Sep 24, 2018
Poor employee performance hurts an organization. Low productivity, incompetence, and unneeded expenses are the last thing organizations want at any time, particularly in today’s tough economy.
After decades of work in the field of business and human resources, I know that few things upgrade and energize an organization like a solid Performance Management System. A performance management system incorporates your organization’s Mission, Vision and Values as well as your annual goals and objectives to create the structure and accountability by which an employee can accomplish these goals and objectives and, more importantly, improve their lives. Only the highest-performing organizations make the performance review process a valued, appreciated, and eagerly anticipated system for the both organization and its employees.
Instead, what usually happens?
Sadly, many organizations do not systematically review or improve employee performance at all! This leads not only to unmet expectations from the management’s point of view, but also creates confusion and frustration for employees. The result is poor performance and money down the drain. Other times, organizations attempt to implement a yearly review but end up doing it backwards and it becomes counter-productive. This article will teach you how avoid this pitfall.
Have you ever weathered “The Dreaded Annual Review Meeting?”
Television and film have lampooned the phenomenon, highlighting the common foreboding employees feel and the waste of time such a meeting can be. How can you implement a Performance Review System that will consistently improve employee productivity and competency, save costs, and have eager employees lining up for it?
Start by avoiding these two biggest, most critical mistakes…
Mistake # 1 The leader fails to include input and participation of the employees at the beginning of the process.
The best performance programs are employee-driven. The leadership works in a “guide and support” role. This is a significant shift, but one that can make or break your organization. When the process of improvement and review is centered on and driven by the employees, it creates an emotionally potent sense of ownership and cooperation. Instead of being hounded and rebuked by a controlling boss, the employee is the source of increased performance through an active and vested role.
It behooves an employee to generate high performance and a good system will take this into account by providing employees the dignity of being responsible to see the improvement process through to the end. The performance program should encourage and reward employees who initiate performance conversations with management. A program executed well will encourage the employee to want to do better as he/she makes the efforts necessary to ensure it happens.
Mistake #2 Leaving out personal development.
Never forget the vital career development component. A simple career development piece can do wonders for employee morale and can be easily built right into your performance program. Employees naturally want to improve their lives and better their circumstances. A career development component helps employees know, envision, and subsequently achieve promotions, positions, and greater responsibility within your organization.
A career development focus gives the employee the opportunity to take ownership of their career destiny.
A good career development component helps the employees ascertain what they need to do to close the gaps in their experience and education in order to be promoted to other positions. Many great programs include education and seminars, but some cleverly include short-term assignments in other positions to gain vital hands-on experience.
Implementing a proper performance program may seem daunting, remember that employees are not just your greatest assets; they are the key to ensuring that you can thrive in challenging economic times.
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In His Name HR helps organizations build high performance Human Resources 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 or Twitter.
Mark A. Griffin | Christian Higher Ed HR
Oct 3, 2017
The third ingredient of MVVs is values, specifically core values. A core value, from a human resources perspective, reflects the heart of an organization. It pumps the blood throughout; it makes an organization tick. It defines the organization and its culture and what it takes pride in doing. It is how vendors and customers view an organization’s behavior toward them. It is what employees tell their neighbors and friends when asked what it is like to work where they do. It is why your students choose your college. It is the behaviors your staff and instructors exhibit as they
In the secular world an organization focused on quality might state its core value as: We do not compromise on quality. Quality is job one. An organization valuing individual responsibility would want to say: We believe in holding ourselves accountable. We deliver on our promises and we always endeavor to use good judgment. Efficiency, honesty, customer service, ownership—these and many more reflect the kinds of core values that high-performing organizations embody.
In order to enjoy growth and prosperity and achieve high performance, an organization must first look inward and thoughtfully address these three critical aspects of running an organization. Those that invest in a well-developed and bought-in mission, vision, and values will reap dividends far beyond those that do not.
As leaders at Christian colleges and Universities, we take a Biblical/Kingdom approach to our Mission, Vision and Values creation. Often times it is best to cite a bible verse to stir commitment and affirmation as to why the value is important.
In doing research we discovered Ozark Christian College’s Values Statement. Enjoy reviewing and reflecting how your Values statement might be updated or recast to create excitement on your campus.
CORE VALUES
THE WORD OF CHRIST TAUGHT IN THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST (COLOSSIANS 1:28)
We believe the Bible is the true and authoritative Word of God and our final rule of faith and practice. We want to teach God’s Word faithfully, in harmony with God’s Spirit.
NOT TO BE SERVED BUT TO SERVE (MARK 10:45)
We are a servant of the church, training vocational and volunteer servant leaders for the worldwide work of ministry. It is the commitment of teachers, staff and students that we will love and serve others.
SPEAKING THE TRUTH IN LOVE (EPHESIANS 4:15)
We want to honor God by fulfilling our personal responsibility to be honest and caring with one another.
TRUSTING IN THE POWER OF GOD AND SEEKING THE GLORY OF GOD (1 CORINTHIANS 4:20 & ISAIAH 42:8)
We are absolutely and utterly dependent upon God. The work is too great for human resources. We pursue excellence, knowing all glory is God’s and any accomplishment is of him.
ATMOSPHERE OF GRACE, TRUST AND FREEDOM (ROMANS 15:7 & 1 PETER 4:10)
We accept one another as imperfect people saved by the grace of God. Mutual trust, based on our commitment to the Lord, guides our relationships. We desire each person to have freedom to develop God-given gifts.
RESTORING BIBLICAL CHRISTIANITY (JOHN 17:21)
We are committed to teaching and practicing biblical Christianity, believing it is central to unity among believers and evangelization of the world.
WORSHIP IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH (JOHN 4:23-24)
We foster spiritual health through genuine worship, both personal and public. Worship is for the glory of God, exhortation from his Word, and edification of the community of faith.
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In His Name HR helps organizations build high performance Human Resources 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 or Twitter.
Mark A. Griffin | Christian Higher Ed HR
Sep 20, 2017
Vision statements should consider how the market and your customer base may change within the next three, five, or seven years, how such changes can create opportunities for your organization, how to bridge the distance between how things are today and where you envision you want to be within your established timeframe, how you will surpass your competitors in order to gain greater market share, and also what you are doing collectively to capitalize on the changes in business conditions and your business’s needs.
Like a mission, an organization’s vision has ideally been created/ contributed to by all employees. The more buy-in an organization has among its employees, the greater the effectiveness of the vision. The vision should inspire—it demonstrates where the organization as a whole wants to be, and what will occur as it delivers on its mission. It is where an organization envisions itself in those three, five, or seven years. (We prefer five years, because that is a reasonable amount of time for most organizations to get to the next step.)
So, whereas the mission is what an organization does best every day, its vision is what the future looks like when it fulfills its mission exceedingly well. Some effective vision statements include Nike: To be the number one athletic company in the world, and Amazon: Our vision is to be earth’s most customer-centric company; to build a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy online.
When I worked for Gatorade, we developed an incredible advantage over the competition because we took the time to establish its vision, where they were going and when they wanted to get there, and ensured that every employee shared this vision. Gatorade’s competitors at the time, Powerade and All Sport, faded away as a result, because they lacked a commonly shared vision, they lacked direction—they lacked a road map.
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In His Name HR helps organizations build high performance Human Resources 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 or Twitter.
Mark A. Griffin | Christian Higher Ed HR
Sep 5, 2017
Successful organizations begin by establishing their mission, which is the core reason for their existence—the product or service they provide, who they provide it to, and the benefits of that product or service. A lack of an established mission means that not only are staff and management unsure of their purpose, but customers and vendors are also left in the dark, uncertain of what to expect.
An organization’s mission ideally defines what it does best every day and why, and reflects the customer’s needs as well. Having a mission is the foundation upon which a high-performing organization’s dreams and potential become reality. Essentially, it affirms the reason(s) why an organization exists.
Under the guidance of a project facilitator, a team of senior management begins by developing a framework of what they believe the mission should be. The facilitator shares and explains this mission framework to each supervisory layer, soliciting input on each occasion, and ultimately shares it with the employees who then sit down with a good human resources representative in a roundtable session to discuss it and generate further input. The facilitator may need to go back and forth a few times before a final product is derived. Once the majority of employees and management agree to the refined mission, all employees need to agree to respect and support it.
A primary benefit to creating or revisiting a mission is that it opens up communication within and throughout an organization. Every successful organization has a clearly established mission, one that has been developed with input from all employees collectively, not simply flowing down from the top. By engaging employees in establishing their organization’s mission, they become fully invested in it. The mission must be ingrained within the organization’s culture. Not only are employees and customers made familiar with the organization’s mission; candidates are also exposed to the mission of high-performing organizations during the interview process, before they’re offered a position.
Some tips to remember when writing a mission statement: 1) keep it short and easy to remember; 2) specify who your target customer is and describe the advantages you offer; and 3) define your product clearly and how it differs from the competition.
You may be wondering how you can say all that and still keep your mission statement short and memorable. Here are two strong examples from high-performing organizations with effective mission statements.
Google: We organize the world‘s information and make it universally accessible and useful. Their marketplace? The world. Their product and its advantages? Organizing the world’s information to make it easily accessible and useful. They do this and they do it exceedingly well.
Starbucks: We inspire and nurture the human spirit — one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time. Their marketplace? Also, essentially the world, yet they stress the individual: one person, one neighborhood at a time to maintain a personal feel. We are already very familiar with their product and social coffeehouse environment, aren’t we?
Let’s look at a Bible College and Seminary Mission.
Lancaster Bible College|Capital Seminary & Graduate School: Our focus is on your journey to fulfill God’s purpose for your life. Our mission has remained constant since 1933: To educate Christian students to think and live a biblical worldview and to proclaim Christ by serving Him in the Church and society.
And finally a Private Christian College.
Messiah College: Our mission is to educate men and women toward maturity of intellect, character and Christian faith in preparation for lives of service, leadership and reconciliation in church and society.
In addition to a mission statement, all high-performing organizations possess a clearly defined vision. Organizations with an established vision have a workplace of direction, purpose, and achievement. These organizations envision where they want to be and do the appropriate things to get there. Every employee is given a copy of this road map.
In His Name HR helps organizations build high performance Human Resources 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 or Twitter.
Mark A. Griffin | Christian Higher Ed HR
Aug 21, 2017
When we meet with people to discuss strengthening their HR practices, we often use the term “Kingdom-minded organization.” More often than not, they are intrigued as to precisely how we define what potentially encompasses a considerably broad scope or approach. Certainly, many Christian business people, academia professionals, pastors, and consultants have their own ideas as to what constitutes a Kingdom-minded organization. My own Kingdom-minded human resources organization has worked hard to develop what we feel is a clear, actionable, and measurable articulation of just what a Kingdom-minded organization means to us and how to achieve it, and, as a result, the organizational leaders we work with express enthusiasm to achieve these goals, and are willing to invest their precious time, dollars, and energy into making their organization a prosperous one, and one reflective of Christ and His teachings.
In terms of what comprises the framework of a Kingdom-minded organization, the model I developed contains principles that apply to marketplace organizations, colleges and universities, churches, and non-profit organizations alike.
A Kingdom-minded organization puts Christ first, with a focus on integrity, honesty, and straightforward dealings with students, alumni, parents, staff, contractors and suppliers, etc. Such an organization possesses clearly delineated mission, vision, and core value statements. It has agreed upon goals and objectives, especially in the realms of mission execution, customer service, production, and quality.
Being a Kingdom-minded organization does not in any way preclude prosperity. On the contrary, it aims to be prosperous for the benefit of its key stakeholders, leadership, owners, employees, and the organization’s community. They should—they must—strive to do great things, marrying their godly goals with the fruits of success, those of a job well done. By no means should they consider themselves as unable to participate in the results-driven culture of winning U.S. organizations.
Mission, Vision, And Values (MVV)
When mapping out the future of an organization that professes to strive to become high performing, management must create its mission, vision, and value statements (MVVs) or ignite existing ones by recreating them. Much has been written on what should comprise mission, vision, and value statements. I always suggest keeping them simple—simple concepts that all employees can remember and fully support. It’s difficult to fully commit to and “own” an organization’s ideals if they are so complicated, convoluted, or vague that the employees can’t remember them clearly.
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In His Name HR helps organizations build high performance Human Resources 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 or Twitter.
Mark A. Griffin | Christian Higher Ed HR
Aug 15, 2017
When I was asked to blog about forward-thinking human resources content to Christian Higher Ed Professionals, I knew I would have to start by constructing a solid foundation and build upon that. Having spent over 25 years in corporate America working alongside highly respected HR thought leaders at such organizations as Kodak, PepsiCo, and Merck Inc., I thought back to what makes certain organizations succeed while others fail.
Six years ago, I founded and now lead a growing HR consulting firm that supports organizations across the United States, organizations with one thing in common—they are Christian-based, whether for-profit companies or ministries and churches, and all possess essentially the same strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities. No amount of technology or reengineering solves their issues. At the end of the day, it is the people within those organizations who make the difference.
What singles out certain organizations is the ability of their leadership to align their people effort to a collective MVV—mission, vision and values. Without this foundation, organizations flounder and employees lack direction. Without identified and established MVVs, HR leaders are unable to align their HR programs to achieve high performance. I have witnessed firsthand what happens when organizations lack this essential organizational mantra. What’s tragic is that establishing a company’s MVV is not only basic but quite simple to do. It requires nothing more than to identify why you do what you do and how you want to do it.
In the coming posts, I will guide you through the necessary steps to identify your core beliefs and goals, your MVV. Then we will explore how to skillfully integrate this MVV into your HR process to ensure you deliver on your mission, achieve your vision, and work within the values you establish. I will also define for you a term we use: “Kingdom-minded organization.” In my experience, the use of this Christian-oriented term illuminates how your organization will present its MVV differently to those of secular organizations.
Once you spend some time reflecting on what is meaningful to you and your organization, you will have taken the first steps on our journey together to create a Kingdom-minded organization of like-minded individuals working together to achieve high performance.
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In His Name HR helps organizations build high-performance Human Resources programs. Visit them at In HIS Name HR or e-mail them.
Mark A. Griffin is the founder and chief consultant of In His Name HR LLC. Connect with him on LinkedIn or Twitter.
Mark A. Griffin | Christian Higher Ed HR
