What do Santa Claus and performance reviews have in common? Basically, everything. Your boss may not look like a jolly man with a round belly and a stable of reindeer, but at performance review time, he/she certainly holds all the gift-giving power with their big bag full of bonuses and merit increases. As a child, when did you start thinking about Santa Claus? April? August? No. You started thinking about Christmas when the big toy catalog arrived in the mail in late October. Suddenly, as you flipped through the pages and circled every item for your wish list, you remembered … Read More
It All Starts with Trust
Half of the country woke up last Wednesday morning wondering “what happened here?” How could nearly every poll, pundit, and expert be so wrong in predicting the next President of the United States? Through canvassing, online polls, telephone polls, social media mentions, rally size, and so many other ways, we thought we accurately analyzed all of the data that should predict voter behaviors. This same methodology has worked in nearly every other presidential election in modern history. But this time, the system failed. What happened here? It boils down to trust. The questions were asked. “Who do you plan to … Read More
Trial and Error Leadership
When I was a young recruiter, one of my favorite interview questions was “Tell me about a time when you made a mistake.” It’s a tough question to answer as a candidate. In an interview, we have been trained to present the most positive version of ourselves in an interview and hide any potential flaws. The interview question puts the candidate in a tough scenario where they want to provide a truthful, informative answer without damaging the positive impression they’ve built throughout the interview. Of all the times I asked that question, the “mistakes” candidates shared with me never scared … Read More
Oh, The Mistakes You’ll Make
Around graduation time, bookstores strategically place the well-known Dr. Seuss book Oh, The Places You’ll Go at the front entrance. They know this popular gift for new graduates reminds them that the path they’re about to take will be full of mistakes, twists, turns, and road blocks, but with hard work, a positive outlook, and resilience, they’ll move mountains. The book may have been written for children, but its message holds true for all ages. I think we need a similar book for new leaders called Oh, The Mistakes You’ll Make. No matter how many years of business experience you’ve … Read More
You Can’t Make Them Stay
Employers are always seeking out ways to predict human behavior. Which candidate will excel? Which comp plan will improve retention and drive the biggest results? Which employees will remain engaged? Which employees will burn out? Which employees are high risk? Which employees are planning to leave? An HR technology vendor recently pitched their latest employee retention product to me. They believe they can predict (with alarming certainty) which of your employees are a flight risk. The algorithm they use to arrive at this conclusion is complex and expansive, but one key factor is the most predictive of an employee’s plan … Read More
It’s Not About the Money
Research has consistently shown that the ability to create and communicate a vision is a top leadership skill that will drive success in the workplace. Naturally, it is concerning that those same studies also show a skill gap in that same area for emerging leaders. Why is vision suddenly more important than business acumen, financial acumen, and critical thinking? By 2025, Millennials will account for 75% of the workforce. As a generation, Millennials are like none other. Though they collectively hold $1 Trillion in student loan debt, and face roughly 13% unemployment, they will not accept just any job. And … Read More