Is it ever 'Business as Usual"?

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This morning I attended a presentation put on by the Family Business Alliance.  I was prepared for a program that was informative and well done, but what I observed was something much more than that. I typically avoid attending programs that cover the usual “hot topics”.  I find it is often difficult to get as much value from them as I should, primarily because it is difficult to put their ideas into the context of what my clients urgently need.  The end result is that after a few hours and more so, after a few days, I’ve generally forgotten most of the salient points discussed.


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Sometimes the best value is the indirect impact

However, today I was impressed in that the critical points were ones that can provide great value to an organization over time and therefore are worth revisiting on a regular basis. Although, the audience today was made up primarily of family owned businesses, and the discussion revolved in that realm, the truths seemed to have application to most organizations.

The speaker was Greg McCann, author, professor, and business owner. Throughout his presentation he would say, “If you are taking notes, write this down.” and so we would.  One such item I liked a lot: Culture will defeat strategy every time.  I also heard some wise insights mentioned by the audience. One of those that I thought highly insightful concerned why a member attended the various events. He said, “It was not so much about what he learned, but that such events usually got him thinking.” To me this was very notable.  So many of us just want someone to give us the answer and so we seek out the “Hot Topic” discussion.

Change is Upon Us.

A few years ago, I started keeping a list each January describing what I perceived as change over the prior year. Although interesting to me, I’ve discovered how inadequate my practice is. During todays program we viewed a You-Tube clip to emphasize the “exponential” change that is surrounding us.  Watch this and you’ll see why I may have to revamp my practice.

What YOU Must Do

The real point about the video is that we have to be visionary about our businesses, where we are going and how we are going to get there. Without a plan we will be sitting on the sidelines much sooner than we ever dreamed and it has nothing to do with the recession. A strategic plan is an absolute necessity. As part of that plan you have to identify your strategic advantage,  who is responsible to look after and manage the advantage and also the plan itself.

And remember that culture trumps strategy, so they have to be aligned. Communication and actions are the keys to management of culture. So, if you see today as getting back to business as usual, you are what they call 'Dead Meat'.
 

Job Opportunities..  In Michigan ?

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I find it very interesting that it was just a couple of years ago that Michigan was perceived to be laying on the mat with the referee counting 7…8…9…….9.5! And now it is almost daily that people are discussing recruiting, whether it is ‘vets’ or ‘Genxers’ or retaining talent that might be pirated by other businesses.  There are even discussions about work coming back on shore, because the Chinese can’t get it right. Maybe those of us who have been through these situations before, just have to speak a little louder than the media and say you can’t count us out!


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LET US BUILD IT

We are pretty resilient and we have a special knack that is called “innovative”.  We just need time to pick ourselves up and look around and see the opportunities that are out there.  I heard a person say today that we may not be on the top of the list for skills whether it is math or science, but we’ve got more confidence that any country on earth.  Some people refer to that as “chutzpa”, others may say arrogance.  Not sure it matters; the end result is we end up with innovation of one type or another. Then we go out and sell it. The rest of the folks buy into it and once again we are the leaders.

There are lots of leaders in Michigan, and they become known in various ways.  Maybe they are shaped a bit by the struggle to rise up, but when they do show up, they make great contributions that we all benefit by.  Just think what would happen if we took the pains to identify these people early on in their careers and allowed those with that special something get the training, or education or exposure and support them as they grow instead of letting our preconceived notions get in the way. This might be diversity of a new type.


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HERE IS A NEW IDEA.

Not all new ideas will make it, but a little experimentation might turn into the next best thing or make an old organization sustainable instead of fading away. How about you and I keeping a list of new ideas in some fashion, putting a date on it, and see what happens. The optimism can be catching.  And studies have shown that smiling and optimism avoids heart attacks.

So!  Any ideas??  What have you got to lose?  Post them here!


 

Job Classifications

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Ardon Schambers,

Progressive Ideas

The process of job classifications has been a mainstay of Human Resource practice for many years.  Every now and then, we see articles that say this is an archaic approach and doesn’t serve the organization well. The emphasis is on flexibility and fluidness to meet the fast paced changes that the organization has to deal with.  It’s a little like saying, “Let’s not use job titles”. Progressive organizations don’t want to lock in titles because there is baggage and problems that come from such practices.  Having no title is more egalitarian.


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Downsides

There are many problems with these open-ended classification strategies.  For example, people dealing with these unclassified individuals don’t know their role or authority. The employees don’t have their responsibilities clearly articulated, so they may be held accountable for things they don’t know about or when they step over the lines. It also becomes a problem when you begin to search for people with the skills to do what the boss expects. We are seeing more of this as jobs get stretched to lower costs and reduce the number of employees.  It is also becoming more difficult to determine the appropriate pay for people with unusual responsibility job sets.  What is the right pay in comparison to the market and those in the organization becomes an essential ingredient in employee retention.  

Don’t forget, there is still a responsibility to be in compliance with labor regulations, such as FLSA, for overtime, and to be able to classify employees for EEO compliance, etc.  The government doesn’t warm up to these new fangled ideas real fast.

Don’t Be Afraid

It is really important to understand all the ramifications of employee practices, and make sure they are well thought out.  Make sure it isn’t a methodology to avoid delicate decisions. Good policies and practices require maintenance and tweaking from time-to-time.  They do bring order to an otherwise arena of chaos.




    Author

    Ardon Schambers has 39 years of professional HR experience and is a Principal of P3HR Consulting & Services, LLC

    Mike Blake has over 15 years of safety and leadership experience in industry with extensive transportation expertise.

    Jim Kohmescher worked in both the private and public sectors in human resource management positions. He has a Master's degree and served as an adjunct college instructor.

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