greg mitchell principal consultant and owner, hr success

www.hrsuccess.com.auPh. 1300 783 211 HR Success©, 2015

Congratulations on taking this first step to achieving HR Success in yourbusiness!

This mini-guide introduces you to our exclusive 8 Elements to Success throughPeople© model, developed after years of experience working with businesses just like yours.

The 8 Elements model provides a structure to help you assess current peoplemanagement practices while identifying and prioritising strategies that could make a real and significant difference to the profitability, culture and ongoing success of your business.

We suggest you allocate 30 minutes to work your way through the guide. As you do so, be sure to highlight those tips that “ring bells” as potential priorities and strategies to improve your business.

Enjoy!

Greg MitchellPrincipal Consultant and Owner, HR Success


We have found over the years that those clients who achieve thegreatest success (regardless of their size, nature and industry sector), sharesome common attributes in terms of how they manage their people. This experience and insight has inspired and informed our exclusive 8 Elements to Success Through People© model.

The 8 elements to effectively manage people are:

• Clear vision and strategy• Effective leadership• Recruiting right• Setting expectations• Being accountable• Equipping others• Managing risk• Valuing others

By providing an overview and tips for each element, this guide helps you identify just what you need to focus on to make your good business a greatbusiness.

Let’s go!

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Origins of the 8 Elements to the Success through People© Model


What’s It About?

Successful businesses have clear goals and ensure that the activity of all those involved in the business is aligned towards achieving them.

It’s critical for everyone in your team to know; • who you are• what you stand for• how you intend to get there.

To maximise the contribution of your team, they need to;• be and feel part of it• be aware of and support your vision and strategy• share and act in accordance with the values of the business• understand the important part each person plays in achieving the goals of the business.

Tips (place a tick in the box alongside those items that “ring bells” for you):

Work with your team and other stakeholders to develop a clear vision, values and strategy, so that you all know precisely where you are going and how you intend to get there. Ensure your vision, values and strategy, and what they mean in terms of individual accountabilities, are communicated effectively. Regularly measure and communicate progress in terms of achieving your strategy. Consistently reinforce your expectations in relation to the vision, values and

strategy. For example, ensure decisions relating to recruitment, recognition and rewards are linked directly to the vision, values and strategy of the business.

“The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.”

Helen Keller

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Clear Vision & Strategy


What’s It About?

The best businesses have great leadership. Leaders need to be:

• effective from both task and people perspectives • achievement-focused • technically capable• able to align the activity of their teams to the strategy of the business• self-aware, authentic and relatable• consultative and consistent.

While each individual leader needs to be effective, leaders also need to be collectively effective, particularly as the business grows. They need to be “on the same page” in terms of vision and values for example, and they need to work effectively together in order to determine and achieve the right strategy for success.


Provide opportunities for leaders to receive individual feedback and coaching on their management/leadership styles and plan for improvement (diagnostics such as Everything DiSC® and the Human-Synergistics LSI can be valuable). Consider the collective effectiveness of the management team and identify development or other opportunities to improve. Place leadership on the agenda as an item for discussion at the next management meeting. Gather views regarding current individual and collective effectiveness. Discuss what “good” leadership looks like within your business and what can/should be done differently? Develop a simple matrix of the core capabilities (knowledge, skills and personal attributes) required of managers, then assess current incumbents and provide support to fill identified gaps.

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, become more, you are a leader”

John Quincy Adams

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Effec tive Leadership


What’s It About?

Successful businesses recruit for skills, knowledge AND temperament. They also have clear strategies and processes to support the recruitment and retention of the very best employees.

With significant competition for the best staff, good businesses know that they need to be “on their game” in order to attract and retain great candidates. This means knowing how to conduct a professional and thorough recruitment process, including:

• effectively scoping the role• knowing where to look for the right candidates• drafting effective advertisements and professionally handing enquiries • skilfully assessing candidates• making an appropriate offer• implementing an effective onboarding process.


Know your market – ensure that the proposed remuneration and conditions for the role are not only compliant but also sufficient to attract the right calibre of candidates. Understand and promote those attributes that might make your business attractive to the best candidates (it could be a flexible workplace culture, location, working environment and/or development opportunities for example). Ensure that only those with appropriate experience and training are managing recruitment and selection in your business. Use a combination of methods to assess candidates. The more pieces of the puzzle you have, the more complete the picture. Consider, for example, using structured interviews, psychometric assessments, skills tests relevant to the role and verbal referee reports.

“Nothing we dois more important than hiring and developing people. At the end of the day you bet onpeople, not on strategies.”

Lawrence Bossidy

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Recruiting Right


What’s It About?

In our experience, many business owners and managers who express frustration inrelation to employee performance have just not made their expectations clearenough.

Successful businesses take opportunities throughout the employment lifecycle to setand reinforce clear expectations with their employees. Opportunities to do so include when:

• drafting and reviewing position descriptions• undertaking recruitment, selection and induction activities• completing performance reviews• making decisions relevant to staff recognition and rewards.


Ensure that current position descriptions are in place for all roles.Develop and communicate a formal list of delegations to clarify the authority levels of individuals in relation to, for example, financial and HR-related responsibilities.Develop and apply a structured process to induct new staff into the business,ensure that expectations are clear and bring them up to speed as quickly as possible.Ensure supervisors and managers regularly and effectively provide feedback totheir team members in order to reinforce expectations.Develop and effectively communicate and maintain a clear set of policies andprocedures to guide staff actions (eg. Code of Conduct, leave and attendance policy, bullying and harassment-free workplace policy).

“Don’t lower your expectations to meet your performance. Raise your level of performance to meet your expectations.”

Ralph Marston

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Setting Expec tations


What’s It About?

In addition to setting clear expectations, the best businesses foster a culture of accountability. For example, they often:

• set and review progress toward key performance indicators (KPIs) at individual, team and business levels• benchmark against previous performance and the performance of similar businesses• undertake regular customer and staff surveys• have and consistently apply an effective performance planning and review process.

While some businesses do a great job in terms of setting expectations, it means little if there is no follow-through on those occasions that expectations are not met.


Review your business strategies and goals to ensure they are S.M.A.R.T (Specific, Measurable, Agreed, Realistic, Timebound). You and your team need to know precisely what you are aiming for and the means by which performance will be measured. Regularly measure progress towards your business goals and, as appropriate, communicate results to your team. Ensure that each business goal translates into plans and KPIs for each area of the business and, wherever possible, each individual within the business. Develop, review and implement a performance management process as the primary means by which individual goals are established and reinforced, progress is reviewed and any development needs are identified and addressed. Be prompt, consistent and effective in addressing performance that does not meet expectations.

“Accountability breeds response-ability.”

Stephen Covey

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Being Accountable


What’s It About?

Staff need to have the necessary knowledge, skills, experience and personal attributes to make their best possible contribution. Learning and development activities within the business need to be effectively managed and clearly linked tobusiness outcomes. Managers need to, for example:

• clearly understand the capabilities that will contribute to success• be aware of, assess and utilise the current capabilities of their employees• promptly address current and potential future shortfalls• identify and nurture talent.

“We must open the doors of opportunity. But we must also equip our people to walk through those doors.”

Lyndon B. Johnson


When reviewing business plans, make a point to ask yourself: what skills, knowledge, experience and personal attributes will we need to achieve these plans? To what extent do they currently reside within the business? Do we need to further develop our current people and/or supplement our current capabilities by bringing in new staff and/or seeking external support? Define the skills, knowledge, experience and personal attributes required for successful performance in each role. Develop a simple matrix to assess the current capabilities of staff members against relevant requirements, then work with them to develop clear action plans to address any gaps. Think broadly when considering how to address capability gaps within your current team: consider, for example, the merits of on the job training, mentoring, involvement in special projects, attendance at seminars and workshops, online learning and/or encouraging and perhaps even supporting staff undertaking tertiary studies.

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Equipping O thers


What’s It About?

Sustainable businesses manage the risks associated with employment, including for example:

• (in Australia) compliance with National Employment Standards, Fair Work and Modern Award requirements• compliance with Work Health and Safety requirements• staff grievances and disputes• employee attraction and retention• knowledge management and succession planning.

“Risk is like fire: If controlled it will help you; if uncontrolled it will rise up and destroy you.”

Theodore Roosevelt


Undertake or commission a review to assess the current compliance of the business with key features of the Fair Work Act, National Employment Standards, applicable Modern Awards, Work Health and Safety Act and other legislation relevant to employment. Review current employment arrangements in order to effectively manage risks

associated with, for example, the confidentiality of business information, ownership/ security of resources and property (including intellectual property), andpost-employment competition.

Ensure measures are in place to manage employment-related risks beyond legislative compliance (eg. risks relating to succession planning, poor performance and misconduct, social media, retention of high performers and knowledge management). Recognise that as your business grows, its needs and associated risks will change, so your policies, processes and systems will need to change with them. Ensure that identifying and effectively addressing risks is a regular part of improving your business.

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Managing Risks


“To add value toothers, one must firstvalue others.”

John C. Maxwell


Ensure wages and other benefits of employment are keeping pace with the market (while wages and benefits are generally not the best motivator of performance, they can be a significant de-motivator if people feel they are undervalued compared to others doing similar work). Implement formal and informal mechanisms to recognise, reward and reinforce good performance. Programs developed in conjunction with staff can work well, particularly when clearly linked to the values and goals of the business. Don’t underestimate the value of simple measures of recognition: welcoming new staff or celebrating milestones with morning tea, genuinely thanking others for a job well done, a small gift at Christmas time or even providing staff with collateral that identifies them as being part of the business (branded pens and shirts for example). Also don’t underestimate the power of communication. Keeping your team abreast of changes and developments in the business, and seeking their contributions, in itself indicates that you value their opinion. Ensure your performance management process provides opportunity for good performance to be recognised, for issues of concern to be raised and for immediate and career-development opportunities to be discussed.

What’s It About?

Effective businesses nurture and value the contribution of their employees. They:

• get to understand their employees as individuals (their needs, work preferences and motivators for example)• provide opportunities for personal and professional growth• encourage and look for regular opportunities to encourage, thank and motivate them.

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Valuing O thers


All material in this mini guide is copyright to HR Success.

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So how did you go?

If you’ve reached the end of this guide and come to the conclusion that the peoplemanagement practices in your business are sound, congratulations! You are well on your way to achieving business success through people.

If, on the other hand, you’ve come to the conclusion that “there’s work to do”, don’t despair! We can help you iron out the issues that are holding your business back.

• Browse our website to explore our support services and also access our complimentary online 8 Elements to Success Through People© diagnostic• Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+, Twitter and/or Youtube to receive regular posts, tips and tools (if at first you can't find us, try searching for HRSuccess4u)• Connect with Greg personally, via LinkedIn• Contact us via 1300 783 211 or email [email protected] to discover more about implementing the 8 Elements to Success through People© model in your business.

Whatever you choose to do, please do something! Only by truly engaging your team will you achieve the business success you hope for and deserve!

Wishing you every success,

Greg MitchellPrincipal Consultant and Owner, HR Success

Your partners in HR Success(l-r) Greg, Emma and Paul

greg mitchell principal consultant and owner, hr success

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