Leadership Reality

Dec 20, Peace on Earth

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 12:00:58 GMT

It’s a relief to be away from the Holiday Hype in the States. It’s a relief to be away from the political campaigning and the vagaries of the minute by minute market news. It’s considerably less stressful to be in Islamabad without the 24/7 news than it is to be back in the supposedly safer USA.

The best leadership learning in that example is:

Leaders, let your staff unplug over the holidays and lead by example. Put your crackberry away, don’t email, phone, text, tweet, or otherwise annoy people while they are on holiday. Make it your gift to everyone and call it “Peace on Earth.”

Oct 31, Leadership Speaker - Clare Novak

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 15:16:29 GMT

Leadership Speaker - Clare Novak

Sep 29, Upcoming Conferences

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 00:31:29 GMT

EBIT-Duh!tm is coming to a conference near you. I'm delighted to be presenting at a number of SHRM Chapter and State Conferences in October, including Pittsburgh, Greater Valley Forge Summit, and Garden State where I will also have a "book" signing. CDs of EBIT-Duh!tm Finance for the HR Professional will be available. At the Lehigh Valley Conference, finance focuses in on calculating ROI for Wellness programs. Looking forward to seeing SHRM friends!

Aug 23, Leadership: The Best Behaviors

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 14:50:45 GMT

The best leadership models share a few critical leadership behaviors. This short list was attained at first through observation, then social science research and now neuroscience. The data is in!

Leadership Best Behaviors:

Model behaviors
Model emotions
Praise progress continuously
Focus on goals relentlessly
Guide people to their own answers

Leadership is straightforward and not always easy. Execute on these behaviors for leadership success.

Aug 16, Mean People Earn More?

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 21:20:40 GMT

An American Management Association study made the news today, a rare occurance. The sound bite said that mean people earn 13 percent more than nice people. Of course, the headline did not give any detail. Before we all jump to conclusions, a great question to ask is "How did they define mean and nice in the study?" Without knowing exactly how that question is answered, we have no way of knowing what the data really mean. This is but one example of how we should take the time to dig into the data before taking action in our organizations. Popular versions of most research leave out crucial information such as the circumstances under which something is true, the exact definition of what was studied and an explanation of whether the data is correlational or causal. In other words, don't start being mean just to get a raise.

Aug 4, Hard and Soft Leadership

Thu, 04 Aug 2011 18:51:10 GMT

The sweet spot for HR and Training Leaders is Soft Leadership, the human side of the equation. While HR Leaders are frequently in the business of finding coaches for their business leaders, it's rare to find an HR Leader with a coach. Why?

Most coaches are Soft Leadership coaches and what HR Leaders need is a Hard Leadership coach--a coach bringing finance and processes knowledge. To remedy that gap we'll soon be offering finance and business process coaching for HR Leaders.

Make the business case first!

Jul 25, Business Case First

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 19:56:11 GMT

Imagine you’re sitting at the table and kicking off the meeting. “Our revenues per employee dropped from $280,000 to $230,000 the last year. My proposal adds 1 million in revenues to the bottom line and drives business goals.” Got everyone’s attention, didn’t you? Financial literacy is your ticket to a reserved seat at the table. CEO’s don’t lose sleep over engagement, wellness, or EEOC policies. They lose sleep worrying about whether the company is making enough money to stay in business, whether loans rates will go up because earnings plummeted and over just how badly the competition is eating everyone’s lunch. Savvy leaders understand that the CEO’s first job is to keep the business in business. Yes, the initiatives we propose do help keep the business in business and the CEO still has every right to ask “So, how are we going to pay for that?” Smart leaders establish the business case first then ask for what they want. Understanding revenue, margin, balance sheets, and income statements is a start. The next step is linking financial data to business imperatives: revenue growth, margin, asset effectiveness and operational excellence.

Jul 22, EBITSeminar

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 21:16:06 GMT

EBITSeminar

Jul 22, EBIT-Duh! Finance for the HR Professional

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 21:13:55 GMT

EBIT-Duh! Finance for the HR Professional

Jul 18, Tactical and Strategic

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 18:08:59 GMT

Recently an HR volunteer leaders’ voice was drowned in a chorus of objections. He noted that at an upcoming conference it would be interesting to have a presentation that explored current research and discussed the theory behind the research trends. The chorus that drowned him out was, “Our attendees want practical information; things they can immediately use.” National and International conferences echo that exact tactical focus in their RFPs.

While tactical information is certainly important, excluding long term trends, emerging theories and research is short sighted. Let’s say you have a first grader. If you take a tactical view of her future career, you might encourage her to be an electrician, plumber or healthcare worker as there is a global shortage of those careers now. The strategic view is to look at projections and ask, what careers will there be too few people to fill 20 years from now? And by the way, what languages will be required of her to get that job? Preparing her for a specific career might not be the best choice. Perhaps teaching her how to learn quickly, think critically and network effectively is the way to go.

My belief is that professional organizations insisting on 100% tactical presentations at meetings and conference are doing members a disservice. When we don’t look down the road at information, we are likely to be blindsided by changes. The information is out there; we just need to look up and see it—before it becomes tactical. Looking further down the road allows us to be proactive. Waiting for information to become tactical trends toward being reactive.

Jun 23, Situational Leadership Styles

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 18:57:53 GMT

Situational leadership is a good process to follow for transfer of skills and knowledge. This is especially true when leaders align their style with both the follower AND human brain functioning. When following the Situational Leadership model, be sure to keep focus on the goal rather than solving a problem. Reaching goals is rewarding while problem solving is threat avoidance--more of an "I dodged that bullet" than "Hooray!" Second, in each phase, leaders are more successful then they praise a great deal AND through thoughtful questioning lead the follower to discover the answer him or herself. Self-discovery releases feel good brain chemicals and a feeling of excitment. Good leaders recognize their follower's excitement, applaud it and encourage immediate use of the discovery, while the follower is still excited. This feel good response is the brain's way of rewarding insight. The trick with learning is to immediately use the insight to fix it in the brain. Telling the follower what to do never produces the feel good brain response. The follower has no biochemical reason to learn a solutions. This phenomenon accounts for having to say things over and over. The brain has little reason to learn something that is provided by someone else.

Jun 14, EBIT-Duh!TM at SHRM

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 19:10:58 GMT

The SHRM Conference in Las Vegas is another exciting opportunity to reinforce the message that financial savvy is a must for HR Professionals. If you're attending, stop by Monday, June 27 at 4:15 pm. Would love to see you! As always, there will be special pricing on the ebook!

Jun 8, NeuroLeadership and Buddhism

Wed, 08 Jun 2011 12:08:01 GMT

Neuroscience tells us that our brains are "plastic," meaning that they can continuously change. Our brains continually build pathways to either reinforce current behavior or to support new behavior and thoughts. What does that mean for leadership? Focus is power. Sustained focus grows neural pathways to strengthen that focus within the brian. NeuroLeadership says leaders should focus on the goal (not on the problem) and Buddhism talks of Right Thinking and Right Action. Both agree that positive focus matters. In both, positive begets positive and negative begets negative. Leaders also need to manage themselves before managing others, according to both neuroscience and Buddhism. What that means is to have the mental discipline to choose to refrain from expressing an emotion inappropriately or in a reflexive way. Leaders who have the ability to put a pause between situation and reaction can choose the direction of their action. Mental discipline itself requires discipline to develop and it CAN be developed. The next time you are in traffic, rather than be frustrated or angry, take it as an opportunity to practice calm. Let go of the emotion, observe and reframe the situation as time put to good use building mental discipline.

May 23, EBIT-DuhTM at ASTD

Mon, 23 May 2011 15:09:00 GMT

Great energy in the room during To EBIT and Beyond What Finance Means to Training Professional. Thanks participants! This conference is excellent. Great speakers, learning and community

May 18, ASTD International Conference and Expo

Wed, 18 May 2011 23:27:24 GMT

It's such an honor to present for this conference which draws over 8,000 training and development professionals from around the world. I'm looking forward to connecting with friends and meeting new ones! In celebration, EBIT-Duh!TM Finance for the HR Professional will be listed at the special price of only 9.99 from May 22-25. Everyone can benefit from this special as it isn't limited to conference attendees. The book is a great way to get the information--without the plane fare!

May 17, Putting Business First

Tue, 17 May 2011 15:01:08 GMT

7 Strategic Credits! Wow, that is quite an accomplishment. Clare Novak will be contributing to this special full day program for senior HR practitioners offered by SHRM Lehigh Valley. Ms. Novak will speak on EBIT-Duh!TM Finance for the HR Professional.

May 12, Under Budget and Ahead of Schedule

Thu, 12 May 2011 01:14:50 GMT

That sounds like project utopia--something everyone should strive for. Not so fast. From a financial perspective, under budget is good--ahead of schedule maybe not so good. Let's say that your project was to purchase and install a 1 million dollar piece of equipment. You're ahead of schedule.If you buy the equipment sooner and install it sooner, with say a half million in labor costs, you may have a negative impact on cash flow. If the company has to borrow money to pay because your ordered the equipment early--you may wipe out having been under budget. With money and cash flow, timing is everything.

May 4, Site Map

Wed, 04 May 2011 13:39:10 GMT

Site Map

Apr 26, EBIT-Duh!TM is Featured

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 15:37:46 GMT

EBIT-Duh!TM Finance for the HR Professional is featured in the current issue of Your Sales Culture Newsletter by Todd Cohen. Todd is author of "Never Sell Alone How to Unleash the Power of Sales Culture to Boost Your Revenues, Profits and Growth."

Apr 23, Model the Mood

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 14:50:33 GMT

At a recent networking event, the atmosphere turned dark and depressing--the opposite of what job seekers need. What I observed is that the leadership of the group needed to model networking behavior and model a positive attitude. That would have been the most valuable leadership action at that moment. Instead,a half an hour of networking was lost as people came in, sat down and didn't seem to speak with anyone, including the person seated next to them. Leaders, including volunteer leaders, can add value to the leader/follower relationship by modeling the behavior and attitude that will benefit the follower. Job seekers need support in maintaining a positive attitude. For groups in which networking is not a natural skill, modeling the behavior would benefit everyone. Leaders in every position bring value when they model attitude and behavior. Do people need to feel at ease networking? Model it! Do people need to feel more positive to be more productive? Model it. Modeling is a powerful leadership tool. Use it often.

Apr 13, Succession Planning is a Business Strategy

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 20:12:32 GMT

Investors and shareholders want to feel confident that your organization's next generation of leaders is in place. Are you confident that they are? Lorraine Webb of PGW did an excellent presentation last night at GVFHRA detailing the strategy and tools PGW used to insure depth in succession planning. Succession is necessary for all levels of the organization. If the next generation will be internal, who are they? What development are they receiving? If they are external, how are you sourcing them? Will there be enough skilled people out there? How can you partner with schools and trade organizations to develop skilled staff? We all know how painful it is when a highly skilled individual leaves. However, better our succession planning, the less pain we'll feel.

Apr 1, EBIT-Duh!TM Finance for the HR Professional Launched!

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 17:02:44 GMT

It's so exciting! Orders have been pouring in. Here's what Rita Bailey has to say It's a quick read and great reference tool for HR Professionals who want to speak knowledgeably about the business impact of HR functions. EBIT-Duh!TM provides the foundation on which you can expand your perspective and confidence before your next meeting in the C-Suite! Rita Bailey Up To Something Partners

Mar 28, More Praise for EBIT-Duh!TM

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 15:23:27 GMT

EBIT-Duh!™ Finance for the HR Professional is an excellent primer for any nonfinancial executive or whoever aspires to contribute to his or her company in a smart and valuable way. It is a must-buy for any HR professional who has not worked directly in Finance. Beginning with the Business Case and ending with the answers, the book keeps us involved from beginning to end. Broadening your viewpoint and actually getting it when finances are discussed, will not only make your contributions, decisions, and communications better, but will make your job a lot more interesting. Keep it on hand as a reference or refresher.
Marna Hayden, SPHR

Mar 23, Managing from the Heart and the Head

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 20:59:48 GMT

Leadership requires a clear eye toward balancing heart and head. In several recent conversations, the issue of leaders avoiding corrective feedback arose. Often,leaders want to give people every chance and, from the heart, that's admirable.

From the head,it's not. Unacceptable behavior should be dealt with quickly and respectfully because it has a tendency to grow and infect others. Tough-mindedness is necessary for the long term good of the organization.

Mar 16, EBIT-Duh!TM Finance for the HR Professional

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 13:33:11 GMT

EBIT-Duh!TM Finance for the HR Professional will be available soon on this website. Why finance for HR? HR is traditionally seen on the soft side of leadership. To be business partners, HR also has to be proficient in the hard side of leadership. Data, numbers, and the financial side of the business are key to strategic HR. HR leaders have taken a look at EBIT-Duh!TM and said "This is what we need. It's about time."

Mar 11, Strategic Anger

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 15:47:48 GMT

Used strategically, expressing anger has a positive effect on productivity. There are a few ground rules for strategic anger on a leader's part. First, it's an infrequently used tool. Second, it's clearly directed toward a specific situation that needs to be corrected. Third, the words used are strong and professional. Strategic anger on a leader's part wakes people out of complacency or helplessness and galvanizes them to get back in the game. Strategic anger can also reassert the organization's values when violations are clearly addressed. Top leadership can model for all levels the appropriate expression of strategic anger.

Feb 22, Emotions Resonate

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 15:29:17 GMT

During a sesson yesterday on Strenthening Team Dynamics, the leaders in the room clearly resonated with the messages that a leader's mood matters. These engaged leaders understood that their teams looked to them to set the tone of the team. Happy, engaged leaders were more likely to have happy engaged teams. These leaders were also more likely to understand the importance of addressing negative attitudes in order to keep them from spreading--which they do. Positive and negative emotions spread. Why not make the effort to share the positive?

Feb 16, Clare Novak, Novak and Associates

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 21:01:14 GMT

Clare Novak, Novak and Associates

Feb 15, Hard and Soft Leadership It's a Whole Brain Thing

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 16:54:36 GMT

A recent article, Top Performers Boast Analytics over Intuition, in HR Magazine notes that leaders at top performing companies are 5 times as likely to apply analytics rather than intuition over widest possible range of decisions. That the hard part of hard and soft leadership. Data is critically important to leadership decision making. Leaders should have or develop the skill to understand and apply analytics to run a business. The soft leadership comes into play in working with people to draw decisions from data and implement the changes necessary to achieve the goals. Connecting hard data and leading people is the essence of great leadership. Both are necessary to success.

Feb 9, Be the Change You Want

Wed, 09 Feb 2011 20:50:00 GMT

Ghandi was right. Every leader in an organization needs to model the expected change. Because of mirror neurons in the human brain, people naturally emulate a leader. Therefore initiating change in an organization goes more smoothly when the leader demonstrates the expected behavior. Want service? Innovation? Creativity? Teamwork? Show people through your behavior how those things are accomplished.

Jan 31, Leadership Styles

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 18:03:15 GMT

Leadership Styles: Making the Right Choice

Jan 31, Contextual Leadership

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 15:57:06 GMT

Contextual Leadership

Jan 31, Hard and Soft Leadership Power

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 15:16:36 GMT

Hard and Soft Leadership Power

Jan 26, Strategic Management and Planning

Wed, 26 Jan 2011 22:16:31 GMT

Strategic Management: Key Components of Strategic Planning Implementation

Jan 26, HR Webinar with Strategic HRCI Credits

Wed, 26 Jan 2011 19:23:57 GMT

February 18 at 3pm, Clare Novak will be presenting EBIT Duh: How's Your Finance Buzzword IQ for PA State SHRM Council. It has been awarded 1.5 strategic credits. If you can't attend the Annual SHRM Conference, this is a great way to hear the program.

Jan 26, HR Webinar with Strategic HRCI Credits

Wed, 26 Jan 2011 19:23:56 GMT

Jan 17, Enable Others - Serve the Community

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 18:15:42 GMT

Leaders can model service and enabling others by bringing their skills and talents to the wider community and inviting employees to do the same. Companies that provide time for employees to volunteer are to be commended. Employees who choose to volunteer for such worthy projects as Habitat for Humanity, in schools, and rehabilitating play grounds deserve equal recognition. As we reflect on service today, we can invoke the spirits of both Martin Luther King and John Kennedy. We can serve both our country and our fellow citizens.

Jan 5, Commit to Enabling Others

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 15:55:54 GMT

Leaders can experience revelations. Some years ago, a CEO, whose business had been on the verge of collapse, happily shared the news that things had turned around. What happened? He smiled and said when he stopped being a controlling bleep and let everyone do their jobs, things improved remarkably. The lesson is that businesses work better when people are allowed to do what they are good at doing. That's what enabling others to act is all about.

Dec 23, Model Cheer in the Between Week

Thu, 23 Dec 2010 14:36:55 GMT

While many people use vacation time for the week between Christmas and New Year's Day, others work. It can sometimes be sad and boring to be the one working and other times it can be used very productively for catching up. As the leader, model a positive attitude and good cheer during this week, perhaps leading a few, small, fun actitivities to brighten the week. Maybe a mid week anti turkey pizza party or a best thing about this week story telling during a break. Thank people for being the ones who are working and let them know how much you value their choice.

Dec 9, Leaders Model at Office Parties

Thu, 09 Dec 2010 14:34:53 GMT

Leaders can take the opportunity at holiday parties to model relaxed, appropriate fun at the gathering. Take the opportunity to thank people for their work during the year. Ask people about their interests. Asking about a best holiday memory or a holiday tradition the person enjoys would be appropriate. Be prepared to share a memory or tradition of your own. Leaders can help people relax and have fun by observing people and including those who seem shy. A simple way to do that is approach the person, make some appropriate small talk and then introduce the person to others. Leaders model best when they mingle rather then staying in their own comfort zone with their colleagues. Treat the office party as if everyone were a guest in your home. Do what you would do to make each person feel relaxed and comfortable.

Dec 3, Model the Way To Friendship

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 15:15:43 GMT

As leaders model, promote, ask about, teach about, encourage and make room for people to care about each other, not just increased productivity, increased productivity may actually follow. High performing teams derive from high-relating individuals. David and Wendy Ulrich in The Why of Work. What a wonderful message to hear. It is in tune with the holiday spirit,a message of abundance. Leaders can increase productivity AND foster friendships and caring in the organization.

Nov 24, ASTD International Conference & Expo

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 14:14:09 GMT

Clare Novak is very thankful on this day to have, To EBIT and Beyond! What Corporate Financials Mean to Training, accepted for a concurrent session at the ASTD ICE in Orlando May of 2011.

Nov 20, SHRM Conference Presentations

Sat, 20 Nov 2010 13:40:00 GMT

Clare Novak is thrilled to announce that her presentation, "EBIT - Duh! Finance for HR Professionals" has been accepted for the Annual SHRM Conference and Expo in Las Vegas, June 2011.

Nov 9, Successful Leaders Ask

Tue, 09 Nov 2010 16:43:08 GMT

Leaders who make more successful decisions, particularly decisions affecting the long term, ask more questions than their less successful peers: They asked more questions and their questions were more forensic (Is there a way I can find out if the machines are working at full capacity? Rather than How am I supposed to know what is going on?) They described their goals in more detail and elaborated their intended methods further. Their plans tended to be conditional, not peremptory, giving the system a chance to respond before wading in with more stimuli. Kaplan and Kaplan, Bozo Sapiens In other words, ask, do, wait, evaluate, adjust for successful decisions on complex matters over time.

Oct 25, HR Contributes to the Bottom Line

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 21:12:17 GMT

The new generation of HR leaders is here and they mean business. These leaders have gotten the message loud and clear that they can and do contribute to the bottom line. How? Reducing voluntary turnover, getting poor performers on board or out the door, and getting the skills the company will need in the coming years. True, not every HR practitioner is there yet--just the best ones!

Oct 12, Leaders Are Human Too

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 14:38:49 GMT

For all humans, serotonin, a feel good brain chemical, is released by doing good, gaining power and being rewarded or recognized, among other activities. Having power and climbing the ladder feel good. As Kaplan and Kaplan point out in Bozo Sapiens, being a leader is rewarding. But becoming leader is equally so: gaining a dominant place is reflected in rising serotonin levels. Even the trappings and rituals of dominance have a favorable effect; it is the reason behind every medal, mortarboard, and plaque of appreciation, and the explanation for why large companies have so many vice presidents. A higher serotonin level produces the same satisfaction as a higher salary, and need cost no more than the expense of printing new business cards. P 171 Under the best circumstances, leaders realize that followers are also subject to serotonin fluctuations and so spread the recognition and reward around to keep followers feeling good as well.

Jan 13, Agreeableness In Leaders -- The Too Agreeble Leader

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:30:22 GMT

HR frequently takes hits from managers for obstructing firing people with performance issues. HR is usually exercising good stewardship by following processes that keep the company ethical and legal. It's time some managers stood up and took their medicine as well. There are a significant number of managers who do not address performance issues. The manager may be uncomfortable with conflict, or place more importance on being liked than being effective. These leaders are too agreeable and tolerate sub par performance. We've all heard stories of problem employees being transfer repeatedly rather than having a leader confront poor performance. Both managers and HR need to step up and be assertive in addressing poor performance. The collective good suffers when poor performance is tolerated.

Jan 4, Client Endorsements

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 15:34:09 GMT

Client Recommendations

Nov 9, Products

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:05:06 GMT

Products: books by Clare Novak

Oct 16, Leadership Traits: Born and Made

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:43:07 GMT

Leadership Traits: Born and Made