The Intangibles, History, and Alumni

I was working last night on the last section of a book on managing Equal Employment Opportunity programs.

The benchmark that I'm using is simple: Discuss the intangible, often unaddressed, items that I'd tell a new EEO manager over a cup of coffee.

In my experience, the intangibles can make an enormous difference. Two practices may look roughly the same, but Option B will produce much better results than Option A. Why? Because there is an intangible advantage that Option B has in this organization at this time. It may not be logical but it is realistic. We learn more from experience than from logic.

Which brings me to another point: Preserving those intangibles in brief paragraphs on client contacts. We wave goodbye to a departing employee without fully considering the memory that just walked out the door. Although this should be done on a regular basis by employees who are staying, whenever an employee has announced a resignation or a retirement, it could make sense to have the person record the lessons learned on various projects or with various customers. That recording should contain the intangible items a replacement might not know; the little items that can tip the scales.

I also like the idea of having periodic "Alumni Group" meetings with former employees to bring them up to date on projects and to pick their brains. [Also have an alumni newsletter.] This pool of proven talent can be tapped in hard times when staff is lean and during crisis situations when special skills are needed.

Small things that are not so small.