People. Our business, your bottom line.
    Vol. 4, Issue 3, March  2016   

As we continue our New Year's resolutions, next up is employee development.

Erik Linn is an entrepreneur and innovator who is also a product of the financial consulting industry. Beginning his career with Arthur Andersen, Erik learned the importance of training and development of people and an "incredible commitment to quality service," something for which Andersen was noted.

After building and selling a consulting firm, Erik launched CrossCountry Consulting where he and his partners have made an unwavering commitment to employee learning and development, using many of the core Andersen values and programs.

The Philosophy

As CrossCountry is a consulting firm, you would expect subject matter training would be provided to all consultants. But, according to Linn, "CrossCountry offers a lot more. EVERY employee of the firm receives training and the training often focuses on performance and behavioral topics. It's important to first of all invest in ourselves." Further, Linn explained, "some of our core values and focus areas include how we communicate, how we manage people and how we treat each other."

It Starts at the Top

The most important "champion" of employee development is the CEO. Linn emphasizes that "there must be an unswerving commitment from the CEO which is then instilled in the top leadership team and ultimately embedded in the organization."  Linn mentions that "his team members leave billing assignments to attend training and that there are no waivers from that commitment." He needs to walk the talk himself every day which he does. Linn joined a peer group - Young Presidents'  Association - to improve his leadership skills. YPA is an expensive and time-consuming activity but Erik feels it has been well worth the commitment.

"There must be an unswerving commitment from the CEO which is then instilled in the top leadership team and ultimately embedded in the organization."

The firm has a training director who reports to the COO. The director's job is made a lot easier because of the commitment from Erik and others on the leadership team.

Creating the Program

This is where the rubber hits the road and at CrossCountry the rubber is extraordinary. Erik assures that "we have a cascading message, one that is displayed not only in words but in actions."

Here is Erik's brief summary of his company's program.
  • Employees are evaluated after each project and annually. An analysis of these reviews forms the basis of each individual development plan - every employee creates one.
  • Competency areas requiring improvement are included in the goal setting process in January and February and training is directed to those areas.
  • Training can be classroom based, online or one-on-one.
  • Performance against the plan is measured throughout the year.
  • There are formal, longer term sessions at each promotion level, some offsite.
  • There is a "feedback" loop to manage the process for each person. No one gets lost or short changed in the development program.

The Coaching Family

  

This is something very unique to CrossCountry. A Coaching Family is a brilliant idea, one which goes a long way to assuring effective implementation and impact from the employee development. Each family is led by a senior executive with 2-3 managers and 5-10 employees. Essentially it is a coaching and development team where each team meets quarterly and conducts phone discussions in the off months. The family is engaged in performance management and team member improvement. The discussions are both group and individually oriented.


To further ensure real results, the company gives out "core value awards" for individuals that go above and beyond the norm.
 
Coaching families also interact on a social basis as well.
 
The Payout
 
Clearly, CrossCountry's commitment is substantial, both in and out-of-pocket costs and in the time required for employee engagement. The payoff though is extraordinary. Erik proudly explained that while "turnover in the consulting industry is in the 20-25% range, CrossCountry achieved a 97% retention rate in 2015!"
 
What You Can Do
 
Creating a learning culture done right is an expensive proposition. Erik cautions that "unless you have the total commitment of the CEO and have built in the mechanisms to ensure that the programs are having the desired impact, resources will be wasted, impact will be negligible and morale could actually decline because of missed expectations."
 
CrossCountry's commitment to a learning culture is probably more substantial than most. However, if you can make that all important commitment from the top and marshall the requisite resources, your organization can build an enduring and effective culture of learning.  

Remember, wise organizations view employee training and development not as a cost, but as a critical investment in the organization's success.
 




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Meet our  
Guest Contributor
 

ERIK LINN

Erik is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of CrossCountry Consulting. He brings almost 20 years of experience founding, leading and growing consulting companies. He has a consistent track record of assembling world class leadership teams. Previously, Erik served as Managing Director and Practice Leader for Navigant Consulting's financial services division. Additionally, Erik served on Navigant's management committee where he advised executive leadership on strategic and operational issues facing the firm. Prior to joining Navigant, Erik was founder and CEO of Capital Advisory Services, LLC before selling his firm to Navigant in 2004. Erik began his career at Arthur Andersen. .

   
CrossCountry Consulting is a trusted business advisory firm that provides customized finance, accounting, risk, operations and technology consulting services to leading organizations facing complex change. They partner with their clients to help them navigate pressing business challenges and achieve goals related to improving operations, minimizing risks and enabling future growth.




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