I just completed a public training for a core module in the WSQ HR Framework ie Measuring HR Effectiveness.
Some of the participants have been in previous modules with me as they pursued their WSQ Professional Diploma in Human Resources (10 modules in all - in a combination of core and elective modules) http://app2.wda.gov.sg/wsq/contents/contents.aspx?contid=975&Pg=2
One participant stood out for me.
As part of her upskilling, interest and aspirations, she decided to take up this WSQ HR Prof Dip on her own accord (self-funded - still a sizable investment inspite of government subsidies for these programs) and in fact wanted to quit her job in Student Affairs so that she had the time to do these 10 modules progressively over the last year or so.
But her employer (to their credit), asked her to stay on and offered to let her take no-pay leave for the additional days required for classes, in an effort to retain her. And to engage her in her aspirations, has begun to transition her from her previous role into their Human Resources function.
Personal aspiration and determination, management & organisational support, the WSQ Framework and the CET eco-system, all working in tandem, to make it happen for her in her new career path in HR.
All the best SL!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year!
“Do more than belong: participate. Do more than care: help. Do more than believe: practice. Do more than be fair: be kind. Do more than forgive: forget. Do more than dream: work.”
William Arthur Ward (1921-1994)
William Arthur Ward was author of Fountains of Faith and is one of America's most quoted writers of inspirational maxims. He was also a dedicated scholar, editor, pastor and teacher.
Many variations have arisen from his original maxim, the one that I like and is popularly known and in circulation today is the one below :-
I will do more than belong, I will participate.
I will do more than care, I will help.
I will do more than believe, I will practice.
I will do more than be fair, I will be kind.
I will do more than forgive, I will forget.
I will do more than dream, I will work.
I will do more than teach, I will inspire.
I will do more than give, I will serve.
On this Christmas Day, as we remember the reason for the season and as we head towards the end of 2010, making plans and doing up new resolutions, I hope that you can reflect on these words, and that they may give you inspiration and encouragement, even direction - as you look forward to the coming of the New Year.
Have a Blessed Christmas and a Great 2011!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Yum!'s High Impact Coaching
Many would have grabbed a bite to eat at their many restaurants dotted across 100 nations world-wide , and would have been served by one of their 840,000 people. YUM is their NYSE ticker symbol as well.
Still not sure who I am referring to? Perhaps these 5 brand names will ring a bell? KFC , Pizza Hut , Taco Bell , A&W , Long John Silver's!
I have been in training these past few weeks running many corporate as well as public runs for Implementing Performance Management. And a recurring theme is oft about how to manage "under"-performers.
A key aspect for any manager in that position would be to ascertain if it's a lack of resources, lack of skill or a lack of will. This is where coaching comes in.
In a book he co-authored with Jim Ballard and Fred Finch, Ken Blanchard, one of America's biggest bestselling authors and inspiring business leaders, writes of the key to customer service- creating a people-oriented, performance-driven, customer-first organization.
Still not sure who I am referring to? Perhaps these 5 brand names will ring a bell? KFC , Pizza Hut , Taco Bell , A&W , Long John Silver's!
I have been in training these past few weeks running many corporate as well as public runs for Implementing Performance Management. And a recurring theme is oft about how to manage "under"-performers.
A key aspect for any manager in that position would be to ascertain if it's a lack of resources, lack of skill or a lack of will. This is where coaching comes in.
In a book he co-authored with Jim Ballard and Fred Finch, Ken Blanchard, one of America's biggest bestselling authors and inspiring business leaders, writes of the key to customer service- creating a people-oriented, performance-driven, customer-first organization.
A section of Customer Mania! describes Yum's high impact coaching model called the EARS model - Explore, Analyze, Respond, and make it Stick.
The authors go on to detail how "through asking different questions", managers can "get to the core problem of what (staff are) struggling with". It's not about telling them "what's wrong" but rather to "get (them) to see it themselves".
They describe it as having an "epiphany about the real issue" and how managers "just helped them get to that point".
The authors rated Yum! 8 out of 10 for their Performance Coaching - "for doing a fabulous job when it comes to positioning and implementing a coaching philosophy as the driving force for creating a Customer Mania culture".
Once a manager can ascertain if it's a resource, skill or will issue, he/she would be better positioned to either provide support or training or more importantly, seek interventions that will appeal and engage the staff to higher performance.
Do you know if you have the right "coaching philosophy" as part of your performance management in your organisation?
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Asking the Right Questions
Kishore Mahbubani is a person I admire. He has a dignified demeanor, speaks eloquently and writes succinctly with insight and thoughtfulness. He is currently dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.
In the weekly column Think-Tank in today’s Straits Times, he was writing a piece about taking a “holistic approach to public policy”, citing transport as an example and to a lesser degree education, here in Singapore. He ended the piece as follows:
“Singapore has made enormous progress in the first 50 years by successfully finding the right answers to the urgent questions we faced in our early days. Over the next 50 years, we should try to find the right questions to ask before we begin trying to find the right answers.”
In his book Just Ask Leadership: Why Great Managers Always Ask the Right Questions, Gary B. Cohen makes a case for how leaders at every level can learn to ask the right questions, in the right organization context, so as to enable both individuals and organizations to thrive.
“Leadership is about allowing others the chance to flourish, and you do that by asking questions. This empowers coworkers to find solutions, embrace responsibility, and become accountable. Moreover, it opens the door to greater productivity and creativity. Indeed, more than ever before, leaders can’t know everything. By seeking others’ input, they can inspire powerful and positive change.” - Gary B. Cohen
In creating a culture of question-based leadership, he addresses five key areas:
1. Improve Vision - Getting Insights form All Levels of the Organization
2. Ensure Accountability - Increasing Team and Organization-Wide Performance
3. Build Unity and Cooperation - Creating a Culture of Trust
4. Create Better Decisions - Getting the Right Answers by Asking the Right Questions
5. Motivate to Action - Asking for Success
As a facilitator, I do not profess to be a subject matter expert in the discussions of many groups I have had the opportunity to work with – however, the better I am able to quickly ask the right questions to trigger discussion and reflection, providing a platform for participants to share in a “safe environment”, the faster the collective wisdom and relevant expertise of those present will come to the fore and the sessions will be value-adding to individuals and the organization.
“The leader of the past was a person who knew how to tell. The leader of the future will be a person who knows how to ask.” – Peter Drucker
Leaders today would do well to ask more and listen even more!
In the weekly column Think-Tank in today’s Straits Times, he was writing a piece about taking a “holistic approach to public policy”, citing transport as an example and to a lesser degree education, here in Singapore. He ended the piece as follows:
“Singapore has made enormous progress in the first 50 years by successfully finding the right answers to the urgent questions we faced in our early days. Over the next 50 years, we should try to find the right questions to ask before we begin trying to find the right answers.”
In his book Just Ask Leadership: Why Great Managers Always Ask the Right Questions, Gary B. Cohen makes a case for how leaders at every level can learn to ask the right questions, in the right organization context, so as to enable both individuals and organizations to thrive.
“Leadership is about allowing others the chance to flourish, and you do that by asking questions. This empowers coworkers to find solutions, embrace responsibility, and become accountable. Moreover, it opens the door to greater productivity and creativity. Indeed, more than ever before, leaders can’t know everything. By seeking others’ input, they can inspire powerful and positive change.” - Gary B. Cohen
In creating a culture of question-based leadership, he addresses five key areas:
1. Improve Vision - Getting Insights form All Levels of the Organization
2. Ensure Accountability - Increasing Team and Organization-Wide Performance
3. Build Unity and Cooperation - Creating a Culture of Trust
4. Create Better Decisions - Getting the Right Answers by Asking the Right Questions
5. Motivate to Action - Asking for Success
As a facilitator, I do not profess to be a subject matter expert in the discussions of many groups I have had the opportunity to work with – however, the better I am able to quickly ask the right questions to trigger discussion and reflection, providing a platform for participants to share in a “safe environment”, the faster the collective wisdom and relevant expertise of those present will come to the fore and the sessions will be value-adding to individuals and the organization.
“The leader of the past was a person who knew how to tell. The leader of the future will be a person who knows how to ask.” – Peter Drucker
Leaders today would do well to ask more and listen even more!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Communities of Practice (CoP)
In addition to being an Associate with Human Capital (Singapore) doing HR-WSQ training, I am also a licensed-CoP facilitator with them.
What's that you ask?
HCS, the national CET centre for HR WSQ competency-based training, has received support from WDA to create 12 Communities of Practice (CoPs) across 6 industries in the Human Resources profession to pilot CoP concepts for our professional fraternities.
The evidence is clear that CoP can be an effective approach to learning, especially when it comes to practical knowledge about getting the job done. The pilot project adapts general CoP ideas to work in the professional context in Singapore to develop an additional approach to professional learning and knowledge development.
The pilot CoPs will focus on the practice of Human Capital stewardship in Singapore and those who participate, will find themselves immersed in a stew of people and ideas at the cutting edge of the profession.
One of the most interesting aspects of the pilot is the creation of a Community of Practice made up of Community of Practice facilitators. These people will define and refine the practice of CoP facilitation in Singapore.
Source: Human Capital (Singapore)
At the upcoming Singapore Human Capital Summit 2010 organised by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the Workforce Development Agency (WDA), HCS will be conducting 2 CoPs at the Pre-Summit Workshop on 28.9.10 @ Resorts World Convention Centre, Sentosa.
http://www.singaporehcsummit.com/?PGID=CONTENT_PROGRAM_AGENDA_2010&Pre=Y#PRE
I am looking forward as part of the HCS team - to share the CoP approach with the delegates then.
See you at the Summit!
What's that you ask?
HCS, the national CET centre for HR WSQ competency-based training, has received support from WDA to create 12 Communities of Practice (CoPs) across 6 industries in the Human Resources profession to pilot CoP concepts for our professional fraternities.
The evidence is clear that CoP can be an effective approach to learning, especially when it comes to practical knowledge about getting the job done. The pilot project adapts general CoP ideas to work in the professional context in Singapore to develop an additional approach to professional learning and knowledge development.
The pilot CoPs will focus on the practice of Human Capital stewardship in Singapore and those who participate, will find themselves immersed in a stew of people and ideas at the cutting edge of the profession.
One of the most interesting aspects of the pilot is the creation of a Community of Practice made up of Community of Practice facilitators. These people will define and refine the practice of CoP facilitation in Singapore.
Source: Human Capital (Singapore)
At the upcoming Singapore Human Capital Summit 2010 organised by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the Workforce Development Agency (WDA), HCS will be conducting 2 CoPs at the Pre-Summit Workshop on 28.9.10 @ Resorts World Convention Centre, Sentosa.
http://www.singaporehcsummit.com/?PGID=CONTENT_PROGRAM_AGENDA_2010&Pre=Y#PRE
I am looking forward as part of the HCS team - to share the CoP approach with the delegates then.
See you at the Summit!
Monday, August 16, 2010
Employee Engagement
I have been conducting WSQ-HR training in the areas of Performance Management, Talent Management, Recruitment & Selection and have had the opportunity to work with many corporate groups as well as heterogenous groups in public runs.
Often, whether the discussion topic is on employee performance, retention, motivation or satisfaction etc, as I facilitate the discussions further, invariably the issue of employee engagement comes to the fore. And rightly so.
"Research by Gallup and others shows that engaged employees are more productive. They are more profitable, more customer-focused, safer, and more likely to withstand temptations to leave. The best-performing companies know that an employee engagement improvement strategy linked to the achievement of corporate goals will help them win in the marketplace.
Top-performing organizations understand that employee engagement is a force that drives performance outcomes. In the best organizations, engagement is more than a human resources initiative -- it is a strategic foundation for the way they do business."
Source:Gallup
And when discussing engagement, the matter of motivation and hence motivation theory - like Hertzberg's 2-Factor Theory or Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs would also inevitably be raised.
In the book, "The Enthusiastic Employee - how companies profit by giving workers what they
want", Wharton School Publishing 2005, authors David Sirota, Louis A Mischkind & Michael Irwin Meltzer look into worker enthusiasm as a factor for organizational success.
They put forth that "the overwhelming majority of people begin a new job with a sense of enthusiasm......people are naturally excited about their work and their organizations, eager to be part of a productive team of co-workers, and reasonable in how they expect to be treated".
In their studies they note that invariably, "something happens to the great masses of employees who begin work enthusiasitcally", they found "significant declines in morale in 9 out of 10 companies" after 6 months of joining. They go on to confidently say that "in fact..often...it is management that kills enthusiasm!".
They go on to "assert that there are three primary sets of goals of people at work: equity, achievement, and camraderie." What they call as their "Three Factor Theory of Human Motivation".
I found the book easy to read, the many examples provided useful and their propositions relevant.
Organizations would do well to consider doing an employee engagement assessment before embarking on new & costly company-wide performance management, reward & compensation, learning & development or talent management & development initiatives.
Often, whether the discussion topic is on employee performance, retention, motivation or satisfaction etc, as I facilitate the discussions further, invariably the issue of employee engagement comes to the fore. And rightly so.
"Research by Gallup and others shows that engaged employees are more productive. They are more profitable, more customer-focused, safer, and more likely to withstand temptations to leave. The best-performing companies know that an employee engagement improvement strategy linked to the achievement of corporate goals will help them win in the marketplace.
Top-performing organizations understand that employee engagement is a force that drives performance outcomes. In the best organizations, engagement is more than a human resources initiative -- it is a strategic foundation for the way they do business."
Source:Gallup
And when discussing engagement, the matter of motivation and hence motivation theory - like Hertzberg's 2-Factor Theory or Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs would also inevitably be raised.
In the book, "The Enthusiastic Employee - how companies profit by giving workers what they
want", Wharton School Publishing 2005, authors David Sirota, Louis A Mischkind & Michael Irwin Meltzer look into worker enthusiasm as a factor for organizational success.They put forth that "the overwhelming majority of people begin a new job with a sense of enthusiasm......people are naturally excited about their work and their organizations, eager to be part of a productive team of co-workers, and reasonable in how they expect to be treated".
In their studies they note that invariably, "something happens to the great masses of employees who begin work enthusiasitcally", they found "significant declines in morale in 9 out of 10 companies" after 6 months of joining. They go on to confidently say that "in fact..often...it is management that kills enthusiasm!".
They go on to "assert that there are three primary sets of goals of people at work: equity, achievement, and camraderie." What they call as their "Three Factor Theory of Human Motivation".
I found the book easy to read, the many examples provided useful and their propositions relevant.
Organizations would do well to consider doing an employee engagement assessment before embarking on new & costly company-wide performance management, reward & compensation, learning & development or talent management & development initiatives.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Teams Need "Time-Outs"
It's been a whirlwind past few weeks with kids back to school, tuition and CCAs and a very busy work schedule.So when we had a break this afternoon because my daughter did not have her regular ballet class from 4-6pm, the family decided to have a time-out so we went for a family movie to Iluma in town to catch Pixar's Toy Story 3 and then to a calorie-busting dinner at Empire State Cafe of ribs, coney dog and herb chicken.
I enjoyed this 5 hours outing tremendously. We spent some quality time catching the 3rd installment of a movie trilogy we loved, had a great time bonding over dinner and just chiilin out and hanging out together, without any other agenda, except to relax, have fun - together!
I have been busy doing many team building programs these past weeks, many teams catching the upturn to come together for some R&R, team bonding and team building.
Many have openly said at the end debrief and sharing that "these sessions were long overdue" and that they needed "more of them" to continue this climate of fostering communication and collaboration.
Cost of the training intervention - a few thousand ; cost of the venue and food & beverages - a few hundreds; improved team understanding, communication and collaboration - priceless.
Everyone - individuals, families and of course work teams all need to have regular "time-outs" to recharge and refresh themselves.
If you haven't organised anything these last 6 months for your work teams, I really suggest you do something now and just see the results you can get when you foster high performing teams.
I'll see you at your next teambuilding session!
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