Posted by Laura Sheffield on Mon, Mar 08, 2010 @ 01:50 PM
The 82nd Academy Awards took over Hollywood along with most American living rooms last night. As the stars arrived in their glamour and glory, the first round of judging started almost immediately.
The web was abuzz with both the beautiful and the dreadful within seconds of each red carpet entrance. The gorgeous were applauded, but for those who blew it, the public had no mercy. We took a vote of our own and are pleased to announce our picks for worst-dressed. We laughed at both Charlize Theron's awkward flowers and Zoe Saldana's purple poof.
That's the first round of judging, but the second round of judging is what really matters.
Unlike the instant judging of the red carpet glamour, the members of the Academy spent most of January considering their votes for each of the evening's honors. Who is the academy? According to their website: "The Academy is an honorary membership organization whose ranks include more than 6,000 artists and professionals." In short, they are the respected and admired peers of the nominated, peers who are involved in the day-to-day business of movies. That matters.
Contrast the Academy Awards with the Golden Globe Awards. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association selects those winners. The foreign press who are not peers of the nominated, nor are they involved in the day-to-day business of movies.
Which feedback is more valuable? The answer is easy. Which feedback is more valuable to you? The feedback given by your respected peers or the "foreign press"?
Feedback matters most when it comes from those involved in the day-to-day goings-on of your organization, company, or industry. Feedback matters most when it comes from peers that you admire, peers whose opinions you value and respect.
With 360-degree feedback, people tend to disregard feedback unless those giving the feedback are respected colleagues and coworkers. Those are the opinions that hold the most weight-- their compliments are the most valued and their criticisms are the most impactful.
The world has naturally acknowledged the Academy Awards as the more important motion picture awards. An Oscar statue is hugely valuable to an actor, because an Academy Award is awarded by people who matter.
(Interestingly, to prevent the valuable statues from being auctioned on the open market, the Academy requires that they cannot be sold unless first offered to the Academy for repurchase at the price of US $1. Winners must sign this agreement before leaving with the award.)
As another aside, we wonder whether Charlize Theron and Zoe Saldana forgot to get feedback before crashing on the red carpet. But, we like to believe that Sandra Bullock and Rachel McAdams did. They are our picks for best-dressed, in case you wondered.
Posted by Tracy Maylett, Ed.D. on Thu, Mar 04, 2010 @ 03:16 PM
In its April, 2006 issue, Fast Company released results of a study indicating that 71% of senior leaders had worked with a leadership coach, and that 91% of those who had worked with an executive coach planned to use a coach again. The magazine also stated that 63% of organizations planned to increase their use of leadership coaching during the next five years.
Here we are, four years and a difficult economy later. Was the coaching prophecy fulfilled? The answer is a clear "yes." Even in a challenging economy, effective leadership coaches are in demand. Much of this is due to the need to ensure that employees are performing to the best of their abilities. Many are managers finding themselves doing more with less, requiring them to be at the top of their game. This is where coaching comes in.
However, leadership coaching is not the panacea for all leadership struggles. As with any process or intervention, coaching has its clear place in organizational and individual performance. Before considering whether a coach is right for you or your organization, first take into consideration when coaching is right. The following is a list of those circumstances when leadership coaching is most likely to generate a significant return on that investment dollar:
- During a time of individual transition. Take the manager who is given additional responsibilities, or the person new to a management role. This is a time when leadership coaching provides much-needed insight for developing into the new role. It can serve as a fast-start in a time when it's critical to get up to speed ASAP.
- During times of organizational transition. Perhaps the organization has just gone through a major acquisition, or has moved into a new strategic direction. Coaching helps individuals and organizations gain strategic clarity and drive plans for moving forward.
- To address specific performance issues. While leadership coaching should not be used as a form of remediation or punishment, it can help identify and focus on specific areas for individual improvement within the organization. Similarly, issues with performance that are due to personal concerns (stress management, interpersonal skills, self-esteem, lack of focus, etc.) can often be addressed through effective coaching. Assessments, such as 360-degree feedback, are particularly useful in identifying behaviors or competencies that require focus.
- Specific skill development. When an individual is lacking in specific skills, coaching can focus on developing these skills. For example, if an individual struggles with public speaking, a coach can often provide feedback and assist in setting goals for improvement.
- Succession planning. Quite often an indivdual may be competent in his or her current role. However, in order to climb to the next rung on the ladder, there may be areas which require some attention. Leadership coaching helps provide this awareness, and helps to further prepare the individual for the future.
While a powerful tool for improving organizations and individuals, leadership coaching is not always the answer. However, when used correctly, coaching has the ability to help transform both individuals and organizations.
Posted by Charles Rogel on Mon, Feb 22, 2010 @ 06:08 PM
Watch the intro video:
Register Now >>
Two dates to choose from:
Tuesday, March 23, 2-3:30 PM Eastern Time
Tuesday, April 13, 2-3:30 PM Eastern Time
What is the impact of leadership on employee engagement?
How do leaders increase employee engagement?
DecisionWise research shows that 4 out of 5 employees cite their leader's actions as drivers for their own engagement. But most leaders don't understand how to engage their employees to improve performance. During this training you will:
- Learn the 3 key components of employee engagement
- Understand your own personal impact on employee engagement
- Identify the behaviors you personally need to change to improve engagement
- Create an employee engagement personal development plan
Learn answers to these important questions:
- How does employee engagement impact the bottom line?
- How effective am I, personally, at engaging my employees?
- What are the 10 most important leadership behaviors that impact employee engagement?
- How much influence does a direct manager have on employee engagement?
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Posted by Laura Sheffield on Fri, Feb 19, 2010 @ 02:07 PM
In a recent episode of CBS Undercover Boss, the CEO of Hooter's Inc. goes undercover into the lower levels of the company. In one scene, the disguised CEO goes to work at the company's plant for making dipping sauces and chicken wing sauces.
Before going undercover his perception was that the plant had exceptional employee engagement and a family-like atmosphere. However, as he fills sauce buckets at the plant the CEO is shocked to discover low morale, discouragement, and job frustration among the employees.
The CEO need not be so surprised. One shouldn't have to go undercover to have a clear picture of the employee engagement levels in their own organization.
For organizations who use employee feedback and employee engagement surveys in day-to-day operations, going into the workforce in disguise is unnecessary. Employee engagement surveys effectively take the boss undercover.
With employee feedback the boss is observing and understanding employee life in all parts of the organization-- without the deceit of a fake mustache. Organizations using employee feedback understand employee perceptions, employ open communication at all levels, and encourage honest feedback.
At the end of each CBS Undercover Boss episode, the CEO reveals him or herself and instigates changes to the organization based on discoveries made as an undercover boss. Employee A is given a raise. Manager B is disciplined. Employees C, D, and E are promoted. Policy F is adapted to more fully engage employees.
Because of the discoveries made undercover, corporate culture is reformed to more fully promote engagement and decisions are made to ensure the opinion and perceptions of employees are no longer an untouched mystery. The organization begins to focus on understanding the life of the employee.
With employee feedback and engagement surveys, the same happens. Discovery inspires change and the life of the employees becomes the life of the organization. As it should be.
Posted by Laura Sheffield on Mon, Feb 15, 2010 @ 11:29 AM
The American Hospital Association's HR Pulse recently published an article by DecisionWise CEO, Tracy Maylett, in the Spring 2010 issue entitled:
Looking Beyond the Clinical Side of Performance
Excerpt: "A changing healthcare environment has resulted in increased focus on performance, both at the organizational and personal levels. Health care leaders carry an added burden-- an increased need to focus on both operational performance (clinical and functional) and non-clinical performance. Many health care organizations are effective at measuring the clinical or functional components of job performance. Yet few are as equally competent when it comes to assessing the non-clinical or behavioral components. Without considering both performance elements, health care organizations may not have an accurate view of how their leaders truly perform."
Read the rest of this article and other DecisionWise publications here.
On February 23rd and February 25th, Tracy Maylett will host a complimentary webinar on the same topic-- measuring leadership performance in healthcare. Join in.
Posted by Laura Sheffield on Thu, Feb 11, 2010 @ 11:01 AM
Complimentary Webinar
Management Malpractice:
Why Promoting Your Best Performer Could Be Your Worst Strategy
Two Session to Choose From:
Register for Tues, Feb 23, 2-3 pm Eastern Time
Register for Thurs, Feb 25, 2-3 pm Eastern Time
A changing healthcare environment has resulted in an increased need to focus on performance, but how is performance measured? How do you look beyond clinical skills to assess true performance?
Learn answers to these important questions:
- How do we ensure the right person is promoted?
- How do we address the employee who is clinically (or operationally) competent, yet a poor manager?
- What should we measure when predicting management success?
- Why is it important to raise the performance bar in healthcare leadership?
Hosted by DecisionWise CEO, Tracy Maylett, this complimentary webinar will address the topic of effectively measuring leadership performance in healthcare. Dr. Maylett is the author of numerous publications on leadership, including an article released in February of 2010 in the American Hospital Association's HR Pulse entitled, "Looking Beyond the Clinical Side of Performance."
Posted by Paul Warner, PhD on Mon, Feb 08, 2010 @ 11:05 AM
A DecisionWise study of over 4,000 employees reveals that 14-15 % feel uneasy about the state of their organization and the economy, which translates into a loss of interest in one's job and looking outside the organization for other opportunities.
In the past, these employees would search for greener pastures and would leave the organization. Today, however, unemployment figures and general reductions in hiring have forced these individuals to stay with their current employer.
The 15% of employees who would be looking for other opportunities in a healthy economy end up quitting their job while staying on the job. They quit pscyhologically. When this occurs, they lose the drive, motivation, and engagement to do their work effectively. They waste their time, and ultimately, the organization's investment in their postion.
Here are two solutions to minimize the impact of those that quit and stay and increase employee engagement:
1. Identify who they are: Through formal and informal feedback an organization can assess which employees are actively engaged in their jobs. Feedback tools, such as employee engagement surveys, should be constructed to generate honest feedback from employees while minimizing the risks of individual identification. An engagement profile helps organizations identify the percentage of employees quitting and staying along with what is driving the situation.
2. Find out what makes them tick (and ticked off): Simply understanding the percentage of engaged vs. disengaged employees is not enough to facilitate change in an organization. Analyzing percieved levels of engagement and perceptions about job climate clarifies which factors enage people and which inhibit engagement on an organizational level. The key is to understand the motivations and the drivers, not just the percentage of disengaged employees.
As the economy changes in 2010, so will the employee experience. It will be critical to create valid profiles of engaged and disengaged employees unique to the organization to retain talented employees as job opportunities increase this year. Leveraging engagement profiles and employee opinions will generate change in the right people, change that is cost effective, and change with a significant return on investment.
Understanding employee engagement in 2010 will catalyze changes that curb the quit and stay mentality.
View the recorded webinar:
After the Storm: Forecasting the 2010 Employee Engagement Climate.
Posted by Charles Rogel on Mon, Feb 01, 2010 @ 11:14 AM
A picture is of little value if it's blurry. CEOs often struggle to get a clear image of their leadership bench strength and how to improve leadership team performance. The picture is usually fuzzy.
Senior leaders need a crisp view of their team's strong competencies along with an understanding of the weaknesses of a team. Having a clear picture allows for improved team development.
The key is to use 360 surveys to spot leaders who are top performers as opposed to only identifying individuals that need development. When you only identify the weak spots, it's a blurry picture.
Using a group profile to evaluate scores from individual 360-degree feedback surveys helps identify the leadership teams' strongest competencies as well as critical derailers that could sabotage the organization's success. Gap analysis of 360-degree feedback surveys contrasts leaders who are a "legend in their own minds" with those who are overly humble by comparing self-perceptions to the perceptions of peers. Self-awareness is a critical component and a strong indicator of leadership success.
A group profile of 360-degree feedback surveys provides vital information that senior leaders can use for talent management, succession planning, leadership development, and performance management. It presents a level of clarity and insight that CEOs need in order to make better people decisions that will increase organization performance.
Leadership Intelligence Group Profile Press Release
Posted by Laura Sheffield on Wed, Jan 27, 2010 @ 11:30 AM
Learn the forecast for employee engagement in 2010.
Discover how the current economy will impact your workforce.
This complimentary webinar will present the latest DecisionWise research on employee engagement. In the wake of the economic recession, the 2010 employee experience is changing. Employee engagement and morale has taken a severe blow, but how bad is it and what steps can be taken to recover?
Wednesday, February 3, 2-3 pm Eastern
No cost to register but space is limited. Access Webinar >>
Learn answers to these important questions:
- What is the forecast for employee engagement in 2010?
- Who are the employees to target and monitor as the recession comes to an end?
- How can you engage your workforce and retain talented employees?
- What tools will help cultivate and foster engagement?
Access Webinar >>
Learn from an Expert
Presented by DecisionWise director of consulting services, Paul Warner. Paul is a PhD candidate in dual Clinical and Industrial Psychology programs from the California School of Professional Psychology, Marshal Goldsmith School of Management and leads employee engagement initiatives with companies around the world.
Wednesday, February 3, 2-3 pm Eastern. Access Webinar >>
Posted by Laura Sheffield on Tue, Jan 19, 2010 @ 01:16 PM
In 1921, Charles Ponzi took the American people on a fraudulent wild ride of scheming and dealing. He made polluted money in a frenzy of illegal shenanigans. Who held Charles Ponzi accountable? Until the U.S. court system stepped in, no one did.
While most cases of deficient accountability aren't nearly as severe as the case of Charles Ponzi, there are potential Charles Ponzi's in every industry and in any-sized organization. Consider the latest round of Ponzi schemes. Action accountability for everyone is a priority. Is accountability built into your boss' job? Is it built into your job?
One of the main purposes of a 360 feedback process is to create accountability for the way leaders lead. The feedback received from a 360 assessment should act as a catalyst for a leader's personal improvement. Without accountability, a 360 survey is not a catalyst, it is simply ineffective.
An effective 360 degree feedback assessment requires structuring personal responsibility for improvement into the process. Such is accomplished by keeping personal feedback confidential, sharing development plans, and repeating the process regularly.
To achieve accountability, a 360 survey participant needs to be promised a level of confidentiality. Some people in the organization may need to know information about the individual's feedback in order to make it more useful, but increased privacy facilitates trust and personal responsibility. The best way to get the most accountability of the report, while giving participants an assurance of confidentiality, is to share the initial results with the participant and a designated coach while sharing the developed action plan (inspired by the results) with others. Some participants may voluntarily share more information from their initial report with others, and that's the ideal situation.
After an action plan is presented, those who are aware of the plan will then help the participant implement and follow up. In cases where those involved have an already-strained relationship, or are not development oriented, the role of a third-party coach is critical.
Repetition is the final key to building accountability into a 360 degree feedback survey, and into the job. If you only plan on doing 360s once, you run the risk of fostering apathy and lack of concern about the process. Participants will see this as a temporary program that can be ignored once the initial stages are complete. By communicating that 360s will be done each year, participants get the message that this is important to their success.
Imagine if Charles Ponzi had been held accountable with development action plans and effective follow-up. At the very least, it would have saved the American population tax dollars spent on court cases and prison time. Not to mention, Charles Ponzi may have had thriving business ventures, long term success, and he would not have died poor, blind, alone, and half paralyzed as he did in 1949.