Better Business Results

How to Improve ROI for Training and Development

Have you ever invested in employee training and development only to see the new knowledge and skills fade away a short time later? If so, you're not alone. I've found the source of this frustrating situation can be traced back to critical strategic and tactical considerations that were overlooked or underestimated when making the training decision.

Find out five guidelines that increase the likelihood that employees will retain what they learned so that you'll have a stronger return on your training and development investment by reading my "Ask the Expert" column in the October 2009 New York Enterprise Report.

How to Make Conflict Work To Your Advantage

Over the past week, I've been interviewed on the radio twice on the subject of fixing conflicts. While I was able to give some pointers that can help in resolving clashes between co-workers, the implication was that conflict in the workplace isn't a good thing.  Actually, I believe that conflict in the workplace has a better chance of producing high performance results than insisting on a "peaceful" workplace.
 
The fact is, we all have different values, attitudes, beliefs, needs, ideas, and experiences.  This rich mix of backgrounds can be the source of discovering new opportunities and innovation. The problem isn't that we have conflict in the workplace, the problem is that we're often not comfortable or skilled at expressing our conflicts, so they get pushed down while being acted out in all kinds of passive-aggressive ways (Example: think about the colleague who says "yes" to a request but is always "too busy" to deliver on the promise; or the person who loudly snaps gum despite your repeated requests to stop).  The reality is that a conflict openly expressed has a better chance of leading to positive outcomes than one that is suppressed to keep "peace" at all costs.
 
So what are the keys to making conflict work for you?  Here are three ideas:
 

• Catch conflict at its earliest stages: Let's face it - someone has to confront the situation, and it's better if it's you because you're taking control over what's happening.  Even if the other person denies the conflict, it's hard for him/her to hide if you identify observable behavior in the here and now.  For example, notice not just what someone says, but his/her body language and tone of voice during the interaction.  Cues such as lack of cooperation with your requests, abruptness in manner, and lack of eye contact could potentially signal that a conflict is building.  Note: These behaviors could also mean something else, so it's important to check out your perceptions with the other person.


• Uncover the underlying problem:  Be prepared for new information to come out into the open.  Usually, there's more to a conflict than what you can easily observe. Depending upon factors of time, your ability to be objective, and the criticality of the problem, a facilitator can sometimes help. For example, when two executives spent time deconstructing the issues underlying their conflict, they realized that they had each been operating under a series of mistaken assumptions about their objective, the timing, roles, and accountabilities.


• Focus on finding a common point of agreement and problem solving:  Even in cases where colleagues simply don't like each other, I've seen tremendous teamwork happen when everyone could agree upon the benefits of an objective.  This led to a willingness to work jointly on coming up with new ways to solve the problems and move beyond the conflict. However, even if you can't find a common point of agreement, knowing about a conflict and where it's coming from can help you evaluate your own options and decide how you'll move forward individually if necessary.

Conflict is natural. While confronting these issues can be uncomfortable, it's definitely safer than stuffing the issues down and watching problems build up until progress totally grinds to a halt.  Let's stop being "peaceful", and start talking about what's really on our minds.

Listen to Pamela S. Harper “ Live ” on 8/21/09 “ Tom On Leadership ” Radio Show

What does John Caslione, co-author (with Philip Kotler) of the new book Chaotics have in common with Pamela S. Harper (me), author of the 2003 book Preventing Strategic Gridlock?

We'll both be interviewed on the topic of "Habits of Strategic Thinking and Planning" tomorrow morning, August 21, 2009, on the "Tom on Leadership" radio show on BlogTalk Radio.

To listen to the entire show, tune in at 10:00am EDT. My interview will be in the second half hour, starting at 10:30 am EDT.

Why Buzzwords and Jargon Won't Go Away

I just finished reading several articles in which the authors make the case to banish buzzwords and jargon from our vocabulary in favor of speaking more plainly.  My guess is that many people agree with this suggestion.  In fact, I'm guilty of using my fair share of buzzwords and even I agreed with these authors- at first.  My question is, if so many people think buzzwords are evil, why do so many of us use them on a regular basis?  I've come up with a few theories:

• Habit:  Just as certain substances can be addictive, I think we become addicted to words like "maximize" and "proactive," and jargon such as "user experience" because this language constantly bombards us in our companies.  It's simply easier to go with the flow.
• Us vs. Them: Buzzwords and jargon are equivalent to the secret codes of special societies, which is why they alienate people who don't understand them.  For example, try being part of the inner circle of savvy marketers without referring to made up words like "blog" or "B2C" (which showed up on one of my Buzzword Bingo cards). It can't be done.
• Conserving air: When used as buzzwords, the terms "sexy," "enterprise," and "reinvent" represent longer ideas.  For instance, if we had to speak plainly about "rightsizing," it would take fifteen words using the BNET dictionary definition: "Corporate restructuring, or rationalization, with the goal of reducing costs and improving efficiency and effectiveness."  Can you imagine how much longer it would take to get through meetings without these words?

Let's face facts: no matter how much we all agree that we should speak plainly, buzzwords and jargon aren't going to go away.  So my recommendation is to use these words wisely:

• Limit their use.
• Make sure everyone who needs to understand what the words mean has the correct definition
• Use them in context to make a point the way no other words can do.

Finally, be on the lookout for new buzzwords, because they change constantly.  I invite you to share your favorite discoveries along with definitions.  Maybe we can start a new Buzzword Bingo card!

How Resilient is Your Organization?

Regardless of the economy, every organization must be prepared to face unexpected challenges and setbacks.  My new keynote and workshop "The Art of Resilience: Leading Your Organization to Unparalleled Performance" is targeted to leaders of businesses, associations, and nonprofit groups.  It comes from my experiences working with organizations that not only bounced back from tough challenges, but bounced higher than they ever thought possible.  In this session, I'll address how to:

• Respond to economic upheaval without sacrificing long term objectives
• Find hidden opportunities for growth and profitability
• Increase your credibility with stakeholders in the middle of chaos
• Foster a culture committed to creating lasting value

For more information, or to reserve a date contact us.

How Diffcult Deals Can Succeed

From media reports, it seems there are two points of view on the probable merger of Delta-Northwest Airlines:  1) The merger will immediately create tremendous financial and market synergies, OR 2) The merger will immediately create tremendous hassles and is not likely to succeed.  The fact is, both points of view may be right.  The question is, can difficult deals succeed despite extreme challenges?

While every deal has challenges, some are clearly more difficult than others. That being said, here are a few of the ways to increase success: 

• Create realistic expectations for the deal:  It's a recipe for disaster to focus on the positive side of the equation while downplaying the known risks.  For example, we already know that the two airlines have vastly different aircraft, organizational structures, and cultures. We also know that Northwest's pilots are protesting the deal. Given these challenges, leadership needs to assess what is truly realistic to expect in one year, in two years, and in three years. If the answers don't meet their criteria for "success," then it may be a wiser choice to explore alternatives.
• Create unity at the top:  I've seen more problems during integration when the new executive team (and board) are out of synch with each other.  When the new team clearly shares the vision, mission, values, key objectives, and strategy for the merged company, it's easier to accelerate subsequent decisions about supporting goals, priorities, and infrastructure.
• Communicate about the plan: Once it's probable that the deal will occur, employees across the merged organization need to understand how the integration plan will unfold so they can make adjustments to their jobs accordingly.  For example,  purchasing systems that had been in place and functioning well for years suddenly vanished immediately after two major companies merged .  Because there was no communication prior to the change, no one was prepared. This caused major delays on several key projects, as employees struggled to figure out who to contact for what.   The solution is a balancing act: find out from employees what information they need in order to continue to do their jobs well; share information to the extent that you can; and update them with enough lead time for changes to happen without firefighting.

Just because a deal is difficult doesn't mean it can't succeed.  However, it does require everyone to take off the rose-colored glasses and think through - in advance of making commitments - how they're going to pull this off so that risks are minimized and the projected benefits can really happen.   

Better Late Than Never

When I arrived slightly early at the Asheville, NC airport for my flight to Newark, I was greeted by the following sign:

 

As it turned out, the flight actually departed and arrived on-time.  While this was clearly an employee's idea of humor, the timing was poor considering that it coincided with the release of a report citing slipping quality across US airlines (including more frequent delays), and increased complaints from passengers. 

What can we learn?  1) Consider what else is going on and the perceptions of others before using humor; 2) Don't do anything you don't want to see published on someone's blog. 

Are Your Assumptions Serving You Well (Part II)

Okay, you caught me.  Just when I was discussing assumptions that don’t serve us well, I have first hand experience to share with you.  Over the last few weeks I’ve experienced a combination of challenges that got in the way of posting to my blog.  The issues included continuous problems with both my computer and Internet connections, followed by travel to an area that had problems connecting to the Internet.  I was making all kinds of assumptions that didn’t serve me well – even when I knew better! 

Here are a few of the warning signs that can lead us into danger:  

• Blindsided by problems:  Often this comes from making mistaken assumptions about situations.  In my own case, I mistakenly assumed I could recover from my computer and Internet problems faster than was reasonable to expect.  I also assumed that I would have more Internet access during my vacation than I actually had.  What will I do differently?  I'll build in more checkpoints to assess what's happening and contingencies to use for this type of "predictable emergency."
• Continuously in “firefighting” mode:  We all have the occasional urgent and important issue to handle, but I’ve found that when firefighting becomes the norm instead of the exception, it’s usually because of mistaken assumptions at the planning stage about the practical aspects of the plan, such as your own and others’ priorities and resources to get things done. This is especially true when an individual or group is making many changes at once and trying to meet more commitments than is realistically practical in that time frame.
• Good plans grind to a halt:  While this turn of events may seem mysterious, the reasons can often be traced to a series of overlooked and/or underestimated assumptions about stakeholders, such as mistakenly assuming that you and or others have the commitment, knowledge, skills, or abilities to implement the plan.

Just as with assumptions that do serve us well, the key to catching assumptions that don’t serve us well is to recognize which aspects of our situation are based in fact and which are based upon values, beliefs, and attitudes that are strictly in our minds. 

Ultimately, we must make assumptions in order to grow and move forward in an uncertain and constantly changing world.  They key is to be accountable for this type of thinking, and to realize that using assumptions wisely is as much an art as it is a science.     

Are Your Assumptions Serving You Well? (Part I)

Recently, a colleague and I were discussing whether it’s ever helpful to make assumptions. My answer? I believe there are definitely times when assumptions serve us well. The problems come in when we can’t tell whether we’re even making assumptions, and how to distinguish between those that benefit us and those that are harming us.

Perhaps on some level our tendency to make assumptions is hard-wired into our brains as a survival mechanism. Consider the following scenarios:

• Dealing with a crisis where immediate action needs to occur in order to avoid loss of life or major damage. Think about rescuing someone from a burning building. We need to assume we’ll find a way to get ourselves and the other person safely out of the situation.
• Participating in everyday life functions, such as driving a car. We might never leave our homes if we didn’t assume that other drivers will cooperate with traffic laws and that we’ll arrive safely at our destination.
• Dealing with similar situations. Our own and others’ previous experiences teach us what to look for in new situations. In these cases, our assumptions can help us make faster decisions and avoid potential danger.

We can’t afford to take the time to question everything, either personally or in business. After all, if we don’t make assumptions nothing will ever get done. The important thing is to recognize which aspects of a situation are facts based upon concrete evidence, and to take responsibility and accountability for identifying the assumptions we create in our minds based upon our own values and beliefs. That way we can make smarter choices and build in checkpoints and contingencies for whatever comes our way.

In my next post, I’ll discuss warning signs to determine whether our assumptions are serving us, or whether we’re serving our assumptions.

How to Avoid The Pitfalls of Mergers and Acquisitions

Lately, we’ve been hearing quite a bit about difficult deals, from Microsoft-Yahoo to Delta – Northwest Airlines.  What do CEOs and presidents need to know to avoid the most common pitfalls and lead a successful merger or acquisition?   

I’m delighted to tell you that on Thursday, March 20, 2008 from 3:00-4:00pm Eastern, I’ll be interviewing William J. Kroll, CEO and Chairman of Matheson-Trigas, a leading supplier of industrial gases and equipment, as part of the “AeA Leading for Success” series.  We’ll discuss:  

• Leadership lessons from Bill’s experiences with M&A
• Keys to picking the right target
• Guidelines for valuing a company
• How to minimize culture clashes and maximize productivity
• Tips for integrating operations and rewards to improve performance
• Ways to retain key talent

William J. Kroll, was named one of the top 25 entrepreneurs in NJ. He has 30+ years of executive management experience in almost every area of business, including forming joint ventures and international acquisitions.   AeA is a trade association dedicated to “Advancing the Business of Technology.”   

This is a program exclusively for CEOs and company presidents. Can’t make the “live” session?  A link will be provided to the recorded session.  For more information, including fees, view the full program description.