For the past three years, Revolution Entertainment Services has supported its clients with human resource advice. As we all know, anyone can offer advice or say that they have experience, but without familiarity with the subject matter, practical application of the ideas, emotional intelligence, curiosity to stay current on polices, and demonstrated subject matter expertise, generic advice can fall short of expectations.
That’s why Revolution follows the mantra, “Listen and Provide Actionable A.D.V.I.C.E.” taken from the book Reclaiming Ethical Leadership, written by their CPO Russell Davis. The excerpt from the book is below.
Listen and Provide Actionable A.D.V.I.C.E.
Advice can be offered by anyone, regardless of skill, experience, or knowledge of the subject matter. A leader’s reputation depends on the information they provide. It is imperative to offer sound actionable advice that informs, supports, and enhances individual and organizational needs.
Below are six rules necessary to provide sound actionable A.D.V.I.C.E.:
A – Be Accountable
D – Have Drive
V – Support the Organizational Values
I – Demonstrate Integrity
C – Communicate Effectively
E – Prove your Execution Skills
A – Accountability. The information one provides should come from experience, knowledge, and an understanding of the facts. Given that markets, laws, and times change, leaders must stay up-to-date and be accountable for the information they present. In my opinion, the best definition of accountability comes from the book The Oz Principle by Roger Connors, Tom Smith, and Craig Hickman. Accountability is “A personal choice to rise above one’s circumstances and demonstrate the ownership necessary for achieving Key Results; to See It, ® Own It, ® Solve It,® and Do It.®” Following this definition of accountability requires a personal commitment to doing what it takes to meet your clients’ needs.
D – Drive. Being passionate about something is not the same as being driven. Passion can be a visceral and intensely emotional behavior that can defy rational thought and action. This can lead to poor decision making. Being driven requires emotional intensity and thoughtful, deliberate action, focused on achieving specific outcomes. Leaders must recognize the difference between passion and drive.
V – Values. The beliefs and behaviors that drive an individual or an organization. Values are the foundation on which individuals and organizations act. They are the core beliefs that inform all that we do and define character. Understanding your personal values, as well as the values of the individuals or organizations you support, is necessary to offer sound actionable advice.
I – Integrity. Unbending, firm, consistent, observance or loyalty to principled, sound, ethical, beliefs or norms. Integrity is connected to individual and/or organizational values demonstrated by behaviors. The ideal demonstration of integrity is exemplified in the quote by Dr. Larry Roper: “There is no such thing as an unimportant or insignificant relationship…” How we treat others, our actions⎯not just our words⎯demonstrate a commitment to integrity.
C – Communication. The act of expressing or exchanging information, ideas, thoughts, feelings, etc., to someone else and having the information received and understood in the way that was intended. The concept of communication seems so simple⎯share information with others⎯but communication is truly a minefield. We need to focus on effective communication when offering sound and actionable advice.
Effective communication is enhanced by practicing the nine essential skills for facilitation:
- Validate someone’s experience.
- Listen without judgment⎯bracketing judgments.
- Synthesize information.
- Help someone rephrase a question/statement for clarity and understanding.
- Ask questions without bringing in judgments.
- Identify and challenge assumptions.
- Challenge a statement without devaluing the person.
- Provide information/teach while maintaining collegiality (peership).
- Recognize the teachable moments.
E – Execution. Simply put, execution is the process of completing a task. Unfortunately, execution can be one of the most difficult processes an organization or a leader may face. Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan, in their book Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done, define execution as “A systematic way of exposing reality and acting on it.”
Execution requires finding the answers to six questions:
- Which people will do the job?
- How will they be held accountable?
- What resources are needed to execute the strategy?
- What are the future resource needs of the organization?
- Does the strategy deliver the earnings to be successful?
- Can it be broken down into doable initiatives?
Bossidy and Charan believe, “The heart of execution lies in three core processes: the people process, the strategy process, and the operations process.” They also believe that “the intellectual challenge of execution is getting to the heart of an issue through persistent and constructive probing.”
Answering questions and offering opinions is simple, but providing sound actionable advice requires a commitment to the six rules: Accountability, Drive, Values, Integrity, Communication, and Execution.
“Production teams often have questions or concerns about HR policies, procedures, best practices, and compliance. From onboarding and ACA administration to respectful workplace management and benefits administration, we are happy to answer questions and support your needs. The RevolutionHR program is designed to support the success of our partners who do not have full-time HR personnel on staff or who just need additional support. Feel free to contact the RevolutionHR team at HRBPservices@revolutiones.com or (866) 618–9427 and learn how we can support your success,” said Davis.
The Revolution HR team prides themselves on client engagement. They enjoy learning new HR policies, rules, and compliance changes. They have a strong affinity for leadership development, communication effectiveness, and respectful workplaces, as they want their client’s productions to run as smoothly as possible.
Revolution Entertainment Services formalized the HR Business Practice service with the creation of Revolution HR, LLC. This service continues the commitment the organization has to support their clients through all aspects of production, whether it’s payroll, accounting, document watermarking, or incentive services, the Revolution team is there for you. Feel free to reach out, they would be happy to support you.
