PeopleSolutionsNOW

PeopleSolutionsNOW specializes in assisting PE backed startups with mergers and acquisitions. This summer has been particularly busy as we help start up companies that rapidly scaled during and after COVID-19 now beginning to consolidate. Our expertise lies in the people side of the business, as nothing creates more anxiety among employees than the announcement of a sale. We see a variety of responses: some are fearful and anxious, others are angry, some are hopeful and optimistic, and some are in denial. All of these reactions are valid because change is challenging. In the case of startups, most employees have given their all and made significant personal sacrifices for the company. Here are some tips for leaders navigating their teams through change: 1. Have a documented change plan. 2. Spend time listening and learning about the people in the organization. 3. Work with someone who is certified in change management to guide you. 4. Slower is faster: You don’t have to make all decisions quickly. Often, the shoot-from-the-hip decision is the wrong one and can derail change efforts. 5. Spend time on the vision, mission, core values, and guiding principles before making personnel changes. 6. Build a future state organization chart (titles only, without names). 7. Determine the roles, skills, and credentials needed for every position. 8. Select talent through a structured process to fill the necessary positions. 9. Fill any open positions. 10. Eliminate redundant positions: Ensure a process is in place to support affected employees, including severance, adequate notice, and job search assistance. 11. Communicate often: Create opportunities to bring people from both companies together and involve them in the change efforts. 12. Assess organizational culture: Understand and plan for the integration of company cultures. 13. Identify change champions: Appoint influential employees to champion the change. 14. Provide training and development: Offer programs to help employees develop new skills. 15. Monitor and adjust: Continuously monitor progress and be prepared to adjust the plan as needed. 16. Recognize and celebrate milestones: Acknowledge and celebrate the achievement of key milestones. #changemanagement #organazationaleffectivness

To be an effective leader, one must be an involved leader until the team has reached the level of expertise necessary to successfully self manage. Understanding the nuances of leadership styles is crucial for fostering a productive workplace. A laissez-faire leader and an empowering leader might seem similar but have distinct differences. A laissez-faire leader: - Provides minimal guidance and support. - Allows employees to figure things out independently. - Can lead to confusion or disengagement if employees lack the necessary skills or resources. An empowering leader: - Actively builds employees' confidence and autonomy. - Provides the necessary resources, support, and information. - Encourages initiative and decision-making while offering guidance and feedback. Taking a laissez- faire approach before the team is ready is not recommended. #Leadership #Management #WorkplaceCulture #EmployeeEngagement #Empowerment

Do you have psychological safety at work? Psychological safety is critical for innovation, employee satisfaction, and engagement. Here are some signs you may not have psychological safety at work: 1. You are afraid to make a mistake. - You find yourself double-checking even minor details excessively before submitting any work, fearing severe repercussions if you make an error. You might avoid taking on new challenges or responsibilities because you worry that any mistakes could damage your reputation or career. 2. You don’t share ideas for fear of judgment. - During team meetings, you often have ideas or suggestions but choose to keep them to yourself because past suggestions were dismissed or ridiculed. You may have heard colleagues criticize or laugh at other people's ideas, reinforcing your decision to stay silent. 3. You get nervous around leadership and co-workers. - When your manager or a senior leader approaches, you feel a knot in your stomach or tense up, anticipating criticism or negative feedback. You might find yourself rehearsing conversations in your head, worrying about saying the wrong thing, or avoiding interactions altogether. 4. You get the Sunday scaries on a regular basis. - Every Sunday evening, you start feeling anxious or dread the thought of going back to work the next day. This could manifest as difficulty sleeping, irritability, or physical symptoms like headaches or stomachaches. The anxiety is often tied to concerns about workplace stress, potential conflicts, or overwhelming tasks waiting for you. 5. You avoid asking questions. - During training sessions or team discussions, you refrain from asking for clarification even when you don't fully understand something, fearing that your questions might be perceived as incompetence or a lack of knowledge. 6. You don't receive constructive feedback. - Feedback from your manager is either very sparse or always negative without any guidance on how to improve. Instead of feeling supported, you feel demoralized and unsure of how to develop your skills. 7. You feel isolated. - You have a problem with a project, but you don't feel comfortable reaching out to your colleagues for help. As a result, you spend much longer trying to resolve issues on your own, which adds to your stress and workload. 8. You notice frequent blame culture. - Whenever a project doesn't go as planned, leadership quickly looks for individuals to blame instead of analyzing the process and finding collective solutions. This makes you and your coworkers more likely to hide mistakes or shift blame rather than collaborating to solve problems.

"Let's address the culture and people issues when we aren't so busy." Have you ever said something similar? Being too busy is often a sign of reactive leadership, and what we're usually reacting to is a cultural or people problem. Without taking the time to plan and execute strategies, we find ourselves perpetually stuck in the weeds, unable to move forward. Here are 10 signs you might have a cultural or people problem: 1. Customer complaints 2. Employee complaints 3. Disengaged employees merely going through the motions 4. High employee turnover 5. Feelings of overwhelm and burnout 6. Absenteeism 7. Emotional outbursts 8. Poor execution 9. Miscommunication 10. Theft of resources or time Taking proactive steps to address these issues will lead to more time AND better results.

Leadership Lessons: Navigating Challenges from the Top. Chief People Officers often observe a common pattern in organizations — what they call "clusters." These are situations where well-meaning C-level leaders pull them in to address problems at the lower levels, only to discover that the root of the issue lies closer to the top floor. Here are some typical issues they encounter: 1. **Lack of Vision Communication**: Failure to effectively communicate the company's vision and strategic direction to all levels of the organization. 2. **Leadership Development**: Neglecting to develop and support the leaders responsible for managing teams within the organization. 3. **Delegation Failure**: Reluctance to delegate authority, resulting in micromanagement and inefficiency. 4. **Accountability Issues**: Failure to establish clear expectations and hold individuals accountable for their performance and outcomes. 5. **Hasty Talent Decisions**: Rushed and ill-informed talent decisions, leading to mismatches between roles and individuals. 6. **Technology Investment**: Insufficient investment in technology, hindering productivity and innovation. 7. **Scaling Challenges**: Inadequate preparation for scaling the business, resulting in operational inefficiencies and outdated practices. 8. **Recognition and Rewards**: Neglecting to appreciate, reward, and recognize employees, leading to disengagement and dissatisfaction. 9. **Business Growth**: Lack of strategic focus on growing the business, resulting in financial constraints and resource limitations. 10. **Listening Failure**: The biggest root cause of all the above issues — failure to actively listen to feedback and concerns from employees at all levels. By addressing these challenges proactively and fostering a culture of open communication and accountability, organizations can pave the way for sustainable growth and success. What are your thoughts on these leadership challenges? Share your experiences and insights in the comments below.

Does your resume need an upgrade? Here are some simple language changes that make a big difference. 1. Replace “oversaw” with “led” 2. Relace “gained experience in” with “acquired proficiency in” 3. Replace “did” with “accomplished” 4. Replace “responsible for” with “organized” 5. Replace “ran” with “executed” 6. Replace “managed” with “supervised” 7. Replace “conducted” with “carried out” 8. Replace “utilized” with “leveraged”

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🚀 Is the language your team uses in brainstorming meetings causing people to clam up, disengage, and generate uninspired ideas, or even worse argue? 🤝 In the world of innovation and creativity, effective collaboration is essential to coming up with the BIG ideas. We often underestimate the impact of the language we use in brainstorming meetings, but it can truly make or break the process. Collaborative language and behaviors are necessary to a productive meeting. It is the responsibility of the facilitator, organization leaders and all participants to foster collaboration in meetings. Some tips for all below! Collaborative Language ✅: 1. "Let's build on each other's ideas." 2. "What do you think about this?" 3. "I appreciate your perspective." 4. "How can we make this idea even better?" 5. "We're in this together." Non-Collaborative Language and some better suggestions. ❌ Don’t ask me, I’m not the expert. ✅ Who is an expert we can pull in? ❌ I disagree. ✅ Can you help me understand? ❌ We tried and it did not work. ✅ How might we have a different outcome? ❌ That is a bad idea. ✅ How could we expand on that idea for a moment? ❌ I, me, mine ✅ Ours, us, we ❌ I have a great idea. ✅ Here is a thought we can explore more. ❌ You don’t understand. ✅ Can you help me understand? Let’s not forget body language and emotional intelligence! Some other pot holes to avoid and some actions to take instead. ❌Allowing people to interrupt others ✅ Use phrases like “let’s let Sally finish, please.” ❌Letting people take discussions off topic (rabbit holes) ✅ Gain buy in at the beginning that a parking lot will be used when we go off topic. ❌Letting people express negative emotions such as anger, or passive aggressive behavior. ✅ Call a break to coach people offline as needed. ❌ Letting the highest ranked people do all of the talking. ✅ Make space for all voices. Coach the leaders in advance to speak after others have shared. Establish and communicate the collaborative ground rules at the start of the meeting and set everyone up for success! Remember, the power of brainstorming lies in the diversity of thoughts and perspectives. By using collaborative language and behaviors we create an environment where everyone feels valued, and the creative juices can flow freely. So, let's commit to fostering a culture of collaboration in our meetings, where every voice is heard and every idea is a stepping stone to innovation! 💡🤗 #Collaboration #Brainstorming #Teamwork #Innovation #Communication

🌟 **Ready to Make a Difference in Your Job Search?** 🌟 We often work with individuals who have received generous severance packages, possess the financial resources to invest in job search resources, or have an extensive network to rely on. While we enjoy helping everyone, we are also passionate about creating life-changing opportunities. 🤝 **We're Committed to Changing Lives:** Our mission is to assist those facing tough times in their job search, especially when they lack the means to invest in professional assistance. Whether you're changing careers, returning to the workforce, or encountering various barriers, we're here to support you. 🔍 **How We Can Help:** We're offering FREE resume and LinkedIn profile reviews to help you put your best foot forward in your job search. Send us a direct message (DM) with a few lines about your job situation and how long you've been applying. We're here to lend an empathetic ear and offer guidance. 📆 **Weekly Assistance:** Each week, we'll select a minimum of one individual whom we believe could benefit the most from our support. Our goal is to make a meaningful impact and help as many people as possible. 🚀 **Together in Your Journey:** We're not just here to help you find a job; we want to follow your career journey. When you find your new home, we want to celebrate with you. Your success is our success, and we're with you every step of the way. 💼🌱 ✉️ **How to Reach Us:** Send a request for job search help to info@peoplesolutionsnow.com. While we do not have the bandwidth to help everyone, as much as we would like to, we are committed to selecting at least one person to help each week. Help looks like a resume review and consultation, recommended edits, and a final proofread. Additionally, we will review your LinkedIn profile and offer suggestions to align your profile to attract recruiters looking for your expertise. #JobSeekers #CareerSupport #HelpingHand #LinkedInCommunity

🚨 **The Perils of Overloading Employees Post-Downsizing** 🚨 In the wake of downsizing, many organizations understandably aim to maintain operations with a leaner workforce. However, we must address a critical concern that often goes unnoticed - the consequences of overloading employees. 👉 **Not Feeling Lucky, Feeling Used:** When employees are handed excessive workloads in the aftermath of downsizing, it's not gratitude they feel; it's a sense of being used. They're not fortunate to have their jobs; they're overwhelmed and stressed. Often, those left behind feel like they drew the short straw rather than won the workplace lottery. ⚖️ **Striking the Right Balance:** Maintaining efficiency post-downsizing is essential, but it shouldn't come at the cost of employee well-being. Balancing the workload is not just a matter of fairness; it's a strategic imperative. Burnout and disillusionment can lead to reduced productivity and increased turnover. 💼 **Productivity vs. Burnout:** Overloading employees may lead to a temporary surge in productivity, but it's not sustainable. In the long run, it can result in higher absenteeism, reduced engagement, and talent drain. 💡 **A Smarter Approach:** Organizations should consider alternative solutions post-downsizing. Redistributing tasks, optimizing processes, and investing in workforce development can yield better results than piling work on the survivors. 🤝 **Valuing Employees:** To foster loyalty and maintain a motivated workforce, it's crucial to acknowledge that employees are not expendable resources. They are the lifeblood of any organization, and their well-being should be a top priority. Let's remember that the goal is not just surviving a downsizing, but thriving afterward. It's time for a reevaluation of post-downsizing strategies to ensure that employees truly feel valued, not just utilized. #WorkforceWellness #EmployeeEngagement #BusinessStrategy #LinkedInCommunity