2016 hanna volunteer spirit winner 1702 v21.pdf · 2 2017 kentucky shrm co-director stacey langan...

Spring/Summer 2017

TEAM BUILDING:moving beyond group meals & field trips

WHY RELATIONSHIPS MATTER:the power of your network

TAK A LITTLESTRESSout of your day

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PAGE 22

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2016 HANNA VOLUNTEER

SpiritWinner

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH

Beth Davisson

Spring 2017 • Kentucky SHRM Magazine2

Kentucky SHRM CO-DIRECTOR

Stacey Langan · [email protected]

CO-DIRECTORCathy Fyock - PR

[email protected]

Karen Hamilton - [email protected]

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PRESIDENTKevin Brown

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CONTENTSSPRING 2017

Kentucky SHRM Magazine is published by MediaEdge Communications, LLC for KYSHRM. Bylined articles contain the opinions of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of KYSHRM, its board, or its members. KYSHRM is not engaged in legal, accounting, or financial consulting, and readers are cautioned to contact their professional advisors for advice.

©2017 KYSHRM. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of the publisher. Please support our advertisers; they made this publication possible. In no event shall KYSHRM, Publisher or the magazine be liable to anyone for any delays, inaccuracies, errors, or omissions with respect to the Information or the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof, for any damage arising therefrom or occasioned thereby, or for the results obtained from the use of the Information. Neither KYSHRM nor the Publisher will be responsible if any Information infects or contaminates a User’s system or information. The entire risks as to the quality and performance of the magazine and the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, timeliness, validity, and quality of any Information is with the User.

3 President’s Message By Lynn Ingmire, SHRM-SCP, SPHR

42016 Hanna Volunteer Spirit Winner Beth Davisson By Cathy Fyock

6Cultivating Culture for New Generations of EmployeesBy Cynthia Schuler, PHR, SHRM-CP, CPRW

8Motivating Employees Not An Easy Task For ManagersBy Betty McHale, MS, SPHR, SHRM-SCP

10 Help WantedBy Cara Silletto

12 The Challenge from WithinBy Ken Silay

14Take a Little Stress Out of Your Day By Angela M. Greer, CTACC, RMT, CLYT, RYT

16 Working ScaredBy Cindy Hines

20 The Power of a CEOBy Cheryl Schofield

22Why Relationships Matter: The Power of Your NetworkBy Elizabeth Scott, PhD

24TEAM BUILDING: Moving Beyond Group Meals and Field TripsBy Michael Harper

26How Sticky Notes and “Thinking Hats” Can Save a CultureBy Leslie Schreiber, M. Ed

30 Index to Advertisers

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3www.kyshrm.org

By Lynn Ingmire

In this edition, we are recognizing Beth Davisson, the most recent recipient of the Lyle Hannah Volunteer Spirit Award. Here, you will be able to read all about this award, Davisson and her accomplishments.

What does it mean to have a volunteer spirit? It means you spend time giving unselfishly to an organization or a cause for which you have passion for. Maybe it’s volunteering for your children’s or grandchildren’s school or sports activities. Maybe it’s your church. Maybe it’s a civic organization or maybe it’s your local SHRM chapter or state council.

For those of you who have considered volunteering for your local SHRM chapter or state council, but you just haven’t taken that step forward, let’s look at some of the advantages. First, what can you do for your chapter/state council? By volunteering, you give your chapter the ability to offer more programs, events or services to the members. You can provide new ideas for current services or services that haven’t been provided in the past. It can be something as simple as being that extra set of hands to get the room set up for the meeting, serving on a committee or chairing a committee or one of the leadership positions for the entire chapter or state council.

Now, what’s in it for you?

You build relationships with other people who are in the same profession, maybe with the same responsibilities or maybe different responsibilities. It is great to build up a network of professionals

who can help you in your career and to whom you can provide guidance. Sometimes, it’s just nice to work with folks who “get it” and are not part of your company.

Let’s face it: days in HR can be stressful. Getting involved in the chapter or state council can be a diversion from work-related stressors. You can clear your head and focus on other important tasks for your SHRM organization.

Throughout your career, you are looking for ways to enhance the resume. Volunteering can provide you with opportunities to serve in roles where you can develop leadership skills that your current position doesn’t afford you. Developing these skills can help you to enhance your own self-esteem and self-confidence to apply for that next level HR position.

Look at your time availability and talk to your local chapter leaders or state council leaders. Let them know your interests and find out what they have available for you that fits.

Step up and step into the rewarding life of volunteering. Let your Volunteer Spirit shine.

Lynn Ingmire, SHRM-SCP, SPHRChair – Kentucky State Council


How did you begin your career in HR?I graduated from the University of Kentucky with a degree in advertising and public relations and began my career as a marketing director overseeing 35 unique products and services. I was blessed with an incredible boss (rest in peace, Mark Brashers) who agreed to provide some outside coaching from The Oliver Group’s Scott Kiefer, an expert coach and strategist. Scott and I discussed aligning my skills, abilities and passions with my career, and I couldn’t help becoming enamored with the work he was doing. Learning there was a career focused on aligning a person’s skills set, ability and motivation to the needs of business to enable growth for both the employee and company was a game changer. I joined the Oliver Group a few months later, and have been in the field of strategic human resources and workforce alignment ever since.

What has being a member of SHRM/LSHRM/KYSHRM meant for your career? I subscribe to the belief that a mentality of servitude is one of the strongest attributes a leader can possess. True understanding of servant leadership can only be built by

giving to others, and volunteering with Louisville SHRM (LSHRM) and Kentucky SHRM (KYSHRM) has had an amazing impact on both my career and personal development. Serving as LSHRM President in 2016 provided me with leadership training you couldn’t train for or purchase anywhere. As president of a volunteer board, I had to motivate the efforts of nearly 50 volunteers to ensure we fully supported our 500 HR members. Leading a volunteer workforce means relying on your ability to inspire and support your team in ways the almighty dollar never could. Our board showed up time and time again, asking for nothing in return, and last year we ended up growing our membership and volunteer engagement by over 100 percent. Thinking back on all this team accomplished still blows my mind. It’s incredible what a strong group of doers can accomplish when they share a common goal and mission, and it’s inspiring to know just how good people can really be.

Lastly, relationships are vital to a career, and our development is only as good as the meaningful relationships we make. Without serving on these boards, I would have missed these opportunities to grow professionally and connect with Kentucky’s strongest HR leaders.

By Cathy Fyock

2016 Hanna VolunteerSpirit WinnerBETH DAVISSON

This edition of KYSHRM Magazine features the new winner of the Lyle Hanna Spirit Award, Beth Davisson. In this interview, we learn more about Beth, her background and her insights as an outstanding human resources professional.

5www.kyshrm.org

Tell us about your volunteer leadership roles with SHRM. I have been volunteering with SHRM for nearly 7 years, during which time I had the honor of serving as LSHRM’s Workforce Readiness Director, President-Elect, 2016 President, and now Immediate Past President, as well as the current 2017 KYSHRM Eastern Kentucky District Director.

Tell us more about the exciting project on Bridging the Skills Gap: how it started, how it came together, your vision, next steps.During my tenure with Sullivan University, I had the opportunity to work with amazing graduates, and sit in the space where education, employer and employee meet. As LSHRM Workforce Readiness Director and President-Elect, I often heard of significant talent gaps from our members, and the pains businesses were having in trying to attract and retain a workforce prepared to meet business needs. At the same time, I had many conversations with public officials and workforce program and policy providers, each of whom consistently mentioned their need to have the voices of business in the conversation as they were pushing for a stronger Kentucky workforce. These experiences helped me understand that, even though HR professionals serve as talent experts inside their organizations, they were rarely involved in these important conversations.

Creating Bridging the Talent Gap was our team’s way of rallying businesses, and pushing their needs to the forefront of workforce programming, planning and policy in greater Louisville. As suspected, Louisville’s HR leaders stepped up in a big way in 2016, and our profession is now a driving force in workforce initiatives within Louisville. In 2017, this effort will grow stronger through KYSHRM’s statewide expansion, which will be an incredible experience for our state chapters and members, while impacting needed change and spotlighting the HR profession.

Who have been the mentors that have helped/inspired you? What did they do? Fortunately, throughout out my career I have been surrounded by incredible leaders. The list is long, and even though I have a large and diverse group of people for whom I admire, I continue to seek out new mentors. Lyle Hanna is someone who amazes and inspires me, having had the privilege of working with him on several projects and seeing him consistently show up with an endless supply of drive and passion. Lyle volunteers his time all around Kentucky and beyond and is relentless in his pursuit of improving the lives of others. I called him a few weeks ago regarding an initiative we are working on together, after talking for a bit, I remembered he was on vacation in Maui! I felt terrible, but not Lyle. How many of us can honestly say we would take a call on vacation about a volunteer project in Maui? It’s inspiring to see someone with so much professional success continue to give back to their community and raise the bar on service to others. Receiving an award named after

him is an incredible honor, and most certainly propels me to serve even more. It is fitting our state’s highest recognition of HR service should be named the “Lyle Hanna Spirit Award.”

What advice do you have for new HR professionals? Relentlessly go all in on your career and development. True growth comes when we are least comfortable, so don’t be afraid to say “yes” to the opportunities that arise outside of your comfort zone. Make it a practice to prove success in your role, find ways to learn and take on more for your employer and get involved in your community through volunteering. Giving time to different organizations provides a platform to understand your true passions. Too often we forget to unleash our passion and become miserable at work because we never tap into our true excitement. Volunteering and service to others helps us uncover those positive emotions. It’s important to listen to, and trust, your instincts. We are overwhelmed with information every second of every day, and it can be almost impossible to hear that voice inside us. Take time to pause, reflect and listen to your gut when making decisions. Instinct is the torch that lights the way as we evolve in our careers.

The power of relationships is infinite. It is imperative to surround yourself with a good “squad.” I could never express the gratitude I have for my incredible circle of mentors, peers, and friends. All of them are smart, caring and good people. It is so important to seek out like-minded mentors and peers who both compliment and challenge you. Be sure to have their back, and they will always have yours. Never burn a bridge. Trust me. The world is too small, and Kentucky is even smaller. All your relationships will come back to you in one form or another. Work hard to be the best you can be, harness your best self and be good to others.

What’s next for Beth? 2017 is off and running and will be a fun year. In January, I joined the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce as the executive director of their new Workforce Center. The Workforce Center gives businesses across the Commonwealth a concerted voice, so that we can align business needs to education, workforce programs and policy. We have a lot of work to do, but by bringing businesses to the table and forming strong partnerships, we will create a stronger Kentucky for everyone. This is a dream job for me and I am still pinching myself to be sure I am not asleep.

I am also excited to continue serving with several education and workforce groups in our state, and will remain in leadership roles within LSHRM and KYSHRM. This year, I am participating in the Leadership Louisville Bingham Fellowship, where we are tackling Louisville’s ability to “Win the Workforce of Tomorrow.” Professionally, it’s going to be a year of solving problems and serving our great state, while personally I will be hanging out with my favorite person on the planet, my husband, Ryan. This winter we are tackling some do-it-your-self home projects, and as soon as Kentucky thaws into spring, we will be camping and on the water in our kayaks.


HISTORICAL/OTHER EVENTS COMMON STEREOTYPES

Traditionalists(1901-1926)

The Great Depression; WWII; Korean War; outbreak of Spanish influenza

“Silent” generation; rule driven; hard workers; loyal; patriotic; trust in government; no questioning of authority; team players

Baby Boomers(1946-1964)

Civil Rights; Vietnam War; space travel; first TV generation; women’s liberation; assassination of Kennedy

“Me” generation; live to work; self-righteous; self-centered; believe in hierarchy and structure

Generation X(1965-1980)

Watergate; dual income households; increased divorce rate; latchkey kids; first generation to incorporate computers into their lives

The latchkey generation; individualistic; entrepreneurial; committed to “self;” love labels and brand names; wary of commitment; cautious; skeptical; independent

Millennials Generation Y(1981-2000)

9/11 terrorist attacks; digital media; children of divorce; schedules; intense competition for jobs, education and homes; great tolerance for diversity

The 9/11 generation; schedule driven; sheltered; need praise; need direction and goal setting; nurtured; enjoy collaboration

Generation Z(Born after 2001)

Terrorism; global recession; record number of births in U.S.; own cell phones

“Boomlets;” consumer savvy; less interested in toys, more interested in electronics and videogames; hardworking; keen to learn

One of the major challenges in today’s workplace is understanding how to manage across multiple generations of employees. Why? As stated in the April 27, 2015 article “Five Generations of Employees in Today’s Workplace” by Team CGK (Center for Generational Kinetics), Americans are working and living longer than ever before. Traditionalists and baby boomers are working longer because they are not in a financial position to retire. In addition, they want to work longer because work has defined them for decades. And, finally, baby boomers are also supporting their millennial children well into their late 20s and 30s.

What does all of this mean? It means there are at least four, and maybe five, generations working in the same organizations today. That also means that it is likely there are communication barriers and challenges due to the different values that have shaped each generation. In the coming years, in order to achieve organizational success leaders must understand each generation in an effort to cultivate and maintain a positive organizational culture.

Below is a chart showing generational birth years in approximation as stated in “The Six Living Generations in America,” by Dr. Jill Novak, University of Phoenix, Texas A&M University. Also listed are some historical and “other” events that have shaped each generation and common stereotypes associated with each generation:

Cynthia Schuler, PHR, SHRM-CP, CPRW

Cultivating Culturefor New Generationsof Employees

7www.kyshrm.org

Leaders of organizations must make a valiant effort to understand the experiences and values of each generation in order to be successful in cultivating a positive culture in their particular workplace. With baby boomers leaving the market in droves and millennials (and the people of Generation Z) entering the market, the following holds true:

Understanding = Ability to lead effectively = Success.

The truth of the matter is that over the next several years, millennials will be managing millennials. Generation X and baby boomers who are still in the market may be reporting to a millennial sooner rather than later. As a matter of fact, in some industries, we have millennials already managing other generations in addition to managing people of the millennial generation. Instead of fearing the unknown, we must understand our workforce and capitalize on the diversity in our organizations to achieve success.

Some general tips on cultivating a positive culture with multiple generations in the workplace are listed below:

1) Be Inclusive. Begin with the offer letter process, continue through the orientation/onboarding process and maintain that inclusiveness throughout the employee’s tenure. Team new employees up with a “buddy” of the same or different generation. Make it known that all employees have a unique contribution to make to the organization and that you will make an effort to discover each employee’s strengths and utilize those strengths to assist in attempting to help the organization achieve its goals.

2) Empower Employees. Encourage employees to speak up and share ideas. Communicate that it is healthy to challenge other’s ideas as long as it is done in a respectful manner. Make sure employees know that although every idea presented may not be implemented, all ideas are welcome.

3) Give Credit Where Credit is Due. Praise good work, and give credit where it is due. If a colleague or subordinate creates a more efficient way to accomplish a task or initiative, recognize that individual. Leaders must not fear great ideas presented by others.

4) Coach and Mentor Employees. Meet with employees on a regular basis to set goals and expectations. Follow up regularly with employees on short-term and long-term goals, and give real-time feedback on performance. Make certain employees understand expectations and set them up for success.

5) Promote Teamwork Across the Generations. Study and understand the characteristics of each generation. Create teams or assign individuals work based on how employees work best to accomplish tasks or initiatives. Educate employees on how best to work with each other.

These are just a few tips regarding how to begin to understand and be inclusive with multiple generations in the workplace. As Patrick Thean stated in June of 2015 on his blog “Millennials in the Workforce – Engaging Them, Retaining Them,” millennials will make up 50 percent of the global workforce by 2020. Don’t forget that Generation Z is also here and will continue to flood the marketplace between now and 2020.

With four or five generations in some organizations today, it is likely that there will be some communication barriers. The key to cultivating a positive organizational culture for the four or five generations currently in the market and the new generations of employees entering the market is to understand the different values of each of the generations. Second, we must recruit leaders who are willing to make an effort to understand each generation and cultivate a positive organizational culture by utilizing some of the tips stated in this article. Without these efforts, organizational success will be a difficult task to achieve in today’s market and in the markets of the near future.

ReferencesDowns, Kathryn, “How to Cultivate the Potential of Generation Z,” www.roberthalf.com, November 18, 2015.Novak, Dr. Jill, “The Six Living Generations in America,” www.marketing teacher.com.Thean, Patrick, “Millennials in the Workforce – Engaging Them, Retaining Them,” www.huffingtonpost.com, June 2, 2015.“Five Generations of Employees in Today’s Workplace” by Team CGK (Center for Generational Kenetics), April 27, 2015.“Six Defining Characteristics of Generation Z,” www.growingleaders.com, September 3, 2015.

Cynthia Schuler, PHR, SHRM-CP, CPRW is a human resources professional who has a passion for sharing her knowledge regarding the evolution of human resources and the importance of human capital in a rapidly changing market. She can be reached at (301) 343-7369 or at [email protected].

Whether you plan to add to your workforce, introduce new technologies and processes, enhance quality, or increase productivity, Workforce Solutions can provide on-site, customized, hands-on training to reach your company goals.

bluegrass.kctcs.edu/workforce 859.246.6666164 Opportunity Way, Suite N121, Lexington, KY 40511

BCTC is an equal opportunity employer and education institution.

Contact us about PHR/SPHR certification preparation classes!


Motivating employees is one of the most important tasks a manager performs since employee productivity directly impacts the organization’s bottom line. The more motivated an individual becomes, the more productive he or she is.

Studies indicate that only around 18 percent of workers are fully engaged on any given day. For sustainable growth to occur in the organization, managers must do a better job at inspiring and motivating employees to stay engaged. Why is employee engagement so important? When employees are engaged, they are paying attention to work processes, thinking critically about company strategies, are willing to go the extra mile to complete work assignments, are truly happy when the company succeeds and experience satisfaction and fulfillment when they know they have performed their jobs well. Employee engagement leads to: increased customer loyalty and satisfaction, human capital advantage for organizations, quality products and a better work environment. This leads to increased revenues.

Why is motivating employees such a difficult task? Many organizations fall short when training and developing people before promoting them into management positions. Employees are generally promoted from within the ranks of an organization due to good performance in their own specific area of expertise. After receiving a promotion, the new manager finds they lack the critical skills needed to communicate well and supervise the work of others. They are often reluctant to address disruptive behaviors and poor performance issues. They have no idea how to hire the best person for a job. When it comes to motivating employees, there are many factors involved and it takes time for a new manager to learn what motivates everyone.

Study after study has been conducted by management scientists, psychologists and doctoral candidates on workplace behaviors, culture and employee engagement. In First Break all the Rules, (Buckingham & Coffman, 1999), the authors summarize findings from a study conducted by the Gallup Industry that included thousands of organizations over a period of 10 years. They found the best managers could do four things really well: select, motivate and develop the right person and set clear expectations.

By Betty McHale, MS, SPHR, SHRM-SCP

Motivating EmployeesNot An Easy Task For Managers

They found the best managers could do

four things really well: select, motivate and develop the right

person and setclear expectations.

9www.kyshrm.org

When hiring new employees, managers should ensure they understand the competencies and skills needed for the employee to perform the job well. A well-written job description should include a competency model for the position and a career path modal. This is an invaluable tool for the manager when formulating interview questions and discussing the candidate’s past experiences. A career path modal ensures a discussion occurs upfront between the hiring manager and the job candidate pertaining to the logical path for the individual’s progression, promotion and the time frame in which it most likely will occur. This is especially important to millennials who may expect to move up quickly in organizations. Smart hiring is key to high job performance and retention.

Employer expectations for an employee should be clearly defined from the first day of hire. A good manager will review the job description and explain how the individual’s job duties relate to the overall goals of the organization, department or work group. This is how the employee identifies their role within the organization. Then, the manager and the employee discuss and agree upon specific short-term goals which must be achieved within a specific time (generally 30, 60 or 90 days). Short-term goals, and the employee’s ability to achieve them, are necessary for determining if they are a good fit. Later, long-term goals are added. These contribute to strategic objectives and may vary over time as the organization evolves. Utilizing the S.M.A.R.T. model for long term goals is an excellent tool for managers. If you’re not familiar with the acronym, a quick Google search can fill you in on all you need to know.

During the new hire period, frequent feedback and performance discussions should occur and continue at regular intervals throughout the employee’s career. Understanding employer expectations leads to higher employee engagement and retention.

Motivating employees is a matter of understanding what is important to everyone. Since we all have different aspirations, value systems, beliefs and life experiences, this is sometimes the most difficult part of a manager’s job. Every individual has a personal lens which reflect how he or she thinks and behaves in the workplace. Our personal lens is influenced by our exposure to different cultures, travel, school, church, family and friends, different forms of media and the society in which we live. Good managers will take the time to get to know their employees, observe how they work and identify what is important to them. Managers also serve as a role model through their own actions and behavior. Employees are often encouraged, inspired and motivated by someone they admire and trust.

Managers can motivate employees by working with human resources to ensure the following processes, systems and programs are implemented: 1) a meaningful performance management (PM) system which include the elements described above - expectations, goals, timeframe and a reward system for high performance through various means; 2) competency models, which list all the critical success factors required by the job for the employee to perform at a competent level, to use as a tool when assessing employee strengths and weaknesses; 3) a succession plan that includes a clear plan for growth and development over a specific timeframe so employees can be ready to move into key positions.

Employee development is the human capital investment strategy every employer should utilize to retain valuable employees and remain competitive.

How do you develop people? An organizational plan begins with a needs assessment to identify gaps between the current skill base and the skills needed for the organization’s success. Based on the results, managers can take steps to grow and motivate employees through a series of exercises and employee engagement strategies. It might include some of the following:

1) Creation of hot spots, a stimulating environment where the employee is directly involved in discussing and proposing solutions to real world issues or problems the organization faces, or may face in the future, based on market changes, competition and technology. These “what if ” scenarios are excellent for developing critical thinking skills and strategic solutions. Employees perform better when they are stimulated and engaged.

2) Work assignments that stretch the employee’s abilities. This provides growth opportunities. However, it is important for managers to provide ongoing coaching during difficult or complex assignments so that the employee doesn’t become overwhelmed. Frequent feedback sessions motivate the employee to stay focused.

3) A mentoring program in which competent mentors are assigned individuals they will coach through a specific assignment or task for a specified time. Mentors will change over time and projects based on the expertise needed.

4) Utilizing networking. Encourage employees to join outside professional and business organizations, serve on boards and volunteer in the community. This often builds good will toward your organization and grows the employee in a variety of ways. In addition, your employees are the leadership’s eyes and ears to what is going on in the community and the competition.

Managers can work with human resources to design workable employee development programs customized to specific individuals and departments. Managers can be trained to administer the programs in a fair and consistent manner to ensure every employee receives equal opportunities.

Motivation is the key to retention. Turnover is a huge expense to organizations and can cut deeply into profits. One of the most interesting facts resulting from the Gallup Survey mentioned above was that “employees don’t leave organizations, they leave managers and supervisors,” (Buckingham & Coffman, 1999). When managers are good at their job, not only do they become stars, but they develop stars. Motivated employees are what companies need in tough economic times. It is a win-win for all.

Betty McHale is a human resource professional and former native of Kentucky. She currently resides in Florida. She is a contributing author to “What’s Next in Human Resources” (Greyden Press, 2015) and various business magazines and newspapers. She is available as a speaker or trainer to your organization. You may contact her at 304-561-7009 or via email at: [email protected].


1. There are more job opportunities available as businesses are thriving in nearly all industries. Everyone’s hiring! This means employees, candidates and applicants have more options today, and they know it!

2. Recruiters are proactively poaching talent at all levels via LinkedIn with the ever-popular, “would you entertain a new opportunity?” Many years ago, employees had to be so miserable in their current job that it was worth polishing their resume and going through the work to apply elsewhere. Today, LinkedIn promotes their skills for them and they merely have to pick up the phone or return an email to be considered for many open positions.

3. Information is more accessible than ever before, particularly in regards to job opportunities and salaries. With sites like Salary.com, Indeed and Glassdoor, people can not only find job openings at the click of a button, they can also research pay ranges to determine whether they’re receiving fair compensation in their current roles or new ones they’re considering. It’s powerful data that wasn’t readily available 20 years ago.

4. Millennial employees (those under 37) are now the largest generational cohort in the workplace, and they have more strength in numbers today than any young generation has had in nearly 40 years – since the Boomers were young. Many don’t realize GenX (age 37-51) was about half the size of the baby boomers (age 52-70) ahead of them, so they couldn’t go toe-to-toe with their bosses and fight against long

We all understand the concept of a buyer’s market vs. seller’s market in real estate. Typically, one side or the other has an advantage as the housing market and economy shift over time. The same is true with the workforce.

At any given time, we’re either in an employer’s market or an employee’s market, and it shifts over time.

During the recession, we saw a strong employer’s market - when companies could find and retain talent fairly easily at reasonable rates. But, as the recession lifted, we gradually shifted to an employee’s market that still holds strong today. Here’s why:

By Cara Silletto

At any given time, we’re either in an

employer’s market or an employee’s market, and it shifts over time.

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hours and hefty workloads. Many GenX-ers decided early in their careers that it was in their best interest to adapt to the Boomer expectations in order to succeed.

This is not the millennials’ situation. At 80 million strong, they’re banding together to push back on traditional mantras of work ethic and professionalism with the desire to redefine them. Employers who remain set in their ways will find it more difficult to attract and retain young talent moving forward.

5. The millennial mindset is trickling up as employees of all ages are beginning to demand improved work/life balance through reasonable workloads, more effective managers who have empathy, increased flexibility and an overall greater quality of life. As people in our society talk more openly to one another today, they encourage each other to not be taken advantage of by their company, as well as the importance of being happy in a life that’s short. #YOLO (You only live once!)

6. Finally, new employees put little stock in company loyalty. (That’s not a millennial-only perspective. All new hires are a flight risk!) Pensions are a thing of the past and most applicants or employees know those programs are not guaranteed even if they’re promised in writing. Most of today’s workforce want to work for a company they believe in that gives them meaning and purpose, not just a promise of longevity. So long as the situation you offer is mutually beneficial, your workers will stick around. The moment it’s not, prepare for exodus.

What can business leaders, managers and HR professionals do about it? Here are a few tips:1. Be intentional about building and maintaining a strong

employer brand to ensure those in the community know you’re a great place to work. (This is different than your marketing brand, which gets you more clients or customers.) Check Glassdoor.com to see what current and former employees say about your organization. Know

what’s attractive about your company in the eyes of today’s workforce and tout those offerings. And don’t lie! If you don’t have competitive pay, scheduling flexibility or great bosses, then don’t say you do!

2. Continue winning them over. You do this for customers, why not employees? Consider your staff your internal customers. Continuously give them reasons to stay. Avoid thinking they’re lucky to have their jobs or that their paychecks are enough recognition for a job well done. Remember, we’re in an employee’s market, so all managers must be sure to appreciate the work their team members do – even if it’s their job! (Saying “thank you” is free and quick.)

3. Hire ahead of your needs. Turnover is running rampant, so companies who hire proactively versus reactively tend to get stronger talent and keep the people they have longer. If you’re constantly short-staffed in a department or specific role, that will cause more turnover due to overburdening the staff who stay. Most won’t put up with the continuous revolving door if they don’t see the conditions getting better in the near future.

And no matter the size of your organization, scouting for talent should not happen only when you’re hiring. Great recruiters and managers continuously build their bench with potential candidates they can reach out to when the time to hire arrives.

Too scared to add permanent positions, but need to manage growth or increased turnover? Consider contractor roles that fill a need for a short period, giving you more time to hire more successfully.

4. If you haven’t done a comprehensive compensation analysis and/or wage adjustment since 2014, you’re likely behind. The battle for talent at all levels is getting more competitive and it’s critical to adjust pay accordingly if you’re going to retain good staff. Remember, employees aren’t worth what you pay them; they’re worth what someone else would steal them for. And that number is increasing every day as more companies are increasing profitability.

5. Finally, understand the millennial mindset. They are the future of the workforce, and if your managers do not know what makes today’s young professionals tick (or get ticked off ), you’ll continue to see a revolving door of talent that most companies can’t afford. Conduct training to learn about this cohort’s unique perspective and teach managers how to communicate their unwritten expectations to new hires to bridge the gaps in both directions.

Talent recruitment and retention costs will continue to rise so long as the employees have the upper hand. Organizations who are winning the talent battle are those focusing more than ever on their human assets.

Cara Silletto is the President and Chief Retention Officer for Crescendo Strategies, a firm committed to reducing unnecessary employee turnover by bridging generational gaps and making managers more effective in their roles. Visit www.crescendostrategies.com for more tips and videos about her team, or contact Cara at [email protected].


It’s time to challenge leadership. We can talk about new customer experiences, equipped associates and commerce anywhere, anytime. Truth is, many businesses are run by old thinking and old metrics. The new entrepreneurial thinking wants to create a company from an idea, sell it and move on. That difference in business thinking creates a gap in leadership that will continue to get wider. When the time comes to change a c-level executive, instead of obtaining fresh leadership thinking, we import the same stale thinking from another same-industry executive and hope that some new face will make a difference. Then, that new leader replaces the executive team with trusted subordinates that will comfortably support and mimic the leader’s thought processes. Same old thinking, just a new place to do it.

For example, ask yourself why is Amazon winning in their marketplace? Answer: Because they can, because they choose to!

Did they bring in crusty, old industry veterans? Review the Amazon management team credentials. You will be hard-pressed to find a retail background among the team.

Do they run from a challenge? For instance, accurate, and in some cases minute-to-minute, inventory is a key to maintaining customer confidence whether the sale is an e-commerce or brick-and-mortar sale. RFID can make that happen, but companies are reluctant to attack the challenge of cost and implementation.

Do they play “fast follower (loser)”? Leaders don’t want to be on the bleeding edge getting bloody and battered because they are fighting for industry leadership. They just sit back, follow the pack and end up on the bleeding edge anyway while bleeding cash.

Do they set their future focus on the next quarter? What happens to a hockey player who skates up ice with his head down looking at the puck? If you don’t know hockey, rest assured the outcome is not good. How do we convince CEOs, shareholders and board members that looking forward is key to long-term survival?

Do they keep trying the same tired tactics over and over expecting different results? That’s the definition of insanity. How often do you hear: We’ve always done things this way? Or, let’s get back to our roots?

Do they continue to cut expenses to counter decreasing sales until there is no one left to turn out the lights? Here’s a strategy for you: let’s decrease staff, equipment and advertising until there is no one here who remembers why we do things, our systems and processes are too sorry to compete in a complex world and the majority of our customers think we went out of business. But our strategy of making a profit, even though we have decreasing revenues every year, is on track.

I’m asking these questions not because anyone thinks it is what Amazon is doing. Rather, how many of those questions sound like I’m asking them about your company? Amazon isn’t going away. Ask yourself three questions: Do you beat ‘em? Do you join ‘em? Do you get beaten by ‘em?

Now, think about your leader. When was the last time he or she challenged you to create, make, reinvent or investigate something you’ve never done before? If something isn’t working within your organization, challenge it. And if your leadership steps on your thoughts and ideas, find someone to work for who isn’t afraid of a challenge! An organization who doesn’t try to define their future isn’t moving forward anyway.

How can we create new opportunities within existing companies to breathe life into struggling entities and create a new path to leadership that motivates younger employees to be part of a new business generation? Change the culture. Create a thinking organization that is interested in creating the future it wants. It’s time to start innovating not just talk about it.

Innovation: Every business knows it’s importance and works hard to weave it into advertising and tag lines. But, when you begin

By Ken Silay

The Challengefrom Within

13www.kyshrm.org

to dig deeper into the organization, does it reach any farther into the fabric of the company than the marketing department? Innovation has been a constant theme through multiple management philosophies over the past 30 to 40 years. From “In Search of Excellence,” by Peters and Waterman in the 80s to Forbes Magazine’s identification of the Innovation Premium in this decade, cultivating and nurturing the creative spark in an organization has always been a key component of management philosophy. Innovation requires the vision to think differently, the guts to budget money and time with the belief that the organization’s future depends upon it. It requires separation from day-to-day operations, because today will always take precedence over tomorrow. However, industries continue to struggle with accelerating innovation and continue to act as if they are walking in wet cement. To illustrate that point, review the chart below that compiles the “Disruptive Trends” that were expected to change the way retail worked in 2015, 2016 and in upcoming 2017 as predicted by a well-known retail magazine and website. As you will see, they are essentially not moving forward each year, but really just moving disruptive innovations from one year to the other (yellow

= carryovers from 2015 thru 2017, Green = carryovers from 2016 to 2017). Predictions don’t become reality without mechanisms and a culture that drive an organization to change the future.

Make no mistake, creating and sustaining an innovative culture is not a slam dunk. It starts by igniting that spark of wisdom in every individual that constantly challenges the current and prepares for the future. Then, it allows that spark to be shared, criticized and enhanced by others. Enabling that collaborative thinking process is a key initial requirement. Creating a pipeline of ideas is key. Once the idea pipeline is nurtured, there needs to be a structured process that consistently collects, evaluates and promotes worthy ideas to prototype and potentially inject into the strategic planning process. It’s not a suggestion box; it’s truly a process that individuals can adopt and believe that they are contributing to the future success of the organization.

Strong companies with a passion for the future will find a way to innovate. If you believe innovation is a luxury for your organization, the future will belong to some other organization that embraces it.

Ken Silay is a thought leader on innovation. He’s an information technologist who can see the big picture and focuses on getting organizations to think beyond the next quarter’s results. Ken can be reached at 412.977.9837 or via emal at [email protected]

Coming Disruptive

Trends2015 2016 2017

1

This year will be omnichannel’s time to shine. As much as the term “omnichannel” is overused and overhyped, there’s no denying that the concept of integrated, silo-free customer experience is a reality that’s here to stay. The difference in 2015? Retailers are getting smarter about it.

Brick-and-mortar stores will add fewer new outlets as they take a “hub and spoke” approach, acting as pick up and fulfillment centers with the “endless aisle” concept extending shelf space to the brand’s full catalogue of products and accessible content. SEE DISRUPTIVE TREND #4 FROM 2015

New tribes of the Amazon-ization: There will be further “Amazonization” of retail, with new market entrants – as well as existing retailers - finding new ways to sell, fulfill and deliver products to eager, often impatient, consumers. SEE DISRUPTIVE TREND #9 FROM 2016

2 Transportation issues will get worse before they get better

Customer-centric personalization will be the must-have differentiator for retailers and will become much more targeted as retailers tap into internal information, known preferences, and social media data to better understand and delight their customers. SEE DISRUPTIVE TREND #4 FROM 2015

“Conversational” commerce: Retailers will quickly adapt and connect into new channels to engage with customers, using avenues including “conversational commerce” – Amazon Echo or Bots in Facebook Messenger. SEE DISRUPTIVE TREND #2 FROM 2016

3 Cyber-security and the supply chain grow closer.

Differentiation by price will be much more dynamic in nature, with real-time electronic shelf pricing replicating customers’ online experiences

Real-time inventory: Real-time inventory will be a reality, as more retailers realize that a rip-and-replace program for core merchandising, warehouse and store systems is not the best – or the quickest - way forward. SEE DISRUPTIVE TREND #10 FROM 2016

4 Brick and mortar is back with a vengeance

The complexity of omnichannel processes and how these interact with multiple systems will need further control; a kind of “mission control” center where retailers can see and control every activity across all channels. SEE DISRUPTIVE TREND #1 FROM 2015

Stores “geek up” to attract customers: Customers want to see techie gadgets when they go into brick-and-mortar stores, and retailers are going to be adding cool things like robots that give them directions, kiosks for in-store ordering, and magic mirrors for trying on clothes. SEE DISRUPTIVE TREND #7 FROM 2016

5

Smaller footprints, greater impacts. Big boxes are getting smaller and moving to the city. Several major retailers have recently stated plans for smaller-format stores, usually in more urban locations

Predictive analytics in retail will enable stores to know, with a great deal of certainty, what customers are going to want and when. SEE DISRUPTIVE TREND #1 FROM 2015 (DATA-DRIVEN OMNICHANNEL)

IoT in the kitchen: IoT will start to creep into your kitchens as devices like Amazon Echo, Hiku and others allow consumers to add things to their shopping lists. Conversational commerce will be a precursor to Artificial Intelligence and then “cognitive commerce,” which will appear over the next few years. SEE DISRUPTIVE TREND #6 FROM 2016

6The Internet of Things (IoT) is going to revolutionize the store of the future, with its sensor-oriented devices enabling the most detailed and targeted customer centricity

Retail as big brother: The arrival of “anticipatory customer experience” will allow retailers to manage customer expectations earlier and earlier in the sales process. This, in turn, can help retailers solidify an emotional attachment to their brand, offering customers what they want before they know they want it. SEE DISRUPTIVE TRENDS #4, #5 AND #7 FROM 2016

7 Futuristic technology, such as augmented reality, beacons, and anonymous analytical face detectors, will immerse customers in the shopping experience

8 Real-time monitoring capability will be critical for the store of the future, in order to sense, correlate and automate processes from staffing to inventory

9

Retailers will further customize and personalize instant gratification “buy buttons”, with the expectation that these will translate into higher earnings. But they will need to make strategic technology investments to ensure real-time inventory is understood and the complex processes involved in new channels are orchestrated correctly

10Real-time inventory visibility will dominate as retailers strive to keep the customers informed of stocks at all times. Retailers will control inventories by applying technology that shows inventory levels across all channels.


A little adds up to a lot consistently over time. Consider how the Colorado River carved the Grand Canyon over millions of years: little by little, bit by bit.

Your stress levels can work much the same way. The everyday stresses like oversleeping, getting stuck in traffic, last minute requests, disappointments, arguments - even just being too busy to eat - are not too bad when you are facing just one or two of them alone. But when they pile up, sometimes all in one day, you might find yourself ready to explode when that “final straw” drops on you.

Now consider those times when this happens to you day after day, week after week. Stress not only takes its toll on your emotions, but also on your body. Symptoms can include headaches, stomach upset, problems sleeping and more. Left unchecked, stress can contribute to even greater ailments such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.

We can think about our stress levels in terms of a set of scales, like those held by Lady Justice. When you put weight (pressure) on one side, the scales get out of balance. To rebalance them, you have to put something of equal weight on the other side. Stressful life events and situations weigh on one side of the scale, while it takes things like self-care and joyful events to bring it back into balance.

And because stress can come in so many forms, and in many different areas of life at once, its cumulative effect might not even be noticed right away; not to you or the people in your life. At least not until you shut down, explode or overreact in some other way that is completely out of proportion to what is happening in the moment.

By Angela M. Greer, CTACC, RMT, CLYT, RYT

Take aLittle

Stress Out of

Your Day

There are four simple techniques you can use throughout the day to

help tip the scales back in your favor.

15www.kyshrm.org

Don’t let it come to that. You can keep yourself feeling good, and operating optimally, with a little prevention.

There are four simple techniques you can use throughout the day to help tip the scales back in your favor. Don’t let the little things accumulate without taking these proactive steps to help your body and mind cope with the otherwise minor stresses you face every day. Each one takes just a minute or two, but the stress-reducing effects can last for hours, and over time, can add up to big health benefits.

1. Breathe. Take slow, deep breaths drawing the air down into your belly. Close your eyes. Relax your shoulders, let them drop away from your ears and breathe in another deep belly breath. Breathe deep at least one to three more times focusing only on your inhale and exhale. Slowly open your eyes. This takes less than one minute. Never underestimate the power of slowing down to focus on your breath.

2. Stretch. Moving your body slowly and deliberately will focus your mind on the present moment and help you relax tense muscles. Choose movements to counterbalance being still for long periods of time or repetitive motions. No need to push hard. Stretching should be gentle and comfortable. Move slowly and steadily - no bouncing, no quick movements as these could lead to injury. This can be just one to three minutes of stretching in place or it could be a 90-minute yin yoga class. At the minimum, get in the habit of stretching and moving a few minutes every hour when you are sitting for long periods of time.

3. Hydrate. The most common recommendation is to drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day. This is a simple way to track your water intake. The important thing is to regularly and consistently drink water (not soda, juice or caffeinated beverages) to ensure proper body functions. Just a 1 percent body fluid loss - like on a hot day, or after exercising - can affect your mood, make concentration difficult or even cause headaches. Our bodies are mostly water, and as such, need water replenished regularly to function optimally. Keep a water bottle with you and refill it throughout the day. This takes about one to two minutes.

4. Laugh. It’s been said that “laughter is the best medicine,” and with good reason! Scientific research shows laughter helps reduce pain and suffering for terminally ill patients, elevates mood, lowers blood pressure, increases productivity and mental focus and improves overall physical health. Try laughing intentionally - laughing “just because” - and even if it feels strange at first, it will likely get easier the more often

you do it. Your body gets all the great benefits of laughter whether it is intentional or not! Try laughing in the shower or in the car. Or get a buddy and take a giggle break together after a strenuous meeting. There are also lots of resources online to make laughing even easier. Try laughing one to five minutes straight. If you need to, break up the laughing with some slow deep breaths in between. Work your way up to laughing 10 to 15 minutes every day to get even better physical and psychological results.

Angela Greer is out to change the world, one deep belly breath at a time. A recovering workaholic and panic attack sufferer, Angela now teaches her corporate colleagues how to manage their stress, and improve their overall health and well-being, by making small sustainable adjustments in just a few minutes per day.

With more than 20 years of management and training experience, Angela provides keynotes, seminars and workshops at hospitals, Fortune 500 corporations, health care organizations and more. Contact her directly at 502-3-LIVING (502-354-8464) or [email protected].

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The atmosphere is different somehow. More doors are closed; shared Outlook calendars now show “private.” The senior leadership team seems a little jumpy and short-tempered. Employees are starting to talk about the difference in the air, and without voicing it, they begin to work scared. They go home and tell their spouses or close friends “I think there is something going on at work. Not sure what it is. But maybe we need to watch our expenses for a while.”

Mergers and acquisitions, reorganizations, layoffs and even shutdowns don’t have to be the end of the world. There is life after the company you currently work for. Right?

It’s hard to stay motivated and productive when you don’t have all the information. Without communication, people will make up their own version, and then rumors will fly. It starts innocuously enough, then spreads like wildfire through whispers. I noticed our industry is declining, someone thinks. One of the analysts speculates about a M&A; eventually, a key employee leaves for a “better opportunity.” Maybe I should be proactive and start looking for a job, you think. And before anyone realizes what is happening, there’s an entire workforce “working scared” instead of focusing on running the business.

Fortunately, there are ways to help keep people engaged, and the business running, in the face of ambiguity. Just because life as you know it is about to change drastically does not mean the company culture has to be doom and gloom. Globally, everyone works in a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous) environment. Organizational change is inevitable, whether via M&As, reorganization or a declining industry overall.

By Cindy Hines

Working Scared

Just because life as you know it is about to change drastically does not mean the company culture has

to be doom and gloom.

17www.kyshrm.org

No matter the reason, communicate the changes as soon as possible, be transparent, help employees stay focused and treat employees fairly. Some companies wait until the legally-required notice timeframe under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act to notify the employees who aren’t “in the know” or aren’t legally required to know. Such organizations seek to protect themselves from a contrived fear of if they know, the world will come to an end. But if employees feel the company and managers don’t think they’re important enough to know what’s going on, they will check themselves out. Conversely, if you show consideration and appreciation toward the employees and explain how their contribution matters, morale will hold steady. People are making life decisions on a daily basis—colleges for children, buying a house, purchasing a car. Providing transparency as early as possible will help employees make informed decisions and be more involved at work, rather than worrying about their future. According to Gallup, 70 percent of employees are not engaged at work, and it is especially hard on morale when there is a big change initiative.

I’ve worked for large corporations and I have personally experienced several reorganizations, three M&As, and two corporate office shutdowns with few survivors able to move to the new state where the combined U.S. headquarters was located. Before the official notice of one M&A, my husband and I were actively trying to buy a house and had made an offer (which, in a strange twist of luck, was rejected just days before the announcement was made). While we were hopeful that our site would be chosen as the new headquarters, it caused us to hold any thoughts of committing to such a major purchase.

One afternoon, a human resource colleague of mine and I were told that a different location was selected as the new U.S. headquarters. We had to assimilate the information quickly and get through the initial stages of grieving rapidly, because the next day was the town hall meeting that would come before the explanation of employees’ options. Even though I did not know how this would affect me personally, at that time I had to be reassuring, supportive and encouraging. As expected, there were numerous different reactions about continued employment with the company post M&A. Several employees would not consider moving even if given the opportunity; others would consider relocating for the right opportunity; yet others desperately wanted to stay with the organization and were “all in,” relocation included.

A few people decided it was in their best interest to go ahead and find a new job rather than wait for the severance package. Which is understandable, but it caused the employees who remained to absorb even more work. One of the ways we helped our employees get through the transition of duties to the new company was to provide internal mentoring and coaching during the wind-down of the old company. While most companies get so wrapped up in the wind-down of the company and put employee development and training on hold, we led an effort to invest in the additional training as support for all employees. We had all of the executive team and some other leaders in the company go through an external workshop to learn how to be better mentors and coaches. We then offered to the headquarters’ employees the opportunity to have one-on-one meetings and follow-ups with the trained leaders to support their personal goals. In addition, the coaches and mentors themselves were offered external

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executive coaching to help them through this trying time. Even the employees who did not choose to participate expressed that it was a good gesture from the company, one they appreciated.

Our chief executive officer was very committed to giving the employees as much information as possible, as soon as possible. We would have frequent town hall meetings where new information was progressively disseminated. Then, the department heads would have follow-up meetings to answer questions specific to their department. Employees had varying end dates to align with transitioning the business in stages. Because of this open communication, there was a far more trusting environment. We formed an employee group to come up with ideas to keep employees engaged during the lengthy time between the announcement and their scheduled last day. Examples of engagement ideas implemented included onsite yoga and bi-weekly happy hour complete with snacks, craft beers and wine. Casual Friday even turned into casual Monday through Friday (unless you had outside visitors). Instead of cutting back funding on our wellness initiatives, we continued to invest in sponsoring employees in 5K races, incentives for our wellness plan and a personal trainer for our gym.

It didn’t seem respectful to have the usual Christmas party with spouses at a local venue like we’d had in previous years, so the Wind-Down Committee came up with the brilliant idea to take the Christmas party budget and provide different options to each employee who could then pick the one that was most appealing to them. Most coordinated the selection with their work friends. Options included NBA tickets, a spa day, deep-sea fishing, a dinner cruise or tickets to a comedy show. This idea was very well-received as an alternative to the Christmas party.

Each closure in which I was involved was handled differently, and in both instances I felt we treated the employees with respect. We did a lot of good things that I would not change such as providing a generous severance package (above the national average), a substantial retention bonus and outplacement support. We had a staged Reduction in Force (RIF), and the substantial retention bonus was offered in addition to the severance if the employees stayed until the designated date. Only a few employees tested their luck to see if they could “quit and stay” by doing the minimum to get by. This was followed with a conversation where we explained we still had a business to run and if they wanted to receive their retention bonus and severance that they should continue to devote their best efforts. Fortunately, we never had major issues with that. The outplacement support we provided was through an outside human resources firm that specializes in career transitions. In total, this was above and beyond the services to which employees are entitled when companies close under WARN.

We did a lot of things right, but there were a few things that could have been better such as actively combining the cultures, which proved successful in a previous M&A. Another time, the decision was made to have the transferred people adapt to the existing culture, rather than start a new combined culture, because why should anything change? We have been successful thus far. But often, that mentality causes the newly-relocated employees to feel like outsiders, which adds difficulty adapting. Many already feel a little

survivor’s guilt because so many of their former colleagues did not stay with the company. To ease the transition, we learned along the way to align benefits and compensation as soon as possible, so you don’t have people working side-by-side who receive drastically different benefits and compensation.

Another great practice is to have at least one person on the HR team who is a part of the work stream coordinating the employees who are transferring, and another person on the HR team focused on those leaving. This proved to be a very smart idea, as the person responsible for “leavers” was also exiting and was able to empathize with their situation, just as the HR team member in charge of transfers was transferring and able to fully focus on their successful transfer to the new company.

There was another time in my career that we had two weeks to notify and lay off approximately 200 employees who did not fall under WARN. We had all hands on deck with phone trees and talking points prepared. We were able to take care of everyone, without any legal entanglements, and our HR team received global recognition with an organizational effectiveness award. Yet this award, while complimentary to our team, did not compensate for the heartache we felt when we had to tell our co-workers goodbye.

I know what it is like to work scared when you don’t know what the future will bring. After all, I was one of the 300+ employees who was laid off. But I found that, with a generous severance package, frequent open communication, some low-cost fun activities and genuine care and compassion for those being laid off, it can actually become a positive transition in life.

I also found that, in most cases, employees were able to find equal or better jobs, with the same or better salaries. They were able to spend more time with loved ones; some were able to reinvent themselves by pursuing an entirely new passion. For example, an outside salesperson who had left employment a couple of months before beamed at me and said, “it has been a blessing to have been given this paid time off to figure out the next phase of my life. I am teaching part-time at the local college, taking an art class, volunteering at my children’s school and my wife and I are able to spend more time together.”

After seeing him happy, I began to realize that working scared can be transformed into a transaction of gratitude with the right planning and support and with fairness from the company and its leaders.

In closing, please be reminded of your responsibility. You may not have the budget, or even the support of management, but it is an ethical imperative for you to do everything you can to lessen what hurts in this time. Be there for the employee; coach, counsel, offer assistance, meet with families and use your network to help place people. Remember to pay it forward!

Cindy Hines, MBA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP is a Strategic Human Resources Advisor for HRD Strategies, Inc. and is a part-time management instructor for Western Kentucky University. She brings experience from the fast-moving consumer goods industry, healthcare, and banking, plus domestic, multi-state, and international experience—all focused on shaping the HR agenda to support key organizational goals. Cindy can be reached at [email protected]

19www.kyshrm.org

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What is it that makes an executive powerful? Some might say it’s the sheer status of the position, or the experience it takes to achieve such a lofty place in the hierarchy. Others might argue that it’s the weight of the role, including all the responsibilities that come with the many facets of the job. Still, others could say that it’s the ability to use the position and the connotations attached to it in order to direct activities and people—as in wielding one’s power.

Perhaps all these are valid, but my take on the power of a CEO is a bit different.

It’s not about command and control, or authority or dominance. Rather, it is about how the executive affects others, and how he or she behaves.

Take a look at what the CEO says—and how. Pay attention to the effect she has on others, both individuals and groups. How does she treat people?

Over the years, I have worked with and among numerous executives. They are all different, of course. The most memorable incidents that left an indelible impression with me were those when I witnessed behavior most becoming of an effective, positive leader.

By Cheryl Schofield

The Power of a CEO

It’s not about command and control, or authority

or dominance. Rather, it is about how the executive

affects others, and how he or she behaves.

21www.kyshrm.org

• She took the time to engage with the employee.• She listened intently, fully present.• She used inquiry to gain understanding and clarity.• She showed empathy and compassion.• She reserved judgment.• She responded with a thoughtful reply, supportive and positive,

enabling the employee to feel relief and focus forward.• She reframed and redirected the employee’s mindset.

The power came not simply from the status of my client’s position as CEO, but paradoxically from the fact that the CEO did not act superior and dominant in this situation with the employee. Rather, she demonstrated her sameness in understanding the burden of personal matters and the resulting stress that can affect one’s work. She showed that she gets it, and she cares. She revealed that she is human, not superhuman. The leader offered the employee a sense of connection.

One such incident, many years ago, involved a situation where the leader was in the midst of dealing with a new and unexpected crisis late in the day. As his human resources partner, I was standing in his office discussing the newly unveiled issue about which we had both just learned, and another employee entered through the still-open door. She had no idea what had just happened in the moments before she crossed the threshold—namely, that things were about to become very chaotic, the proverbial “hell breaking loose.” It was not a good time. I watched as the executive calmly and patiently entertained the employee’s animated story, as she had just stopped in to share what she thought was an interesting anecdote from her day. He smiled, commented briefly—demonstrating that he was listening, and the employee went on her merry way, never having picked up on the developing business squall. Then we shut the door.

This is one example of effective leadership behavior. The situation might have played out differently, and we probably have all witnessed that as well. The CEO might have shooed the employee out of his office, shouting that it wasn’t a good time, revealing his frustration about what he had just learned, but that was unknown to her. I’ve seen that scenario unfold with other executives. In fact, I have observed or heard about untold incidents that are unbecoming of the top leader. Some of these make headlines.

Although there are many, one public example is the resignation in early 2016 of Priceline’s CEO, who was essentially ousted after violating the company’s own code of conduct. Like with others before him, including CEOs from Boeing, Best Buy and Hewlett-Packard, an investigation found that he engaged in behavior that was in conflict with the company’s best interests. Even worse than fraternizing inappropriately with female employees, others like entrepreneur CEO Chahal have been charged with domestic abuse. Not good. Then there’s the doctoring of product (hello, Volkswagen) to dupe the emissions experts and avoid detection of dangerously high pollutants from their cars. VW CEO resigned last year as a result of that scandal. CEOs engaged in financial fraud are scorned, with several sent to prison in the last decade or so including the heads of Enron, WorldCom, Tyco and Computer Associates.

These are the biggies. Let’s get back to the everyday behavior of the CEOs with whom we work. The power often comes in the form of crucial words and subtle actions. Recently, I was speaking with one of my executive coaching clients, a CEO, about something that occurred in her workplace with an individual contributor who had faltered in her work and created a blunder of some magnitude. The CEO shared with me her revelation of the true power of her position. The employee was distraught from a combination of factors that included work responsibilities, exacerbated by a good deal of weight from personal matters. In speaking with the CEO, the employee became emotional. My client listened carefully, used inquiry to better understand the situation, employed empathy in her response and offered the woman a helping perspective and reassurance that produced relief. The situation with the team member’s faux pas was diffused and redirected.

Here again, as in my earlier example, the executive demonstrated a number of powerful attributes of effective leadership.

The power comes in choosing how one will behave and what

effect and influence that choice has on individuals and

the overall organization.

The CEO showed a willingness to be humble, not using her position to wield power over another or putting the employee in her so-called place. She chose to lift her up to give the team member a sense of her own power. This inevitably had the effect of drawing the employee in, engaging her and increasing her loyalty (to the organization and the mission, as well as to the leader).

The power comes in choosing how one will behave and what effect and influence that choice has on individuals and the overall organization.

Indeed, a leader’s behavior is a reflection of one’s values, potentially reinforcing the organization’s values—or not. Certainly, it contributes to the ever-evolving culture. Leaders set the tone for the entire enterprise. Ideally, we want our executives to consistently demonstrate the established values and set high standards by providing a role model for others in the organization, thereby building the desired culture.

There’s no question CEOs have power. Their behavior speaks volumes.

Cheryl Schofield, M.Ed., is a leadership coach and Human Resources consultant based in the Chicago area, helping businesses and people realize the power of their own resources, focused on possibilities. She can be reached at 815-861-3733 and [email protected]


During my teenage years, I attended a number of social functions in support of my father’s career. At these functions, he and I would play a little game. He would pick a stranger out of the crowd and my job was to engage the individual in conversation and report back three things I had learned about the person. Looking back, I imagine he was simply trying to entertain me—nothing ruins a good garden party like a sulking 15-year-old—but he was doing so much more than that. I realize now that my dad taught me an important lifelong skill: how to network.

Networking isn’t about “working a room” or handing out business cards. It’s about building relationships and developing social skills like being personable, starting and holding a good conversation and maintaining genuine interest in others. Networking isn’t about feigning interest in others or pretending to be someone you’re not. More often, it’s about taking the time to really get to know others and explore what makes them tick. Everyone has a story worth hearing.

When I started my business 9 years ago, I had never been to a business networking event. I was a “tactical practitioner,” a subject matter expert who had always worked within an organization. I had a very small network, and so I attended a fair number of events (79 the first year). I wasn’t an expert networker, but I knew how to be personable and I knew how to carry a conversation. I

By Elizabeth Scott, PhD

Why Relationships Matter:The Power of Your Network

If you’re wondering what all this means: quite simply,

relationships have enormous practical implications. You only have as much reach or impact

as your network allows.

23www.kyshrm.org

approached each networking event with a very clear and specific goal: find at least three people with whom I can have a memorable conversation with and who seem amenable to joining me for a cup of coffee. In that first year I took 302 people out for coffee, which equals roughly 25 people per month (that’s a lot of Starbucks). Not all of those cups of coffee turned into deep and meaningful relationships, but as the saying goes, you have to kiss some frogs before you meet a prince. Referrals from those 302 people accounted for 20 percent of my business in my first year, 40 percent my second year and today over 70 percent of my clientele. The investment I made in my network has been powerful for developing my business and driving my career.

Was this a fluke? Maybe, but it’s substantiated by research. Yale Psychologist Stanley Milgram formulated his small-world theory in the late 1960s where he postulated that two randomly selected people living in the United States were connected through a chain of no more than six individuals. In a series of experiments, Milgram sent folders to individuals in Kansas and Nebraska and asked them to return the folders to him by passing them to a direct connection. He then studied the number of hands the folders passed through before they eventually returned to his home in Massachusetts (obviously, Milgram did not know the people to whom the folders were originally sent). Interestingly, in one of

his experiments, it was a single person who delivered 16 of the 24 folders to his home. Of the folders that reached him at his office, more than half came from two particular individuals. Not only did Milgram conclude that the world is smaller than we think, but that certain individuals are more connected than others.

In the mid-1990s, another researcher, John Padgett, surmised that a family’s relations and position within their respective networks would provide important economic and political currency (that is, social capital). To validate his theory, he traced 38 Renaissance family trees of celebrated Florentine families and 298 family trees of lesser-known families from 1282-1500 to track position and power. The Medici family stood out, and Padgett was able to trace their rise in power through two formal network relations: marriage and business.

If you’re wondering what all this means: quite simply, relationships have enormous practical implications. You only have as much reach or impact as your network allows.

Today I attend very few business networking events, as my network is well-established. I focus my efforts instead on strengthening my network through strategic touch points. Networks are a series of relationships, and keeping up with each relationship takes time and effort. My touch points—in the form of emails, phone calls or invitations to join me on various outings—are meant to keep me not only at the top of their mind, but also to strengthen my relationship with each person. If I read a book or article I think others will like, or am attending an event I think others have interest in, I reach out to certain members of my network to tell them.

As a result of these deep relationships, I am a hub within my network, a trusted advisor and a resource center for others. And, in turn, others trust me with introductions to their networks and advisors.

As I reflect on what I’ve learned about building a strong network, the following principles come to mind:

• People who succeed take genuine interest in others.

• Showing up is not enough. You have to establish personal credibility (social capital), which takes a long time to gain (and only a short time to lose).

• You only have as much reach as your network, so appreciate the value of your network and the individuals within it.

• Stay connected to your network through targeted relationship-building efforts.

The lesson here is that relationships matter as they have the potential to produce a great return, both in the form of increased social capital and expanded reach. Successful individuals are able to assess their social connections, cultivate them to strengthen their network and actively manage their relationships. Anyone up for coffee?

Dr. Elizabeth Scott, founder of Brighter Strategies, provides thought leadership and high value organizational development and strategy consulting in support of a stronger social sector. She can be reached at [email protected] or 703-224-8100.


By Michael Harper

Let me be perfectly clear: I love playing laser tag, driving go-carts at reckless high speeds and lining up for a huge barbecue buffet with my co-workers. I can also see the value of painting pottery, cooking meals and going to a ballgame together. I am in no way opposed to giving teams a chance to have fun together.

BUT—and this is a big but—let’s not pretend that these “team-building activities” actually build teams. Building a productive, unified team requires much more than a good meal and a trip to the ballpark.

A Common MisconceptionA few years ago, I facilitated a discussion table at a professional conference. The room was filled with human resource professionals who, at this particular event, had to quickly decide which topic deserved the next 15 minutes of their lives. They

A catered lunch is a nice gesture, but it doesn’t develop teamwork if

the employees only sit and eat with the people they already know.

TEAM BUILDING: Moving Beyond Group Meals and Field Trips

25www.kyshrm.org

could pick something basic like navigating new insurance laws, or they might branch out a bit and talk about developing their presentation skills. Fortunately, a handful of people felt compelled to join me at my team-building table. My job, then, was to pose the first question, keep the conversation on track, and—of course—keep watch for that one person who always feels the need to dominate the conversation.

Our conversation began with a simple question: What does your company do for team building? One by one, the participants proudly listed their company’s team-building efforts and how much these efforts are appreciated by their employees. The list included:

• A quarterly barbecue lunch with a short motivational speech by the CEO

• A family night at the local minor league ballpark (which also included barbecue)

• An annual trip to play paintball (“the employee team usually beats the manager team!”)

• A picnic that includes highly-competitive tournaments with big prizes, such as preferred parking spaces and extra days off from work

• A half-day off for any employee that wants to volunteer at the local non-profit of their choice

My heart sank a bit lower as each person spoke. How does shooting paintballs at your manager build a healthy team? How does the reward of a superior parking space and time away from one’s co-workers build a team among those co-workers? And as delicious as it is, what in the world does barbecue have to do with teamwork?

Team Activities vs. Team-Building ExperiencesTeam activities are fun things that teams do together. Team-building experiences are intentional programs that address your unique team-building goals. Both have value.

Team activities can bond the team by creating shared memories. But if team activities lack intention, they serve little purpose and in some cases they can cause unintended damage to the team. A catered lunch is a nice gesture, but it doesn’t develop teamwork if the employees only sit and eat with the people they already know. Going to a local tourist attraction as a team makes for some great photo opportunities, but does nothing about the personality conflicts that are causing the team to miss deadlines. Competitive tournaments may be fun for some, but pitting team members against one another can bring out the worst in people and easily damage relationships which will affect the performance of employees much longer than the prizes given out.

Team-building experiences begin with an assessment of the team’s specific needs and end with a review of whether the experience will make a long-term difference in the team’s ability to hit deadlines, generate revenue, and take care of customers. In the middle, there is an intentional, engaging program that deliberately addresses the issues and behaviors that are preventing the team members from their best performance. These experiences must be results-driven in a way that justifies the time and money invested to make the program happen.

So What Do You Do for Team Building?If you ever end up at a professional conference with organized table discussions and you decide to spend a few minutes at the team-building table, be ready to set the record straight. Go-carts and baseball games are fun, but cultivating a culture of team building is a much better return on your investment.

Michael Harper is the founder and lead facilitator at Teamworx Talent Development where he increases revenue and productivity in teams by decreasing the time wasted by poor communication, untrained managers, and interpersonal conflict. He is an author in the recently published anthology, Cultivating Culture. He can be reached at [email protected] or 502.565-2199.

TEAM BUILDING: Moving Beyond Group Meals and Field Trips


How Sticky Notes and“Thinking Hats” Can Save a Culture

27www.kyshrm.org

“Open your eyes!” I told them.

The group of 20 healthcare employees opened their eyes and began to buzz again with conversation.

“Let me see yours!”

“Wow, look at that!”

Gary was especially excited. With his tough exterior, he was the usually the critical curmudgeon of the group (the one who was less afraid to be honest since he’d held his job for many years). “I just can’t believe that they all turned out so different,” he exclaimed. “I mean, look at Jerry’s. It’s like he heard a completely different set of directions!” Jerry’s snowflake had three distinct holes while Gary’s didn’t have any.

By Leslie Schreiber, M. Ed

How Sticky Notes and“Thinking Hats” Can Save a Culture


Everyone in the group was holding up their own piece of white paper which now resembled some sort of snowflake. Moments before, I had instructed them to tear off the upper right corner, fold the paper in half, tear off the lower left corner, fold in half again, and so on—but with their eyes closed the whole time, and in silence.

“What do you make of this, Gary?” I asked.

“It’s a great reminder that we can have different interpretations and therefore different perspectives,” he said. He went on to talk about how important it seemed to honor those differences and how hard that can be when the company culture doesn’t encourage new ideas, openness and creativity.

I was impressed—Gary had hit the nail on the head for me, and he became one of my most attentive students during our Six Thinking Hats training.

Why Six Thinking Hats?Over the past 15 years, I have had the privilege of being invited into more than 25 different companies, non-profits and government organizations. My work with them has focused on creating healthy cultures by strengthening and improving employee relationships. This includes people in both leadership and non-leadership positions, board members and volunteers.

As my business has grown, I have become intrigued by innovation and creativity in the workplace. How can a culture foster these important qualities and push people to their best, but still maintain positive relationships between all of the employees?

So I began asking my clients:

• How does your workplace value differing ideas? • How often are they sought out? • How easily do employees consider perspectives different from

their own?• How is conflict handled?

As many consultants know, the answers I received did not always match the reality of the workplace. So, I asked permission to sit in on my clients’ meetings. I would be observing the following criteria:

• Is there structure? Or is it informal?• Is there room for debate? Or is there fear of conflict?• Are new ideas and creativity welcomed? Or is preserving the

status quo most important?• Is everyone involved? Or just the vocal few?• Are assumptions questioned? Or is faulty information

taken as fact?• Are decisions thoroughly examined? Or are risk

factors overlooked?

With these questions, I could ascertain not only the effectiveness of their meetings, but also a great deal about the company culture. Does the culture value open and honest discussion? Is there an expectation to be innovative and creative while solving problems? How do people convey respect? Do people feel a sense of teamwork?

Around this time, I was introduced to Edward deBono’s Six Thinking Hats. I read a lot of testimony about the effectiveness of

this approach, and I repeat two such selections here because I would willingly say the same:

“The Hats helped us overcome cultural differences -interdepartmental, cultural, and international differences - as everyone uses a common language in meetings. It contributes to build effective teams and enhances their performance. It also facilitates the transfer of ideas, technologies and systems from one part of an organization to another.”

“The methods helped us promote positive relationships, reduce the frustrations normally felt in meetings and the deterioration in personal relationships caused by adversarial debate. People leave meetings in a positive frame of mind. Its use will therefore contribute to a much more positive, cooperative and constructive climate, which will reduce negative stress.” (*)

The premise to this novel approach was that recognizing and understanding the role of thinking was critical to a company’s culture. Six Thinking Hats introduced the concepts of traditional thinking, parallel thinking, and lateral thinking. It encouraged the use of emotional thoughts and playful ideas. And, as a practical bonus, it claimed that it could reduce meeting time by up to 50 percent!

My degree in philosophy helped me embrace this concept of “thinking as critical to culture,” but I wasn’t fully sold until I experienced the Six Hats process. Then, I immediately saw its value particularly when leading meetings where creative thinking is needed to move beyond a particular mindsets.

What is Six Thinking Hats?Six Thinking Hats® is a meeting management tool that harnesses parallel thinking as well as individual process time, group brainstorming and application of action items. Developed

The naturally optimistic

sales manager will have

to contribute in Black Hat

(critical) ways, and the

critical curmudgeon will have

to take turns contributing in

Yellow Hat (positive) ways.

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by Edward deBono, M.D. in 1985, over 700,000 people have been trained and implemented this model that is based on differentiating between six distinct colors of hats that are metaphors for six different ‘ways of thinking’:

WHITE HAT Neutral, objective thinking, concerned with factsRED HAT Emotional, intuitive thinkingBLACK HAT Skeptical, negative, critical thinkingYELLOW HAT Sunny, positive, optimistic thinkingGREEN HAT Creative, innovative thinkingBLUE HAT Cool, organized, summarized thinking

So, how does it work? Let’s envision a traditional two-hour meeting. This meeting involves the following typical characters: the optimistic sales manager, the creative marketing manager, the fact-driven finance manager, a critical curmudgeon operations manager, ( just think: “I’ve been working here for 20 years and I know why that won’t work”) and their impulsive supervisor (who will arrive late to the meeting).

Let’s imagine they have come together to discuss how to improve the time it takes to deliver on-line orders. The marketing manager begins to present an idea. The sales manager is already on board with him, but it turns south from here. The finance manager wants to know the data supporting the idea and begins to question the marketing manager for it. The curmudgeonly operations manager points out everything that won’t work about the idea. The marketing manager becomes defensive and the sales manager still says she thinks it’s a good idea.

If you imagine this going on for 2 hours, you can imagine it repeating itself quite a bit. An example like this has typical indications of traditional thinking, which is when argument and proving the other wrong dominate the discussion. By the way, the supervisor arrives at this point, senses the growing conflict in the room and quickly decides to table the topic for another meeting.

A Typical Six Hats MeetingIf this were a Six Thinking Hats meeting, parallel thinking would be used instead of traditional thinking. Parallel thinking is when everyone thinks in the same way at the same time. In other words, everyone wears the same “hat” concurrently.

For example, a process improvement agenda could look something like this:

Focus: We need to reduce our time from order to delivery.

Outcome: At least five new ideas to help us reduce our time from order to delivery.

Total time: 60 minutes

WHITE HAT Review the current process. (5 minutes)YELLOW HAT What’s working well with the process?

(10 minutes)BLACK HAT What are the weaknesses in the process?

(10 minutes)GREEN HAT Generate ideas to overcome the weaknesses.

(25 minutes)RED HAT Choose the best five ideas. (3 minutes)BLUE HAT What do we need to do, by when? (7 minutes)


An important tenet of Six Thinking Hats is that the success of any discussion depends upon participation. Everyone participates equally in this meeting because the first 1-2 minutes “wearing” each hat is spent individually and silently writing down responses on 3-inch by 5-inch sticky notes. Each idea you’re writing down is given its own sticky note. This ensures that each idea has the opportunity to be discussed and encouraged by the team.

Next, we take turns sharing one idea per person. If someone has a similar idea, they simply discard their sticky note (no need to repeat an idea if there’s nothing to add). The go-round continues until all of the sticky notes have been read. This simple process reinforces the concept of group work and reduces time spent on repetitive contributions.

During reporting, the sticky notes are posted on flip charts, the wall or somewhere visible. They will remain visible the entire meeting. In nearly every Six Thinking Hats training I have conducted, I have heard someone appreciatively say, “what a great idea!” or “I would have never thought of your idea.”

As the agenda is followed, everyone’s preference in how they think is met. Yet they are also encouraged to stretch themselves by thinking in a different way. The naturally optimistic sales manager will have to contribute in Black Hat (critical) ways, and the critical curmudgeon will have to take turns contributing in Yellow Hat (positive) ways.

Using this approach, many meetings that typically run two hours have been cut in half. At the end of that hour, five new and thoroughly-examined ideas are ready for action. Each person participated and had an opportunity to use their strengths. Plus, the rest of the information from the meeting was useful (and captured on sticky notes). Finally, as with many tools, Six Thinking Hats becomes easier and quicker to use the more familiar people are with it.

Instead of falling into typical conflicts caused by people’s differing agendas and personality types, time is spent pooling ideas rather than attacking or getting defensive over them. By thinking in parallel, you save time, you save money, everyone stays engaged in the process and the whole team generates more (and better) ideas.

When Is It Appropriate to Use Six Thinking Hats? Many clients ask if it’s appropriate to use this methodology for every meeting. A straightforward status-update meeting, for instance, may not benefit from the Six Thinking Hats approach. Use your own discretion.

There are many meeting topics, however, that lend themselves especially well to Six Thinking Hats methodology. These include any subject around strategic planning, process improvement, problem solving, exploration, idea generation and evaluation.

The following factors will help determine if using Six Thinking Hats is a good fit for a particular meeting. The more factors you’d identify for your meeting, the better an idea Six Thinking Hats is:

1. When those attending have strongly held and differing views.

2. When there is rambling discussion that is not getting anywhere.

3. When a subject needs to be examined thoroughly.

4. When a decision has to be made while looking at a number of different perspectives.

5. When creative thinking is needed to move beyond a particular mindset.

6. When an evaluation of a topic or person is being given, such as a performance review.

As one client recently wrote to me in an email, she now uses Six Thinking Hats as a filter for any type of meeting. She wrote me: “This model changed the way I do my work. I have lots of meetings to acquire the needs and knowledge of the business units. And even if they don’t know the Six Hats model, I can still apply it just using different words.”

When Else Can You Use Six Hats?You can also apply parallel thinking to individual thinking, the way people might write a pros (yellow hat) and cons (black hat) list for themselves. But with Six Hats, there are the added perspectives of examining the facts (white hat), listening to your intuition (red hat), and allowing yourself to think creatively (green hat).

I’ll often encourage clients to incorporate Six Thinking Hats into their company language. For example, the terminology can be useful beyond the meetings themselves, as when you discuss topics via email. “I’d like to know your White Hat thoughts on this proposal.” Or, “Is there too much Red Hat thinking going on in this decision?” Or, “Off the top of your head, what are 3 Green Hat ideas to counter this problem?”

So when you next find yourself at work and wanting to say to that critical curmudgeon don’t be so negative, why not say instead, “What’s your yellow-hat thinking on that?”

Take-AwaysHaving been a Six Hats facilitator and trainer for over 7 years, I can testify to the importance of diverse thinking in healthy organizational cultures. Six Thinking Hats encourages this diversity in a systematic way, which enables employees to do the following during meetings:

• Take on different perspectives• Reduce conflict• Increase a sense of team• Increase appreciation for others’ ideas• Increase energy• Increase clarity• Increase innovation

And as Gary discovered through his snowflake, appreciating different modes of thinking is valuable. Six Hats makes that easy to do.

Good thinking to you!

For the past 20 years, Leslie Schreiber, M. Ed has helped leaders cultivate cultures that encourage innovation and creative thinking. She can be reached at [email protected] or 802-324-8326 or www.linkedin.com/in/leslieschreiberLeadership.”

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