Management

The Great Resignation: How Canadian Leaders Can Retain Talent and Navigate the Labour Shortage with Four Key Strategies

March 15, 2023GeneralEdward Kiledjian

TL;DR: By implementing four key strategies, which include promoting a growth mindset, normalizing departures, and supporting employee engagement and recognition, Canadian leaders can effectively address the Great Resignation phenomenon and retain talent in the face of a labour shortage.

The Great Resignation is a phenomenon in which millions of employees have left their jobs searching for new employment opportunities. With Canadian organizations facing labour shortages, leaders must focus on hiring new talent and retaining existing employees. It is essential to recognize the value of remaining employees and support them during this challenging time to maintain stability.

In light of empirical research, we propose four strategies for leaders to address the Great Resignation effectively:

Recognize your influence.

The actions and words of leaders have a significant impact on the perceptions and attitudes of employees. Examine your communication style to ensure you are not inadvertently exacerbating fear and uncertainty among your employees. For instance, instead of saying, "we don't know what the future holds," try saying something like, "we are prepared to weather any storm with our collective efforts." Understanding your impact will help you to lead your team toward a more positive outlook. For example, rather than highlighting a team's difficulties, leaders can focus on the solutions and the opportunities available.

Emphasize potential and opportunities

In times of change, a growth mindset, which emphasizes learning and potential, can foster resilience. For instance, when faced with a challenging task, people with a growth mindset might focus on the skills they can learn, while people with a fixed mindset might focus on the potential for failure. Encourage your employees to envision the best outcomes for your organization and discuss what excites them about the future. Feelings of fear and uncertainty can be alleviated by creating a sense of potential and opportunity.

Normalize departures

Respectful offboarding processes have been shown to improve the psychological well-being of remaining employees. Recognize the contributions of departing employees and express gratitude for their service. For example, hold a farewell party for an employee who has been with the company for many years and shares stories of their impact on the team. Considering departures as a natural part of the employment process can contribute to a more positive working environment.

Acknowledge and support your employees

Retention and organizational success are strongly correlated with employee engagement. Reconnect with your employees, discuss their aspirations, and recognize their efforts during difficult times. For instance, take the time to appreciate accomplishments made by team members or colleagues and thank them for their contributions or check in to see how they are doing. Make sure your organization's compensation and recognition systems are fair and transparent. Engage employees in problem-solving and decision-making processes to enhance their engagement.

Conclusion

Finally, Canadian leaders must address the challenges of the Great Resignation and focus on supporting their existing employees. Ensure that employees are heard, understood and valued to create an atmosphere of inclusion. This will help ensure that employees remain committed to their work and their teams. Giving employees autonomy and control over their work will empower them to make changes and drive innovation. Companies should also invest in training and development opportunities to ensure employees have the skills to stay competitive. Finally, providing benefits and rewards that recognize hard work and effort will help show employees they are appreciated.

#GreatResignation #CanadianLabourShortage #EmployeeRetention #LeadershipStrategies #GrowthMindset #PotentialAndOpportunities #NormalizeDepartures #RespectfulOffboarding #PsychologicalWellbeing #EmployeeEngagement #Inclusion #FairCompensation #TransparentRecognition #ProblemSolving #DecisionMaking #AutonomyAndControl #Innovation #TrainingAndDevelopment #TalentRetention #OrganizationalSuccess #EmployeeRecognition #EmployeeAppreciation #WorkforceManagement

Boost Your Team's Productivity with These Proven Employee Management Strategies

January 6, 2023GeneralEdward Kiledjian

Get the most out of your team with these simple yet effective tips for managing employees and increasing productivity.

Set clear expectations: It is important to communicate each employee's expectations and responsibilities clearly. This can help prevent misunderstandings and improve productivity.
Provide ongoing training and development: Investing in the training and development of your employees can pay off in the long run by increasing their skills and motivation.
Foster a positive work culture: Creating a positive work culture can increase job satisfaction, employee retention, and overall productivity. This includes promoting open communication, recognizing and rewarding good work, and creating a supportive environment.
Encourage work-life balance: Helping employees balance their work and personal lives can increase job satisfaction and productivity. This can include offering flexible work arrangements and encouraging the use of vacation time.
Communicate openly and frequently: Regular and open communication with your employees can help build trust, resolve issues, and keep everyone informed about the company's status.
Show appreciation and give recognition: Recognizing and thanking your employees for their hard work can go a long way in terms of morale and motivation.
Manage conflict effectively: Conflict is a normal part of any work environment, but it is important to handle it productively and respectfully. This can include mediating disputes, setting clear guidelines for communication, and encouraging employees to address issues directly.
Delegate responsibilities: Trusting your employees with tasks and responsibilities can help them grow and develop. It is important to find the right balance between delegating and micromanaging.
Set goals and provide feedback: Setting goals and providing regular feedback can help employees understand their roles and how they contribute to the company. It can also help identify areas for improvement and support career development.
Stay organized and manage your time effectively: As a manager, it is important to stay organized and manage your time effectively to lead by example and ensure that tasks are completed efficiently.

Keywords: Employee management, Managing employees, Team management, Employee productivity, Work culture, Communication with employees, Appreciation and recognition, Conflict resolution, Delegating responsibilities, Setting goals, Providing feedback, Work-life balance, Time management, Organizational skills, Leadership

What is Peter's Principle?

September 9, 2022GeneralEdward Kiledjian

Peter's principle is an idea in management developed by Dr. Laurence J. Peter, which suggests that employees tend to rise to their level of incompetence. In other words, workers are promoted based on their success in previous roles until they reach a level where they can no longer perform adequately. The principle often explains why organizations can become bogged down by bureaucracy.

The principle is named after Dr. Laurence J. Peter, who first articulated it in his 1969 book The Peter Principle: Why Things Always Go Wrong. In the book, Peter proposed that "the selection of a candidate for promotion is based on the candidate's performance in his or her current job. Once promoted, however, the candidate's performance will no longer be adequate. This is because the candidate has been promoted to a position beyond his or her level of competence."

The principle has been used to explain several phenomena in organizations, including why:

Promotions are often given to those who are already struggling in their current roles
Employees can become "stuck" in a role that is beyond their competence
Organizations can become bogged down by bureaucracy

The principle has been criticized for its cynicism and lack of evidence. However, it remains a popular idea because it offers a simple explanation for complex phenomena.

Other management theories that support Peter's principle include:

The Peter Principle is closely related to the concept of "The Dunning-Kruger Effect," which suggests that incompetent people are often unaware of their incompetence.
The "Law of Diminishing Returns" suggests that there is a point at which the benefits of promotion no longer outweigh the costs.
The "iron law of oligarchy" suggests that organizations tend to be controlled by a small number of people.

Sources:

https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newISS_96.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_principle

Keywords:

Peter principle, management, Dr. Laurence J. Peter, employees, incompetence, promotions, adequate, The Peter Principle: Why Things Always Go Wrong, candidate, performance, current job, level of competence, cynicism, evidence.

CISOs are stressed and I can prove it

March 20, 2021GeneralEdward Kiledjian

Not a week goes by without some data breach, leak, hack, attack or other significant cybersecurity failures that spills all over blogs and even national media.

Five years ago, only avant-garde companies invested in cybersecurity; today, it has become a must. Companies realize the importance of a solid cybersecurity plan built on the People, Process and Technology pillars. One topic rarely discussed by corporate executives or security leaders is the incredible (and growing) stress the current environment inflicts on CISOs.

The stress is real

Stress is a normal way of life for most executives, but CISOs feel an acute level. Nominet's report, in collaboration with Vanson Bourne, The CISO Stress Report - Life Inside the Perimeter: One yes on", was the first quantification of this systemic issue.

In 2019, Nominet and Vanson Bourne conducted 800 online interviews in the USA and U.K (400 C-Suite and 400 CISOs). The included CISOs worked for both public and private corporates with at least 3,000 employees. They were quizzed about work-related stress and its effect on their professional & personal lives.

88 percent of CISOs consider themselves under moderate or high levels of stress

Some Interesting conclusions

7 out of 10 CISOs agree their work-life balance is too heavily weighted towards work (71%)
Almost all CISOs are working beyond their contracted hours, on average by 10 hours per week (95%)
This equates to extra time worth $30,319 per annum
87% of CISOs say that working additional hours was expected by their organization, while 78% of board members admitted this to be the case
83% of CISOs spend at least half of their evenings and weekends thinking about work
Only 2% say they are able to switch off once they’ve left the office
Over a third have failed to take all entitled annual leave
45% have missed family milestones or activities

More about the stress

The average tenure of a CISO is 26 months, and many believe stress is the primary motivator of change.

CISOs reported missing important family events such as birthdays, vacations, weddings and even funerals. Even with all the stress and extra working hours, most CISOs aren't taking their full annual leave (or sick days, time off for medical & dental appointments, etc.)

Stuart Reed, vice president at Nominet, suggested that the stress and wear & team on CISOs result from a combination of internal and external factors. The external factors are the headlines your read about, while the internal stresses are the pressure from executives expecting CISOs to "properly" handle these incidents and to provide updates & answers continually.

What are the most stress inducing elements?

44% being responsible for securing the organization and preventing breaches
40% the need to stay ahead of threat intelligence
39% the long hours worked
65% of those surveyed had suffered a breach in the past 12 months
37% of CISOs consider themselves ultimately % responsible for a breach while 31% of board members agree
A fifth of CISOs believe they would be fired as a result, regardless of whether or not they themselves were responsible

What are the effects of the stress?

Nearly half of CISOs said the levels of stress they are under has impacted their mental health (48%)
35% also reported that their stress had impacted their physical health
4 out of 10 CISOs said that their stress levels had affected relationships with their partners or children
31% said the stress affected their ability to fully perform at their job

How are CISOs coping with the stress?

A quarter of CISOs are turning to medication or alcohol to manage their stress - an increase from 17% a year ago
A fifth have taken a leave of absence due to stress (21%)
21% believed there to be no support structures in place within their organization to help deal with stress, while 94% of board members suggest there are
9 out of 10 CISOs would take a pay cut to improve their work-life balance; on average 7.76%, equating to $9,642

The silver lining

The report suggests that boards of directors are aware of the stress affecting their CISOs (74% of respondents believe that moderate or severe stress impacts their CISO).

As the board of directors and CIOs acknowledge this significant issue, they show more willingness to hire support staff to alleviate some of the stress elements. Ensuring the CISO is surrounded by skilled senior professionals can help alleviate many of the most aggravating elements. These supporting professionals must be experienced security technicians and have strong business acumen, strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work in teams or alone.

Another important stress reliever is ensuring the CISO can honestly share the state of their cyber universe with the executive leadership team to ensure decision-makers universally understand risks and provide executive support to the CISO (guidance and funding). The CISO must know he/she is not alone.

Cybersecurity is growing in importance and, for many organizations, has become the price of entry. Executives have started to understand this important fundamental truth and are now more willing to share the cybersecurity burden.

Conclusion

I built my first security business (a Canada wide security practice) that was later sold to Bell Canada in the early 2000’s and have been actively involved in cybersecurity since. Over the last 20+ years, I have seen the importance of security grow and this has required the creation of the CISO role.

Unfortunately I see too many CISOs that have been promoted to their level of incompetence (read about Peter’s principle here). The job is difficult enough for the professional with the right skills but is deadly for the wrong professional promoted as a reward (not because of merit).

Companies should perform an honest review of their CISOs competence and abilities. Thrusting the wrong person into this role is a disservice to the candidate.

Additionally it is important to realize that most security certifications tackle the technical skills. These are important but form less than 40% of the CISO’s true day to day responsibilities. The key skills (negotiation, strategic vision, budgeting, people management, etc) are completely ignored in most of the certifications companies deem “required” when posting a CISO job. HR leaders must quickly understand the new realities of the CISO role and craft job descriptions akin to that of a business executive leader than a manager for firewalls. This realization is important because a properly skilled CISO will handle the stress much better and therefore will deliver a much higher return on investment for the company.

HR leaders must learn to hire the right candidate for the CISO position

Effective Executives Lead By Example

January 4, 2015GeneralEdward Kiledjian

Close your eyes and think back to an executive you worked with (or for) that was truly inspiring. Someone so incredibly motivating that everyone around him/her seemed to work better, faster and more efficiently. What did this person possess that motivated everyone around them?

When you meet someone like this (and they are few and far between), it feels like they were born for that job. But as explained in my previous article (Answering the most important leadership questions (Link)), these leaders are made and are not born with these skills.

Effective leadership can be summed up in a few simple concepts:

an effective leader knows what has to happen (strategy)
an effective leader knows how it has to happen (operational excellence)
an effective leader knows who has to make it happen (people management)
an effective leader can let it happen by removing red tape and providing executive sponsorship (accountability, enablement, responsibility)

If you want to become one of those much needed leaders, you need to honestly assess your current skills gap and build a roadmap to acquire the missing knowledge. When was the last time you really took time to improve yourself?

Perform (or ask a superior to perform) a true and honest 360 evaluation for you. This evaluation should include feedback from colleagues, employees, bosses, clients and anyone else you work with. This is a great way to determine if you have any misconceptions about your skills. These evaluations also help you identify your real weaknesses (things you may not even know or realize yourself).