Insomniac, a dance-music promoter, has generated $3.2 billion in economic activity in the U.S. in recent years.

There's a lesson to be learned here.

Mastering the art of the pause is a big key.

This week at the multiplex, we've got spies under siege ("Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation," starring Tom Cruise and Rebecca Ferguson) and hapless road-trippers ("Vacation," starring Ed Helms and Christina Applegate). Find out what the critics have to say on Rotten Tomatoes.

Fierce CEO, Halley Bock, was interviewed in this CFA Magazine article by Lori Pizzani. It was originally posted here.Which would you rather hear from your boss: praise or criticism? Now ask yourself: Which has more impact on your job and career? Does criticism or a compliment resonate longer with you and teach you more?The results of a survey of more than 2,500 employees from various companies around the globe found that 57% of participants preferred negative feedback from their bosses and 43% preferred positive feedback. For the purposes of the survey, negative feedback included suggestions for improvement, exploration of new and better ways to do things, and pointing out something that was done in a less-than-optimal way. Positive feedback included praise, reinforcement, and congratulatory comments.Professional services firm Zenger Folkman in Salt Lake City released the results in February 2014. Why would employees prefer to hear negative comments from their manager? A significant number of respondents, 72% expected their performance to improve if they were given corrective feedback.The perception that bosses are eager to point out what’s wrong is false. The survey found that giving negative or corrective feedback is something that most managers frequently avoid."People believe constructive criticism is essential to their career development, " says Zenger Folkman CEO Jack Zenger. "They want to hear it from their leaders, but their leaders don’t feel comfortable offering it up." Thus, he concludes, "The ability to give corrective feedback constructively is one of the critical keys to leadership."To read the full article, click here.The post Corrective Leadership: How Should Managers Use Praise and Criticism to Improve Performance? appeared first on Fierce, Inc..

Fierce CEO, Halley Bock, is currently writing a column for Business 2 Community. We wanted to share with you her most recent article, published Wednesday, August 20th.We’ve all done it, or had it done to us: An email used as an inconspicuous nuclear bomb meant to annihilate in the most "charming" and brief way possible. Or the dreaded "cc" ploy designed to ensure public humiliation. Or the over-enthusiastic, reply-all that creates another 100 emails on reply-all policy and email etiquette. The list could go on.We have unwittingly uncovered many ways to abuse email - some more obvious than others, some more harmful, some more intentional. Too often, abusers are substituting cold, hard, unemotional keystrokes for real, productive relationships with coworkers. Connection, trust and relationships just can’t be established electronically.When email is the optimal communication option, make sure you aren’t stepping into a digital minefield. Here are 4 tips to avoid an email #FAIL at your workplace.1. Emoticons can’t save you.The most dangerous aspect of email is that the recipient can’t see your face, hear your voice, or read your body language to understand intent. And in the void of any signals, we assume the worst. An email that simply states, "I understand." can be interpreted a multitude of ways. I’ve even had it come back as angry, terse, or clearly put out. When, really, all I was saying was I understood. Isn’t that a good thing?Rather than get into the psychology of humans and why we tend towards "worst case scenario," the invention of emoticons is clear. We put a smiley face at the end of statements to let our audience know that we are happy. Everything is good! In this case, I recommend you use them.However, if you find yourself needing to sprinkle your email with smiley faces every other sentence or paragraph, you either need to pick up the phone and have a conversation, as the topic is too sensitive for email, or you have an Emoji addiction. In either case, don’t leave it to the recipient to deal with the emoticon-loaded message.2. Keep it short.Unlike this article, emails should be short. There are few things more depressing than opening an email only to find an electronic tome in which every bullet point requires an answer.If you have a lot of information to share, consider downloading it into a shared or local document for easier reference down the road. If it is simply an "FYI" recapping the outcome of a meeting AND your team has agreed that receiving notes in the body of an email is in good form, then by all means go for it.And, finally, if your recipient list is more than 5 with more than 5 critical items for feedback, consider pulling the team together for a quick meeting. Chances are you’ll avoid a lot of confusion and make much more efficient use of everyone’s time by coming together in person or on a call.3. Lower the flag.How many of you know someone whose emails are ALWAYS IMPORTANT!! Forever URGENT, as if the world may stop spinning should their emails go unattended to for 24 hours. Where every message line includes "IMMEDIATE RESPONSE REQUIRED," as if the double red flag wasn’t enough of a cue.Look, I like immediate gratification as much as the next person. And, sure, I like to feel important every once in a while. But let me assure you: your emails are not that important all the time. It may feel really important to you, as it should! You’re doing what you’re passionate about. But please recognize that the rest of us have our own important things as well.4. When in doubt, don’t.Finally, words passed on by my grandmother come to mind, "When in doubt, don’t." If you’re concerned that someone will misinterpret your intent or tone, they will. If you think the matter or issue would best be discussed in person, it would. If you suspect the information is too complex to communicate in email, it is. If you know deep down that you are taking pot shots behind the safe veil of an email, they know too.Email is a wonderful tool afforded to us. While it is extremely powerful in communicating information, it severely lacks in the area of creating and maintaining strong personal relationships. Be careful not to coast on email by replacing conversations with electronic memos, where we rely on binary code to do the work of emotional connection.While we can technically "connect" online, we can only forge true, meaningful, long-term relationships face-to-face or in the presence of one another’s voice. So stand up, walk out, and deliver that message in person whenever you can.The post How to Avoid an Email #FAIL appeared first on Fierce, Inc..

Fierce CEO, Halley Bock, was interviewed in this Entrepreneur article by Zeynep Ilgaz. It was originally posted here. At my previous job, I worked with a team on an important project. Our group was cohesive, except for one teammate.Nothing was good enough for her. Had the members of the team thought things through before setting the project’s timeline? Why was he in on our meetings? How did we think we could do this better than dozens of others who had tried before?Her bad attitude left us feeling like we were running on a hamster wheel, drained from trying to please someone who couldn’t be pleased — with no end in sight. As the motivation waned, the work suffered. Finally the issue had to be addressed for the team’s productivity.That was the first time I experienced how contagious negativity can be in the workplace. It can spread like wildfire and affect everyone, including customers. If a pessimistic employee is stifling company productivity, address the issue as soon as possible.A "Negative Nancy" is someone who overgeneralizes in labeling situations and people, focuses on the bad in each situation, jumps to conclusions and constantly redirects the blame. In a business setting, these behaviors can result in harmful effects, such as reduced productivity, decreased group morale, increased stress, wasted time, hindered creativity and innovation, and higher employee turnover.A Fierce Inc. survey highlighted just how toxic a negative personality in the workplace can be. Respondents ranked negativity higher than laziness, passive aggressiveness and gossiping when asked to identify the most harmful quality in a co-worker."Allowing [negativity] to fester is much more costly and damaging to an organization’s bottom line than confronting or possibly replacing a single toxic employee," said president and CEO of Fierce Inc. Halley Bock in a statement. "Organizations must foster employee- and company-level accountability by addressing attitudinal issues as soon as they arise."After detecting negativity in an organization, take these steps to nip it in the bud before it spreads throughout the office:1. Identify the negative behavior. Recognize bad attitudes and negativity and identify the individual involved after receiving a tip or spotting something.2. Confront the person. Develop a plan to address the individual in a calm, private setting. Set aside enough time to discuss the situation in detail. There may be a reason or a trigger for this behavior.3. Reinforce positive behavior. During the discussion, set goals for change and even play out scenarios. Listen to the employee’s thoughts and ideas about the situation and emphasize the need for a positive attitude moving forward.4. Follow up. Schedule a meeting to discuss the individual’s progress. Recognize and praise positive improvements and attitude.5. Set a good example. The manager should demonstrate positive behavior for staff members — even on the cloudiest of days. Remind them that problems and setbacks are an inevitable part of business, but each one can serve as a learning experience.6. Invest in positivity. Boost the positivity quotient in the office by fostering programs or activities that will make staffers happy, such as potlucks, games and employee-of-the-month recognitions. Promote physical and mental health by funding employee-fitness programs, planning office yoga classes or creating work spaces with natural light.Even the most positive person can have a bad day, and it’s not uncommon for co-workers with different backgrounds, beliefs and behaviors to have an occasional personality clash. But letting a Negative Nancy disturb the attitudes and work of others can be extremely detrimental to business productivity. The key is addressing the issue quickly and promoting positivity and happiness throughout the workplace.The post Motivating the Negative Nancy on Your Team appeared first on Fierce, Inc..

Fierce CEO, Halley Bock, was interviewed in this article by Brian O’Connell and was originally posted on TheStreet.com.NEW YORK (TheStreet) — Can working woman "have it all" in the workplace and home?Maybe not. Many women have given up thinking it’s an option.Exhibit "A" for that case is a study from Seattle-based Fierce saying that 70% of U.S. working woman call trying to achieve a satisfying work/life balance "a major cause of stress."For decades ads have said women in the workplace could have it all, and that it was all a matter of having the right clothes, car or cup of yogurt.Maybe working women were buying that pitch 20 years ago, but today the majority seem to see "having it all" as a false promise and a goal destined to go unfulfilled. To think otherwise risks "taking a serious toll" on women’s health, the Fierce study claims, with the fallout leading to depression, weight gain and loss of sleep.The problem is so pervasive that one in five of all U.S. women leave high-salary, high- pressure jobs for lower-paying posts with a clear path to a better life balance.The study shows women wrestling with the work/life balance, with more negative perceptions than positive ones on the issue:Only 19% of working women say they already "have it all."49% of survey respondents do not believe the concept of "having it all" is realistic.83% say a fulfilling relationship with a partner is the most important attribute of "having it all" …… and 27% say" "having enough personal time" was least important.37% say insufficient funds and/or monetary security were the primary obstacle in the pursuit of a genuinely positive work-life balance. Companies that don’t deal with women’s increasingly negative perceptions of balancing career and a good home life risk alienating female career professionals, Fierce says."As a society we intuitively feel that our lives, and especially the lives of working women, are too stressful, and the data from this survey reinforces this notion," says Halley Bock, president and CEO of Fierce. "This is becoming a critical business issue because successful leaders simply can’t optimally compete if one out of every five talented women in their organization is walking out the door because of inadequate work/life balance."The post More Women Give Up on "Having It All" appeared first on Fierce, Inc..

Fierce CEO, Halley Bock, was interviewed in this eZanga.com article by Megan Ingenbrandt. It was originally posted here. Add a dash of relaxation, and a pinch of hard work, and that should be the perfect recipe for balancing work and home, right? Wrong! With a growing family, a social life, and a full-time job, it can be hard for anyone to find the perfect balance between work and home.But when you’re running the business, it can be even tougher. C-levels and entrepreneurs need breaks too, but how do they find the time? Do they let the two worlds cross over, or leave them separate? Is there a perfect recipe to balancing work and home life?eZanga’s owners, Rich and Beth Kahn, try to keep the business out of their home, while others take a quite different approach - they turn the business into a family affair!Add a Heavy Spoonful of Family…Andrew Thompson of Peak Performance says he enjoys having his family mere feet from his office door:"Because I travel often, I do spend time away from home, however, when I return I get to experience the joy of being a husband and a father, and being included in family activities. My kids are on the company pay roll as independent contractors, so they empty the trash, help me shred documents, clean windows and help Mommy prepare meals in the executive lounge (the kitchen).""I’m teaching our boys about my business and how to run a business. Both have expressed interest in wanting to run their own businesses someday and they are getting a daily education that you wouldn’t be able to get anyplace else."Halley Bock, of Fierce, Inc., has found that it’s not at all about keeping the realms of home and work separate, but successful delegation of tasks to manage time and de-stress. "A simple, yet, powerful way for leaders to unshed some of the burden and find some peace of mind is successful delegation. Effectively delegating tasks allows leaders to relax and get away from any unnecessary burdens, while freeing up valuable time for what is really important. It also helps others acquire new skills and responsibilities."Then Stir in a Dash of Love.When it all comes down to it, you have to love what you’re doing to be a CEO or entrepreneur. Nima Noori, of TorontoVaporizer.ca, says, "Ultimately, the balance should come from within. If you have to completely drop your work life to enjoy your personal life, you’re not happy with your job and it’s probably more important to focus on how to fix that, rather than make amazing weekend plans that will soon pass and leave you right back where you started. You spend one-third of your life at work, if not more, so why are we trying so hard to separate work and play to gain sanity, when if you combined the two, you’d be so much happier and more accomplished?"Now Separate Your Ingredients…It’s no secret that eZanga is a family-run business - Our CEO and CFO are married, after all! While Rich and Beth can’t stand to be out of the office for too long, they know the importance of shutting it off for a few hours of family time. CFO Beth Kahn puts it best: "There’s no separation of the business, but leave the business at the office, and never, EVER take it in the bedroom."And Mix in a Dose of Relaxation!They say it’s important to take time to relax and be with your family. Our CEO, Rich Kahn, says. "I can actually break down how I wind down and relax into four sections: daily, monthly, quarterly, and yearly." Here’s how he does it:Daily: "To help me sleep every night, I need to watch one to two hours of TV to shut my brain off. It has to be something that doesn’t require too much thinking on my end, something that I can just sit back, relax, and enjoy. If I don’t do this, I can get pretty irritable."Monthly: "Every month, I get a couple’s massage with my wife. It something that we can do together and both disconnect from the business, but only for an hour or two."Quarterly: "Every three months or so, I’ll take a long weekend with my wife to recharge our batteries. We’ve found that this works best for us because we get to feel like we’re taking a lot of time away from the business without actually doing that."Yearly: "Something that has been much easier to do recently has been for us to take our annual cruise. It’s a time where we’re out in the ocean with our family and we can completely disconnect from the business. I will always, of course, check my email and respond to phone calls - but I get to be far enough away that I can’t let it get to me as much. And it helps that I have such a great management team to watch over things when I’m away." So there you have it, all CEOs and entrepreneurs balance their lives differently. So really it’s all about finding the balance that works best for you. So, what’s your recipe to maintain that balance? Let us know in the comments below!The post The C-Level's Recipe for Work-Life Balance appeared first on Fierce, Inc..

Generation Y isn’t working to survive or to bring home a paycheck. They seek fulfillment and active participation in a bigger, more important organizational vision.They’ll pay their dues, put in their time and even take less pay as long as they feel they are contributing to an organization’s big-picture goals. But when they feel marginalized, millennials walk out the door without hesitation.The impact of this attitudinal shift is being reflected in the ways Gen Y leaders are beginning to create a new workplace culture.Here are three changes they’re inspiring:Connectivity: The workplace is becoming a social organism. Call it the Facebook effect. Gen Y employees and their leaders are building cultures that foster stimulation and creativity through constant contact with others. Co-workers no longer connect at the annual office party. They connect professionally and socially every minute of every day.Collaboration: The old maxim that "there is no I in team" holds true — but on steroids. Gen Y leaders are building organizations that recognize the value of differing perspectives. Within these organizations, teams fluidly form to explore the many points of view that comprise reality and collectively work toward the bigger goal.Competition: While competitive, millennials are not cutthroat. Millennials are often more competitive with themselves than they are with their colleagues. The new Generation Y workplace provides opportunities for well-rounded growth and a multitude of professional experiences. These organizations are also more likely to recognize and reward departments than they are individuals. The infusion of millennials in the workforce and their rise as leaders is an evolution, one current leaders must support to retain talent and keep their organizations relevant in the future.To encourage Generation Y and their leaders to completely buy in to the new regime, here are a few best practices:Account for work-life balance. We no longer live in a 9-to-5 world. The lines between work and home life aren’t just blurry, they’re gone. Today’s employees take work home, they frequently check into the office while on vacation and they never turn off their smartphones.It’s also natural that home life spills into the office. Online shopping, fantasy football and personal Facebook use will happen at the office. Managers should do more than permit these activities, they should encourage them.Create a growth lattice, not a ladder. The traditional paradigm of moving up the corporate ladder one rung at a time is dead. Today’s millennial employees demand cross-discipline growth opportunities, not infinite specialization. Develop career paths that allow team members to explore diverse experiences in different departments throughout the organization.Communicate the big picture. Never before has it been so important to align teams behind a clear vision of where the company is going. It’s more than a strategy for focusing resources.It’s a critical motivational tool for Gen Y staff. Unless they feel their efforts, however menial, are in pursuit of the key objective, millennials won’t become emotionally engaged, and they will leave. Provide the opportunity for them to buy in fully.Whether or not leaders agree with or appreciate the cultural changes millennials are inspiring in the workplace is irrelevant. What’s more important is recognition that this new generation of employees — and the future leaders within their ranks — aren’t waiting for these changes to happen organically.They’re thrusting these changes upon organizations, and organizations are becoming smarter and more efficient as a result.This article was originally published on Talentmgt.com and was written by Fierce, Inc. CEO & President, Halley Bock.The post Millennials: Creating a New Workforce appeared first on Fierce, Inc..

Uh, hello? Remember us? The ones commonly referred to as "latch key kids"? {ahem}Okay, sure. Even though we like to come off as tough, we may feel forgotten and voiceless in this battle between generations. And, yes, we can come off as self-absorbed as our desire for change occasionally trumps relationships. But "slackers", we are not.We hunger for diversity, for changing the system, for achieving some sense of balance in a lop-sided world. We have utmost respect and gratitude for our parents who worked themselves to the bone so we could enjoy a richer life. And we appreciate the younger set as they continue to push the momentum for a more connected world forward.We want to work with both of you, Boomers and Millennials, to help bridge any gaps of skillset and mindset so we can all come out on top. We found our way, Millennials, so relax… you will too. It isn’t the Boomers who are making it difficult; it’s your perception of them that’s getting in your way.And Boomers, thank you for your ongoing resilience. If ever a generation has shown an ability to withstand change, it’s you. Keep going in that direction. And, hey, give these kids a break every once in a while, okay?This piece was written in response to a generations blog recently featured on Fierceinc.com and can be found here.Interested in having Fierce keynote at your organization or an event? Learn more by clicking here.The post The Forgotten Generation: Reflections from a Gen Xer appeared first on Fierce, Inc..

According to the International Facility Management Association, more than 70 percent of employees work in an open office environment, yet many are dissatisfied due to a number of challenges this concept creates. From distractions and lack of privacy to the one-size-fits-all cubicle approach, there is a lot to consider when ripping out the walls in favor of sharing one space. Whether or not you have already gone this route, here are some powerful considerations for ensuring your open plan workplace is, indeed, a place that supports getting work done, not just one that looks cool.1)     Cut the cord and go untethered. One of the largest benefits of an open office is the ability to maximize space. Given the wide popularity of telecommuting, flex-hours, and more generous PTO policies, it is extremely rare that all employees are in the office, occupying the same space on a daily basis. In fact, companies with fixed desks - where an employee is permanently assigned to a particular desk - average 25 to 50 percent of unused workspace on any given day. That’s a lot of wasted space!Due to the ever-increasing cost of real estate, it makes sense to create an untethered environment where employers can host a higher headcount in less physical space. The benefit for employees is they are then able to plug into a workstation best suited for their needs on that particular day. Which brings me to…2)     Create task-based zones. Now that you’re dealing with a wide-open space in which you are not required to plop down one workstation for each employee, you are free to create work "zones" or environments that are conducive to common tasks within your organization. Is there a need for a quiet, focused work area where folks can process information and respond? What about opportunities to collide and collaborate with other employees to generate new ideas or problem solve? How about a casual space to come together before and after meetings to ensure everyone is on the same page before running off to take action?Herman Miller, a well-known and innovative office design organization, provides a helpful guide, "The Living Office", that illustrates common needs so you can consider and address those that pertain to your business. Be sure to include codes of conduct for the different zones, as some may need quiet whereas others are expected to be highly collaborative and loud.3)     Maintain space for privacy. One of the biggest gripes of the open office is complete lack of privacy. So before you knock down every single wall, seriously consider leaving some up. Creating small "phone booths" that offer privacy when individuals need to make personal calls or focus on a client. It doesn’t take up much space, but covers a lot of ground in addressing employee needs.And if you are an executive and have an assigned office with walls, consider offering it as communal workspace when you aren’t in. Invest in locking file cabinets to keep confidential material safe and open the door to guests.The open office offers a lot of advantages for employers. It’s cost efficient, promotes collaboration and teamwork. It has the potential to afford employees a work environment that’s "just right" at the right time through hot-desking and zones. As with anything, it requires thoughtful planning. Your workplace is a delicate ecosystem that can thrive given the right conditions. So before you send in the construction crew, get with your employees and a planner to design an intentional space - one that’s open and conducive to the real needs of employees.This blog was originally published on Business2Community.com and was written by contributing author, Halley Bock, President & CEO, Fierce, Inc.The post The Open Office: Making the Concept Work appeared first on Fierce, Inc..

The adage "If you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself," might apply to skill building in the office. Managers and company leaders are taking a more proactive role in training their own teams."It began with managers using their own budgets and not relying on the formal training budget," said Halley Bock, CEO of Fierce Inc., a leadership development company. Brock said her company has seen an increase in the number of leaders within organizations looking for tools to advance their teams.That makes sense. A University of Phoenix survey released in 2013 found 68 percent of respondents had worked in dysfunctional teams, which soured their interest and ability to lend their skills to teams in the future. By having managers deliver training, it not only ensures that all team members are competent enough to contribute the way their leader wants them to, but also managers can finesse programs to perfectly fit specific employee groups."If training was left to a CLO or an HR department, there would be more of a template," said David Garvin, a professor at Harvard Business School who has researched outcomes associated with cohesive teams. "By handing the keys to individual managers, the managers get to put their own stamp on how the team works."Making managers responsible for training ensures that content and delivery is personalized to the team and cuts out programs that aren’t necessary. For example, a program teaching Microsoft Excel could be customized by a supervisor to focus only on the types of tables his or her employees need, rather than including all of the functions the software offers.Managers who take the lead in training skills and leadership behavior can also help the bottom line by cutting out the need to pay a vendor, Garvin said.But before managers can make employee development an official part of their job description, they have to know how to work with their subordinates in a way that keeps them in charge but also makes them approachable, engaged and open to new ideas."A manager needs to ask, ‘Where are we strong? Where are we weak?’ If I’m a manager, I need to know," Bock said. Managers need to connect with their team on a personal level. "You can’t fake it. I’ve seen people try."One of the potential pitfalls of having a manager lead training is that it may be harder for learners to get constructive criticism — especially if a manager is off the mark, the team will be too. Just as a good manager can create a good team, a toxic manager can create one that’s counterproductive."Feedback has to come without consequence," Bock said. However, this doesn’t mean feedback should be anonymous. Face-to-face conversations can go a long way to build an emotional connection.One of the biggest areas managers can improve is open discussion and hearing employees, regardless of what they’re saying — or not saying, as the case might be. "Team leaders often overstate the candor on their team," Garvin said. "As a team leader, just because you don’t hear dissent doesn’t mean there isn’t dissent."Here are a few more ways managers can better connect with their teams to prime the way for a trainer-trainee relationship.Hold your tongue. One of the biggest mistakes a manager can make at a meeting is to present his or her idea first. By waiting to present an opinion, a manager can foster a more open discussion. "If I say what I think what we should do, then ask everybody what they think, there’s less conversation," Garvin said. "Who’s going to disagree with the boss?"Think like a millennial. Bock said millennials want a more Socratic approach to training, and they’re not alone — the rest of the workforce is just as interested in having a leader tuned into its needs. Get managers to act as guides who involve their followers, not simply couriers for learning materials.The key is conversation.  "Look at the word conversation. It has the Latin root con, which means ‘with’ or ‘together,’" Bock said. "Leaders aren’t trained go into conversation [with a together mindset]; no one likes being talked at."Halley Bock, President & CEO, Fierce, Inc. was interviewed in the Chief Learning Officer article originally shared on CLOMedia.com and was written by Cameron Songer.The post Why Managers are the New Trainers appeared first on Fierce, Inc..

Vital Signs: Measuring the Health of Business Performance I remember walking home around 3:45 in the afternoon at the age of six with an 8½ by 11 folded piece of paper in my hand to be delivered to my parents for their signature. Yes…the dreaded report card. The letters on the report either spelled: ‘go to your room’ or ‘go out back and play.’ We have been measured on our performance from first grade through the remainder of our education. Why do we not measure our employees and our businesses? Our employees were conditioned and prepared to be measured for a minimum of 12 years. Picture yourself in your doctor’s waiting room. The first thing the nurse will do is take your vital signs: blood pressure, temperature and heart rate. The data the nurse collects then aids the doctor in their decision making process to determine your condition, and ultimately find a cure. We need data to enhance the decisions we make in our businesses. To this day, many companies do not measure their employee’s performance and sometimes lack the discipline to measure their business’s performance. Companies are in business for one reason and one reason only… TO MAKE A PROFIT What do we measure? The first step to increase your profitability is to determine key areas to measure. As a minimum, every business has the following areas to measure: Profitability Cash Flow Revenue Orders Quality Customer Service Several businesses have many derivatives of the aforementioned and additive metrics specifically for their employees, business and industry that are relevant and important. Now that we have the data gathered, what do we do next? The next step will require us to assign the metrics to our management team. Each individual on the team will be responsible for explaining the definition of the metrics and determining from where the data came. These tasks will occur at our monthly Operations Meeting attended by all key members of the management team. The benefits of Monthly Operations Meetings include: improved communication, elimination of isolation, team building, education of our team and accountability and responsibility of our management team. After this, we must analyze the data and look for trends to learn more about our operations and business model. The final and most important element is to set goals for our metrics. One commonly used method for goal setting is known as the "SMART method". Goals should be SMART: Specific Measureable Attainable Realistic Timely When we develop our goals using the "SMART method’, we enhance our Operational Meetings. By utilizing actual vs. forecasted goals, we can take it to the next level by having the responsible manager discuss variations in excess of  + or  -  5%.  The team will need to comprehend and answer the following questions about the variations: What Happened? Why Did Happen? Will it Happen Again? How Long Will it Last? Now we have determined the metrics, gathered the data, and held our management team accountable and responsible for the results and their explanation. After the data are laid out and analyzed, we need to develop an action-based plan to increase profitability. All action plans should have the following elements clearly identified: Action - What needs to be accomplished? Champion - Owner responsible for the action Measure of Success - Defines if we meet our objective Timeframe - How often we review plan or course correct? Using this plan will allow you to master the art of using data to make better business decisions and increase profitability. You and your team will ace your report card and now we can all go out and play. Morrie Feinman B G Services www.bgs4u.com Editor’s Note: Morrie Feinman is a management consultant with over 30 years experience, much of it in senior leadership roles with profit and loss responsibility. Morrie is experienced in training, facilitation and implementation. He has served in profit and non-profit organizations in the aerospace, medical, construction, food, packaging, printing, materials and microchip industries. Please post here any comments or questions regarding Morrie’s article, but reach out to him individually for a consultation at morrie.bgs@gmail.com or 610-662-2376. If you liked this article, please check out Morrie’s blog BGS4 at http://bgs4.wordpress.com/.

In conversations with clients and colleagues recently, I’ve been asked what Performance-Based Instructional Design (PBID) is, how it is different, and why it makes sense for workplace learning in particular. In this post, I’d like to lay out some of the tenets of PBID and distinguish this approach from others that pervade the field of learning. Some years ago, my friend Ty Johnson and I ran a workshop for the Great Valley chapter of ISPI, where we staged an instructional design simulation. It turned out to be a revealing experiment as well. We asked groups of participants to role play a typical interaction among instructional designer (ID), subject matter expert (SME), and client sponsor. Some of the groups were given leeway to apply whatever approached they wished to designing the training. I’ll refer to them as the control group.  Other groups were specifically instructed to use a performance-based approach…I’ll call them the PBID groups.  Several interesting things happened. The control groups produced nice, neat collections of learning objectives, treatment plans, and content outlines-the standard outputs of a training needs analysis.  The training they designed ranged from 5 to 10 days of seat time and incorporated a nice variety of sound classroom instructional techniques. The PBID groups instead came up with solutions that: Ranged from 0 to 3 days of training Incorporated a mixture of formal training, informal training, and non-training tactics Leveraged technology to optimize the effectiveness and efficiency of the learning. Why the difference? PBID is an approach to designing learning experiences that focuses primarily on driving behavioral changes in the workplace. Much as Kung Fu has different styles-like the Snake in the Tree technique and the Tiger Claw technique (at least according to the Martial Arts Theatre movies that I watched growing up) and like psychology has different schools of thought (e.g., behaviorism, cognitivism, social constructivism, post-modernism, etc.), so the practice of instructional design can be applied in different ways.  Let’s look at what makes PBID different. Focus on Results  In our simulation, the PBID group was first instructed to define what the business problem was, then to understand what the perceived performance gaps were that were creating that problem.  In other words, the PBID instructional designers did not start by asking: "What do these people need to learn?" Instead, they started by asking: "What does the business need from these people?" This subtle change can have a profound impact, because it raises the conversation to a more strategic business level and gets everyone focused on business results and performance outcomes. In the simulation, the instructional designer had to manage conversations with both the SME who feels that workers need 10 days-worth of classroom content and a business sponsor who wants to minimize the amount of time his/her workers spend "off the line" and in the classroom. Sound familiar? Getting both parties focused on the business outcomes, rather than on irrelevant factors like seat time, enabled them to define more clearly the problem that they needed to solve. The PBID groups were also instructed that whatever solution they identified needed to address those business needs. This focus on business results stems from the field of Human Performance Technology (HPT) as well as the broader field of Management, and is typically well-received by business leaders, assuming the instructional designer has the nerve to initiate a business conversation like this. Training is Not the Only Answer Instructional designers who espouse PBID live by the Performance Consultant’s credo: "Training alone has never solved a performance problem…and never will."  If we’re focused on business results and are open to using whatever interventions are needed, then we are more likely to come up with a blended approach that leverages formal training, informal training, and non-training interventions.  For example, one of the PBID groups came up with the idea of creating incentives and recognition programs to drive some of the desired behaviors, then allow some of the training to be conducted through informal lunch & learns that would be delivered by peer mentors. This dramatically reduced the reliance on formal training and more closely aligned the solution with the business need.  The point is, training alone is not the answer to most organizational learning needs, though training can be an important element of a broader solution.  Training combined with other interventions is generally going to be more effective in driving business results. Context is Queen In chess, without the King, you will definitely lose the game but without your Queen, you’re unlikely to win the game. Likewise, when we design instruction, it’s important that we have content to work with-for without content, we don’t have training. However, if we don’t have a strong understanding of the performance context-the context in which the new knowledge and skills will be applied and used-and we don’t incorporate that contextualized know-how into the learning experience, we will not have a successful training program. In our simulation, none of the control groups talked about the performance context.  They focused on topics, best practices, policies and procedures. The instructional designers never bothered to ask about the context in which those would be used by the workers.  On the other hand, the PBID instructional designers were instructed to understand the performance context before even starting to explore the content of the training program.  In each case, the PBID designers asked to observe workers in real time.  As part of the simulation, we actually had a group of participants establish a production line, so those designers who made the request were able to tour the facility, as well as observe and interview workers, to understand the performance context.  That experience radically changed their perspective as it related to the content and the overall design of the solution. Looking at their designs, the PBID groups produced solutions that were what I characterize as "organic," meaning that they fit naturally into the performance context of that particular company, minimizing disruption to the production line and the company’s operation.  When we debriefed the simulation, the control group IDs were all suprised by this and commented that they did not know they could ask to see the performance context. And that right there is a problem, isn’t it?  If we understand that context is critical to the success of any solution design, then we must not be afraid to ask for the access we need in order to understand the context.  When I worked with a financial services client, I asked that each of my IDs be given the opportunity to spend a day at one of their branches to observe and interview Financial Advisors as well as members of the branch management team.  This made a tremendous difference in the quality of their design outputs.  The solutions that did involve formal training included real-world examples, scenarios, and cases and terminology that resonated with people in the field. So next time someone tells you that content is King, remind them that context is Queen, and the Queen is the most powerful piece on the board. When you sacrifice your Queen, you’re unlikely to win the game. Efficiency, Not Just Effectiveness When I was a doctoral candidate at Penn State University, I remember Dr. Frank Dwyer telling a student that when comparing two alternative instructional tactics, learning efficiency is just as important-and from a practical standpoint, even more important-than learning effectiveness. In other words, if you compare two different methods and workers learn just as much with either approach, then the method that enables them to learn the content most cheaply is really the better choice. In fact, Dr. Dwyer often argued that efficiency has more practical application than learning effeciveness.  After all, most comparison research studies that have looked at instructional technologies and methods have generally found no significant difference in terms of learning effectiveness, assuming that the technology or method is properly employed.  However, if one method or technology can bring about the same level of learning, but do so much more cheaply, more quickly, or more easily, then there is a strong case to be made for it. When we apply that kind of thinking to workplace learning and performance improvement, we begin to design our solutions differently.  We realize that not every need requires a solution. Some gaps are just not significant enough to warrant the time, money, and effort required to close them.  Other gaps are ones that can be addressed sufficiently with a simple job aid or a role clarification meeting.  Prioritizing and catagorizing our organizational needs enables us to ration our limited resources more efficiently, leaving us more to devote to serious organizational gaps that require intense effort.  I address some of this in the 9/15/12 post. Getting back to the simulation, the control groups came up with 5-10 days of classroom training, a very expensive and time-consuming solution.  Aside from the tremendous expense of building 10 days-worth of instructor-led content, there are the costs of the classrooms, trainers, and administrative resources and the costs associated with pulling workers off the line to attend 2 weeks of training, such as overtime for those providing coverage and reduced productivity.  Training professionals need to be sensitive to all of these costs.  If there’s a more efficient way to accomplish the business need, then it must be considered. The PBID groups were instructed to be mindful of the costs of their solutions.  As a result, those PBID instructional designers came up with more efficient approaches.  For example, one group proposed to have a pretest that would enable workers to test out of most modules. Another group proposed that training would only be given where a manager identified a learning gap and requested training.  Their time, money, and effort would be spent making the managers better at driving performance and diagnosing performance problems-this is a "teaching them to fish" approach.  Another group decided that no formal training would be needed at all…that instead the desired behaviors would be driven through coaching and mentoring programs, job aids, and incentives. There are more differences between PBID and other, more common approaches to instructional design, but these three highlight the differences nicely.  To summarize, the PBID groups were instructed to: Focus on organizational needs and the desired results, then work backwards from there.  Stay focused on those performance outcomes and don’t get distracted by irrelevant factors. Keep an open mind to what the solution might be rather than falling into a training-only approach, and you will find that blended solutions that involve formal training, informal training, and non-training interventions rise to the top. Understand the performance context before you try to design a solution…observe and interact with your target audience and make your solution a more organic one that is a natural fit. Design efficiently. Prioritize the needs; assign resources accordingly; consider multiple solutions and go with the approach that gives you the right outcomes as cheaply, quickly, and easily as possible. Applying these four practices in your instructional design work will radically change the way you approach your organization’s needs and will dramatically increase the value that you bring to your organization.  Though any type of organization could benefit from a performance-based approach, organizations that are results-driven, such as businesses, are ideally suited. I invite you to share your own perspectives on this. I didn’t invent PBID, but I do my best to be a conscientious practitioner of it. Gus Prestera, PhD GLAPIE and proud!            

Multitasking: Why our addiction to it is making us ineffective leaders Cassandra is in a strategic planning meeting, helping to develop next year’s business plan, yet she is also emailing a colleague a response to a question while simultaneously managing three instant messaging conversations with her employees and one with her daughter.  Cassandra has a voicemail…should she listen to it or would that be too much?  All hail the technology that enables Cassandra and us to stay connected with the world while we’re stuck in meetings!  I can’t hear you. I said ALL hail, darn it!  Maybe you could stop watching Dancing with the Stars while reading my blog, just for a little bit. Mo’ w/ Less Recently, I was reading Joe Robinson‘s The Truth About Multitasking: How Your Brain Processes Information in Entrepreneur magazine. In it, the author cites the work of David Meyer, Director of the Brain, Cognition and Action Laboratory at the University  of Michigan and other cognitive scientists who have been studying the phenomenon of multitasking, a behavioral pattern that continues to grow, especially in today’s corporate workplace.  Do more with less, that is the mantra in these lean times.  Yet our work days can’t get much longer, so we try to squeeze more productivity out of each minute throughout the day. The ubiquity of laptops, smartphones, tablets, and other technologies enable us to multitask more effectively from anywhere and keep many balls in the air at once. Perhaps it does or perhaps it only gives us the illusion that it does, but either way, we need to ask ourselves if our brains can keep up or if all this multitasking is actually making us dumber and less productive. Parallel Processing Cognitive research tells us that our brains process information in parallel through different channels.  We can see and interpret images independently from processing speech, for example.  For this reason, Instructional Designers are taught to make effective use of graphics by reinforcing important content elements conveyed through words with graphics, animations, builds, and/or video that complement the text.  This kind of multitasking optimizes the use of both channels to convey ideas, making those ideas more likely to stick.  So multitasking can be a very positive thing, when it leverages the brain’s ability to parallel process through multiple channels. A Thoughtful Choice or a Random One? Unfortunately, this is not the type of multitasking that we typically see in the workplace.  Cassandra’s example is much more common.  She is supposed to be participating in a cognitively intense brainstorming and planning discussion.  At the same time, she is reading, thinking, and typing her emails and IMs, activities that tax her brain’s speech channel.  That’s the same channel she needs in order to follow the discussion in the room and contribute to it.  Her brain can’t do both simultaneously, so she needs to choose. If she understands that she’s making a conscious choice, perhaps she can manage the process by tuning into the meeting at the right times and tuning out to attend to the emails and IM messages at the right time.  However, what’s more likely happening is  that her attention is being yanked away each time an IM message or email pops up on her screen, at random.  When the meeting hits a high point, such as during a loud debate or near a stopping point, her attention might get yanked back to the meeting.  In general, though, her attention and focus will randomly go back and forth between these activities and she will miss important information coming out of the meeting and, perhaps more importantly, she’ll miss opportunities to contribute to the shaping of the strategic plan.  The quality of that strategy and business plan may suffer as a result.  Oh well, that’ll be a problem next year, right?  At least Cassandra was able to put out some immediate fires. Even though it’s pretty clear to us that Cassandra’s multitasking has made her less effective in this meeting, she likely walks away from the meeting thinking that she successfully multitasked.  She probably thinks she’s one of the more capable leaders in the room, because she’s able to multitask better than most.  Maybe she even thinks she deserves a promotion for being able to keep so many fires under control at once.  Would you reward that sort of behavior if it were your company? We Have a Choice Is this what we want leadership to look like?  Gosh, I hope not.  I hope that we want our leaders to prioritize and focus their energies to maximize their positive impact on the organization. Our brains are capable of all sorts of things if we understand how to tap into their capabilities and if we apply meta-cognitive strategies to help us harness our brain power. As someone who has worked and thrived in a fast-paced, high-pressure corporate environment all of his career, I have a lot of experience with juggling priorities and multitasking, and as someone who studies cognition and its implications for learning and performance, I have a keen interest in meta-cognitive strategies.  In my next post, I’ll share some practices that I’ve adopted and put to the test over the years to help me maximize my productivity and actively manage my brain power. Geek Out With Me In the meanwhile, I hope you’ll post some comments and share with us your own multitasking experiences and best practices.  If you’re really interested in this topic, perhaps you’ll read David Meyer’s influential research paper, Executive Control of Cognitive Processes in Task Switching and post your thoughts on it. Gus Prestera, PhD GLAPIE and proud!        

As promised, here are some tips for managing your work life in a way that leverages your brain power and enables you to get more out of each day…without falling into the multi-tasking traps that I discussed in my previous post. Tip #1: Make Your B and C Priorities a Priority This is probably the most controversial tip, so why not start here.  Most time management experts will tell you that it’s important to prioritize your to-do list, then start with your highest priority tasks and leave the low-priority ones for last.  The Franklin Covey approach, which is mirrored by other models, involves categorizing your tasks into three buckets: A for the house-is-burning-down urgent items, B for important yet not hair-on-fire urgent, and C for things that would be valuable to do when you have time.  You can probably guess what typically happens.  People will work hard to get all of their A items done, then push off their B and C items for another day.  They’ll keep pushing them off until something happens and those B and C tasks suddenly become urgent…or eventually they cross those items off because they’ve become irrelevant. Thing is, many of those B and C tasks are tasks that would help you make you and your organization become more effective.  That list might include things like conducting or attending training or professional development; organizing your files for more rapid access when information is needed; completing infrastructure projects that enable you to do things better, faster, and/or more efficiently.  Almost always, when I look at a colleague’s task list, the lowest priority items are typically the most value-added for the organization, so I tell them what I’ll tell you. Make it your goal to accomplish one of your B or C tasks every day before you tackle any of your A tasks. This is a lot more difficult than it sounds, and yet if you can knock one little B or C task out each day, you’ll see your productivity rise significantly, I promise you.  You’ll have fewer fires to fight, imagine that. The other reason I like to tackle a B or C task before I start on my A list is that I will usually have more mental energy at the start of the day than at the end, so better to pump my creativity into something that will yield long-term efficiencies rather than putting out fires, which I can do in my sleep. You may think I’m crazy for suggesting this heresy, but try it for a couple of weeks and then tell me if I’m not crazy good. Tip #2: Block time on your calendar for work tasks Sometimes, I get to the end of the day and am frustrated that I spent the entire day in meetings and got no real work accomplished.  The truth is that some meetings are valuable and you are accomplishing work in those meetings, even if it doesn’t feel like it sometimes.  Even so, when you need to sit down and brainstorm, work through a solution to a problem, prepare a report or presentation, or produce some other tangible outputs, you want to make sure that your work day isn’t swept away by meetings.  Otherwise, you’re left doing important work when you’re exhausted and burned out until 2:00 am.  I’ve found that the best remedy for this is to block out time on my calendar for getting work done.  There are two types of blocks: what I call anticipatory blocks and defined blocks. Anticipatory blocks are hours blocked on my schedule to allow for tasks that may or may not be required.  For example, I may have a weekly risk management meeting on my calendar.  There’s a good chance that on any given week, I’ll come out of that meeting with some fires that I need to quell, so it makes sense for me to block out 30-45 minutes of time after that meeting to handle urgent follow-up tasks.  I do this with travel time also.  When I know that I need to travel from one building to another for meetings, I block out that time.  I’ll often use it to catch up on voicemails as well.  Another example. When I had worked with a sales team, I knew that they would need my help throughout the week with their proposals, but I didn’t know exactly when they would need the help or how much.  To get ahead of that demand, I blocked out chunks of time throughout the week and made those available to them, so that they could book the time as needed within those windows I gave them.  This reduced some of the chaos and last-minute requests-though of course there will always be some of that. Defined blocks are hours blocked out on my calendar to perform specific tasks.  For example, I’m in a meeting and I agree to take an action item to prepare a report.  Before I even leave that meeting, I’ve done two things in my calendar.  I’ve identified when I need to send that report to the group, and I’ve blocked out 30 minutes to prepare the report in advance of that date/time.  This way, I walk out of the meeting having set aside time to follow through on my commitment.  These types of blocks are critical if you’re going to stay on top of your calendar.  When I’m working on a project, I look at the project plan to see what tasks I’m responsible for, then I block out time over the coming weeks to get that work done.  This way, I know what bandwidth I have left over to take on other tasks, attend other meetings, etc.  If I haven’t mapped my tasks to my calendar, then I’m never clear on what bandwidth I have.  That’s when things can quietly pile up on you and overwhelm you. Tip #3: Listen to your body rhythms Some of us are most energetic and alert in the morning, some of us in the afternoon, and some of us in the evenings.  Schedule your work around your body’s natural rhythm.  If your body handles creative work best in the morning, then block out time in the morning to perform creative tasks, such as brainstorming, planning, designing solutions, and developing presentations. Schedule routine, low-creativity work, such as listening to status updates, during low-energy times.  Sometimes, you have no choice in the matter, but usually you do, so make a concerted effort to schedule meetings and work tasks in a way that goes with the flow. Tip #4: Minimize distractions It seems obvious but if we allow ourselves to get distracted, our schedules become fragmented and our energy gets diluted.  When we block out time to get work done, we need to minimize interruptions.  This can be difficult when people can pop their heads over the cubicle wall, call our office lines and cell phones, email, text, IM, Facebook, and tweet us whenever they choose.  It’s not easy but when I’m in meetings or heads-down doing work, I try to shut all of those things out.  I take frequent breaks when I can catch up on emails throughout the day, voicemails, IMs, etc., but I do so at a time of my choosing.  I try not to allow those random interruptions to break up my concentration.  There will always be emergencies that come up, but if someone wants to ask me a question, they can wait for me to get back to them at a stopping point. Tip #5: Minimize meeting time Don’t roll your eyes, please.  I know meetings are necessary and it’s not realistic to think that we can ever do away with them.  However, we do have a tendency to schedule meetings for things that could easily be accomplished through different modes.  Meeting time for giving and receiving updates, for example, can sometimes be accomplished or minimized by using a project update report. People can read the report, then perhaps come to a shorter meeting where the group can discuss risks and issues, skipping over the basic information covered in the report.  When multiple teams need to report out their progress, they can attend just the portion of the meeting that applies to them rather than sitting through the entire meeting.  In other words, before asking for a meeting or accepting a meeting, make sure you’ve done everything you can to minimize the meeting time and that you’re using that time effectively. Please share with us your tips for managing your time and brain power. Gus Prestera, PhD GLAPIE and proud!        

10 Tips for Managing Your SME Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) are essential to any organizational initiative but especially instructional design projects, since those SMEs are typically the primary sources and gatekeepers of course content. Unfortunately, because they are experts in what they do, they are also some of the busiest people in their organizations.  For the same reasons that you want them to help you with your course, those same people are being pulled on by colleagues, direct reports, and senior leaders across the organization for help with a wide variety of mission-critical organizational initiatives…and most of those SMEs are doing so part-time while trying to balance their day-to-day workload.  Therefore, it can be quite challenging to work with SMEs and get what you need from them.  Below are some tips from someone who’s corralled more than a few SMEs in his day.  If I’ve missed any, please use the Comments to add your own. 1. Tap into their motivation: SMEs have limited time and energy, so they will prioritize based on what’s most important to them.  Influencing a SME to dedicate time and effort to you, given all the competing priorities, will require tapping into some source of motivation.  Different people are motivated by different things, so you should take the time to get to know your SMEs.  Start this process even before you meet with your SMEs by Googling them and getting whatever background you can from their colleagues. Get to know what their priorities are and what makes them tick. At the risk of over-generalizing, I’ve found that good SMEs are often driven by a desire to do the right thing for the organization; to help others succeed; and to gain the respect and esteem of their colleagues.  Prestige and esteem tend to be more important to them than money, praise, promotions, and other tangible rewards.  I therefore try to find ways of communicating the value of what I’m doing in a way that links to those factors.  For example, if I’m designing a course that will help claims adjusters investigate fraudulent insurance claims, I might stress the value that this training will bring to the organization, how it will help adjusters be more successful, and how he/she will be a hero to those newer adjusters going through training. 2. Adapt to their work style: Each of us behaves in a somewhat predictable pattern, especially in a stressful work environment, and there are many different models for classifying those patterns (e.g., MBTI, Social Styles, DiSC, Six Thinking Hats to name a few). Whatever models you subscribe to, use them to help you categorize your SMEs’ behavior patterns, anticipate their work styles and preferences, and adapt your own behaviors to them.  If  your SME is a DiSC Dominant style, for example, adapt your behavior so that you are giving him/her the facts in brief, high-level bullets, rather than giving them lengthy explanations.  My colleague Jeff Dorman, a leadership and communications skills consultant and facilitator, likes to call this "flexing your style."  Flexing requires you to recognize your SME’s style, define any gaps between his/her style and yours, consciously think about what behaviors you’ll adapt to close that gap, then do it.  Flexing will enable you to manage the tension between you and your SME, build better rapport, and communicate more productively with each other. 3. Involve your SME in planning: Good SMEs typically have a great deal of job security and they know it.  They’re smarter and more competent than their peers. They often have big egos, inflated some might say, and they are justifiably confident in their abilities. The company can’t function without them, so they’re not afraid of what their bosses might think, and they’re certainly not going to be intimidated by artificial deadlines that you have set for them.  So whatever you do, don’t try to bully a SME into compliance with your project plan.  Arm twisting and other heavy-handed approaches won’t work.  Instead, involve your SMEs in crafting the project plan, so that they have a hand in setting those deadlines.  Once they’ve committed to something, being Type A personalities, they will work hard to hit those deadlines.  Ask them how they want to be worked with…and they will usually be experienced and self-aware enough to tell you.  Help them understand what you need from them and why, so that they can make informed planning decisions.  It’s worth taking the first meeting to discuss expectations, process, deadlines, milestones, and the timing of meetings and reviews.  Your SMEs will appreciate you’re doing this, because they are very busy people and yet also conscientious about following through on their commitments. 4. Establish a good working relationship: It’s much more difficult to ignore someone you like, someone you have a connection with on a personal level.  Again, know their style and flex yours to engage with them on their terms.  Ask them about their hobbies, family, and personal interests.  Get them talking about themselves.  That’s the secret to building rapport.  Get face time with them (either in person or through video conferencing), because the face conveys infinitely more intimacy than just a voice over a phone line, no matter how good you are on the phone.  Grab coffee with them or lunch and talk about non-work things. Do everything you can to build a personal connection with them.  Not only will this help you get more of their time and attention, you’ll also find that your collaboration is more productive and fruitful. Communication will flow more easily, and you’ll understand each other better.  All this translates into getting the work done better and faster.  Don’t underestimate the importance of building personal relationships with your SMEs.  Me personally, I really enjoy working with SMEs, because I resonate with their passion and intellect, so I genuinely enjoy their company…and I like to think that that comes through in our conversations. 5. Agree on ground rules early: When you meet with your SMEs, get input on how they want to work together but also make sure that you walk away with some agreed-upon ground rules.  For example, I ask my SMEs to commit to a 12-hour response timeframe for voice-mails and a 24-hour timeframe for emails, even if their response is simply an acknowledgment and a request for more time.  What’s the worst they can say in response to that request?  We typically agree on meeting frequency and review cycles.  For example, I might ask a SME to meet with me once a week for several weeks to work through a body of content.  Each meeting might be 1 to 4 hours in length, depending on volume and availability.  After each meeting, I commit to send the SME my meeting notes within 24 hours, and I ask the SME to review and respond to those notes within 24 hours of receiving them.  We might also block out Q&A time each week or a few times a month, just so we have some time set aside for contingencies.  We would also commit to the number, duration, format, and frequency of review cycles.  Will I email the SME a set of storyboards, then have a meeting within 24 hours to review it and capture their feedback live?  Or will they review it on their own and send me back a marked up document, to be followed by Q&A if necessary?  Getting to this level of logistical detail early in the project is critical, so that SMEs have an opportunity to shape the project plan and so they can adjust their own calendars.  Being busy people, they appreciate this effort to help them manage their crazy calendars.  Of course, all these ground rules need to remain flexible.  So long as there is good communication flowing, you need to be willing to bend the rules and adapt to changing conditions. I’ll stop here and let you digest these.  In the next post, I’ll discuss the next five tips…here’s a sneak peek: Tip 6. Know what you want from your SMEs Tip 7. Avoid overloading them with non-value added tasks Tip 8. Take some ownership and do your homework Tip 9. Create structure around content gathering and analysis Tip 10. Synthesize their ideas; don’t just re-gurgitate them I welcome your comments and feedback…and would especially love any additions to this list of tips.  Managing SMEs is tremendously difficult, especially in today’s manic corporate culture, so let’s help each other out by sharing what’s worked. Gus Prestera, PhD GLAPIE and proud!  

In response to feedback we’ve been getting from you, my fellow GLAPIEs, I’ve finally taken the time to give the Learning FX Performance site a make-over.  With the help of Jeff and Jarrett, from The McCary Group, and Belen the "Goddess" Bilgic Schneider, I’ve tried to make the site more robust and easier to use.  I’m still working out some kinks, so bear with me, but here’s a list of what’s new on the site: Get the Latest: The first thing you’ll see on the Home page will be the latest blog post as well as the latest tweets, SlideShare presentation, and video.  Going forward, I plan to produce short videos and post them to our Prestera FX YouTube channel.  More on that soon. Easier to Comment: While I enjoy getting emails from you guys, I really want to see you post your comments right in the site, so I’ve made it so that you don’t need to provide any contact information in order to post a comment.  In other words, you can post anonymously.  I’ll still screen the comments, but as long as you have something relevant to say, I’ll post it.  So please comment away without fear that your boss will see what you write! Social Media bar: We’ve added a social media bar, so that you can like us, re-tweet us, and share us till your heart’s content. Categories: In the bottom part of the Home page, we’ve organized all of the previous posts by category. You’ll see the last two posts from that category highlighted and summarized.  This is a nice way to get a sense of the breadth of the content. That’s it for now, but please keep the suggestions coming.  You can respond to this post, if you like, with any feedback and suggestions regarding the site layout and usability. Thanks for visiting! Gus Prestera, PhD GLAPIE and proud!    

I’m back with the second half of my tips for managing your subject matter experts. Tip 6. Know what you want from your SMEs Too often, Instructional Designers approach their SMEs without a clear sense of what they need or want.  I always advise my IDs to go into their SME meetings with a clear game plan that identifies what they want to take away from the meeting.  This is not merely a general goal or list of questions, though that’s a good start.  When possible, I try to go in with a sense of what the performance objectives are and what the design of the course is going to involve.  I use this to guide my SME interviews. For example, if I’m going to design training for a new proprietary IT system, I’d develop a high-level design.  Within that design, I’d capture the types of content I will need. I’d likely need to know what the process steps and tasks are going to be; who’s performing each of them; and what the correct sequence is.  I’d also want to teach learners about common pitfalls and errors, and counter them with tips and tricks.  Armed with that information, I can craft an agenda for how that SME interview should flow, so that I get what I need.  SMEs typically appreciate that degree of organization. Tip 7. Avoid overloading your SMEs with non-value added tasks One of the worst things you can do with your SMEs is waste their time.  It undermines their trust in you and their willingness to help you. You will have a very small amount of their bandwidth to get what you need, so make sure you don’t waste their time by asking them to do things that do not add value. Don’t ask your SMEs to perform administrative tasks, such as asking them to take notes or type up something they’ve already said.  You should either be recording the interview or taking good notes, so that your SME doesn’t need to repeat him/herself.  If your SME tells you that something is available online, ask where and go get it yourself: don’t ask your SME to track things down unless there is no other way.  Don’t overload them with information that is not important to them or relevant to their work. For example, some IDs will copy their SMEs on project management-related communications, such as project updates.  While it would be nice if your SMEs were aware of what is happening with the project, it is not mission-critical information for them.  The parts of it that are relevant to their work could probably be summarized in a sentence at the beginning of a content gathering call or meeting. Much as race horses are equipped with blinders to minimize the distraction of seeing other horses to either side, it is better to minimize your SMEs’ distractions and non-value tasks and keep them focused on the content gathering tasks. Tip 8. Take some ownership and do your homework Sorry to keep harping on it but SMEs are extremely busy people, and their time is precious to the organization.  They will have little patience with being asked to perform tasks that are not value-added.  One such low value task is teaching you the basics.  It’s reasonable for a SME to expect that you’ve done your homework prior to the start of the content gathering process and that you have a baseline understanding of the subject matter.  With search engines at your fingertips and so much information posted on the organization’s web site, there’s no excuse for going into a content gathering meeting blind.  Your SMEs are experts, so bring your A game and ask questions that do not waste their time.  Show them that you know the basics and are there to get at the difficult questions, which only they can answer. Tip 9. Create structure around content gathering and analysis As I mentioned in Tip 6, it’s important to walk into the SME meeting with a clear sense of what you want to get out of the meeting.  In some cases, I will actually create a content gathering template containing a table that includes cells with different types of information that I need.  After an interview, I fill in the template and send it to the SME.  The SME can see what kinds of information I need; what I’ve been able to gather so far; and where the gaps are.  When they can see the gaps clearly, they will usually respond by helping to fill those gaps.  The template provides the structure and transparency needed. Tip 10. Synthesize their ideas; don’t just regurgitate them One of the best compliments I’ve received is when a SME said to me: "At the end of our call, I felt like I dumped a lot of rambling threads of information on you, and then afterwards you sent me something that tells a cohesive story. Wow!"   In following up after a content gathering meeting, many IDs make the mistake of thinking that their job is to summarize what their SMEs are saying.  Doing that produces very poor quality training content. Why?  Because content knowledge is organized differently in an expert’s brain than it is in a novice’s brain.  The main value that we bring to the ISD process is to transform the content we receive from our experts into something that can be easily understood, remembered, and applied by novices.  In order to do that, we need to do more than just regurgitate what we hear from our SMEs.  We must synthesize their ideas, transforming them into a cohesive story that will make sense to others. Your comments are welcome.  If you have other tips and best practices for IDs to use when working with their SMEs, please share what you know. Gus Prestera, PhD GLAPIE and proud!    

Daryl Conner coined the term "black holes" in his seminal work, Managing at the Speed of Work (1992, 2006, pp. 119-125), when referring to pockets within an organization where "management rhetoric [goes] into bureaucratic structures and then vanishes without a trace."  In other words, senior leaders set a vision, goals, and a strategy then communicate those to the organization, but in some pockets of the organization those words simply fall on deaf ears and there is no action taken, no response, not even a complaint…just a whole lot of nothing.  As a leader, I’ve experienced this myself even within a relatively small 100-person business.  In larger organizations, black holes are pervasive and significantly undermine any attempts to drive organizational change across the enterprise.  Unlocking the mystery of these black holes should be a priority for any manager interested in making change a reality. Blacks holes are caused by a variety of factors, but before we consider causes and remedies, let’s look an example, so we have a real-world frame of reference.  Though black holes can form around entire sites, functions, business units, and regions, let’s look at a small one forming at the local department level.  Santana heads up the IT department for XYZ Global’s regional headquarters in Philadelphia.  She manages a team of 10 IT Specialists, six of which are based in Philly and four of which are based in Boston, supporting a large office complex.  The senior IT leadership has decided to implement Agile as a new project management methodology for all IT projects, replacing the traditional Waterfall method that XYZ Global has traditionally used.  Santana is excited about the change and cascades the messaging and strategy to her team.  In Philly, there are many questions about the change and Santana observes a mixed reaction with the usual assortment of early adopters, late adopters, curmudgeons, etc.  In Boston, there is no discernible reaction.  There is no excitement, no frustration, no outward sign of anxiety about the change…nothing…not even a question.  This is where Santana comes face-to-face with a black hole. Why Black Holes Form Why is one group of people on Santana’s team engaged and another completely disengaged from Santana’s "management rhetoric?"  There are a myriad of possible reasons, but experience tells me that black holes typically form because of three factors: the leadership vacuum, cynicism, and isolation. The Leadership Vacuum. In Boston, there is no formal leader of the team, so team members become more reliant on their informal hierarchy.  One member of the team, Jamal, has seniority, is outspoken, and is seen as the "real" authority on the ground.  The other team members have learned that regardless of what Santana and her bosses say, it’s Jamal who is really in charge, at least in terms of the day-to-day work they do and how they do it.  Santana inadvertently reinforces this perception by the way she defers to Jamal in front of the team and positions him as her representative when she is not onsite.  She has essentially relinquished her leadership authority, creating a vacuum that Jamal is filling.  In this case, Jamal is not onboard with the transition to Agile, and rather than raise an objection, he has simply decided that the change will not apply to the Boston office. Cynicism. In Boston-as in Philly-the members of Santana’s team have grown weary of management’s organizational effectiveness efforts.  "Management can’t seem to make up their minds," is a commonly heard complaint, "today they want us to things this way, then tomorrow we need to change to something else completely, before we even see if the first change worked."  The frequency of change and the lack of follow-through that comes with it create a sense that management is never really serious about making change happen…that their rhetoric is empty and meaningless.  When an individual feels that way, they become isolated cases that can sometimes be ignored, but when a group of individuals shares that perception, a black hole will emerge.  They will listen to management and assume that no change is really required, since management isn’t really going to follow through on it anyway. Isolation. The team in Boston is geographically separated from their regional headquarter colleagues and from Santana.  If this physical distance isn’t countered, it can lead to an emotional and psychological separation as well.  The mentality quickly devolves into "us vs. them" types of thinking patterns, which can eventually lead to a complete split.  Santana’s Boston team members begin to think of themselves as a unique and separate team, disassociated with the Philly team and they see Santana as being more closely associated with the Philly office.  This schism can make it easier for the black hole to form and to grow.  Everything that comes from Santana is looked at through the lens of "Philly is trying to push us around again and tell us what to do."  Resistance to management’s rhetoric becomes institutionalized. Santana has her work cut out for her.  Because of the leadership vacuum she’s created; the cynicism she has reinforced through her lack of follow-through; and the isolation she has failed to prevent, her Boston team has become a black hole.  It is like the tribal region of Pakistan…a no man’s land of central leadership where the changing world around it is simply ignored in favor of the status quo. In the next installment, I’ll share with you some strategies and lessons learned for collapsing these black holes and re-engaging with employees.  Meanwhile, I would love to hear your black hole stories and similar challenges you’ve faced. Gus Prestera, PhD GLAPIE and proud!

With the advent of cloud-based computing and the growth of mobile computing, we are seeing a new tidal wave of software applications being brought to market.  With that comes the need to train millions of users on how to use those applications, and a common technique for doing so is the good old-fashion software demonstration.  Millions of online demos have been produced, yet many of them are not instructionally effective.  For someone who knows the application pretty well and just needs a quick pointer, most demos are maddeningly slow.  For someone who is unfamiliar with the application and really needs help, most demos fail to teach the procedure in a way that helps the user remember it.  Below I describe four ways you can make your software demonstrations more effective, working with the user’s natural information processing affordances and constraints. Organize steps and units by process steps, not features Reinforce narration with synced visual cues Provide written instructions that anchor demonstration Give users control and a sense of the big picture Let’s look at these suggestions in greater depth: 1. Organize steps and units by process steps, not features A common question that arises for designers of software training is to what extent to organize the training around the features of the system.  Think of it this way.  If you are learning how to garden, would you want your instruction to be organized by gardening tool?  For example, the first module might teach how to use gardening trowel. Another might teach you how to use a rake.  While there are times when you may want to learn about a tool that you’re not familiar with, your primary motivation is learning how to garden, so you would probably want the instruction broken down by gardening processes.  For example, one unit might teach you how to prepare your soil. Another might teach you how to select the right plants or vegetables.  Another on when and how to plant the seeds. How to ward off insects.  How to water and provide nutrients. You get the idea. When learning something new, most of us are task-oriented, so it makes sense to organize the training around the real-world tasks that your audience will perform.  This applies equally to software training.  When analyzing the instructional content, look at it from the user’s point of view and organize the various units and steps according to how they use the system.  In fact, a best practice is to start with "use cases."  Software developers create use cases to help them understand how users will interact with their system.  For training designers, that’s a great starting point.  Trace the footsteps of a real user as they work with the system to accomplish something…then organize your content around that process. 2. Reinforce narration with synced visual cues Most demonstrations involve a combination of audio in the form of voice-over narration and possibly some sound effects (e.g., the sound of mouse clicks) and visuals in the form of screen captures, cutouts, animated builds, and/or screen video.  Designers of software demos tend to focus most of their energy on saying the right things in the audio.  This is a natural bias that we as designers have.  However, we also know that significantly more people are visual learners than auditory learners-meaning that they tend to focus more of their information processing energy on what they see more so than on what they hear.  Well-designed elearning tries to help people process information through both audio and visuals at the same time.  So, it makes sense that we should focus on the design of the visual experience as much as-if not more than-on the auditory experience.  For starters, make sure that you do give them equal attention and care. So specifically what can you do to enhance the visual experience within a software demo?  Regardless of the medium, I encourage you to reinforce the visual experience by highlighting the parts of a screen that you want the learner to focus on at any particular time.  This reinforcement can be in the form of a box or circle that surrounds your focal point temporarily, as shown in the example below.  This helps to draw the learner’s eye, and with it, their attention.  Syncing those visual cues with the audio narration is unfortunately time-consuming, but it is critically important.  Otherwise, a learner’s eyes will wander, and the learner will waste time/energy trying to follow along, when you really want them to focus that brain power on processing the procedural steps themselves.  Make it easy for them to track with your words.   Here we use a dashed rectangle to draw the learner’s eye and attention to the focal point of the instructions. The visual cue appears on-screen in sync with the audio instructions related to step 3.   3. Provide written instructions that anchor demonstration As I mentioned above, designers have a natural bias for audio narration, yet learners tend to process the visual experience more effectively than the auditory experience.  To balance things out, I always try to include written instructions that support the demonstration.  Learners can listen to the narration as they see the demonstration, but then they can refer to the written steps as a way of reviewing and maintaining the sequence of steps fresh in their minds. Written instructions that complement the audio and visuals being used help the learner review the steps that have been covered so far. This reinforcement can be powerful. Ideally, the written instructions appear on screen at the same time as the steps are being demonstrated.  Even better is making a visual connection between the visual cue (discussed above in #1), the screen capture/cutout/video, and the written instructions.  Best of all is when those are synced with the audio narration.  If you look at the sample screen below, you see that the "How-to" written instructions are summarized to the right of the screen capture.  When the narration is describing step 3, the learner’s eye is drawn to the visual cue that sits over the focal point in the screen capture.  From there, the eye moves over to the written instructions, where they can review the steps covered so far. All that connectivity and synchronicity reinforces the learning and makes it easy for the learner to follow and process the procedure. I find it powerful to show the written instructions side-by-side with the visuals being used to demonstrate the steps. The connectivity and synchronicity are important.   4. Give users control and a sense of the big picture The system’s users come in many shapes and sizes, so it’s important to allow them a great deal of room to customize the learning experience to their needs.  There are two important ingredients that are needed in order for learners to be able to customize their experience effectively: control and a holistic view. Learner control can be offered in several ways and at several levels.  It starts, though, by breaking down the procedures into their smallest cohesive units.  You want a unit to contain few enough steps that the learner can feasibly remember them, yet the collection of steps also needs to describe a complete procedure…much like a sentence, it needs to communicate a complete thought.  Once you’ve broken things down into those units, design the training in a way that enables the learner to select from a menu of units; to jump around from unit to unit; and to skip over units that are not relevant. Take it the next level down and offer the same level of control within a unit.  Some learners may just want to visit the demo to refresh their memories on one particular step.  Others may need the whole sequence of steps.  Enable the learner to experience all of the steps in sequence or to jump around from step to step easily.  One way to do this is to provide a sub-menu with numbered buttons that the learner can click. Holistic View. If the learner doesn’t have a sense of the whole, it’s difficult for them to assess their own needs and make use of the control you’ve given them.  At the program level, give learners a sense of what all the procedures (units) are and how they are organized conceptually.  You might show them a map of the entire sequence of units, perhaps in the form of a concept map, an org chart, or some other visual. At the module level, give them a sense of how the unit is structured.  At least let them know how many individual steps are involved.  Knowing that I am currently on step 3 of 15 feels different than knowing I’m on step 3 of 6.  Just as importantly, let the learner know what the step is, why it is important, and what it entails.  These tidbits give the learner some basis for deciding on how to proceed. You can kill two birds with one stone by having your big picture map of the units and your unit-level map of the steps act as navigation menus.  You are giving learners a holistic view while also enabling them to control their learning experience. Wrap Up Software demonstrations too often lack consideration of what their audiences need and how their audiences process new information.  Using some research-based techniques-like the ones described above-can help you ensure that your software training engages your audience and helps them learn how to use the system quickly.  Organize your units and steps around the tasks that real-life end users will need to perform in order to accomplish something meaningful.  Don’t try to teach each feature and functionality in a vacuum.  Leverage your use cases to walk the learner through a process.  As you do, show-don’t just tell-them how to do it using relevant visuals and synced visual cues that draw the learners’ attention.  Don’t rely completely on auditory instructions…give them written instructions too, preferably synced and linked to the on-screen visuals you are using.  Give them a big picture sense of each procedure is, why it’s important, what’s involved, and how it fits in with the rest of the procedures.  Allow them enough learner control to navigate through demonstrations sequentially or non-sequentially, depending on their preferences and learning needs.  An informed learner with adequate control should be able to organize the pace, content, and sequence of their learning experience in a way that makes sense for them. If you are a software training designer, I’d love to hear your thoughts.  Any additional best practices you’d like to recommend?  Challenges you need help with?  Share with your GLAPIE friends here and let’s help each other design better software training. Gus Prestera, PhD GLAPIE and proud!    

My hands were sweaty; my mouth was dry.  For months, I dreaded this day, knowing that eventually I’d need to fire this employee because of his poor performance and even poorer attitude.  I was a new manager at the start of my career; this was my first time; and it was the scariest thing I had ever done.  Since then, it’s not gotten much easier, but it’s not as scary as it was the first time.  Why?  Because after the first time, I realized that terminating a poor performer was the best thing I could have done for my team, and my only regret was that I took so long to do it. FEAR, it’s a four-letter word for failure when it comes to managing organizations, infecting every decision and every action we take.  In this post, I’ll focus on just one consequence of fear…the all-too-common sight of organizations carrying dead weight…employees who perform poorly, have poor attitudes, and are unlikely to improve.  Managers know exactly who those chronic under-performers are and they recognize that those employees act as a drag on everybody else and on the organization as a whole.  Let’s examine why managers knowingly allow dead weight to exist in their organizations and how a senior leader might combat those factors. Fear of Failure One reason we hold onto poor performers is that we feel we can turn them around, if we just give the coaching process a little more time and effort.  To give up on those poor performers is to admit failure.  Cutting the cord would be to admit that I made a bad hire; that I didn’t onboard and train them effectively; that I didn’t coach them and motivate them; that I just wasn’t a good enough manager.  In other words, managers are afraid to admit failure, so they tolerate poor performers for much longer than they should.  They carry this sense of guilt and obligation  like an albatross around their necks. How do you reverse this tendency?  Start by re-committing yourself and the managers under you to talent management.  Invest the proper time and effort into hiring the right people; onboarding and training them effectively, so performance expectations are clear; coaching and motivating them so employees are held accountable for poor performance and recognized/rewarded for good performance.  These are the basic blocking and tackling responsibilities of any people manager.  If you can make a commitment to doing these things consistently, you’ll start to remove the albatross from around your neck and shift the accountability for performance from you, the manager, to your employees. Fear of Uncertainty What will happen if I confront poor performers about their performance?  Will the conversations get heated?  Will HR make me document everything and drag out the process?  What if I terminate a poor performing employee?  Will I be able to hire a replacement quickly?  Will that replacement be any better?  Is the employee really not salvageable?  What if I’m wrong?  What if they sue the company for wrongful termination?  Taking action on performance problems comes with some uncertainty and risk.  Failing to take action also comes with uncertainty and risk, but putting off those uncomfortable conversations and difficult decisions is a natural response. Though manager training and proper HR support are important, the only effective way to combat this fear of uncertainty is with intervention by the senior leader.  The senior leader needs to drive his/her managers, creating a burning platform and a call to action.  There needs to be a sense that confronting performance problems can no longer be put off or kicked down the road.  The second thing a senior leader can do is to provide reassurance to managers that they will be supported as they engage in performance management ("I’ll back you up!"); that they will be rewarded for driving the performance of their teams; and that they themselves will be held accountable for poor team performance.  Managers need to be challenged and pushed off the ledge, but then they also need to be supported as they work through a potentially long and risky performance management voyage. Fear of Perceptions Managers who hold their employees accountable for performance are sometimes perceived as being too demanding ("a hard ass"); insensitive ("a bitch or bastard!"); and even discriminatory ("has his favorites").  There is the perception of the employees but there’s also the perception of colleagues and bosses.  You might worry that driving performance will cause your turnover to increase, which could make you look like a bad manager.  In fact, maybe your HR business partner or boss has cautioned you about the need to keep your people happy and minimize turnover.  That’s not going to make you want to go confront poor performers. Your employees also might not be super-thrilled with suddenly being held accountable for their performance, especially your poor performers.  Sorry, being a great manager doesn’t always correlate with winning popularity contests.  However, the upside is that high performers generally prefer to work with other high performers and for high performers.  Your high performers will be more likely to stick around and thrive, if they know that their high performance will be recognized and rewarded and that performance problems will get addressed. How can we counter this fear of perceptions?  Training and HR support again can be helpful in fortifying managers against this fear.  Senior Leaders should play a role here as well. They can reassure their managers that they will be recognized and rewarded for driving performance, even if the cost of driving performance means higher turnover in the short term, along with the issues associated with turnover, including liability and replacement costs.  If you’re a senior leader, your managers need to know in their hearts that you value performance results over employee engagement scores, turnover percentages, and the threat of wrongful termination lawsuits.  If they don’t believe that, they likely won’t make performance management a priority. Fear of Team Performance Drop When I counsel managers on performance management, one of the most common objections I hear is that "a warm body is better than no body."  They know that if they start pushing their thumbs into a performance problem, they’re likely to lose the employee, and losing the employee creates a gap.  Some work may not get done.  Some work may still get done but others on the team will need to work harder to fill the gap.  Morale may, as a result, go down. Overall, the performance of the team could drop.  This is how the story is usually told. The truth is that team performance usually does not suffer as a result of losing poor performers.  Management sage Peter Drucker cautions managers not to replace employees too quickly.  In his books, he recommends allowing a few months to pass before even posting the position.  In that time, people adjust; roles change; priorities shift or get clarified.  The team closes ranks and moves on.  In fact, when a poor performer is terminated, team performance typically goes up, because other team members are no longer pulling dead weight, managers are no longer dealing with the consequences of that poor performance (e.g., customer complaints, rework), so the whole operation runs more smoothly.  Managers who unburden themselves of low performers find themselves with more time on their hands to do the things that really help their team get better.  They have time to train and coach their people; streamline processes; recognize and reward positive behaviors…they have time to be more impactful. Even though research and experience tell us that dropping poor performers improves overall performance levels, managers still hold onto this fear that their team will suffer as a result of losing their "warm body."  What can we do about it?  We need to give managers extra support as they deal with poor performance for the first time…hyper-care if you will.  More training, support, encouragement, and senior leader attention are key.  Help the manager get through the storm and eventually that manager will see the rainbow on the other side.  Once you’ve gotten a few managers to see the light, recruit them to support other managers as mentors.  Having managers support fellow managers and relate their war stories to managers struggling with performance management can be a very impactful approach. Fear of Budget Cut In the wake of the Great Recession, it would be foolish for any manager not to pay attention to the budgetary implications of performance management.  Some fear-with good reason-that if they terminate a poor performing employee, they will not be able to secure the budget to replace that employee in the future.  As a result, they hold onto poor performers to avoid losing head count. How do we combat that fear?  One way is for senior leaders to guarantee head count and replacement costs in the budget for any employees terminated for performance reasons.  In an era when mass layoffs are commonplace, this is a difficult promise for any senior leader to keep. As usual, honesty is the best policy.  Help your managers understand that you will do your best to help them replace poor performing employees, but also challenge them to consider if their team can operate without those poor performers.  Sometimes, this means that less work can get done.  Work with your managers to re-prioritize and re-calibrate their goals.  If your managers know that you will work with them on managing their teams’ workload, that will ease their fears of being asked to do more with less. Wrap-Up Fear is a corrosive agent within organizations but it is especially destructive when it infects the management ranks and causes managers to benevolently neglect their performance management responsibilities.  The phenomenon of carrying dead weight is driven by fear…fear of their own failure as managers; fear of uncertainty; fear of perceptions; fear of performance drops; and fear of budget cuts.  Training can help managers by teaching them the skills needed and the process involved, and HR can help by providing active support in identifying performance problems and driving those towards resolution.  Most importantly, senior leaders need to drive it.  They should start by being good role models, managing the performance of their own managers effectively.  They need to re-assure their managers that performance management is priority number one; that those managers will be backed up when they take on performance problems; and that they will be recognized and rewarded for doing what needs to be done. I invite you to share with us your own perspectives and lessons learned as it relates to performance management.  How have you reduce dead weight in your organization? Gus Prestera, PhD GLAPIE and proud!

This week’s Fierce resource was originally published on Harvard Business Review and offers tips for achieving a calm, happy, and energized state of mind while taking a vacation.Unfortunately as most of us know, taking a vacation rarely ends with a rejuvenated mind, body, and soul. Instead, most of us spend our precious time off "checking-in" to see if there are any fires that have popped up while we are away. But Get in the Right State of Mind for Vacation finds that your state of mind before and during vacation determines the quality of your time off.Before your next vacation ask yourself: Are you prepared to be truly there?"Be present: Truly appreciate each moment. Center yourself with pauses similar to the ones you should take at work but make them longer. Breathe in and out for a total of 10 seconds, check your body and ease any discomfort with stretching or movement, clear your mind, and then activate a positive feeling of appreciation and gratitude for where you are at the moment."Read the article.The post Fierce Resource: Get in the Right State of Mind for Vacation appeared first on Fierce, Inc..