 Alignment of Values: A critical part of career successManagers now need many skills in today's complex work worldREPRINT - BUSINESS COMMENTARY Chesapeake Business Ledger May 2003 page 20 Alignment of values: A critical part of job career success By Bill Bakey Catalyst Connections, Inc. Finding the right job is only part of today’s challenge, enjoying a job and keeping it are just as critical. The alignment of personal and business values is a critical part for both business and the newly hired employee. In today’s business world it is important that employees align their personal values with the values of their employer. This alignment of values is not intended to hinder innovation, self – motivation or individual thinking on a job but to balance the job success & organizational success so they move in the same direction. Whatever the business today, we find the values that drive their success involve the people that work for them. We find that these business values may all take different forms or have expanded meanings,but they will all focus on some of the same objectives. We see them as mission statements, business objectives or just the values that bring purpose to their existence. So why do workers become dissatisfied with jobs or even make unexpected exits from companies? Sure, it could be no fault of their own, or it could be that business directions have changed and values are longer appear to be in alignment between employee and company. Today, there are many reasons that drive changes in companies. We see the external customer pressures, but we also see changes occurring when it becomes apparent that personal and business values are no longer parallel. So, one may ask, “What are these personal values that play such a large part of job success?” “What is it that companies want today to enhance their organizational growth?” It is a workforce that can maintain their own personal values while aligning with the business values. It is individuals that are contributors to business success while still maintaining their individuality and innovation. It is workers that maintain their personal values while encouraging others to also align values toward business objectives. Have you ever heard the expressions, “Just enough to get by “or “It’s only a job, they don’t pay me enough” or “I will get to it when I am ready?” Although there are many personal values that we have, these are only a few that remain within each of us. As we are all aware, we each have different personal values, which are part of our up bringing. These values have helped us form our character and the way we perceive or react to different situations. These values may be released energies for stress relief or just be part of, “who we are” when we relax and escape into our own world. Have you ever woken on a day off and decided that you were not going to do anything that day but sit around? Have you ever found yourself avoiding those home project lists until they become critical and then you react? Although some call it procrastination, it still may be the movement back to your personal values. This may be a time to escape and relax in your world of personal values. The key still remains in the timing of their introduction. These values are not necessarily bad, just a shift from the values that drive your job and career success. Today, it is important that we recognize our personal values and beliefs but it is equally important to align our values with business values. Without this alignment we find job stress unhappy workers and eventually job changes that even produce more stress for both workers and companies. These personal values are not necessarily bad; the key still remains with timing. The first and foremost focus is no the organization. Companies look for individual commitment that drives business success through the alignment of employee values with business visions. Just enough to get by” WE EXPECT THE BEST FROM OUR EMPLOYEES It’s just a job; I don’t get paid enough to think” EMPLOYEES DOING THE WORK UNDERSTAND IT BEST I don’t care what my work looks like” WORKMANSHIP AND PRIDE BEGINS WITH YOU I will wear what I want and act like I want” APPEARANCE AND DRESS IS THE COMPANY IMAGE The next time you want to surface a hidden personal value at work, remember to ask yourself how it aligns with the values of the company. Alignment of values is a critical part job career success. Catalyst Connections, Inc. iIs a business consulting firm focused on assisting busines with organizationl transitionand issues that hinder business growth. Whether organizational or safety assessments or leadership growth, they are there to assist the business, manufacturing and the residential construction industry segments. Developing Business strengths – piece by piece. |
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BUSINESS VALUES
Meeting or exceeding customer expectations. Supplying a quality product or service to the customer. Making a profit or return on investment |
PERSONAL VALUES
“Just enough to get by” “I’ll wear & do what I want” “ It’s just a job, I don’t get paid to think” “I’ll get to it when I want to” |
REPRINT – BUSINESS COMMENTARY Chesapeake Business Ledger May 2004
Managers now need mnay skills in today's complex work world
By Bill Bakey
Catalyst Connections, Inc.
The responsibilities of a manager used to be very clear. They hired, fired, planned, controlled, set performance expectations besides monitoring employee results. They were problem solvers and made decisions as they directed the work of their employees.
Managers, today, are consistently dealing with uncertainty and unexpected events whether it is something as small as the loss of a major customer or something as large and dynamic as what happened on September 11th. Solid management skills and actions are the key to helping any organization weather a crisis and remain healthy, inspired, and productive. Their roles are continually changing; they are no longer just supervisors or managers but leaders in an evolving work setting. Today, a new kind of leader is emerging who can guide businesses through turbulence—a strong leader who recognizes the complexity of today’s world and realizes there are no perfect answers. Successful departments and organizations do not just happen—they are managed to be that way. Managers in every organization today face major challenges and have the opportunity to make a difference.
Making a difference, as a manager today requires solid tried-and -true management skills with new approaches that emphasize their ability to attain organizational goals in an effective and efficient manner through planning, organizing, leading, and controlling business resources. Every manager has learned these management functions early in their careers, but what hinders their success is sometimes just in the application and how they apply their leadership skills.
These leadership skills we focus on are their conceptual skills, their human skills, and their understanding and proficiency in the performance of specific tasks which we call one’s technical skills.
Conceptual Skills in leadership is the ability to see the organization as a whole and the relationship among its parts, Conceptual skill involves the manager’s thinking, information processing and their planning abilities. It involves knowing and understanding the bigger picture strategically and how one’s department fits into the total organization, into their industry and the community in which they operate.
Conceptual thinking for a leader can be described as using theory to guide action. It implies being deliberate and reflective in their thinking, rather than just “winging it”.
It is not that one needs to know a lot of theory to qualify as a conceptual thinker. Theory is not something you just get from books; although books do help. Theory is your personal thoughts about what works for you successfully in attaining organizational goals. This theory comes from your own personal observations of approaches that have worked (or failed to work) for you and others in the past. In utilizing theory, managers need to practice scanning their managerial experiences and observations to generalize theories (truths) that can guide their future actions.
Conceptual skills are needed by all managers but are especially important for managers and leaders at the top. One must be able to conclude action by being deliberate and reflective in their resolutions of complex business challenges.
As managers move up the hierarchy, they must develop conceptual skills and strong conceptual thinking or their promotability will be limited. Business executives must also recognize that to maintain business success they too must utilize their talents / skills in conceptual thinking.
Human Skills is the leader’s ability to work with and through other people and to work effectively within groups, encourage others to express their thoughts and feelings, and to be sensitive to other’s needs and viewpoints. Human skills are equally important at all levels of management, from first-line supervisors to the CEO. Human skills are shown in the way a manager relates to other people, including the ability to motivate, facilitate, coordinate, lead, resolve conflicts, and communicate with others. The manager with strong human skills allows subordinates to express themselves without fear of ridicule or embarrassment and encourages “people” participation in meeting business goals. Although lower-level managers spend much of their time solving technical problems, upper level managers spend more time dealing directly with people. This is why it becomes even more critical for top managers to have strong human skills.
As effective leaders we continually learn that the art of communications is not a simple process and it becomes a critical part of a leader’s human skills. There are environmental, verbal and interpersonal barriers that hinder one’s communication effectiveness; so sharpening this skill is essential. Managers spend at least 80 percent of every working day in direct communication with others. In other words, 48 minutes of every hour is spent in meetings, on the telephone, communicating online, or talking informally while walking around. The other 20 percent of a typical manager’s time is spent doing desk work, most of which is also communication in the form of reading and writing. Understanding the importance of the human skills and yet not strengthening ones communications skills hinders the leader’s effectiveness as a manager.
A key aspect of managing is recognizing the role and importance of others. Good managers know that the only way they can accomplish anything at all is utilizing good human skills within the organization. The higher one advances in their management position, the more critical the human skills become in attaining organizational goals.
Technical Skills is the understanding and proficiency in the performance of specific tasks within a job. These skills include the mastery of methods, techniques, and even the operation of special equipment involved specific functions of an organization. Technical skills may also include specialized knowledge, analytical abilities, and competent use of job techniques needed to perform specific tasks within a job function. These skills are particularly important at lower organizational levels such as line or staff jobs to train new employees and help them solve problems. We find that many managers get promoted to their first management job by having excellent technical skills. However, technical skills become less important than human and conceptual skills as managers move up in the organization. They begin to realize that it becomes even more critical to work through others to accomplish the goals of an organization.
It isn’t that the retention of technical skills is no longer important to managers. The skills are important, but the technical expertise is now channeled through the manager’s ability to work though and develop others around them. Effective delegation to employees allows managers to transfer technical skills to lower levels of the organization. This will allow them to strengthen their human skills and become more effective in their conceptual skills rather than just doing the work themselves.
Making a difference, attaining organizational goals in efficient and effective manner is all part of being a strong leader. Managers can understand the various functions of management and continue to emphasize the planning, organizing, leading, and controlling business resources as they focus on their career growth. However, if one doesn’t understand and apply the necessary leadership skills, nor recognize the importance of continually strengthening one’s conceptual and human skills, there is no career growth.
(Catalyst Connections, Inc. is a business consulting firm focused on assisting business and the construction industry. Whether organizational, leadership or safety assessments or leadership development workshops the firm is there to assist business, hospitality and the construction industry segments. www.catalystconnections.com)
