Leadership Risks Worth Taking

Safe, predictable, tried and true – while these words might put your mind at ease, stepping out of your comfort zone and trying something a little risky can pay off in a big way.

In business, there are times when you need to make a bold move and times when playing it safe is the right course. The key is learning which risks are worth the gamble.

Trust Your Employees. Some leaders fear giving employees too much freedom. Instead, they micromanage every task to prevent employees from ever making mistakes. For perfectionist managers, letting go of control is scary. If you struggle with delegating, step back, and evaluate how that affects your team.

According to the American Management Association, micromanaging discourages employees and kills creativity. Show some faith, and give your team a longer leash. If they fail, that’s okay. Resist the urge to reclaim control. Instead, let them grow in their roles. Taking chances on your team will lighten your load and empower your employees.

Give Credit. No manager is an island. Some leaders, however, seem to forget this notion whenever the boss or a top client is within earshot. They worry acknowledging others’ contributions will damage their reputation. But in reality, people value humble, team-oriented leaders over those who claim to do it all on their own.

While it’s great to compliment employees one-on-one, private remarks can’t replace public recognition. When team members play a significant role in making a project succeed, make sure you openly acknowledge their efforts.

Say “No.” Savvy leaders understand that sometimes “no” is the best answer – even when the pressure’s on to give the green light. Whether that means turning down a project or passing up a promotion, the ability to say “no” at the right times is just as important as knowing when to say “yes.”

Accepting every request that comes your way doesn’t do anyone a service – least of all you. Knowing your limits and understanding what’s right for you will prevent distractions from bogging you down. Take a risk, and say “no” when the time’s right – others will appreciate your honesty and your ability to take a stand.

Try Something New. “That’s the way we’ve always done things.” Who hasn’t heard this mantra repeated in the boardrooms and cubicles of their organization? Just because the ‘same old, same old’ is what people are comfortable with, doesn’t mean it’s the most effective way to get things done.

In a new book called, Buy-In: Saving Your Good Idea from Getting Shot Down, the authors discuss how naysayers can keep great ideas from ever launching. Imagine what the world would be like if leaders and inventors like Alexander Graham Bell or Henry Ford hadn’t pushed to see their visions become realities. We might still be relying on telegraphs and riding in horse-drawn carriages, respectively.

Successful managers know when to take chances and when to play it safe. Taking risks to courageously lead the pack is exactly the sort of thing top leaders are renowned for. So, step out of your comfort zone, and challenge the status quo.

Background Checks for New Employees

By adding background checks to the screening process for new employees, employers can verify applicant information, reduce the risk of theft and workplace violence and improve the general quality of the candidate pool.

Prior to performing any background screening, the employer should have a written policy in place which describes the details of the screening process. Some of the information that may be included is a description of who will be screened (i.e., applicants only, all employees, managers only), when screening will occur (i.e., pre-employment only, annually), what paperwork is necessary, what type of background check will be performed, who will have access to the information, who will decide how the information will be used, and who will be responsible for adhering to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and state law compliance.

Employers should consult legal counsel regarding how they use potentially adverse information as part of their hiring criteria. For example, many states prohibit the use of an applicant’s arrest record (as opposed to convictions) when making a hiring decision. Also, decisions based on criminal convictions may be subject to the nature/gravity of the offense, the time that has elapsed since conviction or sentence completion and the nature of the job assignment.

In general, employers will find it more cost efficient and accurate to hire a third-party background screening company. Many of these background screening companies are members of the National Association of Professional Background Screeners and will provide information to the employer about the legal requirements of the screening process.

The FCRA defines screening companies as “consumer reporting agencies” and the background reports are defined as “consumer reports.”

Under the FCRA, employers must:

1. Have a written disclosure to the individual that a consumer report will be obtained. This disclosure must occur before the background check is obtained and it must be a separate document from the employment application.

2. Obtain written authorization from the individual prior to requesting the consumer report.

3. If the employer plans on taking any adverse action based on the consumer report, the employer must provide two notices to the individual – one notice before taking adverse action and another when the adverse action occurs.

4. Before taking the adverse action, the employer must provide applicant/employee with a copy of the consumer report and a summary of the applicant’s/employee’s rights under the Act (these rights can be found at www.ftc.gov)

5. After providing this information the employer must wait for a period of time (usually 5 days) before taking the adverse action. This waiting period allows the individual to identify any inaccuracies in the consumer report.

6. Upon taking the adverse action, the employer must provide the individual with a Notice of Adverse Action taken, the contact information of the consumer reporting agency, and a notice of the consumer’s right to dispute the accuracy of the report with the reporting agency.

Employers should also make sure background checks have been performed on their temporary workers and independent contractors. If the employer is using a staffing agency, the employer must inform the staffing agency the employer has a background screening policy. All applicants that the staffing company refers should be screened and all FCRA and state laws followed, including getting written authorization from the applicant.

Bruce E. Loren & Associates specializes in drafting policies to enable your company to conduct background checks in compliance with applicable laws, and in advising businesses in the appropriate use of information obtained from background searches. Bruce E. Loren & Associates is an AV-rated business and construction litigation law firm, also specializing in all employment-related issues for our clients. If you have any questions about this article or any employment-related issue, please contact Bruce Loren or Cara Barrick.

Quick Tips: Busting Through a Mental Block

Whether you’re trying to create a presentation, write an article, or compose an email, nothing is worse than having a mental block you just can’t seem to bust through. It invokes the same feelings of frustration and panic you experience as when you know you need to get to sleep but can’t. But, don’t let those feelings get the better of you. Try these five quick tips to overcome your block and finish the task at hand.

Turn Off the Distractions

Despite what you may have been told, multi-tasking is a myth. In fact, multi-tasking actually delays your progress and delivers poorer results, according to research from Stanford University. So shut down the email, unplug the phone, and close any unnecessary computer programs so you can focus on the task at hand.

Consider the Why

Sometimes it’s easy to lose sight of why you’re doing something. Think beyond just the need to check something off your to-do list and visualize what you want to happen as a result of your effort. If you can’t fully comprehend the end result, then you probably don’t have all the information you need to start this project in the first place.

Let Go of Perfectionism

Give yourself permission to not get it perfect the first time. The pressure to immediately produce something that is free of flaws is unrealistic, and will only serve to further squelch your creativity and ability to think. You can always go back later and make corrections once you have written your general thoughts down.

Just Start

Getting something – anything – down on your paper or screen can often serve as the final push that completely breaks through your mental block. For some reason, going from a completely blank page to a page with a few thoughts scribbled on it can make a huge difference. Just keep putting your ideas down on paper until you have your break-through moment.

Walk Away

If nothing else is helping, try to just shut it down and walk away for a while. Have a quick coffee break, try focusing on another project for a while, or take your lunch break. Sometimes even walking away from your desk and talking through the project with a teammate can be just what you need to get your spark back.

The good news is, just like sleep eventually comes when you’re tired, your mental block will dissolve and you’ll be able to complete your task. Just make sure you don’t give up too quickly when you first hit your block – there is a great feeling of accomplishment on the other side if you just push through!

The One Thing That Will Break You

Successful businesses must have engaged employees in order to stay ahead of the competition, keep their product or service innovative, and retain customers. Keeping employees motivated and engaged involves many elements, many of which are on the department level and left up to each supervising manager. But there is one element that, if lacking, will break down a team and damage a business faster than anything else – respect for the leader.

Certainly respect for the overall company, its goals, and its executive leadership is important, but good employees can often overlook inconsistencies in those areas if they respect their direct supervisor. If that one person who directs their work on a daily basis and is responsible for motivating their team is worthy of admiration, then according to studies from Monster, Yahoo, Salary.com, and the National Education Association, employees will be more likely to stay with the company and feel engaged at work. Unfortunately for leaders, though, respect is not something that comes on demand or can be bought with raises – it requires work and time.

Earn It With Effort

Employees know when they’re being used and poorly led. Sure, there are some perks that come with a leadership role, but if you repeatedly slack off, pass your duties on to your team, or cover up your mistakes, your team will have no desire to help you succeed. Respect is earned, which means showing your team you are dedicated to them and their cause, even if that requires you to work some late nights, take on the tough assignments, or admit when you are wrong.

Give It Time

Whether you’re leading a new team or trying to repair damage from your past leadership mistakes, real respect does not come quickly. Sure, there are some instances where you can make a leap in the right direction, but it will take your team seeing you consistently make the right choices in order to invoke that deep-held respect given to history’s finest leaders. And, keep in mind, if your employees already lack respect for you, it will take longer to rebuild that trust and admiration.

Respect – either you have it or you don’t. The great news is that it’s completely in your control, but the road to earning respect is straight, narrow, and often the path less-taken. In the long run, your effort and time will be worth it as you see your team rally to your side, fight for you, and support you no matter what.

Break Through Your Company’s Language Barriers

Legendary American businessman Lee Iacocca once said, “you can have brilliant ideas, but if you can’t get them across, your ideas won’t get you anywhere.” Communication is a key ingredient to great leadership and successful companies. From describing your strategic vision to assigning daily tasks, it’s important to be sure your messages are being received loud and clear. However for many businesses, that’s easier said than done.

From industry to company to department to team, there are a wide variety of language barriers present at every level of business that leaders must contend with in order to ensure a productive workforce.

Ethnic and Cultural Backgrounds

Many barriers are obvious, such as an employee’s native language, but others such as cultural differences may not be as readily identified. In either case, knowledge is power. The more you know about the various backgrounds of the individuals who make up your workforce, the better equipped you’ll be to recognize and react to different cultural cues when communicating with them.

Religion

Religion can be a very divisive topic and it’s important to tread lightly when addressing the subject in the workplace. Many comments or actions that are considered completely innocent to one group could easily offend another. From serving certain foods at company gatherings to a company’s stance on various social and political issues, religion may play a major role in many of the decisions your employees make every day.

Generational Differences

There are now four different generations working side by side in the modern workforce. And with each generation comes a different set of language barriers and communication best practices. There is a wide range of differing values, beliefs, and skills between the four groups. While it may seem daunting, knowledge is once again your best bet for effectively communicating with each of them.

Company Lingo

The daily lingo in many companies, especially corporate environments, is a veritable alphabet soup of acronyms and abbreviations, which can be especially frustrating for new employees. A comprehensive training program will help introduce a recent hire to the unique language of their new job. However, they probably won’t be fluent overnight. Taking time to explain certain phrases or expand on abbreviations during an employee’s first few weeks will ensure they don’t get lost and overwhelmed.

Language barriers exist in every business. From companies becoming more diverse, different generations moving in and out of the workforce, and advancements in technology, it’s just a natural part of the evolving workplace. And as a result, great leadership will become more and more defined by not only how you manage the business, but also how well you manage your people.

3 Great Ways to Shake Up the Workplace

Let’s face it, after feeling the impact of the recession, from salary freezes to paycuts and layoffs, change in the workplace had a bad rap. We all wanted stability and security. But now, businesses are worrying about turnover and employee engagement as more and more employees feel frustrated with the status quo. John F. Kennedy once said, “change is the law of life.” It’s inevitable. But it’s also important to remember that change isn’t always bad. Often times, it’s great. If your employees are tired of the same ole’ same ole’ at work, now may be the perfect time to shake your workplace up and make some changes for the better.

Here are three easy ways to get started before the new year.

Renovate Your Office Space
Changing your environment can change your entire outlook, and the great news is, it doesn’t have to be big. Anything from a fresh coat of paint to finally getting to that overdue cleanup-day can go a long way to brighten up your work environment and refresh your team’s perspective.

Rearranging office space into specific zones like a meeting and brainstorming space that’s far away from distracting emails and phone calls will be conducive to an environment of focus that can help increase productivity. And switching cubicles and changing workspaces can mean building a more cohesive team that works well together.

Makeover Outdated Policies and Procedures
Policies and procedures are important to every business, but they can quickly become out of date. Doing something a specific way simply because that’s how it’s always been done doesn’t mean it’s always the most efficient way. If you suspect you have some outdated policies or procedures in place, ask your team to offer suggestions for improving things. It will give your employees a chance to share their input and ideas, make them feel like they’re contributing to the overall department, and hopefully mean innovative and effective changes for your workforce.

Declare a “No Meeting Day”
In a recent survey by Express Employment Professionals, 51% of business leaders said meetings were the biggest drain of their time. Studies show the average worker spends approximately six hours a week – more if you’re a manager or executive – in meetings. If too many meetings are taking away from your employees’ already busy schedules, break away from the norm and pick a day in the week where you declare meetings off limits. Take time to evaluate some of your regularly scheduled meetings to see if there’s anything you can cut out or find ways to make them more productive. Just think what you could do with even just an extra hour a week. Think about what it would mean if every employee had an extra hour or two to complete projects or brainstorm new ideas.

You don’t have to make big changes around the office to help reengage your staff and improve performance and productivity. Every step you take to better your company, whether it’s by changing the work environment or improving procedures, can make a big difference.

The Results are In: Your Thoughts on Experience vs. Education

In September, we asked you what is more important to your employee selection process, education, experience, or a combination of the two. And the results were conclusive, to say the least. More than 65% of respondents said qualified, on-the-job experience was the most important factor when hiring new employees. A combination of education and experience was selected second by 31% of respondents.

In a distant third, only 3% of respondents said strong college credentials are the most important factor to consider during the hiring process. For recent college graduates, this statistic could be particularly troubling since they typically do not have extensive on-the-job experience.

These statistics also help to emphasize the growing importance of employee retention. According to research by the American Psychological Association, only half of employees say they feel valued on the job and more than 30% indicated they plan on seeking new employment opportunities. And, in a time when the battle for talent is fierce, it’s in a company’s best interest to make every effort to retain their most skilled and experienced workers.

It’s hard to believe with unemployment still hovering around the 9% mark that many companies are struggling to hire new employees. But in a climate where hiring decisions carry even more weight than before, business leaders have to be picky to ensure the investment they make in a new hire won’t be lost due to turnover, poor cultural fit, inexperience, or a wide variety of other factors.