JWI 520, People Management, Week7 Summary, 8/19/12
***********************************************
This week I learned about clarity of purpose, engaging employees, techniques to retain employees including creating opportunities for professional growth, reducing levels of hierarchy and eliminating non-value add activities.
I understand that as a leader, my job is to clarify purpose with a vivid picture of the future, engage the employees with a compelling vision and igniting a fire within them. I learned the key qualities to look for in hiring candidates and how to generate a list of highly qualified candidates from inside and outside the firm instead of settling for the first one that is available or comes along.
1. Ignite Passion with a purpose (Welch, Business week, 2007)
************************************
Paint a future in vivid colors; make purpose come alive.
A vision of the future with compelling upside - new opportunities for career growth, financial reward, fun at work.
Strike a match to light a fire of passion to win and turn cynicism into engagement.
Change cynicism to optimism with a turnaround story, productivity gains and attack of new markets.
Passion can be ignited. Help people draw on their own inner fire.
Give powerful answers to: Where are we going ? Why ? What's in it for me?
Transform cynicism to optimism with genuine engagement.
A few people are perpetually on fire - they pour their hearts and souls into life with unrelenting intensity.
Madly in love with their work, wild about their sport or home team, crazy over jazz or art.
Cynical, Numb cubicle dwellers and dreary collection of clock-watchers may be enduring managers who don't care or don't make sense. Give zealous attention to people, rigorous execution and fresh ideas.
Employees will learn the game and how to play it, if they know how they would benefit if the team won.
With purpose clarified, Bored people will get energized and burst into flames.
Managers need to strike the match. It all begins with clarity of purpose.
2. Retain the best people with retention tools
****************************************************
Retention is about creating an environment where people dont want to leave.
Create an environment where people want to stay.
(i) Best retention tool is a Thriving company, highly profitable, growing, opportunity galore.
Profitability, Growth, Opportunity - this is why IBM 70s, Microsoft 80s, Google 2000s did not lose people.
Sense of excitement and possibility about the job - exciting growth opportunities.
Make it exciting, make it fun, that something is happening there - not same old same old.
(ii) money
(iii) let people know where they stand, let them know company is thinking about them, what the company growth plan is
(iv) 1 on 1 conversation as a leader - exactly how they are doing, what they can do to improve, what their trajectory of their career looks like in the company. So they never feel like a number, lost in the place. Feel like someone is looking out for them.
(v) Find enough great jobs, show the route to moving up fast - else people will leave
People who have put in their time on training programs are looking for a chance to reach their dreams.
That is what we as leaders have to give them. Pay attention to what kind of jobs the people get.
Do people who get real stretch assignments - do they stay or go ?
3. Key points from Domino's Work-Out
*********************************************
Come up with every damn idea possible to increase horsepower, go after big opportunities and rise to greatness.
What is your competitive advantage ? Why should anyone buy from you ?
Revamp recruiting - expand the search to include places like West Point
Give incentives - million dollars in 10 years; Reward referrals.
Strategic positioning - lunch market
4. To develop leaders, let them lead something
******************************************************
Best way to assess leadership potential is to scrutinize them closely as they carry out their duties.
Customer's premises - excellent environment to develop new skills.
GE's flatter restructuring + utilization of popcorn stands + use of wide variety of other programs like 1:1 performance feedback => ranked #1 in leadership development; #1 poaching ground for managerial talent
5. Give people the opportunity to Learn by Doing (Week7, Lecture1)
********************************************************
Opportunity for professional growth and development of leadership skills are among the most important of all organizational rewards.
Most powerful professional and leadership development typically occurs through action learning, on-the-job learning, learning by doing - not through academic training or company-initiated professional development programs.
(a) Job Content Rewards
******************************
- Recognition
- Responsibility
- Autonomy
- Performance feedback
- Opportunities to participate in decision-making
- Important, interesting, challenging work
- Opportunity to develop professional and leadership skills
- participating in new business initiatives
- move from line to staff role
- taking a position with P&L responsibilities (McCall, Lombardo & Morrison, 1988)
(b) Professional growth opportunity - Rich developmental opportunities
****************************************
Introduce a new product
Implement a new recruitment or performance program
Launch a new corporate initiative
Customer interaction "at the customer, for the customer" - 4-6 months stay with the customer; work on customer's problems & priorities
(c) Reduce Hierarchy - the number of Organizational levels
************************
Layers separate senior executives from customers => no more than 5 layers between CEO and junior workers (300K GE employees)
Flatten the organization => increases people's responsibility, challenge, autonomy, participation in decision-making
Less number of sign-offs needed before action can be taken
6. Insights from GE Managers Training
********************************************
(i) For every task that consumes time and energy, ask - Why am I doing this ? What value am I adding ?
(ii) Enable self-service rather than encouraging inefficient bureaucracy
(iii) Avoid repetitive tasks that add little value
7. Where and how to recruit new players (Week7, Lecture2)
************************************************
Put together a list of people to choose from
***********************************
Generate a list of highly qualified candidates instead of settling for one.
Always consider both internal and external candidates for a position (Center for Creative leadership, Sessa & taylor, 2000)
Internal sources
Draw from the Succession plan.
Leverage wisdom of peers inside the firm - use peer assessment with 360 degrees feedback.
External sources
- Online electronic recruiting eg. LinkedIn
- Sourcing: ask people about other people; suppliers, customers, agencies, trade association execs, trade journalists, consultants. Use creativity, good communication, relationship skills. Think not just about the candidates but the people who may know the candidates
Dr DP
***********************************************
This week I learned about clarity of purpose, engaging employees, techniques to retain employees including creating opportunities for professional growth, reducing levels of hierarchy and eliminating non-value add activities.
I understand that as a leader, my job is to clarify purpose with a vivid picture of the future, engage the employees with a compelling vision and igniting a fire within them. I learned the key qualities to look for in hiring candidates and how to generate a list of highly qualified candidates from inside and outside the firm instead of settling for the first one that is available or comes along.
0. What to look for in Hiring (Welch, 2005)
***********************************
IIM 4EP ACSR
Integrity, Intelligence, Maturity - Acid Tests
Energy, Energize, Edge, Execution, Passion
Authenticity, foresight around Corners, Surround by smarter people, heavy duty resilience1. Ignite Passion with a purpose (Welch, Business week, 2007)
************************************
Paint a future in vivid colors; make purpose come alive.
A vision of the future with compelling upside - new opportunities for career growth, financial reward, fun at work.
Strike a match to light a fire of passion to win and turn cynicism into engagement.
Change cynicism to optimism with a turnaround story, productivity gains and attack of new markets.
Passion can be ignited. Help people draw on their own inner fire.
Give powerful answers to: Where are we going ? Why ? What's in it for me?
Transform cynicism to optimism with genuine engagement.
A few people are perpetually on fire - they pour their hearts and souls into life with unrelenting intensity.
Madly in love with their work, wild about their sport or home team, crazy over jazz or art.
Cynical, Numb cubicle dwellers and dreary collection of clock-watchers may be enduring managers who don't care or don't make sense. Give zealous attention to people, rigorous execution and fresh ideas.
Employees will learn the game and how to play it, if they know how they would benefit if the team won.
With purpose clarified, Bored people will get energized and burst into flames.
Managers need to strike the match. It all begins with clarity of purpose.
2. Retain the best people with retention tools
****************************************************
Retention is about creating an environment where people dont want to leave.
Create an environment where people want to stay.
(i) Best retention tool is a Thriving company, highly profitable, growing, opportunity galore.
Profitability, Growth, Opportunity - this is why IBM 70s, Microsoft 80s, Google 2000s did not lose people.
Sense of excitement and possibility about the job - exciting growth opportunities.
Make it exciting, make it fun, that something is happening there - not same old same old.
(ii) money
(iii) let people know where they stand, let them know company is thinking about them, what the company growth plan is
(iv) 1 on 1 conversation as a leader - exactly how they are doing, what they can do to improve, what their trajectory of their career looks like in the company. So they never feel like a number, lost in the place. Feel like someone is looking out for them.
(v) Find enough great jobs, show the route to moving up fast - else people will leave
People who have put in their time on training programs are looking for a chance to reach their dreams.
That is what we as leaders have to give them. Pay attention to what kind of jobs the people get.
Do people who get real stretch assignments - do they stay or go ?
3. Key points from Domino's Work-Out
*********************************************
Come up with every damn idea possible to increase horsepower, go after big opportunities and rise to greatness.
What is your competitive advantage ? Why should anyone buy from you ?
Revamp recruiting - expand the search to include places like West Point
Give incentives - million dollars in 10 years; Reward referrals.
Strategic positioning - lunch market
4. To develop leaders, let them lead something
******************************************************
Best way to assess leadership potential is to scrutinize them closely as they carry out their duties.
Customer's premises - excellent environment to develop new skills.
GE's flatter restructuring + utilization of popcorn stands + use of wide variety of other programs like 1:1 performance feedback => ranked #1 in leadership development; #1 poaching ground for managerial talent
5. Give people the opportunity to Learn by Doing (Week7, Lecture1)
********************************************************
Opportunity for professional growth and development of leadership skills are among the most important of all organizational rewards.
Most powerful professional and leadership development typically occurs through action learning, on-the-job learning, learning by doing - not through academic training or company-initiated professional development programs.
(a) Job Content Rewards
******************************
- Recognition
- Responsibility
- Autonomy
- Performance feedback
- Opportunities to participate in decision-making
- Important, interesting, challenging work
- Opportunity to develop professional and leadership skills
- participating in new business initiatives
- move from line to staff role
- taking a position with P&L responsibilities (McCall, Lombardo & Morrison, 1988)
(b) Professional growth opportunity - Rich developmental opportunities
****************************************
Introduce a new product
Implement a new recruitment or performance program
Launch a new corporate initiative
Customer interaction "at the customer, for the customer" - 4-6 months stay with the customer; work on customer's problems & priorities
(c) Reduce Hierarchy - the number of Organizational levels
************************
Layers separate senior executives from customers => no more than 5 layers between CEO and junior workers (300K GE employees)
Flatten the organization => increases people's responsibility, challenge, autonomy, participation in decision-making
Less number of sign-offs needed before action can be taken
6. Insights from GE Managers Training
********************************************
(i) For every task that consumes time and energy, ask - Why am I doing this ? What value am I adding ?
(ii) Enable self-service rather than encouraging inefficient bureaucracy
(iii) Avoid repetitive tasks that add little value
7. Where and how to recruit new players (Week7, Lecture2)
************************************************
Put together a list of people to choose from
***********************************
Generate a list of highly qualified candidates instead of settling for one.
Always consider both internal and external candidates for a position (Center for Creative leadership, Sessa & taylor, 2000)
Internal sources
Draw from the Succession plan.
Leverage wisdom of peers inside the firm - use peer assessment with 360 degrees feedback.
External sources
- Online electronic recruiting eg. LinkedIn
- Sourcing: ask people about other people; suppliers, customers, agencies, trade association execs, trade journalists, consultants. Use creativity, good communication, relationship skills. Think not just about the candidates but the people who may know the candidates
Dr DP
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