There are a lot of overused, misused, and stale management words used in the workplace, especially buzz words like “granular”, “leading-edge”, “synergy”, etc. Like me, I’m sure you hear them every day, and you have your favorites. There are those that make you cringe every time someone...

I’m working on reviewing and revising the employee handbook at work… I’m not sure there is anything more soul sucking then wading through labor law disclosures. Luckily for me I’m on a great team that is working hard to blow up the current version and make the new manual/handbook/guide (we haven’t...

Today’s post is from guest blogger Amanda Andrade. Amanda Andrade, SPHR, CCP, GRP  is the Chief People Officer for Veterans United Home Loans – Fortune magazine’s 21st best medium workplace and one the fastest growing companies in the United States according to INC magazine. Amanda has...

As I speak with colleagues and look at different organizations in regards to effectiveness and buy-in, I see a consistent theme:  managers talk too much. There’s always an opinion, and not enough implementation. Too much yapping and not enough listening. So I got to thinking about how managers...

For the month of February we have been talking goals, budgets and the like here at PIC. To further understand that topic, I would postulate most organizations are driven by the products they produce or services that they sell (Sales).  Whether it is General Motors, AT &T, United Way or a Hospital,...

It is that time of the year in corporate America where organizations come together to establish goals for the year as to what should be achieved at the organizational, department, and employee level. Established goals sometimes are SMART and then sometimes they do not make any sense and just seem like...

Unlike basketball, in hockey, goal tending is a good thing – well, when it comes to achieving quarterly goals in corporate America you also need a good goalie! Let me explain. It’s the first quarter and there all sorts of exciting goals to be set for the year ahead. Meetings led by the CEO or...

About a year ago, I decided to become a contributor at PIC to express a different part of my voice. My own blog is mostly fun and sometimes outlandish stories about lessons I’ve learned from experiences I’ve had over the last 10 years behind a HR desk. My audience was hooked and the formula...

I got into blogging and social media because I was looking for different voices in HR. And I definitely found it!  Some blogs are great because of the writer’s personality; others are great due to the volume and quality of information presented. Rarely there were a few that hit all the high notes...

Performance is leading factor to any type of success, whether it is on a personal project, within an organization working on a team, or simply striving to compete for a gold medal in the Olympics. The effort we give is most of the time the result we will receive, which sometimes requires us to evolve...

When I created this blog back in May 2011, my intent was to provide an outlet for readers to garner valuable information from a host of experienced, knowledgeable contributors on how to drive performance individually or collectively within an organization. Past year in a half in perspective/evaluation...

In case you hadn’t heard, I started a new job in October 2012. After 6 years, I left my comfort zone to take on new challenges with a new company. About 45 days into it, I am feeling great! My staff and co-workers are responding well to the initiatives and ideas I am bringing to the table. Where...

Regardless of where you look today, you are going to see someone with a smartphone of some sort chalked with more apps than one would know what to do with. Gone are the days where people are simply using the old flip phones that require you to punch different numbers to eventually spell out a word for...

Productivity. What does this word mean to you? Given the shear nature of the many things workers face in today’s workplace – phone calls, IMs, text messages, emails, internet, and so forth – what does productivity look like today? If you had to measure your overall productivity of work...

Perusing my old blog, XtremeHR, I came across this post I wrote in November 2010, and decided I would like to share it again – let’s bring back the accountability folks! This past week, San Francisco banned McDonald’s from luring children with toys in the Happy Meal (effective December...

I consider myself a fairly driven person. That mindset has manifested itself in cross-country moves for my career, long commutes for new jobs, and weird hours at work. Personally the signs are there as well…triathlons, a marathon, trying to never miss any of the kids swim meets, hockey or football...

Have you ever heard the phrase:  There is no “I” in “TEAM”? Sure you have. This phrase is a statement used both in our years growing up as a child and in our adult lives within the places we work. But how true does this statement really hold true? Think about it. We hear it time and time again,...

I was in a meeting discussing the pros/cons of partnering with a new vendor. The price point seemed reasonable and the functionality seemed awesome but there was concern about our ability to train the staff and monitor it’s usage in light of some other projects we have going on. There was no point...

2011 and 2012 have had some breakthrough of job openings within organizations. Subsequently, many people have moved on to bigger and better opportunities or in other words, exited stage left. Ultimately, people are leaving organizations for several reasons: Not happy with their job or organization Lack...

I’ve read articles, heard speakers, listened to webinars, and spent many hours dealing with the issue of “fit” in the workplace. It seems to me that fit is easier to recognize when it’s perfect or when it’s really not there at all. When it’s perfect everything seems...

One of the best things about the organizations I’ve worked for is the constant feedback. Monthly, quarterly, annual … Feedback. Every project, every committee, every major meeting … Feedback. Report, metrics, trends … Feedback. There was and is never an excuse not to know your performance regarding...

It is no secret that the state of the economy has required organizations to rethink how they operate. In fact, companies that once raked in money hand-over-fist in the late 90s and mid-2000s, are now realizing the customer experience is “actually” important and expectations of employees have...

If you ever read my articles on “Performance I Create” you’ll notice that when it comes down to process improvement, I always start with analysis. That’s my style. You have to have a starting point. You must know where you are before you can get to where you want to go. Now the one thing I have...

This post comes from inspiration when I was living and working in Memphis, Tennessee, a couple of months back. The surrounding area where I used to work was a popular area for those trying to be the next Lance Armstrong – you know what I mean:  ten-speed bikes and full-body jump suit. Truthfully,...

What does it mean to have influence and klout? Believe me; it has little to do with the Social Media site KLOUT that measures online influence by your activity on social media with your friends, followers or connections.  While there are millions of people that use those types of sites, there are millions...