I would like to introduce Ross Clennett to you. Ross is a guru in the recruitment industry and from time to time we will be featuring Ross's opinions and recommendations to you that will keep you smiling and add value to your everyday workplace.
Ross Clennett
Since 2003 Ross Clennett has been an in-demand expert on recruitment and the recruitment industry in Australia.
Since 2001 Ross’s opinion pieces and skill development articles have been regularly published in recruitment industry magazines and on specialist recruitment websites, both in Australia and in the USA.
Ross Recommends
The Freak Factory: Making Employees Better by Helping Them Get Worse by David Rendall (Change This, 2009)
What it's about:
David Rendall is a US academic, consultant and author. In this 20 page summary of his upcoming hard copy book of the same name, he entertainingly explores what's wrong with traditional employee performance management and what to do about it.
Why I'm recommending it:
In a world where many companies, unintentionally, create a workplace of corporate robots, this eBook is a welcome blast of fresh air.
To quote the author:
‘Instead of attacking people's weaknesses, we need to find the strength that is hidden inside their apparently negative characteristics. It is time to stop trying to create well-rounded and balanced employees. We need employees that are unbalanced. We need employees that are freaks. It is time to build a freak factory. There are four essential strategies for turning our teams, departments or organizations into freak factories. They are awareness, appreciation, amplification and adaptation'.
In a world where harnessing and encouraging talent (eg Google, Microsoft), rather than moulding and fixing talent, will be a key differential in employee engagement in the second decade of the 21st Century this eBook shows you how.
Worth quoting
"When we hire them (employees), we see their characteristics as overwhelmingly positive. A year later, when it's time for the performance appraisal, and the workplace honeymoon is over, those same positives qualities are now negative traits.
-
Initiative has become insubordination
-
Imagination has become disorganization
-
Creativity has become an inability to get things done
-
Commitment has become stubbornness
What happened? Have our employees tricked us? No, they are not different. We got what we wanted but the problem is that we don't like what we have.Why is this? It is because we are framing unique qualities in a negative way"
www.changethis.com