The Employment Strategist

January 2006

Have you been thinking about your New Year’s Resolutions this year, especially as it relates to your professional life? If you, as an HR professional want that proverbial “seat at the table,” then you need to start changing your behaviors in real and measurable ways. I have considered these issues and identified five key areas where I hope we as HR professionals can make some real changes this year.

New Year’s Resolutions

Resolution 1: Think proactively about trends and issues. It’s too late to think about issues once they impact your organization because then you are reacting and not capitalizing on the trend. Why not think ahead of the curve about what will likely be an issue in three to five years, not just what’s painful today. Consider such issues as the aging of the workforce, increased diversity, staffing/skill shortages, and maintaining an engaged and productive workforce.

Resolution 2: Invest in your life-long learning. There is no such thing as mastering the “HR body of knowledge” since the body of knowledge is continually growing and changing, due to evolving trends, new laws, demographic shifts, and new technology. Consider what you need to do to stay current in these changes. I’ve just begun private Spanish lessons (I think knowing a second language will be increasingly critical for HR and business professionals), and I’m also starting an HR Book Club in Louisville to remain up-to-date on business issues. (See the article that follows.)

Resolution 3: Consider how to capitalize on your strengths to add value. What are your strengths? If you haven’t read Now, Discover Your Strengths you should invest in this excellent book by Marcus Buckingham and Donald Clifton. Once you understand what you bring to the table, then you can strategize ways to maximize your contribution.

Resolution 4: Make big plans and write down your goals. If you haven’t crafted a personal/professional mission statement, it might be helpful in determining your key priorities. Then, write down the things you’d like to achieve this year. Identify action items to get you moving forward, and review your list and chart your progress monthly. I always rewrite or modify my goals two times a year to keep me on track and to give me a sense of accomplishment. (I’m always pleased to see how many items I actually was able to achieve!)

Resolution 5: Continue to build strong relationships with your business colleagues. Remain active in organizations such as the Society for Human Resource Management and get active in your local chapter if you aren’t already. Create a network of friends who can be a resource for tough work issues, insights on policies and people, and a wealth of information for discovering business solutions. Take an HR friend to lunch to share ideas and commiserate on the issues of the day.

I’m headed for a few days of vacation in the sun in January, and I plan to take my notebook and pen and spend some time thinking about how I want to make a difference in 2006. I wish the same for you!

HR Book Club

• Wouldn't it be great if you could follow through on a New Year's resolution to read at least six leading HR/business books in 2006?
• Would it be exciting to get together with your HR colleagues and discuss these books and their application to your work life?
• Wouldn't it be fun to discuss books in a relaxed environment with wine and cheese?

Do we have an opportunity for you!

Concept: HR Book Club

Meeting Place: Workshop, The Creative Workplace, 2005 B Frankfort Ave. (at Bellaire) (park on the street or in the church parking lot), Louisville, KY

Time/dates: Third Thursday of every other month, beginning February 16, 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.

Cost: Only your time and commitment

Membership: No fees; come when you can (for one, two, or all six meetings each year)

Required: RSVP; you MUST read the book in order to attend

First Book: HR Value Proposition by David Ulrich. Get ready for LSHRM's exciting event May 16 when Dave, one of the top HR gurus, is coming for a special LSHRM workshop! By having read the book, you'll benefit even more when you hear Dave speak.

RSVP: To one of your Book Club Sponsors--

Cathy Fyock, Innovative Management Concepts, cathy@cathyfyock.com 502 243- 2482

Whitney Martin, ProActive Consulting, whitney@consultproactive.com 502 742- 7411

Hiring Source Book

You don’t have to create hiring materials from scratch when this handy tool kit puts more than 60 samples of good materials and best practices at your fingertips:

• Hiring flow charts
• Job requisition and application forms
• Interview guide and interview checklist
• Reference-checking forms
• Orientation guides
• Illegal interview topics and questions to avoid asking
• Tips on recruiting Hispanic employees, with materials in SPANISH and English equivalents
• CD-ROM with materials in PDF and Rich Text formats for easy customization

Praise for Hiring Source Book

The only one-stop shopping hiring book available— great best-practice ideas, excellent sample forms, and a CD-ROM to customize forms and materials. With this book you’ll be ready for the upcoming labor shortage.

—Sharon K. Koss, SPHR, CCP, president, Koss Management Consulting

Cathy Fyock—with great experience and skills in employment—shares best practices and tools in what is the cornerstone of HR—effective selection.

--Michael R. Losey, SPHR, CAE, executive consultant

You can now order products from Cathy’s web site: www.cathyfyock.com

No More Recruiting For Top Spots: Use Succession Planning Only

When should you recruit from outside your organization for CEO and other top spots?

Only when you need to make a powerful change statement (think Lee Iacocca), according to talent management consultant George Watts.

If you’re bringing people in from outside for any other reason, it’s likely that you’ve done a great job with your recruitment planning and its implementation, and not such a great job with your succession planning and its implementation.

The Basics of Your Succession Plan

1st Step: Identify Replacements

Identify potential leaders in general.

1. Assemble the list of leader characteristics in general needed in your organization in the next 10 years. Examples may include:

* ability to think strategically/abstractly. (This is more important for top spots than good management skills. You may have to trade off as few people have both)

* self-aware of both strengths & weaknesses.

* able to have deep conversations with others.

* comfortable with risk, conscientious, open minded, agreeable, courageous.

2. Use assessments, self report & performance appraisals to identify.

Identify potential successors for specific top spots.

1. Assemble a list of characteristics needed for that spot in the next 10 years.

2. Use assessments, self report, and the person who’s in that spot now. (It is a major responsibility of all CEOs or other senior management leaders to find and prepare their successors.)

2nd Step: Tell These Replacements

(You’d be amazed how many companies lose people who are "being groomed" for top spots because no one told them they were being groomed, so off they go to a VP or CEO job in another company!)

3rd Step: Develop These Replacements

1. Determine the methods for learning needed for your organization and these particular people. Examples may include the following:

* Exposure to senior leadership in social situations – invite them to parties, golf, the Club; with the Board – invite to Board meetings; in on problem solving situations – make them an integral part of high level problem solving discussions & solution implementation

* Executive coaching in all identified characteristics

* Rotate assignments throughout the organization

2. Implement the best methods to use.

As George says, "The 60's are turning 60." We’d all better get on the stick or we’ll have no one running our organization!

This article is from Recruit, Inspire and Retain , a monthly publication of TRAINING SYSTEMS INC, www.trainingsys.com.

For more information, contact

Carolyn B Thompson

TRAINING SYSTEMS INC

www.trainingsys.com

815-469-1162

Cathy’s January – February Calendar

Jan 17 – 19 Selection Certification Training, Bridgestone/Firestone, Dallas, TX

Jan 24 – 26 Selection Certification Training, Bridgestone/Firestone, Dallas, TX

Jan 31 Faculty meeting, HR Generalist Certificate Program, Louisville, KY

Feb 16 Strategic Retention for the Home Health Industry, guest presenter for a Leading Home Care Teleseminar, Louisville, KY

Feb 16 HR Book Club, Louisville, KY

Feb 22 Generational Issues: Why Can’t We All Get Along? MSD, Louisville, KY

Tentative Dates for the SHRM HR Generalist Certificate Program ‘06

Apr 3 – 5 Dallas, TX

Jun 24 – 27 Washington, DC (at the SHRM annual conference)

JuL 10 – 12 Atlanta

Oct 9 – 11 New York City

Oct 30 – Nov 1 Chicago

Nov 13 – 15 Washington DC

Nov 29 – Dec 1 Orlando

About Cathy Fyock

Are you looking for a high-content speaker for your next conference or meeting? Call or email Cathy to find out how she can work with you to meet your specific goals and objectives.

Cathy Fyock, CSP, SPHR, is an employment strategist—helping organizations develop strategies to recruit and retain top talent in an aging and changing marketplace. For over 15 years she has combined her knowledge of work-force issues and her talents as a speaker to provide innovative and inspirational learning events. She has helped organizations attract top talent, reduce turnover, and improve productivity in a volatile labor market.

Permission to Reproduce This Newsletter

Permission is hereby granted to reprint articles from this report by Cathy Fyock, at no charge, with the agreement that the biographical information be included following each article used. One copy of the publication in which the article is published must be forwarded to Innovative Management Concepts. A fee of $300 per article will be expected for articles published without the biographical and contact information. Please contact us for assistance in editing this article to meet your publication guidelines.

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