Cosy relationships can show up in situations when you need to challenge, give some difficult feedback or where your view is different and you need to fight some battles. Being too affiliative can make this difficult.

The first step here is to explore what story you are telling yourself that may be keeping you stuck in this “chummy” way of being: “rocking the boat will damage the relationship”, or: “it’s too soon for me to be confrontational” are examples of potential stories. Visit here to find out how you can change your story so that it supports instead of hinders you.

Paradoxically, once you move your relationship onto this new footing and there is honest challenge you will find that your relationship becomes more authentic and moves to a deeper more trusting level.

These weekly tips form part of the HR Success Kitbag service.
If you would like to find out more about the Kitbag, click here

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We would love you to participate in our study – this link will take you to the survey which will take no more than five minutes to complete.  All answers will be reported anonymously – you do not have to provide your name and organisation but, if you do, you will be eligible for a free prize draw to win an iPad.  The results of the survey will be published on Orion’s website in the next 12 weeks.

 Thank you in advance for your help.

Want to find out more…   The HOW Factor – Have you got it?

The post How do your leaders perform? Help our research into HR strategy and leadership and win an iPad! appeared first on Orion Partners.

Although technically sound, on reflection we realised that not all locations were ready for this approach. For it to be accepted universally, we would have to find a way to pace those areas who had the biggest step change to make.

Consequently, we designed flexibility into our process so that users could choose to start with only one selection tool and add more to their selection campaigns as their confidence and skill increased.

Visit here to learn more about how to pace your business so that you are more likely to get your ideas accepted. Sometimes, ‘too much too soon’, results in your idea falling on stony ground. Much better to plant seeds and watch them grow.

These weekly tips form part of the HR Success Kitbag service. 

If you would like to find out more about the Kitbag, click here

The post HR Success Kitbag: Too Much Too Soon appeared first on Orion Partners.

In the most successful change initiatives, HR are involved from the outset, helping to define the change plan and approach and using our people expertise to evaluate and plan for the impact on stakeholders.

This can mean that we are ‘ahead’ of others in terms of our understanding and buy-in to the changes, and this is important for us to remember – we should not expect other stakeholders to be as engaged and supportive of the change as we are, particularly if they have not had the opportunity to be involved from the outset.

We know from the latest neuroscience research that the best way to engage people with change is to get them involved, ask for their views, encourage them to explore the proposed changes and come up with their own ideas and solutions. If we try to be too prescriptive or ‘force’ the changes on to others, they are more likely to resist. This can be hard to remember and prioritise when you personally are fully on-board with the changes and have been involved in their design.

This is a useful model to help you think about where different people are in relation to an organisational change that you’re implementing. It can give you some useful insights on where to focus in order to maximise engagement with the change.

These weekly tips form part of the HR Success Kitbag service. 

If you would like to find out more about the Kitbag, click here

The post HR Success Kitbag: How to engage others in change appeared first on Orion Partners.

In order to get your audience engaged there are five simple principles that you should remember when designing your intervention. These have been put together, with the brain in mind, in terms of how it learns and remembers information. The more brain friendly your intervention the more engaging it will be and the more traction you will create.

Visit here to find out more about this. You will also find a checklist there that helps you to prepare for any facilitated event that you are planning.

There is an art to facilitation – this will help you build you skill.

These weekly tips form part of the HR Success Kitbag service. 

If you would like to find out more about the Kitbag, click here

The post HR Success Kitbag: Facilitate Engagement appeared first on Orion Partners.

This quote sums up our beliefs about what makes good HR. In our research with exceptional HR people we found they had a strong set of beliefs and values. These values, whilst not always the same as those of the organisation, sustained them through the tough times, kept them motivated and acted as a moral compass when delicate issues arose. People talked about being commercial, adding value, belief in doing the right thing and in learning.

Most people have a reasonably clear sense of what their values are, when they are meeting them. Often the issues arise when they are not. When you feel uncomfortable, low energy or inclined to avoid situations or people, may be this indicates one of your values being compromised. You can learn more about how to recognise and work within your values here.

These weekly tips form part of the HR Success Kitbag service. 

If you would like to find out more about the Kitbag, click here

The post HR Success Kitbag: Low energy? In avoidance? Are your values compromised? appeared first on Orion Partners.

A recent post in People Management reinforces the challenge. It highlights the issues faced by HR professionals in maximising the value of the reams of data they can now access. They cite a recent study by SHL, their  – Global Assessment Trends Report 2013 – which paints a picture of an HR function overwhelmed, failing to harness power of talent data. It echoes some of the findings of Orion’s own talent management research last year. We discovered that despite many pockets of good practice, the area of measurement was a particular weakness- with limited attempts to measure results in terms of its impact on business strategy execution. Rather than using the right data , business leaders were more often being asked to take a leap of faith that a healthy talent pipeline equals better strategy execution.  We found that most measures were based on the outcomes of talent processes and did not show the impact on business strategy execution and so the debate on transparency rages on.

Our research highlighted a number of other issues:  –

Strategy

There is a lack of a clear process to define the talent strategy with the business.
Most HR functions are still selling in their talent initiatives without sufficient buy-in or business understanding of the benefits.
HR functions talk about talent strategy but actually just describe talent process.

Capability

There is limited up skilling of people managers and HR alongside the rollout of process.
Both lack the skills to identify potential especially where the business strategy demands new skills and mindset.

As a result of the research, we’ve developed a quick talent test so you can assess your own standing against the key success criteria for effective talent management – click here to take it and contact us at info@orion-partners.com if you’d like to know more.

The post Wood for Trees appeared first on Orion Partners.

Next time you catch yourself making a mountain out of a molehill in your mind, be honest with yourself that this is what you are doing. Then…STOP. Step back and take a moment to reflect.

You might find that noticing your own thought processes in relation to the issue help you get it back into perspective. Try working through these steps to help you.

Remember that you have control over how you think about the issue at hand, and that this will have a direct impact on how confident you feel to deal with it.

These weekly tips form part of the HR Success Kitbag service. 

If you would like to find out more about the Kitbag, click here

The post HR Success Kitbag: Mountains and molehills appeared first on Orion Partners.

The programme will be held in Central London on 8/9th May and 13th /14th June.

Our programme has been designed to meet the needs of Business Partners seeking to grow and develop in their roles, but is also applicable to senior specialists in Talent, Reward etc. The programme is structured over two residential workshops, with the option to then select two from a range of additional masterclasses . Attendance on the programme is preceded by a 360 assessment and one to one coaching session with one of our facilitators to ensure that delegates are able to focus and prioritise what they want to achieve through their participation on the programme.

For more details click here to see the full brochure.

The post Save the Date – Business Partnering with Oomph appeared first on Orion Partners.

Her latest research illuminates how “faking” body postures that convey competence and power (“power posing”) – even for as little as two minutes — changes our testosterone and cortisol levels, increases our appetite for risk, causes us to perform better in job interviews, and generally configures our brains to cope well in stressful situations. In short, “If you act powerfully, you will begin to think powerfully.”

For more information about high confidence and low confidence behaviours visit here – you will find a list of “power poses” that you can adopt to build you confidence. And to find out more about Amy Cuddy, visit here and watch her 20 minute video where she explains how faking it really will lead to you making it!

These weekly tips form part of the HR Success Kitbag service. 

If you would like to find out more about the Kitbag, click here

The post HR Success Kitbag: Fake it until you make it appeared first on Orion Partners.