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By Rita Ashley, July 20, 2010 1:03 pm

Robots and ark building.

“At a certain point in the process, no credit will be given for predicting rain. The only credit will be for helping to build an ark.” Ben Horowitz

Last night I spent 45 minutes talking a client down from a rant about how negative his team had become. They were demoralized from all the customer complaints and additional workload that entailed. The Q/A team complained the developers showed them no respect and the Product Managers continued to give the developers poor stories for the sprints; all common complaints for a VP development of a small Agile/SaaS company. Continue reading 'Don’t tell me there is a problem, tell me there is a solution'»

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By Rita Ashley, June 7, 2010 11:25 am

Do you want your employees to be happy or satisfied?

Inc. Magazine posted an article by the founder of Zappos on why he sold to Amazon. The article bears reading for many reasons, but I was struck especially by its emphasis on ‘happy.’ I think that is an error in focus.

The whole idea of an employer making employees happy is presumptuous, in my view. There are too many variables not in the employer’s control. And an individual’s view of their happiness quotient changes, constantly.

As mentioned by both Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and Tony Hsieh, Zappos founder, rarely do people know what will make them ‘happy.’ Happy may be an allusive goal, some folks have it, others don’t.  Happy isn’t an achievable outcome.

Control what you can control. Perhaps instead of happy, consider satisfied. (Some research indicates ‘happy’ is something one is born with.) Employee satisfaction can be ascertained, measured and even controlled. Beyond the formal testing/metrics, there is much you can learn just by being observant.

A few indicators to track employee satisfaction:

• Is there employee-traced vandalism?
• Is turnover high?
• Are people working productively?
• Do they volunteer for extra hours?
• Do they volunteer new ideas?
• Do they attend company sponsored events?
• Do they pick up after themselves?
• Do they refer their friends?
• Is there excessive absenteeism?
• What do employees say on exit interviews? Are they angry?

A coach’s view. I can share what is absolutely true and measurable. The reason most people leave their employer/job is they don’t feel appreciated. The corollary is also true. Many people accept jobs or stay in jobs where they are underpaid or perks missing because they know they can make a noticeable contribution will be appreciated, acknowledged and celebrated.

Continue reading 'Employee retention – Why employees stay'»

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By Rita Ashley, May 20, 2010 12:44 pm

The price seems high the rewards, intangible; the value, great. So difficult to make that decision to hire a coach. Last night, I reviewed the statistics for a few of my recent job search coaching clients. Here’s what I found.

Client 1: Granted interviews with every company (10+) to whom he was introduced. Was told his resume was impressive and organized. Of seven options, it was he who declined to go forward with six companies, not the prospective employer. Once he decided on the two companies where he’d most like to work, received offers from both. Negotiations improved the offer of his choice. Continue reading 'More proof coaching works'»

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By Rita Ashley, March 31, 2010 4:48 am

A Leadership Primer by Colin Powell

Philip Dixon and Rita Ashley

Phil is currently VP at a major US online retail company and has just accepted a new position with a company who reached out to him to help them advance their technology to the next level and improve traffic to their already popular site. Once he resigned, his direct reports, team members and peers, independently and together took the opportunity to tell him what a great leader he is and that working for or with him was what made their jobs compelling. Some went so far as to say they felt safe knowing Phil was ever vigilant for opportunities and hazards.

Not afraid to confront the hard issues: Often going against the grain, and believing he alienated his peers, Phil was always the one-eyed in the valley of the blind, taking the unpopular stance when necessary and always cognizant of the pros/cons of any issue. His peers told him they had come to depend on him for rocking the boat just enough to keep them going forward. During his tenure with the company they reached statistical heights other companies could only hope to achieve.

He was told he would be very difficult to replace. How does an executive create such an impact on a company? Under his leadership the company became one of the most highly trafficked sites in their niche with customer loyalty similarly high. Continue reading 'On leadership, heros and success'»

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By Rita Ashley, March 14, 2010 1:58 pm

An object lesson for all managers.

I get an insider’s view on the managers for whom my clients work. I see the results and how their manager’s management style is interpreted. Perhaps there is a lesson from seeing the impact.

Here’s a story of one of my clients (actually two combined for the sake of the example) and his manager.

Alex is an experienced technology executive who came to his new role from a rather abusive employer; an employer known for ridicule, veto and insults. Alex did some impressive work for that employer yet rarely received acknowledgment.

His natural instincts to be protective and wary came with him to his new job. He was always on the alert for insults, dismissive behaviors and even opportunities to rid himself of what he saw as evil-doers. He tended to be more politically active than his role as a product development leader would imply.

Continue reading 'One great manager'»