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Mark Herbert

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Principal, New Paradigms LLC

1590 points

I have over 30 years of experience as an HR executive and manager and management consultant working in a variety of organizational settings ranging from entreprenurial to Fortune 100.
I have an international client base and published a book in ...

I have over 30 years of experience as an HR executive and manager and management consultant working in a variety of organizational settings ranging from entreprenurial to Fortune 100.
I have an international client base and published a book in 2008. I also write a blog weekly and I am a guest contributor to several others.
At this point my expertise level in organizational development places me number 3 in the entire LinkedIn community. That doesn't include my expertise in multiple other areas.
I am a speaker, consultant, and author with a broad following.

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Feb. 16, 2012

Mark Herbert and 21 other people answered this question

What books on leadership would you recommend?

To the list provided I would add: Situational Leadership, Leadership is an Art, the J. Michael Abrashoff series of books, The Speed of Trust, and several of Marcus Buckingham's books.
I tend to be a voracious reader so I am reading stuff constantly. I would ... more

General Management

Human Resources

Feb. 16, 2012

Mark Herbert and 9 other people answered this question

Why don't the top MBA Programs in the world (really) offer a strong Human Resources track?

Charlie,
I think that we as an industrial society are still uncomfortable with accepting the fact that "soft skills" like communications and setting appropriate expectations and building trust are as or more important as the "technical" skills . I think we also still buy into ... more

Human Resources

Graduate Programs

Feb. 13, 2012

Mark Herbert and 6 other people answered this question

Cash rewards vs. non-cash rewards: which works better for motivating employees?

I think as Jim comments this is never a situation where one size fits all. There is a reason why Maslow's hierarchy is a hierarchy. If you are at a place where survival is tantamount then having enough compensation to vreate security is highly important. ... more

Human Resources

Employee Engagement

Feb. 9, 2012

Mark Herbert and 10 other people answered this question

What do you think are the qualities of your best employee apart from 'performance' and 'behavior'?

Hmm.
I don't include those, those are outcomes.
Things my "best" employees include:
Aptitude- the enjoy learning and retaining new skills
Attitude- they approach things from a "half full" than have half empty perspective
Teamwork- they "play" well with others. They recognize that no one ... more

Human Resources

People Development

People Management

Feb. 7, 2012

Mark Herbert and 11 other people answered this question

How do you groom young employees to take up highly responsible leadership roles, especially when they have limited experience?

Aakash,
I agree with both Johns that apprenticeship and mentoring is the most effective way to do this.Excellent leaders take years to develop fully. You should start as early as possible and use project management/group leader assignments to identify potential.
Formal learning like training and ... more

Human Resources

Career Development

Feb. 3, 2012

Mark Herbert answered this question

Is there life after HR?

Michael,
For me I "transitioned" from human resources into management consulting. As a successful management consultant I was asked by a client to step in and manage his company as the opertational executive.
I went back into HR nominally at the executive level and was ... more

Human Resource Trends

Feb. 1, 2012

Belldon Colme selected a best answer for

Is corporate culture best driven by rules? Why-Why not? What alternatives exist for setting policy?

I fully understand and embrace the need for policy to stand up to litigation, especially regarding harassment and termination. How might you word such a policy to do that, while also instilling in your team a conviction that "CYA" is not the driving force in ... more

Human Resources

Company Culture

Jan. 31, 2012

Mark Herbert and 9 other people answered this question

Would you choose HR again?

Yes I would. I have always believed that the relationship between people in an organization and between "supplier" and "customer" to be the single most important catalyst for organizational sucess.
I think the relationship between true employee engagement and key performance metrics absolutely validates that. ... more

Human Resources

Human Resources Career

Jan. 25, 2012

Mark Herbert and 2 other people answered this question

As an experienced recruiter, how do you best manage disagreement w/ ur hiring mgr(s) on candidates?

Hmm. Charlie as I suspect as you are certainly no rookie the big issue is what makes the candidate "wrong"?
As you know I am a big believer in hire hard-manage easy. If we have done a good job of defining the spec (not the ... more

Human Resources

Jan. 18, 2012

Mark Herbert and 6 other people answered this question

Are HR qualifications essential for getting ahead in HR in 2012?

Like others I see a huge gap between certification and qualification. Passing the exams required to be "certified" does not make you competent.
I have worked in and around HR for over 30 years. I have never bothered to become "certified", but I have managed ... more

Jan. 18, 2012

Mark Herbert and 4 other people answered this question

What is an HR Audit and what does it typically include?

Caty,
A good HR audit in my opinion includes all of the elements that my esteemed colleagues mention in terms of compliance, but in my opinion should go a few steps further,
Beyond compiance are our talent management systems delivering and retaining the critical talent ... more

Human Resources

Jan. 18, 2012

Mark Herbert and 6 other people answered this question

How can hiring be made easier?

David,
My colleague Joseph Skursky and I share a philosophy we call Hire Hard, Manage Easy.
Like others have said the most important part of hiring and engagement occurs before you ever seek applicants.
The first step is to define your desired culture in terms ... more

Human Resources

Talent Management

Jan. 6, 2012

Mark Herbert and 14 other people answered this question

What is the difference between change and improvement?

Venna,
In my my mind "change" is differentiating from current practice or norms. It is effectively neutral, it doesn't guarentee an outcome either positive or negative.
Improvement on the other hand moves us closer to some predetermined metric or goal that we have decided is ... more

Career Development

Change Management

Dec. 28, 2011

Mark Herbert and 17 other people answered this question

How can you work with your employees to embrace change?

I think Steve's response is good. As Rosabeth Moss Cantor says- "Change is an opportunity when done with me and a threat when done to me"
Context and congruency (alignment with their values) are critical to effective, sustained change. more

General Management

Human Resources

Change Management

Company Culture

Dec. 28, 2011

Mark Herbert and 13 other people answered this question

What "hard truths" must HR pros learn to accept?

Here are some hard truths I learned over my career:
- You earn the credibility and trust of your "customers" one at a time. Respect doesn't come with an office or title.
- Liking people in and of itself won't mske you an effective HR ... more

General Management

Human Resources

Dec. 21, 2011

Mark Herbert and 7 other people answered this question

When interviewing candidates, what's more important to you: values or skills?

I tend to agree with Mel in principle. Skills are typically much easier to teach and replace than values that are aligned with your organization.The data and my experience indicates skills don't create engagement, values alignment does.High engagement leads to higher levels of individual and ... more

Human Resources

Company Culture

Dec. 19, 2011

Mark Herbert and 3 other people answered this question

What are some specific ways to make sure employees can make progress in meaningful work?

Scott,
I have been using and teaching a model for about 15 years that seems to work pretty well.
First step is I use a commitment rather than compliance model based on five elements: respect, responsibility, information, equitable rewards, and mutual lotalty.
Second is I ... more

Human Resources

Employee Development

Employee Engagement

Dec. 17, 2011

Mark Herbert is now following Kris Oaks and 2 other people

Dec. 15, 2011

Mark Herbert and 1 other person commented on a brief

How to Conduct a Disciplinary Process - Best Practices

Hmm. Quite a mess Julie. The interpretation by people of what is respectful and disrespectful is always tricky. I have been accused of "yelling at people" on more than one occasion. When asked "Did he ever raise his voice?" the answer was no, but I ... more

Disciplinary Process

Dec. 13, 2011

Mark Herbert and 1 other person answered this question

How is recruiting Gen Y employees different than recruiting other generations?

Caty,
I think as Belldon points out there are differences generationally in both how you recruit(the medium and technologies)and what you "brand" or message is.
Many young people have different perspectives on work/life balance, personal priorities, and career paths and other factors.
To be honest ... more

Human Resources

Dec. 13, 2011

Mark Herbert and 1 other person answered this question

At what point should an employer pay for their employee's cell phone usage?

Caty,
I think when you expect an employee to be "connected" or available almost 24/7 like for executives, IT and Emergency response personel, etc it onlly makes sense for you to either provide them tith a company phone or PDA or aN "allowance".
Alternatively if ... more

Human Resources

Cell Phone Policy

Cell Phone Usage

Dec. 6, 2011

Mark Herbert and 21 other people answered this question

If a salesperson refused to sell to a prospect on ethical grounds, would you support him or her?

Andrew,
I think your latest response drills to the point. Sgt. Meyer is not refusing to sell the employers products wholesale, he has an objection to selling a particular product to a particular client.
To thoose who have stated categorically he needs to make the ... more

Human Resources

Nov. 30, 2011

Mark Herbert and 21 other people answered this question

Can the culture of a company be dictated by top level management?

Belldon,
Thanks for a thoughtful comment. I agree culture can't ever just be visceral, it must be thought out and deliberate as well. My point perhaps overstated was that so many times we rely on appealing to the intellect alone in defining or especially our ... more

Customer Service

Company Culture

Talent Management

Nov. 29, 2011

Mark Herbert and 6 other people answered this question

Is it fair to tier employee healthcare premiums based on their salary?

Charlie,
Hmm. Fairness is such an interesting concept. So my perspective is it "fair" maybe, is it equitable probably not.
I agree with John in part that people with more disposable income have more options to make better choices about their health and health care. ... more

Human Resources

Benefits Administration

Nov. 28, 2011

Mark Herbert and 8 other people answered this question

What would you say is your defining moment as a leader?

Mike,
My defining moment as a leader was when I recognized that leadership is a gift not a role or a position.
When I realized that the key ingrefient to be being a leader was as Wayne points out sharing a common vision with a ... more

Human Resources

Nov. 28, 2011

Mark Herbert and 7 other people answered this question

What are the main ingredients for a successful change in a company?

Kevin,
I have been a pretty successful change agent for over 30 years now and I have found some common elements where the change was sustainable or "successful"
- Successful change is about relationships and people, not about technology and systems. Technology and other "systems" ... more

General Management

Human Resources

Change Management

Following 2 Topics

Human Resources

Following 5 People

Followed by 238 People

Knowledgeable in 93 Topics

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