In my career, I’ve seen disruption of many kinds. We are currently seeing it on a huge scale in HR. But it is all too easy to look in the rear view mirror and accept the inevitable. Successes look as though they were meant to happen. Consider Amazon, Netflix, Facebook and Uber. Can you imagine your life without them?

If you can’t then you’re looking in the rearview mirror.

Predicting Change

These companies have come along and disrupted their industries to such an extent that they’ve become integral to our way of life. Yet we did live without them. When we were happily going about our business without them, how many people could genuinely have seen ahead, and predicted that these would be the specific ways these industries could be changed?

The answer: precious few. Which is why the people who started them are billionaires. And deservedly so, in my view.

��The frog

Put a frog in a pan of cold water, and turn up the heat. It will gradually go to sleep as the water warms up, lulled into a false sense of comfort and security.

When the water reaches 40%, it will simply die, without realising its fate.

And there is the rub. If we go to sleep, happy and content in our market niche, we too might boil to death as digital disruption comes to our industry.

Your organisation

Think about how well prepared your��organisation is for digital disruption – that you��haven’t even heard of yet.

The key is to do less of the things on the left, and more of the things on the right. Think about the organisation you are working in right now – where are YOUR vulnerabilities?

What can you improve or change? How can you get buy-in from organisation leadership?

Be T Shaped

The final piece of the puzzle is making yourself as an individual equipped for change and digital disruption. ��How T Shaped are you?

Working in an Agile team puts huge demands on everyone. Luckily, there’s no excuse for not being T- Shaped. Whatever your discipline, work to acquire a working knowledge so that you can collaborate across silos. This will spark innovation and enable a progressive organisational culture.

One silo that still exists in organisations is HR. Bust it open with the new breed of HR software such as ������Ƶ, which��enables people to work together seamlessly.

The post How to Avoid Digital Disruption: The Rearview Mirror Won’t Tell You Anything appeared first on ������Ƶ.

You’ve probably heard the advice for creating stunning presentations. “Tell them what you are going to tell them. Tell them. Then tell them what you’ve told them”

Sounds trite. But there is much that we all need to heed in this.

Communicating the key messages about your company is probably the most important job you’ve got as a leader. But sadly, the truth is that��no-one is constantly listening to their managers or bosses at work. People have so much to absorb that its easy to tune out, or rely on their colleagues to tell them what’s going on.

So if you are to be effective, ��you’ll need to up your game. Communicating effectively is a skill – just like anything else. You are not expected to know it simply because you’ve been given a leadership role.

1. Don’t expect anyone to remember what you said the first time.

You will need to repeat yourself until you are bored of the sound of your own voice. You will need to say things over and over again, in multiple different ways. Don’t give up, don’t think that you’ve really nailed your message after one or two meetings.

2. You need to use the channels that the listener prefers. Not always your preferred channels.

Some people love to talk, some hate it. Some will pick up new information rapidly, some take time to digest. You’ll need to provide ways that everyone can absorb the message. Just because you prefer sending emails, doesn’t necessarily mean your employees will read them. I’ve lost count of the times when people have asked me to explain emails I’ve sent them – over the phone – that I thought were truly simple!

3. People learn in different ways.

Psychologists have identified several different ways that people prefer to learn new things. For some its listening, others reading, for others its via social groups or activities. You’ll need to ensure you’ve provided tools for all your people. So, if you are communicating a change in your company, make sure you engage with people via team meetings, written briefings, emails, company noticeboards, and get out and about while people are socialising to spread the word.

4. Be kind and considerate.

We don’t always talk about kindness at work. But its critical. Especially when people are feeling vulnerable and you’re communicating a lot of change in your messages, for example.

People don’t leave their emotions or feelings at the office door. Being considerate is one of the most powerful things you can do. We talked to a friend recently��who is leaving a very well paid job at a large organisation simply because in the year she has worked there, her manager never once said good morning to her when she arrived for work, and ignored the greeting she gave him. How simply this could have been avoided!

5. You are communicating constantly through what you DO as well as what you SAY.

In the workplace, people notice everything you do – yes, absolutely everything. ��Your body language and actions communicate volumes. Think people don’t notice when you don’t live out your own values, or the company’s values? Think you can get away with not attending social events you expect your employees to do? Or taking your turn at essential office chores? Think again! What the leader does is the thing that everyone will do. I once worked at a company where my manager (the CEO) cleaned the toilets and took out the rubbish every day. He never had to ask for help – people pitched in automatically.

6. Be honest in your communication

People don’t expect you to know the answer to everything or to be always right. They are adults, and don’t expect you to be God. Its OK (good, in fact) to admit you have messed up, or don’t know the answer. What is bad, is to pretend to know, lie, or retreat into a hole when you don’t know what to do. There is nothing worse than an information vacuum while leaders are figuring out what to say. People will write their own stories – not necessarily what you want them to hear.

7. Communicate the WIIFM

People don’t listen to everything you say or understand what you are telling them. What? You’ve told them 5 times? And they still don’t get it? What’s wrong with these people? There is nothing wrong with them, but there is something wrong with your communication. You��have not followed the number one rule – people need to know��“WIIFM”��(“what’s in it for me”). If they don’t hear or see��this, they switch off, no matter how much noise you make.

8. People aren’t telling you the truth.

People don’t always tell you how they really feel, no matter how friendly you are with them or how long you have worked with them. We have��talked to countless CEOs��who tell me that all their people are very happy working at their company. How do they know? They “asked” them. Now, just think for a moment. You are a junior employee, and your boss or boss’s boss says, “do you enjoy working here?” Hmm….great to be asked, but are you really going to reveal that you think your co-workers are lazy, you are fed up that you did not get asked to contribute to the new project, or that you think you deserved the promotion not your colleague? And just before she stopped by your desk you were updating your LinkedIn profile? I wonder.

To allow your people to communicate effectively with you, make sure you allow them the freedom to express themselves without judgement.

If you like this post, you can read more of our best ideas for people management on our .

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We’re thrilled to be bringing you Lucy’s thoughts because they are so closely aligned with ������Ƶ’s core philosophy of putting people back at the centre of human resources. Anyone who has ever worked in the HR profession will recognise her honest and refreshing take on the issues!

We don’t trust our managers

You know you’re in trouble when the thinking behind your latest initiative is that “if HR doesn’t manage it, THEY won’t do it properly”. The “THEY” in question is, of course, your managers; the people we trust enough to lead the business but not enough to lead our people.

I struggle to think of a time when a new strategy or tactic I introduced as an HR Director wasn’t shaped by a desire to compensate for poor leaders.

• THEY won’t have conversations with their team members? Let’s introduce a system that makes them sit down once a year to do it.
• THEY won’t tackle poor performance? Let’s make them allocate their performance ratings on the basis of a pre-determined distribution curve that forces them to put 10% at the bottom.
• THEY won’t reward their people fairly? Let’s design a bonus formula that has a number of different measures so they won’t have much room for manoeuvre.
• THEY won’t tell their people what’s happening in the organisation? Let’s produce a script and insist they cascade this through their teams by a certain date.
• THEY won’t onboard their people properly? Let’s take their new starters off them for a week and put them through a programme.
• THEY will hold onto their talented people? Let’s produce a 9 Box Grid so we know who they are and then make sure we’re tracking what happens to them.
• THEY won’t be able to recruit people without being discriminatory? Let’s have an HR person in every interview to stop it.

We’re often making things worse

Whilst our desire to compensate often stems from a positive intent – to protect and help employees or the organisation – the impact, I believe, is corrosive and damaging for three key reasons:

1. We often make things worse

Instead of achieving our aims of great conversations, fair rewards, effective communication and so on – the processes we make “THEM” carry out often deliver just the opposite.

“Sometimes doing nothing would be the better option”

Instead of great conversations we have produced cumbersome performance systems with complicated ratings and distribution curves that often make it impossible for managers to simply have a great conversation. Instead of rewards that surprise, delight and motivate our people, we have created bonus structures that dissatisfy and confuse. Instead of effective communication, managers end up parroting sterile scripts that they don’t own. Instead of allowing for differentiation based on personal style, the needs of that particular area of the business or the simple common sense requirement to use discretion, we push one-size-fits all processes that managers often box tick or try and find ways of ignoring. Occasionally my HR colleagues will tell me that “we know it isn’t working very well, but it’s better than nothing”. I think sometimes “nothing” would be better than the things we make them do.

2. We create a culture of co-dependency

By continuing to compensate for poor managers we create a co-dependency with HR that is both unhealthy and dangerous. Whilst we might enjoy the sense of being needed, by failing to address the doubts about their abilities to lead and manage their people, we remain necessary and fail to help them develop the judgement and skills they need to do it on their own.

“By remaining necessary we fail to help managers develop judgement”

In a world of pace and ambiguity, where the ability of managers to make the right decisions quickly is paramount, we keep them childlike and limit their potential.

3. It stops HR from doing what it needs to

Compensating for poor managers places HR in a kind of hybrid role of Chief Super-Nanny/Police/Monitor. Not only does this little for our credibility with the business, it also means that we devote hours to measuring who’s done what or doing it for them. If I had diverted just 50% of the time I invested in thinking up new ways to make managers do things into creating the conditions where they would do it themselves, I would have been a much better HR leader.

So how can we begin to change the focus for HR?

How do we��support better managers?

Sadly, there are a lot of poor managers, but maybe fewer than we think if we changed our approach? I believe there are four ways in which we can begin to do this.

1. Don’t design around the lowest common denominator

If our starting point in HR is about how “THEY” won’t or can’t then our focus will remain on making them or doing it for them. An alternative approach is to use “appreciative inquiry” and to look at what’s working well and re-focusing our energies on how it could be even better. Here’s a nice short video that explains the method in the abstract. In terms of our managers, this can involve looking at what your great managers are already doing and seeing what it is that makes them behave the way they do.

2. Play to their strengths

The leadership competency framework is beginning to look dated and lose its credibility. Instead of producing a list of behaviours that we expect managers to model, it can be helpful to focus on the unique strengths each manager has and helping them understand how they can lead, engage and develop their people in a way that works for them and feels authentic.

3. Focus on the impact

Instead of driving and measuring inputs (numbers of appraisal forms completed, numbers of people trained etc) we can set expectations about and measure what we want their people to feel and experience (ie: we want you to help your people perform at their best, we want you to help your people grow and learn, etc). If we focus on the impact we want them to have as managers but allow them the freedom to deliver it in ways that work for their people, their authentic leadership style, their business context, etc, then we both challenge them to develop and use their particular strengths.

4. Allow judgement

I remember introducing a discretionary “spot reward” scheme at the BBC to respond to managers’ complaints that the removal of bonuses had left them no ability to thank and recognise discretionary effort. We deliberately withheld creating complex rules for the scheme and said instead that there were only two – stay in budget and don’t give one person more than the top amount in any one year. The results were fascinating. The bulk of managers loved the autonomy and used it wisely. A few however, were very anxious about the lack of rules – primarily because it meant they would have to potentially explain the rationale for giving to one person and not another. (One manager even wrote his own “rules” for the scheme to help him manage it!)

We must avoid the urge to create more rules and learn to back off

We must avoid the urge to create more and more rules and instead learn to back-off. Whilst it can be tempting and reassuring to have everything nailed down so there’s no room for error, it also doesn’t allow for managers to use and build their judgement and so we are stuck in this cycle of co-dependency.

The sad truth is that HR cannot really compensate for poor leaders and managers. At best, we paper over the cracks and at worst, we can create conditions where the better managers struggle to do it well. If we spent more time making sure we chose better leaders in the first place and less time compensating we’d do everyone a favour.

You can find out more about Lucy .

If you’d like to read more of our blogs on the latest thinking in HR, why not take a look

The post HR Can’t Compensate For Poor Managers: Guest Blog Post from Lucy Adams, Expert Author appeared first on ������Ƶ.

Three keys to the human mind and how it evaluates reward

Every business has to make difficult decisions on how much employees should be paid. Salaries and bonuses must be affordable, be legally compliant and enable the recruitment, retention and motivation of a high-quality workforce. The decision is complicated because every business has its own objectives and culture and a different workforce. But there are three universal principles that should be applied in making decisions about pay:

Define what you mean by fairness

Most businesses try to pay their employees fairly. This can go wrong when they do not define what they mean by fairness and explain this to their employees. Pay decisions are based on external market data, the value of job an employee is doing and on performance. Inevitably employees will not always accept that the decisions coming out of this process are fair to them as individuals.

This happens when employees are left to define what fairness means for themselves. When they do they often develop unrealistic expectations and are disappointed with their pay. If the business defines what fairness means and explains this as part of the reward policy employees are more likely to understand and accept your pay decisions.

Always pay what employees are expecting

The human brain evolved to be averse to losses, and anything that is below what employees are expecting is felt as a loss. There is just one golden rule in reward management: NEVER PAY EMPLOYEES LESS THAN THEY ARE EXPECTING.�� If I am expecting a bonus of £3,000 and I only get £2,000, I will feel as if I have lost £1,000 and it will be as if my employer has taken money away from me. We all react badly to losing things.

This will not happen if you invest time in making sure employees know what to expect and that they are not expecting more than the business can afford. If there is a lot of uncertainty about what you can afford it is best to keep employee expectations as low as possible.

It is a waste of money to pay a lot more than employees are expecting. There would no point in paying me a bonus of £6,000 if I am only expecting £3,000. I would be glad to have the money but I would probably soon forget about it. And I might also expect a higher bonus or £6,000 for the next year and feel a loss if I did not get it.

It’s not just about money

Pay is something that happens to an employee, it comes from outside and is an “extrinsic” reward. Extrinsic rewards are visible, short-term and unreliable. They contrast with intrinsic rewards, which come from fulfilling the psychological needs of employees.�� We all have a need to be respected, to have control over how we do our work, to feel part of a social team and to be treated fairly. Intrinsic rewards are hidden, long-lasting and dependable.

High salaries and bonuses do not lead to a high-performing workforce unless they complement the more powerful intrinsic rewards. If employees believe they are being treated unfairly the intrinsic reward is compromised. Employees will see this as a threat and will quickly become disengaged and unproductive.

Intrinsic rewards are the most valuable part of reward and are the best way to make sure employees stay committed to the organisation. Pay is well managed when extrinsic and intrinsic rewards work in harmony together.

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But, the cost of sickness takes a toll on your business. According to the ��the average worker is absent from work for 6.5 days a year. This figure varies from one workplace to another but the cost to the UK economy is £16 billion annually. It’s not surprising that some businesses struggle to know where to start managing this issue.

Fortunately, there is lots you can do to help your employees stay well, and create a workplace they will fall in love with.

Practical steps to avoid excessive sickness absence

1. Monitoring sickness absence. Get your data in good shape so that you know where likely problems and absences are likely to crop up. Find out more about��sickness absence monitoring procedures.
2. Policies. Review your disciplinary procedures (download a free policy template��here) and ensure you have made it clear to employees what the consequences of excessive sickness absence are. Frequent communication, consistent application of a fair policy such as ������Ƶ’s free��short term and long term sickness absence policies,��and an expectation that return to work interviews will always be carried out is vital. The last thing you want is managers in one team letting things slide while the neighbouring department is run with more rigour.
3. Flexible working. Allowing a degree of flexibility in normal working hours is another strategy that can help. Click here for more information about flexible working including a free flexible working/working from home policy template) If employees know they can take a day off at short notice to deal with family, childcare or other caring responsibilities, the need for them to call in sick for non-genuine reasons is mitigated. Its give and take – building flexibility in as far as reasonably possible will pay dividends in terms of asking people to work extra hours from time to time if a key project is looming.
4. Tracking absence patterns and looking for “hotspots”. You’ll need a good tool to keep track of people’s absence and see any patterns. Early action is essential and can head off problems down the track. ������Ƶ includes free holiday and absence tracking, a company calendar, and a real time HR dashboard that’s ideal for busy managers.
5. Consider other ways of rewarding good attendance. Sometimes organisations use incentive payments, time banking systems, buying and selling leave. Find out more about incentives and rewards that actually work to increase��employee engagement here.
6. Understand what you can do to support wellbeing and mental health, the hidden epidemic affecting one in six UK workers.

Find more great ideas on our blog on����driving ��up employee engagement and creating a happy workplace. Engaged employees who love coming to work don’t take sick leave!

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Luckily as business, leadership and management book addicts, (and we confess, some of us have created books like these in our past), we have an encyclopaedic knowledge of the bookshelves.

We’ve done the work for you

We’d like to share our secrets of the ones that have lasting value, the ones we have kept in their dead tree form on our bookshelves, because we still go back and flick through them from time to time.

This is quite a personal and eclectic list, which perhaps includes some titles you won’t find listed in the usual run-downs. We would love to hear your thoughts! Do you have a favourite that isn’t on this list? Please leave a comment or get in touch.

Eleven Rings by Phil Jackson

The legendary NBA coach shares his secrets of building successful basketball teams from diverse, often raw young talent. This isn’t a classic business or management book but its deeply insightful on how people tick.��For the most successful sports coach��of all time, Phil is profoundly humble. The revelations he shares of personal and team challenges are relevant to any business environment and leadership challenge. The section about leaving behind one chapter of his life and moving on to a new challenge is incredibly moving. Phil is a person of great intelligence and this book is about seeking meaning in work and in life. Ultimately, that is the point for all of us.

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni

This book is written in the form of a fable, making it an easy and engaging read. Lencioni tells of a woman who takes over as CEO of a struggling Silicon Valley firm. ��Her team are demonstrating the classic signs of dysfunction, including absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability and inattention to results. No matter where you are in your leadership journey, you will definitely have encountered the personality types outlined here, and the book details specifics on how to successfully build them into a harmonious and high performing unit.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey

We loved this book so much that we used it to train over 50 new managers. Its the most effective approach we know of to organising life. Its self-evident that in order to be happy, we need to decide what we want to achieve, then have the tools to do it. Life is difficult, complicated, messy and unpredictable. Without focussing our efforts, we can drift and waste our precious time on this earth. This book will help you develop the mind set and techniques��that will become unconscious habits in time.��The human species is designed to need challenge and stress in order to feel mastery, from overcoming difficulties we derive satisfaction and happiness. This book will help you achieve way more than you thought you ever could. Almost every day, we remind ourselves to “start with the end in mind”.

Influence: The Power of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini

At some point in life you realise that in order to be successful everything is about influencing.��Amazingly, all of us think that we are immune to the power of advertising. Its incredible that we would think this when highly successful businesses spend billions of dollars trying to get a share of our wallets. Sadly, all of us are wired in the same way, and are influenced in broadly similar ways. (If you still aren’t convinced, just read the chapter about social proof) If you want to know the secrets of getting people to do the things you want them to do, this book is essential. It breaks down influencing techniques into categories and explains how to become skilful in all of them.

Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg

Possibly the most controversial book on the list but we are putting it out there…we love it and have given it to our daughters and our sons. ��If like us you hate those books with pink covers and titles like “Bad Girl Bosses” that are targeted at “women leaders” you will find Sandberg’s book refreshing. She is open and honest about the challenges of being a woman in a senior role. She doesn’t pretend that it’s easy, nor does she profess to have all the answers. She also doesn’t��fall into the “act like a man” or “whatever you do, don’t act like a man” advice trap. After all, life is much more nuanced than that, thank goodness. Women are not men, and women do face different challenges. Life isn’t ideal, the world isn’t fully equal, and it doesn’t help to pretend that it is. This book is for men and women leaders, who are living in a world that is made of up of people who are leaders, some of whom happen to be women.

Getting Things Done by David Allen

This book has been around for a while but its become more relevant as our lives become more complex.��Distraction beckons at every turn in the modern workplace, and so called productivity tools can hinder rather than help. This book offers a framework for approaching chunks of time and work. If followed, it can be applied to any project, challenge, both in and out of the workplace. Although it may appear deceptively simple and based on common sense, like the most powerful techniques, it can cut through complexity. Give this book to your new recruits who struggle with time management.

Predictable Revenue by by Aaron Ross and Marylou Tyler

This is the bible of B2B and enterprise selling from one of the brains behind the exponential growth of Salesforce.com itself. It contains powerful nuggets of wisdom and provides a structure and a framework for selling anything in the age of LinkedIn, email marketing and social media. Essential reading for any business needing to build a sales pipeline at scale either at go to market or in a growth phase.

Power by Jeffrey Pfeffer

Think that power is something you only get when you have already made it? Think again. You can create and take your own power, which will enable you to do all kinds of stuff you didn’t think you could. This book will show you how. There are many books that purport to do this, but this book actually works. We have tried it and got results! Pfeffer writes with a warm and engaging tone and this is a fun read with some serious takeaways. Its the book that has helped more than any other book with the challenges we face being bold and confident in new situations where we honestly are not sure what we are doing but need to look as though we do.

First Break All the Rules by Marcus Buckingham

This book is the defining work on strengths based leadership. The basic concept is simple, figure out what people are good at and build on that, instead of trying to “fix” their “weaknesses”. This book will redefine how you manage people and drive high performance. When you’ve read it, use the follow up book “Now discover your strengths” to understand the strengths of you and your team.

The Hard Thing about Hard Things by Ben Horowitz

What we love about this book is it doesn’t sugar coat the awful truth that real entrepreneurs know. Starting a business is really, really hard. It is painful, expensive, risky, terrifying, lonely and humbling. While much is written about “following your dream” and the like, there isn’t much about the reality of when things don’t go to plan. We love this book for the anecdotes and stories of the early days of Horowitz’s enterprises often with fellow tech guru Marc Andreessen. Sometimes Horowitz can come across as believing his own hype, but mostly, this is real advice from the trenches when he faced the inevitable “WFIO” moment.

The Lean StartUp

More than any book, this has defined the process of entrepreneuring in today’s economy. It is heavily focussed on technology, but the mindset is applicable to all businesses. It reminds us that most new businesses fail. But most of those failures are preventable, and the lean approach can help start ups adapt and adjust before its too late. Thinking Lean is about learning what your customers really want, testing, not making assumptions and investing in expensive product development before going to market. Its enabling more and more businesses to get into the market quickly, and it gives you the tools��to use lean strategy techniques yourself.

The One Minute Manager

This book is a quick and easy read, but its simplicity belies its effectiveness. Its actually based on the latest findings in neuroscience and how the brain works, and recent research has re-validated this. People need and crave continuous feedback and recognition. Now that businesses all over the world are revamping their performance management systems to focus more on in the moment and continuous feedback, with outstanding results, this book is more relevant than ever.

Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography by Walter Isaacson

We chose only one biography and this is it. Isaacson distills this almost mythic figure into a human being.��A little like the Horowitz book, this is perhaps exposing some uncomfortable truths about the reality of a personality like Jobs. Many have read this book and protested that Jobs comes across as a jerk. And argued that you can be nice and also successful. But most of us will recognise at least some of these characteristics in the most creative – and successful people we know. If you are interested in the early evolution of the technology and the industry that has��revolutionised our lives for the better, this is essential reading.

Thundercloud – Managing Reward in a Digital Age by Daniel Hibbert

This is a new addition to the list and we believe it will become a classic. In the war for talent that is consuming growth organisations today, organisations are scrambling to understand the secrets of motivation and engagement. If they don’t, their most valuable assets will rapidly walk out of the door. Thundercloud uncovers the neuroscience behind motivation��and engagement. As leaders, most of us have have got it all wrong. Hibbert goes back to our evolutionary roots as a species to explain how we are hard wired to behave in the face of threats and potential rewards. We fear threat and loss of something we had or thought we stood to gain, more than getting a reward itself. Removing fear and creating a culture of psychological safety will enable you to build a high performing and highly engaged workforce.��We think this is the best we’ve seen on this topic in over 25 years in business.

Independent People by Halldor Laxness

We are certain that you will never have seen this book on a list of business reading before. And it is by no means an easy read, nor is it about business. Its a saga of an Icelandic sheep farmer, overcoming brutal poverty, deprivation and harsh conditions of the landscape he lives in. Why do we recommend it? Described as being like “poetry with muddy boots on” this book is above all else a tale of the human spirit and a search for freedom. The hero of the book Bjartur prizes his independence above all else, and will go to startling lengths to preserve it. He is the very embodiment of an entrepreneur, who has to make sacrifices and suffer losses to live. Sometimes it is good to remind ourselves of how our desire to start a business and build something is rooted in an instinct that goes . Its also a wonderful read full of rich imagery of Iceland’s stunning beautiful landscape.

Find more of our curated ideas for great resources to help you develop as a leader. They’re based on our own experience and have helped us build businesses and develop others. Prefer videos? Check out our list of the best TED talks we’ve found.

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What we wish we had known

At ������Ƶ we are always learning and thought it would be fun to have a round up of��the things we and others wish we had known when it comes to looking after people.

• You are probably a bad manager. Unfortunately. Because, most people generally are. Its not something that comes naturally. It is a skill just like computer programming, engineering, speaking a language. Being good at your job or starting companies doesn’t automatically translate into management excellence. It can be taught – and you should seek support when you start employing people. We have loads of useful tried and tested real world advice here if you haven’t managed anyone before.

• People don’t expect you to know the answer to everything or to be always right. Its OK (good, in fact) to admit you have messed up, or don’t know the answer. What is bad, is to pretend to know, lie, or retreat into a hole when you don’t know what to do (this is tempting sometimes, we know)

• People don’t listen to everything you say or understand what you are telling them. What? You’ve told them 5 times? And they still don’t get it? What’s wrong with these people? There is nothing wrong with them, but there is something wrong with your communication. You��have not followed the number one rule – people need to know “WIIFM” (“what’s in it for me”). If they don’t hear or see��this, they switch off, no matter how much noise you make.

• People don’t work harder just because you increase their salary. They really don’t! You need to articulate the mission, provide interesting jobs, give them control over their work and ensure they understand how what they are doing fits into the big picture, and give them regular feedback. Oh, and say thank you for their efforts. Read more here on performance management.

• The thing that matters most out of recognition��(a simple “thank you” or “well done”) OR a financial bonus, is the recognition. So why wouldn’t you do it? It doesn’t cost you anything!

• Kindness is very important in business. We’d go to so far as to say the number one thing you should do as a leader. Understand . People are humans. They didn’t leave their emotions or feelings at the office door. Being considerate is one of the most powerful things you can do. We talked to a friend recently��who is leaving a very well paid job at a large organisation simply because in the year she has worked there, her manager never once said good morning to her when she arrived for work, and ignored the greeting she gave him. Imagine! How simply this could have been avoided!

• Your employees notice everything you do. Yes, everything. And they take their cue and model themselves on you. In this world, you are MUCH more important than you think. Everything you say or do sends a powerful message about the way that people should behave. Even the things you don’t notice or think are important. Think it didn’t matter that you didn’t make your colleagues a cup of tea? Or that you didn’t send them a Christmas or birthday card? That you didn’t wash up your dirty coffee cup and left it in the sink yet you just sent an ranty��email reminding everyone to keep the kitchen clean? That that you helped yourself first to the office pizza?����Think again. Here’s our guide to very simple and inexpensive ways to improve your company culture.

• People don’t always tell you how they really feel, no matter how friendly you are with them or how long you have worked with them. We have talked to countless CEOs who tell me that all their people are very happy working at their company. How do they know? They “asked” them. Now, just think for a moment. You are a junior employee, and your boss or boss’s boss says, “do you enjoy working here?” Hmm….great to be asked, but are you really going to reveal that you think your co-workers are lazy, you are fed up that you did not get asked to contribute to the new project, or that you think you deserved the promotion not your colleague? And just before she stopped by your desk you were updating your LinkedIn profile? I wonder. Read our guide for more effective ways to take the temperature in your workplace and get real, actionable employee feedback.

• People understand that starting companies is incredibly hard and that sometimes things don’t work out. They are adults and they can handle bad news. The worst thing you can do is to try to sugar coat it. They will see through you instantly.

• People don’t leave your company for better pay. They leave because YOU were a bad manager.

If you are starting on your management journey we’re here for you. Take your pick of our favourite reads which will inspire and inform.

The post If only I’d known that! (the keys to how people tick) appeared first on ������Ƶ.

We like free stuff!

Let us know if you have any other resources that you think we should add to this list.

. Bookmark this site or better still follow them on twitter and be informed of changes to UK employment law as it happens. This site also contains tips and advice on how to comply with UK employment law and how to develop legally compliant HR policies. It also include free templates and forms which you can download.

. This is a much less user friendly version of ACAS, and doesn’t include documents and forms, but it does have very comprehensive information about UK employment law and employee rights. It’s also worth bookmarking.

will have a website with a number of resources available to everyone. Here in Birmingham, we can find ours Of course,��for in depth help you’ll need to join, this could be useful in the future.

����are a brilliant source of information. Once you’ve joined, members gladly share resources they’ve used in their businesses. Try joining groups specific to your industry, profession or sector. You can also join groups for HR managers and professionals.��

Although much of their content is behind a paywall for members only, you can get answers to key basic points here. And you have the assurance that as the UK’s professional body for HR professionals, everything is completely up to date and accurate, as well as being in line with the latest best practise.

6. Blogs are a great source of tips and advice. Take a look at ������Ƶ’s blog, its written by a seasoned HR professional with over 20 years experience in all aspects of HR and people management, and updated regularly with current topics that most business owners will need help with.��We also like one from leading online employment law advice expert XpertHR. You have to pay to use their advice services and access much of the resource, but the blog is completely free, relevant and regularly updated.

has a great selection of free articles on HR, leadership and management. The content is from leading HR and business professionals, and is updated regularly. Take out a subscription for more in depth information.��

. This is a great little management handbook from ACAS giving you tips and advice on how to manage people in a small business in compliance with UK employment law.

9. Free HR Forms and Templates from ������Ƶ,��relating to hiring, managing and disciplining staff. This site includes job description templates, induction checklists, employee handbook templates, sickness and holiday policy templates, health and safety information, and ideas for creating a great company culture.��

groups are a fantastic resource for all types of information sharing. People are usually supportive, with an entrepreneurial mindset and a tech background. Try the group to get going. Don’t forget to answer questions yourself and add to the group – that way you’ll get more out of it.

11. TED talks. If you love learning by watching, these are a great resource. Find our top recommendations here.

12. Podcasts. A great way to combine exercise, dog walking or commuting with learning. We are great podcast fans. Get started with the list of tracks.

13. Looking to create a fantastic, cool new employee handbook and unleash your team’s creativity? Get ideas . Be sure to check out Netflix’s culture slides. They’re pretty groundbreaking.

We hope this list of free HR resources helps! Let us know if you have any other resources that you think we should add to this list.

And if you need free HR policy templates, ������Ƶ has helpfully produced a library of the ones that we know most small business owners will need. You’re welcome!

The post The 13 Best Free Business and HR Resources appeared first on ������Ƶ.

Just like Facebook and Twitter, its use is migrating into the mainstream, which means business adoption, and appealing to a different (older!) demographic.

Snapchat is in business

Businesses are using it for hiring, events, communications, marketing, B2B and a whole host of other functions. There is massive potential…

If you are just starting to get into it, it can be hard to know who to follow – the service doesn’t suggest people and it can be a little confusing. Its worth investing time – especially now – as snapchat has undoubtedly broken out of teenagers bedrooms into the mainstream.

Here are some awesome snapchatters to follow. Not all are strictly business, but its really worth while getting to know how the platform works from some of its power users!

1. GaryVee.��CEO of��. Host of The #AskGaryVee Show. Snaps��about business, start ups. He’s acknowledged as one of the first to see snapchat’s business potential.
2. Morgan Brown — :��He focuses on growth marketing,��and is influential in sharing how growth works online.
3. Tiffany Zhong:��@tzhong:��Former Product Hunt team turned VC, Tiffany is one of the many Silicon Valley folks popping up more and more on the service.
4. Justin Kan — :��He is the founder of the legendary JustinTV, and Y Combinator partner.
5. Joanna Stern: @joannastern��Tech reviewer for the Wall Street Journal, she’s responsible for the flood of new and slightly less confused older SnapChat users, after��she profiled the service on WSJ.com recently.
6. Henry Johnson — :��Sales and business growth expert, with funny daily life experiences thrown in.��
7. Noah Kagan: @noahkagan:��Employee #30 at Facebook, and founder of other influential startups, Noah is the king of growth marketing.
8. Matt Mazzeo — :��Matt is half of the Lowercase Capital team that invested in unicorn companies like Uber, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Slack and many more. Get the inside story about the world of tech and VC investing.
9. Scott Stratten: @unmarketing:��Funny because he’s unapologetically honest about the sad state that most marketing and business finds itself in. Best selling author and keynote speaker on all things marketing.
10. Shaun McBride: @shonduras: known as Shonduras to his hundreds of thousands of followers, was the first person to make it big on Snapchat in the app’s early days. Over the last couple of years, he’s worked with dozens of brands and traveled the world through his work on Snapchat. He’s still as creative as ever.

Whatever your personal approach to snapchat and other social media channels, make sure that you set up a policy on what is and isn’t acceptable in your business and for your employees. Download a free internet and email usage policy template here.

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