Career development and career management are no longer a reserve for the human resource department alone; these days companies are involving all their employees in career development. This shift in behavior emanated from the stiff competition plaguing the retail sector. Companies need to look for ways of incorporating job enrichment, lateral assignments, rotation programs, and other activities that can improve employee retention.

The company chosen for analysis is Walmart. Walmart is the country’s largest employer. Given this fact, there is need to examine whether this retail giant adheres to basic career development techniques as part of their human resource management programs. In case of any negatives, then recommendations will be made on how the company can improve. (Green, 2001)

Ways of retaining employees at Walmart

One of the major indications of Walmart’s’ employee retention practices is its orientation program. Upon arrival at Walmart, new employees are taken through a recruitment process where they can learn about all their new job position. Additionally, the orientation process is also present in order to teach employees about the organizational structure within the company. The company’s representatives explain that the warm welcome extended to consumers upon arrival at the store is the same thing that occurs when new employees report to work. In this orientation process, staff members are taught how to gauge consumer expectations. Employees are also taught about the rich Walmart history and the environment required to deliver the high performance expectations synonymous with the company. All these initiatives are aimed at making employees stay within the organization more favorable. This empowers the employees and gives them the incentive to remain within the company. (Sullivan and Zaino, 2005)

Walmart also offers training and development programs. While many other companies look at training as an occasional issue, Walmart considers training as part of their regular work environment. The company ensures that a substantial portion of their employees’ time is dedicated to training. The company affirms that the emphasis on training and development occurred to equip employees with the necessary skills to continue climbing the corporate leader. They believe that top positions within the company would be better performed by people who had been with the company before.

In line with these arguments, Walmart established a new type of creation known as the Leaders Out In Front. The purpose of this training program is to teach field associates within the country how to manage their portfolios effectively. The following professions are liable for training

* Market managers
* Store managers
* Co-managers
* Assistant managers

The company asserts that this program prepares their employees to improve continuously through training. The first category of employees that is liable for the program, are the assistant managers. The program assists those managers in determining necessary skills required to be efficient leaders. It also helps them to assess quality in the work of their subordinates. This particular training program is not just effective for Walmart in general, it is also important for those particular employees that do it. This is because it gives managers a competitive edge and makes them more lucrative for higher positions.

Another training program established by Walmart is known as the Stores of learning program. The latter scheme is relatively new as it was started in 2007. Here, the company established virtual classrooms in chosen stores where employees can learn about the most effective methods of service delivery.

Walmart also ensures that their employees develop their careers through skill assessments. The company has instituted a program known as the Associate Investment model where supervisors evaluate employee competencies. This methods of employee assessment is particularly accurate owing to the fact that it allows the assessment of the evaluation process. This means that in case evaluation was done poorly, the company can detect it and makes their employees more prepared for future eventualities. (King, 2006)

The company goes through a rigorous process of career assessment and development through this tool. Phase one of the process entails on-boarding. Here, the company ascertains that their employees know all the skills and knowledge required to perform their job functions. So this can be regarded as the informative phase. The next step is called the fundamental track phase. Here, the company conducts performance management to assist their employees in the process of understanding their responsibilities. It is tailored at creating a good foundation for employees as they go about their duties.

Employees then go through the third phase known as the advanced track phase. Here, associates within the company are taught how to plan their careers. In doing this, the company ascertains that their employees go through all the progressive steps required to get to different positions within the company. Associates are required to examine their own competencies and the kind of opportunities available within the company to see where they fit in. All in all, the latter program teaches Walmart employees about how to write resumes, conduct interviews, plan their careers and seek for job opportunities within the company. As of today, around twenty five thousand Walmart employees have undergone the latter training programs where they have learnt a lot about where they fit in the Walmart key competencies.

Walmart’s top managers have talked about the importance of developing talent within their company. These executives assert that while other retailers are outsourcing a substantial part of their production process, Walmart is keen on retaining new talent within the company. Owing to the fact that the company has leadership programs for employees and managers alike, it is demonstrating that the company is committed to developing Walmart related employees. The company’s Vice presidents feel that only those individuals who have been close to the jobs are the ones who are most prepared to take up others positions within the company. (Marquez, 2005)

The company’s leaders in human resource asserted that the reasons behind the company’s success was because they dedicate a substantial amount of their time (60%) in determining whether the most appropriate person has embraced the most appropriate opportunity. As if this is not enough, the company asserted that their competitive advantage has been brought about by the training practices they have been conducting throughout the world. According to this group, the company intends on introducing a program where employees let them know about their ambitions. Thereafter, the company then decides to train those employees for the positions which they will take up. For instance, if an employee wants to work in Walmart China, the company needs to ascertain that they have the right language and corporate requirements necessary to make it in that respective area.

Career development should not just be regarded as an internal issue. Companies ought to equip themselves with information about the goings-on in their external environments. For instance, many companies change their laws frequently with regard to employee practices within certain countries. Consequently, Walmart always makes sure that it keeps up with these changes in employment training and recruitment practices. Failure to effectively monitor these systems could make other retailers more competitive than their counterparts. (Walmart, 2008)

In response to some arguments about Walmart’s’ employee practices, the company decided to create a program that would facilitate career development within the company in an acceptable way. In some of the stores owned by the company, there are new programs designed to ensure that there are technologies that facilitate communication between staff members and their subordinates. This means that the company is trying to increase its employee satisfaction performance and is also trying to boost their morale. The company instituted this kind of approach owing to the fact that there is intense rivalry between players in the retail industry. If the company fails to do this, then it will loose access to some of their most valuable employees. These employees may be relocated to other retail companies that may not even be larger than Walmart. Walmart takes the issue of career development seriously because of the fact that it is the largest employer. Its human resource managers have asserted that the rest of the country is expecting more from them in terms of employment.

Part of Walmart’s efforts towards improving their employees career practices was seen when the company designed a project in 2005, aimed at creating a different level of human resource executives. The company placed one human resource executive in charge of ten stores in US districts. The purpose of doing this was to ascertain that the company improves the coordination of its services across the country rather than in specific stores. This will also go a long way in enhancing career opportunities for its employees if it succeeds. The company is currently implementing the program and is assessing whether the company’s employee turnover will reduce. At the moment the company is grappling with a turnover of 50%. If it can reduce this figure by ten percent, then it will have ascertained that the program can work and they will therefore spread it to the rest of the country. (Wal-Mart, 2005)

On top of the latter initiative, Walmart has also created an avenue for helping their employees in human resource. There is a team made of five members who have the mandate to deal with all the eventualities that may arise when handling employees. The members of this team have legal backgrounds and experience in human resource. Their task is to help Walmart’s’ managers tackle challenging situations. For instance, if a company has hired a worker with a unique problem, the team has the ability to give advise to this manager. They are always available day and night. By doing this, the company has empowered a substantial number of their store managers because handling employees is not an easy task. Besides that, the company has also enhanced the experiences of subordinates within the corporation because now employees need to only focus on their specific jobs rather than dealing with managers who do not know how to handle them. The major aim behind this team of experts was to reduce the workload faced by a substantial number of their managers who had to accommodate employment practices, laws and regulations all at the same time. By giving them a group pf mentors that can assist them, the company is ensuring that they have some sort of refuge from all the demands of the job.

Walmart has incorporated the issue of technology in career development. They have managed to do this by automatically notifying managers who are interested in certain jobs that the positions are available. This is possible in almost all areas regardless of the geography. In the past, the company used to utilize a paper system where employees would give information about days of manually. However, the company is in the process of automating this system in order to minimize chances of incurring errors.

Strengths and weaknesses of Walmart’s career management

Walmart’s practices have been very instrumental in ensuring that service delivery is up to par. However, the company is still grappling with law suits from unions, workers and the general public at large. The company is not very vigorous about their career development because they record one of the highest employee turnover rates; fifty percent. Other competitors like Target, Costco boast of employee turnover rates below twenty percent. This means that there are still some things that the company has not achieved. (Broder, 2004)

For instance, the company needs to improve the amount of wages which they play their clients. This is because pay acts as an important incentive for increasing employee retention rates and also for encouraging employees to grow with the organization. The company pays their employees nine point seven dollars per hour yet other competitors pay over fifteen dollars per hour. This does not make sense since the company brings in close to eleven billion dollars in revenue annually. Critics have asserted that this discourages employees from continuing with the organization and it impedes their career development. The company could boost employee morale by cutting down on the amount of money paid to top executives. This is because there is a huge divide between executive managers and the rest of the workforce. Walmart has designed their system, in such a manner that the profits of the company are only shared by top management while the small employee who deals with the consumer one on one has been disregarded. Taking a comparison of what Walmart pays its Chief executive and what another retailer like Costco pays their chief executive; as of 2005, it was reported that Walmart’s’ manager got five point three million dollars while the chief executive officer in Costco got only three hundred and fifty thousand. This indicates that Walmart still has a lot to do with regard to treatment of their employees. (Herbst, 2005)

Another issue that Walmart needs to work on is prompt response to employee needs in career development. The government waited until it was faced with laws suits and campaigns by civil rights groups before they started implementing some career development programs. The company’s human resource division ought to examine career development needs before hand and then give them suggestions about the most appropriate actions. The company has been very slow about responding to some of the needs within the company.

Conclusion

Walmart has implemented some programs to assist in career development. These include training programs, incorporation of technology in career development, job orientation, career assessment and creation of a team of experts in human resource, notification of employees in case of position and many others. However, the major problem with Walmart’s’ career development is that thy have high employee turnover brought on by poor wages. The other problems is with regard to their responsiveness to employees’ career needs; they only wait until they have been prompted by external parties.

Reference:

Herbst, M. (2005): The Costco Challenge: An Alternative to Wal-Martization?; Report for Labor Research Association, 9th May 2008

Broder, J. (2004): Voters in LA Suburb Say No to a Big Wal-Mart; New York Times 4th March

King, M. (2006): Point Austin: Let’EM Eat Op-Eds!; The Austin Chronicle, 2nd October

Greenhouse, S. and Barbaro, M. (2006): Wal-Mart to Add More Wage Caps And Part-Timers, New York Times, 2nd October

Walmart (2008): Employee store practices, retrieved from http://www.walmartstores.com/GlobalWMStore-sWeb/navigate.do?catg=610 accessed on 15th August

Wal-Mart (2005): Report on Ethical Sourcing, retrieved from http://walmartstores.com/Files/05_ethical_source.pdfIbid.9 Ibid.1 accessed on 15th August

Green, F. (2001): Wal-Mart Removed From Socially Responsible List; San Diego Union-Tribune, 1st May

Marquez, J. (2005): Walmart throws lifeline to managers, Free Press

Sullivan, L. and Zaino, J. (2005): People First: Talent Development Is A Wal-Mart Hallmark, Infoweek magazine, 27th September

It should also be noted that the Second World War had come after the First World War. This latter war led to a serious recession within the European continent. Also the US had played a large role in streamlining some of these problems prior to the Marshall Plan. For instance, it is on record that the US assisted Germany in paying its war reparation through a debt given to them.

In the US States Department, Harry Truman became interested in luring very active foreign policy. However, the US Congress was not as enthusiastic as this leader was. In fact, at that time, the US Congress thought that Europe would look for their own solutions out of their economic crisis through the utilisation of their colonies. However, this was not to be. In fact, there were prolonged winters in the year 1947 such that the food situation become worse than it already was. The following concerns were prevalent on the continent at that time

* Low exports
* Low industrial production
* Poor agricultural policies

These issues were so real in the lives of the Eastern Europeans. For instance, in the United Kingdom, the domestic demand for food was much higher than it could be sustained. In Germany, matters were even worse; homes lacked heating mechanisms and it became increasingly difficult for the population to feed itself. It had been reported that people in Germany were slowly dying. In Germany, trade was not going as it was supposed to because there were certain underlying problems. (Gimbel, 1976)

These problems propelled the Truman administration to re-examine its foreign policy towards Germany and also towards the rest of the European continent. This was instrumental for both the economic well being of the United States and also out of humanitarian attachments.

The Marshall Plan

In the period between 1949 to 1951, a substantial amount of financial aid was poured into the European economy as a direct result of the Marshall Plan which had been drafted in the United States. These finances reached a tune of thirteen billion dollars at that time. The latter sum was labelled as the European Recovery program. The Marshall plan had been drafted and then approved by the United States Congress during the year 1948 under an Act known as the Economic Cooperation Act. It took the US a period of three months to implement this program after it had been approved. Thereafter, the Economic Recovery Program took a period of three years to be executed in the European continent. This means that payments were made to the latter region until 1951. (Burke, 2001)

It should be noted that in the Economic recovery Program, the United States provided its assistance in the form of grants so as to avoid transference problems. Also, the Marshall plan came at a time when Europe was battling a number of economic problems that included;

* Food rationing
* Power shortage
* Coal problems
* Extreme weather conditions

Given all the latter problems, the Truman administration opted to look for another initiative that would be more effective in curbing some of these problems. It should be noted that most of the other economic aids offered to Europe usually did not have any form of political connotations to them. However, the Marshall Plan was unique in that it did. In fact, some analysts assert that the reason behind the effectiveness of the Marshall Plan in dealing with Europe’s economic problems was that there were certain political connotations that were linked to these issues. (Wasser & Dolfman, 2005)

There were a series of economic repercussions that were created by the Marshall Plan. First of all, it should be noted that the Marshall Plan did not bring about immediate entry of Europe into the International markets. In fact at the time of the implementation of the Marshall plan, Europe was in a lot of external debt. Consequently, they were facing difficulties in trying to cope with some of the problems being faced at that time. It should be noted that the Marshall Plan came in when Europe was faced with the dilemma of sealing this gap. Additionally, there were concerns about the process of trade liberalisation within the European continent. The Marshall Plan considered this as a very important part of their plan.

Many experts have interpreted the effects of the Marshall Plan in a different light. However, there is no doubt that this was one of the most successful cases of US Intervention in international economies. Individuals agree that the Marshall Plan was a way in which Europe got a boost or a kick for sustaining their plans for economic recovery. In fact, a large percentage of historians and economists believe that were it not for this system, then the European continent would still be battling with a series of economic challenges. In this regard, the analysts claim that the Marshall Plan was instrumental in restoration of food supplies. Also, they assert that it was the push that was needed in getting rid of bottlenecks that were eminent in most European industries. According to them, this plan was helpful in the process of restoring what was inherently wrong with the European economy. However, the latter view is largely held by sympathisers of the Marshall Plan. (Vickers, 2000)

Sceptics on the other hand have asserted that the Marshall Plan was not that important. Its major goal according to these opponents was that the United States wanted to exert some form of control in Europe. This group claims that the Marshall Plan was a pathway that the US used in order to overcome fears about their economic stagnation after the war. It should be noted that this perspective is largely held by Anti American Lobbyists. Most of them assert that the Marshall Plan was a method that the US would use to create better environments for their large businesses and that the European continent itself did not hugely benefit from it.

The latter category of sceptics also believed that the Marshall Plan was responsible for fostering the political interests of the United States rather than solving the economic problems of the European continent. Also, this critics claim that most of the aid from the Marshall Plan did not reach the areas that needed it the most; i.e. the battle grounds. This group claims the US would only send aid to minimise communist threats in certain parts of the continent and also to get support from other countries such as France and England.

While some of the assertions may hold some truth, one cannot ignore the overall benefits that came out of this plan. For instance, many experts believe that were it not for the Marshall Plan, then Europe’s industries would have been struggling adversely. For instance in West Germany, a large share of the economic recovery in that area was brought about by the economic aid from the Marshall Pan. At that time, there were no adequate levels of raw materials entering the country. Consequently, this external force was the push required to improve trading conditions in the country.

It should also be noted that the largest percent of countries in Western Europe were operating under very tight economic laws. Consequently, an external party was just the right ingredient needed to get rid of the rigidities that many European countries had become accustomed to in their economies. It should be noted that economic assistance through the Marshall plan did not come without conditions. One of them was streamlining macro economic conditions in the recipient countries. As a result, the Marshall Plan was very instrumental in shaking up the overall system that had caused some of the problems that the European continent was dealing with at that time. (Kipping, 1998)

Europe was undergoing a lot of problems in its economic realm owing to the fact that there were huge cartels in their systems. Before the Marshall Plan, Europe was characterised by an economic system in which many people were not encouraged to invest. Additionally, labour conditions at that time were highly strenuous for businesses. Consequently, thanks to the Marshall plan, it was now possible for the European Wage sector to be controlled especially in terms of the issue of collective bargaining. Also, this could have led to heightened investment in the economies and this propelled the economic recovery that was witnessed at that time.

The Marshall plan was also instrumental in the process of reconstruction of Germany. At that time, Germany was faced with a series of issues that would have remained as they were if it was not for the economic intervention that came out of the Marshall Plan. At that time, Germany was still trying to deal with problems that had been brought about by the First World War. To add insult to injury, the second war also came with its own set of problems. Also, some other countries in the European continent did not wish Germany well. They felt that if Germany’s economy was to be rejuvenated beyond measure, then they would become a threat again to their neighbours. However, these fears did not undermine the problems that this country was being faced with at that moment. (Gimbel, 1976)

It should also be noted that there were concerns about shifting certain industries from Germany to France. This was the issue that had been laid out in the Monnet Plan in France. Consequently, Germany was facing the danger of being kept on the periphery. Initially, the US had intended on going with these sentiments. The wanted to cut back on industrial activities within Germany and they also wanted to focus on agriculture and other lighter industries in Germany.

However, with time, analysts came to believe that were it not for US intervention in the European economy, then Germany’s reconstruction would not have occurred. The Marshall Plan played a huge role in ensuring that German exports now began substituting those ones from the United States in the European continent. The United States had continued military presence in the European continent thus assuring all member states of their commitment.

In fact, other analysts assert that the United States took part in some arm twisting in order to protect some of their ideals and policies. For instance, France depicted signs of lack of cooperation. However, thanks to the Marshall Plan, France had to stick to their end of the bargain. In other words, this Plan acted as a reminder of the commitment that European nations had made with the United States. These latter two parties were looking for ways in which they could come up with the most feasible method of tackling their economic institutions. They needed to look for an equilibrium state between themselves so as to ascertain that both interests were met. The following interests were being sought by the United States in the Marshall plan

* Implementation of free trade in Europe
* Economic reconstruction of Germany
* Standstill on reparations of Germany was divided

The Marshall Plan was a method in which the United States would access better policies. On the other hand, it also created a scenario in the European continent that would facilitate a better economy through fair trade. Additionally, the Marshall Plan was particularly important in ensuring that West Germany was growing at the rate that it picked up during economic recovery. If the European nations had been left on their own to deal with these issues, then chances are that Germany would have been ignored. Additionally, the Marshall Plan was also important in ensuring that the reparations and war debts were not troubling the European continent by placing a freeze on them. (Vickers, 2000)

All in all, it can be argued that the Marshall plan was a sort of coating or shell. It may be seen as a set of conditions but these conditions only form the outer shell. The largest chunk of the Marshall plan revolved around its political agenda. This agenda was centred on the fact that the US wanted to foster greater economic cooperation on this continent. Consequently, it can be said that through the intervention, commitment and transformations that the Marshall Plan brought to the European continent, this area’s economy received a huge boost. Thereafter, the Marshall plan played a very important role in creating one of the most dramatic economic changes in this Continent and in the world over. It should be noted here that there was already a recovery plan in the European continent for their economy. However, the Marshall plan was instrumental in propelling this plan into action.

Conclusion

The Marshall plan changed the economic situation in the European continent as result of freeing up trade policies within the continent. This created a situation in which trade could be conducted freely and this ended up boosting their economy. While the Marshall Plan may not have initiated the economic recovery it was important in propelling it and sustaining it through those long term macroeconomic changes.

References

Burke, W. (2001): US Foreign Policy and reconstruction of West Germany, Greenwood Publishers

Wasser, S. & Dolfman, M. (2005): BLS and the Marshall Plan; Monthly labour review, 128, 5, 90

Vickers, R. (2000): State, power Labour and the Marshall Plan, Palgrave Publishers

Kipping, M (1998): The Americanisation of European Business, Routledge Publishers

Gimbel, J. (1976): The origins of the Marshall Plan; Stanford University Press

Bonds, J. (2000): Selling the Marshall Plan, Bipartisan Strategy, Free Press

After the second world, war, Western Europe recorded one of the most astonishing economic recoveries in history. This was because the region moved from a period of turmoil and crisis during the war to booming economies afterwards. There were a number of occurrences that could have explained this rapid economic transition. Some people assert that it was as a result of the macroeconomic policies adopted by those respective countries. Others believe that the miracle was due to growing industries such as steel and coal. On the other hand others believe that international efforts played a significant role. The purpose of this essay is to examine how relevant the Marshall plan was to Western Europe’s economic recovery.

History of the Marshall Plan

The European continent had been devastated by the War. Most of them were battling with a series of issues. The continent was plagued with so many problems because the Second World War had been more expansive than the First World War. Industrial production was one of the key areas that had been affected by this war. This was largely as a result of the attack that nations had to face from aerial attacks. Some of the most developed cities in the continent urgently needed assistance. Berlin and London were such examples; also, there was an urgent need to look for mechanism of rebuilding other cities like Rotterdam that had been completely destroyed. (Bonds, 2000)

Many businesses are not aware of an alternative to hiring a temp and that would be to hire a Virtual Assistant. You will find many well-qualified virtual assistant professionals, who in most cases come from the corporate arena, and are very well qualified for the tasks needed to tackled.

The benefits to working with a virtual assistant over a temp are:

Taking into consideration these factors, it is best that you are able to use good point of purchase display fixtures to place your eyewear merchandise on and effectively sell them to your customers.

To set your merchandise stand out, your sunglass fixture racks don’t have to come in the conventional method. Custom eyeglass stands can easily be the solution to enhance your eyeglasses. You should know that your eyeglass fixture units are as important as your merchandise itself. In Marketing you should be able to understand who your target market is.Custom eye wear fixture racks have now arrived in different colors that will highlight your establishment’s theme.Come up with promotions that best define your client adjective, make sure that your sunglass racks likewise share that adjective.These eyeglass display racks will definitely act as advertisements for your merchandise. Commissioning retail eyeglass display stands will make sure that your merchandise will definitely stand out.

It’s good to understand the P&L statement; it’s mandatory to understand the cash flow statement – Simply put, your P&L statement will let you know, if you’re making money and your cash flow statement will let you know, if you have money… cash.  Your P&L can be a good indicator as to how effectively you’re managing the business.  Only your cash flow statement, not your P&L, will let you know if you have the cash required to continue operating.

You don’t run your company; your employees do – Before you get all upset over this point, give it a second thought.  Yes, you own the company and you may well have frequent interaction with a number of your customers. However, your employees have direct contact with all of your customers in a variety of ways every day.  One negative action, planned or unplanned, can undo years of good will and lead to a loss of the customer.  Make certain you have happy, loyal and committed employees.

You can grow broke – Even if you avoid the unnecessary overhead, mentioned above, there are costs associated with growth that require cash you may not have.  It’s important to recognize the carrying costs for increased inventories, and/or receivables in determining how much growth you can afford to fund.  A big order or a series of larger orders will put demands on your cash well in advance of your ability to receive that cash from payment of the receivables for the orders.

Cash ain’t cash unless its cash * – If it seems like I’m hung up on cash, you’re right.  That’s why almost every one of these tips, in one way or another, involves cash.  I’ve seen too many examples where a business owner thought they were doing the right things, but they weren’t paying attention to their cash and ultimately got in serious trouble.  Don’t confuse yourself by thinking that your receivables or the conversion value of inventories or anything else is cash.  Cash is not cash unless you can write a check today and it can be covered today.

Do you know your cash balance today?

Cash is King – Cash is a frequent topic of conversation, but stating cash is king, puts it in its proper perspective.  Without cash your business is dead.  It’s important to know as much about your cash position as possible.  Know what your absolute, available cash is every day.  Forecast your cash position, if possible by the week, and certainly no less than by the month.

A little success can create a lot of overhead – We feel good about ourselves and our businesses when things are going well.  When we’re signing up new customers and when revenues are growing. It’s easy to feel we’ve turned a corner and things will to continue to be positive.  It’s also easy to feel we can now relax the purse strings and buy the equipment or increase the staff we had been thinking about.  Before you make those moves; step back and think twice. Do a ‘with and without’ cost justification of the expenditure and be absolutely positive you can afford to commit the current, as well as future cash, to the expenditure.  Otherwise, when the inevitable slowdown or reversals come, you could find yourself short of cash to operate your business.

How many of the popular performance measurement frameworks do you have a working knowledge of, like the Balanced Scorecard or Performance Prism? What are your favourite performance measurement resources, which you look to regularly to grow your knowledge? Do you know what the most common struggles are that people have with performance measurement? Who are the authors that have most influenced your views of performance measurement?

For me, I relentlessly continue to grow my knowledge about performance measurement. In fact, that’s one of the reasons I love my Measures & More Mastermind Program so much – I get to personally interview and learn from the world’s thought leaders on performance measurement and related subjects.

What are your SKILLS in performance measurement?

Do you know how to make a seemingly immeasurable strategy or goal or objective measurable? Can you design meaningful performance measures when it’s not obvious what the right measures are? Can you define the details needed to ensure that a performance measure is implemented as it was intended to be? Can you design engaging and sensible reports and dashboards?

Much of my own performance measurement skill developed through an eclectic mix of training and experience, including post-graduate study in statistics, quality management and process improvement, neuro linguistic programming, testing and experimenting. These are the roots from which PuMP and the Performance Measure Blueprint have evolved.

What is your EXPERIENCE in performance measurement?

Have you got a journal where you record your personal learning and insights in performance measurement? How have you tailored other people’s approaches to work better for your organisation? Have you got some measurement stories or anecdotes from your personal experience that you use to share performance measurement learning and insights with others?

I create my own mottos, which distill some of the most important lessons I’ve had in performance measurement into simple, shareable reminders:

* patterns, not points (don’t compare this month to last month)
* useful, not just interesting (don’t measure it unless it really matters)
* engagement matters more than excellence (a perfect measure is useless if no-one owns it)

What is your PASSION for performance measurement?

Why do you care about performance measurement? Do you feel compelled to make a real difference in the world? Do you love to help people get focused on goals that matter? What’s your personal vision for performance measurement in your organisation, or in your career?

My personal passion for performance measurement comes from a love of clarity and focus, an intense desire to know rather than assume, a disdain for the waste that comes from uninformed decisions. And my vision is to professionalise the Performance Measurement Practitioner role so we can work together to make performance measurement a natural part of doing business.

Authenticity = Beliefs + Knowledge + Skill + Experience + Passion

When you’re authentic, people are drawn to you. They listen to you, they seek your advice, they ask for your help, they do what you suggest. Authenticity is of paramount importance to every Performance Measurement Practitioner.

TAKING ACTION:
Where could you deepen your own performance measurement authenticity? Pick one thing, do it, and see how you feel, and how others respond to you.