A Maximus Exchange

Vanessa Gavan

Recent Posts

After The Silly Season: Leading a Strong Start to 2016

Posted by Vanessa Gavan

Feb 1, 2016 10:39:30 AM

I’m guessing if you are reading this you have returned to reality from the sparkling lights and food abundance of the holidays. Good friends, loved ones and time away from the pressure of business deliverables have hopefully left you recharged with energy for the year to come. Coming back from this short hiatus will be tough. The pressure that accumulates as the year closes off can see work being rushed and this can put unnecessary stress in the system for the start of the New Year. It’s important to realise that whatever state you’re coming back to, you have the ability to inspire energy and shape the agenda quickly to help the people around you get off to a great take-off.

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Topics: Senior Leadership, Business, Leadership, Talent Management, Employee Learning, Employee Development

Are Your People "All In"?

Posted by Vanessa Gavan

Sep 28, 2015 1:39:00 PM

 

At Maximus we run the Company aligned to a set of tightly held truths. One of our truths is what we call being “all in”. To us being “all in” is about being purposeful, immersed and great at delivering on promises.

We exist to move minds and to transform businesses in order to leave a legacy of which we are immensely proud. To do this we have to be immersed in our clients’ world, bringing valuable leadership perspectives to the things that will make a big difference in their organisations. Whatever the solution, we have to work with our clients to build conviction around the path forward.

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Topics: leaders, Entrepreneur, Senior Leadership, Leadership Development Lessons, Organisational Development, Strategy, Maximus, Leadership, maximus recommends, Talent Management, Employee Learning, Employee Development

Performance Management Has Failed

Posted by Vanessa Gavan

Sep 23, 2015 3:06:00 PM

Human resources has gotten caught up in a flurry of systems and processes. The overzealous taste for order and regulation belongs any place but in the social hub of an organisation. This is a prime example of Stratified Systems Theory (psych jargon). In other words, processes that are fundamentally human are getting policed with too much structure and complexity, making them disorienting and ineffective. This lust for structure has effected the realm of performance management. PM is about an employee, the business and the commitments those two entities promise one and other. We need to refocus the spotlight from structure to the ongoing connectedness of this relationship.

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Topics: Strategy, Maximus, Leadership, Talent Management, Organisational Design, Employee Learning, Employee Development

The Future Learning Organisation

Posted by Vanessa Gavan

Sep 16, 2015 1:56:00 PM

 

Traditional corporate learning doesn’t leave much to the imagination. The usual classroom-led courses and 70-20-10 mindset are familiar reminders of what corporate learning means to most employees. During these learning experiences, we hope that employees take away as much knowledge as possible and utilize it to make them not only better performers, but better human beings. All good intentions aside, this learning strategy often fails to truly shift an employee’s way of thinking. It is necessary for companies to get creative, get collaborative, and turn learning on its head.

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Topics: Competitive Advantage, Leadership Development Lessons, Tips, Leadership, Maximus International, Employee Learning, Employee Development