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Carol Anderson founded Anderson Performance Partners LLC to bring together organizational leader to collectively unite all aspects of the business - CEO’s, CFO’s and HR executives – to build, implement and evaluate a workforce alignment strategy. Carol has achieved remarkable success improving leadership collaboration, developing programs and processes that facilitate strategic alignment and building an engaged, committed, high-performing workforce.
Carol is a nationally recognized thought leader, author, speaker and consultant on aligning the workforce to business strategy. It is the workforce that executes an organizations strategy. Too often in today’s complex business world, people are an afterthought, pushed to the side by Read more
I work with HR and leadership teams together, building strategic capability into the HR team to strengthen the partnership with the business leaders. The outcome of the engagement is alignment between the workforce and the business.
In the initial consultation, I work with clients to clearly understand the challenge or opportunity, develop a project plan, and quote an estimate based on that plan.
• Biolife, Sarasota FL
• Covenant Woods, Mechanicsville VA
• FirstKey Mortgage, Rye Brook, NY
• TMP Worldwide (Monster.com), New York
• University of Central Florida, Orlando FL
• SunTrust, Atlanta GA
• Harland Financial Services, Orlando FL
• Red Square Agency, Mobile AL
• Randolph Macon Womens College, Lynchburg VA
• Scott & Stringfellow Investment Banking, Richmond VA
• Family & Childrens' Services, Richmond VA
• Owens & Minor, Richmond VA
• K Line America, Richmond VA
• Agilquest, Richmond VA
• Experient Technologies, Richmond VA
Okay, so my focus is on the people part, which then actually becomes the overall business strategy. There are a couple premises I'll put out there first. To start, there is nothing that is done in your organization that is not done by the activity of an individual or team. Second, I have found in my experience that the answers to your question - what are we doing well, and what could we either be ... Read more
It may very well impact your team dynamics which is an absolutely terrific reason to do it.
I would ask you to think carefully about the source of your reluctance to hire this individual. If you are certain that the requisite skills and experience are there, I suggest recognizing that the disruption may occur and be prepared to get in front of it.
If the reluctance is in anyway related to the sk... Read more
I think you have some work to do on two fronts - you have a trust issue that will need to be repaired, but you also have a decision-making issue that needs some attention. You seem to have fallen prey to applying solutions when you haven't clearly identified the problem. I'm guessing that someone had the idea to do 360s without a clear understanding of why, so you went the easy route and found t... Read more
There are several things at play in this question.
First, leaders need to understand their role in growing and developing their employees' skills and talent, and being comfortable sending them off to the next role. Too often, leaders hide their top performers, fearing a hit to the department if they leave. This really talks to the culture you've built in your organization - much as you are descri... Read more
Big question - why? Brooks is right - you have a finger on the problem, but you're moving to solution WAY too fast. "Flavor of the month" culture change is driven by throwing solutions at problems that have not been clearly defined. The solution doesn't work, so next month try another solution.
As a 40 person tech company, you have a unique culture and I suspect is was established at start up,... Read more
You have some good, and varying advice here already, and I think each of the answers merits thought on your part. You say it is difficult for your to explain to him what his remarks do to others, but you don't say why it is difficult. Have you tried, and if so, what has been his response?
If you have spoken with him about his behavior, was it in the tone of a leader who is providing importan... Read more
Let's back up a bit. The annual performance evaluation is an organization's way of creating meaningful dialogue between a leader and her team, with the end goal of actually improving the performance of the organization. Many organizations and managers don't use the time effectively and the exercise becomes a "process." You can make a significant different with your manager by being candid and op... Read more
You have some great ideas already, and I love the fact that you are being thoughtful about this. My only addition to the great input from the others is to ask one question - "Why is it important that we behave as a team?" It has been my experience that until each member of the team collectively agrees on the answer to this question, it is difficult to create team. In other words, if it is simply... Read more
Even if your employer provides “training” or professional development, it may or may not be helpful to your career. Thankfully, you don’t have to wait for them – the opportunities provided by the internet are astounding. But, here’s the thing. You need to be intentional about what you learn. Start by fully defining where you want to be 3-5 years from now? Do you want to be in the same o... Read more
I have used a Kotter-esque approach that works very well. In one case, the change was a new CEO and a new organizational strategy. The organization was quite large, so we structured a series of explorations aimed at getting the employees to have a chance to discuss and participate in simply understanding the vision and the case for action. Leaders were trained as facilitators, and employees attend... Read more
You have some great advice already here, including having a disciplined approach and asking team members what would be helpful. I have to say I really hate "report out" meetings, and have never met anyone who really liked them. I have had a lot of success in having the team design the major components of the meeting, then having one member of the team take responsibility for each meeting. They do ... Read more
You are so right to focus on building a spirit of cooperation. Top talent is only as good as the team and the leader, in most cases.
"A" players need strong leadership in order to play as part of the team. Strong leadership means that the leader clearly understands her responsibility to the talent, can engage the team in a common vision, can redirect the talent if they stray too far from th... Read more
Your non-financial (and financial) KPIs need to align to your business strategy, which should be the filter through which all are reviewed. I suggest doing some work around the clear understanding of your business strategy to ensure it is accurately understood throughout the organization, and then do the work of skinnying down the metrics through an exercise of strategy alignment. If you're meas... Read more
Jon has some great points, and I agree that engaging the workforce (and possibly even the customers) in defining the new organization is a way to build and grow organically. One thought - I worked with an organization that made a similar move divesting from an organization that was the role model for every other organization in the US. Three years after the move, they were still struggling with... Read more
A couple thoughts. First someone needs to have a conversation with this young man, and quickly. Second, how did he know that there were boundaries? Was the protocol that you're describing formal or informal? Regardless, he needs to be clearly told.
After you clearly define the protocol, I would carefully observe how he responds. You describe him as smart and ambitious. I would question... Read more
Over the years, in an effort to become more strategic, HR has embraced metrics, measures and benchmarks as a means of demonstrating their im... Read more
Performance management originated because organizations needed a fair way to determine compensation; by measuring employee's performance, th... Read more
What are we missing? How about organizational learning? Today's complex and changing world requires continuous learning within organizations... Read more
It is time for all good consultants and vendors everywhere to jump on the performance management bandwagon. Accenture led the cause by retoo... Read more
"I am unhappy with my boss....he doesn't give me feedback.....when she gives me feedback, it's really vague and unhelpful....he doesn't do w... Read more
MY YOGA TEACHER has to remind me to breathe. I chuckle because breathing is pretty fundamental; how the heck do I keep forgetting to do some... Read more
YOU DON'T LIKE your company's performance management plan? Join the crowd! Everyone's getting into the act these days, bashing a process tha... Read more
The Daily Herald carried an article about "the problems veterans face in the professional workplace." The author declares that corporate Ame... Read more
November HR Magazine's Point/Counterpoint column (pp. 22-23) takes on emotional intelligence, asking "Is emotional intelligence a good measu... Read more
"I have spent my career as one of those HR professionals who have to cajole operational leaders into doing 'HR work.' I've fought the resist... Read more
Repurposing HR: From a Cost Center to a Business Accelerator [Carol E.M. Anderson] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. HR m... Read more
Bring dynamic, high quality leadership content customized to your organization every month! HR.com and Leadership Excellence have joined for... Read more
Don't you just love it when the business media derails all your good work? The current edition of HR Magazine article "Is the Annual Perform... Read more
I had the privilege of speaking to an audience of HR practitioners at the HR Florida Annual Conference this week. I also had my first book s... Read more
Every so often a silly cop show can have a profound message. I watched one today. The message it communicated - that leaders have to look be... Read more
The Securities and Exchange Commission approved a rule this month that will require publicly traded companies to disclose the ratio of CEO p... Read more
I get dozens of emails each day telling me how a great product can have a miraculous effect in my company. Twenty years ago, I would get exc... Read more
It isn't a trick. Really.Okay, well "perfect" may be a bit strong, but it is possible to design a performance management process that fits y... Read more
"Never take other people for granted. There is a point of no return in all relationships."I love this statement by syndicated columnist Thom... Read more
Once again, Harvard Business Review takes on Human Resources. They want to blow it up. There are three spotlight articles on HR in the July-... Read more
Does it strike you as odd that the July/August HR Magazine features a seven-page article titled 25 Fun
I saw an article on HR Bartender titled If you're being investigated by HR . The title gave me pause, but I had to spend a bit of time figur... Read more
Skimming through my daily sources of articles, I noticed one titled "Is it time for a chief customer officer?" With apologies to the author,... Read more
For the past several years, organizations have been subtly shifting from the role of Training Director to Chief Learning Officer. Those simp... Read more
I published a post on April 1 titled There's a Good Reason Why HR Should Lead Change Initiatives, and it apparently was seen by many as an A... Read more
In 1991, Bud Crystal released the book In Search of Excess , a scathing commentary on executive pay. I was a newly minted Compensation Consu... Read more
There is a dearth of leadership in today's organizations. Don't take my word for it. You can read studies, research, surveys and more studie... Read more
Change management is about people, performance and leadership, ergo, one would think HR should be leading the charge (or at least playing a ... Read more
Oh, how I wish Andrew Shepard was a candidate for the 2016 presidential election. Remember him? The American President? He wasn't a perfect ... Read more
A recent article in the Orlando Sentinel caught my attention. It reports that a leasing company has stopped the process of making tenants ag... Read more
This is a question I've asked myself almost every time I've had to hire staff. Sometimes the answer to my question is "help," and in a truly... Read more
Over several months in 2014, we worked with our client Covenant Woods to support the substantial change initiatives underway at this beautif... Read more
My husband calls them " blond moments " when he shows me a cartoon and I don't get it. I'm also a bit gullible when I read spoofs and satire... Read more
My husband calls them "blond moments" when he shows me a cartoon and I don't get it. I'm also a bit gullible when I read spoofs and satires.... Read more
In May, I wrote about a young man who had been identified by a Fortune 100 firm as a high potential and placed into a leadership development... Read more
It was a banner year at ABC Group; business was booming, the company completed a major acquisition, initiated huge projects to consolidate d... Read more
A friend from my corporate America days recently decided to become an entrepreneur and leave the rat race behind, opening a specialty shop t... Read more
Have you noticed? HR is making headlines! We're in Fast Company , and the Harvard Business Review . We're in dozens of business books hittin... Read more
Lately, Human Resources has become a very hot topic - for reasons both good and bad. The good: There is sufficient research to show that exe... Read more
Human Resources has become a very hot topic - for reasons both good and bad.The good: There is sufficient research to show that executive le... Read more
Imagine the pride I feel for my profession when a friend of mine posts this (see below) on Facebook! Sorry. Forgive the sarcasm. But, it's a... Read more
The good: There is sufficient research to show that executive leadership wants and needs a business partner that adds value to the organizat... Read more
What's the difference? I'm so glad you asked!I don't think that there is anyone in the profession of Human Resources who doesn't yearn to be... Read more
In 1986, Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds after launch because of a failed O Ring that employees of NASA had earlier highligh... Read more
Last May, I posted a story of a young man who had been identified by a Fortune 100 firm as a high potential and placed into a leadership dev... Read more
Articles on employee engagement abound - from how important it is, to how much additional revenue is generated by engaged employees, to why ... Read more
When I walked into the MINI dealer to buy a new car, the last thing I expected to find was a great example of leadership, but that is exactl... Read more
Remember Peter, Paul and Mary's song "If I Had a Hammer?" The song goes "If I had a hammer, I'd hammer in the morning, I'd hammer in the eve... Read more
Here we go again. In the July-August 2014 Harvard Business Review, author Ram Charan writes that It's Time to Split HR . He proposes two tot... Read more
Conflict. Hate it. Love it. Why?Conflict is uncomfortable. When you disagree with me you shake my confidence. When you argue with me, I feel... Read more
I have been thinking a lot about courage and the role it plays in leadership. Just for the heck of it, I ran a google search for images rela... Read more
Have you ever noticed that social media brings out modern day philosophers and provides that little nudge to think differently or better? My... Read more
Editor's Note: Sometimes readers ask about past TLNT articles. That's why we republish a Classic TLNT post every Friday. Recently I came acr... Read more
Here is an excellent wake-up call to anyone in HR: As the investigation into the VA scandal deepens, it appears that, according to the VA's ... Read more
"Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply." -Stephen R. CoveyINC online has a very cool... Read more
Frank Sonnenberg wrote a terrific blog post on "Tough Love." His context was parental responsibility and his descriptions of common scenario... Read more
I had an epiphany! Well, maybe it's better explained as an out-of-body experience. Well, maybe not quite that. What it really was, was a per... Read more
There is a discussion on LinkedIn titled "As a Leader, do you hear less of the truth from your team?" As I am writing this, there are 105 re... Read more
Let me start right out by saying that I wouldn't go back to that age for all the money in the world. That is, unless I could take my experie... Read more
I really like the "Five Dysfunctions of a Team." I like the story approach that provides context, I like the short explanation at the end, a... Read more
I'm so glad you asked. Please bear with me on this odd comparison, but I think I can explain this pattern that I see.My son, a Marine Captai... Read more
Once upon a time, there was a young man who was searching for a career. Like many young people, his early jobs took him on a circuitous rout... Read more
Business writing, mine included, is usually a new slant on a common theme. It's cool to find content that is both logical and innovative, an... Read more
I have always attributed who I am, to what I learned in six years as a U. S. Marine. Even though I couldn't compete with the young women who... Read more
Fast Company has a very cute article titled "Person With the Twitter Password," and Other Brutally Honest Versions of Your Job Title ." I sm... Read more
The New York Times published an article about yet another successful, high profile sports coach who has been caught lying about his credenti... Read more
There is a discussion on LinkedIn titled As a Leader, do you hear less of the truth from your team? As I am writing this, there are 105 resp... Read more
Here's how to design the perfect performance management process. It isn't a trick. Really. OK, well "perfect" may be a bit strong, but it is... Read more
Frank Sonnenberg wrote a terrific blog post recently on "Tough Love: A Lifelong Gift. " His context was parental responsibility and his desc... Read more
I had the most remarkable conversation with a new client CEO this week. As a kickoff to the project, I wanted to understand his expectations... Read more
I admit it. I am addicted. They say the first step is to admit it, so here goes: I am addicted to Candy Crush Saga. If you aren't familiar w... Read more
Editor's note: TLNT is continuing an annual tradition by counting down the most popular posts of the year. This is No. 45. Our regular conte... Read more
It all boils down to trust. Everything - communication, delegation, accountability, results. Everything. Now, you say, how can accountabilit... Read more
Chris Argyris passed away last month, at the age of 90. This Harvard Business School professor earned 14 honorary doctorates, produced 30 bo... Read more
As is becoming more prevalent, there are three emails in my inbox this morning, all with some post or webinar about "Big Data." TLNT is host... Read more
"Finally - some strong evidence that giving HR pros the proverbial 'seat at the table' actually can raise company profits." Really? Simply p... Read more
And so we cry, " We want to be strategic." That's the aspiration of Human Resources professionals, collectively and as individuals, right? I... Read more
Gotcha with the headline, didn't I? Wouldn't it be just wonderful if I really could help you make performance management simple? Actually I ... Read more
How do you feel when it's that time to provide "feedback" to your team? It might be performance feedback or development feedback, but my gue... Read more
"This time it's gonna work because we hired a consultant." That statement was made by a vestry member of a small church that had been trying... Read more
The performance evaluation in corporate America is the dreaded, ineffective leadership responsibility that few ever do well. The concept is ... Read more
When will executive leadership wake up and realize that employees can see through the rhetoric when it doesn't match their actions? Perhaps ... Read more
There has been a lively discussion on TLNT about my last post, What Would Happen If HR Had to Really Sell Their Services? It seems to have h... Read more
Remember Peter, Paul and Mary's version of the song " If I Had a Hammer?" The song goes " If I had a hammer, I'd hammer in the morning, I'd ... Read more
What if Human Resources had to sell their services to their customers, fulfill the promise, and be paid based upon results? How many HR team... Read more
I have been following a petition on change.org about a local health care system. The organization recently announced that they were reducing... Read more
I still have several friends from my first civilian HR job, which was back in the early 1980s. It is incredible to me how many of us stay co... Read more
I joined my fellow Florida HR People
I joined my fellow Florida HR People
I recently had a nice chat with a colleague from my banking days. She was in Marketing and I was in HR. We discovered we both have moved int... Read more
My article was turned down by HR Magazine. It wasn't turned down because of content or style, but because I'm not a professional writer; I'm... Read more
I was cleaning out my materials from my Masters program because I am totally out of room in my office and something had to give. As I was lo... Read more
I fell into Human Resources (it was "Personnel" back then) after taking aptitude tests in the military, and then continued in civilian HR on... Read more
I bet most people who read the headline think this relates to the chaos that HR teams face on a regular basis. Add up the number of people i... Read more
Leafing through a recent HR Magazine , I noticed (well, couldn't miss) a full page advertisement for employee recognition programs. Nothing ... Read more
Recently I came across a sponsored article in Fast Company , titled Happiness Secrets from the Staff of Delivering Happiness at Work . Appar... Read more
In 1994, I took on the challenge of introducing the concept of diversity in business to my bank's leadership. Banks were coming under fire f... Read more
We want a seat at the table? We want to add value? We want to positively influence the success of the business? OK, then let's stop giving a... Read more
I have been thinking a lot about my profession - human resources - lately. I have come to the conclusion that there is no other field or dis... Read more
We may enter your organization through HR or through the business, but we will intentionally bring these together to link executive leadership, management, HR and the workforce through intentional communication and programs.
We will begin with an assessment of the alignment of your current processes, and will help you understand and interpret the data. We will then facilitate your development o... Read more
