I recently came across this quote by John Quincy Adams, the 6th President of the United States (1825-1829). It reminded me that leadership is not a title, a role or a position; it is simply who you are being for others. When I talk about leadership I ask the audience one simple question: If there is one thing that you need to be a leader, what is it? I get many responses: purpose, vision, values, confidence, relationship building skills, even charisma – all good answers, but the one answer often missing is ‘a follower.’ Although the role of the follower is not…

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In the 2016 Annual PwC Survey of Chief Executive Officers, conducted in 2014, many CEOs reported anticipating significant disruptions to their businesses during the next five years as a result of global trends. Because some of our team members at Whirling Chief are consultants on the SESIL PIR Consulting side, we have a lot of discussions about our OD service or, more specifically, the need for structure changes and organizational design. Organizational design is terminology used to describe different methodologies that support the identification of dysfunctional aspects of: work flow, capabilities, procedures, structures and systems, realignment to fit current business realities/goals,…

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All roles in a service industry or support function are difficult. Why? Because these roles require a balance between the core responsibilities, pushing the standards forward to enable organizational growth and making the client “happy.” Human Resources is one of these support functions, which has been branded and re-branded time after time, similar to IT, Finance, and Marketing. When you think about what a Human Resources department does in an organization, I’d encourage you to keep in mind the activities may look different depending on the organization and the maturity of the function. Therefore, perhaps the question should be: What…

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Everyone wants HR to be more ‘strategic’. Everyone thinks HR needs to think outside the box. Everyone calls for HR innovation and data-focus. Are we ready to agree the future of Human Resources is the topic of our focus? ☺ We have already published several posts on HR Strategy: HRM Intro for Managers Defining Human Resources Management Top HR Management Schools around the Globe Should HR Professionals be trained in HR Future role of HR Operational Excellence: What does it look like for new age HR TAD Showcase Here’s a ‘TAD’ more than you expected today Seriously, are HR Metrics…

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We are continuing to share new videos on our Human Resources Management (HRM) 101 series. Today, we share an orientation video with people managers. What is your role as a people manager in HRM? We want to help you position yourself so as we share new videos on different functions, you can continue to gauge for your active involvement, role and responsibility in HR activities. Please, let us know what you think and if there are any questions you’d want us to specifically cover, feel free to leave a comment under the video. Thank you!

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Emotional Intelligence is our ability to manage and understand our emotions and those around us. It is a key predictor of our success in life and profession. Even though people can be high performers with excellent technical skills, if they can’t control their emotions in stressful situations or have difficulty getting along with colleagues, their success will be quickly over. Emotions are critical to our effective thinking and play an important part in our communication and relationship skills. Here are 10 signs of people who lack emotional intelligence: They are unable to control their emotions. They have difficulties regulating and…

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It is interesting to see how our definition of a ‘healthy workplace’ has evolved over the years. Early on, we used to think of workplace health as physical safety. We wanted to ensure there were minimal accidents and that people were protected from any unseen injuries. We wanted to minimize damage and maximize reputation control. Over time, we started thinking about physical environment as more than safety. We started paying attention to physical design elements such as lighting, sound, color, and art. Upon endorsement from regulatory bodies, we started considering ergonomics – comfortable work clothes, adjustable chairs, desks, etc. –…

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Effective teams engage in unfiltered conflict around ideas and manage differences constructively. Google research provides great insights into how conflict presents opportunities for improvement, (e.g. www.personalityexplorer.com), our preferences in dealing with conflict (www.kilmanndiagnostics.com), and how you can handle a conflict in your team. I find the TKI (Thomas Kilman Instrument) assessment beneficial – in fact, I use this model a lot in my trainings to provide individuals with an understanding about their preferences. See graph below: Certainly, knowing which preference you exhibit in the face of a conflict will be a real asset. And yet, to manage conflict constructively one…

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One of our readers asked about how to think of ‘scoping’ and ‘scaling’ for planning change. This is our attempt to provide a short answer. We will put together an actual toolkit to help others. Stay tuned! The critical element of designing change (for all purposes) is leveraging systems thinking. Systems thinking refers to the way we consider and study dynamics between many kinds of systems. In a society study, for example, we would consider individuals, society, sub-groups, economics, literacy rates, businesses, culture, etc. In an organizational study, it is the same. We typically would consider systems consisting of people,…

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‘Change’ refers to a process of becoming different. It can also refer to turning one thing into something different, or even replacing, transferring, or evolving it. The emotion of change is the biggest catalyst to change itself. Not knowledge, or the ‘what’ of the change. And not the content, or the ‘how’ of the change. It’s the emotion – the ‘why’ of the change. In our consulting work, one of the most frequently asked questions we hear from prospects is, “Is it possible to reinvent an organization – to a new model of productivity, fulfillment, meaning, and joy?” “The most…

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