Don't Get Rid of Your Fear of "A" Change

I facilitate training on change management. I have a fairly good idea about the importance of change and the good it brings and yet, there are times when I find myself frozen in fear as change stares me in the face. I must admit that at times fear gets the better of me and turned my back on the need for change because I couldn't live with the risk involved.

I maintain that despite the occasional fear, I am a change advocate and considers that I have a good change batting average.

Fear of A change just like any other fear is a normal mental or physical reaction to danger. Fear is a defense mechanism. We need it to survive. To be unafraid of anything is to be suicidal. I believe that it is not only normal to fear A change , it's absolutely necessary to be afraid of it.

When a change is bound to happen or necessary we need to recognize the fear that comes with it. Face it, process it and then validate it. Not all changes are acceptable. We need to weed out the necessary from the unnecessary. We cannot just change for the sake of changing. It has to be meaningful and rewarding. Fear is necessary when they are valid and legitimate. Fear helps us recognize the dangers and plan the change so that dangers are minimized.

Fear of change is different from fear of A change. The former is wholesale fear. I seldom see peole who have it. Fear of A change is rational, normal and common. It should however not stop us from embracing change. The next time you find yourself considering a change. Recognize the uncomfortable feeling that comes with it. Ask where it's coming from and then ask what steps towards change you need to make in order to effect a smooth transition.

Oh, and let me throw in a line that Gwyneth Paltrow's character said to Ben Afleck's character in that movie "Bounce": 'It's not brave if you're not scared.'

The Much Abused Wage Order Exemption in the Philippines.

I said it before and I will say it again. Not everything that's legal is moral.
The last wage order and the other wage orders I've seen carry these exemptions:

"EXEMPTIONS. Upon application with and as determined by the Board, based on documentation and other requirements in accordance with applicable rules and regulations issued by the Commission, the following may be exempted from the applicability of this Order:
1. Distressed Establishments;
2. Establishments Facing Potential Losses;
3. Retail/Service Establishments Employing Not More Than Ten (10)Workers;
4. Establishments whose total assets, including those arising from loans, but exclusive of the land on which the particular business entity’s office, plant and equipment are situated, are not more than Three Million Pesos (P= 3,000,000.00); and,
5. Establishments adversely affected by natural calamities".

In this post, I'm highlighting # 3 which states that Retail and Service establishments employing not more than 10 workers are exempt from paying the minimum wage. This exemption makes it perfectly legal for anyone in the retail business no matter how hugely profitable can be exempt from following the law.

I heard many gas station owners pay their employees between P150 to 250 which is way below the minimum wage of P382. I also heard that a successful new chain of Filipino themed restaurants are not paying their employees the minimum required because they employ less people in their branches which happened to be franchised, no matter how profitable these branches are. The owners get away with paying less because they invoke this exemption.

I kind of understand why an exemption like this particular one is made. It allows employers who CANNOT AFFORD the payment of minimum wage still continue their operation until such time that they are able to afford it. Unfortunately, these are not stated in the wage order. It is the spirit of the exemption, I believe, but not the spirit of the employers who use this as an excuse... perpetually.

Imagine some of the owners of these companies enjoy all the spoils that life can offer while their employees are stuck deep in the quagmire of poverty. Imagine them enjoying a 500-buck lunch while their employees and their families have to survive with P200 for entire day. That is if they are not buried deep in debt. Imagine them changing cars every time they like a new model while, their workers squander for jeepney fare in order to get to work. Imagine these business owners cannot afford to pay the minimum wage because it will prevent them from living their lavish life styles! Imagine all the injustice of it!

I call on the law makers of the land and those in the Department of Labor and Employment to see the flaws of this law and fix it for the sake of those who are oppressed by it... by those who take advantage of it.

I also call on the employers who use this excuse even if they don't have to. Grow some conscience will you?!

Don't be a Useless HR Jerk!

I can count to more than ten the number of times that friends and clients call their HR Managers either useless or jerk or both. Sometimes I wonder how many times I've been called that myself.

Here are some of reasons why HR people are called useless or jerks or both:

1. Useless when they don't go beyond the transactional or administrative nature of the job that include recruiting, timekeeping, payroll processing, records keeping and request fulfillment. People obviously expect more from us without easing our loads with these stuffs. That's why there's technology and automation, let's get our hands to them.

2. Useless when they fail to recognize what the employees need in order to work better. While I believe that human resource development and performance management is everyone's job, it is an important HR Manager's responsibility. If we are not into it now, well, we're not being very useful.

3. Useless when they fail to work with other managers in establishing usefull policies and tools for creating a productive and efficient workplace. A lot of the policies I see circulating are hand-me-downs, and copy-paste, no thanks to the power of technology. I think managers both HR and line, need to sit together and start questioning the usefulness of these policies and tools and retain only those that are useful and create new ones.

4. Useless when they ignore organizational issues that need to be resolved. Some people are naturally conflict averse but I don't think HR can afford to be like that. We need to confront issues and confront people if that is what is needed to make things better.

5. Useless when the HR policies they created and maintain are unclear and therefore useless. Well, if we can't explain the policy no matter how useful we think they are, they are not.

6. Jerks when they try to accumulate too much power for themselves. I've seen this quite a number of times. Some HR Managers tend to hog decision making specially in the area of employee movement, disciplining and policy making. This is just wrong. The more we are able to engage other managers in making these decisions, the better off we are in building partnerships.

7. Jerks when they block other managers developmental initiatives because they believe that organization development is the exclusive province of HR. A line manager thought of an incentive scheme for his staff, the HR Manager criticizes it or block it not because it's not good but because they're not his. That's childish.

8. Jerks when they play politics with the boss by acting as the "eyes and ears" of the boss and telling the boss how messed up the other managers are. To say that this is old school is an understatement.

9. Jerks when they implement policies that are meant to take advantage and impinge on the rights of the employees. Some HR Managers think that they are doing the company a favor by implementing policies that are antilabor like, seasonal employment contracts, unfair working conditions, etc. Well, they're not. They are setting the ground for eventual reprisal that come in many ugly forms. Besides, their souls will burn in hell if they don't stop doing this.

10. Jerks when they behave like taskmasters, making their rounds, finding faults without considering due process and chain of command. There is an old tagalog term called "katiwala" or "kapatas" which loosely translates to taskmaster. The mindset of taskmasters is that everyone is lazy, mindless and up to no good so they have to be watched over so carefully. Some HR Manager seem to think that they inherited this responsibility which they didn't. A taskmaster job is obsolete and an HR Manager who still does this is also obsolete.

I like the term HR Partner which I find being used more frequently now because it describes the role of HR more closely to how I see it. partnership gives the relationship an even ground. HR is not more or less powerful than the units they are partnering with, they are not more or less responsible and accountable. That's what we need to be, an HR Partner.

Should I Fire an Employee to Improve Teamwork?

I've asked that same question myself several times in the past and hopefully not again in the future.

Very recently a client asked me a question that seems to lead there. He said, what do I do with an employee who is fairly good at what he does technically but is a poor team player? Apparently, this guy missed several promotion opportunities and have been overtaken by more junior managers and is now bitter and distrustful of most people in the team. His bitterness and distrust reflects on how he respond (or not respond) to needed changes. While he has years of experience and performance behind him, he is weighing his team mates down with his politics right now. My client doubts that any amount of teambuilding workshops can change this person. Oh yes, about my answer, I said fire him. The client said, I wish it's that simple.

But it's really that simple. If you have a team member who for whatever reason is weighing the team down, you need to let that team member go. The longer you keep him, the more demage will be made to the team. The sooner you let that team member go, the better for your team and the better that person.

Wait! Before you take that advice, heed this other advice. Fire that employee as a final resort. First, firing employees in the Philippines for no clear and justifiable reason (not being a team player apparently is not a serious offence as far as the labor code is concerned). If you are a manager or a leader and can identify one team member or two who fit the description, here are a few steps that I can recommend.

1. Build your team by setting and leveling expectations. Talk about your expectations and ask about theirs. Agree on a set of rules of engagement in the team so that everyone is clear about how to work with each other and how to deal with issues. Agree on a set of sanctions for violating the agreements. Make sure that all these are contributed by the team. Have your inputs last.

2. Have the conviction to follow through and I mean really follow through on these norms. If you let others slide for ignoring it, your norm will end up in the trash heap. Put everything in writing, remind everyone about it, warn people when they are digressing. Encourage people to call your attention if and when you slide. Recognize your own slip-ups and apologize to them. Let them know how serious you are about this.

3. When a team member is not playing by the norm, go into a coaching session with that person to genuinely and sincerely know what is wrong and work with that person towards getting him back into the fold. Commitment to follow through is important here.

4. When you go into a coaching session be specific about the behavior that's hurting the team. Be clear about the impact work on an action plan with that person. If the person works willingly with you towards resolving the problem, you may forget about my first advice. If the person is unwilling, you may not need to because there's a good chance, the person may resign. When you do all this, make sure that you have everything documented and acknowledged in case you have to resort to #5.

5. Fire the person. Politely but firmly tell the person about the failure to meet expectations. When I had this experience, I talked about how my team may not the best team for him and that the right team for him maybe out there. It's not easy but I make it a point that the friendship remains after the formal relationship is broken. When push comes to shove however you'll need the documents you made earlier as proof that you tried to make things work but the person won't cooperate.

I said it's simple, I didn't say it's easy. Shaping a high performance team is not an easy task but you have every reason to pursue it. Along the way, you may have to do the most uneasy task of letting go of a team member for the sake of the entire team. Hopefully by doing what I suggested here, you may not have to but if it's still happens, you know that you owe it to them and the person concerned to take the necessary action.

If you need help in strengthening your team and you're really serious about it, give me a ring. (63-918-939-9294)

Instant Training Syndrome

It's true, it's happening and it's sad. Training is going the way of instant noodles, shampoos in sachet and boullion cubes. As companies reduce their training cost and increase productive hours many of them sacrifice training quality for convenience and cost. And in their desire to gain appreciation from their effort to train their employees they choose form over substance. Let me substantiate my claim.

Some Training Are Like Instant Noodles
You open the cup, pour hot water and voila! Instant Training! In some company's lack of interest on what goes into the program, they buy training based solely on promise, not unlike looking at a noodle cup label. We look at the brand, look at the promise of flavor and claim of nutritional value and then we buy it. Most don't even read the fine prints.
That's what happens when you send people to a public seminar without going into the details of what goes in to the program and not knowing who facilitator is and how that person will handle the training. I believe it's an inherent customers' right to ask for details. When I was training manager. I painstakingly put the trainers to the task by asking them to explain how the program will go and how it will be beneficial to the participants. I also ask for participants' feedback to find out if I should send another group to that public seminar. I'm not saying that public seminars are bad. I hold public seminars as well and believe that they serve a particular purpose. This is why I appreciate it when clients ask me details about the programs we offer. They keep us on our toes and help us improve our design to meet their objectives.

Some Training are Like Shampoos in Sachet
Some training decision makers choose SHORTLIVED gains over short and long term gains. I've been asked to run 2 hours of teambuilding activities when what they really need is a long term teambuilding solution. There are also instances when managers choose the cheaper training proposal over an obviously better one for cost consideration or because the other training is shorter thereby requiring less time away from work.

I believe that training program needs to be thoroughly planned and every training event is designed to ensure the most performance impact. While cost concerns are a reality training managers have to deal with, they must not compromise quality for cost, otherwise they'll be spending money for nothing.

Some Training Are Like Boullion Cubes
To some managers, form matters more than substance. In their desire to up the fun ante, they forget the real purpose of training which is learning or change of behavior. On some occasions, a manager will approach and say, we want to have a team building workshop. We prefer ropes course or paintball wargames or amazing race type of teambuilding or an adventure activity. While I believe in the effectiveness of these program when facilitated properly in addressing a particular need, they don't come before the objectives. Know what I mean? If these activities are done simply because they are fun and they are available without looking at how these activities will lead to a particular learning objective or a team action plan, they lose their meaning. They become mere parlor games and the facilitator a mere game master.

I personally believe that both substance and form are important to the success of any training endeavor. They should however, come in that order - substance before form. The taste should not be artificial, they should be a natural result of good ingredients cooked right. In training terms that means, Identifying the training need, setting the objectives and then putting together activities that will meet these objectives. If an activity is not really necessary or does not serve the objective, don't do it under the guise of training no matter how fun.

Managers who are in charge of human resource development need to prevent themselves from being swept by the world's propensity for what seem like instant solutions when in fact they really are not. Most of the instant solutions I mentioned here are synonimous to artificial, meaning not real solutions. Training is too important an investment to be wasted on artificial solutions.

Train Your Employees To Take Your Place

When I attended a Basic Supervisory Course some sixteen years ago, one lesson stuck with me more than others and that is "it is the supervisor's responsibility to train the ones who will take his place". I was an acting supervisor then in a 7-Eleven store in EDSA corner Boni avenue. I was young, still a bit naive and insecure and the idea of giving someone a chance to take my place was unthinkable. To a certain extent I was protective of what I know. I was assigned to an acting leadership role shortly after I was regularized. I thought that I ascended unusually fast and to have someone outpace my rise to leadership was unsettling. So in my mind I was saying "No way!"

Leo Ortiz who conducted that training also said that if your subordinates happen to be better leaders than you and move past you, you should be happy with the fact that you paved the way for a great leader to arise. You can just imagine me kicking and screaming my way to accepting that lesson. It was against my "I'll race you to the top" concept of achieving professional success. But Ortiz said that if we train our employees to become leaders, they will push us up and that if we don't, they will weigh us down. I learned from that seminar that one of the true measures of leadership success is developing other leaders. It made so much sense to me that it has become my passion, no obsession to equip my employees to actually take my place or overtake if they can. I'm proud to report that a number of my previous staffs has moved up to become successful Managers themselves.

So, how does one leader prepare others to take her place? I'd say that work starts right at hiring them. If you consider yourself a good leader and believe that your work requires a fair deal of leadership skills, you can't train replacements if you keep hiring people with absolutely no leadership potentials. I am, for example, more inclined to hire people who are clear about their ambitions, have initiatives, who are creative and resourceful, capable of expressing themselves and good natured. That's because I believe those are good leadership ingredients. I'm sure you have your own recipe for leadership. What's important is you know your ingredients when you see them. Look for them when you screen candidates.

I can't remember his name anymore but I was talking to a consultant from the Asian Institute of Management about empowerment when I was Head of Training at SPI Technologies. He gave me a rather philosophical and rhetorical question as an answer. He asked, how do you make pots? Only a miracle of nature can make them look like pots without the potter's intervention. The potter has to shape them put them through several processes and test before he lets go... and then he lets go. Like Yoda, he leaned back to allow me to absorb the wisdom of his words. After a while I responded, to empower without shaping is to risk empowering incompetence. He knew I learned my lesson. The idea stuck with me until a few days later I decided to have my own leadership development program in my own team. I came up with guidelines and let my staff take turns in taking on leadership roles. I served as their coach until finally, they can do the job of leading and that's when I knew my job was done and that I can move on to greater responsibilities. I became an HR Manager for PET Plan's subsidiary companies. When I was HR Director of Athena E-Services my team can pretty much run the show even in my absence. Here where I am now at ExeQserve, the same is true. I'm developing pretty awesome leaders and future training consultants here and I'm excited about the prospects of those next in line.

When you train future leaders, you must recognize the need to do the heavy lifting at first, the shaping to make sure that they are properly honed and molded. It reminds me that a good pot is a product of a skilled potter. You can't give what you don't have so, it's important for a leader to also take lessons from other leaders.

Lastly, I'd say that not all shaping turns out to be a success. A leader should not beat himself up for people who don't respond well to the training. They have their own place in the sun. Remember, not everybody needs to be a leader. Work with those who have what it takes and want to do what it takes to be a leader..