Corporate Alzeimers?

With so many 'boomers' on the brink of retirement, the corporate world should be gearing up for a major expense - from the overwhelming loss of corporate memory. It's well known that knowledge is power. For years people have been hoarding specialized expertise, data and personal relationships - anxious to be indispensible - needed - valuable. In fact many organizations even encourage this hoarding of knowledge - without even realizing it.

Take the company awards for individual contributions for one, how companies track results that pit one plant against another as they jockey for 'top' operation, even the vacation planning challenges fail to address the problem as people explain why two people can't be off at the same time as 'we depend on one to be here for their expertise' and have you seen the "IN" basket of some hoarders after they come back from vacation? It's full to overflowing and adding even more stress into an already busy worklife.

The lack of knowledge transfer, or KT as we call is, is an impending epidemic and not many organizations are addressing it head on.

Many of my clients are beginning to feel the urgency to act. They are talking about getting their senior people to pass along crucial information before they leave, to mentor others, to develop plans to record key processes, procedures, stakeholders, etc. What they fail to recognize is that this tactic may not work as it could directly conflict with that individual's personal goal. Consider this - many senior employees plan to become consultants after they retire, with an eye on coming back to their previous employer to fill the void created by their retirement! Can you see how hanging on to crucial information will serve them well in their future plans?

So, if you want to retain knowledge, have it transferred freely and continually, then you have to examine how you reward and recognize people - first. Make sure your policies and procedures don't stall your game plan.

Hire people who have demonstrated a love of helping others become more skilled and knowledgeable - they are not hoarders.
Promote leaders who have shown they are building more leaders by passing along their own expertise.
Support people who want to put on training events.
Reward groups who are gaining expertise and sharing it with others.

The more your organization shows that you value knowledge transfer; as opposed to hoarding, the easier it will be for your company to survive when key people leave - one at a time or on mass.

Partnering for Win/Win

Too many business leaders struggle to 'go-it-alone' when teaming up with others could substantially help both businesses

Imagine these partnerships

When a travel agent wanted to get people to book their honeymoon she put on a bridal show with the local bridal gown shop and held it in the restaurant next door to her travel agency. In this case it was win/win/win

When you want to sell books offer to brig a selection to local book clubs and win over customers by your extraordinary service

So your high end clothing store is quiet, why not offer ‘dress for success’ workshops in the evenings (you pay the rent so might as well use the space fully) and show people how to make a great impression when going for that job interview.

A variation on this theme is to offer one hour lunch time session for corporate clients most of them love to get free workshops on interesting topics.

Does your restaurant need a boost in sales? Think out side the box and ask a local author to do a reading or sign books between 4 – 6 and perhaps the customers will stay for dinner. Most people get trapped into thinking book signings have to happen at book stores. Not true. If you have a sporting goods store how about inviting a fishing guide to speak, or a member of the hiking club or BC Parks. Or take some sporting goods to the local angling club for their monthly meeting.

Your floral shop is busy filling orders but how about adding a weekly floral design class on Friday so customers can have a lovely display for the weekend. You will of course have the flowers you use ready for sale?

Your car dealership has a few clients who seem quite interested in buying, why not make it easy for them. Take the car to their home and park it in the driveway – there’s nothing like seeing it already ‘home’ to help cinch the deal.

Does you dry cleaner offer home/office delivery for the busy executive?

Does your grocery store do cooking demonstrations? Perhaps the local kitchen shop would be happy to come on site with some special serving dishes.

Classes are always welcomed by customers as they bring your products and services to life and usually boost the sales of the products used in the demonstrations.

Can your IT company join forces with a printer to show the computer design stage and the finished product?

Perhaps a resume preparation company can link up with an IT company and printer plus the clothing store to offer a ‘get a job’ fair with a final package, clothes selection, resume and business card.

Can your luggage store put on workshops for business travellers? How about ways to travel lightly and still be able to unpack so you look fresh for the meetings?

You get the idea…linking up with others and teaching or doing demonstrations often boosts the bottom line and it certainly expands your customer base.

Collect business cards for a draw and use the information to create a data base Hold customer focus groups. Customers love to give their input into how “their’ store could be improved. It builds loyalty too - but make sure they get a little something for their efforts.

Back to School...for Business Leaders too

Well here we are... it's September...the kids are back in school starting another year devoted to learning, and broadening their view of the world. I can't help thinking perhaps this is the time for business leaders to do likewise.

Imagine if at one key point in the year leaders sat down with their employees to:

• take stock of what has been gleaned in the past year,
• talk about new markets or services and where their business is heading,
• identify and welcome people who have joined the organization,
• ask about special skills employees could bring to the organization - if asked,
• explore the full range of talents the organization has to draw upon,
• pinpoint what is important to learn on going forward and then
• discuss how employees will support each other so new skills become entrenched

Imagine if leaders took the time to nail that down... can you imagine the positive outcomes it would create?

For a start you'd have people crystal clear about the direction the organization is heading in, the importance of continual learning, employees' talents, (often hidden because they don't directly relate to the job at hand), would be brought to the surface for access and recognition.

When leaders talk about the value they see in building knowledge and skills, people frequently seek out opportuntiies to expand upon their capabilities - informal coaching and peer guidance often emerges, along with staff-initiated mini training events.

This focus on building capacity is also an amazing way to build engagement. When people are lined up behind a common goal or focus their attention of gaining new knowledge, a synergy emerges which in turn helps to solidify and strengthen working realtionships.

So if you want to enhance your talent pool and build engagement simultaneously, you may want to consider a focus on personal growth as a goal for each of your employees.

Putting it into practice

If you are like many managers, you are probably a little tired of sending people to leadership, management and client service training with little or no measureable results when they return to the job. Like you, we are also concerned about your training budgets being directed to workshops that promise great content but fail to help with the application of the newly acquired knowledge back at work.

We think the current economic climate and reduced budgets may actually be a bonus as it will allow managers time to ponder the 'training' function and realize its time to revisit old patterns.

If you're an HR Manager responsible for staff development we suggest you ask a few questions next time a department manager wants to send an employee to a workshop, conference or learning situation.

• What is the employee doing (or not doing) that makes you think training will help them to be successful?


• Has the employee ever shown that they can do what you expect?


• Does the employee know you have a concern about their working style or appoach?


• What feedback or coaching have you provided to the employee to help them adjust their style?


• How long has the employee had on the job to learn and gain skills?


• Is the employee rewarded for doing the work in their current manner?


• What adjustments could you make so that the employee sees value in changing their approach?

These are just a few of the questions you could ask a manager and by posing these questions you are helping them to think about their personal leadership style and how they are developing the talents of their team.

Too often department managers think that staff development is an HR function when in actual fact it belongs with the manager. Daily conversations with employees about work goals, challenges they are facing and any support they need to become confident and capable, are all too often lost in the many distractions that consume a manager's day. However by taking some time to probe into alternative staff development options you can remind these managers of the important part they play in expanding the knowledge and skills of others.

Staff development can happen very effectively without any formal training session if the manager takes the time to observe how employees are handling different situations and by providing feedback and coaching. The HR Manager may need to get more involved by coaching the department manager in the most effective way to give feedback, or ways to run their staff meetings that gets people excited about new opportunities or how to hold conversations when performance is a failing to meet expectations. The investment in this type of coaching will give you the best ROI. If you are uncertain where to start, a management consultant or other successful department head may be able to get things rolling in the right direction. So before you get drawn in by the glossy brochure offering some training experience, stop and ponder these ideas, perhaps your employees can gain the knowledge and experience they need by sitting down and having a conversation with someone who cares about their success.

It was talking with a client a few weeks ago who was telling me he needed a Performance Management process at their organization. As he talked about the problems they were having with some employees it became clear he wanted a Performance Management process so that he and his other managers could have an opportunity to talk about performance and provide some feedback. I realised he was like so many of the managers I meet; he wanted 'a system' so he could have a conversation with each of his employees about their goals and to talk about performance concerns he had observed over the year.

I then spent the next hour asking him a few questions. I started with, "Tell me what it would be like if you had a really great high-performing team, what would they be doing?"

He quickly told me that a high-performing team would plan together, they'd pitch in and help out when needed. He told me they'd let each other know what they were working on and the help they'd need to be successful. He said he'd expect to see them learning and passing along the things they had learned and how they'd give each other feedback as they worked together. It was interesting to note that at no time did he tell me they'd have an annual planning and feedback process.

What he described is often called the daily management of performance - self-managed teams- quite different from the formal annual Performance Management process he has originally asked about.

I spent the next few weeks coaching him and his management team on the fine art of coaching and giving feedback. I showed them how to facilitate meetings that encourage dialogue; ways that allowed the team to do their own planning. The results have been amazing; the improvement in the departments are being noticed and people are clearly enjoying using their new communication and coaching skills.

He has come to understand that the the day-to-day connections and feedback is far more important than any formal annual Performance Management process.

Maximize Your Assets

When times are tough most business owners quickly turn to look at their financial picture. They examine their budgets, look at costs and question expenses looking for places to trim and save some money. And while this is indeed be an important activity, one we might add that should be done regularly and not just during tough times, it should not be the only area to get attention.

When times are tough you need to also examine your assets and find ways to leverage them for higher returns and expanded business opportunities. Let’s look at a few examples.

We’ll start with real estate - a store might be able to use their space, when it is normally closed, to teach a class related to their products, a manufacturer might be able to use his equipment to produce other products his clients’ need, or a large business might be able to rent out the boardroom for small business owners who don’t have the space for a meeting room of their own.

And when it comes to employees – often referred to as the greatest asset - they could
(if encouraged) utilize their talents in new and varied ways. A car dealer could bring the car to your home because there’s nothing quite like seeing it already in your driveway; or perhaps the dog groomer could come to your home instead of you driving to the pet salon and the dry cleaner could offer a pick up and drop off service for busy executives. Then there are all those meetings your staff attend, you know they could be more productive if they were well run. They could fast track your projects and result in quality decisions but too often the people are so focused on getting through the agenda that they fail to notice the full impact of the lack of input, superficial agreements, sidetracked conversations and negativity. Just imagine what a difference it could make to your organization if your meetings were run well.

Now let’s talk about sales and marketing. Could your employees be selling more goods instead of just ringing in purchases? How about an incentive program or competition to make it more fun? Far too many employees don’t understand enough about selling from the customer’s point of view to be able to make that difficult sale. Take the time to teach them a few tips and you will be rewarded time and again. If you are relying on your sales and marketing team to drum up business then you are short changing yourself. You should, and could have, every employee working to build your business.

So, when you are next thinking about cutting costs, devote a bit of time to examining your assets to see if they can improve your bottom line. It will not only help you to be successful, but make the job more interesting for your employees.

Submitted by Heather Hughes CMC (Certified Management Consultant)
Heatherconsults@shaw.ca
250-857-5833

Not another meeting!

We know that every business day is consumed by meetings - that's the way decisions are made and paths are established but... must they be so long, so frustrating, so time wasting?

If you are tired of sitting through rounds of meetings then it's time to take charge and challenge traditional thinking.
Start asking yourself these questions...
1. Before you call any meeting STOP and ask, "What outcome am I striving for?" You must be absolutely clear about the intended outcome - before you proceed.
2. Who 'needs' to be at the meeting? Note 'needs' not interested or wants to be included.
3. Do I need them to be present or do I just need information from them that I can present to the others?
4. Do I need these people for the entire meeting? (I can ask people to step in at specific points or allow them to leave when they are no longer making contributions).
5. What will I need to do to ensure I manage the conversation so I hear and understand the different points of view before I make any decisions?
6. How can I ensure I obtain commitment and a firm action plan showing who is doing what and by what date?

Reverse the downward spiral

When leaders listen to the media messages that flow steadily from reporters, talk show hosts and the news broadcasters, there is a natural tendency to believe that the doom and gloom stories that are dominating the airwaves MUST apply to them too. This in NOT always the case.

We have coached leaders in many organizations who have gone on to create extraordinary results - often in an economic downturn. Many businesses DO grow during global downturns - we have seen it.

The leaders in these growth organizations are visionary and articulate; they are turning to creative avenues to build and expand their current services, but more importantly they are capturing the minds and hearts of their entire workforce to fight back. The general attitude is demonstrated in a single-minded belief - we are going to survive; we are going to be stronger; we are going to do well because we have knowledgeable, skilled and dedicated employees who want to meet the challenge.

These leaders know how to inspire, to motivate, to challenge their employees often with amazing results. Can you imagine what it would be like to have every single employee as a member of your sales and marketing team?