Click here to return to Blog Post Intro
The HR Scorecard
The capacity to design and implement a strategic HR measurement system—HR Scorecard—represents an important lever organizations use to design and deploy a more effective HR strategy.
Organizations frequently underinvest in their people—there is a need to develop a measurement system designed to link people, strategy, and performance. In fact, the most important intangible cited by financial analysts is ability to implement strategy. Analysts note that the ability to execute strategy may be more important than the strategy itself.
The HR Scorecard should address, “How would you like managers outside of HR to think about your measures?” Encourage “investments” and have brief, credible, and clear strategic rationale for all deliverable measures. Many organizations focus on the HR functions expenses (which average less than 1% of the overall budget) instead of total payroll expenses, which are often as much as 67%.
For effective measures, keep these tips in mind:
- Focus on the vital few: Truly effective measurement systems contain less than 25 measures.
- Think of deliverables—outcomes of HR that execute firm’s strategy—instead of doables, which focus on HR efficiency and activity counts.
GTE–the telecommunications organization that became Verizon after merging with Bell Atlantic–put the HR Scorecard in practice by meeting with GTE business leaders and asking about five strategic thrusts kept business leadership “awake at night.” From those interviews, they formed 17 questions that became organizing focus for metrics in HR’s Balanced Scorecard.
Becker, Huselid, and Ulrich point out that a strong HR Scorecard has these 4 key themes:
- Key HR deliverables that will leverage HR’s role in organization’s strategy
- High-performance work system measures: selective hiring, high pay, incentive pay, employee ownership, information sharing, and emphasis on training & development
- Extent to which system is aligned with organization’s strategy
- Efficiency with which deliverables are generated
Reflections on 2016
Family
The year was off to a great start, as we celebrated Tanner’s decision to follow Jesus Christ as his Savior & Lord with his baptism in January—a great example of our Family Mission Statement.
Then, Katy turned 16 in March! Our family was able to surprise her on her birthday, joining her track team at Fiesta Texas. Then, we bought her a 2013 Chevy Spark.
Since it’s denim blue, she named it “Genie,” like the genie from the movie Aladdin!
Career
March was also a big month professionally, as I was selected to the Senior Executive Service! I became the fifth HR Director for NASA’s Johnson Space Center, following some strong leaders. This position marked the culmination of my career aspirations to serve in the top HR position in Houston.
Pictured above are my predecessors (from L-R): Harv Hartman, JSC’s second HR Director, who served in that role when I started my career. I still remember my interview with him, where we connected in our discussion of both church and baseball. On the right is Greg Hayes, who succeeded Harv. Finally in the middle is my first mentor, predecessor and sponsor, Natalie Saiz.
As a Senior Executive for JSC—the Leader in Human Space Flight—I have been afforded some unique opportunities this year. In July, I was invited to deliver a keynote presentation at the Human Capital Institute’s Employee Engagement Conference in Denver. Jennifer joined me (and took the photo below), as I spoke on “Building a Culture of Innovation: It’s Not Rocket Science!”
The presentation was well-received and ultimately led to international conference opportunities.
In November, I made my first international trip—as a keynote speaker for the Global HR Summit in Dubai. While I just celebrated my 45th birthday, I had never traveled outside the U.S., so the 15-hour plane ride was especially long but it was definitely worth it to experience a different—and very wealthy, with a heavy Western influence—culture.
Earlier in November, I was invited to Seattle to conduct a workshop with the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems on “Building Coaching Skills: Learning from NASA’s Approach.” The lively, hands-on workshop was well-attended and well-received, with more than 300 participants, and I was able to see some sights in Seattle. The last time I was there was part of NASA’s Leadership Development Program in 2007.
Side Business
In April, I deliverd a workshop at the Christian Leadership Alliance Conference in Dallas, Texas on “Out of This World Leadership: How the Fruit of the Spirit Helps You Shoot for the Stars!”
In June, I presented to Northwest Bible Church’s Between Jobs Ministries in Spring, Texas on “Strategic Planning for You: A Dozen Ideas for Your Success.”
In July, I learned that my blog was named to the Top 300 Leadership Blogs by Feedspot (Moved from #281 in July to #255 on the list in December)!
In September, I flew to Orlando to deliver two workshops at CareNet’s Annual Conference:
- Teamwork: Collaborating to Hire & Develop Staff (based on Ecclesiastes 4:12)
- Out of This World Leadership: How the Fruit of the Spirit Helps You Shoot for the Stars!
In October, we kicked off the second class of our Student Leadership Academy at University Baptist Church. Here’s a one-pager describing the elements of the Program:
Following the kick-off, which includes Uniquely You (Spiritual Gifts & Personality) assessment results, I delivered a workshop on Personal Effectiveness: The Importance of Character & Attitude to Leadership in November. Then, this month, we hosted a Leadership Speaker, long-time UBC member Lisa Holbrook, who currently serves as President of the Board of Directors for Texas PTA.
It’s been a great and full year in 2016, as I completed my third full year of blogging. This year’s posts were based on my Leadership Tips. Here are my picks for the year’s best book summaries as well as my Top 5 Blog Posts for 2016:
2016’s Best Book Posts:
If you’ve followed me, you know that I’m a big fan of John Maxwell (and one of his certified Coaches & Speakers). This year, I summarized three of his books:
-
Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Learn
-
Intentional Living
-
Leadership Gold
I also continue to try to be a Leader in Diversity & Inclusion, both at work and beyond. Where you have diversity, there is tension…and ultimately conflict. Organizations must learn how to maximize productivity in the midst of this conflict. Michael Welp’s company–White Men as Full Diversity Partners–offers a unique approach to diversity and inclusion training, and I’ve greatly appreciated their approach from taking an initial leadership lab in 2010 to being part of a Cadre of senior leaders focused on Inclusive Leadership in 2016. Welp summarizes nearly 25 years of experience in the story of Four Days to Change.
And I greatly benefitted from this book by Dr. Richard Swenson: Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives.
Finally, I summarized a pivotal book in my own leadership journey, one that embodies the leadership style I prefer: Quiet Strength by Tony Dungy.
2016’s Top 5 Blog Posts:
(5) New Year & New Start in 2016: Highlighting 2016’s New Year’s Resolutions with Andy Stanley’s Principle of the Path
(4) Mano’s ABC’s of Perseverance: Lessons in perseverance from my grandmother, who turned 91 this past September. We were able to celebrate another Thanksgiving & Christmas with her in 2016!
(3) Show Discipline: This post highlights my health journey during 2016. By early Spring, I was very overweight and nearing “obese” on different weight charts. I started using a Weight Watchers app to track and manage my food intake, and the results were remarkable. By September, I dropped the app, but with the holidays and the end of the year here, it’s clear I need to use the app again to “show discipline” and remain healthy for my family and my own productivity!
(2) Strategic Planning for You: This was a specially-designed presentation for Between Jobs Ministries in April. In this presentation, I highlight a dozen steps for your success…
(1) Out of This World Leadership-How the Fruit of the Spirit Helps You Shoot for the Stars! This is a summary of the presentation I’ve delivered for CareNet’s Conferences in San Diego and Florida as well as the Christian Leadership Alliance’s Conference in Dallas. It’s also the capstone workshop of our Student Leadership Academy for University Baptist Church!
May these reflections–on HR & Beyond–serve you well, as you shoot for the stars!