Thanksgiving Day Proclamation Of 1789

As leaders in this day and this time, it is incumbent upon us collectively to both recall and reflect upon the true heritage of our nation and its public observance of a day of Thanksgiving and prayer.

Thanksgiving Day 1789

By The President of the United States of America – A Proclamation

“Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly implore His protection and favor – and Whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me ‘to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for safety and happiness.’

Now therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26^th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all good that was, that is, or that will be – That we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks – for His kind care and protection of the People of this country previous to their becoming a Nation – for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions if His providence, which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war – for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed – for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted, for the civil and religious liberty with which we have been blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which He hath pleased to confer on us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions – to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually – to  render our national government a blessing to all the People, by constantly being a government of wise, just and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed – to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace and concord – To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and Us – and generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.”

Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

George Washington

As my family and I prepare to observe in accordance with the spirit and content of President Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation… I pray that our sovereign nation would again be blessed with authentic leadership such as first founded these United States two hundred and thirty eight years ago, and that almighty God would bring forth Godly leaders that would follow His divine plan, purpose and will for our nation, heal our land, unite our People and restore the foundational premise of our nation’s existence.

I  extend my sincere and earnest wish to you and your family for a Happy Thanksgiving!

To your every success in leadership and life,

Tom

Thomas H. Swank, CEO

The Leadership Academy

How To Choose A Leader

In a few short weeks you will again be confronted with the awesome responsibility of heading to your local polling place to cast your ballots for the election of local, state and national offices that require authentic leadership as a prerequisite to the solemn duties of their respective offices.

 

What is your personal and professional responsibility when it comes to choosing a leader?

There are hundreds of characteristics, attributes and qualities that great leaders can embody and exhibit. However, no single leader could ever possess all of these various characteristics.

As you live out your personal and professional life you will be presented with ongoing opportunities to participate in the selection or election process for governmental, business workplace, civic and church leadership.

 Following are some key considerations and questions that you would be wise to weigh carefully as you execute your personal and professional responsibility of selecting future leaders:

Does the individual consistently tell the truth and then conduct themselves in an honest and principled manner? 

Is the individual reliable, faithful and trustworthy? Does he or she actually do what they say they will do?

Does this individual honor their commitments to spouse, family and their organization? 

Is this individual genuine and authentic? Are they the real deal?

Is this individual generous to others, especially those who are in need?

Does this individual communicate and exhibit sound reasoning?

Does this individual exhibit high moral, ethical and spiritual character?

Is this individual fiscally responsible? Is he or she conscientious about paying their financial obligations?

Is this individual a good communicator that respects others while being kind, considerate and gentle? Is he or she a good listener?

Is this individual humble and well grounded? Does he or she treat others with dignity, appreciation and a spirit of service?

Does this individual consistently extend common courtesies to others?

Is this individual careful? Does he or she thoroughly review all of their options and carefully consider the ramifications of his or her decisions?

Does this individual exhibit self-control in his or her habits?

Is this individual prepared to be an appropriate example for others to follow? Does he or she live by these same standards of personal and professional conduct?

Does this individual know how to relax, have fun and make others laugh without having to resort to inappropriate content, coarse jokes, crude language or stories?

Does this individual exhibit patience and life balance? Is he or she even tempered or are they easily irritated?

Is this person a bridge builder and a peacemaker who seeks to forge mutual beneficial long term relationships? Does he or she avoid arguments and pursue constructive ways to resolve differences?

Does this individual bring out the best in others?

Does this individual inspire others to learn more, do more and become more? Does he or she help others to develop their potential?

Does this individual accept full responsibility for their errors and mistakes? Does he or she show remorse, make amends and do all that they can to make the situation right?

Is this individual genuinely modest? Does he or she focus on the accomplishment and achievements of others rather then their own successes?

Does this individual interact and work well with others and exhibit good judgment while executing well thought out decisions that demonstrate wisdom and fairness?

Is the individual fully prepared to stand up for the truth and then follow through by doing the right thing… No matter the personal or professional cost to themselves?

Does the individual share and support your values or position with regard to the matters or issues at hand?

At a personal level you may have other points or perspectives for evaluating or scrutinizing potential leadership. Regardless of how you ultimately make your leadership decision, it remains your personal and professional responsibility to thoroughly evaluate, examine and test leadership candidates. It is extremely important that you observe both their behaviors and body language, as this will provide far greater insight into the candidate than their mere words.

Also, take the time to also thoroughly review all available information including resume, website, social media and public records. In the case of public elections, be sure to review all available campaign materials. 

Lastly, as a leader it is incumbent upon you to continue to apply these characteristics, attributes and qualities to your personal and professional life… And to those whom you lead in all the arenas of your life to do the same.

The Leadership Academy… Changing the way organizations and people work, perform and live.

Copyright © 2012-2014 Developing Forward | Thomas H. Swank, CBC.

Leadership In Conflict

Issues of conflict arise within an organization week in and week out. The important question is… How effective is your leadership in dealing with and then resolving these situations?

 

Leaders who fail to appropriately master conflict on their watch ultimately permeate the tension and stress in their organizations while hampering their own careers. Interestingly enough, many leaders actually feel more courageous and internally settled when it comes time to confront the issue or individual that is at the forefront of the conflict.

Often times, leaders who are confronted with an issue involving conflict actually find themselves conflicted about how to handle the issue that is facing them. This self-confliction invariably results in approaches that yield ineffective outcomes… for example:

They assert their authority and attempt to win regardless of the impact it may have on others. In the process, they fail to consider “what might work” for the others involved.

The leader assumes a parental state in dealing with the conflict which results in them fault finding and then blaming others for their potential shortcomings. They may find them self looking down over the rim of their glasses, possibly pointing their finger at others and uttering things such as “You should have…”, “Why didn’t you…” or “If you hadn’t…”

Leaders may have developed the habit of viewing situations solely from the perspective of their world and consequently lack the appropriate empathy to consider how the conflict may be affecting others that are involved in the situation.

The leader may react impulsively to questions, rather than take the appropriate time to think matters through and provide a skilled and articulate response.

Leaders may avoid being honest regarding how they feel about a given situation. In some instances, they may even resort to emotional outbursts in order to mask the negative feelings which they may harbor.

If the leader is not cognoscente enough to maintain appropriate respect for others at all times, then there is a high likelihood that they will inadvertently lead others to feel that they don’t respect them.

Leaders often tend to add to the process of over analyzing the issue at hand, rather than effectively focusing on the creation and implementation of an appropriate solution.

It is ultimately every leader’s responsibility to engage conflict situations with a “constructive” approach that will bring clarity to the situation, identify critical issues, stimulate strategic thinking and foster creative resolutions.

 

The Leadership Academy… Changing the way organizations and people work, perform and live.

The Law Of Results

Sir Isaac Newton’s third Law of Motion states that “Every Action has an Equal and Opposite Reaction.”

Aside from physics, this principle has many similar applications in your daily life. If you smile at someone, they will invariably smile back at you. In like fashion, if you wish someone “Good morning”, they will in turn wish you a good morning as well.

This same principle is also true for business. For example, no one ever sells something until someone buys something.

The point that I’m making is that nothing ever happens in life until somebody does “something”. You can’t get heat from a fireplace until such time as you gather the wood and build a fire in it. The significant factor in the law of physics is that the “action” and opposite “reaction” are EQUAL in nature.

How many times have you heard someone say “You get out of it… What you put into it”? If you or your people only put forth a half-baked effort, then you or your organization are only going to get a half-baked result.

As you read this, you might be saying to yourself that you are taking plenty of action and that you are working your tail off. And the reality is that you probably are. I don’t question that you are working hard and that you are putting forth a great deal of concerted effort. However, I do question whether you are getting the results that you really “want”.  

According to Sir Isaac… The result (whatever it is) that you are getting is EQUAL to what it is that you are doing to generate the result. Therefore, if you are not getting the results that you want in your life and work, then it’s high time to start taking some different action.

At this juncture, I would like to introduce you to the Law of Results which states that “Taking RIGHT Action Equals RIGHT Results.” For it is the process of taking new (right) action that will ultimately bring you closer and closer to achieving the right result outcomes that you want for your life, career or business.

The problem is that most people are so busy getting from birth to death any old which way that they can, that they never find the time to determine what it is that they truly want, let alone how to get it. The reality of their lives is that they never actually do take action. They spend their entire lives allowing their circumstances to control their lives and consequently find themselves in permanent “reaction” mode. There is no “equal”. There is no life balance. There is no real satisfaction, accomplishment or meaningful achievement.

For most people and organizations it is much easier to talk about taking action than actually doing something that is planned and proactive. The reality is that talking about ideas and potential actions feels far safer than stepping up and stepping out. Actually doing something is generally construed as risky business.

There are very predictable reasons for why people shy away from taking risks. Maybe you or your people are familiar with them:

Fear. Fear is without question the biggest factor that holds people and organizations back. Fear of failure. Fear of success. Fear of reprisal. Fear of not being good enough, smart enough and the like.

Victimization. Nothing every works out for the victim. Everybody is out to get him or her. There are too many distractions and interference for them to work effectively. The deadlines aren’t fair or realistic.

Habits. Old habits and poor work habits hold people back as well. While there may be better and more cost effective ways of doing things, these individuals simply don’t see any reason to change.

Perfectionism. After all, if you are going to do something… then do it right. Right? Very few tasks or projects literally require being perfect. If you wait for all conditions to be perfectly right, you will never get anything done.

Lack of Commitment. People want to be on the winning team, that’s a given. However, a lot of people want to hedge their bets just in case something goes wrong. Their lack of true commitment leaves them constantly straddling the fence of life. To them it only makes sense to leave their options open.

Don’t be afraid of taking some healthy and reasonable risks. Press past your fears and anything else that is holding you back. Commit to doing “something”. Better yet, commit to doing the RIGHT something!

Developing Forward provides developmental training, processes and structure to support, or even assist you in identifying and achieving the results you want for your business, career and personal life. At your convenience, call us to learn more or to schedule a confidential evaluation. 

Learn more… Do more… Become more…

 

Copyright © 2014 Developing Forward | Thomas H. Swank, CBC | All Rights Reserved.

Putting Life Back Into Perspective

When the world gets out of kilter, daily life generally seems to follow suit.

The recent events of the downing of the Malaysian airliner in Ukraine and the Israeli conflict with Hamas have certainly added to life’s tensions for many concerned peoples around the world. Clearly, there were already ample things on the world stage and here at home in the U.S. to be plenty concerned about.

 

When it comes to worry and stress, people tend to lose touch with what it is in life that they have the ability to control and those things over which then have no control what so ever. The reality is that the virtual majority of what you have stress about will never come to pass in the first place. Moreover, you wouldn’t have any control of the circumstances even if they did some how come to pass.

 

There are times when the world around you is full of uncertainty and life’s future prospects look gloomy. When this occurs, you need to find a way of putting life back into perspective.

 

A few months back when I was at the neighborhood branch of my bank, I observed something on my bank officer’s desk that really caught my attention. It was a simple list of perspectives about life that I found very reassuring. I’m sure that Miss Judy would approve of me sharing them with you:

 

The Greatest Joy ………………………………………….. Giving

The Greatest Loss ……………………...…Loss of Self-Respect

The Most Satisfying Work …………...................Helping Others

The Ugliest Personality Trait …………………….…..Selfishness

The Most Endangered Species ………...…..Dedicated Leaders

Our Greatest Natural Resource ………………...…….Our Youth

The Greatest “Shot In The Arm” …………….…Encouragement

The Greatest Problem to Overcome ……………...……..….Fear

The Most Effective Sleep Remedy …………...….Peace of Mind

The Most Crippling Failure Disease ……………….……Excuses

The Most Powerful Force In Life …………………….... ……Love

The Most Dangerous Pariah ………………………….A Gossiper

The World’s Most Powerful Computer …………...……The Brain

The Worst Thing To Be Without ………………………….…Hope

The Deadliest Weapon …………………………...….The Tongue

The Two Most Power-Filled Words ……………………….”I Can”

The Greatest Asset …………………………………………...Faith

The Most Worthless Emotion …………………………... Self-Pity

The Most Beautiful Attire ……………………………..…. A Smile

The Greatest Gift …………………………………...…...Kindness

The Most Prized Possession ………………………….…Integrity

The Most Powerful Form of Communication ……….……Prayer

The Most Contagious Spirit ………………………….Enthusiasm

The Most Important Thing In Life ………………………...….God

When I consider this amazing list, I am reminded that while life is hard enough, you need not add to it by being hard on yourself. Life is short… best that you not hasten the process by worrying yourself to death. Scripture reminds us that there will be trials and tribulations, war and rumors of war. What you are experiencing today is nothing new in the grand scheme of life on planet earth.

 

There is a lifetime of abundant living in the list above, if you would simply employ these perspectives. Choose to take charge of those aspects of life over which you can exert some degree of control. Beyond that, take time to smell the roses, spend time with friends and family. View more sunrises at the beach, more sunsets from the mountain top and take more barefoot walks in the park.

 

Most of all, learn to enjoy the process and live life to the fullest… for time is fleeting.

 

Lastly, one final thought from an author unknown… “The mark of a successful man is one that has spent an entire day on the bank of a river without feeling guilty about it.”

 

The Leadership Academy… Changing the way organizations and people work, perform and live.

Copyright © 2014 Developing Forward | Thomas H. Swank, CBC | All Rights Reserved.

When Your Inherent Your Leadership Role

No sooner had GM’s new CEO Mary Teresa Barra reported for duty on January 15, 2014, that she immediately found herself seated in front of congress having to answer for GM’s failure to effect recalls in a timely manner and for a number of consumer deaths that were associated with the delayed recalls in question.

 

This past week General Motors announced the additional recall of yet another 8 million vehicles with faulty ignition switches. Over the course of just the past six months since CEO Barr’s arrival, GM has now issued over 28 million product recalls.

 

CEO Barra's recent experiences serve to remind leaders everywhere of the immense challenges that must be faced on a daily basis. Leadership truly is the fulcrum of change. Clearly, leaders would love for their future leadership role to be the successor for a highly successful leader that is retiring after a long tenure of service. The opportunity to take over the helm of a well-oiled machine and then keep it running smoothly, simply isn’t by any measure the reality of an authentic leader.

 

The factual truth is that the average tenure of a Fortune 500 CEO is just 3.5 years. As CEO Barra can attest to, leaders are replaced for very real reasons and the incoming leader is typically going to inherit a multitude of challenges which must be addressed forth with.

 

If there is a downside to leadership, it is that every role that you undertake will require you to assume full responsibility for your predecessor’s failures and short sightedness. Regardless of how competent a leader may truly be, he or she is going to have weaknesses and blind spots. Even the very best of leaders can never get every decision right.

 

When successful organizations acquire one of their competitors that are struggling or failing, they have several courses of action which they can pursue. They can elect to acquire only the company’s assets, without taking on any responsibility for the competitor’s liabilities. Conversely, they can also choose to buy out the competitor lock, stock and barrel, including all debts, liabilities and operational headaches.

 

As an authentic leader that is positioned on the front lines of day to day operations, scenario #2 above will invariably be your plight. Whatever the magnitude of the situations that you may have inherited, you now own them… lock, stock and barrel. Your leadership responsibility is to meet these challenges head-on, while creating effective solutions.

 

In the circumstance of GM CEO Mary Barra, not only has she inherited 28,000,000+ recalls, she has inherited total accountability for them. Although the manufacturing deficiencies did not happen on her watch, CEO Barra must now address the engineering, sub-contractor and manufacturing glitches after the fact. Such is the true nature of leadership.

 

The GM situation serves to reveal just how deep the tentacles of flawed leadership that have preceded the current leader can reach. In like fashion, the extent of the cost fix that is required to correct such circumstances can be exorbitant. Simply consider the GM situation as it now stands.

 

While there are a variety of recall issues that must be repaired, for the sake of analysis, you would have to project at a minimum that the replacement cost of each defective part is at least $100.00 per vehicle. The labor involved to then remove the defective part and subsequently install a new component would again involve a minimum of two labor hours at a going labor rate of approximately $90.00 per hour at your typical GM dealership. 28 million recalls at $280.00+ each equates to a staggering recall repair cost of approximately 8 billion (that’s with a “b”) dollars or more.

 

Allow me to put that in context for you. GM’s North America sales were 1.9 million vehicles in 2013 and 1.8 million vehicles in 2012. 28 million recalls at the rate of 2 million sales per year equates to 14 years’ worth  of vehicle sales. GM’s annual profit in 2013 was 3.8 billion dollars, while 2012 came in slightly higher at 4.9 billion dollars. The final cost of GM’s existing recall scenario will without question completely eradicate all of the company’s substantial profits for the past two years.

 

This brief is being provided to stress the point that new leadership roles are akin to icebergs, in that there is far more to be dealt with than what is visible at a surface level. As an authentic leader, you must perfect your skills for both that which can be reasonably anticipated, as well as those situations than cannot in any way be perceived in advance.

 

In the final analysis, an quintessential part of leadership is being adequately prepared for the unexpected.

 

The Leadership Academy… Changing the way organizations and people work, perform and live.

Copyright © 2014 Developing Forward | Thomas H. Swank, CBC | All Rights Reserved.

Is It Time To Rediscover Your Life?

Will your life “tomorrow” be different from your life today? What about your career or business?

 

Sadly the answer for the vast majority of people is that little, if anything, will actually change in their life over the next twenty four hours or beyond. The reality is that they aren’t doing one single thing to be proactive about changing what needs to change in their lives.

 

One of the significant issues that my individual clientele, business owners and corporate clients must come to grips with is the same issue that I now ask you… What is the one thing that absolutely has to change in your life?

 

The companion question that also requires your complete honesty is… What is the consequence if it doesn’t change?

 

In almost every instance, the answers to these two insightful questions come to mind in a virtual instant, because they are already weighing heavily on your mind. Simply stated, the answers are immediate and obvious to you because you already know exactly how it will affect your life.

 

The true oddity here is that most people utilize superficial thinking and problem solving in dealing with their lives. Consequently, the decisions that they make and the actions that they take are likewise superficially based on what is immediate and obvious to them. Yet, even when you know exactly what needs to change in your life and why… You still choose to do nothing. This principle holds true for both your professional life, as well as your personal life.

 

Come tomorrow, you will invariably execute the exact same hum-drum routines in the exact same order as you did today. Will this simply occur out of established habits that have you running on auto pilot? The factual truth is that you are far more likely to make a clear conscious choice to not step outside of your comfort zone.

 

While this is your “reality”, it is not the reality that you should be opting for. You don’t have to live a lukewarm life, nor do you have to be lukewarm about your work. There was a time years ago when you were full of excitement, optimism and passion for what you were going to do with your life.

 

What has actually happened to you over the years, is that you have allowed the predictability of your responsibilities to rob you of your zest for life and the meaningful work that you do. You have become far more focused on perceived material necessities, than on your beliefs about what is truly important in life. Somewhere along the road of life, you swapped your passion and spirit of adventure for complacency and a false sense of security.

 

The proof lies with the tens of millions of adult American’s who sat comfortably at home watching Macy’s Fireworks Spectacular on TV (or other such events) on the evening of July 4^th. Have you become one of them? Yet, there was a time in these same people’s lives when they would have clamored to get the best possible spot to view the live fireworks event in their home town.

 

Over this past holiday weekend, the Hallmark Channel was airing Christmas movies. Concurrently, many retailers were also attempting to cash in by having Christmas in July sales. It would be my observation that there is a take-a-way that you could apply to your life here. Think back to last December, what were your hopes, dreams and goals for the coming year? The great news is that half of the year is still in front of you and it remains filled with endless possibilities for real achievement. Be gracious enough to give yourself permission for a do-over.

 

Virtually every electronic device that you own has a “reset” feature or button. There is no time like the present to hit your reset button and reboot your life, career or business. There is absolutely nothing standing in your way… but “you”.

 

Call a timeout and then get your life, goals and priorities straight. Stop taking the easy way out. Stop living life vicariously through other people. Decide what it is that you truly want. Dust off a dream and then pursue it with everything you’ve got. Determine what’s missing in your life. Press past your fear and do something that you have never done before. Dare to live your life boldly.

 

When you do, not only will you take back control of your life… You’ll discover a new found zest for living like never before!

 

The Leadership Academy… Learn more… Do more… Become more….

Copyright © 2014 Developing Forward | Thomas H. Swank, CBC | All Rights Reserved.

The Leadership Gap

Does your organization have a fail-safe leadership development and succession plan firmly in place?

 

According to a recent study by the Deloitte University Press, it is highly likely that your organization is caught in a “leadership gap”.

 

86% of the organizations that were surveyed stated that leadership development and succession planning in fact constituted an “urgent need”. However, only a mere 13% of these organizations held the conviction that their organization was doing an effective job of preparing for their next generation of leaders.

 

The critical challenge that H.R. departments find themselves confronted with is how to address the differing leadership needs throughout the various levels of their organization. In one regard, performance oriented millennial candidates seek a fast track to meaningful leadership roles.

 

On the other hand, mid-level leaders require enhanced opportunities to broaden the scope and depth of their abilities as a precursor to future leadership advancement. When it comes to senior level leaders, it is imperative that your organization maintain a serious commitment to mentoring its younger generation of leadership candidates. Senior leaders must be able to transcend generational diversity while freely sharing their experience and inherent knowledge of the organization, its nuances and potential pitfalls.

 

It is also critical for the senior level and executive leaders to demonstrate their buy-in to the leadership development and succession planning process. This tier of leadership needs to be actively involved and thoroughly engaged in grooming future up and coming leaders.

 

Additionally, your organization must comprehend that succession planning encompasses every level of your organization and extends far beyond its top executives. Attrition, competitor recruitment, injury, health issues and death far out number retirement as a consideration with respect to leadership succession.

 

The retirement or sudden loss of a competent leader not only creates a void, it directly impairs the functionality and continuity of the organization’s leadership dynamic. At the heart of the leadership development and succession planning issue lies the realization that qualified workers will in time succeed their supervisors, who will in turn succeed mid-level managers, who as well will succeed your organization’s senior executives.

 

A crucial key for successive leadership development and succession planning is the cultivation an appropriate mindset on the part of every member of your organization, from the organization’s boardroom to its boiler room.

 

Leadership is clearly the #1 talent issue of organizations globally. Business, industry and government find themselves hard pressed to develop leaders at all levels of their organizations.

 

The Leadership Academy… Changing the way organizations and people work, perform and live!

Copyright © 2014 Developing Forward | Thomas H. Swank, CBC | All Rights Reserved.

The Lack of Readiness

Do you and your organization constantly find that you are scrambling in an attempt to complete projects on schedule or meet other deadlines on time?

 

During my recent attendance at a high profile training event, I had the opportunity to observe a wide variety of people and organizations scrambling to get their act together at the very last minute. In one instance, I watched as the person who was responsible for arranging the catering for a three hour social event received a phone call 45 minutes into the event from the host facility informing him that all of the food which had been contracted for had already been consumed by the attendees.

 

The first thought that popped into my head was my old Boy Scout motto “Be prepared.” Undoubtedly, some valuable lessons resulted from this unsettling experience. It also serves to raise the question… How prepared are you, your organization and your people to meet your responsibilities?

 

Sadly, most organizations and their people simply don’t deal with tomorrow until tomorrow. The problems that occur, the important details that fall through the cracks and the failures that they experience, are invariably due to a lack of readiness.

 

There is a direct relationship between readiness and responsibility. Dietrich Bonhoeffer stated it this way…  “Actions springs not from thought, but from a readiness for responsibility.”

 

Quite often, what you do (or don’t do) speaks louder than any words that you could ever say. The same is true of your organization and its people. In reality, while you can shoot from the hip and hope to hit something, appropriate action requires advance planning if you are truly going to hit your mark and ultimately obtain the desired result outcome.

 

In the circumstance cited earlier, the failure to properly fact find and plan resulted in a number of undesirable outcomes. Following below are a few of the more obvious and costly outcomes from this situation:

 

The attendees went from being served the good food to having a lengthy break in service, only to eventually receive mediocre substitutes in place of the originally announced menu.

 

Overall event satisfaction by the attendees was diminished in the process, which could ultimately affect registration signups for future events and potential revenue for same.

 

Clearly, the host organization had to endure the embarrassment also resulted.

 

The catering chefs and staff were greatly inconvenienced by having to unexpectedly perform addition work which was not on their schedule for that workday.

 

The host organization lost its ability to negotiate in a timely fashion for these additional services, which resulted in having to pay top price for the extra food preparation and service.

 

As a result, the host organization wound up being considerably over budget due to its short sightedness in planning.

 

Post event organizational meetings to assess “what went wrong and why” resulted in a significant usage of man hours which further resulted in lost productivity.

 

The lesson to be garnered from this circumstance is that there is simply no substitute for thorough planning. Rest assured, that even with proper planning, unanticipated things may still potentially occur. However, rock solid planning will not only better prepare you for a successful outcome, it will help you in identifying potential pitfalls and problems for which you can then develop a contingency plan (which will further assure you a likely successful outcome).

 

In the words of one of my early mentors, “Plan your work… then work your plan.” When you heed this sound advice, you will find yourself, your organization and your people adequately prepared and ready for the responsibilities for which you are collectively and individually accountable.

 

The Leadership Academy… Changing the way organizations and people work, perform and live.
 
Copyright © 2014 Developing Forward | Thomas H. Swank, CBC | All Rights Reserved.

A Desirable Place To Work

Fortune’s 2014 list of the 100 Best Companies to Work for has a perennial favorite at the top of its rankings… Google.

 

In 2007, Business Week cited Google as “a hot stock, but it’s even hotter as a desirable place to work” because of the attention that Google pays to hiring and keeping the best people on board.

 

Google not only views their people as their greatest asset, they reflect this organizational attitude by treating their people as valuable assets. Unfortunately, the vast majority of business, industry and government organizations profess that “Our people are our greatest asset”, yet fail to follow through by demonstrating that it is actually true.

 

The sad truth of the matter is that most employees don’t even get the proverbial pat on the back or hear their boss thank them for a job well done.

 

From a practical perspective, the people at every level of your organization are in reality far more valuable than any piece of equipment, software or robotics will ever be. In like fashion, your people also represent your organization’s highest operational expense.

 

What Google and the other great places to work realize is that their people, like their other physical equipment will break down and fail to perform unless they are properly maintained. This analogy equates directly to the classic industrial expression about production line equipment being “Finely tuned and well oiled”.

 

Vehicles, machinery and computers all require maintenance servicing and repair in order to remain in top working condition and performing at their best. Your people are no different, as they require attitude adjustments, motivation tune-ups and learning opportunities and upgrades.

 

When it comes to your people being your organization’s greatest asset, the pertinent question is whether your organization is actually walking its talk. The litmus test rests with your organization’s commitment to elevate talent retention, team building and leadership development to the level of being a strategic priority.

 

There isn’t any fudge factor on these issues, as the answer should be just as obvious to your organization as it is to your people. Following below are some clear warning signs that your organization may not stand up to greatest asset litmus test:

 

HR has the wrong priority. The classic analogy that you can’t chase two rabbits lies at the heart of the functional purpose of HR in your organization. It is impossible to develop talent while elevating people and productivity if your organization is managing HR as a finance function. If your organization holds the attitude that salaries and benefits are a cost (not an investment in talent/people) that equates to attaching a vacuum hose to your bottom line, you’re not walking your talk.

 

Recruiting isn’t about talent. Is your organization processing job candidates like a cattle auction processes livestock, rather than earnest identifying key individuals that could be valued contributors to your organization? If your recruiting unit is a black hole where qualified resumes never see the light of day, you’re walking the wrong talk.

 

The HR executive is a second-class leader. If your organization truly values talent, then your HR leader will be esteemed and operate at the same level as the rest of the executive leadership team.

 

HR is a cost cutting monitor. If your organization’s primary HR function is cost control, then it is operating as an extension of your finance unit. You can’t be dedicated to acquiring and managing talent, if you’re focused on shaving nickels and dimes from your benefit program premiums.

 

Critical people functions are outsourced. If your “greatest assets” have to address their employee issues to a disconnected and dispassionate overseas entity, your organization is expressing a lack of value and appreciation for its people. Your people will find it unsettling to open up with a stranger that is half way around the world about sensitive job issues. Talented people will feel devalued, become demotivated and seek better opportunities elsewhere.

 

Your Operation Isn’t Unified. Many organizations have adopted the practice of having a separate organizational development group to for the creation of the organization’s culture and leadership strength. A worthy HR executive would never allow the critical loss of leadership development, mentoring, succession planning and performance management to be removed and reassigned to an independent OD group. The purpose of HR is to recruit talent, develop said talent and ultimately put a winning team on the field every business day.

 

If your organization is exhibiting any of these warning signs, then you’ve got some urgent work to do before you retake the “Our People Are Our Greatest Asset” litmus test. Your organization should also realize that any of these warning signs are also preventing you from winning the marketplace competition to acquire the best and brightest talent.

 

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