Succession planning and replacement planning are two different things. Replacement planning is focused on identifying immediate understudies, while succession planning is focused on developing talent to move forward.

What is Business Succession Planning?

Successful succession planning is related to leadership development. It develops a pool of talent so that there are numerous qualified candidates throughout the organization to fill vacancies in leadership. Succession planning used to concentrate on developing leadership at the top level, but now it is building a strong talent base, which helps to increase employee loyalty and ensure the longevity of the company. This strategy requires recruiting qualified talent, creating a talent pool, and instilling loyalty.

Benefits of succession planning:

What does succession planning require?

What Is Replacement Planning?

Replacement planning works under the assumption that the structure of the organization will not change. This is easier to apply in small family businesses that do not have any goals to expand or grow in the future. There are typically two or three “replacements” identified in the organization chart. Each backup is listed with his or her ability to replace an existing leader. The employees are not necessarily developed to understand the new working environment or smoothly transition into his or her new responsibilities.

Differences Between Succession and Replacement Planning

Many executives believe that they are engaging in succession planning, but in reality they are still using replacement planning.

The Main Differences:

Succession planning takes a little more time and effort from those in leadership, but it yields a high return on such an investment.

This post is from December’s topic on Business Succession Planning, which is also a course on our Mini-MBA program online from Harvard Square.

Even the most carefully created team building plan may fall prey to mistakes. Because people are all different, what works in one group may be less successful in others. There are some common mistakes that occur when team building. Being aware of these mistakes ahead of time can help you avoid them. And if they do occur, you’ll be able to quickly spot them and correct course.

Allowing Cliques to Develop

One of the most common errors when team building is allowing cliques to develop. This happens when a group of people become insular and only want to interact with each other. They may exclude others, gossip, or simply keep themselves apart from the rest of the team. Clearly, this is exactly the opposite of what we want to happen when we are engaging in team building. The other side of cliques developing is that certain people may be consistently left out, ostracized, or otherwise excluded. Be attentive if you see cliques developing. Some signs that cliques are developing may include:

You can help avoid clique formation by encouraging (or even requiring) people to team or pair with different team members. Encourage interaction with the whole group. Also make conscious effort to include everyone and invite everyone to participate.

Not Delegating Tasks

A failure to delegate can undermine team building. Be sure to delegate tasks when you facilitate team building. Also make clear that, when working in groups, tasks should be delegated. It is not uncommon for team members who are very focused on “winning” or “being the best” to take over group activities and not delegate to their group members. Reinforce how important this is, and that the goal is not winning at all costs. You might include activities which teach and reinforce delegation skills. When tasks are not delegated, the team does not get the experience of working together – they are simply led by the “expert.” This can create resentment and lead to negative feelings and interactions among the team.

Rewarding in Private/Criticizing in Public

Feedback is a key component of team building. A common mistake people make when team building is to only give negative or developmental feedback when with the whole team, while reserving rewards and positive feedback for private times. This is especially egregious if there are one or two team members who are consistently criticized in public but only rewarded in private (or worse, not rewarded at all). Developmental feedback is important, but if a team has a sense that they do nothing right, or that they are going to be called out or humiliated in public, they develop resentment and low morale. Be sure to save individual developmental feedback for private meetings with the person. You can give developmental feedback to the whole team when you are together. And make sure to praise as openly as you offer developmental feedback.

Disjointed Plans of Grandeur

As dangerous as it is not to have a team building plan, having a plan that is too complex or grandiose is also something to avoid. A common mistake when creating a team building plan is to pack the schedule with too many activities, trainings, and meetings. This makes your plan unnecessarily complex. Also be wary of expecting miracles – that one session of broomball or one potluck will solve any interpersonal problems in your team. Keep your team building plan interesting, but avoid making it too ornate, multi-faceted, or complex. Plans like this are frustrating to administer and manage, and even more frustrating for the team members who have to engage in the activities. They may result in resentment of you and the program, which does little to build your team!

There is a wide variety of team building activities that you can use in developing your team. Using a mix of games, activities, and social events helps keep your team building plan interesting and engaging. Each team will respond to different activities, so be open to switching up the type of team building you do. Also seek input from your team about which activities they enjoy and find valuable. It takes a lot of people to make a winning team.

Games

Studies show that fostering a sense of play is a great way to foster camaraderie and team work. Using games also infuses a sense of fun and, depending on the game, a sense of friendly competition that can help people open up and form strong relationships. There are a variety of types of games you can use in team building, including:

No matter what type of game or games you chose for a team building session, there are several key components to any effective team building game:

Activities

Group activities can also be a great way to build a team. Activities that are created specifically for team building are one option. Your training department can be a great source of information for team building activities, and there are a variety of excellent books and workbooks to draw from. Activities which are not specifically “team building” activities, but which encourage your team to interact with each other, are also valuable for building your team. Simply engaging in an activity together, whether a recreational activity or a community service activity, can give your team members a chance to take the focus off of work and instead focus on getting to know each other.

Education

Training, development, and education also offer opportunities for team building. When your team builds a new skill together, learns a new technology or process, or otherwise engages in professional development as a group, this reinforces shared goals. Include some education in your training plan about team building specifically as well. Engaging in education about how to function better as a team has clear benefits, as team members build a set of skills together that they can then apply to working with each other. However, any shared learning experience has the potential to create a stronger team. When people learn together, they support each other’s development and can find a shared sense of purpose in learning something new or building a new skill. Take time to ask your team what they’d like to learn. You can also focus on the team’s strengths and development areas in planning education.

Social Gatherings

Don’t underestimate the power of social gatherings to build your team. While it’s always important to recognize that family and other commitments can make it difficult for some team members to engage in social time outside of work, gatherings can still be a valuable tool in your team building kit. Whether you have regular team lunches where the topic of conversation is anything but work, an annual holiday gathering, or period get together after work for dinner, drinks, or other fun, social gatherings help to take your team out of their work environment so they can focus on each other. Ask your team what type of gatherings they would enjoy. Be wary of gatherings that center on alcohol, both for liability reasons and because it excludes those team members who do not drink. Vary the type of social gatherings so that those who may not enjoy one type of gathering have other options. Encouraging your team to spend time together as colleagues helps to further foster camaraderie and relationships.

Team building has many benefits, to both the organization and the individual employees that make up the team. Team building helps to create a sense of cohesion, reinforce shared goals and values, and greater camaraderie. Team building also helps teams be more effective, as they communicate more openly and are more motivated to pursue shared goals. An investment in team building activities is an investment in success.

Better Communication and Conflict Resolution

One of the greatest benefits of team building is better communication. People who have a sense that they are on a team, with shared values and goals, are more likely to be personally invested in one another. This facilitates communication because people want to reach shared goals, and have a shared sense of purpose or vision. Team building helps team members develop strong communication skills, and also helps the team establish communication systems. Improved conflict resolution is another benefit of team building. Clearer communication in and of itself helps to facilitate better conflict resolution. The shared goals and values of a team, along with the increased personal investment and stronger personal relationships that form in a team, also helps to foster an environment in which conflicts are addressed openly and productively.

Effectiveness

Team building helps to create more effective teams. Team building activities create a sense that team members are pulling together toward a common goal or set of goals. This sense of shared purpose tends to foster effectiveness and productivity. Team building also helps the team find greater effectiveness through developing skills in delegating tasks, collaborating, communicating, and creating processes that leverage each team member’s skills. A team that has a sense that they are working together, and in which the team members trust each other to honor their commitments, works more efficiently and effectively.

Motivation

Team building activities can be a powerful source of motivation. Spending time together as a team is a chance to reinforce shared goals, set new shared goals, and strengthen relationships with team members. A sense of shared goals and values serves as valuable motivation. When infused with a spirit of healthy competition and camaraderie, team building activities also motivate team members because there is a sense of not just working for one’s self but for the good of the entire team. Team building activities help remind your team what they’re working for and why, which can be a valuable boost to motivation.

Camaraderie

One of the most powerful benefits of team building is a sense of camaraderie. The reinforcement of shared values and shared goals which goes along with team building helps create a sense of camaraderie and collegiality. Team building activities help to strengthen the interpersonal relationships between team members. Team building gives team members a chance to get to know each other beyond just their work functions, and helps to foster a sense of shared identity. Taking the time to create relationships that go beyond simply interacting over work responsibilities helps team members to invest more in each other emotionally and personally. This creates a sense that team members aren’t just pieces of a process, but people with feelings and needs. When team members have a sense of camaraderie, they are more likely to want to collaborate, help each other, and support each other.

We are each responsible for changing our stereotypes and breaking down the barriers. Are your own assumptions based on things you have heard from others, in school, TV, or the movies? Is it possible that some of your negative images are incorrect — at least for some people in a certain group? Rather than making sweeping generalizations, try to get to know people as individuals. Just as that will reduce the stereotypes you hold of others, it is also likely to help reduce the stereotypes others hold of you.

Changing Your Personal Approach

Once you’ve identified and understand your baggage, what do you do to make changes? Often, the beliefs you hold are the result of your own cultural conditioning; they determine whether you will seek rapport with individuals who are different from you.

The first step is acknowledging that you’re human, will probably make some mistakes, and likely do have some stereotypes. Next, work to become more aware of your inner thoughts and feelings — and how they affect your beliefs and actions.

We typically make a judgment about someone in less than 30 seconds. To change your personal approach to diversity, try these steps when you make contact with a new person:

When you have a stereotypical thought about a group that is different from you, follow it up with an alternative thought based on factual information that discounts the stereotype. Engage in honest dialogue with others about race that at times might be difficult, risky, or uncomfortable, and look for media portrayals of different races that are realistic and positive.

Possible answers:

Encouraging Workplace Changes

Diversity initiatives usually start at the top of an organization, but change can be affected from any level. If you work in human resources, or in a functional position of authority, consider performing a cultural audit to describe the overall working environment, unwritten norms, possible barriers, and the existence of race, gender, and class issues.

Encouraging Social Changes

Below are several suggestions to encourage breaking down stereotypical barriers in social, community, and other non-work settings.

As you gain more awareness and knowledge about groups different than you, not only will your stereotypes lessen, but you will also become better equipped to educate and challenge others about their stereotypes.

This post is from Octobers topic on Workplace Diversity, which is also a course on our Mini-MBA program online from Harvard Square.

Everybody is different and we encounter a diverse set of people every day. Some differences cannot be seen by just looking at a person. Treat each and every person you encounter with respect and dignity. Through this chapter we will begin to identify what if any stereotypes a person may have. 

Stereotypes vs. Biases

A stereotype is a conventional, formulaic, and oversimplified conception, opinion, or image. One who stereotypes generally thinks that most or all members of an ethnic or racial group are the same. Typical words used with stereotyping include: clannish, aggressive, blue-collar, lazy.

Bias is a preference or an inclination, especially one that inhibits impartial judgment. The use of bias is more subtle. Often it is evident through the addition of qualifiers or added information to spoken statements. For example, you may hear “Jane González, who has a degree, will be joining our staff”, implying that having a degree sets this individual apart from most Hispanics, who may not have degrees.

Identifying Your Baggage

Baggage is defined as intangible things (as feelings, circumstances, or beliefs) that get in the way.

From an early age, you learn to place people and objects into categories. As you grow up and are influenced by parents, peers, and the media, your tendency to label different racial, cultural, or other groups as superior or inferior increases significantly. This can be referred to as your baggage.

Though often you are unaware of what constitutes your baggage, you can begin to uncover it by monitoring your thoughts when you encounter an ethnic last name, see a skin color, hear an accent different than yours, interact with someone who has a disability, or learn that a person is gay.

As these events occur, look for consistency. Do you have the same reaction to members of a given group each time you encounter him or her? Ask yourself: “Do I have these reactions before — or after I have a chance to know the individual?” If the answer is before, these are your stereotypes. Work to label these automatic responses as stereotypes and remind yourself that they are not valid indicators of one’s character, skills, or personality. Because stereotyping is a learned habit, it can be unlearned with practice. And remember not to judge yourself; a thought is private, and not an action.

Understanding What This Means

Knowing as much as you can about your own ethnocentrisms helps you recognize how discomfort with differences can prevent you from seeing others as “fully human”. With practice, you can identify feelings and thoughts, filtering them through a system of questions designed to help you change your baggage, or perceptions.

This post is from Octobers topic on Workplace Diversity, which is also a course on our Mini-MBA program online from Harvard Square.

Some people stand out, while others fade into the background. But if you want to make the most of interpersonal relationships, you have to be able to leave a lingering positive impression on the people that you meet. People’s first impressions of you are what dictate if they want to get to know you any further. You want to make sure, then, that you create an impact on people. 

Creating a Powerful First Impression

You’ve probably heard this saying before: you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. 

In today’s fast-paced world, you have to maximize the time and opportunities you get with the people that you meet. If you managed to secure a conference with a client or potential partner, for example, make sure that you don’t leave anything to chance for that meeting. And that goes with the impression that you want to leave behind.

The following are some tips in creating a powerful first impression:

Assessing a Situation

All interpersonal skills involve sensitivity to what is going on around, especially what is happening with the people you are interacting with. After all, context variables, such as timing and location, can change the meaning of a communication. You want to make sure that you are not just saying the right thing, but you are saying the right thing at the right moment.

If you want to make an impact, you have to factor in the situation. 

The following are some tips in assessing the situation:

Being Zealous without Being Offensive

Enthusiasm, diligence, and persistence are all great virtues to have, especially if you’re in the business of creating social networks. However, you have to be careful that your persevering doesn’t cross the line to pestering — or worse harassing the person. 

The following are some tips in being zealous without being offensive:

To learn more on this topic, buy our acclaimed self-directed training manual on Interpersonal Skills for only $9.99. Delivered as downloads, it includes the training manual, action plan template, podcast, and digital badge.

The skill of influencing others is a valuable asset to have; it can help us sell products and ideas, convince people and institutions to assist us, and even get the world to change! After all, while we don’t have the power to control other people, we can always do our best to persuade them.

Seeing the Other Side

The first step in influencing other people is entering their world. This means setting aside your own point of view, and looking at the situation from another person’s perspective.  Remember, each person is unique, and consequently sees the world differently. You can’t always assume that what’s clear to you is clear to the people you are talking to. 

In short, you have to be able to answer this question for them: “what’s in it for me?”

Seeing the other side involves knowing what is important to the other person(s): their values, interests, and preferences. Do they have strong feelings against what you are pitching to them?  What would it take to for them to get over their resistance? What are their characteristics, personality traits, social status, or professions that can you use in order to make your point more convincing?

Research, active listening, and keen observation can help you in “seeing the other side.”

Building a Bridge

A second skill that can help you during situations that need persuasion is bridge building.

Bridge building is the process of increasing rapport and affinity between people. It can involve making the other party feel at ease talking to you, gaining their trust, and identifying common interests. 

Bridge building is important in persuasion because people are more likely to agree with someone they like, trust, or see as “one of them.” Aside from bridges improving the over-all communication between two parties, bridges can also serve as negotiating grounds. Bridges translate to common interests, which can be the foundation of win-win scenarios.

The following are some of the ways you can build bridges in your interpersonal relationships:

Giving In Without Giving Up

Issues are rarely black and white. In most cases, there are areas within a contention that you can compromise upon. If you want to improve your chances of influencing other people, be willing to make some concessions —- even if it’s just at the levels of simply agreeing to differ, agreeing that the other person has a right to their opinion, or agreeing that the other person has made a reasonable argument.

The skill of giving in is important because people generally don’t want to deal with individuals whose intention is to win at all points, or be declared “right” for the sake of being right. This makes the relationship confrontational rather than collaborative. The discussion becomes an argument, and the atmosphere turns tense. If you want to enhance your chances of winning someone over, be willing to consider —and even agree upon —reasonable requests. You may even volunteer to take losses in areas you can afford to give up, as long as you don’t lose sight of the main goal.

A person who is willing to “give in” from time to time comes across as sensible and realistic. Moreover, concessions communicate a sincere desire to do what is best for another person. At the very least, it can promote a culture of “quid pro quo”; I will give you something, if you give me something in return. 

The trick lies in choosing what you will concede. Understandably, you don’t want to “give up” and concede the very thing you are selling. Keep sight of the main goal and judge what you can sacrifice based on this main goal. If you can create a win-win compromise between what you want and what the other person likes, better. 

To learn more on this topic, buy our acclaimed self-directed training manual on Interpersonal Skills for only $9.99. Delivered as downloads, it includes the training manual, action plan template, podcast, and digital badge.

First things first: your employees need to know what you expect of them in order to succeed. We will work through the four steps of setting expectations. 

1. Define the requirements.

2. Identify opportunities for improvement and growth.

3. Discuss the requirements.

4. Put it all in writing.

Defining the Requirements 

The first step is to define the requirements for the chosen task. In other words, what will success look like? You will want to develop your own set of criteria first, and then review it with the employee to get their valuable ideas and input.

Here are some questions to help you get started, focused around the five W’s and the H.

Identifying Opportunities for Improvement and Growth

The best expectations are those that encourage the employee to grow and stretch. So, when setting expectations, you should explore all the possibilities and share them with your staff members.

Here is an example. Let’s say you have some training tasks that you would love to delegate, but you’re worried that the task would overwhelm anyone on your team. After all, many people aren’t comfortable speaking in public.

However, during your expectations meeting, one of your senior staff members mentions that she is interested in learning more about training. This is the perfect opportunity to reduce your workload and to help your employee develop her skills, not to mention increase her job satisfaction. Everyone wins!

Likewise, your employee may have hopes and dreams but may be unwilling to share them for fear of being rejected, or for fear that they can’t meet their own expectations. Your leadership and encouragement is essential to help your employees grow and develop. Encourage employees to try new things and provide them with the support they need. An action plan that gradually increases tasks and responsibilities is one way to do this.

Setting Verbal Expectations

Expectations can be verbal or written, depending on the situation. For informal expectation-setting meetings, such as a new, simple task, verbal expectations can suffice. 

To make sure you’ve covered all the bases, use the 5 W’s and the H during your discussion.

Who?

What?

When?

Where?

Why?

How?

Putting Expectations in Writing

It’s never a bad idea to write down your expectations. This document can be kept for your records, and it can be shared with the employee so they have something to refer to.

Motivation and Leadership- A successful manager is a good leader who is able to motivate and inspire employees into action. Highly motivated employees are more productive than unmotivated employees. Since they are creative and passionate about their work. Similarly, Motivated people are aligned with the company’s values and show more loyalty to their organizations. Middle managers need to understand that motivation is the key to running a successful team.

Basics of Motivation and Leadership

There are both internal and external motivations. Managers often focus on external motivations. While external motivations can be useful, they are only effective if they mean something to the employees.

External Motivation:

Indeed It is important that managers take the time to understand the personal, internal motivations of individuals, and try to link personal goals with work. Social responsibility is an example of connecting personal employee beliefs and motivations to company procedures. 

Internal Motivation:

In essence, managers to motivate employees they must be motivated themselves. Their work needs to reflect their internal motivations.

Equity Theory

Adam’s Equity Theory is named for the psychologist who developed the idea. Basically, employees are not motivated to work if they believe that they are putting more into a job than they are getting out of it. When employees see this type of discrepancy, they react in different ways. They may become less productive, unruly, or leave the organization. Managers need to try to balance what people put into their work with what they get out of it.

Typical Employee Inputs:

Common Employee Outputs:

Expectancy Theory

The Expectancy Theory looks at motivation through a system of rewards. It uses the concepts of Expectancy, Instrumentality, and Valence.

What is Leadership?

Leaders do more than issue orders. Leaders must provide answers to difficult questions and create the culture of their teams. Effective managers are good leaders. 

Roles of a Leaders for Motivation and Leadership:

Situational Leadership

Situational leadership is the belief that the employees determine the leadership style of the manager. The maturity of the employees determines whether a leader is task-oriented or relationship-motivated.  There are four levels of maturity in the Hersey-Blanchard model along with four corresponding leadership styles that we can relate to the topic of motivation and leadership.

Maturity:

Styles:

Strategic Leadership

Strategic leadership is the ability to see the big picture and forecast the future of the team or organization. This type of leader creates plans that consider the growth and direction of the business as well as the people within the organization. Hence Strategic leaders are able to prepare themselves and their teams for the future that they see through effective motivation and leadership. 

Qualities of Strategic Leaders for Effective Motivation and Leadership: 

To learn more on the topic of Motivation and Leadership, buy our acclaimed self-directed training manual on Leadership and Influence for only $9.99. Delivered as downloads, it includes the training manual, action plan template, podcast, and digital badge.

Change is constant and will always occur, and understanding its components on an individual level can help us relate it to an organizational level. Change is important to understand, as it effects many facets of an organization. Its effect on the individual is of great importance as it will filter through and influence all levels of the organization. Organizational change can create fear and uncertainty, it is important to understand these influences; what is expected when they do occur, and preparing for them when they happen.

Influences on Change

Typically causes of change can be split into two categories: Internal and External. 

No organization is an island and external forces are always influencing and interacting with its existence. Individuals and organizations may have very little ability to influence such external factors such as politics, culture, economy, societal changes, or technology. It is important to understand that if the change is the result of an external factor, accept the change, and then modify any internal processes or items that are affected by the external influence. 

Internal factors are very numerous, as almost any item or event can influence change within an organization, but some of the more influential ones are employees, policies, organization structure, managerial, and financial. With internal causes of change we have the most ability to control and prepare the outcomes of such events. The benefits of this are numerous as we can prepare with education, communication, training, and support. These tools will help mitigate any negative outcomes which may occur as a result of the change. 

Common Reactions to Change

Tools to Help the Change Process

Preparing for the change is very important as with preparation comes more chance of success. These tools will help facilitate the change process and provide it the best chances for success.

These tools will help battle any negative reactions when they occur, and with more preparation the change should be smoother.

This post is from August’s topic on Change Management, which is also a course on our Mini-MBA program online from Harvard Square.

Middle managers are usually in charge of teams. Managing teams is difficult but rewarding. Teams are made up of individuals who have to learn to work together as a single unit. Teammates often go through a difficult adjustment period before they reach their optimal level of performance. Fortunately, the right leadership will enhance the effectiveness of teams.

The Good and the Bad of Using Teams

Like everything else there are good elements and bad elements associated with using teams. Before setting up a team, determine if you are able to handle the bad and the good.

Good:

Bad:

Kinds of Teams

Each team is different. There are five kinds of teams recognized in modern business. 

Five Teams:

Work Team Characteristics

Effective teams share certain characteristics. Middle managers need to be familiar with the characteristics of effective teams in order to create a working team.

Characteristics:

Enhancing Work Team Effectiveness

Every team has difficulties. Like any other relationship, team members will have their good times and bad. Managers, however, can take a few steps to enhance the effectiveness of the team.

Steps: