Human Resources Consulting Blog

Design: Foundation of talent management

culture hr leadership performance talent talent optimization May 29, 2019

An organization without design is like giving a kid a box of Lego without the manual. Something will come out of it...

The design phase consists of the following areas.

Select your organization’s structure.
Evaluate your leadership team fit.
Understand senior team dynamics.
Establish your culture.

Step 1 - Select your organization's structure

Organizations that follow the talent optimization discipline have structures that are purposefully designed and carefully planned—not merely a result of uncoordinated forces and influences that build up over time. The business strategy provides the context for effective organizational structure. For example, if your business strategy requires innovation and collaboration you’ll need an organizational hierarchy that’s flat, with little middle management, so that communication will flow freely. Additionally, the behavioral requirements of roles in this type of organization will favor taking risks and...

Talent Optimization - it all start with a diagnosis

hr people performance talent talent optimization May 29, 2019

Implementing a solid Talent Optimization Process requires an in-depth understanding of the business strategy. We often forget that without the business strategy, we will be going all kind of places, without getting anywhere. Might be adventurous, but you won't get the hype of reaching a goal.

The Talent Optimization Framework starts with a Diagnose

Diagnose is a method or pinpointing the root cause of gaps—your underlying people problems—and making strategic changes or changes to day-to-day execution. The insights you uncover in diagnose typically point back to the other three aptitudes of talent optimization: design, hire and inspire. Businesses that collect and analyze their people data and then make necessary adjustments proactively will enjoy a more productive and engaged workforce; instead of letting problems build up and fester, addressing them quickly shows employees they care.

Measure what matters.
Analyze the evidence.
Prescribe improvement actions.

DIAGNOSE

...

Turn your great talent into an amazing team!

hiring performance talent talentoptimization May 29, 2019

The way you are managing your talent, and how you are getting less stress and more performance from your team is changing drastically.

For years we had to manage talent processes and strategies as individual building blocks. In the end, we hoped that it all would work together.

Managing Talent as individual pieces is not Talent Management.

The Talent Optimization Framework has gained significant traction in the HR industry. This framework ties all things People Management together. When you look at the framework below you notice that Business Strategy and Business Results are linked through the new Talent Optimization Process.

When the Talent Optimization framework is implemented successfully you will see major improvements in how your organization is performing. Some area’s that you can see almost immediate results are:

Better Hires: Better Hires & reduced time to hire by eliminating the...

Small Business Owners - Design your organization like a multinational

Uncategorized May 16, 2019

When small companies start, they are small. One maybe two people are running all the operations. They fulfill the roles like marketing, sales, production, finance, the CEO and Janitor. Then the organization starts to grow and somebody is hired into the organization. Sometimes this is done through a formal recruiting process, sometimes the friend of a friend. That first hire has one thing in common, it is also a multi-tasker and just takes over a few of the tasks of the owner of the company. It is a multi-tasker that is not afraid to roll up the sleeves.

Larger organization grow often times in the same pattern. The person that wants to get rid of a task or responsibility just gives it to the person that came in last. When you look at many small businesses you meet very dedicated employees who wear multiple hats. Unfortunately many tasks that they fulfill might not something that they do because they are good at it, but simply do it because that is what the history...

How Motivation is Driven by Purpose

engagement hr purpose Mar 22, 2019

Every manager will get to the point where he or she asks themselves the question: “How can I get more out of my people? How can I get the spark back in my employees?” The first point many think about when it comes to motivation is money. Well, Let’s review that for a second. Think about a great and successful event in the office when all employees were engaged, i.e volunteering together for a day, or any event organized to bring everybody together. Not only did your workforce get excited about this employee event, but the regular work got completed as well and with less time and better output.

When you think about those employee events, most of the time, the employees have a lot of autonomy to organize the event, people who are good at something, jump in and the vibe is started. It really doesn’t matter what the cause is, as long as the cause is communicated clearly.

So if you could translate this event to the...

Focus on your target to grow your business

consulting entrepreneur hr sales Aug 17, 2018

When an HR consultant walks in the door, we are only interested in one thing. Solve my HR Problem. This is why we (business owner, HR Manager, Operations manager) call them, or engage in their request. But the reality is often different.

When we come into the door, we try to impress with our knowledge. We believe what we know is the best way to solve their problems. But it isn't.

When I just started as an HR Consultant I lost a very great opportunity. I was called in by a growing company. They were known to focus on employee engagement and social responsibility. That happens to be my niche. But what they first needed was getting their HR compliance stuff checked and updated. Personally I don't think that is a big deal. You focus on the main elements and get it straighten out. In an organization of about 50 employees that shouldn't take you more then 20 hours.

Preventing that employees walk away is much more complicated and a huge treat for them (at least that was my opinion) And in...

Why annual performance reviews don't work

employee development hr human resource consulting human resources performance management performance review talent management Apr 25, 2018

The annual review process is often seen by both the manager and the employee as a necessity. However, when performed correctly it can hold significant opportunity. The annual performance reviews are dreaded by all parties, employee and manager. It’s a fact. The two most dreaded interactions managers have with their employees are the performance reviews and terminations. Both of these situations deliver employee performance satisfaction.

Traditionally, performance reviews occur annually. The discussion focuses on the written job description, goals and expectations, scored with a numerical ranking, and the elephant in the room, money.

The biggest problem with reviews is that they happen too infrequently. Managers should address issues when they arise, not six or eight months later. Think of a sports team: A coach doesn’t wait until the end of a season to give his players feedback. My...

Importance of cultural match during the hiring process

culture recruiting Nov 03, 2017

You will see them often the little adds, today with Facebook it seems to be easier than ever to let the world know you are hiring. You publish something like the following add that I just notice a couple of days ago and you hope for the best candidates

‎[ Help Wanted ] General Labor / Maintenance person needed.

Valid Drivers license with vehicle
Mowing Lawns / General Lawn maintenance
Painting intirior / exterior
General Building clean up, Sweep hallways, pick up trash
and more!
Go to www.example.com and click on the Rental Application tab at the top. In that drop down menu you will see the Employment Application.
When reading those little job ads, I feel sorry for the person who is doing the recruiting. Serious! You can not blame the person who wrote this little add. Most job ads and recruiting efforts are focussed on the skills of the job, not on behaviors and fit with the organization.]

Just think about it for a second, when you let go an employee, what was the...

Change four aspects of the hiring process to increase the success.

recruiting selection talent Nov 03, 2017

Recruiting the best employee for your organization requires an in-depth understanding of the skills, behaviors, and values the new employee needs to bring to your organization. Finding the best people is a daunting task. LeadershipIQ did research on the success of our new hire. What they found is almost shocking. Looking at new hires their research found that 46% of newly hired employees will fail within 18 months. Of those people, 89% failed because they didn’t fit in the organizational culture. Just imagine how many hours you need to reinvest to find, train and coach the successor.

To build a strong team that is aligned and committed, focus on the four points to increase your hire success rate:

Define the tasks of the new hire by asking for input of existing employees.

When employees are involved in the hiring of the new employee they are more likely to reach out to the employee when they start in their job. When co-workers can review and give feedback on...

Three questions to get to know your candidate

interview recruiting Nov 01, 2017

When you surf the internet to better understand how to best approach job candidates, you can learn tips on preventing high turnover, application form mistakes, and legal & compliance issues. You can download standard interview questions, read the book “the 100 best interview questions”, use a template or are being advised to use a personality test.

Personally, I am a big fan of INC.com if it comes to finding innovative ways to interview candidates. I will give you my favorite at the end of this blog. After a few hours of searching and reading, you might find yourself completely covered with information and you are wondering “What is going to give me the answer to the core question?”

Is the candidate going to give 110% when working for me?

To answer that main question you don’t have to be an expert in interviewing and you don’t need complicated personality tests. You need to find a way to get an answer to three...

Tips to optimize your talent

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Design: Foundation of talent management

Step 1 - Select your organization's structure

Talent Optimization - it all start with a diagnosis

Turn your great talent into an amazing team!

The way you are managing your talent, and how you are getting less stress and more performance from your team is changing drastically.

Small Business Owners - Design your organization like a multinational

How Motivation is Driven by Purpose

Focus on your target to grow your business

Why annual performance reviews don't work

Importance of cultural match during the hiring process

Change four aspects of the hiring process to increase the success.

Define the tasks of the new hire by asking for input of existing employees.

Three questions to get to know your candidate

Stop hiding from AI

Let data solve your talent challenges.

Tips to optimize your talent