Our Three Audiences

2013 was the year of catapulting HR into the boardroom. The emphasis on employee engagement has been an organizational driver for several years. We are now seeing rewards and recognition become part of the performance management suite. The most prominent question being pondered in 2014 is:



Who Drives Engagement?

- Is it the employees in the trenches...who represent our culture...?
- Is it the Unit Managers...who manage performance directives?
- Is it the C-suite...whose words carry the most weight?
- Is it HR...the conduit to organizational sustainability?

Answer: all of the above!

In 2014, HR is called upon to understand the nuances of employee preferences, to partner with unit managers, and to sell organizational programs to the C-suite. All the while keeping the company out of court and formulating a road map to the future.

Good Luck!

The time of affiliating HR as an administrative service is over. Human Resources is tackling the elephant called succession planning within every nugget of the organization. If HR professionals are still feeling disrespected, it won't continue for long.

So... how can we possibly adapt our skill set to engage employees, help managers drive performance, and to explain to our Executives what is going to keep us in business?

The Rock Stars of Tomorrow
"Managers who manage by the clock are dangerously incompetent" - Rodd Wagner

The chain of command is devolving. Bottoms up organizational development is a bubbling groundswell. Many organizations are stressing over knowledge lost and the skills gap. The best way to amend what is leaving is to address what is here.

Organizations are flattening out. Abusive managers are being fired and sued. Employee's personal brands are more prominent than company logos. We have to be acutely aware of what our employees want and take action.

How are you gathering employee feedback?
How do you know this feedback is candid?
What does your change management strategy look like?

Don't Step On My Toes
In the past, unit managers came to HR to avoid lawsuits. Today, our partnership is much more strategic. We cannot wait for the shit to hit the fan before consulting HR. This partnership starts with hiring, continues through performance management, and feeds the off-boarding process.

No one likes anyone stepping into their sandbox. A partnership can exist between HR and unit managers that does not create a conflict of interest.

Managers are stressed for time. There is a hyper-focus on performance. A CEO will not ask a unit manager how his team's collective morale is holding up. Just show her the results!

Show Me the Dough
We're all tired of the "seat at the table" discussion. The reality is that many Executives have an adverse effect on engagement. John Stumpf's public letter in support of Wells Fargo's employee recognition programs showed he was a man who understood his employees. For every tuned-in CEO, there are thousands of organizational leaders who speak in framed terms. To them, employee engagement is an obligation not a belief system.

...CEOs want you to perform well...

No Executive can be in cafeteria every day. Their responsibility is keeping the board of directors happy by driving revenue.

If CEOs are too busy to monitor employee engagement they will empower Human Resources to drive organizational strategy.

What is needed:
1. Feedback from the trenches
2. A well-defined action plan
3. Mutual partnership with management
4. Statistics to forecast ROI

In 2014, I will be conducting 2 workshops and a web series that will help you workshop the enclosed content.

You're Welcome!

Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave