No one likes to be changed but it seems that HR and change frequently go together: The manager we counsel to change his/her abrasive management style The employees we counsel to change their work style Discussions we have about changing the organizations culture I’ve been in on discussions like the...

When looking at teams and evaluating performance and success, we oftentimes overlook the unsung and unlikely heroes and heroines that may not be the biggest, fastest or strongest. There are employees that are expected to succeed and sometimes fall short because the expectations are set too high. There...

In February 2012, I wrote a post entitled So You Got a PIP…Your Life Isn’t Over. Based on the monthly hits this post gets (many times in the hundreds), it leads me to believe that many of you are facing the reality of being placed on a performance improvement plan (PIP) or perhaps coming close to...

I have been watching what my fellow team members here at PICHR have been talking about this month, and there is a lot of dialogue about stuff that is going on in the trenches of HR.  Trench HR is not my term, I am borrowing it from my friend Charlie Judy (consider this as proper attribution), only...

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...

There is only one sport where every player contributes during every game. Not football with their 50+ man rosters; and not baseball with their 20+ man squads; and certainly not basketball with the last three players on the bench looking as fresh in their warm ups at the end of the game as they did during...

Integrity is something I hold people to the highest degree; without integrity, there is no trust and it can cause people to routinely question someone’s motives, performance, etc. I recently came across an infographic outlining information on resume lying. You know, inflations of the truth on...

While picking up some hotcakes at McDonald’s, I noticed a little promotional graphic on the side of the large plastic bag.  It said, “Grow Your Own, We Did.” The graphic had a bowl of something that looked hot and good, a plant and it’s roots, and a stat about the success of their restaurant...

It’s as if they arrived here on earth from a time far ahead in the future. They look like us, yet their impact is somehow very different than the majority of the employees who we work with each day. At times they are quite charming and appear to have a solid network of peers. But, something is...

Search the word “leadership” online, there are over 300,000,000 results on Google and 125,000,000 on Bing.com. There is a lot of obvious advice out there about what are good and effective leadership traits but there is no general – all-encompassing leadership model or definition. Since...

Today’s post is from a guest blogger Nisha Raghavan. Nisha Raghavan is a Global HR professional with experience in handling Talent Management, Employee Engagement and Cultural diversity at work place. After having worked in Corporate India for a while she moved to United States and talks about...

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,...

The beginning of the year often serves as a time for reflecting on what we have accomplished during the previous year, and identifying our plans and focus for the coming year. Successful organizations make strategic planning a priority, set long-range goals, and identify objectives to assist with achieving...

Once upon a time, I worked with my staff to set goals. We met at the end of each year to set goals for the following year – and at the end of each quarter to discuss progress on their annual goals and other performance stuff. Some called this overkill. I called it accountability. The systems guy had...

The phrase “You can’t get blood out of a stone” refers to the inability to extract something from nothing. We do this all the time in HR.  Especially around goal setting time. Maybe it’s the thought of achieving 99% of a goal and getting the top payout for our bonus. Or maybe it’s because...

New years bring new dreams and goals for many – employees, managers, organizations, and people in general. In particular with organizations, you have on one hand, employees getting caught up in the “this is gonna be our year!” hype. On the other hand, you have fiery, inspirational leaders...

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...

Typically when we think of creating performance we think in terms of excellence and achievement. But over the years I have learned that such is not always the case.  As is the name of our home here… Performance I Create,  that performance can sometimes be  less than a stellar thing.  Some managers,...

How do you get better? What is the Tipping Point in your professional life that allows you to breakthrough to a new level of performance? Does it come from within; or, are you the type of person who feeds off the energy of a team that is engaged and passionate about what they do? Enter Performance I...

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...

Why do my employees always look so tired and worn out? Why do my employees often seem disinterested? Why do my employees just never seem to give their very best? Why can’t my employees just see and buy into the vision I have for the organization? These questions are often asked by managers without...

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...

Just a couple years ago I was a brand-new blogger looking for exposure and opportunities. After a few months, I saw a tweet from Chris Ponder about a new multi-contributor site he was creating – titled Performance I Create {PIC} – and he was looking for new writers. Fast forward to 2013,...

Performance I create, this site is passing through a bifurcation point (big word DRINK if you are playing along at home).  As the referenced definition says we may also be experiencing some chaos, and to steal further from the reference, qualitatively new types of behavior, along with a sudden change. When...

Everyone wants freedom to breath, be creative, trusted to perform their essential job duties and meet deliverables on time without harassment. Nobody wants to be micromanaged or tied to their desk all day. That’s understandable, that’s desirable and hell that’s what I want too. But total freedom...

Let’s talk about performance, competition and deserves. We just wrapped up the Olympic Games in London. Of course you have heard of the Olympics, they occur every 4 years and athletes from all over the world gather to compete and represent their countries in a variety of sporting events. The work and...

Since we have arrived at that half-way mark of the year, it is time for the “check-the-box” conversations around mid-year performance. Don’t you just love having to set aside time to simply talk about performance up to this point? Why aren’t those conversations around performance...

Is someone getting the best of you? Maybe that means they’re getting your best possible performance? Or, maybe they’re taking advantage? How about your team members…are you creating an environment where they know you are getting the best out of them? Do they know you will support them...

We hear a lot about the sad state of the performance appraisal process:  It’s broken, fundamentally flawed and completely irrelevant.  Some of that is probably true.  I’ve heard many suggestions ranging from the extreme of having DAILY performance meetings, to the opposite extreme where companies...

You just got put on a performance improvement plan (PIP) – oh no. I am sure there are a number of thoughts crossing your mind:  crap, what am I going to do, my manager is just singling me out, how did this happen, the expectations are just too much, and on, and on. It’s understandable the...

I have the privilege of coaching a group of fourteen year old boys who play highly competitive ice hockey. Since we are based in Florida, we travel extensively to play good teams from more traditional hockey states in the North. Our boys are incredibly dedicated, committed, and fiercely competitive. And...

I’ve been in Human Resources a long time. I’ve been in healthcare a long time too. Through it all the Performance Review has been a mainstay not only in the corporate culture of the various health systems I’ve worked; but also in the regulatory psyche of those that oversee hospital...

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...

Let’s continue our conversation about the performance I create…. This post will discuss ‘What’ will influence your performance? What do you do? What do you WANT to do that you are not doing now? What do you need to KNOW to do what you are not doing now? What people invest, illuminate and inspire...

When Chris invited me to contribute to this blog, I was intrigued by the name of the site.  After 20 years of delivering, designing and developing learning solutions the one common theme which influences and improves performance is individual commitment.  Performance is about “I.”  Individuals...

When it comes to grading talent in your organization, asking the wrong questions can lead to some serious miscalculations. Today’s guest post comes from Dan Portillo, Vice President of Success and Engagement with Rypple. You can check out Dan on LinkedIn or his blog site at Rypple. I advise companies...