There is a way to effectively manage conflict, survive office politics, and keep your sanity; you’ve just got to be willing to turn to a technology that works. A shift of paradigm will be needed, too – from conflict to harmony as the way of the world.

The Japanese martial art of aikido is built upon the idea that the power of harmony can be harnessed for nonviolent conflict resolution, not just the forceful self-defense typically associated with martial arts. Aikido, which literally means the way of harmonizing your energy with that of your opponents, teaches students how to deal with opponents by becoming one with their intent and redirecting their energy. This philosophy minimizes conflict and creates the circumstances for win-win solutions. Continue Reading

About a decade ago, I had an epiphany about whole systems thinking when my project team and I were asked to figure out why an effort to digitize the company’s backup data systems was failing. After reading about the business trends of companies converting tapes to CD-ROM, an executive at my company thought that he could save the company millions by digitizing data onto CD-ROM instead of storing larger tapes at a third-party storage facility. After six months of running on the new CD-ROM-based platform, however, the company’s savings were negligible, nowhere near expectations. When the troubleshooting team compared our process to that of companies that had successfully lowered their back-up storage costs, they quickly discovered the problem. While moving to the CD-ROM approach was a good move, it was only one of the significant changes that other companies had instituted across their whole back-up storage system. We had looked at only one piece in the data-storage chain.

Since then, I have repeatedly observed how companies – in many different situations and in many different environments – fail to understand the entire context of a problem. This is especially the case with many diversity efforts. Diversity consulting leaders such as Linda Stokes, CEO of the Orlando, Fla.-based firm PRISM International, say piecemeal efforts with narrow scopes are very common in the world of corporate diversity — usually resulting in frustration and failure. Continue Reading

The communities of the 21^st century aren’t formed around front porches, or churches, or any physical structure or social institution.

Here Comes Everybody by Clay Shirky

Think of Facebook or Wikipedia as high-profile examples, but there are others ranging from amateur photographers to disaffected political activists.

Shirky dissects the phenomenon by uncovering the equation beneath these leader-less organizations: a promise that makes sense, a tool to achieve it, and a bargain that the users can accept.  Readers of books like “The Tipping Point” and “The Long Tail,” and other books that dove into the new nature of social interaction and mass commerce, will find Shirky’s tone and approach quite familiar.

Buy Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations at Amazon.com

Great organizations, large and small know that the key to survival and marketplace competitiveness is anchored in their ability to be visionary, strategic, and agile. Status quo, while operative today, can easily become an organization’s bane tomorrow. This strategic mindset applies to the development and replacement of leadership as well. However an alarming number of organizations do not have structured succession management processes in place.

Succession management is a holistic system that targets in on mission critical positions ensuring that talent is identified, available, and ready to step into leadership roles when the need arises. Given today’s labor landscape, it is even more imperative that sound and dynamic succession management processes are in place. In short, the demand of leaders is outstripping the supply and major companies are ill prepared to address this.

This impending scarcity at the C-Suite and other leadership levels is being driven by a couple of forces. One, an estimated 75 million U.S. baby boomers will be eligible to retire by 2010. The average age of the chief executive is 50 and, not surprisingly, filled predominantly by baby boomers. The talent to replace these boomers will come from the next generation of only 45 million available workers. This transition places at risk, institutional knowledge transfer and the overall performance and sustainability of organizations. Secondly, the profile for those in the C-Suite has changed in the last 20 years and is continuing to change. For example, turnover of CEOs of major corporations has increased by 53 percent (influences include merger driven, performance related, and regular transitions like retirement). Consequently, the average tenure of CEOs has declined (from 9.5 years to 7.3 years).

It may be less convoluted to replace a CEO you know will be leaving, however, in a significant number of cases, the CEO’s departure catches an organization by surprise. This translates into a perceived and real crisis to internal and external stakeholders. It leads to remaining leaders and board members trying to make decisions that are in the best interest of the organization at a time when emotions are running high – not an optimal time.

Due to the combination of influences and impacts, it is probably apparent why succession management would be important for the organization at large. Business continuity is at the top of the list. Development and, consequently, retention of key talent is a first cousin. Organizations that are known for growing and advancing leadership talent from within create a powerful differentiator. This becomes part of the employer’s brand and is a significant attraction lever for new talent as well as a compelling retention lever for internal talent. The top companies for leadership development show significant bottom-line advantages including reduced costs associated with turnover and executive recruitment. As an example, companies pay their chief executives nearly three times more when they hire them from outside the company than if they promote from within.

At the individual level, succession planning may not be top of mind for the incumbent leader, particularly if the leader is the CEO or founder of the organization who has nowhere else to advance within the organization, and is not planning on retiring soon. Many entrepreneurs and business leaders so closely identify with their ventures that they think of their involvement as life-long; and no one wants to think about their mortality. Other leaders believe they’re too busy.  However, the individual business case for succession planning is just as important and impactful as the organizational business case, irrespective of the size and structure of one’s business.

Alongside business continuity and sustainability of the business, planned succession gives the incumbent leader a chance to leave behind a legacy. The leader can take time to share his or her vision, philosophy, values, lessons learned, and experiences with potential successors. It gives leaders a chance to reflect on and deliberately shape how they want to be remembered, what role they will play in developing and influencing potential successors, what is next for them, and how they will transition out of their role. A planned succession and smooth transition positively impacts the leader’s internal and external brand.

Senior leaders often view succession planning as another Human Resources exercise, but the truth of the matter is that it should be owned by the leaders within the business. While HR may take responsibility for coordinating the effort – e.g., helping identify positions, facilitating talent reviews and development plans, and measuring and reporting results; an accurate and complete snapshot of talent within the organization cannot manifest unless business leaders are engaged in the process. Business leaders, too, own and underwrite the on-going development of potential successors. Development is an essential ingredient in succession management and one that often dies on the vine. There are so many ways in which incumbent leaders can champion succession management and many areas that hinge upon their input including:

• Providing a vision for and knowledge of the strategic direction of the business and an understanding of the type of talent that will be needed (e.g., functional skills, knowledge, experiences, and traits).
• Sharing an assessment of the performance and potential of likely successors based on direct observations and feedback from others.
• Sponsoring and/or creating relevant development opportunities (e.g., rotations) for identified successors.
• Devoting time for one-on-one coaching and mentoring of potential successors.

Incumbent leaders can leverage their position and power within the organization to champion succession management as an inclusive process. This can be accomplished by recognizing and articulating that excellence comes in all shapes, sizes and colors and by stressing the need for leaders who can connect to the business’ target markets or who embody the strategy that will improve business performance. Just as recruiters insist upon a diverse slate of candidates from executive search firms, leaders can insist that diversity be reflected in the successor pool. The inability for the organization to do so points to a more systemic problem (e.g., no diverse candidates in the feeder roles) and will require more deliberate and programmatic efforts to reconcile.

At any point in time, business leaders should be able to confidently speak to who is ready now and who would be ready with development for specific mission critical roles in their units. Corporate and non-profit boards of directors are becoming increasingly requiring of this information. Best practices used by companies like Exelon include continual use of quarterly business-unit reviews to guide succession planning and development, and provide an updated snapshot of the leadership bench. This allows for timely feedback and coaching, and identification of credible “ready-now” successors for all senior-level positions.

The incumbent leader’s involvement in succession management is ongoing. The handing over of the baton is a process, not a single event. It is a recurring cycle of events that is “refreshed” prior to new players entering and exiting the game. The stakes are high. Consequently, the commitment requirement is high; and for well executed plans this translates into an ROI to boast about for the organization and individual leaders involved. ________________________________________________________________________

Charmon Parker Williams, Ph.D., an industrial psychologist, is a career and talent management consultant, coach, and contributing writer for Diversity MBA Magazine.

Talented candidates, especially those with coveted skill sets, are often able to pick and choose from multiple offers. Companies that don’t sell themselves effectively or have long, drawn-out processes will ultimately lose out.

So, you have identified the candidate you absolutely want to hire and you are about to make an offer. But you are up against a problem: Another company, or companies, are looking to land the same prospect. What should you do, especially when the job offers are indistinguishable in title, compensation, and benefits? How do you position and sell your organization’s offer – and your organization itself – to a candidate with multiple offers? The way your company recruits and manages the hiring process can impress a candidate and encourage that individual to choose your company over the competition.

Speeding Up the Interviewing Process

How can you speed up the interviewing process without sacrificing due diligence?

• Since most of the candidates you are interviewing are already employed, try to schedule interviews before or after typical business hours whenever possible. The simple gesture of scheduling the interview for the candidate’s convenience can speak volumes.

• If your candidate needs to meet with multiple representatives of your organization, try to combine some interviewers into groups to shorten the number of meetings. This scenario works well for senior executives interviewing with boards or for staff that will support multiple supervisors.

• Instead of asking the candidate back multiple times, arrange the interview schedule so all meetings can be held in one day or a half-day. This will allow the candidate to minimize the time away from the current job.

• Take your show on the road. Not all meetings need to be held at your office, especially first-round interviews. Although it’s very important for the candidate to see your facilities and staff first-hand, an initial screening interview can be held almost anywhere – at a local coffee shop, restaurant or hotel lobby.

Most candidates understand and even welcome the fact that they must meet several people at a company. Employed candidates, however, usually cannot come to your office for four separate interviews without arousing suspicion, or stay for four hours when they were told to allow two.  Candidates who are concerned about being missed at their current place of employment may be too distracted to put their best foot forward or to hear why they should work for you.

It’s important to be prompt when meeting a potential employee and, if there are multiple people on an interview schedule, to make sure that things are coordinated effectively. One of my candidates was kept waiting for 50 minutes by a senior executive because of scheduling confusion. As he had spent the better part of the morning at the potential employer and was due back at work, he was only able to give the interviewer 10 minutes. While the employer offered to reschedule, the candidate was so turned off that he turned down a second interview. By being flexible with interviews and considerate of your candidates’ time, you allow them to reduce the potential for raising red flags with their present employers. Candidates genuinely appreciate this consideration and will feel more positive about your company.

Positioning Your Organization: Setting the Groundwork for a Future Offer

Even if your role isn’t sales-oriented, you have to be a salesperson when it comes to wooing future employees! It is imperative to ensure that everyone on your internal interview team is on the same page and realizes the importance of selling the company and presenting a positive environment to potential candidates. They should be enthusiastic, timely, and prepared for the interview. All it takes is one interviewer who is disorganized, having a bad day, or imparts a conflicting message to leave a bad taste in a candidate’s mouth. Candidates want to hear honest answers to questions, but if someone in the group is known to be negative or comes across in a less-than-compelling fashion, consider whether that person can be left out of the process or coached to present more effectively. Everyone in the interview process must be able to speak knowledgeably, passionately and consistently about the company.

Because your ideal candidate may already be employed, it’s also important to know up-front why he or she is looking for a new position. In the initial stages of communication and interviews, ask questions to get a clear understanding of why the individual is choosing to leave his or her current position, and carefully document the reasons. This way you will know in particular how to position your organization in regard to the candidate’s likes and dislikes. After the official job offer is made, if your candidate seems hesitant to leave a current position or you learn that a counteroffer has been made, these reasons will be useful in reminding the candidate why he or she began looking for a new job in the first place and how your company can fulfill those needs.

Make sure that, in addition to going over the particulars of the candidate’s role, time is spent discussing the organization itself – its selling points, values, history and community involvement. As important as responsibilities, management style and opportunity for advancement are, it’s the intangibles of an organization’s culture that can be the deciding factor when a candidate is weighing options. Make sure informal benefits are known, too: reduced office hours during the summer months, telecommuting options for working parents, or morale-boosting social events, such as golf tournaments or company parties.

Negotiation Time

Once an offer is extended, speak openly to the candidate about the timing of negotiations and decision-making. If your interview process has had open, two-way communication, you should have a good idea whether your prospective employee has multiple suitors. When dealing with that situation, you want to achieve a balance of putting some positive pressure on the candidate while being understanding about the decision-making process he or she is experiencing. It’s reasonable to give a bit more time to a candidate who asks for it. During that period, however, the hiring manager and/or Human Resources should reach out to the candidate, offering to answer any questions and conveying how much the candidate is wanted.

The more personal contact you extend, the better – from delivering the job offer over the phone, to following up by making sure the candidate has received and understands the particulars of the written material. One client of mine sealed the deal by sending an offer letter to the candidate in a package with a company polo shirt; it immediately made the candidate feel she was a part of the team.

Candidates truly value open, direct communication and an appropriately timed process. As important as it is to expedite the hiring process, it should never move so fast as to overwhelm the potential employee or undermine an organization’s thoroughness. Conversely, taking too much time puts you at jeopardy for losing the ideal candidate to your competition. By putting forethought into the hiring process, you can ensure candidates will think well of your company, your organization will not be put at risk — and you’ll successfully hire the people you want!

Having a certain title, an army of underlings, or a fat salary doesn’t make you a leader. It’s a bit more complicated than those external markers. “Leaders take people where they ordinarily wouldn’t go by themselves,” says Lynda Ford, president of The Ford Group, a management and human resources consulting firm in Rome, N.Y.

Furthermore, leaders are able to meet people where they are, instead of where they think they should be, adds Trudy Bourgeois, founder of the Center for Workforce Excellence in Dallas, and author of  The Hybrid Leader: Blending the Best of the Male & Female Leadership Styles.

True leaders have patience, flexibility, vision; they inspire, listen, teach, coach, mentor, build relationships. And that’s just for starters. What it takes to lead, particularly in this global, diverse economy, is not for the faint of heart. Continue Reading

Think of Apple, Google, and GE and what comes to mind? Perhaps, you think of visionary leaders surrounded by smart people who create products and services that consumers demand. What is the greatest competitive advantage for these companies? It’s their people without a doubt. The ability to attract, recruit and retain talented people is how companies achieve phenomenal results, year after year. Look into their cultures and you will find environments that foster “intrapreneurs.” Whether you’re a small company with fewer than 25 employees or midsize, you can achieve stellar results by following their example. Well, how do you find and keep smart people? You simply have to attract them by becoming a talent magnet. It’s really not as difficult as it may seem. The first step required is to create a culture that fosters “intrapreneurship.”

Continue Reading

Career success depends on achieving notable goals in four key areas: academic preparation, employment history, professional development, and strategic mentoring. Concentration on the first three areas to the exclusion of the last one can place severe limits on career growth.

Whether you work in applications development, consulting and systems integration, Internet and e-commerce, networking, operations or quality assurance, or some other aspect of Information Technology, the importance of developing strategies for effective mentoring cannot be overstated.

Mentoring is very important for minority IT professionals. The numbers of women and other minorities in the IT industry are low and can be discouraging for many. IT professionals can become frus­trated with the ‘silent obstacles’ that exist in the industry, thus making mentoring a venue to prepare and overcome them

Types of Mentoring

“Mentoring” can be defined in numerous ways. For purposes of this discussion, it can be viewed as involving critical information, timely communication, expert advice, and personal support offered by a seasoned professional for the personal growth and career advancement of a younger professional referred to as a “mentee” or “protégé.” This is a formal definition of mentoring. Before discussing mentoring in the formal sense, it’s instructive to consider several types of informal mentoring, beginning with the “inspirational” variety

Inspirational Mentoring

Someone you have read about, listened to, learned about in college, church or some social circle can serve as an inspirational mentor. Think of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Who hasn’t been inspired by his “I Have a Dream” speech? In a real way, Dr. King has mentored generations of African Americans who never knew him, but have been uplifted and inspired by his challenge to overcome self-imposed limitations and achieve success despite the odds. Other important historical figures can serve as valuable inspirational mentors, such as pioneers in the Information Technology field, including persons of color spotlighted in this publication. Similarly, men and women in other disciplines who have achieved membership in some actual or figurative “Hall of Fame” can inspire you to strive for educational self-enrichment and occupational advancement

Informal Mentoring

This category involves individuals whose career and life success you admire; who can steer you in a helpful direction regarding goal setting, professional development, employment selection, advancement on the job, or personal entrepreneurship. The possibilities for informal mentoring are numerous. Examples would include successful professionals in your personal circle of influence who take an interest in your education and subsequent vocational choices and livelihood. Included in this group, also, are persons in the clergy, business leaders, influential relatives or acquaintances, or other individuals who can provide helpful information, advice, and support at critical points in your life.

Academic Mentoring

Persons in academia can exert a strong, positive mentoring influence in a young professional’s life. They can provide valuable information and guidance regarding course selection, co-operative education and internship opportunities, and options for post-graduate training. Other academic contacts can be profitable for establishing a mentoring relationship. For instance, members of alumni associations, fraternities or sororities can demonstrate a special interest in current students or recent graduates with career aspirations in fields similar to their own. Such interest can blossom into regular communication and career guidance that help young protégés to advance as budding professionals in their chosen discipline.

Without a doubt, most successful IT professionals can point to one or more notable professors or college administrators who steered them in a helpful direction as they matured intellectually and achieved their academic goals and personal aspirations.

Workplace Mentoring

A more formal type of on-the-job mentoring involves seasoned professionals linked with younger workers. Experienced professionals who are assigned to “show the ropes” to younger employees serve a valuable purpose. Specifically, they alert eager and ambitious protégés to the reality of what it takes to succeed in the corporate world. Their tutelage typically covers such matters as playing smart office politics, demonstrating a good work ethic, building a reputation for excellence, choosing the right career path, and preparing for promotional opportunities. For example, a junior software engineer is matched with a senior SE in a large corporation offering numerous career paths. Through regular contact, the senior engineer evaluates the younger protégé’s progress, offers suggestions for performance improvement, and helps him avoid the workplace pitfalls that await unsuspecting employees.

In addition, the senior member of the mentoring team can sponsor the protégé’s membership in professional societies, introduce him to other “movers and shakers” within the industry, and write letters of reference when it’s time to make a career move.

Workplace mentors are valuable for other reasons. Depending on how close they are to their protégés, they can serve as a “sounding board” when their younger counterparts need to vent job-related frustrations. Furthermore, they can prod them on when they feel discouraged and help them make a “reality check” when workplace situations seem confusing or overwhelming.

As discussed, many persons can serve in a mentoring role. Often mentors and protégés gravitate toward one another. For instance, an exceptional student is drawn to a distinguished professor who admires her drive and potential, and who is willing to offer mentoring guidance throughout the student’s academic career. Who do you greatly admire and wish to emulate to some degree in terms of academic achievement, intellectual prowess, and career success? These are the kinds of individuals to link yourself with in terms of informal and formal mentoring.

There can be overlapping mentoring relationships. For instance, your direct superior on the job might move into some other department or division of the organization and still take an active interest in your career progress. The mentoring relationship may become more informal than formal, but be just as valuable in providing career guidance—even as a new boss “takes you under her wings” and guides your advancement within the organization.

When selecting a beneficial mentor, it is important to be patient and focused. Finding a good mentor is like finding a good spouse. It is a long-term proposition, not one to be rushed into. Take your time to identify someone who has been there, done that, and has the T-shirt to prove it.

The key ingredients for development of effective mentoring are both parties understanding each other’s expectations of the relationship, open communication, understanding professional and personal goals, and devoting ‘quality time’ to the relationship.

You should know what you want professionally. Learn how to network and collaborate with other IT professionals and mentors. Understand what a mentorship program entails. When seeking a good mentor, make sure he/she is the right mentor for you. And never give up—mentorship is a relationship that takes time to develop.

The best mentors were themselves mentored. They understand the importance of “giving back” to those who are literally or figuratively following in their footsteps. As you advance in your chosen field, it’s important to be willing to share insight, advice, and guidance with younger professionals who are preparing to launch their careers. In the same way others have inspired you to achieve great things, be prepared to serve in a mentoring role for others who emulate your success and professional stature.

Calvin Bruce, an Atlanta-based freelancer, has 20 years of recruitment experience, including Information Technology. He has published articles on career management for numerous professional publications such as Minority Engineer, Careers and the Engineer, and Journal of the National Technical Association.