Human Resources April 2015

04.
2015
Vol.3 Issue 04
PRESENTED BY
09131518
HR Analytics
The new gold rush
Change Management
Helpful tips
Cultural Change?!
Its not HRs job!!!
The HR Giant Within

The time has come!
The New Corporate HR Director

20 tips and 20 key skills
Mara Jos Fraile, Bettina Rodrguez and Carolina Reynoso Butron
What are the HR Strategy and Planning

Excellence Essentials Products and
Services?
HR Strategy and Planning Excellence Essentials - Monthly Interactive Learning Journal
Watch as this monthly interactive learning experience captures key metrics and actionable
items and keeps you focused on your HR strategy and planning goals and solutions.
Workforce Planning and Analytics Certificate Program (5 hours)
A Certificate in Workforce Planning and Analytics with the Institute for Human Resources
(IHR) makes you credible, marketable, and shows your dedication to your profession.
Workforce Planning and Analytics Expert Certification Program (40 hours)
Work towards the ultimate credential for education. Showcase your expertise with Expert Certification in the Workforce
Planning and Analytics domain and learn how to bring strategic planning programs into your organization and make
them impactful. The program offers credit courses on the business process for ensuring that an organization has
suitable access to talent to help guarantee future business success.
Workforce Planning and Analytics Community
Join almost 70,000 HR.com members with a similar interest and focus on workforce planning and analytics. Share
content and download white papers, blogs, and articles, network, and follow peers and have them follow you
in a social network platform to communicate regularly and stay on top of the latest updates. The well established
Workforce Planning and Analytics Community is an invaluable resource for any HR staffing professional or manager.
Workforce Planning and Analytics Weekly eNewsletter
Available to HR.coms Workforce Planning and Analytics eNewsletter subscribers, this weekly opt-in email contains
all the relevant news and targeted content specific to planning strategy and analytics.
Use these resources today! Contact us now to inquire about

organizational customization and pricing!
CONNECTING HR EXPERTS GLOBALLY
For more information phone: 1.877.472.6648 | email: sales@hr.com | www.hr.com
04. 2015
Vol.3 Issue 04
PRESENTED BY
Features
09131518
HR Analytics
The new gold rush
Change Management
Helpful tips
Cultural Change?!
Its not HRs job!!!

The Human Capital manager in a multinational must have different skills, as complex as their
own profession. PG.06
06 The New Corporate HR Director
Mara Jos Fraile, Bettina Rodrguez and Carolina

Reynoso Butron
09 HR Analytics
The new gold rush
David Green
10 Bounce Back
Increasing workforce resilience
Angela Payne
13 Change Management
Helpful tips
Bill McElwain
14 People Management
How analytics is changing it
Bernard Marr
15 Cultural Change?!
Its not HRs job!!!
Donna McGeorge
The HR Giant Within

The time has come!
16 Change Initiatives
Why HR should lead
Carol Anderson
17 Why Great Strategies Fall Short?
A few reasons
Charlotte Ntreh
18 The HR Giant Within
The time has come!

Lisa Milani
20 Has Your Career Jumped The Shark?
Five obstacles to career advancement
Tom Sims
22 Skills Gap

Innovation, the key to attracting young workers
Tom Turpin
Guest Editors Note
Vol.3 Issue. 04
HR Strategy and Planning Excellence
is published monthly by HR.com,
124 Wellington Street East
Aurora, Ontario
Canada L4G 1J1.
Editorial Purpose:
Our mission is to promote HR Strategy and
Planning on constructive
values, sound ethics, and timeless
principles.
When I received the articles for the April

issue of HR Strategy and Planning Excellence,
I made a word cloud of all the used words.
The main message that the authors seem to
be sending us is: HR MUST CHANGE! (the
exclamation mark is mine).
The contributions can be divided into three
groups: Change management guidance, the
opportunities of HR analytics and what HR
MUST do, to have more impact in their
organization.
In the first group, change management
guidance, Angela Payne in Bounce Back,
gives six tips on what to do when you want
to ensure your people can adapt and bounce
back after change is announced. Bill McElwain also gives some helpful tips in Change
Management. There is no recipe for effective
and impactful change management. Listing to
your people and making sure they understand
the need for change are important ingredients.
Bernard Marr and David Green are two of
my favourite authors who write about HR
Analytics, and the opportunities Big Data
and HR analytics create for HR. In People
Management (how analytics is changing
it) Bernard touches on an ethical question:
How can you use the power of analytics to
enhance the work of people, without being
too intrusive into the private lives of people?
Clear communication, building a level of
trust and showing the benefits to people and
organization are key. In HR Analytics David
Green states, it does seem that the stars of
HR analytics have finally aligned and 2015
will prove to be a pivotal year.
In the last group, What HR MUST do,
Carol Anderson in Change Initiatives: Why
HR should lead makes the argument that
HR should lead change initiatives. Donna
McGeorge appears to think otherwise, in
Cultural Change?! Its not HRs job!!!
The team that wrote The New Corporate HR
Director (Mara Jos Fraile, Bettina Rodrguez
and Carolina Reynoso Butron) gives us a list
of 20 tips and skills they consider important

for a corporate HR Director, and they write
they could have given many more! I am glad
I am no longer a Corporate HR Director as
I would have had many deficiencies; I would
certainly like to meet the people who have
all the skills on their list! Tom Simms in
Has Your Career Jumped The Shark? finds
Strategic thinking the most important skill
for an HR professional. Lisa Milani is very
positive in her contribution The HR Giant
Within: The time for HR has (finally) come!
Having read the articles a couple of thoughts
cross my mind:
Why is it considered to be important
what the HR folks are doing? I am not a
member of The Union of HR professionals,
and I think it is more important to focus on
what can be done to make organizations great
places to work, than on who will be directing
and executing the projects.
Change is very often seen as the transition from State A to State B, where it seems
that continuous change is more and more the
daily (best) practice.
I totally agree with David Green when
he predicts that 2015 is the year for a breakthrough in HR analytics. This will enable
organizations to base their people and organization interventions more on facts and
less on opinions.
I hope this April issue will inspire you!
Tom Haak is the founder and Director of
the HR Trend Institute. Tom has an extensive
experience in HR Management in multinational companies. From 2006-2014 he was the
global HR Director for ARCADIS. Prior to
ARCADIS he worked in senior HR positions
at Aon, KPMG and Philips Electronics. Tom
has a keen interest in innovative HR and how
organizations can benefit from trend shifts.
Email tom.haak@hrtrendinstiute.com
Visit http://hrtrendinstitute.com
Have a say?
Write to the Editor.
Article Submissions:
Please send any correspondence, articles,
letters to the editor, and requests to reprint,
republish, or excerpt
articles to:
Editorial Department,
HR Strategy and Planning
124 Wellington Street East,
Aurora, Ontario Canada L4G 1J1.
Phone: 1-877-472-6648
Email: WPA@editor.hr.com
Customer Service/Circulation:
For customer service, or information on
products and services, call
1-877-472-6648 or
email: WPA@editor.hr.com
Internet Address: www.hr.com
HR Strategy and Planning Excellence
Publishing:
Debbie McGrath, CEO, HR.com,
Publisher
Shelley Marsland-Beard, Product Manager
Adnan Saleem, Design and Layout
Marketing Offices:
HR.com
124 Wellington Street East
Aurora, Ontario
Canada L4G 1J1
1-877-472-6648
Copyright 2015 HR.com
No part of this publication may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form
without written permission from the
publisher. Quotations must be credited.
To submit articles for future issues submit
your article to:
WPA@editor.hr.com
HRCI RECERTIFICATION
HRCI approved (PHR/SPHR/GPHR) Its affordable Its easy Its organized
Its trackable, all of your credits are recorded and organized automatically
PHR
SPHR
GPHR
60 General Recertification
Credit Hours
15 Strategic Business
Management Recertification
Credit Hours
Credit Hours
15 International
Recertification Credit Hours
Hours
Maximum of 20 Webcast Credits.

Unlimited eLearning Credits.

Unlimited eLearning Credits

Unlimited eLearning Credits.
What We Offer

Over 4000 Archived Webcasts

Over 60 New Live Webcasts Credits Each Month
Over 1000 Archived eLearning Credits
Over 50 New eLearning Credits Each Month
Over 3700 Webcast Credits
Over 90 Strategic Business Management HRCI Credits
Over 20 International Credits
Over 950 WorldatWork Sessions
Webcasts & Credits

Available 24/7
To Easily Fit Into
Your Schedule.
Recertification Package

Unlimited HRCI / eLearning Credits

Unlimited Webcasts
Unlimited Virtual Conferences
Credits per Webcast
- HRCI / eLearning Webcast Credit

- IHR Credit
- WorldatWork Credit
Get Completely
Recertified For
$250
GET STARTED AT:

www.hr.com/recertification
COVER Article

By Mara Jos Fraile, Bettina Rodrguez and Carolina Reynoso Butron
What makes a good corporate HR director? The answer is

not simple, we could talk about leadership, strategic vision,
flexibility...but in reality it entails a set of many different skills,
being skilled in different contexts and times, having a global and
local vision, knowing what makes an excellent professional. The
Human Capital manager in a multinational must have different
skills, as complex as their own profession. Of course, all of these
can be worked at and developed. In this regard, it is important
that these professionals be vigilant, because your post today is
highly strategic; good talent management marks the difference
between excellent organizations and those that are left behind.
Especially at a moment when its commonly known that its so
hard to find the right people for each position, and even more
to retain them. In this article, we have collected twenty tips
and skills that we consider very important for a corporate HR
director, to guide him or her through developing and improving
skills, on the day to day job, although we could cite many more,
of course. Lets take a look at them.
Click here for a high resolution image
Strategy
1.Tip: Manage transformation
Key skill: Adaptability
We live in a changing world; we have gone from local to global,
from the physical to the virtual, from certainty to uncertainty.
A liquid time, quoting the words of the sociologist, Zygmut
Bauman. The key competence to work in this context is the
ability to adapt to change. If the only certainty these days is
that everything changes; then its useless to turn a blind eye to
Submit your Articles
the new emerging realities, instead we must grab and embrace

each new scenario fearlessly.
2.Tip: Predict the future
Key skill: Vision
This isnt about the art of prediction. Forecasting the future is
also about managing change, detecting emerging trends before
they take root, and anticipating any situation. Its about going
that one step further. Theres no perfect formula on how. Just be
constantly curious, forever alert to the local and global reality,
read different media, study trends, analyze different indicators;
and travel, travel and walk a lot. As Don Quixote said, He, who
reads a lot and walk a lot, sees a lot and knows a lot.
3.Tip: Strengthen continual learning and training
Key skill: Constant learning
None of this makes sense if one doesnt train up competencies,
and promote global learning throughout your organization. In
the current liquid context we speak of, a key responsibility
of corporate HR management is to make sure that there is no
gap between the employees tasks and their level of training to
perform them. Its interesting to combine traditional training
styles with new trends (MOOCs, e-learning, webinars, wikis,
etc.) in order to build a global learning environment, ideally
on a single platform that is always accessible and nurtures collective intelligence.
4.Tip: Align strategically with management
Key skill: Business vision
Behind are the times when each department worked in isolation. Today, everyone is aware that the HR department works
together with all other departments and with management. Not
only are they aligned, but also their indicators have become
critical to business management. And talent management is
considered one of the top three priorities for CEOs worldwide.
Stay alert, because this is how predictive analytics will play a
key role.
5.Tip: Strengthen HR within the organization
Key skill: Involvement
Good talent management will unquestionably lead to a positive perception of HR held by the entire organization. This is
the best way to promote our department internally. However,
the corporate HR director must be astute and should know how
to promote his departments actions, among both employees
and management, to get them to adopt policies as their own
throughout the entire organization. In this case, the analytical
indicators we spoke of earlier may be very useful in demonstrating ROI internally.
Management
6.Tip: Integrate global with local
Key skill: Flexibility
Today more than ever, glocal (global-local) has become
the new panacea of any organization. Its about having global
HR policies, while integrating local and regional peculiarities.
HR Strategy and Planning Excellence Essentials presented by HR.com | 04.2015
Thats why a good corporate human resources policy must be

the result of efforts to dialogue and share business best practices
internationally, without losing sight of the need to promote a
common and inclusive HR culture.
7.Tip: Manage global complexity
Key skill: International vision
Our world is global, so HR managers must sidestep tactics
based on border differences, and think of their organization as
a whole. International talent management raises very important
and diverse challenges. One is the great challenge of talent gap
or the distance between the skills required and those found in
employees today. This requires tools for searching the best talent
worldwide, and also knowing how to train and find the best
internal talent. Another key challenge is talent retention, when
we have very low numbers of truly loyal staff today.
8.Tip: Manage diversity
Key skill: Integration
It then goes to follow that theres a need to work with very
diverse teams. Different generations millennials bring in a
new approach to the current labor model, demanding greater
flexibility on the job and greater corporate responsibility. Different nationalities and cultural contexts this calls for a different
approach to the traditional expat and how employees should
HR Strategy and Planning Excellence presented by HR.com | 04.2015
receive training for international mobility very early on, turning

this into a plus for career development rather than an experience
to be compensated with fat benefit packages.
9.Tip: Count on the best technology
Key skill: Technological innovation
One of the trump cards for achieving integrated HR management is to have the technological tools that facilitate it. A
global HR solution with one unique record per employee
worldwide for global management throughout the working
lives of employees, from the recruitment process to full-blown
development within the organization will greatly facilitate
this undertaking. A solution, which also allows for the different
local needs and integrates these so that we can find out what
is happening in our organization worldwide in real time and
obtain the analytical indicators required to improve our day to
day activities.
10.Tip: Boost company-wide engagement
Key skill: Employee experience manager
One of the things to bear in mind today is the importance of
the experience gained both at the internal and external levels.
Its no longer just about selling a product, but also the engaging
experience that comes with it. Its no longer about only rewarding employees, but also making their days in the company a
pleasurable activity, satisfying and motivating them. Good steps
towards work life balance, strengthening initiative, innovation
and creativity in employees and work flexibility, among others,
will help to create this state of well-being.
Communication
11.Tip: Be a global information and communication source
Key skill: Communication
The HR department must not be isolated. It must also be a
source of information for the entire company and the central
hub of communication. This way, the organization becomes
open with information flowing freely and boosting communication between employees. Internal social networks, communities
and shared knowledge centers are essential, and also help us to
reinforce the improvement of internal skills, the search for the
best talent or mutual support networks.
12.Tip: Keep a marketing focus
Key skill: Brand management
Nowadays marketing has to be developed globally across the
entire company. A corporate brand strategy involves the entire
organization at all levels. To a large extent, this requires a much
more multi-functional collaboration than ever. Setting up close
links between the marketing and HR departments amplifies communication towards the (respective) customers. A corporate HR
director can play a key role in helping to develop this chain of
brand enhancement that starts with the organizations internal
values and culminates with the perception of the values the
company wants customers to experience. This way marketing
techniques also help foster the development of the strategies of
the HR department itself.
13.Tip: Transmit the corporate identity
Key skill: Value broadcaster
Since one of the fundamental tasks of the corporate HR director is to transmit corporate values, this person must reflect these
and be an example of trustworthiness for the entire organization.
Personal skills are covered in the next point, but with regards
to communication, this especially involves improving corporate
channels, and give voice to the varied differences from a global
and inclusive perspective.
14.Tip: Prioritize the search for the best talent
Key skill: Employer branding ambassador
There is still a long way to go in creating a compelling brand
and a strong company culture. As mentioned earlier, marketing
and HR collaboration is again evident in employer branding.
Collaborating as a whole on brand strategy, while ensuring
the company meets its commitment, together with how the
company culture breathes daily will enhance talent recruitment
and retentionone of the top priorities of HR leaders today. It
is therefore important to develop a strategy for selecting global
talent with all the tools for innovation at our disposal (social
recruiting, big data, predictive analytics, etc...).
15.Tip: Manage change in communication
Key skill: Social focus
In our era we have lived through the last major change in communication, we have moved from mass media to interactive communication through internet. Communication is a facet added
to every area of our lives through mobile devices. We cannot
just talk of social networks, but rather a social, multi channel,
multimedia and constant communication. Our organization
must not stay stuck in the old one-way communication and it
should enhance interaction in all directions and senses. This is
especially critical in a multinational organization: The corporate
HR department must work to break down the physical barriers
that block these communication modes from taking place, and
enhancing access for all employees to the same organization-wide
resources for engagement.
Personal Skills
16.Tip: Exemplify integrity
Key skill: Integrity
As we said earlier, the corporate HR leader must be an example
of the kind of corporate management he wants to promote.
Such that his actions and decisions must be aligned with this
management without contradictions. This implies cultivating an
upright and determined personality. Thats not to say that one
cannot make mistakes, but one must be capable of rectifying
and returning to the right path when it happens.
17.Tip: Inspire the entire organization
Key skill: Leadership
Theres been much talk about the most important qualities
of a good leader, but it is important to stress here the relevance
of this quality in a multinational company. Leading all parts
of the organization towards a common goal; managing diversity and integrating the differences require a high degree of
commitment and charisma. Inspiring the entire organization,
regardless of geography or cultural circumstances is no easy task
and will require a combination of what we talked about earlier:
Stronger communication, the right technology tools and good
management.
18.Tip: Be influential
Key skill: Persuasion
These days it is not enough to be a strategist or manager, the
HR leader at the corporate level has to be an agent of global
change. We are living in late post modernity, in which the only

constant is endless change, although this sounds contradictory.
In this context, the HR leader must be able to influence strategic decisions in the company for human capital management
to advance in the right direction, and not miss the boat for
transformation. In turn, he must persuasively sell the need for
change across to all departmental levels of the company.
19.Tip: Inspire trust
Key skill: Trustworthiness
More than ever in uncertain times, it is crucial for the corporate HR leader to build trust throughout the organization.
This is achieved with a set of different skills, such as coherence,
responsibility, dedication and strong leadership. It is not easy
to manage uncertainty. Not knowing what will happen in times
of constant change can cause stress, anxiety or fear in many
employees. Thats why trust in the company must be above all
reinforced at the corporate level.
20.Tip: Be flexible and reconcile
Key skill: Open minded
Today it is vital to be open to change, because as we have been
saying, the remedy is uncertainty. This forces us to improvise,
adapt to new situations, and always seek to improve on the current
state. All this is impossible if the HR leader is not open to new
ideas, flexible in the face of circumstances for transformation,
and willing to reconcile all aspects of diversity that we have been
discussing from the start. And as we mentioned, the keys to this
open mind are insatiable curiosity and constant learning.S&P
Mara Jos Fraile is the Meta4 Corporate HR Director with extensive
experience in the people management field, adjusting the HR function to
the different developmental stages of a company: hyper-growth, mergers and
acquisitions, restructuring, crisis management, among others. She has also
had the opportunity to work directly in the product line, supporting software
application design, consulting and pre-sales solutions for HR management
and knowledge management.
Connect: Mara Jos Fraile
Follow @MariaJoseFraile
Bettina Rodrguez graduated in Foreign Trade and Marketing, and holds an
MBA from the Instituto de Empresa. She has held various positions in training, pre-sales and marketing. Her professional career has always developed
in the international environment of B2B companies in the HR technology
sector. She currently manages the Meta4 Corporate Marketing department.
Connect Bettina Rodrguez Flick
Follow @bettinarflick
Carolina Reynoso Butron develops the Meta4 social media strategy and marketing content for each of the different markets in which the company operates: Global, France, Latin America, and Spain, among others. Her interest in
continuous learning has led her to train in different disciplines at universities
in Madrid, Paris and Salamanca. She holds a BA in History, Communication,
MA in Multimedia Journalism, and her latest research work focused on the
phenomena of gamification.
Connect Carolina Reynoso Butron
Follow @CarolReynoso
Would like to Comment? Please Click Here.
FEATURE
HR Analytics
The new gold rush
By David Green
Maybe its something in the water or perhaps its simply the

advent of a new year and all the hype that accompanies it, but
it does seem there has been a visible momentum shift in the
adoption of analytics in HR.
Writing in Forbes, industry sage Josh Bersin boldly proclaims
the geeks have arrived in HR and that HR departments are
finally getting serious about analytics. And I mean serious. HR
has been dipping its feet in the analytics ocean for years without
fully taking the plunge, but Bersin asserts that instead of just
talking about the opportunity to apply data to people decisions,
companies are now stepping up and making the investment.
From my discussions with HR leaders I sense too that the
accelerator pedal has been pressed to the floor even if many
organisations are still in the embryonic stage of datifying their
HR departments. On ERE, John Zappe latched onto Bersins
article and cited supportingresearch from Wanted Analyticsthat
the number of human resources jobs advertised in Q4 2014
requiring big data and analytical skills had risen markedly
year-on-year by 54%.
Could we be on the precipice of the HR equivalent of a gold
rush? CHROs and other CXO have watched with envy as companies as diverse as Unilever, ABN Amro, Shell and Sears have
built HR analytics functions and reaped the benefits of applying
a data driven approach to talent. HR has suddenly become an
interesting career destination for a number of hitherto unlikely
highly skilled geeks. In the same Forbes article, Bersin talks of
PhD statisticians, engineers, and computer scientists together, all
working on people analytics for their companies.
Maybe its something in the water or perhaps its simply the advent of a new year and all the hype that accompanies it, but it does seem there has been a visible
momentum shift in the adoption of analytics in HR.
In another excellent recent article (A Quant, Physicist, &

Chemist Walk Into HR), Benjamin Taylor Chief Data Scientist
(now thats a job title and a half ) at HireVue and one of the
geeks highlighted by Bersin explains what attracted him from
Wall Street to HR. Taylor makes an irrefutable case of why HR is
ripe for disruption, has multiple challenging data problems and
demands cross-pollination from other industries. This clarion call
defines why HR presents such a compelling career proposition if
you just happen to be a nuclear physicist, chemist, mechanical
engineer, data scientist or meteorologist.
However, before HR joyously exclaims gold, a note of caution.

It wasnt that long ago Bersin (yes, him again) published a fairly
damning indictment of HRs immaturity with analytics. This study
(see Figure below) showed that only 4% of companies had achieved
the capability to perform predictive analytics on their workforce and
only 14% had done any significant statistical analysis of employee
data. This leaves a whopping 86% with fools gold rather than the
genuine article. All the more reason to hope that Taylors call to arms
for HR cross-pollination will be heeded.
Bersin by Deloittes Talent Analytics Maturity Model

Initiatives like the CIPD ledValuing Your Talent, which aims to

provide employers with a clearer understanding of, and common means
of describing, the way in which people impact the performance of
their organisation will certainly help HR sort the wood from the trees.
Time will tell if Bersin is right to call it as he has, but it does seem
that the stars of HR analytics have finally aligned and 2015 will prove
to be a pivotal year. Lets hope so because as to paraphrase Mark Twains
character Mulberry Sellers: Theres gold in them thar data and theres
millions in it. S&P
David Green is a Director at Cielo,the leading global Recruitment Process
Outsourcing and talent acquisition firm. Davidhas helped a number of
organisations design data driven talent acquisition programmes that drive
effectiveness, growth and competitive advantage. He also speaks and writes on
HR Analytics and other key tenets driving the seismic change in the future of
work.
Email david.green@cielotalent.com
Follow @david_green_uk
Connect David Green
Bounce Back
Increasing workforce resilience
By Angela Payne
W orking today requires that we be change ready. Markets

shift, needs evolve and the competitive landscape is redrawn.
Organizations need employees who can adapt, recover and remain
productive in the midst of change, transition or uncertainty.
The Current Situation
Once an organization has announced a restructuring, merger
or new line of business, how do you ensure employees can absorb
high levels of ambiguity, cope with change and stay focused on
business? Today, change initiatives are a common fact of organizational life. However, the challenge of successfully implementing
change remains. Change needs to be planned, carefully managed,
monitored and measured.
Why it Matters?
The stakes are hardly inconsequential. From the moment
you announce news of change, you run the risk that workforce
performance will suffer. Employees living with uncertainty for
extended periods of time will at the least, experience confusion
and anxiety that may impede productivity. They may fear for
the future security of their own jobs and may disengage. With
its workforce distracted, the organization as a whole faces a
cascading set of threats. Falling productivity imperils critical
business functions, compromising customer service and satisfaction. Business performance can plummet.
Today, change initiatives are a common fact of organizational life. However, the challenge of successfully
implementing change remains. Change needs to be
planned, carefully managed, monitored and measured.
The sooner your people can adapt and bounce back after change
is announced, the better you can compete.
What to Do About it?
Uncertainty and stress are inevitable parts of change, but a major
disruption in business continuity isnt. Resiliency is a trait individuals can develop and strengthen. Here are six key steps you can take
to ensure that your people survive change and bounce back quickly.
1.Ensure that executive leadership is fully engaged. Major change
requires major leadership. Top management can sponsor change actively
and visibly by impressing upon the entire organization the necessity
for change and the benefits to be realized.
2.Formulate a comprehensive, well-structured change management plan. No plan, no quick bounce back. Its as simple as that. The
proposed changes have to be introduced with forethought, appropriate
10
supports have to be marshalled and resiliency has to be cultivated.

3.Communicate clearly and consistently. Theres nothing more
damaging than an unfounded rumor and nothing more inevitable
when the organizations leadership remains tight lipped about whats in
store and why. The organization needs to be clear about its messaging
and have mechanisms in place to ensure that everyone in authority
works from the same playbook.
4.Comprehensively engage front-line managers. Front-line managers are at the leading edge of any change event. Give them direction
and training specifically related to the change event. Their role is to
identify team challenges and apply resilience-building key practices
during one-on-one conversations with immediate reports.
5.Provide tools, resources and coaching. Simple, actionable change
management tools and resources can make a profound contribution
to managing change successfully and sustainably. As a follow-up to
reinforce sustainability, coach-facilitated group meetings should be
held to ensure that managers and employees are putting their change
management skills into practice and implementing change effectively.
6.Conduct pulse surveys. What you dont know can definitely hurt
you. You need to keep abreast of whats happening on the ground and,
if appropriate, adjust your strategy to ensure that your change event
remains entirely under your control. Pulse surveys targeting employee
morale and productivity will provide you with crucial insight on how
employees are adapting and whether your initiative is still on track.
What are people thinking and feeling? Have you been communicating
with them effectively? Is the training youre providing working? Are
productivity levels being maintained?
In todays increasingly fluid business environment, organizations
everywhere are under pressure to adopt significant change with greater
frequency. Those companies that can manage change best enjoy a
clear competitive advantage. The sooner your people can adapt and
bounce back, the better you can compete. The more completely you
can maintain the continuity of your operations, the stronger your
performance and the more secure your competitive position. Taking
an organized, carefully conceived approach to managing change is
more important than ever. S&P
Angela Payne joined Lee Hecht Harrison in 2012 and is the Country
Manager for Canada. Prior to this assignment, she was the companys senior
sales executive responsible for managing the sales team on a national basis.
Angela has held senior positions within the Canadian subsidiaries of Adecco
SA for over 14 years, including Adecco Canada and most recently with Lee
Hecht Harrison.
Email: Angela.Payne@lhh.com
Visit www.lhh.com
Employees choose
the areas of focus
they want to work on.
As an employer, are you committed to helping your

employees become engaged, better performers and
motivated each and every day?
Choose area of focus
Employees choose
how they learn.
How employees learn
You should and now you can!

The Personal Excellence App for Personal Development
does this daily: builds alignment, skills, motivation, and much
more within your organization. In your brand, you will be
able to align content and learning objects to the key values
and objects you have set for your organization. Map content
and exercises to your employees that help your organization
achieve its goals while developing all your leaders. In addition,
you will be able to embed custom training and content and
messages that can reach your employees daily, motivating and
inspiring them each and every day.
Spend 3-5 minutes of the day
No software
In your brand
Download statistics on employee usage
Key Performance Indicators for employees
Align content with Corporate Values and Mission
Gamification, Rewards and Points allocation
based on usage *
Quick Employee Survey and polling
Add your custom content, or content from
our marketplace.
Communicate with
your staff.
Brand the app with

your logo.
Conduct polls with

your employees.
*Available Q4.
Phone: 1.877.472.6648 | info@personalexcellenceapp.com | www.personalexcellenceapp.com
Do you wake up each

and every day and say:
Download version 1.2

Register
Applications
About
Customers
New/Resources
Contact
Login
Buy Now
Exceed Your Potential

Learn More
Today I am going to work on becoming a better person,

..a better leader,
..a better role model for my friends and family,
..a better coworker!?
The Personal Development App designed to help you achieve your potential.
Available now for both Android and iPhone
You can do it in 3-5 minutes a day.

Imagine having a personal coach each and
every day to help motivate, inspire, guide and
direct you to Exceed your Potential.
The Personal Excellence App will introduce
you to positive, constructive leadership
concepts that will help you clearly define
your goals, improve your performance, and
enhance your inner self.
Phone: 1.877.472.6648 | info@personalexcellenceapp.com | www.personalexcellenceapp.com
FEATURE
Change Management
Helpful tips
By Bill McElwain
What is Change Management?
Change management has always been a mild consideration in

traditional businesses, but it has become a more significant concern
in modern business. It has most recently been recognized as a task
perhaps beyond coaching. Some businesses are now considering
the Change Management task worthy of position assignments and
recruiting efforts are evident that some businesses are hiring Change
Managers, in order to execute change where workplace resistance or
cultural erosion may occur as a result.
While no one truly expects to move through life without change,
most people are naturally apprehensive about change, and for a very
good reason. If one considers what signs of change relating to survival
meant over tens of thousands of years. Noticing rivers drying up, or
game and food supplies diminishing; meant our distant ancestors had
to view change as potentially life threatening. Interestingly enough,
they also became instigators of change in order to protect themselves against unforeseen and abrupt changes events that could be
catastrophic, if not anticipated or planned for. Implementing typical
Change Management processes, or focusing on the creation of Change
Expectant employees as well, is really as simple as deciding which
will best facilitate a fluid and lasting method of business operation.
After all, the most successful societies were change expectant and
implemented change with self-fulfilling enthusiasm in comparison
to coercive regimes, where creative change lagged alongside menial
or antagonistic change.
For obvious reasons, we need to make changes in our business plans,
operational processes, such as safety and environmental functions,
financial, and at times, even our product or branding. The people
that drive these day-to-day operations may need to be expanded,
contracted or re-deployed entirely, depending on the change and
that change may besocrucial that the very survival of the business
depends on it. Just imagine the changes at Kodak, while the digital
camera was on the rise. If you were a front line employee there, could
you have endured the change? Or, would you have preferred to be an
instigator of the change?
Change Management Tips
Heres a true story of a local business that had made a management
change in one of their area operations. It was a fairly substantial
change and involved bringing in a new manager from another area
to make some, Big Changes. The current management had been
either fired or demoted and the new guy was going to make it all
work well again. Of course, he hit the ground running and with a
box of books titled, Who Moved My Cheese, by Spencer Johnson,
M.D. The book tells a short tale of mice and humans living in a maze
and coping with cheese arrangements. While I have read this book
and enjoyed it as a comic and simplistic view of human and animal
behavior, it was certainly wasnotthe right publication or method of
introducing change into that particularly anxious environment. The
feedback from the employees that read the book was very negative.
Not that they resented the impending change, but because they had
felt degraded. Essentially, the expectancy of their ability to work with
or implement change had been reduced to comparing them to mice

in a maze. They thought more of themselves than that and the whole
subsequent Change Management effort failed miserably as talented
people moved away from that particular maze. The book might be
okay to share with a friend, or family member, but Change Managers and especiallyNew Managers, would do well to avoid issuing this
publication to the mice beneath you. Because thats exactly how it
will be received.
Instead; use dialog in group or team meetings that promotes the
concept of creative change and employee contribution. This approach
will foster a more cooperative and willing change expectant player,
than a: Here, read this and brace for impact, book. People that are
given opportunities and incentives to be the creators of the very change
needed to help the business; can initiate some of the most broadly
accepted changes of all. Although the story of Spence Silver and Art
Fry; the collaborators of the Post-It-Note creation at 3M, is not purely
a change management story, but it does involve creative collaboration
and changes to production and marketing that hadnt been expected.
Trust the inner spirit of the people within your organization to
become initiators of truly needed change through challenging and
collaborative dialogue. Teams should be guided to create idea lists of
changes needed, or even imagined for their business divisions. These
ideas should address the potential challenges of predesigned concepts
for growth, improvement and market competitiveness. There should
be incentives and bonus programs that serve as key motivational items
for creative and profitable contributions. Change expectant employees
are easy to recognize: They are the ones knocking on your door with
a new idea. Dont just grin and wish them a good day, spend some
time nurturing that attempt to seed your business. Perhaps the first
idea was a poor one, but think of the passion that drove it.
There are times when change will not be pleasant no matter how
many meetings are held. In my location, the recent drop in oil pricing
has caused some immediate and painful change requirements for some
businesses to ensure survival. But it would be folly to throw in the
towel before trying to create a positive change expectant and change
aggressive work force. Who knows what great new ideas for equipment
deployment, modification and utilization may erupt? S&P
Bill McElwain is President at Ascent Business Consulting Ltd. Bill has worked
extensively in the investment industry, construction, oilfield and transportation sectors and has over 20-years of Leadership and Operational experience.
Connect Bill McElwain
Visit http://ascentbusinessconsulting.ca/
13
People Management
How analytics is changing it
By Bernard Marr
Google has regularly been voted the best company in America carried out a study in 2013 which found a strong link between the
to work for its staff get free meals, generous paid holidays,
access to nap pods for power-napping during the business day,
and are even encouraged to grow their own fruit and vegetables
at work.
And, despite their old dont be evil motto, Google top brass
hasnt set things up this way simply because they are lovely people.
Like everything they do, their decisions were based squarely on
data and in this case the data showed that treating their staff
well would increase employee satisfaction.
Employers have been using analytics for some time now to
understand what makes their staff tick using metrics such as
staff engagement to understand what drives productivity and
innovation in the workplace.
The Big Data revolution has accelerated this practice as well
as taken it in new directions companies now have more data
than ever on their employees, and more tools and technology
with which to analyze this data.
But can or should we monitor people who work for us in
the same way we monitor our machinery and equipment? Can
their behavior be predicted, or even manipulated, in the same
way? Is it even ethical to try?
After all, people are far less predictable, more nuanced in our
reactions to events or situations, and complex in our motivations. If the productivity of a piece of machinery is consistently
lower than it should be, its a safe bet that its faulty. If a human
beings productivity is dwindling there could be a hundred
reasons illness, coping with stress at home, or beginning to
feel demotivated by the job.
The fact that these questions remain unanswered has certainly
not stopped many with pushing ahead and trying it out anyway!
Hitachis Business Microscope service enables companies to
fit their staff with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags
which track their movements around the workplace and even
monitor sound waves to identify how stressed or relaxed they
are when they speak.
Inone trial, a retailer was able to increase sales by 15% after they
noticed that the presence of a member of staff in certain areas of the
store had a high impact on products sold, while in other areas, their
presence had very little effect.
The devices arent limited in use to businesses whose staff regularly
move around to complete their jobs. In a seated office environment,
they record how long an employee spends at their desk along with
how much time they spend interacting with other staff, who they talk
to, the distance they stand from each other during conversations, and
the enthusiasm with which they contribute to meetings.
It may sound Orwellian, but how well it is received by staff will
probably entirely depend on the way it is used. If it is used as a disciplinary tool focused on the behavior of individuals, it is sure to lead
to resentment. But, when used as a way to gain an overview of the
company as a whole, and how it interacts to get the job done, it will
probably generate far less complaints and far more useful insights.
Retaining staff (or reducing churn) is often a key priority for
businesses. Top talent is always in demand, and assuring that it wont
be poached by competitors is always a challenge. To this end, Forbes
14
rate of pay required to keep a member of staff, and their level of

productivity.
Middle-performing staff could be expected to stay loyal even if
their earnings dropped as low as 91% of the average salary for their
job. High-fliers, by contrast, would begin to look around for other
opportunities if their salary is below 120% of the average.
Companies have leveraged these insights to come up with algorithms
which predict when they may be in danger of losing a key member
of staff allowing them to step in and intervene.
The fact is that in the age of Big Data analysis, measuring the efficiency of staff, and identifying the factors that may be affecting it,
is a relatively simple process, with the amount of data that employers
are now capable of collecting from their employees, and the advanced
tools which are available for analysis.
The benefits to a company which is able to accurately identify why
one particular customer sales representative outperforms his or her
colleagues are obvious. However, if implemented in a sloppy or discriminatory fashion, they could also lead to serious problems with staff
trust, and the level of intrusion into their private lives that they feel.
With many companies now routinely scanning contents of emails
and monitoring the activities of their staff on social media, it is clear
that some may feel concerned.
Will employees resent this level of analysis of their day-to-day activities? Some certainly will. But as I said before it will depend entirely
on how it is implemented. In short, there are far more useful, and
less provocative uses for employee data collection and analysis, than
enforcing discipline over who takes the most bathroom breaks.
It is something we are likely to become used to over time just as
in the consumer sphere, we are getting more used to handing private
companies our personal information in return for a more convenient
service.
And, if the end result is a decision by their employer to double their
paid holiday, provide free food, and encourage them to sleep on the
job it is unlikely they will get many complaints!
As always, I am keen to hear your thoughts on the topic, please feel
free to comment. S&P
Bernard Marr is a global enterprise performance expert and a best-selling
business author. He helps companies to better manage, measure, report
and analyze performance. His leading-edge work with major companies,
organisations and governments across the globe makes him an acclaimed and
award-winning keynote speaker, researcher, consultant and teacher. Bernard is
acknowledged by the CEO Journal as one of todays leading business brains.
Email bernard.marr@ap-institute.com
Visit www.ap-institute.com
Follow @BernardMarr
FEATURE
Cultural Change?!
Its not HRs job!!!
By Donna McGeorge
O ver lunch with an HR professional recently, he asked

me if I would be interested in engaging with them around a
cultural change project. By his description, the culture was in
sore need of a boost and perhaps if I came in and offered a few
motivational workshops, we might fix it.
I asked who in the leadership team is asking for this? What
does the leadership team want from the culture? Who is your
champion or sponsor for this? I fully expected him to reply The
CEO. Instead, he said, No-one. Its me.
He went on to explain that the leadership team is too busy
for this and has delegated it to HR, and in turn, it was delegated
to him. I felt very sorry for him as I believed he is either being
set up to fail, or the leadership in the organisation have no idea
what it takes to bring about cultural change.
I believe there are three key factors he needs to consider to

get started:
Vision
Definewhat you want the culture to be.
Diagnosewhere it is now. What do you want to keep and
what are the root causes of some of the less favorable aspects of
the existing culture?
Design the future, identifying the key levers to bring
about change.
Leadership
Do the leaders haveconfidencein the vision?
Are theycongruentin their behaviors?
Can they stand inconvictionabout future?
Change Management
All aspects of the organisation need to be addressed in the
management of the change.
Impact on, meaning for, and communication toIndividuals,
Teams & Organisation
So,what roleDOESHR play?I believe the same role that any
other function or leader would play. The responsibilities that

fall into the function of HR can have a tremendous impact.
Design of the employee value proposition
Recruiting for the desired culture,
Education/training,
Leadership succession planning... to name a few.
And the role of Finance? Designing systems and processes
that support the culture.
Its only when you haveALIGNMENTbetween the vision

of the organisation and the vision of the culture,SPONSORSHIPat the highest level of the organisation and
support from the senior, or executive leadership team,
and a co-ordinated change management PLAN that
you can begin to bring about cultural change.
The role of Sales and/or Marketing? What are the key messages we want our customers to know about our culture. Or IT?
How do we provide technological infrastructure to support the
culture we want to build.
Its not one persons job, its everyones job.
AND it takes time. Hosting motivational workshops or events,
sending e-mails, and putting posters on a wall will not fix it.
Its only when you have ALIGNMENT between the vision
of the organisation and the vision of the culture,SPONSORSHIPat the highest level of the organisation and support from
the senior, or executive leadership team, and a co-ordinated
change managementPLANthat you can begin to bring about
cultural change. S&P
For almost 20 years, Donna McGeorge has worked in HR, L&D and OD
in several global organisations, including Ernst & Young, Ansett Airlines and
Ford Motor Company. In her private consulting practice she has trained, facilitated and consulted to KPMG, Flight Centre, Ford, Bunnings, Nissan Motor
Company, Moet Hennessy Diageo China, ChangAn Ford, NAB and ANZ
Bank. Donna is currently working with a number of global companies on
organizational change, and is the author of two books, The Pen is Mightier than
the Slide(published May 2014) and Get Engaged(published February 2015).
Email d@donnamcgeorge.com
Connect Donna McGeorge
Visit www.donnamcgeorge.com
15
ChangeInitiatives
Why HR should lead
By Carol Anderson
Change management is about people, performance and leader-
ship, ergo, one would think HR should be leading the charge (or at
least playing a major role). Unfortunately, in many cases, HR is not
involved because it does not bring the skill sets that would be useful to
organizational change or is simply not even invited to the party. More
concerning is that CEOs dont hold their HR leadership accountable for
building the necessary expertise that would facilitate effecting change.
Without the internal expertise, organizations, more often than not,
look to outside consultants to provide the needed assistance to effect
the organizational changes theyre looking for.
Whats striking here, even with the expertise of outside consultants,
change guru John Kotter, (Kotter International) still claims that70%
of change efforts fail; this is a pretty dismal record. Kotters approach
for change management is for organizations to take a consistent,
holistic approach to changing themselves, and engaging their workforce effectively.
Changing themselves. Engaging their workforce. Sounds like learning, development and human resources to me so why isnt HR part
of the solution?
Kotters research spans 4 decades and I have almost 4 decades of
HR executive roles in large, multi-unit organizations behind me and
from what Ive seen, Kotters research is dead on. Change may come
in the form of a merger, a shift in technology, the launch of a new
strategy, or a change in organizational leadership. And each change or
combination of changes create anxiety and concern in the workforce,
which requires strong, coordinated leadership that understand the
dynamics of change, foster open channels of candid communication,
and facilitate a careful exploration of organizational culture in the
context of the change.
Leading the leadership in providing the organizational guidance is
where HR can bring tremendous value because HR has, or should have,
a top level view of people, programs and process. They have a unique
vantage pointto breach silos and facilitate organizational change.
If HR is going to lead the change process, they need the knowledge,
skills and resources to make it happen. Many HR Teams, though, are
missing the critical expertise needed for leading change. For example,
HR needs:
Project Management Skills.Im not talking about HR being project
managers but they must understand the need for effective project
managementso they can provide good counsel as part of the leadership team, counsel that could include ensuring there is executive
sponsorship with authority and courage to make key decisions, having
a having a clear definition of the purpose, scope and expected results,
and evaluating the results against the expectations.
Learning and Development Skills.With organizational change
comes the need for behavioral change, and the more dramatic the
change, the more intentional the organization must be in defining,
teaching and holding themselves accountable for the behavior change.
Kotter says to engage the workforce, but that is not an easy task.
It means that the workforce needs to clearly understand both the
change and the need to change. It means that they need a voice to
share concerns and provide input.
Organizational learningis all about setting clear expectations,
providing knowledge and resources, and evaluating and tweaking the
result, and developing strength in leadership to lead change.
16
The programs and processes that are typically owned by HR training and performance management should align to the realities of
the organizational change.
HR needs to lead this effort because HR is all about people. HR
leadership that can assess learning needs, create formal and informal
learning opportunities, and evaluate the effectiveness are, in fact,
leading organizational change. If the HR programs do not accomplish
this, they are not relevant.
Systems Thinking Skills.Change in todays world is complex, and
a change in one process can have unintended consequences that ripple
through the organization. Understanding howsystems work, and being
able to facilitate the discovery of interacting systems among diverse
groups of people brings credibility to the change leader.
With organizational complexity often comes silod thinking that leads
to decisions being made without effective analysis and risk assessment.
Leaders need to understand the implication of their decisions, and
collaborate effectively across the organization. This is a skill that must
be developed in leadership. It is also a process that begs for oversight,
to maintain the coordinated perspective of the organizational change.
If HR programs are aligned and relevant, they provide good business intelligence that illustrates challenges and opportunities with the
organizational change. If these programs are not aligned and relevant,
they are wasting valuable time.
But there is an opportunity here: CEOs need to challenge their
HR teams to provide the leadership the organization needs to successfully effect change and hold them accountable for the skills and
performance. This may mean shifting workload so that HR can truly
be a change partner, coach the organization and through this, drive
successful change.
But only HR has the overall insight into the people, teams and
organizational performance that gives them a vantage point that is
unique within the organization. If HR is up to the challenge and is
aligned and relevant, they are in the best position to lead organizational
change and the whole organization becomes better. If CEOs need to
bring in outside expertise to do the work HR should be doing, then
the question needs to be asked Why do I need HR? S&P
Originally published in http://attheintersectionblog.com/
Carol Anderson is a Principal withAnderson Performance Partnersa boutique

consulting firm with the mission of helping the HR profession be as valuable
to their clients as possible, intersecting performance and learning to actually
drive organizational results. She has held HR leadership roles in health care,
financial services, retail and the military. Most recently she served as Chief
Learning Officer for a large health care system in Central Florida, with responsibility for talent development, leadership, professional and clinical education
and team member engagement.
Email carol@andersonperformancepartners.com
Visit www.andersonperformancepartners.com
Why Great Strategies Fall Short?

A few reasons
By Charlotte Ntreh
Do you ever wonder why great strategies fall short?

Here are a few reasons why great isnt good enough.
1. Great strategies are a starting point. They are like a fresh
ball of clay formed into its initial shape. Shiny, new, fragrant,
clean. But its just that a starting point for future twist, turns
and ready to be shaped over and over. If left in its current shape,
it will become brittle and useless.
2. Great is relative. Its worth is measured by ones mind at a
point in time. Whats great today may be mediocre tomorrow.
Strategy is mobile, ever changing, continually seeking the next
addition. Never quite making it to doneness. Given the speed of
change, strategies must be fluid and constantly seeking a greater
level of performance.
3. A great strategy alone doesnt equal success. Successful
strategies take into account many things including resources,
challenges, execution, decisions and drivers. Forward thinking,
continual planning and future actions will adjust and reshape
your strategy.
4. Great is overrated. How many times a day do you use the
word great? Have a great day, Great, lets meet at 12:00,

Great job, Johnny, I had a great time. The truth is that weve
marginalized greatness. Great no longer really means great in
day-to-day vernacular.
So, the next time youre creating a strategy, dont create just
a great strategy. Create an effective, efficient, executable, measurable and adjustable strategy that moves and grows with your
business.
Let me know how it goes and have a GREAT day! S&P
This article was originally published in http://www.people-results.com
Charlotte Ntreh is a Partner at PeopleResults where she helps clients build
and sustain high performing, impactful and effective organizations with
measurable results.
Visit cntreh@people-results.com
Follow @cntreh
17
FEATURE
The HR Giant Within

The time has come!
By Lisa Milani
For over 20 years, CFOs have allocated budget dollars to

optimize the material supply chain. The Law of Diminishing
Returns is kicking in. As a result, its time to look to other
LOBs to optimize and gain efficiencies. For some organizations,
Human Resource departments are undergoing a change that
will completely transform the professional world. The time has
come for HR to become the giant within the organization and
take its seat at the table.
While the cost of labor differs from industry to industry, it can
account for an average of 20-40% of the organizations expenses.
Modern HR understands how crucial it is to place the data and
tools in the hands of managers and employees, to greatly reduce
the expense of the organization.
Modern businesses are increasingly moving their data onto
the cloud, while setting up access to it through mobile devices
and streamlining their procedures into their employees daily
activities. As they move onto the cloud, they gain a consolidated
view of their workforce from recruitment to retirement. They
have the tools to transform their entire business and find the
best use for every employee.
Companies that are slow to move to modern HR will continue to address the same challenges every year. To illustrate,
18
the average application is twenty years old. Many organizations

are forced to function on technology that was created before
mobile, social media, search engines and the cloud. Moreover,
75% of those applications are fundamentally customized such
that their owners no longer recognize the antiquated technology.
Sadly, the companies that are tethered to these applications are
watching their IT budgets become drained year after year to
maintain them. They throw good money after bad.
CHROs must constantly execute and plan initiatives that
support all LOBs. The HR organization plays a vital role in the
success of the enterprises they serve. HRs role in the companys
success is more important than ever as the U.S. economy continues to grow. S&P
Lisa Milani is an HCM Consultant with Oracle. She works directly with
some of worlds most successful organizations to streamline processes and
make critical decisions to promote growth.
Email lisa.milani@oracle.com
Connect Lisa Milani
Follow @lmilani_HCM
HR.com
Top Jobs
ONE JOB POSTING DOES IT ALL!
With over 230,000 members, HR.com is the largest community of highly engaged HR professionals.
Combine this with the reach and performance of TheJobNetwork, HR.com is the most effective way
to hire!
Reach qualified talent on HR.com and across thousands of job sites at the same time
Save time and attract more qualified candidates with Real-Time Job Matching
Get instant access to the resume database and LinkedIn profile matches at no extra charge
POST YOUR HR JOBS TODAY
Job Title: Regional Human Resources Manager

Category: Human Resources / Recruiting
Type: Full Time
Company: Carmax
Location: Fairfield, CA
VIEW POSTS
Job Title: OfficeTeam Division Director (Temp)

Type: Full Time
Company: Robert Half
Location: Philadelphia, PA (US)
VIEW POSTS
Job Title: Senior Manager University Relations

Type: Full Time, Internship
Company: Walmart
Location: San Bruno, CA (US)
VIEW POSTS
Job Title: Talent Recruiter - Appleton, WI

Type: Full Time
Company: Kelly Services
Location: Appleton, WI (US)
VIEW POSTS
www.hr.com/careers
Has Your Career Jumped The Shark?

Five obstacles to career advancement
By Tom Sims
Y ou may be too young to have watched new episodes of careers on track. The five obstacles to career advancement are:
the sitcom Happy Days but you may be familiar with the phrase
jumped the shark that emanated from this nostalgic 1970s
series. The program received enthusiastic support from its audience during its first few years, but over time viewer interest waned
due to a lack of creativity in keeping the series fresh and relevant
with the ever-changing tastes of viewers. Out of desperation,
the writers created the fateful episode featuring the Fonze (the
leather jacketed motorcycle riding co-star) jumping a live shark
while water skiing wearing his, you guessed it, leather jacket.
From this point it was all downhill for the series and hence the
phrase which became a metaphor for something that has peaked.
Having known and worked with scores of human resources
professionals over the years I have seen many careers jump the
metaphorical shark. These careers often began with high expectations buoyed by advancement through the various HR chairs
only to end up stalled. The move from individual contributor
to manager, and manager to executive, are frequent career shark
jumpers. So how does one avoid the shark? By mastering the
five occupational obstacles discussed here, HR professionals
(and most professionals), will be better prepared to keep their
Not understanding the business (whether for-profit, nonprofit, or government)

Not developing internal champions
Not having a mentor
Not embracing lifelong learning
Not thinking and acting strategically
The Business: HR professionals often portray themselves as
internal consultants to the organization. This characterization
of the role often leaves the impression that the human resources
professional is an omniscient outside expert rather than in integral
business partner with skin in the game. In order to gain the
trust and credibility of decision-makers, HR professionals must
be perceived as insiders who understand the business, talk its
language, and offer solutions that solve real business problems.
Understanding the business begins with a solid comprehension
of the organizations critical success factors (CSFs) that, simply
stated, are those organizational attributes and outcomes that are
most vital to overall enterprise success. By understanding these
drivers of success the HR function is able to offer solutions that
are focused on those aspects of the business that create the most
20
Has Your Career Jumped The Shark?
value for stakeholders.

Some examples of CSFs are speed to market, product innovation, lowest cost, best-in-class technology, and others that,
when actuated, help ensure the viability and sustainability of
the organization. So, for example, if the companys success relies
on high sales volume due to commoditized low margins, the
focus of human resources initiatives should be on programs,
processes, and practices that help build a highly effective sales
and marketing function while keeping fixed overhead as low as
practicable. This might include reinventing the talent acquisition
process for assessing and selecting sales and marketing personnel,
implementing training in strategic selling concepts, designing
compensation systems with more pay at risk, streamlining the
organization to eliminate excess layers of management, etc.
Internal Champions: Developing highly effective working
relationships with the organizations thought leaders is an essential element in increasing ones influence and value. Thought
leaders, as used in this context, can be found almost anywhere in
the organization. They can be senior leaders, middle managers,
technical experts, top salespeople, or administrative assistants.
A thought leader is one who has influence within the organization due to position, expertise, longevity (e.g. organizational
history), or simply respect by decision-makers.
Forging working alliances with these individuals is important
for two reasons. First, these associations offer valuable insight
into perceived organizational problems and needs thereby allowing the HR professional to develop results-oriented programs
and processes that address these important issues. Second, when
seeking support for new initiatives, having thought leaders in
ones camp can be the difference between approval and rejection. Going it alone is rarely successful when substantial change
is required.
Mentors: When you ask most successful HR leaders what was
most important in their career journey you will likely hear about
a revered mentor who made a difference in their vocational trajectory. A mentor serves as a guide for navigating the personal,
professional, and political waters of organizational life. Mentors
are typically found in one of two ways. Some organizations,
unfortunately few, have formal mentorship programs whereby
perceived high potential employees are assigned a mentor. Often,
however, the pairing of mentor and mentee is far less formal
as the relationship simply forms organically with no charter or
rules. These associations are based primarily on mutual respect
between the parties with the tacit understanding that there is
wisdom and knowledge to be imparted/accepted.
Numerous studies have demonstrated the value of mentoring.
So if ones organization does not have a mentoring program
prospective mentees need to take the initiative to approach
someone whom they believe can be a valuable confidant and
advisor. This can be someone within the organization who has
a track record of success in both producing results and maintaining effective working relationships with others, or it can be
someone outside the organization with similar attributes. Once
the relationship is established, regardless of who or how, it is
the mentees responsibility to be available, open, honest, and
willing no, desiring - to grow, in order to receive full benefit
from the association.
21
Lifelong Learning: The old clich The only constant in

business is change is particularly relevant to shark jumping.
Organizations evolve, leadership changes, customers are fickle,
and technology advances exponentially. All professionals, and
especially human resources professionals, must continually stay
abreast of changes in their organizations, their professions, their
customers (internal and external), and the world around them
to remain relevant and contemporary. Plateaus begin where
learning ends.
Participating (not simply attending meetings) in professional
organizations such as SHRM, HRPS, and others is a minimum.
Certifications such as the PHR, SPHR, CEBS, GMS and others
are good ways to learn and demonstrate ones commitment to the
profession, but post-graduate courses should also be considered as
these can add greater analytical and strategic depth for thinking
beyond organizational symptoms to the examination of root
causes which is where problems are truly solved. Only through
such depth of understanding can appropriate evidence-based
practices be developed for the learners organization.
Strategic Thinking: The ability to think strategically is perhaps
the most important of the five career obstacles. Understanding
the business, partnering with thought leaders, having a mentor,
and continual learning provide the foundation for strategic thinking. HR careers are advanced when management perceives the
HR professional to be an engineer rather than a mechanic.
Of course the human resources function must certainly provide
the basic mechanical functions of legal compliance, applicant
tracking, HR policies, accurate and confidential record keeping,
employee processing, benefits administration, etc., but it is the
value-adding programs and processes that afford the human
resources function a seat at the table.
Although alignment has become an over-used word today,
it remains a critical element of strategy. As examples, compensation programs that are heavy on base or guaranteed pay
versus at-risk remuneration may not be well aligned in start-up
organizations. Training programs focused primarily on technical skills at the expense of managerial and leadership skills may
not be aligned within traditional organizations having multiple
layers of management. Onboarding programs that spend most
of new employees time on how to issues versus why issues
may not be aligned with organizations that have a strong culture
based upon a history of exceptionalism and success. Again, a
good knowledge of the organization, its CSFs, its history, and
its culture provide a solid underpinning for talent management
strategic alignment.
If the shark is in sight with your career, avoid it by increasing
your influence within the organization by addressing these five
career obstacles. Safe skiing! S&P
Tom Sims, M.S. has over 40 years of experience in senior human resources
and organization development roles in public, private, and government
organizations. He is the author of E-Mails from Dad: A Contemporary Guide to
Managing Todays Workforce and has written numerous articles on management
and leadership for US and UK publications.
Visit www.YourHRCoach.com
Email tomasims@comcast.net
Connect Tom Sims
Skills Gap
Innovation, the key to attracting young workers
By Tom Turpin
Weve all heard about the skills gap across Canada boomers
are retiring and there arent enough qualified workers to fill their
roles. It all paints a pretty dismal picture for Canadas economy.
According to a recent Randstad study though, it seems that
young Canadians are getting the message. There is a wealth of
opportunity for career building within the various skilled trade
sectors across the country, and people are taking notice.
Companies like Pratt & Whitney, IBM Canada Limited, and

Bombardier that have built reputations around the newest,
best or most efficient technologies get a ringing endorsement from Canadian employees, who this year rank these
and other innovators in the top 20 companies Canadians
want to work for.
Whats drawing them in could be the opportunity for exploration, creation and experimentation within so-called traditional
fields. Many of todays job seekers have grown up in a high-tech,
dynamic era where the first and fastest to market are rewarded.
We believe that innovation and the chance to work within
a team of innovators is appealing to Canadian workers. Job
seekers who responded to our Employer Branding Study say they
are increasingly attracted to companies who require engineers,
computer scientists, data architects and other highly skilled,
technical professionals.
Companies like Pratt & Whitney, IBM Canada Limited, and
Bombardier that have built reputations around the newest, best
or most efficient technologies get a ringing endorsement from
Canadian employees, who this year rank these and other in-
When it comes to skilled trades, a shift in thinking needs to

be made in schools and at home that the blue collar jobs of
today are the while collar jobs of tomorrow. The appetite is
there among our youth lets feed it.
port & Logistics sector, followed by Engineering, Construction

and Manufacturing.
In-demand sectors as identified by job seekers:
1. Transport & Logistics (44%)
2. Engineering & Construction (41%)
3. High Tech Manufacturing (39%)
4. Industry & Manufacturing (36%)
5. Raw Materials (36%)
6. Motor Vehicle & Parts (34%)
7. Energy (32%)
These numbers may seem surprising, but they point to good
news when it comes to shrinking the skills gap and strengthening
Canadas economy. Theres still work to be done at the foundational level, though. When it comes to skilled trades, a shift in
thinking needs to be made in schools and at home that the blue
collar jobs of today are the while collar jobs of tomorrow. The
appetite is there among our youth lets feed it.
A new generation of workers requires a new approach to recruiting. The recent Randstad study reveal that Facebook has
topped LinkedIn as the preferred social channel for Canadian
job seekers. Are you ready? S&P
Tom Turpin is President of Randstad Canada, the countrys largest staffing,

recruitment and HR services provider.
Connect Tom Turpin
Visit http://www.randstad.ca/
novators in the top 20 companies Canadians want to work for.

A positive sign for the skills gap
This is an important consideration in terms of addressing
Canadas looming skills gap. The survey numbers show that
nearly 44% of Generation Y are seeking out jobs in the TransHR Strategy and Planning Excellence presented by HR.com | 04.2015
22
Upcoming Virtual Events & HR.com Webcasts

Virtual Events
Schedule
Talent Management
May 27-28, 2015
Sept 23-24, 2015
HR Strategy & Planning
July 14-15, 2015
Nov 3-4, 2015
June 2-3, 2015
Sept 29-30, 2015
May 5, 2015
Sept 1-2, 2015
July 28-29, 2015
Nov 17-18, 2015
August 11-12, 2015
Employee Benefits and Wellness
June 16-17, 2015
Oct 14-15, 2015
Social Media and Employee Communications
April 29-30, 2015
August 25-26, 2015
Leadership
June 23-24, 2015
Oct 27-28, 2015
Recognition and Engagement
July 22-23, 2015
Nov 9-10, 2015
Technology Enabled Learning
June 10-11, 2015
Oct 6-7, 2015
June 18, 2015
Dec 3, 2015
May 12-13, 2015
Sept 15-16, 2015
Talent Acquisition
Core HR, HRIS and Payroll
Canadian Masters in HR Strategy and Execution
HR in California
Workforce Management
Legal and Compliance
www.hr.com/virtualconferences
View our Upcoming Virtual Conference Schedule and Register Today!

Webcasts
A Selection of Webcasts
Date
Time
April 29, 2015
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET
Register
Make Your HR Systems Drive Decisions Through Data
May 5, 2015
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM ET
Register
Easy ACA for Employers
May 5, 2015
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM ET
Register
Personality Assessments The Difference Between a Great Hire and a

Costly Mistake
May 19, 2015
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM ET
Register
Getting Selection Right
June 2, 2015
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM ET
Register
The Rise Of Identity Fraud And Its Impact On The Workplace
June 16, 2015
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM ET
Register
Choosing the right solution for your Time & Attendance
June 18, 2015
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM ET
Register
Facebook, Twitter & iPads..Oh My! Emerging Social Media Issues for
Employers and the BYOD Movement
View our Upcoming Webcast Schedule and Register Today!
www.hr.com/upcoming_webcasts
by
12 Targeted Publications to Reach Your Audience

Informing, Educating, Enlightening and Assisting HR professionals in their personal and professional
development, the Excellence Essentials series offers high quality content through 12 monthly publications!
Like to submit an article? Use our online submission form or for more information go to www.hr.com/excellenceessentials

Human Resources April 2015

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Human Resources April 2015

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

04.

The HR Giant Within

The New Corporate HR Director

What are the HR Strategy and Planning

Use these resources today! Contact us now to inquire about

For more information phone: 1.877.472.6648 | email: sales@hr.com | www.hr.com

The New Corporate HR Director

Mara Jos Fraile, Bettina Rodrguez and Carolina

The HR Giant Within

Innovation, the key to attracting young workers

Guest Editors Note

When I received the articles for the April

of 20 tips and skills they consider important

Maximum of 20 Webcast Credits.

Maximum of 20 Webcast Credits.

Maximum of 20 Webcast Credits.

Over 4000 Archived Webcasts

Webcasts & Credits

Unlimited HRCI / eLearning Credits

- HRCI / eLearning Webcast Credit

GET STARTED AT:

The New Corporate HR Director

What makes a good corporate HR director? The answer is

Click here for a high resolution image

Submit your Articles

the new emerging realities, instead we must grab and embrace

The New Corporate HR Director

Thats why a good corporate human resources policy must be

receive training for international mobility very early on, turning

Submit your Articles

The New Corporate HR Director

Submit your Articles

change. We are living in late post modernity, in which the only

Would like to Comment? Please Click Here.

HR Strategy and Planning Excellence Essentials presented by HR.com | 04.2015

Maybe its something in the water or perhaps its simply the

In another excellent recent article (A Quant, Physicist, &

However, before HR joyously exclaims gold, a note of caution.

Bersin by Deloittes Talent Analytics Maturity Model

Initiatives like the CIPD ledValuing Your Talent, which aims to

Submit your Articles

W orking today requires that we be change ready. Markets

Submit your Articles

supports have to be marshalled and resiliency has to be cultivated.

HR Strategy and Planning Excellence Essentials presented by HR.com | 04.2015

As an employer, are you committed to helping your

Choose area of focus

How employees learn

You should and now you can!

Spend 3-5 minutes of the day

Brand the app with

Conduct polls with

Phone: 1.877.472.6648 | info@personalexcellenceapp.com | www.personalexcellenceapp.com

Do you wake up each

Download version 1.2

Exceed Your Potential

Today I am going to work on becoming a better person,

You can do it in 3-5 minutes a day.

Phone: 1.877.472.6648 | info@personalexcellenceapp.com | www.personalexcellenceapp.com

What is Change Management?

Change management has always been a mild consideration in

or implement change had been reduced to comparing them to mice

Would like to Comment? Please Click Here.

Submit your Articles