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New Year New You? Start with a Plan!

January is the month of fresh starts. The month when we typically pack up the previous year and shift our attention to hopes and dreams for the 12 months ahead. Whatever your vision (or goal) is for a “new you” this year, it’s much more likely to become a reality if you make a plan. Remember, a goal without a plan is just a wish. Here are some guidelines to creating an effective plan.

Keep it simple. Make a list of what you want to accomplish or change this year, prioritize it, and then reduce your list to the 3-5 things you can realistically achieve.

Devote some time to it. Think it through. If you’ve been making the same goals/resolutions every year but not getting anywhere, you didn’t spend enough time making your plan. Research shows that 80% of New Year’s resolutions are abandoned by February. Why? Because they were too broad and didn’t include a plan.

Write it down. For each item on your list, add two or three specific actions you need to take to reach the goal. Give each item a reasonable due date. Remember to start with simple steps and one action at a time. Simple actions over time lead to big results.

Share it. Hearing your goals said out loud as you share them with someone else has a way of igniting your self-accountability. Sharing them makes them more real. Consider asking someone to be your accountability partner. Ask them to check in with you periodically to see how you are progressing.

Keep it visible. Post it in your workspace or keep it in your planner or whatever works for you in terms of keeping it visible. The more you see it the more likely you are to get it done. Use an app to help you keep track of your goal.

Be forgiving. Don’t beat yourself up if you get off track or miss a target date. Review your plan and see what adjustments you need to make to get back on track.

Celebrate! When you hit one of your goals, give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done!

In my work with individuals and organizations I’ve learned that the start of a new year is often when people begin seriously thinking about changing jobs or going after that promotion they’ve been wanting. Both of these efforts require a solid plan and can be facilitated by working with a coach. In my next blog I’ll share some tips on job searching or making a career change and how working with a coach can make the process shorter, easier, and more successful.

In the meantime, if you or anyone you know needs help in creating a plan for a job search or career change, please contact me at michelle@connecttohr.com.

Most Popular 2018 Topic for Connect to HR: Leadership

It’s hard to believe that another year is coming to an end. This has been a very busy and exciting year for Connect to HR. As I announced a few months ago, I’ve added a new service – Executive Adviser and Coach. It’s a role that I’ve already been performing for many of the senior executives and leaders I’ve worked with, and now I’ve made it official!

My typical clients are not new executives. They are well established in their careers – CEOs, Presidents of small to mid-size companies, and Managing Directors, Senior Directors, VPs, and Executive Directors of nonprofits. They’re facing challenges such as:

Effective communication – What they can say or not say, what they can do or not do – and they’re feeling unsettled, possibly for the first time in their career (and thus can benefit from an external adviser)
Being assigned a role that’s not what they’ve done before – with little to no mentorship
A restructuring that leaves them with more responsibilities than ever, without much guidance or room for error

I’m excited about adding this new offering to my list of HR consulting services and I look forward to working with leaders to help them navigate challenges and reach their full potential.

As I’ve been looking back over my blogs this year it’s clear that leadership has been a very popular topic. In case you missed them, here are a few of Connect to HR’s most popular blogs in 2018.

5 Key Characteristics of an Effective Leader
In the work I’ve done with leaders over the years in both corporate roles and as a consultant, I’ve identified five common characteristics among those whom I consider to be effective leaders. That is, whose employees are engaged and loyal, whose teams are high-functioning, and whose organizations are thriving. Read more

Successful Leaders Listen More, Talk Less
Successful business leaders know that to engage employees, meet customer needs, and stay ahead in the marketplace, they need to listen more than they talk. Read more

Top 3 Reasons to Hire an Executive Coach
There was a time when leadership coaching was reserved for those leaders who needed to “shape up” in a particular area before being shown the door. That’s not the case today. In fact, most senior leaders attribute at least part of their success to having worked with an effective executive coach. Read more

Empathy: An Essential Skill for Leaders
Empathy has been called THE skill for the 21^st century. Learning to understand others’ point of view – to figure out “where they’re coming from” – has myriad benefits in the workplace and in life in general. It improves interpersonal relationships, teamwork, negotiations, collaboration, sales, customer service, even parenting! Read more

Do you or another leader in your organization need help navigating challenges or developing in a specific leadership area? I can help! Please contact me at michelle@connecttohr to set up a free consultation.

Use It or Lose It

Still have dollars left to spend in your Human Resources budget this year? This is the perfect time to invest those dollars in the needs or challenges that are still on your TO DO list.

Do you need help with…

An experienced executive who is struggling as a leader and needs coaching and guidance?
A recently-promoted manager who needs support and guidance as they transition
to leadership?
Someone new to HR who needs to be quickly brought up to speed?
That innovative, highly impactful HR program you haven’t had time to implement?

Whatever the challenge, Connect to HR is here to help! We’ve achieved outstanding results for companies facing these same situations.

Contact Michelle at michelle@connecttohr.com TODAY to schedule a FREE consultation.

What Our Clients Are Saying About Connect to HR

“Michelle’s approach, ideas and fostering of my own insights pushed me forward as a boss, helped our organization and was quite meaningful to me.” – Jake L., CEO of Intact U.S.

“Michelle is a leadership development professional who looks at the total organization, the individuals and the current dynamics to align the best possible scenarios for the Executive, and for the vision of the governing board.” – Lisa C., Former Executive Director, SCA

“Before we started working with Michelle, we had looked at HR platforms, but Michelle was a live person with experience and knowledge, who could share examples with us, versus us interacting with a computer screen. She’s a great sounding board as different situations come up. Thanks to Michelle, I’ve gained confidence in what I’m doing and how I handle situations. I also know that as new issues come up I can reach out to her for advice. She’s accessible and easy to work with.” – Marci H., HR Manager of IDW Publishing

“As a trained chef and business owner with no HR experience, I had to learn HR on the job. Michelle was a great teacher in that she walked me through things step by step. She was thorough and comprehensive, yet kept it simple: here’s your issue, here are some scenarios, here are the rules. She didn’t throw a lot of legal language at me.” – Lourine W., Owner (Left Coast Catering)

Your Personal Best Starts with Self-Awareness

In my work with leaders to help them build on strengths and develop in other areas, I often recommend books that I think are particularly insightful. A recent one I’ve been recommending is Triggers: Creating Behavior That Lasts – Becoming the Person You Want To Be, by renowned executive educator and coach Marshall Goldsmith, and Mark Reiter.

In the book, the authors examine why most of us have such a difficult time changing our behaviors. Our intentions might be good (think New Years resolutions) but often we don’t follow through because of various “triggers” in our environment. “We are superior planners,” Goldsmith says, “but become inferior doers as our environment exerts its influence through the course of our day. We forget our intentions.”

Goldsmith defines a trigger as any stimulus that reshapes our thoughts and actions. “In every waking hour we are being triggered by people, events and circumstances that have the potential to change us.” He goes on to say that triggers can be major or minor moments in our lives. They can be pleasant and effect positive change, or they can be “counterproductive” and cause us to do something we know is wrong.

Triggers can be external – such as another person or a place – or they can be internal. “Internal triggers come from thoughts or feelings that are not connected with any outside stimulus.” An internal trigger could the result of a bad past experience or an ingrained belief.

Goldsmith points out that triggers are not “inherently good or bad. What matters is our response to them.” Learning how to identify and take control of your triggers – through self-awareness – is the first step in making a positive response.

Think for a moment about a positive change you made recently. What prompted that? What was the trigger that helped you change? Now think about something you know you need to do but keep avoiding. A difficult conversation, for example. What’s holding you back? What’s the internal or external trigger that’s preventing you from just getting it done?

Doing some work to think through and maybe even write down triggers that impact your emotions and behaviors can be very helpful in learning to manage them. Enlisting the help of others by inviting feedback is another way to develop self-awareness and move toward positive behavior change.

“Behavioral change demands self-discipline and self-control,” says Goldsmith. “We tend to use these terms interchangeably, but there’s a subtle difference. Self-discipline refers to achieving desirable behavior. Self-control refers to avoiding undesirable behaviors.”

Triggers includes a Daily Question list that can be used to help motivate and monitor incremental behavior change. These are the 6 key self-questions that he recommends you ask daily:

Did I do my best to set clear goals?
Did I do my best to make progress towards goal achievement?
Did I do my best to find meaning?
Did I do my best to be happy?
Did I do my best to build positive relationships?
Did I do my best to be fully engaged?

“Fate is the hand of cards we’ve been dealt. Choice is how we play the hand.” – Marshall Goldsmith

Becoming the Leader You Want (and Need) to Be

As I discussed in my last blog, working with an executive coach can help you prepare for a transition, work through a specific issue, and/or overcome a derailing behavior. Coaching can also help you develop in place to become the leader you want (and need) to be. But where do you begin? What are the essential skills needed to be an effective leader today?

If you look at the myriad lists of “top” skills and competencies for leaders (and there are many of them!) there are several skills that consistently bubble to the top: strategic thinking, effective communication, interpersonal skills, a desire to develop others. These are some of the traditional skills that make an effective leader. But there are some additional skills that have become increasingly important over the past few years as we look at a new way of working in the 21^st century. Skills like emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and collaboration. Keeping skills up to date for today and into the future is another benefit of working with an executive coach.

There was a time when “emotions” did not enter into workplace conversations, at least not in a positive way. Leaders managed actions, not emotions. Today, however, emotional intelligence, or EQ – the ability to recognize and manage your own emotions as well as those of others – is seen as perhaps the most essential skill to succeed as a leader.

In an article in Entrepreneur, Mariah Deleon, Glassdoor Vice President of People said, “Just as it’s important to seek new hires with emotional intelligence, it’s vital for managers and other business leaders to operate in emotionally intelligent ways to meet the needs of today’s workers. Investing in EQ has brought our company more engaged, committed employees, and we’ll continue to put a premium on this effort moving forward.”

One of the elements of emotional intelligence is self-awareness. Leaders who are self-aware, who know their strengths and are willing to admit the areas where they need development, tend to have stronger, more trusting relationships with their teams and colleagues. As an objective third party, an executive coach can help you gain insight to your strengths and development areas through tools such as a 360 assessment, and then help you create a plan to leverage strengths and address any gaps.

Often when we talk about leadership and communication, the focus is on the leader as a provider of information – vision, goals, feedback, updates, solutions – and how frequently and forthrightly that information is provided. But communicating effectively as a leader is more than just giving information. It’s about listening to your employees and conveying that you heard and understood. It’s about ensuring that your tone and body language are in sync with your words.

Dr. Albert Mehrabian, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at UCLA, said that there are three elements in face-to-face communication: words, tone of voice, and nonverbal behavior (body language, facial expressions). Each of these elements has weight in the way a spoken message is interpreted by the “receiver” of the message, especially when the communication involves attitudes or feelings (like/dislike). According to Mehrabian, the receiver interprets the message based 7% on the actual words, 38% on the tone or way the words are said, and 55% on the facial expressions or body language. So in the example of a leader saying to an employee “I don’t have a problem with you,” while standing with their arms crossed, avoiding eye contact and looking anxious, chances are the employee is going to believe what the body language says over what the words are. Learning how to align words, tone and body language is one of the finer points of communication that can help you become a more effective leader.

Another skill that an executive coach can help with is executive presence. I’ve found this to be especially helpful for leaders I’ve worked with who have been promoted from within the organization, perhaps even leading a team of people who used to be their peers. Learning to influence the way others perceive you, building confidence in how you command a room, making a strong first impression are all important aspects of executive presence.

If you need help developing in any of these or other areas to be a more effective leader, please contact me for a free consultation.

Top 3 Reasons to Hire an Executive Coach

There was a time when leadership coaching was reserved for those leaders who needed to “shape up” in a particular area before being shown the door. That’s not the case today. In fact, most senior leaders attribute at least part of their success to having worked with an effective executive coach.

According to a survey conducted by Harvard Business Review and Carol Kauffman of Harvard Medical School, the top three reasons that executive coaches are engaged are:

Develop high potentials or facilitate transition (48% of respondents)
Act as a sounding board (26% of respondents)
Address derailing behaviors (12% of respondents)

For those in the C-suite of an organization, whether large or small, navigating the often-challenging waters of economic trends, tough decisions, internal politics, etc., can be a lonely ride. And it can be hard to get honest feedback (or necessary pushback) when you’re the “big boss.” You need an objective third party who will ask the tough questions, give you honest feedback, and help you think through the best way forward. And that’s where an executive coach comes in.

The HBR survey also showed that for a coaching relationship to be successful, the executive must be highly motivated to learn and grow. Coaching is most likely not going to benefit someone who has a know-it-all mentality or who isn’t open to constructive feedback. It’s also important that the coach and the executive have a good rapport. In fact, the survey showed that regardless of how experienced or credentialed the coach is, if they’re not a good fit for the executive the trust required for the relationship to succeed will probably not develop.

I know from the feedback I’ve received from the leaders I’ve coached and from my own experience working with a coach that when it’s the right fit there are numerous benefits to be derived in each of the top three reasons mentioned above.

Development/transition. A good coach will help you become more self-aware, so you can understand and build on your strengths, and identify those areas where you need to develop. They will help you think through and plan for a transition to a new role or different organization and (most importantly) keep it confidential. That’s why trust is so important.

Sounding board. A good coach will help you get “unstuck.” They’ll listen, ask questions, and then help you find the clarity, focus and confidence you need to take action.

Address behaviors. The more senior you are in leadership, the less likely it is that someone will call you on a behavior that might be derailing your effectiveness as a leader. A good coach will have tools – a 360-feedback instrument, for example – that will help you recognize those behaviors and develop a plan to reduce or eliminate them.

Most importantly, a good coach combined with your willingness to be coached and your desire to learn and grow, will help you become a better leader, no matter where you are in the organization.

Contact me at michelle@connecttohr.com for a free consultation to see whether leadership coaching is right for you.

Pardon Our Dust – Connect to HR is Growing and Changing

I’ve got some exciting news about what’s ahead for Connect to HR – and about some changes you’ll see in the coming months.

But first, let me back up. My Human Resources career spans over 20 years – at Intuit, Johnson & Johnson, Cadence Design Systems and KLA Tenor. And for the past 8 years, I’ve had my own business – Connect to HR – where I’ve focused on HR consulting for a variety of companies, including Apple and Veritas as well as privately held businesses, nonprofits, and foundations.

Along the way, the senior executives and leaders I’ve worked with came to see me as a trusted, confidential advisor. Certainly for my expertise in HR, but in truth, for a whole lot more than that.

So, after some reflection, I have decided to step more fully into the role I’ve already been performing for years: Executive Advisor and Coach to confident, accomplished leaders.

Effective communication – What they can say or not say, what they can do or not do – and they’re feeling unsettled, possibly for the first time in their career (and thus can benefit from an external advisor)
Being assigned a role that’s not what they’ve done before – with little to no mentorship
A restructuring that leaves them with more responsibilities than ever, without much guidance or room for error

I’m proud of the work I’ve done in Human Resources these past 20 years. And based on what I’ve learned as a result, it’s time to begin the next phase of my work. Like any change whose time has come, I’m both excited for the future and have a few butterflies in my stomach.

I do want to stress that I will continue the HR advising work I’ve been doing for the past 8 years. That’s not going to change! I’m just adding Executive Coaching to my list of official services as it’s something I’ve been doing for years now anyway.

As a woman who runs her own business, I’m keenly aware that my success relies on the support and collegiality of the people around me. So, from the bottom of my heart, whether you’re a new reader of the blog or a longtime referral partner, thank you for all the ways you’ve supported my work and livelihood – and here’s to an even brighter future.

– Michelle Mendoza, SPHR & SHRM -SCP

Grow as a Leader Through 360 Feedback

Management expert Ken Blanchard once said, “Feedback is the breakfast of champions.” Yet for many of us feedback is a hard meal to swallow. The minute someone suggests giving us feedback, our defenses go up and our hearing fails. Both reactions are limiting to our growth and development. Especially as a leader.

As a leader, your actions and behaviors have broad impact. The individuals who report to you, your peers, your leadership, customers, vendors, partners and the organization overall. Gaining insight about how you positively impact others as well as areas where you could do better will help you become the best leader you can be.

An effective way to obtain this insight is through a 360 assessment.

In her recent Forbes article, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About 360 Assessments But Were Afraid to Ask, Jo Ilfeld, CEO of Incite to Leadership, points out that there are numerous benefits when organizations take the performance management conversation beyond just the manager and direct report.

“If you are human,” she says, “you have blind spots. A 360 can illuminate glaring blind spots: You want to empower your team by letting them come to you when necessary. Your team finds you aloof and unapproachable. Or you value relationships and finding compromises. Your colleagues want you to occasionally be selfish or take a hardline stance when necessary.”

Although it may be difficult to hear, this kind of feedback will help you “see” what others see and thus become more self-aware. Becoming self-aware and recognizing that there are always opportunities to learn and grow are first steps in strengthening emotional intelligence, which is a key quality for leaders today and into the future.

Ilfeld suggests that there are three crucial points when a 360 assessment is most beneficial.

When you are starting a new role or opportunity
During periods of struggle or difficulty
When you engage with an executive leadership coach

She also notes that working with a leadership coach is the best way to ensure that feedback received is turned into actionable steps. Without coaching, people tend to focus only on the areas where they need to improve. Building on your strengths is also essential to your growth and development.

“All of us have growth and development areas. Rally your strengths to tackle where you could be even more effective. That’s a rewarding leadership endeavor.”

“We all need people who will give us feedback. That’s how we improve.” – Bill Gates

Employees Want Regular and Timely Feedback

In my last blog I talked about how to have a difficult conversation. For some leaders, giving feedback is considered a difficult conversation, especially if the feedback is negative. But here’s the thing. As a leader, one of your responsibilities is developing your people. And one of the best ways to do this is by giving regular, timely feedback.

And guess what? Employees want to receive regular feedback, even negative or “redirecting” feedback. In a study reported in the Harvard Business Review, 92% of respondents agreed that “Negative (redirecting) feedback, if delivered appropriately, is effective at improving performance.” In that same study, 69% of respondents said they would work harder if they felt their efforts were better recognized.

So when your employees are performing well – let them know it. And when they need improvement – let them know it. Don’t wait until the annual performance review. Without acknowledgement of their good performance, those who are performing well may lose momentum. And without feedback and coaching to improve poor performance, employees may assume that they are doing just fine.

Waiting until the annual performance review significantly reduces the impact of the feedback – whether positive or constructive – and in cases where improvement is needed can often prolong and increase the impact of undesirable behaviors. Here are 5 tips for giving feedback effectively.

Make it timely. Saying “thank you” or “good job!” soon after an employee has done something extra encourages them to continue. Likewise, discussing performance issues “in the moment” helps reestablish expectations and initiates the improvement process sooner rather than later. If you allow a performance issue to continue without bringing it to the employee’s attention he or she may not even realize it’s a problem.
Be consistent. Be sure you’ve communicated expected performance levels and behaviors to all your employees and then give feedback consistently based on those expectations. This will prevent the appearance of favoritism.
Make it clear. Use the SIE format – Situation, Impact, Expectation. State the situation – “Being at work on time is essential for us to be able to meet the needs of our customers. You’ve been late three mornings in a row.” State the impact – “When you’re late, others have to make your deliveries which impacts the schedule.” State the expectation – “I expect you to be at work and ready to start deliveries by 8:00 am every day.” When employees understand the adverse impact of their actions they’re much more likely to change them.
Write it down. Writing down employee issues serves two purposes. First, it provides the paper trail necessary to prove you have a valid reason for corrective action or termination. Second, it holds the employee accountable for their actions.
Own it. Feedback needs to be about something you’ve observed, not something you’ve heard second hand, and it should never be delivered when you’re angry or upset. Also, find a private place to have your developmental discussion.

Both positive and constructive feedback should be given in the spirit of recognizing people for what they achieve and helping them be the best they can be.

Motivate Employees Through Cascading Goals

Once you’ve decided on your theme and overall goals for the organization, as I spoke about in my last blog, the next step is defining the specific objectives and activities (with due dates) that will help you achieve those goals. A critical activity in this process is communicating company goals and what needs to be done to achieve them to employees. Employees are, after all, the engine that will help drive the organization toward those goals.

As you work with your employees to set their goals, be sure they understand how their individual and team goals tie to the organizational goals. Employees are more likely to be motivated and engaged when they can see how their work impacts the organization as a whole.

When you set goals, be sure they are SMART goals. Effective goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. In our dynamic work environments, organizational goals (and team goals) may shift as priorities change during the year, so be sure to have periodic reviews with employees to update goals as needed. This also gives you the opportunity to understand cause and effect if something slips.

It’s important to keep goals visible. Too often they get tucked away in a PowerPoint – out of sight and out of mind. Consider giving employees a chart or graphic of organizational goals that they keep at their desks to remind them of the destination and inspire them to engage in the journey.

Provide employees with support in terms of resources and guidance as they work on their goals. Are they having trouble getting the input, effort or approvals needed from others in order to complete the goal? Are there roadblocks? Use this as a coaching opportunity and work together to develop a path forward.

When goals are achieved, recognize the achievement. For especially challenging or stretch goals, spend some time with the employee discussing his or her approach, lessons learned, and/or things that could have been done differently.

Cascading and communicating goals may seem like a no brainer, yet so many organizations fail to do so. In his book The 8th Habit, Stephen Covey shared the results of a survey of 23,000 employees drawn from various companies and industries:

Only 37% said they have a clear understanding of what their organization is trying to achieve and why
Only 1 in 5 was enthusiastic about their team’s and their organization’s goals
Only 1 in 5 said they had a clear “line of sight” between their tasks and their team’s and the organization’s goals
Only 15% felt that their organization fully enables them to execute key goals

Be ahead of the curve and motivate your employees by cascading goals!