"Executives need to be invested in their employees' careers"/ Karine Samson

Jul. 30, 2018 "Executives need to be invested in their employees' careers": Today I found this article by Laurie Schultz in the Globe and Mail:

Laurie Schultz is CEO of ACL Services Ltd., a Vancouver-based anti-fraud software provider.

Having engaged employees at work is a clear sign of a high-functioning organization. Employee engagement goes beyond workplace morale and culture. Rather, it refers to the level of personal investment an employee has in the growth and success of the company. 

When employees are engaged at work, they feel a greater connection to the company and an alignment with business goals and targets. How does a business achieve an office full of happy, engaged employees?

Never discount the power of the C-suite taking genuine interest in the career goals and advancement of their team. When employees feel that their career goals are communicated and valued at a senior level, they are less likely to seek outside employment, even pass over higher salaries, because their personal goals are valued within the company. 

Likewise, employees are willing to take a pay cut at another organization if they feel there is more room for growth there. It’s extremely important as a leader to understand the role that career advancement plays in boosting employee motivation.

Always reject the notion that the C-suite needs to be at arm’s length from employees to be effective leaders. Know your people and understand their hopes for their careers and the future of the business. That means digging in deep with employees to get the most from them.

Embrace vulnerability and transparency with employees to build connections that both illuminate how they can be helped and how they can push the business forward at the same time. This can translate into 90-day learning goals, having a lunch-in to define their career path within the organization or even having a mentor describe the best route to take in order to climb the ladder. 

On a quarterly basis, ACL brings together 10-15 employees for a lunch town hall session to facilitate a chat about what is working for them and what isn’t. Having an open line of communication allows us to identify trends in what is creating barriers to their job satisfaction.

Every organization has individuals who champion the mission and vision of the company in a way that inspires those around them to do more. These are called change agents, which are defined as people who bring about organizational transformation through constant improvement and development.

At ACL, we’ve formalized this in a change agents program, which takes those people and supports them through direct career support from the chief executive and the executive team, additional cash for education, special project participation and high potential for promotion. I invest time in each change agent to ensure they get as much from me as we get from them.

There are many elements involved in an employee’s successful career path. They need competent, effective management and an environment where they have the tools and resources to succeed. 

Employees often model the behaviours of upper management, which is why it’s important to set the tone of the working relationship. Investing time in understanding the needs and wants of all levels of staff shows a commitment from management to ensuring employees are motivated and happy. This is a small gesture that doesn’t go unnoticed.

Twice a year, through an employee net promoter survey (eNPS), we ask employees about aspects of manager effectiveness, work environment and compensation, specifically the importance of their satisfaction with talent management and career development. 

As a company, we have a publicly communicated eNPS target that helps highlight areas where there are gaps between expectation and reality. 

Career growth can have a variety of definitions, from promotion to expansion of skills within your existing role. 

Be sure that if you’re going to ask the question, you’re willing to do something with the answers you get back. Create an action plan for how you are going to improve the areas of opportunity.

Employees are always evaluating the direction of their chosen career in such a competitive hiring market, and they’re prepared to leave if the current situation isn’t suited for them. 

Taking initiative to understand where your employees want to be and helping them get there will ensure that they receive the job they want instead of finding it somewhere else. Leaders play a key role in determining whether employees seek outside opportunities or continue to grow in their position and all it takes is a conversation.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/commentary/article-ceos-need-to-be-invested-in-their-employees-careers/

2 hours ago

Engagement is the new buzz word for how to get employees to work at lower wages so the executive level can achieve their objectives and get paid their bonuses. Truly valued employees always put the company first, demand little in terms of compensation for their efforts, and mumble values about giving back to the company as the mantra that gives them recognition but not true compensation. 

This is especially true for those on the technical side that produce the products and perform R&D. The mantra is to engage them, give them problems to solve. For Sales and Marketing types, to engage them you give them the opportunity to make more money via bonuses from achieving objectives. 

After working at 9 companies over the past 35 years, this is always the same situation. Stay at one company and get nowhere. Change companies and you find out just how underpaid you were before.

The Ladder: Karine Samson: Today I found this article by Doug Firby in the Globe and Mail:

Working in the Arctic and later Fort McMurray as a young engineer, Karine Samson, 30, repeatedly witnessed costly errors on construction projects. She founded Optimal Efficiency to create a solution, recruiting experts from companies such as SNC Lavalin, Boeing and Microsoft. 

The team has released the first two modules of a software suite for management of projects in the construction, mining and oil and gas industries. Born in Beaumont, Que., now based in Vancouver, Ms. Samson graduated from Laval University and started her career with Construction Gély.

My first project was in Salluit [an Inuit community in Northern Quebec] and it was in the middle of nowhere. We were building a runway and some roads in the community.

Before I went to the Arctic, my friends told me, “Don’t go there, it’s too dangerous for a woman.” And when I got there, I was told that women belong in the kitchen. But six months after that project was completed, I was made a project manager [at the age of 24]. I was the youngest person to manage a project for the company I was working for.

After I graduated, my goal was to acquire as much experience as possible in a five-year period. I spent 2½ years on projects in remote areas, and then moved to Fort McMurray so that I could learn English. I worked as a project engineer on a $350-million project in the oil sands.

I realized that the same inefficiencies were in a major project, as there are in small-to-medium projects. Because there is an absence of real-time collaboration, people are not on the same page, and that affects other components of the projects. 

For example, in one case a general contractor did not get updated drawings and built according to the original design. When the mistake was discovered, it all had to be redone. It’s so inefficient to have everything paper-based.

The human brain isn’t wired to see in three dimensions. Moving to a digital platform makes it easier to see conflicts as they develop. It enables us to be pro-active. We don’t just eliminate the paper; we eliminate the old way of thinking.

We began to develop the software in 2014. I’m not a software engineer, but I know how the workflow should be. I recruited a strong team on the technical side. For them, there is nothing impossible. I described the concept, and they make it way better. We have a very diversified team with incredible talent.

Creating a startup company is a lot like starting a construction project. You start with nothing – just an idea. The requirements are not defined upfront. You have your whole vision, and the timelines are very aggressive. I see a startup as sort of the same way. A lot of things have to happen in parallel, and you have to delegate to the experts.

All of my management team are way smarter than me in their own areas. Regardless of the setbacks, we will always find a solution.

You have to put your ego to the side. I encourage thoughtful disagreements. It’s all based on respect.

In hiring, sometimes you find great people with good résumés aren’t a good fit for an organization. I have learned to read the résumés a bit more carefully. I look at not just the credentials, but the attitude. 

I also introduce them to other members of the team and see how they interact. If there’s someone who hasn’t worked out, it’s my mistake. I also learned that the best people are not on the market. I look on LinkedIn for the people who aren’t looking for a job.

I’m married to Optimal Efficiency. I’m working a lot. The only downtime I take is when I have to. We are building an empire and we are all committed to this. Some people criticize me, they say I’m too obsessed with the company. Our goal is to become the world leader in project-management software.

Since a young age, I have always been looking for challenges. I knew an engineering degree would open doors. I was not born with a golden spoon in my mouth. I financed my own education and I bought my own house while I was in university.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/careers/management/article-optimal-efficiency-founder-karine-samson-was-told-its-too-dangerous/

1 hour ago

This is so ironic, the article is about a 30 year old woman who says she's married to the job and you're showing ads of baby diapers!