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How often have you been ashamed or embarrassed by the words you chose during a situation? Maybe you were speaking with friends, co-workers, or even family members. If you look back, most of these incidents likely occurred during a high stress situation where you were frustrated. Unfortunately, during times of high stress we tend to make bad decisions when it comes to the words that come out of our mouths. Certain situations bring along high tension and more episodes of frustration will inevitably occur; therefore, we must be careful in choosing our words. Remember, regardless of the situation, the use of the wrong words is never justifiable.

If you say the wrong thing during a conversation, each of your words is like a stray bullet. Once the words are dispensed, they can never be retracted and we ultimately deal with the aftermath. With the potential for serious damage, we should all consider the impact our words have on others. To be clear, if someone is direct when communicating, it doesn’t mean they are a poor leader or that they are using the wrong words. At the same time, just because they choose their words wisely doesn’t mean they’re a great leader. There are going to be times in our careers when we need to be direct. As long as the words we select don’t break people down, most will understand the message.

A good example of the power of words is revealed in movies depicting soldiers in boot camp. The goal of the drill sergeant is to “break down” the soldiers (both physically and mentally) then build them up. Choosing your words wisely is not a skill set considered when your goal is to break someone down. Although the ultimate goal is viewed as a positive, the method is not usually viewed as desirable.

As leaders our goal is to build people up instead of breaking them down. When interacting with our team, there are three main concerns: 1) the words we use, 2) the tone of our voice, and 3) our body language. Even if the right words are chosen, the wrong delivery and poor body language can derail the message and it might not be properly received. Conversely, when someone is speaking to you with a genuine nature and sincere body language, the outcome of the conversation will influence you in a more positive manner.   Tony Dungy once said, “When you commit to encouraging, comforting, and strengthening others with your speech, you are not only making their lives better, you’re also making yours better by surrounding yourself with people who are affirmed and encouraged.” What a great message about the true value of our words and how we can impact the lives of so many people if they are well chosen.

Take time today to think about how you choose to speak to people around you. Would you be ashamed or proud of your words? Are you building people up or breaking them down? The uttering of a few simple words can spawn great things or create disasters. It’s up to you which words you choose.   As leaders, our words are more powerful than we could ever imagine. With the right words, we have the ability to unite, inspire, and engage people all over the world to achieve the unthinkable. By selecting the wrong words, we have the ability to break our team members down, leaving them with a lack of engagement and no reason to be inspired. We owe it to ourselves, our team, and our company to choose our words carefully. With our words, let us encourage the next generation of leaders to unite, inspire, and engage people all over the world.

“Most people are careless with one of their most powerful resources: their words. Use yours as an investment in people’s lives.” – Tony Dungy

Source: http://www.humanresourcesiq.com/management-development/articles/the-power-of-your-words/

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What is it that makes some people cringe when asked, “What are you planning to do in the future?” The reason seems to be that many people are not planning that far ahead. They say that the future is too unpredictable, that they are having enough trouble just figuring out what to do next – or even now.

It is difficult to plan for the future when we have no idea what the future may bring. After all, haven’t we all seen unanticipated changes in recent years – restructuring, downsizing, even total business failures? We are concerned and worried about this economic uncertainty. So many feel this way that it appears we may be experiencing a new epidemic – Futurephobia - a widespread fear of what the future may bring.

While there is no simple cure for Futurephobia, there is hope. Let’s step back for a moment and consider the words of some of this year’s commencement speakers. These words are not only appropriate for those just beginning their careers that can apply to leaders in these current circumstances… in fact, they are applicable to all of us.

Oprah Winfrey, at the Spelman College commencement 2012, said: "You want to be in the driver's seat of your own life because if you're not, life will drive you."

Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, in her Facebook Harvard Business School Class Day speech said: “As you start your post-HBS career, look for opportunities, look for growth, look for impact, look for mission. Move sideways, move down, move on, move off. Build your skills, not your resume. Evaluate what you can do, not the title they're going to give you. Do real work. Take a sales quota, a line role, an ops job. Don't plan too much, and don't expect a direct climb. If I had mapped out my career when I was sitting where you are, I would have missed my career.”

Jane Lynch, at the Smith College commencement, 2012, said:“My counsel to you, women of Smith College? Let life surprise you. Don’t have a plan. Plans are for wusses. If my life went according to my plan, I would never ever have the life I have today.”

Inspired by the words of these speakers, here’s how you can manage Futurephobia and gain control of your life and career.

1. Don’t just sit still, waiting for something to happen. Be proactive in finding opportunities. If you don’t like the job you have, think about what you can do to change or refocus it into one you will love. If you can’t find any ways in which you can make it a better fit, maybe there is another job within your organization that will be the right fit for you.

2. Be open to different possibilities and be willing to take chances. Rigid long-term plans are often ineffective because the world is changing so quickly. Flexible, short-term plans can be useful in evaluating possibilities and determining next steps.

3. Engage in relationship networking – use your relationships to identify possibilities and to find opportunities. Meet in person with those you consider to be your trusted advisors and ask for their ideas and suggestions. In doing so, you may find that you can also help them.

4. Understand what success really means to you. This is critical because if you don’t know what it means, how will you know when you’re successful?

5. Discover your purpose (if you don’t already know what it is), and understand how the work you’re doing expresses your purpose. If you find that it doesn’t, it may be time for a change.

Futurephobia may be easily avoided (or cured) by thinking, reflecting and then just doing it! Are you ready to try?

Source: http://www.humanresourcesiq.com/business-strategies/articles/managing-futurephobia-and-gaining-control-of-your/

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In the world of employees, a good boss is differentiated from a bad boss by the way the boss makes the employees feel. They also assess the boss based on his or her contribution – or lack thereof – to their ability to get their jobs done successfully.

Employees tolerate a lot of bad boss behavior. Many bosses are untrained, uncaring, and not held accountable for their actions and interaction with employees. Some were promoted to jobs above their competence to perform. Bad management practices weigh heavily in whether your employees hate you.

If any of these practices spell out your actions and behaviors as a manager, it is true. Your employees probably hate you. Oh, they may like you as a person and hate you as a boss, but that’s treading on a narrow line. If you bungle management long enough, or badly enough, they will hate you as a person, too.

· You Don’t Know What You’re Doing
Are you competent at your job? This is the first consideration when your employees look at your work. Do you provide them with the leadership they need to succeed? Are you leading and managing in a way that makes your employees know that you know what is going on in the organization. They have to be able to see that your department’s goals are part of something bigger and that they help move the something bigger forward.

The worst manifestation of not knowing what you’re doing is to give employees the wrong information and then lie when confronted with the truth. You also demonstrate incompetence when you present information that is wrong or you interpret the numbers incorrectly when talking or presenting to your reporting staff. They will always catch you out when you don’t tell the truth, pretend to know what you don’t know, or withhold information that made them fail. And, they will hate you.

· You Treat Them Disrespectfully
When you demonstrate a lack of respect for employees, you injure their feelings, their self-confidence, and their self-esteem. Furthermore, if you treat them disrespectfully, you will never garner their respect in return. Employees are feelings-oriented people who are like radar machines scoping out the work environment.

When you talk over them, belittle their ideas, ignore their input, and criticize them unfairly, they feel disrespected. Calling last minute meetings with no regard for their prior commitments, refusing to okay vacation time use that was appropriately requested, and failing to commit needed resources in a timely manner are hallmarks of disrespectful behavior. Employees know when they are not respected and they will hate you.

· Work Is All About You
Are you the center of the employees’ world? Everything starts with you and ends with you? Do you formulate expectations for employees based on whether their outcomes will make you look good? Worst, do you chastise employees for errors or unmet goals because they made you look bad? When everything is all about the manager, employees know and they hate you.

· You're a Blockhead or a Jerk
Insert negative name of choice. Take your pick. Are you unreasonable, selfish, manipulative, or stupid in your behavior toward your reporting staff? A prima donna that requires their attention and approbation - constantly? Do you think about their feelings or the impact of your decisions on their work? Do you tell tales about one employee to his or her colleagues in your department?

Do you play one employee against another by offering a prize for the best project? Think about a time when you thought of another individual as a jerk? Was he or she a lot like you? If so, you know why your employees hate you.

· You Over Manage Good Employees
Even earnest managers can make an incorrect assessment about how much managing an employee needs. When you trust your employees and let them figure out how to accomplish their job, you call forth their significant contributions. If you micromanage and nitpick their ideas and work, you will never tap into their discretionary energy or the best they have to offer.

Sure, new employees, employees in training, and employees who change jobs or acquire new responsibilities need more guidance. But, if you don’t watch your need to guide them lessen over time, you are the problem. Micromanage good employees and they will hate you – or run away as far as possible as quickly as they can.

· You Don’t Know What They Are Doing
You don’t have to know how to do every employee’s job to be a good manager. But, you have to understand enough about their work to guide them. You need to communicate with the employee often enough to know how he is progressing and what challenges he experiences.

If you make decisions about his work, you must know more than the minimum about the project or job. If you tell him what to do or how to do it, which is not recommended, you better know more than the employee does, or he will hate you.

· You Don’t Act As If They Have a Life
You don’t need to know everything about the lives of your reporting staff, but you need to act as if they have lives. Asking employees to work late, work more, and assigning more work than they can do will stress out the employees. They want to do well at work, but they also have myriad responsibilities with home, family, friends, volunteering, sports events, and so much more. Offering some flexibility and understanding will earn their respect.

In fact, the youngest generation of employees, unlike their older coworkers, demands flexibility and free time to pursue all of their other interests. Put barriers in their way and you will find yourself without an employee. And, who you lose will be your most skilled, highly valued employees who have the skill set necessary to network and leave. If you make them feel guilty, object to what they need to do, or act as if you are put out every time they pursue their other priorities, your employees will hate you – and the best will leave.

· You Don’t Give them Credit When Credit Is Due
Employees enjoy recognition and credit for their accomplishments. They like having coworkers praise their work and think highly of them. Where managers mess up in this arena is by taking credit for their employees’ ideas and accomplishments. Not mentioning that the idea was Mary’s is the fatal omission a manager makes. You may think that you are currying favor from upper management, but your employees will find out.

A senior manager will mention your idea in an employee meeting and everyone will know it wasn’t your idea. You’ll get credit for a job well done – and the job was done by your reporting staff - but no one recognizes the team – which employees know means that you didn’t. Your employees won’t trust you and, when this happens repeatedly, they will hate you.

· You Don’t Have Their Backs
When you throw your employees under the bus, you will not recover. The minute an employee knows that, rather than supporting her and offering reasons why a project or timeline may have failed, you blamed her, it’s all over. Even if you are disappointed in the employee’s performance, you publicly blame them to your shame. Rather than earning the approbation of senior managers, you will be known as the manager who throws employees under the bus. And, those employees will hate you.

· You’re a Bully
Bullies reside in boss’s clothing more often than you’d ever think possible. In fact, bully behavior is one of the bad boss indicators that is shared on this site most frequently. Bully behavior encompasses bosses who yell and cuss at employees, physically intimidate employees by physical proximity, and block employees from getting away either from their desk or the room.

Bullies intimidate employees with words, threaten employees and their jobs, and have even been known to throw objects at employees. Bullies belittle employees and chip away at an employee’s self-confidence and self-esteem with criticism, name calling, and ridicule. Bullies are condescending, demeaning, and cruel. It’s tough to describe bully behavior, but employees know when they are being bullied and they will hate you.

All of these behaviors are unacceptable at work. Yet, they occur daily in workplaces worldwide. My best advice to an employee who is experiencing any of these behaviors? Get out of there. You do not need to spend your life or your career being subjected to behaviors like these. Begin your stealth job search now.

In the meantime, you have to decide whether you have the courage necessary to take on any of these behaviors. If you do, and it may not be in your best interests, these ideas will help:

Source: http://humanresources.about.com/od/badmanagerboss/a/10-reasons-why-your-employees-hate-you.htm

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The term “consensus” is most often heard during political campaign season or when Congress is in session. Politicians are forever promising to build consensus with those on the other side of the political aisle, but there’s typically more talk than action.

Business leaders and human resource managers cannot afford to be so cavalier in their commitment to consensus. Sticking to the concept of proper consensus management can lead to happier employees and more robust bottom lines.

What is consensus?

Consensus is a method for group decision-making in which the goal is to arrive at a final decision that is acceptable to all members of the group because each had a say in its formation. Effective consensus decision-making leaves every team member feeling that they have been heard and that their ideas have been considered.

Consensus can be a very powerful tool for human resources because with it you can unite employees around a common goal and generate greater productivity. Consensus also fosters a climate of cooperation with employees collaborating to solve problems.

Because it involves the participation of everyone within a group, fostering consensus builds more buy-in from individual employees who feel they have more say, and therefore more of a stake in business processes and outcomes.

Five Ways to Implement Consensus for Group Decisions

As a human resources manager, it’s important to know some of the considerations that should be weighed before implementing a consensus-building model.

Important ideas to consider:

1. Lose the attitudes that undermine consensus. A team that operates in a “win-lose” environment – one employee’s idea must prevail over another’s – is not going to do well with consensus. Consensus building can also falter on a team with members who routinely avoid conflict. For effective dialogs to take place, employees should be encouraged to speak their minds, but also to understand that everyone has an equal say. Bear in mind that reaching consensus does not necessarily mean a unanimous decision.

2. Have regularly scheduled meetings. A team using consensus management must meet frequently to allow every team member the opportunity to have a voice in decisions. There also should be a consistent process at these meetings for employees to voice their opinions.

3. Foster an atmosphere of open communication. Employees will not speak freely in an atmosphere where new ideas are not welcome. Managers must make it clear to employees that all opinions are welcome. This will lead to employees trusting the process, which is a critical component of consensus building success.

4. Set clearly defined goals. No decision-making process, whether by group or individual, is going to be successful if the goals are not clearly defined. Clichés abound on this subject, but the simplest is still the best: You can’t get anywhere if you don’t know where you are going. Communication is vital in this area. Managers should make the ultimate group objective clear to employees before engaging in consensus building.

5. Support the decision. After encouraging employees to work together to forge consensus, it’s important to support the ultimate decision. There are rewards that come naturally from this exercise. Proper support reinforces the consensus building process to increase engagement among all stakeholders and decrease negative attitudes that can undermine productivity.

As difficult as it may be to implement, consensus building can offer tremendous rewards for the manager who uses it wisely in the right circumstances.

Source: http://www.hrmtoday.com/featured-stories/five-ways-to-use-consensus-for-group-decisions-2/

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Over the last several months I have been trying to figure out where two lines meet – what job-seekers (especially passive ones) want and what recruiters are doing to intentionally be there to meet them. To try to get my mind around it I decided to do what any good recruiter would do – survey both sides (546 job-seekers and 159 recruiters).

What I came up looking at the results were three key mistakes recruiters are making over and over. While I do hope you all (the recruiters who read this) continue to make these mistakes (it makes my job easier - very selfish, no) I hope it at least gives you something to think about.

As a side note I will be the first to say that I am a firm believer that the results from about 90 percent of all surveys are made up (as I am sure you are as well) but I can promise you, no wait strike that, pinky promise you, that the results from the surveys discussed below are accurate and authentic.

1. Recruiters are not making it easy enough for job-seekers to get their information to them

The first survey conducted was an easy and painless one question softball aimed at job-seekers that asked, “Are you more likely to submit your information to a job if all you have to do is email a resume vs. fill out an application?”

I don’t think it takes a rocket scientist to figure out that the result was an astounding ‘YES’ – more than 82 percent said that they are more likely to apply if all they have to do is click send.

The one thing that really did catch my attention was one of the comments left by a survey taker. It said, “Excellent question!! Those applications take a long time to fill out. If a person has a full-time job (usually more than 40 hours per week) and family responsibilities spare time is precious. A person has to be highly motivated to find and take the time to fill out the application.”

So as a recruiting professional, it makes sense that if we want passive job-seekers (and in many cases active job-seekers) to come to us we need to make it as easy as we can, put ourselves out there a bit, and give them an avenue other than filling out a 30 minute long application to throw their name in the ring.

Seems easy enough doesn’t it?

(insert the VH1 ‘Behind the Music’ narrator saying "…but offstage things were falling apart...")

The problem is that as recruiters we are just like everyone else (lazy) and many of us do not want to stick our necks out there for fear of being bombarded with resumes.

2. Recruiters are all trying to drink from the same fountain.

In a separate survey we asked recruiters if they could source from only ONE place for the next six months, what would it be (i.e. what is their go to source). The results are pretty staggering (and sad) – nearly half said LinkedIn.

While LinkedIn is a great resource it is no wonder that top potential talent is abandoning it left and right – they can’t get any peace there. In all reality, the selfish side of me is rooting for you to keep on doing what you are doing and let me and a few others pick ‘A’ players up on the other sources.

3. Recruiter are all hoping and praying in the same places

I am not a huge fan of posting jobs (if that is all you like to do then you are really not a recruiter – you are more of an administrative assistant) BUT a strategic posting every now and then does have its place.

We asked if recruiters were only allowed to post their jobs in ONE place for six months where would it be (i.e. what is your go to posting resource).

SURPRISE – LinkedIn (between actual postings, groups, and network updates) trounced every other source and received twice as many responses as the next choice (CareerBuilder).

Deep down inside I was hoping that as a group we would say, no I never post jobs – I go out and hunt but alas, it wasn’t to be.

So there you have it – at the end of the day I guess no big surprises – recruiters all drink (and post) at the same well and we don’t really get that a personal connection to a job is going to give us better results.

What say you? Agree? Disagree? Indifferent?

Until next time – good hunting and good luck!

Source: http://www.humanresourcesiq.com/talent-management/articles/three-mistakes-recruiters-make-as-told-by-job-seek/

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The Power of Your Words

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Managing "Futurephobia" and Gaining Control of Your Organization

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10 Reasons Why Your Employees Hate You

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Five Ways to Use Consensus for Group Decisions

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Three Mistakes Recruiters Make (As Told By Job-Seekers and Recruiters)

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The Power of Your Words

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Managing "Futurephobia" and Gaining Control of Your Organization

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10 Reasons Why Your Employees Hate You

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Five Ways to Use Consensus for Group Decisions

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Three Mistakes Recruiters Make (As Told By Job-Seekers and Recruiters)

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