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You’ve Conducted a Survey…Now What?

Author: Diane Hamilton, Date: 7/17/2013

It’s a common practice to collect feedback from employees to gauge how things are going. Whether it is an employee opinion survey, an assessment of employee engagement, or a focus group/interview study, many organizations periodically ask employees for their thoughts and/or input. The hard part isn’t asking the questions or collecting the data. It’s what do you do once you have the information.

Next steps

Survey feedback often suggests that employees think that “management won’t do anything with the results.” To avoid this from happening, the senior leadership team should take the following steps after any assessment effort:

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No Offense Intended

Author: Diane Hamilton, Date: 6/6/2013

I received a marketing email yesterday from an individual who used a term that could be considered derogatory and offensive. I took note; found myself surprised by the use of the language; and, wondered about a potential lack of awareness as to how the terminology could offend. Well, within twenty-four hours I received a second email sincerely apologizing for the use of the language. The individual indicated that unfortunately she had no idea of the source of the phrase and its derogatory meaning. She went on to say:

“…And I couldn’t be more embarrassed and horrified. Please understand that no offense was intended.”

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Enough Already – Delegate (or Just Let Go!)

Author: Diane Hamilton, Date: 5/9/2013

I’ve been fortunate to work with many very good leaders over the years. Those who have been most successful have worked hard to surround themselves with good people. They also know that it takes more than having good people around you—it’s about tapping into and developing that talent that makes the difference.

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Treat Everyone as a Game Winning Player

Author: Diane Hamilton, Date: 4/11/2013

I’m a big college basketball fan. I love March Madness and despite the experts discussions about how the game is hard to watch today (for a variety of reasons), I enjoy the pageantry and competition. You may not be a Louisville fan, but you can’t deny the coaching prowess of Rick Pitino. Elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame on the same day he became the first coach to win national championships at two universities, Pitino is also no stranger to the concept of leadership.

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Take Time to Appreciate

Author: Diane Hamilton, Date: 3/28/2013

Snowstorms…spring thaw…freezing rain. Huge fluctuations in weather are quite common in the Midwest. If you’ve lived or traveled in this area you are well accustomed to it.

What struck me during a recent cold spell is how easy it is for some people to focus on the negative instead of appreciating what’s in front of them. The robins are back—scratching for food through what remains of the winter snow. The crocuses and daffodils are poking their way out of the still frozen ground. Yet, what I’ve heard from a lot of people is the negative reaction to our slow turning spring (i.e., “I’m SO sick of winter”). While this is understandable as temperatures remain chilly, it prevents people from appreciating what is around them and recognizing the beauty that is at hand.

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Development Planning? Focus on Strengths…Close Development Gaps

Author: Diane Hamilton, Date: 3/14/2013

“People can do great things. However, there are some things they just CAN’T do. I, for instance, have not been able to transform myself into a Popsicle, despite years of effort.” — Brandon Sanderson, American fantasy author

Much has been written over the past several years about focusing on one’s strengths. Thousands of individuals at all levels in organizations have taken the StrengthsFinder® survey. For those unfamiliar, the StrengthsFinder® is an assessment that reveals dominant “themes” that help people focus on their strengths and abilities and focus their work and lives around them. The premise is that it makes more sense to leverage our strengths and talents versus trying to overcome shortcomings.

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First Vision, Then Action

Author: Diane Hamilton, Date: 2/8/2013

“The very essence of leadership is that you have a vision. It’s got to be a vision you articulate clearly and forcefully on every occasion. You can’t blow an uncertain trumpet.” –Theodore Hesburgh, President Emeritus, University of Notre Dame

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Combating the Challenge of Change

Author: Diane Hamilton, Date: 1/25/2013

Change is hard at the individual level. The difficulty is multiplied in organizations. Change causes discomfort, even if it is a welcome change. We experience a loss and grief as we say good-bye to a familiar way of doing things and relating to others. The chaos and uncertainty of transition is disruptive and disconcerting. Finally, we are anxious about the risk associated with the change – do we have the skills to succeed? These are normal reactions to change, whether we perceive the change as good or bad.

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Applying the 80/20 Rule

Author: Diane Hamilton, Date: 10/18/2012

You’ve heard the phrase, “the devil is in the details.” The idea that the details are important—that whatever one does it should be done thoroughly.

I’ve been knee deep in details of late. I am writing an e-book, Talent Management Toolkit. We want to provide a resource for small to mid-size organizations to help them with their talent management efforts since much of what is available focuses on large, global organizations.

I spent a great deal of time pulling together the content, writing the various chapters and updating the tools and templates. However, now I’m in the detail stage. Editing, refining, setting up the associated web pages, marketing, etc. I have definitely been overwhelmed with the details.

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From Awareness to Competence

Author: Diane Hamilton, Date: 9/27/2012

I dusted the cobwebs off of an old training maxim this week. I was coaching a leader who talked about the discomfort she was feeling while trying to implement some of the changes in her development plan. She shared that while she has increased her awareness, she doesn’t feel like she has been successful in changing her behavior. The following learning path came to mind. I remember using it years ago when I first started working in the area of OD and Learning and Development. It will be very familiar to many of you—hopefully, it is a good reminder. My guess is that for many individuals you work with it will create an ‘aha’ moment. It did for my client.

Learning Path