Farrar's Faucet: April 2008

Some of our recent feedback

"David and I joined Moore's Australasia businesses at the same time and were part of a business turnaround team charged with transforming the financial and cultural fortunes of a "challenged" collection of companies.

David was a delight to work with, always positive and creative in the most difficult of situations. He is a strong, disciplined and focussed leader who has the great ability to keep the team motivated on getting the job done with a minimum of fuss and drama. A real professional and one of life's genuinely "good guys" :-)" Martyn Dadds, SVP Managing Director, continental Europe, RR Donnelley

Top qualities: Great Results, Personable, Creative

“David is a leadership consultant who gets results. I hired David to help with integrating a new leader to our senior team. He listened deeply, provided a customized and relevant program based on our needs, and the outcome was significant. I highly recommend David as a consultant who can add value, while making what he does enjoyable. He is a pleasure to work with, and someone who can bring strategic value to any organization." Kay Whitmore, Vice President, Human Resources at Acadia Insurance Company

Top qualities: Great Results, Personable, High Integrity

“David provided training for my HR team at our recent conference held in Minneapolis. It was certainly a pleasure to work with David from the planning to the day long conference. He helped everyone of us see the big picture of team work within our company, take ownership of making our own individual brand, and did it all with customized material about our company!! David's material was second to none & was concrete, entertaining, usable, and engaging from beginning to end!!” Robyn Salonek, Benefits Analyst at Cardinal Glass Industries, Inc., VP of Programs at Twin Cities Human Resource Association

"David Farrar was so wonderful to work with. We planned several seminars together and David always was approachable and pleasant. He has a rare ability to work successfully with all levels of management and employees. He is very well schooled in his areas of expertise. If I were planning to do a management seminar or workshop, David would definitely be at the top of my list of people to work with." Julie Nekola, former IT Communications Specialist and IT Training Manager, Cargill, currently Owner, Holly & Ivy Christmas Shop LLC

"I found your presentation "spot on." Your platform skills, sense of humor, content and ease working the audience was impressive. Those kudos come from someone who has seen many presenters over 20 years in business." Duane Roemmich, Consultant, Mercuri International, USA Inc.

“David has my highest recommendation. He is an active contributor and his work demonstrates skill, knowledge and passion.” Charlotte Woods, Senior Human Resource Business Partner (Div VP HR) at Invensys

“Thank you very much for your support during my interviews. The feedback that you gave me ... in early summer was particularly helpful. The STAR framework is indelibly burned on to my brain.” Tom Conn, Account Manager, Network Instruments

“David is extremely capable, interpersonally. He can communicate at all levels of business, and to a broad and diverse audience. His proficiency in organizational structure, alignment, alternatives, and effectiveness is second to none. In addition to using these skills to best effect, he is able to demonstrate and teach the value of these skills, to others.” Alistair Jacques , VP Corporate I/T Services , Cargill and now SVP and CIO Ovations at UnitedHealth Group

“David and I were brought together to present a program for the American Meat Institute several years ago. I learned a great deal in working with David as he shared his vast knowledge in the area of Emotional Intelligence and how it related to the development of employees. I am proud to say, that with David's input, the program was a smashing success and we were invited back later to do another session. I can recommend David for every type and level of management development.” Leo Bartlett , Owner , The Bartlett Group, Inc

“Top qualities: Personable , Expert , Creative.” Ron Leonhardt, Vice President, Global Human Resources at Smiths Medical

“What a pleasure it has been to know and work with David. Our first encounter was at the Twin Cities Chapter of ASTD when he presented on Emotional Intelligence. His presentation was very well received and rated one of the best. Since then, David joined the Marketing Committee for ASTD-TCC and ultimately stepped into the role of director. His enthusiasm, willingness to dive in and help as well as his creativity all have a positive impact. Most important is David's ability to lead. He builds such strong relationships that everyone he works with wants to do an excellent job in support of his vision.” Bob Cummins , Director - Marketing , ASTD-TCC and Director of Learning and Development at Land O Lakes.

“Your insights and teaching style were of especially high quality. Thank you for showing our clients the tremendous value of paying close attention to interpersonal dynamics and cultural nuances when doing business outside the US.” Steve Riedel, International Trade Representative, Department of Employment and Economic Development Minnesota Trade Office

"I am a satisfied customer and would like to personally thank David Farrar for his excellent service. I received commuincation, support and advice that exceeded all my expectations. I would not think twice in contacting or recommending you in the future. Thank you for all your help" Joanne Hurst, Cargill, Financial Reporting European Regional Coordinator

“I can’t let another day go by without letting you know how pleased I was with your presentation. Everyone enjoyed it immensely. People were still talking about it the next day…Again, thanks a million and let me know if there is anything or recommendations I can offer. You really made me and the MTA look good.” Moses Dennis, Communications Manager, Minnesota Telecom Alliance

“I just wanted to thank you again for speaking at our Customer Council Event last week. We heard numerous positive comments from our attendees. Your presentation was a "breath of fresh air" and the perfect way to kick off our Monday afternoon.” Christina Sandok, Marketing Programs Manager, SPS Commerce

“I would like to recommend a speaker to you who I had the pleasure of hearing a few weeks ago. Bear in mind that I have sat through hundreds of speakers over the years, this guy was absolutely fantastic!” Carrie Rice, Regulatory Affairs Administrator, HICKORYTECH

“I have known David for a number of years through our connection with the Council of Independent Management Consultants. David's STAR method of evaluating behavior is one of the most insightful approaches I’ve ever come across. Working in security, the insider threat is the most concerning because of the scale of damage that can be done. His insights have helped me identify potential problems and minimize exposures.” Michael Janes, Owner, Cyber Guard Dog

“Thanks so much for once again facilitating the board of directors' retreat. You have a way of putting everyone at ease and helping people to draw conclusions and create action plans. The board reacted with a positive enthusiasm that will carry them forward to do the tough job ahead. It's always a pleasure to work with you!” Dianne T. Hennes, Ed.D., Principal and Co-Founder, HBH Associates

“I worked with David on two projects. David's knowledge and dedication to the job are among his best qualities. Where David's skills really shine are his presentations and his insightfulness into the human equation of people to people skills. David in our first consultation completely changed the way I do business.” Neal McMahon, President, Gippy’s Internet Solutions

“I've worked with David for 5 years as a colleague but for different organizations. He performs quality work to a high standard in the areas of senior management coaching, complex problem solving involving multiple stakeholders, and project management. David projects a professional and engaging demeanor and is a skilled facilitator.” Ben Redshaw, Human Resources Director, Europe, Travelers

“David, [you did an] outstanding job at the MN HRP Association meeting on Emotional Intelligence (EI) training. Not only did you provide helpful information, the materials added to the tool box of busy executives. It was engaging, and spiced with dashes of humor and wonderful interactive features.” Barbara Milon, Executive Director, Phyllis Wheatley Community Center

“Thanks very much for the assessment results you sent me. I appreciate very much the service you do in spite of the distance between our work place.” Ed Martinez, San Miguel Foods and Beverage International Ltd., Philippines

“David is a well networked professional who is always willing to lend a helping hand. David provided me with many resources when I was planning a professional development event for HRP-MN and his professionalism and knowledge were greatly appreciated!” Brent Reichow, Business Development Manager / Recruitment Strategy Consultant, Rada Advertising, Inc

“I highly recommend David. His approach to helping set a planning strategy for a Board of Directors I'm on has been very insightful.” Jason Inskeep, President, Adoska, Inc

“I really enjoyed the learning from that session. The information was presented in a very pleasant, user friendly format. I was very surprised that the follow-up on your presentation was so thorough and personalized. What an excellent service you provide.” Maxine Pegors, Former President, Human Resources Professionals of Minnesota

“I wanted to thank you for this evening. You made [our] event a success. It was great to see the support through attendance. You did a great job with the time constraint and I would guess everyone walked away with something.” Mary Christensen, Principal, Experienced Resources, LLC

“His assessment was spot on with me and helped me a lot.” Donna Ploof, Snr Account Executive, RHR Information Services, Inc

"You did an outstanding job of presenting the material in an easy to understand way and keeping us engaged the entire time. Hats off to you." Deborah Rogers, Rogers Choice Strategies

“Thanks for sharing these tools, David.” Jamie Anding, OD Manager, Motorola Inc

What makes these testimonials special? Trust

I am deeply appreciative of the positive feedback these people have provided. I always emphasize with clients that trust is the essential ingredient in any relationship. These people have been good enough to give me their trust with their business: Trust that I am capable; Trust that I am reliable; Trust that I am open in everything I do, and Trust that I will do whatever I can in a principled way to satisfy their business needs.

Sincerely,

David

Download a version to print or share here.

Click here to email me with any questions or thoughts, or you can leave comments by clicking on the comments button below.

Manage them up, or manage them on

Five Key Steps To Managing Less Than Satisfactory Performance

Every employee with a development need should have feedback and planning to help them gain insight and improve. Performance that falls short of a reasonable standard, or behavior that needs improving needs to be addressed. How does a manager provide appropriate feedback in a way that gets the message across, maintains the employee’s morale and motivates them to develop?

Communicating the message

Every discussion should take place in an environment of good performance management, candid feedback, and positive efforts to maintain and enhance employee engagement. I’m not just talking about what happens when you have the performance discussion. Being reasonable, and treating the employee with dignity and respect are paramount at all times.

The five key steps

The five key steps are always the same. Good planning is necessary to adapt them to the commercial, legal and individual requirements of each situation. First, find an appropriately supportive time and place for the discussion, and then…

1. Raise the issue, and its impact. Be specific and factual without being judgmental. Explain where the performance of an essential and not incidental requirement of the position falls short of a reasonable, previously communicated standard

2. Allow the opportunity for the employee to provide a reasonable explanation

3. Agree on an action plan, new results or acceptable behavior with agreed dates and timings for follow up and review. Involve the employee, confront excuses or resistance and get a commitment to the changes while ending with an expression of support.

4. Clearly communicate the consequences if the unacceptable performance or behavior continues

5. Set agreed dates for review, (30-60-90 days or whatever is appropriate)

Some common traps

Of course, it’s not always that easy. I advise clients never to have the same conversation twice. Be sure before you begin that you understand what consequences you are going to put in place if the performance continues…and stick with it. The five steps have been carefully worded so that they are not only appropriate in a legal sense, but also in a practical sense. Many leaders find it hard to be objective about performance: they struggle to describe the performance non-judgmentally, or they bring up issues that are only incidental to the job, or they try to hold someone accountable for a standard that isn’t reasonable, or has never been adequately communicated. Or the worst trap of all: they let poor performance go uncorrected until one day they apply 50,000 volts to the hapless employee.

The essential element is to be firm with the facts and fair with the people. Sometimes the leader takes on the issue and becomes the problem solver for the employee. Listen and respond with empathy to the employee’s situation while leaving them with the responsibility for the performance and its solution. Firm with the facts, fair with the people.

Finally, the issue of consequences requires the application of the leader’s judgment. What is appropriate? In some cases it is fair to the organization and the employee to communicate that continued performance at an unacceptable level may lead to termination of employment. Sometimes it is proper to discuss a transfer to a position better suited to the employee’s capabilities, (without hiding unacceptable performance or rewarding people by reducing their responsibilities). Maintain consistency and candor at all times.

Take a commercial and legal position on a reasonable time that the performance could continue, then make sure the consequences are proportional to the performance gap. And of course, there are always circumstances in which the employee’s behavior is so unacceptable that summary dismissal is appropriate

What makes the conversation easier? Trust

Most people are aware an issue exists before the discussion starts. Demonstrate that you can be trusted and the conversation will go much easier. Trust is the essential ingredient: Trust that you’re capable; Trust that you’re reliable; Trust that you are open, and Trust that you will consider the interests of the employee as well as the business.

Sincerely,

David

Download a version to print or share here.

Click here to email me with any questions or thoughts, or you can leave comments by clicking on the comments button below.

Minnesota Trade Office Australia Briefing

Thank you very much for coming to the presentation on "Doing Business With Australians". The Department of Employment and Economic Development Minnesota Trade Office put on a great and well organized seminar for us. I hope you walked away with something informative, entertaining and of real value.

I created this page for you so that you could have all the resources from the sessions in one place. As promised, all the key materials are here for you to download and use. Click on the picture below or you can click here for the slide presentation.

The key point of the of the time we spent together is that there are four essentials to doing business with Australians:

•Understand how to communicate

•Get to know the culture

•Learn what works

•Learn what "won't fly"

I would suggest this works not just for Australians...it's common sense for doing business with anyone. In the presentation and handouts I have spelled out some of the key do's and don'ts under each heading.

Click on the slide below to download Susie Christensen's presentation on "Come out on top down under"

And click on this slide to download part two of Susie's presentation, which began with the material on the Council of Great Lake's Governors.

Finally, here is the link to the Australian American Chamber of Commerce brochure with details of the chamber's activities and information on how to join.

Thank you again for all your positive comments and contributions. I look forward to building closer relationships with you in the future.

Sincerely,

David

Click here to email me with any questions or thoughts, or you can leave comments by clicking on the comments button below.

Burnsville Human Resources Group

Thank you very much for coming to the presentation on "The Soft Stuff IS The Hard Stuff". I hope you walked away with something informative, entertaining and of real value. I created this page for you so that you could have all the resources from the sessions in one place.

The picture above makes a nice mini-poster that summarizes the example we used in the session...how to build and maintain trust. You can click on the picture to download the file, and that works for all the pictures on this page.

As promised, all the key materials are here for you to download and use. The picture below will take you to a mini-poster of the key message: the three keys to HR success are to Focus, Grow, and Relate. You can click here for the slide presentation.

The key point of the time we spent together is that it is possible to sell initiatives that are often thought of as "soft stuff" to line managers who are focused on the bottom line. Not only can you communicate success and create desire, you can improve the results of yourself and your organization while improving the profile and contribution of the HR function.

Thank you again for all your positive comments. I look forward to building some positive relationships with you in the future.

Sincerely,

David

Click here to email me with any questions or thoughts, or you can leave comments by clicking on the comments button below

Special Edition on What Matters Most

This month there are three articles…click on the links for more.

Our lead article provides you with information about principled relationships and what it takes to become an ethical leader who gets things done. Following that is an article on the basic interpersonal skills, and then humor with a twist: “The dead horses of strategy”.

What matters most

I’m not one for New Year’s resolutions or thinking that magic makeovers are possible. Change is hard work and often people’s last choice when they have exhausted all the other alternatives.

However, I have found that the clients I work with benefit from taking a step back and refocusing on what leadership behaviors matter most. There are three core behaviors that underlay all good leadership, and here they are.

more...

The basic interpersonal skills

I knew when I was at university that I wasn’t going to become a clinical psychologist. My undergraduate degree was in economics, and I was focusing on organizational and leadership work in my graduate program. I took the minimum clinical subjects I needed, and I was lucky enough to spend six months in an internship in a family therapy practice.

In that very difficult environment I learned the power of basic interpersonal skills and how profoundly they can change someone's life.