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December 2009

These days, leaders are preoccupied with figuring out new strategies for cost control and revenue growth. Everyone is so focused on ensuring a successful recovery. While you do all the right things to lead your organisation strategically and operationally out of these tough economic times, don't forget to take a minute to recognise the people working so hard alongside you.

A culture of praise and recognition needs to be established at the top. People at all levels in the organisation need to feel cared for and recognised for the work they are doing. That's one of the keys to building a motivating culture. And that's one of the differentiators that will separate successful organisations from unsuccessful ones as we move along the path toward economic recovery.

While leaders intellectually understand the importance of recognising people, the reality is that it still doesn't occur at anywhere near the level it could. In fact, if you ask a group of people, how many of them get too much praise at work, no one ever raises their hands.

What gets in the way of managers catching their people doing things right more often?

October 2009

How are most organisations doing when it comes to managing the performance of people in their companies? Not very well, according to Dr. Vicki Halsey of The Ken Blanchard Companies. In talking with managers and direct reports over the past year, Halsey has heard a lot of frustration with the process of leading others.

As she explains, “Managers are upset because their people aren't doing what they think they should do. Direct reports are upset because they are not getting the direction that they need.”

Part of the problem comes from confusing competence with commitment, according to Halsey.

“When I ask managers what they most want from their people, I hear things like, ‘I want them to have a positive attitude. I want them to communicate better. I want them to be more of a team player.’

“So, managers are thinking about the traits that they would like their employees to exhibit, instead of the actions they would like them to be taking.”

September 2009

Considering all of the advantages of being more coach-like—self-reliance, enjoying your job more, and better performance—you would think that managers would be more open to using coaching skills with their direct reports. But the reality is that many managers do not coach their employees at the levels they could. There are three reasons according to Linda Miller, Global Liaison for Coaching at The Ken Blanchard Companies.

1. They have competing priorities and don’t feel that they have the time to coach.
2. They believe they are already acting in a coach-like manner.
3. They aren’t sure that coaching their employees is necessarily in their best interest.

August 2009

It’s been 12 months since the American investment banking system collapsed, starting a domino-like financial crisis that eventually spread around the world. The good news is that the worst appears to be over; the bad news is that the hard work of rebuilding your business still lies ahead. This shift from immediate survival to planning the next steps is creating a new set of challenges for leaders explains Dr. Dick Ruhe, senior consulting partner with The Ken Blanchard Companies and coauthor of the business book Know Can Do!

“People have spent the last 12 months thinking about, “What if?”—What if they lop off my part of our organisation? What if they cut out my product line? What if the entire organisation goes under? When people are putting on their life jackets it is very difficult to ask them to simultaneously stay under sail. But once the immediate disaster is averted, it is important for leaders to chart a new course of action.”

July 2009

Most workers do not feel that their employee performance reviews are valuable.

That is what Garry Ridge, CEO of WD-40 Company, discovered when he surveyed students in a business course he teaches at the University of San Diego.

"I recall, in one of my first classes, only 18 percent of the students surveyed said they had a positive, meaningful review in the last 18 months," Ridge said. "I think that is deplorable."

The problem, according to Ridge, is that most performance systems are used for the wrong reasons. They are either arbitrary, conducted out of habit, or they are used just in case it is ever necessary to document evidence to fire someone. Ridge thinks that performance reviews should be used to develop people - not to evaluate them.
  Explore this issue

June 2009

Leaders need to create fast, flexible, and nimble organizations to meet constantly changing market and customer demands. Otherwise they risk becoming obsolete, according to Dr. Patricia Zigarmi of The Ken Blanchard Companies. How can you tell if your company is in danger of losing its capacity to change? Zigarmi recommends that companies be on the lookout for some early warning signs.  Explore this issue

April 2009

Mergers and acquisitions offer both challenges and opportunities. The key to success is making sure that your people strategy is as strong as your business plan. It's a one-two combination that makes sure the results anticipated from the merger or acquisition materializes. When leaders take the time to think through the people side of the process as carefully as the financial process, they can leverage all of the strengths, assets, and goodwill of the old business by making the most of the existing employee and customer relationships.   Explore this issue

March 2009

Managing people effectively is a tough job under normal circumstances. During the type of economy that we are facing right now, it’s especially challenging. Instead of being their usual focused and productive selves, direct reports are increasingly nervous, concerned, and cautious. It’s as if everyone has taken a half-step backward in terms of their personal productivity. For managers charged with getting or keeping their people on track during challenging economic times, Madeleine Homan-Blanchard, founder of Coaching Services for The Ken Blanchard Companies, recommends a renewed focus on setting goals for others combined with equal doses of support and feedback.   Explore this issue

February 2009

Everywhere you turn today, organisations are focusing on cost containment. "When people talk about cutting costs, their first thought is to get the accountants in the room with the top managers to decide how many bodies to get rid of " according to Dr. Ken Blanchard, best-selling business author and cofounder of The Ken Blanchard Companies. But getting rid of people is not the only way to cut costs. There are many, many costs that can be saved if you will make your people your business partners. If you can provide all your employees with information, this open-book policy will unleash a torrent of ideas and commitment."   Explore this issue

January 2009

In times of uncertainty, people need information, direction, and a clear plan for action. If leaders do not address these issues, people will tend to imagine the worst. Self-preservation and an individual focus will end up replacing the collaboration and cooperation necessary for an organization to survive. The result is a loss of organization-wide focus that inevitably leads to declines in productivity and profitability - the very outcomes that companies are hoping to avoid.

It’s a pattern that Scott Blanchard, Executive Vice President of The Ken Blanchard Companies, has seen repeated many times. To survive and thrive during an uncertain economic environment, Blanchard recommends that leaders adopt three strategies.  Explore this issue

December 2008

As the financial markets continue to see-saw and new companies announce layoffs, it’s easy to feel anxious wondering what the future might hold for you and your company. It can seem as if matters are outside of our control, especially when companies point to economic conditions as the source of their problems. Yet some companies seem to deal with adversity better than others. What’s their secret?  Explore this issue