Ember Carriers Blog | From Possibility to Results

Leading Edge High Potential Development

November 3rd, 2010

Mary Hladio

When companies create development programs for their high-potential employees, they should have a blueprint. This involves:

Forming an objective for the high-potential program
Identifying development measures, and
Describing a complete system for delivering the desired result

It also is important to define an appropriate learning path based on in-depth interviews to uncover what people learned, in what sequence, and how they learned it. Learning paths also need to have specific time frames for acquiring each skill, and high potentials should be informed of the performance expected at each milestone and how and when that knowledge or skill will be reviewed.

One example of a learning path is from finance manager to CFO based on knowledge, professional skills, and experience.

Another key component of a high-potential program is to structure a variety of developmental experiences. Research indicates that humans learn best by undergoing a variety of experiences, such as starting a business, going on an overseas assignment, or having profit-and-loss responsibility.

At Royal Dutch Shell, people are selected based on a two-day evaluation process that examines personality traits, intellectual abilities, and business-case problem-solving skills. Morgan McCall at the University of Southern California has identified specific criteria as predictors of executive potential: action-oriented, analytically agile, courageous, knows the business, possesses a special talent with people, and is widely respected.

In thriving companies, important assets such as real estate or capital equipment are actively manage. The same should be true for high-potential talent which are just as necessary and critical. Time to get serious about true leadership development.

Need help – contact one of our senior consultants for more information – info@embercarriers.com, (513) 984-9333.

Source: TheStreet.com (10/28/10) Hall, Brad

10 Tips to Improve Employee Development

October 21st, 2010

Mary Hladio

Companies must maintain workers’ skills and improve their performance if they are to retain a competitive advantage, and there are a number of ways to do this within a budget. With downsizing and cost-cutting, companies have fewer people and growing workloads, creating a greater need for proper employee development.

A recent survey from international staffing firm OfficeTeam found that 45 percent of human resources (HR) managers cited training and development as their greatest staffing concern.

Business research firm Dun & Bradstreet offers companies 10 tips for introducing an effective development program.

Employee development should be emphasized as an investment in the employee.
Companies must identify specific skills and behaviors to be improved and the timeline for meeting those goals.
Firms should encourage a learning culture to express the importance of all workers becoming more competitive in their skill sets.
Employee development programs should involve the support of management at all levels of the organization.
Effective employee development should start out small to allow for fine-tuning.
Companies should choose professional facilitators with valuable education materials.
Choose a training area with enough space and equipment.
Firms must clarify their goals and make sure employees know the specific purposes for the development program.
Make employee development a continuous process.
Finally, companies should track the results.

Training can be beneficial to employees at nearly every level of the company. The impact of a development can extend further if the employee sees the link between the training and their abilities to contribute to the company’s mission, business plan and goals

Source: ThomasNet (09/28/10) Leybovich, Ilya

Workers Agree: Company Culture Matters

October 12th, 2010

Mary Hladio

A recent survey by Randstad found workers believe that having a strong corporate culture is essential to counteracting the slumping employee morale that has taken hold at some companies in the wake of the recession. The 1,008 workers who took part in the survey said having a stronger corporate culture is the single biggest factor that could counteract the lower morale, with two-thirds saying efforts aimed at building trust among work groups are an essential ingredient in an organization’s long-term success. The survey also asked workers what they thought was the best corporate culture. Thirty-eight percent said their ideal corporate culture consists of little hierarchy and lots of teamwork in achieving company objectives. Another 18 percent said their ideal company culture focuses on procedure and bureaucracy. In addition, the survey found that 69 percent of respondents said employee attitudes are critical to having a strong corporate culture, while 64 percent said the same about effective management. Eileen Habelow, Randstad’s senior vice president of organizational development, said while the elements that contribute to a strong corporate culture are different in each organization, there are consistent characteristics across all strong cultures. Among them is the use of incentive and training programs to build morale, the use of mission and vision statements to clearly define values, and strong leaders who set the tone at the company and empower others.

Enticing Your Employees to Stay

October 3rd, 2010

Mary Hladio

Towers Watson and WorldatWork has unveiled the results of a global survey comprising 1,176 companies. Of U.S. firms, 52 percent said they had difficulty attracting critical-skill employees, while 45 percent said they had difficulty attracting talented employees. Some experts say companies need to reassess their reward and talent management approaches and how they attract, retain, and motivate staff.

Laura Sejen, Towers Watson’s global head of rewards consulting, says the most talented employees are in short supply even during comparatively sluggish economic times. Workers also are hesitant to seek employment elsewhere as a result of uncertainty about the economic recovery. “As a result, many companies find themselves in a position of having to find new and innovative ways to entice and ultimately develop talent and leadership for the future,” Sejen says. Additionally, the survey found that companies are likely to focus more on leadership, succession planning, and career paths over the next three years. James Berkeley, director at employee-benefits consultancy Berkeley Burke International, says organizations that see themselves as providing a career should provide education to help staff attain the skills they need for today and offer development to ensure staff will have the skills to undertake future jobs.

Source:Human Resource Executive (09/17/10) http://www.hreonline.com/HRE/story.jsp?storyId=533182640

Follow Your Dreams – How Do You Know You Are Making the Right Decision?

September 28th, 2010

Mary Hladio

Announcement of changes in company password po...

Image via Wikipedia

I followed my dream and created the perfect job. How do I know I made the right decision? Here is my story…

It started two years ago, I was toying with the idea of leaving the company I was working for to launch a business. I was no longer excited about working for my existing corporation – I felt as if my life was becoming a Dilbert cartoon (I even had the pointy hair boss). At the same time I was suffering from some abdominal pains. My primary physician ruled out the major concerns but did not have a solution to stop the pain. I had just seen a specialist who suggested a small out-patient exploratory procedure and in the mean time, he gave a medication to try. A week later I was scheduled to attend an intensive 5-day retreat and personal development seminar.

In order to get the most from the seminar I decided to un-plug, so no technology (no laptop, iPhone or blackberry) to check on things at the office. I took a small flip phone for emergencies but it was turned off and a CD player based the list of things we were told to bring to the seminar. The first two days was pretty intense, emotional and long. By the third day, I realized that I was no longer having the severe abdominal pains. Even more amazing I had not been taking the medication. That is when it hit me, my current job was the source of the pain. I thought I was coping but apparently I was not. Later the exploratory surgery confirmed that I had developed an ulcer. Wow!! What an eye-opening experience and I made the commitment to exit myself from the company. But wait it gets better….

So I started the process of exiting the company. Now I am not very impulsive person when it comes to providing for my family so I transferred from my current division to one of the up and coming entrepreneur divisions. Not that this was the solution but it provided me with a great opportunity to learn a different part of the business while leveraging my core strengths to build a sales training program. The move also remove me from the day to day senior leadership responsibilities. It was evident that many of the inconsistencies I saw in the old division existing in the new one due to the senior leadership team’s actions. I was trying to find the right time to make my move without be disruptive to the organization or myself.

I was onsite at one of our facilities leading a sales program and that evening while at the hotel a friend of mine calls. Now he prides himself and being super-intuitive and he is amazingly in-tune with emotions and feelings. I can be at a loss for words to express myself and he just picks up on what’s going on with me and knows exactly what to say. We talked about what was going on at work. He told me that he knows I am looking to make a move but hang in a little while longer he had a “feeling” that I would be provided a graceful win-win way out. At the end of the week, I received a phone call from my manager. She explained that some organizational changes were about to occur and she was giving me an opportunity to decided my fate. My choice, move out of state into a new role or take a severance package. I could hardly contain myself. I asked for time to think about it and discuss the situation with my family.

I already knew my answer, but I briefly talked to my husband and a couple of people in my inner circle about the pros and cons. That night I was going out to dinner with colleagues and my sales training participants. A storm had just passed over us. We were driving on the highway when I saw a double, full rainbow. Now I have seen a partial single rainbow many times but never a complete one and never a double rainbow. As we got closer, one of the ends of the rainbows appeared to be right in our driving path. The entire car load of people were super excited. As we arrived at our destination we actually drove through the rainbow. It was like a scene from a Disney movie – I swore I head bluebirds signing :-).

To me it was a clear sign to me that I had made the right decision. The next day, out of the blue I received a phone call from another vendor that I had not spoken to in about a year. He said, I know this sounds crazy but have you ever considered starting your own business? I have an opportunity and I would like to discuss it with you. The Ember Carriers Leadership Group was born.

www.embercarriers.com

Mary Meets Robin Roberts

August 14th, 2010

Mary Hladio

Mary with Robin and JuJu

Using the Law of attraction, Mary meets Robin Roberts of Good Morning America.

I have been told for years that look like Robin Roberts to the point where I place in my keynote and workshop presentations.

About two years ago, around the time I launched Ember Carriers, I decided that I wanted to meet Robin face-to-face. I would tell people of this goal in passing or during my workshops, more as quip, but still serious. I even placed it on my bucket list.

Lat July, I was in Tarrytown, NJ conducting a workshop for large consulting firm over the weekend. Instead of rushing at the end and leaving Sunday night I thought I would stay overnight maybe head into Manhattan and catch a Broadway show and leave the next morning. But I accidentally booking an 8:00 PM instead of an 8:00 AM flight from LaGuardia back to Cincinnati. Then I happen to book a hotel 3 blocks from the ABC studios. So with no ticket or no real plan, I arrived at the ABC studios at 6:00 AM to determine if it was possible to meet Robin.

The show ended at 9:00 AM so I was not giving up until 9:02 AM. I asked a production person about meeting Robin – he said stand in that line until the Audience Coordinator arrives. I asked the Audience Coordinator she but me in the standby line. I chatted up the Security guard and told him my goal. I was the last person they let into the studio.

The show ended – I had some great up close pictures and was satisfied with getting so far. At the end of the show Robin and JuJu Chang stuck around for a bit and after 10 minutes, I caught the attention of the security guard from outside. He motioned my forward and I was face to face with Robin Roberts.

I set a goal, wrote it down and told people. And without even trying I accomplish something that was huge in my book and a great story I will never forget. What are your goals?