Workplace 101: A Profiles Global Business Blog

Profiles International is a proud sponsor of Aberdeen Research Group's latest report: Human Capital Management Trends 2012. Aberdeen has been on the forefront of identifying the practices that differentiate best-in-class organizations from their peers.

Guest Post by Nadia Jones

It’s simply a part of most people’s job to feel pockets of boredom throughout the day. However, if employees seem exceptionally bored, become much less productive, or seem to feel frustrated, then it may be time to check in as a manager.

Edited by Christina Krenek

Feedback. We’ve all given it, received it, and possibly even loathed it. But constructive feedback is essential for everyone in the workplace, especially as a manager or leader. It lets people know where they are and where to go next in terms of expectations and goals - yours, their own, and the organizations.

Profiles International is proud to sponsor the Chicago HR Leadership Summit built “by HR Execs, for HR Execs”.

Evanta is hosting over 15 events in the coming year and the Chicago event is the first. The one-day event is designed to facilitate collaboration across industries throughout the US and build leadership skills through the sharing of best practices, from industry experts and thought leaders in HR today. This individual event is hosted by The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Researched and edited by Jeffrey Meyers, and based on a presentation delivered by Profiles International's John Bradford.

Think about your business 5 years from now. What will your business be like? Will your products and services be the same as they are today? Serving the same customer base? In the same markets? With the same demand? What type of employees will you need to fulfill your plans and objectives? The foundation of your success could hinge upon an effective talent management program that strongly values succession planning.

We are pleased to announce that April 25-26, we will host a certification workshop for clients at our campus in Waco. The program will cover 4 assessments:

In case you are catching up on your reading or just joining us, check out the hot topics in Leadership & Management.

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:

According to Gallup weekly reports, the U.S. economic confidence is the best it’s been in a year. We’ve seen moderate improvement in unemployment and job creation, and 43 percent of Americans say the economy is “getting better.”

As we discussed before, extreme customer focus is crucial to increasing sales productivity. But is it enough?

Research from the America’s Most Productive Companies: Large Sales Force Analysis suggests there is more to successful sales than just good customer service. Focusing on the customer is great, but to be the best, top sales organizations have to take it to the next level. They must carefully analyze customers’ high priority needs and then align their products, services and solutions to fit those needs.       

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!

Jeffrey Meyers researched and edited this article.

Coworkers and colleagues spend so much time together, often more time at work than at home. As we celebrate Valentine’s Day, it’s helpful to recognize that office romances are difficult to avoid – it’s hard to intervene when there’s a spark. The most important concerns resulting from office romances are conflicts of interest and work distractions. The extent to which you can manage and minimize these problems will keep your operations running effectively and drama-free.

When it comes to motivating sales people, there is the common misconception that money is the only driving factor, but studies have shown that motivation comes from more than dollar signs and fat paychecks. In fact, employee recognition and rewards are essential to keeping employees happy, engaged and motivated.  

What every great sales leader needs to know

To have great sales effectiveness, you have to have a great sales team. Within all teams, whether they are NBA players, the neighborhood little league or the company softball team, there is always opportunity for conflict. The same goes for sales teams. And for independent, results-driven sales people, keeping the team in mind may not be their number one priority. So it’s important that sales leaders know how to effectively manage team conflict.

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.  

Researched and Edited by Jeff Meyers

By now we know that the New York Giants defeated Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. No matter which team you were rooting for, there’s no denying that Super Bowl opponents face incredible pressure to perform under an intense spotlight. When the big game’s on the line, the extent to which you can minimize job distractions can mean the difference between victory and failure. How can you keep your employees on track, on target, and motivated to finish big? Are strong team leadership and managerial effectiveness enough?

Guest post by Chip Conley www.emotionalequations.com

I entered Stanford Business School twenty-nine years ago as a naive twenty-one year old, the youngest in my class. One of my classmates immediately sized me up, asking "So, what did you specialize in before coming to get your MBA?" I said, "Growing up." Not satisfied with my answer, he continued, "No, seriously, what's your area of expertise and why'd they let you in here?" I paused and sheepishly said something absolutely true, but somewhat blasphemous for the times, "I guess I understand people well. My boss this summer told me my expertise is how I use my emotions to my advantage." My classmate couldn't stop laughing and he was on to glad-handing the next person because, clearly, I was a loser.

Original material sourced from Bersin & Associates 2011

Approximately one in every seven new hires in the healthcare industry leaves his/her jobs within the first twelve months - Bersin & Associates, 2011

In today’s economy, even the most complex and profitable healthcare organizations are in a constant state of flux. Despite high growth and booming profits, turnover levels and ineffective management can have a significant impact on even the strongest companies. In the healthcare industry, it is crucial to hire people that genuinely care for the welfare of others, and that these people are hired into the right jobs.

Researched and Edited by Jeff Meyers

Groundhog Day is a famous ritual in rural Pennsylvania that dates back centuries to the days of the Roman Empire. It was also the subject of a comedy movie in which the main character is forced to relive the same day over and over again. Both the day itself and the movie offer several lessons for business leaders: managing by fact, work climate, employee engagement and motivation, training and development, innovation, and managerial effectiveness.

The reason these people fail often comes down to three critical factors: leadership behaviors, aspiration and engagement. Aspiration entails whether the candidate really wants the position and is willing to make the sacrifices it may require. Engagement involves the employee's commitment to the company and its mission. In focusing on whether an employee potentially can do a job, many organizations neglect the question, “Does he want to do this?"