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HR lolCat – Strategize
Jun 23It takes a lot of effort to develop a business strategy. If you’re thinking about making some changes, you should read the Harvard Business Review article 10 Must Reads on Strategy. They’ve chosen 10 articles that every company thinking about changing their business strategy should read before trying to execute the change.
Here I’ve listed the articles and where to either buy them or read them, but be sure to read the whole article, too.
- “What Is Strategy?” by Michael E. Porter
- “The Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy,” by Michael E. Porter
- “Building Your Company’s Vision,” by James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras
- “Reinventing Your Business Model,” by Mark Johnson, Clayton Christensen, and Henning Kagermann
- “Blue Ocean Strategy,” by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne
- “The Secrets to Successful Strategy Execution,” by Gary L. Neilson, Karla L. Martin, and Elizabeth Powers
- “Using the Balanced Scorecard as a Strategic Management System,” by Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton
- “Transforming Corner-Office Strategy into Frontline Action,” by Orit Gadiesh and James L. Gilbert
- “Turning Great Strategy into Great Performance,” by Michael C. Mankins and Richard Steele
- “Who Has the D? How Clear Decision Roles Enhance Organizational Performance,” by Paul Rogers and Marcia Blenko
And you don’t have to take our word for it. Plus, if HR lolCat says so, then you know it’s the truth.
Tech Tuesday: Aging Out at 40?
Jun 22
At Google, less than 1% of employees are older than 40.
This fact may be the result of Google’s preferences and policies, or it could be the result of the preferences of current and potential employees. We can’t assume any causal relationships, but there are some things we can probably safely say about age in the tech sector:
Some tech employers believe that younger employees are more knowledgeable about the latest technologies.
There are so many apocryphal stories about how a grandmother has her neighbor’s kid set up her router or program the VCR that we almost believe the kid never even had to learn. It reminds me of Star Trek episodes that show young children of the future studying post-quantum physics instead of arithmetic. In some ways, this makes no sense at all. Yet so much has been said about how growing up in the digital era shapes the way you think and interact.
Some believe that younger employees can innovate better.
This is the “stuck-in-a-rut” model, i.e. “Fresh eyes on a problem bring about fresh solutions.” And while this may also have some merit, it has a flip side. Specifically that the wisdom of experience has value. To use an adage, “Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it.”
Some believe that younger employees can work harder during crises.
In a fast-paced, high-risk environment, you may need extended work hours to get ahead. How do young and old differ in terms of flexibility? Some may say that the older employee lacks the physical stamina to keep up. To the same end, one could argue that only the young employee has the naivete to work all night in exchange for pizza. But this is the same thinking that was used to keep women out of the workplace.
These perspectives might all play a role in an employer’s actions with regard to older employees. There are certainly issues of self-selection as well. In what other ways can this seemingly tiny figure of 1% come about?
[Full disclosure: I am 43.]
Note to BP’s HR Leadership: If Your CEO Doesn’t Know What’s Going On, Tell the Board to Fire Him
Jun 18Here’s a 4-minute video montage of BP’s CEO Tony Hayward “testifying” before Congress yesterday. He seems to be expert at saying “I don’t recall” and “I wasn’t part of that decision.” Here’s an idea for BP’s HR team: You want to do the right thing? Recommend to the board that one of your employees — your CEO in this case — should be removed from his job immediately. If he doesn’t know what’s going on, put someone in that job who does. That goes for everyone in your company.
C’mon, HR, this really is a burning platform.
DIY: Spruce Up Your Office
Apr 28Does you office decor feel like the usual, “same old, same old”? Need to do a little sprucing up? Here are five recommendations of office furniture and accessories that you can easily add to your current workspace to make it a bit more exciting and feel like new.
This first piece is a rare Willy Van der Meeren desk. It’s from the 1950′s…think I Like Ike. It’s 2850 £, which equals out to around $4,407. If you do decide to add this to your decor, you’ll definitely be the only one on your block who owns one.
Sit this Desk Tidy from Charles and Marie on top of your Willy Van der Meeren desk to get rid of the clutter, and look really cool at the same time.
At our Philadelphia office, we have this Cubitech Shelving from Design Within Reach. You can build it into a bunch of different shapes and designs, and it also comes in a few different colors. The best part is that the plastic is transparent, so the sun shines right through. But beware – make sure to allot yourself a good amount of time to put these shelves together.
Another personal favorite are these ghost chairs from Design Public. They can go in any conference room, break room or lounge. They also let light shine through. My favorite is the transparent rose, but Design Public gives you 10 different colors to choose from.
Want to help you and your coworkers to breathe a little better? Add some plants to your headquarters. Not only do they make great decoration pieces, but they also emit oxygen – you know, the stuff you breathe in. These macrame plant hangers from Smalltown are a great way to support your hanging plants and add some pizazz to your workspace.
Follow Cosmo's Example: Keep the Naked Edge in Communication.
Apr 2Check out the April cover of Cosmopolitan magazine.
From afar, cover model Lady Gaga looks naked, thanks to the near-nude shade of her lingerie. If you think this way of clinching newsstand sales (or at least securing a double take) is extreme, think again. After all, getting someone’s attention is half the battle. If it worked on you, it might work on potential readers, too.
That’s how Cosmo shows us time and time again that sex sells. If you make people want to read something, they may actually do just that. The lesson in this for us as HR professionals is simple: Don’t lose the naked edge on your messages.
Here’s a little game of rewriting I like to play at IFRACTAL. On the left column, you’ll see the Cosmo headlines—on the right, the edited versions, something you might get after toning down the edginess a bit.
Which magazine would you rather read?
| Original Cosmo content | Edited content |
|---|---|
| The sex article we can’t describe here! | Read a report that explains an indescribable aspect of human reproduction |
| Easy, fun ways to fall more in love with your man | A couple of not-so-difficult options for those of you seeking out a stronger emotional bond with your significant other |
| 50 things to do butt naked | Less than 100 possibilities of actions you can safely conduct without wearing any clothes |
| Killer confidence: Make everyone wish they were you | Methods that may help introverted individuals overcome their shyness |
| Find your G-Spot: Directions so clear, they’re like GPS | Research indicates the location of an undisputed hormonal trigger in females |
| Sex up your eyes (with this awesome spring trick) | Learn a new method for accentuating the area just below your eyes |
| Love advice only Gaga would give | Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta talks about finding evolutionary compatible mates |
| Speak his sex language: We decode the secret clues men send in bed | Researchers investigate involuntary male responses during sexual intercourse |
| Weird reasons you’re so freakin’ tired | Scientific hypotheses that explain your chronic fatigue |
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