Non-Profits, Part 3: Stabilize The Ship

Posted on October 4, 2011 by R. A. M.

charts and graphs of sales You have been on the job as the organization’s new executive director for eight weeks, and a lot has changed. You are no longer looked at as the new person on the block. Staff members do not anticipate having a personal relationship with you in any way. They know you are all business, and they respect your power. They have even seen you fire former fellows, and perhaps they have talked among themselves, wondering who might be next. But they have also realized that you are serious, honest and direct. They do not question your commitment.

That is the first key step to stabilizing the ship. Confidence is everything. It’s not false confidence. It’s gritty, edgy, hard earned confidence. Staffers must see you as someone who is utterly committed to the resurgence of the organization. Your goal needs to be steadfast communication with every single person who remains on staff. Perhaps you redirect certain people, assigning them new responsibilities instead of those they’ve had, or you add on to what they have been doing. Every change is crafted to make people more efficient and secure, and therefore making the organization leaner and more successful.

There will be some grousing in the ranks. That’s natural, but you must rise above it. Do not become embroiled in petty bickering and pointless debates. These drain energy and can drag the ship off course. That’s not why you’re there. Keep your eye on the ultimate objective, and you can turn around a heretofore hopeless situation.

Photo © Sergej Khackimullin – Fotolia.com

Non-Profits, Part 2: Who To Hire, Who To Fire

Posted on October 3, 2011 by R. A. M.

business woman and her team People are excited, nervous and hopeful on your first day in the director’s office at an embattled non-profit company. You navigated a month of interviews and crosschecking, and here you are. Everyone wants to make their best impressions, and all are hoping for the best. You’ve been charged with the simple and daunting task of saving the company. Congratulations. You got the job. Now, what do you do next?

You meet first with your assistant. This is the person you need to trust completely, the person who must have your back in all matters. Next, you meet with the entire staff. You tell them who you are, why you’re there, and what your game plan is for the next six weeks.

Then comes the hard part. You go into your office, close the door, and alone and with your assistant, you pour over the financial statements, the business plan, and the projects and obligations facing the organization over the next six months. All the while, you’re asking yourself, what is working, and what needs to change.

You are the hammer and the divining rod, and over the coming weeks, you must make personnel decisions that will determine whether or not the organization will thrive, perhaps even survive the next two years. Reviving the business means trimming the fat, and that job begins with the staff. Identify who is working well and who is undermining the company’s goals. Release those people immediately. Consider whether or not you need to replace them. Move on.

Photo © FotolEdhar – Fotolia.com

Non-Profits, Part 1: New Manager

Posted on October 2, 2011 by R. A. M.

Portrait of a positive team sitting at a table You’ve worked in the non-profit sector for several years and you like it. You enjoy going to the office every day and teaming with a core of talented people dedicated to doing work that benefits many who might otherwise be left behind by society’s hard-charging engine. As an executive director, you’re a visionary who worked your way up, performing just about every task and filling every job you were asked to do.
Always looking for challenges, you decided to accept a new executive director post with a company that has gone through some rocky times over the last few years. You did a great job just getting the job, because interviewing with a company in crisis is a difficult thing to do. You need to come off knowledgeable and dynamic, but without sounding arrogant or threatening. Workers in crisis companies are already spooked, and a newcomer is often just one more reason to be fearful.

Coming into your new post, you need to be reassuring without making any promises to individuals. Rather, make your promises general yet vivid. Make it clear that you understand the crisis the company is facing, and that you have an action plan that will navigate the business out of dangerous waters. Be reassuring yet firm, maintaining just enough distance so that you won’t give employees a reason to think they have a personal relationship with you. They don’t. More than at any other time, it’s all business when you need to begin leading a company in crisis to the promised land.

Photo © WavebreakMediaMicro – Fotolia.com

What To Look For In A Background Check

Posted on October 1, 2011 by J. L. Eisenberg

As an employer, you’re familiar with the drill: run a background check on your prospective employees, make sure they haven’t been arrested for embezzlement lately, and move on. Though screening out applicants with a history of embezzlement is always a good idea, here are some other things you should consider looking for:

1. Multiples. While one parking ticket doesn’t seem like a big deal, four or five might indicate a problem. Multiple tickets could show that the person has a difficult time following rules and adjusting their behavior when asked.

2. Education. Some people think that they’re so far beyond their college years that it’s okay to lie about what they accomplished back then. Checking educational background is especially important if you’re hiring a candidate who needs to have a certain amount of theoretical knowledge; otherwise you may wind up with an employee on your hands who doesn’t know as much as he or she needs to succeed at the job.

3. Credit. If applicable, credit checks can tell you a lot about your prospective employee. How people manage their personal finances is highly indicative of how they will manage a company’s. However, you always want to be careful about rejecting a candidate because of a black mark on their credit score. There may be extenuating circumstances surrounding the issue that have no bearing on the candidate’s money management skills. Be sure to get his or her side of the story before making a decision.

A background check can be a great tool in the hiring process, but it is not fail-safe. Listen carefully to the candidate’s side of the story before making an informed decision about whether or not their background check passes muster.

Photo © Cowpland – Fotolia.com

How To Succeed In A Leadership Position

Posted on September 23, 2011 by J. L. Eisenberg

Leader and her team It finally happened. You got the promotion you’ve been working towards for years, and now you have eight people reporting to you. It’s easy to tell what people what to do and how to do it, but truly succeeding in a leadership role takes something more subtle.

It can be temping to keep a constant eye on your team to ensure that your first project is a success. However, over-managing is one of the worst things you can do to command the respect of your team. As Theodore Roosevelt said, “the best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it.”

To make sure your team has the tools they need to get the job done without your constant watchful eye, prepare them well. Be very clear in the goals of the project and the techniques that are required to do it. Allow your team to tell you if they need supplemental training or resources and be timely about providing those things. Listening to what your employees have to say before delegating tasks or setting timelines is one of the most helpful things you can do for the success of your project.

While you don’t want to over-manage, completely ignoring your team until they day they make their presentation is never a good idea either. Schedule regular check-ins to learn where they are and what adjustments need to be made. By scheduling regular communication, your visits won’t come as a surprise, so you’re more likely to see cohesive examples of the work that’s been done. Be sure to give encouragement and praise where warranted each time you check in. Positive feedback will motivate your employees to keep doing well.

Leading a group of employees for the first time is never easy; so don’t be discouraged if things don’t always turn out the way you plan. Above all, remember to learn from your mistakes. You’ll be well on your way to that next promotion in no time.

Photo © Gabi Moisa – Fotolia.com

How To Fire An Employee

Posted on September 20, 2011 by J. L. Eisenberg

Unemployment - woman holding Fired sign on white As the high-profile firing of Yahoo’s former CEO Carol Bartz last week shows, nobody’s position is wholly secure in today’s economy. As an employer, you may be facing budget cuts or downsizing that makes laying off employees inevitable. While nobody likes to deliver the pink slip, there are methods you can use to make terminating an employee as painless as possible for both parties.

First and foremost, your decision to fire someone should never come as a surprise. Even if you are laying off an employee due to financial concerns rather than personal ones, they should know in advance that their position is on the chopping block and what (if anything) they can do to keep their job.

When the pink slip is finally delivered, keep the conversation short and sweet. Do not get in to a back-and-forth with your employee over why they were fired; the decision is final and it’s not good for either of you to dwell on it.

As with all difficult news, keep your tone compassionate when breaking it to your employee. Try prefacing handing over the pink slip by telling your employee how sorry you are about the outcome. Instead of focusing on the negatives of his or her time working for you, talk about the areas in which he or she did well. By framing the decision to terminate him or her as a question of poor fit rather than poor performance, you will help your employee to leave his or her position with confidence rather than dejection.

Whether or not firing an employee is your choice, as an employer you always have the option to soften the blow by breaking the news to them in the most tactful manner possible. Doing so will allow both you and your (ex) employee to walk away with dignity.

Photo ©

The Pros And Cons Of Working With A Friend

Posted on September 1, 2011 by Willis P.

sunny morning If you’ve seen The Social Network, you know that going into business with a friend can spell the end of a friendship, but it can also be a rewarding experience built on trust and understanding. When a friend offers to hire you, it can be incredibly tempting, but you have to consider the pros and cons of having a friend for a boss.

Pro: If you’re friends with your boss, you’ll feel a lot more comfortable asking for time off or a promotion. This improved communication will make it a lot easier for you to excel at your job.

Con: In trying to climb the ladder, you may find yourself in an awkward position with your friend; it’s always important to keep your business relationship and your personal relationship separate in this kind of situation, because if you don’t get that promotion or you have to work late, you don’t want it to end your friendship.

Pro: You get to spend a lot more time with a friend. This can be a great way to tighten your friendship if you find a way to balance the two components of your relationship.

Con: If you work for your friend, it can change your dynamic outside of the office. It can be tempting to talk about work related issues when you’re just hanging out, but you have to be very careful to just be friends when you’re not at work.

Ultimately, the most important thing in deciding whether or not to work for a friend is taking some time to evaluate whether or not you are both capable of keeping your work and personal lives separate. This can be difficult, but if you’re up for it, it can also be highly rewarding.

Writing Confidentiality Policy

Posted on August 29, 2011 by J. Widget

3d stamp confidential All organizations need to protect their private information and intellectual property in today’s intensely competitive marketplace, and a confidentiality policy is the best way of doing that. Such policies are typically a standard part of all regular HR paperwork, and the staff manual. All employees need to read and be aware of the policy, whether they are permanent staff or contractors.

Often, confidentiality is actually enshrined in a clause signed within an employment contract as an integral part of the recruitment process, making it legally binding. Anyone who violates the policy can face losing their job or a civil lawsuit. Those on temporary contracts may sign different agreements to permanent staff, and what employees sign may need to change as their duties alter, for example through promotion.

Naturally, every organization will have different needs to be expressed in their policy, depending on the volume and type of customers and information handled. But even smaller businesses have to safeguard information which may be sensitive. And all these policies are a general statement of what the organization expects in terms of confidentiality, from everyone who has a connection with the business.

The agreement indicates what information needs to be kept confidential—and for how long. For example—what happens if someone leaves the organization? Think about whether the policy still needs to apply.

Your confidentiality policy could cover client information, details about your products, or any other commercially sensitive data. Many bigger operations ban staff from revealing salary or benefits, as well as other financial information.

At the same time, however, do not make things so tight that you end up violating workers’ free speech rights, or Section 7 rights, which give staff the liberty to organize unions at work. Overly restrictive policies on confidentiality have been known to lead to legal action involving the National Labor Relations Board.

FLSA: Exempt Or Non-Exempt?

Posted on August 28, 2011 by J. Widget

Books of the Law The Fair Labor Standards Act, or FLSA, also called the Wages and Hours Bill, has been federal law in theUnited Statessince 1938. It’s the legislation that was responsible for establishing a national minimum wage, guaranteeing payment at a rate of time and a half for overtime in some jobs, and banning most child employment. It also imposes some record-keeping requirements.

The FLSA states that employees must be paid overtime at one and half times their regular wage for each complete hour worked over 40 in a single working week.

Essentially, just about any staff member working for a company bringing in at least $500,000 worth of business annually will be covered this legislation.

Agricultural laborers and movie theater staff are exempt from the terms of the Act, as is anyone earning under $23,600 a year, and, in almost all cases, those earning over $100,000 annually, along with volunteers and independent contractors.

There are also three categories of exempt job duties – ‘executive’, ‘professional’ and ‘administrative’, meaning that people who perform those sorts of tasks are not protected under the terms of the Act.

In practice, those doing ‘executive duties’ include anyone who supervises two or more staff members, has management as a key part of their role, and has input into the job status of other workers—including hiring, firing, promoting and assigning work.

People from certain professional careers, including lawyers, doctors, dentists, teachers, architects and members of the clergy are also exempt.

Although ‘administrative’ tasks are notoriously hard to define, they include office or non-manual work, management, jobs which involve having to exercise ‘independent judgement’ and ‘discretion over matters of significance.’

Essentially, this clause is aimed at those at a relatively high level whose main job is to keep the business running. These employees are distinguished from operational or production staff.

Getting the right overtime pay if you are entitled to it can be hard at the best of times, so know where you stand under the FLSA. If you are not getting the money which is rightly yours, you may well have a legal case. And, if you are an employer, know what you are legally obliged to pay, and understand your duties under the terms of the Act.