Employee Development with Impact
Employee Development with Impact
By Staci Hegarty, M.Ed., COO
Employees want and expect their employers to offer timely and relevant career development training. The percentage with the expectation varies based on several factors, including age. More than 90% of the youngest workers, Gen Z, rank learning and development as a priority for them when considering accepting a new job or leaving their current job. Most employees say that they are unlikely to leave an organization that has invested time, effort, and money into their professional development.
The days of learning everything you need to know for your career in college are gone. Studies indicate that the information learned in college becomes obsolete within about five years of graduation. This puts the burden for continued learning squarely on the shoulders of employers. Yet more than 50% of CEOs do not believe that learning and development efforts are successful. Where is the disconnect?
Too often employers struggle to find ways to connect relevant training to their workforce. While adults tend to prefer self-paced learning opportunities, they also want that training to be immediately useful at their job. If employees do not see how the training will help them NOW they will not invest time and effort on learning the material. K-12 education has been emphasizing “diversified learning” for years, employers should adopt a similar mindset. Giving employees what they need to continue to grow increases equity in the workplace.
It is critical that employees be given the opportunity to assess their current skill set to determine what is needed. This can be done in several ways, from formal skills assessments to self-assessments to 360 assessments, all of these options provide, Take the time to review the results with the employee to ensure that everyone is in agreement.
Once the needs are identified, it is time to figure out how to meet those needs. Again, there are many options. It may be as simple as pairing the employee with another employee who already possesses the skill or creating a formal mentoring relationship if the developmental goal is more than a specific task or two, such as preparing an employee for a management or leadership role. There may be classes that are available or even providing tuition assistance for an employee to attain a degree or certification.
While diversified learning is important, there is also a need for enterprise-wide learning. This is the kind of training that benefits everyone, such as active listening, effective communication, and conflict de-escalation. It may also include required compliance training that helps to keep companies up to date with regulators and legal entities.Regardless of the kind of development offered, leaders must be willing to benchmark the current state and monitor progress toward the future state, not only of the employee but of the organization. This can be done through KPIs and performance appraisals. If the company has decided to focus on employee growth and development, it is necessary to review and revise the
tools that are used to track progress. Envision RISE can provide the roadmap and tools for organizations to build training and development programs that engage employees in relevant learning. For more information, contact us at info@envisionrise.com.
Contact Envision RISE for more information about how we can assist in building and maintaining efficient and ethical hiring practices and processes.
Our evolutionary platform helps companies create a powerful integration and understanding of the relationship between the organization and the workforce. Envision RISE empowers your people to drive continual change and innovation through effective strategy and transformation.
The First Six Months
The First Six Months
By Staci Hegarty, M.Ed., COO
Conventional wisdom encourages people to stick with a new job for at least six months before deciding to move on. While we should be taking care of our employees all the time, this is especially important during the first six months. Since we thought they were good enough to hire, we have a vested interest in their success with the organization. It can cost up to two times of an employee’s annual salary to replace them.
The most obvious time that an employee is being onboarded is during the first few days of employment. If your organization uses intentional onboarding, a new employee should be starting to feel more comfortable with their role and with the organization as a whole. They have likely started to engage with their tasks as well as with their supervisor and colleagues. It may be tempting to assume that all is well and assume the employee will raise their hand and ask for help if the need it. Do not give in to that temptation! A new employee wants to impress their new employer with their proficiency and skill, yet they may not know enough about functioning within the organization to even know what questions to ask.
The First 30 Days
After training is completed, it may seem that the employee knows what they are doing and can be released to do the job for which they were hired. Rather than letting the new employee “go and do”, this should be a time of daily check-ins, perhaps more if needed. This will be a month of Firsts. First time using the CRM tool. First team meeting. First weekly report. First submission of payroll. We don’t let teen drivers take a driver’s education course, take a few turns around a parking lot and then put them on the freeway during rush hour. We sit in the passenger’s seat and offer support and direction as they work their way up from the parking lot to side streets to main streets to the freeway. As experienced drivers, we take a lot of instinct and knowledge for granted and cannot assume that a new driver can assess an ever-changing situation with the same speed and competence we do. Your new employee is trying to take in a lot of information and needs close supervision to ensure that small mistakes don’t become catastrophic.
Use this time for real-time training. The show-then-do method works well for this. Show the employee how to do the task then watch them do it. Most people learn best by watching someone do it then trying it themselves with the guidance of an experienced teacher. This is also the time to set the cadence of the workplace. Anything that is a recurring event, such as staff meetings or reports should be on the employee’s calendar now.
Schedule a formal weekly check-in meeting. This is not a time for the supervisor to do all the talking, this a chance for the new employee to ask questions and clarify tasks, with the opportunity to share how they are feeling about their new workplace. Take some time to get to know the new employee, make sure they are making connections with their colleagues.
The First 60 Days
By now your new employee likely has mastered their basic duties. Now is when the one-offs or unusual situations may come up. To continue with the driving metaphor, they are gaining the confidence to drive on busier roads with less direction, but they are not ready to go it alone. A supervisor may have noticed gaps in training or tasks that the employee struggles with doing on their own. Continue to offer support and training, with constructive feedback on areas that need refinement.
You may need less frequent check-ins, going from daily to perhaps three times a week. Now is the time to bring in other employees who can assist. This not only gives the new employee more training and support, but it allows more tenured employees an opportunity to grow their own skill set in leadership.
Continue with the weekly formal check-in meetings. You will notice a decline in questions about specific tasks and an increase in more culture-related questions. The new employee is probably starting to discover that the way they were trained may not completely line up with the way work is completed in reality. They are starting to learn who the go-to people are, which may not be reflective of the process and procedure manual or the organizational chart.
The First 90 Days
The good news is your new employee is ready to drive on the freeway! The bad news is, they may be overly confident in their skills and start to make new mistakes that weren’t prevalent before. Continue to monitor their work closely and step in when needed. They are probably doing a good job on 75% of their tasks, but they still need positive reinforcement to continue their growth.
This is also the time when employees stop feeling new and start feeling awkward about asking questions about things they think they should already know. They may be proficient at weekly reports but have never done the quarterly report. They may now be able to use PTO and need to understand the process for requestion a sick or vacation day. Keep up the weekly meetings.
You may also start to notice their personality starting to come through. When we are in a new environment we tend to be on our best behavior. If you are noticing habits or traits that are not contributing in a positive way, now is the time to address it. For example, you may start to notice of trend of tardiness. It’s time to get curious and ask about what is going on. You may discover that the employee’s car is in the shop and they are taking the bus now. Perhaps a temporary schedule change would help. No matter the reason for the tardiness, it is good to be clear about expectations.
The Next Three Months
Your new employee should be settling in well now. They may occasionally need more training or direction but should be generally be functioning as expected in their role. The company has now invested a great deal of time, energy, and money in their onboarding. Now it less about tasks and more about culture. You may notice that your no-longer-brand-new employee has found a group of work friends. Depending on who those friends are, you may notice a downturn in their productivity or attitude. The shine of the New Job has worn off. Be mindful that comfort may become complacency. It may be time to pair the employee with a high performer with a positive outlook on the organization to help combat any negativity they may be experiencing. It has been said that we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with. If your goal is an engaged workforce, help your employees find engaged colleagues to encourage them. Your workplace culture and employee turnover may depend on it!
Envision RISE can help your organization formulate a six-month plan to hep newcomers not only learn their new job but to become valued members of the team. Contact us at info@envisionrise.com for more information.
Contact Envision RISE for more information about how we can assist in building and maintaining efficient and ethical hiring practices and processes.
Our evolutionary platform helps companies create a powerful integration and understanding of the relationship between the organization and the workforce. Envision RISE empowers your people to drive continual change and innovation through effective strategy and transformation.
Intentional Onboarding
Intentional Onboarding
By Staci Hegarty, M.Ed., COO
Starting a new job brings a range of emotions, from joy to apprehension to anxiety. The first day of a new job sets the tone for what an employee can expect from the organization. Many times, the onboarding process has been in place for years, with additions being made as needed. During the early days of the pandemic in 2020, companies were forced to quickly change the way they worked, including how new employees were brought in. Technology can be very useful as a support tool for onboarding, but it should not be the main character in the onboarding process. Even remote employees need some human interaction, especially during the onboarding process.
Onboarding begins where hiring ends. The offer letter is the first step in the onboarding experience. It should be provided in a timely fashion and include all the relevant information, such as start date, salary, work location, and Next Steps. Most people will not resign from their current job until they have the offer letter, any delay not only causes a delay in starting the new role, but it may also cause stress for the new employee before they have even started!
When possible, have the new employee complete most paperwork before the first day. Even if it is not 100% complete, it will allow everyone to focus on connecting with each other instead of filling out forms. Your company may have protocols for badges, logins, keys, and parking passes that are contingent upon new hire paperwork. Doing this early will mean that the new employee has everything they need on Day One. This is especially helpful if you are onboarding multiple people on the same day.
Provide an agenda for the first day, or first few days. Some things never really change, the first day of school was stressful for most of us as children. The first day of a new job is stressful for the same reasons. Will I get lost? Will I know enough? Will I be alone at lunch? An agenda that introduces the new employee to their new boss, new colleagues, other departments, and organizational leaders will help alleviate some nervousness. Conduct a tour of the facility early the first day to help employees build a mental picture of what their environment will be like. The sooner a new employee has the basics, the sooner they can start focusing on the role-based tasks.
Onboarding does not end after the first few days of employment. It takes time for people to learn their role, how they fit in with the big picture, and what the culture of the organization demands from people. Keeping new employees close for the initial 90 days will help build confidence, help managers to assess training needs, and allows new employees to fail in a way that will not be catastrophic. Even people with experience in the role need to time to adapt and adjust to a new company, with different systems and different expectations.
For some people, asking questions and speaking up comes easily. For others, it can be difficult to seek answers without feeling exposed or insecure. A thorough onboarding process that continues beyond the first week will allow new employees, regardless of confidence or disposition, the opportunity to learn while also becoming integrated into the culture of the organization. When surveyed, 94% of respondents indicated that a feeling of belonging is critical to their opinion of their employer. Don’t make new employees work too hard to belong, build a process that fosters belonging and inclusion from the beginning.
Contact Envision RISE for more information about how we can assist in building and maintaining efficient and ethical hiring practices and processes.
Our evolutionary platform helps companies create a powerful integration and understanding of the relationship between the organization and the workforce. Envision RISE empowers your people to drive continual change and innovation through effective strategy and transformation.
Ethical Hiring Practices
Ethical Hiring Practices: Building a Robust Workforce in the Modern Employment Era
By Staci Hegarty, M.Ed., COO
The job vacancy rate in the US is currently 5.4%, higher than the average of 3.55%. Unemployment is at a nearly 50 year low, at 3.7%, By 2030, all Baby Boomers will have reached the traditional retirement age of 65, leaving more job vacancies. Organizations are struggling to fill existing vacancies, especially in healthcare and technology https://www.bls.gov/ooh/most-new-jobs.htm. To fill critical roles, it may be tempting to rush through the hiring process or even cut corners to ensure adequate staffing levels.
Ethical hiring practices not only lead to increased job performance, but also to greater employee satisfaction and retention. Every company wants to believe that they are honest and transparent when hiring and onboarding a new employee, yet some employees feel that they were not provided with all the information they needed to make a good decision about accepting an offer.
Transparency
It starts with transparency. Over time, job descriptions and the actual job function may become very different. It is necessary to update job descriptions regularly, with a thorough evaluation prior to posting the job vacancy. If the role has been filled by a long-term employee, it is entirely possible that the former employee was doing a lot of tasks that are not outlined in the job description. Sometimes companies may determine that the role should now be split into two separate jobs, rather than trying to find someone new with a broader skill set. Letting a potential applicant know all the expectations will save time and frustration for everyone. Resist the urge to let the sentence “Miscellaneous duties as assigned” do too much heavy lifting in your job descriptions.
Recognize who is “missing from the table.” There is a lot of discussion now about “hiring quotas for diversity.” This is not the same thing as mindful hiring. Recognizing that certain voices are missing from your organization should not result in a quota mindset, but it may encourage your company to expand or change current recruiting practices to increase the diversity of the candidate pool.
Candidate Sourcing
Be proactive in your sourcing of candidates. It is tempting to let technology do the initial screening, and many organizations assume that AI will filter out any human biases. Research shows that because AI uses human input, those biases can remain. Decide at what point in the process humans will be involved in reviewing resumes. If you are looking for greater diversity, it may take a more hands-on effort that requires humans to be involved from the beginning.
Determine the urgency of each hire. Some roles play a more integral part in the day-to-day operations than others. Replacing a salesperson on a team of 50 may not have the same urgency as replacing a staff account on a team of three. This will help your talent acquisition department know where to focus their energies or even bring in an outside recruiting agency.
The Interview Process
Formalize your interview process. Use a standard set of questions for every candidate. Consider forming an interview panel that consists of people from different departments and roles. Make the panel as diverse as possible, not just in race, gender, and age, but also in time with company. Each person will bring their own lived experience to the interview, which will lead to greater insights for both the company and the candidate.
Share your timeline and keep the candidate updated on their status. Whether you are looking to hire in the next month or the next three months, it’s important to let the candidate know what to expect. Even if your projected start date is a few months out, that does not necessarily mean you will lose the candidate if you keep them updated on their status. If you tell the candidate you will be making a decision quickly, give them a date to expect a decision. Do not “ghost” a candidate if you do not plan to proceed with them! Most people would prefer an honest answer so that they can move on with other options. Honesty says a lot about your organization, even if the candidate is disappointed in the outcome of the interview.
Your company’s reputation is more than your marketing campaign. Your hiring process tells potential future employees, and possibly future customers, a lot about your organization. Honesty, transparency, and consistent communication are markers of integrity. A candidate may not get the job, but they will still tell people about the good experience they had during the process. Word of mouth can go a long way in building a reputation outside of your branding.
Contact Envision RISE for more information about how we can assist in building and maintaining efficient and ethical hiring practices and processes.
Our evolutionary platform helps companies create a powerful integration and understanding of the relationship between the organization and the workforce. Envision RISE empowers your people to drive continual change and innovation through effective strategy and transformation.
The Blueprint for Successful Mentorship Programs
The Blueprint for Successful Mentorship Programs in the Workplace
By Staci Hegarty, M.Ed.
Mentorship has long been touted as one of the most effective ways to not only improve employee retention and engagement, but also to create a diverse and expansive pool of internal candidates for future roles. Yet many organizations abandon their efforts at mentorship programs due to a perceived lack of positive outcomes. Giving up on mentorship tells employees that the company is either not invested in their growth and development or does not have the expertise to nurture employee development. In short, it tells employees they would rather hire someone from the outside than work to upskill their existing workforce. Here we outline a blueprint for mentorship to help guide the way.
Creating and executing a mentorship program requires planning and hands-on project management.
Too often it is assumed that the program can “run itself” because mentors are already proficient at their jobs and mentees have already shown high potential. Excelling at a specific job does not always translate into excelling at being part of a mentoring pair. That is like expecting the top salesperson to become a stellar sales manager without training.
It is critical that the desired outcomes and expectations for the mentorship program are clearly established from the beginning. These goals and aims should not come from one person or department, but from a cross-section of departments and roles across the organization. Once the desired outcomes are established, ensure that there are adequate resources available to achieve those goals. This is not just financial resources, but time and talent resources to start, monitor, and maintain the program. If no one is available to lead the program, consider obtaining assistance from a third party. Organizations such as Envision RISE have experts who can take on this responsibility instead of delegating the work internally.
Mindful Pairing: Building Successful Mentor-Mentee Relationships
Be mindful in how you pair mentors and mentees. Avoid pairing people who already have a reporting relationship, otherwise mentorship will devolve into mere training on departmental tasks. Mentorship is about providing professional growth, not remediation or creating an informal management role within a particular department. Leadership succession planning may include the idea of future promotion within the department and may be included as a specific learning opportunity for the mentee within the larger scope of the mentoring program.
Equipping Leaders for Effective Guidance
Train your mentors. Do not assume that someone knows how to be a mentor, even if they are already in a leadership role. Clearly delineate the scope of the program, expectations for time invested each week, and provide a roadmap for topics and deliverables.
Set expectations with the mentees. They need to be an active participant in the mentoring relationship. This may mean they need assistance in learning to clearly communicate their needs, accepting feedback, and building their skill set.
Consistent Progress Monitoring: The Key to Successful Mentorship Programs
Monitor progress frequently. Mentoring programs are not “set and forget”. It requires consistent monitoring and feedback. For example, it may become clear early on that a particular pairing is not working as intended. With open communication, this will be caught early and adjustments can be made to the pairing so that both the mentor and mentee have a good experience.
Stick to your timeline. The program should begin and end on specific dates. Allowing the formal mentoring relationship to drag on will result in complacency for both parties. Extensions to the program can be made if there are good reasons, such as one of the pair being out on extended leave.
Undertaking Mentorship Programs with Care
Continue to follow the mentee cohort throughout their tenure with the organization. When the formal mentoring ends, informal mentoring and sponsorship should take its place. Not every mentee will become a sponsee/protégé, which does not mean they are not an asset to the company. Tracking their career progression will provide data to help assess the effectiveness of the program.
Mentorship programs should not be undertaken lightly. When done well, these programs encourage growth and innovation, and may be a source of previously unrecognized potential. Envision RISE can help craft a mentorship program that fits the needs of your organization. For more information, contact Staci Hegarty at staci@envisionrise.com.
Adapting to Thrive: A Strategic Roadmap for Organizational Resilience in 2024
Adapting to Thrive
A Strategic Roadmap for Organizational Resilience in 2024
By Staci Hegarty, M.Ed.
In today’s dynamic business landscape, where constant change is the norm, organizations must adapt to stay competitive and relevant. However, 50% of change initiatives result in failure, with only a 34% success rate. The critical factor for their success lies in their ability to assess and manage change effectively. As we approach the end of the year, now is the time to complete a comprehensive assessment of your organization’s state in 2023 in order to craft a strategic roadmap for 2024. By examining a range of key components, we are able to determine whether the intended objectives were met and if any unexpected consequences occurred.
This assessment should encompass various critical dimensions and offer a strategic roadmap for tangible results:
Year-End Review
Gather Employee Feedback
Understanding the perceptions and concerns of employees who experienced the changes is vital. Asana shares a great article on gathering feedback through surveys, interviews, or focus groups offers insights into how employees have experienced and adapted to these changes. Envision RISE offers these services in-depth with an implementation plan.
Document Lessons Learned
Document lessons learned from the change management process. This provides invaluable insights into what went well and where improvements are needed and serves as a foundation for refining future change management strategies.
Review Communication Strategies
The clarity and frequency of communication regarding changes play a pivotal role in change management. Review internal communication channels and tools to help assess the effectiveness of keeping employees informed. This article shares the elements of effective employee communication.
Review Resources and Budget
Review the allocation of resources and budget for change management to ensure that adequate support is available for future change efforts.
Celebrate Successes
Last but not least, acknowledge and celebrate successes and milestones achieved through the change management efforts. This fosters a culture of appreciation and motivation.
A Strategic Roadmap for 2024
The data from the comprehensive assessment acts as the cornerstone for a strategic roadmap, encompassing employee feedback, lessons learned, and communication strategies for organizational adaptability and success. Subsequently, focusing on aligning changes with culture and values, gauging overall change readiness, and evaluating training effectiveness ensures a smooth transition. Future planning, technology assessment, legal compliance, and benchmarking contribute to a holistic approach in steering the organization towards its goals.
Culture and Values
Ensure that changes align with the organization’s culture and value to maintaining a harmonious workplace environment.
Change Readiness
It’s essential to understand the overall readiness of the organization for change. Identifying areas where additional assessments and preparations are needed ensures a smoother transition during future changes.
Training and Development
Evaluate the effectiveness of training and development programs for employees affected by changes so they have the necessary knowledge and skills to adapt successfully to the evolving organizational landscape. Envision RISE provides a series of online professional and personal development courses in the RISE Academy.
Future Planning
Develop a plan for strategic change for the upcoming year that involves identifying goals, assessing required change management efforts, and creating a roadmap for managing change. Consider a process and procedure review.
Technology and Tools
Evaluate the technology and tools used to support change initiatives. Consider upgrades or changes to better facilitate future changes.
Legal and Compliance
Confirm that changes comply with all legal and regulatory requirements. Reviewing any legal challenges or compliance issues that arose during the year helps mitigate risks.
Benchmarking
Compare the organization’s efforts with industry best practices and benchmarks for identifying areas of improvement and maintaining a competitive edge. Indeed shares a thorough guide on benchmarking.
As the year concludes, it’s an opportune moment for a comprehensive assessment of your organization’s 2023 journey, deciphering key components for goal realization and uncovering unexpected consequences. This holistic evaluation lays the foundation for a strategic roadmap, encompassing crucial elements like employee feedback, lessons learned, and communication strategies. Ultimately, this assessment serves not just as a reflective tool but as a forward-looking roadmap, steering organizations through the evolving business landscape with adaptability and resilience in the face of change. For those seeking effective implementation, Envision RISE is a trusted partner to assist on this transformative journey.
The Evolution of Mission, Vision and Values
The Evolution of Mission, Vision and Values
By Staci Hegarty, M.Ed.
We often treat our organizations’ mission, vision, and values as immovable bedrock. In many ways, they are. Yet as the world changes, we must consider that we may need to adjust or expand the goals and aims of our business.
Evolving Envision RISE
This even happens to organizations like Envision RISE, a company that prides itself on offering leading services and training to assist in organizational change and transformation. Founded by IpX, the Institute for Process Excellence, a leader in enterprise transformation, RISE was launched to provide organizational change management (OCM) primarily through the lens of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Since 2020, our customer’s found the most success when our partnership kept the lens opened to support all types of organizational change. Of which, successful DEI can become a byproduct of improving legacy policies and procedures along with focused goals and objectives.
Our values have not changed, we believe that companies succeed when their people succeed. That means creating a workplace where all voices are valued, and differences are embraced. Yet the world has changed. The words “diversity, equity, and inclusion” have become a distraction from the core work of centering and uplifting people in the workplace.
Realigning Company Values for Success
Before you start revising anything, it is critical that leaders agree on their values. Not their personal value system, although that will have an impact, but the values of the company. Your values may expand or transform over time. For instance, many companies did not include sustainability as a company value even a few years ago. Now many organizations have begun to prioritize sustainability in their daily operations. The important thing is to verbalize those values in a way that people can understand and support.
Look at your mission statement. Whether it was written one year ago or one hundred years ago, it may need to be updated to better align with your strategic plan. If you need some ideas, this Hubspot blog can get you started.
Your vision statement is about the future, while taking the current state into consideration. Your vision statement will help to guide your strategic plan. If your vision statement doesn’t include your people, your strategic plan will fall short.
You don’t have to do this alone. The experts at Envision RISE can help your leadership team clearly identify the mission, vision, and values of organization through a variety of services, including executive and leadership alignments, assessments, and focus groups.
Travis Shumake to Honor Father's Upset Win with Tribute Car at Auto Club Finals
TRAVIS SHUMAKE TO HONOR FATHER’S UPSET WIN WITH TRIBUTE CAR AT AUTO CLUB FINALS
NEW YORK, NY (November 7, 2022) — 40 years after his father Tripp’s upset Funny Car win at the 1982 World Finals, Travis Shumake will return to southern California with the same goal. In 1982, the elder Shumake was brought in by Funny Car legend Billy Meyer as a “blocker” to defeat championship contenders Don Prudhomme & Frank Hawley. The single-race deal and Cinderella story ended with Shumake in the finals against Kenny Bernstein after taking out both Hawley and Prudhomme earlier in the day at what would be the last World Finals held at the famed Orange County International Raceway. This weekend at the Auto Club NHRA Finals, Shumake wraps up a successful debut season racing the Randy Meyers owned and tuned Top Alcohol Dragster with the support of Envision RISE, an evolutionary platform that utilizes Organizational Change Management (OCM), Human Resource Management (HRM), and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) to create a powerful integration and understanding between organizations and their workforce.
“Our partnership with Travis has created a direct path for us to connect in a unique way with the NHRA fan base and our clients,” said Envision RISE’s founder and CEO, Joseph Anderson. “Travis has been a huge supporter of our mission and has worked hard to demonstrate his commitment to becoming a top NHRA driver and an advocate for opportunity derived from hard work and respect.”
The second-generation driver will be channeling the spirit of his popular father and the surprise success of his 1982 win with a throwback paint scheme, helmet, and crew uniforms.
“I grew up watching a VHS of my dad’s magical day at World Finals. I still watch it. Regularly. I’m just as proud of his other wins and accomplishments like being in both the Cragar Five-Second Club and the 250 MPH Club but having the TV coverage and interviews make this race special. He’s been gone 23 years this Sunday and his finish line interview with Steve Evans is the only place I can go to hear his voice. I get to hear him, see him, and now I’m hoping my own finish line interview with Amanda Busick. Makes the hairs stand up on my neck.”
“I’m not just here to honor my dad, I’m here to win and wouldn’t mind facing off with one of the drivers in the hunt for the championship. We’ve got the car. Between me, Hunter (Green), Fiona (Crisp), and Matt (Sackman), this Randy Meyer “team B” car has been turning on win lights all season long. If the points stayed with the car this beast would be deep in the points battle.
Shumake grabbed a top 3 qualifying spot in Charlotte and posting a career best semi-final finish at historic Maple Grove Raceway where he won the first two rounds on impressive hole shots. This weekend’s Auto Club Finals will be his 4th national event and a chance for the New York City resident to close out his season on a high note and carry momentum into the off-season as he looks to expand his racing schedule in 2023.
“I’m chasing funding for 2023 just like everyone else but am starting to get excited about the future.” Said Shumake. “Right now I’m just enjoying the opportunity to learn from Randy and drive alongside Julie (Naatas). Add all the marketing help I’ve gotten from Megan (Meyer) into that mix, and you quickly realize I’ve been training under the best in the business all season long. I hope bringing big names like Sheetz and Envision Rise into the sport shows folks I am serious, committed, and certainly no flash in the pan.”
Shumake and the Envision RISE Top Alcohol Dragster will be on track twice on Thursday, November 10, running at 1:45 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. and teams will get a final qualifying run Friday at 2 p.m. Saturday will begin Shumake’s quest for victory with the first round of eliminations at 10:15 a.m.
About Envision RISE
Envision RISE was founded as a modern workforce development platform to create a non-divisive integration and understanding of the relationship between the needs of an organization and the requirements of the actual workforce. The platform provides a voice to the individual and a framework critical to long-term business sustainability.
Promoting a Culture of Calm During Chaos
Staci Hegarty, Envision RISE, Vice President of Equity & Inclusion
We are more than two years into the most intense period of change that most of us have ever experienced in the workplace, and for some of us, in our lifetime. After the initial shock, many organizations managed to adapt to life during COVID. Theses adaptations were far from perfect, and we are still working through it and learning from it. There is civil unrest across the US, which will not abate any time soon. The economy is teetering on the brink of recession, with inflation at a 40-year high and gasoline hitting record prices. The “Great Resignation” coupled with low unemployment pushed staffing levels to the breaking point. Many organizations are struggling to find their center. Those that have taken promoting a culture of calm during chaos seriously have been better able to weather the storms.
We are not our best selves right now.
And yet, we have done some of our best change management over the past couple of years. We were so confident in what we believed to be true for so long that we rarely questioned it. When forced to question almost everything, look what we discovered! We can be flexible in our work locations and still get results. We can engage in uncomfortable conversations about topics we were always told were off limits at work, which allows us to learn more about ourselves and our colleagues. The economic issues we experience are not in a vacuum; we are an inextricably connected global economy. Finally, we can demand better from our workplace cultures, or we can find a better workplace.
For those waiting to “return to normal,” I have bad news for you. There is no going back. The last few years exposed many truths about our workplaces and how we are affected by that culture. Crisis shows us our true selves.
Amid chaos, what was the prevailing emotion at your company? Did you find out that your organization is much more fragile than you realized? Or did you uncover innovation and resilience that was just beneath the surface of everyday life?
Understand more about your company by understanding its DNA. Your company’s DNA structures the ecosystem framework. Upon this framework is built the foundation for your culture throughout the employee lifecycle. When the DNA is fragmented, broken, or otherwise unstable, it creates an imbalance that compromises the health of the organization. Unhealthy organizations struggle to overcome the stress of change, especially unexpected change. The RISE Human Resources Management (HRM) DNA analysis helps identify the areas that need attention and strengthening. Combine the HRM DNA analysis with the Envision RISE comprehensive cultural assessment to create an actionable strategic plan for lasting organizational cultural transformation.
Hiring the Right Chief Diversity Officer the First Time
Staci Hegarty, Envision RISE, Vice President of Equity & Inclusion
Most people with the responsibility of hiring new employees have had at least one experience with a “bad hire.” I don’t love that phrase, it somehow places blame on no one and everyone without encouraging any accountability within the process. But for lack of a better phrase, I’m going to use it.
Bad hires are expensive for the company and the culture. Salary, benefits, maybe relocation, and training are all sunk costs for every new employee. The hope is that the new employee will contribute to the organization in a way that is productive, thus justifying these costs. A new employee likely left another job to accept this opportunity. They accept that there are costs to a new job, even if it is a higher salary. For a while, everyone is investing, and no one is really seeing dividends. Most of the time the investment pays off and the new hire works out.
When they don’t work out, there are consequences for everyone. Not just the monetary output from the company, but what a bad hire can mean in the long run. An underperforming employee often comes with a negative attitude, which has an impact on colleagues and customers. That negativity can spread quickly to employees who used to be contributors. There are expenses that are difficult to quantify, such as lost productivity during the initial training and learning period. Most projections are that when a new hire doesn’t work out, it is often a cost of more than $100,000 to the company in losses.
What happens when a “bad hire” is your Chief Diversity Officer (CDO)? The field of diversity, equity, and inclusion is notorious for high turnover and burnout. The qualifications for the role are often unclear. What kind of degree should the person hold, if at all? How many years of experience are appropriate (hint: stop looking for the “10 years of experience” unicorn, there aren’t many of us who meet that requirement)? For many organizations, this is a new role, with a vague job description, minimal budget, no staff, and a reporting structure that can be stifling for a DE&I expert to execute their duties. Yet the expectations for measurable, immediate change are high (if not impossible).
While sometimes they are reviled, other times they are encumbered with unrealistic expectations of patience, compassion, and forgiveness. A bad hire in this role can set your DE&I efforts back more than not having created the role in the first place.
Everyone in your organization is watching your CDO. They set the tone for what the cultural shifts will look like. They are responsible for the psychological safety of your employees, often while sacrificing their own. While sometimes they are reviled, other times they are encumbered with unrealistic expectations of patience, compassion, and forgiveness. A bad hire in this role can set your DE&I efforts back more than not having created the role in the first place. Before you hire, take the time to create a detailed and robust job description. Build a budget for the role, including a salary which is commensurate with the responsibilities. Take the time to vet any internal candidates thoroughly. Sometimes an internal hire makes perfect sense, other times it may not. This is not the time to be in a hurry to close the job requisition.
Finally, the entire leadership team needs to be aligned in their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Your Chief Diversity Officer will be a member of the leadership team and must be viewed as such by his/her/their peers. If the rest of the team isn’t ready, take the time to work through it. This is where a third-party can help with an Executive Alignment program. These programs are reasonably short but can have a big impact on the effectiveness of your leadership team and your DE&I efforts.
Adding a Chief Diversity Officer to your organization is ideal for establishing a culture of belonging. Invest the time, money, and effort to do it well the first time.
