Thursday, December 28, 2006
An Important Interview
As I was completing my book, "In the Best Companies - People are Everything", it occurred to me that it might be helpful and revealing to interview someone with extensive direct human resource experience about some of the topics discussed.
As I thought about this I realized that I had a friend with just those credentials. This man worked in the Human Resource field for large, well-known companies. He moved to a beautiful north-west island, and with his expertise became a very successful HR consultant to a number of significant companies around the country.
I wrote down a few simple questions and collected his answers from his extensive experience, right off the top of his head, and without prompting him.
For the record, my friend had not yet read this book.
So here are the questions and his answers for your review. There is no particular order.
Some answers may be embarrassing for leaders to read, but there is much to learn.
Question: What is the biggest mistake leaders make about people?
Answer: Failure to listen. Most leaders are so interested in making their own point, that they unintentionally do not get input from others.
Question: What things maximize peoples performance at work?
Answer: Helping people understand they are making a personal contribution. Any rewards should be appropriate; and keyed to the specific values the people have.
Question: What are the most difficult people problems you have encountered?
Answer: The most difficult are those where people are humiliated or offended. They are not dealing with facts -- just emotions. Some people get hurt easily. Another difficult problem is messed up communication. The company thinks they have asked for A and the employee thinks it is B.
Question: What percentage of leaders really work to maximize people's performance?
Answer: (After some thought) - An extremely small percentage - way below 10 percent. Many leaders in a company got there by hanging on. They get promoted by having been there a long time. They are technically competent in their field but often lack even the most rudimentary leadership skills.
Question: What are the two most important things that keep people happy enough to do their best.
Answer: Participation and recognition.
Question: What are the least desirable characteristics of leaders?
Answer: Self centeredness and inability to communicate.
Question: Of the companies you have dealt with, which treat their people the best, and how?
Answer: Only one. What was then a small oil company in California. People were treated as equals. They had a formula, but it has been lost since they were acquired.
Question: Do you believe in regular yearly training for all people?
Answer: Yes! Some matters should be covered only as needed. The company should be careful not to train in what they already know.
Question: What are the characteristics of the best working environment?
Answer: A place where the people feel they can control their own destiny by their own performance.
Question: What are the worst things people think about their boss?
Answers: 1.The boss is not fair.
2.The best employees are not recognized for their efforts.
3. Those that get in trouble are never caught up with.
Question: What are Human Resource's most important duties?
Answer: This is critical -- communicating company goals and plans to employees, and accurately reporting employee concerns and attitudes back to executive management. Human Resources is not only a management tool, but is a people tool also.
Question: Is it true that when an employee creates a big mistake, the usual reason is a system problem in the company's operations?
Answer: Yes! It can also be related to an employee's personal problems.
Question: Does American industry treat their employees well?
Answer: There are companies that really do. The biggest problem comes because of the differences between line and staff. Human Resources is staff, and as such participates in high level decisions that line people have little impact on.
Question: Should supervisors know their employee's personal lives? -- and to what extent?
Answer: The more they know the better off they are. But, any knowledge they have must be sacred.
Question: Should companies provide special relief for worker's extraordinary problems?
Answer: Absolutely. Workers must be seen as individuals and they must feel so.
Question: Do most companies do adequate initial training?
Answer: No!
Question: Is compensation reasonable in most companies?
Answer: Yes! It is really a question of supply and demand. You may have noticed I have not put wage considerations as a prime need.
This interview is revealing because it points out the continuing need for management to work on relationships with their people. The boss often does not know what his employees really think about the company, and his performance. The answers given by this human resource expert will give some clues for fixing the problems.
In almost every answer a link can be made with one of the eight ideas for improvement in the book People are Everything.
posted by Larry Haines at
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