Stacia Sherman Garr

Hey C-Suite, your middle managers are not doing what you want In this short exerpt from Power to the Middle, authors Bill Schaninger, Ph.D., Bryan Hancock, Emily Field pose this very simple question: - What do we want our middle managers to be doing? "We want them to serve as coaches, connectors, and navigators for the people who report to them, along with people throughout the organization." - What are they doing right now? "Not very much of the above at all." In fact, evidence shows they are doing this less than 30% of their time because they are too busy doing administrative and individual contributor tasks. Just ask them. Then change it. For the full article, click on the link below: https://lnkd.in/gqjiYy7t _____ I'm Rebecca Houghton founder of BoldHRⓇ with Rebecca Houghton and advocate of Middle Managers everywhere. To learn more about B-Suite Leaders with C-Suite Impact, click the link below: https://b-suiteleader.com/ Follow me to learn more about how to harness the untapped potential of middle managers.

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I recently dove into Lattice 2025 State of People Strategy Report, and one thing is crystal clear: high-performing teams invest in growth—even on tight budgets. The data backs this up: 68% of HR teams say L&D drives engagement, and high-performing teams know it pays off. If you’re not actively investing in skills and career paths, your team isn’t just stagnant—it’s costing you. But here’s the challenge: not every company has the budget for a full-time L&D team. That’s where fractional L&D comes in. It gives companies high-impact learning without the overhead—focused, flexible support exactly when it matters most. Here’s the cost of NOT investing in building high-performing teams: 👎Productivity tanks. 68% of HR teams run L&D initiatives to drive engagement. Engaged teams are more productive—skip L&D, and you’re leaving output on the table. 📈Turnover costs spike. Without growth paths, turnover rates rise, and you’re paying up to 200% of an employee’s salary in rehiring costs. 🚨Innovation stalls. Companies that prioritize flexibility and autonomy see 3.6x higher revenue growth. Without it? Missed opportunities and stagnant growth. Fractional L&D is how you can drive impact without the overhead. Targeted, flexible learning exactly when it’s needed. At Business Casual we see flexibility as the future. Top teams know: if you’re not investing in growth, you’re not keeping up. P.S If you like to nerd out like me, I attached the report in the comments!

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When Boards Stall Progress Indecisive boards don’t just delay decisions, they derail momentum. Whether it’s excessive data scrutiny, fear of accountability, or misaligned priorities, these moments of hesitation cost organizations opportunities and erode trust. The fix? ▶️ Clear Frameworks: Define decision thresholds upfront. ▶️ Accountability Culture: Own outcomes, don’t defer responsibility. ▶️ Actionable Insights: Focus on what drives impact, not endless deliberation. A board that acts swiftly yet thoughtfully isn’t just functional, it’s transformative. What do you think is the biggest blocker to decisive board leadership? Let’s discuss! #BoardLeadership #DecisionMaking #CorporateGovernance

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New BambooHR study finds 25% of VP and C-suite executives, and 18% of HR professionals, anticipated #RTO policies would result in voluntary attrition. The study also found that 22% of HR professionals report no established organizational metrics to assess the effectiveness of RTO policies. *** As a professional who has exclusively worked remotely when not traveling since 2008 and held 100% remote roles as early as 2002, I’ve been able to craft my work day and travel schedules around my children’s school transport, sports and other extracurricular activities, important family events, and more. In parallel, I’ve worked late nights, very early mornings, weekends, and holidays to exceed role targets and be flexible to domestic and international customer and colleague time zones. Knowing a 60+ hour work week (including time at airports and on planes) is needed to achieve responsibilities in my profession, it’s hard to imagine allocating this kind of time to an in-office setting. For one, I would be massively less productive in an office setting and need to put headphones on to drown out distractions, thereby detracting from stated social "benefits" of RTO. Additionally, I would likely spend 2+ hours driving in heavy traffic every day, adding both time and frustration to my work week. I’ve always been grateful for my remote-when-not-traveling roles, and my experiences are a factor in my current #jobsearch. A hybrid in-office scenario is palatable, but with my youngest son entering his junior year of high school and an empty nest on the horizon, I won’t be missing opportunities to attend school and extracurricular events as this precious parenting time winds down. Being the #datanerd that I am, I'm excited to see this research and its findings. The study consisted of a sample size 1,504 professionals, including 504 HR professionals. Among other important findings, BambooHR researchers found that: (*) 25% of VP and C-suite executives, and 18% of HR professionals, hoped RTO mandates would result in voluntary attrition. (*) 22% of HR professionals reported that their organization has no metrics to assess the effectiveness of RTO policies. (*) 32% of managers surveyed report tracking employees as the main goal for their organization’s RTO policy. With these and other study findings, and again, as someone who strives toward #datadrivenresults, I’m not convinced of the stated objectives of RTO initiatives. Additionally, as someone who *interviews future employers* during the interview process as opposed to solely selling my potential value-add for an organization, strict, in-office mandates are a red flag. Looking forward to future studies on RTO and its effectiveness, and how employers will adapt to this and other research on the impacts and objectives of RTO policies.

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What’s a good way to reduce the friction, negativity, and risk often associated with a layoff or termination? Offer departing leaders—particularly those in C-Suite or VP roles—immediate access to outplacement benefits. It’s especially helpful for unexpected separations. Executive Consultant (and former CHRO) Patty Hamm dives into the details in this article: https://lnkd.in/g6Ha4BXR #NavigateForward #HumanResources #Outplacement

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Thank you, Pete Dulin, for including me in this article describing the important opportunities to reverse the emerging trend of employee detachment. The article cites a recent study by Gallup and says: "Employee turnover may have slowed, but productivity has dropped and pressure for future loss of talent builds once conditions change. Workers feel detached from their work, presenting both a downside for the employee and employer. As Gallup pointed out, 'organizational change initiatives are likely to meet indifference or resistance.'" The R.E.A.L. effects of declining organizational trust include the loss of Revenue, Engagement, Advocacy, and Loyalty. Thankfully, there are evidence-based strategies that can reverse the trend. #BuildTrust #TrustProposition

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Look forward to joining the webinar on Systemic HR & Leadership Intelligence to Redefine HR Practices and learning about leadership intelligence tools revolutionizing traditional HR processes i.e., succession planning and leadership development.

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Two weeks ago, I had the incredible opportunity to be the keynote speaker at one of my favorite annual conferences (you know who you are :)), where I explored Generative AI (GenAI) and its potential impact on HR professionals. 🤖 In my talk, I unpacked three practical use cases, demonstrating how this powerful technology can be applied in the real world. 🌍 But amidst all the excitement, there’s still a lot of uncertainty around GenAI, especially regarding its usefulness and long-term implications. That’s why I emphasized the need for robust discussions on how AI can be adopted safely, the real questions we must answer, and how we can get started in a meaningful way.❓ 🔍 My core message? 𝗪𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 "𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝗶𝘀𝗲"—𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀, 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆. Our latest research on AI adoption in HR reveals a critical insight: 𝘸𝘦'𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘺𝘱𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭, 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 💡 👇 Below, I share a snippet of this presentation, and I hope it stimulates helpful conversations. #AI #GenerativeAI #HR #Innovation #KeynoteSpeaker #TechInHR

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Essential LISTEN - If you haven't explored Google's audio format articles yet, you're missing out on a fantastic tool! I recently experimented with transforming my article on the evolving landscape of #HumanResource into an audio piece - almost like a podcast!! In the audio version, I discuss three key changes unfolding in the realm of human resources: #geopolitical shifts, the role of #technology in shaping the future, and the rising trend of hyper-personalization for the #employee. Take a listen and share your thoughts! Check it out here... Salto Dee Fe The Fast Future Executive Debraj Sinha Nitin Behki Garima Dhamija Shruti Dhupia Aman Pal Singh Ashwin B

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🤝🏼 Yes, Employee Engagement Matters 🤝🏼 A 2020 Gallup study is just one of the studies confirming that engaged employees drive organisational growth. Here’s just a few of the impressive findings: ✅ 81% less absenteeism  ✅ 64% fewer safety incidents ✅ 10% higher customer loyalty/engagement  ✅ 23% higher profitability As a leader, these statistics are hard to ignore. So, how do you keep your employees engaged? Understanding team members’ different thinking preferences and creating opportunities for individuals to leverage their strengths can significantly enhance team effectiveness, engagement, and workplace productivity. At Carole Cooper Consulting, we apply Whole Brain® Thinking to improve employee engagement at all levels. Learn more about our Certified HBDI Assessments and Consulting here: https://lnkd.in/gAErSEZV #herrmannasia #wholebrainthinking #leadership #hbdi #peopleandculture #employeeengagement #DEI #neurodiversity

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Great C-Suite leaders don't retire. They evolve into purpose-driven board directors as their 2nd act! Here are some key takeaways from QED's popular "Journey To Board Directorship" closed door session: 1. Lifelong Learning: Unless you're a rockstar 😎 CEO with a beach house and a book deal, keep that wisdom sharp! 2. Clarity, Alignment, Purpose (CAP): This isn't just a superhero landing. Knowing your CAP is key to finding the board that's the perfect fit (and vice versa). 🧩 3. Know When to Say "Next": Just like taking a C-Suite role, being a board member requires alignment (of values and purpose). It's just as important to step aside if it's not the right fit. 👋🏻 4. 3 C's of Boards: An effective Board is looking for "Critical Thinkers," "Cultivators of Management/People," and "Community Builders (of leaders and successors)". They don't need another expert (that they can easily hire) 🤣 5. Diversity Beyond Gender: Different insights and perspectives are what keep boards out of blindspots and echo chambers that potentially cripple an organization. 😱 6. Start with Committees: Think of it as a test drive! Volunteering for committees on relevant boards is a fantastic way to get your foot in the door🚪(and vice versa). 7. Who You Know > What You Know: Investment in networking (while you are in your day job) is key! Don't wait to be invited. Volunteer yourself instead! 🙋🏻 Many thanks to Seong Kim Ho and his awesome colleagues at SIM Academy who hosted over 50 senior leaders in the early hours of 18 April! 👍🏻 Heartfelt appreciation for their time and candor from our panel of seasoned and well respected board directors: Sutat Chew 周士达, Liengseng Wee, Yong Yong Chia, Shirley Wong, Agnes Liew, Philip Forrest AM and Joy Tan! 🙏🏻 Our wonderful Strategic Partner, Workforce Singapore, and Patron, Diligent, who supported this meaningful topic. Also a shoutout to our co-collaborators: NVPC - Towards a City of Good and National Council of Social Service (NCSS). Thank you everyone for coming together to support the growth of C-Suite leaders! ⭐ Finally, to our hardworking moderators who managed to tease out those interesting questions: Sukhbir Sandhu, Seong Kim Ho, Geraldine Kan, Sze Wee Low, Kandy Chan and Benny Wong. Without whom the conversations wouldn't be so engaging! 👏🏻 There was so much more than I could possibly capture. If you're interested, join us next when you receive our invite? 😉 Meanwhile, what are your biggest questions about starting your journey to board directorship? Shared your thoughts and comments below 👇🏻 (Yes, I read them all!)

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More Evidence that Business is in a Bind with HR issues My previous post added material that didn’t fit into my Harvard Business Review article with Ranya Nehmeh about the bind that business has created for itself by continuing to squeeze employees in a tight labor market. https://lnkd.in/eGTeTapT.   The complaints of employers now focus almost entirely on not being able to hire the talent we want. We can’t find them or they cost too much. So what is the alternative? Grow talent from within, replace the boss who left with their subordinate, or at least let people take lateral moves to learn something new. How often does that happen? A new survey of employers from APQC reported in Human Resource Executive finds that we fill only 15% of vacancies from within.  That figure is consistent with other estimates for US corporations. It means, of course, that we are going outside to fill 85% of our openings, and the number is even higher for leadership positions. It is impossible to believe we have any intention to develop talent if we see so little evidence that it is happening.    We have gotten worse about this over time even compared to the brief dot.com period where we tried to make it easy for employees to get a new job with us because it kept them from leaving to find a different one elsewhere. We learned then that an open internal labor market cut turnover: Employees who wanted a different job could find one inside without having to quit. So what happened, why are we only now starting to think that the “internal marketplace,” which is the same thing as the bidding and posting models from 1999, might help us with talent issues? Well line managers didn’t like that because it meant losing someone who might be pretty good even if it meant being more likely to get someone good later on. After the Great Recession, quit rates fell because there were few jobs to go to if you left. So we restricted the ability of employees to move:  If we require that our current boss must approve or even just must be informed that we are trying to leave her, that’s shuts down movement because no one wants to tell their boss, who has power over them, that they want to try to work for someone else, especially knowing that they might not get the job and will then have to come back to that boss. Sure, you can tell the line manager that they will be able to get someone else good from within the company, but it’s hard to care about that if as a manager you think you may not be there long yourself. It is a classic example of the overall organization losing out – in the form of greater outside turnover - to the interests of its components.    How many jobs does your organization fill from within? Would it shock your leaders if they knew?    

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Here’s a story that resonates deeply with aspiring HR leaders: In an interview with Human Resource Executive, Laszlo Bock, former Head of HR at Google, sheds light on the characteristics of a strong chief people officer. Bock sets the stage by emphasizing that it's not just about knowing the products or services your company offers. He highlights that effective HR executives need to grasp the bigger picture, underlining the strategic negotiations behind significant business decisions. The challenge arises when many CHRO candidates focus on operational HR metrics without understanding the business implications of their decisions. Bock illustrates this with the example of an acquisition: “It’s not that (CHRO candidates) don’t understand that we make widgets. It’s that they don’t understand why we’re willing to pay $1.3 billion to buy a company but not $1.4 billion.” The resolution lies in continuous learning and development. For those aspiring to become chief people officers, Bock recommends the Berkeley Transformative CHRO Leadership Program, where he serves as co-faculty director. This program offers invaluable insights into the intersection of HR and business strategy. This story reminds me that true leadership in HR goes beyond traditional boundaries; it requires a deep understanding of both people and business dynamics. #Leadership #HR #CHRO https://lnkd.in/dfRjXj76

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Together with my co-host, Kem-Laurin Lubin, PhD-C, I'm looking forward to presenting on the Ethics of using AI in Coaching to foster representation of Diversity and Inclusion for Coaching practice and the psychological models taught in Coaching schools. We are proactively ensuring existing and future coaches are fit to adapt to and adopt the mindsets, techniques and technologies of the future workplace. AI is a partial affordance to develop coach fitness for future organisational or workplace dynamics. It is important that coaches do not put all their eggs in one technology basket, and ensure they are fit to engage wider organisational technology ecosystems that AI will be integrated into, especially for L&D, HR and other organisational functions. 'One trick' AI Literacy alone won't be enough. Kem-Laurin and I will be speaking at the Coaching Ethics Forum (CEF) Annual Conference, 5th-7th December 2024, organised by Wendy-Ann Smith. CEF Conference Theme: Provocative Ethics in Coaching Our talk: 7th December 8.30am-9.25am CET. --- 🌍 Title:  Ethical AI for Decolonialised Coaching: A Global Approach for the Future of Work Abstract:  🤖 Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming business, industry and society. There has been a huge rise seen in the creation and adoption of AI Coaching applications. The authors recognise that coaching practitioners have been increasingly exposed to AI affordances which have led to them raising concerns about ethical deployment. Though this is encouraging there has been a failure to embrace global inclusivity and decolonisation of coaching models. This urgently needs redress, given the well publicised western cultural-oriented bias of AI systems. This session will challenge existing thought leadership on critical AI Coaching approaches, shedding light on cultural biases in AI and the parallel underrepresentation of non-Western ethical and psychological frameworks in coaching education. Coaches will be provided with advanced insights and tools to help them through the ethical territories of AI. The session's focus will be on how to implement a mindset that couples diverse cultural perspectives with technology advances, an approach where use of diverse machine intelligence is harmonised with diverse human intelligence and consciousness. This is a mindset of the Fifth Industrial Revolution that commenced in 2020, also known as 5IR or Industry 5.0. The associated mindset that is defining and refining the future of the workplace is Work 5.0. For any coach to be fit for those 5.0 working contexts they must adapt to or adopt career-evolving competencies, they must go through a 'Coaching 5.0' professional development of best practices (established in 2023/2024 by Jazz Rasool and being shared in his upcoming Coaching 5.0 book and CPD programs). To be Industry 5.0 fit, this webinar will help you foster a coaching practice that is truly inclusive, ethical, and prepared for the future of work.

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A Reader's Digest Version of Discover The Powerful Payoffs Of Peer Consulting, by Jack Zenger Contributor Who writes about leadership development and building strengths. The article "Discover The Powerful Payoffs Of Peer Consulting" by Jack Zenger emphasizes the significant benefits of peer consulting in organizations. Zenger highlights that executives often feel that only 40% of their skills are utilized by their organizations. He argues that seeking feedback and ideas from colleagues can dramatically improve this, benefiting individuals and organizations alike. ### Key Benefits of Peer Consulting: 1. **For Those Seeking Feedback**: - Gain fresh perspectives and new ideas. - Demonstrate leadership qualities such as humility and openness. - Foster respect and collaboration within the organization. - Enhance personal growth and confidence. - Increase confidence in decision-making. 2. **For Those Providing Feedback**: - Reduce feelings of isolation. - Expand their influence and understanding of the organization. - Feel more respected and appreciated. - Develop stronger relationships and collaboration. 3. **For the Organization**: - Build a stronger, more collaborative leadership team. - Foster a culture of teamwork and open communication. - Improve employee retention and engagement. - Enhance overall organizational effectiveness. Zenger concludes that peer consulting can be encouraged by leaders asking for feedback more frequently, thereby setting an example for others and fostering a culture of collaboration and mutual development. Full article is at https://lnkd.in/gcWtSmMQ Here are some relevant hashtags for the article: #LeadershipDevelopment #PeerConsulting #Collaboration #Teamwork #ProfessionalGrowth #FeedbackCulture #EmployeeEngagement #OrganizationalEffectiveness #LeadershipSkills #WorkplaceCulture

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