Organisations need to build an internal capability and mindset that will enable a continuous process of adaption, innovation and, consequently, survival and this requires leadership to drive and inspire people to act.

On Wednesday 21 November, Mindset Group hosted Senior Executives and Managers from a cross-section of industries for our event, Leading Change: Know First, Be First, Profit First.

Attendees learnt about the business, people and technology trends transforming business around the world. Futurist and business innovator, Craig Rispin, gave insights into the driving forces impacting industries and I talked about what this means for leading change in organisations.

We chatted around some interesting stats, including;

• We have experienced more change in the last three years than we have in the last ten.
• How technology has completely transformed the playing field for many organisations.
• Change is hard – 70% of change efforts fail (Harvard Business Review).
• The greater the change you are undergoing, the more leadership that is required.

With the help of Craig and I, attendees generated some fantastic discussion and were able to glean insight into their own situations. Whilst a few organisations were addressing some of the issues, not a lot of them had a focus on change leadership capability, the true foundation of effectively embedding change to drive desired business results.

Prior to the event, Craig conducted a LinkedIn poll; asking people what reasons they thought contributed most to IT projects and roll outs failure.

Which of these reasons do you think are most responsible for the failure of IT projects and roll outs?

The majority of respondents (36%) thought that ‘staff mindsets about change’ had the most impact. Essentially, how people perceived the change (negative or positive), determined the end result of the change effort.

It’s encouraging to see awareness on the importance of mindset increasing. We know that it’s not enough for organisations to deal with change on a case by case basis anymore. While Change Management is still critical to seeing any change effort through to execution, what is needed now is Change Leadership.

Organisations need to build an internal capability and mindset that will enable a continuous process of adaption, innovation and, consequently, survival and this requires leadership to drive and inspire the people to act.

I’ll follow up with another blog on the difference between Change Leadership and Change Management soon but in the meantime, I encourage you to download our paper of key take-outs and discussion points from our events. It’s an interesting read. Finally, what do you think contributes most to IT projects and roll outs failure?

Personality and psychometric assessments can reveal a lot about a person but, more so, can help organisations understand the future potential of their workforce. Flickr image courtesy of Graela.

Research into the use of psychometric and personality assessments over the last four years have shown that top performing organisations place more value on assessment data for decisions that improve business performance than average or poor performing organisations. Top performing organisations use assessments not only as an incredibly valuable tool in recruitment and selection, but for employee development, workforce planning and succession planning.

The major area of difference is that top performing organisations use their assessments to help them understand the future potential of their workforce. (Aberdeen)

Organisations using assessments saw, on average, 18% more of their organisational goals achieved and 15% more of their new hires achieving their first performance milestone, on time. (Aberdeen)

The data gathered demonstrates again and again that, as powerful a tool as assessments are in improving hiring decisions, when combined with a process for ongoing assessments throughout the talent lifecycle, they become even more valuable. (Aberdeen)

Ideas on How to Make Better Use of Assessments

Top performing organisations use multiple assessment tools for specific employee groups and decision points, but the top three are;

1. Behavioural based personality assessments
2. Skill-based assessments
3. Cognitive ability assessments

A large majority of best-in-class organisations have automated assessments into their recruitment process, integrating them with their career portal and applicant tracking or processing system. Aberdeen research shows this automation is yielding impressive performance improvements in key hiring metrics, including;

• Improved hiring manager satisfaction,
• Reduction in time to hire,
• Reduction in cost to hire.

Interesting Trends in Assessments

Testing via mobile devices (smart phones and other handheld computers) is emerging slowly but is expected to increase significantly in coming years.

Social media is being used to advertise job openings and source candidates by an ever growing number of organisations. Of those organisations who are using social media in the recruitment process, over one third use social media to contact prospective candidates through networking sites such as LinkedIn, and 30% use social media to source or locate candidates, essentially using social media as an advertising medium. (SHL)

Article contributed by: Kenneth J. Danderfer, Prevue Assessments.

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Interested to learn how pyschometric assessments can improve performance in your organisation? Mindset Group is the Australian distributor of Prevue Assessments – a psychometric assessment that helps determine employee suitability for a job.

Prevue Assessments can be used for Hiring and Retention, Development and Coaching, and Succession Plannning and Promotion.

Arrange a free 30 day trial for yourself!

Social, technology, workforce, workplaces, leadership, HR… Everything is being reinvented.

The amount of change in our world and the rate of acceleration with which it is increasing, is exciting. Social, technology, workforce, workplaces, leadership, HR… everything is being reinvented. The old saying, “If it ain’t broke then don’t fix it,” no longer applies. Now, leaders and executive teams are not only expected to be ahead of the curve, they need to be if they are to remain competitive.

Organisationally, there are many challenges and opportunities brought about by these changes, including workforce mobility, information access and transparency. All of which, require leaders and HR practitioners to not only bring their best games, but also change the way they play in order to succeed.

In this presentation I gave to an organisation going through a major HR and cultural transformation, I talked through;

• What are the major challenges business leaders are facing?
• How do leaders and HR teams work together to create adaptable, productive, innovative and high performing organisations?
• What behaviours do leaders need to change?
• Where does HR need to focus their efforts?
• How can the HR and leaders better work together to lead an organisation through rapid change?

By teaming with IT, and driving the adoption of next generation tools, HR can upgrade its role in Enterprise 2.0 to a true strategic partner.

Over the last few years, social and mobile technologies have proven to be powerful tools for sourcing and recruiting talent. More recently, we’re beginning to see consumer tech–social, in particular–being leveraged in other HR functions. But while research shows these next generation tools have the potential to improve communication and collaboration across the enterprise, business leaders are left with one question: “Who takes ownership of these tools?”

Call me crazy, but… Why not HR? By teaming with IT, and driving the adoption of these next generation tools, HR could upgrade its role in Enterprise 2.0. There’s just one problem: HR must first shed its old-school role of communications cop.

Old Habits Die Hard

It’s no secret that social and mobile technologies make HR leaders nervous. Many have earned a reputation for policing interoffice communications, but this old habit is counterproductive.

“We hurt our corporate reputations when we attract candidates through contemporary use of social media, and then revert back to our old ways and block employees from using social tools to do their jobs,” says Cindy Lubitz, Founder of inTalent Consulting. As she sees it, this double standard is becoming a growing problem.

While mitigating risk is important, HR can do more by taking a proactive approach to new tech. By moving away from the stereotype of communication cop and redefining itself as a communication catalyst, HR can play a more strategic role.

Three Steps for Upgrading HR’s Role in Enterprise 2.0

The strategic play for HR is to team with IT to assess needs, research solutions, and implement new technologies enterprise-wide. Of course, game plans for embracing consumer IT will vary, but there are some general steps in the process to get HR strategically involved in the selection, implementation and use of social technologies.

1. Identify Needs, Research Solutions

Before you can begin strategising for improvement, you need an accurate picture of where things stand. Survey employees, managers and department heads. Discover how teams communicate and collaborate today, and what needs employees have that they’re not solving today.

Then, research technology solutions. While you short-list some tools, keep in mind that the best solution may not be a new tool but rather using a tool already in use in a different way.

2. Align Department Needs to Business Goals

It’s important to understand that social tools aren’t one-size-fits-all. And if you’re trying to achieve high-level business goals like improved employee engagement, what works for one department, may not work for another. For example:

HR is uniquely positioned in the enterprise to identify needs–individual, departmental, regional–and tie those needs to business goals.  By bringing department heads and regional managers together with IT, HR can facilitate an implementation strategy that works for everyone.

3. Collaborate with IT on Implementation

Cloud-based tools don’t require much technical heavy-lifting, but adoption can be a challenge. HR should focus on internal communications to promote adoption of the new tools and best practices around their usage.

It’s also effective to get your employees involved. At Software Advice, for example, Marketing employees recorded video tutorials for various tools we use. They’re useful, but they also gave employees a chance to share some insider information and play a part in driving adoption.

For HR, Resistance is Futile

There are bound to be hiccups when opening channels for employees to exchange ideas and information in real-time. But the greater risk with these types of tools is that heavy-handed moderation can have a direct impact on your company’s investment in these technologies.

HR departments fighting for a seat at the table aren’t doing themselves any favors by resisting innovation in workplace technology. If HR can focus on strategies to maximise return on investment, rather than policing use, they could position themselves as a major contributor in the social enterprise.

Guest post by Kyle Lagunas

About the Author: Kyle Lagunas is the HR Analyst at Software Advice–a company that reviews talent management software and more. He blogs about technology, trends, and best practices in human resources and recruiting.

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Mindset’s HR Technology consulting services help you navigate through the labyrinth of potential solutions to ensure you maximise the value of your technology investments and optimise their deployment and user adoption within your organisation. Contact us today!

Today, leaders are responsible for coming up with the most compelling and contagious ideas. And ideas are a risky business.

Two hundred years ago, leaders were responsible for building the most productive and efficient farms. With industrialisation, they became responsible for building the most productive and efficient factories. Today, leaders are responsible for coming up with the most compelling and contagious ideas. And ideas are a risky business.

A leader creates something people want to be a part of, a tribe to which they want to belong, a lifestyle they want to live. Leaders must create the story that inspires them to act.

Great leaders improve their own lives by improving the lives of others.  They create products that inspire people to act. We live in an age where direct marketing is proving less and less effective. Customers don’t want their programs interrupted and their mailboxes stuffed with glossy flyers.

We want our friends to belong to it too. That’s the power of ideas. It’s the reason leaders are so, so important. Someone to innovate and inspire. To create a story that carries itself across borders without relying on relentless billboards and television commercials.

You see, it’s not just your employees that need leaders. Your customers need them too. They want great ideas that will make their lives more comfortable. Nobody wants to be sold products that are disposable. They want services and products that make things simpler, that open windows of time that didn’t exist before. Products that solve a problem that’s been dogging them for ages.

There’s risk involved make no mistake. Who’d have thought anyone would be interested in practising their fitness regime in forty degree heat, as they do in yoga centres across the country? Turns out, they love it.

Leadership takes bravery.  Great leaders have to know when to break the rules. When to do things differently. How to spot the cracks in the system. Rather than patch them up, a leader knocks them down and builds from scratch.

Guest blog from Amy Knapp

Amy Knapp is an HR Blogger for InsideTrak, where you read reviews and source the latest job postings from Australian employers.

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Mindset Group’s Executive Development Model is designed to bring out the best in your leaders and accelerate their development journey. Our program improves leadership performance using a combination of leadership and personal effectiveness theories that underpin best practice change management. Contact one of our consultants for a confidential discussion how our leadership programs can improve outcomes in your organisation.

As of Friday 28 September, 2012, our new address is;

Level 9, 470 Collins St
Melbourne VIC 3000

Unfortunately, we have been unable to transfer our phone number across to the new premises so we ask you to update your records with our new number;

Ph: +613 9621 2283

Redirects for mail and phone numbers will be in place for the coming months.

Our email address info@mindsetgroup.com.au remains the same, as does the main website, www.mindsetgroup.com.au.

We look forward to welcoming you at our new premises. If you’re in the area, pop in and say hi!

In recent times, the 2000 year old text, “The Art of War,” has been used as a guide for developing business strategy.

Sun Tzu wrote The Art of War over 2000 years ago. In recent times his text has been used as guide for developing business strategy. If we accept the premise that business is a form of warfare then what leadership values or qualities make a good General, or leader of people?

Again using Asian warfare texts as a metaphor, my Judo background points me towards the concept of Budo, Japanese for the Way of War. Budo represents a system of values that reached its zenith 200 years ago and codified the disciplines and values that Samurai aspired to. Budo approximates the supposed values of chivalry developed for medieval knights in Europe.

Like Sun Tzu’s text can guide business strategy, so too can Budo be used to guide the development of modern business leaders’ core values. Budo’s values are as follows;

• Gi (Rectitude): The state or quality of having a constant direction and not being crooked or bent. A good synonym would be integrity. A leader does what they say they will do.
• Yu (Courage):  It can be tough being a leader. You can’t please everyone. If you have rectitude, you will also need the courage to do what you say, even if some of your team does not like it.
• Jin (Benevolence): The willingness to do good. Sometime you have to be tough to be kind, and that takes courage.
• Rei (Respect): Respect for all as human beings, respect for the environment, competitors, colleagues and suppliers. They all have their place and value. If one is maligned then it’s likely that your moral compass may be misaligned.
• Makoto (Honesty): Speaks for itself.
• Meiyo (Honour): Doing the right thing by others…clearly closely linked to Makoto, Gi, Jin and Rei.
• Chugi (Loyalty): Loyalty to one’s colleagues, peers, superiors, organisation and Country. Team comes first.

Modern Judo, although now a sport, has its core values rooted in ancient Japanese Budo. Those Judoka (Judo practitioners) who embrace Budo have a set of guiding values that will serve them well in life, not just in the dojo. Jigaro Kano, the founder of modern Judo, in fact saw Judo as a way of life, not a sport at all.

These are tested values for leaders that were first codified hundreds of years ago. They are still as relevant today as they were then. As a leader in your business, do you practise the Way of War?

Aaron Dodd
Director

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Does your culture need a check up? Mindset Check is a free organisational culture and employee engagement survey that accurately and tangibly highlights current issues that may be occurring in your organisation.

Contact Mindset today!

A traumatic event like the crash of your hard drive can sometimes be just the kick in the pants you need.

Ever heard of someone losing their lifetime’s computer data in a hard disk crash? Well, it happened to me (a change management expert) recently and I was surprised how this particularly dark episode reminded me of some key lessons about dealing with forced change.

I was initially (reasonably) relaxed about the expiry of my computer drive because I had two backups, or so I thought. Unfortunately, for reasons I still don’t fully understand, neither of them could be restored. For a split second I found myself at the brink of having a very unattractive, major meltdown…. but then I paused, drew breath, paused, breathed again, and then noticed something quite remarkable. The world hadn’t ended. The sun was still shining outside. The building hadn’t collapsed. I still appeared to be fit and healthy.

I finished work early that day and spent more time than usual with the family (very nice) and had a very good night’s sleep. The following morning, I went out and purchased a new computer from a different manufacturer containing a tried and tested backup solution, and started afresh. This new computer came with much better software, which has allowed me to quickly and easily do things that I had always wanted to but never thought easily possible. I should have upgraded years ago. And a couple of weeks later a very clever technician managed to extract all my lost data from the damaged drive but, wouldn’t you know it? I’ve barely needed it since!

So what lessons did this incident remind me of when it comes to dealing with change that is forced upon you?

1. Emotional reactions are just that.
No matter what the event is that has thrust this change upon you, know this; the world will not end. This simple reminder can help you shift your mindset from a state of extreme stress to one of control and calm. You control your emotions, not the other way around.

2. Adversity contains hidden opportunities.
If my computer drive hadn’t crashed and burned, I would still be slogging away with an outdated and sub-standard computer system. There is always something to learn from change and a lot of the time, it can be just the kick in the pants we need.

3. Behaviour in the moment is all that matters.
Look forward not back. Ask what next, not why.

4. Comfort might feel good, but has limited value beyond.
We all get stuck in ruts or habitual patterns of behaviour. I knew there were probably more efficient and effective solutions available but I didn’t act until I had to. The whole experience has been a timely reminder to examine other areas of my life that have become “comfortable” and challenge myself out of my comfort zone.

What are your experiences of living through change that has been forced upon you?

Ben Ramsden
Senior Transformation Consultant

Download our report, Make That Change, by filling out the form below.

Managing Director, Don Holley outlines the critical steps and basic principles of managing and leading change in context of an organisation transitioning to Shared Services. The principles and learnings contained in this paper can be applied to any major business transformation.

Once you submit this form you will be automatically redirected to download the report. The download link will also be emailed to the email address you enter here. We will never sell or share your email address.

Is your supply chain broken?

As a recruiter and management consultant, my clients are effectively my suppliers. This is why we take such care to make sure that the clients Mindset Group chooses to work with reflect our values. And here’s why it’s so important…

About ten months ago I bought a new washing machine from an online retailer. The customer service was excellent, the product turned up when they said it would, it was installed professionally and our old dead unit was removed at no extra cost. So far, excellent!… until about a month ago.  A month ago we noticed some issues with the unit but it was still under warranty so I made a quick call to the retailer, who offered to call their supplier on my behalf or I could call them directly. I chose the latter. I made the call to the supplier on the Monday and had heard nothing back from them by the Thursday. So I tweeted my frustration mentioning the retailer in the tweet.

They made contact with me promptly, and chased up the supplier on my behalf. A service call was duly arranged for the following Thursday (over a week from my first call) and the service agent arrived on time, determined the problem and promised to organise the replacement and keep us informed. A week went by, and I’d heard nothing further from the service agent. This went back and forth for some time between myself, the online retailer and the supplier’s service agents with the end result being that today the service agent has finally confirmed that they have our new unit and plan to deliver and install it, over three weeks from the first phone call and over two weeks from the visit by the technician.

So, what relevance has this to recruitment and management consulting?

Both are service industries so communication and follow up are critical. The online retailer I was dealing with recognise this, they don’t make the products after all, but they are a service delivery company. Their service and follow up has been excellent. The supplier’s has not. I have no gripe with the retailer, but their association with a company with such poor services standards has impacted my view of them and will make me think carefully before buying from them again. As a recruiter, our clients are effectively our suppliers. If we represent a poor client, with poor employment conditions and/or communication standards that impacts on how candidates and other future clients perceive us. We need to choose our clients carefully.

Social Media is king. It was only my public statements about the supplier and online retailer that got action. The retailer has acted publicly, transparently and promptly to address the issue. Clearly their social media strategy is a core plank of their marketing strategy and they are using it well. The suppliers are not. I’ve never heard from them despite hash-tagging their brand name in every sent tweet.  As recruiters and consultants it would be naïve to think that candidates and clients don’t comment on us in their social media streams. Unlike the Italian supplier, we must be vigilant, open and transparent in our social communications.

In summary, as recruiters we need to select our clients carefully; our clients must reflect our own professional standards. The days when a recruiter took on any client no matter how unprofitable or how uncommitted to the actual recruitment and selection process are gone. Do so at your peril.

Get involved in social media, communicate openly and transparently and it sounds obvious, but deliver what you promise. Good news travels on the social networks just as quickly as bad. Your business will grow as a result!

Aaron Dodd
Director & Talent Practice Leader

What characterises resilient people is they move forward, deal with the change, learn from challenges and emerge strengthened and even more resourceful.

Have you observed how some people seem to be able to cope with whatever change comes their way while others find it really difficult to move out of their comfort zone? What separates the two is personal resilience.

Resilience involves dealing with those factors or events that cause stress, and it is needed to cope with the challenges everyone experiences at work. What characterises resilient people is they move forward, deal with the change, learn from challenges and emerge strengthened and even more resourceful.

In a recent article, Dr Alan Zimmerman suggests three strategies to build Resilience:

1. Recover: To regain a sense of composure step back from your new situation for a period.  This may mean time out for yourself through exercise or having coffee with someone who will listen to your concerns. Aim to focus your thoughts on what choices you can make for yourself and, as Dr Zimmerman says, “What you are willing to accept is what you get.”
2. Refocus: Take a helicopter view of the change.  Reflect on what has happened, why and what it might mean for the organisation and for you. Identify what is causing your strong feelings.  Ask yourself, will this still matter in a year’s time? You have an opportunity to change your Mindset towards what is happening now. In Monkey Business, researchers Wright, Hager and Tyink wrote, “When you change the way you see things, the things you see, change.”
3. Regenerate: Change is stressful so you need time to regenerate. Be kind to yourself by getting additional rest, eat well, and avoid over use of alcohol. Spend more time with positive, encouraging colleagues and friends. It may require addressing your own self-defeating behaviours.  You will recognise your roadblocks in, “that’s just the way I am,” statements.  Changing these habits requires being ready, willing and able to make the change stick, so seek support if appropriate.

Being resilient is good for individuals and organisations. Rod Warner, author of The Building Resilience Handbook, states there is significant value for organisations that enhance resilience in their workforce because resilient people:

• Experience overall more hope, optimism and positivity and so are better able to cope with job demands.
• Are best able to get through tough times at work and at home.
• Are more likely to learn new skills and knowledge when their existing set become outdated.
• Are less likely to become mentally or physically ill during stressful times.
• Turn adversity into a growth experience, and leverage it into new experiences and ways of working and living.

So, what measures do you put in place to ensure that you bounce back and stay on track during times of change?

Bev Frowen
Senior Associate

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 Mindset’s report, Make That Change: Tips for a Successful Transition to Shared Services, contains some great tips and tools for leading and managing change in your organisation, using a change management methodology that can be applied to any major business transformation.

Download your copy today!