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Top 10 Human Resources Tips 2010
by Ben Nash & Kevin Nash, Ph.D.

www.dailyhrtips.com
 Welcome
Welcome and thank you for download-
ing our newest eBook: Top 10 Human
Resouces Tips 2010.
We have brought together 10 of our
most popular blog posts from the past
year and put them into one document for
you to read at your pleasure.
In this short eBook you will find Human
Resources tips on Change Manage-
ment, Talent Management, Employee
Training, Organizational Development,
and Career Development.
We hope you enjoy these tips and find
them useful in your HR practice.
Thank you again for joining our
newsletter and downloading our eBook.
Remember to check our blog everyday
to get a new Daily HR Tip!
Sincerely,
Ben Nash & Kevin Nash
Index
1. Change Management
- Tip #1: 4 Ways To Get Employees
Excited About Their Work
- Tip #2: Icebergs, Polar Bears, and
Change Management
2. Talent Management
- Tip #3: The Importance of Employee
Onboarding
- Tip #4: Things to Look for When
Hiring Top Sales People
3. Employee Training
- Tip #5: Developing Business
Acumen Skills
- Tip #6: Mentoring is a Key
Responsibility of Management
4. Organizational Development
- Tip #7: The Yes Factor--Secrets of
Persuasive Communication
- Tip #8: Company Vision, Mission,
and Values--What’s the Difference?
5. Career Development
- Tip #9: What are the Top 5 Reasons
People Quit Their Jobs?
- Tip #10: 3 Tips for Being the Best
Boss You Can Be!
©2010 DailyHRTips.com
 Change Management Tips
4 Ways To Get Employees Excited
About Their Work
“Expect the best, prepare for the worst, and capital-
ize on what comes.” These words of wisdom are
from the Zig Ziglar who was talking in the 1960′s
about employee motivation in times of change – but
his words seem to apply as much today as they did
back then. The work climate in many organizations
is not conducive for employees to expect the best
– in fact many are preparing for the worst, while the
wisest employees try to take advantage of any and
all opportunities that come their way.
According to Victor Vroom (another guru in the
employee motivation field), employee motivation
has a lot to do with how they see the link between
their goals and increasing pleasure and minimizing
pain. Based on Ziglar and Vroom, here are four tips
for how organizations can help employees to get
jazzed about their work:
1. Demonstrate to employees that they will be rec-
ognized and noticed for their effort
2. Let employees know that this recognition will be
accompanied by a desirable reward
3. Make sure that the rewards will meet employee
needs
4. Check that employees believe that satisfying
their need makes the effort worthwhile
Icebergs, Polar Bears, and
Change Management
Vanishing icebergs and distressed Polar bears
have come to symbolize the effects of our chang-
ing climate. The iceberg has also been used as a
metaphor for change in organizations.
The “Change Management Iceberg” developed by
Wilfred Kruger offers an explanation of why many
organizational change efforts fail. Above the water-
line are the three areas of concern of most manag-
ers–doing things faster, better, or cheaper. Below
the waterline are the hidden areas of resistance,
which cause organizations fail!
So where are the areas of main resistance? About
20% of employees will go with the change. About
60% sit on the fence and wait to see what happens,
and about 20% of employees will be resistant.
Perceptions, attitudes, beliefs, power, and politics
all play into resistance. But this is hard to pinpoint
(after all it is below the water line). So how do you
deal with the areas of resistance? 3 words COM-
MUNICATION, COMMUNICATION, COMMUNICA-
TION!
Here are five key messages to give focus on:
1. Explain the conditions that have brought about
the need for change
2. Explain the detail of the change and how it will
affect the employee
3. Include a practical demonstration or teach the
employee how to succeed in the new environment
4. Ask the employee how s/he feels about the pro-
posals; identify his/her major hang-ups and recog-
nize any new problems
5. Ask for suggestions for overcoming the prob-
lems and implementing the change using a joint
problem solving approach
Communicating these messages may not do much
for climate change, but it may be key in successful
organizational change!
©2010 DailyHRTips.com
 Talent Management Tips
The Importance of Employee
Onboarding
Onboarding means getting a new employee into
their new job as quickly and efficiently as possible.
On-boarding is a growing trend; after all, the sooner
an employee gets established and comfortable in
their new position, the sooner they become produc-
tive! So what are the dos and don’ts of employee
on-boarding – how do you maximize the process to
its full potential?
The following tips can help you get the best from
your on boarding program:
Try to impress – While new employees are con-
cerned with making their own positive first impres-
sions – the company should be concerned to do the
same. An unprofessionally presented on-boarding
process will make the employee think twice about
their decision to join your organization.
Keep it simple and low key – There will come
a time when the new hire needs to know that the
company holds a picnic every Labor Day and that
Nov. 21 is the company founder’s birthday. That
time, however, is not the first week on the job.
Keep it interesting – On-boarding, by nature, will
always require new employees to fill out forms,
watch orientation videos and perform various other
mind-numbing tasks. But try to make the process
less boring by alternating rote tasks with more en-
gaging activities, such as touring production facili-
ties, examining new tools and meeting colleagues.
Designate a mentor – Assigning an experienced
mentor to the new hire, preferably someone in the
same general business area, will give the newcom-
er a reliable escort and contact source. The mentor
should be available for consultation throughout the
business day for at least the first week or so of a
new hire’s employment. After that, you may trim ac-
cess back to scheduled meetings.
Take time to listen – On-boarding is a two way
process: The mentor provides facts and support,
and the new hire asks crucial questions about his
or her job. To facilitate the ongoing flow of informa-
tion, build time into the on-boarding schedule to
allow both parties to sit down and discuss, uninter-
rupted, whatever happens to be on their minds.
Prepare the workspace – On-boarding’s primary
goal should be to get new hires comfortable with
their jobs and working at near peak efficiency out of
the starting gate. But this isn’t possible if the per-
son’s workspace isn’t available or is missing essen-
tial tools or materials. That’s why it’s important to
have a permanent workspace ready as soon as the
new hire arrives for work.
Provide follow up support – Too many companies
take a “sink-or-swim” approach to on-boarding,
designing the process as a stand alone system with
specific starting and ending dates. Actually, on-
boarding should be viewed as just the first step in
an ongoing employee support program. During the
on-boarding process, employees need to be intro-
duced to the company’s full spectrum of career-ad-
vancement, wellness, recreation and other pro-
grams, as well as encouraged to seek information
and other assistance whenever the need arises.
©2010 DailyHRTips.com
 Talent Management Tips...continued
Things to Look for When Hiring Top
Sales People
The traditional approach to selecting sales people 4. Adaptability – Identifies and adopts the most
is often to: appropriate style to maximize success in sales

1. Focus on previous sales experience 5. Listening – Listens sympathetically to others.

2. Identify the “ideal profile” by examining
previous successful Sales Representatives
3. Defining the sales role in terms of one or two
dimensions
4. Gut instinct (“I can tell if they are a good sales
person as soon as I interview them”)
Observes and interprets behavior
6. Embraces change – Quickly adapts to changes
in the work place or environment
These personality traits, together with personal
motivators and predicted performance in the sales
cycle can be reliably measured by valid and reliable
assessment instruments.

Unfortunately this approach to selecting and devel-
oping sales people has often produced less than
stellar results. Research conducted with more than
50 companies and 1,500 people worldwide identi-
fied the most reliable predictors of sales perfor-
mance as follows:
Our HR Tip: assess candidates for sales positions
using a valid and reliable assessment tool that will
provide you with a clear and accurate picture of a
candidates strengths and areas for development.
That way you will increase your chances of hiring
the best and reduce the risk of hiring duds.

1. Foundational sales characteristics based on

certain personality traits

2. Clear Sales motivations

3. Predicted performance in managing the steps

in the “Sales Cycle”

The personality traits found to be the best predic-

tors of sales success were:

1. Sales Confidence – Projects an air of confi

dence when dealing with others

2. Sales Drive – Has drive and enthusiasm.

Seems hungry for success

3. Sales Resilience – Is full of optimism and very

resilient. Perseveres in tough situations

©2010 DailyHRTips.com
 Employee Training Tips
Developing Business Acumen Skills
Many organizations want their employees to show
“business acumen” in the way they do their jobs.
But what are the skills involved in business acumen
and how can employees develop these skills.
The following are some tips on how to develop and
demonstrate business acumen skills:
People demonstrate business acumen skills by:
- Understanding how the various parts of the busi
ness work together to provide value to the cus
tomer
- Consistently selecting the best course of action
when making business decisions
- Minimizing risks to the organization in the deci
sions they make
- And applying financial savvy and analytical think
ing to the decision process
People can develop a business acumen mindset
when they are making decisions by applying the
following five simple steps:
- Reflect before deciding- stop and think, reflect on
your experiences of what worked in the past
- Analyze- gather quantitative and qualitative data
before you evaluate and draw conclusions
- Create- be creative when solving problems, don’t
go for the obvious answers, look for the unique
solutions that will add value
- Collaborate with others to get things done – know
who to get on your side and use their talents too!
- Take Action to get things moving while showing
agility and perseverance to complete the task.
Mentoring is a Key Responsibility
of Management
One of the many duties of a manager is the pro-
fessional development of his or her employees.
Mentoring employees helps them to perform bet-
ter, improves morale, and can help your business
succeed. Most employees yearn to grow their skills
with the aid of a knowledgeable, more senior mem-
ber of the organization. Here are some tips to set
the mentoring process in motion:
Set the stage for a dialogue. Call a meeting or
send an e-mail informing your staff that mentoring
is available. Let them know you will match them
with an in-house mentor who will help them plan
how to reach their career goals. Encourage your
employees to think about what they’d most like to
develop with the input of a more senior staff mem-
ber. Remind your senior staffers that they, too, can
benefit from the mentoring relationship from the in-
flux of new ideas that can be stimulated by a junior
colleague’s fresh approach to projects.
Buddy up. Consider it a kind of matchmaking—
send your staffers and more senior members, or
mentors, off to discuss past experiences and future
goals over lunch or coffee. Pairing those who have
fewer years in the business with those who’ve got
a wealth of proven experience is a great way to get
a fresh exchange of ideas flowing. These pairings
needn’t be exactly in line along the hierarchy; all
that’s important is that the two parties can learn
something from one another. It’s also a good idea
to take personalities into account, if possible, in
matching employees with mentors.
Listen Openly. For one-on-one conversations
between junior and senior staffers, encourage both
parties to abandon their preconceptions. Instead
of “right” or “wrong” ways of meeting challenges,
encourage them to approach problems or projects
by finding ways that work to replace ways that
don’t. Neutralizing this language promotes an open
dialogue in which both parties’ ideas are equally
valid. This parity will encourage the conversation
to move freely and ensure that both the senior and
junior staffer emerge with new ideas.
©2010 DailyHRTips.com
 Employee Training Tips...continued
Mentoring is a Key Responsibility
of Management..continued
Think Strategically. One of the best by-products
of mentoring is the slew of novel approaches it
can engender. Once your staffers have met to
discuss their professional goals and new meth-
ods of achieving them, be open to applying these
ideas. They may not always work, but with patience
and perseverance on all sides, successes will be
achieved and staffers will see that their mentoring
conversations produce tangible, actionable results
that enhance their performance.

While mentoring may seem at first to be a one-way

street, benefiting the recipient of the mentoring, it
invigorates everyone involved. Mentors are stimu-
lated by the active need for their skills, while they
can learn from the junior employee, who brings a
fresh outlook and new ideas to what might feel like
old hat for the senior staffer. Mentoring can boost
communication, inject new ideas into old formulas,
and promote a satisfying, more open work environ-
ment—all of which benefits your bottom line.

©2010 DailyHRTips.com
 Organizational Development Tips
The Yes Factor--Secrets of
Persuasive Communication
Why do so many authors purport to reveal secrets
of various kinds in their new books? I think if I had
secrets—perhaps the secrets to a better body or
longer life, greater happiness, or more persuasive
communication—I would not waste my time and
go straight for the Nobel Prize. At the very least I
would try to make a killing by patenting the idea!
But instead so many authors seem to reveal their
secrets in poorly written self-help books and spend
their time extolling the virtues of their work on any
TV show that will have them, like a used car sales-
man trying to unload the last Daewoo on their lot!
Lately, Tonya Reiman has been in serious “used
car salesman” mode with her new book, “The Yes
Factor: Get What You Want. Say What You Mean –
The Secrets of Persuasive Communication.” Tonya
claims to reveal secrets of persuasive communica-
tion, which, of course, have already been revealed
by more serious researchers and writers in better
written books with less consumer packaging and
hype (see “Getting to Yes” by Roger Fisher and Wil-
liam Ury).
Take, for example, her stunning revelation that “by
reading this book you learn something that you
already knew, but you didn’t know why you knew
it” – huh?
Or “Practice one new thing each day – the first
day, practice making eye contact…the second day
practice smiling… the third day listen to how you
sound.”
Our advice: practice avoiding purchasing this book
(except possibly for beach reading). If Tonya Rei-
man is seeking the Nobel Prize for this one she will
need to be a little more persuasive in her communi-
cation.
Company Vision, Mission, and
Values--What’s the Difference?
I was asked recently by a friend to explain the
difference between a vision statement, a mission
statement, and a values statement. I must confess
that I struggled to answer the question as many
organizations seem to use these terms inter-
changeably. Then my parochial school education
kicked in – I had heard a lot about people with a
mission when at Catholic school – they called them
“Missionaries”. So what was their mission? It could
be described as to carry out the “Vision of Jesus”
and to do this in accordance with the values he
epoused.
So a visionary describes a future state and pro-
vides us with a picture of what needs to be created.
In a similar way an organization’s vision is all about
what is possible – about potential and what the fu-
ture looks like.The mission, on the other hand, de-
scribes what it takes to make the vision come true.
The Mission Statement turns the vision into practice
and describes the work that needs to be done to
achieve the vision. The Values Statement describes
the guiding principles as to how the mission and
vision should be achieved.Take for example Coca
Cola’s Vision, Mission and Values Statements.
Coca Cola’s Vision can be summarized as: “Be a
great place to work, bring great beverage products
to the world, nurture customers and suppliers, be
responsible citizens, maximize shareholder return,
and be lean and fast moving” While their Mission is
“To refresh the world, to inspire moments of opti-
mism and happiness, to create value and make a
difference.”
So if Coca Cola carries out its mission effectively
they will have a great shot of achieving their vision.
Coke’s “Values Statement” describes how they will
achieve all this through: “Leadership, collaboration,
integrity, accountability, passion, diversity, and qual-
ity”.
Making a distinction between a “Visionary” and a
“Missionary” and spelling out the critical guiding
values seemed to help my friend clarify what he
needed to do to write his own vision, mission, and
values statements for his organization. I am eager
to see the results of his labors.
©2010 DailyHRTips.com
 Career Development Tips
What are the Top 5 Reasons People
Quit Their Jobs?
A recent survey* asked 1,308 people why they left
their jobs in the last year. And the winners are:
1. Downsizing or restructuring (54%)
2. Sought new challenges or opportunities (30%)
3. Ineffective leadership (25%)
4. Poor relationship with manager (22%)
5. To improve work/life balance (21%)
It used to be that a poor relationship with your
supervisor was the No. 1 reason, but these days
people are more likely to leave because of a layoff.
That being said however, the bad-boss reasons—
”ineffective leadership” and “poor relationship with
manager”—are still near the top.
As the economic recovery continues, there is no
doubt that poor supervision will return as the num-
ber one reason for employee dissatisfaction and
exiting. Maybe its time to get those supervisors
trained up now before your most talented employ-
ees jump ship for greener pastures!
*Write Management Consultants, Published in HR
Magazine. Totals add to more than 100% as more
than one reason given.
3 Tips for Being the Best Boss You
Can Be!
What makes a great boss? It is something to do
with personal likability, gaining respect from people,
and getting results! Does it have anything to do
with their leadership style or methods of disciplining
employees? Well, it has a little something to do with
all of them. Here are three tips for being the best
boss you can be:
1. Take responsibility, but share praise. take the
responsibility for the problem, and not pass on the
blame to subordinates (unless really warranted –
and in that case it may involve disciplinary action).
When things go well however, share the praise and
celebrate success.
2. Praise publicly, reprimand in private. A charac-
teristic of a good boss is that s/he does not humili-
ate his employees and subordinates in public. If
someone does a bad job, talk about it in private,
and let the person justify himself, or at least apolo-
gize. Reprimand him/her in private, and not in view
of his colleagues, and keep these discussions
behind closed doors. But when you praise an em-
ployee for exceptional work, do it in public, so that
he might serve as an inspiration to his co-workers.
3. Establish personal relationships, but maintain
professional distance. Office politics and gossip
are usually problems in the workplace, and being
the boss, you should not involve yourself. Establish
personal rapport with your employees and get to
know them personally but maintain some level of
distance. You are the boss, after all, and you should
be able to earn their respect by showing them that
you do not grumble, bicker, or gossip (at least not in
public).
©2010 DailyHRTips.com
Ben Nash
Editor-in-Chief
Studying History and Political
Science while at university and
spending his professional career
in the Internet marketing / e-
commerce field, perhaps makes
Ben Nash an unlikely candidate
to be Editor-in-Chief of a blog focused on Human
Resource Management. However, after reading
books such as Good to Great, Outliers, Talent is
Overrated, and Good Business, he became fas-
cinated by how organizations operate and with
what makes a “good” leader. Having a father as an
Organizational Psychologist helped spur his curi-
osity in Organizational Development and Human
Resources and led to the creation of DailyHRTips.
com in 2009. Combining his knowledge of Internet
marketing and design with his father’s profound
knowledge of Human Resource Management and
Organizational Development, Ben plans to make
DailyHRTips.com “the biggest and best HR dedi-
Kevin Nash, Ph.D.
Contributing Editor
Kevin Nash is an Industrial /
Organizational Psychologist and
management consultant special-
izing in organizational develop-
ment, employee development,
and human capital manage-
ment. Kevin has held senior management positions
with global corporations in Marketing and Human
Resources, and has worked as a management con-
sultant for clients in Europe, Africa, and the USA.
His consulting assignments have includ coaching
executives and management teams, designing and
implementing management training / development
programs, and designing succession planning and
performance management processes for large and
medium sized companies. When Kevin isn’t con-
tributing to DailyHRTips.com he manages Aspen
Organization Development Consulting, where he is
the president and founder.

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