By Gail Sturgess – Certified Human Capital Strategist

There is a lot going on between HR and Line Management in most companies today. Trying to decide what their roles are in relation to “people management” in the organization, who is responsible for what, and how they will play an effective part. There are many ideas and the development of “people management” as an organizational function, follows a “maturity” pattern that is now fairly well defined.

However, all this maneuvering does not take into account what is actually happening in most workplaces still today. And, if we are to move forward, this needs to be both understood and acknowledged.

The problem is that our workplace is currently dysfunctional – not all workplaces, but surely most of them! Dysfunctional – why? Well, for most organizations “management” is still steeped in the concepts and practices of the “industrial era”. “Management” today are mostly either late “Baby Boomers” or “Early Generation X” – meaning, between the age of 45 and 55.

This “generation” of management was brought up on concepts such as “Theory X” and “Theory Y”. If they were trained in “management”, they were trained in the “Four Functions of Management” as being:

• Plan – Planning requires administration to assess where the company / function / department / team is presently going, and where it would be in the future.
• Organize – Management must organize all its resources to put into practice the course of action to achieve what was planned.
• Direct – The control and supervision of the staff within their span of control.
• Control – Establishing performance standards that are of course based on the company’s objectives.

But the problem is, the workforce has now changed, and this “style” of management is just no longer applicable.
What was successful in getting our organizations to where they are today, is no longer applicable to ensuring their success in the future. Have a look at the graphic below. On the left are the different “requirements” of people in the workplace. The graphic itself shows, at the top, how managers today are still trying to manage, and, at the bottom, how the workforce of today wants and needs to be managed.

In “First Break all the Rules”, Marcus Buckingham identifies the new “Four Functions of Management”:

• Select – Select the talent, not just skills and experience, for the company and for the position.
• Set Expectations – Define and agree the job outcomes, responsibilities and performance, not just the tasks.
• Motivate – Transform each person’s unique talents into performance.
• Develop – Develop each individual to find the right fit in the organization, not just the next step up in the hierarchy, by building on strengths.

This is Human Capital Management. Human Capital Management is the new competence that every manager should have going into the future.

This is not mine, it’s by Brian Tracy (www.briantracy.com).  But I think, as a Professional, this should be our “mantra”.  Thanks Brian

July 7, 2011

How to set standards for excellence and back them with total integrity.

A Commitment to Excellence

Leaders have specific responsibilities and must fulfill certain requirements. One requirement of leadership is the ability to choose an area of excellence. Just as a good general chooses the terrain on which to do battle, an excellent leader chooses the area in which he and others are going to do an outstanding job. The commitment to excellence is one of the most powerful of all motivators. All leaders who change people and organizations are enthusiastic about achieving excellence in a particular area.

Be the Best!

The most motivational vision you can have for yourself and others is to “Be the best!” Many people don’t yet realize that excellent performance in serving other people is an absolute, basic essential for survival in the economy of the future. Many individuals and companies still adhere to the idea that as long as they are no worse than anyone else, they can remain in business. That is just plain silly! It is prehistoric thinking. We are now in the age of excellence. Customers assume that they will get excellent quality, and if they don’t, they will go to your competitors so fast, people’s heads will spin.

Have A Vision of High Standards

As a leader, your job is to be excellent at what you do, to be the best in your chosen field of endeavor. Your job is to have a vision of high standards in serving people. You not only exemplify excellence in your own behavior, but you also translate it to others so that they, too, become committed to this vision.

This is the key to servant leadership. It is the commitment to doing work of the highest quality in the service of other people, both inside and outside the organization. Leadership today requires an equal focus on the people who must do the job, on the one hand, and the people who are expected to benefit from the job, on the other.

The Most Respected Quality

The second quality, which is perhaps the single most respected quality of leaders, is integrity. Integrity is complete, unflinching honesty with regard to everything that you say and do. Integrity underlies all the other qualities. Your measure of integrity is determined by how honest you are in the critical areas of your life.

Integrity means this: When someone asks you at the end of the day, “Did you do your very best?” you can look him in the eye and say, “Yes!” Integrity means this: When someone asks you if you could have done it better, you can honestly say, “No, I did everything I possibly could.”

Integrity means that you, as a leader, admit your shortcomings. It means that you work to develop your strengths and compensate for your weaknesses. Integrity means that you tell the truth, and that you live the truth in everything that you do and in all your relationships. Integrity means that you deal straightforwardly with people and situations and that you do not compromise what you believe to be true.

Action Exercises

Now, here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

1. Identify the area of your work where excellent performance can contribute the very most to productivity and profits. Focus all your efforts in this area.
2. Do your very best on every task. Imagine that everyone is watching even when no one is watching. Imagine that everyone in your company was going to do their work exactly the way you do yours.

Never compromise your standards!

Some people are born leaders, but most of us learn the art of leadership along the way. The better you are at nurturing leadership potential in others, the more valuable you will be to your organization. To cultivate these skills, you must push people toward peak performance while convincing them of your commitment to their personal growth.

The following are 10 of the strategies suggested by authors Scott J. Allen and Mitchell Kusy in their book, “The Little Book of Leadership Development: 50 Ways to Bring Out the Leader in Every Employee” for creating a greater sense of ownership and direction within your team. Follow these guidelines and you will distinguish yourself as an essential leader in your own right.

Treat team members as Customers – Let them know their professional development is a readon you challenge them.

Set aside One-on-one time – Individual exchanges are opportunities for discovering passions and aspirations.

Help People set goals – ownership inspires accountability, improving chances of success.

Stretch Capabilities – Make sure team members are working on something that expands their skillsets.

Let Them Lead – Choose a meeting organiser, a mentor, a project supervisor, etc.

Encourage People to Answer “How” – Set objectives, but allow the team to come up with ways to get there.

Promote Associations – Participating in industry groups elevates professional profiles.

Share Organisational Knowleddge – Your team will appreciate and benefit from transparency,.

Share Team Knowledge – Have members document challenges met and lesson learned.

Confront Effectively – Approach confrontation as collaboration to maximise mutual gains.

Buy this book at our book store on www.talentalign.com – or look through many of the most-read and influential books on Human Capital Management available from our book store.