by Bruce Newman

    This article was originally published in The Productivity Institute (PI) Newsletter

Developing a social media marketing campaign has become more demanding as social media technology and popularity continues to evolve.  This seems counterintuitive at first since there are more tools and more people.  However, it also means that there are more people trying to reach and influence each other.  It therefore takes knowledgeable and effective strategizing to create an effective social media marketing campaign.  In short, it requires the 4 S’s – Social, Sharing, Sustain, and Strategize.

Social

The first rule of social media is to be social.  Your communications must be positive, knowledgeable, incisive, thoughtful, etc. It is okay to provide some negative comments provided they are appropriate.  They just must not be nasty, racist or insulting.  Think of when you go to a party and meet new people.  The appropriate behavior you display is similar to your online behavior.

When you are building and maintaining your social networks, you must be social.

Sharing

The purpose of social media is sharing; “pay it forward”.  By providing information and good, relevant content, you provide the basis building up your contact network and branding yourself as an expert of your particular specialty.  Since each social media platform has its own “personality” and followers, it is important to distribute your content across numerous platforms.  In this era of proliferating social media platforms and subscribers, it is important that you utilize social media sharing to share your information with as many people as possible.

Sharing of information that helps brand you as an expert and increases the size of your networks should be provided across multiple social media platforms.

Sustain

The rule in advertising is that people need to hear, read or see a product seven times before it makes a lasting impression.  In social media, this number is impossible to track and largely irrelevant.  What it does denote, however, is the importance of remaining in front of your target audience.  This is accomplished by providing a sustained and consistent effort.  Blogging once a month is insufficient.  One of the key components of a sustained effort includes scrutinizing various analytics to determine which strategies are effective and which are not.  (Scrutiny can almost be considered as the “5th S”.)  Optimally, a blog post created twice a week coupled with sustained effort commenting, asking and answering questions on several social media platforms is far superior. 

Sustaining your presence on multiple platforms will help enhance your social media presence, the size of your network and your credentials as an industry leader.

Strategy

In the past few years, the social media realm has grown from a small number of participants to hundreds of million people, many of whom use it daily for extended periods of time.  Given the ease of setting up an initial account and the huge number of subscribers, the difficulty of achieving an effective – and sustainable – social media presence has rapidly increased.  It’s nice to fantasize that a campaign will somehow go viral.  Unfortunately, it’s becoming increasing unlikely as that percentage continues to diminish.  In place of this dream is a campaign that incorporates SEO, possibly some type of paid advertising, blogs and social media to achieve a client’s specific goals.  An effective social media strategy takes significant planning and time to implement.  It does not happen overnight.  However, if effective it will provide substantial and recurring results, usually at a far lower cost than traditional media campaigns.

Utilizing an effective social media strategy across multiple blogs and social media platforms will achieve specific goals.

By adhering to the rules of the 4 S’s - regardless of the product, service or goals you are promoting, you can help ensure the success of any social media marketing campaign.

Bruce Newman is the Vice President at The Productivity Institute, LLC, a leader in locating, evaluating and matching the specific areas of expertise of consultants to the needs of its clients.  An expert on social media, Bruce constantly writes and gives talks on many facets of social media including branding, social media strategies and policy.  He has also developed several social media courses, services and products including: Social Media Policy, Social Media Starter Pack, and Maintenance and Management (available through the PI website or by clicking here). In addition, Bruce is the editor of the Productivity Institute Newsletter, a free content-is-king newsletter and thought leader.  Follow him on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and the Productivity Institute blog.

by Ron Sukenick

   This article was originally published in The Productivity Institute (PI) Newsletter 

1. Invest more time with people – The biggest investment you will make in building relationships and proving out a productive working relationship is TIME. Simply stated, the more you know and understand others, the more likely that relationship will flourish.

2. Become purpose driven – If building relationships are going to be at the fore-front of you networking activities, then you first have to strengthen your relationship with self. Self reflection, reason for being, purpose driven and vision is an important part of that process. If you don’t take the time to sit back and work on yourself, who will?

3. Create unparallel visibility – The bottom line for more business in 2010 is simply becoming more visible. That means getting targeted with face to face and on-line social networks. While Face book is a cool place to hang out, consider strengthening your profile and connection base on such sites as LinkedIn, and other industry specific portals to make more of a professional impact worldwide. Also, take a closer look at the micro sites that are more geographic to the area where you are marketing your services and creating impact.  Some examples are – www.SmallerIndiana.com (central Indiana) www.biznik.com (Pacific Northwest) etc.

4. Develop relationship strategies – Everyone talks about relationships.  Now you can do something about it. A relationship strategy is anything that you can do that adds value to others. Strategies put you in command and control of your relationship mindset. Don’t just talk about it. Do something about it. Develop your strategies today.

5. Relentlessly follow-up -Think about some of the recent networking events you attended and ask yourself the following questions:

a. From the 10-15 people you might of met, how many actually followed up with you by sending a note in the mail, an e-mail, or a phone call and said – “What a pleasure it was meeting you at the recent any-town Chamber of Commerce event”?

b. In fact, ask yourself the same question – How many did you actually follow up with a note, an e-mail, or even a phone call?

See what I mean? I told you so. Nobody is following up with anybody.

6. Be in a hurry – The biggest driving force in most countries continues to be speed. People want what they want, and they want it NOW! Take the moment and dance with it. Don’t wait to get better connected. And don’t wait to provide the support that’s needed now by the many people your meeting.

When you act on the environment, you being proactive and by being proactive, you’re generating excitement, energy, focus, and enthusiasm. Thus leading to greater success.

If most of your efforts are in the reactive mode, it’s simply a slower process and your generating fatigue, crisis management, thus often leading to failure.

7. Find ways to become more useful and resourceful to others – Simply stated, whatever you have done to satisfy anyone yesterday, it won’t be enough to satisfy them tomorrow. Make sense? Immediately look for no less then 6 ways that you can become more useful and resourceful to others.  Keep meeting people. The more people you know that know what to do next, and know how to get things done, the more useful and resource you will be.

8. Increase you frequency of interaction – Increased interaction brings increased cooperation with others. To many times people fail to follow up with people their meeting. If you can get up to 6 interactions with anyone, it’s likely you’ll have a good beginning for a relationship that will never end. (See suggestion # 5 for more comments to support this suggestion.)

9. Join a referral club – There is a distinction in the kinds of networks that exist. Go for the strong contact, referral giving groups. The BNI’s, LeTips and the newest and closely watched Gold Star Referral Club are for sure your best bet for the greatest return on your time and money invested.

10. Connect the Dots as often as you can (making the most from the Small World Phenomena) – When was the last time you heard that infamous expression – It’s such a Small World Isn’t It? – Keep in mind that the power in your networking efforts is always in the connection. And that the connection between you and the people your meeting, is never between you and the people you’re meeting. It’s between you, them, and something else that you have in common.

11. Increase the rewardingness – If you want people to act the way you want them to act, you have to increase the rewards of being and doing business with you. Whether it’s knowing more people, becoming a better listener, or even just putting in a toll free number to reach you, people will always respond to something they like and appreciate. Keep the rewards coming.

12. Take the Joy of Interaction to higher levels – Let’s face it. The reason why you love this thing called networking is clearly because of what I call – The “Joy of Interaction”. Isn’t it fun? I didn’t say it was productive. I just said it’s fun. So when you’re out interacting with others, consider bringing the following characteristics to the table – fun, excitement, passion, creativity, dependability, responsibility and support. Make it a joyful experience for the people your meeting.

13. Go after the relationship, not just the sale – This is the very reason why most people find networking so in-effective. There going after the sale. When looking to build your business, think relationship first.

14. Don’t manage people (manage the system) – Systems build business and are more predictable and reliable. In a networking environment, it’s very difficult to get people to do what you want them to do, and if you could, it would have to be with their own willingness to get it done. Stick to a predictable system that works every time.

15. Listen three times as much – When you speak, you learn what you know. When you listen, you learn what others know. The power has always been in the listening. Here’s a good question you should ask yourself – When was the last time anyone said – Thanks for taking the time to listen? If it’s been while, go back to work and become a great listener.

In fact, great listeners, have great connections.

When all is said and done

Stay focused, challenge your thinking and underlying beliefs, be more strategic, go after the relationship, connect the dots, make the connection, and always take the moment and dance with it.

Ron Sukenick is the Chief Relationship Officer and founder of the Relationship Strategies Institute, a training and Relationship development company that provides innovative, effective and relevant programs and systems for corporations, organizations, and associations. To learn more about the value of Relationship Development, visit his Web site at www.Ronsukenick.com . You can reach Ron by phone at: 317-216-8210, or by email at rs@ronsukenick.com

by Katie Mead

   This article was originally published in The Productivity Institute (PI) Newsletter

The success of any project, from facilitating key special events to designing a communications strategy, is dependent upon great coordination.  However, it can be difficult putting your finger on which criteria will best set a project up for success.  Whether designing and coordinating your own project or looking to hire an exceptional project coordinator, here are some key competencies to keep top of mind:

 1. ‘Getting it’ and making changes
A talented project coordinator will quickly and effectively grasp the project goals and be able to readily articulate them (translating technical jargon, if necessary) to the team.  And it’s not just the goals at the project outset that matter: great coordination depends upon agility and flexibility – the ability to respond to changes as they occur.  It’s not enough to meet every pre-arranged milestone and deliverable on time and on budget if the project goals have changed.  Constant vigilance and the ability to change tacks are essential to good project coordination.

2. Team building
The results of a project are usually reliant upon the efforts of a team.  With a focus on effective team-building, a great coordinator is able to marshal the resources of many, while maintaining the vision of the project’s greater scope.  Especially valuable is the ability to anticipate and remove barriers to team-effectiveness before they become problematic.  A successful team will result in a successful completed project.

3. The great balancing act
Intrinsic to any project, regardless of its size or complexity, is the buy-in of various stakeholders.  Whether the development team, business sponsors, sales, marketing or human resources, each group has its own agenda and priorities.  It’s the job of the project coordinator to keep all these ‘balls in the air’, to stay abreast of the different needs and requirements of each stakeholder, and juggle priorities appropriately.  This balancing act is intensified when the project also requires the facilitation of outside or outsourced talent.

4. Following the leader
Seamless project coordination requires excellent project leadership ability.  An exceptional project coordinator possesses a variety of important skills and qualities: exceptional communication, the ability to motivate others, the ability to negotiate, as well as consummate organizational and conflict resolution skills, just to name a few. A project will be successful according to how well the project coordinator manages this skill-set.

5. Natural-born diplomacy
Regardless of the nature of the project, any competent project coordinator will tell you that effective project coordination deals with people as its first priority.  Great diplomacy skills are required to keep people productive and feeling valued. And if problems can’t be sidestepped, great conflict resolution skills are essential.   The ability to smooth out people-problems when they occur with great tact and respect is an invaluable skill, and an intrinsic tool in any good project coordinator’s toolkit.

6. Persistence
An often overlooked, but nevertheless essential, part of effective project coordination is persistence.  To overcome all the various obstacles and challenges that can arise, a great project coordinator depends upon both a sense of humour and a flexible contingency plan.  The ability to regroup and come at the problem from a different angle is an important skill for any seasoned project coordinator.

7. Trustworthiness
Let’s face it: hiring an excellent project coordinator ultimately comes down to trust.  Look closely at their credentials: it’s guaranteed that a seasoned coordinator will have a demonstrable track record of success and excellent references.  An effective project coordinator will take the needs of the project and run with it.  Along the way, they’ll go the distance by utilizing great communication skills and transparent processes to put you at ease while ensuring delivery of a successful finished project, on time and on budget. 

Katie Mead is the co-founder of Springboard Consulting, Katie is a passionate about good communication.  From a diverse background in the fine arts, she has developed a proven track record of success working in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors. Her particular areas of expertise include marketing, grant writing, non-profit resource building and management, fundraising, and the design and launch of various keynote projects and events.  Katie can be reached at:  katie@springboardconsulting.ca

by Dave Walker

   This cartoon was published in The Productivity Institute (PI) Newsletter

We welcome your thoughts and comments on this cartoon.

Dave Walker
Cartoon Blog: http://www.cartoonchurch.com/blog/
Church Times Blog: http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/blog
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/davewalker

by Galen McPherson

   This article was originally published in The Productivity Institute (PI) Newsletter 

So there I was… driving all along FM 1960 [that's a road name, for all you non-Texans] looking all over for the Dunkin’ Donuts that Mapquest told me would be there.  Finally, I called Nancy Johnson, my coffee partner, to let her know that I was late, I had been unable to locate the place, but I was looking.  When she answered, she told me that she was also driving up and down 1960, also unable to find Dunkin’ Donuts either.  Darn Mapquest.  So we agreed on Starbuck’s, which we were both somehow near, with another lesson learned about today’s electronic world.

This was a marathon cuppa, not that we noticed until too late, almost three hours, but most enjoyable.  Nancy and I have both been struggling with a bit of “personal” re-invention this last year, having been let go from our separate previous employers at the start of the new year, a circumstance not unfamiliar to a great many Americans.

We are similarly aged, and seeking corporate employment was most often met with the “over-qualified” euphemism, creating quite a bit of angst and anguish.  We were, at our advanced maturity…  well, age, because I certainly cannot consistently claim maturity… having to decide “what we wanted to be when we grew up“.  We had to re-invent how we looked at ourselves, driven by how others looked at us.  Inside, I am still 25, immortal and sporting the body I inhabited while flying fighters and carousing in Korea- I have no idea how that overweight grey-haired guy gets inside my mirror.

We talked about the struggles of learning new skills, particularly the ubiquity and variety of electronic social media - so critical to today’s networking candidate.  Skype, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Naymz… and those are only a few of the myriad options available.  We talked about blogging and what it takes to get into that, and then there is website design and upkeep, and on and on and on.  I had decided simply to jump in, to go get started, but Nancy had found herself a bit more hesitant, wanting to research it “just a little bit more” to “make sure [she] was doing it right”.

That is when a favorite admonition from a friend of mine from long long ago came to mind - “Anything worth doing well is worth doing poorly at first”.  If you want to be “good” at social media marketing, you will have to be bad at first.  You will make faux pas, you will goober up your Twitter account, you will forget the eighty-five new passwords you create [some with caps, some with letters, some not], you will try to make a connection on LinkedIn by signing in to Facebook.  Trust me- I have “been there, done that”.  But all these applications are amazingly forgiving [I can delete the pages I don't like] and the community of users is amazingly supportive and receptive.

So we came around full circle to the adage-esque Nike slogan of “Just Do It”.  Social media is the “new thing” especially to us “boomers”, but it is the new thing.

We have to become adept at using it.

Even though we will be poor at using it at first

Galen McPherson is an unabashed Intellectual Capitalist, specializing in knowledge systems optimization. Every company has a knowledge system.  Usually, though, the knowledge system is not a designed feature but one that simply “happened” over time. His work can help ensure that you provide the right information to the right person at the right time in the right format.  He can be reached at 832.298.4940 and galen@galenmcpherson.com.  His profile is on LinkedIn and Facebook, and his blog can be found at www.galenmcpherson.com.

Better knowledge.  Faster.

by Norman Levine

   This article was published in The Productivity Institute (PI) Newsletter

The opening ceremonies were so spectacular I sometimes wish they’d cut directly to the closing ceremonies with an exhibition or two in between. Instead, after expressions of camaraderie, we get fierce competition provoking nationalism, grudges and divisive rivalries.

In spite of a general disinterest in most events I watch along with an expected global audience of two hundred million. I become an avid fan fixed on these athletes who soar and swoop and leap and loop in sports I’ve barely heard of. I even cultivate a sudden and short-lived enthusiasm for such alien pastimes as curling, biathlon and downhill mogul. If I learn the difference between a double axle and triple lutz I’m sure I’ll forget it before the next Olympics.

I’m caught up in ice dancing and snowboard competition but can’t work up much enthusiasm for the luge except relief when it’s over and no one else has met his maker at ninety mph.

Is anyone else bothered by the perfection we ask of these young men and women? The winners all have perfect teeth and the losers lay soft-boiled eggs, They all look great to me. But a bobble here and a wobble there and they’re dead meat. Is it right that teenagers should live in slavish servitude to their event and then return home humiliated because they didn’t nail the landing?

Bad enough that Sparta reigns over Athens for a few weeks. In the rush for gold the ice is littered with broken dreams but it’s the judges who frighten me most. They have those jaundiced eyes that see only faults and give me the heebie-jeebies. Dare I eat a peach?

When I cut the morning melon I can feel the eyes of the Bulgarian scorer all over me taking off points for my grip. Have I divided the sphere into four precise quadrants? Let’s get an instant reply and take out our protractors.

The next time I negotiate my shopping cart through Costco I must remember how those giant slaloms did it. But I’d better not try the speed bumps on the side streets at Olympian pace when the limit is 15 mph.

When the gun goes off for the speed skating sprint did I detect an ever so slight lunge? Tell me, what is the first bud in an early spring other than a lurch in response to the starter’s gun?

If I were a judge I’d give messy humanity it’s due. A misstep here, a blemish there. Satchmo’s rasp, the riff not on the page. Blessed are the slips and flops, the accidents that have gotten us this far as we stumble our way along. Hopi potters knew to make an imperfection in their bowls so not to offend the gods.

Norm Levine is a happily retired pharmacist. After reading doctor’s chicken scratch hand-writing for 53 years he has taken to prose and poetry writing himself. He has published two books of poetry along with his wife, Peggy Aylsworth and one work of his own. Some of his poems are available on http://poetsplace.blogspot.com. He claims to have found his calling in creative idleness, thinking great thoughts which he tosses off the Santa Monica pier in a bottle.

by Bruce Newman

   This article was originally published in The Productivity Institute (PI) Newsletter

Traditional marketing programs emphasize the importance of the 4 P’s (Product, Price, Place (distribution), and Promotion).  Utilizing various combinations of these components allow marketers to reach many different target markets.

The growth of social media transformed the 4 P’s into the 4 R’s (Review, Respond, Record, and Redirect). 
• Review – what the social media community is saying about you
• Respond – appropriately and accurately to any postings or comments
• Record – providing short videos that inform and educate
    Note: I prefer Recognize – brand recognition and its promotion/evolution
• Redirect – providing content across multiple sites to improve visibility and search engine rankings.

They are not as established as the 4 P’s but perhaps that is because of their “newness”; after all, social media has only been around for a few years.

Nevertheless, I think they can be improved.  As companies are increasingly viewing social media as both a networking and business tool, they need a foundation which espouses its key principles.

Recently, while I was working on a presentation that discussed the 4 R’s, my wife came over and asked, shouldn’t I use the 4 S’s for social media?  Upon reflection, I thought she had made a valid point and subsequently developed the 4 S’s.  As a test, I discussed both the 4 R’s and the 4 S’s during my presentation and asked the audience which they preferred.  The overwhelming response favored the 4 S’s.

The 4 S’s
• Social – being sociable and appropriate is #1
• Sharing – share your relevant content and profiles across multiple social media sites
• Sustain – your presence by consistently providing appropriate and substantive responses to any postings or comments
• Strategy – create and implement an effective social media plan

The 4 S’s exemplify the behavior and potential of social media. 

Social
Of primary importance is sociability.  If you’re not sociable, honest and conscientious, you will not be successful in this medium.  It is these interactions with people and communities that will form the basis for all subsequent communications. 

Sharing
While doing this, you should share valuable and relevant content – of any format - with peers and your community, sometimes across multiple social media platforms, when appropriate.  One aspect that is extremely important and yet frequently overlooked is the completion of your profile(s) on each social media platform since almost all of them have a personal and business component. 

Sustain
Increasingly, companies are using social media for real time interactions with prospects, customers and interested respondents.  Sustaining a presence through new entries – often across multiple platforms – and quickly servicing posts and comments on a regular basis can help brand a company as an industry leader.

Strategy
Given the number of social media users, the large number of social media platforms, and its growing ranking relevance, developing and implementing an effective strategy to achieve your goals is rapidly becoming a necessity.  Just having a Facebook page for example, is no longer sufficient.

By following the guidelines of the 4 S’s, you will have the foundation upon which to build an effective and strategic social media presence to help achieve your goals.

Bruce Newman is the Vice President at The Productivity Institute, LLC, a leader in locating, evaluating and matching the specific areas of expertise of consultants to the needs of its clients.  An expert on social media, Bruce constantly writes and gives talks on many facets of social media including branding, social media strategies and policy.  He has also developed several social media training courses. In addition, Bruce is the editor of the Productivity Institute Newsletter, a free content-is-king newsletter and thought leader.  Follow him on LinkedIn, Twitter and the Productivity Institute blog.

by Lillian D. Bjorseth

   This article was published in The Productivity Institute (PI) Newsletter

Want to make the most effective use of your networking time and dollars? Then hone your people-reading skills so you can network in the other person’s comfort zone.

Each of you is as unique as a snowflake, yet you also share similarities - enough so that behavioral characteristics can be grouped into four major categories. You might be thinking, “Oh, I took that DISC tool at work to help me communicate, manage or sell better. What’s the importance in networking?”

Glad you asked!

People-reading skills are pervasive throughout your interpersonal relationship-building activities:  when speaking with people at events, making referrals and communicating with them via email or the phone. Knowing how to adapt and flex to increase the other’s comfort level is sure to increase your success.

If you are a Dauntless (Dominance) and Indefatigable (Influence) style, you are naturally more assertive, fast-paced, outgoing and take-charge. It is relatively easy for you to meet and talk with others. As Supportive (Steadiness) and Careful (Conscientiousness) people, you tend to be introspective, pensive, quiet and slower-paced. You usually find business and social events more difficult, even a necessary burden at times.

You may be a combination of several styles and find yourself exhibiting different behaviors at different networking events. If you are nearly equal Indefatigable and Careful styles, you may be at ease and really enjoy certain events; other times you would rather be alone or may become irritated if the meeting is not organized and orchestrated to your high standards. You need to recognize and adjust to differences within you just as you recognize and adjust to differences among people. Each style has strengths and limitations.

Your behavior in networking situations may vary from that you exhibit in the office, e.g., that of a manager. Networking and interacting with strangers can be much more stress producing! That’s why I specifically created relationship-building applications.

Dauntless Networker

If you are a Dauntless Networker, you rush in where mere mortals fear to tread! No matter that you are a low-level supervisor and the other attendees are top-level managers. You dislike corporate hierarchies and try to ignore or work around them. You relish being number one even if your company has only one employee. If you are an entrepreneur, no one will ever know your two-year-old business has yet to make a profit!

At networking events, people feel your presence when you walk into a room. At meetings, you let people know your opinions. Others know you are someone to reckon with. You may overwhelm people with your confident, powerful style when they first meet you or try to rekindle relationships. Your high sense of self-worth, your powerful aura and your impression of “knowing it all” need to be kept within limits.

You are good at getting results. What others may question is how you accomplish them. Be more considerate of other people’s feelings, and the sky is the limit for you in relationship building … and your career.

Supportive Networker

A quiet, even-handed, steady approach pervades throughout your activities if you are a Supportive Networker. You are known for the calming effect you have on others. Your sincerity is evident through your handshake, your smile and your demeanor.

You are by far the best listener. Your “Tell me more,” “Go on,” and “What do you think?” prompts encourage others to open up to you and make them feel important; however, more outgoing styles may unabashedly take advantage of you!

You don’t want to knowingly hurt anyone’s feelings. You tend to be uncomfortable when the conversation heats up and would rather withdraw into your shell until any conflict blows over. If, however, you think you may be the cause of any ill feelings, you will approach the person to smooth things over.

Preferring the security of warm, friendly relationships, you like to avoid the unknown. Yet, as a Supportive-style business owner or employee, you know the benefits of networking and that occasionally you have “to take the plunge.” Your compromise is to seek a safe environment, which may mean talking to the same person for most of the event. It’s okay to talk with only two people; however, it’s also good for you to set a goal to slowly work that number up to three or four people.

How the Two Adapt and Flex

It is readily apparent that we could have oil and water mixing when these two styles interact. Here are steps the Dauntless person can take to make the Supportive style feel more comfortable. At all costs, avoid the “I am who I am. Tough.” approach that some Dauntless styles assume.
• Avoid your impulse to interrupt their slower, deliberate responses or finish their sentences.
• Draw them out by asking opened-ended questions.
• Introduce them to your acquaintances.
• Steer clear of confrontation.

Supportive people, take a deep breath, and:
• Be prepared for quick topic changes or incomplete sentences.
• Don’t take the brusque, blunt style personally.
• Use your naturally good listening techniques; you may learn from their creative, visionary outlook.
• Look them in the eye while they and you are speaking.

Lillian Bjorseth has worked with tens of thousands of people nationwide through her often life-changing programs based on adapting and flexing to improve personal and business communication. She can be reached at www.duoforce.com or www.greaterchicagonetworking.com

by Greg Chartier, Ph.D, SPHR

   This article was originally published in The Productivity Institute (PI) Newsletter

I am often asked to look at HR Departments and functions to see how effective and efficient they are.  As a result, I’ve developed a series of measures to use to conduct this evaluation.  It includes organization-wide metrics which might not show up in “HR Reports” as well as those which can be used for specific HR programs. Since 2010 looks to be just as challenging a year as 2009, it seems like a good time to review your HR Department and make sure it’s doing its’ part to contribute to company success.

• Are the people we have the most productive in our industry?

• What is our productivity (Output) per dollar of people costs spent?

• Can HR show the trend (over several years and project future years) and compare it to our chief competitors.

• What is our “People Profit” (The number of dollars of “people” costs we must incur in order to generate a dollar of profit)? What is the trend and how does it compare to our chief competitors?  What is our “Revenue per employee”? Is it higher than our competitors?

• Do we have the right number of people in our organization?

• Does HR have a metric/ system for ensuring we are not OVER-STAFFED? Do we compare our Headcount per unit of production/ sales to that of our direct competitors to ensure we don’t have headcount “fat”?

• Are we UNDER STAFFED in areas, where if we added people in key areas, we would increase our profitability?

• Are we overpaying our employees for the output they produce?

• Can HR show the impact of pay increases? What is the % increase in employee performance as the result of every 1% increase in pay?

• Does paying top dollar matter? Do the employees paid in the top quartile of the salary range produce proportionally more output than those paid in the middle quartile?

• Who are we over / under paying? Demonstrate we have an effective system for identifying and forecasting whether we are under or over paying our employees.

• Is there evidence that our benefits programs really attract or keep people?

• Do we improve the people we have? (Make them more skilled and productive)

• Is Training a Critical Success Factor? Is there a correlation in our industry between the % of all people costs spent on training/ OD and firm profitability?

• Does Training make a difference in performance? What is the percent increase in performance as a result of every $1,000 spent on training?

• Does HR have evidence that having “the best” employees is a Critical Success Factor (CSF) in our industry because the most profitable firms have a high proportion of “quality” employees and the less successful firms have lower proportion of “quality” employees?

• Has HR identified the jobs/ functional areas where having great people is essential for corporate success (a CSF)?

• Does adding more or higher quality HR resources make a difference? Is the Return on Investment in Human Resources higher than the ROI on Capital or for plant and equipment?

• Do we attract and hire the very best people we can afford?

• Did we hire better people this year (more productive per dollar spent in salary) than last?

• Demonstrate that we are hiring people with competencies and skills that give us a competitive advantage over our competitors.

• Do we “fix” our “problem” employees rapidly or get rid of them if they are too expensive to “fix”?

• What percentage of “poor” performers become “very good” performers within a year, as a result of our employee relations efforts?

• Show we get rid of our poor performers that can’t be “fixed” at a rate faster than our competitors.

• Is there evidence HR identifies and effectively “fixes”" bad” managers?

• Is there evidence HR provides guidance and help to strengthen our managers and teams?

• Does HR give managers multi-options and do its programs allow managers to “adjust” corporate policies to fit “local” needs? We give managers input into policies before they are initiated.

• Do we forecast and prevent people problems better than the best in the industry?

• Is our HR department efficient and does it continually improve?

• Is there evidence that HR continually improves its programs? Drops it’s ineffective ones?

• Is there evidence that putting more HR resources in an area dramatically impacts that areas productivity and profitability?

• What percent of all corporate spending goes to HR? How does it compare to last year and our best competitors? Are our costs per unit of HR service below those of our best competitors given an equal quality of service?

• Do key departments and products get the most Human Resources help?

• Are our employees satisfied?

• Do employees report they are more satisfied this year with the way they are treated? (Compared to last year?).

• Does HR have evidence of the impact of employee satisfaction on our employee’s productivity and retention?

• Is there evidence that we get the most from our talent?

• Is our over-all HR strategy aligned with our business strategy?

• What is our over-all HR strategy?

• Is there evidence it adequately shifts, as our business needs change?

• Has HR done a competitive analysis (over-all and by function) to see where we need to shift our efforts in order to beat our competitors in every HR category?

• Does our HR strategy reinforce our corporate values and culture?

• Is there evidence that HR has significantly added to our shareholders value?

The answers to these measures will help answer the fundamental question of all:  Is HR contributing, the way it should be, to the success of the company?

Good luck in 2010 and Happy Holidays.

Greg Chartier is Principal of The Office of Gregory J Chartier, a Human Resources Consulting firm and is a well-known management consultant, educator and speaker.  His practice consists of two broad areas:  Human Resources management and outsourcing for firms of less than 100 employees and Management Training. His business experience includes management positions with Pfizer, The Chase Manhattan Bank, The Bank of New York and Johnson and Johnson.  He is also a Board Member of the Job Service Employers Council (JSEC) of the New York State Department of Labor.  Greg can be reached at greg.chartier@att.net and by phone at 914-548-1689.

by Norman Levine

   This article was published in The Productivity Institute (PI) Newsletter

Saturday afternoon. We’d come in anytime. Who had watches? There were two movies, a serial, Looney-Tunes, RKO Pathe News, a Pete Smith Special, previews, a sing-along and the March of Dimes collection box. Five hours.

The guy from the other side of the tracks got the girl next door. The schoolyard bully did a stretch up the river while the smarmy class prez went from the D.A.’s office to the Governor’s mansion until a cub reporter got a scoop that he threw his wife down the stairs and the big time lawyer fell while the newspaperman rose and the world was set to rights.

Having been suckled on matinees we had movie-smarts. We could tell the suave double-crosser from the honest sucker by his mustache alone. And when we were ready for the mean streets, just a bit unprepared for the grit and grime we remembered what Tarzan said to Jane, It’s a jungle out there, and that’s when our skin grew its necessary fur.

If the Shadow knew what lurked in the hearts of men who knew what lurked in the heart of the Shadow? Did he have a double life? Was he a mad scientist in his subterranean garage? Not likely.

The villain operated out of an abandoned warehouse on the other side of town. One day the place would be surrounded by incorruptible police and the chief would shout for him to come out with his hands up. If he shot his way out the good cop would simply nurse a flesh wound while Pat O’Brien would appear to give the nut case his last rights.

It was a tidy world. Even second bananas knew who they were. They taught us about the unattainable. If there was an object of desire to be had these were the one’s who never quite got it. There was usually a fellow with glasses who ended up with the second banana(ette). She was crazy about him anyway. How nice when seconds marry seconds, the rule of bananas.

It’s a good thing we don’t get to see the movie of our life before we live it, or even the coming attractions. Then we would know our place by the billing alone and the rest of it wouldn’t be the worth the price of admission.

We got weary as the plot finally caught up to what we already knew. This is where we came in, somebody mumbled. When we left the theatre we almost believed that life made sense. Look how the middle always connected the beginning to the end.

Norm Levine is a happily retired pharmacist. After reading doctor’s chicken scratch hand-writing for 53 years he has taken to prose and poetry writing himself. He has published two books of poetry along with his wife, Peggy Aylsworth and one work of his own. Some of his poems are available on http://poetsplace.blogspot.com. He claims to have found his calling in creative idleness, thinking great thoughts which he tosses off the Santa Monica pier in a bottle.