The Human Resources department typically bears responsibility for designing organization-wide engagement tactics and retention strategies, but the reality is this is everyone’s job. It’s a common belief that individuals don’t leave a job, they leave their boss. Poor management and leadership drive out top talent who are easily recruited away in today’s candidate-driven employment environment. It’s not just headhunters and great recruiters that managers should worry about these days. A veritable candy store of employment alternatives awaits your least satisfied/engaged employees, and leaders need to consider the risk this poses to the organization.
Six Underrated Next Gen Leadership Skills
Given the declining value of the undergraduate degree while the cost of higher education skyrockets, many employers are finally coming to terms with a skills-based approach to resume reviews instead of requiring a degree. While it takes more effort to identify which candidates truly possess business-critical skills than it does to scan for a completed degree, the benefit is unquestionable. College graduates consistently report that they feel prepared to successfully enter into the workforce in their given specialty, but when those same individuals are surveyed a year later, they report they were largely under- or fully unprepared to succeed in … Read More
10 Ways Frontline Leadership is like First-Time Parenting
There is no steeper learning curve in leadership than your very first frontline leadership position. Perhaps the only comparable experience in terms of needing to hit the ground running and quickly close skills gaps is in parenting. Many first-time management experiences parallel first time parenting. Here are 10 of my favorite similarities:
For Lasting Change, Find the Right Pebble
“I really need to get healthy and start working out, but I’ve been traveling so much lately. I just need one solid week at home.” As my colleague said this, I nodded along absentmindedly. I’ve been traveling frequently as well, so I know the struggles of adjusting to life without a routine. Then I thought more deeply about what he was saying. “Wait, what do you mean you need a week at home?” I asked. He said, “You know, that way I can actually go to my gym every day and actually make an impact.” But it still didn’t make … Read More
The Millennial Problem You Still Need to Solve
As the first wave of Gen Z graduates from college and enters the workforce, it seems as though the discussions about how we’ll deal with the entitled millennial generation is dying down. Are the needs of millennials old news or are have we just grown tired of making the whole generation a scapegoat for every bad encounter we have with new entrants into the workforce? My hope is that we’re just tired of the same tired rhetoric, because if we’ve forgotten about the core needs of this cohort, we’re set for a rude awakening.
Stop Rewarding Heroes
From comic books to princess stories, we’re conditioned from an early age to value the role heroes play in the world. They magically appear, solve all the problems, flash a smile, then move on to the next crisis. The story of the original crisis and how it was solved grows bigger each time it is shared, and eventually, the hero reaches legendary status. There are no movies about the princess who didn’t need to be rescued because her castle was built so that the walls couldn’t be breached.