Milestones - For Human Resource and Skills Development

27/04/2014

Recruit from within for talent retention

‘He has put down his papers’ – You know this right away when, all of a sudden, you see your HR and leadership team are having an hour long meeting with that top performer first thing in the morning!

Hard truth is that his manager has not yet realized that it is already too late for him to influence the employee to change his mind. Because it has reached a point to where the leadership team and HR have to be involved to convince that employee to stay. Believe me, at this point employee might have already decided in his mind on when to leave.

And it is of little use how much you talk or negotiate or offer to pay a higher salary.

We, HR, see this scene all the time and wonder why we did not see that coming.

Internal Mobility - the key to talent retention

Most often we think that we can buy an employee’ stay by offering him a better compensation or benefits. But what the employee values can be something more than a mere paycheck. And that could be to pursue his career advancement opportunities.

HR often assumes that internal growth opportunities within the organization are well known to the employees but in reality it is not. As per LinkedIn’s survey the top most reasons that would compel an employee to change employers is “Greater opportunities for advancement” and second reason is better leadership from senior management and only then compensation matters.

Here are two reasons that HR has to know why employee quit.

Employee quits, not aware of career advancement within the organization.

Instead of waiting to promote an employee till he has made up his mind to quit, take a proactive step to let your employees know of the career advancement opportunities within the organisation. Because most employees quit without being aware of that opportunity to advance to the next role within the organization. Let the managers be the first to notify the employee when a position opens. And be sure to use all medium like internal referrals, intranet, social media platforms etc to promote the awareness of internal mobility within the organization.

Employee quits knowing that his organization values an outside hire over him.

An employee needs to know that the organization cares about their people and values their career growth within the organization. But instead if you choose an external hire over him then you will lose his trust and loyalty. He would think that he is not valued. In spite of having the right skills, experience and potential to advance to the next role he was not considered for that position.

You know the cost of losing a high performer, who already knows the culture of the organization. And you know the cost of hiring a new employee with all the operational costs and where culture fit is an uncertainty. It is time to work on your internal mobility to retain the best talent within the organization.

24/04/2014

Do you feel small when you see someone better than you?

In our professional career, we often come across people who are better than us in some aspects. They may be better presenters, they are more knowledgeable, they may be more aggressive, they are better in building relationships or they may be better in achieving results.

When you come across such people, how do you feel? There could be two types of scenarios that are possible. Which one is applicable in your case?

Scenario-A: Do you get motivated and inspired to be like them? Does it drive you towards improvement? If it so, then you need the company of those who are better than you. They inspire your development.

Scenario-B: Do you feel small in the presence of those who are better than you? Does it demotivate you? Does it impact your confidence negatively? If this scenario is applicable in your case, then you need to be careful.

Some possible ways to handle this scenario include:

1. If possible, you temporarily avoid their presence till you achieve some improvement.

2. If you cannot avoid their presence, then you need to identify those areas where you are comparing; in such areas, you need to focus and bring about some improvement on a priority.

3. If improvement is difficult in the short term, then you can deflect your attention on to those aspects where you are better than them; you need to demonstrate those aspects much more. This can restore your confidence.

4. Finally, you need to remind yourself that everyone is good in some aspect; we simply need to discover it!

6x4Article By:
Dr. Raj, C.E.O.,
HR Footprints Management Services Pvt.Ltd.

23/04/2014

Congratulations fans, we're now 200+ :) keep growing!

24/03/2014

Who are you including in your inner-circle?

inner circle
March 22, 2014 Leaders Vs Bosses

This question is relevant in general to everyone; and in particular, more relevant for a leader.

Why is it relevant to everyone?

You are influenced quite a bit by the people that you frequently interact with. Your thoughts, attitudes and general outlook will be shaped by the interactions that we have with those who are close to us. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the kind of people that we network with and entertain proximity.

Why is it more relevant to a leader?

inner circle 2

As a leader, you will tend to provide greater access to those who are in your inner circle. They enjoy greater freedom to express to you. You may in turn trust them more and delegate more. As the relationship further deepens with the inner circle, they may become your channel to communicate with those who are beyond the inner circle. You will see the world based on the information provided by your inner circle.

In the process, those who are in the outer circle tend to feel distanced from you as a leader. They may wonder what are the criteria for inclusion in the inner circle.

Traps to Avoid

traps to avoid in inner circleDepending upon the type of people that are included in the inner circle, tone can anticipate the likely effectiveness of the team as well as the leader.

Watch out those leaders may take a liking to those who always say YES to them; or who are obedient and submissive; or who are like the leaders; or who are not more competent than the leaders. While leaders may find it easy to manage such inner circle, it will soon have its negative impact on the overall effectiveness of the leadership!

24/03/2014

It is our choices... that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. J. K. Rowling

20/03/2014

IBM - SCD event is running as scheduled.

15/03/2014

How to get the best of feedback sessions

Feedback tips

Source: HR LIVE Speakers

Below are different ways to approach your reporting manager to get him to give you an honest feedback, thereby helping yourself to improve your performance at work.

In the earlier article, we saw how three youngsters approached their feedback sessions (refer to the article published on 2014/03/08) with their managers. While there is no one particular way of receiving feedback, there are certainly some dos and don’ts for the receiver.

Here are some tips to get the best out of your feedback sessions.

psychometric-test-ask-for-feedback

Ask for feedback:Feedback sessions are usually scheduled as part of the performance appraisal discussions. Depending upon your company policy, it may take place once or twice a year. These are formal sessions and driven by the process. however, it is often said that real feedback is given only when asked for. if you take initiative and request for a session with your manager and not wait for the appraisal discussion, he/she is likely to see it as a professional move.

Do not be defensive: To get the best out of the feedback sessions, it is important to be open and not defensive. It is true that when your manager high lights some shortcoming in you, you tend to explain and defend your position. In such cases, one may resort to justification and not allow further scope for development. Another behavior that we get to see among those who are defensive is that of blaming. They end up placing the blame on others and do not own up their mistakes. It will convert the feedback session into an argument. Therefore, it is important to shed the defenses and allow the comments.

Listen and reflect: Best way to express your openness for feedback is to listen attentively. A participative listening by asking for more insights and confirming your understanding with your manager is an excellent way to listen. Taking notes during the discussion will surely improve your listening even further. Continue your listening with deeper reflection to process mentally what you heard from your manager. Such reflection will help you in working out a development plan.

feedback tips

Do not take it personally: Most common mistake that people commit is to take the feedback on performance too personally. They generalize the comments from the manager. If your manager commented about last week’s presentation and suggested you to improve, it is better for you to limit the comment to last week’s event only instead of worrying if you are a bad presenter. Also, remember that feedback often is a perception; therefore, it is important to listen unconditionally and then select which areas you are convinced about.

positivity

Do seek help: Listening to feedback as a formality and not knowing what to do with that will not help anyone. As part of the feedback session, it is perfectly fine to ask for help in improving in certain areas. Best way to put forth the request is to concur with the feedback and express your interest to work on it. In the process, you can seek support of your manager; ask for training or any other assistance towards improvement.

Demonstrate positivity: If you have a negative outlook towards feedback sessions, you may tend to avoid it. Instead, try expressing child-like enthusiasm and keenness to learn and improve; it helps in many ways. Firstly, it creates a positive impression of you in the eyes of your manager; secondly, it will make it more fun and less of a burden for you.

15/03/2014

Respect your efforts, respect yourself. Self-respect leads to self-discipline. That's real power. - Clint Eastwood

11/03/2014

06/03/2014