Clear Communication

 The Highlights 

  • Be as clear as possible. When communicating with direct reports, peers or bosses up the org chart, clarity is king! Be concise, ask questions to check in for understanding and buy-in and welcome feedback and questions. That way you have the highest likelihood for success.
  • Whenever possible and appropriate, make things assigned, delegated, handed off time-bound and measurable. By when? How much? Etc. This is important so that you are clear on what you want from the individual on the other end of that communication. This helps eliminate or greatly reduce the chance for misdirection on the task/project/work assigned. And THIS helps control the chance for stress and conflict created when something is seemingly not done as we wished.
  • Explain the “WHY”. Why is this important? What will it do for us, me, the team, the organization???? Why am I being given the work? Answering this question should help in getting more buy in and cooperation if done properly.
  • Check in with the person given the project, task, whatever on a number of fronts. Before beginning it!  Some examples might be, “Have you ever done this type of work before?” “Where do you think you should start with this?” “What can I do to support your efforts with this?”(NOT ‘how can I help you’!)
  • Confirm for understanding. A great way to do so, pending the dynamics of the relationship(boss/direct report? Co-worker? ), is to check in for understanding. And HOW the heck do you do that? One great way would be to just ask them “So, tell me what your understanding of this project/task/conversation is? Help me make sure I communicated this properly in order to help ensure your/our success.” Yes, this approach is NOT always necessary or appropriate, but when something obviously is more than routine, day to day tasks….use it!
  • Set an agreed upon time and date to reconnect and see how things are progressing, if there are any roadblocks or challenges to completing the job satisfactorily.
  • Once things are complete, catch them doing something right today. Recognize their efforts. Be specific on what they did particularly well. Again, be clear and concise with specific examples. Encourage them to do more of this in the future.
  • Once done and the high five’s are taken care of with them, ask a few key questions to configure a mini-recap of takeaways and measures of success. Some possible options on what to ask might be as follows: “How’d this project go for you?” “What went well?” “What did you learn from doing this?” “Is there anything I could or should do differently in the future to help make this go more smoothly for you?”
  • Successful, significant work projects, tasks, presentations completed……file away in the employee file when you’re the boss. This serves as great info at performance review time.

What is Performance Management?

Gorason business coach

A very visible company practices employee recognition and engagement by recognizing  its employees for good performance by prominently placing their photographs in the lobby display case, along with a brief bio of the employee as well .The employee also receives an extra paid day off, a gift certificate to a favorite restaurant and a convenient reserved parking place for the month. This reward system exemplifies one of the four crucial building blocks of performance management that is effective in combining recognition and reward.  There are other key elements in the system of managing individual performance as well.  None should be omitted or neglected.
 The four key strategies important to managing performance are:
1. Planning
2. Monitoring & Feedback
3. Development
4. Reward & Recognition.
Planning – Set clear goals for your organization and your employees. Everyone from the secretary to the CEO should know what is expected of him or her. In setting your goals, you can create a mission
statement for the overall company, but you must also be sure your employees know their job duties and performance goals.
Monitoring and giving feedback to employees – Making plans and setting goals will do no goodunless a supervisor monitors employee performance regularly, giving clear feedback when necessary.
This feedback should include both praise and constructive criticism, or as GCI prefers to call it “one minute coaching sessions”. The key is to “catch” your employees in the act of doing well and praise them immediately or correct a mistake right away and in the right way – constructively and privately.
Development – Leaders give workers the ability to do their jobs through skills training and other resources. Think of this as giving someone careful directions and a road map to arrive at the destination on time and without mishap. Development has a broad meaning, and your managers should think of creative ways to develop employees to grow into their jobs.
Reward/Recognition – Although rewards need not be given daily or even weekly, they are important to the process and cannot be overlooked.  A reward can be expressed as a simple “Great job!” or as detailed as the recognition scenario presented earlier in this article.  Be creative and match the reward to the performance.
Performance management can seem, at first, a baffling practice.  Take heart readers. You CAN achieve it by ensuring the four key strategies are in place. Your efforts will result in high-performing workers who know what you expect and have the abilities and resources to accomplish it.
Ultimately, your organization will reap the rewards. In a study of 100,000 employees of 2,500 organizations, the Gallup Organization recorded the attitudes of employees at work in highly productive groups. These attitudes are directly related to the rate of employee turnover, customer satisfaction and productivity. Employees in such work groups reported high levels of agreement with the following statements:

  • I know what is expected of me at work (planning).
  • In the last six months, someone at work has talked to me about my progress (monitoring).
  • I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right (developing).
  • In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work (rewarding).

Take an inward, honest look at your organization or team.  Are these the kind of statements your employees would make? If not, you have the ability to put these building blocks in place.
(Source: U.S. Office of Personnel Management)

Eliminating Management Derailers

More and more is being asked of managers in today’s business world.  And because of that the importance of their success is even more critical to any organization.  It’s easy as a new, reassigned or just overwhelmed manager to get lost in the shuffle of all the activity.  In this month’s newsletter, we will address some very common, well-documented management derailers courtesy of a case study provided by the PI Research Institute.

CASE STUDY
Alleviate management derailers to become a better manager
Because managers carry more responsibility than any other position in most offices, their personal development is sometimes forgotten. Over time procedures can become routine, and managers can unconsciously begin to derail. How can your leaders become effective managers?

There are three symptoms a derailing manager may possess: resistance to change, inability to deliver expected results, and inability to see beyond their own functional silos. It is crucial to treat each of these symptoms immediately in order to ensure that the manager and organization stay on track and continue to be productive.

Derailer #1: Resisting change
A manager “at risk” of derailing due to resistance to change may exhibit some of the following behaviors:

  • Expresses frustration at the suggestion of change
  • Is preoccupied with reminiscing about “what was” versus “what will be”
  • Continues to do things the same old way yet expects new results
  • Discomfort with ambiguity and lack of openness to discovering better ways of doing things
  • Team members complain about mixed messages from leadership and their manager

There are several ways to remedy this manager’s resistance. The first step is to understand the manager’s appetite for change. People are “wired” differently, and this influences our appetite for risk and challenge. Some find change exciting and embrace it, while others find it threatening and reject it. A balance of both is healthy for an organization. Knowing how someone will respond to change helps you tailor your communication and get him on board.

A second way to assist a manager is to help the manager understand his natural aversion to change. If a manager has a natural tendency to resist change, then it is important to make him aware of this tendency. This will enable him to develop his own way of helping himself adapt to change. When possible, have him think through the process for you so that you can demonstrate how the change will benefit both the organization and the individual.

Finally, when trying to develop a manager resistant to change, ensure that the manager is focused on the new priorities. There are many ways to communicate change, but words are not enough. You need to translate this change into meaningful actions and goals for the manager, and then you need to inspect what you expect. Ask the manager and his people what they believe the manager’s priorities are, especially after a change event. This reveals disconnects and opportunities for realignment.

Derailer #2: Unable to deliver expected results
Another type of manager with potential to derail is one who is unable to deliver expected results. If the manager in question meets these symptoms, they are “at risk”:

  • Results are consistently below goals, especially those that are measurable
  • Manager blames others or makes excuses for his own failure
  • Manager avoids discussions about setting, tracking, and progressing toward goals
  • Manager spends too much time, energy, and resources on low-priority activities
  • Team is unaware of how they contribute to the manager’s or organization’s goals

To “cure” this type of management, first clarify the expected results and goals. It is difficult to hit a target when the target is moving or you’re shooting through fog. Don’t assume that your managers have a clear understanding of the results they need to achieve and how they’re going to achieve them. When possible, go beyond the “what” to the “how,” and challenge the manager to translate goals into subgoals  and activities that must be achieved.

Next, attempt to understand the manager. Not everyone is naturally goal oriented. For those who aren’t, the notion of setting, tracking, and achieving goals can be extremely intimidating. This is especially true of new managers in roles where measurement is difficult. If the manager fits either of these criteria, then expect to spend more time coaching him so that he can achieve his goals. When possible, include him in the goal-setting process to get his buy-in.

Finally, inspect what you expect. Once goals are clear and you have the manager’s buy-in, establish a process for tracking the most important goals. Use these goals to create a personal “dashboard” that helps the manager set his own priorities that drive results. Require the manager to update his goals weekly, and use his progress to facilitate a coaching discussion. Finally, check back with the manager on a periodic basis to ensure that his priorities are properly aligned.

Derailer #3: Missing the big picture
The final type of manager with potential to derail is a manager who cannot see beyond their own functional silos. Symptoms of a manager “at risk” of derailing include:

  • Unwilling to communicate or collaborate with others outside of his unit
  • Makes decisions that benefit his unit but clearly hurt the overall organization
  • Resists change that impacts him but clearly benefits the organization
  • Hoards information that might benefit others outside of his unit
  • Co-workers complain that the manager is out of touch with the organization’s mission

The first step in developing a manager with high silos is to establish clarity. Don’t assume that the manager understands how he and his people fit in and interrelate with other units to achieve the organization’s greater mission. This should be spelled out explicitly, especially if the manager has spent little time outside of his functional unit. Be sure to include the manager in at least one cross-functional team. Have the manager experience firsthand what it means to contribute to a broader team and depend on others to achieve a significant common objective. Ideally, he or she should work under an experienced team leader who can provide both coaching and a positive experience.

Establish at least one cross-functional goal for the manager. While similar to the previous point, this requires him to participate in an ongoing operation of the organization rather than a special project with a defined endpoint. In this situation, the managers who share the goal should report to someone higher up who can monitor progress, facilitate discussion, offer advice, and drive accountability.

Finally, monitor the manager’s progress. This is more than just an annual performance review; it’s about holding the manager accountable, ensuring that he is aligned with the company’s priorities and changing his behavior. This is done by monitoring his progress and offering coaching and additional development. Input from multiple sources such as the manager’s managers, peers on cross-functional teams, and subordinates is valuable.

These three types of managers are more common than they should be. And these symptoms don’t just occur in newly minted managers or old and grizzled ones – they can surface at any time, so monitor your people regularly. Encourage your leaders to know how to be effective managers. Enable your organization to excel by developing your managers to exceed expectations. Don’t allow management to derail because of their own faults, teach them how to be successful in their position so that they can develop the rest of those in the organization.

Learn more
Want to know how to become an effective manager? Call Goranson Consulting, Inc. at (309) 645-7100 for the full report on Management Derailers and learn more about management development solutions.

Good Employees Gone Bad

In today’s working world, things have clearly changed and will continue to do so. Some of that is good. Some of that creates a unique set of challenges. The phrase used most often with me by my clients is “Whatever happened to the person I hired?”. And when drilling down with them further, the real message and concern was that a good to great employee was now suddenly off track – big time. What happened?   What do I do to fix it? Why did this happen?

 

All of these are great questions. And while there is no clear cut answer at first, the common theme I run into the most is one thing, CHANGE. Something has changed and it has significantly created a challenge for the formerly good to great performer. You need to find out asap what that might be!

 

Types of change to look for that can impact performance are as follows:

  1. A new boss.
  2. A new focus for the organization or team, whether product, service, mission, etc.
  3. Cutbacks resulting in fewer employees but the same amount of work to be done. Additional duties added onto what an employee already has on their plate.
  4. Personal impacts outside of work.

There is a vast array of other possibilities, but these are the key areas most often addressed in my role as a Professional Development Coach. And it should not come as a surprise to anyone. As I have stated before, sometimes today all employees, whether at the top, middle or bottom of the organizational chart, feel that if they are asked to wear one more hat they’re going to need a bigger hat rack. They are at their limit with stress, peaked on the hours they can productively work and often now doing things they a) hate to do and b) aren’t trained or equipped to handle properly and effectively.

 

 

New Boss

A new boss always means change. If you are the new kid on the block and leading your team, how well do you know them? Realize and understand that the sooner they get to know you, your style, your CLEAR expectations of them the better. Now more than ever, people need to feel like more than just a cog in the machine. Build better relationships at work and the better chance you have of maintaining morale, productivity and focus with your people. Pay has never, in any study out there, been rated the number one reason for dissatisfaction, disengagement. The key drivers have always been based on better, clearer communication and understanding of each other and what motivates us and makes us “tick”.

 

New Focus

Okay, you’ve just changed something in regards to what your organization or team within it does, sells, works on, whatever. Did you have individual and team meetings to pre-plan, to discuss, conduct Q & A or town hall style meetings with your people? If so, did you follow up with them afterwards to see how it really went and how they really feel? Is there training needed? What are the expectations of them day 1, week 1, month 1 with this new undertaking or focus? What’s the plan?

 

Additional Duties Due to Cutbacks

This is SO common yet handled so poorly so often, it’s amazing there are not more problems in the workplace than there seems to be right now. Almost every single organization out there has experienced this a little or a lot. And while you may have no choice on needing to divide the work out among your surviving staff, a few very key points need to be considered, explored and thought through before doing so.   This will prove good for you and good for your employees that are impacted. Who might have the expertise or, even more important passion or interest, for the new duties? Does it fit their thinking and learning style, their hard-wired behavioral traits and tendencies, plus what they are passionate or interested in? This is a classic example of one of the key things I have addressed since founding my business almost 8 years ago. It’s all about job fit/job match and the aforementioned areas of thinking style, behavioral traits and interests are the building blocks for getting that right IF you know the answers to those. If not, you need to find out, asap. There are some great tools out there to help you figure that out without guessing and just going with your gut. If I could pick the number one area where organizations are missing the mark and as a result, experiencing the good employee gone bad scenario, this is it!

 

Personal Impacts Outside of the Workplace

This is happening to all of us. If we are experiencing massive change in our workplace, our friends and family are as well. It’s all connected. Don’t just assume that what may seem to be the rare “perfect workplace” you are in is not actually filled with insecurities, fear and stress. Obviously, if people in our lives outside of work are going through what the vast majority of the world is experiencing even if it has not occurred at your organization, the creeping fear that “it’s only a matter of time” is there like the white elephant in the room. Stop ignoring the elephant and address it head on. Honestly, openly, regularly in a genuine style true to you as a leader. Once again, this will help you build a much stronger and valuable working relationship with your team. And that is just another way to keep the good ones from going bad on you.

 

It’s a busy, hectic, non-stop workplace everywhere these days. But it can be more productive and more fun, with many positives coming from slowing down long enough to address just some of the scenarios described here. If you do so, it can only help your days go more smoothly as well. I hope you find some words of wisdom here to help you with your workplace challenges. Best of luck to all of you!

WHAT’S BEHIND GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE

Great news!  The all important consumer spending index appears to have been up in March.

One key and positive sign on the long road to economic recovery!  But as with all good news comes other potential roadblocks.  A key challenge is the fact that people have been battered, bruised, and shell-shocked by the downturn for so long, that it’s difficult to tell how their long-term attitudes towards spending may have been affected.

Now more than ever, businesses need to maintain their focus on their customers. They spent more in March, but what about the next month?  The next quarter?  Or through the end of your fiscal year? Companies would like to be able to breathe a sigh of relief, raise prices, and start to recoup some of the losses they’ve sustained and to begin to grow a little or a lot! That’s not unreasonable.

But first you have to know who’s buying from you and why. Is it for convenience?  Price?  Brand loyalty? Great customer service?  If your clients suddenly feel more financial confidence and choose to spend more, will they spend it with you, or take their business elsewhere?

The one thing you CAN control is your staff’s understanding of the importance of your clients that buy from you.  And what your expectations are in that area.  Also, don’t forget to spend time talking about and explaining further the most important customers of all, each employee in your organization and how they deal with their fellow employees and leaders.  Lousy internal communication will eventually seep out to the client.  It always does.  So start from the inside and work your way outwards to the external customers for the best, long-term results.

Six Keys to Great Customer Experiences

In both good times and bad the lifetime value of one customer can be exponentially greater than the value of a series of single transactions from one-time customers. In this era of social networking, it only takes one Tweet or Facebook status update to seriously damage a company’s reputation.

One bad customer experience can cost you that customer for life. Think about these situations from the perspective of a customer: It doesn’t take much for a customer to decide that you and your company aren’t worth his time, effort, or money.

There has been some research, courtesy of Profiles International, that has been continually refined over the last two decades with thousands of clients and across hundreds of industries.  Six core behaviors of your customer-facing employees have been identified as those that make the biggest difference for your business. They are:

  1. Trust
  2. Tact
  3. Empathy
  4. Conformity
  5. Focus
  6. Flexibility

The following paragraphs are a synopsis of that years and years of research.  Please take a closer look!

1. Trust. Trusting individuals tend to believe that the motives of others are honorable. It’s easy for your people to become defensive when they’re presented with problems, especially when it seems that the person presenting the problem has a hidden agenda.

  • People with low levels of trust are often described as wary, vigilant, or skeptical.
  • Those with high levels of trust are often described as unquestioning, uncritical, or optimistic.

The optimal degree of trustworthiness depends on your business, but naivet� is never optimal.  For example, an IRS agent will probably be less trusting than the front desk clerk of a Ritz-Carlton hotel.  But you  jeopardize your chance to build long-term, loyal customers if you assume from the outset that their motives are not honorable.

2. Tact. How you say something to a customer can be just as important as what you say. Your customers don’t know what they don’t know, and they may make incorrect assumptions about what they need or how something works.  They also don’t want to feel stupid.

  • Tactful people tend to state their positions without offending others and are often described as discreet, diplomatic, or restrained.
  • Less tactful people are often described as direct, obvious, or forthright

The bottom line is that how you say something to a customer can be just as important as what you say, especially in an emotionally charged situation.

3. Empathy. Customers need to feel that someone cares about their experience. Customers like to feel loved, and they get turned off very quickly when they sense that you don’t care about the pain they’re feeling.  Even if you can’t help them because the situation is beyond your control, acknowledge that you understand both the situation and their frustration.

  • People with high levels of empathy tend to understand others’ feelings and are often described as understanding, compassionate, or sensitive.
  • People with low levels of empathy are often described as detached, indifferent, or distant.

4. Conformity. The optimal degree of conformity for your customer-facing people really depends on your business. The key is understanding your customers’ objectives and expectations.

  • People with high levels of conformity have a strong tendency to comply with the rules and with those in authority. They are often described as traditional, compliant, or conventional.
  • People with low levels of conformity are often described as inventive, free-spirited, or independent.

Some positions also require high conformity due to legal, regulatory, and safety requirements. In this case, it is best to balance the need to conform with high empathy and tact, since it is unlikely that the service provider will be able to bend the rules. Your customer-facing people should be aware of the stress this places on the customer, and they should let the customer know that they feel his or her pain.

5. Focus. Customer service is about relentless focus. Obviously, no customer wants the person serving her to be distracted or preoccupied.  On the other hand, being too focused can be a bad thing.  Be sure your people understand the degree of focus required for the job.

  • Highly focused people tend to stay on task regardless of distractions, and they are often described as attentive, purposeful, or efficient.
  • People with little ability to focus are often described as distractible, preoccupied, or inefficient. They may have a hard time working in an environment with many distractions such as a bullpen-type call center.

6. Flexibility. Companies that provide the best service think in terms of the customer, and this requires employee willingness and flexibility. Highly flexible people can be creative problem solvers, but they risk becoming bored if the problems they are trying to solve are routine or repetitious. They may also try to overcomplicate simple issues just so they can add variety to their assignments.  On the other hand, it’s easy to assume that your customer-facing employees should be flexible in order to accommodate customer needs, but this isn’t always the case.  Less-flexible people often prefer routine or repetitious tasks that change little over time — new methods or routines can overwhelm them. They are often better suited for customer interactions that involve routine tasks with clearly defined rules and procedures.

  • Less flexible people are often described as uncompromising, rigid, or cautious.
  • Highly flexible people tend to explore new approaches to doing things, and they are often described as adaptable, accepting, and open-minded.

The key is to match the core behaviors of the individual to the actual job that they will perform.  Skills can be learned by employees who are willing to put forth the effort, but our personalities and core behaviors are difficult to change.

The more we can learn about existing or potentially new customers and our employees that serve them, the better chance we have for success.  And in the arena of customer service, it really is a “ripple effect”.  Address the items outlined in this research and the results will show up in better customer(and employee) retention.  Better productivity.  And ultimately, an improved bottom line.  I hope this information helps you raise the bar for you and your organization!

 

“Quality in a service or product is not what you put into it.

It is what the client or customer gets out of it.” – PETER DRUCKER

Succession Management & Career Development are the Keys

I am currently working with several organizations that all face the same challenge. Where are my next leaders coming from? One has less than 15 employees, one with around 35, one around 750 and another well over 1,000. Yet all are asking questions and looking deeper and more seriously into Succession Management. This month’s article is designed to hit the highlights on a few critical things to keep in mind if you are facing the same challenge.

 

SUCCESSION PLANNING – HIGHLIGHTS

 

– Succession Management & Career Development are two sides of the same coin operating hand in hand.

 

– Talent must be CLEARLY aligned with the overall business strategy and business goals to achieve maximum success.

 

– Talent readiness means that the business must designate individuals designated for upward mobility, identify required skills, and establish a time line for development of those skills to ensure readiness to actually fill designated roles when needed.

 

– Engagement equals retention. An employee who clearly understands his or her career path is more apt to stay motivated AND to stay with the organization. Compensation has never been #1.

 

– Critical roles are the positions an organization needs to meet its key business objectives. These are not always just top down, exec level roles. An organization’s success is dependent on full understanding and ongoing awareness of a) critical roles and b) competencies. Competencies are the knowledge, behavior and skills that correlate with organizational success and performance. Example: Retail organizations identify customer satisfaction as a leading business driver and as a result, key competencies for them may include customer responsiveness, relationship building, account management, etc. What are your company’s key competencies, by position?

 

In other words:

 

  1. Identify and track high-performing employees
  2. Begin identifying and addressing knowledge and skills gaps
  3. Learn how or get help in coaching and developing employees
  4. Identify competency gaps AND strengths as well
  5. Assign training as part of succession planning
  6. Generate individual development plans as part of career-planning activities (in order to narrow any identified readiness gaps)
  7. Provide more than one way up in an organization, if possible. It’s not always a straight path.
  8. Not every valuable employee is destined for the C-suite. Create a career track for technical experts and non-management positions as well.

 

Organizations must get a clearer understanding of whether or not they have the right people with the right skills to fill critical roles. Based on current and predicted business and economic trends, those companies that actively coordinate career management and succession plan management most effectively will be the ones to survive and thrive.

 

With the right succession management and career development processes in place, you can empower both your organization and your employees!

Coach Early & Often

Gorason business coach

Here we are again, at the start of a brand new year.  This is a great time to put into action new plans, ideas and methods.  Since we received so much positive feedback on our last newsletter about employee engagement, let’s continue to touch on that key point.

 

There’s lots and lots of talk, evidence and research around the various age groups in the workforce.  Especially Millenials!!  The funny thing is that the more I read about that specific group, the more the identified needs of that group seem to stretch across all age groups today.  It is constantly stated that “they”(Millenials) need to have lots of personal contact, recognition, internal coaching, mentoring and most important of all a specific, tailored development plan/career path. Without that we are told we will lose their interest or engagement as an employee and performance and ultimately, their retention as an employee, will suffer.

 

Based on my experience in a variety of work environments, that same need or concern can apply to almost all age groups today.  Why?  We are leaner than ever.  And in turn expect more of our employees than ever before.  We have added many new duties to their job responsibilities.  And we expect them to perform this all at a high level with minimal complaining.  Oh, really!

 

The following is a reprint from a friend and business associate, Bud Haney, President of Profiles International.  Bud offers some great thoughts I fully support on how to manage, coach and develop our employees in today’s workplace.  The following is an excerpt from a recent article I received from him and wanted to pass it along to you.  The key that strikes to the core of what GCI believes and preaches every single day is COACH EARLY AND COACH OFTEN.

 

Coach Early and Often

Even the best organizations want to improve employee productivity in order to grow overall business performance and corporate value. But the tool most often used to evaluate and improve performance-the performance review-really isn’t capable of helping organizations reach their overall goal.

 

The biggest strike against performance reviews is that they are the equivalent of looking in the rearview mirror to see where the employee has been-and perhaps failed. Why not look ahead to see where the employee can successfully go?

 

Additionally, since performance reviews occur once a year, if at all, they require us to look back over a long period of time. They make the manager look petty (“Let’s talk about your performance on that project nine months ago…”), and even if viewed positively, any corrective solutions are generally too late to do any good.

 

Here’s a helpful idea: Coach early and often. Early, to catch potential problems before they happen. Often, because the continuous interest shown in, and feedback given to, employees through coaching guarantees better performance.

 

Coaching provides counsel in real time and clearly identifies goals in the context of the employee’s job. Good coaches understand the current reality of the employee’s world, and are aware of issues that might prevent a worker from reaching his or her goals. Good coaching provides the right environment to development strategies that allow an employee to achieve his or her goals.

 

Imagine a husband and wife sitting down on their anniversary each year for a formal chat: “First, let’s review all the things you’ve done well over the last year and then we’ll set goals for the coming year.”  Doesn’t sound like much of a relationship, does it? I’m certainly not suggesting that a manager should be married to his or her employees, but a healthy marriage is a relationship built on daily dialogue and frequent two-way communication. The same culture of dialogue can benefit employees and managers alike. Conversely, a once-a-year meeting more likely resembles a gripe fest: while one side lists frustrations and shortcomings, the other side could be taken aback and either retreats or goes on the defensive. The bottom line is that no one wins.

7 Tips for Increasing Your Productivity at Work

With the start of the New Year you are probably making resolutions on how you can improve yourself and one of your goals may be to increase your productivity. If so, here are some tips that will help:

  1. Make a plan for your day, setting a goal for reaching a certain point by lunchtime, giving yourself a break and small treat or reward when you reach that goal.
  2. Your treat or reward from #1 can be taking a break by walking around or going outside, especially if it is a sunny day. A 20-30 minute break will leaving you feeling refreshed and ready to get back at it.
  3. Start early or stay late to make the most of your time. You know whether you are more of a morning or an evening person and use that to your advantage, working during the times when you are most productive and there are fewer outside interruptions.
  4. If you work in an area of cubicles, use noise-cancelling headphones to keep out the sounds in the office, allowing you to focus on your work.
  5. Bring some healthy snacks for your lunch or break, don’t eat a lot of sugar or carbs that can cause you to “crash” later in the day.
  6. Make sure you get enough sleep. Do not work or use your phone/computer in your bedroom, make this an area that is off limits from possible interruptions of your sleep.
  7. If your workload seems overwhelming, don’t focus on the entire workload. Instead, just focus on the next small step.

It isn’t always easy to be productive and at times it is impossible due to unforeseen circumstances that may arise. If you are persistent and practice the tips above, you will be able to make the most of the time that you have at work, rather than working more hours at a less than productive level.

New Ideas for Employee Relationships with Engagement

Employee relationships start at the beginning with Human Resources. Human resources should be friendly, welcoming and understand the needs and issues of the employees. They should understand what motivates an employee and how to create a win-win situation for the company and the employee.

Managers should make sure that employees receive recognition or praise when it is deserved, monitor performance and provide support when it is needed.

Zappos is one company that has gone above and beyond at creating an extraordinary experience for employees:

  • Co-worker bonus program – reward your co-worker that helped you out with a $50 bonus
  • Grant a wish program – grant simple wishes of their employees – a fishing trip, an outing, etc.
  • Zappos Zollars – earn zollars to spend on Zappos shirts and products with the company logo.
  • Job Shadowing – learn about your co-workers job.
  • New Hire Scavenger Hunt – this is a fun way to learn about your new co-workers.
  • Classes that teach soft skills, such as projects, communication, and finance.
  • Zapprenticeship – spend 90 days in a new role and then mutually decide if the new role is yours, if it is not for you, you can go back to your original position.

Zappos is a good example of going the extra mile to make sure that everyone feels connected. Think outside of the box for some new ways to develop relationships with your employees.

How Executive One-on-One Coaching Helps New Managers

One-on-One Coaching is a great way to learn executive competencies and over time these leadership and performance skills become ingrained and a part of the routine for the new manager. Having someone to use as a sounding board and offer their objective opinion helps the new executive to learn. Here are some of the benefits that one-on-one coaching offers for the new manager:

  • Learn the process and methodologies of management
  • Build relationships/develop listening skills
  • Develop and accomplish goals
  • Develop their own management style

In addition, the organization will benefit by having continued growth and success with consistency in management and support for the organization succession plan.   The new managers avoid years of trial and error learning that could be detrimental to the organization and they have a support system in place that insures their success.