Leadership Solutions from Read Solutions Group

Sharing Success

2009-07-14T02:57:00.001+08:00

When projects succeed, when proposals are accepted, when businesses exceed their targets, do you take the credit? When things go wrong, do you blame the team, blame the economy, blame some undefined others?

How do you feel when your leadership brags to the shareholders about the business success ... and blames you when the results don't meet the plan?

When we blame others for failures, we lose the ability to look at our own behaviors and contributions to the failures. When we blame others for the failures, we lose their support, commitment and engagement with future efforts. When we bask in the light of success, without sharing it, we run the risk of undermining future support and lose the opportunity to develop and highlight the talent in our organizations.

John C. Maxwell says "Let those you lead outshine you. If they shine brightly enough, it's reflected on you." Organizations today look to their leaders to deliver results in an effective manner and to develop the talent in the organization. By privately and publicly acknowledging the contributions and results of others, you strengthen the network that will enable your success in future situations, you encourage continued contributions from others, and you motivate others to excel.

The next time there's a problem or a success, pay attention to language. Problem's are best handled with "I" statements that accept responsibility for the situation and subsequent action items. When there's a success to be discussed, it's best in terms of "We / He / She / the team".

Finally, consider all of the possible forms of acknowledgment that you can use. David Rock in his book, Quiet Leadership, outlines six forms of verbal recognition that serve as a good reminder to the ways that we can acknowledge, coach, motivate and recognize others.

Appreciation - I really appreciate you completing that report on time.
Validation - I can see you’ve given this report a lot of thought and attention.
Recognition - It’s clear you are a very talented writer.
Affirmation - I think you deserve all the credit for this project.
Confirmation - It’s great you took on this project; it suits your style.
Thanking - Thanks for taking the time to focus 100% on this project.

When you cultivate a solutions focus to problems and failures, and combine that with praising efforts and rewarding results, you will find your team making the extra effort to deliver the results that will reflect well on you.

Read Solutions Group works with organizations and leaders to develop an understanding of the business and organizational challenges, develop the direction appropriate for the culture and size of the organization, provide focused targeted training and/or facilitated workshops, and support the delivery of a solution. Whether one-on-one with key leaders or working hand-in-hand with your leadership team, Sherry Read will stimulate the creative thought processes to generate a wider range of practical, value-adding solutions to business, managerial and human resource issues.

Help me with my Branding

2009-06-28T04:14:00.000+08:00

Could you take 5 minutes to give me some input?

I am gathering the thoughts of leaders, managers and professionals around the world in order to best position my business to meet your needs.

The survey has only 3 questions plus a space for any additional comments you may have. It's short and sweet, and like all feedback, incredibly valuable to me.

Click here to take survey

Thank you for helping me to be the best I can be.

Sherry L. Read

Principal
Read Solutions Group
www.ReadSolutionsGroup.com
Sherry@ReadSolutionsGroup.com
+1 (302) 545-2892

Time is Money

2009-05-18T00:48:00.001+08:00

Whether in a matrix organization with different functions and bosses, in a job that combines project work with team management or as a entrepreneur with too many opportunities to pursue, most of us are pulled in too many directions at once. You may have set a resolution to get your time under control, yet one month into the year, the fires seem to be burning hotter than ever before. Here are a few tips for taking back your time.

Look at your professional time in terms of Return on Investment (ROI). Some efforts provide a quick fast return, others are an investment with returns to be delivered in the future. Too often, though, we spend our time on efforts that use up our precious time and reap little or no reward. Standard financial axioms include set your priorities, create a plan and track yourself against it, cut back on waste, don't procrastinate on taking action, allow for the unexpected, invest in the future, and get help.

The challenge is that time remains a fixed budget - it doesn't accrue, you can't grow it with investment - but you can make choices on what you do, when you do them and what you can stop doing.

Is Coaching a Fad?

2009-05-18T00:46:00.001+08:00

With so many organizations rushing to develop programs for managers as coaches, is coaching turning into a fad?

A recent presentation sponsored by the Human Capital Institute, and given by Peyton Daniel and Anne Doster of DBM gave the statistics that over 80% of the respondents to their survey used "coaching skills training" at least sometimes, and nearly 70% were using external executive coaches at least sometimes. Now, survey samples are notoriously, so we don't want you to conclude that coaching is, as yet, that prevalent. But could it be well on its way to becoming too fashionable for its own good? The perquisite to go with the corner office? The emblem of the high-potential? The consultant's favorite gig?

Before we dismiss coaching and mentoring as another passing fad, let's look at more closer what current research is showing us about executive coaching.

Executive coaching is found increasingly on a routine basis for C-level execs, and both less frequently and less often for senior executives; and almost never for non-managers.
The primary drivers for coaching are:
- Derailed executives
- Enabling capable executives to achieve greater excellence
- Supporting the development of high-potential employees
- Improving team effectiveness
Executive cite benefits for coaching to include
- Continuous one-on-one attention
- Expanded thinking through dialogue with a curious outsider
- Increased self-awareness, including blind spots
- Personal accountability for development
- Effective learning delivered just-in-time
Coaching failures are linked to
- Lack of commitment from the client
- Lack of clear goals and purpose
- Client too busy to focus on developmental goals
- A mismatch between client and coach
- Client's manager is not involved or supporting
ROI ranges from the value of the coaching investment up to more than 500% depending on study cited
Successful coaching engagements have:
- Coach evaluation including
  - Coaching methodology
  - Senior-level business, industry and/or functional experience
  - Chemistry with client
  - Measurement system
- A willing client
  - Open to increasing their self-awareness and enhancing their personal growth
  - Entering coaching with enthusiasm, interest and a commitment of time
- Measure the ROI of all coaching assignments using
  - Achievement of agreed-upon objectives, including performance metrics as appropriate
  - Evaluations by client, clients boss, and coach
  - 360 assessments
- Clear expectations around the process from initial meeting, overall time commitment (typical agreements are 4 to 6 months, twice per month), confidentiality, and management support and involvement

David B. Peterson, in a chapter on Coaching and Mentoring Programs, adds depth to this research report by outlining the major assumptions around effective coaching. His assumptions about positive, proactive coaching are modified and included below.

People are motivated to learn and grow; the coach's role is to clarify and engage that motivation
Insight is ever-evolving and should be developed through the coaching process, whether initiated with a current situation or a 360 assessment
While coach can and does provide feedback, the main goal of the coaching is to enable the client to gather and gain their own insights
Coaches should be expert in helping people learn how to change and adjust their behaviors to become more effective, with a goal of enhancing ongoing learning and development
Coaching is about achieving results by working on the areas of greatest leverage and payback.

The executive coaching methodology practiced at Read Solutions Groups is then to provide customized coaching that moves iteratively through the following steps:

Clarify personal goals, values and motivations
Develop insights into what needs to be developed
Establish and agree to measures for success
Evaluate reasons for and barriers to change
Explore or chose alternative ways of behaving
Practice new skills and behaviors
Develop action plan and measure progress, watching for additional insights
Ensure that other people and structures are put in place to support progress and ongoing feedback

So, is coaching a fad? Studies, whether focused on feedback from executives, clients or HR, point to solid returns on the investment of coaching when the systems employ recommendations like those above.

Email us to receive references to additional studies on executive coaching.

Steps in Building a Strong Team

2009-05-18T00:44:00.002+08:00

There are three key steps to building a strong team.

1. Own the development process

A strong leader holds himself or herself accountability for the development of others. Research suggests that the most successful leaders, over the long-term, spend upwards of 50% of their time focused on the issues of their team and the people in the organizations. Beyond time, the strong leader holds others accountable for development - requiring measures, reports and an equal focus on the development and leadership of talent in an organization. Finally, the organization must build systems, process and rigor that support the identification, develop and measurement of talent and talent development.

2. Balance the use of internal and external candidates

Internal candidates, too often, are hampered by the very fact that they are known quantities. Their history, their past blunders, their flaws are all part of the corporate stories. Rather than being looked at from the perspective of current competencies and results, old stories reflecting old news are resurrected as evidence of an incomplete package. External candidates bring a patina of freshness, and packaging focusing on their strengths and accomplishments. Hidden underneath this packaging lurk questions about flaws, motivations, and cultural fit. While systems exist to reduce these risks, failure to integrate at more senior levels carries both high risk and a high impact on the organization.

3. Knit together complementary team skills

Each person brings their own strengths and limitations to the team. While the first step is to recognize these differences, and to staff the team with complementary skills, the successful leader knits the team together. With a clear understanding of each other's strengths, a strong vision for the future, a clear expectation for how the team are to work together, and a culture that supports and rewards working together to achieve goals, a leader can create a strong team that complements and supports one another.

To assess yourself, your team or your organization, consider the following:

Does your team know their strengths?
Has the organization defined metrics and targets for people development?
Are there systems for identifying, developing and measuring talent?
Is there a staffing plan that balances internal development and staffing with external hires?
Are there established expectations about how teams work together?
Is there an environment where working together is encouraged and rewarded?

Tackling the Derailer of Arrogance

2009-05-18T00:43:00.002+08:00

Why is arrogance a problem? You are successful; you may even be the Managing Director or CEO. Why would you, of all people, need to worry that not being open to feedback, introspection or personal growth could derail your career? The 2003 book, Why CEOs Fail by D.L. Dotlich and P.C. Cairo identifies arrogance - the belief that you're right and everyone else is wrong - as one of the leading causes of executive faillure. If it can bring down whole companies, what effect could it be having on your career?

What are the behaviors that could lead to derailment? The arrogant leader may be self-confident to the point of making other feel inferior. By limiting or dismissing the input of others, the arrogant leader may miss or discount crucial information. He may seem self-absorbed, aloof and cold, bruising the egos of others on their team. She may been seen as too independent, promoting her own careers and success over others.

How do you change? Change begins with self-awareness. Replay your mental tapes of earlier discussions about your style. Look carefully at the behaviors you portray at home where there may be more direct feedback. Have a 360 assessment done. Watch the reactions of others. Look for signs that your relationships are not what you believe them to be. Challenge your belief that your arrogance has supported your success.

Change requires that you begin to be curious about what others think; that you seek and accept feedback, holding tight against the natural tendency to defend and explain. Consider enlisting a confidant, coach or trusted colleague who can give you objective feedback, and help you assess and monitor your progress.

Look at situations where you've encountered significant roadblocks or failure, and write down the answers to the following questions:

What would your worst critics say contributed to the situations?

What behaviors did you use when you were stuck or close to failure?

What signals did you miss?

With your trusted partner, identify the patterns of behavior that have supported your success, and also led to your difficulties.

The biggest adjustment in behavior comes in seeking, listening to and responding with sincere interest and curiousity to other's views and opinions. As Marshall Goldsmith advises, leave out of your conversation the words, no, but, and however, and add the words thank you. You may be surprised what you learn.

Seven Career Derailers

2009-05-18T00:38:00.002+08:00

"What is a career derailer?" you ask. Imagine if you will a successful professional, receiving promotions and raises with incredible frequency. The titles get better and a team leader role follows. Then a manager, and a department manager. And then something happens. Questions begin to be asked about whether she can build a team, whether he can think strategically, whether she has what it takes. That fast track career has stalled, or worse yet, fallen off the tracks - a career derailed. This set of seven behaviors are among the ones most commonly seen in derailing a career.

Believing that skill and results are the sole keys to success
Being arrogant and not open to feedback, introspection and personal growth
Consistently acknowledging yourself for the successes and blaming others for the failures
Failing to staff and develop a strong team
Lack of composure
Unwilling to adapt to change and compromise
Inability to develop a strong professional network, internal and external to the organization

Research indicates that leaders who are open to feedback, introspection and personal growth can, and do, learn to overcome these potential career stallers.

There are tons of positives in the world!

2009-03-23T16:50:00.003+08:00

Enough with the dreary world news that ignores all that is good in the world and in our lives!

This week join the International Coach Academy (ICA), a global leader in coach training, in bringing about as much positive energy as we can. The huge economic crisis has created difficult or challenging times for many and we want to do something to acknowledge and support our global community.

Join us for one, or all, of our positivity teleclasses as we open up the virtual doors of ICA for the world to share their positivity intent.

Register now - > http://tinyurl.com/cy7tba

----------------------------------------
POSITIVITY TELESEMINARS (23rd to 29th March 2009)
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** Positive Tips & Personal Stories **
With: Alexia Michiels
When: Monday 23 March at 10 am NY EDT

** Positive Stories on Relationships **
With: Angela Bird
When: Tuesday 24 March at 7 pm NY EDT

** Positive Stories About Your Career as a Coach **
With: Prabha Chandrasekhar
When: Wednesday 25 March at 10 am NY EDT

** Positive Stories on Social Responsibility **
With: Isabelle King
When: Thursday 26 March at 8 pm NY EDT

** Positive Perspective **
With: Nick Bosk
When: Friday 27 March at 10 am NY EDT

** Positive Opportunities **
With: Kathy Munoz
When: Saturday 28 March at 10 am NY EDT

** Positive Retreat **
With: Sheri Boone
When: Sunday 29 March at 10 am NY EDT

Register now - > http://tinyurl.com/cy7tba

If you are unable to attend the teleclasses, please still register your positivity intent. The teleclasses will be recorded and made available to all those who register.

Kid's Eye View on Relo?

2009-02-27T04:29:00.001+08:00

I was interviewed about experiences moving a child internationally in this article in HR Executive Online.

Relocating can mean a better job, better salary and increased responsibility -- but for children, it can mean disrupting school, friendships and activities. How can companies help turn those negatives around?

See the article at http://www.hreonline.com/HRE/story.jsp?storyId=169613755

Is Hard Work Enough?

2008-12-09T05:20:00.003+08:00

You've met them - the colleagues and friends who are dedicated to their job. They spend 12 hours a day, nights and weekends meeting with customers, solving problems, researching alternatives, writing reports, making presentations, delivering results; yet others get the opportunities and promotions. They are as smart (or possibly smarter) than their bosses. They can see the problems and solutions. They know what should be done. And look at the work they continue to deliver. Maybe if they just work a bit harder?

In their book, Execution, Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan talk about the "doer" - "the person who is a little less conceptual but is absolutely determined to succeed will usually find the right people and get them together to achieve objectives". The doer doesn't hang his or her hat on the right answer, the right solution, the correct and detailed report. The doers are the ones "who energize people, are decisive on tough issues, get things done through others, and follow through as second nature."

Energizing Others

Energy starts with a vision and direction; yet the leaders who create, rather than drain energy from their colleagues and teams, are the ones who turn that picture of success into short-term accomplishments, increased capabilities and increased confidence. Think of the coaches who stand on the sidelines yelling at their teams, where the players operate from fear of failure. Now think of the coaches who keep the focus on the next play, point on the good moves, identify what should be done differently next time, and push the players to prepare well physically and mentally for each game. It's not just the rhetoric, it's not the vision of a winning game, it's the focus on each step toward the winning game.

Being Decisive

Being decisive and being right are too often confused in the minds of those colleagues working all hours. Being right can lead to over-analysis. It can lead to an answer that is optimal but too radical. It can lead to rigidity when flexibility is required.

By contrast, "decisiveness is the ability to make difficult decisions swiftly and well, and act on them", according to Bossidy and Charan. It is the combination of the ability to confront a tough situation, make a sound decision,and lead others forward, that can separate the good thinker from the doer.

Achieving Through and With Others

Yet as pointed out above, the good decision, well-articulated, is insufficient for true success. It is only through developing and using influence skills that the doer accomplishes the necessary outcomes. The successful doer builds a social network that enables her to stay on top of shifting organizational priorities and maintain valuable relationships. He knows how much support to ask for, and when. She knows where she can count on support and where she has something of value that will help to gain support. He knows that communication up, down and sideways on the objectives, key steps, milestones, challenges, and achievements is key for keeping an initiative on track and people supportive of the outcomes. She has learned that organizations are made of interdependent people, and only by developing in herself, and in others, new and better ways to work together will success be achieved.

When you see your colleagues with their head down, working all hours, striving for the best, and wondering why they seem to be passed over time and time again, ask them to consider the following:

What portion of your time is spent getting to the right answer compared to making sure you understand whether you are working on the current priorities? Compare that picture with others. What might be the benefits of shifting your time allocation?
What portion of your time is spent on task vs relationship? How does that compare to the people being promoted?
What is your energy like on a daily basis? Are you creating or draining the energy of the people around you?
Are you making decisions on issues at the right level for your job, neither too detailed, nor too high-level?
What systems do you have in place to keep informed about shifting organizational (and personal) priorities?
Do you adjust your approach to meet the needs of the people around you?
How can you learn more about the needs and wants of the people who work above, along side, and for you? What can you do with that information that supports both their success and your own?
How do you handle conflict in ways that advance your cause?
What ways do you have of getting clear and effective feedback and of continually developing yourself?

Strong skills, talents, and hard work are prerequisites to success, yet they are insufficient in most organizations. Working up, down and sideways; knowing your own and other's motivators; enhancing energy; being decisive at the right level; and knowing how to influence others, frequently outweigh working hard to find the correct answer. Most often, a range of solutions will work - the win then goes to the one who can bring about the results, while building capability and energy for the next challenge in the people around them.

If you'd like to learn more about how to develop behaviors in your organization that deliver results while building capability and energy, please contact me through my website.

Resources for HR Professionals

2008-02-12T08:35:00.000+08:00

Bootstrapper put together a great list of 100 articles that are useful resources for HR professionals. Link over to see it now.

Measuring Engagement - a humorous look

2008-02-03T14:26:00.000+08:00

In Beat the Odds: Avoid Corporate Death and Build a Resilient Enterprise by Robert A. Rudzki proposes a tongue-in-cheek measurement of employee engagement. You may want to do a quick survey of your workplace to see what this looks like for you...

The "Take This Job, Please" Index

On a humorous note, one of my former colleagues suggested a new index as a true leading indicator of employee alignment, commitment, and morale. It was to be based on the prevalence of office lottery pools. The suggested title was "Take This Job, Please"--a more refined form of the reaction to be expected from someone who had just won the big one. The TTJP Index would be measured by the number of office lottery pools established when lottery prizes exceeded a predetermined level--$50 million, say. Two or more office workers pooling their purchase of lottery tickets would constitute one office pool. The metric is particularly interesting in a multifloor office building or a multibuilding office campus. If you noticed a growing number of lottery pools at your organization, what might that indicate? After some watercooler debate, a refinement was suggested for the TTJP metric. Add this additional dimension: After the participants of a lottery pool are notified (by e-mail or phone) to contribute their share for the next round of the lottery, how much time elapses before the first person shows up with cash in fist? The metric and its analytical conclusions could be tabulated as follows:

First Person Arrives >> Comment

(a) Next day: >> Not to worry.

(b) Within one hour: >> You have reason for concern.

(d) The participants prepay: >> Don't you wish your employees were similarly energized and committed to your company?

Using Investigative Negotiations to Build Your Influence

2008-01-22T17:15:00.000+08:00

We often think about internal politics as a bad thing. I propose that rather than thinking about building political skills, you think about building skills that will allow you to "Influence with Integrity".

Negotiating is one of the skills in this area, and a Harvard Business Review article by Deepak Malhotra and Max H. Bazerman suggests a technique called Investigative Negotiation. In this technique, when you encounter a roadblock, rather than focusing on your position, spend energy on trying to learn "why" behind the other parties constraints, interests and needs.

The more you learn beforehand, during and after a negotiation about the other person's interests, the more likely you will be able to craft a direction forward that meets most of yours as well.

Building Morale When Times Are Bad

2008-01-11T15:45:00.000+08:00

Catching up on some blogs published in December, I came across one identified by HBR Online as one of their best for 2007, namely Building Morale When Times Are Bad by John Coyne. With a focus on the US economy, Coyne forecasts the biggest leadership challenge of 2008 being retaining and motivating the best people in the midst of layoffs and reductions.

His point that "good morale does not require people to be happy" is well worth pondering. In fact, walking right up to the distinction between good morale and happiness could lead to some sound policy choices. Wordreference.com defines morale as

the spirit of a group that makes the members want the group to succeed

and

a state of individual psychological well-being based upon a sense of confidence and usefulness and purpose

Interesting words to ponder in light of reductions. Adversity can increase the spirit of a group, when there's a direction and desire to succeed. So when faced with business adversity, what can the leader do to work on such things as "spirit of the group", "want to succeed", "sense of confidence, usefulness and purpose"? Involve people, not in commiserating or worrying, but in defining real solutions to the problems. Make sure everyone is clear on the role that they have in delivering the business strategy. Give them, as best you can a sense of confidence in the mission.

Coyne makes an excellent point that you refute concerns about the possibility of future promotions. Even if there are fewer positions to vie for, there are fewer people vying for those positions - the odds haven't changed much.

We might quibble with Coyne about helping people to see the truth of "the misery will be temporary" and "tomorrow will be brighter." Far too many people in US industry have lived through cut, after cut, after cut. Meanwhile senior leaders cash ludicrously large paychecks and the average earner's paycheck doesn't get much brighter.

Perhaps if the truth is that the work contributes to making people's lives better AND people's opinions are valued AND it's temporary, then it's incumbent on the managers to focus on those messages. No, no one is happy when there's an economic slowdown in a business, cutbacks and reductions, but yes, there can be a team spirit if there is a clear, vibrant and true mission to the business.

Building HR Skills

2008-01-11T09:50:00.000+08:00

What do you read to stay current in the areas of Human Resources?

Dear HR Reader,

Congratulations to you in recognizing the need to stay fresh and current in this field. First, if you haven't yet read, the book that should be on every HR shelf is Human Resources Champion by David Ulrich.

Ulrich is the leading thinker in Human Resource Management and provides a strong model for building and executing human resources strategies that support the delivery of business results.

The Society for Human Resource Management is a very strong HR organization that is slowly expanding their presence from just the US into some of the rapidly developing markets. You can find them at www.shrm.org; and if you qualify for an international membership, it provides full access to all of the online materials.

The Human Capital Institute www.humancapitalinstitute.org has a lot of information and webcasts available with the free community membership.

Workforce Management at www.workforce.com provides a free and paid memberships with up to date information and practices. You'll find quarterly articles on this site by Ulrich; the most recent being The New HR Organization.

Susan Heathfield publishes a weekly e-newsletter with a huge range of topics. You can find this at humanresources.about.com.

You can stay current on global employment laws by subscribing to updates through Baker & McKenzie at www.bakernet.com/BakerNet/Practice/Employment/default.htm. For more in-depth articles on global employment law, see the publications by Donald Dowling of White and Case at www.whitecase.com/publications/List.aspx?Professionals=8f1e98b7-575d-41e6-b6f1-05bc9daa24ad&year=2007.

Hewitt will deliver various alerts and research reports into your inbox with subscriptions at www.hewittassociates.com/Intl/NA/en-US/KnowledgeCenter/ArticlesReports/Articles.aspx; and a subscription to news alerts from Mercer can be subscribed to at secure.mercer.com/registerEvent.jhtml?idContent=1197210.

For a broader strategic perspective, email updates are available from Harvard Business Review Online and INSEAD, not to mention publications like Business Week.

Evil HR Lady has a great blog going at www.evilhrlady.blogspot.com.

And for a continual refresher on management tools, take a free or paid subscription to www.mindtools.com.

What do you read to keep current on management and HR issues?

What about the money?

2008-01-10T17:27:00.000+08:00

"I know, I know that I should focus on what makes me happy and not worry about the money, but...."

Dear Money Worrier,

Of course, you worry about the money. It would be wonderful if we could all just throw up our hands, focus on what we love to do and know that the money will follow. It's that KNOWING part that throws me.

Rather I believe that when we look at those things in our lives that important to us, that which drives our choices on how we spend our time and energy, finances is normally one of those areas. On the list might be career, health, relationships, children, hobbies, community, giving. And then it's a rare person who can comfortably leave off the money.

The trick is what is the main thing you are looking to the money for. Is it a symbol of achievement? A measure of success? Is it to be able to provide comfortable for immediate or extended family? Is it to allow retirement in the next 5 years? Is it to buy freedom?

The reality is that how you go about your work (often a key driver in the finance equation) is strongly linked to your convictions around the finances.

Don't walk away from the question. Rather get clear on why money is part of the equation. Then use that to help you gain and keep balance in your life.

What's in a standard (US) expat package?

2008-01-07T14:16:00.000+08:00

Dear Curious Expat in China,

I know you are wondering whether you got a good deal with your expat package or not. Well, let's look at what you might normally find in today's expat package.

Normal cash compensation (base, bonus, incentives) - at a more senior level, some arrangements may be made on the structure of long-term incentives for tax effectiveness. Typically, your base salary will continue to be tied to the company's US pay scales or grades. The challenge you will have here is convincing whoever grades your job that it is the appropriate size (or at least, what you and your boss here think is appropriate). Frequently the scale associated with organization size and/or revenue is smaller than your peers at home. The challenge is that the complexity and performance demands are much higher. The complexity comes from the number of countries and regulatory environments, the range of cultures being managed across, and untold matrix layers. Growth targets are normally far in excess of home country requirements, travel and work hours long, and requirements to exercise your independent judgment, much steeper. Only you will be able to put together the argument on the scope of your role relative to your nominal home-country peers. Keep in mind as you do so that the challenges are obvious here, the results true accomplishments in a difficult environment; but seen from a distance, they look like normal accountabilities.

Foreign service premium - typically on the order of 10% to compensate for disruption in life, spousal job loss, etc. Paid net. Some companies pay on a monthly basis. Some in one or more lumps.

Hardship allowance - This is location dependent and is nominally based on amount of English spoken, level of medical care, safety, pollution, etc. Many companies are no longer deeming China tier 1 cities hardship locations, due to the availability of medical care, imported goods, comfortable housing, education, etc. If you don't want this to happen to you, be sure that you get your visitors out of the 5 star hotels, and even your housing, and expose them to some of the challenges of living and communicating in China.

Cost of living adjustment - The cost of living adjustment looks at the cost of purchasing a market basket of products and services relative to your home country. It is paid on a portion of your earnings - that piece that is estimated to be the amount necessary to buy these normal goods and services for a family of your size. For example, your normal home-based salary goes to a combination of taxes, housing, transportation, savings and then purchases of food, entertainment, medical services, liquor, etc. The COLA is applied to that estimated percentage of your income.

Transportation support - Depending on location, this can be anything from monthly taxi fare, to help buying a car, to a dedicated car and driver. In the latter case, the company may require the employee to contribute to the cost of the transportation support.

Housing support - A budgeted amount for a suitable house. Some plans allow for the employee to share in the difference if the rented home is under budget. Others, don't. Some companies pay for the rental and then take a housing deduction (amount tied to income and often looks something like a mortgage-sized payment). In the latter case then, the company typically picks up all utilities. Alternatively utilities may be included in cost of living.

A lump sum miscellaneous allowance - $5 - 10,000 - is often given to cover the "stuff" of moving. And therefore, bits and pieces of costs are not to be included on expense reports.

Electrical allowance - Another lump sum might be provided to support the purchase of 220 v small appliances. Normally these are then "owned" by the company, to be returned at the end of the assignment, or bought from the firm at a depreciated value.

Education for any kids, including application costs, tuition, uniforms, books and transportation. If you have young kids, be clear on the age where you can start to get tuition support, whether kindergarten, pre-K, or earlier.

Spousal assistance - Something like $5000 once or per year to provide for education, job search support, employment visas, etc. may be provided by companies that recognize that there are often two employees needing to be happy and fulfilled in the move.

Home leave - once per year for family, generally economy. Need to specify whether any extra vacation is used. College students are frequently entitled to one or two reverse home leaves per year.

Depending on location, possibly R&R trip.

How the house is handled stateside comes into play with the housing allowance. More often now, all rent is paid in the host location and the house stateside is your problem (sell, rent, whatever). Upon return, if you end up in a new location, domestic relocation benefits will apply.

Need to specify how big a shipment is allowed to host location; particularly are furnished places common or uncommon? Do people take everything (no storage), or only an airshipment (provide storage)?

Continuation of US service if needed for any pension/retirement benefits. Figure out whether there is continuation of Social Security payments.

Normal benefits, though with an international medical plan, along with a medical evacuation and security system, if needed, e.g., SOS.

And then tax handling, and particularly whether they will be equalized. Note equalization is a strange beast that includes other significant policy decisions affecting your ultimate finances. Will you be held to a state income tax? If so, which state? How will "equalized" deductions be calculated if home sale was one of the options on relocation? This since home mortgage interest tends to be one of the largest deductibles. Understand how taxes will be withheld, and when you are likely to see the first (and last) tax equalized submissions. A good, upfront estimate, of your tax bill is helpful, and this area can be filled with misunderstandings and large tax bills.

What happens if the employee severs the relationship? the company? and under what circumstances?

Any guarantees on repatriation? time of job on return? agreement about the nature of the work?

Many companies have unclear policies associated with repatriation, trying to fit the whole thing into a domestic relocation package. Try to gain some understanding of this up front, but if you fail to do so, influence, influence, influence. If your household goods are on a boat for 6 to 8 weeks, a 30 day temporary housing package will not be enough. If your household appliances have been in storage for multiple years, there may well be items that are no longer functional. Stand firm; this is not a domestic relocation. Ask for what you need.

Finally, relocation binders. Some companies hold expatriates hostage (my term, not theirs!) by requiring the employee to pay back the costs of the expatriation and repatriation expenses if the assignment is not complete, or the employee leaves the company shortly after return. OK, I can understand that if the employee jumps ship while on assignment, the company may be due something. However, holding the employee accountable for the cost of the repatriation is extortion is my humble opinion. Come on, you asked me to put my life (somewhat) on hold, go overseas, work in a challenging environment, deliver results, and then you treat my move home like a domestic relocation? No, not right. So beware if you see one of these, and negotiate before you sign.

Well, Curious Expat, hope you got most of your questions answered. If not, drop me a line at Sherry@ReadSolutionsGroup.com and I'll try to answer your questions.

What interesting quirk or perk do you have in your package?

...Coming soon, what to think about if localization comes up in the conversation.

How do I identify high-potential candidates?

2008-01-07T13:36:00.000+08:00

A writer asks,

Sherry, in your article "Developing High Potential Employees", you give a definition of high-potential employee. The problem is that I still don't know how to help my manager's consistently identify who is high-potential and who isn't. What do you suggest?
A High-Potential HR Manager

Well, dear High-Potential HR Manager, I get this question frequently, and always from people like you who are high-potential. The only question is whether they are high-potential in their company.

What you say? The question is whether they are high-potential in their company? Isn't the question whether someone is high-potential or not?

One former boss of mine convinced me of very little, apart from the truth that everyone is a star in some universe; or to put it more plainly, everyone is high-potential for the right role in the right company. Unfortunately, you might suggest that this doesn't help you answer the question. Ah, but it's a start.

The definition I posted in the article you mentioned, says,

What is a high-potential employee? A generic definition is an individual expected to excel at a position X levels above their current role. Companies often make this more specific to their needs, incorporating a specific leadership level, within a particular time horizon, and most importantly, based on the foreseeable needs of the business. High potential employees demonstrate capabilities in the functional requirements of the business and their specific roles (can do), the personal motivation and drive to excel now and in the future (will do), and the behaviors that ongoing delivery of results (how do).

The tricky thing is deciding what your company needs now, and in the future. And then being even more realistic about whether you need those skills, aptitudes, motivations and experience for all senior level positions, or only specific ones. The reality of most organizations is that you need to be developing a talent pipeline that will fill a wide range of roles across differing functions. While you want your heads of R&D, Finance, H&R and the Business Units to all fill comfortable in the same function, the behaviors, motivations and drivers across the functions may be quite different. Your business strategy may be heavily dependent on technological innovation. So you certainly need innovative, creative people in key functions of the organization; but I wonder whether you need that for your, say, heads of Supply Chain or Finance? Or you could have a business strategy with a key focus staying one step ahead of the competitors. Strategic marketing is a key organizational skill; but again, is it critical for all areas of the organization?

So where am I going with this? Be clear on the few cultural competencies that you require of all of your senior management. And then do a reality check, do you have that now?!? Next, look at individuals who are normally high-performers. Could strengths, motivations, and behaviors lead them, with the right experiences, to be a star in some portion of your company's universe? If so, talk with them. Build an agreement about the experiences and development that will enable that person to flourish. You may find that you have more high-potential candidates than you thought.

Looking forward to more questions that I can answer. Send them to me at Sherry@ReadSolutionsGroup.com.

Becoming the Boss

2008-01-07T10:48:00.000+08:00

Michael Watkins at Harvard Business Review Online has published a case on Making the Shift from Peer to Boss. The case, the comments and suggestions and the series of blogs Watkins posts are extremely insightful on the typical issues and challenges faced as the new boss. Check out the scenario, the challenges, actions for the first day and preparations for the team's off-site meeting.

Listening for Feedback

2008-01-07T10:37:00.000+08:00

Your performance review will often generate feedback. The problem is that it is natural to accept feedback that is consistent with your view of your performance and your self-image, and to reject feedback that is inconsistent. But if you don't know what you don't know and/or your perception of standards and requirements differ from your bosses, you may reject crucial information for your development and success.

It is never easy to receive feedback, nor is it often easy for the person giving you the feedback. Here are some tips for taking advantage of this difficult process.

Suspend judgement. Don't try to analyze on the spot whether the feedback is "right" or "wrong". Treat the feedback as data to be gathered.

Practice active listening. Summarize and reflect back what you hear with your best listening skills. This part of the process is about accurately collecting the data without distortion.

Make sure you have clarified the information without becoming defensive. Questions along the lines of "I hear what you are saying about my performance; I'm wondering if you can give me a specific example of when I've done that?" Note that this approach is not challenging of the information or the perspective, it is simply gathering more information.

Thank the person for giving you the feedback, whether you agree with it or not. Let them know that you want to process the information and, perhaps, respond later.

Continue your data gathering by checking in with another trusted source. Again, control your defensiveness. If you approach a friend with "Can you believe he said that I...", you will receive emotional support while minimizing your opportunity to learn. Try instead, "I'm trying to get a better perspective on what the boss is saying; have you seen or heard me acting in X fashion?"

When you have a clear picture of the feedback, along with supporting evidence and stories, consider how you will respond to the feedback. Is there potentially a blind spot that you need to learn more about? What part of this situation do you own? Is some of this only one person's perspective? Is it possible that the perspective is more widely held than you think; how can you investigate that?

It is easy to react to feedback; much more difficult to choose how to respond. Take your time to decide what you will do with the information and how you might reply.

For additional tips, see How to Receive Feedback with Grace and Dignity by Susan Heathfield.

Performance Feedback Wrap-up: Send me an email on the good, the bad and the ugly of this round of performance reviews, and I will summarize the most interesting anecdotes in an upcoming column. Remember, we learn from reflections on our own triumphs and challenges, as well as from the experiences of others.

Overestimating Your Capabilities?

2008-01-07T10:18:00.000+08:00

David Dunning, Ph.D., professor of psychology at Cornell University explains in a Gallup Management Journal article that most people overestimate their capabilities. If you just had enough time, or started earlier enough, or had the right gear, you too much just play golf like Tiger or tennis like Vanessa or sing like those folks on American Idol; right? A Business Week survey supports Dunning's finding by noting that 90% of American middle managers believed themselves to be in the top 10% of performers.

We overestimate our capabilities because:

Normally people will claim credit for their success and blame other people or conditions for their failures. As a consequence, the overall sense is one of success.
Feedback from others is often couched in softened terms, may be incomplete or less than honest, and may well not be understood or heard.
Frequently people have no way to know how something could have been done differently or better; they are unconsciously incompetent.

Confidence is energizing and can bring its own rewards. Identifying the blind spots and acting on them can be equally rewarding.

Whether with your boss at annual performance appraisal time, with trusted peers, or with an external coach, asking for feedback remains a key step in identifying improvement areas that you just cannot see.

Today's conventional wisdom suggests that you should build on your strengths. That's very true, but without awareness of our weaknesses and finding ways to mitigate them, you may be winning a battle and losing the war. Strong leadership requires that you set high expectations for yourself and others, and demonstrate the ability for continuous learning and growth.

Executive coaching is a tool that supports the identification of blind spots and the development of successful behaviors and skills. To learn more about this investment in your career and the careers of your employees, contact me at Sherry@ReadSolutionsGroup.com .

Planning for the Downturn

2007-11-15T14:00:00.000+08:00

An economic downturn is looming ... the only questions about the extent and timing. HBR asked some of its bloggers to give their perspective. What about yours?

Tom Davenport in Recession: The Next Big Thing comments:

I’m hoping this time for a more enlightened approach to recession-oriented management. Gone, I hope, will be the managerial conservatism, the mindless cutbacks, the early retirement offers to everyone with a pulse, the fire-sale pricing. We can do better, so let’s try.

He suggests that people have shown willingness to tighten their belts together. So rather than cut 10% of the workforce, can we find ways to reduce executive compensation, reduce work hours, and cut compensation costs for the short term? Notice what I started with - executive compensation. It's got to start at the top with a stronger and deeper commitment than is being asked for from the employees, and not automatically made up for in the next bonus round.

If you can retain and even engage employees through bold management moves during a downturn, it may be just the right time for innovation and change, according to Bill Taylor in Innovate for Success in a Downturn.

It all goes back to changing the game. The companies and products that make it big don’t succeed because their champions “time the market” well. They make it big because their champions believe so deeply in what they are doing that they plunge ahead, regardless of macroeconomic conditions—often in face of the worst possible macroeconomic conditions.

Global strategist Pankaj Ghemawar asks whether companies engage in counter-cylical activity and look at a downturn as a potential opportunity for investment in Global Strategies for Uncertain Times.

The truth is, many companies could do better by treating downturns as times to lay the foundations of future growth—including additional globalization—rather than as times to turn off the investment spigot. Such a shift to a more countercyclical investment pattern is aided by the fact that many companies—although there are obviously exceptions in sectors particularly exposed to the property and credit crisis—are still sitting on large piles of cash.

Business and economic cycles, whether macroeconomic or industry specific, are a reality of today's market place. The successful companies will be the ones who find a way to change their game and plan for ways to succeed when others flounder.

When You are Looking at a New Company

2007-11-14T16:53:00.000+08:00

Harvard Business School Professor Joseph Bower, author of The CEO Within: Why Inside Outsiders Are the Key to Succession Planning writes about how leaders can, at the start of their careers, join companies that will enable them to reach the CEO position they aspire to. In interviewing him for Harvard Business Review Online, Paul Michelman uncovers the following questions you might consider asking a company before you join them.

Why am I being hired?
What kinds of career paths will be open to me?
How is this company going to help me grow?
What pattern of assignments am I likely to get?
Will I have time to learn or will I be so rushed in my work or bouncing between assignments that I won't develop well?
What kind of mentoring will I be provided?
What kind of training does the company provide?
How early can I gain the opportunity to run a small business?

The more specific and detailed the answers, the clearer the picture you will have of the opportunities you will have for career development. With the company behind you, it then becomes your challenge to consistently deliver against expectations and actively manage your career.

Facing the Facebook, or not?

2007-11-14T16:20:00.000+08:00

Social networking has quickly become mainstream when it's spotlighted in a short time frame by such venerable institutions as Harvard Business Review and Newsweek, not to mention being the topic of a panel discussion at a recent Forbes conference. The question is how will social networking sites change the world of work and how companies manage themselves.

Tom Davenport at Why Facebook and MySpace Won't Change The Workplace summarizes his position on Harvard Business Online with "In short, I’m still pulling for social networks to revolutionize companies, but I still don’t think that they will. The transformation of enterprises by Enterprise 2.0 is a romantic notion, but not a very likely one."

Charlene Li in Why Your Company Needs to Be on Facebook takes the opposite view that business is about relationships, and so "Your customers, prospects, and employees are exploring and extending their relationships there. Some of you will be bolder in creating business value in these networks while others will wait for the pioneers to carve out the paths. But ignore these new communities only if you believe your customers are not there – and there are few instances where this will be the case."

The challenge for me is that there are only so many hours a day to make calls, meet people, read email, blog, write, and work. While I'm on LinkedIn, I'm struggling with the ROI. At the end of the day, will I get the value out of and can I face adding more time online by trying to keep a Facebook page up to date?

What are your views?

Is Globalization a Myth or a Reality?

2007-11-09T08:15:00.000+08:00

As businesses increasingly become "global players", the strategic quandary is to what extent does the business operate integrate to generate synergies and match its global customers, or is a bias toward local or regional practices more effective.

Pankaj Ghemawat, the Anselmo Rubiralta Professor of Global Strategy at IESE Business School and the Jaime and Josefina Chua Tiampo Professor of Business Administration (on leave) at the Harvard Business School, argues in his recent columns on Harvard Business Online that the actual levels of globalization fall close to 10%. This reality is less of the issue than surveys indicating an average management belief that globalization is near 30%.

Such a gap would be less of a concern if trend lines indicating that the "flattened world" is nearing quickly. Ghemawat challenges all of these beliefs as "globaloney", and raise concerns these myths may be leading companies and economists to make incorrect strategic decisions.

What are your experiences with the challenges of global integration?