According to a 2011 Cornell study, the HR metrics used to study effectiveness include: 58% internal customer surveys 34% HR costs/cost ratio 29% Turnover/retention 21% Performance against Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) 20% Recruiting efficiency 18% Employee engagement 12% People costs 5% HR process completion Besides measuring performance at 21%, none of these are very exciting….

Yahoo’s new CEO [from Google] Marissa Mayer, reported higher than expected earnings recently. She commented on the analysis, stating, “I came to Yahoo to grow and redefine the company.” That is evident from her recent executive hires made since she joined Yahoo 3 short months ago in July. These new hires include a new Chief…

There is a trend of short term contractors pulling together for business projects. Is it a lasting impact of the economy downturn? Maybe it is the benefits of working while not having the complementary frustration of working under a management structure. A management structure does assist in coordinating complex businesses; however, it also slows decision-making,…

I recently heard Sherron Watkins — Enron whistle-blower and Time Magazine Person of the Year, 2002 — speak at an event. Some notes on her perspectives: She was initially reprimanded in 1996 for reporting accounting issues. Optimistic that the truth would win out, she reported her fraud findings to CEO Ken Lay on August 22….

Chaleo Yoovidhya from Thailand recently passed away with $5 Billion in wealth. He lived opposite the image from the product that gave him his wealth — on a private duck farm, and did not give an interview in the last 30 years of his life. Chaleo earned a living raising ducks and selling fruit, until…

Leaders plan and execute a strategy, scenario plan for alternatives, and mitigate risks. However, one’s subjective expectations often do not align with the objective reality. The effect from this cause is the requirement to respond to crises without sufficient time to think/plan/prepare. In Machiavelli’s The Prince, he details the unexpected events that must be dealt with….not…

Recently, I was delivering a leadership development program to a federal agency, based on the Federal Government’s 5 key competencies: Managing Change, Managing People, Business Acumen, Results Driven, and Building Collaboration. Some interesting participant quotes from the session: · “We are thoroughly paralyzed through the election.”· “We have to react and respond…. We do not…

I recently heard Bill Whitmore, CEO of AlliedBarton Security Services, speak at a Symposium. With over 50,000 employees serving as security officers at hundreds of customers’ companies, his employees are his business instead of a product or service. He said that the company’s focus must be “inside-out”…that their brand inside will connect to the customers…

State governments are struggling with serious budget deficits with almost all areas being cut. However, some areas (i.e. education) have louder voices than others (i.e. prisoner integration back into society). Last year, when Parade magazine asked Americans what type of organization they would donate to, they responded in this order: food & shelter for the…

TGIF. Thank Goodness It’s Friday…the end of the work week. Except this week, I was on vacation Monday through Wednesday. As I am writing this, it is currently Friday, and I’m charging ahead with work deliverables. Giving yourself time to Replenish provides time to “refuel the tank.” However, the American “To Do” list hinders our…