For many (senior) people their day in the office resembles drinking from a fire hose. 

Not only do they need to attend a large number of meetings (often back to back), they are also hit with a continuous stream of ad-hoc questions from their staff, peers, customers, and line managers, which require their attention and action.

Technical tools like time management training and productivity tools do not address the issue.  What is required is a radical new way to set your priorities in the workplace.

If you read social media postings, business magazines, and reports from consulting firms, it is easy to get the impression that one of the biggest problems organizations are wrestling with is, is incorporating millennials into the workplace.

In this episode, we will see, on the basis of studies by academics and some of the best-known companies in the world, that there is no need for companies to treat Millennials and 'non-Millennials' any different.

During COVID-19 the demand for leadership development does not seem to have decreased; if anything, the demand seems to have increased. That is remarkable. During the financial crisis in 2007-2008 for instance, most companies almost immediately reduced their out-of-pocket costs associated with these activities.

The fact that companies do not seem to save on developing their leaders is a good thing. First of all because the quality of leadership has a tangible and measurable impact on business results. Secondly because there is evidence that leadership roles have become more demanding in the last couple of decade, especially for first, and second-level leaders in organizations.

Therefore business leaders should not leave the development of their leaders to chance, but take a pro-active stance.

#leaderhip #leadershipdevelopement #vucaleadership #covid19 #humanity #purpose #virtualworking #coaching #leadershipstyle #diversityandinclusion

2021 promises to be a very interesting year! If all prognoses are correct, sometime in the next six months we should have developed a grip on COVID19. Here is my (strictly personal and highly selective) take on the workplace in 2021. Three trends and three implications for you. I wish you a happy and prosperous 2021!

Why do smart people make wrong decisions in the world of business? Listen to this Podcast about a book that was published on this topic by Wim van Hennekeler.

Staying current in business is important. Unfortunately, reading management books is often not efficient because publishers and authors have an interest to ‘pump up’ the volume. This podcast describes a  T-shape strategy to 'stay current'.

Most articles suggest people need a (partial) make-over to fit their (aspired) work environment.

If that does not feel natural, they are told to ‘Fake it until you make it’.

This is not sustainable - starting with ‘why’ is a much better idea.

Nowadays it is fashionable to bash annual staff performance reviews. 

Many companies abandon them to demonstrate how progressive they are.

This often results in a less transparent process, potentially negatively impacting the development of employees.

One of my core beliefs as a management consultant is that the root cause of why change projects fail is the lack of a clear and convincing business case. In my experience, the vast majority of people are willing to change (even if this change has negative implications for them), as long as they understand the rationale behind the change and have the means (resources) to change.

However, I also have come across a number of people who did not want to change, even when there was a clear need to do so, and they had all the required capabilities and resources at their disposal.

Examples include:

• A CEO who did not want to embark on a savings program, despite the fact that her company was on the brink of bankruptcy
• A leader of a national operating company of a global corporation, refusing to implement global policies and processes (aimed at harmonizing and streamline decision making) in the  subsidiary she led
• A struggling department head who was told by the executive board to get a grip on his portfolio, but, despite the help of an executive coach, continued to be unable to produce a list of his top-10 priorities

All these examples have three things in common: a clear case for change, a clear course of action, and the availability of the necessary resources (support from senior leaders and/or the possibility to use external consultants and coaches). 

I never understood why, given their intelligence and the consequences associated with their lack of action, the people in the examples mentioned above were not able to change their behaviors... until I came across Freud’s concept of ‘epinosic gain’. 

#coaching #freud #changemanagement #resistance #secundarygain #epinosticgain #conversation #resistance #blockers #change #unconscious

In the past decade, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become more and more popular, not in the least because it makes sense from a commercial perspective. Already in 2009, a study by McKinsey showed that two-thirds of CFOs and three-quarters of investment professionals agreed that CSR activities created value for shareholders in normal economic times. 

According to a recent article by the same consulting firm, this is true in the current COVID-19 crisis as well: ‘The way organizations deal with their customers, their employees and the broader community in a crisis is likely to leave lasting memories in customers’ minds.’ 

Despite the positive impact CSR can have on our society, there are at least three reasons why it is often seen as a marketing ploy:

• No common definition and robust standards
• Inconsistent business practices (Walking the talk)
• The way companies treat their own employees

In our society organizations are free to choose to which extent they want to invest in CSR. There are several examples of well-known companies that do not (significantly) invest in CSR, without a noticeable effect on their business results. 

However, once a company decides to publicly choose the moral high ground, it needs to be willing to also invest in this... starting with the way it treats its employees... 

#CorporateSocialResponsibility #ethics #newnormal #employeengagement #businessprinciples #futureofwork #COVID-19 #futureofwork #reskilling #megatrends #upskilling #newnormal #disruption #worldofwork #futureworkforce #renewableworkforce #employability