In 2014, Dr. Ram Charan published an article in Harvard Business Review, “It’s Time to Split HR,” which dropped onto the HR world like a bombshell. In his article, Dr. Charan articulated business leaders’ disappointment with their human resources colleagues, suggesting the department may serve organizations better if split into two functions: administrative, and leadership and organization. In his argument, Dr. Charan claimed: “… leaders would like to be able to rely on their HR partners’ skills in linking people and numbers to diagnose weaknesses and strengths in the organization, find the right fit between employees and jobs, and advise…

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By Simon Marshall (Leading from the Heart is one of four foundational pillars of Why-Based Organizations. Look for future posts here at Whirling Chief, where I discuss the other three pillars.) I’ve had the privilege to work with and to coach people who really do ‘Lead from the Heart.’ You know when you meet these people – they connect with you on a different and deeper level, and they are more interested in you as a person than anything you could do for them. In fact, they are often more interested in what they can do for you! In my…

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Good Morning Everyone! We wanted to continue our second week by focusing on some positive elements and behaviors that affect employee satisfaction at work. There are so many of us craving to create that vibrant learning environment at work, project sites like Whirling Chief, Re:Work and CHReate are slowly taking off, so exciting!! Most research studies tell us there are four key motivation factors associated with any job: Work content, environment, opportunities to grow, and rewards. Ever consider structuring the work in a meaningful way so that your staff can see the value of their delivery, and how it fits into the larger…

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Everyone is talking about “employee engagement.” In every organization I am professionally a part of, someone inevitably asks me, “All that sounds good, but have you considered employee engagement?” The question numbs me every time, to be completely honest. Is there a possibility for an HR professional to consider a new line of practice, process or tool without weighing in the consequences of employee motivation, productivity and satisfaction? Nancy R. Lockwood, in a 2007 HR Magazine article, “Leveraging Employee Engagement for Competitive Advantage: HR’s Strategic Role,” said, “Employees with the highest level of commitment perform 20% better and are ~87%…

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I felt compelled to start here as a topic because corporate culture was the reason I left my last gig. Funny, huh?! Many of us have likely heard that saying, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast,” by Peter Drucker, one of our world’s most successful management consultant gurus. It makes me laugh every time I hear it because it is so darn true! So, how do we really know whether a corporate culture is a good fit or not? Well…it helps to first define what we mean by “corporate culture.” What we refer to as corporate culture is actually patterns of…

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At the end of 2014, I took a huge leap of faith. I left my admirable, comfortable corporate position and set out on my own. It was not my first leap of faith. I had done it several times before – when I was granted a scholarship to study abroad at the age of fourteen and, more recently, when I got married. The difference this time is that I was intentional enough with my decision to recognize and appreciate the transition in real time. Life is a magical thing, as Tony Bennett once said; “If you are patient enough with…

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