I am sitting on the plane reading an article titled, “3M CEO emphasizes importance of leaders”, which is in the format of an interview with George Buckley, CEO of 3M. 3M was rated the best at developing future leaders by Chief Executive Magazine and the Hay Group in 2009.

He was asked, “How long should talented people stay in one job”, and his response was, “there is a point somewhere around four years where you need to get refreshed”.

He responded to the question being presented in many companies today, “Should we be spending money on leadership training when these people may very well leave”? His response was, “What if we don’t offer them leadership training and they stay?”

He was also asked, “Why not save money on leadership development and recruit top talent from others?” and he responded, “I’d sooner own a fish farm then be reliant on catching a few fish”.

It is time for the HR professional to stand up to the CEO and reflect a similar philosophy to of Mr. Buckley. The strengths of your top producers are your most valuable asset of your company. It takes time and money to not only hire the person with high potential, train and develop the top producer and provide the work environment and career opportunities to insure retention of the top producers. This leadership attitude requires a people management plan of action which most companies are not willing to develop.

The Human Resources professional must be the champion for the “great” employees and make sure that the programs and development opportunities satisfy the needs of the top players in the organization. Processes must be developed and events must be discarded. This includes processes relative to hiring and selection, people development, performance management, and succession planning.

So what does your People Management Process look like? When will CEO’s realize the HR professional holds the key to their future? Let’s hope it starts in the near future.

Time Management Tip

Peak performance in the work environment is usually pre-determined.

Last month, an employee survey revealed that the majority of employees (over 70%) performed best between the hours of 8 AM and noon. I have always felt and promoted that the peak performance period for most of us was approximately 2 to 2.5 hours after you got to your work environment.

Less than 18% of those surveyed stated that they performed at their best after 2 PM. It is important that you perform your high payoff activities when you are in your peak performance period and hold your least important projects for the afternoon.

Maybe we should ask Nike to change their slogan to: “Just Do It! – before lunch.

10 Business reSolutions for 2010

1. Conduct a SWOT Analysis for 2009 and analyze your sales, operations, people, and financial commitments.
2. Conduct a Customer Satisfaction Survey to define benchmarks in your core competencies
3. Develop a Strategic or Business Plan for 2010.
4. Meet quarterly with your professional advisors (Accounting, Legal, Business Consultant, Financial Planner, etc.) to review progress and determine action plans.
5. Focus your energies on your talented people
6. Complete a course or take a workshop for self-improvement and/or business development
7. Focus on your strengths, the strengths of your people, and your processes.
8. Prioritize your tasks and make sure others do as well.
9. Remember that time management is personal management.
10. Celebrate success; offer praise and recognition to your top producers.

By Richard Hohmann, VP of Innovative Leadership
Business Consulting - Leadership/Management Development, Strategic Planning and more

10 HR Resolutions for 2010

1. Conduct an HR Self-Audit on your department.
2. Create a Leadership Development Strategy
3. Build better relationships with other departments
4. Establish and evaluate your Training Programs in regard to Level (Kirkpatrick) achieved.
5. Revitalize your Employee Orientation Program (Onboarding)
6. Focus on retaining great employees
7. Become more goal and strategic-oriented
8. Start using metrics to demonstrate the improvement in the profitability resulting from your department.
9. Conduct Organizational Needs and Employee Satisfaction Surveys to define baselines and benchmarks
10. Make sure your compensation plan compliments your performance management process

By Richard Hohmann, VP of Innovative Leadership
HR Services by Innovative Leadership

10 Management reSOLUTIONS for 2010

1. Make sure the business strategy is understood and clear to all employees
2. Make sure the employees understand how their value and job roles contribute to the overall success of the business
3. Improve your communication with employees
4. Help people reach their potential through coaching and/or mentoring
5. Make sure you are consistent in your message and actions
6. Focus yourself and all the employees on the “High Payoff Activities”
7. Become more goal and results-oriented
8. Understand that you are responsible for employee engagement.
9. Focus your energies on people development and career enhancement
10. Understand that the tools of accountability (data, metrics, analysis, assessments, and performance evaluations) are neutral and need to become the tools that high achievers use to understand and improve performance.

By Richard Hohmann, VP of Innovative Leadership
Making of an Effective Manager Course 2010

Critical Business Success Factor

Many experts feel that even though every company is different, it is important for each to develop a succession plan that includes hiring from within, conducting a developmental opportunity or audition, providing a defined plan with time lines for anyone to assume a leadership responsibility, and disclosing the process or succession plan to the shareholders.

Most succession plans do not take into consideration that different environments require different leadership competencies or skills. So, if we narrow our development process than we may never have the right person ready to assume the leadership role in any company. Companies need to consider what most professional sports teams do as a major component for success and that is a strong bench. Most championship teams, whether it be in basketball, baseball, or even football have a great bench or understudy for their key positions. Companies, like professional sports teams, must have a strong bench of candidates who can lead or “step up to the plate” under a variety of scenarios.

Many companies use different forms of people development processes. Some companies call them Leadership Academies or Institutes, and/or High Potential Candidate Schools. Despite the different names, the end result is the same: development of people toward a higher level. As a business owner, you need to provide a constant flow of internal talent but you also must be aware that when people don’t get the higher position, they do have a tendency to leave the organization so the funnel better continue to be adequately filled at all times.

It is also important for companies to deliver some kind of transparency to their shareholders, customers, and internal personnel. The ideal succession plan should minimize uncertainty, which is not a bad thing in this economic climate, and continue to promote the “real” culture of the company. The depth of the company’s disclosure should be predicated by the need at the time and situational circumstances.

Also, many experts believe that the succession plan must take into consideration the corporate culture to the extent that every company should have a corporate culture that transcends the exit of any leader or person. Most companies do not really know what they smell, taste, and feel like to their internal and external customers. The best way to determine the current culture and the culture employees want is to conduct an Organizational Needs Inventory (ONI) assessment but most companies don’t do them.

So, succession planning is just a more formalized name that can be defined as a process to help companies develop their people to meet their future needs.It certainly sounds like it is time for a Leadership Program! Let's get started!

Avoid Being the Black Cloud of the Office

AND Show Your Positive Side
If your boss had to characterize your attitude, would you be described as a ray of sunshine or a black cloud? Some employees don't realize that they unintentionally project negativity. To become the employee that the boss can't wait to see in the morning, take these steps:

1. Suggest Don't Complain - If you disagree with a new procedure or rule, offer alternatives and solutions not recrimination and a bad attitude
2. Air Problems in Private - Don't challenge your boss in front of co-workers or other managers.
3. Learn To Pick Your Battles - There are times when it's best to keep quiet and do what you are told. Not every battle is worth fighting. Winning can cost you more in the end than the battle was worth.
4. Take Responsibility for Your Mistakes - Show your maturity by admitting when you are wrong.
5. Be a Team Player - Give your boss positive information about co-workers or jobs well done.

- Adapted from "Tips for Communicating Effectively with Your Boss"