Talent Assessment – Easy Peasy?

By Michelle Malay Carter on May 6, 2010 

It’s?easy to walk on water when you know where the rocks are.??? –? Gerry Kraines I’ve found that managers are highly capable of assessing the relative cognitive capability (by work level) of their employees when they are given a work levels framework. People Are Different, and It’s Not Just about Experience and Education If you […]

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Why You Shouldn’t Hire the Best and the Brightest Candidate

By Michelle Malay Carter on May 5, 2010 

Instead of focusing on hiring the best and the brightest candidate that applies for your position, shouldn’t you focus on hiring the best match? The Dangers of Overhiring Focusing on hiring the brightest candidate can lead to overhiring, which, unless you are building bench for growth, creates drag in the system over time. Back to […]

Filed Under High Potential, Managerial Leadership, Requisite Organization, Talent Management, Work Levels | 10 Comments

Why Training Rarely Solves The Problem- I’m OK. You’re OK. Let’s Fix the System

By Michelle Malay Carter on March 29, 2010 

Management’s Magic Bullet – Training Training is a fabulous thing – if people need to build knowledge and skills. But how often are issues at work really caused by someone’s lack of knowledge or skill? What does training NOT address? What the accountabilties of my role are, AND what the accountabilities of others’ roles are. […]

Filed Under Accountability, Managerial Leadership, Requisite Organization, Talent Management, Work Levels | 7 Comments

Undercover Boss – Well-Meaning Window Dressing

By Michelle Malay Carter on March 1, 2010 

I must admit I’m touched by the hearts of the CEOs who agree to go undercover to experience their organization on the ground floor.? They seem to geniunely care about the people, not just the publicity afforded to their organization by the show. Systems Drive Behavior However, in the end, their righting single incidents or […]

Filed Under Accountability, Employee Engagement, Executive Leadership, High Potential, Organization Design, Requisite Organization, Talent Management, Work Levels | 6 Comments

How To Interview Your Prospective Boss for Leadership Potential

By Michelle Malay Carter on February 6, 2010 

Let’s face it – your boss can make or break your work experience.? S/he provides you context (aka the big picture), gives you your assignments, provides your resources, integrates your work with your peers, assesses your performance and helps build your skills in your current role.? Because of this, when you are interviewing for a […]

Filed Under Employee Engagement, Managerial Leadership | 4 Comments

Engaging Employees Through Operationalizing Good Power, Starving Bad Power, and Disallowing No Power

By Michelle Malay Carter on December 21, 2009 

I was struck by a message on Good Power Versus Bad Power?at my house of worship last week.? It occurred to me that this is what PeopleFit endeavors to do within Managerial Hierarchies. Throwing The Baby Out with the Bathwater – Egalitarianism We are kidding ourselves to believe?managerial hierarchies can be?egalitarian.? Power must be exercised.? […]

Filed Under Accountability, Employee Engagement, Executive Leadership, Managerial Leadership, Organization Design, Requisite Organization, Talent Management, Work Levels | 3 Comments

The Overcommitted Employee – When No Amount of Training Will Help

By Michelle Malay Carter on November 29, 2009 

Mismatch to Role As much as Americans hate to admit it. There are some jobs that are beyond the cognitive reach of some employees. No amount of training, coaching, or personal effort will help the situation. Today we will look at the behaviors a manager might see in this instance. What to Do? We all […]

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How To Motivate Employees – Newsflash: It’s Not a Manager’s Job

By Michelle Malay Carter on October 2, 2009 

Red Herrings Motivation is a side effect, not the goal.? Because we operate under faulty assumptions about work and human nature, well-intentioned managers, organizational development consultants, and human resource professionals spend a lot of time chasing red herrings.? I wrote an entire poem on this subject, Organization Design – Seek and Ye Shall Find. What […]

Filed Under High Potential, Managerial Leadership, Organization Design, Requisite Organization, Talent Management, Work Levels | 3 Comments

Employee Engagement Kiss of Death – Ignoring Performance Issues

By Michelle Malay Carter on July 24, 2009 

Subodinating the Moment for the Greater Goal Since my kids don’t read my blog, I have to admit that there are times when I pretend not to see rule violations in my home, because I don’t have the energy to deal with them.? However, if it is obvious that I have witnessed an infraction, I […]

Filed Under Accountability, Corporate Values, Employee Engagement, Managerial Leadership, Requisite Organization, Talent Management | 11 Comments

Rewarding OverPerformers with UnderPerformers’ Work – An Employee Engagement Buster

By Michelle Malay Carter on April 9, 2009 

Ignoring NonPerformance You’ve seen it.? I’ve seen it.? I’ve lived it, and you probably have too.? Why is so pervasive?? Instead of addressing the issue of employees not performing in a role, managers simply give the nonperformers’ undone work to their outstanding performers. Why Not Take the Easy Way Out? Is it human nature?? Yes. […]

Filed Under Requisite Organization | 2 Comments

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