Carlsen's Corner

Making 5 Winning Investments in People

2010-10-10T05:54:00.000-07:00

Look around the conference table at your next team meeting. Who is struggling to keep their most talented team members? Who has gathered the best team around them, people who are passionate about giving their best? List the talented individuals in your organization that you can’t imagine losing. Many leaders in Thailand and beyond are anxious and challenged about getting business results while finding it difficult to a team that can execute on the mission. The best and fastest way to build a solid foundation of people who drive optimal business results is to hire the right people, and KEEP them once they have proven their potential. You can not develop a pipeline of talent if they are walking out the door.

Here are several ideas to consider; some of which may work for you to hold onto the talented people in your organizations, while you continue your search to hire and develop a pipeline of talent for the future.

Identify and Bolster Mission Critical Positions. Mission critical positions are disproportionately important to the organization’s ability to execute its strategy. Invest resources in these positions through focused selection, de-selection, promotion, development and communication.

Ask yourself and your organization, “What positions are disproportionately important to delivering or business results? What must be done to more fully engage high potential individuals in those positions?”

Remove Barriers and Stay out of Their Way. High performers love to do good work that has meaning; what they don’t like is to be given non-essential work that sucks time and effort and makes no real difference to the business. Great leaders remove distractions and administrivia. They help their people get unstuck from activity traps. What top performers want is to get into the flow of fulfilling work and stay there, while being respected and appreciated by their managers.

Ask yourself and your organization, “What non-essential work activities have we burdened our most important employees? How might these activities be re-apportioned or jettisoned?”
"So much of what we call management consists in making it difficult for people to work." --Peter Drucker

Conduct Stay Interviews Instead of Exit Interviews. Don’t wait for high-contributing talented people to announce their imminent departure. Take them under your wing. Find out what the like, and what they want. Tell them how much you appreciate their contributions and how much you want them to stay. Ask them what they would like to see happen to enrich their career. When people know they are valued and supported, they will almost always stay with that organization than leap to a new, unknown one.

Ask yourself and your organization, “Who can we bring under our wing to discuss what would be most meaningful to them for their continued career here?”

Attract and Select the Best Talent. Become a preferred employer. Is your organization known as one of the best places to work in Thailand? What positive messages can you provide prospective employees about your organization? Also, continuously improve your hiring practices to ensure you are hiring the best talent with the best fit for your organization’s needs. Good people like to work with good people. By selecting and retaining the people that fit your business, you establish a self-reinforcing, virtuous cycle.

Ask yourself and your organization, “What can we do to improve our employment brand and be clearer on what we are looking for in our candidates?”

Manage Retention and Turnover. Winning organizations use easy-to-implement approaches that create grateful employees such as giving awards for years of service or specific contributions, providing access to on-site fitness and wellness programs, making life a little easier through concierge services, or offering ways for employees to give back to the community.

Ask yourself and your organization, “Which of these approaches would be valued the most and are relatively easy to implement quickly?”

Select one or two of these ideas that you are able to institute quickly. Answer the questions in a way that will drive results and that fits your unique needs. Keep your best people and they will keep you in business!

About the Author

Brian Carlsen is the Director of Learning Solutions at the APMGroup and co-author of Attract, Engage and Retain Top Talent: 50 Plus One Strategies Used by the Best.

Getting Your Employees In the Flow

2010-10-10T04:38:00.000-07:00

Getting quality output from people is often not predictable, especially from knowledge workers and technical specialists doing non-linear work. But, what if you could practice a way to not only increase work quality, while also helping your people be more fulfilled? Answer: help them get in the flow!
What is Flow? It is a state of mind you achieve when you are fully immersed in a task, forgetting about the outside world. It is achieving a level of deep concentration. When you are in the state of “Flow” you are focused solely on the task and detached from all distractions, losing sense of yourself, others and time. And when you emerge from the flow state, you frequently feel happy or fulfilled and in control. This phenomenon was first described and studies by professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Director of the Quality of Life Research Center at the University of Chicago.

Flow can only happen when a person is able to balance challenges and skills; thus, avoiding the extremes of boredom and anxiety. Let us illustrate. Khun Lek wants to learn how to play piano. As she begins practicing basic scales she becomes bored. Her teacher helps her pick a harder piece of music thereby increasing the challenge in order to create a more optimal experience and develop greater skills through practice. When a new level is achieved, more challenging lessons are given. So, one way to help someone be “in the flow” is to incrementally add challenges to overcome boredom. The trick is to avoid increasing the level of challenge too quickly, thus creating anxiety in the person that he or she may fail.
Flow happens only when the level of challenge is neither too high nor too low. And the intensity of the flow experience increases as skill grows.
You can practice this yourself. Attack your biggest work challenges while remembering that flow is easiest to achieve when you: 1) have enough pressure to stay engaged (but not too much), 2) you believe that your skills are good enough to perform well, 3) you have distractions under control, 4) spend no effort in criticizing your work, 5) you are relaxed and alert, and 6) you are thinking positively.

So, this leads us to what you can do as a leader to help others get in the flow so they can also focus on key work output.
1. Help employees identify the tasks and outcomes that are most important and urgent. Be clear on your expectations and how much you appreciate quality output.
2. Help employees stay challenged by their key work responsibilities rather remain stuck in routine, less valued work.
3. Openly express your trust and confidence in their ability to get important work done. Dr. Csikzentmihalyi suggests frequent, helpful feedback aids people to get into the flow state.
4. Help reduce the number and extent of distractions so productive work can happen. In a study of computer programmer productivity, study participants valued supervisors that “respected them” and “got out of their way” so they could be most productive.
5. Avoid being a micro-manager through continuous checking and status reports. If the person is good enough for the job, let them do the job without criticism.
6. Help key employees stay healthy and alert by ensuring they can balance and work and life renewing activities such as eating well, making time for friend and family, and getting their sleep and exercise.
7. Communicate that you fully expect them to do well on the project, and that you are available for support if needed—that you are in their corner.

Out With The Old, In With the .... Better?

2009-12-17T15:05:00.000-08:00

At this time of reflection and renewal, bridging from 2009 (not a banner year for so many) to 2010 (with hope and optimism that comes a new year), I thought it would be fun to gather a few crumbs of New Year wisdom from folks wittier than I. Enjoy, and have a wonderful, blessed new year....every one.

"Drop the last year into the silent limbo of the past. Let it go, for it was imperfect, and thank God that it can go." - Brooks Atkinson

A New Year's resolution is something that goes in one Year and out the other." - Anonymous

"May all your troubles last as long as your New Year's resolutions!" - Joey Adams

"An optimist stays up until midnight to see the New Year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves." - Bill Vaughan

"He who breaks a resolution is a weakling; He who makes one is a fool." - F.M. Knowles

"We spend January 1st walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives...not looking for flaws, but for potential." - Ellen Goodman

"People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year, but they really should be worried about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas. - Author Unknown

"The new year begins in a snow-storm of white vows." - George William Curtis

"Cheers to a new year and another chance to get it right." - Oprah Winfrey

And my favorite piece of advice touched my funny bone the other day...

"Dance like it hurts,
Love like you need money,
Work when people are watching." - Scott Adams

Blogging is work, right! Happy 2010 to all!

Brian

Capture The Flag

2009-11-03T13:46:00.000-08:00

This little story illustrates how there often seems to be such a wide gap between what employees know about what their leaders intend, and what the leaders think about what the employees are doing. The excerpt is from Chapter 49 of our book Attract, Engage & Reatin Top Talent: 50 Plus One Strategies Used by the Best.
"Disconnectedness between leaders and employees is reminiscent of an old game played at summer camps called Capture the Flag. On a typical sunny afternoon at camp, 80 or so rambunctious, pre-teen campers were divided into two teams. Each team was given half of the camp and a flag to plant somewhere in its territory. The goal was to sneak across enemy lines, capture the opponent's flag and carry it back into your territoy without being tagged and put into prison. For those who chose to immerse themselves in the game, the experience was exhilarating and full of intrigue, secretiveness and playful anarchy. For those who were disconnected from the activity, the game afforded the opportunity to sneak off somewhere to enjoy a little peace and quiet. The game was typically won by the intrepid souls who heroically applied their gifts of speed, diversion and guile to foil their opponents' defenses and carry the flag home to vitory. Most participants in the game did not know what they should be doing to help win the game and tended to wander around aimlessly or hide out and wait for it to be over. Some participants were either rankled or grateful to spend most of the time languishing in prison. Some did not learn the game was won until someone told them--perhaps hours later.

Capture the Flag is a metaphor about organizations that do not measure employee perceptions. In these organizations, leaders may not know what the troops are doing or how they are feeling about participating in the game. They may wonder why the troops are not more engaged or feeling a greater sense of urgency. Some leaders may overly rely on the most talented combatants to engage the enemy and come out victorious through speed an innovation. Employees may perceive that their leaders are so focused on beating the competition that they turn a deaf ear to the needs and ideas of the troops. Managers may be unclear how to use resources to gain advantage and wonder what role they should be playing to help win the game. And most organizational members are not clear if they are winning the game or not."

So what is the moral of the story? Disconnectedness is not good, in personal relationships, businesses or society. Since, in my work life, I offer services to leaders and managers who are trying to get the most "out of" their people--it is often best to first look how to get the most "in to" their people, by finding out how they feel, what they perceive and what might be done about it. Choices for profitable, engaging actions range from all-employee engagement surveys (we can help with that) "stay interview" tools (we can help with that) to focused tools for managers to use in having retention and high gain performance conversations with their key people (we can help with that, too).

It's not too late to retain your best, most critical people--and a time of economic upturn is when you are more than ever likely to lose some.

Attract, Engage & Retain Top Talent

2008-11-05T08:35:00.000-08:00

Brian has recently co-authored the book Attract, Engage & Retain Top Talent: 50 Plus One Strategies Used by the Best.

From the book's introduction:

"Forward-thinking leaders have discovered that an opportunity exists to thrive in the competitive marketplace by better engaging the hearts and minds of employees--and in Attract, Engage & Retain Top Talent we explore a myriad of approaches for doing just that. The ideas within these pages emerge from our experiences and lessons learned from organizations seeking to excel by unleashing the talent of their people. Leadership is both art and science. Building your organization into a prefered employer with an engaged workforce and a culture that retain the right people doing the right things requires inspiration and hard work. We hope that this book will serve as a blueprint or at the very least an idea generator for the creation or recreation of your desired place to work."

Click here to BUY NOW

Humor in the Workplace

2008-02-06T07:52:00.000-08:00

Laughter is healthy. Healthy people laugh. Do it at work. As much as you can get away with. And if you don't have the type of people who naturally laugh together while working, that doesn't necessarily mean something is seriously wrong (a pun there, sorry).

Use props to generate some smiles and laughter at the right moments. I like to use quotes from dysfunctional philosophers such as Douglas Adams (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Restaurant at the End of the Universe, So Long, And Thanks for All the Fish), Scott Adams (Dilbert), Larry Kersten (Despair, Inc.) or Jack Handey (Deep Thoughts, Deeper Thoughts, and Deepest Thoughts).

About Interviewing Skills: "When you go for a job interview, I think a good thing to ask is if they ever press charges." Jack Handey

About Facilitating Q&A Sessions: "If there are no stupid questions, then what kind of questions do stupid people ask? Do they get smart just in time to ask questions?" Scott Adams

About Openness and Problem-Solving: "Frankly, I'm suspicious of anyone who has a strong opinion on a complicated issue." Scott Adams

About Punctuality: "I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." Douglas Adams

About Myopic Thinking: "It is a mistake to think you can solve any major problems just with potatoes." Douglas Adams

About Risk-Taking: "Nothing travels faster than the speed of light with the possible exception of bad news, which obeys its own special laws." Douglas Adams

Political Commentary: "Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job." Douglas Adams

About Inclusion: "I hope if dogs ever take over the world, and they chooose a king, they don't just go by size, because I bet there are some Chihuahuas with some good ideas." Jack Handey

"Incompetence - When you earnestly believe you can compensate for a lack of skill by doubling your efforts, there's no end to what you can't do." Larry Kersten

"Procrastination: Hard work often pays off after time, but laziness pays off now." Larry Kersten

Enjoy.... And smile a little! Now.

Or now.

In Progress: Attract, Engage and Retain Top Talent

2008-02-01T08:07:00.000-08:00

I am working on a book with Donna de St. Aubin entitled Attract, Engage and Retain Top Talent: 50 Plus One Strategies Used by the Best (Author House Books). The whole idea of the book is to provide reasonable, practical concepts and ideas for leaders in small or large organizations to enhance their ability to create a workforce of engaged people who stay and contribute to the organization's success, and are happy to do so.

Click here to BUY NOW

Below are two excerpts (draft form) from Chapter 25 - Act with Virtue.

Most of us try hard to follow the advice from our youth to play nice and get along with others. But many leaders might wonder whether there really is business value in investing time and resources to build a nice organization where good values are woven into the fabric of work life. The point of view of this chapter is that positive business outcomes occur when an organization lives by its values; when employees are proud of the inherent and visible goodness of their organization.

Virtues are the best of the human condition; the most ennobling behavior and outcomes, the highest aspirations of human beings. Plato and Aristotle described virtuousness as the desires and actions that produce personal and social good. (Pg. 48 of Positive Organizational Scholarship.) In the chapter on Virtues and Organizations from the book entitled Positive Organizational Scholarship (edited by Cameron, Dutton, and Quinn), Park and Peterson state that “organizational-level virtues are characteristics of organizations that contribute to the fulfillment of its members.”

...And later... To summarize all of this; demonstrations of virtue by organizational leaders serve as a source of identity and pride for employees. Virtuous actions create an upward spiral of positive emotions, having an amplifying effect and creating positive social capital. Positive emotions and social capital are the currency that creates great performance through collaboration, healthy colleague and customer relationships, and desire to contribute; even beyond what is expected. A solid foundation of virtuousness can buffer an organization from the negative impact of trauma from events such as downsizing or other high-impact organizational changes.

Love as an Engaging Force in the Workplace

2008-01-24T14:47:00.000-08:00

Employee engagement is a huge topic for Chief Financial Officers, Chief Learning Officers, HR practitioners and enterprise leaders of all stripes. It is clear that those who are lucky or good enough to have a high percentage of engaged workers in the workforce do better, financially and by their customers, in the marketplace.

From what I've learned, there are many paths that help to engage the hearts and minds of your talent. I believe that when one seeks to turn around a situation where workforce disengagement is par for the course (golf pun intended) you can't start with an intent to manipulate the numbers to look successful--there are not shortcuts. I believe that engaging others in their work starts with a heartful intent to help people thrive and flourish where they work--out of love for the people. Doesn't this put the right wind in the right sails going in the right direction?

I've found that many of the management arts and practices start first with a positive intent to do the right things by those around you. When this isn't part of your mental, emotional or motivational framework, it is much easier to make the bigger mistakes. When you wish health for others, you effectively support wellness. When you really want to fully empathize with another, you listen well. When you really want someone to succeed at something, it is hard to coach poorly. It starts with an intent to love and support others so that they flourish around you. Just an idea...

A Loving Nation

2008-01-22T14:53:00.000-08:00

"The greatest of these is love"--it isn't just a sentiment for individuals, lovers and friends. It applies to nations and our global family, too! When the crazy time started with September 11, 2001, and the Bush administration began to threaten prosecuting a War on Terrorism in early 2002, my late Dad and I pounded a sign into his frozen yard saying, "War is not the answer!" In fact, warring becomes part of long-lasting hatred and intentions of revenge. I said it then, and I'll say it now--the best thing to do is to be more understanding and compassionate. Make THIS the job of the President of the United States...travel the world and visit with leaders and wise stakeholders to truly understand the issues, and act in ways that show compassion, courage, sensitivity, understanding and love to the people's of all nations. Until it hurts. Because war is not the answer. It creates much larger problems. If we are a nation founded on principles that respect the rights of our citizens and the humanity of all people, regardless of race, culture or creed--then it is intolerable when we are intolerant of others, and when we hurt others in the name of our own interests. I know this is not a simple or easy guideline, it is probably the most complex undertaking of all in a very complex time. But that's what it will take to bring a higher level of maturity to a hurting world, and to be ambassadors of love to those who hate. What would that look like? I don't know--but I want to see it.

Brian Carlsen

The Core of It

2008-01-18T13:32:00.000-08:00

"The greatest of these is Love." This is a sentiment that rings through the centuries and still lies at the core of things today. And will tomorrow. We are all connected, people. In ways the we can barely fathom, even in our most true moments. The way we treat people returns to us. Our heart and intent fashions our future.

In my professional life, I am an employee training and organizational development specialist. When I choose this career (to be a trainer within business), the intrinsic value or central purpose was to contribute to bettering the quality of worklife of others. People in the midst of their career spend a majority of their waking days during the week at work. Is that a good part of their life or not. Don't we contribute to the overwall level of joy, satisfaction and personal fulfillment by being passionate and compassionate professionals? If I currently have a professional purpose or mission, it is to maximize the opportunities I have to positively influence the quality of worklife of those I serve and with whom I work. It's not a bad road to be on.

There are so many areas of research and experience that touch on this core idea that I may explore them in installments. I am talking about hot topics (or even more esoteric ones) related to human/work interface such as:

Employee engagement
Good boss/bad boss behaviors
Positive organizational psychology
Virtue in the workplace
Spirit at work
...and many more.

What is your interest?