Turmoil in the Middle East

I am really concerned with all of the turmoil in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, and Bahrain. It probably will spread elsewhere. My thoughts are with the businesses that are attempting to grow their presence throughout the region as well as the expatriates that are attempting to flee the scene. The likely outcome will be a prolonged period of uncertainty followed by new ways of doing business in many countries.

Are You Guilty of Being a Perk Hog?

Compensation Oversight at The University Of Texas-Austin

While it is understandable to me that the University of Texas, after a horrible football season, would want to replace its offensive and defensive coordinators and their respective staffs, how can they justify enormous salary increases to attract people from Boise State and Mississippi State?  Come on.  Don't give me that argument that you have to pay big bucks to get the best staff.  Going from a small school to a giant powerhouse should be enough to attract good coaches. Offering them over twice (or three times) their former compensation makes no sense.  Who is in charge of compensation?  Who in their right mind could approve such increases in salary at a time when other parts of the University are making cuts?

Leader Or Speechmaker?

I sometimes wonder where this country is headed. Our Commander in Chief loves to make speeches and even though they contain references to "let me be clear" the listener is left with a sense of not really knowing what he is saying. Speaking and giving nice sounding orations is not leadership. While it is an aspect of great leadership, it is only one component. Our current leaders seem to think that all they have to do is make a speech and all falls in line behind them. Then, they race on to the next speech and/or topic and fail to implement elements of the previous speech. They do not seem to understand that a speech is just a speech. Their actions, leadership, and prioritization after each speech is all important. Speechmaking without leadership is well---just speechmaking.

High Performing Organizations

What characteristics define high performing organizations? Many variables can be argued as important for success. For example, talented leadership. Educated, experienced, enthusiastic workforce. Outstanding products. Solid partnerships with customers, vendors, unions. Leading edge technology. World class quality. State of the art facilities. All of these variables and more are arguably important. But, what characteristics separate the high performers from the has beens?

I have found in my consulting practice that the two characteristics consistently present in high performing organizations today are not arguable. Agility. All facets of the organization must be fast, all the way from capturing new customers to developing and fabricating a new product to training employees to timely billing and administration to decisions to cut losses and move on. Lack of speed can clog an organization and help create a mindset that merely plodding along is an acceptable way to do business. Those who have established agility as one of their driving forces are most likely to be successful.

The next variable that is very common in high performing organizations is Flexibility. Today, more so than any other time, organizations must be willing to change as situations demand. Organizations that are living in the past or trying to get by based upon their history of successful performance are in danger of losing to more flexible competitors. Flexible organizations are able to adapt the external factors that impact upon their business. Being able to sense factors that are really important AND make the necessary changes quickly will ultimately lead to success. Flexibility along with the courage to make innovative changes are vital.

Agility and Flexibility. If you do not have it, get it.

Metrics That Make Sense For Your Organization

This is an impossible question for me to answer for you. Each organization is at a different point in its life cycle. For example, a new organization might focus on recruitment and training so that it can get up to speed quickly. Metrics for that organization would focus on talent acquisition, e.g., number of candidates considered per hire, time from identification to the first date of employment, etc. A more mature organization might choose to focus on age of its workforce, retirement costs, turnover rates, etc.

The most important thing to remember is that your choice of metrics is extremely important. What you choose to use is exactly what the organization will deliver. They will understand how important it is to achieve the company's metrics and they will work together to succeed. Trust me, it will happen. Be careful what you choose because you will get it.

It is also important to review your metrics periodically to make sure that they are still appropriate for your current place in the organization's life cycle. What was required yesterday may not be appropriate for today's constantly changing environment.

Use metrics sparingly but use them.

What It Takes To Be A Top Human Resources Executive

The skills needed for being a top Human Resources executive are not vastly different from those required of any senior executive. One exception. It is necessary to have expertise in core HR functional skills especially compensation for those never ending discussions with the Board Of Directors on executive pay. Other functional skills are important as well however they vary depending upon the nature of the organization. For example, in a strong union environment, labor relations expertise is vital. In an organization that is quickly expanding internationally, global experience can be a huge asset.

Human Resources executives must be excellent communicators and particularly good at listening. Other traits include being hard workers and not being concerned about frequent long hours and trips away from home. They must be analytical with problem solving, non-biased in their judgments, able to invite and evaluate input from all parts of the organization, quick to act, able to partner with other functional areas for the good of the organization, respected by the Chairman and other senior executives as an equal business partner, able to place their own initiatives in the proper business perspective, and able to lead large groups of people that are sometimes in remote parts of the company.

The senior HR position is one of the most demanding and respected positions in the organization and must be filled by talented individuals with experience and personal characteristics that are exemplary.

Where Are You Headed?

Have you taken the time to establish both your career objectives and personal goals? If not, why not? Do you have any idea where you want to be five years from now? Where do you hope to be by the end of your career? What are your goals for this next year?

Goals are essential but the most important part of career planning is to do a good job at what you are assigned right now. Then, things have a way of falling into place assuming that you have taken the time to decide upon your personal and career goals.

A career goal might be to become the division President some day. In order to get there, you may conclude that you need some specific assignments such as corporate experience, multi-location exposure, or international experience. Likewise, you may conclude that your functional skills need to be better rounded so you should seek assignments that will enable you to broaden your base. The important thing is to set some career goals for yourself and monitor them occasionally.

Lastly, personal goals are important for day to day success. They may include things such as improving your speaking ability, becoming more dynamic, improving your relationships with the people in your organization, becoming a better listener, learning to think before reacting, etc. I force myself to keep a list of 100 wild and crazy things that I want to accomplish before I die. I refresh it annually and it is surprising how many I can check off the list.

The combination of career objectives and personal goals are a powerful combination. Try doing both and you will soon benefit from the exercise.

"What We Have Here Is A Failure To Communicate"

Communication. Few find it easy. Most find it very difficult. Being an effective communicator is what separates the stars from the also rans.

Failure to communicate effectively can usually be found at the core of most people issues. Wars. Marital difficulties. Executive derailing. Failure to take on a supervisory role. Interpersonal difficulties with the boss or leadership team. Not being able to voice your ideas.

The other interesting thing is that we communicate differently under stress. We may become more blunt or meek. More direct or more oblique. We may become louder than normal or quieter than normal. We may be so stressed that we can't even think clearly or speak at all. To further illustrate the complexities, four different elements come into play when we talk about communication.

Some tend to think of communication as the ability to deliver effective speeches. While that is a part of being an effective communicator, it is only one part. Actually, oral communication is more descriptive than speaking. The ability to talk with people at all levels----upward, sideways, and downward in the organization is what sets managers apart. Some are good with the boss. Some are good with their staff. Some are good with their peers. Few are good in all directions.

Writing effectively is essential for those who wish to progress upward. Reading and understanding is also essential for those in senior management positions because the volume of paper crossing their desks or computer screens is astounding. The fourth leg and the one often overlooked is perhaps the most important element of managerial communication. Listening. An effective leader has to be an outstanding listener. This cannot be faked because everyone knows whether or not you are really listening. Everyone. Yet, listening is the most ignored element of communication. It is also a very common weakness in the executive ranks.

In my coaching practice, listening is the one ingredient of communication that requires the most work by my clients. We refer to effective listening as generous listening. To illustrate---When someone comes into your office and wants your time, you should put your pen or mouse down, face then squarely, look them in the eye and give them your undivided attention. Generous listening. Your people deserve it. They know you are busy and they therefore are reluctant to disturb you in the first place. When they do it is usually for something very important to them. Give them the attention that they need and focus on their every word.

So, the four legs of effective communication are oral, reading, writing, and listening. It is the rare executive who is good in all four. Yet those are the ones that rise to the top. Remember too that each element is impacted by the amount of stress that you are experiencing. The good news is that all four elements can be improved regardless of your current status in life.

The Most Difficult Place To Do Business

Where is the most difficult country to do business? Of course it is impossible to answer this question since we are all different. What is difficult for me because of language or cultural differences may be easy for you because you are fluent in the language and have a vast knowledge of the culture.

Lets eliminate war zone areas such as Iraq immediately since they would not even make the initial cut. It is virtually impossible to do business during a time when a country is experiencing strife. Outside of those areas, from my personal experience, Nigeria wins the prize as the most difficult place to do business. Not only are the language and culture vastly different than what most westerners are used to, their ethics, transportation system, communication system, and inability to make things work make it tough for anyone to do business there. There is still a large amount of corruption throughout business and government plus pirating of goods in the Port of Lagos and aboard trains and trucks goes on daily. No other country comes close to Nigeria. They are the winners hands down.

I found China to be difficult because of its vastness and lack of English in some locations. This is quickly changing however due to the upcoming Olympics. South Korea is tough because of its proximity to North Korea. Japan because of its unique language and customs both of which are unknown to most westerners. Most Japanese can speak English and they have a distinct advantage over most competitors for that reason. Thailand is also difficult because of its alphabet and customs. The Thai people are wonderful however and make excellent employees.

Where have you had the most difficulty doing business? My vote goes to Nigeria.

Senior Leadership Team Meetings-Meetings R' Us

How would you describe senior leadership team meetings? Boring? Energizing? At times, either word may apply. Actually, upon reflection, I think that it was more energizing being a lower level presenter than being an equal participant along with other members of the leadership team.

In my experience, these meetings were usually one or two days per month lasting a full day and sometimes into the evenings. A steady stream of presenters (usually with something to sell) would come before us and state their case. In attendance would be all the senior executives that report to the Chairman or President. So, while my main interests may be people issues, and the CFO's main interests financial matters, the Engineering V.P's main interests are technical topics, etc., etc., each of us would patiently listen as speaker after speaker came forward usually with an entourage. Believe me, it is tough to give rapt attention to the algorithims of sixth order parasidics in integrated circuit design. Likewise, the more technical leaders would have to suffer through a lot of softer topics such as the creation of a child care center or the colors to use on the annual report cover. Command performance attendance is one of the prices that we pay when we are lucky enough to lead our particular function or division.

Here is how I would characterize the meetings:

BORING

* Full day meetings that sometimes run until 9 p.m. or later.
* 6-12 different presenters one right after the other.
* Topics that were incomprehensible to a non-technical mind.
* Speakers that are not well prepared and fumble their topic.
* Senior team leaders that do not pay attention to what you are saying.
* Sessions that are too time consuming when you have real work waiting for you.
* Side conversations that distract the speaker.
* Presentations that give deference to the Chairman.

ENERGIZING

* Seeing outstanding talent from throughout the organization.
* Feeling like you finally knew what was going on in the company.
* Learning what the main issues were in each part of the company besides your own.
* Hearing from leaders around the globe and understanding the working relationships.
* Traveling to various global locations for meetings.
* Interacting with some of the brightest people in the company.

Who Is In Charge Of Your Career?

Your company or firm? Your boss since mentoring is one of his/her key elements? Human Resources? Your spouse or friends? You?

The company or firm that you work for hopefully has some tools in place to assist you with career planning and development. Most do. But, while they provide some tools for you to use, they are not ultimately responsible for your career.

Your boss plays an important role in career planning by assisting you in achieving what you want to achieve. They can assist you with ideas and enable you to take advantage of the tools that the company provides. Usually, they are in the best position to understand your strengths and weaknesses and developmental needs. The boss can be one of your biggest allies if you develop the proper relationship. Don't like your current boss? Then try a former boss or close business associate that knows you well.

Human Resources is usually a facilitator. Along with your boss, HR can assist you in reaching your goals. On the otherhand, don't count on them to be the initiator of your career plans. They can help but they are not ultimately responsible for your career plans.

Your spouse or a close friend can offer you advice and counsel as well as emotional support.

You are actually the one in charge of your career! Bosses change. Company policies vary and they can also change with time. Some HR Staffs do not have career development as a high priority. A friend or spouse may not have the background needed to support you. You. Only you can manage your career. Take the bull by the horns. Establish some broad career objectives and see to it that they happen. The company, the boss, HR, and friends are all working for you. Think of them as your personal tools as you aggressively work to fulfill your career goals. Remember, you are in charge!

Ouch! Why Do You Guys Charge So Much?

Good coaches have excellent backgrounds that are difficult to find. They are confidential, unbiased and carry no baggage in the organization. You get to use them without adding them to your payroll. Lets say that you have decided to release an executive and search for a better fit. You decide that even though it is painful, it is necessary to pull the plug. Stop. Consider executive coaching as a way to protect the considerable investment that you have already made in this executive.

Even if you could fill the executive's job internally, chances are you would have to replace that individual by going outside. Consider the following estimated costs. An executive headhunter can charge up to one-third the executive's total compensation for one full year (50k to 150k or more). Most companies grant a severance package to the executive being released (10k and up). Think of the time required of your organization to interview a variety of candidates. Think of the expense involved in flying the candidates to your location in addition to meals and hotel. Consider the cost of perqs for the new executive (10k-30k). Relocation costs have risen substantially (30k-50k). More intangible costs are difficult to quantify but they include training costs, loss of departmental efficiency for a period of time, reduced productivity of the new hire, impact on critical projects that are underway, lost sales and lost customers.

Executive coaching is not inexpensive but why not improve the leaders that you already have in place? It is much more economical than finding a replacement. Depending upon the circumstances and length of the coaching engagement, clients can expect to pay from 5-10k (short program) up to 10%-15% of one year's compensation for an extended program. A typical engagement is 6-12 months. One other point. The executive coaching field is becoming more and more competitive so you can find all kinds of special deals to meet your needs.

Why Do Some Executives Fail?

The most obvious reasons center around misuse of company funds or inability to deliver what the board or top executive expects. This usually means the failure to meet expected profits, revenues or stock prices desired. In these situations, the end result is release from the company. It may be advertised as an early retirement or mutually satisfactory release so the executive can spend more time with his family or some other equally unbelievable explanation. In these cases, a company will not spend money on executive coaching. While they may offer outplacement assistance, executive coaching is seldom part of the package. Coaching is typically reserved for those the company wants to save.

The situations that I get called into address usually fall into communication difficulties, management style, or the most serious one----inability to change. Executives fall from favor when they are unable to change with the times. A new boss comes in or the company decides on a new direction and the executive still wants to live in the past. Instead of embracing and leading change, these executives try to resist it. This inability to change with the situation is the quickest path to failure.

Change is inevitable. If the executive is not forced out, he/she will probably get a less than desirable job in the new structure. While coaching can sometimes help, unhappy executives with a bad attitudes in jobs they deem beneath them is a very slippery slope.

Never Say No

For those of you that are seriously interested in upward mobility, never say no to a new assignment or transfer. Why you ask? You like your current cushy job. You like the people you work with and finally, you are starting to make progress. Why should you move? I will tell you why.

Usually, before you are asked about your interest in a new job, the President or someone at Corporate or your boss or an HR committee has decided that you are the right person for the job. They have also looked at the career value and broadening aspects. Additionally, they have probably thought through who they would replace you with as well as others in the chain. These people have already decided that a move is in your best interests. If you say no, you upset the apple cart and may even set your career backwards. Say yes. Take the new assignment. It will broaden you and the new job will probably be short lived because they will already be thinking about your next assignment. Those that indicate an interest in mobility are the ones that get asked again and again. They are the same ones that rise to the top. Do not, I repeat do not, stay in the same job too long.

One of the sadder human conditions that I have observed is from grown older men who re-play "what might have been" over and over. "If only I had taken the opportunity presented ten years ago." Regrets. Have you had any in your career? Not me. I always said yes to new opportunities. Did I ever question the value of the assignment. Yes, but I always talked it through with my bosses. Was I ever concerned about a transfer to a new location? You bet. But, I always make the most of it. In the process, I grew and developed beyond my wildest expectations. Change is good for you. New assignments will broaden you. Your future potential will be enhanced as a result.

It is never too late to avoid saying no to future opportunities. Avoid regrets later in your life. Don't look back and grumble about what might have been. Say yes!

Who Has The Most Power And Influence?

Who yields the most influence? I used to think that it was always Finance. They controlled the purse strings and were involved in all major decisions. The CFO was always side by side with the CEO. They are very,very powerful but I have learned that it is not quite that easy. If it isn't finance in your organization, who is it?

Engineering and Research because they hold the keys to innovative new products? True in many high tech companies. Operations because of their process expertise? True in companies with a heavy manufacturing focus. Sales and Marketing because of their ability to grow the customer base? True in many service based companies. Human Resources because of its human capital focus? Seldom the case but true in all of those enlightened, innovative, cutting-edge companies! The Japanese taught us that Human Resources should be the most respected and influential function of all. Or, is the function not as important as the existence of a charismatic, credible, talented leader? He or she brings the power and influence, not the function they lead.

What about your company? Who rules the roost and why?

Why The Name Without Boundaries?

After doing business in most countries around the world. After working directly as an employee in the Aerospace, Automotive, Electronics, Telecommunications, oil and gas, and management consulting fields. After consulting with small business owners, high tech firms, insurance companies, major conglomorates, recent IPOs, and recent start-up companies. After living in three different countries with three distinct cultures, I have concluded that people issues among all companies is a common thread. They all have them. The way that you address people issues varies slightly depending upon the unique culture of the company or the country but the methods that you use to arrive at solutions are almost identical.

After years of studying human behavior in organizations, I finally found that my skills are portable from industry to industry and country to country. No boundaries. The name, Without Boundaries was selected to convey that concept. Of course, I had to incorporate the name in Texas (State of residence) and check its availability in most of the other populous states. Fortunately, I was able to use Without Boundaries LTD. When I speak to a new group or a new company, I explain how the name originated.

http://withoutboundariesltd.blogspot.com/
http://tx.local.yahoo.biz/withoutboundariesltd/
snichols222@sbcglobal.net

Caught Red Handed-What Would You Do?

Lets say that you caught a professional employee in the act of stealing. For the sake of argument, lets assume that another person saw it also. There is no doubt. The employee is guilty. What would you do?

Do you turn the other way because "John" is such a good guy? Do you confront him? Do you call HR and/or security? Would you be influenced by the seriousness of the theft? What if it was office supplies such as pens or computer paper? How about 2 bags of mulch in front of the office? Okay, how about a computer or printer?

Should the size of the crime matter? Isn't theft the issue? What if the thief is an employee of a protected class? A high potential employee? A prized and costly recruit? Does it matter?

Most of my HR friends will think this one is easy. They will act on theft regardless of the value of the object or regardless of the person committing the crime. I suspect that many of my non-HR friends will be swayed by who committed the crime. They may even be inclined to look the other way. I should also point out that cultural differences may play a role. This one may be handled differently in Singapore or China.

The difficult question is what do you do about it? If your policy says that theft is a dischargable offense, do you discharge someone with a clean record for taking something of negligible value? Some of you may be influenced by the person's record while others will say that a theft is a theft and want to discharge the person immediately. Most company policies leave room for interpretation. In other words, company officials can determine the penality to levy on the crime---up to and including discharge.

Call me a soft but I have a difficult time firing someone who has a clean record for taking something like several sheets of computer paper or a couple of pens. A box of paper is a different story. A computer is clear in my mind. For the smaller crimes, I would advocate placing someone on written notice and firing them immediately if theft of any kind occurs again.

How do you vote? What would you do?

Downsize This!

Large or small, most companies are eventually faced with making adjustments to the size of their workforce. Before proceeding with a layoff plan, make sure that you have considered other alternatives including, immediately eliminating documented poor performers, early retirements, temporarily utilizing shorter work weeks, pay reductions, elimination of temporary and contract workers, restructuring work. If you are unable or unwilling to take these steps and you still need to cut the size of the workforce, following the steps below will help to insure your success:

1. First and foremost, bring in professionals to help because this is really difficult to do correctly. Above all you want to maintain high morale for those who will be staying and avoid costly litigation at all costs.

2. Make sure that management is up to the task. Any manager or supervisor that will be communicating the message (almost all of them) needs preparation in advance of the actual announcement.

3. Establish a fairness council of credible managers representing major functions to resolve any employee relations issues that may arise. HR should be the "owner" of the disputes and carry them to the council for resolution. The HR director should chair the council however it is tough for HR to lead the downsize effort and be the sole decision maker for dispute resolution. That is why a blend of managers from other functions (including HR) seems to work best.

4. Put together a communications team to announce the business decisions that led to downsizing, tackle questions and answers, and aggressively address rumors that develop.

5. Dedicate full time HR resources on the day of the announcement, including security if you suspect foul play (which almost never occurs).

6. Consider hosting a job fair soon after the event for all employees that are displaced. Also, arrange to give all displaced employees outplacement assistance.

7. Communicate frequently. Communicate thoroughly. Communicate what is likely to be on people's minds.

Careful planning and coaching will pay big dividends. As good as employes may feel about their experience with your company, when they lose their job, the thing they will remember most is how they were treated by their boss and HR on the day that they were asked to depart. Treat them like professionals and they will do the same in return.

Read These For Greater Understanding

From time to time, I use books as part of the coaching process. This is particularly true with six month or longer engagements. This way, we take greater advantage of the time between the face-to-face coaching sessions. Also, most of my clients travel and an appropriate book or magazine article is the perfect travel companion. I always read the material in advance, highlight the areas that I want the client to focus in on and then we discuss the content at our next session. Books that I have found particularly helpful include the following:

1. Coaching, Mentoring, and Managing. Niki Holliday. Strategies for building winning teams for those new to this role. Coaching is a role that many managers are not familiar with.
2. Why Smart Executives Fail. Sydney Finkelstein. What you can learn from the mistakes of other executives. What better laboratory than learning from others mistakes before you fall into the same trap?
3. How To Become A Great Boss. Jeffrey J. Fox. Getting and Keeping the Best Employees. Improving your status from good to great.
4. Guerrilla Marketing. Jay Conrad Levinson. Tips on how to reach the fastest growing market. Primarily for small businessmen.
5. Tuesdays With Morrie. Mitch Albom. Old man, young man, and life's greatest lesson. This book places mentoring in perspective. Making the highest quality of life regardless of the hand that has been dealt you is what really matters. It is also a lesson for those feeling sorry for themselves. Stop and remember Morrie and all of a sudden life does not look so bad.
6. What The CEO Wants You to Know. Ram Charan. Understanding how your business really works. This also works for those reporting to the top executive at a site. CEO's think differently than you and I. Find out what matters most to them.
7. Communicate With Confidence. Dianne Booher. How to say it right the first time. This is one of the best on speaking, listening, and overcoming communication concerns. I have used this one over and over for one of the top developmental needs---effective communication.
8. Smart Work. Marshall and Freedman. The syntax guide for mutual understanding in the workforce. I especially like the section on "generous listening."
9. The Portable MBA in Strategy. Tactics used by successful businesses to innovate and create wealth in continuously evolving markets. Good for those without an MBA. There is also a similar book on The Portable MBA. Both are good for leaders who have a non-business educational background.
10. Simplicity. Bill Jensen. The new competitive advantage in a world of more, better, faster. Sharpen your actions on things that are really important. Eliminate the fluff and non-essential.
11. Business Leaders and Success. William J. O'Neil. Fifty-five top leaders and how they achieved greatness. Learn from those at the top of their game.
12. What Clients Love. Harry Beckwith. A field guide to growing your business. For anyone desiring to improve their relations with clients.
13. Things a Man Should Know About Style. Esquire's Omelianuk and Allen. Tongue in cheek look at style and fashion for the male executive. Look your best at all times. You are being watched.
14. Iacocca. Lee Iacocca. Learn from one of the masters during his prime.
15. Executive Charisma. D. A. Benton. Six steps to mastering the art of leadership. Use this if the executive wants to improve on his/her executive presence.
16. Leadership. Rudolph Guiliani. One of the best example's of leadership during a time of crisis.
17. Leadership Through The Ages. Rudolph Guiliani forward. 250 inspiring quotations from Churchill to Will Rogers. Great for supplementing your speeches.
18. On Becoming A Leader. Warren Bennis. Good material for top middle manager or a new senior leader. Warren Bennis is one of the best writers on leadership.
19. American English Proverbs. Harry Collis. For foreign nationals who need to understand American sayings such as, why curosity killed the cat or don't bite the hand that feeds you. We use them all the time and our foreign employees or visitors probably do not have a clue what we mean.
20. The Five People You Meet In Heaven. Mitch Albom. The same author as Tuesdays with Morrie. This book teaches you the connectivity of life. When you get to the top of the hill, you want to make sure that when you turn around, your troops are behind you.
21. Who Moved My Cheese? Spencer Johnson. A simple classic book on change and resistance to change.
22. 1000 Places To See Before You Die. Patricia Schultz. Dream a little. Take advantage of your international travels and stop by some of these places when you are in the neighborhood.
23. Rites of Passage for Executives Over 100k. John Lucht. Just in case you find yourself on the job market. This may be the only book that you need for the hunt.

Other books and magazine articles are also recommended as the situation warrants. For the most part, I try to avoid the trendy book or topic of the day. I prefer the time honored material.

But She Has A Great Personality

Be afraid. Be very afraid. In high school, this was code for her looks aren't so good but her personality makes up for it. In business, we might say "all talk but no action" or "he/she is an empty suit." In Texas, we say "all hat no cattle." Personality of course is important but I always get nervous when someone leads with that description of an employee. Tell me about their business competencies. Leadership style? Communication ability? Enthusiasm? Teaming ability? Competitiveness?

In business today, the most common tool that is used to measure personality or "type preference" is the Myers Briggs. Almost everyone has taken it. The funny thing is, most people cannot recall their four letter type. They may remember one or two letters but even so, they cannot explain their meaning. That is a shame because your type can tell you things that you need to work on. For example, I am an ENTJ. We know that ENTJ's need to be careful to recognize other people's contributions since we have a tendency to overlook them. Also, we tend to make fast decisions and ignore some relevant details. So, knowing this, I go out of my way to avoid these pitfalls.

What is your type? How recent have you taken the Myers Briggs? I have taken it many times over the course of the past 15 years and it always comes out ENTJ (Extrovert, intuition, thinking, judgemental) although I am a very slight "E" with some "I " tendencies. Has yours changed? It seldom does but it can. Maybe it is time to take it again? Fortunately, there is now a free online service that you can use and get instantenous results. Try it and compare your results if you remember your previous type.

Click on www.humanmetrics.com and after about twenty minutes of your time, you will see the results. Call or email me if you want to discuss.

Links That You Might Enjoy

Depending upon the coaching situation, I do a lot of research in order to stay on top of the issues. When I cannot wait on the next addition of a magazine (Business Week is my favorite), I will check into various web sites for the latest. Certain web sites offer an abundance of information and resources. Most are absolutely free but some require you to register. My favorite links are:

http://www.fortune.com This site is filled with business, government, and company news.

http://www.businessweek.com The best business magazine. Leadership, business, investing, practical information, leadership profiles.

http://www.forbes.com Business news, stocks, market updates. Personalize your interests.

http://www.online.wsj.com/public/us Wall Street Journal. Main newsworthy topics.

http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu Harvard Business School topics.

http://www.humanmetrics.com Myers Briggs and other assessment tools.

http://www.engadget.com See the latest electronic gadgets on a daily basis.

http://www.bensbargains.com Shop here before you buy. Better than Frys, Circuit City, or Best Buy. Check the coupons for code numbers that you can use for purchases anywhere.

http://www.straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/ Covers all of Southeast Asia news out of its base in Singapore.

http://www.business-times.asia1.com.sg/ Covers business news throughout asia.

http://www.scmp.com/ Based in Hong Kong but covers mainland China as well.

http://www.atimes.com/ Asian business coverage.

http://www3.nytimes.com/ Leading liberal opinions on matters around the world.

What Exactly Is An Executive Coach Anyway?

You have heard it all. Head doctor. Groom merchant. Charm school. Actually, nothing could be farther from the truth. Don't think of a psychiatrist or even a psychologist although both could be coaches---probably just not very good ones. Ouch! I take it back. Kinda. Some psychologists have firm foundations in business and make excellent coaches. But, being a psychologist does not make you a good coach. How about a former executive? Not necessarily. Being a former executive is not enough. How about a former baseball or basketball coach? Probably not unless they went on to greatness in business and had an appropriate educational foundation.

Think of an executive coach as a senior mentor with a great deal of practical business and people experience. They will ask tough questions about you and your business. They will make a great effort to understand the business context. They will force you to carefully examine your strengths and weaknesses. They will gather input from respected colleagues in your organization. Good coaches will also goad you into developing a coherent, concise development plan with metrics to measure progress and success.

The best coaches are good listeners who have "been there and done that." They must not only be good mentors and teachers but in my opinion, they must have had first hand business experience. Beware of a coach who puts everything into psychological terminology. They must be able to earn the respect of those they coach by speaking the same business language. I like to say, no psycho mumbo jumbo. Coaches also need great people skills so they can interact with other senior leaders as well as staff members at all levels of the organization.

Finally, coaches need to be firmly grounded in a logical, structured coaching process. That should include certification or thorough knowledge of various assessment tools such as the Myers Briggs, Birkman, Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down, and others. Ideally, coaches will be well educated and they will have completed an internship or education through a reputable coaching organization.

Do you use coaches? The right coach can save you tons of money. In fact, I think that if you invest in your leaders, your bottom line will soar! Let me know if you are considering that possibility or if you would like some assistance in determining what/who is right for you. We can help!

Click on the link at the bottom of this email to view other blogs or to see this blog in living color. You can also reply to this email by clicking on your email's reply button.

Thanks for reading this. Watch for future blogs soon. P.S., I will not send more than one blog per day and I intend to slow down soon. Right now, I have a lot of possible topics and thanks to you, the list is growing.

Steve (Nick)

Neat Things You Can Do With A Blog

No doubt some of you are new at blogging so I thought I would share some of the neat things that you can do with blogs.

1. Trash it.

2. Reflect on it.

3. Comment on it by expressing your own viewpoints.

4. Agree or disagree with my viewpoints.

5. Pass it on to friends.

6. Copy it and roll it into a small ball and toss it to your dog.


To express yourself freely, don't respond to my emails. Instead, click on the small envelope at the bottom of this message and send your comments that way.

One other point, be sure and save the http:// address on my message so you can easily to get to the global coaching forum blog. Save it as a favorite or put it on your desk top and you will have a ready reference tool. If you forget, email or call me and I will guide you.

I should also say that if you do not wish to be "blogged" you can ask to be taken off my mailing list. I realize that some of you are already overwhelmed by emails and this adds to your load. So, your wish is my command.

The Best Day To Discharge An Employee

Let me make it very clear, I do not enjoy firing employees. The whole process is very distasteful. As we all know however, it is necessary at times to let people go for rule violations such as theft, history of bad performance, or chronic absenteeism. Should you strategize the best day to release someone? The answer depends upon the situation. At times, it is necessary to take swift action and release an employee (after investigation) almost immediately. What about other situations where you have some time to plan how and when to release an employee?

When time is not a critical factor, I very much am in favor of Friday releases. Why? If you take action early in the week, those employees remaining will talk about what happened all week long. Rumors will fly. Others will think that they are next. A general feeling of uneasiness will permeate the workforce. If you take action on late Friday afternoon, many employees will be gone for the weekend and you have built an automatic cushion (Saturday and Sunday) against rumor formation and unproductive discussion.

One word of caution. Mix it up at times. If you have a lot of releases, don't make Friday the dreaded (and predictable) chopping block day. If you are like most organizations, you have very few discharges and they are spread out over the year. Friday will be your best day! You will still find it distasteful but it is your best option.

If you need some advice on almost any HR matter from experienced HR professionals, call us. We can help!

Send Your Best People Overseas

Every organization struggles when it comes time to send expatriates overseas. Lets assume that you have an opening in a foreign country that only an American (or any other nationality) can hold. You may have determined that because you need someone with connections to home office, or perhaps you need someone who is up to date with the latest technology, or you need someone who has a good business sense and speaks English (or some other language) fluently. You therefore conclude that an American expatriate is the best person to send. The question is, who should you send?

Small organizations seldom can afford the luxury of sending anyone overseas. Yet, you have determined that the open job can only be filled with an American. Should you hire someone to send overseas? That does not make any sense because you have not developed a comfort level with them yet. Should you send someone who you determine is currently expendable? Should you send someone who is not very busy at the moment? Should you send someone that will be easy to backfill? All of these reasons would be the wrong reasons!

You should make it a practice to send only your best people overseas. Send your stars. Make it a requirement for those rising to the top. Just like advanced education or any other critical factor deemed desirable for your company, international experience should be a critical step in your top performers' career path. Sure, I know it is not easy but if you want future key individuals to serve abroad, they must see that the company values the experience above all else.

Why you ask? Partly because of cost. Today, it costs about three times as much (more in some countries) to send an expatriate abroad than it does to hire a local. Next, because so much of your companies' future is at stake. Doing business off shore is essentially a requirement today in order for you to be competitive. If you can afford to do business abroad, you can afford to send your very best. What method does your organization practice today? Do you send your very best or do you look around to find someone whose departure will hurt your organization the least? Do you do a thorough assessment of the entire family before you make the final selection? If you do not, you should. If a child or spouse cannot cope and has to come home early, you can expect an early assignment termination for the whole family. In foreign assignments, selecting the right family members is just as important as selecting the right employee. It definitely is a family affair and should be part of your selection process.

We have been selecting successful expatriate candidates for many years. Don't be a part of making the same mistakes or creating irrevocable problems for your company by sending the wrong people. Too much is at stake. Taking the easy way out sets you up for serious problems down the road.

Ask us how to go about designing a selection process for your company. We can help!

Grooming A Star Performer

What steps can be taken to groom an executive with high potential so he/she can rise to the next level? Having said that, lets assume that the individual has an excellent track record, is well thought of by management, and wants to rise as high as possible.

The first thing I would want to know is what is the track record? What jobs have been held? What direction does the individual and the management team see this person going? In other words, CFO, CEO, COO, President, etc. Next, we would discuss several possible steps to get there including focusing on the preferred option. That will enable us to take some short-term action on the needed next assignment. This would be built into the succession plan and when conditions are right, we would take the necessary action. Also, key decisions like mentoring, university executive development programs, international assignment, specific skill development such as communications, negotiation style, etc. would be decided upon.

Concurrently, we would spend time on more of the soft side issues. What are the person's strengths and weaknesses? We would do a self assessment as well as some formal assessments including the Thumbs Up-Thumbs Down, Myers-Briggs, and the Birkman. Additionally, this would be the appropriate time to focus on leadership style and personality assessment.

Along with formal assessments, we would advocate a multi-rater (360) feedback tool specifically designed around the individual's strengths and weaknesses. After determining an appropriate mix of participants, we would interview each trusted colleague and gather feedback for our executive. Then, we would summarize the information and report it back to the executive. In spite of how positive most of the data will be, most executive's will be told that they have room for improvement. After much discussion and debate, an action plan will be written to develop the weaknesses while at the same time not losing site of the strengths. The action plan should contain specific objectives, time frame, and metrics to measure progress. The mentor or coaches' role is to make sure that the executive stays on point and actually accomplishes the plan.

How do YOU groom a star performer? Do you just automatically assume that they will succeed and therefore do not require coaching? Why should you spend money on your top performers? I will tell you why. They represent your future. They are the ones that will make your company succeed or fail. As good as they are, they can get even better. Also, keeping them highly motivated will prevent them from looking around at other opportunities. You cannot afford to lose your stars---at any cost. Invest in your leaders and watch your bottom line soar!

We can help!

Executives Who Just Do Not Get It

Have you ever seen executives who resist directives handed down from top management? The most common one is centered around change. For example, even though it is necessary to cut costs in some organizations and reduce people expenditures, some executives expect reductions in each area of the company except their own. Have you ever heard the comment " you do not understand. We are different?" What can you do? How do you coach such an executive? How do you get his/her attention?

We can help.