Dr. Shailesh Thaker - Best Management Training Blog - Top Management Consultants

Posts Tagged ‘HR’

Attitude is defined as ones’ feelings or mood - Positive or negative - toward things, circumstances or people. No matter how you may choose to define attitude, it is one of your “most priceless” or disabling possessions.
You, and only you, are in charge of your attitude! You must realize that your attitude is your choice to make, and that you alone can decide how to deal with events in your life. Your attitude will determine how you position yourself in life and what you get or don’t get out of life.
Viktor Frankel, psychologist and survivor of the World War II holocaust, observed a few men in the concentration camps walking through the huts comforting others, giving proof that everything can be taken from a human, but the last of human freedoms - the choice of one’s attitude in any given circumstance - cannot be taken.
I have had the pleasure of hiring directly or indirectly thousands of people throughout my career. I have also experienced the distasteful process of having to fire individuals. I have never fired someone for lack of skills; it has always been based on behavioral problems. I did not fire them for a bad attitude, but rather for specific behavioral problems which were as a result of their attitude. Because of my experience I have developed eight rules for hiring from the outside and for promoting from within.  Leadership development coach Roger have narrated 8 rules for hiring smart talent.

8 Rules for Hiring Smart

1. Hire attitude, train skill. (Southwest Airlines mantra)

2. Hire people for “who they are” first, and “what they know” second. What they Know, and will need to know, changes, Who they Are Doesn’t.

3. Hire people first with the right mind-set, and second with the right tool-set.

4. Hire people who have a demonstrated record of life-long learning and the “application” of that learning.

5. The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. Ask interview questions that get them to talk about how they have reacted in certain situations (change, stress, wins, conflict, deadlines, teamwork, etc.) Listen to learn.

6. Hire people who are passionate and have accomplished things in their life.

7. Look for energy, humor, spirit and self-confidence, and a great attitude.

8. Hire people who are excited about managing their own career, contributing to the greater good of the organization and involved in the community. Great people are normally greatly involved!

The most common - and fatal - hiring mistake is to find someone with the right skills but the wrong mind-set and hire them on the theory, “We can change them.” Hiring smart is productive, not doing so is unproductive.

she’d need in order to attain an increase in her sales commission.

Then, on June 2, 2006, Lockwood’s 4-year-daughter Lily woke up with pinkeye. She called a manager to request rescheduling a meeting since she wouldn’t be able to come to work. A half hour later, the manager called back with words that chilled Lockwood: Unless she resigned, she would be fired with or without cause.

Why? “It just wasn’t working out,” Lockwood says the manager told her.

Out of a job, Lockwood says she couldn’t pay the mortgage on her recently-purchased home, and she had to seek forbearance on her student loans. Worse, she told the Tribune, “My children had to see me stressed, depressed and anxious.”

Chicago’s human-rights commission’s final order found that Lockwood was the victim of “blatant” discrimination against employees with children, citing examples from its investigation such as a colleague being given the day off to sort out a home repair.

A lawyer for Professional Neurological Services told the Tribune that the company will appeal the decision.

Though some employers have embraced family-friendly policies, nearly 500 cases claiming family responsibilities discrimination were filed in U.S. courts between 1996 and 2005, up 97 percent from the previous decade, a 2006 report by the WorkLife Law Center found. In response, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 2007 issued guidance on applying existing laws forbidding discrimination based on gender, pregnancy, or disability to protect caregivers of children and aging parents.

Lockwood’s case is the first involving parental discrimination to appear before the Chicago commission. “I’m excited because there aren’t too many opportunities in the employment arena to have the first of something,” Ruth Major, Lockwood’s lawyer, told the Tribune. “I hope it creates the opportunity for employers to pay more attention to this issue and take proper precautions so it doesn’t happen.”

The case is also significant for shining a spotlight on the growing power of local human-rights commissions. In the past, lawyers and claimants have shied away from taking matters before human-rights commissions rather than to state and federal courts, assuming that commissions would not award significant damages. Lockwood’s victory — a payment of $213,000 for her ($100,000 of which represented punitive damages), plus another $87,000 for her lawyer — will surely draw more cases before local commissions.

“While the scope of local laws may seem limited, their impact can be significant and costly for employers,” Stephanie Bornstein of the Center for WorkLife Law at the University of California Hastings College of Law told the Tribune.

India is likely to get a large amount of offshore HR work in the next three years. According to a study by Everest Group, a global consulting and research firm, some 111 global HRO (human resources outsourcing) contracts worth $6 billion are nearing term end in 2010-12 and 75-85 percent of these engagements are likely to be extended while 15-25 percent will be repatriated or transferred to new suppliers.

The study says, “Given the maturity of India as an offshore delivery location and presence of high number of HRO suppliers, more work is going to come to the country.” In the next three years, contract restructuring is likely to play a significant role as early adopters of HRO services face impending renewal cycles. HRO clients will increasingly evaluate how to drive incremental value for their organizations through the end-of-term process.

“The areas of restructuring range from modifying the number and type of in-scope processes, to enhancing delivery models through global sourcing, to introducing alternative pricing models,” says the study. The mid-market and large market HRO buyers, who used to be reluctant to take services from offshore locations, are expected to leverage off shoring much more in their second generation deals due to the increased cost pressures in recent times.

Australian skipper after losing match at the initial stage of world cup of 20-20 match said, “It was disappointing to lose the match. Can’t explain the reason for the defeat .We committed so many mistakes in this match that’s why we deserve the defeat. Can’t play such kind of game. We knew that we have to play spinners but didn’t.”

Skipper Pointing is saying about ‘KNOWING BUT NOT DOING”. Even in Indian wisdom Duryodhan (a character in Mahabharat) said, “I know what is religious but cannot do and follow.” Knowing is not life. Doing is life. I strongly recommend “Happening, not doing. Doing is a pain, happening is a pleasure.”

Leadership is happening, never doing and knowing.

J.R.D. Tata said, “Leading with affection.” This phrase is to be kept in mind during the time of global slowdown.

Technology is the most important but use technology with heart. We cannot do away with soft factors and nor can they stand alone.

Change in HR strategy is required to cope up with the economic downturn. I strongly believe that clear and transparent communication in organization will motivate team spirit and ask them to lead themselves with “JOB WELL DONE” spirit.

Increasing productivity and cutting cost can be a way to cope up with current time. Customer success is the key strategy to sustain in the market. Let customer send a customer to you.

Training and development can be a major factor to boost up the moral of the team, but I find that it is considered as expenditure instead of investment by the top management.

There are factors, which are de-motivating employees but I suggest to focus on motivational factors.

‘Lead with heart and hand’ is the essence of leadership in the slow down time.