I spent the entire day yesterday working on salary surveys and have more to do this morning. I did give salary surveys away but, for now, these are mine to do. It can be fun to know the rules, the nuances, the data, the determinations and the market. And yes, there are spreadsheets involved. I have this right brain/left brain thing going on and I tend to enjoy spreadsheets.

Not today.

Today I want to talk with Paul Hebert about money for grades and incentive plan design, get to the heart of the matter on a debate in process over at Cincy Recruiter on HR and your secrets, break out my HCI Human Capital Strategist course work and develop a foundation for my workforce development team, plan worthwhile first week activities for my brand new HR Specialists starting soon, stop brooding over a missed opportunity, check on with staff members to see how the heck they are faring these days, review (after I pull) retention data for key occupations and then develop a position description for someone to do that for me.

So, I can't do want I want to do but what I am doing has to be done, by me, today. And do it I will. I am just not into it today.

Maybe tomorrow.

Photo credit iStockphoto

I am not thinking about writing today, I am thinking about speaking. A friend sent me a call for presentations and if you are like me (head buried in the organizational sand) you may not know what this is. Well, this is the way the speakers at conferences end up in the brochure and in front of the audience. Calls go out, calls are answered and speakers are selected, unless of course you are established and they call you, but either way . . . process demystified.

So, I am looking at this call for presentations and the topics. There are at least two that I could talk about and with a little of coaching, could make it fun and engaging too. Interested? Check. Topic experience? Check. Proof of performance? Big fat uncheck. No proof of performance means an incomplete application. I don't have any proof of performance because, well, I haven't spoken. Yes, there's a demon involved and she's a tough one!

Not having any proof of performance yet is not the end of the world but it definitely is a swift kick in the shins. Moving forward I will silence the demon, develop my speaking skills and find opportunities to use them. 

If you've taken the leap to speak, what suggestions do you have for me and others? 

What's kicked you in the shins lately and what are you doing about it? 

Let me know by posting a comment or using the feedback widget in the sidebar.

Photo Credit iStockphoto 

False starts and racing go hand in hand like reaction and organizations. In organizations, reaction affects everyone. It is possible to send everyone back to the starting line in an organization - but it rarely happens. Something occurs, a leader reacts, the race is on, and folks, it's an all out recipe for disaster.

The Costs of Reaction

Organizations experience breakdowns each and every day. Although they may not be visible organization wide, make no mistake, they are there. They occur when what was heard was not what was said, what was determined was not what was intended, what was intended was ignored, what was reasoned was unreasonable, or the classic statement,  "nothing said I couldn't do it" is uttered.

Can you see it now? Managers at the line, primed to go, skate tips into the ice, bodies into position, leaning into the start and then  . . . reaction. A situation quickly progresses to finger pointing, blame and then the situation moves behind closed doors (only reactive managers allowed) and efforts are underway to do whatever it takes to ensure "that" never happens again.

At best, organizations that permit reactive leadership end up with people fighting for position, doing whatever they can to get to the finish line first - any way they can - and here's the kicker, ditching personal responsibility, accountability, and respect for the individual along the way.

A Giant Pause Button

It doesn't have to be that way.

In his post, The Space Between the Stimulus and the Response, Michael Hyatt writes about his personal experiences and finding the space that exists between the stimulus and the response. He writes, "This space is like a giant pause button. We don't have to react to every stimulus. Instead, we can pause, reflect, and chose our our response. This is precisely what makes us human."

See, if an event is the stimulus and reaction is the response, there is another way. The great thing about this is that anyone, yes, anyone, can hit the pause button and take time to cool down and not react or respond in defense, ego protection, or anger. 

Making the Right Choice

Although there is not a red starting line across the front lobby, the proverbial starting line is always present in an organization.  Feeling the urge, ready to pounce? Don't.

Hit the pause button, head back to the starting line and create some space. In this space is the power to choose. Choose well.

Photo credit iStock Photo

A few weeks ago I embarked on a social media nip and tuck to frame up my social media efforts. My goals are to deepen and strengthen my connections, collaborate on a professional project and write beyond the blog

A work in progress, I am reevaluating how I am using the tools and checking out some new ones. Touching on the very basics, here is what I've done so far in no particular order other than the length of the bullet:

• Test drove out Nutshell Mail 
• Created my first Google doc
• Set aside time to write each morning
• Updated my contact form on the blog
• Reduced my RSS feeds to just over 100
• Set LinkedIn to weekly vs. daily updates 
• Unsubscribed from many retail mailing lists
• Test driving the Rypple sidebar feedback widget
• Deleted memberships in 2 online HR communities
• Routed some mail to a gmail account to check it out
• Decreased the email notifications from Facebook - a lot. 
• Reviewed current LinkedIn groups, added some and left others

Up next is setting aside time to actually read my Google Reader items and not scan them on the fly, reviewing professional email newsletter subscriptions with an eye on reduction, reviewing my Linked In profile, updating my blog roll, dusting off my Google Voice number and checking out Google calendar.

It's a start. It's part of the grand plan. And it's all good. 

How about you? Do you have basic strategies that work best for you? Tell me about them in the comments below or in the sidebar widget.

Photo credit iStock Photo

When you are going for the gold, defensive employees are bad news.

On Defensiveness

Defensive employees can be impossible to reason with. They can be blinded by ego or anger and driven by an insatiable need to be right. They can perceive questions as threats and lock horns at the first hint of a challenge.

Collaborative problem solving comes to a halt, organizational goals are subordinate to personal agendas and when allowed to continue, the repercussions of defensive behaviors are felt across the organization.

On Diamonds

There's no denying that every organization has a defensive employee (or two) and that they are a problem however, if you look hard enough at the crabby, stone age rock heads, you can uncover a few gems. 

Watch for the employees who attempt to or are able to respond with a level head to retorts by defensive employees. Watch for the ones who see through the bluster and who do not get into the muck. Take a look at those who take the high road and know when to sort through the junk, when to steer clear of the madness, and when to simply shake their head and sigh.

They may not get it right all the time but they are aware and they are trying. Find them, dust them off and shine them up. Encourage them and mentor them. They are your diamonds in the rough.

In Closing

Although organizations can uncover some gems when dealing with defensive employees, they don't need the defense present to do so. It is poison to your organization and must be addressed directly. Some employees will respond and others will not. 

For those that don't, send them to the mine to pound rocks, to your competitor to poison their organization or to any other place of your choosing . . . as long as it is outside of your organization.

You need to make room for your diamonds to shine.

Photo credit iStock Photo 

In all things labor, I've had it relatively easy in my career. Even so, there have been hurtful moments, tears, second guesses, the horrible sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach when I realized I missed a detail, misinterpreted a sign, over (or under) estimated a gesture or simply misplayed the game. It wasn't easy, it wasn't comfortable, but I learned.

No sympathy

Supervisors who come to me looking for a member of my staff to "take the blame"  because their feeling were hurt, or ask me to "do something” to ensure meetings with labor representatives run collaboratively and comfortably are sent away disappointed when they are told to learn from the experience . . . and get thicker skin.

On Rehaul by Lance Haun, Lance wrote, "people really don’t deal with conflict well in the workplace. More specifically, a large proportion of people think that people should be more agreeable and reduce conflict wherever possible." 

Spot on.

Only The Strong Survive

Conflict is inherent in labor relations, and no, I can't (or won't) make it go away. What I (HR) can do is assist supervisors in dealing with conflict more effectively. I can provide technical expertise, offer advice, lessons learned and points to consider, meet to review issues evidence and talking points, and when appropriate, facilitate discussions between supervisors and the union.

Some things simply can not be taught in a classroom. Much of labor management relations is just in time training and as life would have it, the time often comes before the training. Learn the rules of the game, buck up, and do your homework. Be honest, forthright and equitable. Build relationships every day. Know that conflict will always be there, it's the nature of beast.

Own it, learn from it, or grab a seat in the bleachers. Meeting adjourned.

Rant aside, HR pros, what have you done to better prepare your supervisors for the labor-management dynamic? Let me know in the comments.

Photo Credit iStockPhoto

Guess what? I received 21 responses to the question. Because that's more than the number of comments I've received on any given blog post or combination of posts, I'm a bit psyched!

Welcome first time readers, much appreciation to regular readers, and thank you to everyone who visits, reads, and subscribes to the blog; it really would not be any fun to do this alone. I couldn't - or wouldn't - be able to do this without you. You are awesome!

Now, back to business. The feedback I received was completely anonymous and the responses I received are copied below. With a simple click of an "export" button, the results are entered into an Excel spreadsheet. Even someone #notsotechy can handle that!

Note: I deleted the names entered in the interest of privacy so if you entered your name and don't see it, that's why.  

A mixture of regular and first time readers answered the question. I like that. I don't like that I have first time readers and don't know who they are. People answer the questions you ask so be sure that you ask the questions to get you the information you are seeking - lesson learned! 

I get that the anonymity of the widget may have encouraged more responses, so, for those interested, you have an open invitation to connect with me. You can check out the Connect with Lisa section on the sidebar and connect via email, on LinkedIn, or on Twitter or simply leave a note in the comment section.

I'll keep this question up through the weekend and post a new question early next week. Thanks for playing along and be sure to some back soon!

Photo credit iStock Photo

Supervisors are responsible for performance management. The best supervisors address performance willingly, especially when that performance is poor. "Effectively dealing with poor performers is more than a willingness to fire an employee, it’s recognizing employee needs for training early, distinguishing what can and cannot be trained, and provide assistance to employees, as is practical." Merit Systems Protection Board Report, "Poor Performers and the Law"

"Breaker 1-9, breaker 1-9, are you out there? I know you've got something to say but I can't hear you . . .too much static."

Static is the reason performance improvement efforts fail, the reason a manager will not support a supervisor's recommendation for performance based adverse action and the reason HR professionals across the globe lean back in their chairs, put their hands to their forehead and lament, "why?"

Managers and HR professionals are a pretty solid, sturdy, been-there-done-that group of people so what kinds of yet static cause them to shake their heads in disbelief? 

The list can be long and here are a few examples of static to start the bidding: 

• Dishonesty
• Disparate treatment
• Changing performance expectations without explanation, or notice
• Not notifying the employee (ever) there was a concern with her performance
• Not reasonably considering the employees requests for additional training
• Ignoring or discounting issues raised by the employee that are impacting his performance
• Counseling employees over email, not meeting face to face, not documenting conversations when a meeting occurs, engaging in head to head confrontation, communicating with unprofessional content and tone, and delivering off hand or flippant remarks

Now, the bidding continues in the comments. Let me know what static you've seen in performance management actions gone wrong.

Performance management is one of the most important things a supervisor can do and it is essential that it be done respectfully and professionally from start to finish. Supervisors that are not able to do that may just find themselves on the other side of the desk. 

Photo credit iStockphoto

The HR Carnival is hosted this time by Mike Krupa over at InfoBox, where he offers a tidy package of HR and technology, information, insight, wit and wisdom.  Always willing to lend a hand, answer a question or come back with THE BEST one-liners, Mike, is wonderful. From #hokeyspitballs to #goodgravy, Mike makes me smile with every tweet.

I love the Mardi Gras theme. With beads, masks, and even Mardi Gras ROI, Mike out did himself this time! So without further ado, here are a few of my favorite posts from the carnival:

• Mary Jo Asmus with Leading People Can Be Messy about unpredictable people 
• Jessica Miller-Merrell and 6 Time Saving Business Social Media Tools.
• Wally Bock tells in Putting Drive to Work: Intrinsic Motivation.

Grab your beads and join the HR parade over at Info Box!

No denying incentives, when used properly, can prompt desired behaviors - or is it to impact outcomes? What was it again??  Incentives change behaviors - not outcomes.  I know that now because I read Incentive Intelligence and bookmark posts like Incentives - Definitions and Actions - A Primer AGAIN! but let me tell you about someone who did not.

Incentives Gone Bad

Once upon a time there was a leader of a team. The team was not working well together. The leader tried praise, recognition, telling the team what she wanted to see, playing on strengths, problem solving issues, not placing blame, asking questions, acknowledging desired behaviors and more. Basically, she did everything "the book" said a good supervisor could do to encourage behaviors - and it didn't work. 

Then it came to her. She'd reward outcomes achieved when desired behaviors were used. If she rewards her staff for these outcomes, and the behaviors that lead to them, they'd get the idea, point will be made and behaviors will be changed. Genius, pure genius! She rewarded the entire team, at varying levels (based on salary), for the department's achievements over the year. She handed out the awards at a staff meeting.

The gesture fell flat. Flat as a pancake. No, flat as a crepe. 

Program Design. . .Plus

There were many things wrong with this incentive, starting with the mishmash of behaviors and outcomes, ending with the fact that no one on the team knew an incentive was at the end of the tunnel and everything in between. The incentive wasn't communicated because, well, the leader didn't know an incentive was at the end of the tunnel until all other options failed to create a cohesive team. 

There was something else amiss here that was much bigger than program design. The leader rewarded her staff for outcomes even though she knew in her heart of hearts they weren't meeting her expectations.

The award was blackmail. It was a bribe - pure and simple. The leader knew it. Her staff knew it too.

Lessons Learned

Don't settle or sell your expectations on the cheap.  You can't buy outcomes, you can't buy committment, and, ok, you can't buy love. The money spent on the awards paid for a lesson in leadership she could never get from a book, a blog or a seminar and is one she will never forget.

 Photo Credit iStock Photo

I added the widget to my sidebar and asked an easy question to start with. I'll change it weekly.

Would you take a few minutes to check it out on the right and let me know if you are a first time visitor or a regular reader? Your answer is anonymous. 

The widget is free and available to any one so if you decide to give it a try or have given it a try, let me know how it works for you. 

Then I read Framing Your Social Media Efforts by Chris Brogan. Chris writes for business marketing but he got me thinking about how I use social media as an individual. Not the nuts and bolts of logging in, updating, or posting regularly (or not) but looking at, as Chris says, how well I am "tying them all together. "

A Look In the Mirror

I am an experienced-based kind of girl. If I haven't done it, felt it, and learned from it, I can't talk about it. Table talk topics, Toastmasters impromptu speeches, and off the cuff comebacks are not me. I need time to process and I am so much better on the replay. So, while I love the lens Chris offers, I can't have this conversation with budding social media-ites without first taking a look at my own practices.

My social media use has developed over the past 12-15 months without a long term plan and I am convinced that the tools I am using and the way I am using them is not the right combination to get me to where I want to go. Now, as I am looking into the new year and making plans, it's time to put randomness aside and frame up my social media efforts.

My goals are to deepen and strengthen my connections, collaborate on a professional project and write beyond the blog. So, in addition to reevaluating how I am using the tools I am now, I am going to check out some new ones to see if they'd round out the mix.

A Work In Progress

It's a start. It's part of the grand plan. And it's all good. In the spirit of building connections, collaboration and writing, I'll update my progress here. How about you? Do you have strategies that work best for you? Tell me about them.

Photo Credit iStockphoto

I just started reading Thinking Write by Kelly L. Stone. Besides thinking the title of her book would have been an awesome name for a blog if I only would have thought of it first, I was drawn to the tag line, "the secret to freeing your creative mind." Now, my mind could use a little freeing these days. I love to write, am committed to writing more, would welcome a little mula for my writing . . . but now I digress.

I am finishing up chapter 2, The Anti-Writer. The term "anti-writer" is basically the doubt that works against a writer and it does not work alone. Along with the anti-writer comes sabotaging actions. Two scary dudes. I am only up to Chapter 2 and already I have an assignment. For the next two weeks, I am to write down all of the negative thoughts and comments about my writing or my abilities as a writer and ways I sabotage my writing efforts. Ach, who needs 2-weeks! I know the voice all too well. I am going to give myself a 2 minutes on each to capture the thoughts and actions right here, right now.

Ready? Here goes nothing:

Anti-Writer Thoughts: Not good enough, others are better, don't know how to do it right, not interesting, not relevant, too much like everyone else, will run out of ideas, can't write more than 500 words, no one would ever pay to read, too difficult to break into the field, not enough time, don't know how to market, too personal, not authentic enough, not original.

Sabotage Writing Efforts: Twitter, Facebook, Google Reader, email, Yammer, laundry, too tired, not enough time, thinking must have an entire afternoon free to write, paper is not quite right, pencil is too dull, pen doesn't flow easily, coffee is too hot, water is not cold enough, need perfect writing snacks, television, have to exercise.

The rule follower in me will continue to capture the thoughts for a few days although I expect them to be variations on the same thing. I already know a few things I can do right now: recommit to posting here at least twice a week, post on Raising Tarah once a week, and carve out 30 minutes per day to write.

To jazz me up, I bought a new red Moleskine notebook that will be at arms length throughout the day.

What tips do you have for me to keep the words flowing? What has worked for you?

Photo credit iStockphoto

While it's snowing in many places across the country and the football game is on, The Leadership Development Carnival is on at Talented Apps. 

With talk of masks, leadership and authencity, this moth's carnival kicks off in grand style with contributions from across the web. Hitting on a variety of leadership topics, I came across many contributors new to me. I'll be taking some time over the next week to read through the posts and I hope you do too.

Be sure to mark your calendar for next month (March 7th) when the carnival returns to its home at Great Leadership.

When I scan the list, I am honored to be included amongst people who inspire, friend and whether they know it or not, challenge me to keep getting better. My Google Reader is in flux with new blogs being added all the time. There are new voices joining the conversation and it is so great to see them recognized.

Congratulations to everyone and thanks to the FOT and HR Capitalist team! The power blog rankings is a labor of love for the community and I appreciate the work that is put into this. 

Click over to the power rankings, check out the blogs, click through the FOT and HR Capitalist sites and stay awhile. 

It's all good.