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To recap the situation: Like many other companies, the economic downturn forced Heavy Construction Systems Specialists Inc. (HCSS) to reduce its employee development budget over the last few years. But unlike some other companies, the Sugar Land, Texas, company was able to cut expenses without sacrificing learning for its 100+ employees. Unique Orientation Experience In […]
by Dan Oswald The day after the 2012 presidential election, a colleague forwarded to me an interview with Michael Siegel, the author of The President as Leader. The interview was conducted by the Washington Post’s Tom Fox and centered around the top attributes of a great leader. In the interview, Siegel points to four leadership […]
Like many other companies, the economic downturn forced Heavy Construction Systems Specialists Inc. (HCSS) to reduce its employee development budget over the last few years. But unlike some other companies, the Sugar Land, Texas, company was able to cut expenses without sacrificing learning for its 100+ employees. Doing More with Less With a little creativity, […]
I’m not very big on surprises. Years ago, for my 40th birthday, my wife threw me a surprise party. A lot of thought and planning went into it. Friends and family flew in from across the country. I had no clue what she was up to, so when I walked in the back […]
If you have not identified your critical needs, and how to screen for them, you’ll fail, says Susan M. Heathfield, blogging about hiring mistakes on About.com. Here are two more of her mistakes managers make. 7. Failure to Differentiate the Critical Job Skills Everyone has a wish list for their ideal candidate, but you must […]
The other night, I got a thoughtful, heartfelt message from a colleague reminding me and others to take time to tell our loved ones exactly how we feel about them. You see, days earlier, his mother had suffered a stroke, and he had spent the time since at her bedside. His message was that we […]
In recent years, Convergys (http://www.convergys.com/), a global leader in providing customer care, human resources, and billing services, implemented two training and development programs, Future Leaders and Emerging Leaders. Training magazine recognized the programs when it named Convergys to a recent Training Top 125 list. “We are honored to be named to this select list of […]
Bad hires sap time, training resources, and emotional energy, says Susan M. Heathfield, blogging on About.com. Here are her top eight “rookie” mistakes (often made by experienced pros as well). 1. Failure to Prescreen Candidates Prescreening applicants is a must, Heathfield says. A half-hour phone call saves hours of your time and other interviewers’ time, […]
The company’s CEO believes that, ideally, Convergys “leaders should spend 50 percent of their time coaching employees for performance,” Handy says. Consistent with that philosophy, the company piloted a third leadership program this spring. The day-long Leader as Coach program is geared toward managers at the director level and above. If you are looking for […]
Two of my colleagues forwarded me a recent New York Times article about the temptation of managers to reward employees who work long hours instead of those who produce results. Maybe they were trying to send me a not-so-subtle message! The article cited a study published in 2010 in which researchers found that employees who […]