Recently, John Arnold and I spoke on this topic. Actually we led a conversation as the group we were invited to speak to was comprised of very successful people. We determined that rather than talk “at” them we would lead a discussion and see what others thought of this topic. The feedback was incredible and highly interactive. Here are a few of the areas we discussed:

1) This group believed like us that there is a leadership vacuum. From our politicians, to our business leaders, to our sports heroes there is a derth of people that we could call “uncommon” leaders. And, what do we mean by uncommon? Another word would be remarkable.  Leaders who stand out because of their vision, their investment in people and their integrity just seem to be lacking. The economic downturn has provided an excuse for corporations to mistreat employees. Especially those companies that are publicly traded. We all cited examples of companies that have made profits more important than people and how the Gallup surveys continue to show the high number of employees who are “disengaged” (currently about 54%). These employees have quit but they haven’t left.

2) We also discussed the concept that leadership really is about relationships; building and investing in those that you’ve asked to carry the torch for you and your company. Matthew Kelly, the author of Dream Manager, has the concept that if you are asking employees to help you build your dream why aren’t you finding out how you can help your employees fulfill their dreams? Companies and leaders that have taken Kelly’s idea and implemented have seen incredible results in creating an environment where employees are not only engaged but thriving!

3) What’s Your Legacy? – great discussion about this idea of  what it means to leave a legacy of uncommon leadership. It really is a simple concept; are the people that were entrusted to you better off for the relationship? If it’s that simple then why don’t more leaders check their emotional, spiritual and moral compasses to make sure the legacy they are leaving is one of a positive, lasting, life changing experience? I think the answer is simple too; most people are here to serve themselves rather than being servant leaders. Ken Blanchard has written extensively about servant leadership. I say this as modestly and humbly as I can.  When I was entrusted to run a division of 1200 employees we had that attitude; how can we serve them? I am proud of the fact that the gentlemen who cleaned our building was comfortable coming in my office at night and sitting down and talking to me. He also knew what our vision was. If you had asked him about our vision statement he knew it! Our entire leadership team was proud of the fact that every employee knew why they did their jobs and why they mattered. Was that easy? No and that is also one of the issues with leaders. It takes effort and commitment to care about every employee.

What kind of leader are you; self serving or serving others? That one change in your focus can produce amazing results. It’s actually a paradox that most corporate CEO’s miss. The focus is so much on profits they forget the people. If they would flip the switch, make people the number one focus the profits will follow.

This is the work that we do at HCI; help others invest in themselves to become the best leader they can be so they can invest in others. Let us know how we can help!

Ed

John Arnold, a seasoned veteran of executive coaching and management consulting has joined the The Human Capital Initiative. We are very excited about the depth and wealth of expertise that he brings to our team. He and Ed Chaffin have already kicked off an initial project with a firm in South Carolina this past week. Please join me in welcoming him to HCI and below you can read some of his credentials. Welcome aboard, John!

He excels in the application of executive coaching, leadership development, consultative sales management, team building, executive recruiting, employee development, and multi-site business management. An expert in leadership development and change management, John has designed, delivered, and facilitated strategic planning retreats; supported mission and vision work as well as guided organizational change projects. 

For over 25 years, John has worked extensively with executives, senior managers, and teams, providing industry leadership expertise. As someone who has authored and led many change management initiatives, he fully understands the financial, business, and strategic thinking processes and can work effectively in all areas.

He  has worked with organizations of all sizes in a variety of industries including financial services, real estate, biotechnology, logistics and transportation, insurance, education, and steel.  Client companies that John has worked with include, Bright House Networks, HEICO, RESNA, Newell Rubbermaid, Devereux Florida, Lone Star Steel, Ryder Systems, Inc., SearchAmerica Inc., Provident Financial Services Inc., among others. 

John earned his undergraduate degree (B.A.) degree in economics from Marymount College and is a sought-after speaker on the subjects of influential leadership and professional development. John is a member of the International Coach Federation. 

He currently resides in Coral Springs, FL with his wife Kathie. They have three children and two grandchildren. In his free time, besides being an avid family man, John is a black-belt in Taekwando, plays golf and enjoys sharing his passion for leadership development.

“Uncommon Leadership – What’s Your Legacy?”

Ed Chaffin, Founder and President of the Human Capital Initiative (HCI) and John Arnold, Senior Partner with HCI will be speaking to the Greenville Chapter of the Society of Business Fellows (SIBF) on August 3rd at the Poinsett Club.

They will lead a conversation on leadership that will discuss recent research on leadership and how key components can drive us to become the best leader we can be and in the process leave a legacy of leadership.             

Several questions we’ll explore: 

• Are leaders born or made?
• What do followers look for in their leaders?
• Vision – how important is it?
• Being a “secure base” – what does that mean? 
• Situational leadership – is it real and how does  it apply?
• Executive coaching – can it make a difference?

Website launched for Human Capital Initiative places web design firm in running for 8th annual Stevie® Awards to be presented on June 21 in New York City. 

Atlanta, GA – May 21, 2010 – One Lily Inc. was named a Finalist in The 2010 American Business Awards.

The American Business Awards are the nation’s premier business awards program. All organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit entries – public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small.

More than 2,700 entries from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted for consideration in more than 40 categories. As one of only a handful of finalists in the Business Services category, One Lily’s design (humancapitalinitiative.com) is competing against other high caliber websites:

Accenture, Chicago, IL: Accenture Corporate Website
Creek Systems, Aliso Viejo, CA: Creek Systems Business Services
imagistic, Westlake Village, CA: imagistic Web Site
imagistic, Westlake Village, CA: TeamLogicIT Web Site
Lionbridge Technologies, Waltham, MA: Lionbridge Translation Blog

“Our client wanted to make The Human Capital Initiative website stand out,” says One Lily President Angela Nielsen, “while still conveying their breadth of knowledge and expertise in their field.  We already knew the design captured the attention of their target audience. Now it turns out it’s getting national attention at a very high level. I’m very excited to see a client getting this kind of exposure to help grow their venture.”

Ed Chaffin, Founder and President of The Human Capital Initiative had this to say about One Lily and the team led by Angela Nielsen: “From the beginning, I knew that we had picked the right firm to work with. There is so much passion for delivering the very best to their clients and then they have the talent to back it up! We asked a lot out of One Lily and they delivered”.

This year’s Stevie Award winners will be announced during the annual gala on Monday, June 21 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.  More than six-hundred executives from across the U.S.A. are expected to attend.  The event will benefit Oceana (oceana.org), the largest international organization focused on ocean conservation. The ceremonies will be broadcast on radio nationwide by the Business TalkRadio Network.

Details about The American Business Awards and the list of Finalists in all categories are available at www.stevieawards.com/aba. 

The Human Capital Initiative

HCI is an Atlanta based management consulting firm that works with leaders to transform themselves, their people and their company culture. Their focus is in two main areas; People Powered Solutions® and HR Services. 

One Lily Inc.

One Lily is a full-service web and print design firm located in southern California that provides hosting, website maintenance, corporate identity packages, and resources for branding, copywriting, search optimization, and online marketing. www.onelily.com

The Stevie Awards.

Stevie Awards are conferred in four programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide.  Learn more about The Stevie Awards at www.stevieawards.com.

Contact:

Ed Chaffin, President

echaffin@humancapitalinitiative.com

404.790.9583

How many HR professionals know what your company is paying in Federal and State Unemployment Insurance (UI) Taxes?  How many of you know enough to know you should really care about this?!  UI is the proverbial step-child of whatever function or department in your organization it happens to land.  But the step-child wants to be heard and is screaming at the top of its lungs in all fifty states.  So if you haven’t heard it, don’t wait for someone in the C-Suite to ask you what all the noise is about.

If your organization saw UI benefit charges go through the roof in 2009 and now have been blind-sided in 2010 with UI rate increases, then prepare to be steamrolled in 2011 and beyond.  In today’s economic environment of unemployment in double digits in many states, company UI program improvements made now will not be realized for several years…..but they need to be made! 

For years companies viewed UI taxes as just another required check to write and moved on.  But now CFO’s are asking Controllers, VP’s and HR execs, and whoever else is within shouting distance how did this happen!  To further validate this pressing issue, one company we know saw their unemployment claims increase 57% from 2007 to 2009, but their unemployment charges increased exponentially by 139% during the same period!

 To put it in perspective, here’s some recent information from the Congressional Budget Office:

“Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has issued its budget and economic outlook for fiscal years 2010 through 2020.  The report concludes, in part, that unemployment taxes will increase from $38 billion in 2010 to $75 billing by 2013 and continue to rise to $84 billion by 2020. The $37 billion increase from 2010 to 2013 represents a 97% tax increase.  This steady rise in costs will balloon to 121% by 2020.

(From CBO’s 2010 to 2020 Economic Outlook Report dated February, 2010) 

An employer’s unemployment rate is determined not only on the employer’s individual experience, but on the health of the states trust fund balance.  As of this date, 32 states (including Virgin Islands) have borrowed federal funds in order to pay unemployment benefits.  A total of 12 states have borrowed in excess of $1 billion.  This is causing the FUTA (Federal Unemployment Tax) fund to be depleted which will require increases in the FUTA tax rate to replenish the fund which will impact states even further. To borrow a phrase, “there ain’t no free lunch”! Those “free” extended benefits will eventually come back to bite employers.  Stating the obvious, the entire system is virtually bankrupt, underwater, and employers are holding the toxic mortgage with no bailout in sight.  

So, if you see this as a call to action, and not quite sure where to start, HCI has deep expertise in this complex program where 50 states administer 50 different programs, all called UI.  Follow the link below to sign up for our free webinar on How To Control Your UI Costs NOW!     

Thursday, April 22, 2010, from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. EST on the topic, Unemployment 2010:  A Call to Action.  The webinar audio and PowerPoint presentation can be accessed at:         

            Audio Conference

            Dial-in Number:             1 (605) 715-4970

            Guests’ Code:               1039915 

            Webinar Website

            Webinar Address:          http://hci-chaffin.glance.net?key=0103

Sock Sock, Shoe Shoe!
Got your attention, didn’t I?
What in the heck does sock sock, shoe shoe mean? Hang on and I’ll get there but let me set the stage first. Most of us have heard the phrase “if you keep doing what you’re doing you’re going to keep getting what you’ve always got”. Guess what? We hear it but how many of us do anything about it? Why is that? Ponder that question for a minute before reading further. Go deep and get out of excuses, I mean symptoms like, “I’m too busy”, “I’m not qualified”, “I’ve tried before and it didn’t work” or the one I really like (not really!) “that’s just who I am”.
Here’s the next question. What do you want to accomplish in your life that you haven’t? Or said another way, what changes would you like to make in the way you live your life? Chances are you’ve explored this before and chances are you’ve had some modest success. You may have even knocked it out of the park, so to speak, and really did something that impressed even you! But, you’re back to the “WHAT’S NEXT” question and don’t know what to do.
Socrates said “an unexamined life isn’t worth living”. How do you examine your life? Start with sock sock, shoe shoe. Ok, here’s the story. One Sunday morning I’m helping my then 7 year old daughter get dressed for church. I’m hurrying around on auto pilot when she piped up and asked me the most profound question I’ve ever been asked in my life; “Daddy, when you get dressed do you put on sock sock, shoe shoe or do you put on sock shoe, sock shoe?”! I was stunned. I sat down on the bed, looked her in the eye and said “Erica, I honestly don’t know. I have to think about”. When I did think about it I told her I did sock sock, shoe shoe, lace lace because on that day I had laces on my shoes. She proudly stated “I put on sock shoe, sock shoe”. What happened in that short exchange?
My daughter forced me to STOP and THINK about a routine task that I do most days unless I decide to run around barefoot! I had NEVER once thought about how I put on my shoes. Have you? No? I didn’t think so!
This is the challenge for most of us. We either don’t or won’t stop and think about the things we do every day that are “automagic” but that impede us from achieving our goals. A lot of the automagic stuff we do is great, like breathing! But, how much do we do that we don’t even realize we do and how much of that is productive and moving us toward our goals and dreams?
How does this tie in to the work we do at HCI? Stay tuned and we’ll explore those avenues in later posts but for now suffice it to say this will lead us to have some conversations about transformational change vs. transactional change, which the latter is what we see individuals, companies and HR groups providing.
For now let me ask you to ponder this question: which is it? Sock sock, shoe shoe or sock shoe, sock shoe?!
Onward & Upward!
Ed