The Latest News, Tips, and Trends of the HRD Communities Published by HRD Gateway  for the e-ASEAN Endorsed ATN Project www.hrdgateway.org/hub5 news@hrdgateway.org

CONTENTS

Editorial
Feature Article One: "The Training Process"
Feature Article Two: "Secrets From an HR Manager"
Feature Article Three: "Talent Management -- Current Trends & Challenges"

Feature Article Four: "Coaching -- Empowering Yourself To Unlock The Power In Others"

Humor Resource
Book Review: "101 Ways to Boost Your Web Traffic"
Attitude Vitamins
Links of Interest
Organization News and Acknowledgements

WebScouts
Production Details

Editorial

Welcome to the December 2002 edition of HRD Gateway newsletter.

December 2002 is the month when Muslims celebrate their End-of-Ramadan festivities, and the Christians celebrate Christmas.  Perhaps reminding mankind that we have only one earth -- and a fragile one at that.

Back to our newsletter.  Let's see what's in store for you in this issue....

Mohd Hazri Humphreys likens training to gardening, in his article "The Training Process."  Just as the cultivation of a flowering plant needs to go through a process, the cultivation of human resource needs similar treatment too.  Too often, managers confuse a seed with a flower, or forget to water the plants, or allow weed to grow.  And they wonder why the training program doesn't work.  This article helps managers understand the process.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you had a little Human Resource ‘angel’ sitting on your shoulder whispering advice and recommendations as you went about your daily management role? It sure would keep us out of trouble sometimes, and perhaps help us make wiser decisions to reduce the heartburn we may experience when supervising others! Unfortunately, that angel doesn’t exist.  But this article, "Secrets From an HR Manager" by Laura Benjamin, suggests and outlines the next best thing!

“Talent Management -- Current Trends And Challenges” by M.U.Jayadeva de Silva, M.Sc; FIPM; FITD, highlights the importance of the adoption of "humantalents" mindset and deals with the challenges and issues of talent management.

The fourth article, "Coaching -- Empowering Yourself To Unlock The Power In Others," contributed by the International Coach Federation Malaysia Chapter, is particularly useful to readers who contemplate on a career or business in coaching.

We're looking for WebScouts to send us URL's of sites that are useful to HRD Gateway newsletter readers!  This is a fun volunteer work that will help readers as well as the WebScouts themselves.  Read all about it in the WebScout section below.

Our regular sections feature lots of goodies for your reading pleasure and personal/professional development.

Enjoy!

Cheers!

G. K Lim
Editor, HRD Gateway newsletter
VP for Publications, HRD Gateway

P.S. Help!  We need book reviews. If you have read a book recently that you feel is useful to your profession, please write a short review and send it to us. -- Ed.

Feature Article One: The Training Process

by Mohd Hazri Humphreys, Permata Kancil (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.  

A question I am often asked is how can we measure the success of any training.

If we change the question to "How can we measure the success of a gardener?" the answer is easy. We expect to see beautiful roses or other flowers. The results are tangible and easy to see.

But how does a gardener ensure beautiful roses?

First, they clean the earth by removing the weeds and / or poisons that may be in the soil.

Second, they break up the soils so it is loose and open and able to receive the seeds that are to be planted.

Third, they create a place to plant the seed.

Fourth, they plant the seed, water and fertilize it and cover with fresh earth.

Fifth, they continually water and fertilize the new seed and as it starts to grow they keep the weeds away from it and protect it until it is strong and able to stand tall by itself.

Sixth, as they harvest the blooms from the flower, they trim the bush. Flowers grow to be cut, used and their beauty and fragrance shared. Flowers look good and produce perfumes, medicines and many beautiful experiences and memories. Flowers send messages to and from others. If left on the bush they wither and die and next year there are fewer roses from the bush.

Seventh, every year the Rose produces more flowers.

A good gardener knows that there are no shortcuts to producing the best results year after year.

Why then when we consider Training do we only look at the “Planting the Seed” part of the process?

Time and again we see people attending training programs who are not sure why they are there (the soil has not been prepared).

Now this is not necessarily a problem, as a good trainer knows how to prepare the soil in the fertile minds of the people attending the program. In fact we make it a point to dig up the preconceptions people may have about our programs so they are ready to receive the new information we are trying to plant.

In our programs based on The Emerging Mind System, Vibrational Energy Concept, we believe that every person has fertile soil even if it has been left unused for any period of time.

We have shown from experience that when we create a belief system in a person that is the first step to achieving success for the person.

It is a part of The Supreme Secret explained by Napoleon Hill, namely, “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve”

So during our programs we plant seeds in the newly fertilized minds of the people attending and create within them the desire to succeed and achieve. This is stage 2 and 3.

During the program we move to stage 4, we plant the seed, apply water and fertilizer and cover with good soil.

Now the responsibility moves.

Someone has to continue fertilizing, watering and removing weeds.

Who is going to do this once people are back at the work place?

The first time someone comes up with a new idea and is told by their manager that it cannot be done is when the first weed is planted alongside the flower. Every time a new idea comes up and it is rejected out of hand, it is the same as planting another weed alongside the flower. Before we know it there are so many weeds that the flower begins to die.

When stage 5 (fertilize, keep removing weeds and watering) is replaced by planting weeds then the training process comes to a halt. Much the same as putting a plastic bag over someone’s head so that they become starved of oxygen.

Stage 5 is actually very easy, it just requires managers to encourage and support their staff after the training.

Sadly this is where many training programs die. The enthusiasm generated by the training program is starved of oxygen.

Managers do not have to accept every idea generated but they do need to encourage people who have ideas.

A recent study (published in The Learning Brain, July 2000) demonstrated the effect of the effort-reward imbalance and employee well being. The study focused on the effect of the brains emotional center (the Amygdala) The study showed that employees who felt that their efforts in training were not rewarded were less likely to exert the same level of effort in the future. The study demonstrated the importance of officially recognizing employees and learners who successfully complete new training. When an increase in pay is not appropriate (which is true most of the time) recognize the person’s accomplishment in the presence of their peers. Emphasize how important the achievement is not only to the person’s professional development but also to the companies’ commitment to excellence.

Further research suggested that a contagious atmosphere of apathy and non-risk taking could permeate as a result of allowing such feelings (non recognition) to go unchecked.

We are seeing evidence that if the training process stops at Stage 4 so may the results of the program.

A successful training program reinforces the training after the program and the trainer have done their part. Everyone involved in the process especially managers and supervisors have the potential to ensure the training is a tremendous success or a tremendous failure.

Recognizing and supporting the efforts of our staff can assure us of continuous flowers year after year and future training and development will enhance the yield of the harvest.

Roses need water and fertilizer to flourish. Our staff need the same.

We have found that one way of assisting in this follow up process is to create a work related project assignment that participants must work on and present to us within 4 – 6 weeks for evaluation. We then submit the assignment to management for consideration to implement in the company. Persons who work on the assignment are given the opportunity to work on the implementation and receive recognition throughout the company. The recognition does not need to be money; public recognition normally does the trick and inspires other employees to do the same.

As long as the CEO is committed to this process (and most CEO’s who want the best for their staff and companies are) the unwritten (most powerful) message goes (via the grape vine) through the organization that people matter and the company reaps the most bountiful harvest.

Every gardener knows there is no short cut to getting the best flowers.

K-economy managers who understand the benefits of brain-based learning know that by putting people first, profits are assured.

If we continue using 1930 Industrial Revolution concepts when we want to produce 2003 k-economy results, we predestine the results to be like “Production Line” items. (And these don’t think they just go from step to step)

Managers must LIVE the results of the training (change or actions) they seek to encourage.

Just as children do what their parents do as opposed to what their parents say, so our employees do what managers do as opposed to what they say?

How can we measure the success of any training?

By selecting the best quality gardeners who know how to prepare, plant and fertilize the seeds.  Then by watering and fertilizing after the formal training ends.

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Hazri has lived and worked in 5 continents and 20 countries. He is a Corporate Healer (Executive Director) with Permata Kancil (M) Sdn. Bhd - A HR Training and Development Consultancy as well as Principal and Life Vision Integration Coach with Circles of Life International http://milleniumevolution.homestead.com/CirclesofLifeInternational.html .  Hazri can be contacted by e-mail at shique@pc.jaring.my, by phone on (60) 03-77852681,  77854519

Feature Article Two: Secrets From an HR Manager

by Laura Benjamin

Wouldn’t it be nice if you had a little Human Resource ‘angel’ sitting on your shoulder whispering advice and recommendations as you went about your daily management role? It sure would keep us out of trouble sometimes, and perhaps help us make wiser decisions to reduce the heartburn we may experience when supervising others! Unfortunately, that angel doesn’t exist, but here’s the next best thing!

Interviews of Human Resource professionals in a variety of industries turned up some interesting information in response to this question:  What are the top secrets every manager should know to improve management skills, team effectiveness, prevent litigation, and enhance morale? Here are the answers...uncut, unedited, and in no particular order!

1. Learn how to handle authority. One of the biggest challenges I see for new managers is their ability to transition from being one of the gang, to someone who now leads the gang. Find a style that works for you and the people you manage.

(Laura) You may want to have a frank conversation with your peers and friends before you move into that role to explain how you will approach your new responsibilities. It will not only take the pressure off you, but show them how conscientious and committed you are to supporting them in an appropriate manner.

2. Be consistent and fair. Don't try to be equal! Everyone needs something a little different, just like the cactus would die from too much water and the lily would wither from the heat. Inconsistency leads to complaints of favoritism. The number 1 reason why employees end up in my office is they believe their manager treated them unfairly.

(Laura) You’d drive yourself crazy if you tried to treat everyone equally. (Remember what a struggle it was for your Mom to keep everyone happy back home?) The prescribing doctor doesn’t give the same medicine to everyone who walks in their office, so why should you, as a manager, try to do so? Work to strike a reasonable balance between serving the best interests of the employee with the business needs.

3. Get to know employment laws. You should be able to see the 'red flag' when it comes up and take appropriate action, especially with the Family Medical Leave Act and Americans With Disabilities Act. Supervisors are now being sued just as successfully as Human Resource Managers and Company owners for not handling these issues well.

(Laura) While you don’t have to be an expert in these areas, you should be familiar enough with the overall philosophy of each piece of legislation to know when to give HR a call. You will most likely be the first point of contact for the employees who qualify under these Acts.

4. The way you deliver the message is just as important as the message itself. A number of years ago, I saw a manager deliver a written warning on sexual harassment by throwing the paper across the table and say, 'Here, read this. If you have any questions, we can talk about it.' Often, it's the way you handle the situation that determines if you end up in court.

(Laura) Try to give people the benefit of the doubt more often than not. It’s harder to back down after you’ve escalated a situation than may not have warranted it. Keep your language objective, your facial expressions in neutral (focus on keeping your eyebrows and your tongue relaxed…it works!), and your tone of voice moderate.

5. Set appropriate / realistic expectations. Communicate in a way that everyone understands. Don't think just because you put it in writing and post it on the intranet that everyone 'gets' it. Set performance goals early on and revisit them more than once a year.

(Laura) It’s amazing how easy it is to create an expectation without fully knowing all the requirements or ramifications. Encourage your employees to play ‘devil’s advocate’ with you (a great team meeting activity!). Lay the project, plan, or objectives out before them and then stand back and give them permission to poke holes in it.

6. Don't be afraid to ask! So many times I've asked a manager, 'What did she say when you asked her about XYZ?' The manager usually responded, 'I didn't KNOW I could ask that!' Don't be afraid to get issues out in the open when it has a direct bearing on job performance. Ask for HR guidance in advance if you're uncertain.

(Laura) I believe we often hesitate to ask the questions because we’re afraid we’ll open ‘Pandora’s Box’ and not know how to deal with the results. It’s much easier in the long run to know what we’re dealing with, to have all the information at our disposal to make a sound decision, and to also communicate to the employee that we care enough to ask!

7. Use common sense and good judgment! Sometimes we lose more by trying to stay within the policy than risk bending the rules. Does the policy still apply to this situation? Which will end up costing the employee and the company more in the long run?

(Laura) Horrors! How dare we bend the rules! Let’s be real…our environment is changing rapidly around us. We aren’t playing by the same set of rules as in years past, so why do we hold to them so tightly? Albert Einstein said, "The significant problems we face today cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them."

8. Understand compensation philosophies. Learn all about merit increases, salary ranges, promotional policies so you can make sound decisions and provide a fair and consistent environment.

(Laura) I know this was a very confusing area for me. (This should offer a lot of comfort to those who worked for me in the past!) Not knowing the big picture made it difficult to administer performance reviews and answer employee questions. If I’d taken the time up front to thoroughly understand these policies I wouldn’t have driven our good Compensation HR folks quite so crazy, quite so often!

9. Consult HR if anyone makes a comment (joking or not) about workplace violence, discrimination, or harassment. Consult prior to administering a written warning and for advice on how, when, and what to document.

(Laura) You’re really going to want their guidance should things get messy. The broader perspective they offer from dealing with these issues across the organization may keep you from under or over-reacting. Remember, we are heavily influenced by our individual perspective or ‘lens’ on the world. Too often, we’re so close to the circumstances that it’s difficult to be objective.

10. Notify HR if you change operations or functions that may impact corporate culture. Avoid employee 'fallout' and involve HR early in the planning process.

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Laura Benjamin is Past-President of the Colorado Springs Society for Human Resource Management in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA.  She speaks internationally on leadership, management, and business development issues, is a member of the National Speakers Association and a published author. Her Management Tips newsletter reaches thousands of subscribers around the world. Subscribe to her FREE Management Tips newsletter at: http://www.laurabenjamin.com.

Feature Article Three: Talent Management --Current Trends & Challenges

Paper presented by M.U.Jayadeva de Silva, M.Sc; FIPM; FITD, at the “Talent Management: Current Trends and Challenges” Conference, organized by Asia Business Forum, on 19-20 December 2002, at the J W Marriott Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

In the 1940s and 1950s, conditions outside the organization were relatively stable. Most work demanded little by way of specialized training and expertise. People matters were not much more than personnel administration. Personnel work basically concentrated on attracting and retaining people as administering benefit and welfare systems. Influence of the militaries, the oldest known organizations, on structures systems and procedures of industrial organizations could be clearly seen.

With the development of industry term “manpower planning” also began to appear in increasing frequency.  However this function was most of the time carried out not by personnel managers but by those who were in the planning and budgeting departments.

Forecasting of manpower demands was necessary for long and medium term business planning. At that time this exercise was not concerned with the enhancement of productivity, etc.

During the 1960s, the term “human resources’ began to surface as people were viewed as corporate assets or as a part of corporate capital which could be either used or wasted. This view was consistent with the strategic emphasis of resources allocation to sustain growth of the businesses. It was also considered as being possible to be developed and enhanced in value, which is why the process was named ‘human resources development.’

The ‘human resources’ school of management thoughts grew in importance throughout the 1970’s. The term ‘human resources planning and development’ supplanted manpower planning. Many personnel departments were renamed human resources departments.

In 1980’s through 90’s to date, we see the process of automation and computerization signifying the emergence of a new economy -- the knowledge economy succeeding industrial age.

In the industrial age people were used as an extension of the machine.  In the knowledge economy, the physical labor input of people is being replaced by the robots whilst the mental labor input is replaced to a larger extent by the computers leading to a great liberation of the working people, a phenomenon that would transform our thinking about the people and work.

Paradigm Shift of Talent Management

The newest concept in the sphere of people at work is really a paradigm shift and can be named Human Talents management. It is a leadership concept that is being developed.  Successful companies have already adopted the idea that leadership is the art of managing peoples’ talents and not just getting things done.

We are of the view that the expression “Human Resources” is misleading and dangerous.  People are not resources and resent being treated as such according to this concept. They are not pieces of equipment to be moved around according to needs.  Contrary to what some managers claim, people are not “human capital”!

Challenges of Talent Management

Employee’s expectations have drastically changed over the years due to more knowledge-based business, social transformations and economic evolution. New psychological needs are evolving in line with the new profile of people entering the workforce.

Now employees want:

* To know more about what is happening in the organization. Who is doing what? New objectives? New priorities? New strategies? Threats, problems and opportunities?  Mangers have to explore new methods and techniques of communications to create an impact here.

* To understand why leaders have made certain decisions? Why not another decision? What is behind the decision? What are the implications of the decision made?  More and more participative methods of decision-making are called for.  To contribute their own ideas and use their talents in a mutually beneficial way?

Job design, job enlargement, job enrichment are becoming relevant and meaningful now more than ever before. Organizations will also have to devise methods to manage their knowledge resources with the active involvement of the employees.

Involvement of practically all levels of employees in determination of strategic direction of the company is becoming a reality.

* To feel important and have a meaningful role to play within the company. Who am I within the organization? Do I count? Am I receiving the recognition and respect that I desire? Do I have a fair chance to grow and develop as a person using my talent?

Introduction of innovative and creative recognition programs would be an ongoing activity.

Effective leaders have to look at practical ways to maximize the release of individual, team and company talents.  The leader therefore is becoming a nurturer of talents, and a catalyst in search of “Synergy”. People are not resources. They have resources. Resources they possess are their talents, i.e. knowledge, skills, their creativity, etc.

Conceptual Framework for the Talent Management Process

We would like to define talent management as the managerial art of creating and maintaining an atmosphere that supports people working together to accomplish a mutually-agreed-to vision, mission and set of goals using minimal time, money and materials using their talents.

Talent management is like gardening. The job of supervisor or team leader is to “prepare the soil” by creating a supportive environment in which employees or team members can function effectively and efficiently—and do their best work.

Of course, the job may also involve other responsibilities such as managing technical and financial systems, producing orderly workflow, and developing automation and accounting systems.

But talent management goes beyond systems. It involves people. Managing systems often means taking charge. Managing talents has more to do with letting go.

Talent management comprises four distinct activities: Clarifying Expectations, Giving and Receiving Feedback, Coaching, and Performance Appraisal.

These four activities, and the behaviors and skills they require, can be described as the Talent Management Process. Research indicates that the most effective supervisors and team leaders differ from their less effective counterparts by their ability to successfully perform these four activities.

Clarifying Expectations

This step is the starting point in the process. When expectations are not clear, employees may not see the purpose in what they are required to do. They also may not be in sync with their job’s current demands and priorities. They tend to “go through the motions” but not invest their heart and soul in their job performance. They do what they are most comfortable doing or what they’ve done in the past -- neither of which may be right for the current situation.

Likewise, a team cannot function very well without a clear understanding of its boundaries and expectations. Lack of clarification results in things continually going in circles, little being accomplished, and frustration and disillusionment developing among team members.

Feedback

Research shows that employees and team members want to know how their performance measures up. Providing feedback is one way to reinforce the importance of achieving expectations. Feedback focuses on specific events, not overall performance. It can be delivered almost any time or place and typically needs no formal meeting. Feedback should be given for both positive and negative aspects of performance. When delivering feedback, the role of supervisor or team leader is like a cheerleader -- recognizing accomplishments and encouraging people to achieve even more. This role requires skill at giving as well as receiving feedback.

Coaching

Coaching sessions are held to improve a person’s future performance. The purpose of coaching is not to “chew out” or threaten a person if performance is not improved. It is to help individuals overcome a job-related problem (Problem Solving Coaching), or redirect on-the-job behavior when they do not see their performance as a problem (Developing Improved Performance Coaching). Coaching can help employees or team members improve in areas where their performance is below expectations, or to perform even better in areas where performance is already satisfactory.

Keep in mind that coaching is the third activity in the talent management process. This means coaching usually should not take place unless specific, measurable, mutually agreed to performance expectations have been established, and the person has received feedback at least once that his or her performance needs improvement.  Until these two activities are completed, coaching is generally inappropriate as a managerial action. Coaching generally focuses on patterns of behavior -- not on single events. Because of the time needed to conduct an effective discussion, coaching usually requires a formal scheduled meeting.

While most supervisors and team leaders are aware of the need for individualized coaching, few actually feel comfortable doing so. All too often, they respond by verbally attacking the person, ignoring the situation to avoid a confrontation, or ordering the person to take action. None of these approaches, of course, are likely to help the employee achieve peak performance in the long run.

Appraisal of Talent Usage

Unlike feedback or coaching, talent appraisals cover the full range of a person’s performance. In contrast, feedback focuses on a single event and coaching focuses on a pattern of behavior.

The proper focus of an appraisal meeting is the “big picture.” An appraisal is the place for the employee and the appraiser to look critically at all factors affecting the employee’s ability to perform. The meeting has a two-fold purpose: to discuss openly and in-depth the employee’s performance during the past performance period, and to develop a plan for improving performance in the upcoming period and beyond.

The appraisal discussion should center on all of the employee’s previously established performance objectives, any appropriate performance standards, plus specific behavior on the job. The goal of the meeting is to align supervisor and employee perceptions with the employee’s actual performance.

Sharing perceptions is key to an effective performance discussion because no two people perceive the same situation in the same way.

The appraisal that consists only of reviewing a completed form and being asked if there are questions is a less than valuable experience for the employee.

The effective talent usage appraisal should cover three areas: Accomplishments during the period. Performance concerns encountered during the period. A specific plan for improving future performance through effective utilization of employee’s talent and talents of others in the organization.

The meeting should also serve as a forum for both parties to look critically at all factors affecting the employee’s ability to perform, and determine whether any factors need change or improvement. All aspects of the job should be considered (e.g. talents, tools, procedures, materials, systems, and relationships).

During the appraisal of talent usage, both parties should resist the temptation to accept things as they are simply because “they’ve always been that way.” No element should be considered sacrosanct or outside the realm of potential change. This is important! Openly considering all factors places the focus exactly where it should be -- on the continuous improvement of everything affecting the employee’s ability to perform.

Identified Issues of Talent Management & Talent Development

In order to identify talent in your company you should combine the results of the performance and potential evaluation with the documented characteristics of the talent (knowledge, skills and attitudes).

In order attract and retain talents, what a company should do can be summarized as follows:

*Attraction of right talents would necessitate ……

#· To have an ambitious recruiting project -- ability to attract key talents required is a decisive factor as right talents are going to be the competitive advantage in the coming era;

#· To implement modern selection techniques -- success of the talent management process hinges on the capability of the organization to select the candidates with right talents;

#  To search for talents in companies who are leaders in their market and in the best universities and other learning institutes -- competition is increasing between companies in unrelated industries as well in this area;

* Retention of the right talents and talent development would necessitate …….

# · To present a flexible horizontal / vertical career plan -- individuals too will be required to manage their talents to remain employable or to launch themselves as independent contractors; these plans will have to be innovative as no individual can expect lifelong employment;

#· To have an attractive compensation plan;

#· To present constant challenges;

#· To act accordingly with the corporate values;

#· To invest in training and development;

#· To provide an international projection perspective for the talents;

#· To promote big challenges;

#· To involve the talents in projects inside the organization;

#· To implement a job rotation program;

#· To invest in continuing education -- specialization, post-graduation, etc.;

#· To develop competencies in management and technical skills;

#· To promote talent interchange between the business units or areas;

#· To elect a mentor or tutor for each talent.

Conclusion

Talent management is more than just another name for human resource management or personnel management.

It is an iterative process consisting of specific activities.

There is evidence that the most effective supervisors, managers with the most highly committed employees or team members, and high performing work habits, spend more than half their time on those key activities, all of which involve teachable, learnable skills and behaviors. Mastery of these skills and behaviors will be essential to organizational success in the future through human talent management.

This author is of the view that talent management would lead to higher levels of productivity in organizations and perhaps would eliminate the need for so called painful exercises of right-sizing, down-sizing etc.

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Acknowledgements: The author wishes to thank all members of the HumanTalents International e-group for their contributions in identification of issues of Talent Management and development outlined in this article.

About the author:  
M.U.Jayadeva de Silva, M.Sc; FIPM; FITD, is Director, Human Resources of Browns Group of Companies; SriLanka.  He is also the author of the book “Human Talents Management” and founder of the e Group humantalents.  To be a member of humantalents, send a blank email to humantalents-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Website: http://www.geocities.com/jayadeva_de_silva/

Feature Article Four: Coaching -- Empowering Yourself To Unlock The Power In Others

What is Coaching?

‘Coaching’ is just not another fad which we are all so used to hearing of these days.

It has been with us for as long as humans have had the desire to improve themselves.  Yes, we are all too familiar with the term ‘coaching’ from a sports perspective.  From time immemorial, serious-minded sports people have engaged sports coaches to help them boost their performance for extraordinary results.

Is coaching relevant in non-sports domains?

Since the late 90’s, the learning technology of coaching has now entered into the non-sports domains of workplaces of corporations, homes of families, as well as into the private lives of individuals.  The sports arena is no longer the only place where people have to improve themselves to win sports competitions.

Corporations in the 21^st Century are increasingly in competition with one another for better growth, higher profits and bigger market share.

Families and individuals are increasingly subject to the complexities of social and family life.  They want to be more successful and lead a better quality and happier life.

To help all these people, there are now corporate coaches, team coaches and life coaches to help and motivate them to higher levels of performance as well as solving their complex problems.

In particular, corporations need their key people to become world-class professionals.  They are fighting in a war for talents, to get, build and retain the best people around them to succeed and score winning points in the intense war of competition.

World-class corporations like Microsoft, Kodak, IBM, Dell Computers have been using coaching for more than 30 years ago.  Even individuals like the famous management guru, Ken Blanchard, had in some parts of his life made use of personal coaches to help him in his career.

Today, managers and employees have to continuously refine and redefine their skills to become global leaders in their fields.  To survive this intense competition, companies and individuals need individualized attention from experts that will enable them to build better careers, happier lives and stronger relationship.  

What does Coaching do for them?

Managers and employees need individualized attention instead of mass attention to help them to be better.  They want personalized guidance that goes beyond general information for improvement.  They want to be closely guided on how they can realize their full potential.

They need a learning relationship stretched over a period of time where they undergo a process of coaching to turn their potential into performance gains.

The goals of coaching is helping people to:-

*           SEE a problem differently, or to realize that they’re not acting consistently with their goals;
*           SAY what they are going to do;
*           DO as what they say they will do.

What are their benefits?

Unlike training, coaching takes place in a real situation and not in the classroom alone.  It is based on real time results, and not ‘delaying’ the performance to a later date and time.  It is focused where the coach and his coachee enters into a mutual relationship to improve or to address an agreed set of performance ‘issues’.

What types of coaching are there?

Non-sports coaching are targeted broadly at three areas: corporate, executive, and life skills coaching.

Corporate or business coaching can be used for the individual, the executive team or the entire organization.

The primarily role of corporate coaches is to help them to develop, promote and grow their business, their staff and themselves.  Business owners and executives engage them for the value they can provide as invaluable ‘outside looking in” coaches, making it easier for them to uncover, refocus and find new ways of overcoming critical business-related business issues.

These issues range from repositioning their business, growing their market share, customer service delivery, to interpersonal and human resource issues faced by the organization.

Executive coaching is a one-on-one individualized coaching relationship between an executive and a coach.

Executive coaches help executives to enhance their leadership competencies at work as well as their personal lives outside the world of work.  Their areas of focus range from sharpening the executives’ strategic minds, leadership enhancement, as well making them internal coaches to build talents for their organizations with talents.        

Life skills coaching is also a one-on-one coaching relationship aimed at helping the individual to cope, manage and lead a happier, personal life.

Life skills living is anything about establishing personal vision, values, life priorities and personal action programs which are crucial to leading a more satisfying, successful and fulfilling life.      

Is coaching meant only for people who are in some kind of trouble?

No, coaching is not only meant for the troubled individual, group or  organization alone.  Although they require coaches to help ‘rescue’ them from their current predicaments, successful and forward looking people and organizations also engage coaches to help them further sharpen their thinking power, enhance their personality, raise further their level of performance, and so on.

They do not necessarily have to take on the name of ‘coach’ to these people.  Often they are called by different names like personal advisors, mentors, special assistants, confidante and many more.  But their focus is somewhat similar; they are all focused on the individual or group of individuals to make them even better than what they currently are.  Many famous and highly successful people of the world, artistes, politicians, CEOs have personal coaches.  They can either work in confidentiality ‘behind the scene’; or they can also be in the forefront of their lives.

Even Tiger Woods has a coach called Steve Williams.  Although he is Tiger’s caddie, Steve’s contribution to his success goes beyond helping him in refining his golfing skills alone; he has also extended well into another role as a personal and most trusted mentor to help him strengthen his psychological and emotional state of mind for world-class competition.

Are all coaches hired from outside?

Coaches can be engaged both from outside or they can be developed from within the organizations.  Whether they are engaged as external or internal coaches, the decision will greatly depend on a number of factors.  These factors include their objectives, agenda, seriousness of the issue, level of confidentiality, the person to be coached, available resources, affordability and so forth.  They can both be highly effective as long as they have the necessary prerequisites, and the ability to forge a good relationship with the willing individual or team to be coached.

Is internal coaching similar to traditional training conducted in most organizations?

Coaching is different from training in many ways.  While training usually takes place for group of people, not necessarily from the same department, job functions or even from the same company, coaching is focused specifically on the individual or a team with many similar characteristics.

Usually training takes place out of the workplace, for instance, in a classroom but coaching is usually at the workplace itself, or through any predefined channels and time; through emails, teleconferencing, faxes, telephones, even the SMS if this has been decided by the two parties.

Another difference between the two lies in the time frame set for the relationship.  Training is usually one off or ad hoc for a day or a week, while coaching is on a longer sustained period, measured by months, years and even for life!  In fact, the longer the relationship, the better it is.

Training deals with the transfer of skill and knowledge, while coaching goes a few steps further.  It is focused on the internalization of skills and knowledge for the mind and behavior to change in accordance to the results desired. 

One other clear distinction is coaching builds in the ‘accountability factor’ for the coachee to learn till tangible results are realized.  Unlike a trainer, the coach uses a holistic approach, assumes many roles in the learning journey of the coachee, all bundled into one.  The coach becomes the parent, teacher, motivator, mentor, the conscience behind, and the ‘memory bank’, all synergized to ‘push’ the coachee into action and achieving results.

It is firmly believed that through coaching, the results are more immediate.

So it is going to be ‘Hello’ to coaching and ‘Goodbye’ to training in time to come.

It is ‘Hello’ to coaching due to the many additional benefits that coaching can provide than traditional training methods. 

As mentioned earlier, forward looking corporations have started developing a coaching culture in their organizations, way back in the early nineties, but this is rather a new learning technology in some parts of the world.

Corporations in developing countries are strongly advised to grow and nurture a coaching culture within their organizations in order for them to insulate themselves against global competition.   A sure way of achieving a talent-based organization status is through coaching its key people to be world-class talents.  An organization can only be world-beaters through its people more than any of its other resources.

It is not yet ‘Goodbye’ to training, as long as they can be made to adapt to a fast changing world and a new generation of people whose learning needs and preferred method of learning are different.  For training to stay relevant, it has to inject coaching elements especially in areas of building a more sustainable trainer-trainee relationship and factoring a performance monitoring system to measure results.  If trainers can reposition themselves and revisit their traditional training methods seriously, they can continue to be useful to organizations.

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Article contributed by the International Coach Federation Malaysia Chapter.  For more information, you can contact 6-03-77267316 or email to ghrmh@rpb.com.my

Humor Resource

Coordinated by Dr James Y Lin

Your Boss and You

When you take a long time, you're slow. When your boss takes a long time, he's thorough.

When you don't do it, you're lazy. When your boss doesn't do it, he's too busy.

When you make a mistake, you're an idiot. When your boss makes a mistake, he's only human.

When doing something without being told, you're overstepping your authority. When your boss does the same thing, that's initiative.

When you take a stand, you're being bull-headed. When your boss does it, he's being firm.

When you overlooked a rule of etiquette, you're being rude. When your boss skips a few rules, he's being original.

When you're out of the office, you're wandering around. When your boss is out of the office, he's on business.

When you're on a day off sick, you're always sick. When your boss is a day off sick, he must be very ill.

When you apply for leave, you must be going for an interview. When your boss applies for leave, it's because he's overworked.

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Terminology for Today's Office Environment

Latest additions to the new millennium business dictionary ........

Blamestorming
Sitting around in a group discussing why a deadline was missed or a project failed and who was responsible.

Chainsaw consultant
An outside expert brought in to reduce the employee head count, leaving the brass with clean hands.

CLM
Career Limiting Move - used among microserfs to describe ill-advised activity.  Trashing your boss while he or she is within earshot is a serious CLM. (Also known as CLB - Career Limiting Behavior)

Adminisphere
The rarefied organizational layers beginning just above the rank and file.  Decisions that fall from the adminisphere are often profoundly inappropriate or irrelevant to the problems they were designed to solve.

Dilberted
To be exploited and oppressed by your boss. Derived from the experiences of Dilbert, the geek-in-hell comic strip character. Example: "I've been dilberted again. The old man revised the specs for the fourth time this week."

Flight Risk
Used to describe employees who are suspected of planning to leave the company or department soon.

404
Someone who's clueless.  >From the World Wide Web error message "404 Not Found," meaning that the requested document could not be located. Example: "Don't bother asking him . . he's 404, man."

Ohnosecond
That minuscule fraction of time in which you realize  that you've just made a BIG mistake.

Percussive Maintenance
The fine art of whacking the crap out of an electronic device to get it to work again.

Prairie Dogging
When someone yells or drops something loudly in a "cube farm" (an office full of cubicles) and everyone's heads pop up over the walls to see what's going on.

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Cows and Capitalism

TRADITIONAL CAPITALISM
You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull. Your herd multiplies, and the economy grows. You sell them and retire on the income.

AN AMERICAN CORPORATION
You have two cows. You sell one, and force the other to produce the milk of four cows. You are surprised when the cow drops dead.

A FRENCH CORPORATION
You have two cows. You go on strike because you want three cows.

A JAPANESE CORPORATION
You have two cows. You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk. You then create clever cow cartoon images called 'Cowkimon' and market them worldwide.

A GERMAN CORPORATION
You have two cows. You reengineer them so they live for 100 years, eat once a month, and milk themselves.

A SWISS CORPORATION
You have 5000 cows, none of which belong to you. You charge others for storing them.

A CHINESE CORPORATION
You have two cows. You have 300 people milking them. You claim full employment and high bovine productivity. You have the newsman who reported on the numbers arrested.

AN INDIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows. You worship them.

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Please send HRD/HRM and business related humor pieces to Dr James Y Lin.

Book Review: 101 Ways to Boost Your Web Traffic, 2nd Edition

If you build it, will they come? Author Thomas Wong says so in this popular web development and marketing book: "101 Ways to Boost Your Web Traffic." Now in its second edition, the book uses an integrated approach to build a dynamic and popular web site. It's designed for use by small- to medium- size businesses who want to have better return of investment from their online activities.

101 Ways details 101 specific techniques that all web site owners would find useful. To gain maximum traffic, the book argues that they must develop their site with promotion strategies built into it. Online branding, web host support, quality contents, customer relationship management, interactive and entertainment features, viral marketing, etc. are just a few of the many techniques taught by the book.

The book comes with a 101 Ways Implementation Checklist and hundreds of resource links for its readers to start working on their web sites. By using the tools recommended by the book, their web sites can become as good as those that cost tens of thousands of dollars to develop. If you own a Web site or plan to build one, you would find it very useful. The book can be ordered from Amazon.com. For wholesale order, please visit Intesync for more info. 

Attitude Vitamins

Compiled by G K Lim

Forget past mistakes. Forget failures. Forget everything except what you're going to do now and do it. -- William Durant

You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step. -- Martin Luther King, Jr.

I don't want to own anything that won't fit into my coffin.-- Fred Allen

I have found the best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want and then advise them to do it. -- Harry S. Truman

Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish. -- John Quincy Adams

When one door closes another one opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us. -- Alexander Graham Bell

Nature tops the list of potent tranquilizers and stress reducers. The mere sound of moving water has been shown to lower blood pressure. -- Patch Adams

Success is the child of drudgery and perseverance. It cannot be coaxed or bribed; pay the price and it is yours. -- Orison Swett Marden

He who has once burnt his mouth always blows his soup.-- German Proverb

The strongest oak tree of the forest is not the one that is protected from the storm and hidden from the sun. It's the one that stands in the open where it is compelled to struggle for its existence against the winds and rains and the scorching sun. -- Napoleon Hill

Links of Interest

Training: A Strategic View, by Fred Nickols

"Our approach to our world is shaped by our view of it. To some extent, to grow or to change or to learn involved modifying our worldview. The same is true of our practice as instructional or performance technologists or just plain trainers, that is, our practice is shaped by our view of the technology on which we rely. To grow in our practice, then, requires us to examine and to change our view of it."

Fred Nickols believes that the prevailing view of training is tactical (i.e., short-range and narrow in scope). There is emerging from his own practice a view of training that might be termed strategic (i.e., long-range and broad in scope). This strategic view of training is the subject of this article.  Read all about it in .....

http://home.att.net/~nickols/strategic_view.htm

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How to Improve the Effectiveness of Performance Management and Appraisal by Overcoming the Root Cause of the Problem, by Julie Freeman

This article explores why existing formal and informal approaches to employee performance management and appraisal (EPMA) tend to work well enough in theory, but fail to meet expectations in practice. It is split into two parts. Part 1 identifies the root cause of the problem and presents a solution for how it can be eliminated, or at least minimized. Part 2 explains in more detail how this solution works. Various suggestions for how it can be applied to meet differing individual or corporate needs are also outlined.

http://www.performancefeedback.com/article.htm

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Here's an article that explains the difference between a truly visionary leader and those who only use "vision" as a part of an uninspired sound bite.

http://www.ivysea.com/pages/ldrex_0802_04.html

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The companies that break away from the pack in the next economy will focus almost obsessively on customer service, says author Charles L. Fred. Deliver on your promises, and profits will follow.

http://trax.fastcompany.com/k/w/mailman/fasttake/20020501/fred

Organization News and Acknowledgements

1. Sponsorship Opportunities in HRD Gateway Newsletter

HRD Gateway newsletter is now open to sponsorships from companies that want to inform its readers of their products and services.

The newsletter reaches a minimum of 8,000 members of human resource development organizations affiliated to HRD Gateway in December 2002. More members are expected to join the organization every month.

These members, in turn, inform their colleagues and associates in the HRD profession and industry.  We also archive issues of HRD Gateway newsletters in the Publications section of the our web portal, which means that the overall readership will continue to grow (for many years to come). This is a benefit you cannot get from traditional newspaper and magazine advertising. 

In addition, your sponsorships will allow HRD Gateway to grow and provide more services to our members and users. As a nonprofit organization, our income is limited to sponsorships and commission fees contributed by our members and users.

Please contact the Editor for more information regarding readership demography details, rates, and publication schedules.

2. HR Summit Shanghai

The Summit was successfully held on 18-19 October 2002 in Shanghai. HRD Gateway and China HRM were the supporting organizations, and ~180 professionals participated in this event. China HRM was represented by Zhang Chun Gang of Suzhou. 

3. Acknowledgements

As the year comes to an end, we would like to acknowledge the following individuals for their kind contribution to HRD Gateway. They come from many different countries, and HRD Gateway would not be this successful without their help and support. This listing is by no means complete. We apologize for leaving out any name.

• Thank the 11 Co-founders (Dr. Kim Phaik Lah, Thomas Wong, Dr. James Lin, Colin Ong, Mazlan Gapar, Mohamad Adriyanto, Dr. Rungruang Limchoopatipa, Dr. Bach Van, GK Lim, Joma Guzman, and Conrad Mendoza) for laying the foundations for HRD Gateway. Many of the things we do now are the results of the ATN Board Meeting in June 2001.
   
• Thank Dr. Kim Phaik Lah and Raffy Perfecto for developing the HRD Gateway name.
   
• Thank Mohamad Adriyanto and Thomas Wong for the early management organization and communication guidelines.
   
• Thank Dr. James Lin for his extraordinary team building skills in several of our team meetings.
   
• Thank Conrad Mendoza for serving as the communication link between HRD Gateway and e-ASEAN.
   
• Thank Colin Ong/Thomas Wong, Dr. Kim Phaik Lah/Conrad Mendoza, Dr. Bach Van, Cong Phan, and Mazlan Gapar for representing HRD Gateway's ATN project at the e-ASEAN meeting and roadshows in Singapore, Philippines,  Cambodia, Myanmar, and Brunei, respectively.
  
  
• Thank Colin Ong for writing about ATN Project in the Education Magazine of Singapore. The article was published in the August-September issue.

• Thank Mohamad Adriyanto for creating the business card design for the organization. Dr. James Lin has also helped with several of the other graphic designs.
   
• Thank Dr. Bach Van, Dr. Kim Phaik Lah, Cong Phan, and Paul Cooke for the MOUs with Vietnamese organizations.
     
• Thank Mazlan Gapar and Raymond Wong for serving as the Treasurer/Accountant. They are responsible for our financial transactions.
    
• Thank Major Teoh for bringing in several of our alliances and his continuous support for many of the HR Groups.
    
• Thank GK Lim for his dedication with the newsletter. We are now doing the 10th issue.
    
• Thank the speakers and participants of our 1st ATN conference.
   
• Thank Dr. Ivo Vasiljev for his leadership in supporting people with disabilities.
     
• Thank Sahala Harahap, Ma. Concepcion Ureta, and Ha Huong for their ongoing member services, including the member survey.
    
• Thank A.G. Balasubramanian for his guidance in finalizing our Bylaws. The Bylaws were developed by Thomas Wong, Mazlan Gapar, and Mohamad Adriyanto.
   
• Thank Raffy Perfecto, Joma Guzman, Conrad Mendoza, and several others for initiating the HRD Gateway Philippines Chapter meetings.
   
• Thank Hari Ramadas and GK Lim for initiating our business development plan. The goal is to enable our members to provide products and services to local businesses and communities.
   
• Thank Zhang Chun Gang for representing HRD Gateway/China HRM at the HR Shanghai Summit and Li Zhi Yong for his development support of China HRM.
     
• Thank Dr. Kim Phaik Lah for the kAYNet project with NITC Malaysia and her USD$2,100 contribution to the project as seed fund.
    
• Thank the Directors (Thomas Wong, Mazlan Gapar, Raymond Wong, Dr. James Lin, and Cong Phan) for their willingness to take on the responsibilities of incorporation and to ensure financial accountability. They have sponsored the incorporation as well.
    
• Thank all our alliances: HR Brunei, HR Indonesia, HR Philippines, malaysiaHRonline, HR Singapore, HR Thailand, HR Vietnam, HRinIndia, HumanTalents, China HRM, and Taiwan Society of Training and Development for their kind support and willingness to work together. 

WebScouts

This is a new service by and for you, the readers!

We're looking for WebScouts!!  This is a fun volunteer work that will help readers as well as the WebScouts themselves.

As a WebScout, you scan the Net for sites that are useful to our readers.  Preferably the sites should originate from your country, but if you come across one useful site that is from another country, send the info in all the same.

We are looking for sites that feature pages on .......

• HRD/HRM issues -- all aspects;
• anything ASEANA or Asian;
• motivation and personal development;
• work done by volunteers groups aimed at lifting the economic and living standards of Asians;
• outstanding Asian HRD/HRM professionals, artists, adventurers, inventors, researchers, politicians, non-conformists, rebels with a cause, business mavericks, etc. (hey, any person of Asian origin out there who's doing something unusual, outstanding, off the beaten track, controversial, etc. -- send the info in; we'll decide later on the really controversial, on-the-fringe cases);
• generally any subject that is within the scope of the objectives of HRD Gateway Organization.

Although we don't want to feature sites that aggressively promote services or products of their owners, we realize that practically all websites exist to promote the business, financial, political, religious, promotional, etc., interests of their owners.  So, we will still list a page or pages within certain sites even though we do not want to mention the homepages or the rest of the pages.

When you send us a URL, please write a three-to-five-sentence paragraph that describes the site.  We will place the site description next to the URL, and credit you (name and email link) as the contributor.  If you lift sentences or phrases from the sites, please put them within inverted commas.  We will also place your one-line bio at the WebScout section of the issue that your contribution appears.

We will create FAQs on this service as we go along, so if you want to be a WebScout, please register with the Editor now.

Readers, please email comments, news items, and article contributions to the Editor. HRD Gateway reserves the right to use your contribution. Views expressed by authors of articles in this issue are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of HRD Gateway organization.

If you are not already a member, please sign up for our free membership at www.hrdgateway.org/hub2. 

Copyright © 2002 HRD Gateway and Contributors. Email This Page.