The Incentive Plan Problem A growing consulting firm with employees across the United States and internationally engaged with Helios HR to enhance their current incentive plan to align with the current and future business strategy. This business had previously designed and implemented a successful incentive program to drive the behaviors of their consultants; and as the business grew, they outgrew the incentive program. They applied the original plan goals and structure to new functional areas of the business and they just simply didn’t marry up anymore.

Around the holidays, employers can run into a few bumps when planning a company holiday party. What might count as a fun time for some might be considered exclusionary or even offensive for others. How can you plan an office party where everyone feels equally welcome?

We all accept that good leadership requires a balanced, equilateral approach to our team members. Of course, we should never have a favorite employee; HOWEVER as human leaders, every one of us has had that one superstar team member that we rely on greatly and yes, even like a whole lot. It is not hard to prefer “Sally” as the employee who happily volunteers to fill in and rarely demonstrates even the slightest bit of stress. So while we would never have favorites, it is difficult to not favor Sally when her counterpart, Jimmy, is hiding the fact that Facebook is now his home page on the company laptop and that his longer and longer breaks are due to him hunting Pokemon in the back parking lot.

Human Resources experts see obvious value in creating organizational cultures that attract and retain exceptional people, yet we find it’s not always easy to convince other business leaders to focus on culture. In fact, lots of times, when we talk about spending time or resources on improving culture, leaders instantly think “culture” equals “fluff”: activities that ultimately make people feel good but don’t positively impact the bottom line or mission, and therefore, it’s not worth the investment. But, what happens if we don’t take the time to invest in culture?

Managing people is no easy task. It requires a good attitude, people skills and the ability to build trust throughout an organization. Managers are tasked with the dichotomous responsibility of managing and leading. They must both negotiate the organization’s bottom line while fostering a healthy sustainable workforce. The key to this is front line management with high levels of self-awareness. Awareness creates room for developing the ability to understand and model the values of an organization. If your managers are unaware of their impact, they may be doing more harm than good.

This month we sat down with Dr. Virginia Bianco-Mathis, Professor and Chair of Management and Human Resources at Marymount University, School of Business. She teaches courses in analytics, coaching, talent development, organizational development, and strategy. In addition, she is a leading consultant in the areas of strategic planning, executive coaching, organization development, and leadership. Check out the interview below: