Archive for category Ken Blanchard
Do our nation’s leaders need more leadership training?
Posted by Kristina Marzullo in Commitment, Communication, Employee Passion, Engagement, Federal Agency, Government, Ken Blanchard, Leadership, Leadership Development, Motivation, Relationships, Supervisor, Teams, Training on May 16, 2012
I work for a leadership and training development company. I am constantly surrounded by best practices on leading a team, leading in a situation, and even leading myself. I am continuously exposed to the skills required to develop an individual into a great leader, motivate a team member, and generate empowerment in a direct report. So when I read reports like The Federal Leadership Challenge from the Partnership for Public Service (PPS), I have to remember that not everyone has the same daily experience that I have. PPS conducted an analysis using the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) 2011 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey and uncovered that leadership is the lowest ranking category in the Federal Government. The report states that out of 10 workplace categories, leadership has the lowest ranking, scoring only 54.9 out of 100.
More about the report
The leadership category of the analysis was broken down into perceptions of empowerment, fairness, and senior leaders and supervisors. Out of these sub-categories, empowerment and senior leaders reflected the lowest ratings with government employees.
- 46.3% of respondents felt personal empowerment
- 42.6% feel their senior leaders instill motivation and commitment
- 48.1% are satisfied with the information they receive from management about the state of the agency
- 50.7% feel they are involved in decisions that affect their work
- 52.9% believe senior leaders maintain high standards of honesty and integrity
- 54.3% trust there is fairness within their organization
Making improvements
A particular agency that has made a concerted effort in improving these numbers has experienced a positive increase in their employee’s perceptions of leadership within the organization. The U.S. Mint, an agency that is part of the Department of the Treasury, made some necessary changes on how they communicate and empower employees and it’s reflected in their scores. The agency had a 21.2% increase on the Best Places to Work Index from 2010, empowerment was ranked 34.5% higher than last year and senior leaders received a 41.5% spike from the same time frame. The report states that this positive increase came about from strides taken in increasing communication with employees, working more cooperatively with unions and by fully explaining the challenges faced by the organization and the reasons why decisions were being made. In addition, the Mint has been having regular town hall meetings, giving employees the opportunity to voice their concerns, and responding to those issues.
Researchers at The Ken Blanchard Companies uncovered that strategic leadership directly influenced operational leadership, which in turn directly influenced employee work passion and customer devotion. Strategic leadership indirectly influences organizational vitality. In addition, they found that employee work passion and customer devotion influenced one another and that when employees were passionate about their job and their organization, they tended to interact with the customer in a more positive manner.
Want to learn more on empowering and motivating employees? Register for an upcoming webinar that will show you 3 ways you can create a culture where everyone feels a sense of ownership, empowerment, and ability to make a difference. You’ll learn:
- The importance of sharing information freely throughout your organization. People without information—or incomplete information—make poor business decisions. People with access to complete information make better decisions and feel more committed to them. Ongoing communication is imperative.
- How to create alignment and get everyone moving forward in the same direction. Recent research shows that only 14% of people are truly aligned with their organization’s key goals.
- The role empowerment plays. Drive empowerment as close to the customer as possible. Make sure that reward and recognition practices encourage people to take action. Instill a sense of meaningful work in every employee.
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A Situational Approach to Leadership in the Public Sector
Posted by Kristina Marzullo in Communication, Direction, Employee Engagement, Employee Passion, Federal Agency, Government, Ken Blanchard, Leadership, Leadership Development, Performance, Productivity, The Ken Blanchard Companies on February 2, 2012
Join The Ken Blanchard Companies for a complimentary webinar and online chat beginning today at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time (12:00 noon Eastern).
Jim Atwood, Director of Blanchard Government Solutions will be discussing how taking a situational approach to leadership can enhance your ability to effectively manage and develop your people and how that process can increase competence, commitment, and retention of your most talented individuals.
This webinar is free and seats are still available if you would like to join over 800 people expected to participate. Immediately after the webinar, Jim will be answering follow-up questions here at How Gov Leads for about 30 minutes. To participate in the follow-up discussion, use these simple instructions.
Instructions for Participating in the Online Chat
- Click on the LEAVE A COMMENT link below
- Type in your question
- Push SUBMIT COMMENT
It’s as easy as that! Jim will answer as many questions as possible in the order they are received. Be sure to press F5 to refresh your screen occasionally to see the latest responses. We hope you can join us later today for this special complimentary event courtesy of Cisco WebEx and The Ken Blanchard Companies.
A Resolution Worth Making…and Keeping
Posted by Kristina Marzullo in Change, Commitment, Federal Agency, Government, Ken Blanchard, Leadership, Leadership Development, Motivation, Performance, Productivity, Training on January 4, 2012
When the New Year rolls around, most people have good intentions and make resolutions to kick-off the year; unfortunately, most people break their resolutions less than a month into the year. However, some don’t wait until the clock strikes midnight to make a positive change and continue working on and improving those changes well into the New Year. The Department of Veterans Affairs is one of the government agencies that set a resolution to retain their employees. The government agency has helped many of its employees improve their skills and has provided them opportunities to grow within the agency. Despite budget cuts and pay freezes, the agency created the VA Learning University (VALU) to offer employees an outlet to improve development, leadership skills, and personal growth while aligning to the agency’s mission and goals. This initiative has helped the VA save $200 million in turnover expenses in 2011. For 2012, the agency has made a goal to support the Obama administration’s drive to add more veterans into the civilian federal workforce. They plan on increasing the amounts of veterans they have on staff to 40 percent in 2012, up from 32 percent currently.
Perhaps the VA is on to something. A survey recently conducted by Federal News Radio to 49 chief human capital officers (CHCO) showed that most CHCOs are concerned with recruiting and retaining employees due to tight budgets and limited resources. VALU is proof that not all incentives to recruit and retain are monetary. The ability to grow professionally and personally is a coveted benefit at any agency. The Ken Blanchard Companies believes that individual learning is a key element to a high performing agency and is essential to self-leadership. Agencies that do not encourage people to learn are less likely to be high performing, because the skills of an agency are no greater than the skills of its people. When individuals learn, the agency learns. High performing agencies use formal training, mentoring, and on-the-job support to develop the skills and competencies of their people.
As a leader, why not help your direct reports make the most out of their learning experience. Learn the six keys on how to ENGAGE your staff so they can apply what the learned in real-life work scenarios.
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Hey Boss, I’ll be working from home today.
Posted by Kristina Marzullo in Government, Ken Blanchard, Leadership, Management, Morale, Productivity, Relationships, Telework, The Ken Blanchard Companies, Trust, Virtual on August 26, 2010
The benefits of telework have been proved in the public and private sectors.
The Telework Improvement Act 2010 was approved by both the House and Senate. This is great news for eligible federal government workers who wish to work from home, unless their managers don’t fully feel comfortable with the idea. According to the 2009 Telework Report, one of the biggest hurdles in fully implementing the Telework Act is management’s resistance.
What is causing this resistance among managers?
Managers aren’t necessarily opposed to the actual Telework Act. The issues that are keeping them on the fence are making sure their employees are getting the work done, that they are accessible, and that they are adhering to the telework policies. These are common concerns of managers who have never led virtually before. What they don’t realize is that these issues are expressed behaviorally to their direct reports as “lack of trust.” Low levels of trust have the direct economic impact of high turnover, absenteeism, low morale, stifled innovation, challenged decisions, inefficiency, and often damaged customer relationships.
How can leaders quiet their fears about telework and build morale and trust with their employees? One way is by learning some important principles about leading virtually.
Ken Blanchard encourages managers to adhere to these three disciplines of leading virtually.
- Discipline I: Focus Attentiveness— Attentiveness means knowing the goals, motivation, needs, and experiences of team members and recognizing when changes occur. Since working effectively in a virtual environment requires high levels of independence, leaders must consistently communicate their desire to connect with the personality and experiences of those with whom they work.
- Discipline II: Foster Community—Most of us are unaware of how much we connect to an organization and a team by being on-site. We pick up cultural clues and norms by observing behavior, dress, language, behavioral norms, and communication patterns. Effective virtual leaders work diligently to connect team members to the larger organization by actively facilitating collaboration, creating the team culture, and helping virtual workers unite to build community spirit.
- Discipline III: Accelerate Development—It is too easy to lose track of the development needs of people who work virtually. Virtual leaders need to stay focused on team members’ career and personal goals and find ways for them to develop. This increases satisfaction, builds loyalty, and creates a more valuable employee.
How are you keeping the lines of communication open and building trust with your manger or direct report when you’re working from home?
Change is A’Coming to Rocket City
Posted by Kristina Marzullo in Change, Collaboration, Communication, Conflict, Direction, Government, Ken Blanchard, Leadership, The Ken Blanchard Companies, Training, Trust on August 19, 2010
An article in Government Executive magazine announced that Huntsville, Alabama is becoming the next stomping grounds for several government agencies. This transition kicked-off with the expansion of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) in 2005 when the Missile Defense Agency learned that they would be relocating their agency from a Washington suburb to Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville. Since that announcement, several agencies have followed in the MDA’s footsteps. A few of the MDA’s neighbors now include:
- 1700 positions from the AMC and USASAC
- 180 positions from SDMC
- 400 positions from the Aviation Technical List Center & Rotary Wing Platform
- 113 positions from the 2nd Recruiting Brigade
When the BRAC transitions are completed in September 2011, approximately 4700 positions will be relocated to Redstone.
Organizational change is a fact of life in the workplace.
All of this change has led to increased stress levels on the organizations and people involved. The transition has required employees to wear multiple hats while leaders have been implementing several training efforts to get others up to speed.
Leading people through change is an ongoing challenge in any agency. So how do BRAC or other leaders maximize high levels of productivity and morale and ensure a successful transition?
A U.S. Department of Education project originally conducted by Gene Hall and his colleagues at the University of Texas suggests that people are faced with change express 6 predictable and sequential concerns.
- Information concerns
- Personal concerns
- Implementation concerns
- Impact concerns
- Collaboration concerns
- Refinement concerns
Resolving concerns throughout the change process builds trust in the leadership team, puts challenges on the table, gives people an opportunity to influence the changes process, and allows people to refocus their energy on the change.
At the Ken Blanchard Companies, new work by Pat Zigarmi, Judd Hoekstra, and Ken Blanchard on the Situational Leadership II and Leading People Through Change programs provides guidance for diagnosing concerns and then using the appropriate change leadership strategy to address those concerns.
Watch this video of Ken Blanchard discussing the reality of change.
Attracting the Next Generation of Federal Leaders
Posted by Dominic Giammarinaro in Federal Agency, Government, Ken Blanchard, Leadership, Leadership Development, Management on July 1, 2010
The Senior Executive Association (SEA) in partnership with Avue Technologies Corporation recently conducted a survey that reveals attractors and detractors to serving in executive positions within the Federal government. This survey was prompted by reports that capable GS-14s and GS-15s do not aspire to serve in career Senior Executive Service or equivalent positions.
The issue the government faces is being able to attract “high-potential” executives to fill these senior-level positions.
Some of the findings of this study included:
- A large number of respondents have not attended an executive education or SES candidate development program.
- Many respondents said they lack clear and accessible information about SES and Senior Professional positions, including the differences between these positions and those under the General Schedule, development opportunities for these positions, and ways to positions oneself to apply for and succeed in these positions.
- One of the main detractors cited was the potential negative impact on the balance of work and family responsibilities.
- Only a small percentage of respondents said they received supervisor encouragement to follow a senior level position.
SEA President Carol Bonosaro said, “The career executive corps is critical to high performing government and key to implementing any Administration’s political and management agenda. We must continue to attract the best and the brightest to these positions, but this report demonstrates that the detractors to serving are substantial and require action by Congress and the Administrations.”
The big question is how do we attract the best and the brightest to these senior level positions?
Many respondents stated they have never attended an executive education or SES candidate development program. One opportunity for the Federal government is to actively pursue and develop the “high potential” talent within their agency by creating an Executive Development program that focuses on growth opportunities for these executives. Including cohort-based action learning that is applicable to their future career aspirations makes it relevant for participants.
The April issue of Talent Management discusses the importance of Executive Development and explains how cohort-based action learning must link strategically to current and future organizational challenges to be successful.
Catching your rising stars early and grooming them to be your next SES leaders can no longer be something you’d like-to-do, it’s something you have-to-do.
Here is a link to the full report Taking the Helm: Attracting the Next Generation of Federal Leaders.
Improving Productivity and Performance in Government
Posted by Dominic Giammarinaro in Employee Passion, Goal Setting, Government, Ken Blanchard, Leadership, Leadership Development, Management, Performance, Productivity on May 13, 2010
A recent survey by McKinsey & Company in partnership with Government Executive magazine discovered that federal employees are highly motivated but accountability is lacking. If employees are motivated but lack accountability, what is going to suffer? Performance and Productivity!
This could be a great opportunity for government.
President Obama and OPM Director John Berry are capitalizing on the highly motivated federal workforce and placing a heavy emphasis on performance management in the public sector.
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management defines performance management as:
The systematic process by which an agency involves its employees, as individuals and members of a group, in improving organizational effectiveness in the accomplishment of agency mission and goals.
Employee performance management includes: planning work and setting expectations, continually monitoring performance, developing the capacity to perform, periodically rating performance in a summary fashion, and rewarding good performance.
Performance management has been a topic of interest for Garry Ridge, President and CEO of WD-40 and leadership expert Ken Blanchard. The two paired up to author Helping People Win at Work. This book discusses WD-40’s year-round performance review system: its goals, features, and the cultural changes it requires. Ridge shares his “leadership point of view”: what he expects of people, what they can expect of him, and where his beliefs about leadership and motivation came from. Ken Blanchard explains why WD-40’s Partnering for Performance system works so well—and exactly how to leverage its high-value techniques in any organization.
Blanchard believes an effective performance management system has three parts:
Performance Planning – During this time leaders agree with their direct reports about goals and objectives they should be focusing on.
Performance Coaching – At this stage leaders do everything they can to help direct reports be successful. Managers work for their people, praising progress, and redirecting inappropriate performance.
Performance Review – This is where a manager and direct report sit down and assess the direct report’s performance over time.
Unfortunately, most organizations spend the greatest amount of their time on performance review. In order to positively influence productivity, the focus should be on performance planning and performance coaching. Driving employee passion can have profound effects on performance.
Where is the focus within your agency’s performance management system? How is performance management being addressed in your agency?
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