Download pdf - Motivation Inspire Your Staff

The CEO of CareerBuilder.com, the founder and president ofgeoVue, the CEO of Intercosmos Media Group, and the corporatevice president of Northrop Grumman Corp. on:

Motivation: How toInspire Your StaffWithout Financial

CompensationMatt Ferguson,

CEO, CareerBuilder.com

Jim Stone, President & Founder, geoVue, Inc.

Sigmund Solares, CEO, Intercosmos Media Group

J. Michael Hateley, VP, Northrop Grumman Corp.

Ajob is just a job if your employees are there merely for a pay-check. But a job becomes a career when the employee is happywith his or her environment, benefits, and incentives. Keep-

ing an employee satisfied doesn’t always require a large salary: Thereare many other ways to keep employees excited about coming to workevery day. In this ExecBlueprint, four executives explore the optionsof inspiring your staff without destroying the payroll. n

in partnership with Aspatore Books

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ACTION POINTS

I. Environmental OpportunitiesTo foster loyalty, a company must create apositive work environment. Consider imple-menting a few nontraditional benefits.

II. Communication Is KeyEmployees have many outlets to addresstheir requests and/or complaints. Keepingemployees informed and letting them knowtheir voices are being heard will maintainloyalty, productivity and satisfaction.

III. Must-Have BenefitsCompetitive compensation and opportuni-ties for advancement are excellent motiva-tors, but your company will draw in newhires, and sustain current employees, ifyou offer some popular benefits.

IV. The Golden Rules of MotivationKeeping the lines of communication openbetween the work force and management,and sharing your company’s success bygiving everyone a personal financial stake,are two of the ways your company cancreate a productive work experience foreveryone on staff.

V. Essential Take-AwaysCash is king, but employees will accept asmaller salary if their work environment isappreciative, enjoyable and productive.Employees want to be recognized for theirachievements and given a chance to devel-op on a personal and professional level.

Contents

About the Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.2

Matt Ferguson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.3

Jim Stone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.5

Sigmund Solares . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.7

J. Michael Hateley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.9

Ideas to Build Upon and Action Points . p.11

Copyright 2005 Books24x7®. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited without the prior written permission of the publisher. This ExecBlueprints™ document was published as part of a subscription based service. ExecBlueprints,a Referenceware® collection from Books24x7, provides concise, easy to absorb, practical information to help organizations address pressing strategic issues. For more information about ExecBlueprints please visit www.execblueprints.com.

©Books24x7, 2005 About the Authors ExecBlueprints 2

About the Authors

Matt Ferguson is the CEO ofCareerBuilder.com, the nation’slargest online job network with

more than 15 million unique visitors andover 1 million jobs. CareerBuilder.compowers the online career centers for morethan 400 partners reaching national,local, industry, diversity and niche audiences. Mr. Ferguson leads the daily

operations and growth of the company,overseeing marketing, finance, sales,information technology, product develop-ment, integrated media, business develop-ment, customer care and human resources.Under his leadership, CareerBuilder.comhas risen to the number one position inonline recruitment with the company out-pacing the industry in traffic, job postings

and revenue growth. In Mr. Ferguson’sopinion, companies should create a corporate environment that is empower-ing. He urges his own employees todream, develop and succeed, and givesthem the tools and support they need todo so.

Matt FergusonCEO, CareerBuilder.com

* Read Matt’s insights on Page 3

Jim Stone is an industry leader in pre-dictive analytics solutions for chainstore companies. From 1982 to

1993, he held executive positions in thecommercial real estate industry, and wasresponsible for the acquisition of over $25million of commercial property through-out New England. In 1993, Mr. Stonefounded geoVue, a leading provider oflocation-based decision support systems

for the real estate, retail and restaurantindustries. Based in Woburn, Mass.,geoVue currently services a variety ofclients, including The Limited, UnitedParcel Service, Albertsons, Dunkin’Donuts, RadioShack, GMAC Commer-cial Mortgage and Prudential Real Estate.As the owner of a small company, Mr.Stone believes he’s created a fast-growingand exciting place to work. His recent

hires, many of which previously workedat larger companies, joined geoVuebecause they were willing to earn lessmoney in order to see an increase in theirquality of life.

Jim StonePresident & Founder, geoVue, Inc.

* Read Jim’s insights on Page 5

Sigmund J. Solares is the founderand part owner of IntercosmosMedia Group, Inc. The 33 year old

CEO leads the company, which oper-ated directNIC.com, one of the 10largest domain name registrars in the

world. According to Mr. Solares, a pos-itive and relaxed working environmentincreases job satisfaction. As such, hiscompany has created a welcomingatmosphere by expanding its breakrooms, installing popcorn and hot dog

machines and establishing an officegym.

Sigmund SolaresCEO, Intercosmos Media Group

* Read Sigmund’s insights on Page 7

As the Corporate Vice President andChief Human Resources andAdministrative Officer of

Northrop Grumman Corp., J. MichaelHateley is responsible for humanresources, benefits, ethics and businessconduct, diversity, community and edu-cation relations, contributions, security &crisis management, environmental, health& safety, flight services, leveraged services, travel, real estate and strategic

facilities management. He also serves asChairman for Charitable Giving for theNorthrop Grumman Foundation and thePolitical Action Steering committee.Based in Los Angeles, the global defensecompany has approximately 125,000employees with operations in all 50 statesand 25 countries. Since 1993, Mr. Hate-ley has been involved in nearly 20 acqui-sitions and divestments, and has led theintegration process of TRW and Litton

Industries. In Mr. Hateley’s opinion,employees don’t quit companies; they quitsupervisors. As such, he’s made a signif-icant effort in providing leadership training and creating an environment inwhich his employees can be successful.

J. Michael HateleyVP, Northrop Grumman Corp.

* Read Michael’s insights on Page 9

Motivating Your Staff More than one-third of U.S. work-ers surveyed by CareerBuilder.comin 2004 said their corporate lead-ers were ineffective in motivatingtheir staffs. The best way to fill yourworkforce with rocket fuel is to pro-vide an environment where they’reinformed and challenged and wherethey feel they’ve made an impact.

At CareerBuilder.com, we are acompany of leaders. Each employ-ee has his/her own unique talentsthat contribute to the collective suc-cess of the company.

Golden Rules of MotivationManagement abides by five Gold-en Rules for shaping the work expe-rience:

Rule #1– You Are a Leader:Every individual at Career-Builder.com is considered to be aleader, regardless of title or tenure.Embracing an entrepreneurial spir-it, each employee is the CEO ofhis/her own position and is givenautonomy in managing his/herresponsibilities.

Rule #2– We Will Keep You inGood Company: CareerBuilder.comis artful at nurturing teams, with-out stifling the individual. We hirepassionate individuals and sur-round them with others who havethe same energy and commitmentto the company mission. It is this

network of expertise and solid sup-port structure that creates such agreat sense of camaraderie at ourcompany.

Rule #3– We Move at InternetSpeed: CareerBuilder.com is a com-pany that is always moving. Newideas become reality in a matter ofweeks or days or even hours.Employees are able to see the fruitsof their labor and experience suc-cess quickly.

Rule #4– We Are Invested in You:To foster our employees’ professionaldevelopment, we offer group train-ing and one-on-one coaching ses-sions for all employees, and tuitionreimbursement for academic pur-

suits. We host leadership seminarswhere employees from differentdepartments are invited to spend twodays with CareerBuilder.com’s Chair-man and CEO. We also provideopportunities for employees in onedepartment, such as customer serv-ice or technology, to shadow thosein other areas, such as sales.

Rule #5– We Share Our Success:We offer a generous quarterly bonusprogram that provides employeeswith a personal financial stake in thecompany’s performance and enablesthem to share in the company’s prof-its. We have special employee recog-nition and incentive programs toshow our appreciation. In addition,CareerBuilder.com also has a char-

©Books24x7, 2005 Matt Ferguson ExecBlueprints 3


“Taking the time to make your employ-ees feel like they are part of the organi-zation’s success goes a long way ingrowing that success.”

• Recognized employment expert

• Regularly appears on national TV andradio to discuss the state of the jobmarket, hiring practices and workertrends

• MBA from the University of Chicago,JD from Northwestern University


Today, people are concerned about stability ofthe company, its real prospects for growth,community involvement, chances foradvancement, recognition, and competitivecompensation.

Matt Ferguson

CEO, CareerBuilder.com

Expert Advice

CareerBuilder.com believes that busi-ness performance can be directly tiedto how happy an employee is with thecompany and his/her position. Weconduct surveys of our workforcemeasuring opinions on leadership,workload and responsibilities, bene-fits, internal communications andmuch more. In our most recent sur-vey, around 85 percent of our employ-ees reported they were satisfied withtheir overall work experience atCareerBuilder.com. Nine out of tensaid they feel satisfied with their jobs,relationships with direct supervisorsand co-workers, and company com-mitment.

itable contribution match programand provides paid days off for com-munity service volunteer work.

What Employees Want,Besides MoneyThe primary needs of most employ-ees fall under five categories:

• Something Positive to Believe In:Employees want to belong to anorganization that offers a solidcompetitive positioning, strongvalue system, inspiring leadershipand a commitment to making adifference.

• Challenge: Workers want posi-tions that push their talentsbeyond tackling daily tasks andexpose them to new challenges.

• Learning: Workers need to feelthat they are gaining usefulexperience on the job, acquiringnew skills and growing profes-sionally.

• Control: Workers enjoy feeling asense of ownership. They need tobe trusted to carry out responsi-bilities and are, in turn, takingcharge of their professionaldevelopment.

• Recognition: Employees need tofeel their efforts are importantand appreciated.

Unique Benefits and PracticesToday, people are concerned aboutstability of the company, its realprospects for growth, communityinvolvement, chances for advance-ment, recognition, and competitivecompensation. While we offer agreat benefits program, what we’vefound to be most important toemployees is work culture. There is

no “one size fits all” in our com-pany. You’ve got to allow groupswithin the organization to developtheir own cultures.

To aid in this, we offer flexiblework arrangements for employees,such as telecommuting and part-time schedules. When you provideemployees with the ability to man-age their time and workload in away that is a positive experience forthem, you’re going to have moreproductive employees.

The most popular benefitsamong our employees:

• A comprehensive healthcareplan. We also host Health Fairswith various screenings, chairmassages, tips on the ergonom-ics of sitting at your desk, etc.

• Employees can vest in our 401Kprogram after two years.

• We provide full pay for sixweeks for maternity leave, andone week of paternity leave withfull pay.

• Employees are allotted two dayswith full pay for volunteer work.

In terms of our overall workenvironment, we are fast-paced, butwe take the time to have fun. Wehave a special break room that fea-tures a foosball table, beanbagchairs, lava lamps and a videolibrary. We also have a bookexchange program where employ-ees can trade their favorite readingmaterials. Also, you shouldn’t besurprised if you see remote controlcar races in the hallway, employeestossing a football over their cubes,chili cook-offs in the kitchen or salesmanagers passing out ice cream totheir teams with a makeshift icecream truck. Fun and comic reliefkeep the spirit and creative energyflowing and should never be over-looked in business.

Finally, an Open Door policypaired with regular communica-tions is a critical part of ouremployee experience. We host aseries of smaller meetings withemployees in different departmentseach quarter to highlight companyaccomplishments and goals and todiscuss the department’s specificcontributions. n

©Books24x7, 2005 Matt Ferguson ExecBlueprints 4

Matt FergusonCEO, CareerBuilder.com (continued)

Primary Employee Needs

Jim Stone on Staff MotivationOur employees need to believe thatthere’s a vision and that we’re trav-eling in the direction of that vision.They need to own the area that theywork in. That doesn’t happen as nat-urally as you might think. You real-ly have to let people run with theirjob so that they’ll know when youtrust them versus when you’re justpretending and checking up on them.

We’re in an industry where therearen’t a lot of players and the play-ers that are there are way biggerthan us. It’s part of our Americanculture to fight for the underdogs.We feel like we’re the giant killer.We’re out there winning dealsagainst big companies and it pro-motes camaraderie and a sense ofachievement that is very real andyou can see it pulsing through theveins of the folks that work here.Even though we’re smaller, we canwin and have very high standards.

Growing From the InsideBesides money, employees are look-ing for inspiring leadership andautonomy in their job. They like tosee flexibility in when they canshow up at work and when they canwork from home or when they haveto work hard and when they cantake some comp time.

In particular, a small companycan offer a path for growth. Whenyou’re adding 20 percent to 100percent to your head count everyyear, you don’t have to be there verylong before you might find yourselfa contender for a group leader jobor even a VP job. Being able to seethat path and knowing that thecompany is committed to growingfrom the inside is important. If youwork hard you might not neces-

sarily make as much money now,but you’ll have an opportunity tomake up for it in the future.

Achieving Company GoalsTo share my vision with the company, we hold an annual kickoffmeeting. We spend the whole day ina combination of group and depart-mental meetings talking about whatour goals are for the year. At the endof the day, we go out and have a goodtime. It’s a bonding experience butone that is specific to what we’re trying to accomplish for the year. Wereinforce that with what we callmonthly “all-hands” meetings wherewe discuss how we’re doing at all levels.

We have an e-mail address thatis specifically for anybody whowants to share little successes, ideasand articles with the entire compa-ny. We publish a weekly electronicnewsletter that tracks what’s hap-pening on the sales front.

Each year we also hold a coupleof functions that are nontradition-al in the sense that we’ll go to some-body’s house and hang out in arelaxed environment with pizzaand a ping-pong table.

The Growth Opportunitiesof a Small Company We recently hired a couple of peo-ple from successful, stable compa-nies where they were doing wellbecause they weren’t getting acharge out of what they weredoing. We tend to be a magnet forpeople like that because we’re asmall, fast growing, and excitingplace to be and, in some cases,they’re actually taking less moneyto go into a job that provides alearning opportunity.

A larger company can try toorganize itself in such a way that thevarious operating groups within ithave the feel of a small company.

©Books24x7, 2005 Jim Stone ExecBlueprints 5

Jim StoneFounder and President, geoVue, Inc.

“Enthusiasm is contagious. If you arepassionate and outwardly expressingthat all the time, people will bepumped up about the vision.”

• Founded geoVue in 1993

• Conducted speaking engagements atthe Homer Hoyt Institute and theWharton School

• BA from Southern Methodist Univer-sity

• Certified Real Property Administrator

• Massachusetts Real Estate Broker#9007739

• Counselor of Real Estate

Jim StoneFounder and President, geoVue, Inc.

If you work hard youmight not necessarilymake as much moneynow, but you’ll havean opportunity tomake up for it in thefuture.

Jim Stone

Founder and President, geoVue, Inc.

Most of our customers are verylarge companies and we havebecome fairly close to the peoplethat we work with and the groupswithin those companies. Some com-panies are monolithic structures thathave very rigid hierarchies witheveryone fighting their way to thetop. Others create an atmospherewhere everyone feels like they’repart of the whole company everyday. The ones that seem to be muchhappier and probably more pro-ductive and successful are the onesthat have the look and feel of asmall company within their oper-ating groups. They have an entre-preneurial boss who gives peopleenough rope to succeed or hangthemselves. That is something thatI believe more big companies shoulddo.

In order for us to do a good jobof satisfying our customers, itrequires a lot of communicationacross departments. This can be asource of friction in some companies,even in ours, when the sales guysaren’t getting what they need fromthe service people and making thecustomer happy, so everyone isblaming each other. In the long run,

it’s actually healthy because everyonegets to interact with people outsidetheir own group.

At our company, it’s requiredthat we work across departmentsinstead of isolating them. Weencourage communication to takeplace at the department head level,as well as further down the ranks.

In the process leading up to thekickoff meeting every year, there’sa forum for how we’re going toapproach the next year. Then wework our way down to the indi-vidual level of compensation plansand general feelings about the com-pany. You’ve got to create some sortof informal ways of getting thatinput or else you’ll find out in thenext exit interview.

Compensation We view benefits defensively in thesense that if you offer someone abenefits package that is less than themarketplace, then you’re at a dis-advantage and you’re probablygoing to create an unattractivedimension to your company that’snot worth the money you save.

On the other hand, a lot of timeswhat happens with benefit plans isthey’re expensive to implement andonly a small group of people aregoing to be interested in any par-ticular component. So you have tofind that sweet spot where you’renot hurting yourself from a com-petitive standpoint or hurting theemployees in terms of their view ofthe benefits they really need.

We always had the standardmedical benefits. We just added den-tal and then a whole host of cheapor free programs that provide taxdeductions for such things as med-ical and transportation matters that

you just have to spend the time toimplement.

Finally, we have a 401(k) plan,which is practically free until we startcontributing to it as a company. n

©Books24x7, 2005 Jim Stone ExecBlueprints 6

Jim StoneFounder and President, geoVue, Inc. (continued)

New hire

Group leader or VP contenter

Co

mp

any

incr

ease

s st

aff

20–1

00%

AdvancementOpportunities

at Small Companies

Expert Advice

As CEO, I try to be approachableand basically let anyone say anythingto me, whether it’s in the form ofgood-natured insults or requests,without compromising the authoritystructure that a CEO needs to runany kind of a business. Based on myexample, everyone feels very com-fortable that they can talk to the rightperson about something that theyneed or to express happiness or dis-satisfaction.

Motivating StaffOn a day-to-day basis, I commendemployees when they do an excel-lent job. I provide constructive andpositive feedback, both verbally andin private and/or company-wideemails. In the bigger picture, I makesure our employees are paid a com-petitive wage and receive strongbenefits.

Promoting Company LoyaltyI would define loyalty as givingone’s best work, sharing informa-tion that co-workers need to excel,and displaying a wiliness to rollwith the punches. And at times, trueloyalty can mean true honesty andthe ability to call a spade a spade.It is the ability to actively work withothers for the betterment of thecompany.

Motivation Beyond Financial Compensation:What Employees WantEmployees seek the ability tobecome involved in development,the chance to be presented withstrong future opportunities, theprobability of being recognizedand a positive environment inwhich to work.

In terms of development,employees seek the ability to workon projects that they feel are bene-ficial to the company and to theirpersonal/professional development.

If an employee is in a position wherea lot of repetitive tasks are involved,it can greatly increase job satisfac-tion by giving them blocks of timeto tackle special projects.

With respect to recognition,employees often seek validation oftheir work and their efforts. Thiscan usually be done with a standardpolicy on raises and bonuses.

There is truth to the philosophythat the environment people workin has an effect on their productiv-ity. Letting employees decorate theoffice environment in a way that istasteful and in accordance with theirpreference can often go a long way,as can establishing a company gym,holding holiday parties, and culti-vating a relaxed and creative over-all environment.

Finally, employees often want toknow what lies ahead. Job security

is often worth more to an employeethan sporadic bonuses and offers ofmore money in a risky job market.

Handling Complaints fromEmployeesEmployees have many outlets toaddress their requests and/or com-plaints. These issues can be broughtup to immediate supervisors or sentto me as the CEO via email. Theyalso can be raised in weekly reportsor shared in company meetings.

In order to record requests andcomplaints and ensure that theyare addressed, we have, at times,used a private, company-wide Webbulletin board. However, it seems

©Books24x7, 2005 Sigmund Solares ExecBlueprints 7


“In many ways, loyalty is measuredwith a gut check. You know whensomeone has your back and whenthey have the company’s back or whenthey just care about a paycheck.”

• Operated directNIC.com, one of the10 largest domain name registrars inthe

• Expanded break rooms, installingpopcorn and hot dog machines andestablishing an office gym.


Keeping employees informed and letting themknow their voices are really being heard is veryimportant to our corporate culture of maintainingloyalty, productivity, and satisfaction.

Sigmund Solares

CEO, Intercosmos Media Group

Expert Advice

Smaller companies can follow thelead of larger companies by learningto listen carefully to what a potentialhire says they are seeking. Then askyourself if it is realistic that your com-pany will be able to deliver on thispromise. If not, be honest with thepotential hire, or do not hire them atall. You do not want to face future dis-gruntled workers, talented or not, ifyou could have avoided the situationby truly listening to their goals andrequirements.

to work best for us to surveyemployees annually. The next stepis for management to reply back tosuch surveys in email with whichissues and requests can be solvedor granted, and how and when thiswill occur. Keeping employeesinformed and letting them knowtheir voices are really being heardis very important to our corporateculture of maintaining loyalty,productivity, and satisfaction.

Motivating New and Potential HiresI think being part of an excitingcompany that promises futureopportunities and growth remainsa principle motivation for most ofour new and potential hires.

An employee recruitment bonusplan has helped when we haveactively sought new hires. Thisgave employees an incentive to findand recruit excellent new co-workersin exchange for a financial bonusupon the new hire, followed by afinal reward once the new employeehit certain benchmarks, such as aminimum length of employment.

Helping Employees RewardEach Other and WorkTogetherRewarding and recognizing groupefforts is critical. If one employee isgiven recognition, ask him or herwho in the team deserves to be rec-ognized for helping achieve this suc-cess. Rarely is an employee anisland in his or her successes. Thisprocess rewards a chain of peopleall deserving recognition, thus dif-fusing many cases of resentmentbetween co-workers.

Sharing Our CompanyVisionI find company email newsletters,press releases and Internet market-ing effective tools to get the wordout, internally and externally, aboutour company’s vision and accom-plishments.

Different Strokes for Different FolksDifferent types of employees tend tofind motivation from differentthings. People are motivated dif-ferently, often by where they fit intothe cycle of life. Younger employ-ees are more enticed by the free cellphone or club membership; olderemployees tend to be more inter-ested in stronger health plans orretirement packages.

Unconventional Offerings: Job Sharing and Working Part-time or From HomePart-time work has worked out suc-cessfully in most instances, espe-cially filling difficult shifts. Part-timeworkers can learn the skills of thejob and the goals of the companyon a full-time basis, then move topart-time hours for reasons otherthan poor job performance.

With today’s technology ininstant communications, workerscan work from home and still stayvery connected. However, a goodrelationship really depends on hav-ing a responsible and loyal cooper-ation between the home worker andthe company.

Small Ideas ProvidingStrong MotivationIt’s best to implement a few small-er ideas that have been generated byan employee poll or survey, ratherthan just one. One of the “smaller”ideas implemented at IntercosmosMedia was to have a professionalhot dog stand in our break room.At first, the $1000 price tag madeit hard to justify. But one of theemployees found a display modelfor $700, which was more realistic.Was it needed? Probably not. Butmany of the employees feel the com-pany is a really cool place to workbecause they can go get a hot dogoff the heated, spinning coils anytime they want. n

©Books24x7, 2005 Sigmund Solares ExecBlueprints 8

Sigmund SolaresCEO, Intercosmos Media Group (continued)

A food-stocked�break room

DVD movie library

Cell phones

Home DSL

Health club dues �or in-office gym

Cre

ativ

e w

ork

ben

efit

sGood benefits definitely �can help close new hires

Benefits thatCan Help Close

New Hires

Learning from SmallerCompaniesSmaller companies engender valuesthat big companies need to keep inmind. They value collaboration,agility and a proper disregard forstructure and bureaucracy. A largecompany needs structure in order tofunction, but not too much of it. Itis important to be agile and act“small” in a big environment.

Employee NeedsEmployees are often looking formeaningful work through whichthey can influence the outcome ofthe business or somehow createvalue for it. Providing that work iscritical to fostering loyalty.

It is our belief that employeesdon’t quit companies; they quitsupervisors. We place a significanteffort on leadership training andcreating an environment in whichemployees can be successful.

Potential employees are highlyaware of company reputation andare interested in working for ethi-cal companies. They seek a com-pany that is diverse, and reflects thecommunities in which they workand live.

A company should have a vari-ety of ways in which to listen toemployees. One way is implement-ing performance management sys-tems that not only evaluateperformance down the organiza-tion, but also provide for feedback

up the organization. It is beneficialto have teams of employees andfocus groups to give their views onparticular aspects of work life.

BenefitsIf the benefits are structured right,they should be neutral. Theyshouldn’t be on anybody’s mind.They should be competitive in themarket. At our company, we offerour employees a broad array of ben-efits.

Listening to NeedsWhen people are doing a good job,they should be told that they’redoing a good job. Along the samelines, they should be told when theyneed to improve their performance.Feedback dialog should be constant,not just an annual occurrence.

There is a spectrum of otherarrangements that help motivatepeople. In some cases, job-sharing,part-time options and telecommuting

can make employees more efficient,as long as there is still room for col-laboration with colleagues. Try to beresponsive to people’s individualneeds.

©Books24x7, 2005 Mike Hateley ExecBlueprints 9

Mike HateleyVice President, Chief Human Resources andAdministrative Officer, Northrop Grumman

“A company needs to communicate thevision and goals in a pervasive way.Whether it be sitting at lunch with afew people or addressing a largeforum of employees, the vision andgoals should be kept in front of every-one in a variety of ways.”

• Previously held managerial positionsin human resources and industrialrelations at ITT and Monogram Industries

• BA from UCLA

• Completed executive programs at theUniversity of Southern California,Harvard University and Stanford Uni-versity

• Serves on the Human ResourcesAdvisory Council of the ConferenceBoard, the Corporate Advisory Boardof the USC Marshall School of Busi-ness and the board of directors ofIndependent Colleges of SouthernCalifornia

Mike HateleyVice President, Chief Human Resources and Administrative Officer, Northrop Grumman

Employees should be given an environment inwhich they can be treated with dignity andrespect for their contribution.

Mike Hateley

Vice President, Chief Human Resources and Administrative Officer, Northrop Grumman

Expert Advice

It is important to operate in an envi-ronment in which a well-defined valueset, vision and requirements forintegrity and ethics have been estab-lished. If leaders live those values andshow that they hold themselves to thesame standards that they hold theemployees, loyalty and motivation willcome.

There should be in place a vari-ety of methods for dispute resolu-tion. We have inside the companya process that enables us to resolveissues in a structured way. Howev-er, we resolve most problems by justtalking about the issue. If anemployee is unable to resolve an

issue with a supervisor, he or shecan direct the concern to an openline.

We foster an environment wherewe think it’s important for peopleto speak up, and for managementto support down. It’s okay to raiseissues.

We also have the saying that welike to hear good news travel fast,but we like to hear bad news travelfaster. That allows us to engage anissue or a problem and apply theright resources to resolve the matterso that people are not feeling likethey have to hide their mistakes. n

©Books24x7, 2005 Mike Hateley ExecBlueprints 10

Mike HateleyVice President, Chief Human Resources and Administrative Officer, Northrop Grumman (continued)

Job Sharing Part-time Telecommuting

Office

Collaboration with colleagues �via e-mail, conference calls, �

weekly meetings, etc.

Potential Increased Employee Efficiency

I. Environmental OpportunitiesTo foster loyalty, a company mustcreate a positive work environment.Consider implementing a few ofthese nontraditional benefits:

• Flexible work arrangements

• Telecommuting opportunities

• Maternity leave for expectingmothers and fathers

• On-site gyms

• Paid time off for volunteer work

• A break room that provides funas well as relaxation

• A video library or readingexchange program

• Dessert incentives and company-wide barbeques

• Affordable cell phone or clubmemberships

• Employee recruitment bonuses

II. Communication Is KeyEmployees have many outlets toaddress their requests and/or com-plaints. Here are a few your com-pany should consider implementing:

• Provide e-mail access, both indi-vidually and company-wide.

• Distribute weekly reports

• Publish a weekly newsletter

• Create an internal bulletin board

• Maintain an open door policy

• Gather together for departmen-tal and company-wide meetings

• Establish camaraderie with infor-mal parties

III. Must-Have BenefitsCompetitive compensation andopportunities for advancement areexcellent motivators, but your com-pany will draw in new hires, andsustain current employees, if youoffer these popular benefits:

• A comprehensive healthcare plan

• The opportunity to invest in thecompany’s 401K

• Recognition for a job well done

• Retirement plans

• Transportation aid

IV. The Golden Rules of MotivationThese five rules will help your com-pany create a positive work expe-rience for everyone on staff:

1. Treat every individual as a leader,regardless of title or tenure, andoffer recognition for those whomake an extra effort.

2. Built a solid support structure bykeeping the lines of communica-tion open between the workforce and management.

3. Be open to new ideas. Implementthe ones that will benefit youremployees, and the company asa whole.

4. Foster your employees’ profes-sional development with addi-tional training.

5. Share your company’s success bygiving everyone a personal finan-cial stake. Most importantly,provide job security.

V. Essential Take-Aways

• Cash is king, but employees willaccept a smaller salary if theirwork environment is apprecia-tive, enjoyable and productive.

• Employees are looking for mean-ingful work and growth oppor-tunities. They want to berecognized for their achieve-ments and given a chance todevelop on a personal and pro-fessional level.

• By creating a positive workenvironment, you will ensurestability in your work force.Offering unique benefits, tai-lored to your staff’s needs anddesires, and cultivating a sense ofprogress and security, will alsoinspire loyalty and collaborationin your staff. n

©Books24x7, 2005 Ideas to Build Upon & Action Points ExecBlueprints 11

Ideas to Build Upon & Action Points

©Books24x7, 2005 Ideas to Build Upon & Action Points ExecBlueprints 12

Ideas to Build Upon & Action Points (continued)

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10 KEY QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSION POINTS

How do you motivate your staff?

How do you promote company loyalty?

What are the top five things employees looking for outside of more money? Can providing these things compensate for actual dollars?

How can you effectively share your vision for the company — not the revenues you’re trying to hit, but the larger goal for the company?

Have you found that newer hires have been looking for different things than those of thepast? Are you noting any trends for people that are potential hires as to what motivatesand inspires them?

What can smaller companies learn from larger companies in term of employee inspiration?

What can larger companies learn from smaller companies?

How can you help employees to idea share and inspire one another?

How do you find out what your employees want?

How much of a role do benefits play? What sort of benefits seem to be particularlyappealing to employees?

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