Author Archives: HRDQ

Cultural Change in Organizations: A Guide to Leadership and Bottom-Line Results

Posted on February 16, 2012 | Leave a comment

In this new title, Cultural Change in Organizations: A Guide to Leadership and Bottom-Line Results, Robert Crosby, leadership aficionado and Renaissance man, has renewed and expanded on the ideas presented in his watershed book, The Authentic Leader, published 11 years ago. According to Crosby, “The way we approach cultural change should be changed.”

The first section of the Guide uses a compelling business case in story format to demonstrate how a cultural change can begin, and show its progression to a successful organizational shift. Crosby sets his message within the story of “Peter” who learns from his mentor Art Merlin, how to lead his company through the necessary cultural shift and ultimately boosts sales.

Merlin’s three simple rules start the ball rolling on initial cultural shifts:

  1. The leader leads. Like Columbus, the leader sets the course  - and stays the course – in a non-reactive way against the inevitable resistance.
  2. The leader communicates. Leaders should meet with all employees in small groups, even if there it is a large organization. In the beginning stages of an organizational shift, the leader should share information with employees, but stop before fielding any questions. Instead, keep focused on streaming real data and information to them, so they are gaining trust and understanding.
  3. The leader initiates a self-renewing process in all intact groups (bosses and employees) and in cross-functional groups (projects and task forces). The critical “self-renewal” process is how managers and leaders are able to arrest disengagement; meeting with staff to ask what is working, what isn’t, what they need more or less of, and figuring out how their opinions can fit into the new culture of the organization.

Robert Crosby continues by breaking down these rules into practical steps. He walks the reader through conflict resolution, employee autonomy, structural changes, and other topics, before giving us more case studies in the form of short stories at the end of the book. If you are looking for flash and a 30-second fix to your organization’s cultural change challenges, then this is not the book for you. If you are ready for real, practical information that is embedded within an engaging real-life story and is followed up with hard-earned wisdom, then this one is a must-have for your bookshelf. Order your copy today!

Check out Robert Crosby’s other book, Walking the Empowerment Tightrope.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Handling Change

Tagged , , , , , ,

What Is the Business Value of a Great Workplace?

Posted on February 13, 2012 | Leave a comment

In their new title, The Great Workplace: How to Build It, How to Keep It, and Why It Matters, authors Michael Burchell and Jennifer Robin ask us to consider why leaders, trainers, and human resources executives should put effort into making their workplace “great.”  You may ask yourself the same question.  After all, with all of the challenges that organizations have faced in recent years, many leaders may consider organizational culture secondary to basic financial and operational needs.

But, organizations that are considered “great” places to work by employees are also able to leverage the human capital that they have spent years finding, training, and paying, to accommodate those needs. This book takes readers on a tour of many companies that have been placed on Fortune Magazine’s “Top 100 Companies to Work For” list, including SAS, Microsoft, Scripps Health, General Mills, Google, and others. It explores what they all have in common, regardless of their unique culture, size, or industry.  The authors show the value of these real-world examples by highlighting their commitment to three critical ideals: trust, pride, and camaraderie.

Burchell and Robin draw on over 25 years of studying great workplaces.  Today, they conduct the largest annual study of workplace environments globally. In The Great Workplace, they have synthesized this wealth of information into a  concise account of best practices for organizational culture that lends a warm, readable tone to a subject that is often treated with formulas and sterile definitions.

The message is simple: The great workplace is one where employees trust the people they work for, take pride in what they do, and enjoy the people they work with.  But achieving “great workplace” status is definitely a challenge.  The Great Workplace will show you all you need to know in order to make your organization the best it can be.

Register now for HRDQ’s next Webinar, presented by Michael Burchell and Jennifer Robin, Wednesday, February 15, 2012 from 2pm-3pm EST

What You Will Learn:

  • Explore the essential ingredients of a great workplace
  • Understand the business case for developing a great workplace
  • Discover the best practices that separate great workplaces from the rest
  • Learn how the learning and development function is positioned at the best companies
  • Realize how learning and development leaders influence the creation of a great workplace

Who Should Attend:

  • Management team members
  • Trainers and organization development professionals
  • Human Resources managers
  • OD consultants

Space is limited. You will receive a confirmation email containing detailed instructions shortly after you complete the registration process. Special offer for attendees! Join us for this presentation and receive an exclusive offer from HRDQ.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Teams and Leadership

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

58 1/2 Ways to Improvise in Training

Posted on February 3, 2012 | Leave a comment

As a trainer or facilitator, there are many times when you are responsible for energizing participants and setting the tone for a stimulating learning environment.    58 ½ Ways to Improvise in Training (by Paul Jackson, HRDQ), presents a variety of typical “Activity Groups” and then addresses each one with six or seven flexible group activities to stimulate and loosen up your group. The author, backed by the practical expertise that he brings to the table from years of experience, created these activities to provide you with immediately usable techniques.  Even more, he adds variations to each activity, so they can be customized for your situation.

Activity Groups Included in 58 ½ Ways to Improvise in Training:

  • Alert and Energize
  • Working Together
  • Influencing Relationships
  • Resources
  • Emotions and Attitudes
  • Scenarios
  • Creativity
  • Wisdom

The author also emphasizes the invigoration of the trainer or facilitator, who is able to catch the “buzz” of energy created by the activities in the book, and pass that energy back to participants in the form of a high-impact, satisfying workshop and learning experience.

Within their groups, the activities are organized by their energy level, whether they are  team-oriented, and if they address the verbal, physical, or visual realms.  This augments the typical “time allotted and number of participants” information that a trainer usually has to settle for.  You also are given “side-coaching” tips to help you keep energy flowing throughout the activity, debriefing, and variations.

If you ever find yourself starting a workshop or training program with participants who seem distracted or apathetic, you will be able to pull out one of these 58 ½ activities and get the improvisational energy rolling. When you start presenting the curriculum, you’ll have an alert audience whose minds are on the task at hand and ready to learn!

58 ½ Ways to Improvise in Training is available digitally, or as a printed collection of loose-leaf sheets to meet your audiences’ needs.

And what is the “1/2” activity, in the 58 ½ activities that this book covers? You’ll find out when you open up the book yourself!

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Reach Your Audience

Tagged , , , ,

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, A Leadership Fable

Posted on January 21, 2012 | 2 Comments

In The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Patrick Lencioni depicts a fictional, yet realistic, executive team in disarray.  Aptly subtitled “A Leadership Fable”, the tale follows a newly-appointed CEO in her quest to unify a broken group of managers into a cohesive team with functioning, professional relationships.

Far from a touchy-feely story of training exercises involving falling off a platform into their co-workers arms, the team learns why it is so important to trust one another.  Making the point that trust is the root from which every important action stems, Lencioni spells out a simple formula for success.  It is not easy, as he tells us, but it is simple.  Hard work and dedication are always necessary parts of any improvement or advancement, but never more so than when dealing with very different personalities.  We all know the Apprehensive Anthony, Negative Nelly, and Arrogant Amanda types, and Lencioni describes the firm, consistent manner in which they should be handled for the good of the team.

Written in an easy-to-follow story format, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team provides valuable insight into why it is difficult for individuals to accomplish results when not working as part of a cohesive team.  The Leadership Fable follows a progression that begins with a problem familiar to many:

  • Part One: Underachievement, depicts a team that is not working as such, and in turn, the company is faltering.
  • Part Two: Lighting the Fire, details the sometimes incendiary process of implementing a meaningful change.
  • Part Three: Heavy Lifting, narrates the sometimes arduous task of performing consistent actions to achieve lasting results.
  • Part Four: Traction, finally demonstrates measurable results.

The last several sections of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team specifically detail the five dysfunctions and their symptoms.  Finally, there is an assessment included to be used for diagnosing your team’s particular problem areas and suggestions for overcoming each dysfunction.  The lasting message of Lencioni’s tale is best articulated by the author himself:

Patrick Lencioni, Author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

“As much information is contained here, the reality remains that teamwork ultimately comes down to practicing a small set of principles over a long period of time.  Success is not a matter of mastering subtle, sophisticated theory, but rather of embracing common sense with uncommon levels of discipline and persistence.”

With this book, you’ll be able to develop a group training session to introduce every member of your team to the theories in this helpful tale, or use it in every day practice as a manual to reinforce the constructive work habits that breed success.  Read this best-selling book today and implement its  suggestions to get your team on the road to success!

→ 2 Comments

Posted in Teams and Leadership

Tagged , , , , , ,

Ron Roberts Book Signing: The Well Balanced Leader

Posted on January 18, 2012 | Leave a comment

On Thursday, January 19th, Ron Roberts will be signing copies of his newest title, The Well Balanced Leader: The Egolibrium Method and the Nine Behaviors of Successful Leadership, at Barnes and Noble in Devon, Pennsylvania.

Egolibrium speaks to the instrumental balance between the identity of the individual and one’s performance as a member of a team.  In The Well Balanced Leader, Roberts focuses on nine behavioral pairs that need to be examined and controlled in order to maintain this balance. 

He provides a self-assessment, along with activities and suggestions geared toward developing each pair.  This assessment will be available in the HRDQ Store in late April.

If you are fan of his work, or are about to become one, we highly recommend joining Ron for a short presentation, and to get your signed copy of The Well Balanced Leader, on the 19th.  The event will begin at 7:00pm.

Meet Ron Roberts on Thursday, January 19th at 7:00pm

Location:
Barnes and Noble
150 West Swedesford Road
Devon, PA 19333
(610) 695 6600

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Announcement

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

The Flawless Consulting Fieldbook & Companion: A Guide to Understanding Your Expertise

Posted on January 6, 2012 | Leave a comment

In his latest book, Peter Block gives consultants a map to navigate the often complex path of their work and its often complex roles. Whether you fell into consulting accidentally or have spent years methodically building up a business, this book will give you a wider view of the profession and how industry leaders have approached their own challenges to overcome them successfully. Block describes his group of 30 hand-picked consultants as “flawless,” and after reading his Fieldbook, it is easy to understand why. 

Peter Block, Author of The Flawless Consulting Fieldbook and Companion

The Flawless Consulting Fieldbook is broken down into chapters that address overarching issues in the practice of consulting, and then six consultants give their own insight on each topic. Some of those topics include: The Power of the Question, The Complexity of Advice, Valuing Capacities, and Integrating Strategy and Experience.

At almost 500 pages, readers will find that this exhaustive resource keeps giving, even after they have read through the whole book from beginning to end. For example, after a trying day with a client, you could come home, open up the pertinent section, and learn how to better handle the next morning or how to reframe an inflammatory topic in your next meeting.

Block also includes indices to concepts, stories, and practical tools. For example, if you are looking for insight on how the new economy changes clients’ approach to your services (Concepts & Theory Index), or if you seek stories and cases about the eternal family triangle of you, your client, and your boss (Cases & Stories Index), or even if you want to learn how to deal with resistance (Tools & Techniques Index), you have a shortcut to exactly the kind of advice you need, all in one sitting. 

If you’re a consultant, or considering consulting, this is a must-read. Order your copy today!

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Consulting

Tagged , , ,