7 significant actions I'm celebrating that my clients are taking

The latest Deloitte Human Capital Trends report you can download here makes very interesting reading. The only thing I don't like, as I have said many times before, is the term "human capital", a degrading term for human beings if there ever was one.

Here are the 10 top trends

The report reminded me that there is much to celebrate about my work with my clients. Here's the 7 significant actions I'm celebrating that my clients are taking

1) Eliminating performance appraisals

Humans beings don't want to be appraised. We want to be appreciated.

When we feel appreciated we become more accountable and better performance follows.

2) Having candid conversations about performance with each other that are integral to daily work

The Deloitte report contains a great story about Adobe's "check-in" policy. My clients are guru's at checking in with one another. Checking up on people is a distant memory.

3) Realising management is about PPPPS's (policies, procedures, practices, processes, systems)

My clients ask the following question several times a day about PPPPS's - Does this make it simple for people to bring their best to their work? If the answer is no changes are made. This is every day innovation at its best. Simplify, Simplify, Simplify while heeding Albert Einstein's great advice "Everything should be a simple as possible, yet no simpler."

All other management is dead for my clients. The days of planning, organising and controlling people are over, finito, expired.

4) Learning and gift (talent) enhancement is for everyone not a select few

There is no war on talent. That idea is BS. Learning opportunities are everywhere and for everyone. My clients are taking all opportunities and ensuring that anything from outside (including my work!) is tailored and integrated.

My clients also embrace the fact that learning opportunities don't cease when times are tough. For my clients learning and development is not a discretionary investment when times are good, rather an ongoing commitment to ensure the business thrives in good times and the not so good times.

5) Leadership development is for everyone too

Self-leadership is everyone's business. My clients know intimately that the only real test of leadership is whether or not more people are leading.

6) Profit is not a reason for being in business, rather a result of being good at business

Purpose driven organisations are the present and the future. My clients know their why and are pursuing it with passion.

7) The future of business is 100% human. 

Please read a great article on this here by Virgin Unite's Jean Oelwang.

My clients don't worry about B2B or B2C or any of that crap. They know that everything that really matters, and no matter how great technology becomes, is human to human.

Be remarkable.

Ian