Understanding Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s)

Apr 17, 2024

Understanding Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Key performance indicators (KPIs) are numerical or qualitative benchmarks measurements of how efficient a plan is. They give real data on not only what the goal is but what progress is being made toward that goal, showing everyone involved the impact they’re making day to day.

Their greatest value is that they turn vague goals like “improve customer satisfaction” into something you can actually measure. Doesn’t “decrease customer complaints by 50% this quarter” sound a lot more effective?

This makes KPIs central to an HR professional’s toolkit – and therefore a topic worth delving into at length.

Think about it. It only makes sense that high-performance organizations need to focus on measurable results. Without this, they lose both focus and engagement, two elements most employees crave.

Earlier in my HR career, I was blessed to be surrounded by many organizational development experts. One of the key pointers I learned from them was that if you measure a task, the majority of people will try to improve the results if given the chance.

So what do most organizations that operate within high-performance principles measure? That depends on the industry.

For instance, in manufacturing, quality, production, safety, and profitability are always shared front and center. This is true all the way from the boardroom down to the third-shift employee in a remote company facility.

Churches, meanwhile, might measure attendance, staff turnover, and volunteer participation. Or for a ministry, it could be conversions to Christ, project funding, website analytics, and country presence, to name a few.

I’ll admit I used to feel confused and overwhelmed by KPIs. It took me a while to get a meaningful understanding of them.

But that was many years ago. I now not only understand them, I appreciate how intensely useful they can be. I’ve even helped countless organizations develop meaningful KPIs.

And I’ve seen amazing results in the process.

So… What Exactly Are KPIs Again?

Simply put, a key performance indicator is a measurable value of how an organization is hitting its goals. You can think of KPIs as dashboards that give you at-a-glance views of how different parts of the organization are doing.

Revenue… Customer satisfaction… Production efficiency… Safety incident rates… These are all examples of what KPIs can track. Though really, they can monitor progress on any important metric, from sales targets to sustainability efforts.

Why Are KPIs Important?

Obviously, every organization wants to be more effective. So anything that can (ethically) make them more so is a bonus.

But there are a few key reasons why KPIs in particular are so useful:

• They help everyone involved focus. With so many things going on every day, KPIs shine a light on what’s truly important so you and yours can prioritize activities that really move the needle.
• They create accountability. Measurable targets make it easy to see where teams are underperforming early on. That way, you can take appropriate action to get things on track.
• They provide clarity around expectations. It isn’t always easy to understand what management wants to see going forward. So metrics that can make them clear can go a long way in keeping employees focused and effective.
• They drive motivation. When employers and employees can see concrete progress in what they’re doing, it proves their work is contributing to big-picture success. This boosts team engagement and morale.
• They lead to better decisions. The data KPIs provide helps you understand what’s working well and what needs more attention. That way, you can make smarter choices.

Focus. Accountability. Clarity. Motivation. Insight.

What organization wouldn’t benefit from that list?

How to Use KPIs Effectively

KPIs have to be implemented thoughtfully to work. They are not a magic concept you can simply say out loud or write out on paper to make your desired results appear.

Knowing that, here are some tips to put them into practice:

• Link KPI targets directly to organizational goals. Don’t just measure random things! You want KPIs that clearly map back to organizational objectives so you can see that progress is happening.
• Focus on your 3-5 most critical KPIs. Tracking too few can devalue aspects and outcomes that are critical to your operations. Tracking too many can dilute their impact and makes prioritizing difficult. Therefore, identify the ones that offer the most value.
• Set challenging but realistic targets. Impossible goals lead to frustration, but easy targets don’t push growth. Find the sweet spot that properly motivates your team.
• Define how data will be collected upfront. Without a clear process, data quality really suffers. Make sure responsibilities and tools are set, evaluated, and maintained to capture reliable data.
• Review KPIs frequently. Don’t just set them and forget them! Regular check-ins ensure that teams are on track or can course-correct early if needed.
• Keep refining KPIs. As objectives evolve, so should your KPIs. Continually tweak them to link back to what matters most in the moment.

When you do, your key performance indicators can work for you in ways you have to see to believe.

KPIs in Action

To make this practical, let’s look at a few examples of common KPIs and how organizations use them…

Product Quality: KPIs can identify defects per thousand units produced. This helps organizations monitor how many units are failing quality checks that can then be improved on. When you decrease defects against a target, you drive better product consistency.

A defect goal is easily created. If the organization has 5/1000 (0.005) defects, the goal could be a defect rate of 0.0025 – which is a 50% reduction.

Naturally, product quality is important across every industry, including higher education and non-profits. But an exact organization’s defect goal can look different depending on what exactly is being measured.

Workplace Safety: The “lost-time incident rate” tells you how safe your workplace is. It compares injuries resulting in missed work time to total hours on the job. When this drops, it means you’re avoiding harm and keeping your crew productive.

One common calculation is the “days-away severity rate.” This records the average number of days injuries kept employees from work. To calculate it, you simply divide the number of lost workdays by the number of recordable safety incidents.

Admittedly, you could find that you could have a high injury rate and low severity rate this way – meaning that people are getting hurt but not severely. That’s preferable to a high injury with high severity, obviously. But most organizations should have zero accidents as their goal across the board.

Customer Satisfaction: Tracking things like customer satisfaction (CSAT) or the Net Promoter Score shows how your clients actually feel about what you provide. High marks mean they approve and will likely stick around to grow with you.

In short, make your customers happy and success will follow!

Your calculation for this KPI could simply be customer complaints per thousand sales. And similar to the product quality explanation, you can replace the input to suit your specific organization.

You probably already know what your customer satisfaction goal is, but make it as specific as possible. Say your organization is at 20/1000 (0.02) complaints. In that case, you could determine to cut that by half down to 0.01.

Production Efficiency: The Overall Equipment Effectiveness assessment rolls up how available, quick, and quality-oriented your machines are into one simple metric. Optimize OEE, and you can churn out more goods without incurring extra costs.

And, of course, efficient operations increase your revenue… bless your employees… and improve the communities in which you do operate.

Create the base line or profitability for the organization, then translate it into employee terms. So if you’re measuring your breakeven point for a production line, come up with a breakeven number per shift.

This calculation could be made by your engineering and production teams. But say they project 20,000 units per hour as your production rate goal. The KPI calculation would measure any deviation from the goal number, either above or below.

So if production is cut short by 19,000 units per hour, the calculation would be 19,000/20,000 = 95% of goal attainment. Or if they exceed the goal, the calculation could be 20,000,000/21,000 = 5% over goal attainment.

KPIs for Nonprofits

There are plenty of other ways KPIs can work for you depending on the type of organization you run, and the different types of goals and objectives you have. Here are three for non-profits specifically…

Member-Engagement KPI

This one tracks what percentage of your members are really engaged: how many are talking the talk and walking the walk.

Are they showing up for programs, volunteering, giving back financially, and otherwise helping to really make your organization grow? Maybe only 30% of your base is actively involved right now.

Maybe lower still.

Set a goal to bump that engagement up to 40% over the next year. You can get more members off the sidelines and in the game by doubling down on the programs that are already working. Likewise, rethink ones that aren’t connecting.

If more people are invested, your whole community will feel that love.

New Members Added KPI

Growth matters, so tracking new members is huge. Set a target to add 50 new members to your non-profit every month.

If you see you aren’t hitting that target, get introspective about your outreach.

How can you connect better with more folks in the community? Get creative! New ideas should be welcome (though properly vetted, of course).

When more people join your mission, it builds serious momentum. So get out there and share the word!

Donation Revenue KPI

Money matters, even for non-profits. That’s why we advise looking at total monthly donations and aiming for 10% growth year-over-year.

Consistent giving means your programs stay solid. If you spot any dips in donations, tackle that ASAP. And try asking members directly how your non-profit entity can earn their support.

Keep the faith that donations will rise, and act accordingly!

KPIs for a Variety of Industries and Organizations

If you run neither a non-profit nor traditional moneymaking business, don’t worry. There are almost certainly KPIs for your organization too.

We’ve included three particularly useful ones below, though there are plenty of others out there to research and review.

Lead Conversion Rate KPI

Isn’t it high time to turn those leads you have into actual deals? Ask yourself: What percentage of leads become customers for your business right now?

Ideally, you want to set your sights on 25% conversion.

This is not an impossible goal. To get there, follow-up faster with leads, nurture them along, and coach your team on closing skills.

Every lead is precious. Treat them that way, and you’ll see more of them stick around.

Higher conversions will pump up your revenue big time, making the effort more than worth your while.

Asset Utilization KPI

You’ve got trucks, planes, and/or other heavy equipment just sitting there collecting dust. What a waste!

An idle asset isn’t earning your organization any revenue. But a fully utilized one drives your organization forward.

So use what you’ve got to the maximum!

Let’s get that utilization percentage up by scheduling everything tighter and routing them smarter. An 85% utilization rate would be a great target to shoot for.

Customer Retention KPI 

Look at what percentage of customers stay loyal to you each year.

Is it 80%? Awesome! That’s a solid start.

But there’s no reason not to aim even higher still…

Reduce your customer churn by improving satisfaction through better services and products. Make them feel the love!

Keep your people happy, and they will keep you happy by returning to your organization in ways that keep the revenue and relevance flowing.

Final Thoughts

Here’s the bottom line about KPIs…

They make goals clear and provide valuable insights to help teams work smarter. When used right, they drive better decisions, accountability, and results!

Unlike what I used to think – and you might currently think – KPIs are not meant to complicate your life. Implemented effectively, they give you the information you need to guide your team forward into bigger, better, and more effective phases for your organization.

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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

Leveraging Gallup’s CliftonStrengths for Career Success

Feb 29, 2024

Career development should always be aligned with one’s potential.

Human potential is vast, but too many people unfortunately don’t know themselves well enough to tap into it. In fact, many of us navigate life without ever realizing our possibilities. To correct that, the first thing you need to do is understand your strengths.

Peter Guber, CEO of Mandalay Entertainment Group, said the success of someone’s career – regardless of profession or field – depends on their ability to lead, manage, and build good relationships with colleagues. His experience leading an entertainment industry business taught him that so much of our potential must be excavated and then honed to reach true career success.

That’s why it’s so important to know yourself well – no matter how long it takes to achieve that understanding. Once you know who you really are, you can recognize what you’re really capable of.

And then you can put it into practice and truly thrive.

How to Identify Your Potential for Career Development

It’s a fact that many students struggle with choosing a career path to pursue. And many adults already in the workplace still don’t know if they followed the right field.

That’s a shame for both the individuals involved and the companies they do or will work for. Feeling like a misfit can lead to extreme unhappiness and underperformance all around.

This is why the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is such an incredible tool. It’s designed to help you discover your personality and where that personality best fits within your chosen career field.

Less well-known but equally helpful is Gallup’s CliftonStrengths assessment. To quote their website:

“The 34 CliftonStrengths Themes Explain Your Talent DNA. When you take the CliftonStrengths Assessment, you uncover your unique combination of 34 CliftonStrengths themes.

“The themes, which sort into four domains… are a culmination of decades of research led by Don Clifton to study and categorize the talents of the world’s most successful people.

“Together, the themes explain a simple but profound element of human behavior: what’s right with people.”

Moreover, they give “you a way to describe what you naturally do best or what you might need help from others to accomplish.” And who couldn’t benefit from that?

Once completed, I’m confident this assessment can make your career journey much more informed and fruitful.

Here are just some of the themes you might identify with…

Domain: Influencing

Theme: Activator

• You enjoy jumping right in and trying out different roles and jobs.
• You seek leadership opportunities and positions where you’ll be rewarded for getting things moving.
• You sometimes (or all the time) think about starting your own business.
• You realize some people might feel threatened by your drive to make decisions and get things going.

Theme: Command

• You’re willing to take on several potential roles or jobs, and you seek out chances to assume positions of leadership.
• You seek out positions that offer room for advancement.
• You take into consideration situations where quick decisions are required.
• You seek careers in fields like law, commerce, politics, or theater, where you can use your persuasive skills.

Theme: Communication

• You speak with people who could fill the roles you’re interested in, knowing their experiences will educate you.
• You enjoy settings that provide you with regular social connections. Cooperative, engaging, and instructional environments are your ideal.
• You prefer professions involving comedy, acting, motivational speaking, teaching, public relations, ministry, or training, where you can share your experiences.

Theme: Competition

• You seek out chances to assume leadership roles.
• You work on projects that will allow you to measure and compare your results.
• You think about business, sales, law, politics, and sports.
• You seek out positions that offer room for advancement.

Theme: Maximizer

• You interview the “best of the best” to find out what they enjoy doing for a living.
• You prefer settings that support “best practices” and allow you to collaborate with others to make the organization better every time.
• You could consider positions that allow you to assist people in realizing their potential.

Theme: Self-Assurance

• You’re skilled in many different things and like to try out potential positions or jobs. In fact, it’s crucial for you to choose what you enjoy.
• You seek out settings that will challenge you while offering freedom to figure things out on your own terms.
• You might want to think about pursuing a job in training, entertainment, or sales.

Theme: Significance

• You want to leave a strong legacy behind.
• You seek out settings where you can be acknowledged for your achievements.
• Consider a profession where you can truly and enduringly improve the world.

Theme: Woo

• You make sure to meet a diverse range of individuals working in various professions.
• You seek out settings that appreciate your capacity to convince or sell – and where you can meet new people on a daily basis.
• You could consider a job as a public relations specialist, sales representative, trainer, comedian, or lawyer.

Domain: Executing

Theme: Achiever

• You have a relentless desire to achieve. You are only satisfied when you’re reaching or exceeding the goals in front of you.
• You approach everyday as a new opportunity to make an impact, but you need to be cautions. Your drive can convince you to work nights, weekends, and long hours.
• You have a strong work ethic, are able to lead by example when properly coached, and are a great asset to any organization seeking to achieve high performance.
• You should seek careers that give you a lot of room to achieve the results you desire.

Theme: Arranger

• Your default when problem solving is to seek all the pieces at the same time and arrange them into a logical sequence. You see patterns that others do not.
• You desire a workplace that isn’t routine, where the daily aspects ebb and flow allowing you to use your arranging capabilities.
• Seek careers where you can bring order out of chaos.
• Pursue careers in employee relations, or human resources management, urban development, and leadership.

Theme: Belief

• You hold deeply held ideals regarding how things should be in life, at work, and in the community.
• Your ethical approach sometimes frustrate you when the world’s actions don’t align with it.
• You could consider careers where your core values align with the organization in question, especially in pastoral care, certain medical fields, teaching, and counseling.

Theme: Consistency

• You look for settings where rules, guidelines, policies, and procedures are well-established.
• You seek out settings that are predictable and structured.
• Law enforcement, human resources, risk management, safety compliance, and quality assurance positions might be right for you.

Theme: Deliberative

• You research as much information as you can regarding potential roles and employment.
• You prefer workplace settings where you can work alone to perform in-depth analyses, and you stay away from those that require too much socializing or human contact.
• You consider jobs as judge, finance officer, or risk analyst to be ideal.

Theme: Discipline

• You establish goals and outlines for your career-planning procedures.
• You prefer structured settings where you can uphold order for both yourself and other people, and make use of your organizational skills.
• Depending on your education, you might consider a job as an executive assistant, brain surgeon, tax specialist, or air traffic controller.

Theme: Focus

• You gather as much information as you can about possible jobs or roles.
• You look for environments where you can focus and concentrate without interruptions or the need to multitask.
• You do best in structured environments that are predictable and detail-oriented.

Theme: Responsibility

• You prefer settings where you can operate autonomously and eventually be given more authority.
• You seek out locations where you can establish relationships of trust with other people.
• You would likely do well in professions that place more emphasis on results than procedures, such as executive assistant, librarian, or law clerk.

Theme: Restorative

• You’re intrigued by individuals known for pulling people out of difficult situations or jumping in to fix issues.
• You appreciate situations where you’re required to identify issues and provide solutions.
• Since you depend on your education and aptitude, you might be well-suited for careers as a TV producer, surgeon, or customer service representative.

Domain: Strategic Thinking

Theme: Analytical

• You are smart, logical, thorough, good at thinking through issues, and good at handling numbers, figures, and charts.
• You are objective and use data to search for trends, patterns, and interconnectedness.
• Be cautious. Your greatest weaknesses can offend people since you have the propensity to be tough, never satisfied, and full of questions.
• Choose a career that requires you to analyze data. Accounting, finance, marketing, and certain engineering fields should be explored.

Theme: Context

• You look back at your past decisions to get an idea of what you enjoy and are highly skilled at.
• You seek out settings where you can investigate the origins of things and gain a solid understanding of an organization or asset’s past.
• Professions such as archaeologist, historian, curator, professor of humanities, or appraiser of antiques could easily appeal to you.

Theme: Futuristic

• You desire a career path that enables you to help others glimpse the future and inspire them to bring it to pass.
• You look for environments that encourage creativity and imagination.
• Jobs in commercial art, architecture, design, or city planning appeal to you.

Theme: Ideation

• As much as you can, you brainstorm and daydream about potential careers or professions.
• You seek out settings that encourage experimentation, originality, and unconventional thinking.
• You could easily consider a profession in advertising, market research, design, consulting, or strategic planning.

Theme: Input

• You try to obtain as much input as you can regarding potential roles and employment.
• You seek out settings where you will be exposed to large amounts of information and data.
• Occupations that allow you to stay up to date with the latest developments in science and enable you to become a knowledgeable researcher and consumer are right up your alley.

Theme: Intellection

• You stay abreast of change related to careers and career development.
• You seek out settings where you can ponder and mull things through before acting.
• You should consider a profession that provides you with intellectual challenges, where you can ask questions and exchange ideas. But stay away from groups that uphold the status quo.

Theme: Learner

• You examine career inventories, read up on careers, and do further research on what you read.
• You enjoy settings that promote lifelong learning and personal growth.
• You are well-suited to jobs such as business trainer, instructor, or college lecturer.

Theme: Strategic          

• You desire employment that enables you to create innovative initiatives and methods for addressing persistent issues.
• You enjoy settings that are adaptable, foster creativity, and provide you with opportunities to view things holistically.
• Professions in consulting, law, or psychology could be ideal for you.

Domain: Relationship Building

Theme: Adaptability

• You have the ability to remain calm during stressful and ambiguous situations.
• Routine roles that force you to plan and organize don’t appeal to you; you’re too action-oriented and independent-minded.
• You enjoy constantly evolving demands and challenges. You could even say you thrive in chaos.
• Careers that might suit you include human resources, emergency medical management, crisis management, manufacturing, and customer service.

Theme: Connectedness

• You seek out NGOs that provide aid.
• You prefer settings where you can engage with people and assist them in discovering meaning and purpose.
• You recognize your own values and make sure the company you work for upholds them.
• You think about carrying out a career that will allow you to live out your religious convictions.

Theme: Developer

• You appreciate employment opportunities where you can help people in some capacity.
• You seek out settings that emphasize communication, cooperation, and teamwork.
• You like the sound of careers where you can assist others in improving their abilities such as life coach, counselor, or teacher.

Theme: Empathy

• You look for employment in places where feelings are respected, not suppressed.
• You desire environments that are upbeat and encouraging with lots of communication and teamwork.
• You can consider pursuing professions such as education, human resources, counseling, or ministry.

Theme: Harmony

• You’re a mediator at heart and seek to find middle ground with practical solutions that can drive everyone into agreement.
• Your willingness to hear all perspectives helps when all sides of the issues need to be considered.
• Ideal careers for you include arbitrator, counselor, diplomat, and ambassador.

Theme: Includer

• You consider working with groups that are often set aside by others, such as those who are intellectually or physically challenged.
• You seek out settings where you can play a welcoming role.
• You enjoy the idea of being something like a special education teacher, social worker, therapist, youth worker, or HR representative.

Theme: Individualization

• You appreciate settings where you can coach, train, and otherwise give others feedback.
• You seek professions that allow you to work one-on-one with individuals.
• Jobs such as HR specialist, business trainer, life coach, teacher, or counselor suit your personality.

Theme: Positivity

• You choose work you’re passionate about that supports your hopeful view of the future.
• You look for environments that are fun, fast-paced, and people-oriented, and where you can use your sense of humor.
• You like the idea of careers as a coach, sales rep, teacher, or manager.

Theme: Relator

• You discuss your perceptions with people in your trusted social group.
• You enjoy settings that promote friendships and allow you to continue expanding your knowledge about others.
• You could consider the role of manager, HR director, teacher, counselor, or school administrative professional.

How Well Do You Know Yourself?

Here’s an important question after scanning the CliftonStrengths’ list of themes and what they entail…

How well do you know yourself?

Most interviewers ask this question or something like it. So it’s an important consideration if you’re thinking about a career change. It might also come up during your annual employee review.

Or maybe you wonder about it on your own without any external prompting.

Regardless, this is the most crucial question you could possibly answer. It speaks to how much you know about what you want in life. And once you know that, it becomes so much easier to set goals in your career and elsewhere.

Just like that, you’re equipped to properly choose not only a fulfilling career but a fulfilling life.

So from now on, strive to identify the potential within you based on your individual strengths. In life, there is no such thing as too late to know yourself.

Set Your Bar High. What Is the Highest Goal You Want to Achieve?

In terms of career development, you need to have top-level goals or target priorities you want to achieve every year. Consider having at least three measurable goals and no more than five. At the end of December, you can determine your achievements, starting from the smallest to the most significant.

Learn from your achievements. Revisit what worked and what didn’t, and make sure you focus on repeatable behaviors that contributed to the goals you did attain.

Your targets must, of course, be in proportion to the potential you have. The higher the level of success desired, the more potential must be explored, including intrapersonal and interpersonal skills.

They also need to be reasonable. For example, if your current position is that of a supervisor and you want to advance from there, you can target becoming a manager in two years and then set your sights on the next advancement from there. Set a deadline for yourself and decide what steps you’ll take to achieve it.

Your yearly goals don’t have to involve accomplishing every intense dream you’ve ever pictured for yourself. Sometimes it’s much more intelligent to have a five-year or 10-year plan you build up to.

Just make sure to capitalize on and exercise your strengths to get there.

Speaking of plans, you should also consider making one to determine how to achieve each goal you have, yearly or otherwise. Another important aspect is determining likely challenges and preparing solutions to work past them.

Indeed, some goals are only achievable after you’ve overcome already existent problems.

Make Sure to Accept Help Along the Way!

Human potential is always aligned with career development. But you hardly have to work alone in order to realize yours. If you’re looking for guidance, there are seminars, workshops, and webinars out there specifically designed to optimize your potential and achieve your goals.

Or if you’re looking for more personalized guidance, In HIS Name HR helps organizations and individuals build high-performance human resource programs designed to get you where you need to be.

Concerned about the HR programs at your organization? The benefits of having a trusted partner to 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 In HIS Name HR LLC. Connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter

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

How to Be a Great Employee

Feb 7, 2024

Did you know the average adult is awake 16 hours a day?

For those of us who don’t always work from home, that includes one hour to prepare for work, 30 minutes each way driving there and back, and at least eight hours at the office Monday-Friday.

Right there, we already have 10 out of our 16 allotted hours.

Now let’s contrast that with the time we invest at church. For some people, it’s just an hour a week. Quite the difference!

Now, admittedly, it is difficult and even impractical to try to even those amounts out too much. We do need to earn a living for ourselves and our families. So it makes sense that so much of our lives are invested in preparation for work and actually doing that work. But this hardly means we have to neglect out Christianity.

Far from it, in fact.

That’s why God’s presence in the workplace matters so much! This time-consuming setting offers great opportunities to encourage those who already know Christ and to witness to those who don’t.

Most of us probably don’t work for an organization that outwardly expresses our Christian beliefs. But we’re called to be ambassadors of Christ and reflect Him in our lives regardless, including when we’re on the job.

The Bible has a lot to say about the importance of work and how we should conduct ourselves in it. Two examples include (NIV):

Colossians 3:23 – “Whatever you do, work at it with all of your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”

Proverbs 16:3 – “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.”

As such, let’s explore some of the important values that Christians should demonstrate in the workplace. The one I want to share today is integrity, with many more to come in future articles.

Proverbs 10:9 (NIV) reads:

“Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.”

I’m sure we can all think of examples where people (maybe even us) didn’t show integrity in the workplace. These behaviors include the C.Y.A., or covering your you-know-what, method; throwing others under the bus; telling untruths; calling in “sick”; and having affairs with coworkers.

If it weren’t for the prevalence of such conduct, we wouldn’t need to have so many workplace policies on codes of conduct, harassment, social media activity, and the like.

But what exactly is integrity? It might be easy to spot when people lack it. But what does it mean when we have it?

Integrity denotes a deep commitment to do the right thing for the right reason, regardless of the circumstances – even when no one is watching, C.S. Lewis. It includes a sense of honesty, dependability, and consistency of character.

People with integrity adhere to moral company policies. They own up to their mistakes. They are honest and don’t tell untruths. They are trustworthy and dependable.

The word integrity evolved from the Latin adjective integer, meaning whole or complete. So it’s an inner sense and outer expression of “wholeness” deriving from qualities such as sincerity and consistent character.

Consider these questions to self-assess your own personal integrity:

• Do you portray yourself differently depending on who you’re with?
• Do you admit your mistakes?
• Are you honest at all times?
• Can others depend on you to do what you say you’ll do?

Our integrity is tested on a daily basis by a culture that’s normalized falsehood and dishonesty. This might involve cheating on an exam, fudging a business expense, downloading music illegally, taking office supplies from work, or telling little white lies.

They might seem small in the moment. Even necessary. But those sorts of actions can chip away at our souls little by little.

On the flipside, Scripture tells us many benefits of living with integrity:

• It can give us promotions in the right way (Nehemiah 7).
• It grants favor and honor, and opens the door for good things to come into our lives (Psalm 84:11).
• It can help us find contentment (Proverbs 19:1).
• It brings clarity and guidance to our lives (Proverbs 37:18).
• It helps us be more like Jesus (Matthew 22:16).

King David also shed some light on integrity in Psalm 26:1-3 (NIV):

“Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the LORD and have not faltered. Test me, LORD, and try me; examine my heart and my mind; for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness.”

You can see here that the root of David’s integrity is his relationship with God. As it should be for us.

How Can You Be Sure That Your Integrity Guides Your Actions?

In order to claim integrity as part of your identity, you have to commit to acting on it. It’s not always easy, but it ends up being very worthwhile when you:

• Keep your word.If you say you’re going to do something, then do it! If you say you’re going to be somewhere, then be there! We all know those people we can’t really count on.Don’t be one of those people! Otherwise, we’re bound to see Jeremiah 22:12 (NIV) applied to our lives: “Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness, his upper rooms by injustice, making his own people work for nothing, not paying them for their labor.”
• Tell the truth.Mark Twain said, “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” It’s easier and the right thing to do. Even little white lies eat away at your integrity.
• Don’t gossip.Keep your confidence, and don’t talk about others behind their backs. Proverbs 11:13 (NIV) counsels us that, “A gossip can’t be trusted with a secret, but someone of integrity won’t violate confidence”
• Work hard.Colossians 3:23 says, “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people” (NIV). If you’re a believer, your real boss is God. So whether or not anybody else sees your work, God does.That’s why 2 Timothy 2:15 (NIV) reads, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”
• Act consistently.A person of integrity doesn’t act one way in church, another way at work, and another way in social settings. In addition, he or she treats the janitor with the same level of respect as the CEO.God is never changing. He is faithful, trustworthy, true, and loyal. He can be counted on. And he wants us to follow his example, as shown in Proverbs 11:3 (NIV), which reads, “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.”

In short, each one of us in the workplace has a responsibility to bring positivity and encouragement to the workplace. Let these tips and recommendations lift you to higher levels of performance.

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.

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

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

Press Release: Amy E. Fineman Joins In HIS Name HR LLC

Apr 4, 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Amy E. Fineman Joins In HIS Name HR LLC

Lancaster, PA, US – April 4, 2023 – In HIS Name HR LLC, based in Lancaster, PA, has announced that Amy E. Fineman has joined the company as Human Resources Partner.

Amy possesses extensive recruitment and HR industry experience. Previously, Amy led talent sourcing and recruitment efforts for Fortune 500 companies such as Gap Inc., Tesla, and Microsoft. She has a wide range of industry experience including finance, marketing, communications, engineering, and technology and has recruited for all levels of organizations, including executive positions.

Amy brings the ability to connect strategy to action while building strong relationships with her clients, leadership, and teams whom she works with. Amy is a trusted advisor and collaborative talent acquisition partner. With her experience, she will leverage strategy, research, and relationship to ignite long-term mutual impact between individuals and the organizations she supports.

In HIS Name HR has been implementing high-performance HR programs for Christian-value-based for-profit companies and organizations, including Christian colleges, ministries, camps and churches, since 2011. In this new role as Human Resources Partner, Amy will support organizations to achieve their goals with her extensive recruitment experience. Additionally, Amy will deliver Biblically based diversity, equity and inclusion training to clients nationally.

“We are excited to have Amy join our team to help take this HR organization to the next level,” says Mark A. Griffin, president and founder of In HIS Name HR LLC. “Amy’s depth of experience, knowledge and recruitment capabilities complement our growing team of seasoned executives.”

More information about Amy Fineman is available at: In HIS Name HR 

PR Newswire Press Release Here 

In HIS Name HR is guided by Christian values and strives to reflect Christ in all areas, starting with the view that everyone should be treated with dignity and respect, and that employees are the most important part of all organizations.

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Mark A. Griffin | Christian Higher Ed HR, Events, Human Resources

Press Release: Paul Jaspers Joins In HIS Name HR LLC

Feb 10, 2022

PR Newswire Press Release Here 

Mark A. Griffin | Christian Higher Ed HR, Events, Human Resources

Navigating Professional Communication During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Oct 27, 2021

It would be the understatement of the century to say that the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted the flow of information in the workplace. It hasn’t simply disrupted communication in the workplace; it has rewritten the landscape of how managers and employees interact daily and how employees do their work. When it comes to a productive, efficient and effective workplace, nothing can replace robust communication between everyone. It builds trust, sets realistic expectations and gives everyone a sense of orientation, even—and perhaps even most importantly—when times are tough.

That is why it’s more important than ever to not only maintain communication with employees but improve it, as much as possible. HR departments, managers and employees all play a critical role in making sure that the lines of communication stay open and are used often. How do you do that? Consider this.

The pandemic has left people detached, distracted, and hopeless beyond belief. The unpredictable layoffs, dismissals, lack of income security, and compromised productivity have created an atmosphere of uncertainty and fear. One report suggests that about 655 million full-time jobs worldwide were lost in the first two quarters of 2020 alone.

This lingering fear of losing a job or business, or negative changes in monthly income has affected the psychological well-being of employees and employers alike. Adjusting to the new form of work while maintaining one’s sanity and staying safe from the virus is a huge challenge that has negatively affected communication within most organizations.

If you are experiencing some or all of these same difficulties and need some winning tips, we can help. This article brings valuable insight to help employers learn communication development ideas from a Christian perspective as well as effective tips for employees to acquire the support they need from their employers.

Acquiring Support the Right Way

Since the start of the Covid pandemic, employees worldwide have experienced a lack of support from their employers in the area of communication. This has greatly affected employees’ mental framework and productivity.

Many employees and managers alike have chosen to keep communication to a minimum, assuming it would prevent unnecessary conflict. But keeping concerns bottled up inside is an exhausting way to handle a situation. Speaking one’s mind will help relieve stress and also reveal unrealistic assumptions. But concerns must be appropriately voiced for effective results. To avoid a negative impact, follow these 5 strategies:

1. Voice Your Concern in a Timely Way

The first thing for workplace harmony is choosing the perfect time to share a concern. Discussing issues during a meeting or when leadership is interacting with others may be a big no-no at your organization. The most effective way in ensuring non-confrontation is to schedule a time with your leader and have an honest one-on-one discussion with them. Make sure the time is right, as it will set the course for productive conversation, allowing your employer to listen to you attentively and respond. Many leaders are more receptive in an individual setting vs. a group format when an employee goes out of their way to communicate.

2. Avoid Being Vague

If you are intent on finding a solution or you have concerns, be specific to avoid sounding negative or unserious. Instead of generalizing the problem, discuss the details, as generalizing diminishes the seriousness of your case. The more specific and clear you are, the more benefits you will likely achieve.

3.  Keep Solutions Ready

The most effective employees are those who see a problem come up, identify a solution, and seek approval to implement. Employees who repeatedly raise problems without suggesting solutions tend to diminish their reputation, so try to be solution oriented. Suggesting a solution along with the problem will make you look like a problem solver and helps leaders be more receptive to considering your point.

On the other hand, those who perpetually complain hurt only themselves. Complaints are not limited to employees; leaders can be negative as well, especially given the pressures and restrictions of Covid-19. So you need to know when best to present something as a problem and when to visit your superior to seek their opinion and advice before you work on something.

4.  Let the Employer Decide

You cannot force an idea or a solution upon your organization. Voice your concerns in the form of a request vs. a demand, present some suggestions, and leave the final decision to senior leadership. Even if you do not get your request approved quickly, it will be on the record for future concerns. Most employers want to hear concerns, and presenting them respectfully creates a greater chance of implementation.

5.  Ask Others to Voice Their Opinion

If it’s an issue that affects others, encourage them in a respectful way to speak up for maximum results. When more people are affected by a problem, the chance of leadership taking action also increases. Together, all can help leadership understand the totality of workplace obstacles.

Communication Ideas for Employers

To make sure the organization is operating well and heading towards its intended goals, employers need to pay attention to the communication within their organization as it relates to the development, care and support of its employees. This is most important during this difficult Covid-19 pandemic period.

Below are 9 critical takeaways for leaders and human resource management to ensure added productivity and development, even in times of crisis.

1. Communicate Often, More Than You Think Is Necessary

Over-communication is rarely the problem in any organization. That is why is it important to communicate frequently. According to the Harvard Business Review, those who work remotely don’t feel like they are being treated equally. This is where consistent communication can make a dramatic difference.

Communication is key to success, especially during tough times. Constant reminders, motivation, and communication reduce employees’ concerns and help them stay on top of their tasks. The way communication is maintained with employees can have a dramatic impact on an organization during tough times. So, keep it transparent and regular. Consider developing a communication strategy that allows your HR team to take the lead to communicate key information on a regular basis. Doing so can help reduce the stress your employees may have of the unknown.

2.  Have One-on-One Discussions With Your Staff

Having one-on-one discussions with your staff allows you to put your Christian values to work. Being tolerant and treating employees with grace shows that you value their growth and are willing to helping them develop to their full potential, regardless of circumstances in the outside world. Your staff grows, your company grows.

3.  Be Empathetic

Empathy goes a long way and can buy you a lot of goodwill. Remember, everyone is working and building their careers, and concerned for their future and stability. People will continue to make mistakes in their work. This is where empathy can show that you care and are worthy of their trust. This leads to more honest and open communication.

4.  Watch for Nonverbal Cues

The signs of stress or impending problems are often more easily seen than heard. In the age of video calls, watching for nonverbal clues can give you an edge when anticipating challenges. By being alert to and addressing these clues, not only are you being proactive but you show that you care enough to pay attention. That can go a long way toward bolstering communication between employees, managers and HR.

5.  Give Employees Options to Have Their Concerns Addressed

Communication is a two-way street and by making it easy for employees to have their concerns heard and addressed, you are proving with your actions that you care. One-on-one conversations, suggestions boxes, easy access to HR and an open-door policy to managers are ways to show that employees matter. When people believe their voices matter, they speak.

6.  Develop Feedback Mechanisms

Create a secure channel to communicate and encourage feedback from employees. To gain organizational feedback, allow employees to utilize several means of communication, such as reaching out to HR, talking to a senior or manager (open-door communication), or providing anonymous suggestion channels. Offering various methods allows the concerns to reach the right authorities and encourages the employees to give feedback, which helps immensely in professional development. For more intense leadership development feedback, consider HR Impact 360, a program where leaders are assessed by their direct reports, peers and superiors.

7.  Ease the Work-from-Home (WFH) Experience

As we all know, maintaining productivity is challenging while working from home. Therefore, employers who can arrange for equipment to support working at home will help employees succeed. By now, most organizations have implemented software and tools (Zoom, Slack, etc.) to help employees perform without much hindrance. On the other hand, holding meetings and discussions on time that limit the effect on their family can ease the WFH experience. Opting for audio vs. video calls when few people are needed can also speed up things.

8.  Provide Job Security

One of employees’ greatest fears, based on our conversations with them, is the possibility they might lose their jobs and have their careers derailed. Being a leader, it is difficult to navigate this territory. Many states are “employment at will,” which means employers and employees can part company at any time for very little reason. And employers must be careful not to insinuate job security in precarious times. Be cautious about assuring employees that their jobs are secure. And if you know it not to be the case, let them know in advance to give them enough time to prepare.

9. Keep Plans Transparent

These unprecedented times call for leaders to be extra composed as their subordinates look to them for cues often timed for strength and inspiration. When appropriate, share strategies and planning with employees and communicate the organization’s performance focus so that employees can, if need be, modify their work accordingly.

10. Encourage Participation in Group Conversations

A study done by Baylor University, a private Christian school, found that younger staff were less likely to offer an opinion or participate in a discussion if the more senior staff remained silent. Due to the perceived hierarchy and their “place” in the organization, people didn’t feel free to speak. By making it clear that participation is encouraged and expected, you can improve the quality of your group discussions.

Need Specialized Guidance?

The pandemic has transformed the way organizations operate, and for these changing times, you need better and more specialized strategies. In HIS Name HR helps implement effective HR plans and programs for organizational success. Our experienced HR leaders ensure that your organization enjoys improved productivity and better employee relations in just a short period of time.

If the pandemic has you stressed out, let our 10 years of serving clients nationwide benefit you. We are the leaders in human resource consulting and outsourcing services from a Christian perspective. Let our experts assist you in these hard times and save yourself from unnecessary pain and stress!

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Mark A. Griffin is founder and Chief Consultant at In HIS Name HR LLC. He has over 25 years of HR experience. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

In His Name HR helps organizations build high-performance human resource programs. E-mail us here.

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

Integrate — Creating Successful Training and Development

Dec 20, 2020

Integrate — Creating Successful Training and Development

In our final example of integration of MVVs into HR practices, we will explore Training and Development (T&D). In the past 25 years, I have watched T&D dwindle to an almost nonexistent state in most companies. I could write a book on the impact of not investing in the development of your people, but you might find it boring. It is what it is, and it won’t change all that soon, unfortunately. But, as leaders of organizations, we must decide how we are going to right ourselves and guide our employees to work in alignment with our Missions, strive for our Visions and operate within our organizational Values.

Here are a few steps you can take to ensure you are addressing the T&D needs of your organization without going overboard:

• Discover what is needed
• Define what needs to be addressed
• Seek the resources to accomplish the T&D
• Initiate the T&D
• Follow up to ensure it was worth the investment

Discover what is needed

Do some basic fact-finding and discover the gaps within your organization. Simply going through a job description review project can help you discover what skills and abilities are lacking in your team. Summarize these by category and you will start to discover trends across your organization. Take it even further and include a development aspect to your performance review process, and document what development is needed by each of your employees. When you couple this with rewriting your company’s job descriptions, you will take it to a greater, more desirable level of detail.

Define what needs to be addressed

Without a good outline of what gap(s) needs to be closed, you have the potential to be scattered all over the place. Take the list of items that you captured during your assessment stage and better define what is needed. Employees stating they need ‘communication training” is, frankly, too broad. Do they need public speaking classes? Would they benefit from e-mail etiquette guidelines? Or is it interpersonal conflict resolution training that is needed? Just saying we need “communication training” paints in overly broad strokes.

Seek the resources to accomplish the T&D

 I am not generally an advocate of online training. While it may be good for some, I do not believe it is effective for the majority of employees. My experiences have demonstrated that people learn when there is real interaction. There is more than one way to develop and train an employee. For years, it has been customary to send people to seminars. That just does not happen much anymore.

Think outside the box.

A few years back, I was supporting a company that tragically allowed many immigrants to work without the benefit of English as a Second Language training for several years. When I discovered this, I was frankly outraged that these folks were never given the resources to better themselves. When the gap was discovered, I identified a resource, hiring a gentleman who had recently returned from Asia and who had been immersed in this same immigrant culture. He developed a curriculum to deliver and help these folks speak English for less than $1,500. Now, that is what building a ‘Kingdom Minded” organization is about. Ignoring the needs of your employees is not.

Follow up to ensure it was worth the investment

Another creative solution to a problem such as this is tasking an employee to become a trainer within an organization to deliver a topic that is relevant to the need that was discovered. One organization was lacking financial management skills within the company’s leadership. The American Management Association’s program, Finance for Non-Financial Managers, was delivered by an HR leader. Doing it in this fashion saved the company tens of thousands of dollars by avoiding sending managers out to seminars and also allowing the customization of the materials. 

Was it worth the investment? The CEO said it was. 

The CEO in this case witnessed an increase in the attention to detail of certain executives, an embrace of principles not so easily understood before, but it also gave him insight as to who were the “A” players versus who were the “C” players.

You’re probably wondering by now how this all fits into the integration of your organization’s Training and Development and its relation to the MVVs of the organization. I believe it dovetails, such as in the example of the Asian immigrant employees.

 When you honor your employees by developing them, they will honor you.

When you honor your employees by training them, they will honor you. And when God is reflected in your heart and the way you respect your employees by not only paying them correctly and protecting them with benefits, but truly caring about their development, your employees will see Christ in you.

So don’t look the other way when it comes to T&D. Your employees will see you in a whole different way.

We value your contribution.  What training and development programs have you worked with that were successful?  Why were they successful?

Mark A. Griffin | Blog, Kingdom Company Building

Resources For Action

Jul 17, 2020

Often we are asked how best to support family values and protect our freedom as Christians when doing business. The same extends to churches, Christian colleges, ministries and camps. The following organizations do just that.

Find an organization that operates in your state and support them. Connect with the leadership; attend functions in person and virtually. Help them get the word out to the community about what they are doing to promote Christian values within your state.

We can all make a difference—but we must be active to do so.

National Focus on the Family

National Alliance Defending Freedom

AL – Alabama Policy Institute

AK – Alaska Family Council

AZ – Center for Arizona Policy

AR – Arkansas Family Council

CA – California Family Council

CO – Colorado Family Action Foundation

CT – Family Institute of Connecticut

DE – Delaware Family Policy Council

FL – Florida Family Policy Council

HI – Hawaii Family Forum

IN – Indiana Family Institute

IA – The Family Leader of Iowa

KY – The Family Foundation of Kentucky

LA – Louisiana Family Forum

ME – Christian Civic League of Maine

MA – Massachusetts Family Institute

MI – Michigan Family Forum

MN – Minnesota Family Institute

MT – Montana Family Foundation

NE – Nebraska Family Alliance

NH – Cornerstone Action

NY – New Yorkers Family Research Foundation

NC – North Carolina Family Policy Council

OH – Citizens for Community Values

OK – Family Policy Institute of Oklahoma

PA – Pennsylvania Family Institute

SC – Palmetto Family Council of South Carolina

SD – Family Heritage Alliance

TN – Family Action Council of Tennessee

TX – Texas Values

VA – The Family Foundation of Virginia

WA – Family Policy Institute of Washington

WV – Family Policy Council of West Virginia

WI – Wisconsin Family Council, Inc.

Worried about your HR programs at your organization? Reach out to us to discuss having a trusted partner to guide you and your team to excellence.

Contact us today. You—and your employees—will be glad you did.

In His Name HR helps organizations build high-performance human resource programs. Visit them at In HIS Name HR or e-mail them here.

Mark A. Griffin is the founder and chief consultant of In His Name HR LLC. Connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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Mark A. Griffin | Blog, Christian Higher Ed HR, Human Resources, Special Topic

It’s a New Day and Mark A. Griffin on 1180 WFYL-AM Philadelphia PA

Feb 12, 2014

Recorded Live Tuesday, February 4, 2014 7AM EST on 1180 WFYL-AM Philadelphia PA

Listen while Mark discusses how Christian business owners can prosper their businesses using sound HR Practices while being outward in their faith.

Have iTunes? Podcast is available through iTunes.

A  Little bit about: “It’s a New Day”:

It’s a New Day  is live weekday mornings from 7-9AM. Broadcasting conservative news-talk radio, talking about your liberty and subjects that matter:

• One Nation Under God
• Faith, Family, Freedom, Flag, Founding Fathers and the Future of this Great Nation
• Truth, Honesty, Integrity
• Godly Heritage
• Traditional Values
• The Constitution
• Justice in the Land
• Patriotism

Tune in and receive encouragement at the voice of freedom in the Delaware Valley….WFYL1180AM.

A Little bit about Mark:

Mark has a Bachelors degree in Human Resources from Saint Leo College and an MBA from Bloomsburg University.  Mark Lives in Lancaster Pennsylvania with his wife, Gail.  Mark and Gail attend LCBC Church. Having spent over 20 years working in Human Resources, Mark has encountered many changes in the workplace. Mark leads a HR Consulting firm he launched in 2011:  In HIS Name HR LLC .

Having authored the book, “How To Build Kingdom Minded Organizations”, Mark has become an authority on Christianity and the workplace.

Mark is passionate about the workplace, and  especially Christian business owners’ opportunity to reach their  employees.   He believes employees and  companies should work closely together to prosper the company for mutual purposes.

Mark A. Griffin | Blog, Podcasts

Christian Business Leaders: Be a Modern Day Apostle

Oct 22, 2013

Deuteronomy 30:8-10

⁸You will again obey the LORD and follow all his commands I am giving you today. ⁹Then the LORD your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land. The LORD will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your ancestors, ¹⁰if you obey the LORD your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

How long must we manage our organizations absent of God before we realize that prosperity comes when we include Him! Having met with hundreds of Christian business professionals, I seem to run into the same common thread: we go to church on Sunday and “turn off” our Christianity on Monday. How long must we all go until we come to the realization that Church is every day?

 Christian Business Leaders Are Modern-day Apostles.

Christ ordained his apostles and sent them back to work. Their work included fishing, accounting and even tax collection. Christ did not demand that they stop working; they ministered in the marketplace. So, today, all of us who are Christian Business Leaders are modern-day Apostles. If you’re Christianity doesn’t stop on Sunday nights, if you instead build it into your leadership and your organization’s values, you are building a “Kingdom Minded” Organization.

Help our community of readers

What has your organization done to bring Christianity to the daily workplace? What steps must you continue to take to break down the barriers? We would like to know, so that our community will grow.

Mark A. Griffin | Blog, Inspiration