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Recruiting, retention and the spouse factor
Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementThe battle for highly skilled employees is tight. While tech companies and firms in large markets have used pay, amazing benefits and career growth to create magnetic workplaces; traditional and smaller companies have found other ways to compete. The recent increase in paid maternity leave, extended paternity leave and flexible work schedules and locations are all indicators of organizations’ desires to attract and keep their skilled workforce. Underlying all of this talent management is a critical component: the significant other. Here are a few tips for understanding and incorporating the spouse factor into hiring and retention.
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Want to improve your employees’ health? Lead by example
Terri Williams Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementMost employees spend at least eight of their 24 daily weekday hours at work. And whether companies want to assume responsibility or not, employees believe that their jobs play a role in their health. For example, a 2017 CareerBuilder survey found that 56% of Americans are overweight and they blame it on sitting at a desk most of the day; being too tired from work to exercise; having to skip meals because of time constraints; and having to engage in workplace celebrations. Employees, especially healthy employees, are the lifeblood of an organization.
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Why color blindness is not a compliment
Simma Lieberman Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementIn the 1950s, it was common to hear the term "melting pot," which meant all cultures and people melting together. That concept resulted in exclusion, inequality, undue pressure to give up identity, and hampered the expression of new ideas. Today, instead of "melting pot," we think "salad," where different ingredients with their own flavors, colors and textures offer a new experience that’s even better. In our communities and in the organizations where we work, recognizing and leveraging those differences can result in breakthrough products and services that meet the diverse needs of a global population.
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In an association, ‘parts is parts’
Robert C. Harris Association ManagementIn the 1980s, a fast food commercial spoofed the composition of chicken nuggets. Asked if nuggets are made from chicken breast, they shrugged and said, "parts is parts." Associations, too, are a combination of “parts.” For instance, committees, board, staff, volunteers, bylaws, budget, members, advisors, reserves, strategic plan, meetings, programs, positions and priorities. The parts combine to form an association. Every association is unique. Even with similar missions, they can be organized in drastically different ways.
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Loyalty is a 2-way street
Anne Rose Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementI often hear business owners and corporation executives bemoan the lack of loyalty among their underlings. They complain about staff turnover and how staff will move to another company at the drop of a hat, their employees’ willingness to publicly disparage the company they work for, and their eagerness to discourage others from joining the company by openly sharing the "dirty laundry." If you can find another person to hire in this person's place, then that’s a smart, no-brainer business solution. Right? But take another look: loyalty is a two-way street.
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How do busy people find time to read?
Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementReading is fundamental. Yet somewhere on the path from all-nighters in college to here, most of us lost the drive, time or impetus to read with the intensity, purpose or sheer volume we did when we were in school. As leaders, though, we are required to use our brains to solve problems, remain innovative and inspire creativity. Books provide a great counter-balance to experience when developing and maintaining that muscle. Here are a few reasons and ways to bring reading back into the daily routine.
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Bummed, burnt or just plain beat?
Lisa Cole Mental HealthcareLife can often feel like an endurance contest — deadline after deadline with piles upon piles of work. When we’re wallowing in funky feelings, it can help to pause, determine what we are feeling and needing and take appropriate action. As much as we think pushing on even harder may remedy our discomfort, stopping may be the best first thing to do. We can give ourselves "permission to pause." By taking that break and granting ourselves a breather, it may become obvious that we are simply physically exhausted.
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The most important job of a leader
Roberta Matuson Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementWhat do you think the most important job of a leader is? Is it to motivate the team to achieve departmental business objectives? Engage employees to ensure they are highly productive? Drive home business results? While thoseare essential, none are the most important job of a leader. Why? Because a leader cannot accomplish any of this without the right people on his or her team. Therefore, the most critical job of a leader is to hire the right people.
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Wielding the power of offline discussions
Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementMeetings can be the bane of our existence or a boon to our productivity and culture. Similarly, how we prepare for them can range from winging it to massive PowerPoint decks with handouts. Whether it is a quarterly board meeting or a weekly team meeting, offline discussions can make or break the effectiveness of the time we spend together. Here are a few tips and tricks for avoiding underlying pitfalls and making the most of offline discussions to better optimize our meetings.
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Ideas and affirmations from association management seminars
Robert C. Harris Association ManagementAssociation management seminars should result in ideas and affirmations for making improvements and confirming successful practices. Seminar attendance allows executives to remove themselves from the daily grind at the office to be open to ideas and smart practices. Many executives take robust notes about the resources, samples and rationales for improving their organizations. Every attendee hears and applies the information differently.
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