by Laura Heinemann | Feb 29, 2016 | Uncategorized
Over the past 50 years, technology has ushered in an enormous amount of efficiency to the workplace that have increased productivity and improved inter-organization communication. However, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics productivity from 2007-2015 actually went down, breaking the trend of continual improvements in productivity starting in the 1970s (see the graph below). Although companies have continued to implement new technologies in the workplace, the improvements to productivity seem to be diminishing. Why would this be? To answer this question, we turn to a theory created in the 1980s called Metcalfe’s Law. According to the law, the value of a network – or for the sake of understanding, any communication technology – increases with the square of the number of users. So for example, one telephone is worthless. Two telephones are worth a slight amount. A million telephones are incredibly worth while, because now there are millions of people who can call each other. Another postulation of Metcalfe’s Law is that as the difficulty or cost of communication in a network decreases, the number of interactions increases exponentially, along with the time required to process them. For example, in the 1990s business executives might receive or send a couple of emails a day, but by the 2000s – when email became commonplace – an executive might receive 100+ emails a day. Despite the improved accessibility and efficiency, the system or network inundates the executive with emails and thus reduces or eliminates the efficiency through unnecessary communications and wasted time. This problem may be at the reason for the drop in productivity today. According to research conducted at...
by Deborah Leverett | Feb 12, 2016 | Uncategorized
Dear Friends of Entera: We are excited to announce the arrival of Sean Adams to our team. Sean comes with an extensive and unique resume: an MBA with post-graduate studies in public relations; experience in media, higher education, sports, and the corporate world, which adds up to his fresh perspective on leadership that will bring tremendous value to our clients. He is the inaugural Research Fellow at The University of Texas Program in Sports and Media. The program brings sports and media professionals for creative interaction with faculty and students. In 2012 Sean was awarded the Young Alumnus of the Year by Abilene Christian University – his alma mater. Author of two books, Sean is an authority in understanding and stimulating potential in people by using business, sports, humor and life’s little issues to communicate the messages. His core message is built around the fundamental principles of leadership, building culture, human capital, and teamwork. “Sean’s resume and intellectual property are stellar, but it his ability to connect and relate to others that will resonate with out clients and ultimately make a positive impact for them,” said Deborah Leverett, Managing Director. “For our team, he is a force multiplier, and we are privileged to have him join us.” As a Principal in the firm, he will take a leadership role in growing the Entera Institute course offerings as well as consulting in areas of his expertise, some of which are: Human Capital Distribution Analysis Feasibility Studies for Growth and Change Crisis Management Systems & Process Design and Alignment Media Communications Management “My attraction to the great work at Entera+Partners was only heightened after a few months...
by Laura Heinemann | Feb 11, 2016 | Uncategorized
New research from Bain & Company has provided a clear overview of the fundamentals of employee engagement called the Pyramid of Needs. With many companies struggling to engage employees and retain talent, it is important to understand the basic needs of employees. Here is the breakdown:...
by Laura Heinemann | Feb 4, 2016 | Uncategorized
Making a great first impression to connect with others… a task business scholars and professionals have attempted to understand and perfect since, what seems like, the beginning of time. Without a doubt, your first impression on someone has an enormous impact on how you are perceived and your chances of creating a lasting connection. Research has shown that most people will decide if they like you within the first 7 seconds of meeting. 7 seconds – that’s it! In that measly amount of time, someone will rapidly evaluate you on a variety of characteristics, including your smile, eye contact, gait, gestures, voice, and posture. If the initial impression is positive, you’ve succeeded. Congratulations. But if the first impression is negative, studies show the other person will spend the rest of the conversation attempting to internally justify their initial reaction. Basically, a negative first impression makes winning them over an uphill battle. So how do you leave a strong first impression that will not only entice someone to like you, but will encourage a lasting connection and rewarding relationship? It is an elusive question that frightens some and baffles others, but fret no longer. Here are some easy pointers that will ensure you leave a great impression and connect with anyone. Be aware of the way your present yourself. Your gestures, tone of voice, facial expressions, posture, gait, etc. These might seem like small aspects of meeting someone, but they have a lasting impact. Uncross your arms, seem enthusiastic, maintain eye contact, and face towards the person speaking to ensure your physical impression draws people in. Smile! Don’t be afraid...
by Laura Heinemann | Jan 28, 2016 | Uncategorized
We all have experienced it at some point in life: passive aggressive behavior. Defined as the indirect expression of hostility, passive aggressive behavior can feel omnipresent at the workplace if leaders don’t actively work to prevent it. It can take many forms including a negative attitude, procrastination, stubbornness, sarcasm, gossip, withdrawal, unusual behavior, or the repeated failure to complete tasks. If passive aggressive behavior isn’t addressed, the costs to a team or an organization can be great. Decision making slows down. Resentment between team members grows. Communication breaks down. Potential risks are not identified. The organization becomes incapable of functioning at the highest level possible, and for individuals within the organization, the unaddressed conflict festers into animosity, disloyalty, stress, and sometimes departure. Team leaders and managers must be proactive by preventing passive aggressive behavior quickly in order to avoid the unintended consequences. Here are a series of strategies for handling passive aggressive behavior effectively in a team or organization: As a leader, reflect on your own feelings around conflict. Do you avoid conflict? Do you address conflict at the appropriate moment? Spend some time thinking about the biases you might hold towards conflict and resolution, and start developing a plan for addressing conflict more directly. Your understanding and ability to address conflict is 50% of the solution. Make team members feel comfortable openly expressing contrasting views. Explicitly encourage engagement and develop ground rules to maintain professionalism and healthy disagreement. Anger should be expressed in a factual, non-judgmental way. For example: “I’m concerned that we are not sharing all of our opinions. I would like everyone to share their thoughts...
by Laura Heinemann | Jan 21, 2016 | Uncategorized
Wall Street banking jobs have traditionally been some of the highest paying and most sought-after jobs for new college graduates. However, in recent years Wall Street’s culture has led to a slow and steady talent drain as more and more people choose startups and the Silicon Valley over banking. The problem for banks stems from many things, but one of the biggest problems is the culture. Social-media and technology companies are attracting new talent by appealing to their desire for global experiences, high levels of responsibility, reasonably fast advancement, a strong sense of ethical standards, innovative management techniques, and an attractive work-life balance. In order to compete, Wall Street must make changes to its culture. According to The Boston Consulting Group, these changes should be the immediate focus: Ensure that basic people-management disciplines are carried out. These include soft metrics (such as pulse-check-based overall satisfaction) as well as harder metrics (quality-of-performance reviews conducted at regular intervals). Create Personalized learning and development plans that offer training across silos and divisions and also provide necessary compliance content. Recognize that many high-performing individuals (such as traders) may not necessarily be effective people managers, and that forcing them into such roles can be detrimental both to the individuals themselves and to their subordinates. Address next-generation concerns such as better approaches to work-life balance (perhaps through part-time or flexible working policies), greater mobility, and opportunities for social initiatives (such as social-impact leaves of absence). Evaluate alternatives channels for recruiting Millennials. Build a more rigorous approach to managing career paths (including full transparency on titles and promotions). Reinforce active performance management and outplacement (aside from...
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