Rita Perea Consulting

Great Hires

2008-08-28T15:36:10-05:00

Managers, from entry to executive level, face a different set of challenges today than ever before. Economics, demographics, globalization and the fast pace of change have created new expectations. But, along with these new expectations come new opportunities for hiring talented employees.

What makes an employee talented? Certainly a set of fundamental, industry-specific skills to complete job tasks. More than that, talented employees contribute positivity to the culture of the organization. They exude a great attitude that is infectious to their entire work team. Some researchers call it "Emotional Intelligence."

Talented employees also intrinsically understand how to work with others to accomplish goals. They know how to get the job done while getting along with people. These employees are efficient and productive as they collaborate and communicate their way through one project after another. They are also priceless.

Hiring the best and the brightest for your team doesn't have to be difficult. It just has to be deliberate.

Breaking the Barriers of Multigenerational Diversity

2008-08-28T15:34:09-05:00

Today I have the distinct honor of speaking to the NAIFA, a group of independent insurance and financial advisors, at their quarterly awards luncheon about building trust in a multigenerational world. The post below is a reprint of one created for the Des Moines Register on the topic of multigenerational diversity. Enjoy!

"The older generation thought nothing of getting up at five every morning- and the younger generation doesn't think much of it either!" - John J. Welsch

When coaching leaders and managers, one of the most common concerns I hear from them is how to manage and motivate other generations. Miscommunication and misperception abound. This can lead to loss of productivity. What is a manager to do?

For the first time in history, there are four generations in the American workplace. If you understand the differences between the four generations, then you can set realistic performance expectations for each. Ignoring the differences will only cause frustration for both you and the people you manage.

"Traditionalists"range in age from 62-85. They value hard work, respect, sacrifice in the work place. For them, duty comes before fun.

"Baby Boomers" range in age from 43-61. At work they value personal fulfillment, efficiency, working for a cause.

"Gen X'ers", age 27-42, value self-reliance, but usually need highly structured environments and direction to succeed. Our youngest generation,

"Gen Y", is made up of those under 26 years old. They are extremely entrepreneurial, technologically savvy, and always asking "what's next?"

The key to motivating people is to understand what is important to them, and then tap into those values to help them perform better in the workplace. Many of the new managers that I work with need some help with this success principle.

If employees feel understood and appreciated for who they are and what they believe, they will go well above expectations to perform. You will have a very happy, productive work team. Go ahead, give it a try.

Photo from Flickr

The Legacy of Lasting Leadership

2008-03-17T09:18:27-05:00

In my dynamic world as a leadership coach and consultant, I often use the analogy of a sports team to help my clients understand their undoubtedly critical role as a leader of an organization. There are many similarities.

Look, we are all here to fulfill our mission in life. There is a winning formula to leaving a positive legacy of lasting leadership, whether you are the Coach of the Drake Bulldogs or CEO of Nationwide Insurance. The leader’s job is to set the tone; share the vision; and recruit and develop the talent to make it all happen.

Setting the tone is creating an environment where teamwork is actually happening and it is not just” lip service”. It is setting an expectation that everyone on the team or in the organization will operate from. It is expecting and modeling interdependency instead of the egotistical “Hey. Look at me!” mentality. In watching the Missouri Valley Conference Champion Drake Bulldogs this season, I believe that one of Coach Keno Davis’ biggest contributions in creating a championship team was modeling for and insisting upon humility from his players. When members of a team all feel that their contribution is just as important as the next guy’s, team work can’t help but to flourish in that environment.

Whether you are the coach of a champion sports team, or the Assistant Vice President of a business division, like the captain of a ship, a leader needs to be able to look to the horizon and imagine the possibilities for the group he or she has the privilege to lead. That vision becomes the driving force for every decision that is made and every step that is taken by the team. As we have seen with the Bulldog’s Coach Davis, the vision is clearly and consistently communicated to the team with confidence, humility and compassion.

Creating a lasting legacy of leadership also means finding and selecting the right talent for the job. It means continually giving that selected talent opportunities to develop and grow. In the book “Good to Great”, author James Collins talks about the importance of “getting the right people on the bus.” A good sports coach or business leader wants to recruit champions- people committed to the vision. They want people who eat, sleep and breathe the vision… People who will live the vision. I ask my coaching clients to take the bus analogy one step farther and to be sure that the “right people”- the champions on their team- are not only on the bus, but are sitting in the right seats on the bus. I suggest that they determine a team member’s natural abilities and place them in a position where their talents will make the most impact. If you have someone who is great at coalescing people around a goal, don’t stick them in an office crunching numbers all day; instead make them the captain of your team so they can use their abilities. Develop their leadership skills.

Who knows, as we saw with Coach Davis taking over his father’s legacy, when you are ready to retire the leaders you recruited and helped to develop just might follow in your footsteps someday.

photo by Drake University

The Power of Personal Transformation

2008-03-13T06:59:00-05:00

"When deeds and words are in accord, the whole world is transformed."

Chuang Tzu (c.360 BC - c. 275 BC)

Source: The Book of Chuang Tzu (Arkana S.), Page: 101

Leaving a positive impact in the world begins with personal transformation. Right action, right speech, and right intention every minute of every day. This is the modern-day "transparency" that the media touts. Being who you say you are and doing what you say you will do- when "words and deeds are in accord".

When we are out of integrity, our words and deeds don't match. We are incongruent. And, on an energetic level, people can tell. Have you ever met someone at a cocktail party and left with the feeling that something wasn't just quite right? I call it failing my "skin-crawl test". These are people who we can sense have something to hide. Their words and deeds don't match up quite right.

But when you operate with transparency, with integrity, in alignment, people intuitively sense it. They will want to be near you. They will want to support you. Doors will begin opening. Personal transformation happens. And it feels incredible.

Make up your mind that just for today your words and deeds will be in accord and you will be in integrity. Then do it again tomorrow. And the next day, and the next day.

What do you have to lose? Nothing but bad karma.

2008-03-12T06:38:00-05:00

Wisdom for Wednesdays

Professional and personal lives can be so hectic and hurried. It is tough to know with certainty what to do and when to do it; How to solve a problem and get the results that you really crave.

To that end, WfW was born. This is my own little contribution to the world with bits and pieces of wisdom that I have collected, given and received over the years.

I hope that this series will nourish both your head and your heart; and also get your brain firing on all cylinders to Lead well, Live well, and Do well.

WfW:

"Pleasure can be supported by an illusion; but happiness rests upon truth." -Sebastien- Roch Nicholas De Chamfort (1741-1794) France

Find happiness today.