WE ARE NOT ROBOTS!!!!
Too bad… it would make things easier when it comes to business….
We are humans, subject to errors, failures and all sorts of unpredictabilities.
In the past two decades of consulting across industries, what still gets me, particularly for small to medium size businesses (often without strong investment in HR), is the contrast between the significant effort, organisation, and diligence put into the business plan and the lack of the same put into the people and culture plan (often close to no time, energy or resources)
So WHY do so many exec leadership teams fall short when investing in the strategic side of their people? Why do so many fail to develop a robust plan to get their people to peak high performance every day??
(Despite the hard work of HR professionals??)
Probably because it is difficult, complex, hard to get the head around, takes continuous, deliberate effort... and ultimately has a longer lead time to get ROI than chasing the latest tech innovation.
The thing is, as we know, the cost of human capital is the biggest expenditure in most businesses, as well as being one of the biggest risk factors (human performance varies to extremes from day to day – and a few wrong decisions can destroy a sale, a quarter or an entire business!).
The PROBLEM
Exec leadership don't take ownership of building, driving and sustaining High Performance People & Culture, and either leave their People and Culture Plan to chance, or completely delegate People & Culture responsibility and then fail to champion & implement any plans put forward by HR, resulting in…
• ineffective strategy to integrate values, mission & cultural themes into everyday behaviours, communications, performance measurement, and all people processes
• ineffective strategy to anticipate and prepare for org chart expansion and re-structures as the business evolves through planned and unanticipated growth
• ineffective strategy to keep people engaged & motivated on a daily basis (more than just the "supposed-to-be-inspiring" closing speech at the annual conference)
• ineffective strategy to systematise performance accountability now and for the future, as the company continues to grow (creating accountability systems that grow with the business)
• ineffective strategy to seamlessly connect all points of the employee journey from recruitment, hiring, through induction, development, promotion and retirement
• ineffective strategy to ensure effective leadership succession for the long term
which means they are taking HUGE risks!
As a performance psychologist, I would tell them (and I am sure most HR professionals see this frequently) that the problem will only be compounded when they least need more challenges - because their people will be most vulnerable at the most critical, high pressure moments in the business.
I’m not saying businesses will not continue without a formal people & culture strategy – they may not NEED this to survive – but the likelihood is that the business could be SO MUCH BETTER with a High Performance approach to getting the most from their number one asset.
THE SOLUTION
What can be done? Engage the Exec Leadership team in a science-based approach to do the following:
• DECIDE – first step is making the decision that people and culture strategy is as important, if not more important, than the sales or marketing plan (Who is going to do the marketing and selling? A computer or a human?). We need to get them bought in and get them thinking about why People & Culture Strategy has to be part of their core KPIs (and not just something to be delegated and then forgotten). Get them stuck into the latest research on Culture Science to help get them over the line.
• ACT – do something – get the partners or senior leadership team together to brainstorm their roles in, and ideas on, P & C strategy, and then help them draft a comprehensive, strategic P & C plan that they can own, champion and drive. Leveraging insights from Achievement Science can make a big difference to getting them in action.
• ASK for Help – When the exec team is not up to date on the latest intel for building an awesome plan that drives peak performance? Help them reach out for expert support. We know that good consultants won’t come cheap, but the right ones will deliver enormous value (a $30k, $100k or $500k investment may seem beyond the budget, but not if the expert contribution generates 2 to 10 times the ROI, and up to several millions in human capital cost savings and/or helps drive similar business revenue). For HR, make sure your consulting partner creates a highly valued, integrated relationship that complements your skill-set and works hard to support you in delivering the best parts of your role and expertise.
• IMPLEMENT CONTINUOUSLY – Whether they have developed an excellent P & C strategy on their own, with HR support, or with the help of experts, the only thing that will make a difference is if they implement it in the business, every day. (Strategy with inconsistent implementation is like going to the gym randomly a couple of times a month and hoping to get fit). To keep leaders on path for continuous implementation, make sure people build their knowledge on Leadership & Motivational Sciences (the brain-basis of getting humans to do anything).
• EVOLVE – We know the business landscape changes continuously, and discerning leaders adjust their business plans to adapt to those changes. Similarly, the people landscape changes – and good leaders adjust how they manage their people in accordance with changing expectations, generational differences, and the like.It gets me thinking about the modern family – in which parents are doing everything they can to bring their kids up healthy and happy, and preparing them in the best ways possible for the chaotic world ahead…
When do you stop investing in your family?
It might be time to see your business family as a worthwhile investment!
