Season's Greetings

To our Client and Candidate Business Partners and Friends, all of us at Direct Search Alliance extend our sincerest best wishes for a happy Holiday Season.

May the New Year bring optimism, innovation, the coming together of talented people, support from colleagues and leadership, aspiration to overcome difficulties, and the power to make the best of trade and industry in the marketplaces we serve.

Teamwork brings everything together.

2009, a time to hope for peace and think green. A time to step it up in the face of adversity. A time to renew the spirit of service and go to work.

Starting a New Job

So you finally made it to your new workplace. Now take a deep breath and walk in with a smile on your face. Keep your head up and remember to make eye contact. Be polite and friendly to everyone you encounter, whether it's the receptionist or the mailroom clerk, your colleagues or your new boss. Introduce yourself to those you meet and remember that it's okay to ask questions. People generally like to help others and it usually makes them feel good about themselves.

While it's okay to hold onto some of things you learned in your previous jobs and use that knowledge in your new job, remember that every workplace has it's own way of doing things. Your first few weeks or even months on a job is not the time to change the way things get done. Do not utter these words: "That's not how we did it at my old company." Your colleagues will just be thinking this: "Well, you're not at your old company and if you liked it so much why didn't you stay there."

Here are a few more tips to consider when starting a new job:

Tone down the star quality

It's natural to want to impress your co-workers by sharing all of your terrific ideas right away. Resist that impulse.

Most colleagues will be threatened by your new ideas and will reflexively shoot them down.
Why? Because a) they're new ideas, and b) they're yours.

Remember, your co-workers thought they were doing pretty well before you showed up.

Instead, win over your new officemates by simply doing the job you've been assigned to do as well as you can. Then pick out some easy wins, small accomplishments that won't ruffle anyone's feathers but will further demonstrate your competence.

Maybe there's a nagging problem that everyone means to fix, but no one ever gets around to doing it.

There's your first job. Get a couple of minor accomplishments under your belt, and you'll earn your office's trust. After that, your ideas will be judged on their merits, not on who's proposing them.

Don't be Mr./Ms. Personality

Start slow when you're developing relationships. At the outset, respect is more important than friendship.

Be pleasant, be polite - but check your ebullience at the door. You don't get to make jokes for a while or spout off at meetings - gregariousness in a newcomer can be off-putting. It smacks of trying too hard.

Let your work speak for you. After a few weeks, you'll have built up enough good will to let your true self shine through. Get the inside scoop

Here's the challenge: You want to learn the culture of your new workplace - how things are supposed to work and how they really work because of the idiosyncrasies of co-workers - as quickly as possible, but you don't want to come across as prying.

Start by figuring out which people seem to be plugged in. Then approach them with simple questions about process ("How does Ms. Jones like to be kept informed about Project XYZ?"), steering clear of questions about personalities ("What's Ms. Jones really like?").

Chances are good that knowledgeable co-workers will pepper their responses with both types of info ("Send updates by e-mail, and keep them short - Jones is a real cut-to-the-chase type").

This way you get the information you need without looking like you were angling for it.

Know your boundaries at work

The border separating professional and personal relationships isn't easy to patrol, especially at smaller, informal offices. But conversational boundaries help to determine the reputation of an employee and staff. Simply put, boundaries preserve integrity.

Whether you're a principal, manager or rank-and-file employee, taking the following advice will help to ensure that conversations with co-workers never distract from a productive, positive workplace.

Beware of feeling informal. There's generally no clear rule about where to draw the line, so a good rule of thumb is to avoid issues that might make someone uncomfortable. Such topics of conversation may include romance, physical appearance, health, race, religion and personal finance.

Refrain from gossip. Remember: Those who talk to you about others will also talk about you to others.

Most gossip and other inappropriate conversations occur in places that feel informal, such as elevators, hallways and bathrooms or off-site like parking lots, restaurants. But co-workers should never get the false sense of security that they're off duty in these locations.

It's better to pretend your personal microphone is always on. Don't say something if you don't want it heard or repeated.

Forge office friendships with care. When you're at the office for around 2,000 hours a year, you're bound to develop friendships with co-workers. Some may become confidants with whom you share personal details.

Make sure you know and completely trust this kind of co-worker friend. It's a risk any time someone has knowledge about details you don't want to make public, particularly if co-worker friendships fizzle.

Expect boundary differences. The workplace not only combines people of different backgrounds, ages, talents and skills but also folks of different boundary types.

People with "overdeveloped" boundaries often are brash and don't notice they're sharing too much information, while people with "underdeveloped" boundaries often believe it's not OK to protest such communication.

Getting along at work is often a matter of being flexible and willing to compromise. It's also important to be tolerant of individual differences."

Employ tact. If you have a problem with a co-worker, address what you can do to solve it. Talk to the offending person directly and privately. If a co-worker says something that offends or upsets you, try to respond instead of react.

Talking behind someone's back makes the situation worse. Choose a neutral place away from your work area, such as over lunch or in a quiet area during a break.

Give 'em something to talk about

You don't have to be on your own for long. Determine who the influential people are (they are usually the ones whose opinions other people quote), and find a reason to work with them.

Get on their good side (by being competent, pleasant and professional), and you may find that a whole lot more people have started to warm to your presence.

Think of it as the workplace equivalent of a force multiplier. Get other people to toot your horn. Buzz created by others is far more valuable than buzz you drum up yourself. Ask for help, then take charge

Ask questions when you need information to complete an assignment. It's much preferred that employees admit not knowing something and show initiative in learning it rather than costing time and money by struggling with it on their own.

But asking repeatedly gets annoying. Most managers say they valued someone who can take orders and execute them well without having to be told repeatedly what to do.

What is welcome, however, is the employee who is proactive about figuring out what needs to be done and then doing it. One of the biggest mistakes new recruits can make is to assume that when they have nothing to do that there is nothing to do.

Know the boss

Whether you love or hate your managers matters less than whether you know what they value and what you can do to make them successful.

You need to take initiative to find out what's important to your boss and organization. Your value as an employee is measured by your showing results valued by your organization.

Few bosses are consistent about giving helpful feedback. And often they won't express their displeasure with your performance until it's too late. So, said Hollander, it's okay to say to your boss early on, "it would really help me if you could tell me when you're happy or unhappy with my work."

Cultivate good relationships

Good performance is just one part of your success at work. How you get along with managers, colleagues and subordinates is another.

Perception of performance is often colored by the quality of your relationships. Act like you're running for office. You'll need a vote from everyone. (But please ... don't act too much like you're running for office. There's nothing worse than glad-handing politicians with visions of poll numbers dancing in their heads.)

Humor is a big plus, but only if you have a good sense of when to use it and when not to.

Showing respect helps, too. A boss who acts friendly and casual does not mean to imply that “anything goes” and that you don't need to treat him or her with the proper respect.

And, don't skip the deodorant. Be well groomed, even if casual.

Don't watch the clock

This is not the time to work 9 to 5. Try 8 to 6. There's plenty of time to slack off later in life and the boss will take note.

If you have to stay a little late to meet a deadline or pull some hours on a weekend without being asked, it shows your commitment. It shouldn't be routine without compensation, but here or there it can get noticed.

It goes without saying, do not arrive late, be absent or ask for time off in the first 100-days of employment.

Listen…are you ringing the cash register?

It is easy to get distracted by a “to do” list filled with B, C and D priority items to “clear the way” to concentrating on the A priorities, like driving revenue. The fact is, all lesser pressing items somehow take care of themselves when revenues are rapidly increasing.

Even if pending A priorities seem insurmountable, tackle each top priority items during prime time work hours and chip away, move the ball downfield and press through every day. Save email, administrative and "catch-up" work for after hours.

Instead, reach for the sales opportunity first and make growing, contributing and developing promising new avenues to drive your new organization’s top-line, PRIORITY ONE.

"What Can I Do to Help You Now"?

The Annual Economic Analysis released by the American Staffing Association June 2008 shows that, if indeed the U.S. economy is in a recession, the staffing industry is not experiencing the severe contraction characteristic of previous recessions. Despite the fact that demand is slowing, it is important to take into account that total staffing industry sales are $90 billion dollars. Staffing industry employment hit a new annual record high in 2007, and temporary and contract staffing daily employment also set new record highs in the second and third quarters of last year. Presently, the market is 10% ahead of 2000 – a banner year for Staffing – and nearly $30 billion ahead of the historic low of 2002.

There is market share for this period of “flatness," economic “correction” or “downturn,” but not for the cowardly. Those who take on the market’s sluggishness with energy and good judgment, leading actively and by example will prosper even in trying times.

Building a strong growth-sustaining team calls for the time and attention of the business unit manager to maintain a sense of urgency and establish solid work plans that will leverage each team member’s strength. Guidance, support and direction is essential to maximizing team members’ contributions and lift up the capacity of the team. A high level of engagement in training and development, as well as in guiding territory management and lead development is essential to bringing about results.

Business unit managers with the most success in developing strong teams and arranging talents of team members to the discipline in which they belong, direct and support the work flow collectively and individually, as well as contribute personally.

What then are the core best practices of a successful business unit manager?

1. Manage with twice daily meetings to communicate, set responsibilities and priorities. It is wrong to think that stopping “work” to meet as a team is a waste of time. A team with clear priorities and shared information is much more effective than a team “figuring it out on their own.” These are 30-minute meetings – everyone in attendance – with the following agenda items:

Recognition

Candidates for marketing to hiring mangers—who is highly placeable?

Call plans, target lists of hiring authorities—who are you going to call?

Candidate inventory and interview objectives.

Open job orders, next steps and who is responsible for it.

Specific objectives for the day (morning); assessment of outcomes (evening).

Upcoming ends—what business do we need to replace?

Specific, “stretch” objectives for the number of starts to happen within the week—what can we fill?, with whom?, who can we market who to?

Progress to objectives and refocusing all team members based upon current needs (e.g., do we need candidates, job orders, new leads?)

General communication…who may call, what is pending, hot candidates, prospective business—make sure the team knows what is happening.

Role play or planned lesson to foster skills development.

2. Manage the market, inventory and match. The leader must act as the first source of what is “hot” for follow-up to pick up the pace of all team members. The relationship and interplay between oversight of sales and service is leveraged when you can “see” a branch candidate and “match” the candidate to companies the sales team are engaging.

Weekly, review Business Journal, job boards, candidate applications, and expand knowledge of the marketplace with networking, marketing directories and other business resources to garner new leads for the sales team—who is hiring now?

Daily, review every interviewed candidate’s resume/file, meet as many candidates as possible personally—"Is so-and-so a fit for ABC Company”?

3. Manage business development purposefully. Who else but the manager should know the marketplace? Work with self and sales staff at the beginning and the end of the week to review target lists/lead lists/task lists for content, activity and next activity to do. Other sales driving best practices include:

Work together to make up an organizational chart for a minimum of three companies a week to expand the list of Company contacts, set out objectives to uncover missing information.

Ensure that each sales-responsible person has multiple search engines on multiple job boards to receive daily postings for each position the branch is prepared to fill—this will feed lead-following for immediate direct hire job orders. Ad book binders are fine for organizing ads for follow-up calls, but inputting leads to your front office system is better to build future calls plans—monitor use of front office systems so leads are not lost in a paper shuffle.

Set specific “blocked time” to make ad calls, skill marketing calls and qualifying calls to focus sales activity—sell during prime time, research and qualify during specific days/times set aside to develop future targets. Separating the two makes it easier to manage the effectiveness of sales efforts.

Set objectives for the appropriate number of sales calls/visits to support business and take the time to debrief together post-call/visit and plan next steps.

Make a work plan to set time aside for reference check calls—this supports the service team and offers better access to the Company contact who can be qualified as a temporary staffing or direct hire prospect.

Rotate assignment of making up and distributing a “Hot Candidates” communique—monitor and manage quality and growth of email lists.

4. Manage the business of the business. It is up to the leader to plan for maximizing the recruiting team at the beginning of the week to:

Set objectives for individuals’ focus…recruiting, skill marketing, order management—be specific regarding the objectives for the number of fee-eligible candidate and temp interviews in what positions.

Review T-H orders against temporary staffing opportunities to keep from over investing in job orders that, unlike temp, have less of an immediate chance to actually start—maintain a strict 50% of total orders, and…redirect team to actively skill marketing/selling for opportunities.

By the first of the month, ensure that each Recruiter has a minimum of five “viable” direct hire orders in the right skill set—mobilize sales and recruiting teams to generate marketing calls to address any gaps in the number of job orders.

Weekly, have a specific direct hire job order review and discuss what is pending and the next steps to close—communicate with neighboring offices to increase participation.

Step in to talk with candidates and/or Company contacts to assist in closing.

Set specific blocked times to make direct recruiting calls generated from applications/interviews/referrals—ensure a pipeline of leads from recruiting to sales—set up a method to communicate leads in a structured way.

Set objectives for net starts weekly, markup, and “level” of candidates to increase GM$ per hour. To achieve the net starts objective, a 30-day forecast of upcoming ends needs to be visible to the team to set the actual number of starts per week to stay ahead of the progression, including contingencies for unplanned ends. Make up for shortfalls by focusing on placing higher-level, higher-GM$ candidates.

5. Great managers look inward. They look inside the company, into each individual, into the differences in style, goals, needs and motivation of each person. These differences are small, subtle, but great managers need to pay attention to them. These subtle differences guide them toward the right way to release each person's unique talents into performance. Recruit for talent, manage to strengths, hire expeditiously. Manage learning and development at least weekly, if not daily.

Set aside a minimum of 1-hour per week with each employee and talk about: what is expected, what you can do to set him/her up for success, what he/she does best, recognize performance—be specific, genuine and interested; uncover how to make the work meaningful, gain feedback and talk about progress, learning opportunities and how each individual’s contribution fits in the overall company and his/her career progression.

Assign Company training resources to employees and organize opportunities for employees to share learning with the team

Prepare role plays to overcome common objectives—have all team members involved. Listen, and role play with individuals to improve recruiting, negotiation, customer service and closing skills.

Share financial reports to engage the team in the outcomes—demonstrate how increasing markups, direct hire placements/fees and marketing higher-level candidates improves results and personal financial rewards.

Get out of your office and sit side by side with the team and demonstrate best practices…show, not tell.

6. Do not delegate tasks that are not revenue-generating. Support the team with meaningful contributions so they can do their jobs more effectively—individual activity to generate personal production for the good of the branch is useful, but equally important is preparing and focusing each team member by taking responsibility for administrative and operational support to enable the team to expand the business. This is not “lending a hand,” this is “doing” a task completely so the collective bandwidth of the branch team is actively engaged in work that generates gross margin dollars.

Use administrative support to assist you as needed, but do the heavy lifting yourself administratively to ensure that each employee is focused on developing the business. Release the team to “ring the cash register” collectively by doing weekly tasks like payroll and compliance, invoicing and aging, updating and managing all job postings, job board searches—review, print and distribute resumes for blocked recruiting call times.

Drive sales by sourcing new leads that any branch team member can “run with.” Get the details so the next step is to “pick up the phone.” Get names of multiple Company contacts for each lead identified, get contact information (telephone, email address), input new leads to front office system and set them up on team members’ calendar or task list. Generate urgency to follow-up on specific contacts by personally contributing to the database in a meaningful way. Dedicate time to adding Companies/Company contacts in numbers and update Company records that are out of date. If you pass on a lead with good contact information and business intelligence, it is more likely to be followed and create outcomes.

Take up operational tasks (application process items, reference checking, etc.).

Revise/retype resumes for presenting candidates.

Make up handwritten notes to every candidate who comes in the office; prepare marketing mailings.

Run reports to assess business activity and inventory.

Roll out corporate initiatives and respond to corporate response/reporting requirements.

Ask, “What can I do to help you now”?

Don't Be a "Hater" - Be a Celebrator!

When the economy is robust, the Staffing Industry enjoys growth, piggybacking on the expansion of fast-growing and major industries. When demand is high, opportunity comes knocking, asking work teams only to react. Those that do so effectively enjoy the rewards of increasing revenues and the camaraderie winning teams encourage. The ability to overcome the difficulty factor in finding "good" candidates is the defining "high-level" challenge that separates the top-performers from the average players.

As the economy slows, a new challenge emerges. No knocking. This introduces a new business challenge, how to create "something' from "nothing" - making sales in an increasingly competitive environment. For most teams, this brings about collective confusion, procrastination and fear in the face of declining results. These stresses turn camaraderie to antagonism, resulting in a loser's pessimism. A work team's synchronicity is compromised, begging motivation and direction.

What to do?

Talk to each other. Really, that's what I suggest as a starting point. Ask about the following - What are your career goals? Why did you decide you wanted to work here? What would you like to accomplish while you are here? What are you truly good at? What "out of your comfort zone" work are you willing to do? Are there any suggestions you would make if you had the ability to improve the way you did your particular job? Are there any suggestions you would make if you had the ability to improve the way other staff did their particular job?

Out of this simple process comes volumes of information - most of it useful and relevant. This information enables teams to recommend a transformation in the way they, as individual contributors, and supporters of each other, work collectively in the new economic climate.

Get into Line With What Are the Objectives. Continue the conversation and set specific outcomes aligned with desired results. Generally, this will be centered around developing new business and the who, what, when, what and how to go about it.

Make a Plan. It is not a top-down plan, it is the plan developed from hours of conversations with co-workers. They developed it, put it together. And, with my each team member's strong assistance, encouragement, and support, it can be implemented.

Celebrate the Results. This is the part that brings back "winners" camaraderie. Recognize brave actions, continuing attempts in the face of failures, small achievements, ease with changing daily tasks, new skill with unfamiliar activities, and when a coworker "steps up" to "lift up" the team.

So there you have it - communicate and build alignment, fall in with the objectives and celebrate your achievements. In doing so, you just might find that this encourages good people and business behavior that sustains and uplifts top-performing teams, even in uncertain economic times.

Motivation Tips for Success

So the economy is a bit down, orders are slowing down and the pressure is on to meet your revenue goals. Strategizing with your sales team is certainly a good idea. Coming up with creative ways to motivate your sales team is definitely the right way to go. The right amount of nudging might just be what a crestfallen sales person or recruiter might need reinvigorate and start their efforts anew.

Many people and companies think that the only method of motivating sales people is to give them an opportunity to make more money. Salespeople are certainly motivated by money, but other factors come into play. You need to take some of these factors into consideration when working to motivate your sales people.

When trying to motivate sales people it is important to insure that your salespeople understand the vision of the company. Whether you are an individual selling on your own, or you are motivating sales people in a large sales force, it is important that salespeople are able to move toward an empowering vision. The head of the company (or you, if you own the company) must have a strong vision and communicate it to the sales people in a clear and concise manner.

Another important factor in motivating sales people is the culture of the company or organization. Sales people are often motivated by being part of a very strong and a very well understood cultural environment. The vision for the culture of the company must be clearly communicated and demonstrated from the top of the company. If sales people are clearly involved in the company’s culture, it will motivate them more than big paychecks.

Sales people are also strongly motivated by recognition. Public recognition can be a very powerful motivator for sales people. In my company, we motivate our sales people by giving them recognition at events that the whole company attends. This type of recognition can be very powerful in motivating sales people and making them feel more connected to your company.

Regardless, at the end of the day, all motivation is essentially self-motivation. Here are seven very practical, easy-to-follow and helpful self motivation tips and techniques you can use and share to withstand even the most difficult times:

1. Identify and Set Short-term Goals That "Move the Ball” in the Right Direction
Figure out your most pressing and specific goals - reaching established budgets or recovering recent business milestones may seem too far reaching. Focus energies on immediate action and outcomes - once achieved, then celebrate progress and set new objectives. Set, achieve, celebrate and repeat.
2. Create Realistic Timelines
The next logical step is to create deadlines. Even if they are not exact, it gives you a rough timeframe and helps you keep your eye on the prize.
3. Make a Plan
Now that you have your goals clearly stated and timelines appointed, there must be a plan of action for how you will get it all done.
4. Overcome Procrastination
Many people have a hard time with self motivation simply because of their bad habit of procrastination. A major cause of procrastination is usually just feeling overwhelmed, which keeps you from beginning. A buddy-system or networking venue may help coworkers help each other stay motivated.
5. Accept Obstacles
On the road to completing your goals, you will undoubtedly come across obstacles. Though challenges can cause people to lose motivation and quit, if you learn to see them as your teacher, the obstacles will begin to work for you rather than against you.
6. Positive Attitude
Envision yourself reaching goals, even if they are only for the end of the day. As Henry Ford once said, “If you think you can or think you can not—you are probably right.” A positive attitude almost always breeds positive results, but a negative attitude will do just the opposite.
7. Enjoy yourself
Finally, enjoy yourself. While this tip may seem more common sense than other self motivation tips, it is essential.

Times are getting tougher, and you don't want to lose your A players for sure – especially during a slowing economy. There is always need for top talent in a weak economy. When times are hard and average performers are not doing so well, staffing firms seek good performers to weather the downturn.

How to Build and Motivate a Sales Team

Hiring good sales people is only half the battle. Motivating sales people is the other half of the battle.

To succeed in business, your company needs a quality sales team. Developing a capable and effective sales force might be one of your most difficult jobs.

Here are five tips to help you get started:

Hire Quality, Not Quantity
The number of salespeople on your staff isn't nearly as important as their ability to set up and close a sale. A few skilled and proven sales reps will not only outsell a fleet of novices, but also form a solid core for future staff expansion. If geographic coverage is a concern, consider leveraging technology to help a smaller, more competent sales team cover a wider area.

Communicate Expectations
Many sales teams fail to meet their leader's expectations simply because they never knew what was expected of them in the first place. Don't make the same mistake! Your sales team should have a clear understanding about what you expect from them. They should also feel free to voice their concerns and seek assistance should problems or unexpected setbacks arise. Team meetings, group e-mails, and status reports are essential, but it never hurts to meet with team members individually, too, particularly if a team member is falling short of the goals you have established.

Offer Sales Incentives
It is common for sales reps to be compensated on commission. But commissions can't be the only incentives you offer your sales team. There are lots of other ways to motivate your sales team that are just as important. Remember: Your goal is to build a first-rate sales team. In addition to individual incentives like commissions, consider offering team-based motivators like group bonuses, event tickets, or special merchandise when the team reaches its goals.

Sales Training
It's easy to overlook training as a resource for building and motivating a sales team. However, training provides your sales team with the tools they need to reach their goals as well as much-needed confidence for the sales process. Consider scheduling regular training sessions with your entire staff, covering not only sales technique, but also team-building strategies and exercises.

Motivate by Example
One of the best ways to motivate your team is to lead by example. A positive, can-do attitude is contagious, but so is a negative one. Since your team will follow your lead, it's important to maintain an upbeat presence with your staff. If sales is your forte, you might even want to lead the charge by assigning yourself sales calls and mentoring new sales staff.

Source: http://www.gaebler.com/How-to-Build-and-Motivate-a-Sales-Team.htm

Empowering Your Employees

by BNET Editorial

The word “empowerment” has received a lot of bad press in the business world. Too often, it has been used as a gesture to appease discontented employees and as a means of abdicating responsibility on the part of managers: if you can get employees to adopt a sense of ownership and power, your own load is less onerous!

Empowerment, however, is a good thing. Research tells us that individuals experience increased initiative and motivation when they are empowered. This also affects their self-confidence and the level of tenacity they display when faced with setbacks. Empowered people take responsibility for making decisions and following them through to completion; they feel energized and excited by what they do; and are prepared to make a commitment to achieve mutually agreed goals. Genuinely empowered people often find themselves completely involved in their lives and work and have boundless energy for what they do.

Being able to imagine what an empowered organization would feel like and the heights of success it could achieve, may give you some sense of the amount of disempowerment that exists in modern organizational structures.

What You Need to Know
I have tried to empower members of my team, but they still seem to be dependent on being told what to do. How can I get them to re-engage with their work?
It sounds as if they are not motivated to contribute their brain- or brawn-power to your collective efforts. This means that you have to carry the load on your own and probably feel exhausted and somewhat demoralized. Try asking them what motivates and energizes them and see if you can entice them with something that interests and excites them.

I work in a technically specialized area where mistakes are just not an option. I’d like to empower my direct reports, but when I emphasize the limited margin for error that exists, they just seem to give up trying. What can I do?
You may be controlling your direct reports too much. Try giving them the resources they need to do their job and the discretion to use those in the way they feel is appropriate—within critical bounds of course. They may make a few mistakes but if they feel truly empowered, they will take responsibility for dealing with these.

I have managed to empower my team but I feel usurped and out of control. I need to call them back but I don’t know how. What can I do?
You may need to remind them that your role is to set the course and direction in the context of the organizational objectives. Praise them for their initiative; find some concrete examples of where this has made a real difference; encourage them to do more; AND ask that you be kept informed so that you can help to guide their activities. State the importance of needing to know what is happening in order to present their achievements to members of the senior executive team.

I’m not sure how to go about empowering my direct reports. What is the best way to start?
Have you ever thought of creating a coaching culture within your team? Effective delegation is a good way to lead up to empowerment. You could try using the GROW model as a framework for your coaching conversations: G-Goal (What is the SMART goal?) R-Reality (Where are you starting from?) O-Options (What ideas have you got to get you from R to G?) and W-Way (Which option will you select and what is your plan to get you there?)

What to Do

Take Responsibility
In our current business environment, much is unknown, untried, or unexpected. In an ideas-based economy, we no longer experience predictable problems, nor can we anticipate what our competitors will do based on a mutual understanding of the market or a shared technology. Ambiguity presents itself over and over again to employees who are beginning to suspect it is the “norm,” and they probably feel ill-equipped to deal with it. This is why it is so important to allow people to take responsibility for managing their way through uncertainty. By using their ingenuity, curiosity, and spontaneity, employees can meet the business challenges head-on, instead of waiting to be told what to do, how to do it, and when to do it.

Although threatening to some managers (because the gateway for good ideas is no longer governed by them) it is important to make use of every vestige of enterprise that exists in the business. To do this, managers must move from being a governor to being a channel; promoting the flow of energy and power so that people can add value and the business can benefit.

Empower People

~Create the vision. If you want to empower people, you need to harness their enthusiasm and their creativity. This means painting a meaningful picture for them of what the future could look like and how they could contribute to it. Even if it seems beyond credibility or beyond reach, try to create a sense of “we’re in this together” and invite people to add their efforts to the collective goal. If they accept your invitation, you can strengthen their commitment by allowing them to use their discretion and talent in the way that they feel is most fitting.
~Motivate. You will need to understand the values, goals, and motivations of the people who are critical to your success. By understanding their passions and motivations, you can align their energy with what you feel needs to be done in the business. If you do not know what these are, ask them to share their aspirations in the context of the business and what and how they wish to contribute in order to achieve this personal vision.
~Root out the blockages. Organizations, unwittingly, often ask for one set of behaviors while systematically encouraging another. For instance, if an organization wants to achieve its goals through team work, it is no good putting in an incentive scheme that rewards individual achievement. If an organization wants to be known for its responsiveness to customers, it is no good creating rules that prevent members of the customer service team from using their initiative. Have a look at the processes that exist in your business and see if there are any contradictory messages that are being sent out through the existing systems and processes.
~Ensure the resources are in place. If you are going to empower people, you need to make sure they are properly resourced and supported. Ask yourself what resources are needed in terms of information, knowledge and skills. You may think that members of your team or organization have sufficient internal capability to make the transition to empowerment, but perhaps they could do with some concrete encouragement to release this.
~Provide encouragement and support. Think about how you can support empowered behavior. Try to identify the existing channels of communication that allow the necessary information to be shared. Are these channels clear and free flowing or are they blocked by organizational politics or etiquette? You may need to be proactive in asking your team what provisions they would like you to make to ensure the change to empowered behavior is possible. You may also need to act as a sounding board so that concerns, frustrations, and disappointments can be fielded positively rather than leak into the social culture of the organization as negative stories.
~Eliminate fear. Most people find behavioral change threatening. They are being asked to do something that they have never done before and they are likely to feel exposed and vulnerable. They may be asking themselves what will happen if they “get it wrong.” When things fail to go according to plan, you will need to manage your response consciously. It is important not to deny the existence of problems, but do debrief them appropriately and create a sense of positive learning rather than of criticism.
~Monitor and celebrate success. When things go well and you see good examples of empowered behavior, make sure it is rewarded and celebrated. This sends a message of seriousness and encourages more of the same. Try circulating some successful stories so that they join the ongoing legend of the business. Theater and drama, effectively done, can emphasize a point well, so there is room for some imaginative celebrations and rewards.

Think about the Bigger Picture
Empowering people does not necessarily stop at the office door. Some companies empower their customers. Think of the “self-service” revolution, the helplines, and the choices that can be made on the Internet. Think of the products that have brought about the mobile technology revolution and have enabled less naturally resourced or privileged countries to compete in the world economy. Of course, some people think it has gone a step too far and that organizations are abdicating their responsibilities to customers, but if you identify with those on your market interface, you will soon root out the contradictions in your interactions.

What to Avoid

You Fear You Will Lose Control
Some managers fear losing control by empowering their teams and, therefore, keep them on a tight leash with very little discretion to make decisions when they meet new challenges. If this describes you, be careful that you are not creating a “job’s worth” environment in which team members rescind responsibility and say “It’s more than my job’s worth to use my initiative and break the rules.” Meet with your team to see if you can root out these susceptibilities by asking them to share the challenges they have encountered and the way they would have preferred to have dealt with them.

You Do Not Know When to Let Go
Knowing when to get involved and when to let go is a difficult call. Sometimes it is necessary to let people learn from their mistakes, even if you think you could have prevented them from happening. Perhaps you could intervene only in “business-critical” situations and be there to debrief and distill the learning when the time comes. Hersey and Blanchard’s situational leadership model may help you to determine what level of support and direction is needed at any time.

You Fail to Understand the Nature of Empowerment
Mistaking “empowerment” as a goal for the business or as a tool to manage behaviors is not helpful. The business goal remains the same. The tools and techniques required to reach it probably remain largely the same. “Empowerment” is a management philosophy that must imbue the organizational culture if it is to be successful. Make sure it is present from the employment contracts to the level of autonomy you give to each individual.

You See Empowerment As a Substitute for Engagement
Seeing empowerment as “an easy way out” is not what it is about. Empowerment still requires interest and involvement. Although empowerment gives people a sense of ownership and autonomy, it is not a substitute for engagement from the managerial level; rather it acts as a conduit for purposeful and fruitful conversations and actions.

What Should Good Staffing Management Do?

1. Provide leadership. Everything starts with strong leadership. People need direction, focus, controls and a fair system of rewards. Although they don't require a charismatic leader, they do need someone they respect, who can follow and lead by example, who is open to input from staff, and who has a strong ethical compass.

2. Make sound decisions. Good managers use both their gut instinct along with an analysis of the facts to make good decisions. The gut is really their analog computer that tells them, based on their experience, if something either makes sense on the face of it or doesn't. When things are not obvious, they have to run the numbers and ask questions to figure things out.

3. Create teamwork. A company should be a team effort and is only as strong as its individual members. If you have a great sales rep who brings in the orders, but your recruiters are not filling them, or vice versa, you can't succeed. Providing team-based incentives leads to the identification of weak links. Get close to your staff socially, but always remember who the boss is, and don't let friendship cloud your judgment.

4. Streamline your company. Don't have more people than you need. Streamlining the organization not only saves money, but also people who are fully utilized are happier campers. And in today's increasingly fast-paced world you can't wait until critical information works its way up the food chain before you know about it and can act upon it. Streamlining maximizes your span of control so that you can get as close to the action as possible, and reduces the likelihood that information will be filtered before reaching you.

5. Be connected. Our rate of change makes it incumbent on you to utilize electronic communications (e-mail, pagers, etc.) to stay connected, as long as you don't become overloaded. Don't operate in a vacuum of your company information alone. Be connected to the world around you and integrate that information with your internal data in order to make sound decisions. Join industry as well as eclectic associations. Be on the Internet and be well read. Seek advice from others including outside experts. One of our clients used his social connections to entertain the movers and shakers in his community for both seeking advice from successful people as well as opening up doors for his staff. Never stop learning, and if you are doing great, don't think that now you have all the answers.

6. Retain control. Always remember that it is your equity that is at stake in your own business and that even if you have a bank loan, it is your house that may be held as collateral. Having a good staff is critical, but it is only the owner who will do anything to ensure the success of the enterprise. So stay in control, have adequate checks on the decisions that affect the financial viability of the company and make sure that you sign off on all key decisions (see Case I, above).

7. Be analytical. Most staffing company owners and managers are not as comfortable with numbers as they are with people. That is understandable given that we are in a people business. But you don't have to be an accountant to understand the meaning of not making a profit or not having sufficient cash flow to cover payroll. You need to be able to understand which numbers are important and how to fix things if they are flashing red. You can always hire people to do the number crunching, as long as the numbers are being crunched competently and are then translated into something that you use to run your business. As noted above, your gut alone is not usually enough.

8. Think "boundaryless." You don't need to be large to extend your staffing business boundaries. This also helps when your margins are thin or your market share is low. A good way to do that is to create value-added services. Some of our clients have done this via training workshops, performance guarantees, employee retention programs, profit improvement programs, alternative billing methods, career counseling, customized reports and proprietary screening methods. They first created, branded and copyrighted the services. They then promoted and bundled the services, which increased their margins as well as their market share. Project solutions offer a similar way to extend traditional boundaries, but this does involve greater risks as you are now responsible for deliverables, not just staff augmentation. The results can be impressive with an increase in profits of up to 60% higher for those who are able to perform in this arena.

9. Communicate well. You need to clearly communicate whatever your concepts are to others, unless you want to do everything yourself. Good communications start with explaining why you are requesting that things be done in a certain way and then what the benefits are to those parties involved. If you come up with a new compensation program for your staff, for example, you will need to explain how that plan (if it is designed well) will make the employee, as well as the company, more money. You should be prepared to provide examples and answer whatever questions arise.

10. Be creative. GE had its 4Es, QMI, six sigma program, its unique grids and charts. Create your own tools and convert them into your own buzz words and mystique to energize your staff and stand out from the competition. Last March we wrote about some of the creative concepts from Blink, The Tipping Point, etc., such as viral marketing, thin slicing problems and connectors. Build on those concepts and be better than your competition by staying one step ahead in the creativity arms race.

Exerpt. Issue Date: SI Review - March 2007, Posted On: 3/9/2007