People Don't Leave Jobs - They Leave Relationships

"People don't leave jobs, they leave bosses.'"

This is a very popular phrase that circles around the HR and management community a lot...and in fact has been doing so even during the time I was a recruiter some 25+ years ago. And, in all that time has consistently proven to be true.

However, I'd like to frame this truth in a different way. People don't leave jobs, they leave relationships. Because, in essence, that's what we're talking about. Leaving anyone, boss or not, is leaving a relationship.

What they are leaving is the way they are being treated.

You see in business and in life, what impacts the quality of our lives the most are the relationships in our lives. And so, this brings up a critical business truth - the quality of your business is dependent on the quality of relationships in every aspect of your business. 

Whether it's between your customers, team members, suppliers, manger to team member. A business is an eco-system of relationships.

So if this is true, then as a business owner, senior leader or HR partner. I suggest we get very clear and stay clear on the types of relationships we want in our business. An easy way to do this is to identify the qualities you most desire.

Action item: write out a list of qualities you'd like your relationships to demonstrate or possess. Here are a few of mine: compassionate, understanding, caring, considerate, truthful, candid, nonjudgmental, generous...just to name of few.

The characteristics I've listed above, set expectations and parameters for how the relationship will be conducted - on my part and theirs. We call these attributes -boundaries. 

What's a boundary? - it's a line not to be crossed. It keeps things in and it keeps things out. Think about this in terms of relationships.

Boundaries define for you, for those creating them, what will and won't be tolerated. Your boundaries inform those who enter into a relationship with you how it's going to go....and if they are not able to behave in the way desired, then there can't be a relationship and it will need to be modified or ended.

Except... and here's the catch, many don't end it. For whatever the reason (and that's for a different post) they keep either moving the boundary line or more commonly, tolerating the violation of them. This is rampant in companies.

This, by the way, confuses the violator...and so they just keep on testing, violating the boundary because they are not experiencing any meaningful consequences when doing so.

Here's another phrase worth remembering. We "train" people how to treat us. If we don't like the way we're being treated we have to ask ourselves what are we allowing (and this is the really important one) and why.

Many people will blame others for the effects of the very things - actions, behaviors - they are tolerating and still not do anything to change the situation.

Now as it relates to business, unbeknownst to us, we do establish boundaries...for example with an employee handbook, a contract, labor laws, company values. But for a fundamentally healthy culture to exist, where all parties can thrive, boundaries need to be set at a team level starting with the manager being clear on he/she desires for the team atmosphere, values, which all directly relate to how each will treat the other. Every team should have a set of agreed-upon attitudes and behaviors (which I call team values) which each member is expected to honor.

Please know - and this is critical - the qualities of a team's culture is directly related to the level/ amount of tolerations of the manager.

Ultimately, when a team member does not honor the values,  what should the manager do? Quite simply have a series of conversations that flush out if the team member is aware and do they care.

If they don't, that's your clue they are not a fit for your group. Not caring reflects a social and emotional immaturity that you will have to spend excessive time and energy managing. Do you want to do that? Do you have time for it? A warning...it will feel very parental, be very stressful and prove to be exhausting! 

So here's your "people skills for managers" coaching tip: See your business, team, customers as relationships. Decide how you want them to go/be. Be clear. Also, decide - if any characteristics are violated -  what will you do? 

Remember, ultimately everything in business is about human behavior and relationships.

Note: If you're to the point where you know you might need to let someone go and yet are not clear, you'll want to take our mini-course  - How to Be Confident When Firing Someone.

Let me know your thoughts on this post - em: joann@manageglobal.solutions or share it and tag me on Twitter @joanncorley.  This is a pretty big deal and many of our colleagues suffer because we don't understand and/or are not aware of the role of boundaries in business.

If you want to improve your individual people management skills and team management in general, then... you'll want to grow your awareness of how human behavior impacts your business - read my latest 2 executive briefings.  

You can email me and I'll be happy to send a complimentary pdf version of them (whichever you request) or you can pick them up on Amazon (book or Kindle). (They are both incredibly helpful people management books!)
1.  Show Me the Money: Solving the Mystery of ROI to Unlock Profits and Increase Company Value
2. The Human Quotient: The Most Potent Force for Your Business Success

Email: joann@manageglobal.solutions | or if you want help with the exercise and/or review its results feel free to set up a 30 min. Q&A call. 

Exciting News: We are migrating to a 90% virtual company so that we can be available to help more people. As of Nov. 1 - we officially launch Manage Global. Our #1 focus will be to help leaders and their HR partners implement effective management practices through our Effective Executive Smart Management Blueprint, which includes our unique lens of human behavior science.  It's an exceptional tool to manage managers for results!..which is one of the top challenges of companies, no matter the size. Our goal is to help them do so in a unique, reliable, sustainable way. Not one dollar is wasted with our blueprint! Learn more here.

Do You Carry This Critical Point of View in Your Business?

One of the elements of business I'm becoming more and more committed to - for myself and clients - is that of simplicity.

I'm also devoted to spend my time providing insights and information from a different point of view that provides meaningful value...that is if you spend your precious time reading my blog...at the end of each post you'll think, "Well, that was worth it."

From my experience, that different point of view is seeing business through a very simple lens. Here's the lens: all things business are derived from human behavior.  It has become a very defined view over the years and its benefits are enormous for this who are willing to see as I do.

2 Simple Non-Negotiable Elements of Business You Should Know
After working with thousands of employees and their managers throughout North American over those past years, I've observed and have narrowed down the main, overriding issues to success in business and they are human behavior and relationships... and note how one naturally impacts the other in business outcomes. (I'll address relationships in my next post. For the moment, we'll focus on human behavior.)

What if you planned and ran your business with an emphasis on this lens - being aware of human behavior in every decision - what would happen? Here's the funny thing - in some respects you probably already do, you just may not recognize it.

Ultimately, everything....that is everything (and yes I'm repeating myself to make a point) comes down to human behavior and what influences it:
1. what we know - knowledge - what we know and don't know
2. what we do with what we know aka what we decide
3. how we emotionally react to what we experience
4. how we interpret our experience - what we tell ourselves about what's happening (whether rational or not, true or not).
5. how we relate to employees, customers, service partners, stockholders (all stakeholders depending on your business design).

All of these will dictate how money flows in and out of our business.  If your money flow is not happening the way you want, if you're not achieving the results you're working so hard to get, I'm 99.9% sure it can be found in one of these 5.

So, what does this mean for you as a business owner, senior leader or HR professional? If you don't add human behavior to your lens as you look at your business, you will probably miss some critical stuff....and it will be difficult to adequately diagnosis issues so that you can find the appropriate solutions. You will be throwing money at things that won't give you the resolution you need.

This is why I recommend that every business owner has a behavior specialist on their advisory team. Some think that's their human resource partner, but unfortunately, it's rare to find one that has the needed level of combined business and human behavior acumen.

Here's A Fun, Fast Activity
A quick and easy way to start improving your view is to do the following simple exercise:
1. Write down - free flow - everything that is bugging you about your business.
2. Write down a list of things that are going right in your business.
3. Now for each item written, apply any elements of the 1-5 list above.
You should begin to see how behavior - how we operate as humans - generates the results in your business.

One final thought: When it comes to hiring someone at any level, consider not only what they "can do" but how they relate to others while doing it. One definitely impacts the efficiency and effectiveness of the other. What's the usefulness of needed skills if they adversely impact the ability of others to fully execute theirs.

If you want to grow your awareness of how human behavior impacts your business, you'll want to read my latest 2 executive briefings.  You can email me and I'll be happy to send a complimentary pdf version of them (whichever you request) or you can pick them up on Amazon (book or Kindle).
1.  Show Me the Money: Solving the Mystery of ROI to Unlock Profits and Increase Company Value
2. The Human Quotient: The Most Potent Force for Your Business Success

Email: joann@manageglobal.solutions | or if you want help with the exercise and/or review its results feel free to set up a 30 min. Q&A call.

Exciting News: We are migrating to a 90% virtual company so that we can be available to help more people. As of Nov. 1 - we officially launch Manage Global. Our #1 focus will be to help leaders and their HR partners implement smart management practices through our unique lens of human behavior science.We've formulated them into an easy to follow blueprint. Developing competent management is one of the top challenges of companies, no matter the size. Our goal is to help them do so in a reliable, sustainable way. Not one dollar is wasted with our blueprint! Learn more here.

Are You Losing Passion for Your Business?

I'm sooo excited to start a new series called "Coffee Talk"; the purpose of which is to encourage busy founders, entrepreneurs and/or their senior leaders to take just a few moments (take a "management moment") to learn something that will help them improve how they manage their business.

Our Goal: Help leaders manage their business better, so their business doesn't manage them. :-)

So..."take five" for an opportunity to grow as you go...

This Episode: Are you losing passion for your business? ....Having a love-hate relationship with it? Feeling overwhelmed or as if the business is swallowing you up? / Duration: 5:19

 // Email: joann@jcsbusinessadvisors.com // Ph: 888.388.0565 // Schedule a complimentary advisory call | https://jcsbusinessadvisors.com/contact-us

Transcript |

Welcome to Coffee Talk, I got to get this right, with JoAnn Corley. I'm here today to help you run your business better so your business doesn't run you. Each Coffee Talk, I'll be addressing pressing challenges and answering Q&A. If you have a question related to your business, whether it's managing people, process, or time, DM me either on Instagram or on Facebook and I'll be happy to include an answer to your question in the upcoming Coffee Talks and I'll make sure you are tagged so you know you're getting your answer. Okay, let's get started. Today's dilemma, your passion for your business is dying and you're feeling plumb exhausted. In fact, you fell in love with your business idea like a budding teenager and now it's turning into the worst day ever. You're thinking what have I gotten myself into? It's turned into a love/hate relationship. I'm going to give you three reasons why that might be possible, and then we're going to show some solutions and then some suggestions. Okay, here we go.

The first one is Superman/Superwoman syndrome. This is where someone feels they can do it all, and even do it better. But, that's a trap. The second is the fear of wasting time and money. You know, if I have to do it, I have to do it so that it can be done right, and doing it myself rather than delegating it saves time and money. The third is no one to delegate to. Meaning there's not someone you trust, you're not intimately familiar with the capabilities of your team, and/or you haven't hired right. Well, here's what I'm guessing is the number one answer to your dilemma. You've got to let go and delegate. The two key issues are either you're not familiar enough with your team's current capabilities or you haven't hired right and that you need to hire better.

Here are your recommended action items. You do need to assess your current team, be very clear on their capabilities, and practice incremental delegation. You're going to ask me well, what is incremental delegation? It's when you delegate with tight timelines so that you can check the work, coach, and build confidence in you and the team member, that when you delegate in the future you can do so freely and confidently. Herein lies the challenge. Many entrepreneurs and senior leaders really struggle with managing people, time, and process. Your ability to do that is part of the bigger picture in mastering your management. You've got to be able to know your team, know how to get results with your team, and accelerate the growth of your company through your team. And that's what we help with.

Important Point:

You've got to be able to know your team, know how to get results with your team,

and accelerate the growth of your company through your team.

You can see there is a bit of a challenge when you're Superwoman and Superman because the very reason why you started your business is that you're good at what you do and you're highly capable, but the reality is we're human beings and we have limits. The quicker we can understand and know those limits and build an effective, capable team around us, the more we can let go and really enjoy building our dream. Don't let building the dream rob you of the joy of it. But, you've got to build the team and have the team in place to help you do that. I know that you're there for a purpose. You want to realize a dream. You want to build financial security. All of that is highly capable, but you can't run out of steam as you do that. Having a (capable) team is important to your steam. Let me help if you can, or just hang out with me and click like and share and share with other entrepreneurs in your community. We're here to help you and support you. This is what I call your management moment. When we do coffee talks, it's your chance to sit back, take a breather so that you can continue to get good at running your business so your business doesn't run you. See you next time.

Good Question:

Are you running your business or is your business running you?

Note: You know, many people just feel like a one on one conversation might be very helpful, and we're here for you. It's a great way to learn quickly, to get unstuck, and to solve problems. You know what? It's what I call customized training. If you feel the need to book a call, we always offer a complimentary one to start off. Don't hesitate. Go to our website, click the link, and book a time for your own coffee talk.

Note: Our solution to these challenges is our Executive Advantage Blueprint for Smart Management. if you can relate to this post at all, you'll want to check it out: click here

// JCS Business Advisors is a strategic business management consultancy. Through our expertise in human behavior, we teach founders/owners of fast-growing companies and their senior leaders how to build highly effective teams in less than 90 days without spending an arm and a leg, so they can stay free to focus on driving growth.

Exciting News! // We're excited to launch our new digital arm - Manage Global. To compliment our global reach with our LinkedIn Learning courses, we're offering a compelling resource - The Smart Management Blueprint that can be accessed and implemented in any business environment, world-wide. It provides a step-by-step roadmap to simultaneously improve business and people management while developing competent managers. If you feel a need for improvement in any of these areas you'll want to learn more. Check it out here!

// Email: joann@jcsbusinessadvisors.com // Ph: 888.388.0565 // Schedule a complimentary advisory call | https://jcsbusinessadvisors.com/contact-us

Let's Restore Humanity To Business - Are You In?

A potent force lies deep within every actor in business...a force so strong it can fuel a vision, make or break a dream. It’s a power so remarkable it conjures inventions that have changed the course of civilization as we know it.

This force is the human force - the human quotient in business.

It's time to shake off the burdensome, blinding corporatism that is robing us of the full exhilarating expression of this extraordinary force (yes, it can be that way sometimes!).

This force translated into work renders meaningful contributions to...creates value for those around us, no matter the endeavor. Whether concocting the next big tech thing or making bread that feeds the world, all work has value and should be honored and appreciated.

We come to work bringing that force, the most precious thing we have - manifested as our unique "human resourse". That resource -- our heart, mind, spirit. body and all that entails is ultimately who we are - the essence of our being.

And every day we each decide how and to what degree we'll offer those precious resources to another's dream or vision while hopefully serving our own. It is a delicate dance.

Great dancing, beautiful dancing, skilled dancing requires a partner -- a partner equally skilled with complimentary contributions, appreciative of the deliberate union.

This is really the experience of work, of business no matter the role. And yet for many it's tainted - diminished to a compulsory participation in a battle for survival fraught with skirmishes for dignity, respect and appreciation.

Work can be a continuous, gratifying validation of our customized contribution to an endeavor, rather than laced with looming threats to the very essence of our humanity. 

Can you imagine -- going to work every day not knowing how you'll be treated?...not being paid respectfully while millions are derived from the most precious resources on the planet...and I'm not talking diamonds, but rather the mind, body, spirit of every employee - those are the diamonds.

It's time for a business reset! As business leaders, it's time to reclaim and celebrate humanity and its contributions to our enterprises. 

Our enterprises - their operations, processes and management - have become so formalized it can sometimes feel and be dehumanizing. The more formalized, the more disconnected we seem to become from common sense and natural ways of interacting and just being...to the point of the ridiculous. Even the function of Human Resources can sometimes feel less human. 

And, as technology advances its way into utter dominates of every operational aspect of business, the value of our humanness seems to be subjugated to its rule. 

The call of the hour for every business leader, in every aspect of business, is to consciously, intentionally hang onto, cling to our humanness -- it is life itself...and is in fact the source of our greatest business success.

Give it some thought.

// JoAnn and her strategic partners help leaders practically work with the best of humanity to lead, build and manage thriving businesses.  Grab a complimentary copy of her latest executive briefing  The Human Quotient: The Most Potent Force for Your Business Success

Exciting News! // We're excited to launch our new digital arm - Manage Global. To compliment our global reach with our LinkedIn Learning courses, we're offering a compelling resource - The Smart Management Blueprint that can be accessed and implemented in any business environment, world-wide. It provides a step-by-step roadmap to simultaneously improve business and people management while developing competent managers. If you feel a need for improvement in any of these areas you'll want to learn more. Check it out here! => https://manageglobal.solutions

What's Holding Back Your Business May Not Be What You Think

Leading and running a business can be a daunting endeavor no matter the size, even running a department or team for that matter can seem like a formidable challenge.  The pressure is ever present to deliver results and for some, knowing how to improve results is the ultimate leadership test.

If you have not been getting the outcomes you want or wish to improve what's already a decent operation, there might be some "human elements" to consider that are undermining your business performance. The human element or human performance is commonly overlooked in considering profitable improvements.

It's not the first place many leaders and business owners consider and yet it's a key component to quickly impact improved results. What's initially considered in the quest to enhance results is other resources and processes (sales & marketing, strategy & planning for example), rather than the "human resource".

This is not to say those areas should not be reviewed. It's just common that human performance is not in the mix or weighted as a critical piece. Performance management (talent management) is business management -- successful business management must include talent/performance management.

And...it should start with the leader and or leadership team. Even if human performance is considered,  leaders don't typically look at themselves first and ask questions such as, "What about me and my leadership has allowed this to be or has lead us to where we are now or not?"

So even if you just need to fine tune your results, here is a list of common human elements to look for that impact performance. You can apply this list to both you and your teams.

Qualities or conditions that adversely impact human performance, undermine effectiveness, productivity and ultimately could be holding back your business....(starter list):

• confusion
• lack of clarity of what to do, or what is wanted
• saying yes too much
• not saying no enough
• overwhelm
• fear
• lack of process (the tangible, executable road map)
• lack of courage
• not communicating frequently enough
• last of trust
• broken rapport with team members
• not communicating clearly
• keeping and or not addressing toxic employees
• inability to prioritize
• pushing too hard
• pushing too little
• leadership vacuum
• lack of boundaries
• discouragement
• lack of relevant knowledge
• unresolved hurts
• arrogance
• minimal appreciation
• micro-managing
• disrespect
• lack of focus
• absence of accountability

I'm confident in saying that if someone asked a leader, "What's holding back your business?", the items on this list would probably not be mentioned or at top of mind and yet one of these effectively addressed could unlock better outcomes and profits.

Here's an important question in closing this post, "Do you truly believe addressing any of these will impact your profits?" I ask that, because though many leaders say yes to that question,  they don't act or make decisions in a way that reflects that. This is a sure indicator they really don't believe it. Actions reflect beliefs and inaction reflects beliefs.

For example, if you as a leader have struggled with any of these for an extended period time and have not gotten help, that suggests there is a belief (probably subconscious) that it's not important, it doesn't matter and it's really not relevant to the bigger picture -- that it's not impacting the business outcomes you value and desire.

Many leaders function with a perilous insensitivity to how the human experience in their company environments impacts business outcomes. This is a leadership hazard that must be remedied. Without doing so, the human resource of a company will be perpetually mis-used and under-utilized. (Side note: some would classify this sensitivity under the umbrella of emotional and social intelligence.)

This perilous insensitive can be serve to be costly. In my new executive briefing release, this is addressed with simple solutions to mitigate the cost and in fact positively impact revenue.

Latest executive briefing => Show Me The Money! 

In my experience getting help and effectively addressing these don't have to be a full blown science experiment. Perhaps seeing it as such is what holds decision-makers back from seeking assistance.

Coaching tip: Develop an awareness and understanding of how the human element impacts business outcomes and specifically your business. If there are certain areas you believe need improvement, ask the team members in that area what's going on and what would be required to achieve new goals. You may very well discover that what's needed is related to some or many of the conditions listed above.

If this post resonates with you in any way, I offer one/one power coaching sessions. The first one is complementary. Also, it may be time to invite someone to help you determine through an independent lens if some of these elements exist, to what degree and specifically how it's undermining the very results you (and if you're in a large organization) and other key stakeholders want. Em: joann@jcsbusinessadvisors.com to share your thoughts.

Gain solutions to the challenges addressed in this post with our new briefing:  Show Me The Money!  | Kindle

About our work: We help companies align human behavior to business processes and strategies to improve results by first rapidly improving leadership and management capabilities through building high-performance leadership teams.

Learn more at www.jcsbusinessadvisors.com

It's the Perfect Business Storm - Are You Prepared?

It's coming...are you ready? I remember seeing the movie The Perfect Storm, and still have memories of the climate conditions building that created such a catastrophic event. (If you've not seen the movie, it's worth it to rent!).

The perfect storm I'm referencing is the business storm brewing, the one far beyond the horizon, difficult for the untrained eye to see, yet is building as we speak. 

It's a storm that could potentially whip your business into a frenzy, crippling profits for a substantial period of time. Clearly it's an emerging storm to which every business leader must pay attention.

And, as it's forming, in the spirit of preparation, there are 2 critical sets of questions that needs to be considered.

Here's the first:

Is my company vulnerable to the storm?

And if so, how much?

And if so, in what ways?

The answer to these questions will in fact describe why it's a perfect storm and what comprises it. First, let's look at the definition: a particularly violent storm arising from a rare combination of adverse meteorological factors.

So from a business perspective, what are those rare combination of factors? Here they are: 

1. The now largest population of employees ever that make up the labor pool are millennials. They have a strong orientation and very specific sensibility to relationships with team members, leaders and company culture that define the quality of their work experience.

2. Companies have leaders and managers who are baby boomers, matures and older Xers, many of whom are not oriented this way, don't see the need or appreciate the value of this type of work experience. In fact, many are resisting this new workplace reality!

3. The labor market is tightening. Reported today, the unemployment rate is now at 4.6%.  It's the lowest in several years. That means there will continue to be less candidates from which to choose and when they are hired, many companies don't have the management or culture to retain them -- to in fact give them the experience they are seeking and expecting.

4. A new administration looks to spur substantial economic growth, exacerbating the labor shortage. As the labor market continues to tighten, it will support and validate a generational approach to employment, "If I don't like this job, I can quit and go find another." The millennial generation tends to have no problem leaving a job without having another if their work experience is not satisfying. So, with a tightening market, they know they will easily be able to find a job and company more to their liking.

5. Dated views and beliefs on how to spend money (allocate financial resources) to manage talent for better company performance. (I address this in my latest executive briefing release Show Me The Money!) The old model for spending money is spend on operations, spend a little on employees. The new model is spend more money on employees to have better operations. The new mantra?, "Happy employees = better operations = more company profits."

There are many companies who, in addressing the needs of the largest employee population, have been paying attention to their cultures and their leadership /management effectiveness. They have been diligently working on ways to improve the employee experience with an eye towards recruiting, engagement, and retention.

Those who have been active in this way, whether they are aware or not, are shoring up their business for the storm to come. These efforts are strengthening their company's infrastructure to weather the operational challenges sure to come.

And this brings us to the 2nd set of questions...here we go: 
1. Do you have the kind of culture to retain and leverage the talent of the new workforce?
2. Are you as a key decision-maker resisting reality?
3. Are your leaders and managers resisting this reality?
4. What updated leadership/management development initiates have been implemented to address this need?
5. What new leadership/management competencies will be needed to successfully lead?
6. How have you been collectively preparing your company culture to fully integrate all generations to mitigate poor collaboration which creates operational bottlenecks and undermines profits?
7. Does your financial spend reflect a response to this changing workforce landscape?
8. Are you well insulated from or even remotely prepared for the storm?

The answers to these questions are a valuable resource for your 2017 plans. Consider this post a foghorn warning of the storm to come. We know it's coming!  We just don't know how fast.  This year, many of my clients have already felt the pre-storm raindrops and we're helping them make preparations...are you?

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Learn More About How We Can Help You Improve Your: Leadership, Management, Operations, Profits

> Read our case studies in detail,  I recommend 2 of our latest executive briefings: 

> Show Me The Money! Solving the Mystery of ROI to Unlock Profits & Increase Company Value - click here to access This is one of the best, easy to read discussions on how to connect human behavior to profits (a critical knowledge point for all leaders).

> I've Been Around the Block a Few Times: Let me Save You a Few Trips and Some Money Along the Way (my 20th anniversary briefing of insights and advice, which includes my top 6 business building tips through the lens of leveraging the human element) - click here for a complimentary digital copy.

Both are full of unique business building strategies and concepts that have proven to impact any company's P/L. Want to improve your people management? Want to generate operational improvement? You'll want to get both!

 Schedule a complimentary advisory call and receive a copy of our latest executive briefing.

// The Human Sphere™ is a holistic business growth consultancy that partners with forward-thinking senior leaders to bridge the knowledge gap in connecting people, performance, and profits. We focus on better business building by helping leaders understand and leverage human behavior. This knowledge gap is the most significant reason for operational problems.

// email: joann@thehumansphere.com // Ph: 888.388.0565 //

 Schedule a complimentary advisory call and receive a copy of our latest executive briefing.

Pic Credit: http://www.slideshare.net/HRTechWorld/workforce-technology-2016-the-perfect-storm