Workplace 101: A Profiles Global Business Blog

You have concerns about something at work. Who would you be more inclined to speak to about it, your supervisor, manager, vice-president or CEO?

The topic of giving feedback can be quite a sensitive one, as the issue may be about how your boss is conducting himself. No one likes to tell the person that pays their salary that they are doing something wrong. However, a true leader and fair boss will appreciate your feedback considering it is fair and true.

Leaders receive less feedback the higher they go in an organization. By giving feedback to your boss, you are giving a powerful gift. However, because he may not receive much feedback, he may not know how to react. Even if he does not react (or reacts negatively) he needs to hear it and will most likely come to appreciate it once he has had time to reflect!

Feedback from employees is priceless. Do you think companies like Facebook and Google would have had such outstanding success without feedback from their staff? Giving feedback to your boss in an appropriate manner is beneficial for all parties involved.

Here are some dos and don'ts for giving feedback to your boss:

Strategic workforce planning is a process that ensures that your business has the right people in the right jobs at the right time to achieve your expected results. This discipline helps organizations understand their current state, forecast talent gaps, and take the necessary steps to close those gaps. It is a core business process that is often handled by HR, but it is so important to the success of an organization that its leaders should approach strategic workforce planning proactively and take ownership of it.

We are very excited to announce a complimentary webinar series to help our clients use Profiles assessments to support their leadership development and succession planning initiatives.

You have a new management position opening up in your organization and you are responsible for selecting someone to fill that position. On your team, you have a pool of determined hard working candidates that have been working hard for years to deserve such a position. They are high performers and you have assessed that they would fit such a position. Clearly it’s a win-win, right? Wrong!

Researched and Edited by Jeff Meyers

Social media is at the center of 2 big headlines in the business press in early February. The first is the much-anticipated IPO filing by Facebook. The second is the announcement that Procter and Gamble (P&G) is laying off 1,600 marketers as a result of slashing its advertising budget. These two stories have a tremendous impact for all employers: embrace social media for your business or risk fading away.

According to U.S. News and World Report, things are looking up for the class of 2012. Employers say they plan to hire 9.5 percent more graduates this year than 2011.

With the steadily increasing number of college graduates entering the workforce, Reagan Consulting conducted “The Young Producer Study” to investigate the recruitment and selection of younger men and women for sales positions. This study specifically deals with the insurance industry, but the findings can apply to various positions because the younger generation is crucial to future leadership and productivity of every organization.  

Guest Post by Ali Schwanke

Growth is a constant topic of conversation these days. Executives want to grow their leadership skills. Health conscious folks want to grow their own food. Bodybuilders want to increase the size of their muscles. Companies desire to exponentially grow their sales numbers.

But, in our fast paced society, do we really understand what it takes to grow?