Topic: Human Resources Systems and Programs

A Delicate Management Task – Managing Upward

A Delicate Management Task – Managing Upward

Have you ever been completely exasperated when you couldn’t convince someone above you, senior management, a board or a direct supervisor, to approve an action or authorize resources that you needed to get your job done?  When I was the Director of Human Resources in a large teaching hospital with staffing as one of my responsibilities, all requisitions to hire staff had to be approved by the COO.  So it was my job to get positions filled as quickly […]

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Microsoft versus Yahoo Performance Management Systems…Who is right?

Microsoft versus Yahoo Performance Management Systems…Who is right?

Coincidentally, Microsoft and Yahoo have made the news recently for their changes in approach to performance management.  Journalists have conjured up a debate that pits these systems as good against evil or good and bad or the theoretically neutral “people” versus “process”.  I’m not sure if the writers really don’t understand the complexity of performance management or they are simply trying to drive traffic to their blogs.  For me it’s a reminder where not to get useful […]

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“Lean In”: The Leadership Message for Men

“Lean In”:  The Leadership Message for Men

Two items triggered my recent reading of Sheryl Sandberg’s book “Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead.”  One was the recent article in Fortune magazine that suggested a complex personality behind the COO of Facebook title and the other is the increasingly popular use of the phrase “lean in” in public and private forums.  I typically resist reading these “puff” pieces from business leaders, mostly men, who have professional […]

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