Is your organization like a tiger?

In the absence of real information from a credible source, it is human nature to fill the gap – most often with the worst-case scenario. With each iteration, these stories grow more speculative, more horrifying, more grandiose.

We’re seeing this occur with Tiger Woods’ one-car accident. In the absence of REAL information there is speculation. Was he drinking? Were they fighting? The conspiracy theories are out in force. With each day that passes without him speaking with authorities the rumors appear to grow stronger and more ferocious.

The story isn’t so much about the accident….it’s about the lack of information around the accident.

This is exactly what happens inside organizations. In the absence of real information from a credible source, employees will fill the gaps and panic can easily ensue. Are we being bought out? Is the company in financial trouble? Should I be looking for another job?

The fallout of this speculation is wide-reaching:

(1) Productivity plummets. Employees are expending so much energy on speculations, worry, working on their resumes, etc that productivity takes a hit. The more wild rampant the rumors and speculation, the further productivity falls.

(2) Top talent exits the organization. Exceptional employees have more options in terms of where they work - when the culture of an organization disintegrates into one of uncertainty top performers become frustrated by the drop of productivity and will seek opportunities elsewhere. Brain-drain ensues further hampering the organization.

(3) Customers question the organization’s viability. Rumors are not contained by the walls of your headquarters. When employees get nervous so do customers. Chat boards light up with talk about the perils of the organization – real or imagined. It fuels the fire of misinformation and further hampers the organization’s effectiveness.

My advice: Don’t be like a tiger ….well….at least don’t be like Tiger Woods and his handling of the car accident.

Openly share information – don’t hide from your employees and naively think they will operate on the assumption that “no news is good news”. It’ more likely they will assume ‘no news means something horrible is happening and I should talk with others about this and see if they agree with me that the world is, in fact, coming to an end’.

When in doubt communicate, communicate, communicate.

May all your Endeavors be Insightful,

Nora A Burns, SPHR
www.insightfulendeavors.com
Twitter: @NoraBurns

Want employees to go above and beyond? Lead by example!

This week I had the pleasure of attending the 2009 Colorado Hotel and Lodging Association Conference in Colorado Springs, CO. At the annual conference, outstanding employees in the hotel & lodging industry are recognized for exceptional service in their respective areas of expertise. If you’ve traveled in Colorado you’ve likely met some of these service providers. They are the people who go out of their way to make guests feel “at home” while on the road and include bellman, concierges, reception desk staff, chefs, etc.

The evening before the award dinner I heard about one particularly outstanding employee …. Ken Wall of Doubletree Grand Junction. If memory serves correctly, Ken has worked at the property for 19 years. In that time he has not missed a single day of work, has never been late and has not been the recipient of a single disciplinary action. Ken is a “getter done” guy who is committed to exceptional service and making life easier for others.

Here’s the challenge……and the story as I heard it from several sources…..I-70, the highway leading from Grand Junction to Denver/Colorado Springs was closed. If I-70 is impassable it would be really unsafe and unwise to attempt any other way down the mountain. It looked like Ken would miss the conference….and the presentation of his award for outstanding service.

The owner of the Doubletree Grand Junction property is in the Denver area and was already at the conference. When he heard about Ken’s predicament he immediately went into action. Ken arrived later that evening…….by plane. The property owner recognized the importance of going above and beyond for Ken.…..just as Ken had gone above and beyond for so many guests over the previous 19 years.

My reaction to this story as it was relayed to me….in a word: Goosebumps.

If you want your employees to go the extra mile for your customers…..go the extra mile for them.

Are you holding yourself to the same standard you expect of all employees?


May all your Endeavors be Insightful,

Nora A Burns, SPHR


p.s. Next time I’m in Grand Junction ….. I’ll be staying at the Doubletree. They have earned my business by displaying exceptional leadership.

Are you a clock watcher?

While visiting Denver's Wellington Webb Municipal Building I couldn't help but think of those who spend their days staring at the clock in anticipation of quitting time.

Why?

Mainly because with this piece of art hanging nearby I feel for the folks working the information desk on slow days.....

The scent of fresh cut grass.....a reminder to say thank you.

Last week, for the first time in at least ten years, I mowed the lawn. More specifically, I mowed my sister’s lawn while visiting her in Wisconsin.

After volunteering for the task I headed to the garage…..it took a good fifteen minutes to figure out how this particular mower worked. Now, in all fairness, I would have had to do that with any mower manufactured after about 1990.

Choke, motor speed, blade controls – got it. Now to maneuver the lawn. Around the edge of the lawn……couldn’t just go with 90 degree angles…..nope this lawn has curved edging providing a bit more of a challenge.

As I worked in the hot sun I thought about what an un/under appreciated task mowing the lawn is. It’s one of those things that needs to be done and if we aren’t the one that is responsible for this household task it probably doesn’t even register on our mind for a minute …..unless the lawn starts getting REALLY long. I confess to being someone who has taken a mowed yard for granted - whether it me by HOA, property manager or ex-husband....the yard has been mowed and I don't think I've fully appreciated the task being done.

How many tasks are being done within your team ….within your organization….that go unnoticed……unless they don’t get done? Take a few moments today to seek out those who take care of all the details….who do their jobs so well they make it look easy and therefore can often be taken for granted.

Thank those folks who make it possible for you to do what you do....by taking care of the administrative details, the behind-the-scenes work that is critical to your success.

Take a few moments to notice how great the lawn looks.

Maintaining SPHR Certification When Times Are Tough

Maintaining professional credentials like the SPHR (Senior Professional Human Resources) can be difficult -- doing so when you are unemployed takes it to another level.

We understand and would like to help.

For every five paid registrations for workshops which have been pre-approved by HRCI for re-certification credits we will invite an SPHR-certified member of the HR
community who is currently between gigs to attend as our guest. We will continue this offer until the national unemployment rate is once again under at least 7%

Opportunities for free passes will be posted to www.insightfulendeavors.com/free


This week we gave away:

Twitter for Business TWO (2) seats
Building a Leadership Development Program from the Inside Out ONE (1) seat


How to qualify to win FREE passes

Free passes are to support UNEMPLOYED HR Pros with SPHR Certification.
If you are not Unemployed AND hold SPHR Certification sorry but you are not eligible.

• Check the www.insightfulendeavors.com/free list periodically
• When a program is listed that you are interested in and available for then...
• Send an email with "SPHR between gigs" in the subject line
• In the body of the message include:
• your name
• email address
• phone number
• Title of Session you would like to be entered into the drawing for
• Send the message to: info@insightfulendeavors.com

Please note: We have received entries and inquiries from individuals who are working temporary positions -- these free seats are for the truly and fully unemployed.

May all your Endeavors be Insightful,

Nora A Burns, SPHR
www.insightfulendeavors.com


For a full list of the programs we offer that have been pre-approved by HRCI for 2009 visit www.insightfulendeavors.com/phrsphr

CEOs are on Twitter....are you?

It’s being talked about across the U.S.……

• CNN.com
• New York Times
• Fortune Magazine
• NPR (National Public Radio)

It’s being talked about overseas….

• Business Standard - India
• Kippreport – Dubai
• This French Life – France

CEOs are talking about it....and on it....

• 'Yes, I'm a CEO Who Really Uses Twitter'
• 'CEOs Take on Twitter'

It’s being talked about on television shows…..

Sunday night “Twittering” was talked about on Desperate Housewives in context of business/marketing executives needing to understand Twitter!

It’s not going away. It’s time to pay attention to Twitter!

Five Quick Tips:

1. Content vs Fluff: It’s all about who you choose to follow. Find interesting people and follow them --- and look at who THEY are following since interesting people tend to follow interesting people.
2. Use TwitterDeck to organize your tweets.
3. iPhone users visit the App Store to find “Tweetie”
4. Assume your boss, clients, professors, friends, family, etc will find you on Twitter – tweet accordingly
5. Stop making excuses. You are NOT “too old” or too “non-techie”.

If you’d like to learn more about Twitter we welcome you to attend the workshop that best meets your needs:

Twitter for Business – understand your organization’s brand/identity twitter-style, case studies of businesses that have effectively used Twitter to build their business, etc.

Twitter Boot Camp – for the twitter novice – hands-on workshop including setting up your account, establishing your profile and understanding basic twitter lingo.

For an up-to-date schedule of our public workshops and webinars: www.insightfulendeavors.com/calendar

May all your Endeavors be Insightful,

Nora A Burns, SPHR
www.insightfulendeavors
www.twitter.com/noraburns
www.twitter.com/phrsph

"Blocked" Call....An Unexpected Turn of Events

The call came up as "Blocked" on caller I.D.

"It's going to be a solicitor" I thought to myself as I begrudgingly answered "Good morning, this is Nora, how can I help?"

It wasn't a solicitor.

It was, in fact, the complete OPPOSITE of a solicitor.

The caller explained he was aware I was offering classes that had been pre-approved by HRCI credit......and that I was giving away a free seat to someone who is currently unemployed for every 5 registrants.

"Yes", I confirmed, "that is correct"

I was unsure where he going to lead the conversation ---- request to be entered into the drawing for the guest pass? Register himself? Something else?

"I'm not available for the sesssion April 29th", he stated.

Hmmm...I wondered....why is he calling about it then?

"I'd like to help out"

In an unexected turn.... he stated he wanted to purchase two seats for the April 29th session. He is purchasing them not for himself but for two to-be-determined SPHRs.....possibly for you.

My caller (who wishes to remain anonymous) is purchasing two seats for the April 29th session "Building a Leadership Development Program From the Inside Out" being held in Denver. (The session has been pre-approved by HRCI for 5.75 Strategic Credits.)

The seats will be given away Monday to two Human Resource/Training/Organizational Development Professionals.

To be entered to win one of these two seats...

Send an email with your contact information no later than noon on Monday.

I'm very excited and will now answer "Blocked" calls with much more enthusiasm!!!

Looking forward to hearing from you and working with you next week!

May all your Endeavors be Insightful and all your "BLOCKED" calls Positive,

Nora A Burns, SPHR

www.insightfulendeavors.com

www.twitter.com/noraburns

www.twitter.com/phrsphr

Nora A Burns, SPHR is founder of Insightful Endeavors International, Inc a Denver, CO based firm specializing in team and leadership development. She is an member of the National Speakers Association (NSA) and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). When she's not traveling to assist clients in building innovative teams to drive bottom-line results she resides in Denver, CO with Bella, the insanely cute labradoodle and Bella's sidekick Baxter.

Raindrops keep falling on my head.......

We had more than the usual amount of precipitation in Denver over the past few days. Snow, Sleet, Rain – it was messy. It was perfect “stay in” weather.

Unfortunately the rain, snow, sleet also decided it was a good weekend to be “in” .........“in” my basement.

ick

Earlier this week I read Ashley Andrus’ post on Jobing.com Denver about Kathy Stroh being stranded in Wyoming. Sometime after running the wet-vac, having friends come by with a back-up wet-vac, my neighbor adding apoxy to the outside of the house to keep more water from coming in, etc --- I flashed back to her post.

I was slow to realize the ‘Comic Vision’– but it was there.

Thankfully I discovered it before the water restoration guy showed up.

As he felt around the edges of the guest room closet I heard him grown as he discovered a new challenge to our clean-up….…. “Now that’s the sound you never want to hear coming from your doctor or your home contractor” I chucked out loud upon hearing that groan. Finally – my ‘Comic Vision’ had returned!

He laughed in response and said, “at least you have a positive outlook through this”. But I hadn’t. That ‘Comic Vision’ had not been present the previous five hours. I had been very stressed, sad and frustrated.

This relates directly to the components of Emotional Intelligence ---- Stress Tolerance and Impulse Control in particular. Had my Stress Tolerance been stronger my ‘Comic Vision’ could have found it’s way more easily. Instead, I had stacked up my "bummers"(watch the full video for more on that phrase)

Those hours immediately following the discovery of the flood in my basement could have been far less frustrating….and I a much more enjoyable person had my stress tolerance been stronger and my 'comic vision' in play.

A great reminder that regardless of the strength or weakness of our general EQ there is always room for improvement -- and it's important to always be aware of your 'Comic Vision'.

If you have not yet watched Tim Gard’s video regarding 'Comic Vision' I encourage you to watch it now – it is well worth your time! I'm going to go watch it again myself.....

May all your Endeavors be Insightful,

Nora A Burns, SPHR

www.insightfulendeavors.com

www.twitter.com/noraburns

www.twitter.com/phrsphr

Teambuilding Lessons.....from my dogs

Earlier this month I took care
of my sister's two dogs while
she was on vacation.

<- My two dogs plus her two dogs

(yes….that’s a lot of dogs in one small house....a pack actually)

This was by no means the first time they met. They have been “dog friends” and played together on countless occasions.

This is different. This is 24 hours a day for 6 days and 5 nights.

Here’s a run-down of the characters:

Bella – insanely cute labradoodle, physically the largest – she is a true pacifist
Baxter – my little guy who is 14lbs of alpha dog
Skittle – my sister’s little white dog who channels a labrador - a ball must be thrown for him on an almost constant basis
Chloe – my sister’s shitzu - I’ve always known her to be a bit of a wall-flower, preferring to watch than participate

Watching them interact over the course of the week I couldn’t help but draw comparisons to when we bring new team members on board…..or a new manager is hired for a group of employees.

There were set expectations. Bella and Baxter have been living together – sharing space, food and attention for a year and a half. Now there are two other little dogs in the same framework.

Bella looked at me on more than one occasion with an expression I read as “you have GOT to be kidding…I was an only dog…then you brought in Baxter….now TWO more….*sigh*”. She made several attempts to play with Skittle and Chloe…..most of the time Skittle was too focused on the ball….and her size was a bit intimidating to Chloe.

She is that first employee we hired onto the team --- it may have been to help her that we hired the second employee --- someone to share the growing workload. She’s not sure the circumstances are right for her anymore. We need to be sure we are still recognizing and rewarding this employee to ensure he/she doesn’t get ‘lost in the crowd’.

Baxter, the classic alpha dog, started out being bossy -- laying on the couch beside me he would growl when Skittle or Chloe came around to be pet. After a few days of being kicked off the couch or ignored when he acted out, he opted for the role of the loner, laying out in the sun on the patio by himself.

He’s the employee who feels threatened when new talent joins the team. This happens a fair amount when new expectations are not set and manager or team assimilation is not handled well. An assimilation strategy can help this exponentially – sadly, I am not able to reason with Baxter.

Chloe surprised me on more than one occasion. She is typically pretty quiet – afraid of sudden movements and loud noises. When the neighbor dog barked the other three ran toward the sound….Chloe away from it. Once in awhile she would add some spunkiness and energy --- it was there, just hidden away most of the time.

She’s the employee who joins the team after working for a manager who has never appropriately recognized her talent. She’s been shoo’d away, told her ideas aren’t significant, her contribution isn’t valued. She probably worked for the manager for which nothing is good enough. When greeted with “Here’s a million dollars!” this employee’s former boss would say in a nasty tone “What?!? In 20’s?!?"

When a new employee joins your team it’s important to realize you don’t know what kind of baggage they are carrying. There is a learning curve that comes with every new position, employer and employee --- be sure to give your new hires a chance to be successful.

Skittle is the Energizer Bunny® of dogs. He was not affected at all by Baxter’s bossiness, Bella’s attempts to distract him with play, or Chloe’s shyness. He had one objective: chase the ball.

He’s the employee who works hard while remaining oblivious to the outside world. You brought him on to do a job – and he is going to do it!! Of course, he may alienate everyone else in the process….but the work will be done! This employee will need guidance from you on understanding that meeting objectives means more than delivering the project. Competencies such as peer relationships and approachability will be key to meeting objectives in the long term.


When you bring together a team of employees….or change the makeup in any way, there is a risk of alienation….of missing out on the brilliance of some members because of intimidation or simply a history of intimidation elsewhere. There is a risk of losing members because they grow tired of living in the shadow of the new, cuter puppy…..or rather, the new and therefore very interesting new hire.

It's important to put time and effort into building and effectively communicating with your team in order to capture the unique excellence of each member.

May all you Endeavors be Insightful,

Nora A Burns, SPHR
www.twitter.com/noraburns
www.twitter.com/phrsphr



Nora A Burns, SPHR is the founder of Insightful Endeavors International, Inc a Denver, CO based firm specializing in team and leadership development. She is an member of the National Speakers Association (NSA) and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). When she's not traveling to assist clients in building innovative teams to drive bottom-line results she resides in Denver, CO with Bella, the insanely cute labradoodle and Bella's sidekick Baxter.

There's a lot of buzz around Twitter these days......and I've received a fair number questions while at speaking engagements and via follow-up emails about the basics of using Twitter. As a result, I've pulled together this list of things I wish I would have known sooner rather than later.

Note: these are Twitter 101 insights....there are a lot of ways you could use Twitter to build your brand, communicate with employees, clients and prospective clients....this list provides some initial "welcome to twitter" information.

(1) Twitter.com is FREE (...there is talk that there will be a charge down the road....time will tell..for now FREE)

(2) My base-line definition of twitter: "Micro-Blog that allows people to share their humor, insights and wisdom in 140 characters or less" @noraburns

(3) There are hundreds if not thousands of applications to help you manage twitter. Some of my favorites: TweetDeck.com and TweetLater.com ......and on my iPhone I currently use Tweetsville and TwitterFon.

(4) When identifying another person on Twitter in a message use the @ symbol before their twitter name --- i.e. "Chatting with @NoraBurns about building a Leadership Development Program" or "Meeting with @NoraBurns at the XYZ Convention"

....this allows other Twitter-ers to simply click on the "@noraburns" portion of the message to see my profile --- it also would also allow me to easily see that you are tweeting about me---- as well as demonstrating that you take Twitter into real life with REAL relationships (please use caution if you choose to identify specifically where you are)

(5) A Re-Tweet is identified by "RT" at the beginning of a message --- this is when you are so inspired by what someone else said or it's information that you feel ought to be shared that you want YOUR followers to know about it as well.

(6) If you want others to RT your messages -- keep them UNDER 100 characters as the "RT @noraburns" counts toward the 140 characters --- and Retweeters often want to add a bit of commentary to the end of your message as well.

(7) To send a message directly to one user that no one else will see.....use "D @noraburns". This is essentially a private chat. NOTE: You cannot send a Direct Message to anyone who is NOT following you......and that also means if you aren't following people they cannot Direct Message you!

(8) Anyone can follow you. It's not like Facebook or LinkedIn where others have to request to be connected to you.

(9) You CAN Block people. If someone truly is obnoxious and you don't want him/her on your "Followers" list you could block them. I use this pretty much only for people who have nude or semi-nude photos up or truly inappropriate messaging.

(10) You'll learn a lot as you start using it -- I like Ford Saeks' (@Prime_Concepts) suggestion which he applies to any social media site -- set up a dummy account to practice and get the hang of it --- then set up your brand-specific account.

(11) Sign up today and secure YOUR brand identity! Unfortunately @Insightful was already taken when I joined the land of twitter and @InsightfulEndeavors is too long (twitter names are 15 characters or less).

There you go -- some basic Twitter info from an avid user (some might say addict). I've been "Twittering since 2008" and have found it to be a fabulous tool for building relationships as well as brand recognition.

Now go -- set up your account ......and don't forget to follow @noraburns! (and for HR Pros who are or looking to obtain/retain PHR/SPHR certification....@phrsphr)


May all your Endeavors (and Tweets) be Insightful,

Nora A Burns, SPHR



Nora A Burns, SPHR is Founder and President of Insightful Endeavors International, Inc. With over twenty years Human Resource and Organizational Development experience, Nora has provided insights to entrepreneurial firms, mid-size organizations and Fortune 50 companies on team and leadership development.

Insightful Endeavors International, Inc specializes in Team and Leadership Development. We are based in Denver, CO and work internationally.