David McLean’s Post

How do you Learn From Your Failures? How do we make failure less threatening to the ego? Research offers a few suggestions: 1️⃣ Observe other people’s failures In their paper, Eskreis-Winkler and Fishbach propose removing the ego from failure as much as possible by looking at other people’s failures first, before you take on a task yourself. 2️⃣ Get some distance If negative emotions are getting in the way of your understanding, they also suggest trying self-distancing techniques. 3️⃣ Share your own failure story People tend to hide their own failures, out of a sense of shame, but there are ways to turn failure into success by transforming it into a story of growth. 4️⃣Recognize your successes There are other ways to shore up your own ego. Studies consistently find that experts are better able to tolerate failure in their fields, in part because they have a past history of accomplishment and future predicated on commitment. 5️⃣ Feel the disappointment If all else fails, try just feeling sad over your mistakes and defeats. There is a great deal of research suggesting that sadness evolved as a response to failure and loss, and that it exists in order to encourage us to reflect on our experiences. 6️⃣ Focus on the long-term goal Often, we need to ask ourselves: Will my failures lead to rewards down the line? 7️⃣ Practice mindfulness There is yet another reason failure often contains superior information: failure violates expectations,” Eskreis-Winkler and Fishbach write. Because people almost never intend to fail, failure can be surprising, which has the happy effect of waking up our brains—and a brain that is awake learns more than a brain that’s sleepwalking. When you feel surprised by failure, take that as a signal to be mindful and to sit with it rather than ignoring it. 8️⃣Reflect on the lessons you learned Because failure requires more interpretation and thinking than success if we’re to learn from it 9️⃣Do less Increasing our capacity to learn by engaging in fewer tasks that present opportunities for failure 🔟 Practice self-compassion Many people believe that they should be hard on themselves in the wake of failure; after all, how else would you grow? ***link to the source article below & other relevant resources ✴️✴️✴️ Just listened to a brilliant podcast interview that explores the ideas in this post that David Green 🇺🇦 conducted with Amy Edmondson - highly recommend listening! I also recommend Amy Edmondson book “Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well” Acknowledgment post based on article by JEREMY ADAM SMITH who found Research on how to overcome some emotional and cognitive barriers so that we learn from our defeats & infographic by Village: The Wholehearted School #leadership #leadershipdevelopment #learningexperience #selfcompassion #learningagility

What is organizational culture? Why should we focus on shaping culture so that the organization delivers value to investors, customers and employees? 👉What could you add to the infographic list? Six perspectives I appreciate on culture: 1) John O. Burdett and his brilliant book: The A-Z of Organization Culture (link below) 2) Dave Ulrich seeing culture through an outside/in lens as the desired identity of the firm in the mind of the best customers (links below) 3) Edgar Schein - prolific writer and consultant on the topic 4) Chris Argyris - especially his work on “defensive reasoning” in organizations 5) McLean & Company Turn Organizational Culture into a Competitive Advantage (link below) 6) Rishita Jones MCIPD perspective: “I have heard it being called the character of an organisation. I have also heard it being referred to as an asset. Some have even said it should be considered a product. Either way, culture is how things get done without conscious thinking and awareness. Sometimes we can’t pinpoint to anything in particular, yet everything is revealing to some extent.” 1️⃣What kind of humour do you see, feel and hear throughout the organisation? Is it light-hearted or dark? Is it lively or is it noticeably absent? 2️⃣When you are waiting for calls to start, is there conversation and connection time? 3️⃣Are people ready to walk out of the door or go offline as soon as it’s the end of their day? 4️⃣How do employees interact – both big and small? 5️⃣How do people deal with mistakes and failures? 6️⃣What information is shared transparently and freely? 👉🏿 What questions would you add to the list here to better understand organizational culture? 👉🏿What other thought leaders do you turn to on the topic of influencing culture change that will help an organization close a critical gap in business results? Acknowledgment: Rishita Jones MCIPD for her commentary/questions on culture and for the infographic #chro #culturechange #culturaltransformation #culturematters #culture #management #leadership #humanresources

DO YOU HAVE A LEADERSHIP PIPELINE? IS YOUR ORGANIZATION BUILDING LEADERS AT EVERY LEVEL? A major shift in “skills”, “time application” and “values” must take place at each turn in the pipeline LEADERSHIP PIPELINE - 6 turns in the pipe: 1️⃣Managing self to managing others 2️⃣Managing others to managing managers 3️⃣Managing managers to managing a function 4️⃣Functional manager to business manager 5️⃣Business manager to group manager 6️⃣Group manager to enterprise manager Benefits of a well-defined leadership pipeline: ✴️ By establishing appropriate requirements for the six leadership levels, companies can greatly facilitate succession planning ✴️ Individual managers can clearly see the gap between their current performance and the desired performance ✴️ HR can make development decisions based on where people fall short in skills, time application and work values, rather than rely on generalized training and development programs ✴️ An individual’s readiness for a move to the next leadership level can be evaluated objectively rather than tied to how well they performed in their previous position ***link to the articles below Acknowledgment: post based on the work of Stephen J. Drotter, Ram Charan & Center for Creative Leadership #leadershipdevelopment #successionplanning #chro #leadership

What is the future of HR? Recently I spent the day with a CHRO and their leadership team presenting our research on the “future of HR” and exploring the “so what’s” and “now what’s” for their organization and their people strategy - brilliant examination of the drivers of change that will continue to influence the HR landscape: 1️⃣Shifts in workforce demographics and composition are bringing more diversity to organizations. 2️⃣Political, social, economic, and environmental developments are raising concerns around living costs, recession, global health concerns, climate change, and social movements. 3️⃣Work itself is being reconceptualized through contingent workers, multiple-job holders, and remote and hybrid work. 4️⃣Changes in employee sentiment are driving an increased desire for work-life balance, flexibility, and security. 5️⃣Technological application and advancement are forcing organizations and HR functions to evolve and adapt. HR is evolving and is expected to lead the organization in a variety of new ways. Read McLean & Company’s latest report to learn more about the activities through which HR is anticipated to lead the organization in 2030. This report combines our research with a survey and detailed interviews with leaders in HR and beyond. ***Full report linked in the comments below 👇 Acknowledgment: research and infographic by McLean & Company  #FutureOfHR #HRTrends #HRLeaders #CHRO #HRStrategy #HumanResources #Research #hr

How is your organization Equipping Managers to Have Effective Performance Appraisal Discussions? The Challenge & Pain Points: 👉🏿HR has designed a detailed performance appraisal process; however, managers are not aware of their responsibilities and as such, do not effectively implement the steps. 👉🏿Managers are not comfortable providing feedback or rating their employees. 👉🏿The value of effective performance management is not understood by managers. 👉🏿Managers are not setting clear, relevant goals and evaluating behaviors against competencies. Advice & Insights from McLean & Company 1️⃣Effective management of performance is not a one-time conversation. Managers must leverage the process, goal setting, competencies, feedback, and ratings to manage their employees’ performance 2️⃣Performance management rises or falls with managers; provide the training they need to have effective performance conversations. 3️⃣Equip managers to effectively navigate performance management by: ✅Setting clear, specific goals ✅Communicating expected competencies ✅Providing clear feedback ✅Evaluating the performance of employees ***link to additional resources in the comments box below Acknowledgment: Infographic and research by McLean & Company #management #hr #humanresources #humanresourcesmanagement #leadershipdevelopment #leadership #chro #emotionalintelligence

Does your organization have an effective EVP (Employee Value Proposition)? McLean & Company Insight A strong EVP provides a compelling but realistic view of the benefits of joining the organization, while also leading to a connection that encourages employees to stay. The Situation: 👉 Talent attraction and retention challenges exist for all organizations, whether onsite, remote, or hybrid. 👉Only 5% of organizations have implemented an up-to-date employee value proposition (EVP) that highlights an accurate employee experience and includes the ways in which the organization has adapted to recent environmental pressures (McLean & Company 2022 HR Trends Report, n=295). The Complication: 👉 HR departments already strapped for time spend the majority of their attention on other HR activities rather than the EVP 👉 When creating an EVP, organizations often forget about the employee voice and engagement, neglect to look at competitors, and confuse it with employer branding, which leads to inaccurate, misaligned, and undifferentiated EVPs. Our Solution: ✴️ Create a realistic and compelling EVP by using the employee voice to uncover the lived experience and the organizational offerings that employees highly value. ✴️ Highlight the organization’s unique features in the EVP to differentiate from competitors, allow potential and current employees to assess fit, and support recruitment and retention efforts. ✴️ Fully integrate and sustain the EVP through strong communication partnerships across the organization that reach both internally and externally. ✴️ Creating an EVP is an iterative and collaborative process. It requires partnership with multiple departments and the involvement of many stakeholders. It also requires time from all stakeholders involved, including executives, leadership, and employees. ***Link in comment box for more information on McLean & Company’s Uncover the Employee Value Proposition research. Acknowledgement: McLean & Company #employeevalueproposition #employeeexperience #talent #hr #leadership #recruitment #experience #communication #branding #engagement #partnerships #ceo #chro #humanresources

Have the leaders in your organization developed effective coaching skills? “The leader of the past was a person who knew how to tell. The leader of the future will be a person who knows how to ask.” - Peter Drucker What mindset and beliefs are essential to coaching? We need to surrender the belief that we as leaders have the answers. “When we presume that we are better than people who need structure and guidance, we lack one of the most crucial ingredients for change: humility.” - Marshall Goldsmith How are your employees being developed into high performers? Coaching is an essential tool managers use to improve employee performance and support development. When coaching is done effectively, it differs from providing feedback on past performance by helping employees use their unique experiences and expertise to uncover solutions and ideas for themselves. However, coaching is not a skill you simply do or do not have. To be an effective coach, you first need to gain coaching knowledge, cultivate your coaching mindset, and build trusting relationships with team members. Use McLean & Company ‘s behavior-focused coaching model to train managers to adopt the key behaviors required to coach. The research shows you how to 👉🏿Understand the foundations of coaching – knowledge, mindset, and relationship. 👉🏿Learn McLean & Company’s Four A’s model for flexible, behavior-focused coaching. 👉🏿Explore practical ways to facilitate coaching with team members. Coaching training programs need to move beyond formal training to drive continuous development. Here I share a few thoughts (see video) on what is at the heart of effective leadership coaching - after you watch the video- I would welcome hearing your own insights an perspective on the topic https://lnkd.in/gusXT4ks What mindset and beliefs are essential to coaching? Acknowledgment: Post based content by McLean & Company and infographic by ATD #leadership #training #development #coaching #hr

I am thrilled to share that McLean & Company has been named an Excellence Awardee in the "Best Service Provider" category by the 2024 Canadian HR Awards! 🏆🎉 ✴️ This prestigious designation recognizes finalists' commitment to delivering outstanding performance and significant contributions to their field. I am proud to be a member of our dedicated team and grateful for the amazing partnerships we have with our clients who make all of this possible. Here's to continued success and excellence! 🌟 https://lnkd.in/gz9ztAMY #CanadianHRAwards #HRExcellence #HRAward #HR #hrleaders

How can leaders support employee wellbeing? How can organizations Create a Holistic Employee Wellbeing Program that moves beyond perks to an approach that targets employee needs and systemic barriers? By re-examining workplace barriers to mental wellbeing and encouraging human-centered workplace behaviors. ✴️ Wellbeing initiatives often do not align with employee needs, as they are regarded as perks offered to individuals (e.g. healthcare allowance) rather than components of a holistic program that addresses employee needs across multiple wellbeing dimensions. ✴️ If systemic barriers are not adequately addressed before a wellbeing program is implemented, its impact will be negligible. ✴️ The development of a wellbeing program is often relegated to a side-of-desk task that lacks adequate resources and involvement of key stakeholders. Advice from McLean & Company 1️⃣Organizations must embed a focus on employee wellbeing into their day-to-day operations, culture, and leadership to thrive in today’s environment. This requires a shift from viewing a wellbeing program as a couple of stand-alone initiatives to understanding it takes an integrated and holistic approach to meet employee needs and address systemic barriers. 2️⃣Gather data and employee feedback to identify gaps in existing initiatives and uncover employee wellbeing needs. 3️⃣Select the organization’s wellbeing priorities and build a program composed of initiatives that meet employee needs and address systemic barriers. 4️⃣Create a customized and targeted communications plan to ensure employees are fully aware of the wellbeing initiatives being offered. Acknowledgment: research and resources by McLean & Company ***Check out these tips from McLean & Company on creating a holistic and customizable program to support employee wellbeing >> Link in the comment box below #MentalHealth #EmployeeWellbeing #PeopleLeaders #HR #chro #wellness

What practices have you developed to avoid taking things personally? Have you ever built a "case" against someone who wronged you? ✴️ Dr. Rick Hanson’s in his Greater Good blog suggests that when you find that you are starting to built a "case" against someone who wronged you - consider trying the following: 1️⃣ Mentally or on paper, list some of the costs to you and others of making this particular case. 2️⃣ Next, list the payoffs to you; in other words, what do you get out of making this case? For example, making a case typically makes us feel in the right, is energizing, and helps cover over softer vulnerable emotions like hurt or disappointment. 3️⃣ Then ask yourself: Are the payoffs worth the costs? 4️⃣ With this understanding, see if you can stay with the difficult feelings involved in the situation (the basis for the case) without slipping into a reproachful or righteous case about them. To do this, it could help to start by bringing to mind the felt sense of being cared about by others, and by opening yourself to self-compassion. And try to hold those difficult feelings in a big space of awareness. 5️⃣ Open to a wider, more impersonal, big picture view of the situation—so it’s less about you and more about lots of swirling causes coming together in unfortunate ways. See if any kind of deeper insight about the other person, yourself, or the general situation comes to you. 6️⃣ Watch how a case starts forming in your mind, trying to get its hooks into you. Then see if you can interrupt the process. Literally set down the case, like plopping down a heavy suitcase when you finally get home after a long trip. What a relief! Acknowledgment: post highlights come from an original blog post by Dr. Rick Hanson’s Greater Good blog - link in the comments below #leadership #leadershipdevelopment #emotionalintelligence #cognitivereframing