Change Management: Are you ready for change?

Change is an inevitable part of today’s business environment. I’ve been thinking a lot of about change management lately, in part due to requests for facilitation support in this area from companies, as well as what’s showing up on the news and in my mailbox.

I just got a wonderful book from Elaine Beich, who I consider a master in the area of consulting and learning and development. I saw Elaine speak last month in Atlanta at the ASTD conference where she talked about Change Management tools and processes. Her new book - Thriving Through Change: A Leader's Practical Guide to Change Mastery - which I’ve just started is excellent. You can check it out at ASTD Press.

Elaine talks about how the pace of change is getting quicker and quicker. Did you know that the amount of information we are exposed to in one week of a New York Times newspaper is more than what our ancestors were exposed to during a lifetime in the 17th Century? Amazing.

Likewise, she talks about how information is changing at such a rapid pace that some of the information students are learning in the first year of university can be outdated by their third year. Incredible.

Whether you are a student, professional or business owner, how are you keeping abreast of the changes in your industry? What are you doing to be proactive with change, rather than reactive? How are you stepping out to embrace the ongoing changes?

I will be doing a series of blog posts on change management in the next few months – in part to answer some of the queries I am receiving from readers, as well as organizations I work with. What’s you biggest question regarding change? What tools do you need for your organization? What tools do you need as an individual?

I’d love to hear your questions and comments on change – feel free to comment below.

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CHRP, CPT
Potentials Realized
Email: jennifer{at}potentialsrealized.com

Are you a small business owner struggling with balance?

If so, you are not alone. There is a great article from SmartBiz.com's Jeff Cornwall, "Small Business Owners Still Struggle With Balance" which summarizes some of the highlights from American Express' Small Business Monitor on the subject.

Of particular note, the study found:

• Female entrepreneurs tend to be more stressed by work/life balance demands than men (71% to 62%)
• 67% found that being an entrepreneur required some sacrifices, particularly family and friends

On the flip side, it appears that business owners are relatively good at creating personal time during the work day (which for entrepreneurs is not usually the typcial 9-5). 64% of respondents indicate taking some personal time off during the business day. Interestingly, 45% consider taking time off during the business day a "guilty pleasure".

Some really interesting results and I hope that you will click on over to Jeff's article - especially as a business owner working on work-life balance issues.

If you are a business owner looking for some resources on work-life balance, I hope that you will visit my sister blog: Your Balanced Life! where I post regularly on work-life balance tips.

I also hold a free monthly call on issues related to work life balance, typically the 3rd Monday of every month from 8-9 pm (EST). This month's call is on Creating a Powerful Vision of Balance and will be held Monday evening, July 23rd at 8pm (EST). You can join me by calling : (218) 486-1300, access code 503003. Next month's call will be held on Monday August 27th from 8-9pm (EST) on Powerful Time Management Tools. Looking forward to having you join me (note callers are responsible for their own long distance charges).

Have a juicy weekend,

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CHRP, CPT

Potentials Realized

The 90 Day Biz Success Program starts Tuesday July 24th at 7pm (EST). Are you a business owner who is ready to make the leap from good to great and is looking for a fun, supportive 90 day accountability environment? If so, I hope that you will join us -- space is limited to 6 business owners.

HR Potpourri, Interviewing Tips

It's HR Blog Carnival Day over at the HR Thoughts, and Lisa Rosendahl, SPHR has done a terrific job of spotlighting some great HR blogs including my post on The Changing Face of Learning and Development.

Hop on over to Lisa's HR Carnival post and you'll be able to chew on a whole range of HR topics -- perfomance, recruitment and social networking. It's a virtual treasure chest!

Another one of my articles is now available at Ezinearticles.com "Interviewing Tips for Employers - Getting the Right People on the Bus". If you are tasked with hiring new staff over the summer months, you may want to check out the article for some tips on how to leverage your interviewing process. I hope that you enjoy!

I am getting ready to make my usual summer move later this week to Muskoka for at least a few weeks (hopefully six). I'll be working a few days a week for the rest of the summer, at a Muskoka pace. Chances are, you'll be hearing from me a little more often here at the blog. You can still reach me during this time during my usual contacts.

Enjoy this week's HR Carnival and also the Interviewing tips!

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CHRP, CPT
Potentials Realized
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960
Email: info[at]potentialsrealized[dot]com

The Changing Face of Learning and Development

With the continued rapid increase of global teams which often operate virtually, the way learning and development is delivered is also changing. I often receive requests from organizations regarding advice on trends and new techniques that they can use to build human capital (individually or in teams) in the rapidly changing business and global environment.

Technology continues to reshape how learning is delivered, and in recent months there have been some very interesting articles on how major corporations are leveraging technology to enhance learning and human capital management.

A number of larger US firms are now delivering training via podcasts. Noted for their adaptability when learning needs to take place, podcasts have the ability to deliver training just-in-time.

Another area which is garnering attention is the use of Second Life by many companies, both as a marketing tool and also as an innovative way to deliver training (typically informal). If you or your company are using Second Life, I’d love to hear from you--- what’s your experience been? How do you leverage it for learning and development opportunities?

The emerging generations (which include Gen Y and Gen X) have added to this push for the introduction of newer technologies for learning and development – which are more meaningful and relevant to the. This whole area is fascinating, and as some researchers are finding the way our brains operate is changing through the generations. I will continue build on former blog posts on intergenerational management in the future – from recent organizational requests it seems that this issue is continuing to be a hot one.

Recent Statistics are showing that learning budgets and hours of training for workers based in the US is continuing to increase (2006 ASTD State of the Industry Report). With an estimated $109.25 Billion being spent on learning and development annually, American companies are spending anywhere from 2 – 2.7% of their payroll on learning and development initiatives. This equals anywhere from $1424 to $1616 US/worker.

In contrast a number of recent studies here in Canada are showing that learning and training budgets and priorities are continuing to shrink (2007 Conference Board Learning and Development Outlook). In 2006 the Conference Board of Canada reported that on average 1.75% of payroll was spent on learning and development, or approximately $944 Cdn/employee. The 2007 figures released a few months ago show a slight decline in these figures.

What are the trends that you are seeing in the field of learning and development? What can be leveraged in your organization? What new initiatives would benefit your human capital pool.

As always, I welcome your thoughts and comments --- please feel free to do so below.

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CHRP, CPT
Potentials Realized
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960
Email: info[at]potentialsrealized[dot]com

New Start Date for the 90 Day Biz Success Program: Tues July 24th at 7pm

Are you a business owner looking to take your business and results from great to extraordinary? Every quarter I offer the 90 Day BizSuccess Program, an interactive group coaching program for business owners.

You have two more weeks to register for the next start date of the 90 Day Biz Success program. We will be starting on Tuesday July 24th (7-8 pm EST by phone). We will meet twice a month by phone for a one-hour group coaching session, and you will have the opportunity to schedule an individual group coaching session (30 min by phone) with me once a month.

During the program, you will:

* Develop or deepen your business vision
* Explore your unique strengths and abilities as a business person, identifying areas to leverage, and possible areas for synergy
* Identify opportunities for collaboration and partnerships with other business owners
* Develop your marketing strategy and budget
* Investigate how their business can leverage technology to build their client base and increase sales through an introduction to blogs, podcasts and other platforms
* Develop a concrete business action plan for the next year

We will also be exploring specific topics requested by the individual participants (i.e. leveraging social media, financial issues).

The program is limited to 6 business owners, and we will be meeting as a group on:
July 24, Aug 7, 21, Sept. 4, 18, October 9. Final Call Tuesday October 23/07. Calls will be recorded if you can't make one.

For more information about the program and to register, please click here. The cost for the program is $297 US or $119 US/month (the individual coaching sessions are worth that alone!).

If you have any questions about the program, please give me a call toll free at 1-866-217-1960. I look forward to having you join me!

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CHRP, CPT
Potentials Realized
90 Day Biz Success Program
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960
Email: info{at}potentialsrealized[dot]com

Stress Free Performance Appraisals

Are you looking for a great resource to “turn your most painful management duty into a powerful motivational tool”?

Stress Free Performance Appraisals by HR Professionals Sharon Armstrong and Madelyn Appelbaum, is an invaluable resource to any manager or professional charged with undertaking the critical activity of performance appraisals.

The book provides a comprehensive overview of the performance appraisal process, different approaches, and is chock full of useful checklists, self-assessments and tips to take your performance appraisal from ordinary to extraordinary.

Very clearly written for the everyday manager, this book is destined to become a well used resource in your management library.

You can order your own copy at Amazon today. Visit Sharon online at Sharon Armstrong and Associates .

Have a wonderful weekend,

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, CPCC, CHRP, CPT

Potentials Realized

Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960

Email: jennifer{at}potentialsrealized{dot}com

Small Business Owners vs. Entrepreneurs

Over the next few weeks I’ll be immersed back into the world on small business development, as I am leading a program with two groups of fantatstic women small business owners.

One of the topics we are discussing right now is what is the difference between a small business owner and an entrepreneur. Are all small business owners, entrepreneurs? Can you be both?

Last summer there was a flurry of blog posts on this topic. You may want to check out:
Khurram Masood’s blog post on “Small Business owners” vs. Entrepreneurs : http://myowntrip.blogspot.com/2006/07/small-business-owner-vs-entrepreneur.html
Nick Williams

Small Business Owner Vs Inspired Entrepreneur: 10 Crucial Differences: http://www.sabusinesshub.com/section/content.php?SectionId=8&SubsectionId=12&ContentId=1293

Cornell makes an interesting distinction between small business ownership and entrepreneurship:
Here's a simple 3-step description of entrepreneurship:
* Thinking new ideas
* Doing new things
* Creating value in the marketplace
These three steps separate entrepreneurs from other business owners. Creativity, innovation, and unique value are the key ingredients of entrepreneurial businesses.

I too subscribe to the more academic distinction between small business ownership and entrepreneurism. While you can be a small business owner and entrepreneur, not every small business owner is an entrepreneur. Some of the characteristics which set an entrepreneur apart are:
* Higher levels of risk taking behavior. An entrepreneur has a much higher “risk threshold” and is willing to take more risks than the average small business owner
* Greater scale – Entrpreneurs are typically driven by going big (or going home). While many small business owners are content to stay small, entrepreneurs are driven to grow a business (and in many instances move on by seling the business – this process of growing businesses and moving on has led to the term “serial entrepreneur”)
* Innovation is key: Innovation is a key ingredient for entrepreneurs, part of their life blood
* Gifts to see opportunities – Entrepreneurs often have a gift to see opportunities where others don’t, or where others would fail to tred. What opportunities are you seeing in your business today? Will you take the risk to seize them?

What are your thoughts? What other differences do you see between entpreneurs and small business owners? Are you one? Both?

I would welcome your thoughts. Please feel free to comment below.
With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, CPCC, CHRP, CPT
Potentials Realized
Email: info[at]potentialsrealized[dot]com
The 90 Day Biz Success Group Coaching program starts on July 10th (Tuesdays 7-8 pm ET twice a month for three months). Are you ready to take your business to the next level? Space is limited to 8, so register early!

Work Life Balance and Ethics

Ethics – What’s work-life balance got to do with it?

Deloitte and Touche’s 2007 Ethics and Workplace survey results found a very strong relationship between ethics and work-life balance. 91% of respondents to their annual survey stated that they believe “workers are more likely to behave ethically at work when they have a work-life balance”.

Why is this so?
Chairman of the Board, Sharon Allen, of Deloitte and Touce states,
“When you think about it, if someone invests all of their time and energy into their jobs, it may have the unintended consequence of making them dependent on their jobs for everything – including their sense of personal worth. This makes it eve harder to make a good choice when faced with an ethical dilemma if they believe it will impact their professional success."

The Deloitte and Touche 2007 Ethics and Workplace survey also found that the behavior of management, or at least direct supervisors, set the tone for ethical behavior (77%). At present approximately 30% of full time workers are not satisfied with their current work-life balance. Approximately one-third of full time workers, and nearly one-fifth of part time workers indicated that high stress levels cause conflict between work responsibilities and personal priorities.

So what can we do?

The study found that the top factors which would facilitate an ethical workplace were:
* The behavior of management (42%)
* The behavior of direct supervisors (46%)
Along with positive reinforcement for ethical behavior.

The study also found that compensation, flexible work schedules and benefits were the top three factors which influenced overall job satisfaction.

Download your own executive summary of the 2007 Deloitte and Touche Ethics and Workplace study here.

If work-life balance is a priority for you, I would also invite you to visit my sister blog dedicated to work-life balance – Your Balanced Life! Blog. You will find a treasure chest of work-life balance tips and exercises to support you in work-life balance.

I will be holding a free one-hour call next Monday, June 26th from 8:30 – 9:30 pm (EST) on Balance for the Summer Months. If you would like to join the call please email me at info(at) potentialsrealized (dot)com with Balance for Summer in the subject line. Participants are responsible for their own long distance charges.

I would also invite you to consider joining me for the 90 Day Your Balanced Life! Group Coaching Program which starts on July 17th (Tuesday 7-8pm ET). We will meet twice a month as a group, and once a month you will have an individual coaching session with me. You will also receive bi-weekly work-life balance tips into your email box throughout the 3 months of the program. The cost for the program is $119 US/month or $297 US for the program. Space is limited to 8, so register early (online registration available here)

Have a balanced week,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, CPCC, CHRP, CPT
Potentials Realized
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960
Email: jennifer(at)potentialsrealized(dot)com

Presentation Basics

Are you looking for some great resources to amp up your next presentation? Did you know that speaking in front of a large audience is one of business professionals greatest fears?

Here are some great sites to get pointers from, to boost the impact of your next presentation.

1. Presentation Zen: Garr Reynolds Presentation Zen site is chock full of amazing insights, recommendations and tools for making your presentations sizzle. He walks his talk and shares personal insights in such a juicy way. Check out Presentation Zen for some amazing resources including a post on three strategic questions you should answer at the start of any presentation: Who are You? What do you do? and Why does it matter? These are an extension of a story from Brand Gap regarding a consultant who started every meeting with a client using these three questions.

Who are you? What do you do? Why does it matter? - So simple, yet so powerful.

Read his post on: Why does it matter and What's your contribution here.

Having just completed a day and a half speaking presentation earlier this week, which involved coordintating a number of speakers, I think that these are two questions which can make or break a presentation - which I've seen firsthand repeated a number of times over the past few weeks.

2. Powerful Presentation Techniques from Paul Gibler, the Web Chef, CONNECTINGDOTS. Paul has over 200 blog posts at his PPT site...dig around there's some great stuff!

3. The PowerPoint and OfficeArt Team Blog from Microsoft -- this is not an extensive blog, but there are some neat pointers on how to leverage your powerpoint!

4. Fortify Your Oasis also has some fantastic postings on Presentation tips. Click on over to Rowan Manahan's blog. He's also got a lot of great stuff related to career management and working life.

Enjoy!

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized

Talent Management: What Is It?

What is talent management?

The Buzz phrase talent management has been bandied around many recent conferences and meetings I have either been speaking at, or attending. So what exactly is talent management and why is it so important?

Talent management encompasses a range of HR, managerial and training functions including:
Recruitment and Selection
Assessments
Learning and Development
Leadership Development
Succession Planning
Performance management
Compensation
Human Resource Planning

So why is talent management so important? As I’ve reported in earlier blog posts , the war on talent continues, with skill shortages being forecast within the next five to ten years, as baby boomers start to retire. The cost for sloppy talent management can be high. For example, poor recruitment and selection leading to a poor fit for a new candidate can cost the organization up to a year and a half salary, taking into account the recruitment and selection process, onboarding costs such as training and development, lost productivity etc.

So who is in charge of your talent management programs? Is it HR? Is it the training department? ASTD and Brandon Hall Research recently conducted a poll to looking at who is in charge of the talent management processes and what are the trends. 60% of respondents indicated that training and HR operations are coming together in their organizations and 90% believe that the trends will continue. What does it look like in your organization?

I would welcome hearing your thoughts on talent management, the skills gap and structurally who deals with your talent management programs. Please feel free to comment below.

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Brittton, MES, CPT, CPCC, CHRP
Potentials Realized
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960
Email: jennifer[at]potentialsrealized[dot]com

What's on your learning radar screen?

I've been a little silent blogging this week as I was attending the 2007 ASTD Conference in Atlanta. It was a powerful week spent with about 9300 learning and development specialists. While I was there I was privledged to facilitate three Learning Labs for conference attendees, which were attended by professionals from across North America, Poland, Malaysia, Japan, the UK. Thanks to all who participated -- I'd love to hear how you are moving ahead with your action steps!

I had wonderful engaging discussions with so many other delegates over the last five days. It was really encouraging to see that many of the issues I've been blogging about, and do work around, are really the up and coming trends and hot points for organizations today:

* Intergenerational Management and Leadership Issues
* Global Leadership
* Virtual Teams
* Values in Organizations
* Corporate Social Responsibility
*Leveraging the Human Captial within your organization

If this is your first visit to the blog, I'd invite you to poke around and click through the different categories. I'm sure that you will find something useful.

What's on your organization's learning radar screen right now? What issues would you like me to be discussing? Please feel free to post your comments below, or contact me directly at jennifer(at) potentialsrealized(dot) com.

Stay tuned for some very exciting upcoming posts, where I will continue to drill into some of these really exciting topics!

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960

HR Potpourri, Taking Your Team to Extraordinary

It's another exciting end to the week. My blog post earlier this week on Virtual Team Challenges has been picked up by the HR Carnival Blog hosted this week by Deb over at the 8 Hours and a Lunch Blog. The posts she's selected this week go all the way through recruitment, to on-boarding, training and team building. You can check out this week's HR Carnival here. If virtual team issues are also a passion for you, Robin Good over at Kolabora has also picked up the article. He's got a treasure-chest of really great links to articles on virtual teams and virtual collaboration -- I hope that you will check it out!

Another one of my articles has now been posted to EzineArticles.com. If you are looking to boost your team development process, please check out my article: Team Building Tips: Take Your Team from Great to Extraordinary. I hope that you will enjoy the article and take away some tips that you can use for your own team building initative. If you are looking for an external facilitator for your next retreat, team coaching or team building initiative, please feel free to contact me toll free at 1-866-217-1960.

I am off to Atlanta this weekend for the 2007 ASTD International Conference. I will be co-facilitating three sessions early next week for Coach attendees. If you are attending the conference, I hope that you will consider joining me on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday for the Learning Lab for Coaches. More information about this new conference component can be found in your tote.

Warmly,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, CPCC, CHRP, CPT
Potentials Realized
Group Coaching Essentials
Email: jennifer[at]potentialsrealized[dot]com
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960

90 Day Biz Success Program Starts July 10th

Back by popular demand, the 90 Day Biz Success program starts July 10th. This powerful group coaching program is designed for both new entrepreneurs who are looking to launch their business, as well as experienced entrepreneurs who are wanting to accelerate to the next level.

This ninety-day program combines two group coaching sessions per month (by phone) along with a thirty minute individual coaching session with Certified Coach Jennifer Britton each month. Course participants also receive thirty-six business tips delivered to their email box, three times a week, as well as a toolbox of resources in the program workbook. Course size is limited to 8 business owners to ensure individualized attention.

The program will be held from mid-July to mid-October on Tuesdays from 7-8pm (EDT). The group calls will be held on July 10, 24, August 7, 21, September 4 and 18th with the final celebration call on October 9th. Monthly individual coaching sessions will held a time convenient for the business owner.

Benefit from the momentum created in a group environment, and join other business owners from across North America in this intensive business success program.

Participants will:
* Develop or refine their business vision
* Explore their unique strengths and abilities as a business person, identifying areas for improvement
* Identify opportunities for collaboration and partnerships with other business owners
* Develop their marketing strategy and budget
* Investigate how their business can leverage technology to build their client base and increase sales through an introduction to blogs, podcasts and other platforms
* Develop a concrete business and marketing action plan for 2007
One session will be dedicated to additional topics that matter most to participants.

The program includes:
* 7 one-hour interactive teleseminar programs;
* Bi-weekly topic module notes and resource links;
* 36 business tips delivered to your in-box, three times a week during the 90 day program;
* Three individual 30 minute coaching sessions with Coach Jennifer Britton (held once a month by phone);
* A group follow-up call one month after the program (at a time convenient for the group)

The cost of the summer program is $297 US (that's only $97/month) if paid in one installment. You can also pay in three installments of $119 US. Prices will be going up in September when the next 90 Day program starts. Space is limited to 8 and will likely go fast.

To register, contact me toll free at 1-866-217-1960 or pay by PayPal at the website. Further information about the program and our upcoming 5 week Developing Your Business Vision teleseminar program (starts June 18) can be found here.

I hope that you will join me for either one of these exciting programs this summer, designed to move your business forward!

With best wishes,

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, CPCC, CHRP, CPT

Potentials Realized

90 Day Biz Success Program

Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960

Email: info[at]potentialsrealized[dot]com

What Job Seekers Want in a Position

Late last year I wrote a post entitled, "What job seekers are looking for", based on research put out by Accenture. Recently, DDI and Monster released the "Slugging Through the War for Talent: Selection Forecast 2006 -2007" which had some very interesting findings with implications for HR, job seekers and also managers.

The study found that of the survey respondents (3,725 job seekers, 1250 hiring managers and 628 staffing directors in 5 global regions) felt that the war for talent continues to heat up, with 2007 being no exception.

Job Seekers indicated that they wanted to following in a new position (beyond salary and benefits):
* Opportunities to learn and grow (78%)
* Interesting Work (77%)
* A good manager/boss (75%)
* An organization you can be proud to work for (74%)
* Opportunity to advance (73%)
* A creative or fun workplace culture (67%)
* A compatible work group/team (67%)
* Balance between work and personal life (65%)
* Opportunity for advancement (64%)

Interestingly, the 2006 Accenture study found job seekers listed their top three priorites as:
1. Offers challenging and interesting work - 60%
2. Recognizes and rewards accomplishments - 58%3.
Provides an opportunity for fast career growth and advancement - 44%

From your perspective, how closely does it align with what you think? What implications could this have for your job search or hiring?

The DDI/Monster study also looked at why employees leave their current positions, with the top three reasons being listed by job seekers as:
1. Insufficient compensation, benefits, rewards/recognitiion
2. Lack of growth/development opportunities
3. Did not feel efforts were appreciated

The study finds a discrepency between these internal reasons cited and the staffing director and hiring managers perspective that in fact employees are leaving for external reasons (for example, a spouse moving, returning to school). How would you rate your hiring managers in terms of keeping their fingers on the pulse of exiting employee's reasons for leaving?

If this is an area of interest for you, I would encourage you to take a look at the DDI Monster Survey results and look at how aligned they are with your organization or personal job search. I would welcome hearing your thoughts - please feel free to comment below.

Warmly,
Jennifer
Jennifer Britton, CPCC, CHRP, CPT
Potentials Realized
Email: jennifer[at]potentialsrealized[dot]com
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960

Virtual Team Challenges

Many of you will know that working with virtual teams is one of my passions as a trainer and coach. If you haven't read earlier posts on the subject of virtual teams I would invite you to check out my earlier posts on the topic:

Defining Virtual Teams

Leveraging Technology for Virtual Teams

Creating the Foundation for Virtual Team Success

As I wrote in my earlier posts, virtual teams bring with them some amazing opportunities, as well as some real challenges which need to be navigated to enable virtual teams to perform at their greatest.

Some of the common challenges which virtual teams face are:

*Navigating across timezones (rather than an 8 hour day virtual teams may be "operating" 24 hours a day, possibly 7 days a week)

* Working across technology - use of different platforms and technology available from the location

* Working across cultures and languages

* Creating a shared vision for all team members

* Nontraditional communication methodologies which may require equipping staff with enhanced skills in virtual communication

For virtual teams to flourish they require that a high degree of trust be established between individual team members. The foundation for this can be started through an on-site teambuiding meeting for all team members. Ideally, the team should have face-to face meetings at the start of their project, or in the early stages, to develop a common vision, protocol and understanding of their roles. Regular (semi-annual or annual) face-to-face meetings can provide the opportunity for the team to further connect and check on alignment on these issues, while working through challenges and opportunities facing the group.

Many times, communication (positive and negative) can be the foundation for virtual team success. What is communication like in your virtual team? What needs to be enhanced? What can you leverage?

If you are working in a virtual team and looking to take your team and results to the next level, I would welcome hearing from you.Much of the work I am doing as a relationship systems coach is very applicable to the virtual team environment. I would be happy to further discuss how this support may benefit your virtual team.

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960
Web: www.potentialsrealized.com
Email: jennifer@potentialsrealized.com

Job Search Strategies - For Candidates

Copyright 2007 - Jennifer Britton
With university and college graduations just behind us, a huge number of new graduates are heading out to secure full-time paid employment. The next few months especially will be very busy with resume development, interview preparation and lots and lots of hopefully strategic planning for the job you want to land.

As an HR consultant (and having sat at the table at the other side for thousands of interviews) and in my career coaching work, I often receive a number of inquiries regarding tips for job search and interviewing. Today's post, and likely a couple of subsequent posts, will focus on interviewing tips for candidates. If you are an employer, you may want to review my recent posts for you, in the last few months (Interviewing Tips 101 for Employers and Interviewing Tips Part II).

If you are a new graduate, or someone looking to transition to a new position, consider the following:

1. Create a clear vision of what type of position you want:
Ask yourself the following questions: Ideally,
* what job do you want to move into?
* How much pay?
* Where is it located?
* What type of working envrionment is it?
* What's the culture of the organization like?
* What are the hours like?
* What benefits (monetary or other) would you like?

Also consider the following questions:
Where would you like to be in 3 years time career-wise?
Where would you like to be in 10 years time career-wise?

Once you've answered these last questions, ask yourself "What do I need to do to get there?" Working backwards is sometimes the easiest way.

2. Spend time doing research
Based on your vision, spend time doing research on possible companies you would like to work for, or positions you would like to apply to. Time spent on planning and research, and in developing a "game plan" can pay off in multiple ways. Beware, however, of getting stuck in the "research" trap and not moving from this place. The results of your research should inform your next steps and game plan.

3. Build your network
What is the strength of your professional network? Do you belong to any professional associations related to your career? Personal and professional networks continue to play a key role in job search strategies. From keeping abreast of what is new in your industry, to learning about best practices, and what employment opportunities may exist, time spent on building your network can also pay off. Discussions with individuals in your network can help inform your expectations and understanding of what opportunities may exist.

If you feel that your network could be more extensive, look into opportunities within your local community. In addition to in-person formal networking events, there are now a number of virtual/online networking communities.

Relationships continue to play a key role in the world of business -- how can you continue to strengthen yours?

4. Invest time in preparing your resume
Given that it is common for many positions to have hundreds, if not thousands of applicants these days, invest time in preparing your resume. Presentation is key, and watch out for any grammatical mistakes, as well as typos. It may also be necessary to tailor your resume for different positions you are applying for, by highlighting your different skills and experience, based on the job posting.

With the rise of many online recruitment banks/sources, keywords are playing an even larger role. Rather than having an individual scanning through the different resumes received, computers now do this. If certain keywords do not show up, your resume may not be picked up out of the thousands in the "bank" for that important first cut.

More on resumes in a future post.

5. Dedicate time for the job search and Persevere, Persevere, Persevere:
Your job search could take time, depending on the type of employment you are looking for. It can also be a frustrating experience, especially when you do not hear back from companies for an interview. Keep persevering, and strategically applying for new positions as you hear of them. Depending on how you like to work and plan, it may be useful to set aside small blocks of time on a regular basis to scan your recruitment sources, develop your application packages and send them out.

I am interested in hearing what other questions those of you who are looking for jobs have. Please feel free to comment below.

Upcoming posts will focus on interviewing tips, resume preparation and general career transition support.

I will be offering a group coaching program starting this summer on career transition. More details will follow on this blog. I expect that space will fill quite quickly. I will also be offering in the next month or so a free call on career issues - please drop me an email with "Career Call" in the header. I will keep you posted as dates and times for the free call are set.

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, CPCC, CHRP, CPT
Potentials Realized
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960
Email: jennifer[at]potentialsrealized[dot]com

Managing Across Generations

Many months ago, I wrote a post regarding inter-generational management. I had actually hoped to do a number of posts on inter-generational management issues, and it slipped away.The issue has returned to my radar screen in recent months. What issues are facing your organization in terms of managing across generations?

Today's workforce is comprised of several distinct generations, each with their own work, leadership and communication style. The three main groups are the Baby Boomers (many set to retire in the next five to ten years, leading to what many researchers dub a massive looming talent shortage), the Gen Xers (my generation) and Gen Y.

The Centre for Creative Leadership (CCL) has completed a 7 year study on generational conflicts at work and have found the following truths about them. Jennifer Deal has an excellent article on the Ten Truths for Working Across Generations. You can read her article at the link, but she raises some excellent points:

• All generations have similar values. The CCL study found that the generations were very siilar in their values priorities, including family, balance, achievement and others. What differs is the behavior.


• Trust is essential for all generations. Trust in uppper management and the people they work directly for.


• Loyalty depends on the context, not the generation. As a GenXer myself, I really like this one. The study found that younger generations were not more likely to change jobs than the older generations at this age.


• People of all generations have the same ideas about what oragnizations can do to retain them, including: opportunities for advancement, learning and development, respect and recognition, better quality of life, better compensation.


• Everyone wants a coach -- the younger and older generations. Where are you investing your support for coaching in the organization. Is it only at the C-Level? What about younger, emerging leaders? As I do quite a bit of work in this area, through group, team and individual coaching, I would be very interesting in speaking with you about how coaching initiatives could sustainably be implemented to lower levels and with younger generations.

I hope that you will check out Jennifer's article here, and review the CCL study --- very interesting findings. Does it turn any of your "truths" about inter-generational management on its head? For me, it once again underscores the reality that people are people, are people. Regardless of culture and age, we all want the same thing, just its' appearance may look at little different.

I'd welcome your thoughts, and hearing from you, particularly on coaching intiatives for the younger generations.

With best wishes,

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, CPCC, CHRP, CPT

Potentials Realized ~ Group Coaching Essentials

Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960

Email: jennifer[at]potentialsrealized[dot]com

My Business and Life Lessons

My Business and Life Lessons
Copyright 2007 - Jennifer Britton. All rights reserved.

Dave Prouhet over at Business Advice Daily, a small business advisor, had a great post earlier this week on My Business Life Lessons. Author and Management Consultant, Jm Stroup, over at Managing Leadership, emailed me this morning, encouraging me to add my own thoughts through my own blog this week. You can visit's Jim's excellent post the other day "Lessons from the School of Hard Knocks". Dave will consolidate and post all our blog contributions as a single list in a short while.

As a former manager myself, and now a business owner and management trainer, coach and consultant, I am always amazed at how the principles of business, leadership and management are transferable across industries, sectors and niches. Here are a few of the golden rules I live and work by:

1. People are the strength of the business -- Invest in your people, you invest in your organization. At the end of the day, a business is more than just its' balance sheet. It is a web of people and their strengths and talents. Treat your employees well, and you will tend to get engaged employees, willing to give it their all. Invest in your people as much as you can - and remember investing is not just about money.

2. Pay people first: This issue pops its ugly head a lot in the small business world, non-profits, and increasingly in larger corporations. Make sure your people are paid! Late pay cheques or payment for invoices is not just a legal issue, but it will weaken the foundation of your most important resource - your staff and/or suppliers.

A number of times, especially at the end of a fiscal year, I am always surprised to hear about business owners and CEOs paying themselves first, and others later. What's the impact of this? What can you do as a manager, or business owner, to make sure your people are compensated on time, and for what they are worth?

3. Build your team - As Jim Collins says so eloquently in Good to Great!, get the right people on the right bus in the right seat. Hiring wonderfully skilled people only gets its' leverage when they are in the right position, at the right time, with the right organization and culture. Take time to build your team, in terms of recruitment, training and ongoing team building intiatives.

4. Recognize the leader in all: If you haven't gathered through reading this post already, I come from the school of participatory management. I truly believe that there is a "leader" in each one of us. The more we can as managers, coaches, leaders find the "leader" in others and create the environment for them to step into their leadership capacity, the more engaged and productive your staff will be. My philosophy as a manager was always to work myself out of a job -- not the most financially sustainable, but certainly the most important for organizational capacity building.

What leadership qualities do your staff possess? How much have they explored their own capacities? Is it time to invest in some leadership training for your team?

5. Delegate wherever possible: A very common pitfall for business owners and newer managers is to hoarde responsibility, taking on every little task, and failing to share authority and responsibility. The cost? Burnout, disgrunted employees, and even business failure.

By building the capability of your team, and leveraging their strengths and interests, delegation is a natural progression. Not every task can be delegated in every situation, but what could you pass on to another? What would be challenging and a stretch, but within a person's capability? What support would you need to provide that employee?

I often refer to delegation as a muscle. The more you do it, the easier it gets, and the stronger your team becomes. Delegation of tasks builds ownership of the results to the team, and hence, a stronger organization.

6. Create Momentum -- I speak a lot about Building Momentum in my work and my writing. Momentum is a wonderful thing and enables work to take on a life of its own. Whether you are a new business owner, or a seasoned manager/leader, what momentum is present in your work right now? Like a snowball that gathers up speed (and size) as it rolls down the hill, what will it take to steer that momentum towards the results you want?

7. Regular Consistent Effort -- A number of management speakers like Robin Sharma, talk about the value of regular consistent effort towards goal achievement. Small, daily actions over time can have a huge impact. It's like making a 1 degree tiller change that may seem small at the time, but will move your ship to a totally different location.

Ask yourself, what is one goal you could focus on this month, and take small, daily action steps towards? I'd love to hear what your results look like after a month!

8. Ensure that people are clear about their roles and responsibilities. Whether you are a business partnership, a team or a couple, spend time looking at the roles you play and how it all fits together. Lack of clarity about roles, and who is responsible for what, costs business billions of dollars every year. In today's world of matrix management and virtual teams, role clarity and clear understanding of responsibilities is taking on even more importance. Not sure about where to start with this one? I'm sure that others blogging about this, myself included, would love to support you on this through some coaching or training work.

9. Communicate, Communicate, Communicate - Effectively!: In my world of work and life, communication is the foundation of everything. Invest in becoming a more effective communicator-- is what you are saying really understood the way you intended it to be? Globalization and working across cultures quickly shows the cracks in our own communication styles. What do you need to focus more on?

10. Be Clear on Your Vision - If you don't know where you want to go, how will you know when you get there? I could say a lot about vision, values and purpose...and will leave it for another post, but ask yourself, "What is my vision for my work in 1 year? 3 years? 5 years? 10 years?". What is the fire in your belly? Are you walking your talk?

I hope that you've received some value from what's turned out to be quite a lengthy post. I'd love to hear which of my golden rules resonate with you. What are your top work and life lessons?

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, CPT, CPCC, CHRP
Potentials Realized ~ Group Coaching Essentials
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960
Email: jennifer[at]potentialsrealized[dot]com

HR Potporri - Team Coaching, Corporate Retreats, Interviewing

One of my earlier blog posts, Interviewing 101 - Part II, was featured today on the AboutHR.com blog in this week's HR Blog Carnival. The interviewing tips I include are specifically for employers. It was a follow-up to an the first part of Interviewing Tips for Employers, which you can find here.

Every two weeks the HR Blog Carnival is hosted by a different HR blogger. As a Certified Human Resource Professional myself, it's wonderful to see the amount of resources available online for HR professionals around the world. For many years while I was working globally, About: Human Resources was a treasurechest of resources for me as a manager. I love the fact that Susan now blogs regularly on different HR related topics. You can check her out at http://humanresources.about.com.

A new article of mine - "Corporate Retreats: Six Essential Design Principles" is now available for free distribution through EzineArticles.com. You can link to the article here. If you are an HR manager planning your next retreat, I hope that you will find some valuable tools. If you are looking for a facilitator, or facilitation team for your next retreat, please feel free to contact me toll free at 1-866-217-1960.

Yesterday, I was a guest panelist speaking on Team Coaching for the International Coach Federation Relationship Special Interest Group. I joined Phil Sandahl, Co-Active Coaching Co-Author, and Principal of Team Coaching International (which provides an excellent team assessment for organizations). Kathy Hay of Kathy Hay Worldwide and Integra Leadership Inc. Is your organization leveraging team coaching? How are training results sustained within your company? Do you have a team that's just forming or is undergoing transition? Are you getting the most from your team building resources. If you are interested in learning more about team coaching, and what it could do for your organization, please feel free to contact me, or visit this webpage where I have with more information on what team coaching is all about.

What are your biggest HR questions right now? Please feel free to comment below -- I'll feature them in an upcoming blog post. I look forward to hearing from you!

Have a wonderful week,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, CPT, CPCC, CHRP
Potentials Realized ~ Group Coaching Essentials
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960
Email: jennifer[at]potentialsrealized[dot]com

5 Things Business can do for the Environment

5 Things Business Can Do For The Environment
Copyright 2007 - Jennifer Britton, All Rights Reserved

To keep the momentum alive on environmental issues, today’s post includes 5 things businesses can do for the environment:

1. Evaluate your recycling practices within the office: What does your office recycle? Ink Toner Cartridges? Paper? Bottles? Cans? What else can you do to enhance your recycling processes in your office?

2. Review your air travel usage. Are face to face meetings always necessary? Could technology be leveraged to reduce your staff travel schedule? Some ideas to consider are leverage teleconferencing, as well as webinars. Could face to face retreat work be replaced by virtual retreats?

3. Replace incandescent light bulbs with more energy efficient low wattage florescent bulbs. This week the Government of Canada has announced that within the next five years consumers will no longer be able to purchase the regular Thomas Edison style lightbulbs. Wherever possible turn off lights in rooms that are not being used -- for example, conference rooms.

4. Look to reduce product packaging: Despite the efforts by many companies to move to less bulky product packaging, many products still remain over packaged. How can your company reduce product packaging or make the packaging itself a non-disposible item?

5. Provide workers with incentives to car pool, bike or use public transit. Here in Toronto, the average commuter travels over 1.5 hours a day – imagine that time spent commuting multiplied over a business year. How can your business support your staff in taking healthier, and less stressful ways to work?

Which of these ideas could your business consider implementing? What other ideas do you have for business to do their part for the environment. I'd love to hear your thoughts - please feel free to comment below.

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized ~ Group Coaching Essentials
Email: jennifer[at]potentialsrealized[dot]com
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960

Jennifer Britton is the founder of Potentials Realized, a Canadian based performance improvement company, offering coaching, training and consulting services. A former global manager with international organizations and the UN, Jennifer worked on environmental and capacity building programs. She has a Masters in Environmental Studies and has worked on biodiversity, climate change, and sea turtle research programs throughout the Caribbean.

What's Your Ecological Footprint?

In celebration of Earth Day yesterday, and what I usually make a "green" week, I wanted to share with you an interesting link out of Australia which looks at an individual's Ecological Footprint. Imagine that each one of us, or our business, leaves it's own stamp on the planet through our use of electricity, water, and other natural resources. This is called your ecological footprint.

How big do you think your ecological footprint is? How big is your business ecological footprint?

Take this fun online assessment here to figure out how big is your ecological footprint:
www.powerhousemuseum.com/education/ecologic/bigfoot/mid/

What is one thing you can do this week, as a professional or a business to reduce your ecological footprint? It may be as simple as changing a lightbulb to the lower wattage florescent type, or taking the stairs instead of an elevator, or walking to the store instead of driving. It may also be as big as looking at your company's travel policy and seeing how in-person air trips can be replaced through virtual meetings.

As someone who completed their Masters in Envrionmental Studies, I have to say it is encouraging to see more of a focus in the media on the environment these days. Does it reflect your concerns and action? Your business' concerns and action?

I'd love to hear your thoughts -- feel free to comment below.

Have a green week,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, CPT, CPCC, CHRP
Potentials Realized
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960
Email: jennifer[at]potentialsrealized[dot]com

Go Put Your Strengths To Work

Back in October of last year, I wrote a post on Leveraging Your Strengths. Late last year Marcus Buckingham published his newest book -- Go Put Your Strengths to Work: 6 Powerful Steps to Achieve Outstanding Performance.

For those of you who subscribe to an approach where strengths are are leveraged in the workplace and business, rather than weaknesses being put under the microscope, this is a must read. It's a great book for anyone in management and the field of learning and development. I used the Now, Discover Your Strengths process several years ago when I was starting my business and found the book and related assessment invaluable.

If you haven't checked out his earlier books, Now, Discover Your Strengths (2001) and First, Break All the Rules (2000), you may want to check these out as well.

I've put Go Put Your Strengths to Work and Now, Discover Your Strengths in my Amazon Associate bookstore (http://astore.amazon.com/yourbalancedlife-20) -- here's the link to these books and some other great business and management reads.

Enjoy and I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Jennifer
Jennifer Britton, MES, CPT, CPCC, CHRP
Potentials Realized
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960
Email: jennifer[at]potentialsrealized[dot]com

Recharging Your Batteries

Recharging Your Batteries

Many of us are starting to wind down for the Easter long weekend -- where most offices will be closed for the next three or four days. Are you going to take advantage of this time to recharge your batteries? Ask yourself, where is your energy level right now?

In speaking with a number of associates and clients over the last few days, I realize that many of us, myself included, have been running on full-tilt since the start of the new year. Energy stocks are lower than usual. What will you be doing this weekend to recharge?

Long weekends are a wonderful time to reconnect with family and those things most important to us. It's also a great time to get things done around the house -- things that may have been hanging over our head, sapping our energy. It's also a great time to reflect back on your accomplishments, and spend time setting out some goals for the next few months. What do you want to have accomplished by summer?

If you aren't going to be recharging this weekend, I hope that you will consider joining me on Saturday May 5th for the Your Balanced Life! Virtual Retreat. From 10 - 4 pm (EST) that day, we will be spending the day retreating virtually from our own homes, reconnecting with those things most important in our lives. We "meet" hourly by phone, connecting for about 20 minutes to undertake a group exercise, and then spend the remaining part of the hour retreating individually at our own locations offline, doing some individual inner work.

I hold these virtual retreats every quarter and participants have joined me from around the world. I'd love to have you join me on May 5th, whether you are recharging this weekend or not. Early bird special pricing is in effect for a few more weeks.

Have a wonderful, restful long weekend!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, CPT, CPCC
Potentials Realized
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960
Email: jennifer[at]potentialsrealized[dot]com

Are you an intrapreneur?

Are you an intrapreneur?

The term intrapreneur is becoming more mainstream these days as many larger companies are looking to leverage the skills and strengths Intrapreneurs have to offer. Rubbermaid, 3M, and HP are all known for fostering an intrapreneurial climate.

The term Intrapreneur was first coined in the late 1970s, by husband and wife team, Gifford and Elizabeth Pinchot, while undertaking studies at the School for Entrepreneurs in Tarrytown, New York. Originally coined Intra-corporate entrepreneur, the term Intrapreneur evolved throughout the 1980s, being added to the American Heritage Dictonary of the English Language (3rd Ed) in 1992.

An intrapreneur can be defined as:
"in-tra-pre-neur (In¹tre-pre-nur) n. A person within a large corporation who takes direct responsibility for turning an idea into a profitable finished product through assertive risk-taking and innovation [intra(corporate) + (ENTRE)PRENEUR.] -inftrapre-nouri-al adj. -intra-pre-neuri-al-ism n. -in'trapre-neuri-al-ly adv. (American Hertigage Dictonary of The English Lanugage, 3rd Edition).

Intrpreneurs exhibit certain characteristics in the work place namely:
* Risk taking
* Innovation

Many writers liken intrapreneurs to the corporate world, as entrepreneurs to the small business sector.

These ideas have led to offshoots of intrapreneurs in a range of sectors - ecopreneurs who work for environmental sustainability through the introduction of green technology, intrapreneurs in the governmental sector and many others.

If you'd like more infromation on intrapreneuring, please visit Pinchot and Company and their site dedicated to Intrapreneuring.

What would it be like if your company adopted more of an intrapreneurial spirit? What would be possible?

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized
Email: jennifer[at]potentialsrealized[dot]com

Leveraging Business Partnerships

A growing scope of my work this year has been in the area of coaching business partnerships. Leveraging the amazing tools created by the Centre for Right Relationship (the wonderful partnerhsip of Marita Frijhon and Faith Fuller) and their training in the area of Organization and Relationship Systems Coaching, I am seeing outstanding results for business partners I am currently coaching.

Are you looking to create or enhance your business partnership? What could be available if focused more on your relationship with your business partner?

A few weeks ago, I ran a 50 hour business planning course with Business Students who are putting together their first business plan. It was a team effort where students work with at least one partner. One of the many themes which emerged from this work is the challenge created by working with a business partner. What skills do you bring to the table? How do these compliment your partner? Where are the gaps?

Challenges aside, partnerships provide a rich space for opportunities and greater scope than ever working alone. If you are currently working solo, what would a business partnership provide for you? What could you do that you are currently not doing alone?

If you are interested in exploring these issues further, I would like to invite you and your business partner to try a sample coaching session by phone. My goal for the first quarter was to offer free coaching sessions to over 50 partners. I am now more than three quarters of the way through this process. If you would like to book a 45 minute sample coaching session with your partner, please email me at jennifer@potentialsrealized.com with Sample Business Partner Coaching in the subject line, along with two or three times you are available to undertake the session. Please also indicate the timezone that you are in.

I will also be looking for a business partnership to coach on the evening of Saturday March 24th from 8-9 pm (EST) by phone. If you and your partner would like to reserve this spot, please email me with March 24th in the subject line.

Stay tuned for many more posts related to business partnerships. I look forward to hearing from you,

Jennifer
Jennifer Britton, CPCC, CHRP, CPT
Potentials Realized

Jennifer Britton is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach and is the founder of Potentials Realized and Integra Enterprises. Jennifer weaves together her sound business acumen with expertise in HR, group and team development, to support individual, team and executive clients in not-for-profit, governmental and corporate clients across North America and Europe.

What's in a business plan

I had the pleasure of running a 50 hour Developing a Business Plan course over the last few weeks which led to the development of 15 new business plans by participants. The course has launched some really innovative plans - from golf courses, to restaraunts, to a financial service firm, to a tailored concierge services, to a Muskoka based resort.

This post is the first of many I will be posting on the ins and outs of business planning for small business.

The Nuts and Bolts of Business Plans
Copyright 2007 - Jennifer Britton. All Rights Reserved.

If you are a small business owner, what's the status of your business plan? Is it still collecting dust on the shelves, or do you consistently refer back to it?

Business plans are not only a useful tool for leveraging needed capital, but they can be an invaluable tool for business owners. A business plan should be a living, breathing document, which is regularly updated and referred to.

One of the most common questions I often receive when coaching business owners is, what should a business plan include?

Typically, a business plan should include the following sections:
* Table of Contents
* Executive Summary
* Business and Management Overview
* Marketing (which includes the 4 Ps - Price, Product/Service, Promotion, and Place (Distribution), industry analysis, and market review/research)
* Location Information for the Business
* Personnel Requirements
* Legal Requirements
* Financial Requirements

As each industry and business is different, the skeleton of the plan will look slightly different.

If you are in the process of developing your own plan, or revising one, which sections are most challenging for you to work on? I'd love to get your comments and will create new posts based on your questions.

In future posts, I will delve deeper into some of the areas of the business plan which can be of interest to any entrepreneur or small business owner. Stay tuned for future editions - including marketing, product/service offering, market research, industry analysis.

For all business owners out there, here's a challenge: What one thing can you do this week to revive your business plan or move your business plan forward?

Looking forward to connecting again soon on this issue,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, CHRP, CPCC
Potentials Realized
Email: jennifer[at]potentialsrealized[dot]com

Are you a transumer?

Once and a while I come across a new term and go - Wow! This is so cool. Over the weekend while reading the Toronto Star I had such a moment with the word "transumer".

Some of you may know from my posts that I spent over a decade working as a global manager, and for several years my life and work consisted of a lot of travel -- and I mean a lot of travel, sometimes 180 working days a year on a plane or in a hotel room. As a manager with staff in 10 countries it was very common to have days when I might wake up in one country and go to bed that night in my third country of the day. It was really fun -- for quite some time before the allure of power travel and plane delays took its' toll. After almost a three year hiatus of power travel, doing only an international consultancy here and there, my thoughts of travel have been forefront in my mind recently, so this article on transumerism was very timely.

Trendwatch defines "transumer" as ,
"TRANSUMERS are consumers driven by experiences instead of the ‘fixed’, by entertainment, by discovery, by fighting boredom, who increasingly live a transient lifestyle, freeing themselves from the hassles of permanent ownership and possessions. The fixed is replaced by an obsession with the here and now, an ever-shorter satisfaction span, and a lust to collect as many experiences and stories as possible.* Hey, the past is, well, over, and the future is uncertain, so all that remains is the present, living for the 'now'.
Trendwatch recommends you read Gilles Lipovetsky’s Hypermodern Times for a deeply insightful take on consumers' pervasive obsession with the here-and-now. "

This weekend's article in the Toronto Star, "Transumers buy on the fly" describes how transumers are modern day nomads, collecting experiences rather than product. They cite Canadian companies such as Roots serving these clientele.

The article hit quite a few chords for me, especially as I realized that my once-nomadic lifestyle is more common than expected, and my shopping patterns "on the fly" are not unusual. Even now my "home base" is still pretty fluid. When I share how we divide our time between Toronto and Muskoka, there often is a longing in people's voices -- how do you do it? Well, for me it really was an intentional decision, and after working in the international development sector for so many years, for me experiences are truly more powerful than goods.

I'd love to hear your comments -- are there any other transumers out there? What's your favorite experience? How has this shaped your life? Your work? Your family? Looking forward to hearing from other transumers out there!

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized
Email: jennifer[at]potentialsrealized[dot]com

WorldWork's Seven Habits of Successful Virtual Teams

Anne Zelenka over at Web Worker Daily wrote a great post entitled "Seven Habits of Successful Virtual Teams" a few months ago. You can read her post here. For those of you interested in virtual teams, this is a must-read.

The 7 Habits of Successful Virtual Teams which Anne includes in her article are:

* Management demonstrates a thoroughgoing comittment to virtual work
* Team members communicate regularly by phone
* Team members check in with each other frequently throughout the day
* Team shares a view of their work
* Team leverages diversity of the team members
* Team members get to know each other on a human level
* Trust and respect are assumed, not earned

I think that these are all important considerations when putting together a virtual team initiative. As we see with so many other HR initiatives common vision and top level management support are essential for success in innovative approaches.

What are your thoughts? Anything that you would add? Please feel free to comment below.

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, CPCC, CHRP, CPT
Potentials Realized
Email: jennifer[at]potentialsrealized[dot]com

Leveraging Technology for Virtual Teams

Technology has spurred the proliferation of virtual teams, alongside globalization and shrinking travel budgets to name a few. If your organization has virtual teams (or commonly known as geographically dispersed teams) are you leveraging technology to the utmost?

Some technologies you may want to consider include:

* TeleConference Brigelines
* Webcasts
* Wikis
* Podcasts

Some of the current bestseller business books such as Wikinomics, explore the themes of how technology, and mass collaboration, is changing the business world. What tools can you leverage for your virtual teams?

Technology has made the globe a much smaller place and has rapidly changed the face of the business world, how we connect and how communication happens.

One of the services I have been offering to businesses and individuals since last June is facilitating virtual retreats. These retreats are held by phone and enable participants to refocus, recharge and renew from their own location (home/office/hotel room). This Saturday (Feb 17/07) I will be holding a six hour Balance Virtual Retreat (10 - 4 pm EST) if you'd like to get a taste of this process.

There are many advantages to the virtual retreat process including:
* The ability to connect participants across many time zones real-time, with no travel cost;
* Retreat scheduled around your schedule -- virtual retreats can be held for a full day or for several hours a day over a longer period;
* Accessibility of business materials for retreat participants right at their finger tips;
* Immediate applicability of new ideas, and action items to the office.

Have you considered holding a virtual retreat for your staff team to keep the momentum going between your regular face-to-face offistes? Please feel free to contact me to explore how a virtual retreat could benefit your organization or team. I look forward to hearing from you!

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, CPCC, CHRP, CPT
Potentials Realized
Email: jennifer[at]potentialsrealized[dot]com
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960

Interviewing 101 - Part II

Interviewing 101 - Part II
Copyright 2007 - Jennifer Britton, Potentials Realized

Today I am picking up from my recent post on interviewing do's and don'ts from the interviewer's standpoint. You can read the first part of this post here. In addition to the tips I provided two weeks ago consider the following pointers when developing your next interviewing process:

1. What really are the KSAs (the Knowledge, Skills and Ablities) you need to hire for? In HR we talk a lot about job specifications for good reason. How many times have you attended an interview when the questions and the interviewing process really didn't look at what was required for the position? In addition to legal issues, it is important to really hone in on the KSAs required for any post. The KSAs will play an important role in your recruitment, selection, compensation, training and development and performance management (appraisal) processes.

2. Avoid closed questions - Wherever possible, avoid the use of closed questions, as well as leading questions. Closed questions are those questions when used would elicit a yes/no response. For example, "Have you had supervisory experience before?". Look to rephrase this to "Please describe your previous supervisory experience" or better yet "What are the lessons you have learned from your previous supervisory experience?". Notice how the second question gets even deeper than the first?

3. Be clear on next steps -- A common pitfall with interviewing is a lack of clarity with respect to next steps. Will there be a second interview? When can the candidate expect to hear from the panel? Be as specific as possible regarding when the candidate can expect to hear back from the company.

4. Interviews are a two way process - Remember that interviews are the chance for you to check out the candidate and the candidate to check out your company. Often strong candidates may leave an interview realizing that they do not want to work for the company they have just interviewed with. What is the image of the company you are portraying through the interview process? Does this match your corporate values, culture and ways of working? If not, what changes do you need to make?

Interviewing is often referred to as an art. There are also many practical tips and tools you can use to enhance your interviewing process, ensuring that you get the right fit for the position. I hope that you have enjoyed some of these pointers regarding the interview process, which is just scratching the surface.

If you have any questions on how your interviewing process could be enhanced, please feel free to contact me to see how my services could benefit your interviewing process.

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, CPCC, CHRP, CPT
Potentials Realized
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960
Email: jennifer[at]potentialsrealized[dot]com

Jennifer Britton is a Certified Human Resource Professional and Certified Professional Coach. As the founder of Potentials Realized, she provides consulting, training and coaching services to governmental, not-for-profit and for-profit organizations in the areas of teamwork, leadership, HR and other employee engagement issues. Jennifer has worked with organizations and small businesses across North America, the Caribbean and Europe on developing systems to enhance their personnel management, performance and business results.

Silence Fails

The authors of Crucial Conversations have put out some very interesting research called: "Silence Fails: The Five Crucial Converstations for Flawless Execution". This research was undertaken by Vital Smarts and the Concourse Group. More than 1000 executives and project management professionals were surveyed across 40 companies, representing a variety of industries.

What they found is that five common business problems are responsible for 85% of the failure of high stakes business initiatives. This research identified the most prevalent and costly barriers to project success, including:

1. Fact free planning
2. AWOL Sponsors
3. Skirting
4. Project Chicken
5. Team Failures

The interesting thing about all of these factors is that they are within our control as managers and executives, and when avoided can save money, time, and other resources. The premise of this research outcome is that Five Crucial Conversations that Business Leaders can have can predict and prevent failure.

To view the whole report visit the Silence Fails Website. I think that you will find it quite interesting -- I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized
90 Day Biz Success Program - starts February 27th
Email: jennifer[at]potentialsrealized[dot]com
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960

Interviewing Tips for Employers 101

Interview Tips 101
Copyright 2007 Jennifer Britton. All Rights Reserved.

Lately I've received a number of calls from organizations asking about developing an effective interviewing process. A large part of my former work as a manager (in companies which did not have a separate HR department) was to develop interviewing procedures, and implement them. I now teach interviewing skills as part of Business Curicullum at the College level, and often advise organizations on these issues as an HR Consultant. Late last year one of my students asked me just how many interviews I had run over the years. My response - thousands.

I'm going to do a series of blog posts for employers and candidates who are interviewing...so keep posted if you are interested in this topic. I know that interviewing is often a black hole, and often the area that gets left to the end for many small business owners, and managers who function in smaller companies. My intention is to give you some basics on interviewing tips --- either as the interviewer or the interviewee.

Today's post is all about basics for the interviewer.

1. Give thought to the interviewing process and develop a consistent process for all candidates : In order to ensure the best "fit" for your organization, make sure that each candidate is being measured the same way. What this means practically, is that every candidate should be asked the same questions, and should go through the exact same steps. This is important not just for selection, but also to ensure consistency, which could be challenged in the legal environment.

2. Be aware of legislation -Every country has different legislation which will impact the interviewing process. Here in Canada, employers need to be aware of the impact of the Canadian Human Rights Codes and questions that may be prohibited under it. I am constantly amazed at the fact that many well known companies that violate the Charter in their interviewing process. Not being aware of the legislative framework you are operating within can be a very costly mistake. Ensure that all staff involved in the selection process (from recruitment advertising, to the application, interview and selection process) are aware of any prohibited grounds.

3. Group Decisions are better than Individual Decisions: It is more and more common today, and is a best practice, to hold panel interviews. Panel interviews involve two or more interviewers speaking with each candidate. Research has continued to show that group decisions are better than individual decisions for many reasons including the fact that our own personal biases do not play as dominant a role.

When holding a panel interview process, ensure that all panel members are briefed on the process, the position you are hiring for, as well as best practices of interviewing. It is often helpful to build time at the start of the interviewing schedule for a 15-30 minute meeting between the members of the panel at the start of the interviewing process to discuss what it will look like -- who will ask the questions, when and how. In the past when I have led interview processes, I would actually email all panelists an interviewing kit a week or so before the interview, giving them some time to review it prior to the interviews.

4. Block time in between candidates for interviewers to complete their notes, and also to synthesize the group's feedback or recommendations. If you are holding 6-8 hours of interviewing back to back, it is natural to have each candidate start to look like each other. By blocking time in between interviews you can summarize your findings and then move on, returning to your summaries for each candidate at the end of the day or the end of the interview process.

When undertaking a panel interview, make sure that all panelists are comfortable and knowledgable about the process and measurement (for example, if you are using any sort of matrix to measure). Also ensure that all panelists are on the same page (for example, that my rating of 5 is consistent what others rating of 5 looks like). In the later, it can be helpful to provide some specific examples of what behavior would be considered a 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 (if using a 5 point scale).



Stay tuned for more Employer Interview Tips 101...I'll be posting more later this week.

I'd welcome your comments - what are your biggest challenges as an employer when it comes to Interviewing? Please feel free to post below and I'll try to address them in future blog posts.

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized
Email: jennifer[at]potentialsrealized.com

Facing a Skills Gap?

A lot of writing these days in the field of human resources makes reference to the impending Skills Gap and Talent shortage which employers will face starting later this decade here in Canada, and also in the US. This is in part due to the imminent retirement of a large number of baby boomers, and not enough "skilled" employees to fill the void that will be created.

There are some interesting articles and research which has been published recently, both in Canada and the US, related to the skills gap. You may be interested in checking out the following links:

Canada:

Lessons in Learning: Canadian Council on Learning
http://www.ccl-cca.ca/CCL/Reports/LessonsInLearning/LinL20061220SkillsGap.htm
Dec 21/06

Narrowing the Skills Gap: Workplace Literacy Programs in Canada. Final Report.

US:

ASTD released "Bridging the Skills Gap: How Skills Shortage Threatens Growth and Competitiveness...and What to Do About it" in November. You can view a copy of the White Paper at http://www.astd.org/skillsgap

The National Centre on Education and the Economy (NCEE) issued a new report tentiteld "Tough Choices or Tough Times". To view the Executive Summary of the report visit: http://www.skillscommission.org/pdf/exec_sum/ToughChoices_EXECSUM.pdf.

A third paper on this topic which you may be interested in is "Are They Really Ready to Work?" at http://www.conference-board.org/pdf_free/BED-06-Workforce.pdf. This details findings from a joint survey undertaken by the Conference Board, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, Corporate Voices for Working Families, and the Society for Human Resource Management.

Happy Reading!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton - Potentials Realized

101 + Marketing Ideas

101 + Marketing Ideas
Copyright 2007 - Jennifer Britton

January is often the month when the rubber hits the road and we start implementing our plans. But what if our plan is just a skeleton, and not really a roadmap of how to get from where we are now, to where we want to be?

Many business owners struggle with keeping their marketing efforts and momentum going. Recognizing that we all need a little inspiration once in a while, I've put together a short PDF which include 101 Marketing Ideas, with the small business owner or solopreneur in mind. It includes more than 101 ideas to enhance your marketing efforts -- most low cost, and not involving a lot of time.

If you'd like to receive a copy of this PDF, please email me and put 101 + Marketing Ideas in the subject line.

Here's a sneak preview....
#16 - Join a Blogjolt
#27 - Appear on internet radio
#39 - Develop a White Paper
#44 - Speak/Present at an industry conference
#90 - What makes you unique?
#103 - Build relationships

Happy Marketing!

Jennifer
Jennifer Britton, CPCC, CHRP, CPT
Potentials Realized

The Power of Relationships

What are the most important relationships for your business? We live in an age of relationship marketing, social networks, and referrals. Relationships are central to business success in today's economy. Have you been investing sufficient time into the most important relationships in your work and life?

Increasingly, more of my coaching work is moving into the domain of coaching business partnerships and other relationships, expanding from the team and group coaching and training work I have been doing since 1988. This is a really exciting shift for me, and I have set a goal to coach 50 partnerships over the next six weeks. Are you looking to design your partnership alliances more fully? Prehaps you are developing a new strategic venture with an external partner, want to enhance your relationship with your existing business partner, or develop stronger alliances with your individual staff members. What is the value to you of having a strong partnership alliance?

For the next six weeks I will be offering complimentary Designing your Partnership Alliance sessions held by phone with partners (business or personal). This process takes approximately 45 minutes.

If you are committed to investing in your relationships this year, and are interested in benefiting from Designing Your Partnership Alliance, I'd love to hear from you! Please send me an email or call me toll free at 1-866-217-1960 to book a DPA session. Please suggest two to three preferred times for holding the sessions, as well as what time zone you are located in.

I look forward to hearing from you and supporting you as you invest in your relationships this year!

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton - Potentials Realized

The Power of Focus

FOCUS
Photo compliments of Imagebase

Happy New Year to all readers! I hope that 2007 has started off on an upwards tangent. Today's blog post is about focus, and how important this is for business success. What are your major business goals for this year? Your personal goals for this year?

If you haven't read it yet, I'd invite you to visit my last post on Creating a Vision for 2007. In the exercise included, I asked readers to set out three major goals for 2007.

What are your major goals for this year? Are these front in centre in your mind or did you need to look them up? How will you maintain focus on these throughout the year?

Much of the work I do with coaching clients at the end of the year, and the start of a new one, is to reflect on the last year, and visioning for the upcoming one. I sometimes have clients mention how they were detracted from the major goals they had set out for themselves at the start of the year. Sometimes their initial goals were replaced by even bigger and more breathtaking goals - a fantastic situation! Once in a while the important goals have been pushed aside by other priorities -- and I usually ask, "What's been the cost of this?". What would be the cost of you not accomplishing your most important goals this year?

What will it take for you to maintain lazer like focus on the most important goals you have set yourself for this year?

What would accomplishing these goals look like? How would it transform your life and work?

What would the accomplishment of these goals mean for you? Your business? Your family?

I'd love to hear from you as to what focus means for you in 2007 -- please feel free to comment below.

Jennifer
Jennifer Britton ~ Potentials Realized