May 13, 12:59 pm

Need training? Need Training Resources?

When you need some kind of training and you’re not quite sure where to look, there’s now a site that’s full of cool training resources.  Training Time acts like a training marketplace, bringing buyers and sellers together.

Cool features include “Search for Seminars and Events” and “Find a Consultant / Training Provider.”

Say you want your sales people to improve their selling skills.  Simply type in “Selling Skills” in the “Find Training Solutions” search box and click on “providers.”  Voila. As of this writing, 20 different businesses popped up.  You can click on each of their profiles to screen them a bit before choosing which ones you want to contact.

The site also has a learning library that’s being populated with good articles and stories that address common workplace training issues — and a lot useful training products, too.

I probably need to tell you that I’ve listed our products and services with Training Time. Reason? I think this is the kind of website businesses will visit when looking for training solutions.  It’s a one-stop resource for HR professionals and people who are looking for help with their corporate training.

And — if you’ve been reading my blog you know I’m just a little bit passionate about companies aligning their training with their strategic vision.  In my opinion, Training Time is a good resource for companies doing exactly that.

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April 30, 2:02 pm

Is your company aligned strategically?

Long-time readers of my column and blog know that I am a fervent advocate of what I’ve called Strategic Alignment — aligning an organization’s entire operation with the leadership’s vision, mission, goals, and values. From the big picture point of view, this involves vice presidents (or department heads or key managers, depending on the size of the organization) coordinating efforts to ensure all company goals are addressed and nothing falls through the cracks.

For all the companies that have been struggling in finding a workable way to do this, there’s a new book on the market that shows you how, and it does so very well.  Total Alignment, by Riaz Khadem, is a must read for any and all leaders.

And I emphasize, “must read.”

While he omits the need to include HR at the beginning of the process, everything else he writes is spot on.  The book is written is an easy-going story format, and he doesn’t get sidetracked with superfluous details. The things leaders need to know (and do) to get strategically aligned are presented in an easy-to-follow, step-by-step method.

In fact, Khadem takes the concepts I’ve been advocating for years and presents them so well, I think that, in the future, I’ll just have my clients read this book — and then help them implement it!

(Except that I’ll make sure they involve HR in the strategic planning process from the get-go.)

PS.  Be sure not to miss this one.  It’s definitely going to be on my “must read” list for this year.

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April 16, 3:23 pm

Time management - misnomer, and a mystery

Ever notice how many time management systems are out there?   The Franklin Planner co-mingled w/ Stephen Covey’s organization and became the Franklin-Covey Planner, what many consider to the be “the standard” in time management systems.

 Another system is David Allen’s Getting Things Done. And Anthony Robbins has his Rapid Planning Method.  You also have Julie Morgenstern’s Organizing System (tied to the Franklin-Covey group).

Of course, myriad other options exist, too. But a few years ago, after teaching time management in various management-skills workshops, I came to conclusion that time management is like an ink blot.  Hold up a system, let several people examine it, and you’ll get different responses:

“I like it.”
“I don’t like it.”
“I think I like this aspect of it, but not that.”
“Yep, looks like a time management system that I won’t use.”
“Looks a lot like work to me - just let me do it my way.”

In other words, just like an ink blot, people are going to see what they want to see in these systems.  Personally, I think a time management system works great for the person who designed it.  The problem?  We’re all so different, what works for one person won’t work for everyone.

For that reason, I’m pretty convinced people need to choose the bits and pieces of time management practices that work well for THEM.

The KEY, however, is taking the time to work the system — whatever system that might be.  If no time is devoted to working it, it won’t work.

And one more thing — the misnomer is that we can actually manage time.  Can’t do it.  Time just keeps ticking by, one second … another second … another second  ….    We can’t make time do anything, it just “is.”  We can only manage our actions within the time we have. 

Therefore, the better phrase is action management, but that would make too many waves in the already-established industry of “time management systems.”

 I suppose the best thing to do is pick the best “action management” strategies that fit with your work style … and then DO them.  

After all, even the best plan won’t work.  You have to work your plan.

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April 10, 8:36 am

Two-thirds of employees are unhappy — and here’s why

Recently I had the privilege of attending a workshop presented by Patricia Latham Ball, a principal at Management Northwest, which is a legal resource for employers. Ball is a former Ada County (Idaho) Deputy Prosecutor in employment law who determined it would be more noble to help companies steer clear of trouble rather than prosecute them for getting into it.

One of the biggest problems in the workplace, according to Ball, is that two thirds of employees say that they are unhappy in their jobs, yet they have no avenue for voicing their concerns or lodging a complaint.

The reasons for employee unhappiness varies, but a primary root is that companies do not adhere to a defined set of standards. Some are too forgiving of employee misconduct, while others are managed by people who themselves overstep boundaries and could care less about rules.

“The result,” according to Ball, “is that people have become more rude.” And that rudeness is being tolerated within companies. After employees have been surrounded by rudeness for a while, it is quite easy for them to feel like they’re being harassed. Combine that with no clearly-defined avenue for them to complain about what they feel isn’t right in their workplace, and their next logical step is to file a harassment claim.

Unfortunately, this chain of events creates even more problems for employers, because harassment claims are required to be investigated by the human rights commission.

I found myself nodding in agreement with Ball’s description of this problem, and also with her solution: Managers need to be trained better in their roles and responsibilities as managers. They need to be proactive in training and equipping their own employees, to hold people to accountability, and to discipline employees who aren’t performing.

What, if anything, would you add to this?

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April 8, 6:04 am

“Living Toad Free” gets another positive review

It’s been out for a few years now, but the book I wrote with Dr. Dennis R. Rader, Living Toad Free, is still getting reviews. And I’m glad to report that the reviews continue to be positive. 

Granted, the person who recently gave the book a positive review is a colleague who runs the Treasure Valley Consultant’s network in Southwest Idaho, but I’m certainly not going to tell him he can’t say positive things about my book! 

Here’s just a bit of what TVCNet’s president, Justin Beller, had to say:

Toads are obstacles that get in the way of what we truly want out of life. Toads come in many forms, shapes, colors and sizes. They show up just about anywhere. At home, at work or in places we least suspect. Some call them “personal demons”, some call them “monkeys on our back.” Whatever you call them, they have the ability to make us and the people around us miserable.

How do you get rid of “toads” in your life? This book can be your weapon.

Dan and Dennis cleverly collected a series of short stories based on actual events in the lives of the many students, clients and colleagues they have worked with over the years. Each story focuses on a theme and lesson at the end of each story identifies the toad and what the main character did to overcome that very toad. These powerful examples set the overall tone for the book that helps you identify the toads you face in your own life and how you can overcome them.

Thanks, Justin!

PS.  If you want to get a peek and read the first chapter of Living Toad Free, it can be found at LivingToadFree.com — along with some cool “Toad Free” merchandise.  Check it out.

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April 7, 12:44 pm

Erratic economy may be a good time for taking chances

I believe it was Malcolm Forbes who said “If you have no critics you’ll likely have no success.” In an unstable economy, taking chances can be seen as hazardous. Some might say foolish. But success occurs only when people take chances. And despite what critics you might encounter, now might be a great time to step up to the plate.  (Check out some great quotes about taking chances.)

Don’t misunderstand. I’m not advocating knee-jerk decisions or irrational behavior. Risks in business should be taken only after deliberate, careful planning with rational  estimations of a likely outcome. It’s just that the unsteady times we’re experiencing now are no worse than any of our previous unsteady times, and companies that take risks during unstable times often come out ahead later on.

What about the increased likelihood of failure? 

Critics might look at the current economy and be concerned about business failure.

Interestingly, since World War II, in only two time periods have we seen an increase in business failures, and both occurred during times of economic prosperity. One of those time periods was 1979 to 1986 – a time many remember for its continuous economic expansion!

Essentially, no risk means no reward. I love the story of J.C. Newman, who, in 1890, was only 14 years old and an immigrant to the United States. He became an apprentice cigar maker and worked in the trade for five years – until a recession resulted in massive layoffs within the industry.

At 19, the unemployed young cigar maker took a risk. He borrowed $50 for tools and supplies and began his own cigar company. It would have been easy to criticize Newman for making such a move during a recession, but within five years Newman’s company had grown to 70 employees. It grew even through the Great Depression, and the J.C. Newman cigar company is still thriving today – all because one young man took a risk more than 100 years ago.

You can’t move ahead if you’re hunkered down
 
What I’m trying say is that sitting in a corner during a slow or erratic economy and waiting for things to get better is probably not the best thing to. Sure you might not hear from as many critics, but your chances for future success are greatly diminished, too.

Examine the horizon. Look for opportunity. Think! Rationally map out the “what ifs” for different scenarios. Don’t just go one level or even two. Drill down three, four, or even five levels of thinking. One of the best tools I’ve found for doing this is the Implication Wheel, created by Joel Barker (joelbarker.com). It’s not a decision-making tool, it’s a decision-enhancing tool; designed to guide thinking when calculating the likelihood of different events occurring.

When you can have a better handle on predicting potential future outcomes from your actions you are likely to make better decisions.

Estimating the potential benefits and potential pitfalls allows companies to see the best possible paths for stepping up and getting a foothold while others are stepping back to “wait the storm out.”

Then, when the economy turns strong again, those companies with a foothold will be in a better position to make great gains.

Why we should push through:

A former boss of mine often told a story about a cigar company that did not fare as well as the J.C. Newman Company. Although I’ve been unable to verify the story, he told of a popular cigar company that decided to save money during the Great Depression by cutting out all its advertising. They were the third-largest cigar company in the world and everyone who smoked cigars knew their name. Their rationale was “why spend the money on advertising since everyone knows who we are?”
 
Their decision was short-sighted. The company’s sales dropped terribly. In fact, the company was unable to recover from their mistake and they folded. Essentially, their choosing to cut advertising was not logically evaluated to any depth.

That was the 1930’s. But with all the decision-making, decision-enhancing, and analysis tools available today, there’s no reason anyone should be making irrational decisions.

The bottom line is that we have choices

An unstable economy may seem like a good time to hunker down and ride out the storm, but is that really the best choice for the long term? Would taking a few calculated risks now pay huge dividends for you down the road?

Only you can know for sure, and the best way to answer that is to spend time thinking and asking a lot of “what if” questions. Map it out as you go. Doing so will increase the likelihood of your success – despite what the critics may be saying.

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April 4, 9:44 am

So you’re going to hire a consultant?

Is it better to hire an absolute genius who knows exactly how to fix your problem – but flakes out and shows up only half the time …. Or to hire someone reliable who only understands your problem 75%?

I’ve hired a few consultants over the years, and frankly, I’m not sure which group I like better. The third alternative—a genius who’s reliable—seem far and few between.

What are your experiences?

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