over time we feel less valued, or as though we have less of an active role in contributing to the value related principals that attracted us in the first place and then our engagement declines.

Author Leigh Branham suggests, "According to more than 80% of employees, it’s not that there’s greener grass on the other side of the fence; it’s the preponderance of negative factors in their current workplaces-from poor management practices to toxic workplace cultures-that essentially push them toward the door." Or in fact Cultures that move employees lower on the engagement scale. As many seemingly successful companies have lifetime employees, we cannot assume that they remain engaged in our "Holy Grail", Customer Service, or dedication to the Mission, either internally or externally.

Engagement Test

In addition to investing in employee satisfaction surveys (highly recommended considering the national data) to measure employee engagement, I might suggest another test. What if we were to look at the five most significant ideas in the last year, that moved our Teams ahead of the curve in terms of "Improving the Lives of Clients or Co-Workers," (internally as well as externally)? How many of those five ideas came from within our organizations? How many of those five ideas originated from "engaged" hourly employees striving to make a difference in the Service-Centric or Mission-Driven Culture? Can you identify five?

Future Leaders

The most effective way to engage employees is to involve each of them in the culture. Leaders need to be consistently talking and listening about Service Values and Service Missions to employees offering them an opportunity to share ways in which they contributed towards the Mission, then acknowledge and reward or recognize them. This is what author John Kotter (Leading Change) refers to by continuing to build the coalition, and celebrating short term wins.

But most critically, it is imperative for Leaders to "Walk the Walk." Actions speak far louder than words when leading by example. I am encouraging Leaders to look in the mirror when it comes to consistency in programs, incentives, and engagement as it  directly contributes to the Service Mission. In my hundreds of interviews with Managers and Employees, I am often drawn to the "inconsistencies" identified by employees that have yet to be recognized by Leadership. If you ask and listen, they will share… These inconsistencies can be a significant cancer to any potential cultural shift to increased employee engagement.

The rules of Leadership are changing rapidly, not simply evolving. The powerful contribution to the bottom line and conduit for growth that is a direct result of Employee Engagement critical for all of us in the future. Engaged employees will create more loyal Customers and Employees, creating more opportunities for growth.

Many of us in Senior Leadership positions have suggested that our employees are our greatest asset. I encourage you to find new ways to engage your employees in the effort to live your "Holy Grail" and put actions way ahead of simple words.

Michael Muetzel

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Author of They’re Not Aloof…Just Generation X, Unlock the Mysteries to Today’s Human Capital Management

Mike Muetzel is a nationally recognized Author, Keynote Speaker and Leadership expert. His work has been featured in the national media including, The Associated Press, Bloomberg Television, Boardroom Magazine, The Manager’s Intelligence Report, The IBM Small Business Advocate, and The Boston Globe to name a few.

He is often referenced as a national expert on the unique characteristics of today’s employees. He has an extensive corporate background including nine years with Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation where he sat on the Executive Committee. His prestigious clients include Fed Ex Freight, Kohler, Hilton Hotels, Motorola, Wyndham, Keebler and The Federal Aviation Administration among others. In addition, he is a former member of the faculty at Clayton State University, School of Business. University. In the words of Best Selling Author Ken Blanchard, "Mike understands what will make companies tick in the future, it’s about maximizing the potential of your people…"    Visit http://www.unlockthemysteries.com

Human Resources, with its diverse internal and external customer base, the ability to touch all levels of the organization and the legendary understanding of the organization’s environment couldn’t be more suited for the critical role of a strategic business partner.

In General Electric’s recently published 2008 annual letter to shareholders, the CEO Jeff Immelt stated the following: “…..The secret to all of these dimensions of developing leaders is to have a great team of human resource professionals. Enduring companies must have a passion for people. GE has a great HR team that protects our valuable human assets. I want to give them special recognition this year….” For years, GE has acknowledged the success of Bill Conaty, their Senior Vice President of Corporate Human Resources. Bill Conaty is highly valued for his continued contribution to the organization. His insight and input have been invaluable. In a 2004 article written by Anne Freedman, Conaty himself stated: “I consider my real core competency and my value to the organization as being a human resource leader, but without having the business grounding, I don’t think I would be an effective HR partner.”

Organizations that consider their employees to be the most valuable asset cannot afford to not have human resources functioning in a true strategic business partner role. Human Resource professionals are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and abilities, the talent to partner with senior leadership to not only be involved in the strategic management of the organization but drive the implementation of it. As stated in “The 8 Practices of Exceptional Companies, How Great Organizations Make the Most of Their Human Assets” by Jac Fitz-Enz, “Strategic plans must be laid on a core strategy, a solid wall of values. Core strategies lead to strategic plans, organizational charts, operating plans, quantitative objectives, and ultimately, to specific human behavior and task performance.” Business oriented HR professionals can help design a strategic plan that balances the needs of the organization, its employees, and other stakeholders. It can help align the efforts of the various functions in the organization with the plan’s strategic goals, and it can support those functions by ensuring that they can recruit, develop, and retain the necessary company team members. HR, as strategic business partners should be the drivers of the organizations values thus the drivers of the strategic plan.

HR should be made responsible for owning the leadership and employee development, as well as direct all communication efforts, especially as it relates to the pulse of the employee population. Succession planning is an area that a strategic HR business partner should be involved in. As discussed in “Good to Great” by Jim Collins, having the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats is the key element to the success of any organization – who better than to manage the people process than a strategic HR business partner.

To fulfill a strategic business partner role, HR leaders must understand the organization’s business. In addition to fully understanding the business, HR must understand the environment in which it operates, the competition, and the circumstances that could influence the progress of the organization. HR can no longer focus on its own internal tasks. It must be responsible for ensuring that HR’s strategy, goals and priorities are driven by and aligned with the overall business needs. It must establish key business partnerships with senior management, as well as key figures in other functions within the organization. Although the operational role of HR, the day-to-day tasks required to run an organization are not strategic in nature, the responsibilities must mirror the goals of the organization. There needs to be a more integrated global company-wide process that considers how each of the HR programs can help move the entire organization in the right direction.

In addition to HR increasing its own knowledge of the organization and creating solid partnerships through collaborative communication efforts, increasing its knowledge in other areas is extremely important to being a successful strategic business partner. HR must increase its knowledge of Finance and Accounting, Marketing and Sales, Operations, and Information Technology and hone in on key business skills. Almost every activity in an organization can be referred to as a project. That is why it is important for professionals in HR to improve their project management skills. In addition to project management skills, strategic HR business partners must fully understand the strategic planning process. HR must be able to manage change, perform environmental scanning, and understand the importance of outsourcing and the process associated with outsourcing. Being able to manage technology and measure the effectiveness of all company-wide programs and efforts are equally important. HR should also be playing a vital role in leadership coaching, should be responsible for implementing strategies to become an employer of choice, and should be responsible for leading programs to safe guard your company performance from external elements.

To summarize, Human Resource professionals touch every level and every department in the organization. Due to the involvement across the company, employees at all levels get to know and trust the members of the HR team. Because of HR’s familiarity with the change management process and human capital development, successful companies benefit from having HR fully functioning in a strategic business partner role. If your company is not already doing so, allow Human Resources to be represented in meetings along side other senior leaders. There isn’t a more suitable functional group within the company to be responsible for leading the development of strategic plans, implementing key tactics, and measuring the organizations success in executing its plan than Human Resources.

HR – Rx, Inc. was established in 2005 by Jeannie Moravits Smith to assist companies with their Human Resource needs. With Jeannie’s solid human resource foundation, true generalist experience, and diverse background, she has successfully lead the Human Resources function at a variety of companies.

Article Source: http://refer.debrawhite.co.uk/mv

In the College Student Career Confidence Survey, 61% of college students said they expected to be with their first employer for less than 3 years. 16% expect to change jobs as quickly throughout their career, 34% will switch every 4 years, while 50% expect to change jobs every 5 years or longer.

In a different survey conducted by Citrix, 61% of workers would like to be able to web commute on a frequent basis. In fact, workers preferred this benefit over stock options and on-site childcare.

What’s this mean? It means organizational leaders need to begin connecting their people more intimately with the values that drive their companies, and learn to connect with the values of their employees.

The Citrix survey underscores how the workforce has changed over the years, reflecting a society that is more mobile, versatile and focused on personal freedom than at any other time in American labor history. Never before have we been more connected. But, connected to what?

Unless leaders connect their people to something bigger than themselves (or bigger than a paycheck), they can expect to see turnover rates, and the subsequent costs of recruiting and training, continue to rise. Based on the survey, every 3-4 years 50% of their workforce will have turned-over.

Organizational storytelling – capturing the stories that drive the values of the organization and connect people to a vision or a noble cause – can go a long way toward reducing turnover. More to the point, connecting people to a larger vision propels the entire organization forward at an exponentially faster rate…allowing everyone in the organization to experience the benefits of accomplishing company goals much more quickly.

So, where do you find these stories? And, how do you make them believable? Here are five tips on establishing effective organizational stories.

1. Look around, be aware. Andrew Grove, former Intel CEO, espouses "management by walking around". There are a number of benefits to this. You remain connected to your business from the floor-up. You connect with your people. It’s also a great way to collect stories. As you engage your people, ask them about challenges they’ve encountered and how they overcame barriers. Collect these stories. Connect them to the values of the organization.

2. Structure the story for the listener. If you use stories, then you are a storyteller. This means focusing on the need of the listener. In walking around you’ll have discovered the personal values that drive your people. Infuse your stories with these themes and you’ll capture their attention.

3. Be real. Many people have a disdain and mistrust for those in authority. To overcome this barrier you need to be authentic and real. If you tell a personal story, do include situations in which you failed…and what you learned from that experience. Be able to laugh about it. Also tell stories about how you succeeded before you were a leader. In each case you’re meeting your people where they’re at.

4. Be consistent. If you undertake the storytelling strategy, you need to stay with it. Over time people will connect with you through the stories. They’ll come to expect them. If your stories are effective, they’ll look forward to your stories.

5. Be strategic. Use your intuition. Know when to deliver a story and when not to. Telling a good story can become addictive…so use your stories at strategic moments and don’t over-do it.

6. Get help. Storytelling is intrinsic to the human experience. We all learn through stories. However, because of education, training and life experience, not everyone is comfortable scripting, structuring and telling an effective story. If you’re in this group, don’t be afraid to get help. Remember, organizational stories are strategic. They’re meant to deliver a specific result. To ensure the best results possible you should strongly consider seeking a little extra help.

So, in the Age of the Hopper (people hopping from job to job), leaders must focus on internal branding as much as they focus on outward branding efforts. Stories accomplish this internal branding. You’ll be infusing the values of the organization you’re your stories. You’ll support the mission. You’ll give the vision flesh and blood. So, in a time when people are truly seeking connection, organizational narrative can be a powerful tool in accomplishing the goal of keeping the hoppers at home.

(c) 2008 James Phelps Creative

Coach, consultant and copywriter, James Phelps, is the creator of "Practical Creativity: The Complete System for Powering-Up Your Creativity for Unrecognizable Results". To learn more about this step-by-step program, and to sign up for his FREE how-to articles and other resources, visit http://refer.debrawhite.co.uk/0K

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