Be the change that you want to see in the world.

- Mohandas Gandhi

Performance discussions can’t be a once-a-year thing. If you want a strong performance management culture, these discussions need to happen all the time. Every month. Every week. Every day.

You can approach this two ways:

1. Launch a sweeping OD initiative.
2. Be like Gandhi.

The best method is probably a combination of both. Here’s the Gandhi way:

Whenever someone you interact with does something awesome, tell them. Then, email their boss to let them know, and CC: the person you’re complimenting.

So much of HR can involve dealing with the things people do wrong. Take a minute to recognize people for being rockstars, too.

I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.

- Thomas Edison

Being innovative doesn’t mean coming up with lots of great ideas. It means failing – over and over again – until you find a great idea that actually works.

That’s not to say that failure always leads to innovation. But innovation can’t happen if you’re not ok with failing – a lot.

If you want to create an innovative workforce, create a culture that celebrates failure as often as it celebrates success. Brilliant failure is the key to innovation.

How do you design a pay-for-performance goal system that inspires people to do amazing things?

I often find myself torn between two distinct approaches:

1. Goals should be things that you need to accomplish to be successful in your job.
2. Goals should be things that are above and beyond the normal duties of your job.

The first approach looks at bonus money as part of a total compensation plan. The focus is on doing things that make you great at your job.

The second approach looks at bonus money as something you earn for exceedingly great performance

Which of the two is the best approach? I don’t know, and I’d really like to hear your thoughts on it.

Ashley Acker discusses the Results Only Work Environment (ROWE). (21:58)

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Podcast Highlights

Ideas really happen any time and any place. They don’t just happen in a cubicle.

When we talk about culture, we’re really talking about building common ground so that people can identify with the company on a shared level. What does it mean to work here? What does it mean to be on this team and do this job?

I like to think of it in terms of a college environment. In college, you’re free to do virtually whatever you want. Your professor trusts that you’re going to act ethically. And if you do happen to act unethically there are consequences.

Keep reading…

Today, I’m excited to feature a guest post by Eva Rykr of iOrgPsych.

To make an improvement, you must start with measuring what you have. To truly know the impact of a change, you must evaluate pre and post. But to make the best decisions, you must discover the seemingly unknowable. It’s not impossible, it just requires that you gather lots and lots of data. This is where analytics comes in.

Keep reading…

Image courtesy of Monty Are I

This article is part of the Renegade Manifesto Series.

Too often, HR is mediocre.

We don’t want to upset the wrong people, so we color in the lines. We follow the rules. We play nice.

Renegade HR is a revolution. It’s time to step on a few toes and kick some ass!

Be a rockstar. Do amazing things.

Over the last few years, there’s been an explosion of information about how to manage a multigenerational workforce.

There have been countless articles, seminars and books on how to keep Generation Y (aka the Millennials) engaged, and how to help Baby Boomers and Gen-X employees work with them more effectively. I think that’s all a big waste of time.

Keep reading…