What made 'The Voice' so successful?

While I watched 'The Voice' last night along with most of the country, I wondered why this show has been so successful? Especially given that we are buried in reality TV shows at the moment - what is the secret of their success? I believe that it comes down to Engagement; think about it...

Selection - with the blind auditions, people were selected purely on raw talent. Looks, image or age never came into it. We had diversity amongst the teams
 

Teaming - contestants became part of a team and felt a sense of belonging. They actively referred to themselves as being part of 'Team Keith'

Coaching - the experts were able to nurture and develop their team so that individuals had the confidence to perform better, more often and more consistently

Personality - we, as the audience, felt we got to know the coaches more as people than untouchable stars. They came across as real

Respect - there was none of the nastiness, bitchiness or making fools of people in public which many of the other talent shows trade on

Promotion - the coaches had to make tough decisions and select the team members that they felt were the most deserving and had the best chance of winning

Feedback - people received consistent and regular feedback to improve their knowledge and skills

Interaction - we got to see the interaction between the coaches and get a sense of what they were thinking

Belief - the individual team members felt that there was someone in their corner, encouraging them and believing in them

Influence - last, but perhaps most importantly, we as the audience could determine the outcome - and we did, Team Seal

This group was extremely talented but Karise Eden is different to the stock-standard pop star. She has depth, experience (mostly sad) and a sound that is different to the norm but, again, I am thrilled that the final four were not 'manufactured' girl or boy-band targets. It proves that the Australian public is more diverse in their music tastes than they are often given credit for.

It is a proven fact that Engagement makes an impact to the bottom line and Channel 9 are reaping these benefits now. How many of these tools to Engagement do you use in your business?

Natasha Hawker owns Employee Matters Pty Ltd; an HR Consultancy that assists small to medium businesses with their HR functions to make them more efficient and profitable. Their offering includes HR Management, Recruitment, Training, Coaching, and Exit Management – find them at www.employeematters.com.au

So is HR a necessary evil or can it positively impact EOI?

In the small to medium business sector after finance, IT and marketing, HR seems to come in last place in the operations priorities. I have often pondered why this may be the case? If you think about it, most businesses start as an idea a business owner is passionate; they work themselves to the bone, with no salary to get it off the ground, then some money comes in so they need the financials sorted and guess what -  many business owners are more than happy to get their accountant to look after it.

As businesses grow they need good IT infrastructure to make life easier. I love my IT as much as the next person, until it doesn't work,  and then I urgently need someone to fix it as I'm so dependent on it. Then there is marketing. Let's face it they are in marketing so are very good at selling their value proposition.

Then comes the lull - things have been ticking along nicely, growing bit by bit and one's mind turns to the 'touchy feely' HR that has yet to been ticked off the business plan. Headcount is starting to grow - ‘but wait, I have got away with it for this long - why invest now?'

And other questions; are you really getting away with it - what do your employees really think of you and your business? Do you know or, maybe more importantly, do you care? Do they have great ideas that you have no idea about? Can they see possible productivity gains that you can’t? Are they doing what they should be? How long are they planning on sticking around?

Talking of productivity, are you able to measure it? Can the current structure support rapid growth or will it break? Are you and more importantly your team all invested in the mission, vision and core values? Would the culture of the business be consistently described across the business and would you like what you hear?

Then there is the harsh reality of the Fair Work Act and your very important legal obligations. Are you operating under the terms and conditions of the correct Award? Do you send out the Fair Work Information Statement to every new employee? Do you understand NES, Flexible Working and Redundancy under FWA?

The truth is that any business with more than one employee has HR elements that need to be addressed such as recruitment, employment contracts, performance appraisals, training promotions, parental leave, flexible working, non-performing employees and conflicts, succession planning, motivation, engagement and retaining your best employees, to name just a few! If you want your business to succeed, grow and flourish you need to manage your employees and not just leave it up to luck.

I think that the answer to the original question is both - HR is a necessary evil from a legal standpoint but it can reduce costs in terms of possible fines and also make a difference to your bottom line. Having the 'right people in the right place at the right time' and future-proofing your business by understanding your skills inventory and potential, will meet and overcome any roadblocks that arise enabling you to quickly and effectively grow your business.

Natasha Hawker owns Employee Matters Pty Ltd; an HR Consultancy that assists small to medium businesses with their HR functions to make them more efficient and profitable. Their offering includes HR Management, Recruitment, Training, Coaching, and Exit Management. – find them at www.employeematters.com.au