Google the search engine made its presence felt in Ad Tech Exhibition in Singapore
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Friday, September 19, 2008
Presentation Skills
This is the one of the best presentation skills I have ever seen lately. As a Toastmaster member, the presenter, Guan Eng, has delivered his speech with inclusive statement, sincerity and passionate.
2008 Brandon Hall Excellence in Learning Awards Judges
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Speaker Note of HRD PSMB 2007 Conference
Speaker Notes
| No. | Speaker | Notes |
| 1. | Y. Bhg Dato' Azman Shah Dato' Seri Haron President Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) | |
| 2. | Dato' Lawrence Chan Kum Peng Founder & Executive Chairman Of Personal Development Leadership Corporation (M) Sdn Bhd | |
| 3. | Dato’ Md Sharif bin Shamsuddin Managing Director for Amalgamated Metal Builders (M) Sdn. Bhd | |
| 4. | Dato’ Nik Zainiah Nik Abd Rahman Director General of National Productivity Corporation (NPC), Malaysia | |
| 5. | Dr.Wilson Tay CEO MIM | |
| 6. | Dr. Azizah Johor Senior Human Resources Manager, ACM | |
| 7. | Mr. Christopher Chan CEO, The Media Shoppe Berhad(TMS) | |
| 8. | Mr. Cornelius Koh Beng Yan Training Supervisor, Motorola Penang | |
| 9. | Mr.Heera Singh | |
| 10. | Mr. James A. Crown Chief Executive Officer of Knowledge Group Consulting Sdn Bhd | |
| 11. | Mr. K. C. See | |
| 12. | Mr. S. Kumar General Manager of ON Semiconductor | |
| 13. | Mr. Thomas Lim Executive Director of Proreka (M) Sdn Bhd | |
| 14. | Y. Bhg. Professor Dato’ Dr Sheikh Omar Abdul Rahman President of Malaysian Association of Professional Speakers (MAPS) | |
| 15. | Y. Bhg. Tan Sri Datuk G. Gnanalingam Executive Chairman Of Westport Malaysia | Download |
Source: http://www.hrdnet.com.my/conference07/notes.html
PSMB 2008 Conference Program
PRE-REGISTRATION DAY
20 October 2008 (Monday)
4.00 p.m – 7.00 p.m
| Day 1 : 21 October 2008 | |||||
| 8.00 - 9.00 am | Registration of Participants | ||||
| 9.00 – 10.00 am | General Session Re-engineering of Human Capital : Expectations & Success Speaker : Y. Bhg. Dato' Sharifah Mohd Ismail | ||||
| 10.00 – 11.00 am | Morning Refreshments/Tour of Exhibition Booths | ||||
| 11.00 - 12.00 pm | Opening Ceremony by The Honourable Minister of Human Resources and The presentation of Human Resources Development Awards | ||||
| 12.00 - 1.00 pm | General Session Human Capital Development Policy Speaker : Y. Bhg. Datuk Thomas George | ||||
| 1.00 - 2.30 pm | Lunch/Tour of Exhibition Booths | ||||
| 2.30 - 3.30 pm | Concurrent Session
| ||||
| 3.30 - 4.30 pm | Afternoon Refreshments / Tour of Exhibition Booths | ||||
| 4.30 - 5.30 pm | Concurrent Session
| ||||
| 5.30 pm | End of Day 1 | ||||
Day 2: 22 October 2008 | |||||
8.00 - 9.00 am | Tour of Exhibition Booths | ||||
9.00 – 10.00 am | Concurrent Session
| ||||
10.00 – 11.00 am | Morning Refreshments/Tour of Exhibition Booths | ||||
11.00 - 12.00 pm | General Session Striving For Organization Excellence Through Productivity Enhancement Speaker : Y. Bhg. Dato' Nik Zaniah Nik Abd. Rahman | ||||
12.00 - 1.00 pm | General Session Impact of Globalisation On Human Capital Development Speaker : Dr. R. Palan | ||||
1.00 - 2.30 pm | Lunch/Tour of Exhibition Booths | ||||
2.30 - 3.30 pm | General Session Critical Perspective On Human Resource Development Speaker : | ||||
3.30 - 4.30 pm | General Session Developing Human Capital In You Speaker : Y. Bhg. Datin Paduka Dr. Hajjah Mazlina Syed Abdul Kadir | ||||
4.30 pm | Closing Ceremony by The Chairman of The Board of Directors Pembangunan Sumber Manusia Berhad | ||||
5.30 pm | Afternoon Refreshments / Tour of Exhibition Booths / End | ||||
Malaysia HRD (PSMB) 2008 Conference
Welcome To PSMB 2008 Conference |
 |
Join us for our PSMB 2008 Conference & Exhibition which will be held on the 21st until 22nd October 2008 in Genting International Convention Centre (GICC), Genting Highlands, Pahang. The industry’s most esteemed speakers and experts will be sharing their latest ideas, theories, and experiences on strategic issues and key challenge relating to human resources development. This conference is a platform for the exchange of views and opinions among HR professionals that would assist employer to achieve competitive advantage.
CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS
- Presentation of the Human Resources Minister Awards and the Pembangunan Sumber Manusia Berhad Awards by the Honourable Minister Of Human Resources.
- There will be 6 General Sessions and 6 Concurrent Sessions, which will increase your understanding on the human resources issues and communicate the value of HR from a business perspective.
- More than 40 exhibitors will be participating in this conference.
- More than 1,200 participants nationwide.
- Networking lunch of distinguished Corporate Leaders, HR Practitioners and Visionaries.
BENEFITS OF ATTENDING
- To identify emerging challenges and opportunities in managing human resource in the context of dynamic and complex organizational environment.
- To provide an avenue for Corporate Leaders, HR Practitioners and Visionaries to exchange insight, ideas, experiences and strategies for the future practices of human resources management in order to achieve competitive advantage.
- To experience networking opportunities with HR Professionals nationwide and develop business contacts with fellow participants.
- To create dynamic workforce by understanding the current issues and the on going changes of human capital development in Malaysia.
Genting International Convention Centre
Genting Highlands
OUR SPONSORSHIP
Source: http://www.1hrdmalaysia.com/index.htm
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Peak: How Great Companies Get Their Mojo from Maslow
Peak: How Great Companies Get Their Mojo from Maslow
Review from Amazon.com
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Despite using the word mojo in the subtitle and citing inspiration he received from 1960s counterculture icon Timothy Leary, this guide to better management isn't for hippies. Yes, Conley started the California boutique hotel chain Joie de Vivre Hospitality with the Phoenix Hotel, once a haven for faded rock stars. And yes, he quotes liberally from rebel CEOs who surf. But Conley's book is packed with thoughtful, instructional stories and advice for entrepreneurs as well as Fortune 500 managers, gleaned from his own experience as well as other business books. At the center of this confessional how-to is psychologist Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs, a pyramid that ranks human needs from base to self-actualizing. Used as the basis for employee, customer and stakeholder satisfaction, Conley contends, it can transform a business and its people. Though Stephen Covey and Peter Drucker have looked to Maslow before, Conley describes how using the pyramid saved his company from bankruptcy when the dot-com bubble burst. Conley is most successful when he expresses his ideas in numbered lists rather than the wordy passages that slow down the beginning. On the whole, though, his advice is inspiring and accessible. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
When Hotelier Conley was profiled by USA Today as one of its People to watch in 2001, he seemingly could do no wrong. His company, Joie de Vivre Hospitality, which operates a chain of boutique hotels in the San Francisco Bay area, was riding high on the dot-com boom. But then the bubble burst, followed by 9/11 and an industry-wide crisis that hit his upscale business hard. As his world crumbled around him, Conley turned to the writings of psychologist Abraham Moslow for inspiration. In contrast to the darker premises behind Freud's psychoanalysis and B. F. Skinner's behaviorism, Maslow took a more positive approach, seeking to study the best and brightest that human nature has to offer, encouraging an environment of self-actualization that encourages peak experiences. Conley understood that personal transformation and corporate transformation are not all that different, and this story shows not only how Maslow's ideas brought about a resurrection in Conley's business but also how similar mind-sets continue to create growth and a positive work environment at companies such as Google, Netflix, Harley-Davidson, and Apple. Siegfried, David
Reference from other review from Amazon:
Add Human Sigma to Your Diagnostic Toolkit, February 24, 2008
Human Sigma: Managing the Employee-Customer Encounter is a great addition to the growing collection of books about improving employee or customer engagement. While much of the writing on this topic is based on the edgy experiences or best practices of an innovative company, this is a book based on extensive survey work. These findings provide some of the missing foundational understandings that will help you explain why this is the path to take.
While it is packed with "ah ha" insights, it is best read carefully and with full attention. This is not a quick read. While some of the concepts leap off the page and find easy application, others will take a little bit more digging to really understand. Because each chapter builds on the foundation, there's no skimming.
With that, I found it a great companion to last year's Peak: How Great Companies Get Their Mojo from Maslow. The two taken together will provide the science and the practical application needed to build an organization that encourages employees to engage and customers to become passionate advocates.
Source: http://www.amazon.com/review/product/1595620168/ref=cm_cr_dp_all_helpful?%5Fencoding=UTF8&coliid=&showViewpoints=1&colid=&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending
Review from Amazon.com
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Despite using the word mojo in the subtitle and citing inspiration he received from 1960s counterculture icon Timothy Leary, this guide to better management isn't for hippies. Yes, Conley started the California boutique hotel chain Joie de Vivre Hospitality with the Phoenix Hotel, once a haven for faded rock stars. And yes, he quotes liberally from rebel CEOs who surf. But Conley's book is packed with thoughtful, instructional stories and advice for entrepreneurs as well as Fortune 500 managers, gleaned from his own experience as well as other business books. At the center of this confessional how-to is psychologist Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs, a pyramid that ranks human needs from base to self-actualizing. Used as the basis for employee, customer and stakeholder satisfaction, Conley contends, it can transform a business and its people. Though Stephen Covey and Peter Drucker have looked to Maslow before, Conley describes how using the pyramid saved his company from bankruptcy when the dot-com bubble burst. Conley is most successful when he expresses his ideas in numbered lists rather than the wordy passages that slow down the beginning. On the whole, though, his advice is inspiring and accessible. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
When Hotelier Conley was profiled by USA Today as one of its People to watch in 2001, he seemingly could do no wrong. His company, Joie de Vivre Hospitality, which operates a chain of boutique hotels in the San Francisco Bay area, was riding high on the dot-com boom. But then the bubble burst, followed by 9/11 and an industry-wide crisis that hit his upscale business hard. As his world crumbled around him, Conley turned to the writings of psychologist Abraham Moslow for inspiration. In contrast to the darker premises behind Freud's psychoanalysis and B. F. Skinner's behaviorism, Maslow took a more positive approach, seeking to study the best and brightest that human nature has to offer, encouraging an environment of self-actualization that encourages peak experiences. Conley understood that personal transformation and corporate transformation are not all that different, and this story shows not only how Maslow's ideas brought about a resurrection in Conley's business but also how similar mind-sets continue to create growth and a positive work environment at companies such as Google, Netflix, Harley-Davidson, and Apple. Siegfried, David
Reference from other review from Amazon:
Add Human Sigma to Your Diagnostic Toolkit, | By | Mark C. Howell (Southern California) - See all my reviews |
While it is packed with "ah ha" insights, it is best read carefully and with full attention. This is not a quick read. While some of the concepts leap off the page and find easy application, others will take a little bit more digging to really understand. Because each chapter builds on the foundation, there's no skimming.
With that, I found it a great companion to last year's Peak: How Great Companies Get Their Mojo from Maslow. The two taken together will provide the science and the practical application needed to build an organization that encourages employees to engage and customers to become passionate advocates.
Source: http://www.amazon.com/review/product/1595620168/ref=cm_cr_dp_all_helpful?%5Fencoding=UTF8&coliid=&showViewpoints=1&colid=&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending
Human Sigma: Managing the Employee-Customer Encounter
2007 Releases
By John H. Fleming, Ph.D., and Jim Asplund
(Hardcover, October 2007)
In the past, companies have not applied rigor and precision to measuring and managing the "softer," human side of business. That is about to change. Human Sigma reveals that there are right and wrong ways to assess and manage the health of a company's employee and customer relationships. This rigorous new approach -- HumanSigma -- offers a new perspective on organizational performance that hinges on five core principles all great companies must embrace.Source: http://www.gallup.com/press/17473/Gallup-Press.aspx
Gallup: Strengths-Based Development
I have deployed the same strategy at work to manage the department of 100 staff. The results are astonishing. Not only that, I have also looked into their competency development so that we can develop the effectiveness of the department and individuals.
My previous managers in Pfizer and Komag have also demonstrated such management style. They have also inflenced my current way of managing employee - strength based, no fear, appreciation and competency development.
My previous managers in Pfizer and Komag have also demonstrated such management style. They have also inflenced my current way of managing employee - strength based, no fear, appreciation and competency development.
Strengths-Based Development
Gallup research has proven that the best way to develop people -- and net the greatest return on investment -- is to identify the ways in which they most naturally think, feel, and behave as unique individuals, then build upon those talents to create strength, the ability to provide consistent, near-perfect performance in a specific task. Gallup strengths consultants are leading-edge specialists dedicated to closely partnering with organizations to align vital human resource functions with crucial business and organization needs.
What impact do Gallup's strengths development programs have on our clients' organizational performance? Our research shows that our strengths development interventions can produce increases in employee engagement that in turn lead to improved business outcomes in areas including retention, productivity, profitability, customer engagement, and safety.
Over the past decade, Gallup has surveyed more than 10 million people worldwide on the topic of employee engagement, and only one-third "strongly agree" with the statement: "At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day." In a recent Gallup Poll, among those who "strongly disagreed" or "disagreed" with this "what I do best" statement, not one single person was emotionally engaged on the job.
Analyses of our clients' employee engagement scores show that workgroups that receive strengths development interventions achieve stronger growth in employee engagement scores than groups that received no strengths intervention or a standard employee engagement intervention. Our studies also indicate that employees who do have the opportunity to focus on their strengths every day are six times as likely to be engaged in their jobs and more than three times as likely to report having an excellent quality of life in general. A strengths development strategy not only can dramatically boost employee engagement, it can also dramatically decrease disengagement.
The Clifton StrengthsFinder: a Revolutionary Tool for Developing Human Potential
The foundation of Gallup Consulting's strengths management practice is the Clifton StrengthsFinder, the product of a 25-year, multimillion dollar effort to identify the most prevalent human talents -- the building blocks of a strong and productive life.
Over the past several years, millions of people have used StrengthsFinder to discover their greatest talents. The assessment has been translated into more than 20 languages and is used by businesses, schools, community groups, and individuals in more than 50 nations around the world.
Maximizing Organizational Performance
Gallup Consulting's strengths development and management programs are a powerful first step for organizations seeking to maximize individual performance. Organizations can achieve even greater results when they address all points on The Gallup Path. We have developed integrated and comprehensive performance management solutions that support organizations in achieving crucial business goals.
In addition to consulting on strengths-based development approaches that boost employee productivity and engagement and increase organizational performance, Gallup Consulting offers tools for:
Workplace and Leadership Practices
- devise and implement an effective organizational performance strategy
- provide executive performance coaching for senior leaders
- measure and improve employee engagement
- recruit and hire world-class performers
- create an objective and easy-to-use performance evaluation and development system
- develop an effective succession management system
- design a performance-based compensation system for all roles
- increase sales force effectiveness
Marketing and Customer Practices
- measure and improve customer engagement
- increase the overall impact of brand management programs
- improve marketing strategies through objective, research-based ideas and insights
Gallup Consulting has the resources and experience to support organizations that seek to improve their business performance by developing better leaders, more profitable customers, and more productive employees. Our successes demonstrate our effective consulting and performance improvement solutions.
Contact us to learn more about how we can help you or your organization achieve higher levels of performance.
Related Items
Strengths: The Next Generation
March 8, 2007GALLUP MANAGEMENT JOURNAL
The Gallup Management Journal is a groundbreaking online journal written for global business leaders.Learn More...
StrengthsFinder 2.0
This book unveils the new and improved version of the popular assessment, language of 34 themes, and much more.Learn More
World-Class Employee EngagementVarious dates in the U.S. and Canada, October 2008 Engaged organizations enjoy higher EPS growth rates. Learn how the world's top-performing organizations boost employee engagement.Learn more or download the brochure (PDF) |
| LEARNING EVENTS | ||||||||
|
Source: http://www.gallup.com/consulting/61/Strengths-Development.aspx
Strengths, Talent and the One Thing
Strengths, Talent and the One Thing
On strengths
A strength is a naturally occurring talent multiplied by knowledge and skill.
Knowledge is that which is learned.
Skill is knowledge put to practice.
Knowledge and skill increase with experience, education, and use.
Talent is inborn. It is a natural propensity. It cannot be learned.
Talent alone is not enough. A person may have a natural propensity towards music (or art, or sports) but without practice and education, the talent goes to waste.
You may have a talent towards communication but without practical use, experience, knowledge and skill, your talent does little for you.
Strengths, weaknesses and the 80/20 rule.
Spend 80 percent of your time working on strengths (talent), 20 percent on weaknesses.
In the time you spend on your own development, concentrate most of your time (80%) on your natural talents. This will bring you the greatest success, satisfaction and fulfillment. Spend 20% of that time becoming aware of and overcoming your weaknesses.
Not everyone can be successful at anything. The old (American) adage that “if you work hard enough you can be whatever you want” is false. You can do anything you have talent for. You can achieve high levels of success in areas in which you can apply your talents. Wanting isn’t enough - unless what you want coincides with your talent or you can use your talents in achieving what you want.
Strengths, life and the path of least resistance.
As in nature, all things follow the path of least resistance; your path of least resistance is in your talents. It is what comes natural to you. It is the calm waters with the wind filling your sail taking you to your best possible self.
Discover and do what you are meant to do. It is the easiest and most rewarding path you can take.
Step outside of this path and you struggle. It’s the stormy waters, it’s sailing against the wind. It’s working, struggling, fighting for little gain or satisfaction.
We all have to do things that we are not talented at, in which we have a weakness, or which we just don’t like. If these things are taking too much of our time, we are off course, we are off of our path, and we are being dragged down. These things take our energy and give little reward.
The one thing you need to know
For Sustained Individual Success
(from Markus Buckingham’s book “the one thing you need to know”)
Discover what you don’t like doing and stop doing it
What is Sustained Individual Success?
1. Sustained Success is making the greatest possible impact over the longest period of time.
1. Requires that you take your natural talents and your enthusiasm and apply yourself to learning role-specific skills and knowledge. [Strength = Talent (Knowledge + Skills)]
2. “Something special must leave the room when you leave the room.” – P. Drucker
Contenders for the “one thing”
1. Find the right tactics and employ them.
1. Doesn’t tell you how to avoid becoming a commodity.
2. You have different strengths, weaknesses, interests, background, and experience.
3. Your individuality, not the process, must be the focus.
2. Find your flaws and fix them
1. The most commonly held view in the US.
2. Falsely assumes your greatest room for growth is in your areas of weakness.
3. You will not, in fact, learn the most in the areas of your weakness.
4. You will not feel most energized and challenged when fixing your flaws.
3. Discover your strengths and cultivate them.
1. Strengths are a consistent part of your personality.
2. You are most successful when your strengths mesh with the challenge facing you.
3. Focusing on strengths will lead to success. Finding roles that play to, or building your roles around your strengths will bring about success.
4. Success will bring about changes – new challenges, responsibilities, and opportunities. Many tempting, but few that continue to use your strengths.
5. Those changes that don’t play to your strengths, innocuous as they may seem, will actually start to drag you off your best path.
6. To sustain your success, you must keep yourself alert to subtle changes and take action to correct your course.
Falsehoods
1. It doesn’t matter if you like your work; you just have to be good at it.
1. You may well be good at activities you don’t enjoy, but your enjoyment is the fuel to keep practicing, to keep stretching, investing, and pushing yourself to greater levels.
2. You need a little difficulty in your life, a little grit. No grit, no pearl.
1. Grit will only grind you down. Time spent in an activity that grates on you is poorly invested time. You will learn little and it will leave you weaker.
3. Only those already successful have the luxury of cutting their dislikes out of their job.
1. This is backwards. People who are successful became so because they were unwilling to tolerate aspects of their jobs they didn’t like. Their intolerance caused their success.
What percentage of your day do you spend doing those things you really like?
1. To sustain your success, assess where and how you are spending your time.
2. When the answer to this question is below 70 percent, identify the activities getting in the way and take action to remove them.
3. The more effective you are at this, the more creative, resilient, valuable, and thus the more successful you are.
Quit the role, tweak the role, seek out the right partners, or find an aspect of the role that brings you strength. The longer you put up with aspects of your work you don’t like, the less successful you will be. So, as far as you are able, and as quickly as you can, stop doing them and then see what the best of you, now focused and unfettered, can achieve.
URL: http://www.strengthsmanagement.com/newsletters/2007_07_01.php
On strengths
A strength is a naturally occurring talent multiplied by knowledge and skill.
Knowledge is that which is learned.
Skill is knowledge put to practice.
Knowledge and skill increase with experience, education, and use.
Talent is inborn. It is a natural propensity. It cannot be learned.
Talent alone is not enough. A person may have a natural propensity towards music (or art, or sports) but without practice and education, the talent goes to waste.
You may have a talent towards communication but without practical use, experience, knowledge and skill, your talent does little for you.
Strengths, weaknesses and the 80/20 rule.
Spend 80 percent of your time working on strengths (talent), 20 percent on weaknesses.
In the time you spend on your own development, concentrate most of your time (80%) on your natural talents. This will bring you the greatest success, satisfaction and fulfillment. Spend 20% of that time becoming aware of and overcoming your weaknesses.
Not everyone can be successful at anything. The old (American) adage that “if you work hard enough you can be whatever you want” is false. You can do anything you have talent for. You can achieve high levels of success in areas in which you can apply your talents. Wanting isn’t enough - unless what you want coincides with your talent or you can use your talents in achieving what you want.
Strengths, life and the path of least resistance.
As in nature, all things follow the path of least resistance; your path of least resistance is in your talents. It is what comes natural to you. It is the calm waters with the wind filling your sail taking you to your best possible self.
Discover and do what you are meant to do. It is the easiest and most rewarding path you can take.
Step outside of this path and you struggle. It’s the stormy waters, it’s sailing against the wind. It’s working, struggling, fighting for little gain or satisfaction.
We all have to do things that we are not talented at, in which we have a weakness, or which we just don’t like. If these things are taking too much of our time, we are off course, we are off of our path, and we are being dragged down. These things take our energy and give little reward.
The one thing you need to know
For Sustained Individual Success
(from Markus Buckingham’s book “the one thing you need to know”)
Discover what you don’t like doing and stop doing it
What is Sustained Individual Success?
1. Sustained Success is making the greatest possible impact over the longest period of time.
1. Requires that you take your natural talents and your enthusiasm and apply yourself to learning role-specific skills and knowledge. [Strength = Talent (Knowledge + Skills)]
2. “Something special must leave the room when you leave the room.” – P. Drucker
Contenders for the “one thing”
1. Find the right tactics and employ them.
1. Doesn’t tell you how to avoid becoming a commodity.
2. You have different strengths, weaknesses, interests, background, and experience.
3. Your individuality, not the process, must be the focus.
2. Find your flaws and fix them
1. The most commonly held view in the US.
2. Falsely assumes your greatest room for growth is in your areas of weakness.
3. You will not, in fact, learn the most in the areas of your weakness.
4. You will not feel most energized and challenged when fixing your flaws.
3. Discover your strengths and cultivate them.
1. Strengths are a consistent part of your personality.
2. You are most successful when your strengths mesh with the challenge facing you.
3. Focusing on strengths will lead to success. Finding roles that play to, or building your roles around your strengths will bring about success.
4. Success will bring about changes – new challenges, responsibilities, and opportunities. Many tempting, but few that continue to use your strengths.
5. Those changes that don’t play to your strengths, innocuous as they may seem, will actually start to drag you off your best path.
6. To sustain your success, you must keep yourself alert to subtle changes and take action to correct your course.
Falsehoods
1. It doesn’t matter if you like your work; you just have to be good at it.
1. You may well be good at activities you don’t enjoy, but your enjoyment is the fuel to keep practicing, to keep stretching, investing, and pushing yourself to greater levels.
2. You need a little difficulty in your life, a little grit. No grit, no pearl.
1. Grit will only grind you down. Time spent in an activity that grates on you is poorly invested time. You will learn little and it will leave you weaker.
3. Only those already successful have the luxury of cutting their dislikes out of their job.
1. This is backwards. People who are successful became so because they were unwilling to tolerate aspects of their jobs they didn’t like. Their intolerance caused their success.
What percentage of your day do you spend doing those things you really like?
1. To sustain your success, assess where and how you are spending your time.
2. When the answer to this question is below 70 percent, identify the activities getting in the way and take action to remove them.
3. The more effective you are at this, the more creative, resilient, valuable, and thus the more successful you are.
Quit the role, tweak the role, seek out the right partners, or find an aspect of the role that brings you strength. The longer you put up with aspects of your work you don’t like, the less successful you will be. So, as far as you are able, and as quickly as you can, stop doing them and then see what the best of you, now focused and unfettered, can achieve.
About The EarthAsylum Leadership Circle
The EarthAsylum Leadership Circle is a business networking, support, and educational association started in January 2006 by six friends and family members who wanted a way to develop their own and other's leadership abilities.
We strive to understand and develop leadership skills and talent in a way that transcends trends and looks beyond short-term goals. We see our mutual role as supporting individuals and organizations in achieving effective and transformational leadership through life affirming and supporting practices.
Find out more at www.EarthAsylum.org...
Also, discover the EarthAsylum Fusion network -- an on-line, interactive forum for news, articles and discussions.
Find out more at www.EarthAsylum.net...
The EarthAsylum Leadership Circle has a lot to offer to its members, and each new member adds to that offering. Please consider joining us. We value your knowledge, insight, and participation.
Leadership
If we spend so much time on action plan, and spend littile time on telling the team members of our vision, measurable milestones, and the meaning of the work, they will only do what is needed to be done.
"If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people together to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the sea."
-- Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Sometimes managers complain that the people working with them, or those of other departments, are not involved enough in the business and do not show enthusiasm about their work. These managers often say that some employees "just don't care."
Successful leadership is one that enables people to exercise and enjoy greater freedom at work. The more freedom to decide how to do one's work to achieve the defined objectives the more involved and energetic the employee is.
The EarthAsylum Leadership Circle is a business networking, support, and educational association started in January 2006 by six friends and family members who wanted a way to develop their own and other's leadership abilities.
We strive to understand and develop leadership skills and talent in a way that transcends trends and looks beyond short-term goals. We see our mutual role as supporting individuals and organizations in achieving effective and transformational leadership through life affirming and supporting practices.
Find out more at www.EarthAsylum.org...
Also, discover the EarthAsylum Fusion network -- an on-line, interactive forum for news, articles and discussions.
Find out more at www.EarthAsylum.net...
"If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people together to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the sea."
-- Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Sometimes managers complain that the people working with them, or those of other departments, are not involved enough in the business and do not show enthusiasm about their work. These managers often say that some employees "just don't care."
Successful leadership is one that enables people to exercise and enjoy greater freedom at work. The more freedom to decide how to do one's work to achieve the defined objectives the more involved and energetic the employee is.
About The EarthAsylum Leadership Circle
The EarthAsylum Leadership Circle is a business networking, support, and educational association started in January 2006 by six friends and family members who wanted a way to develop their own and other's leadership abilities.We strive to understand and develop leadership skills and talent in a way that transcends trends and looks beyond short-term goals. We see our mutual role as supporting individuals and organizations in achieving effective and transformational leadership through life affirming and supporting practices.
Find out more at www.EarthAsylum.org...
Also, discover the EarthAsylum Fusion network -- an on-line, interactive forum for news, articles and discussions.
Find out more at www.EarthAsylum.net...
The Power of Employee Engagement - Article from Earthashylum Newsletter
Employee engagement is an effort not to be ignored in order for the organization to go to next level. Many managers pay only lip service for such effort.
The Power of Employee Engagement
From The EarthAsylum Leadership Circle Newsletter
August 1, 2006
Volume 1 - Issue 3
By now, many of us have heard the buzz on employee engagement – so much so that the buzzword is loosing its value. Talent management and employee engagement, just like other buzzwords and business fads, really do have value – if we understand their true meaning and don’t let them get diluted with misconceptions.Think about it… When companies are often trying to improve performance with fewer people and decreasing resources due to cutbacks and financial pressures, discretionary effort is the grail managers are seeking. Employees who freely give that extra effort are of tremendous value.
General studies show that a 5% increase in employee engagement results in a 2.5% increase in growth. Growth measured by company value, which in the public sector is measured by stock value.
The relationship between employee engagement, high performance, and company growth is compelling to say the least. Unfortunately, national surveys of company managers show an overall dissatisfaction with employee engagement levels and measures of employee engagement show a very distressing picture...
The Three Levels of Employee Engagement
Highly Engaged employees are builders. They want to know the desired expectations for their role so they can meet and exceed them. They're naturally curious about their company and their place in it. They perform at consistently high levels. They want to use their talents and strengths at work every day. They work with passion, and they have a visceral connection to their company. And they drive innovation and move their organization forward.
Moderately Engaged to Not Engaged employees are the largest group. Those that put their time in and take a wait-and-see attitude towards their job, co-workers, and employer. They aren’t a negative force at work but neither are they a positive force.
Actively Disengaged employees are those fundamentally disconnected from their jobs. The actively disengaged counter the productivity of engaged and highly engaged employees. They miss an average of 3.5 days more than other employees and cost the U.S. economy between $292 billion and $355 billion per year.
For most businesses, only 14% of their employees are highly engaged and upwards of 24% are actively disengaged.
(I’ve seen these numbers vary – from a low “highly engaged” number of 5% to a high of 17%, and a low “actively disengaged” number of 19%.)
The Cost of Low Employee Engagement
So what is the cost? Let’s assume...
- A business has a payroll of ten million dollars.
- Highly engaged employees are 90% productive (probably higher).
- Moderately engaged and not engaged employees average out at 70% productivity.
- Actively disengaged employees are 50% productive (probably lower).
- 15% are highly engaged employees and are 90% productive.
- 65% are moderately engaged employees and are 70% productive.
- 20% are actively disengaged employees and are 50% productive.
Overall productivity level = 13.5% + 45.5% + 10.0% = 69%.
$10,000,000 annual payroll * 69% productivity = $6,900,000 ROI.
or
$3,100,000 lost on unrealized productivity.
However, it gets worse. The 19% to 24% of actively disengaged employees not only give a comparatively low level of effort, they undermine the efforts of others thus decreasing the effective productivity of the entire staff. Furthermore, if these employees are in customer-facing roles, they can cost the company current and new business.
The really scary part is that national averages show the number of actively disengaged employees going up - from a low of 16% in the mid 90’s to a high of up to 24% today.
What Can We Do To Increase Engagement?
The most critical element to employee engagement is the front-line manager.
Managers need to discover and develop employees' talents if they want to keep them engaged.
Employees must have a strong relationship with, and clear communication from, their manager.
Managers have to challenge employees within their areas of talent, and then help them gain the skills and knowledge they need to build their talents into strengths.
Managers should help employees develop ownership of their goals, targets, and milestones, so employees can enhance their contributions to the company and increase their impact.
In the last article on employee engagement, we talked about what engagement is, the relationship between employee engagement, high performance, and company growth, and the cost of low employee engagement levels. Sources For This Article
In this article, I want to focus on what a manager can and needs to do to raise levels of engagement. But first, let's build a little on the definition of Employee Engagement ...We stated in the last article that employee engagement is "the extent to which employees put discretionary effort into their work, in the form of extra time, energy and brainpower". A good definition to be sure but there's more to it than that.
Employee engagement can be broken down into two areas - the first being emotional and the second, rational. Within these we can define 9 core statements that characterize engagement.
The 9 Core Statements of Engaged Employees
Emotional- I would recommend my company to a friend as a good place to work.
- My company inspires me to do my best work.
- I am proud to tell others I work for my company.
- My job provides me with a sense of personal accomplishment.
- I really care about the future of my company.
- I understand how my unit contributes to the success of my company.
- I understand how my role is related to my company's overall goals, objectives, and direction.
- I am willing to put in a great deal of effort beyond what is normally expected to help my company succeed.
- I am personally motivated to help my company be successful.
Managers Make The Difference
As was concluded in part 1, the most critical element to employee engagement is the front-line manager.- Managers need to discover and develop employees' talents if they want to keep them engaged.
- Employees must have a strong relationship with, and clear communication from, their manager.
- Managers have to challenge employees within their areas of talent, and then help them gain the skills and knowledge they need to build their talents into strengths.
- Managers should help employees develop ownership of their goals, targets, and milestones, so employees can enhance their contributions to the company and increase their impact.
Additionally, managers cannot do it alone. The organization must adopt a "talent management" culture in order to make engagement initiatives successful.
That being said, let's look at a few critical fundamentals that will lead to positive results.
Four Fundamental Actions Leading to Positive Results
1. Clarify ExpectationsCreate Goal Statements that formalize the following:
- What is to be accomplished
- Who will be involved
- When the activity will be completed
- How much it costs and which resources will be used
-Positive Results will most likely include:
For the employee -
- Less frustration and stress - clear direction
- Higher level of motivation and satisfaction
- A common or shared language
- More effective communication with manager
- More effective communication with team member
- More focused and productive team member
- Higher productivity and accomplishment of business goals
- A common or shared language
2. Don't Leave Employees Out Of The Plan
Even the best plan can fail if the employees are not committed to it
Get Commitment
Get Accountability
-Positive Results will most likely include:
For the employee -
- Higher level of motivation and engagement
- Ownership to the process and to their own development
- Commitment and accountability to the plan
- A better performance plan overall - dual input
- Higher level of commitment and accountability from team members
- Streamlines work processes, saves time and money
3. Meet On An On-Going Basis To Share Feedback
Increase effectiveness of communication
Increase competence and confidence
Increase productivity and accuracy
Encourage a higher standard
-Positive Results will most likely include:
For the employee -
- Recognized for what they are doing well
- Learn if "off course", receive guidance, and improve performance
- Clearer sense of what's expected if goals change
- Less frustration and stress due to more timely feedback and input
- Time and opportunity to provide critical feedback
- Learn valuable information and gain insights
- Increased commitment, quality standards and productivity levels
- More insight into potential talent and development opportunities
- Increased quality of communication
- Increased levels of credibility and trust w/ team members
4. Providing Factual / Behavior-Specific Feedback
Give specifics and facts of performance
Be clear about what changes are needed
Provide objective guidance and direction
Focus on behavior vs. attitudes or personal characteristics
Solve problems and move forward
-Positive Results will most likely include:
For the employee -
- Commitment and accountability to changing their behavior
- Feels treatment is fair, professional
- Information provided is tangible, practical and actionable
- Clarifies performance outcomes
- Cultivates a more healthy environment
- Increases levels of credibility and trust w/ team members
- Focused team members, leading to:
- More timely results
- More accurate results
- More productive teams
Conclusion
The four fundamentals outlined above are only a starting point, albeit a good starting point. They are generic to the desires and talents of individual employees but are essential to all employees. As you know, management cannot be covered in an article or even a series of articles. It is far too complex an issue. But by successfully implementing a handful of procedures, managers can achieve dramatic results leading to higher levels of engagement.In the future, we'll go beyond the fundamentals and talk about Strengths Based Performance, intrinsic motivation, the power of empowerment - and how these topics relate directly to employee engagement and the bottom line.
URL: http://www.strengthsmanagement.com/newsletters/2006_09_01.php#Article1
Sources For This Article
Saturday, September 13, 2008
“Now, Discover your Strengths” by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton
“We wrote this book to start a revolution - a Strengths Revolution”
These were the opening words of the book “Now, Discover your Strengths” by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton.
The premise is that businesses (and people) are built on two faulty assumptions:
1. Each person can learn to be competent in almost anything.
2. Each person's greatest room for growth is in his or her areas of greatest weakness.
The authors offer alternative assumptions that sure make sense to me:
1. Each person's talents are enduring and unique.
2. Each person's greatest room for growth is in the areas of the person's greatest strengths.
Not only does it make sense, they back it up with years of research, hundreds of thousands of surveys (they are from the Gallup Organization, after all) and neuroscience to prove their assumptions.
People progress more rapidly in their areas of greatest talent than in their areas of weakness. Yet too many training and development approaches focus on making improvements in areas of weakness. How many performance reviews have you been through where the main topic of conversation was the areas in which you performed poorly and how you can get better in those areas?
Now imagine if your focus was on the areas in which you excelled - and on excelling even further in those areas.
This is the basis of a Strengths Based Performance program.
Rather than spending time and energy on boosting sub-par performance areas to an acceptable level (and ignoring areas of excellence). We do better by spending a majority of time enhancing the areas in which we are already strong.
This is not to say that weaknesses are ignored, but rather that we try to find ways to work around them. For example, we may be able to overcome our weaknesses by using our strengths (a common theme in a business SWOT analysis). Or we may be able to overcome weaknesses by partnering with someone who is strong in those areas. Or, we may be able to just stop doing those things we're not good at.
A very valid example offered in the book is that of Tiger Woods. Unknown to me, it seems that, although Tiger may be one of the best golfers to ever play, he's one of the worst at hitting a ball out of a sand trap. A true weakness for a golfer. But do you think that Tiger spent all of his time with his coach learning to better hit the ball out of a sand trap? No, he spent most of his time bettering his drive so as not to hit the ball into the sand trap in the first place. Using his strength to overcome his weakness.
Picture what would have happened if Tiger spent most of his time working on that sand trap. He'd probably get better at it. Maybe even good at it. But never great at it. And while he's spending so much time and energy on something he's not great at, he's not spending time on something that he can be great at. Thus, he becomes a mediocre golfer. Good at many things but great at nothing.
This is what we constantly do in our businesses and in our lives. We spend too much of our energy trying to fix what's wrong rather than building on what's right - and we become mediocre.
Not only do we not excel, we loose interest, we loose passion - because we're spending so much of our energy on things we're not good at and, most likely, don't like doing.
Now, imagine working every day at that which you are best; at that which matches your personal style and your inborn talents; at that which energizes you and utilizes your best strengths.
Organizational and personal development must center on talent, values, and personality. By discovering each person’s strengths, incorporating them into their daily activities, and working around their weaknesses, each individual can achieve undiscovered performance and satisfaction, become fully engaged in their work, and add to the accomplishments of their organization at levels far beyond current expectations.
Employee enthusiasm, commitment, personal responsibility, and accountability are crucial elements to the success of any business. Engaged employees are builders. They perform at consistently high levels. They want to use their talents and strengths at work every day. They work with passion, they have an instinctive bond with their company, and they drive innovation and move their organization forward.
A successful performance management plan is directed towards the individual and is centered on individual strengths. By developing plans and actions geared to drive up intrinsic motivation, and thus engagement, you will obtain your goals and reach new levels of success.
It's time to change. It's time to join the Strengths Revolution. It's time to start imagining what we can achieve when we focus on what we're good at, on our strengths and talents.
It's time to be great!
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