Accountability is a funny word. It’s often taken to be a negative. For example, an employee might be held accountable for their failure to meet a deadline. In reality, it’s one of the most beneficial words people in businesses can use. You see, accountability isn’t about blame. It’s about establishing clear boundaries around results, and in […]
Read More Accountability, Business, Employee engagement, Management, MotivationSometimes I think everything I need to know is contained in children’s movies. In his infinite wisdom, Cheshire Cat demonstrates one of the great aspects of any team of any size – a mission. Without one, where would we be? Consider a team of ten professionals, all high performers, more than capable in their positions. Despite […]
Read More Business, Employee engagement, Management, PlanningBefore you shake your head at the thought of nonsensical sound of those two words, hear me out. The other day, I was with a group working on a mission statement when I jokingly threw the term out to the group. Somebody at a table beside me turned and looked disgusted, thinking it sounded a […]
Read More Employee engagement, Management, PeopleThe concept of employee engagement is one which I’ve spoken about quite a lot recently. It’s all about building a mutual relationship with employees, and establishing a degree of commitment. So, what’s that go to do with performance? Everything. There’s a very simple reason for that, too. A truly engaged employee doesn’t rely on managers […]
Read More Business, Employee engagement, Management, Performance managementEverybody wants an exceptional workforce. We all want our organisations to be capable of delivering spectacular results, but how do we achieve that? Well, it’s not simple. To truly excel, your organisation needs to integrate good practices across its entirety. Although there’s no easy way to describe every practice, and it varies between organisations, I […]
Read More Business, Development, Employee engagement, Motivation, Reward management, Succession planningThere is a recent article over at HBR.org from Ron Ashkenas about innovation. He talks about small companies, and their ability to innovate ‚compared with smaller companies. It was a good article overall, but towards the end he makes three points, the last of which got me thinking. The specific point I’m talking about is […]
Read More Employee engagement, Innovation, ManagementI hadn’t heard of James Adonis until I picked up his book, “Corporate Punishment: Smashing the Management Clichés for Leaders in a New World.” From the start, that concept had me on the hook. I guess I’ve heard about “low hanging fruit” one too many times. The book is made up of small chapters several pages […]
Read More Employee engagement, Inspiration, ManagementStrategy is an interesting topic. Developing strategy is the process of devising a plan with a specific goal, or goals, in mind. So, if we know what it is, who’s job is it? Conventional wisdom tells us that leaders are responsible for strategy. They drive the strategic direction of the organisation, and act as a catalyst […]
Read More Employee engagement, Management, StrategyEarlier I was watching Fox’s “Family Guy”, which is perhaps the most random television show I’ve seen. That’s another story, though. In one scene, the central character “Peter”, misses out on the employee of the month award. Instead it goes to a disabled ward of the state who, it seems, has won it many many […]
Read More Employee engagement, Human resource management, Management, Performance managementDeveloping position descriptions is never an easy task. Doing it correctly involves research, negotiation, organisational knowledge and careful planning. If you break it down into steps, however, it becomes much more manageable, and your results will be improved. To help make the process easier, I’ve made a list of my top five tips for creating […]
Read More Communication, Employee engagement, Human resource management, Job analysis, Performance management