HR Professional - December 2007/January 2008 - (Page 54)

THE LAST WORD HELPING LEADERS LIVE THE BRAND BY JIM CLEMMER A s organizations compete for a shrinking pool of top people, management reputation or “leadership brand” will become as critical to their success as the company brand they are selling in their marketplace. That means internal cultural and external marketing brands are becoming ever more intertwined. Key to building a strong organizational brand is developing a “magnet organization” that attracts and retains the best people. • • Strong leaders are people magnets There are many complex reasons why some organizations are more successful than others in attracting and retaining the best people. However, research studies reveal some common patterns. The most significant of these clearly boil down to questions of leadership. A study conducted by WorkLife Design reviewed the characteristics that made organizations employers of choice. Only 34 per cent of respondents named pay. About 56 per cent said flexible benefits were a major factor, and 80 per cent said the work environment was the biggest factor. This was described as servant leadership, trust and co-operation, work/life balance and credible management. Employees surveyed in an Ipsos-Reid poll reported that they will stay with an organization if: they like the work (78 per cent), their co-workers (68 per cent) and the mission and activities of the company (61 per cent), and if they are learning a lot (57 per cent) and are satisfied with the salary (53 per cent). Based on in-depth interviews with more than 80,000 managers in 400 companies, a Gallup study discovered that it was the manager who was the most critical player in building a strong workplace. In the end, turnover is mostly a manager issue. Building a magnet organization There are ways strategic HR professionals can help their managers strengthen their leadership brand and build a magnet organization. • Develop an annual Listen-Feedback-Action process. Start with a survey or third-party interviews and then prepare a summary report 54 D e c e m b e r 2 0 0 7 / J a n u a r y 2 0 0 8 • • • • • to take back to everyone in the organization for feedback, clarification, priority-setting and action planning. Once these sessions are completed, broader organizational issues are identified and actions set for implementing those changes. Keep highly visible scoreboards (such as big thermometers found in fundraising campaigns or intranet sites) to update everyone on the progress toward key goals or improvement targets. Share financial and other confidential information openly, so everyone can see how his or her efforts contribute. Agree on areas where teams or individuals have free autonomous choice (loose) and outline where the boundaries are and where standardization or conformance is required (tight). Simplify systems and streamline processes. Support systems that get in the way, bureaucracy, errors, and inefficiency kill commitment, slow things down and add costs. Ask front-line service providers what systems would better help them serve customers. Use a cross-section of front-line staff in focus groups to test new management directions before making announcements to everyone. Review your hiring and orientation process. Do you have multiple interviews that include team members, direct reports and customers? Promote those people who are exemplary leaders. Use 360-degree feedback to get a profile on an employee’s leadership skills. If promoted, publicize what the promotion criterion was and how this person lives the values. Promotions send the clearest signal about the organization’s true culture. Strategic HR professionals help their leaders understand that while it’s important to manage people, it’s even more important to lead them. Leaders demonstrate by their actions that people—not strategy, products, processes or systems—are the most critical factor in an organization’s performance. Jim Clemmer (www.clemmer.net) is a keynote speaker, workshop leader, author and management team developer on practical leadership. His new book is Moose-on-the-Table: An Organizational Fable about Courageous Conversations. HR P R OF E S S I ON A L http://www.clemmer.net

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of HR Professional - December 2007/January 2008

HR Professional - December 2007/January 2008 Contents Editor's Letter Contributors Leadership Matters Website Did You Know By the Numbers Technology Study News: Ontario Regulatory Enforcement Compensation News: Postponing Retirement Legal Compensation On Message Public Image Ltd. Building Brand Equity Research Strategy HR 101 Interview with Marshall Goldsmith Off the Shelf The Last Word

HR Professional - December 2007/January 2008

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