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The Cranky Middle Manager #154 Onboarding Employees with Caela Farren

Wayne — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 15:18:16 +0000

Today Wayne Turmel talks to Caela Farren, CEO of Masteryworks, about onboarding employees effectively so they stick around longer. Also we look at Lady Jane Grey and a chance to win a copy of the latest Cranky Middle Manager book.

Show Notes

0:00 Welcome to the show. Ever find someone to fill a position, breathe a sigh of relief and they’re gone and you’re back to square one? Today we’re talking to Caela Farren from Masteryworks.

Today’s episode is dedicated to Lady Jane Grey, who was queen of England for all of nine days. Getting a candidate not everyone can agree on and then leaving her without mentoring is a recipe for disaster, although no HR department I know still advocates beheading as a way to address the problem.

There is one episode left for you to win a free copy of my new book: “125 Quotes for Whacking Weasels- Centuries of Wisdom, Motivation and Snappy Comebacks From the Cranky Middle Manager Show” Here’s how it works… just drop me an email or post to the blog with a short line or two about why you like the quote of the week, and why you listen to the Cranky Middle Manager Show. I’ll pick the best quote to put on the back cover of the book along with quotes from some big shots and send you a copy. You have about 2 weeks left, get on it!

3:10 The quote of the week is from Plato- who understood that the beginning is the best time to teach anyone anything.

3:50 Welcome Caela Farren. It seems like a silly question, but why is the way we bring employees on board so important? When there are more jobs than there are good people, you don’t want to give anyone a chance to bail out on you. 46% of rookies wash out in 18 months.

6:30 What is going on in that first few days that chases people out the door before they even settle in? Sometimes it’s a bad hire, a greedy recruiter or a manager that doesn’t know how to properly interview. The open-ended interview question is important as are “value questions”.

Ask about:

people- what are they all about, what do they like?

ideas- what and how do they think?

data-how do they handle information?

things- do they work with things and with their hands?

10:49 we are now talking about personality assessments such as John Holland’s Codes, Myers Briggs Type Assessments and all that good stuff. Hire for skills and fire for personality, values and fit. You can’t really train for that stuff. She tells us a cool story about how one company uses the interview to identify fit…

16:02 Once we’ve hired someone, what goes on that first day that will help ensure success? Make them feel included. It worked in grade school. Hook them up with a mentor…but choose that mentor well.

21:14 when in doubt ask the magic wand question. The most important thing you can do is hook them to a good manager or a “buddy”

Resources

It’s an election year here in the US. Check out

The Post American World- Fareed Zakariah

The New Age of Innovation- Driving Cocreated Value Through Global Networks- CK Prahalad

Don’t let the weasels get you down!

Exemplary Performance Webinar- check it out

Wayne — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:47:22 +0000

I know a lot of you were impressed with Dr. Paul Elliott when he was with us on episode 149. Well his organization, Exemplary Performance, is holding a webinar on Wednesday, July 30th.

The topic will be “A Fresh Approach to the Manager As Coach”. Nancy Smith and Elena Galbraith will be presenting and it will give you a really good look at what their Human Performance model is all about. Check it out by clicking here.

Enjoy it and let me know what you think.

The Cranky Middle Manager #153 Measuring Teamwork with Kathleen Caldwell

Wayne — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:29:58 +0000

Today Wayne Turmel talks to Kathleen Caldwell, one of the authors of Blueprint for Success about teams, why it’s so hard to get them all on the same page and how do you measure success? We also give some love to John Paul Jones… the one that helped start the American Navy, not the one from Led Zeppelin. This show would be wayyyy cooler than it is if we profiled HIM.

Don’t forget you can get a free copy of my new book, “125 Quotes for Whacking Weasels- Centuries of Wisdom, Motivation and Snappy Comebacks From The Cranky Middle Manager Show” (due date is September 1). All you have to do is post to the blog page or drop me an email and say why you listen to the show and why you like the quote of the week. The winning quote will appear on the back cover of the book and you’ll get a free copy. Thanks to Adam, Bob, Lucy and the folks who’ve already sent in suggestions…..

Show Notes

0:00 Welcome to Episode 153. Since we’re talking teamwork I thought we’d salute (literally) Captain John Paul Jones, one of the reasons the American Navy got off to such a good start. Yup be loyal to your team, set high expectations and when all else fails, quit and go work for a startup in Russia.

3:32 The quote of the week is from Ralph Waldo Emerson, one of my all time favorites. Execution is the key, and sometimes realllly tempting.

4:15 Welcome Kathleen Caldwell author of Blueprint for Success, 14 Powerhouse Professionals and all around good egg. Why is managing teams such a challenge?

7:34 Why do smart teams do stupid things? What the heck is Team Intelligence? An effective team has to talk about why they’re all together. Explicity, out loud. There are 5 components:

Communication
Trust and Spirited Conflict
Inspiring Goals
Effectiveness and Accountability
Mastery

11:47 Explicit communication is vital. Are all the goals stated or just assumed? We also talk about assessment tools that help you understand yourself and other people. (Marcus, i told you we’d get to this topic).

18:34 How does “Spirited Conflict” match up with all this bonding and communication? it’s not rocket science, I think rocket science is easier.

23:09 How do you actually measure team cohesion and accountability?

26:39 How does an outside consultant establish credibility with a team? How do you avoid malicious compliance?

29:00 Kathleen’s Resources

Beyond Booked Solid by Michael Port

The Speed of Trust by Stephen M R Covey

Don’t let the weasels get you down!

World Peace Through Better Middle Management

Wayne — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:26:58 +0000

If our guests sometimes treat Middle Management like it could save the world, maybe they’re right? What if better management practices actually made our planet a better place to live?

That’s the idea behind my latest Management Issues Article- World Peace Through Middle Management. Sometimes i write something that even makes me laugh….

If you have the time, check out the Working Week podcast as well. Shorter conversations about the worldwide workplace…. it’s good stuff.

The Cranky Middle Manager Show #152 Ethics at Work with Clint Korver

Wayne — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 18:25:10 +0000

Today, Wayne Turmel talks to Clint Korver, one of the authors of Ethics for the Real World- Creating a Personal Code to Guide Decisions In Work and Life. We also look at a 2500 year old business book. Plus an offer to get one of the first free copies of my new book!!!

Show Notes

0:00 Welcome to The Cranky Middle Manager. Today we’re talking ethics with no “yeah buts…”. Life is complicated but the rules are pretty simple. so simple, in fact we’ve known them for thousands of years. We dedicate the show to Tao Zhu Gong, business guru and still relevant 2500 years later.

2:43 Our quote of the week is from Tao Zhu Gong as well…. good advice is good advice. By the way, here’s an exciting opportunity to get a free copy of my new book “125 Quotes for Whacking Weasels- Wisdom, Motivation and Snappy Comeback from the Cranky Middle Manager Show”. Simply write and say why you listen to the Cranky Middle Manager, and what you like about the Quote of the Week. One answer will be chosen to go on the back cover of the book… and if it’s yours you’ll get a free copy. Just drop a line to wayne@crankymiddlemanager.com or post to the blog site.

4:00 Welcome Clint Korver, one of the authors of Ethics for the Real World- Creating a Personal Code to Guide Decisions in Work and Life. Ethics is a word that gets thrown around -and out- a lot. What is it and how is it different from morality? Ethics are your personal standards of right and wrong. Morality is the social code.

6:30 it’s the little things that try your soul…and your ethics. What harm can come from little white lies? Rationalization is the enemy, which is tough cause it’s also my best friend. How good are YOU at telling the truth?

15:00 There are three reasons we test our ethics: Prudentia (your self interest)l, Legal (letter of the law) and Ethical (spirit of the law).

17:50 What happens when your ethics and the situation don’t seem to coincide? You have to talk to your boss and lay it out. He gives us a good example from the consulting world….interesting choice. I have a horror story of my own.

22:50 Clint and Ronald suggest setting up a very explicit personal code.. how do we do that? Can you make ethical decisions with a matrix? Listen up. It’s one thing to have a rule like “tell the truth at all times” but then what are the exceptions?

29:30 Clint’s resources

7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey

Don’t let the weasels get you down!

Interview on Life Beyond Code

Wayne — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 11:35:26 +0000

In the first year of the show I met a truly smart and generous guy, Rajesh Setty. He is a serial CEO in Silicon Valley, and we have stayed in touch over the years. The other day he interviewed me for his blog, Life Beyond Code. Yes, this is a shameless plug for Greatwebmeetings.com but it’s a good excuse to direct you to his blog. A lot of wisdom there, I just don’t know how he fits that much in so few hours in a day.

Read the interview here

Hear my conversation with Raj here. (Yes, another one is long overdue)

Thank you, as always, Rajesh for the support and the great advice!

The Cranky Middle Manager Show #151 The State of Training 2008 with Josh Bersin

Wayne — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 10:44:17 +0000

Today Wayne Turmel speaks to Josh Bersin about the new best practices in training and what some companies know that others don’t. Plus we salute an Arab translator and why HR and OD are the worst possible names for their departments.

Show Notes

0:00 Welcome to the show. One of the reasons training doesn’t work as well as it should is who is in charge. Human Resources and Organizational Development are horrible names. Why are Humans to be used and Organizations developed? Human Capital is not a better term either. We dedicate the show to Hunayn Ibn Ishaq. Context has everything to do with successful training, gang.

3:15 The quote of the week is from Edward Bulwer Lytton, known as one of the worst writers ever, but even a blind pig finds an acorn once in a while…..

4:32 Welcome Josh Bersin from Bersin and Associates. He has just put out a High Impact Learning Organization Study of best practices from the corporate world. What are the high performing companies focusing on? It’s not just skills it’s how they operate. It’s about learning as much as training….. there’s a difference

8:54 The difference between training and learning- performance-driven learning (how to do your job- good training) and talent-driven learning programs which is where the biggest impact is if the culture is there. A learning culture is critical and Josh gives us some examples

13:25 What part does the budgeting process play in this… if it’s up to line managers, training won’t happen voluntarily as a rule

20:30 How does a manager work with her team to help them learn and grow? It’s a coaching job, not a management job per se.

23:30 How would Josh organize training and development in a perfect world? It’s a strongly centralized, federated model. Dangerous ground comparing a good organization to the US government, but there’s a point to be made here.

Josh’s Resources

The Trusted Advisor by David Maister ( who has been on this show too… take a listen to show 41 and show 127) Training and HR has to learn how to serve their clients

Peter Drucker’s The Effective Executive

Social Networking is a crucial component of learning… www.techcrunch.com

Don’t let the weasels get you down….

The Newest Carnival of HR…

Wayne — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:12:23 +0000

For those of you who are fans of good writing- and much more unlikely, fans of HR- the latest edition of the Carnival of HR is up. I love these carnivals…they’re a collection of some of the best business and HR-related blogs from some very cool people.

I happen to really like my contribution this month, and that’s not always true. If you are a fan of “Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy” you might want to check it out…. And heck the Evil HR Lady does a great job of explaining why this should result in her being fired…… hilarious.

Read the carnival here….

The Cranky Middle Manager Show #149 Managing Human Performance- Paul Elliott

Wayne — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:03:33 +0000

Host Wayne Turmel talks to Dr. Paul Elliott, of Exemplary Performance. If you have to manage performance, you have to know what they are supposed to do, and why aren’t they doing it. If you’re not familiar with the system of Human Performance Improvement or Human Performance Technology, here’s your introduction. Oh and a Prussian warlord just for good measure.

Show Notes

0:00 Welcome to the show. Today we dedicate the show to someone who took something messy and chaotic but critical, applied methodology and analysis to it and changed the world….and a lot of borders. Carl Philippe Gottlieb Von Clausewitz is our man, like it or not.

3:00 The quote of the week is from Publilius Syrus….. argue all you want but when a decision is made, get on with it……

4:00 Welcome Paul Elliott. My whole training career was influenced by his work in Human Performance Technology…. the Six Sigma of training, if you will. (He’d hate that description). What is it? If you take good, capable people and put them in a broken system, the system works every time. It looks at performance by trying to integrate all the pieces of their jobs by analyzing six areas:

Access to information
Access to the right resources and tools
Incentives and consequences
Are they a fit for the job?
Knowledge and skills
Motivation

10:23 Performance is based on a lot of things in the environment that have nothing to do with skill or training. (Note to self… open ended questions, Wayne). Study the people who do the job well….. they’ll show you the ways to get it done. He gives us a case study.

15:41 Why are we looking at top performers when we spend most of our time helping the laggers? Activity is not valuable unless you’re getting the results you want. Who’s producing and what are they doing that the rest don’t?

19:49 Hmmm someone who doesn’t think you can teach leadership…. spend your time where you can change behavior. Jobs need to be matched based on strengths and fit to what’s actually going to help them perform. High performers tend to have their own metrics that have nothing to do with what’s in the employee handbook.

24:07 You can’t just ask high performers what they’re doing because they are unconscious of what they really do. OH and this is a cool number. Performance is only a training problem 10% of the time.

Resources:

www.exemplaryperformance.com for more information and tools.

Improving Performance by Geary Rummler and Alan Brache

Performance Consulting by Dana Gaines Robinson and James Robinson

The ASTD Handbook for Workplace Learning Professionals

Don’t let the weasels get you down!

Let’s Hear From You… Are You Blocking Progress?

Wayne — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:41:40 +0000

I read this fascinating/provoking/infuriating article the other day about how Middle Managers (that’s you and me, brethren and sistren) are blocking the implementation of Enterprise Wide, Web 2.0 innovations in companies. Read the article here

Now, since this is a pretty enlighted group of people, I guess my question is- are you blocking these implementations and if so, why? Or, as I suspect, are you leading the charge and can’t get people at the Mother Ship to pay attention to anything newer than “this Blog stuff they have heard so much about”?

Let me know… post…. I’ll be writing about this in this month’s newsletter to be sure…… you can go to www.crankymiddlemanager.com and subscribe if you want to be part of the fun…..

Me On The Other Side of the Microphone….

Wayne — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 20:57:52 +0000

Twice in this week I have ( or will be) interviewed by other people.

First, Nan Russell at Work Matters has an internet talk show, and your humble servant is this week’s guest.

Take a listen to it here.

Then Eric Pennington, who was our guest on Episode 138 turns the tables. On Friday at 12:30 Eastern Time I will be on his show… you can hear it live (or listen to the recording) here.

It’s kind of fun being the interviewee…..

The Freedom to Manage: Guerilla Managing Remote Teams

Wayne — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 18:56:24 +0000

Folks, I’ve been asked to host a webinar in association with Dimdim entitled: The Freedom to Manage: Guerilla Managing Remote Teams.

When: June 26th, 11am Eastern time (US) 4PM (GMT)

How to register: visit www.dimdim.com and look for “Featured Meetings”

No dial-in necessary, just headphones or speakers for your computer

Oh yeah… it’s FREE to keep the budget weasels at bay

Are you tired of waiting for approval from the folks upstairs for budget to manage your remote team the way you want to manage it? The nice lady from HR won’t approve your training request? We’re going to look at 4 ways managers of remote teams can take control of things and help their team work better at little or not cost.

Anyone managing teams across time zones or leading virtual projects (all the responsibility and none of the financial authority) will find something of use and you’ll learn from managers around the world as well.

Just go to www.dimdim.com and give them your email address. You’ll receive your invitation via email. This is less a Cranky Middle Manager event than one for www.greatwebmeetings.com but heck, it’s information you can use and it’s still me.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Phil Gerbyshak and The Back of The Napkin

Wayne — Thu, 22 May 2008 13:52:08 +0000

The ubiquitous and ever-peppy Phil Gerbyshak has posted a really terrific interview with Dan Roam, maybe the hottest author in the business world right now. If you’ve heard the buzz about The Back Of The Napkin-Solving Problems and Selling Ideas With Pictures (and if you haven’t, you will) you’ll want to check out the interview here at his Make It Great blog.

I haven’t completely drunk the Kool-aid on this book, (I am a notoriously anti-visual learner) but it’s intriguing and might just help cure PowerPoint paralysis in our lifetime…..

Another Carnival of HR

Wayne — Wed, 14 May 2008 18:26:27 +0000

One of the cool things in the blogosphere is the “Carnival of HR” which happens twice a month or so. The best HR-focused bloggers get together and submit their best articles of the last few weeks. It’s a great way to catch up on a lot of reading wtihout tracking upwards of 20 bloggers.

Well, the newest edition is out, which includes my contribution which is lifted from Management Issues this month. Check out Peggy Andrew’s Career Encouragement Blog.

Lots of cool folks like Wally Bock, the Evil HR Lady and many, many others you might know about participate.

Yeah, I know it’s HR but lord knows they have their weasels to defend against too.

Nick McCormick’s 100th blog post anniversary….

Wayne — Thu, 08 May 2008 13:26:31 +0000

Hey folks, I’m sure you remember Nick McCormick (If you don’t here’s the link to his show). Well he just celebrated his 100th blog post, and to celebrate the milestone, he’s giving away a free copy of “Lead Well and Prosper” (the book that put Joe and Wanda on the map) to 5 random guests who comment on the post

Drop by the site to read an interview with Joe and Wanda and take a shot at winning yourself a free book.

http://begoodventures.com/joeandwanda/?p=114

A Long Rambling Post About Memes and Books

Wayne — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 15:55:15 +0000

I have a bad case of mental poison ivy… an idea stuck in my head that I need to scratch and know I shouldn’t. If I give in and scratch it, i’m going to be on the mailing list for every glorified chainletter going (under the fancy name of memes) and if I don’t scratch it I’ll go crazy.

Here’s the setup and then I’ll tell you why i can’t stop thinking about this.

Eric Pennington (from Episode 138- Waking Up in Corporate America) sent me this invitation:

“Sending you this your way to let you know that I’m tagging you for a book meme. The rules are as follows:

* List the books you are reading
* Pick up the closest book to hand
* Open to page 123
* Find the 5th sentence
* Post the next 3 sentences
* Tag 5 more people”

Now, I get these all the time and as I say I usually delete them immediately. I’ve spent too many years training people not to forward me “the funniest thing they’ve ever read” or email chain letters to backslide and give in. I wasn’t going to respond, but then the itch started.

First, it asks for books plural. I am only reading one book this week (as opposed to the 4 i usually have on the go because publishers love having their authors on the show) so I’d have to include the last books i read or was juggling, which is fine. So here are the last five books from the current effort backwards.

Natasha’s Dance- A Cultural History of Russia by Orlando Figes

Doctor Zhivago- by Boris Pasternak

Beyond Booked Solid- by Michael Port (for the show- not going to happen)
The Blood King- Gail Z Martin

Fired Up or Burned Out Michael Lee Stallard (for the show- it did happen and you should listen)

Here are the sentences in question.Feel free to snore:

” Ivan Argunov, the Shermetev’s artist, depicted several ‘unknown peasant girls’ who were most probably wet nurses. The fact that a girl like this should become the subject of a portrait painting, commissioned for display in her owner’s house, in itself speaks volumes about her position in the culture of the Russian Aristocracy. Pavel Sumarokov,recalling daily life among the nobility in the eighteenth century, said that the wet nurse was given pride of place among all the domestic staff.”

Okay, wake up. Here’s what went through my brain in doing this exercise in no particular order of itchiness:

I was a little embarrassed by the list and for all kinds of reasons. “What kind of pretentious idiot reads a cultural history of Russia? People will think I’m putting on airs…..” but then it makes sense because I had just read Doctor Zhivago (inspired by the movie “Into the Wild”, trust me there’s a connection) and I do love me a good fat Russian novel and I’m a Russian history freak, especially the Revolution(s). So I was seeking context.Pavel, Adam, any chance someone wants me to speak there?
Or was I more embarrassed by reading The Blood King (which I had to read because I’d just finished The Summoner, it’s prequel)- I am a sword and sorcery fiend… I read all kinds of crap like this…. i like it…. so sue me. Not really a reason to be embarrassed except if you read Eric’s blog on this and follow back to the folks he got tagged by they are all reading high-minded self-improvement stuff. I’m worrying about whether the mage will…well I won’t bore you with it.
I’m all about following whichever rabbit hole I come across…. one Russian novel leads to another, or a history book, one cheap fantasy novel leads to the next in the trilogy (why are they always trilogies?)
Does a mixed reading bag like this mean I’m well balanced or does it explain why I’m so broke? Should I get more serious and focus on reading what’s “useful”? I read these other people and it’s serious book after serious book….
Do I lack focus or am I one of those elusive polymaths?

I won’t tag 5 other people, since they’ll probably have been tagged by the time I get to them anyway, but this is a fascinating experiment…. what are YOU reading?

Is this meme outdated because so many of us get our input from the Web (and how long will it be until the paper book is a relic)?

Is your input focused on one area or are you, like me literarily promiscuous ( the first Mrs. Cranky used to call me a book slut, but literarily promiscuous sounds more, well, bookish). I am now trademarking “literarily promiscuous”.

No judgments, share with us if you’d like. Just asking.

Get “Straight Talk for Success” And Cool Stuff

Wayne — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 13:41:08 +0000

Bud Bilanich, The Common Sense Guy is someone I’ve been meaning to have on the show for a long time, and it will happen soon (probably mid-May). His new book is out, “Straight Talk For Success- Common Sense Ideas That Won’t Let You Down” and he obviously wants you to buy it. But here’s the deal- if you buy it on on April 22 you’ll get about a thousand dollars worth of free stuff.

Click here for more details and watch the skies for an upcoming interview with Bud.

Hey, nobody loves you like your humble servant. Happy to be of service.

Our RSS Feed is down…but then how will you get this?

Wayne — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 20:26:36 +0000

I’ve gotten several emails over the last few days telling me that the RSS feed they use to subscribe to the Cranky Middle Manager is down. I know…and I’m writing this to let you know there’s been a problem with theTPN servers…. only problem is that you probably won’t know this post is up with an RSS feed….. ironic huh?

Hopefully all the server troubles will be fixed in the next few days. You can find out more here….The Podcast Network Blog.….. and send Cam your affirmations (he doesn’t accept prayer…but if I were him right now I wouldn’t be so picky).

If You’re in Chicago April 29th…..

Wayne — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 15:09:55 +0000

I will be speaking at the College of Dupage’s “Dupage Executive’s Network” meeting on April 29th on the topic of “While You Were Out- Blogs, podcasts, and other ways the world has changed……”.

The full details can be found here, but basically it’s

April 29th

College of Dupage 425 Fawell Blvd.
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 and the link to the event is here……

All Cranky Listeners are invited, I’ll buy the coffee afterwards!

A few challenges but life is good (or at least beats the alternative)

Wayne — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 13:35:45 +0000

Folks, just a quick note to let you know that there has been a weasel attack on the Cranky Middle Manager blog site. Hackers have tried to hijack The Podcast Network’s servers, taking all the shows along for the ride. This means the RSS feed, some of the links and other features have been in and out of service. The fine gremlins at TPN are doing everything they can.

By the way, a big shout out to those of you who emailed me to let me know you were having problems of one kind or another. It’s so cool that you care enough to reach out. I’ll hear from you any time….. meanwhile show139 will go up at the end of the week as scheduled. Check it manually if you have to but check it. And if you didn’t get the feed for show 138 with Eric Pennington, don’t miss it.

Greatwebmeetings Tutorial on YouTube

Wayne — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 21:03:53 +0000

I just posted a 7-minute tutorial on YouTube called Why Web Demos Suck- And What You Can Do About It. Yes it’s a shameless plug for www.greatwebmeetings.com but that doesn’t mean we had to be all serious and stuff.