We've made it past Thanksgiving, and are rapidly marching toward Christmas and end-of-year holidays. With time off, slowdowns, and distractions, it's sometimes nothing short of a miracle that we maintain a semblance of business continuity during these months.

But it's not a miracle, is it? No, it's simply the hard work and perseverance of people like you, who keep their eye on the bubble when distracting noise is being generated all around.

This month's At C-Level includes articles I believe are current and necessary, and as always, I'd enjoy any and all comments you would care to share with me. The piece on Management Talent is so relevant today, and I went out on a political limb to discuss predictions regarding our new Democratic-controlled Congress. Tough topic, but one we cannot ignore, regardless of political affiliation or discomfort.

Don't forget to check out my blogs; several recent entries:
Blog on Leadership
Blog on HR

Also, there are always new, relevant articles and materials on the website: http://www.triangleperformance.com/articles/index.html

Relevant for this time of year is the article on Compensation Trends, Circa 2007. Additionally, and related, is the article on Pay Compression.

As always, I hope this finds you well, both personally and professionally. Please let me know if ever I can help in any way, and if I don't speak with you prior, enjoy your holidays.

Warm Regards,

D. Kevin Berchelmann
President
Triangle Performance, LLC
www.triangleperformance.com
kevinb@triangleperformance.com
281.257.4442

We all are facing the difficulties of talent management today, particularly in recruiting new talent to our organizations. Nowhere is that struggle more apparent than in the ranks of management and succession. Given the culture and specificity of our organizations, we must get better at "growing our own." Yes, sourcing solid talent is critical. We must hire those employees who have the potential for development; more important, however, is that development.

To succeed in today's talent marketplace, we need to find those with an interest in our business/industry, grow them technically, then allow them -- with our support and systems -- to develop into our future leaders. We must stop printing a "manager" business card and confusing that act with "training." It isn't, and we know it. The amazing part is, we seem surprised when our uber-technician turns into a lousy manager... What???

If you have a great technician with 12 years experience, you don't necessarily have a management candidate. You simply have a tenured technician. Development means "all of it;" job rotation, training, coaching, mentoring, assignment selection, and so on.

Management acumen is a learned skill, not a birthright, and not something picked up via osmosis in the office, or on the factory, machine shop, or foundry floor. If we focus on hiring the right person, identifying those with the potential to lead in our business, and implementing the processes necessary for their survival -- before we throw that employee to the "management wolves" -- we'll find out that we've developed a successful management team. And we can do it at all levels.

The funny part is, if we have the systems in place to develop these potential rising stars, then sourcing, recruitment and hiring become easier and more defined. Then, it becomes just as important to make sure our sourcing systems only allow those inside who will have the potential to succeed in our business.

Those of us who like it, succeed in it and wouldn't trade it for anything. Those who don't... well, there's probably something else wrong with them too.

This is actually a great question; to really understand it, regardless of how you/we voted, we need to look at things beyond the typical political and emotional basis.

Some predictions (in general, not simply because of Democrat-controlled Congress):

Minimum wage will likely increase. There's been growing discussions on both sides, and with renewed vigor from leadership, will likely occur soon. This may well create compensation issues within many companies, as they may make comparative analyses against minimum wage in establishing rates for other positions, even if the company has no minimum wage employees. Maybe overall ranges/rates move, maybe not, but there is an impetus for consideration.

Immigration reform -- in whatever form -- will likely saddle much of the implementation and expense burden on employers. Again, whether GOP or Democrat isn't important; the fact is, it will affect our roles and responsibilities in business, and we must consider.

Healthcare will continue to be a forefront issue. Many states are already adopting some notion of healthcare requirements for companies, often disguised in various employment legislation. I believe we can expect that trend to continue, and cost containment will always be an issue, as will cost-sharing schemes, etc. We have new, more, and continued things to consider on the employer-sponsored healthcare front.

Keep going down the list... most socio-economic and political issues, particularly change-driven, will eventually require business cooperation and participation, willing or legislated.

We need to stay aware, be cognizant of the implications, and consider those impacts within the context of our organizations and current elected leadership.

It really is all too commonplace today to reward mediocrity.  Our systems of compensation, communications, motivations and even leadership techniques all provide the environment for less-than-stellar performers to feel quite good about themselves.

Companies feel that to completely deny a pay increase for multiple years - something sensible for the truly mediocre - is akin to inhumane treatment.  It's not; it's just good business.  Think about it - you aren't doing as much for me as you should, so I should pay you more money. What a crock... How, in all of sanity, does that thinking arise?

Additionally, our management techniques focus way too much on "developing" or improving the mediocre worker.  True, some of that is necessary, as some marginal performers may actually reach satisfactory levels with some encouragement. Better, in my mind, to spend those resources on effective hiring practices that reduce the incoming mediocrity.

What to do?  Focus on high performance.  Focus on those things and people that are true differentiators that make the organization and employee stand out from the crowd.  Zero in on your high performing employees, and build motivation and rewards systems around them, instead of around the masses.

Realize - and communicate this widely - that mediocrity is NOT OK.  A mediocre employee MUST become a satisfactory or better employee within a brief but reasonable timeframe, or they should be removed from the organization.  Reward - truly reward - high performance.

Make the difference between mediocrity and greatness obvious and painful.  These things are difficult to implement, and need real leadership to nurture; they are, however, absolutely necessary if we ever hope to cast out mediocrity in favor of high performance.

Also interestingly, I have a client that depends heavily on its technical (engineering) talent.  This same client has great difficulty making the "termination" decision even when it's clear that the particular employee is incapable of acceptable levels of performance. This is the sort of intentional distress we cause, and we should begin both awareness and elimination as a plan for 2007.

We, as people, tend to feel sorry for (and maybe protective of) those people we see as mediocre, as if they need our help to continue with life.  They really don't, and we may be enabling them to continue in a role for which they are completely ill-suited.

Besides, corporate charity and giving should not be synonymous with employment. Keep them separate so, if nothing else, we can accurately determine where charity stops and performance requirements begin...