The Commander – Understanding the ENTJ Personality Type

Oct 29, 2024

In the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator framework, personality types represent various approaches to life. Each one is a fascinating study with its own unique strengths and weaknesses. And people have succeeded immensely by understanding them better.

Most people take the MBTI in order to understand themselves. Understandably so. However, this tool is just as useful in understanding others, especially for managers and HR personnel.

There are 16 different MBTI personality types, which might seem like a daunting list to familiarize yourself with. Yet the benefits can be intense.

When we really know who we’re working with, we’re in a much better position to maximize their potential.

This includes the ENTJ, also known as “The Commander.” Second only to the INFJ for rarity, it makes up less than 2% of the U.S. population. These sharp thinkers know how to set emotions aside in favor of hard-core logic and analysis. When a plan needs to be mapped out with no muss, fuss, or nonsense, an ENTJ is who you want to turn to.

And while there’s not much hidden about this personality type, that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty to learn…

An ENTJ’s Daily Life

ENTJ have an outside-centered way of approaching life. They see situations analytically and sensibly, leaving feelings far behind.

For them, the world is full of obstacles to overcome – and they want to be the ones in charge of taking those obstacles on. There’s potential everywhere to improve everything all the time, and they’ve not only got the eyes to see it but the drive to do it.

ENTJs have a strong focus on their careers and are highly at ease in business environments, particularly when they’re able to take leadership roles. There’s no kicking back and relaxing on the job for an ENTJ; they’re always looking around for issues they can solve.

It shouldn’t be a shock that ENTJs tend to have long-term outlooks in most anything they come up against, including their career choices. That mindset combined with a strong desire to see their employers succeed and their relentless tenacity can make them excellent corporate leaders.

Essentially, you’re going to find a lot of ENTJs in the Fortune 500 C-suite crowd.

They have the same high standards for their home’s appearance, furnishings, and functionality as they do their business stations. Also similarly, they want to take the lead at home just as much as they do at work.

This means their ideal spouses – the people they’re most likely going to get along with in a long-term relationship – need to be equally strong thinkers with the same kind of strong sense of self. Otherwise, their homelife environment can become domineering and even oppressive.

An ENTJs’ spouse may also have to act as a buffer for any children involved. While this personality type wants the best for their kids when it comes to education, opportunities, and even a friendly and committed family relationship, they also tend to have a lot of expectations in regard to discipline and results.

ENTJ Strengths

Again, leadership comes naturally to ENTJs. Very much so and often to the benefit of those around them.

They have an enormous capacity to take in large amounts of impersonal information… quickly understand complex situations… and make snap decisions. These take-charge types are strong, self-assured people who aren’t swayed by peer pressure or internal doubts.

ENTJs also adore interacting with others. As extroverts, they get most of their energy and stimulation from outside sources. And it’s not just the projects they take on and the problems they work so hard to fix.

For an ENTJ, nothing is more fulfilling and pleasurable than engaging in stimulating and intellectual dialogue. Extremely intelligent themselves, they hold anyone who can match their mental capabilities in high regard.

That’s especially true for anyone who can change their mind on a subject… though the number of people out there capable of such a feat isn’t very high.

Because the ENTJ has such an assertive and dynamic presence, high levels of self-confidence, and outstanding verbal communication skills, even the most confident people can find themselves stumbling against them in a debate.

Challenges Faced by ENTJs

Being so driven by logic and results, ENTJs can be (and often are) exceptionally bad at noticing or even caring about people’s feelings. They might understand emotional intelligence on a theoretical level, but they find it much harder to put it into practice.

At the same time, ENTJs frequently exhibit strong emotional tendencies themselves – even if they’ll work hard to hide them from the outside world. They see such responses as a weakness in anyone, themselves included.

This inclination to ignore the world of feelings and beliefs can lead them to harbor buried emotions that then build up into serious trouble. Without analyzing their own internal motivations, they can make incorrect value judgments that lead to uninformed decisions that snowball further from there.

ENTJs can, at times, naturally experience situational awareness and grasp thoughtful concepts. But even then, they may struggle in how to act on that recognition.

Overall, without an intentional focus on developing their emotional needs, recognitions, and responses, ENTJs are prone to turning harsh and authoritarian. It’s not uncommon to find this personality type imposing rules and directives on others without good cause or regard for their well-being.

And lest anyone accuse the ENTJ of being a hypocrite, they’re just as likely to do this to themselves, if not more so. Due to their major concentration on their work, some ENTJs experience physical and/or mental strain from being away from home all the time.

Coaching and Development for ENTJs

ENTJs have enormous personal power and presence that they can use to their advantage. But they’d be wise to wield this innate skill sparingly since it can too easily become oppressive, alienating those around them and coming across as self-aggrandizing.

They should always be encouraged to find and maintain a healthy work-life balance. Because when they achieve that, they’re much better able to wield their personal power in all the best ways.

Keep in mind that the ENTJ universe does not leave much opportunity for error – which can be both an intense positive and a handicap. They don’t tolerate inefficiency and don’t appreciate seeing mistakes made, much less repeated.

They’re far from the most patient people on the planet. In fact, it’s safe to say they’re naturally impatient with others who hold different opinions since they struggle to perceive things from other people’s perspectives.

The ENTJ must therefore make a conscious effort to appreciate diversity of opinion and behavior. While there definitely are times when rules need to be applied and standards need to be enforced – in which case the ENTJ can shine – there are other circumstances when it’s time to challenge that way of thinking.

Feel free to remind them of times where more subtle or gracious approaches produced excellent results. Since they’re so goal-oriented, such examples can better motivate them to reign in their dominant natures for the betterment of everyone involved.

ENTJs in the Workplace

ENTJs have a strong ability to convert ideas and potential into well-thought-out action plans. Aggressive, creative, and long-range thinkers, it’s difficult to stop these strong personalities once they decide on a course of action.

This opens powerful doors for ENTJs, with potential career routes that include:

• Chief executive officer
• Attorney
• Judge
• Manager and business administrator
• Academic administrator or professor
• Organization developer
• Entrepreneur
• Computer consultant.

Mark A. Griffin | Blog, Christian Higher Ed HR, Human Resources, Job Search Tools, Kingdom Company Building

The Pioneer – Understanding the ENTP Personality Type

Oct 28, 2024

In the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator framework, personality types represent various approaches to life. Each one is a fascinating study with its own unique strengths and weaknesses. And people have succeeded immensely by understanding them better.

Most people take the MBTI in order to understand themselves. Understandably so. However, this tool is just as useful in understanding others, especially for managers and HR personnel.

There are 16 different MBTI personality types, which might seem like a daunting list to familiarize yourself with. Yet the benefits can be intense.

When we really know who we’re working with, we’re in a much better position to maximize their potential.

One of these designations, the ENTP, is also known as “The Pioneer.” Only about 3% of the U.S. population fit into this category, skewing more heavily to men. Sharp as tacks, ENTPs are idea people all the way who enjoy interacting with the sensory world. They’re excellent at processing what they can see, hear, smell, touch, and taste, then transforming them into logical conclusions.

If you’re around an ENTP, they’re no doubt going to be studying you. So here’s how to return the favor…

An ENTP’s Daily Life

An ENTP’s main way of living is externally centered, observing everything around them as a way to direct them through life. Really, the only other personality type more acutely aware of their surroundings is the ENFP.

Yet once they do notice something, their ultimate conclusions are very intuition-based.

These extroverts have a deep desire to understand the world they live in. In which case, it’s fortunate for them that they’re very good at analyzing scenarios both quickly and accurately.

ENTPs’ observational abilities give them a clear advantage in life when it comes to interacting with their fellow humans. Because they gather so much information about any given interaction, they have an innate ability to understand people and situations alike.

It also gives them an overall optimism about what can be accomplished. They perceive opportunities everywhere because of their keen senses. Better still, they’re skilled at sharing their excitement and enthusiasm with others.

In short, it usually isn’t hard to get onboard with an ENTP’s ideas.

It can, however, be difficult to keep them engaged with certain tasks once those ideas are put into practice. They’re always looking for fresh concepts and opportunities to satisfy their insatiable curiosity and need for knowledge.

It’s therefore very common for an ENTP to have a wide range of interests and pastimes. If there’s an opportunity to learn something new, they’re probably going to want to participate.

ENTP Strengths

ENTPs dedicate their lives to pursuing a deeper understanding of their environments, placing great importance on knowledge. They’re delighted by ideas, challenges, and difficulties because they live in a world of potential.

Even though ENTPs prefer to absorb knowledge rather than make decisions, they’re highly logical and rational in their reasoning. This makes sense since people who can combine reasoning with their gut feelings tend to be intellectually dynamic.

Indeed, ENTPs are exceptionally imaginative, enterprising, and visionary people. As a result, they’re naturally inclined to a wide range of activities. And they excel at figuring out most things that pique their curiosity.

The more their intuitive abilities and insights improve with experience and intellectual development, the more they become aware of the possibilities at their fingertips… making them ever more resourceful when solving challenges.

ENTPs are proficient conversationalists with quick minds. They love verbal sparring and debating topics to the point where they’ll even occasionally flip sides just to keep the conversation going.

With all of these strengths, it only makes sense that ENTPs make natural leaders. Other people like to follow them, inspired by what they say and empowered by their ability to see both the big and little pictures.

Challenges Faced by ENTPs

ENTPs are capable of so much in so many ways. And they know it. But when they’re under stress, they can become fixated on small details and lose their capacity to think creatively.

These particulars, it should be stated, are typically unimportant to the overall scheme of things. Yet they seem like big deals to the ENTPs in that moment… and it’s very difficult to convince them otherwise once they’ve worked themselves up.

We occasionally use the term “lawyer” to describe ENTPs because they’re able to respond to situations objectively and logically after accurately and swiftly analyzing them. However, this capability comes with a downside.

They tend to base their decisions on an impartial set of laws or regulations… to the point where they’re likely to take advantage of nuances to win.

It doesn’t matter if it’s ethical. Or even what’s ultimately right or wrong. If it’s legal, it’s acceptable: That’s the ENTP’s preferred way of looking at it.

They’re fully capable of combatting this line of thinking, of course. It’s just a matter of whether they want to. And if the ENTP fails to fully examine this line of thinking, they can easily become dishonest, immoral, and worse.

In general, this personality type can struggle to define its core beliefs. So when ENTPs do have to discuss them, they may feel uncomfortable and try to rush through to another topic.

Coaching and Development for ENTPs

For all their strengths and gifts, ENTPs do struggle more in areas that demand strong self-awareness. If not this can lead to them overlooking important details in their lives.

For example, they might disregard other people’s opinions or become unduly harsh and aggressive in their conclusions. In fact, ENTPs should exercise caution in making decisions in general considering their tendency to see the subjective and nothing else.

If they don’t learn how to check themselves in this regard, they won’t be able to reach their full and best potential. At worst, they’ll find themselves emotionally and socially isolated despite their charismatic and extroverted natures.

Managers should also keep in mind that ENTPs are more interested in creating possibilities and ideas than they are in formulating plans of action. This personality type sees many (if not most) aspects of actual implementation as uninspiring and unfulfilling.

This can make it difficult for them to finish what they start. Mature ENTPs can and do cope with this; but younger, more inexperienced, or otherwise less well-rounded individuals will need encouragement to stay on task. Neglecting their sensory areas can lead to the ENTP becoming less aware of the details in their lives. When an ENTP neglects their emotional side, they may become too harsh and aggressive or undervalue the opinions of others.

ENTPs in the Workplace

ENTPs are generally optimistic, visionary, and very capable people. When faced with an obstacle, they have a knack for coming up with original solutions that work and work well. Imaginative, astute, inquisitive, and theoretical, they offer so much perspective and insight into most any situation they find themselves in.

However, since they’re more likely to be fulfilled in certain positions over others, potential ENTP job options include:

• Researcher
• Performer
• Sales agent
• Marketing personnel
• Systems analyst, computer specialist, or programmer
• Psychologist
• Business owner
• Photographer.

Mark A. Griffin | Blog, Christian Higher Ed HR, Human Resources, Job Search Tools, Kingdom Company Building

The Protector – Understanding the ISFJ Personality Type

Oct 26, 2024

In the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator framework, personality types represent various approaches to life. Each one is a fascinating study with its own unique strengths and weaknesses. And people have succeeded immensely by understanding them better.

Most people take the MBTI in order to understand themselves. Understandably so. However, this tool is just as useful in understanding others, especially for managers and HR personnel.

There are 16 different MBTI personality types, which might seem like a daunting list to familiarize yourself with. Yet the benefits can be intense.

When we really know who we’re working with, we’re in a much better position to maximize their potential.

The ISFJ, for example, is also known as “The Protector.” They genuinely care about other people’s well-being and the state of society as a whole, putting serious thought and effort into enhancing both. It’s the most common personality type you’ll find, at least in the U.S., and is especially prevalent in women.

There’s a lot more to know about the ISFJ personality type, including intricate details that can empower a workforce when properly applied…

An ISFJ’s Daily Life

The ISFJ is an internally focused personality type. However, introverted people also possess great social skills that enable them to interact and establish a connection with others they wish to assist.

ISFJs genuinely have good hearts and tend to be highly perceptive to others’ feelings. This is very evident in how they interact with the world around them, including their gift-giving capabilities. They know just how to get people presents they will love.

It makes sense then how people appreciate them for their consideration, awareness, and ability to bring out the best in others.

ISFJs also have very developed senses of aesthetic appeal, function, and space; and they’re fantastic interior decorators. If you go to their homes, you’ll almost undoubtedly find tasteful decorations and overall pleasing aesthetics.

ISFJs might come across as simplistic enough to observers in that they’re easy enough to figure out. Yet they actually can have complex, hidden inner lives.

ISFJs are able to quickly withdraw into their own realm of possibilities. The calm realm of an ISFJ’s heart contains a secret chamber—a hidden sanctuary of eccentric exploration and creative imagination.

For ISFJs, this is the sanctuary of hidden desires, where patterns come together to form the tapestry of untold tales and concepts that bloom like uncommon, exotic flowers.

ISFJ Strengths

ISFJs are always busy gathering and retaining knowledge about individuals and circumstances that are personally significant to them and their particular value systems. Moreover, they have extraordinary memories for details and can recall them very easily.

It’s not unusual for them to remember a specific facial expression or exact part of a discussion years after it happened.

Their sense of obligation and accountability is equally strong. They tend to be very loyal people. So once they form at attachment to a person or concept, they’ll back him, her, or it wholeheartedly.

Reliable and practical, ISFJs apply that same dedication to their work. They’re almost unstoppable when it comes to finishing tasks they’ve been given.

Better yet, because they’re people persons who truly take the time to listen to what others are telling them, they more often than not understand exactly what the desired final result is really supposed to look like instead of misconstruing details.

Overall, because they take their duties seriously, people can rely on them to fulfill their obligations. Therefore, at their best, they can add immense value to many situations.

Challenges Faced by ISFJs

ISFJs are very aware of both their own internal feelings and those of others – more so than other types. However, they typically hold their emotions inside instead of expressing them.

That kind of self-control can predictably backfire on them.

If they’re experiencing too many unpleasant feelings or even a single negative feeling that’s too intense, there can be an unfortunate buildup. Left alone with their thoughts in what amounts to a one-man or -woman echo chamber, they can solidify their opinions into unmovable judgments.

Prone to overworking, the ISFJ struggles to say “no” when asked to accomplish anything. This personality type really dislikes conflict and has a tendency to prioritize the demands of others over their own.

ISFJs must learn to recognize, respect, and communicate their own needs to avoid feeling overworked and taken for granted.

This is especially true considering how a depressed or stressed ISFJ starts to ruminate about all the things that could go horribly wrong in their lives. They can develop intense emotions of inadequacy and grow to believe they can’t do anything right or that “everything is all wrong.”

This might come as a surprise considering their strengths, but ISFJs are just as unlikely to show their awareness of how others are feeling as they are about their own emotions. They’re good at listening and good at acting on that listening. But it might seem to some that there’s a strange disconnect between the two in verbally acknowledging that input.

On the plus side, when they see someone who truly needs help, they will speak up. And in certain situations, they can even assist others in realizing how they feel.

Coaching and Development for ISFJs

ISFJs work hard to achieve their very clear ideal of how things ought to be. They respect customs and rules and place a high priority on safety and politeness. And they feel a sense of responsibility to uphold systems of ethics and consideration.

As such, they’re often very resistant to the idea of adopting new approaches. They need to see, hear, or otherwise experience a truly compelling case in favor of switching from the status quo.

In general, ISFJs learn best by doing, not by applying theory or reading about it in a book. Therefore, domains requiring extensive theoretical or conceptual study are unlikely to attract them. And they’ll struggle to engage with tasks that involve too much abstraction.

They appreciate the usefulness of applications and learn tasks best when they’re demonstrated in a real-world setting.

Keep in mind that the ISFJ is a very trustworthy person. But even the most trustworthy person needs to understand what they’re being entrusted with in order to succeed.

Once they do grasp the picture – once they’ve learned the work and seeing its practical significance – ISFJs will devotedly and persistently see their work through to the end.

While they won’t admit it out loud, ISFJs do require affirmation from others. They become disheartened – sometimes intensely – when they receive negative comments or lack positive reinforcement.

The ISFJ is trustworthy, kind, and caring. But they must always remember to treat themselves with some of the same warmth and affection they freely give to others, and to refrain from being unduly judgmental of themselves.

ISFJs in the Workplace

With their genuine desire to help others and their natural capabilities of figuring out exactly how to do that helping, the ISFJ personality is very suitable for people-oriented endeavors. And their attention to detail and extremely impressive memories add further unique levels to what they can accomplish.

That’s why potential ISFJ career choices include:

• Designing
• Nursing
• Managing and administrator
• Administration assistant
• Early childhood development and childcare
• Counselor and social worker
• Paralegal
• Religious and clergy personnel
• Supervisor of offices
• Retailer
• Bookkeeper
• Household economics.

Mark A. Griffin | Blog, Christian Higher Ed HR, Human Resources, Job Search Tools, Kingdom Company Building

The Contemplator – Understanding the INTP Personality Type

Oct 25, 2024

In the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator framework, personality types represent various approaches to life. Each one is a fascinating study with its own unique strengths and weaknesses. And people have succeeded immensely by understanding them better.

Most people take the MBTI in order to understand themselves. Understandably so. However, this tool is just as useful in understanding others, especially for managers and HR personnel.

There are 16 different MBTI personality types, which might seem like a daunting list to familiarize yourself with. Yet the benefits can be intense.

When we really know who we’re working with, we’re in a much better position to maximize their potential.

One of these designations, the INTP, is also known as “The Contemplator.” It’s on the rarer side, with just 3%-5% of people identifying this way – men more so than women. Highly intellectual, INTPs want and even need to get to the bottom of things, knowing how, what, why, where, and when. They’re essentially driven by the desire to understand the world they interact with.

This nature can obviously bring intense benefits to a wide variety of situations and scenarios, making the INTP well worth studying.

An INTP’s Daily Life

INTPs take a logical and reasonable approach to life whenever possible. That’s their natural instinct and what feels most fulfilling to them in any given moment.

This facts-and-figures outlook, however, doesn’t mean they can’t see the realm of theoretical possibilities. INTPs constantly view things from the perspective of possible changes or advancements. They use their intellect to reason through complex issues, recognize patterns, and evaluate situations in order to make those possibilities actualities.

The INTP’s real motivation, however, isn’t necessarily to change the world. It’s to understand it. They desire clarity in everything they come in contact with, especially pertaining to more scientific studies.

Once they zero in on a project, the INTP easily falls into the absent-minded professor archetype. The high value they place on intelligence and their ability to solve problems by applying reasoning to theories can and often does become consuming.

Call it an obsession on their part. Or perhaps unrecognized fixation might be a better way of describing the INTP’s laser focus on results.

Everything else falls away for them, including time.

Put another way, INTPs usually spend their lives in their own minds. They don’t tend to place as much weight or emphasis on the outside world once they become determined to find logical solutions to something.

The INTP’s innate desire to translate ideas into practical knowledge can even develop into a sense of duty. They’ll believe (rightly or wrongly) that it’s up to them to address theoretical issues and advance society’s understanding… in which case, they can be counted on to nothing less.

INTP Strengths

As already noted, INTPs place a high value on knowledge, always trying to come up with new theories or ways to support or refute old ones. They approach theories and problems with curiosity and skepticism, disobeying accepted norms and viewpoints, and formulating their own strategies to tackle the project at hand.

That latter characteristic might sound like a negative. However, it can be extremely useful in advancing scientific thought. After all, sometimes the world needs some pushback on old hangups and adherence to the status quo.

Whenever something piques their curiosity, the typically very intelligent INTP automatically wants to look for trends and rational explanations to explain it. These people can be unbiasedly critical in their assessments, and passionate about theories and abstractions.

And, as previously stated, they have no problem giving a project the time it needs (or more).

Typically tolerant and adaptable, they adore novel concepts and enjoy talking about their ideas with other people. If you can get them away from their tasks, they can be truly fascinating conversationalists – provided you care about the topics of their interest, of course.

In fact, the INTP is extroverted and extremely self-assured when interacting with people they know well. Though, when it comes to meeting new people, they’re probably incredibly shy.

Challenges Faced by INTPs

Because their feeling side is their least developed attribute, INTPs often find it challenging to provide warmth and support in close relationships. They simply don’t understand the importance of showing consideration for other people’s emotions.

In worst-case scenarios, this can lead to them becoming extremely judgmental and caustic. And even in the best of cases, it can cause tensions in personal, casual, or professional interactions alike.

INTPs in general are quick to devalue anything that falls into subjective opinion or emotion. If a decision isn’t based on facts and figures, they’re not going to understand or appreciate it.

It’s as simple as that. And if anything challenges one of their deeply held ideas, they have a bad habit of becoming inflexible.

All put together, it should come as no great surprise that INTPs can find themselves struggling with social disobedience and self-aggrandizement. These tendencies, in turn, limit their creative potential, which is unfortunate for everyone involved…

Not just for them but anyone else they could have otherwise reached.

Coaching and Development for INTPs

INTPs most often use what they consider to be unchangeable truths to communicate their ideas. Normally, this involves well-reasoned comprehension of a concept; however, that doesn’t mean they’re always easy to understand.

This can become a greater issue still since INTPs aren’t inclined to bend reality to make things easier for anyone. They should just understand – right?

Yet amazing discoveries are ultimately meaningless if only one person knows about it. So it’s critical that INTPs concentrate on clearly communicating their established theories.

This might be frustrating to them considering their usual desire to finish up a project and move on – immediately if not sooner – to the next “big thing” that interests them. However, life is filled with frustrations sometimes, and every personality type needs to learn how to deal with their own.

INTPs need to be reminded that they’re no exception in this regard, no matter how they might think otherwise.

It’s also important to know that INTPs detest working on mundane tasks. They’d much rather develop intricate theoretical answers and let others handle system implementation.

Typically autonomous, nonconformist, and creative, INTPs can have complicated personalities, leading to erratic and restless behavior. But when they’re able to work on their own theories in their own way, they can come up with the most amazing applicable ideas.

Settings that therefore foster their creative, admittedly eccentric potential can help them achieve truly fascinating things.

INTPs in the Workplace

INTPs, with their unusual thought patterns and excessive intelligence, are particularly adept in scientific studies and technological pursuits. Their impressive ability to evaluate ideas from completely new angles has already been documented time and time again. And we’ll no doubt be hearing more sensational stories from this personality type going forward.

In the meantime, possible career paths for INTPs include:

• University professor
• Computer programmer
• System analyst
• Technical content writer
• Engineer
• Lawyer or judge
• Forensic scientist
• Park ranger.

Mark A. Griffin | Blog, Career Coaching, Christian Higher Ed HR, Human Resources, Job Search Tools, Job Shepherd Employer, Kingdom Company Building

The Strategist – Understanding the INTJ Personality Type

Oct 24, 2024

In the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator framework, personality types represent various approaches to life. Each one is a fascinating study with its own unique strengths and weaknesses. And people have succeeded immensely by understanding them better.

Most people take the MBTI in order to understand themselves. Understandably so. However, this tool is just as useful in understanding others, especially for managers and HR personnel.

There are 16 different MBTI personality types, which might seem like a daunting list to familiarize yourself with. Yet the benefits can be intense.

When we really know who we’re working with, we’re in a much better position to maximize their potential.

Take INTJs, also known as “Strategists.” Though not as rare as their cousins, the INFJs, this way of looking at the world is far from common. Only about 2.1% of the U.S. population fit into the category, with men being more likely to compared to women. These people, one way or the other, are logical, conceptual, and motivated learners who need ample alone time to truly thrive.

INTJs bring a lot to the table when they’re at their best, which is why recognizing and respecting their needs and tendencies is so important.

An INTJ’s Daily Life

INTJs are dominated by introverted intuition, a “big-picture” way of interacting with the world. They notice patterns and analyze underlying principles, then create strategies based on that empirical data.

Characterized by their strategic thinking and desire to work independently, INTJs are highly driven when they engage with a task. The urge to work can even be deemed “compulsive” for them.

Yet this seemingly cold and calculated way of viewing life includes a surprisingly optimistic outlook. INTJs see potential in everything they come into contact with, using that input to constantly revise their vision of tomorrow.

These people highly value deep connections in life; they’re not about casual connections – hence the reason why they don’t have many friends. But for the select circle they do feel close to, they’ll share everything about themselves.

This stands to reason then that they need to be very careful about what kinds of people they let into their lives.

In terms of romantic relationships, INTJ types prefer partners who show the same level of intelligence as themselves. Honesty, loyalty, and independence are some of the most important qualities they look for in a partner.

Partnered or single, an average day in the life of an INTJ might find him or her absorbed in problem-solving or strategic planning projects. That could mean:

• Tweaking a business model until it’s just right
• Building systems from scratch
• Researching something.

Regardless, they’re probably going to do it alone if they have their way. When they have that time and space to think, they’re able to shine brightest, thinking critically about everything around them as the independent thinkers they were created to be.

INTJ Strengths

We’ve already mentioned their “big-picture” tendencies, but this is truly one of an INTJ’s biggest strengths. They’re good at understanding complex systems and can easily spot areas that need improvement in any setting, though this might be especially true of business-related and tech-related situations.

If a project requires long-term thinking in general though, an INTJ’s perspective could be invaluable.

Self-assurance is another common power among people with this personality type. Once they set their sights on achieving a goal – no matter how difficult it may seem – they don’t tend to second-guess themselves.

Peer pressure or outside negativity from naysayers will more than likely slide right off them. Moreover, this tendency has a habit of growing as they get older since they have a track record of accomplishments to boost their confidence further.

INTJs are introverts by nature, oftentimes intensely so in that they’re never going to suggest going to a party or group function. That’s just not their happy place.

Yet once they do engage in conversation or other forms of interaction, these individuals can turn into excellent listeners and offer valuable advice where necessary.

Colleagues can greatly benefit from working alongside them as well. This only makes sense considering how their efforts can be boosted by an INTJ’s thoughtful evaluation of any shared tasks.

Challenges Faced by INTJs

For all their positives and potential, however, INTJs are just as human as the next personality type.

They have a distinct set of weaknesses they need to watch out for. And it shouldn’t come as any surprise that one of their unique challenges pertains to their ability (or inability) to socialize.

INTJs’ preference for logic over emotions can, frankly, make them appear coldhearted at times. In fact, acquaintances – particularly those with more emotional ways of interacting with the world – can see them as downright hostile.

While this perception may or may not be actually true, it is a fact that INTJs simply aren’t good about noticing others’ feelings. This is one obvious reason why they can find it difficult to establish close relationships.

It also doesn’t help in this department how easily they become overly focused on intellectual pursuits.

Furthermore, INTJs can be very tough on themselves and others if something doesn’t go according to plan. These individuals set extremely high standards for themselves and those around them, which can either produce amazing results…

Or lead to significant problems in the moment and down the road.

Coaching and Development for INFJs

INTJs naturally seek out and do best in jobs that engage their minds and enable them to realize what they envision. Positions that demand strategic planning skills, problem-solving capabilities, and creativity are where they’re really bound to thrive.

Managers should keep in mind that INTJs view a career as more than just a job. It’s a platform to bring ideas to life and transform them into reality.

This personality type always wants to recognize their potential to the fullest and strive to become the best version of themselves possible.

It’s therefore easy to take advantage of an INTJ in the workplace – which ultimately doesn’t benefit anyone involved. Therefore, helping these people achieve healthy work-life balances may be one of the most important areas they need coaching in.

Otherwise, they tend to overwork themselves and burn out easily.

Encouraging them to try out mindfulness tactics and stress management therapy could be beneficial. These techniques allow INTJs to take care of their mental health while still working towards their goals.

Creative hobbies can be encouraged as well. Perhaps suggest to them that they could explore new methods of expression through art or other activities that require imagination and innovation.

And if INTJs themselves are in leadership positions, they definitely need to learn soft skills on top of their business capabilities. Being intelligent alone doesn’t guarantee success – a truth they should never forget.

Knowing how to engage and inspire others is every bit as necessary… no matter how challenging the INTJ might find it to be.

INTJs in the Workplace

Because of their analytical strengths and organization capabilities, INTJs often excel in technical fields. Once they’ve selected an ideal industry, they can further narrow down positions by remembering their need for independence at work and their tendency to take on projects aimed at organizational development through innovation.

With those details in mind, possible career paths for the INTJ include:

• Scientist
• Engineer
• Professor and teacher
• Medical doctor and dentist
• Corporate strategist
• Organization builder
• Business administrator and manager
• Military leader
• Lawyer and attorney
• Judge.

Mark A. Griffin | Blog, Christian Higher Ed HR, Human Resources, Job Search Tools, Kingdom Company Building

The Strategic Planning Process 

Oct 15, 2024

I’m going to be upfront right from the start. I won’t sugarcoat the reality one bit.

Getting a strategic plan up and running takes serious time and elbow grease. There’s no way around it. However, every minute invested upfront ends up paying back tenfold. I can tell you how worthwhile the effort is, but you really need to see it to believe it.

Of course, to see it in your own organization, you first need to know how to make it happen. So let’s start off on the right foot and establish the steps you need to set the stage for success. 

Putting a Team Together

Picture your organization as a winning sports team. If you want to go all the way, you need all-star players in every position, ready to give their considerable best toward achieving a shared victory.

This is not a one-person project. You won’t be able to do it without involving and engaging people who bring specialized strengths to the table – people who can amplify creativity, balance perspectives, and ensure that every voice is heard. Surrounding yourself with a diverse dream team makes all the difference.

Research confirms that I’m not exaggerating the value of true organizational unity. Companies using a formal, team-based strategic planning process simply perform better. We’re talking about a 70% boost in success metrics, according to strategy execution platform Cascade. 

So don’t even think about skipping this step! I cannot stress enough how incredibly important your team selection is. You want to be looking for:

• Leaders from every department. Their intimate knowledge of departmental strengths, weaknesses, and inner workings brings invaluable insights. Make sure operations, marketing, product development, finance, human resources (HR), creative, and other key departments all have a spot at the table.
• Frontline staff who engage daily with internal and external customers. Ever heard the saying “boots on the ground”? Frontline perspectives balance out high-level views to yield balanced, holistic strategies. Include cashiers, customer support reps, account managers, and/or others who regularly interact with customers.
• Key external stakeholders. Invite a few select board members, donors, community partners, or advisors to join. They lend an outside vantage point that complements internal insights.
• Third-party experts as needed. If there are skillsets your team lacks, don’t be shy about pulling in trusted outside consultants. They can provide impartial guidance and specialized expertise to strengthen your process. Just be sure internal team members still drive and own the outcomes.

The more diversity of thought and experience you can include, the better. Analytical members guide data-driven rigor. Creative folks supply fresh vision. Tactical doers ground discussions in operational realities. And engaging contributors fosters collaborative dialogue.

When forming your team, consider these characteristics:

• Positivity: enthusiasm and commitment to the process
• Collaboration: the desire to share ideas and listen to others
• Pragmatism: people who consider operational impacts
• Thought diversity: unique but complementary strengths
• Openness: a willingness to consider new perspectives.

Ideally, aim for seven to 12 core members. Too few, and you lose important voices. Too many, and you risk creating an unwieldy process. 

Then, once you have your list, connect with each person individually before the official kickoff. Share your vision for an inclusive, productive process. Get their “buy-in” to fully participate. As Kate Gibson, contributor to the Harvard Business School states, “Employee buy-in refers to employees’ commitment to your company’s strategic goals. It’s critical to strategy execution and can profoundly impact organizational performance.”

Once you have that, you’re ready to call the first meeting! 

Use this kickoff to establish and clarify everyone’s different roles, the cadence for future meetings, next steps, and guiding principles for working together. And establish a timeline while you’re at it, making sure that everyone understands specific dates to see specific goals accomplished – including the completion date all around.  

Commit to a Timeline  

Timelines, admittedly, are a topic in and of themselves, starting with the fact that effective strategic planning takes time. I know I already mentioned this exact caution, but it needs to be stressed early on – not just to you but to your team – to keep everyone as on-track and long-term motivated as possible. 

I know. I know. As a busy leader, a long timeline makes you want to run for the hills. Or, at the very least, it might spike your anxiety levels. But remember: A rushed process yields shallow strategies with major holes. Thoughtful reflection, analysis, and implementation simply demand ample time.

Fortunately, they yield ample rewards in the process. Therefore, it really is worth your while to embrace the long but rewarding road ahead. 

Most companies should shoot for at least a 12-month process to ensure they’re including all key stakeholders and allowing proper time for data collection and analysis. If you’re a startup with fewer employees, it could take far less; we’ve walked some through the process in a mere month. But larger or otherwise more complex organizations could potentially need 18 months. 

Set this expectation upfront with leadership and team members, and secure their commitment to the required time and resources. And be detailed about what’s expected, why, and how. A detailed timeline provides necessary pacing and structure. It balances quick momentum with quality dialogue to yield fully baked strategies. It’s like an invaluable compass guiding your organization’s future. 

Give this process its proper due by mapping out target dates and milestones upfront… for three extremely compelling reasons:

1. It breaks up tasks, making them appear less overwhelming and more achievable.
2. It better matches reality, since implementation takes way longer than planning. This next statement might seem obvious in theory, but it’s important to fully accept it early on to ensure the least frustrating journey in practice. An incredible 98% of leaders report execution takes even MORE time than formulating the strategy itself. That’s according to the aforementioned Cascade Team in its 2022 article, “51 Strategy Statistics And 3 Key Lessons To Help You Succeed.”

Give your team enough runway by determining key milestones and timing targets upfront. For example, you might allot three months for foundational analysis, six to deeply explore strategic options and refine priorities, and two to finalize the polished written strategic plan.

1. A clear timeline drives accountability. Like athletes diligently following a training regimen in preparation for the big game, it keeps momentum going even on busy days.

Speaking of momentum, after that first meeting, commit to holding regular check-ins to ask about progress. This is a great way to spot potential delays early so you can course correct. Another way to stay on track is to review timelines at the start of each planning meeting. Celebrate successes, address upcoming milestones, and adjust deadlines if warranted.

You want your timeline to be successful, so find some way – whatever it might be – to keep your people aware and committed to making it happen. Organization-wide allegiance is an absolute MUST for successful execution. And not just in the beginning. Everyone at every level needs to be fully aware of what the greater goal is and how long it’s going to take to get there.

Otherwise, your shiny new strategic plan will just gather dust. There’s just too much room for error.

Consider sobering research from Ted Jackson, which showed that 67% of well-formulated strategies still fail due to poor execution. That’s painful! Poor execution too often stems from a lack of proper communication, which results in a lack of commitment the more time passes. Individual contributors – and even managers – lose their enthusiasm because they get frustrated or confused by the process. 

So, again, securing honest, informed, enthusiastic buy-in across ALL levels in the beginning pays huge rewards later on. This can include:

Leadership vocally and visually advocating for the process. The boss must walk the walk for others to take it seriously. Demonstrate your commitment through active participation in planning meetings and spoken support. In other words, lead by example!

Involving people across the organization. Ask for SWOT input on Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats; or find other ways to gather perspectives on draft priorities. Broad involvement breeds engagement and long-lasting enthusiasm. (More on SWOT later.)

Communicate. Communicate. Communicate! Regularly share progress updates, milestones achieved, and details about how the process connects to departmental goals. Don’t keep anyone involved in the dark!

Link the plan to individual goals and decision-making. Set the expectation that the strategic plan will guide choices and actions made by ALL staff on a daily basis.

While you’re at it, make it clear this plan is not just another file. It’s a living document that tangibly shapes your organization’s path forward. None of this is necessarily easy, but I’ll say it yet again…

It’s worth the work.

The next four chapters will cover exactly what that work should look like, step by step by step by step. Take the time to read each one carefully, and feel free to pause over any part you need to.

It might seem overwhelming to take in. But just like it’s worth the work, it’s also doable. Trust me.

I’ve been there. Done this. And with the right amount of time and effort, you can say the same.

Mark A. Griffin | Blog, Christian Higher Ed HR, Human Resources, Kingdom Company Building

The Importance of Strategic Planning

Sep 24, 2024

If I asked you where you see yourself in five years, could you give me a good answer? Or any answer at all? 

Do you have a clear vision for your personal growth and the goals necessary to make it happen? 

If the answer is no, don’t panic. It’s not the end of the world. But you do need to take the time to rectify that mistake and embrace strategic planning if you want to be in a different place going forward. 

Many people think about personal visions and goals, but very few actually have them. Yet if you have one and focus on it often, you will ultimately steer your life toward obtaining it.

For years, I floated around with no real direction. I said I wanted to advance my career, get in shape, and be happier – but had no concrete plans to do so. That all changed, however, when I started doing intentional strategic planning for my life. Mapping out my vision, mission, and goals transformed everything for me personally. And the same can and should be true for organizations. 

Without strategic planning, it’s far too easy to drift along aimlessly. But with a clear strategic plan, your business or nonprofit can thrive like never before. In this post, I’ll show what a total game-changer it is for both personal and organizational success. 

So let’s dive in!

Let Yourself Dig Deep

Think of your vision as your compass, your GPS, or, my personal favorite metaphor, a lighthouse at the beach designed to lead you through the storms, past the rocky ocean waves toward your final destination. Regardless, it all begins with a basic but crucial question.

“What do I want?”

And don’t stop at a surface-level answer. Don’t go easy on yourself. What do you really, really, truly want for yourself? If you could have the kind of life that would make your heart sing, what would it look like?

At this point, your heart may be beating a bit faster at the very idea. And the doubts might be rising up fast. Can you really have that kind of life?

I believe you can. I’ve done it myself, and I’ve helped an ever-expanding number of clients lead passionate and fulfilling lives as well. Could you be the exception? Maybe. But you’ll never know if you don’t try. And, in my opinion, the rewards of success overwhelmingly outweigh the risks.

The Goals to Get There 

Now let’s talk goals – the steps you need to take to get where you want to go, as outlined in your vision. As an example, here are some parts of my growth vision in the past, all in a given year:

• Start a business that will assist organizations in achieving high performance through their HR practices.
• Finish and publish another book.
• Grow my social media presence by 20%.
• Manage time more effectively to end my workday by 6 p.m. in order to spend more time with my wife.
• Spend quality time with my wife by planning two weekends away together.
• Do a five-night backpacking trip.
• Attend at least one in-person seminar or conference to further hone my skills or personal growth.

• Expand my prayer life by surrounding myself with prayer experts.

Hopefully that gives you an idea of where to start. If needed –  and if nothing pops into your head right away – set aside time to dream about your ideal life. Even if you spend just five to 10 minutes a day on this project, ask yourself:

• What is my true relationship with God? Have I put my full trust in Him?
• If I could have more of something in my life, what would it be?
• What could I eliminate from my life for good?
• Which relationships do I need to nurture and/or which ones should I release?
• What is my relationship to money?
• What is my secret passion or dream?
• What am I most afraid of?
• What habits should I quit?
• What can I do to bring more joy into my daily life?
• What am I grateful for?

These questions are just a starting point. There are plenty of others to choose from. Take into account all major aspects of your life – your friends and family (both immediate and extended), church, charity work and, of course, fun and recreation. Also, examine your honest thoughts and assessments of your daily career, activities, spending habits, personal wellness and fitness, spirituality and, last but not least, your spouse.

Whatever goals you come to, you’ll want to like them. Really like them, in fact, since you’re going to be doing a lot of them! 

This is particularly true about work-oriented goals. According to statistics from research firm Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development, the average American works 1,788 hours per year. Over 40 years, that adds up to over 71,000 hours! 

Take a moment to let that staggering number sink in. It means you probably spend more time working than sleeping, eating, or participating in your favorite recreational activities throughout your life!

As such, I have to assume you’d prefer to enjoy the company you work for, no matter how long you’re with it. Longevity for employees is now increasing, with recent statistics showing people stay at their jobs an average of 4.6 years. While that’s nothing compared to the kind of commitment workers showed 50 years ago, it’s still a sizable fraction of an adult life. 

This is why it’s so important to know exactly what you want to do before you start doing it: so you can end up in the most ideal situation possible. Beginning a career in a field you love and sticking with it can make all the difference in your future.

Let’s Talk About Your Voice 

Now, in order to enjoy a career you love, you need to have, know, and exert your voice. A voice shapes the culture of an organization and serves as a guide to employees and management. All successful companies have one, and successful workers do as well.

Organizations with a well-thought-out voice have direction, purpose, and achievement in the workplace. They know where they want to be (the big picture) and do the appropriate things (the details) to get there. And every step of the way, employees who align with that voice enthusiastically project that message to customers, vendors, and their local communities. Otherwise, it’s impossible to align their goals and objectives to create success.

A person or organization’s voice is a combination of their personal mission, vision, and values. Values, of course, are the principles or standards you believe should be most upheld. But let’s dig into the other two more closely.

An organization’s (or person’s) mission statement is a concise, meaningful sentence or two that represents its purpose: the goal it strives to embody or provide for its consumers. Mission statements are often action-based, explaining the central objective at hand. For instance:

• LinkedIn: “to connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful.”
• Amazon’s is to be “Earth’s most customer-centric company, Earth’s best employer, and Earth’s safest place to work.”
• Nike’s is to “bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.”

If you’re an individual, your personal mission statement would be similar in its straightforward style. It should define who you are as a person and identify your purpose, whether that’s on the job or simply in life. It’s supposed to explain where you see yourself in the future, how you plan to pursue that future, and why it matters so much to you. 

Like an organizational mission statement, a personal mission statement should be clear and concise – a soundbite or quick elevator pitch, if you will. Something, perhaps, along the lines of: “To use my writing skills to inspire and educate others around the world to make a change.”

An organizational vision, meanwhile, is an ideal or model statement. While a mission statement defines the strategy for reaching a final goal, an organizational vision is that goal. It’s the world the company envisions for the future. Tesla, for instance, uses this: “To create the most compelling car company of the 21st century by driving the world’s transition to electric vehicles.”

Lastly, an organizational value statement defines what is important to a company and its employees. For instance: “We believe food has the power to change the world. We do it by being real.” Or, if a person was writing one, it would define the values most important to him or her, such as: “To be a respectable employee, friend, and member of the community, and to make a positive impact on others by being honest, fair, and reliable.”

Some other notable value statements to inspire you include Hobby Lobby’s, which reads: “Honoring the Lord in all we do by operating in a manner consistent with Biblical principles. Offering customers exceptional selection and value. Serving our employees and their families by establishing a work environment and company policies that build character, strengthen individuals and nurture families.”

And Interstate Batteries goes like this: “LOVE. Treat others like you’d want to be treated. SERVANT’S HEART. Lead with what people need. EXCELLENCE. Do great things with the gifts you’ve been given. COURAGE. Learn, improve and boldly drive change that matters. FUN. Work hard, laugh often. TEAM. Together, we’re better. INTEGRITY. Be who you are and live up to your commitments.”

All put together, your voice – composed of your mission, vision, and values – tells the world WHO you are, WHAT you believe, and WHERE you want to go. And though I’m emphasizing certain words in that last sentence, the “you” is equally important. No two people share the exact same voice. 

Your voice is unique only to YOU. 

As an organization, you can impress future customers by fine tuning this voice. As an individual, you can impress future employers. Either way, the intent should be to let recipients see who you are and what you want. 

If this sounds intimidating to put together, fret not. You can begin by grabbing a piece of scratch paper and writing out your thoughts. Maybe start out scribbling a few adjectives that describe you best. Then think about what you value most. 

Is it integrity? Reliability? Honesty? A combination of the three or something entirely different?

Lastly, determine what it is you really want and how you plan to get there. Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years? 

Don’t worry if you don’t have it all figured out, but this exercise can get you a lot further than you otherwise would be. By perfecting your unique voice, you will set yourself apart from the rest when it comes to competitive opportunities, big or small. After all, confident people and entities who truly understand themselves have a tendency of standing out in all the best ways.

Once you come up with your full voice, start reciting it to your friends and loved ones. Say it with confidence and a smile. By the time you land an interview at your desired company or find yourself in a boardroom convincing potential clients, you’ll have it down pat! 

My Personal Strategic Planning Journey

If this all sounds like something you figured out a long time ago and therefore don’t need to do again, I hope you’ll take a moment to reconsider. Remember that you’re not the same man or woman you were 10 years ago or even 10 months ago. You’re changing, hopefully in good ways but sometimes negatively too, perhaps weighed down by past disappointments.

Therefore, reminding yourself of what you really care about can be exceptionally helpful.

Not long ago, I know I felt stuck. I wanted to make changes but didn’t know where to start. I had big dreams but no strategy to get there… until I rediscovered strategic planning. That changed everything!

Here are the steps that put me on an amazing new path:

• I wrote down my life vision. This captured where I wanted to be in five to 10 years. It was the dream-future state I envisioned. Defining this vision gave me hope and inspiration.
• I clarified my mission. This one-sentence personal mission statement explained my core purpose. It helped me make decisions aligned with my values. Now, my mission keeps me focused on what matters most.
• I set SMART goals. Using the methodology on this graphic for a S.M.A.R.T. framework, I set specific, measurable goals in key areas like career, health, and relationships. Breaking the vision down into concrete objectives was crucial.

• I documented plans and resources. For each goal, I wrote down how I’d achieve it and what resources I needed. Putting the plans on paper held me accountable.
• I told others. Sharing my plan with family and friends generated encouragement. Their support has been invaluable.
• I reviewed and adapted. I now make sure to revisit my strategic plan – often – to update and adjust it as needed. Regular reviews keep me on track.

In all of this, I take inspiration from Habakkuk 2:2-3 (NIV), which reads:

“Then the LORD replied: “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false.”

God says to write things down on tablets. Writing goals is doing just that.

The results in my life have been nothing short of life changing. I’m healthier, happier, and feel much more fulfilled. I’m closer to my wife, advancing in my career, and making a bigger impact on the world. 

For instance, prior to setting goals, I had never been on a mission trip. Since putting it down in clear, concise writing, I’ve traveled the world over, sharing Christ’s love through business and personal trips. I’ve been blessed to have served in Honduras, Nicaragua, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, India (from top to bottom!), Nepal, and Ukraine. 

My fitness has also increased dramatically, allowing me to: 

• Climb to the Mt. Everest Base Camp (17,598 ft)
• Climb Mt. Baldy in California (4,193 ft)
• Climb to the top of Mt. Bierstadt in Colorado (14,065 ft)
• Lead a team to summit Mt. Washington in New Hampshire (6,288 ft )
• Compete in a Sprint Triathlon.

And it doesn’t stop there. At the time of this writing, I’m planning to tackle Mt. Kilimanjaro (19,341 ft) in the spring of 2025.

Look what God has inspired me to do because I was willing to tap into who He created me to be! Moreover, in the midst of these accomplishments, I have an even bigger one to celebrate. My beautiful wife and I will be celebrating 40 years of marriage in 2026. Forty years since we said, “I do.” 

It’s been an amazing journey, to say the least. 

How did we do it? Well, I won’t go into all the details for brevity’s sake. But I can tell you the past decade has been especially momentous since we started setting goals together, and achieving them! We’ve been disciplined in maintaining that focus, making time for each other in both big and small ways for our benefit, the benefit of our children, and now our grandchildren as well. 

All in all, strategic planning gave me a blueprint to get unstuck and live with purpose. And while I knew it would be worthwhile, the results have been better than I imagined, both in personal ways and in my career.

Energizing Teams Through Vision

I’ve been on both the employee side of the business equation and the employer side. And I can attest that it’s often hard to see the other’s perspective either way due to misunderstandings, miscommunications (or lack of any communication at all), and oversights.

Imagine you’re an employee showing up to work each day. You complete tasks as told but don’t know how it’s contributing to any larger goal or vision. Before long, boredom and disengagement set in, and you feel adrift in the organizational sea.

Unfortunately, this is the reality for too many workers. And it most often happens when their leaders haven’t mapped out an inspiring vision and steps to achieve it. It’s not until organizations engage in strategic planning that amazing things start to happen…

• Employees feel energized and motivated.
• They understand how their role builds up to big goals.
• They feel purpose and direction in their daily work.

“Research shows [that] organizations with a clear strategic vision have 29% higher employee engagement,” according to Business Insights, Why Is Strategic Planning Important? | HBS Online. By articulating an exciting vision of the future, leaders ignite their teams’ passion and performance. 

Strategic planning also allows you to infuse the organization’s values into the planning process itself. This ensures alignment between actions and principles, and fosters a flourishing culture.  

Long-term success of your organization depends on how engaged your employees are. A highly engaged staff can boost profitability by 21%, claims research firm Gallup. Or, as Kate Gibson writes in her Harvard Business Review article, The Role Core Values Play In Strategy Execution, “Core values are vital to strategy execution because they guide your organization and employees’ behavior.”  

Essentially, people love being part of something bigger than a paycheck. And strategic planning provides greater meaning through an energizing vision and values-driven goals. When executed thoughtfully, it catalyzes your people’s purpose and potential, bringing them together.

By this, I mean that leaders can incorporate their teams into the strategic planning process instead of dictating plans in isolation. When a broad group participates, they take ownership of the plan together, giving them a shared enthusiasm and devotion to the collective mission. 

Everyone emotionally buys in because they co-created the plan. It’s theirs to support instead of something foisted on them from the top.

Setting Your Eyes on Achievable Goals

Once you have all of this established, your next step should be to set goals. RASM goals, to be precise, where you make them:

• Realistic – Acknowledge constraints in areas like resources and capacity
  
• Achievable – Make sure you have the capability and commitment necessary.
• Strategic – The goal in question should always ladder up to your core strategy and mission.
• Measurable – Make sure you track progress quantitatively or qualitatively against the goal.

I often add a T to this acronym for Timebound. By assigning a specific timeline to each goal, you can prevent them from dragging on indefinitely. But even without that extra consideration, research confirms that organizations with strategic RASM planning are far more successful. The discipline to focus on concrete, achievable goals pays dividends.

So set aside fantasies of instant 10x growth or dominating the universe. Effective strategic planning grounds you in reality, which then helps you get to the next level you really want to reach.

Driving Efficiency through Prioritization

Speaking of fantasies, the unfortunate truth is that there are always more great opportunities than bandwidth and resources to pursue them. That’s why one of the most powerful benefits of strategic planning is the prioritization of what matters most.

Leaders must make tough choices about what not to pursue. Saying no to less critical initiatives and collectively agreeing on 3-5 goals that will have maximum impact frees up resources to achieve strategic goals. It:

• Directs funding, talent, and technology to enable those priorities
• Aligns the whole organization around the priorities
• Executes relentlessly on the strategic goals.

In Strategic Planning, S. Ghosal writes, “Research shows organizations that take this focused approach improve efficiency. Doing less but better is my point. By keeping the team focused and avoiding the “rabbit trail” projects that tend to pop up at every organization, you’re sure to accomplish so much more in the end.”

Of course, leaders must still consider other opportunities and challenges that inevitably emerge. But a clear strategic plan provides the filter to determine what deserves resources and what can wait.

The result is an empowering sense of focus and a rapid boost in productivity.

Enabling Clear Communication

All of this inspiration, productivity, and team spirit can only endure, however, if communication remains strong after planning concludes. Fortunately, strategic planning, done right, is supposed to handle this aspect as well, serving as a living document that drives ongoing alignment. 

By clearly capturing goals, roles and responsibilities, assumptions, and progress, it reduces ambiguity and enables crisp communication and transparency around what matters most. It provides a single source of truth that keeps everyone aligned. And even as plans evolve, updated documentation maintains that unity of purpose and action.

Effective communication throughout the strategic planning lifecycle boosts organizational performance by 20%.  Assuming communication occurs without documentation is a recipe for misalignment. So invest in it throughout and even after the strategic planning process. Keep the plan top of mind through constant reinforcement. 

This pays enormous dividends – both in the moment and further down your organizational road. It’s not just the current project that gets impacted. Strategic planning is supposed to have lasting effects on everyone and every part of a business or non-profit. It helps align leadership and team members around the same priorities and resources, allowing them to act more quickly, rationally, and efficiently when conditions shift.

Moreover, it allows everyone involved to better anticipate future needs and help organizations get ahead of the curve with early hiring, budgeting, and capacity expansions.

Harvard Business Review writer Roger L. Martin, a former dean of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and strategy adviser to CEOs, advises that developing strategy means going outside of an organization’s comfort zone while still:

• Keeping the strategy statement simple
• Recognizing that strategy isn’t about perfection
• Making the logic explicit.

You will run into problems eventually. Those are inevitable. But you can make yourself stronger and smarter at handling those when you have your strategic plan properly thought out and in place.

Give It Time – and Commitment – to Make It Work

Whether you’re a corporation or individual, strategic planning can bring purpose and gravity back into your life. But you only reap those rewards if you approach the process with complete commitment. 

The results are long-lasting but can also take a long time, a lot of effort, and even significant money to accomplish, especially in the beginning. We’ve examined why strategic planning is such an effective means of getting organizations where they want to go. But it’s also important to acknowledge that designing and implementing a strategic plan can seem like a daunting task, especially if you’ve never been through the exercise before.

Fortunately, if you work step by step, you can develop a robust strategic planning process that will last for years. Even decades! So let’s move on now to those all-important first steps for structuring your strategic planning journey. 

I’ll show you how to make the process incredibly doable. In our next post we will be navigating bringing the strategic planning process to your organization, and the steps you will need to take to achieve high performance at your organization.

Want To Know Your Capabilities As A Leader? 

For further actionable insights, reach out to In HIS Name HR right here. We help organizations build high-performance human resource programs designed to build your workplace into the engaging, effective, integrity-filled space you want it to be.

Contact us today! You and your employees will be grateful you did.

Mark A. Griffin | Blog, Christian Higher Ed HR, Human Resources, Kingdom Company Building

Employment Laws and Regulations Every Professional Should Know

Sep 9, 2024

HR professionals are supposed to strategically manage staff members in accordance with a list of intricate and constantly evolving legal rights for both employers and employees. It’s a tough task with potentially severe penalties for any failures – real or perceived.

Legal action… financial losses… a damaged reputation.

It literally and figuratively pays to know your HR rules and regulations.

Beyond the Bill Of Rights

The creators of the United States Constitution memorialized citizen rights in a series of 10 amendments, collectively known as The Bill of Rights. This was a revolutionary document, made more impactful still since our founders had the foresight to make the list adaptable for a changing future.

The power to expand, create, and enact legislation was granted to the dual (and sometimes dueling) houses of Congress. And our representatives have definitely acted on that power ever since, impacting citizen rights in so many ways.

All of them put together, for better or worse, make an organization’s human resources agenda a lot more challenging. The topic is multilayered, but here are the biggest pieces of federal law your HR team needs to know about.

1964 Civil Rights Act

The U.S. Declaration of Independence stated that the new nation was being formed on “self-evident” truths “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,” and “that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Yet it took until the 1964 Civil Rights Act to legislatively prohibit employment discrimination  based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in hiring, promoting, and firing.

As a legal benchmark of modern civil rights, it has since been used as precedent for women’s and LGBTQ+ rights as well.

The Occupational Safety and Health Act

The OSH Act of 1970 created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Under OSHA, businesses are mandated to provide safe working conditions that are devoid of recognized hazards. Its objective is to regulate, inspect, and prevent unhealthy and unsafe working conditions.

This includes guaranteeing that workers are properly trained in their jobs and provided proper personal protective equipment (PPE) to minimize worker exposure to hazardous environments and tasks. As a regulatory agency, OSHA seeks to prevent employment-related illness, disabilities, and death.

The National Labor Relations Act

The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) of 1935, also known as the Wagner Act, protects workers’ rights in the private sector. It gives them the right to free association in forming trade unions and to seek collective bargaining for fair wages and better working conditions. This includes protections against unfair labor practices and reprisals against labor organizations and their representatives.

There have been three significant amendments to the NLRA over the decades. In 1947, the Labor Management Relations Act – nicknamed the Tafy-Harley Act – removed some labor union privileges and gave the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) authority over determining unfair union practices.

Next, the 1959 Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act banned unions from expanding strikes to companies not directly involved in a labor dispute. And finally, technical amendments were passed in 1974 to cover healthcare workers in the private sector sphere.

The NLRA is the subject of two current (2024) Supreme Court cases. Since both challenge perceived NLRB overreaches, we could see further changes still.

Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990

The Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) forbids discrimination on the basis of disability.

Expanding on and clarifying the Civil Rights Act, the ADA added persons with disabilities as a recognized and protected class of citizen. It states that reasonable accommodations for equal and non-discriminatory access must be provided – regardless of whether a company is private or public. This applies to educational and transportation capabilities, as well as healthcare, housing, and employment.

Since its enactment, numerous court challenges have risen up to determine what constitutes “reasonable” accommodation. More recently, some of these challenges have asked whether mental disabilities are covered.

Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967

The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) of 1967 prohibits discrimination in the workplace against individuals who are at least 40 years old. As with ADA, it expands on the Civil Rights Act – which inherently should cover age discrimination but does not specifically name it.

ADEA mandates advancement and training based on age, as well as hiring and job interview equality. It continues to be amended as younger and older workers alike become affected by changing demographics and technological advancements.

Living Rights

As initially stated, the Constitution was crafted to be a living document addressing living rights.

The Bill of Rights alone could not address every issue concerning citizen rights, local and state government responsibilities, and private sector fairness and balance. So acts of Congress seek to address the needs of a changing citizenry.

Employment laws were developed to give structure, standards, and safeguards for both employers and employees. This is an important task, to be sure, since the very foundation of the U.S. economic system is our labor force.

However, this does mean that HR professionals work hard to stay current with laws at every level of government: municipal, state, and federal alike. Breaking these regulations can have disastrous repercussions, so always strive to stay compliant in how you handle your organization – inside and out.

________

Concerned about the HR programs at your organization? The benefits of having a trusted partner guide you and your team to excellence are invaluable. Contact us today. You – and your employees – will be glad you did.

Rise with us by implementing our high-performance remote human-resource programs to help find great people! E-mail us here.

Mark A. Griffin is president and founder of IHN HR. Connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Mark A. Griffin | Blog, Christian Higher Ed HR, Human Resources, Kingdom Company Building

10 Competencies of Leadership

Sep 9, 2024

Let’s face it: We all know being a leader is tough.

That’s why it’s so crucial for leaders to understand their capabilities in relation to leadership competencies. There’s a lot going on in those areas, from directing teams to energizing them and accomplishing your goals – each of which can be a challenge.

I’ve found that breaking down leadership into a series of competencies can help extensively. That way, you can think of each skill as its own separate task, making developing each one easier.

Here’s a look at the 10 key competencies of outstanding leaders… along with tips for you to excel in them no matter your field!

Leadership

This first competency might seem like an obvious and even all-encompassing aspect of being a leader, but hear me out. Developing all the other competencies we cover requires authentic leadership. Team members won’t believe in your vision until they conclude that you’re worth following.

That begins with proper communication. The best communicators explain their ideas with power and conviction. They speak to overarching organizational objectives and primary strategic priorities. And they articulate how each person’s work cascades up to higher-level goals.

When priorities are clear, teams can really buy in.

Great leaders also bolster morale through hard work, modeling how they want their teams to behave. They roll up their sleeves to show what they want the rest to do, raising everyone else’s energy levels by personally demonstrating diligence, focus, and persistence.

Or, to use the definition we use at IHN HR, leaders show everyone else how to “deliver on the mission, achieve the vision, and reflect the organization’s values.”

Delegation

From there, you should understand the importance of delegation to leadership success. Don’t try to do it all yourself; instead, assign tasks to the people best-suited to handle them.

Effective delegation begins with putting people in jobs they can do, so carefully consider each team members’ capabilities. Do they have what it takes to get a particular task done?

For those who can handle more, give them stretch assignments: projects or accounts with a bit more complexity. The employees who can do these without problems or mistakes should be developed further and rewarded appropriately since their chances of success are high.

This isn’t playing favorites; it’s playing to people’s strengths.

In thinking about who can complete a task, think about treating people like people. They’re individuals capable of handling appropriately assigned tasks, so be careful not to overwhelm them while also seeking to avoid automatically limiting them. Learning can and should happen at any time for any one person, irrespective of their experience.

Good delegation allows employees to thrive and often includes using tools to discover their strengths. When you do that and act accordingly, everyone wins.

Finally, go in with a clear intent; people respect leaders who avoid ambiguity. Set goals for when you expect someone to do something. Fully contextualize the work by stating what you’re trying to achieve and what the desired outcome will be. Be specific about the requirements for the task, at what point it’s considered complete, and how you’ll evaluate successful performance.

As we say at IHN HR, delegation means assigning “tasks and responsibilities to the appropriate team members”… and with the clearest instructions possible.

Professional Maturity

Professional composure might not be the easiest state to achieve, but it is a hallmark of mature leaders. The best of the best learn to keep cool with the chaos. They think calmly and clearly before reacting, refusing to take things personally even when that’s the natural human reaction.

Keeping cool in the face of fire helps to keep teams steady.

Great leaders are also active about checking their biases. They use appropriate language, base their decisions on data, and actively seek out diverse viewpoints.

At our firm, we define professional maturity as “interacting with people in a manner that reflects the values of the organization and cultural norms.”

Administration

Leaders should “systematize” additional activities. For example, if employees have to perform the same task repeatedly, managers should help develop protocols and workflows for it.

Documenting routines helps minimize employee error and confusion, especially when employees change and workers have to pick up where others have left off. Yet the majority of organizations don’t implement this strategy. And without basic working instructions or standard operating procedures, they run the risk of never improving.

Since the best leaders are always looking for ways to improve, they provide central access to templates, manuals, databases, and shared drives so workers can easily find what they need to do their jobs. Organized systems don’t waste time by forcing employees or underlings to find what they need.

This includes by way of available advancements. Leaders should always look to leverage technology to speed up manual processes, such as scheduling apps, task-trackers, file-sharing programs, and so on. A well-chosen tool can minimize waste in your work process.

At IHN HR we define administration as “having effective systems in place to manage workflow and projects.”

Training

Investment in employee training is also part of the leader’s role. The best leaders invest their valuable time in helping their team develop important skills by getting them ready for their tasks as early in the project process as possible.

Admittedly, not everyone enjoys these activities. So to make learning engaging for everyone involved, vary your approach. Use presentations, manuals, videos, and coaching. Provide materials that cater to different learning styles. Allow people to preview your expectations for them, and make it as hands-on an experience as you can.

And remember: Good-quality programs give context. Let trainees practice or simulate what they’re expected to do to prime their skills and build their confidence.

At IHN HR, we define training as “providing direct instruction or appropriate resources to impart information.”

Mentorship

Besides formal training, strong leaders seek to mentor emerging talent by offering one-on-one development support. High-performing organizations invest heavily in mentorship programs; consider doing the same for your employees.

Regardless, you can accelerate high-potential team members’ development by leveraging your own experiences and encouraging authenticity. Find out their strengths, interests, and opportunities for growth. What are their preferred learning styles? Where do they want to see themselves in five years?

Even better, put a system in place for mentor and mentee check-ins. Consistency provides continuity, and processes offer the flexibility to respond to changing needs. But also let your mentee know you’re available for in-the-moment questions.

At IHN HR, we define mentorship as “developing people by sharing their expertise, experience, and influence for the purpose of learning and growth.”

Communication

Leadership is about communication. And in order to be heard, you have to know your audience, use the right medium, and constantly seek feedback.

We advise first considering the communication styles (e.g., formality, preferences for email or phone) and terminology (e.g., vocabulary, level of detail, and depth) that are appropriate in various departments and functions. You need to understand your audience and tailor your message to fit specific recipients.

Also, keep in mind the timing of your messages. And be purposeful in your choice of communication channel. You can make broad announcements via email, but avoid sending other kinds of messages that contain sensitive material.

Try to match the medium to the meaning. Texts may attract more attention, but use them sparingly. The urgency diminishes with use.

At IHN HR, we define effective communication as “written and verbal communication that’s timely and effective with an appropriate tone.

Team Environment

Leaders shape the team’s culture by facilitating interaction between members, allowing them to bring out the best in each other. The deeper the team members’ camaraderie and engagement, the higher their satisfaction and performance.

Begin with bonding. Off-site team building and leadership development programs can do wonders. Getting people away from their desks and participating in fun activities can go far in creating stronger relationships. And if you can incorporate activities that address differences in personalities and strengths, that’s even better.

Trust improves with personal connections.

Collectively develop rules for openness, debate, and conflict resolution. And encourage respect for each other even during disagreements.

At IHN HR, we define the ideal team environment as “a culture that unifies a high-performance team to effectively deliver on their goals.”

Approachability

Leaders should also be approachable, encouraging their followers to seek them out with questions and concerns. Maintaining an open-door policy in the office, setting aside regular office hours for impromptu visits, and/or keeping instant messaging open for remote teams demonstrates your presence and accessibility to your followers.

In addition, make clear the best persons or groups to contact about any given issue and how best to reach them – whether email, chat, phone, etc. Be clear about expected response times, and consistently state your routine response process so that employees know they can rely on you.

Finally, pay attention when speaking to others. Listen carefully, and let the other person finish before you speak. Maintain eye contact, keep an open body posture, and minimize any signals that suggest you’re not interested.

1. Set specific S.M.A.R.T. goals: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time bound.
2. Plan thoroughly. Delineate all the steps, actors, resources, and contingencies. No surprises.
3. Agree on the measures. Agree on what will be measured and how the measures will be reported, ensuring they’re as quantitative as possible.
4. Break down long-term goals. Divide larger goals into smaller ones. Maintain motivation with checkpoints.
5. Be flexible; change timetables or plans if called for, but if you stay on track, that’s discipline enough. Gravity and grace balance each other.
6. Treasure your wins. Celebrate each victory as you head toward your goal. Count the wins.

We believe that S.M.A.R.T. goals not only improve the lives of employees but also contribute to the success and longevity of the organization they’re designed for.

At IHN HR, we define approachability as “being available for questions, instructions, and input (i.e., open-door policy).”

Execution

Of course, all of this leads to execution. At the end of the day, the key to leadership is getting things done efficiently and effectively.

Here are some tips for effective leadership execution:

Lead With Confidence

If that seems like a very long and even daunting list, don’t feel overwhelmed. Rather, focus on just one or two competencies per quarter and work to enhance those areas. Then make sure to regularly review your progress.

Over time, these capabilities compound to make you the inspirational leader your team needs.

Want To Know Your Capabilities As A Leader? 

______________

For further actionable insights, reach out to In HIS Name HR right here. We help organizations build high-performance human resource programs designed to build your workplace into the engaging, effective, integrity-filled space you want it to be.

Contact us today! You and your employees will be grateful you did.

Mark A. Griffin | Blog, Christian Higher Ed HR, Human Resources, Kingdom Company Building

A Guide to Creating Human Resources Metrics for Your Organization

Jun 1, 2024

It is vital for human resource professionals to track and assess their HR strategies’ efficiency. 

That’s why they use specialized metrics to gather and analyze information about an array of workforce dimensions. While there are many possibilities to choose from, not all metrics are equal. Likewise, not all are suitable to help your particular organization.

There’s a lot of information out there to navigate through as you seek to exceed your goals, remove obstacles to success, and promote a culture consistent with your mission, vision, and values. But it’s not insurmountable.

You can learn how to develop and utilize HR metrics to gauge performance and support your organization’s strategic vision. From selection to implementation, discover the key steps for creating human resources metrics that truly matter to your organization’s success.

Understanding Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in HR

Key performance indicators, or KPIs, are an essential tool in gauging whether an HR department is meeting its objectives. They can play a critical role in strategic decision-making and enhancing problem-solving abilities that align with organizational goals and objectives. 

It’s important to distinguish between common HR metrics and KPIs. Because while all KPIs are metrics, not all metrics are KPIs, which have distinct characteristics, such as: 

• Specificity
• Measurability
• Attainability
• Relevance
• Direct connection to broader organizational goals.

HR teams use these vital indicators about such things as employee turnover rates, employee engagement, training effectiveness, development assessments, and pay equity. Analyzing these crucial data points can pinpoint sectors that are ripe for enhancement and make HR activities consistent with the larger organizations’ goals. 

These measurements can then be turned into actionable insights that elevate human resources from a purely operational arm into a pivotal, future-shaping part of the organization.

And, for the record, the more specific your metrics are, the better.

Identifying Crucial HR Metrics for Your Organization

At first glance, selecting suitable HR metrics for your organization may feel like trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube. It can appear overwhelming due to the vast variety of choices available. 

However, when you track your organizational objectives, it becomes clear which HR metrics you can accurately apply. After that, decoding the puzzle is easy and even enjoyable.

(To learn more about what KPIs are all about, click here.)

Your organization-specific list will almost certainly include the group of HR metrics listed below. They’re designed to provide you with vital insights about the efficiency of your HR measures and areas for growth…

1. Recruitment Metrics 

The success of any thriving organization depends on its recruitment. But without proper benchmarks, it can be tough to determine if your hiring is effective and efficient. 

Therefore, recruitment metrics are critical measures in assessing these processes. They give you insights into how effective your processes are. 

For instance, one focus is on the time to hire: how long it takes between when the recruitment process begins and when a suitable candidate accepts his or her job offer. This is an essential measure of how quickly your candidates of choice move through the pipeline.

Or how about your cost per hire. Recruitment costs reveal the financial investment that goes into securing each new hire within expected salary bands.

HR authority SHRM pins the employee cost per hire at $4,683 on average. How close are you to that figure? 

Quality of hire is another important consideration – an assessment that gauges what advantages newly hired personnel add based on aspects like performance, team and/or organizational assimilation, and ongoing work contributions.

Your organization itself must also exude attractiveness that draws potential applicants into competitive landscapes. The Offer Acceptance Rate elucidates this appeal by showcasing how many extended offers actually result in hires.

HR teams are increasingly adopting refined tools such as talent analytics and predictive models to both: 

• Sharpen prospect identification skills during recruitment exercises, and 
• Devise stronger employee retention approaches after the contract has been signed.

2. Retention Metrics 

Bringing in new talent through recruitment is one thing, but maintaining it through high retention rates is another vital aspect of organizational health. Elevated retention not only lessens the financial burden associated with frequent recruiting and training of newcomers, but also cultivates a sense of loyalty and trust among employees—crucial for ensuring stability and promoting growth within the organization. The Employee Turnover Rate (ETR) serves as an important indicator in this context, providing a measure of how many individuals leave over a given period. To calculate this rate, divide the total number of those left by the total number of employees at the start, and then multiply that figure to express it as a percentage.

Monitoring for potential turnover during an employee’s initial year can flag underlying issues detrimental to both your employer’s brand and hiring finances. Thus, tracking first-year turnover holds considerable value amongst key employee metrics here. Assessing both voluntary exits—where employees choose to leave—and involuntary ones, gives comprehensive insights into job satisfaction (or lack thereof), which may be hindering successful staff retention.

Imperative for grasping overall workplace morale while safeguarding against attrition is examining overtime per full-time equivalent (FTE), revealing average overtime across your workforce. This not only sheds light on potential burnout risks impacting worker contentment—which affect your retention rate, and subsequently affect continuity—it also identifies undue strain, potentially accelerating employee departure rates. By keeping these crucial data points in check, organizations are better equipped to cultivate environments that encourage continued employment tenure alongside deepening commitment from their personnel.

3. Employee Engagement Metrics

To achieve organizational success, it’s crucial to keep employees fully engaged. That’s why metrics exist to assess employee engagement. 

This can provide insights into job and employee satisfaction, as well as the overall commitment of staff within the organization. 

We cannot overstate the significance of these metrics. They impact work quality and employee growth rate and retention, and shape the organizational culture.

The Employee Engagement Survey from the Best Christian Workplaces, which is determined through survey responses, stands out as one such metric. It offers valuable perspectives on whether employees would recommend their workplace to others. And it provides a clear picture of organization-wide engagement levels.

Another important indicator is the absenteeism rate: the average frequency at which employees do not attend work. A higher-than-average absence rate could indicate underlying challenges in key areas such as:

• Organizational governance
• Leadership effectiveness
• Workplace conditions
• Work-life balance and harmony.

These four elements are integral to shaping employee contentment and dedication. As they improve, so does productivity and efficiency.

Metrics require data in order to implement data-driven HR strategies

With access to vast amounts of data, HR strategies have transitioned from mere intuition to solid, evidence-based insights. By harnessing the power of HR analytics, organizations can not only refine their talent acquisition tactics, but they can also diminish employee turnover and bolster overall workforce engagement.

That’s why it’s crucial to delve into how applying a data-centric approach to your human resources practices could revolutionize the efficiency and effectiveness of those processes.

Collecting and Analyzing HR Data

HR data’s quality and applicability form the foundation of any effective data-driven HR strategy. Strategies fail when they lack precise and relevant data, which is why HR departments can employ various software tools to:

• Craft customized reports and extract insights from KPIs.
• Streamline data gathering from a variety of sources.
• Apply sophisticated analytics to support informed decision-making processes.
• Convert intricate datasets into practical, actionable insights.

Note those last two in particular. Because there’s more to an efficient HR strategy than just amassing large quantities of data. 

It’s also about evaluating which training initiatives actually deliver and which ones don’t. 

For instance, HR teams can monitor salary average overtime metrics to effectively manage both internal and external costs – particularly during periods when staff shortages lead to frequent and costly overtime. And an all-encompassing view of total HR-related expenditures is crucial for assessing its financial efficiency.

Sifting through employee data for relevant feedback or assessing how technology investments pay off are two more examples. And the list goes on from there.

Aligning HR Metrics with Organizational Objectives

Ensuring that HR metrics are in sync with an organization’s broader goals is essential for success. This entails navigating shifts within an organization and maintaining a strategic focus. 

Human resources departments should establish specific targets across several areas to support central organizational aims. For instance:

• Aligning the organizational structure
• Developing compensation strategies
• Enhancing employee skill development
• Refining performance review processes
• Managing transitions effectively.

In turn, they can use these data analytics for various purposes, such as:

• Projecting future labor market trends that could indicate either talent deficits or surpluses in particular sectors.
• Applying predictive analysis techniques for early detection and addressing potential skills shortages.
• Correlating recruitment efforts directly with projected talent needs.

It can be helpful to benchmark these goals against industry leaders. This can help HR teams stay informed about current trends concerning consumer demands and workforce expectations. Of course, each organization will have specific considerations that may or may not deviate from top-ranking competitors. 

Addressing Pay Equity in HR Metrics

These days, it’s imperative for organizations to address pay equity as part of their human resource metrics. 

This goes beyond meeting legal requirements. It’s a fundamental part of sound ethical HR practices. 

Pay equity means ensuring that employees who perform similar roles receive equal pay – regardless of personal attributes such as race, sex, ethnicity, age, or religious beliefs that are unrelated to job performance.

Therefore, metrics that assess how well these practices are in place are essential. Ideally, they should measure them over time to ensure they eventually lead to proper pay equity. 

To achieve it, employers should take the following steps:

• Perform audits dedicated specifically to pay equality.
• Implement impartial criteria when determining salary.
• Increase transparency surrounding remuneration.
• Amend any discovered imbalances.

Most organizations with a properly maintained and applied pay equity metric end up rewarding motivated employees. This then ultimately improves retention and lowers turnover overall.

Establishing Benchmarks and Targets

Defining benchmarks and targets for each of the HR metrics you use is critical, and it’s important to get top management involved in the process. 

You want to match benchmarks and targets with your overall organization’s strategy and individual departmental considerations. But also, evaluate your metrics by comparing with different HR departments in other organizations that are similar in size and performance. 

Each HR metric’s goals must represent a meaningful step toward achieving key long-term organizational objectives and goals. Benchmarking best practices include:

• Selectively choosing appropriate competitors
• Verifying data sources for reliability
• Establishing realistic objectives
• Upholding an ongoing commitment toward benchmark activities. 

These metrics should also include measuring how well managers are doing their jobs, how fast employees move up in the company, and how much it costs to train each employee. 

Monitoring and Adjusting HR Metrics as Necessary

Human resource management is an area of constant change and realignment. It’s important to always keep an eye on your processes so they’re properly aligned with the firm’s needs and goals.

It’s also essential to research how setting benchmarks and goal evolution can improve HR metrics. Once again, pair them with flexible strategies that allow for constant improvement. 

This should ensure a thriving, cohesive workforce that’s in tune with the organization’s goals. HR functions must constantly evolve their metrics to effectively navigate today’s tumultuous world. By refining key indicators such as cost per hire, employee engagement rates, and eNPS (Employee Net Promoter Scores), organizations can enhance hiring practices while also highlighting improved areas. 

That, in turn, should benefit the company financially and in terms of employee morale–a win-win all around. 

In Conclusion…

In the dynamic world of HR, metrics are a compass to guide strategic decision-making. 

From recruitment to retention, and employee engagement to pay equity to organizational alignment… putting this data to good use can transform HR from mere support to a strategic driver. 

It all comes down to: 

• Identifying the right metrics
• Aligning them with organizational objectives
• Monitoring and adjusting them. 

When organizations do this, the results can be immensely positive. Many organizations prosper when results are measured. This process allows organizations to monitor goal attainment, identify areas for improvement, and make informed decisions. They serve as a framework for evaluating employee performance and aligning performance and actions with strategic goals.

FAQs About Creating Human Resources Metrics for Your Organization

Q: What is the difference between HR analytics and HR metrics?

A: HR metrics focus on specific quantifications that monitor and assess various HR functions. Whereas HR analytics examine extensive HR data to glean strategic insights.

By leveraging HR analytics, organizations can make informed decisions regarding talent acquisition, employee engagement, workforce planning, and retention strategies – just to name a few areas of improvement.

Q: How can an organization use HR metrics to create value?

A: HR metrics are crucial for monitoring essential hiring and retention processes, including employee performance, compensation patterns, and levels of engagement. They offer valuable insights that help pinpoint successful initiatives, areas for improvement, and further ways to grow.

Q: How can recruitment teams use HR metrics?

A: Metrics such as cost per hire and time to hire can serve as indicators of the recruitment process’ effectiveness and efficiency. And once an organization has that information, they can better evaluate what is working and what isn’t in order to improve their searches.

Q: Why are retention metrics important?

A: Once someone accepts a job offer, there’s no guarantee they’ll stay the full year, much less longer. Organizations that have insights into employee satisfaction levels tend to have better reputations and retention – which of course make for better work environments in general.

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For further actionable insights, reach out to In HIS Name HR here. We help organizations build high-performance human resource programs designed to build your workplace into the productive, engaging, effective, integrity-filled space you want it to be.

Mark A. Griffin | Blog, Christian Higher Ed HR, Human Resources, Job Shepherd Employer, Kingdom Company Building