What All Businesses Need to Know

There's No "ME" in Training, But There is "ROI"

2012-01-25T16:24:00.007-05:00

Many people believe that our economic vitality depends on having a skilled and experienced workforce. It is being reported that too many young people are unprepared to succeed in a knowledge-driven global economy. A broad skills gap that already exists in our nation is contributing in one new report calls the “great divide” between what a worker has to offer and what employers expect and demand. The substandard consequences are real and are growing worse.

The real problem is that many of us are asking, “How do we improve the skills of future workers while developing our own talent pipelines?”

Employers must invest in a process that allows them to grow their future leaders organically. Most companies concentrate their efforts on the basic workforce readiness skills of their entry–level, lower skilled employees and, in some cases, prospective employees hoping to secure full time positions. To do such requires considerable time and expense. A recent report titled, “Why Companies Invest in ‘Grow Your Own’ Talent" demonstrably shows employers that embrace workforce-readiness training are finding promising results and an impressive and measurable ROI.

Most of the benefits noted in the report revolve around employee retention, increased workforce diversity, and greater community engagement. The real success lies in the fact that companies are successfully cultivating new generations of talent with new career opportunities, who positively impact organizational effectiveness, better known as corporate profitability.

It is time that we understand, an applicant arrives at a company because they are interested in the roles and responsibilities associated with the position and if they find the compensation package adequate, they take the position, BUT they only stick around if two other things are satisfied; what are they? 1) That their new company demonstrates an interest in them 2) There is a future opportunity for growth. Now, who doesn’t feel that training and development of your people is valuable?

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Article written by Richard J. Hohmann Jr., Senior Business and Management Consultant for Innovative Leadership, a strategic partner with Fitzpatrick, Bongiovanni, & Kelly, PC, and also a member of the Collaboration Team for Leadership Management International. Richard can also speak at your next organization’s meeting, to invite him to speak call 609-390-2830, For your business solutions click here: InnovativeLeadershipDV.com

Management reSOLUTIONS for 2012

2012-01-11T11:09:00.002-05:00

Managers - Have you set your reSOLUTIONS for 2012 yet? It's not too late. Here are 15 suggestions for a more productive workplace and higher employee engagement!

Be a More Effective Listener and a Better Story Teller
Provide Feedback in a Timely Manner
Get to Know Your People as More Than Employees
Learn to Delegate and Begin to Cross Train
Focus on Diversity and Inclusion for Productivity
Be More Goal-Oriented
Tie Your Corporate Business Strategy in with People's Values
Be Consistent with Your Performance Management Process
Realize Your Primary Role is to Develop People
Prioritize Your Roles and Responsibilities Daily
Manage Your Email and Turn Off Message Alerts
Be Positive - Learn to have a "Positude"
Find Opportunities to "Stretch" Your Skill Set
Schedule Time with Yourself, Don't Multi-Task
Establish Trust as the Foundation for All You Do!

Business Owner reSOLUTIONS for 2012

2012-01-11T10:57:00.002-05:00

It's not too late to start your reSOLUTIONS; Here are 15 suggestions for Business Owners.

Get employees to Think like Owners
Create a Build a Great Workplace
Understand that You Can't Do it All
Utilize Your Professional Team of Advisors
Create an Advisory Board
Don't Accept Status Quo
Participate in Community Activities
Learn to Work "On" Your Business NOT "In" Your Business
Open your Mind to Innovation and Creativity
Be a Forward Thinker - Focus on the Design of the Outcome
When Defining Your Vision of the Future, Set Clear Goals
Measure Your Results
Set a Budget and Stick to it!
Link Your Goals to Your Financial Outcome
Practice Continuous Improvement

HR reSOLUTIONS for 2012

2012-01-11T10:42:00.004-05:00

It's not too late to start implementing reSOLUTIONS into your daily activities as a Human Resources professional. Here are 15 suggestions to get you started on a new and exciting path:

Increase Employee Engagement
Reduce Stress in the Workplace
Get a Grasp on Social Networking
Increase the Use of Temporary and Part-Time Employees
Be the Point Person for Succession Planning (Be prepared for Those in Retirement Age)
Integrate Strategy with People Value
Make HR a Strategic Partner
Manage Change in Culture and Growth
Focus on Employee Relations
Provide Legal Updates to Managers and CEO's
Develop a Performance Management Process
Establish Coaching and Mentoring Programs for Employee Retention
Develop a Leadership Program
Create an Onboarding Process vs. Orientation
Tie in Your Recruitment Practices with Strategy, Culture, Mission and Vision

How to Show Gratitude in the Workplace

2011-11-20T14:16:00.001-05:00

Originally Found on GreatWorkplace.Wordpress.com

Does your organization have a culture of gratitude? Each day there are countless opportunities to show gratitude to others in the workplace. Supervisors, leaders, and coworkers can all help build a culture of gratitude by acknowledging the contributions of those around them in specific and genuine ways. Here are some ways to foster gratitude in the workplace:

Formal recognition programs are a common way employers build a culture of gratitude in the workplace. Formal annual, quarterly, monthly, or even weekly awards can help build a culture of recognizing the behaviors and results your organization seeks.
Having a method of peer recognition is important in developing appreciation among coworkers. Create a program or initiative that encourages peers to recognize and thank one another for their help.
On-the-spot rewards and recognition allow employees to be recognized at any time by supervisors, management, or even peers through some small reward, such as a gift card, ticket to local event, or other valued recognition. Spontaneous rewards and recognition can be welcome surprises for employees.

While your organization may have recognition programs in place, if your supervisors and managers are not using them, they likely won’t be effective in helping to drive a culture of gratitude. Many organizations train their management staff on the importance of recognizing employees and how to use the tools and programs provided by the organization.
Making celebrations a part of your organization’s activities is another way to build a culture of gratitude – as well as fun and enjoyment. Coordinate a few celebrations throughout the year to show appreciation to your whole staff. Some organizations even go so far as to celebrate personal events like birthdays, weddings, and births.
Although it sounds simple, many workplaces forget to say thank you – especially to their most valuable assets: top performers. Saying thank you via email, phone call, voice-message, card, e-card, or in-person, or taking an employee out for coffee or lunch to say “thanks” can be very meaningful.
When developing a culture of gratitude, remember that formal programs are only part of the equation. It’s equally as important to create new habits, expectations, and norms throughout the organization to develop a culture of gratitude – and this typically starts at the top. Encourage leaders and managers to lead the way in thanking an employee each time they do something exceptional or of assistance to them, and to post or communicate successes publicly – through newsletters, interoffice mail or email, on bulletin boards, and at department or staff meetings.

A culture of gratitude can change your workplace into a positive, uplifting, and collaborative environment – eliciting more enthusiasm, engagement, and positive relationships. Use the weeks ahead to plan a strategy to make your workplace one in which giving thanks happens year-round.

10 Management Tips from US Airways' Hub

2011-11-04T12:46:00.003-04:00

by Ted Reed - Originally found on TheStreet

In a down economy, the US Airways(LCC _) hub in Charlotte has been an oasis of growth as well as a model of efficiency. For that, many credit a station manager who knows how to get the most from her employees.

Terri Pope, Charlotte station manager since 2000 and US Airways vice president for airport customer service, "knows how to get people to buy in," said Cinde Monsam, senior manager for station administration and one of Pope's four direct reports.

"What I learned from her and what she does better than anyone else is that she reads the needs of people, not just her employees but also her managers," said Monsam. "She knows when to push for an idea and when to back off, because she listens to people's voices. The loyalty she inspires by doing that is incredible."

Terri Pope

Recent growth has pushed US Airways' Charlotte departures to about 640 from about 400 in 2004, making Charlotte/Douglas the country's 11th biggest airport as well as the carrier's most profitable hub. US Airways employs 6,500 in Charlotte: Pope directly oversees 2,000 who work in the airport. Additionally, as the airline's highest ranking Charlotte official, she is the face of US Airways in Charlotte.

At a recent meeting, where US Airways Charlotte managers reviewed their 2010 performance, Pope concluded by saying that that a few years ago, she was not so proud of that role. The carrier underwent two bankruptcies and often ranked badly in on-time performance and other operational metrics. "We were looked upon perhaps not as highly as we should have been," Pope said.

But now, "When I walk into chamber meetings or corporate headquarters or any meeting, I just glow when someone asks me what I do," she said. And quickly, she credited her staff. "I can't tell you how much I respect you, for what you bring to this wonderful hub of ours." That's one insight into what makes Terri Pope a unique leader: she puts employees first. Here are her ten guidelines:

1. Listen. "The biggest thing is that you can be honest with her, without feeling that she will be mad, even when she disagrees," said Mike Bryant, director of operations and planning. "She has her vision, she lays it out. I might not agree, but she makes me feel comfortable enough to say it.

Said Pope: "I don't think there's an intimidating bone in my body. Why would you need to intimidate anyone to get what you want?" Pope has fired dozens of people, she acknowledges, for violations including stealing, lack of attendance and disciplinary failings. Each one, she said, "is a failure on my part."

2. Don't Micro-Manage."She has expectations, but she doesn't tell you how to get there," Bryant said. "As long as you meet the goal, you don't have to go Terri's way." As an example, Bryant has had to allocate gate usage in a way that favors gates US Airways leases long-term over gates controlled by the airport, which cost more to use.

Pope "allows us to run our departments like we are running our own businesses," said Rich Ashlin, director of customer service. "She stands at a distance, but she is there as a resource. Said Pope: "It's up to them to sell their ideas to me. If they do that successfully, we go with it."

3. Remember, You Run Into Everybody Again. James McDonald, director of ramp operations, interviewed with Pope four times for four jobs before she finally offered him one. The first time was in West Palm Beach, the second at Washington National, the last two in Charlotte. "Terri and I go back a long way," he said. At each interview, "She was cordial and nice and made me feel comfortable," he said. After the DCA interview, Pope called to explain that he needed more experience. "She made it personal," he said. "She made it seem like it mattered. She is all about results and performance, but she does it with calm, with guidance and support."

4. Take Pleasure in Employees' Achievements. "I'm 53," Pope said. "I'm the happiest I've ever been in my life. I think it's because, when you first start out, and for many years, you think it's about you. As you get older and wiser, you realize it's not about you at all. It's about how you can help people achieve their goals. "I've got so many leaders here -- I hope I've had a little to do with them achieving their goals. I have extremely high expectations and I'm hard to please, but I'm also very forgiving."

5. Sense of Humor. On Sept. 27, 2005, the day US Airways and America West completed their merger, Rich Ashlin flew from Phoenix to Charlotte to start work as director of customer service. "I got off the plane and there was a cavalcade of baggage carts through the airport," she said. "Terri was in one of them, dressed as Queen Charlotte. It was hysterical."

6. Make Each Person Feel Special. Charlotte spokeswoman Michelle Mohr recalls the day in 2007 when she began work in Charlotte after moving from Phoenix. She barely knew a soul and did not know what to expect. When she arrived at work, Pope had put a vase full of flowers on her desk. "It was one of the nicest, warmest things ever," Mohr said. "It was so unexpected." Said Pope: "I know what it is to be new. "

7. Admit Your Mistakes. In April 2010 US Airways decided to suspend Charlotte-Honolulu service just four months after it began. "I hoped it was going to work," Pope said. "We had an extra aircraft, a 767 - why not utilize it? Besides, if we're successful, it benefits a lot of people. Heart-wise, I wanted to do it, even though brain-wise, I didn't know. So we gave it a shot. But if something is not working, we are not afraid to make a change."

8. Embrace Technology. Airports have benefited immensely and visibly from technology improvements. Since November 2008, US Airways has scanned bags as they are loaded onto planes and as they come off, so the carrier always knows where the bags are. "Before, we made an educated guess," Pope said. US Airways has also redesigned airport kiosks to have more functions and be easier to use, and it has developed, gate readers enabling a single person to board an entire aircraft. "We used to be a manual airline," Pope said. "Now, we have so many great technologies."

9. Learn From Employees. As West Palm Beach station manager in the 1990s, Pope was intimidated by an older man who was a lead ramp agent. "He thought he knew everything, he was crotchety, and he challenged me every step of the way," she said. "He though females had no right to be in this business, much less young females -- I was 35. We had heated discussions. But many times, he was right. I was inexperienced." Today, she said, the now-retired employee sends a Christmas card each year.

10. Be Approachable. "You have to be someone employees can talk to," Pope said. "That's why (CEO Doug Parker) is successful. If employees can't talk to you, then you don't know what's going on." Parker meets regularly with employees, including half a dozen times a year in Charlotte.

Beyond Performance - Leaders Get Results!

2011-10-27T18:49:00.004-04:00

I really encourage everyone in a leadership role to read, "Beyond Performance: How Great Organizations Build Ultimate Competitive Advantage" by Colin Price, Scott Keller. Their book focuses on organizational health, which they define as the ability of any organization to align, execute, and renew itself faster than your competitors can. According to the authors, as we work more and socialize less, our sense of meaning and identity is increasingly derived from the workplace. More and more people are looking for that sense of “belonging, which was originally defined by Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need.

Job satisfaction in the US has dropped from 61% in 1987 to less than 45% in 2009. Productivity during the same period has increased more slowly than in any fifteen year period since 1950.

As our economies emerge from the recession, the ability to lead and manage organizations in a way that motivates employees to be more productive than ever is extremely important. In other words, the health of any organization must encompass all the human elements required to achieve sustainable success.

The process for organizational health is defined by the authors as the Five A’s;
• Aspire – Where do we want to go?
• Assess – How ready are we to go there?
• Architect – What do we need to do to get there?
• Act – How do we manage the journey?
• Advance – How do we keep moving forward?

These five stages should be translated into a specific challenge for performance and organizational health. The authors continue to break down the process into nine key elements that must be implemented to achieve sustained growth and success. The integration of a strong vision and a well-defined business strategy that is meaningful to the employee and supported by the culture and climate of the organization is a must. To be able to execute this process, the organization must have high capabilities, effective management processes, and high employee motivation. The organization’s ability to be adaptable to both situation and the external environment will also fortify the relationship with the customer, vendor and community.

The real key to organizational health appears to be the alignment of personal goals with those of the organization. This alignment produces a highly self-motivated workforce that will demonstrate engagement and productivity improvement. We build this alignment by shifting an employee’s mindset – their attitude. It is well documented that leaders are the catalysts for performance and leadership must be present at every organizational level and not just at the top.

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Our Leadership and Management Development Programs are all based on the philosophy or belief that to improve the health of your organization, you must start improving the health of your workforce, one employee at a time. I believe that the “real” performance model starts with attitude and ends with the desired results

Real Performance Model Attitude Activity Skills and Competencies Results
We teach employees and managers to be better leaders and to get results. Please call 609.390.2830 or contact us here to find out more about the Total Leadership Model®, the only development plan designed for today’s leaders and the development of future leaders.

How to Plan for the Future of Your Business with the Help of Employees

2011-10-25T06:21:00.003-04:00

The opportunity to change the structure of the company toward a more versatile or bureaucratic structure can now be determined by your management team. The importance of the way your employees perceive your company and the way they think it should be, cannot be denied. These gaps between the actual and the ideal should be given special attention, and can provide your management team with ideas that can be developed and expanded in strategic planning sessions. Assessments can provide a most valuable tool that puts the management team on notice and causes them to consider change within the organization. These changes may never be apparent without this assessment, because it is unbiased, confidential, and provides a comprehensive diagnosis of an organization.

This is certainly needed in our highly competitive environment. Isn't it about time you got your camera out and took a snapshot of your company?

Organizational Assessment Tools are one of the instruments available to provide any management team with a real photograph of their company today, and it also allows them to let the employees paint the picture of the company that they would like to see in the future. These assessment tools are relatively inexpensive compared to the cost of employee turnover, especially on the management level.

The Organizational Needs Inventory (ONI) is an example of such an assessment tool that provides a comprehensive analysis of an organization from the perspective of its employees with regard to the three areas which management experts regard as critical: Predominant Leadership Style, Organizational Culture, and Structure. These assessments provide a comprehensive diagnosis of the organization today through the eyes and ears of the employees. Any management team worth its salt will welcome a snapshot of their company today so they can properly determine the appropriately plan for the future with a clearer sense of direction and purpose.

This assessment tool will allow the management team to establish training and development programs that will not only produce the skills required, but the attitudes and work habits needed to move the company in the direction they desire relative to its mission and vision. It is not an easy task to change an organization and its people swiftly so please commit your organization to a time investment. The most important factor to remember is that this change is being planned, rather than just randomly happening.

It is also very important to learn the dominant leadership style present within your company. Once your predominant leadership style is acknowledged, the velocity of change will be proportionate to the support and direction offered by the management team of the company. The first step is to establish goal - setting measures with appropriate target dates to insure the proper direction of this change and to increase motivation internally.

The determination of your organization's culture should provide management with a better picture of the organization's effectiveness and allow them to develop an implementation plan that can be achieved in a reasonable time frame, while promoting teamwork at the same time.

The organization's culture today may reflect a low trust level. The results of this assessment will help you work on the cause and develop methods and plans to improve results, enabling the company to succeed in its overall goals and objectives.To see a free sample of an assessment your company would be using please contact us

(Painting by Jennifer Sandquist)

How to Properly Use Performance Appraisals

2011-10-17T20:54:00.004-04:00

I was reading an article titled, “Bias Found in Employee Appraisals” on hreonline.com. It elaborated on the fact that new research shows vast discrepancies in employee appraisals by workers who report to two bosses.

Performance Appraisals have always shown bias from one manager to another. Many consulting firms even recommend that companies not spend money on the training and development of their managers regarding the delivery of an employee appraisal by a manager. If we don’t train to develop consistency in delivery, then how can we ever have a Performance Appraisal System without bias?

Small business owners and managers, listen up, it’s time to realize that the Performance Appraisal Process is the best means to communicate workplace expectations with the employee and that employee engagement is key to retention moving forward.

Managers must utilize a system for monitoring performance on a day to day, month to month basis and not just wait for the annual performance appraisal process for the data to appear. A Performance Log or file must be maintained throughout the year to note successes, learning opportunities, behavioral tendencies, etc. The Performance Appraisal Process must be more objective than subjective and certainly results-oriented. It must be based on the job description or role assigned to the employee as the role is defined today, not five years ago. It must reflect technical skills as well as performance skills that demonstrate an above average performance in that position.

Clear expectations must be defined. Clarity and good communication are key management skills for this to succeed. We must communicate workplace expectations in a clear, decisive, and definitive manner with the creation of a development plan for the employee. All managers must be willing to coach and mentor the employee to high performance through the use of a solid Developmental Plan of Action. I have always believed that the formulation of a developmental plan for a high achiever is one of the most difficult tasks a manager can undertake. And it certainly shouldn’t be….it should be the opposite.

Both bias and the dreaded “Performance Appraisal” mentality must be eliminated from the equation…discuss expectations, monitor performance daily, and make employee engagement a priority. If you do that, the bias and subjectivity will be removed.

We need to tell people that we are interested in their performance and career direction. We must focus on their performance in respect to the competencies needed to do an above average job in their current role but help them develop a plan of action that will enhance their performance skills to reflect the achievement of a higher position in the future. What competencies will we need from our employees five years from now? That is what we should be focusing on with our people development processes. Isn’t it time to put the “whip” away and start moving people forward by providing the opportunity to succeed with their career objectives…all through the proper use of the Performance Appraisal Process. Don’t make it an event…it is a process.

Coaching - The Most Overlooked Employee Benefit

2011-09-28T09:25:00.007-04:00

Companies are saying that executive coaching has become their secret weapon when it comes to acquiring talent. BMW of Canada recently introduced a program that included the hiring of coaches to incorporate training into a leadership – development program.

Coaching can certainly compliment leadership training in any organization and it can be a needed incentive to elevate performance and provide a competitive edge by providing another perk or reason to join. In my experience, I have found Coaching to be a key component to retaining a good to great manager or leader. Coaches can be the link between personal direction and work/life balance while expanding the communication link between the business strategy and the employee by promoting good leadership skills.

Coaching is one of the most cost effective measures for improving productivity, enhancing performance, elevating morale, and supporting human resources with the hiring and selection process and their retention objectives. Turnover costs amount to approximately 1/3 of the salary for the position that needs to be replaced and goes up to about half when you loose a key employee.

The cost of coaching rarely exceeds 10% of the loss associated with employee turnover. You decide; would you rather expense $5000 to support an above average employee or spend $50,000 on replacing them? Coaching is much more than cost-savings for a company or organization. It is a process that supports the people development portion of any business while improving the organization’s effectiveness. Those are
two major components of any company striving to go as Jim Collins says, from “Good to Great”.

A Coach with Leadership Training experience is an unbeatable combination. Helping people reach their potential is the key ingredient for business success.

Most human resource managers that I have talked to state that they do not have any of the following:
1) Succession Plan
2) Mentor Program
3) an External Coaching Program (Executive or otherwise).

Leadership Training and Coaching are two components that can really change the financial situation of a company but are often put aside because it may draw attention to the real costs of turnover and how reducing such can dramatically affect the bottom line. I just can’t image in this time of economic downturn that most companies aren’t willing to look at innovative ways to attract employees and most importantly, retain good employees. I think most companies should use
the term “talent maintenance” instead of “talent management”. There are very few companies that focus on people potential and their development. Which plan do you have in place, “maintenance or management”? It’s time for YOUR secret weapon. . .
A coach with Leadership Training in his background.

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Our Coaching Services are designed to push you or the team to the next level by engaging in conversations that will provide inspiration and commitment resulting in goal achievement. Learn More

Employee Engagement is Performance and Productivity

2011-09-07T10:01:00.003-04:00

Managers have more impact on engagement then their companies.

In Good Boss, Bad Boss: How to be the Best…and Learn from the Worst by Robert Sutton, the author noted that about 75% of today's workforce reports that their immediate supervisor is the most stressful part of their job. It has also noted by several surveys including the initial work by Gallup that immediate supervisors have far more impact on engagement and productivity than whether their companies are rates as great or lousy places to work.

We believe that the immediate supervisor is an integral component to productivity and performance. We also believe that the value of the immediate supervisor is under estimated and their level of competence is over estimated. In a recent survey, we have concluded that the majority of supervisors and/or managers in mid-size and small companies have no formal leadership or management training. Image how a well trained boss can enhance the success of your company.

Our Leadership and Management Development Courses teach people the practical application for the skills and competencies that make great managers. As stated in his book, Robert Sutton says that the two “acid test” for great bosses is 1) whether people want to work for the boss and would they enthusiastically choose to do so again, and 2) is the boss hypersensitive to how others feel about them and the work their people do. They are compassionate, competent, and empathetic.

Leadership is learned and we teach people how to be “Good Bosses” while allowing them to apply the learned material immediately in the workplace using our “adult action-leaning” process. We also measure results with a defined ROI and guarantee. For the development of your future leaders, call 609.390.2830 for more information or click here on our Leadership Courses and Workshops.

I'm a manager, I don't need training. Right?

2011-08-24T09:23:00.007-04:00

Training for anyone who is new to managing a team is critical. It can be difficult to transition from exclusively being an individual contributor to driving team performance. This often requires very different skills, which perhaps they may not even know what is required of them.

There is a real need in many organizations to help new managers learn to manage their expectations of time management, so that they continue to contribute as individuals, but also are able to lead their teams successfully.

But your managers have been managing for a while now, they don't need training right? More than likely, they do need it.

Great managers are not born, they learn how to understand different personalities and give their employees opportunities to shine. Like we've said before, the fact that managers need to communicate the business strategy while translating it to define the full value of everyone’s role, responsibility, and actions needed to create a successful company, their plates are full and generally do not focus on their needs as a manager.

It is well documented what skills and competencies are needed for managers to be high achievers; but when I talk to most middle managers, they tell me that they have had little or no formal training. We are entrusting the success of our companies to people who do not know what it takes to provide positive feedback, cascading communication channels, an engaging work environment and everything else it takes to make a successful company. We assume that exemplary performance at a lower level or specific role will automatically make them highly productive managers.

So what is the next step? Training needs analysis, multiple webinars on communication and employee engagement? Here at Innovative Leadership, we believe in human interaction. We recommend a program made for adults with blended learning with real case studies, videos, and class interaction. Plus, learning from facilitators that have walked the walk and talked the talk. They know what you're managers are going through.

Innovative Leadership offers "The Making of An Effective Manager (ELD)" Course quarterly and this Leadership and Management Development Course teaches the participants methods (like identifying an informal leader) and principles of communication, handling the difficult employee and more while providing the vehicles and tools for them to use in the workplace to improve productivity and performance. After this 9 session program, they gain confidence to make the right decisions and know how to motivate and retain employees. Please call 609.390.2830 for more course information and enrollment forms or click here for more information.

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Article written by Richard J. Hohmann Jr., Lead Coach for Innovative Leadership, a strategic partner with Fitzpatrick, Bongiovanni, & Kelly, PC, and also a member of the Collaboration Team for Leadership Management International. Richard can also speak at your next organization’s meeting, to invite him to speak call 609-390-2830. For Management Training Solutions click here: http://www.innovativeleadershipdv.com/training_overview.asp

Talk Tough to a Poor Performer

2011-08-03T09:15:00.005-04:00

Delivering negative feedback is one of the toughest jobs managers face. So they avoid the issue, hoping that performance problems will evaporate on their own. They won't. Here are some tips that will make delivering feedback a bit easier:

Stay away from ancient history - Some managers allow a subordinate to mess up a few times without saying anything. Then, they explode with a list of offenses a mile long. It's better to address each incident as it happens or let it go. Read "Good Boss Bad Boss" by Robert Sutton
Be clear, but not combative - Don't dance around the problem. When you discipline a subordinate, both of you should walk away with a clear understanding of the issue and an action plan for a solution.
Don't act overly optimistic - or the employee will come away with the feeling that everything is ok. You need to convey the seriousness of the feedback you're delivering and the ramifications if the person doesn't improve.

Adapted from "Delivering Bad News with Grace and Effectiveness" Emory Mulling - Atlanta Business Chronicle

Every great athlete has a coach, so should every top business performer. Coaching can help get you to a higher level of performance or it can help you achieve your goal in a more timely fashion. Contact Innovative Leadership for Business Coaching for CEO's, Management, and Teams. More info

How To Track Performance for Growth

2011-07-26T06:48:00.004-04:00

Every goal – organizational or personal – needs a deadline or target date. Without a deadline, there is no pressure to perform at top capacity. Deadlines provide a motivational “push.” Once people discover what they can do, that new level of productivity becomes a constant challenge for achievement giving your business a much needed edge.

A good tracking system is one of the most useful tools for helping individuals meet goals and grow. Progress can be demonstrated only by comparing the past and the present and tracking is the best method of evaluating both the quantity and the quality of performance for individuals, for a department or work group, or for the overall organization.

How to choose a tracking system that meets your needs:
• Appropriate measurement. Make sure the tracking tool measures each important aspect of the activity. If your goal is to reduce the number of days between the receipt and shipping of orders, you won’t be happy to discover that the time interval was cut from three days to one if you also learn that the error rate rose from one percent to eight percent. In this case, a tracking plan should include both speed and accuracy.

• Easy to use. The measurement tool should not add significantly to the workload. If every worker must spend an hour a day just filling in the report, you lose a good deal of valuable time that could have been used in more productive efforts.

• Easy to interpret. Tracking tools should present the facts visibly in a form that quickly reveals the pertinent facts. Charts, graphs, and summary reports with side-by-side comparisons to the last reporting period are easy to read and interpret. What you learn from the reports helps you decide what to do next. Make sure tracking information is used to advance the goals program.

Providing Feedback on Performance
Because attitudes and behavior are so closely associated, it is often possible to change attitude by first changing behavior. When people try out new behavior patterns and discover that they are more satisfactory than established patterns, they gradually change their attitudes to match the new behaviors. Even when attitudes are favorable for success, employees sometimes do not know just what behaviors are appropriate expressions of those attitudes.

One of the best teaching tools is giving feedback on performance. Generally people respond to praise and recognition, but when they continue negative behavior, you might need to use a negative injunction. The purpose of a negative injunction is to stop negative behavior that creates an obstacle to reaching organizational goals or is counterproductive to getting a job done well. As you plan to provide feedback on performance to your employees, you will achieve the best possible results by following some simple guidelines: Click Here to Read Available for a limited time.

Are you liable for harassment that takes place in your business?

2011-07-11T20:57:00.001-04:00

Litigation cases in the area of Workplace Harassment are continuing to increase. How do you define harassment in the workplace? It’s not as simple as it used to be. It is now defined as any type of unwelcome action toward an employee that leads to difficulty in performing assigned tasks or causes the employee to feel he or she is working in a hostile environment.

There are three phases to an employee filing an litigation case. First, there is unwelcome and offensive conduct. The harassment may be based on such factors as race, gender, culture, age, sexual orientation, or religious preference. Bullying and retaliation are also forms of workplace harassment.Second, the employee must voice his or her objection to the behavior, allowing the offending individual or individuals to correct their workplace behavior. Last, the conduct must be of a nature that makes an impact on the ability of the employee to carry out his or her duties in an efficient and responsible manner. Some forms of workplace harassment are more common than others. Unwanted sexual advances by peers or supervisors is the most oft cited form of workplace harassment but other forms are also on the rise.

Where does this leave you as an employer or manager? Are you liable for harassment that takes place in your business?

Yes, you as the employer are automatically liable for harassment by a supervisor that results in a negative employment action such as termination, failure to promote or hire, and loss of wages. If the supervisor's harassment results in a hostile work environment, the employer can avoid liability only if it can prove that: 1) it reasonably tried to prevent and promptly correct the harassing behavior; and 2) the employee unreasonably failed to take advantage of any preventive or corrective opportunities provided by the employer.

The employer will be liable for harassment by non-supervisory employees or non-employees over whom it has control (e.g., independent contractors or customers on the premises), if it knew, or should have known about the harassment and failed to take prompt and appropriate corrective action.When investigating allegations of harassment, the EEOC looks at the entire record: including the nature of the conduct, and the context in which the alleged incidents occurred. A determination of whether harassment is severe or pervasive enough to be illegal is made on a case-by-case basis.

Innovative Leadership of the Delaware Valley, LLC offers the following Workshops that help your organization and management team avoid liability with this area of concern:

Workplace Harassment – This workshop is designed to teach managers and employees how to recognize, prevent, and manage workplace harassment including sexual harassment, bullying, retaliation, and more. This workshop provides a comprehensive overview of the legal and practical definitions and offers specific case studies to support the recommended actions.
How to conduct a Workplace Harassment Investigation – This workshop identifies the step by step process of a Workplace Harassment investigation from start to finish. Participants will take away all the tools to conduct their own investigation.

How to Find Leaders in the Workplace

2011-07-06T10:10:00.004-04:00

In a department or work group of any size, smaller groups begin to form along the lines of common needs and desires. You can often observe these groups during breaks or lunch time. Workers enjoy being together because of similar interests, problems, work, or other factors. This is where your informal leader emerges. When you recognize these informal leaders, you can use their power and influence to enhance the results and productivity of the group. You can antagonize informal leaders and their followers and see productivity sabotaged, or you can harness the power of informal groups to increase productivity.

Although informal leaders are not designated by the organization, they frequently wield extensive power and influence because of their ability to help other team members satisfy needs and reach goals. They are automatically sought out for advice and help when a colleague experiences a problem. They often are outstanding team members with common sense, loyalty, and can contribute a great deal to your company’s success when you delegate to them and help them develop their abilities even further.

Occasionally, however, informal leaders are troublemakers who seek followers to satisfy their own desire for power and glory. They may work against the goals of the organization. But most are competent and possess a great deal of undeveloped potential. Whether they become an asset or a liability to your department depends on your ability to help them find a constructive way to satisfy their needs for personal growth. Otherwise, they may become disgruntled troublemakers, or may move on to another job in an attempt to cure a vague dissatisfaction with the work situation.

In an atmosphere where people are motivated to produce at their peak, a great deal of friendly competition evolves and productivity goes up. You must look to these outstanding individuals as leaders, for they are prime candidates for accepting delegation. Not only will they perform well at whatever tasks you assign, but they also encourage other team members towards an attitude favorable to accepting delegation. Because of the influence of this outstanding person, other team members are also willing to learn new jobs and accept new responsibilities.

In contrast, people who feel mistreated and fearful may distrust high producers. They fear that management expects everyone to produce at that high level. Groups of disgruntled individuals sometimes follow an informal leader in using various pressures to force the top producer down to a lower standard. Derogatory terms are powerful demotivators when applied to those who exceed group standards. One of the worst punishments of all can be rejection by other team members.

In such situations, you need to identify their informal leaders and find a way to neutralize their power. These leaders may be people with high potential whose basic needs and goals are not being met. As a leader, you are responsible for knowing these people well enough to discover their unsatisfied needs and helping them motivate themselves to become productive. Directing the energy of these groups into constructive work can turn the force and authority of informal groups into a benefit for the organization.

You can enhance your career success by reinforcing your formal authority with appropriate action to fulfill these leadership functions:

• Acceptance by the group. A leader is trusted by the group members to have genuine understanding and empathy for their problems.

• Risk taking. A leader takes whatever risks might be involved in expressing group grievances to management and seeking solutions for them.

• Communication. The leader contributes to the security of the group by providing information. The informal leader may provide inaccurate information based on rumors. You are, in contrast, a channel for accurate information and thus give employees the feeling of security they need. Using these powerful strategies expands your influence and encourages maximum motivation among your team members.

Innovative Leadership offers "The Making of An Effective Manager (ELD)" Course quarterly and this Leadership and Management Development Course teaches the participants methods (like identifying an informal leader) and principles of communication, handling the difficult employee and more while providing the vehicles and tools for them to use in the workplace to improve productivity and performance. Please call 609.390.2830 for more course information and enrollment forms or click here

How To Understand Behaviors at Work

2011-06-15T10:12:00.004-04:00

Understanding the reasoning behind certain actions – why people act as they do – can help you deal effectively with people when they seem completely irrational to you. All behavior is designed to satisfy some need, and even unproductive behavior in the workplace usually arises from some unmet, internal personal need.

The satisfaction of psychological needs is just as important as physical needs but frequently more difficult. People usually first try to satisfy needs by direct action. They work hard to appear successful, exercise to look stronger and more confident, or read books to increase knowledge. For most, the direct approach works. Some individuals, however, grew up with or have life experiences that expand many unsatisfied needs that they now feel generally inferior, guilty, or unworthy. A direct approach is usually only temporary and insufficient. As a result, people with low self-esteem build defenses.

As a manager, CEO, or supervisor learning to recognize defenses will help you refer people for help to find alternative ways to satisfy their needs. As you direct employees to resources for addressing their problems, you not only help them improve their quality of life, but you also prevent defensive behavior in the workplace.

Some of the most common defenses are easy to recognize. Recognizing these defensive behaviors helps you know how to best respond:

Aggression - An aggressive person strikes out in an attempt – often subconscious – to destroy the source of frustration. Aggression is a sign of inner fear – not bravery. Because in our society an actual physical release of hostility is generally unacceptable behavior, people may resort instead to gossip, slander, or ridicule as a means of venting hostility in a more socially acceptable fashion. Regard any new surge in aggressive behavior or attitudes as a warning of underlying problems. Use the “tell me about it” method; confront the behavior or negative attitudes.

Daydreaming - In spite of adequate training and above average ability, some people persist in escaping from the drab world of reality into a dream world where life is a bed of roses. Team members who persistently daydream rather than work are exhibiting behavior more characteristic of adolescence than of adulthood. You can often cure daydreaming by helping individuals learn to set short-term goals and gradually establish a pattern of success.

Repression - This protects the self-image by rejecting thoughts that are unpleasant or would cause guilt or shame. Some repression may be positive, but an overdose results in intense fears and debilitating feelings of inferiority. Some repressed experiences produce feelings of guilt expressed through self-criticism – or even an apparent desire to provoke punishment. Help team members exhibiting excess guilt, inferiority, or negativism to begin believing in themselves more. Give praise for specific successes whenever possible.

Rationalization – This is someone who explains failure by making excuses. Why is production down? The raw materials were bad. Why they were not promoted? It was strictly favoritism! Rationalization is an attempt to boost the self-image by “lying to oneself.” People who rationalize must learn to admit their faults and overcome them. A good system of feedback – both positive and corrective – helps to establish a climate in which team members feel secure enough to acknowledge weaknesses and to develop a plan for growth.

Compartmentalization – This is a way of controlling anxiety and guilt feelings by separating contradictory ideas in the conscious mind. Employees who firmly believe it is wrong to steal might use compartmentalization to justify carrying off company property to make up for salaries they believe are too low. Reasoning with people who compartmentalize is a waste of time and energy. But appealing to their emotions will bolster their egos and more likely nurture a commitment to desired behavior.

Understanding and identifying these behaviors will help you become sensitive to defensiveness and turn it into cooperation in the workplace.

Remember, the best predictor of future performance is present in the ways and means that they addressed a similar situation in their work environment in the past. Understanding your own behavior and the behavioral style of your employees will allow you to not only recognize some of these defensive actions earlier, but maybe just prevent the incident before it even occurs.

For more information on our courses and workshops that allow you to use behavioral styles to your advantage as a manager or employee, please call us at 609.390.2830.

Innovative Leadership of the Delaware Valley, LLC offers the Everything DiSC® Management Workshop designed to help managers realize the impact of their personal behavioral style on the people you work with. This Workshop teaches participants about their behavioral strengths and challenges as managers and how to adapt to meet the needs of the people they manage – making everyone more productive and effective.

Seven Questions the Demonstrate Engagement

2011-06-08T11:35:00.003-04:00

After reading the “The Why of Work: How Great Leaders Build Abundant Organizations that Win, Susan R. Meisinger, former CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management, comments in an article that the difficulty that organizations face when trying to engage people who are all motivated by different things, is to shift your view of engagement from not simply “being present” but look at engagement as “being emotionally and socially present”. She feels if HR wants to help their leadership team and employees find greater meaning in their roles within the company, they need to do more than ensure that everyone has a best friend at work or has been coached about their future career with the last 60 days.

I agree with Susan that HR professionals who are charged with elevating employee engagement need to read this book to better understanding of the why’s of the seven questions. The book will offer them new insights into ways to increase their own engagement – or to increase the abundance in their lives – and increasing the value they bring to their own organization. As Susan states, it’s engagement with a different view.

So when are you going out on into the workplace to ask these questions?

Who am I?

Where am I going?

Whom do I travel with?

How do I build a positive work environment?

What challenges interest me?

How do I change, learn and grow?

What delights me?

It’s time to learn if we do have an engaged workforce or not…..Get moving.

The questions listed above were presented in a recent book by Dave and Cindy Ulrich, The why of Work: How Great Leaders Build Abundant Organizations that Win; their book focuses on how leaders engage their workforce but also their customers, vendors, community and investors.

What is the biggest Leadership Obstacle to Middle Management?

2011-05-24T20:24:00.003-04:00

I am starting to realize that the biggest obstacle to middle management is without question, senior management. Most managers today show a greater loyalty to their department while the loyalty and respect for senior management is waning. The result becomes a real disconnect between upper and middle management. This disconnect is directly related to employee engagement.

Upper management is responsible for providing the direction of the company. This strategic responsibility is quite a task but senior management expects total commitment to the vision, mission, and strategic business objectives from their middle management and all employees and it is unreal. This lack of commitment is demonstrated in most employee surveys or employee engagement data. It is well documented that the American worker tends to trust their immediate supervisor as opposed to the company’s senior leaders.

How to Provide Direction to Middle Management:

Senior officers, you need get out of your office and be with your day to day decision makers - In a previous article, I noted that observation and open discussion with managers and staff are competencies or skills that senior managers tend to avoid. Senior management must eliminate the lack of trust and to do that they must inspire their management team and staff to believe in the direction, etc. Getting buy in from your middle management team is imperative for sustained growth.
Mentor middle management - The middle managers must feel appreciated and the best way to do that is to be mentored by a senior manager, which moves the mid-level manger toward the strategy side of the equation. The middle management of any organization must comprehend the business strategy for them to be able translate the direction that is easily understood by the entire work force. If this cascading flow of communication gets interrupted, then it becomes impossible for anyone within any organization to connect the dots resulting in employee disengagement.
Develop middle management - It is well documented what skills and competencies are needed for managers to be high achievers; but when I talk to most middle managers, they tell me that they have had little or no formal training. We are entrusting the success of our companies to people who do not know what it takes to provide positive feedback, cascading communication channels, an engaging work environment and everything else it takes to make a successful company. We assume that exemplary performance at a lower level or specific role will automatically make them highly productive managers.

I hate to tell you but leaders and great managers are made not born. In most employee surveys and/or engagement data, we find that most concerns of employees focus on their immediate supervisor not doing what they should be doing….communicating the business strategy while translating it to define the full value of everyone’s role, responsibility, and actions needed to create a successful company.

With the rapid departing of the baby boomers and disengagement still hovering around 30 percent, isn’t it time to focus on developing your future leaders. This leadership must be developed in the middle of the company and mentored upward so that the strategy and implantation will always do exactly what it is intended to do……bring the desired results.

Now is the time for senior management to act and gain success in their company through developing their management and then the middle management’s individual productivity results in organizational effectiveness. It’s not magic but it is a necessity.

Article written by Richard J. Hohmann Jr., Lead Coach for Innovative Leadership, a strategic partner with Fitzpatrick, Bongiovanni, & Kelly, PC, and also a member of the Collaboration Team for Leadership Management International. Richard can also speak at your next organization’s meeting, to invite him to speak call 609-390-2830. For Management Training Solutions click here: http://www.innovativeleadershipdv.com/training_overview.asp

Managers: Ask for Bad News

2011-05-11T14:13:00.004-04:00

Don't allow bad news to blindside you. If you do, you'll have to shift priorities ina hurry to handle any promlems that arise unexpectedly.

Here are some tips to ensure you get the bad news in time to do something about it:

Develop Independent sources of information. Cultivate informal contacts elsewhere in your organization. Take customer calls at the call center. Talk to your front-line staff.
Push for depth. Does one element of a report seem a little off? Search for the reason why. That "off" fact or figure could alert you to a major problem.
Create a "truth-telling" culture. Assign a "worse-case scenario" team to every analysis. Get everyone used to "facing the truth." Caution: Truth telling doesn't mean shooting down less than perfect ideas.
Take action. If what your staff tell you just languishes, they won't come forward. Mobilize your resources and tackle the problem immediately.

Adapted from "How to Get Bad News to the Top" by Scott Kirsner

Understanding Human Behavior

2011-04-28T10:18:00.001-04:00

Understanding human motivation enables you to achieve results through people, while understanding team members and their behavior implies that you care about them and have their best interests at heart. Investing the time and effort required to understand human behavior and to motivate employees offers readily observable benefits:
• Reduction in personnel turnover
• Identification of effective motivational leadership methods
• Increase in employee productivity, creativity, and loyalty.

Human beings are complicated, and there are no simplistic rules for understanding their behavior. Certain principles, however, provide insight into why people behave in certain ways. One way of looking at human behavior is to see it as caused by needs and wants. and can be classified into four types that are called the Four P’s: protection, pleasure, profit, and pride.

The need for protection is expressed in the universal desire for a feeling of security, safety, and protection from danger, from confusion, from domination and loss of freedom, from pain and poor health, and from uncertainty. This need is also expressed in a desire for a feeling of freedom from all kinds of loss—including loss of status, reputation, time, money, or opportunity. In very practical terms, this need demands that team members perform at their best, yet feel free from the fear of losing their jobs at the whim of an unpredictable leader.

Pleasure reflects the need and desire for comfort, convenience, companionship of others, or participation in enjoyable activities. Pleasure also includes feelings of assurance and a sense of belonging. Receiving attention fulfills a pleasure need because we all want recognition and approval from others. A sense of achievement is also an important pleasure need; all of us want to feel that we are capable of accomplishing and completing worthwhile goals.

The desire for profit is seen in the concern for monetary gain, increased earnings, and other financial advantages. Some individuals are motivated more than others by the desire for profit, but nearly everyone has this need to some extent. Thrift and avoidance of waste are also expressions of the desire for profit.

A sense of pride is fostered by feelings of self-esteem as well as feelings of significance and respect from others. As you treat others in ways that make them feel good about themselves, you are meeting their need for pride. People want to feel respected, to enjoy equality with others, and to achieve prestige in groups they consider important.

What is the best motivator?

2011-04-28T10:14:00.001-04:00

All three basic approaches to motivation (fear, incentive, and attitude) have been available since the early beginnings of organized society. Both fear and incentive motivation have consistently proven to be temporary because they are external. Fear ceases to exist if the power to inflict punishment is gone. But it also ceases to motivate action if people find out they can live with the punishment, or if it is an empty threat. A team member who is careless about following established procedures learns that the only punishment is an angry reprimand; it may be easier to tune out the lecture than to follow the rules exactly. Fear is successful as a motivator only if the pressure is constant and power to punish is exercised.

Incentive motivation loses its power when the promised rewards are perceived either as unattainable or as unappealing. When employees consistently earn a promised reward over a period of time, that reward is expected. It no longer appears desirable enough to inspire extra effort. In fact, it is soon looked upon as a right instead of a special reward. Unfortunately, incentives must become progressively more impressive to continue to motivate. Both fear and incentive motivation fall short because they are externally controlled and temporary.

Attitude motivation, on the other hand, is a permanent force for producing desired behavior. It has the additional advantage of being internally produced and controlled. It continues to be effective whether the individual is working alone or in a group. Attitude motivation grows out of an individual’s dreams and desires. It is a function of the need to belong, to achieve, and to use the innate talents with which the individual is endowed. motivating people is basically a matter of showing them how to develop the power of self-motivation and then demonstrating to them the desirability of using that power to accomplish a purpose. Admittedly, it takes longer to start the process of achievement in your organization through attitude motivation than you might produce through either fear or incentive. But once team members experience the sense of fulfillment that comes through the use of attitude motivation, they are permanently sold on making full use of their potential.

Encourage the Cooperation of Others

2011-04-28T09:48:00.005-04:00

By Richard Hohmann, VP of Innovative Leadership

“Since the first recorded history, leaders have attempted to discover new ways to attract the willing cooperation of others.”

Leaders fill many different types of positions and perform widely diverse functions. But the chief task of leadership is the same for all: to motivate people who will then use their skills and effort to achieve the goals of the organization. The operative word in that definition is motivate. The attention given to motivation is not new. Since the first recorded history, leaders have attempted to discover new ways to attract the willing cooperation of others. Records of their attempts—along with accounts of their successes and failures—have filled countless volumes, but all of the different methods discovered can be sorted into three basic categories: fear, incentive, and attitude.

1. Motivation through fear
The oldest method of motivation is fear. In primitive society, the strongest person became the ruler. Physical strength was originally the source of power, and weaker members of the group followed orders because they feared the physical punishment that was sure to result from refusal to conform. As society became more organized, other types of power came into play: Social, economic, and political pressures forced obedience. Even today, the business world uses fear to motivate people to behave in desired ways. Rules and policies threaten various sanctions for undesirable behavior all the way from a memo of censure placed in the personnel file to denial of increased pay to outright dismissal.

2. Motivation through incentive
Although fear is often a powerful motivator, many would-be leaders who lack the personal power to demand obedience look for other methods of producing the cooperation they want. They realized that every behavior is the result of a desire either to gain a benefit or to avoid a loss. Because of this lack of power, they offer an incentive—the promise of some gain to those who complied. Incentive motivation is generally regarded as a more enlightened strategy than fear. Families and schools use the promise of rewards to coax children to perform. Organizations offer people awards, prizes, and privileges for certain achievements.

3. Motivation through attitude
The master method of motivation is attitude. When people are willing to perform because they personally believe that a particular course of action is right, they are self-motivated. It is then unnecessary for anyone else to “motivate” them.

What is the best motivation tool?

10 Tips to Effective Communication

2011-04-20T15:47:00.001-04:00

Manager’s today are dealing with 3 different generations in the workforce but that doesn’t change how managers should communicate with their employees. Everything a manager does involve communicating. Communication is needed to increase effectiveness, efficiency, customer satisfaction, improve quality and create innovative opportunities.

The Gallop Poll has demonstrated that as a nation, we engage our workers less than any other workforce in the world. We need to engage our workers so they realize their value in the success of the business strategy of the company or organization. In other words, we need to make them feel that they are part of the decision making process and contribute significantly to the success of our organization. This will also help us retain our better employees.

On top of that, if we can improve feedback, we certainly will help retain our good employees. Remember, people don’t leave a good company, they leave a bad manager. The number one reason for an employee leaving a company is lack of feedback from their immediate supervisor. So the number one factor in regard to Talent Management – Communication.

How do we communicate?
• Verbal
– One-on-One
– Meetings
– Groups or Teams
– Telephone
• Written
– Letter
– Memo
– E Mail
• Non-verbal
– Body Language

As a manager, you must remember that sending an email can easily be misinterpreted. Face to face meetings or just interaction is being replaced by emails, against common belief, this actually decreases productivity.

Here are 10 tips to effective communication
1. Connect personally with employees
2. Plan your presentation with the outcome in mind
3. Make it real communication; eliminate perception
4. Use a variety of communication pathways and vehicles
5. Give people multiple opportunities to share their concerns, ask questions, and offer ideas
6. Don’t confuse Process with Communication
7. Be genuine and develop trust
8. Be an active listener
9. Keep a sense of humor and develop comfortable relations
10. Communicate ideas not feelings or judgment

5 Tips for Fun in the Workplace

2011-03-30T13:23:00.004-04:00

Once a quarter, set aside a day where all the employees, including the manager and the boss, have to dress up as some fictional or cartoon character, or as anything theme everyone decides on. Award the “best dressed person” with a gift card to a local dining favorite. Such days will lighten up the atmosphere at work and ease out the tension.
Put games such as chess, pool table, carom, monopoly, etc. for refreshment. Employees who finish their work early can refresh themselves with such recreational games. Also choose a corner in the office to put some gymnastic equipment. A small workout could do wonders to the mind.
In lunch breaks or on specific Fridays, organize a karaoke session. Get a karaoke machine in the office and let the employees go wild. For maximum fun, let the managers and bosses be the contestants and employees the judges so that the higher authorities can get a taste of their own medicine!
Once every quarter, the entire office should take a long lunch break to a fancy restaurant and maybe go out for a movie, as well.
Create a cartoons and joke board. All employees could collect and share their favorite cartoons and jokes and put it up on the board.

Get all the employees to participate in ways to add fun in the workplace. Let the “fun crew” go wild with creativity, meeting once or twice a month, since there is no limit to ideas in which you can infuse a lot of fun in the office. However, every week or every month, the members of the “fun crew” should change so that there is always a fresh rotation of fun ideas!

Adapted from Careers

Why Email Marketing? Five Great Reasons

2011-03-23T15:18:00.001-04:00

by Michelle Keegan¹, Constant Contact Email Marketing Expert Sign up Here

Email marketing is one of the most powerful marketing tools available to businesses of all types and sizes. No matter how you define success, you can achieve outstanding results with email marketing while investing only a small amount of time and an even smaller amount of money.

"54% of small businesses surveyed rated e-mail as the top online promotion to drive site visitors and customers to their web sites and storefronts." Source: DMA Interactive

"I think over time we'll see small businesses adopting e-mail marketing because it has the inherent advantages of being 'faster, cheaper and easier' to execute. Coupled with the potential to target more precisely than today's solo or shared mailers, there's a real win for the small business owner." Source: Neal Polachek, senior vice president of The Kelsey Group.

So, Why Email Marketing?

It's Inexpensive
Email marketing is an affordable way to stretch a tight marketing budget - and whose isn't these days? Unlike direct mail, there is virtually no production, materials or postage expense. Email marketing is 20 times more cost effective than direct mail, and can cost as little as fractions of a penny per email.

"Previously, we were sending these kinds of mailings through first-class postal mail," said Robin Parker, owner of Studio: Dance, Arts & More. "With several hundred members and prospects, that really adds up quickly. Email marketing is much less expensive than sending out postcards or flyers. We save about $4,000 just in materials and postage."
It's Effective
Email marketing enables you to proactively communicate with your existing customers and prospects instead of passively waiting for them to return to your Web site or storefront. It is a highly effective way to increase sales, drive site or store traffic and develop loyalty.
- Increasing sales
  "In response to our first campaign, WatchZone received 100 online orders - all from a segment of 15,000 current customers," said Shavi Mahtani, CEO of WatchZone.com, a leading site for fashion and sport watches at discount prices. "The average sale was about $150 per order. We were very happy with that result. Frankly, it exceeded our expectations."
- Driving traffic
  "The increase in traffic was substantial," said Travis Erickson, controller for GolfBargains.com, online "Pro Shop" for golf enthusiasts. "We've noticed that even if the recipient isn't interested in, say, our golfing irons promotion, they'll think, 'Wow, that's a great price - I wonder what else they have on sale?'"
- Building Loyalty
  
  "We're technically not an e-business," said Robin Parker, owner of Studio: Dance, Arts & More, "but we're using email marketing to capture the names of site visitors so that we can provide them with information, news, and schedules that make their lives easier. That helps us build and retain loyal members. We believe email marketing will increase the lifetime value of our members by encouraging more frequent visits to the studio and strengthening our relationships with our members."
It's Immediate

Email marketing generates an immediate response. The call to action is clear: "Click here to take advantage of this offer", or "to learn more about this service". Initial campaign response generally occurs within 48 hours of the time the email campaign is sent.

"Orders pour in within 24 hours after I send my newsletters," said Emitations.com CEO, Au-Co Mai. "In an economy where most companies are suffering, I can't believe that I'm actually thriving and breaking revenue goals every month."
It's Targeted
You can easily segment your lists using a variety of criteria or interest groups so that your promotions go to the individuals most likely to respond to your offer.

"Because many of our customers are collectors, they are only interested in hearing about the newest collectible arrivals," said Lars Mohlin, President, House of Ascot, a mail order gift and collectible business. "While others are looking for promotions, the collectors often dislike receiving mail messages offering discounts. We target email campaigns to our subscribers' opt-in interest categories, this has resulted in a 40%-50% jump in revenue."
It's Easy

There are Web-based email marketing products for small and medium businesses. Most include professional HTML templates, list segmentation and targeting capabilities, as well as, automatic tracking and reporting. So, you are free to concentrate on your unique message.

"This is definitely something a non-techie can do," said Shavi Mahtani, CEO of WatchZone.com. "It took us about 45 minutes - start to finish - to build and compose our e-mail. And each campaign since then has taken less time to set up."
"I don't need a Webmaster or a technical person to handle my newsletters anymore," said Raphael Baekeland, general manager of Kuartos.com. "My product manager and I can do everything very easily."

Employee Engagement is a Unique Experience Leading to Motivation

2011-03-23T15:12:00.001-04:00

By Richard Hohmann, VP of Innovative Leadership of the Delaware Valley

Tim Rutledge, Author of “Getting Engaged: The New Workplace Loyalty” defines engagement as employees who are attracted to, inspired by, committed to and fascinated by their work”.

The various levels of engagement involve certain ingredients that do make a difference:
• Relationship Building
• Goal-orientation
• Passion, and
• Forward Thinking

Many HR professionals use the following metrics to determine engagement:
• Individual Performance
• Organizational Productivity
• Employee Retention and Turnover
• Customer-orientation and brand loyalty

It has been shown that engagement has both a rational and emotional commitment. The latest statistics have demonstrated that 31% of our workforce is engaged and 17% are disengaged (BlessingWhite – 2011). Over half of the workers exhibit some disengagement. The statistics demonstrate that we are all accountable for our own engagement level but people in a management role must coach and/or mentor their direct reports to a higher level of engagement while managing their own engagement. Executives must not only set the tone for high morale but manage their own engagement plus shoulder the responsibilities of managers and staff.

This new body of work demonstrates a strong correlation between engagement levels and age, role and position, and tenure. It might be time for focus on generational diversity in the workplace. Unfortunately, the survey also shows that the majority of employees today are looking for new opportunities within and outside of their own company. Many companies are projecting that many of their good people will be leaving once the economy turns around. This survey also demonstrates that engaged employees stay for what they give and the disengaged stay for what they get. Doesn’t that say it all!

It is certainly important for HR professionals and the executive officers of the company to focus on activities that close the gap between the decision makers and the staff. We must get everyone on the same page and have management respond instead of react.

Contact us for our Top Ten Solutions for Disengagement…this is an ideal document to discuss with your executive leadership team. Remember, in previous studies, it has been shown that 96% of engaged employees trust their leaders and only 46% of the disengaged employees trust their leaders. Isn’t it time that your company’s leadership team focus on Motivation – the end result of Engagement.

How To Solve Problems with Success - 7 Steps

2011-03-15T10:40:00.001-04:00

When a problem arises, the preliminary steps lead up to a decision about which a possible solution will be implemented. Problem solving may involve a relatively insignificant item, or it may concern a serious issue with the possibility of a major impact on the entire organization. The larger and more important the problem, the more time and detail go into each step of the problem-solving process. For minor problems, several of the steps may be accomplished mentally in only a few seconds.

But the process always includes these steps:
1. Define the problem. Take time to discover the nature of the real problem when something is obviously wrong. Define the problem clearly in terms of one or more organizational or personal goals.
2. List criteria for selecting a solution. Establish guidelines for evaluating possible solutions and making a decision by referring to specific organizational goals and priorities. The criteria might include impact on product quality, cost limits, personnel changes, the leader’s time allotment, and a target date for choosing a solution to be implemented.
3. Collect information. Considering time and expense, identify the particular type of information that must be assembled and set a deadline for collecting it. Asking open-end questions and listening carefully are generally good information-gathering techniques. Ask others how they would solve the problem and why they would take that approach.
4. Develop possible solutions. Examine all of the data collected and record all possible solutions suggested by the data. List as many possible solutions as you or the group can generate by brainstorming. The brainstorming process is most effective when it is completely uninhibited and free from any critical analysis.
5. Analyze possible solutions. Allow time for ideas to “incubate.” Work on other problems and come back to the original one with a new perspective. When you accept traditional assumptions about what can be done, you limit the ability to find creative solutions. Alter assumptions about what can be accomplished, and you open your mind to new possibilities for solving specific problems.
6. Make the decision. When as much information as feasible has been gathered and considered, assume the responsibility for making a decision, or for leading team members to choose the best possible solution.
7. Implement the solution and follow up. Since the process is problem solving rather than decision making alone, a plan for implementation must be developed to carry the job through to completion. Assign responsibility for each action step. Set up a schedule and follow it to make sure the problem is being solved. Make appropriate adjustments along the way to ensure successful problem solving.

Working Together to Achieve Goals

2011-03-02T10:43:00.001-05:00

To gain full mastery of your attitudes, your time, and your life, immerses yourself in a total program of personal and organizational goals. Many personal goals involve items money can buy, and your career is the means for earning that money. Other personal goals focus on satisfying such intangible needs as security, ego satisfaction, and self-fulfillment that are inevitably tied to the work environment. When you recognize this relationship both intellectually and emotionally, you realize that productivity leads to the satisfaction of both your personal needs and your professional success.

Reaching business goals requires the cooperation of everyone in the organization. Ideally, everyone plays an appropriate part in choosing business goals, planning for their achievement, and working out the action steps. Few organizations, however, are ideal. Some business goals may be handed down to you with little opportunity for your input. You may find it easy to be wholeheartedly committed to the achievement of these goals, but it is possible that you might find yourself in partial disagreement with a particular goal or plan. At this point, carefully examine your priorities and values to determine exactly how you can contribute to the achievement of the stated goals and how you can grow personally by doing so – even though you might have preferred to see the organization move in another direction. Express your ideas about particular organizational goals and plans to the right person at the right time. Only in the case of a serious clash between your personal values and those of the organization will you find it impossible to contribute appropriately. With careful consideration, you can gain insights into ways to contribute to the productivity and long-term success of the company.

One element to consider in both personal and organizational goal setting is the time investment required. Most organizations develop more ideas for profit and expansion than they have the resources to carry out. Consequently, some criteria must be established for choosing profitable ventures. Traditionally, these decisions are based on projected return on in-vestment of capital. Obviously, though, some projects that promise high financial return require more time on the part of team members than others. In strategic planning, organizations must consider not only the amount of capital required for undertaking a new project and the expected return on investment, but they must also plan realistically for the amount of time required of key people to implement and supervise the project. Some projects that promise a high return on the investment of capital are impractical when the amount of time required by certain team members is considered.

To ensure adequate time to undertake exciting new projects, all members of the organization need to practice time-proven goal-setting principles of effective personal productivity. This is one strategy that always pays big dividends!

How the Goal-Setting Process Works

Goal setting is the most powerful process available to improve your personal productivity. Without planning and goal setting, all the desire that can be aroused in the limitless potential of the human spirit is wasted like the random lightning of a summer storm. It squanders its force in one flash across the heavens and is lost in the void of space without utility, purpose, or direction. It goes unharnessed and unused, its potential power wasted. Ironically, the contrast resulting from its sudden brilliance seems to leave behind an even darker future once the momentary glare fades.

In striking contrast, goal setting – supported by careful planning – provides a sense of direction to keep you focused on the most important activities. Goals serve as a filter to eliminate extraneous demands. Goals bring to life order, meaning, and purpose that sustain interest and motivation over a long period of time. Goals evoke your noblest qualities; they express your desire to achieve, to improve your life, and to be more effective, more productive, and more successful tomorrow than you are today.

Goal setting is the most powerful action you can take to improve your personal productivity. Simply defined, the goal-setting process is the process of:

Developing a mission statement for your life.
Writing a specific goal(s) that supports your mission.
Listing the benefits of achieving the goal.
Anticipating possible obstacles and solutions.
Writing detailed action steps and deadlines to achieve the goal.
Integrating the action steps into your planning system.
Determining a method of tracking your progress.
Writing affirmations to support your belief in your ability to accomplish the goal.
Developing a visual representation that effectively reminds you of your goal.

Although success carries different meanings to different people, there is a definition that fits your dreams as well as those of everyone else:

Success is the progressive realization of
worthwhile, predetermined personal goals.

Success does not come by accident; you cannot buy it, inherit it, or even marry into it. Success depends on following a lifelong practice of goal setting and continuous growth – the process of “progressive realization.” Success also depends on seeking predetermined goals. Although many worthwhile achievements come as side effects of some other activity or purpose, they are, nevertheless, a direct consequence of the pursuit of predetermined goals. The full, ultimate effect of reaching a specific goal is not always clearly visible now, but the important point to recognize is that achievement and increased personal productivity invariably arise as a direct consequence of striving toward predetermined goals.

The sole purpose of the goal-setting process is to guide you on the entire journey from wish to fulfillment. The steps in the process are simple but not simplistic, comprehensive but not complex. Be patient and keep an open mind until the overall pattern of activity begins to unfold. Just remember that you are what you are today because of events that unfolded over time and your choices in response to those events. When you wish to change, to alter attitudes or habits, or to develop new personality traits that will increase your effectiveness, that, too, takes time. Individual pace may vary, but the sequential process of goal setting does not; so follow the plan as outlined. When you internalize the goal-setting process, your goals create a magnetic attraction that draws you toward their achievement.

Innovative Leadership of the Delaware Valley, LLC is a partner of LMI

LMI JOURNAL, VOLUME IV, NUMBER 7

Leadership Management® Institute*
Reprinted with permission

Observation is Key to Coaching Excellence

2011-02-23T15:40:00.003-05:00

Coaching is a goal-oriented process that is designed to help an individual accomplish more in a shorter period of time, raise the bar even higher than the client believes is possible, and more. Coaching is also used to help the client become more action and results-oriented. When performance is an issue, the coaching objective usually focuses on developing the appropriate behaviors and actions that lead to higher achievement. Coaching in the workplace is usually measured by behavioral change and improvement in the key competencies and skill sets that result in higher achievement or improved productivity.

As a coaching client, how can you expect to improve your goals and to see those type of results if I never leave my desk or put down the telephone? I have been a certified Business Coach working with executives, managers, and employees in regard to performance and productivity for over ten years. It is impossible for me to measure results without viewing my client in the very environment that he or she is performing in. Observation is one of the most important ingredients in a successful coaching engagement, yet it is also one of the most difficult tasks.

Observation is most difficult because it is done through the coach’s eyes and my views on perceived right and wrong behavior. Sometimes coaches tend not to reinforce positive behavior to the individual and/or the team. We certainly do not emphasize an incident or behavioral display as an opportunity for growth. Most coaching engagements need the client to demonstrate a change in behavior, an action, or the enhancement of a skill set.

I find that observation can provide a candidate with the visual input that they tend not see themselves; their body language, use of the King’s English, tone, emphasis on words or terms, etc. Feedback on these behaviors can produce a positive performance and increase a person or team’s productivity. I like to observe these behaviors like my client speaking to individuals, groups and shareholders as well as in a meeting situation and more to give them input on behaviors that could mean success or failure.

Coaching at a higher level should help the client with their growth and development that will ultimately result in high achievement within the organization. I define perception as the view others have of me through their eyes and reality is view I get through the feedback from coach or manager. As a coach, I tell my clients not to hesitate to invite myself their work environment for observation and debriefing. Also, I make it clear that my client can request my attendance at any work event that might offer them an opportunity for some positive feedback from me, their coach. I encourage observation and use it as a coaching technique with all of my clients.

By: Richard Hohmann
Certified Business Coach
Vice President of Innovative Leadership of the Delaware Valley, LLC
Phone: 609.390.2830
E-mail: rhohmann@innovativeleadershipdv.com

Five Steps to Success

2011-02-16T10:06:00.002-05:00

People dream about it, aspire to it, work for it, envy it, sacrifice for it, exemplify it, achieve it and even lost it. One thing is for sure – everyone wants it.

Why aren’t more people successful? Why is success elusive for so many? The primary obstacle is how people view success. Unfortunately, most people see success as a matter of chance or a mere consequence of luck. This is evidenced by the popularity of such practices as psychics, horoscopes, fortune tellers, lotteries, gambling, etc.

Success is actually completely logical and predictable. This is because success is natural result of certain actions. Success is like gravity. If you hold up a rock and let go, it will drop. Likewise, if you do certain things, you will succeed. We have identified five steps to success. If you will follow these steps faithfully, you will succeed. In this month’s column, I will outline the first step to success. I will then lay out the other four steps over the next four columns.

Know Your Goals
The first key to success is to know what you want. If there’s one thing that stops people from being more successful, it’s lack of defined goals. When you have clear goals, you’re constantly thinking about what you want. You then begin to generate creative ideas on how you can attain your goals. This leads to goal awareness. Goal awareness allows you to see every opportunity to move closer to your goal. We all have countless opportunities right next to us. What seems like luck or chance to most people is simply the ability to recognize and act upon opportunities as they become available.
______________________________

“Success is actually completely logical and predictable. This is because success is a natural result of certain actions.”
_____________________________

How do you define your goals? It’s actually a fairly simple process.

• First, write down everything you’ve ever wanted. List everything. Include things you want to have, places you want to go, activities you want to do, qualities you want to possess, etc. The important thing is to write down everything. Don’t decide or judge if you’re worthy or capable of achieving your desires – just list them.

• Second, Pick at least three but no more than 10 of the dreams you want to work on now.

• Third, write each dream as a S.M.A.R.T. goal. SMART is an acronym for an effective goal. This means your goal is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Tangible.

• Specific means you know exactly what you want. Do you want a new car? What kind? A Ford? A Toyota? A BMW? What make? What color? What accessories? The more specific you can be the better.

• Measurable means you always know exactly where you stand in relation to your goal. Do you want to lose weight? How much? By when?

• Attainable means it’s possible. Setting a goal to be 10 feet tall is probably not an attainable goal.

• Realistic means it’s possible for you. In other words, you need to set goals based on where you are now. If you’ve never played golf, it’s probably unrealistic to set a goal to win the Masters.

• To make your goal tangible, you must make it vivid. Know what it smells like, tastes like, sounds like, feels like, looks like and feels like emotionally.

• Fourth, say your goals out loud at least twice a day, every day. The more you focus and internalize your goals, the more goal awareness you develop.

• Fifth, physically write out your goals every day. The act of writing puts action into your goals. Once your goals are put into action, they develop their own momentum. The hardest part of achieving your goals is just getting started.

For the next 30 days, practice these principles every day. You will be amazed at the progress you make on your goals. Remember, success is certain.

By Randy Slechta, President of Leadership Management International, Inc. a global leadership and organizational development company

What is the engine in your company?

2011-02-09T13:41:00.004-05:00

By Richard Hohmann, VP, Innovative Leadership

How empowered is the "middle of your company?" Many companies have been focused on leveraging their top talent, investing in high-potentials and preparing people for the C-suite. Some are doing a better job than others but the real key is that in the midst of all this segmentation, have you thought about the "engine" of your workforce -- your middle management and consistent performers?

These are the people, over the last several years, which we have asked to do "more with less," increase innovation, collaborate and work globally. However, many have failed to give the middle of the organization the support it needs to succeed in today's modern work environment. With the right support, middle managers empower your front-line employees to grow and learn on the job.

Ann Burack-Weiss and Barbara Silverstone article Success of Middle Management Depends on Upper Management states; "The empowerment of middle management is an ongoing process. It consists of a blended approach in which outside resources such as online or in-person courses and readings on leadership and supervision are mixed with upper management modeling the very strategies they wish to instill. This includes the provision of regular feedback to the middle manager."

Our "Making of an Effective Manager Course", Voted the #1 Management Development Program by Entrepreneur Magazine, is just such a vehicle. (See Below for More Details) Your middle management delivers your desired outcome by implementing the business strategy and engaging the workforce by demonstrating their value to the designed outcome. Our Course provides a better understanding of the problem with the methods for providing solutions, and the need for demonstrating the appropriate behaviors to elevate the productivity and performance of your people and company

Enroll you middle management team now and see the difference.

The Value of Mid-Level Management

2011-01-26T11:06:00.001-05:00

I define management as the act of getting people to work together to achieve a common goal. In most organizations, the responsibility and roles of management vary by level and in most, the senior level management is responsible for the overall direction or strategy of the company and the middle level management is responsible for the tactical component that implements the plan developed by the senior level.

Strategic business initiatives and desired outcomes are normally focused on the financial results including shareholder satisfaction. Mid-level managers are responsible for the interlocking functions associated with management like organizing, planning, controlling, coordinating, and commanding. This responsibility also includes the utilization of available resources needed to produce the desired results.

Mid-level managers are responsible for developing plans of action, understanding policies and procedures, monitoring the progress of the department in relation to their goals, maintaining budget requirements, and keeping the workforce engaged.

In other words, it is the mid-level manager’s responsibility to clarify the business strategy so everyone can understand the plan or direction of the company. They must continue to break down the strategic business plans into functional plans that can be satisfied at the workforce level, make decisions and solve problems so that the plans are implemented properly, and then monitor the progress. This monitoring allows the manager to manage using metrics and help senior management take any corrective action to keep the ship on course.

The functionality of the strategy and the tactical application is the key for any company and the middle management will always continue to be the glue that adheres the top of the company to the bottom.

Isn’t it time to realize that if you improve the productivity of your people and focus on the development of their strengths, the end result will be a more effective organization? Especially if they are about to become mid-level managers.

Talent Management Means Competent Leadership

2011-01-12T14:08:00.003-05:00

Talent Management is an entity that has been slowly evolving within many corporations. Most corporations list the following practices as part of their overall program:

High potential employee development
Leadership Development
Professional Development
Succession Planning
Career Planning
Learning and Training
Performance Management
Competency Management
Retention
Employee Engagement

Talent Management should concern itself with competencies. Companies should focus on the competencies that make a difference today and will continue to make a difference tomorrow. It means fitting the “right person” to the “right job” and then measuring their impact on the company’s strategy or goals.

In simplest of terms, Talent Management is people development associated with organizational effectiveness. Your middle management controls what employees stay and what employees leave. Your good employees will leave if you don't have a competent manager.

Most companies do not have a clue about what Talent Management means to them and what competencies will provide sustained growth and success. It is important that they focus on their Strategic Development plan now and don’t wait until it is too late. Too late that they do not have the people who are able to learn and perform the roles and responsibilities needed for sustained growth. Do we have the people that can respond to the rapidly changing, highly competitive marketplace?

Most companies have not yet assessed the talent within their organization. How can the learning and training components be applied when you don’t know what is needed to develop the people? People are starting to talk about succession planning only because a lot of key people are leaving the workforce for retirement or alternative careers. I joined a pharmaceutical company in the late sixties and within three weeks, the company has decided that I was a “High Potential”….an HP as we called it back then. A fast track of combined learning and training programs were laid out before me while at the same time, my performance was monitored as if I was under the microscope. It appears that many companies have strayed away from labeling “high potentials” and providing a program to accelerate their careers within the company. Now, I know many companies have accelerated programs and call these designated potential leaders something, like top producers, achievers, or whatever.

It just seems like the same old story. We have been concerned about this problem for many, many years but we have done nothing to provide a fully integrated set of human resource functions that can be called a people development process. We hesitate to assess anyone or anything because it will cause conflict and we can’t have conflict when we need to retain good talent.

Is Talent Management really meeting the needs of most companies? What are we waiting for? The leadership of our companies must step up and focus on a Strategic Development Plan that includes people, processes, and performance. The integration of those three entities often results in employee engagement, motivation, and success.

Human Resources in many companies is defined as the human capital experts. So, when are these so-called experts going to jump up and down and give their leadership team a real assessment of the culture, the people, and the potential to more forward while sustaining growth and reaching goals? It will probably be when all the talent has left.

Evaluate Your Company's Policies

2010-12-14T15:36:00.002-05:00

Quick Tip: Evaluate your written policies to see if they reinforce or contradict your department or company's objectives. Do you say you believe in innovation and risk-taking but then hobble employees by requiring multilevel approvals for even the tiniest decision?

Create rules that support - not thwart - your goals.

- Adapted from "180 Ways to Build a Magnetic Culture," Eric Harvey

Reap Community Service Rewards

2010-12-14T15:31:00.002-05:00

Shoemaker Timberland's full-time employees can take off up to 40 hours a year to volunteer in the community; part-timers are eligible for pro-rated service hours.

The New Hampshire based company has reaped many benefits from its community service program. Here are a few:

Increased Employee Loyalty. Employees report they feel proud of the community service opportunities that Timberland provides, and it's one of the benefits that keeps them with the company.
Heightened Public Awareness of the Company. The program acts as a "candidate magnet" for those who share Timberland's values, which reduces the company's overall recruitment costs. People who value the spirit of volunteerism select Timberland as an employer of choice.
Enhanced training Opportunities. The community service experience has been a surprisingly effective development tool. Employees get to try new skills, work with teams and manage projects. Example: One employee gained great hands-on experience managing a project team of 30 people to build a set of docks for the local YMCA campground.

- Adapted from "Indispensable Employees," Martha R.A. Fields

How to Detect an Employee Leaving

2010-12-14T15:21:00.002-05:00

Do you know whether any of your staff members are thinking about leaving the organization? Find out by watching for these early warning signs of dissatisfaction and withdrawal:

A change in behavior, such as coming in later or leaving earlier.
A decline in performance that's unrelated to external factors.
Sudden complaints from a person who hasn't previously been a complainer
Wistful references to other companies. Example: "I heard that so and so got a huge signing bonus at XYZ Corp."
Reclusive behavior. Example: An employee who previously participated in meetings or volunteered for projects suddenly stays in the background or does just enough to get by.

If you recognize these warning signs, arrange to meet with the employee as soon as possible. Use probing questions to identify the source of the problem. Indicate that you value him/her as an employee, and ask how you can work with him to create a better work experience.

Suggestion: Some companies periodically conduct what they call "stay interviews": They ask people how they feel about their assignments, company policies and the working environment.

At Hartford Life Insurance, the process starts within six months after an employee starts work. Managers hold formal sessions with each individual and ask for evaluation of the company.

- Adapted from "Hiring and Keeping the Best People," Harvard Business School Press

Take an Employee Under Your Wing

2010-12-14T15:14:00.002-05:00

An employee has asked you to be his mentor. You're flattered, but you don't know where to begin. Use these tips to help you guide your protege:

Take time to get to know the person. Resist the temptation to turn your mentoring relationship into a monologue rather than a dialogue. It may boost your ego to bombard your protege with stories from your past, but your relationship will be more productive if you get to know what the other person's values are, where he'd like to go with his career, and what struggles he's currently having.
Learn how to teach effectively. Think back on the various teachers and bosses you've had in your lifetime. Draw on the best examples as you guide them. Also, remember what techniques were not helpful and steer clear of those techniques.
Learn how to give negative feedback. It's tough to criticize people in person, but that's what's necessary in many mentoring relationships. Learn how to present your points tactfully and always keep your criticism as constructive as possible.
Celebrate each victory. Since your role as a mentor involves offering criticism, it's also important to seek out every victory and celebrate it.

- Adapted from "Be a Better Mentor," Bob Rosner

Get feedback on Your Feedback

2010-12-14T15:08:00.002-05:00

You give your employees feedback about their performance, and you expect them to improve as a result. But many managers don't realize how their feedback is received by the employees they are trying to help. It may be time for a reality check.

Here's how to evaluate the effectiveness of your feedback:

Review the three most recent times you offered feedback to one of your employees. Answer these questions about those sessions: What prompted you to give feedback on that matter at the time? Did you check your facts first? What was the substance of the feedback? Did any concrete action result?
Ask employees to answer the same questions. The comparisons make for interesting reading. You may find that your feedback isn't having the effect you anticipated. It may even be having the opposite effect of what you intended.
Think of the people who work for you as "customers" for your feedback. Determine whether the feedback you're providing is working for them

- Adapted from "How to Give Good Feedback," Gina Imperato

What do employees want from you?

2010-12-14T14:04:00.004-05:00

To find out what your employees need from you, have them complete a "want" list. Knowing what people want will help you align their goals with the organization's goals. Have staff members complete the following statements:

I want straight feedback on _______________________ because _____________________________________________.
I want to learn specific skills such as ______________________
because __________________________________________.
I want to receive information about ______________________
because __________________________________________.
I want to have some help with __________________________
because __________________________________________.
I want to take on responsibilities such as ___________________
because __________________________________________.
I want to change the way we ___________________________
because __________________________________________.

Adapt and expand this list. Encourage employees to come up with their own additions.

- Adapted from "Up is Not the Only Way", Beverly L. Kaye

How to Assess What Training Your Employees Need

2010-12-14T10:33:00.003-05:00

This training needs assessment works best in small to mid-sized organizations. It will give you a quick assessment of the training needs of an employee group. It helps find common training needs for a group of employees.

Difficulty: Average Time Required: Approximately 1-2 hours

Here's How:

Gather all employees who have the same job in a conference room with a white board or flip charts and markers.
Before the meeting ask each employee to write down their ten most important training needs. Write specifics, like disciplining an employee when late or communication with other management.
Then during the meeting, ask each person to list their ten training needs. As they list the training needs, you capture the needs on the white board or flip chart. Make a tick mark when there is a duplicate need, some may seem a little different, but may be the same underneath the surface.
When all training needs have been listed, use a weighted voting process to prioritize the training needs across the group. In a weighted voting process, you use sticky dots or numbers written in magic marker to vote on and prioritize the list of training needs. Assign a large dot 25 points and smaller dots five points each. Distribute as many dots as you like. Tell needs assessment participants to place their dots on the chart to vote on their priorities.
List the training needs in order of importance, with the number of points assigned as votes determining priority, as determined by the sticky dot voting process. Make sure you have notes (best taken by someone on their laptop while the process is underway) or the flip chart pages to maintain a record of the training needs assessment session.
Take time, or schedule another session, to brainstorm the needed outcomes or goals from the first 3-5 training sessions identified in the needs assessment process. This will help as you seek and schedule training to meet the employees' needs.

Note the number one or two needs of each employee, that may not have become the priorities for the group. Try to build that training opportunity into the employee's performance development plan.

Tips: Training Needs Assessment can be, and often needs to be, much more complicated than this. But, this is a terrific process for a simple training needs assessment.
Make sure you keep the commitments generated by the training needs assessment process. Employees will expect to receive their key identified training needs met.

To discuss your employees needs call Innovative Leadership at 609-390-2830 or email us at info@innovativeleadershipdv.com

Management and Leadership Training Sales Training Performance Coaching

How to Motivate Employees

2010-12-07T20:38:00.004-05:00

How will you motivate employees, improve staff retention, increase productivity, and boost morale this year? All of this can be and should be summed up into one word: TRAINING.

Take for example Derek Christian's business, My Maid Service. He had extremely high turnover, two out of three new employees were leaving, which meant a less experienced and productive staff. The quality of work also lacked and it was having a huge impact on his business.

Once training was introduced, there is now virtually no turnover, his employees and customers are happier, which all translates into loyal customers and a bigger bottom line. Read His Full Story

So, what are you going to do this year? You can still give them a box of candy, but we highly suggest you take a serious look at the coming year and how training can help your company tremendously.

Innovative Leadership is a performance improvement company that provides solutions for today's business, small or large, challenges. Unique programs, products and processes all of which can be customized to fit specific needs of your company is what sets us apart.

Heading Off Employee Burnout

2010-11-30T13:07:00.003-05:00

In today's "do more with less" environment, employees are especially susceptible to burnout. So what for signs of excess stress in your staffers. Decreased enthusiasm, increased irritability, sudden changes in performance and high absenteeism all signal possible burnout.

If your employees are exhibiting these signs, use these stress-management options:
. . .Shift some of their work to others temporarily. Often all a good employee needs is a little break. Find someone who can assume some of his/her duties for a short time. After they've recharged their batteries, you'll find they are probably itching to resume former responsibilities.
. . .Encourage people to take breaks, shorter more frequent breaks that is. Several short walks around the block are more refreshing than a lengthy coffee break.
. . .Get rid of electronic leashes. Give them a break from "electronic leashes." Example: Declare a beeper-free, email-free and cellphone-free Friday morning.
. . .Look at the role you play. If you want them to balance their lives, you should be a model. Share your stress-reduction tips. And be careful not to reward stress-inducing behavior. Example: Stop complimenting employees for working long hours. Thank them for the quality of the work they complete.

Adapted from "Love 'Em or Lose 'Em"

The Largest Risk in Your Business

2010-11-17T14:07:00.002-05:00

In a recent Taleo Research Study, they reported that the largest risk to their company’s bottom line and brand is low employee engagement and productivity. Most companies are asking people to do more with less because companies can no longer afford to have suboptimal performance from any employee.

No one argues the fact that there is a direct correlation between engagement and productivity. The real question is, how do we sustain high levels of productivity on the job while keeping people engaged?

The first step, in an ongoing sustainability process, is to teach the employee to become goal-oriented. All of our Leadership and Management Development Courses are goal-oriented and we teach people how to get results. Performance and productivity enhancement is defined as our desired outcome.

The second step is to align the business goals to talent goals. Executive level management must provide the vision and articulate the strategy. Mid level management must provide a work environment that allows the strategy to be driven while presenting a responsibility, accountability and self-empowerment culture to support this highly engaged workforce.

Our Making of an Effective Manager helps mid-level management get executives and employees on the same boat while keeping it on the straight and narrow path to success. Middle Management is what makes things happen. If they are not trained, they will not understand the value of setting goals, and nor will they know how to get employees to realize they are part of that goal.

It is documented that 85% find linking talent management to corporate goals challenging. The reason for the high percentage is that most people are not goal-oriented and until they learn the competency that will help them get the desired results, they will struggle.

The value from engagement and alignment can pay big dividends for your company’s future. As an owner and/or HR professional, it is your job to drive the process and select the right tools to achieve the desired results.

Call Innovative Leadership now to help you define your plan of action for engagement and alignment at 609.390.2830. Or click here to learn more about The Making of an Effective Manager.

Getting Ahead by Slowing Down

2010-11-10T10:34:00.000-05:00

by Marci Taub, M.A. and author of Interview Yourself for Working Moms: A Guided Journal

Late work nights. Missed school plays. Sporadic dinner dates. Cancelled self-care appointments. Getting ahead usually evokes images of long hours sacrificing your personal life for the sake of your career. Do you ever fantasize about having it all - growing your career, your family and yourself without wildly tilting the balance from day to day?

I recently re-read my personal journal entries about turning points in my work and family lives. These situations often have required me to choose whether or not to take on more career responsibility and pursue dream projects, as well as to figure out how I would balance my work and personal lives if I did.

When faced with such tough decisions, I've tried a variety of strategies for having it all. Once I launched a "Get Organized" campaign. Three new black, shiny file cabinets, two new "to do" list approaches, and a new high tech office makeover later, I was more organized, but was equally unsure why the texture of my life still felt rough and uneven.

Another time I devised an "Early Riser" plan to devote a couple of hours to quiet, uninterrupted work every morning. It worked well for about a week, until my night owl instincts overthrew my common sense and demanded the return of my evening routine. Getting up at 5:30 a.m. and staying up until midnight quickly took its toll. After a couple of sleep-deprived, grumpy days, both my work and I drooped, and my inner voice, my husband and my children begged me in unison to try something else.

So I turned to what I called my "Boundary Watchers" program. I told myself that protecting my work periods from draining tasks and people would be "the answer" to my problem. I stopped running errands that I could accomplish by phone or on-line, and started only dealing with people who said and did mostly kind, uplifting things. I reclaimed about an hour of previously-squandered time and immeasurable amounts of energy a day. In these respects, this approach was a success. But it wasn't a panacea. My latest project looked like a half-eaten sandwich -- my ideas being endlessly chewed, not swallowed and digested, leaving me hungry for more.

What did I learn from these experiments? Getting organized, designating time, and prioritizing tasks and people are all good first steps. To really get ahead while balancing your life, it takes a powerful, multi-strategic approach. The ironic secret of the following advanced strategies is that they help you to slow down - get perspective, rejuvenate yourself, and live deeply.

They allow you to progress at a comfortable pace in all areas of your life for the long haul. So you get to cross the finish line with your head high, smiling at an annual marathon, instead of sprinting across the finish line stooped and breathless at a quarterly race.

Here are my top ten strategies for slowing down to get ahead in your career and your life:

1. Assess your risk: Be honest with yourself about how much risk you're willing to take at this point in your career. Factor in your personal obligations as well as how much risk you really need to take to reach your career goals. More is not always better. Taking just the right amount of risk - without jeopardizing your financial, emotional, physical, and familial well-being - is the key to advancing your career.

2. Ignite your passions: Actively pursue your passions at work. Request an assignment you'd love to do. Explore transferring to another position within your organization or field. If there's no immediate way for you to hold your dream job, pursue your interests on the side - through volunteering, taking classes, reading, and networking with people who do what you want to do, informally and at professional association events. By immersing yourself in what you love, you'll be happier, motivate yourself to succeed, and opportunities will follow.

3. Under-schedule yourself: Rushing through your days and nights with little down time won't help you get ahead; it will just wear you out. And you'll miss spontaneous opportunities to meet people and do things that could help your career grow and enrich your life overall. Pause to review your weekly calendar and make sure you're not too booked to leave room for the unexpected.

4. Be fully engaged: Focus on what you're doing at the moment rather than on what you'll be eating for lunch in an hour; what's going on at home when you're at work or at work when you're at home; or what crisis may be erupting at work while you're on vacation. It's only when you fully live in the present that you'll make significant progress.

5. Leave your mark: Stand out from the crowd by showcasing your distinctive approach to your work. Take the time, for example, to hand-write thank you notes to your clients or to highlight your unique combination of talents and experience that make you the obvious choice for receiving the next big promotion.

6. Learn your way: Knowing how you learn best will give you an edge. You'll absorb and integrate new ideas faster and deeper, making you a star performer. Pay attention to how you seem to learn naturally - by reading, listening, doing, or some combination of these and other methods.

7. Track all trends: Notice how you could incorporate trends about when, where, and how people work into your career both to better serve your clients and to better balance your work and personal lives. For instance, you could begin and leave work earlier, provide on-site services at clients' workplaces, and arrange on-line or teleconferences.

8. Play at work: Take a cue from your children and let work equal play. Decide what the most fun activities are in your work and family lives and transfer the best ones to each world. Make getting to know new people a priority in your home community as much as it is in your workplace, and import activities like storytelling, role-playing, and cloud-watching from your family life into your creative brainstorming sessions at work.

9. Reflect every day: Review your performance as a working mom on a regular basis - gently and constructively - and keep records of these reviews in a journal or folder with letters of praise, thank you notes, ticket stubs from special events, and other mementos of good times.

10. Keep it fresh: Rotate your work projects, leisure activities, and family rituals to keep your interest and energy levels up. Shake up parts of your daily routine, like how you get to work, when you do your tasks, and what you eat for lunch, while still maintaining enough structure and consistency to feel grounded. By regularly energizing your mind, body, and spirit, you'll make it easier to get ahead - and a life.

21st Century Business Women

2010-11-02T12:49:00.002-04:00

By: Ann Williamson

When the first generation of women entered the workforce in earnest in the 1970s, they succeeded in the only way they could by imitating men. Authoritarian leadership and tight control was the hallmark of that days businessman, and women were not exactly welcomed into the ranks of management. Well ladies, that was yesterday, and today is today!

Forget what your mama or your boss told you, because following the rules can be bad for your career. Today a CEO/Entrepreneur can no longer maximize her company full potential using a command-and-control style. The 21st century business woman needs to be able to build a vision based on the awareness of economic transformation, then help her partners and staff fulfill that vision. She must draw on a wide range of skills to get to the top and stay there. Following are 7 Key Characteristics that are essential:

1. Sell the Vision. A leader with a fresh, independent plan for her company's growth and future has a distinct advantage in luring and keeping great talent and investors. Vision is not some lofty ideal, but an obtainable concept that is easy to understand and will make the company grow to another level.

2. Reinvent the Rules. While women have traditionally been socialized to please others, the 21st century leader knows that good girls rarely post great returns. The strong managers/owners today not only anticipate change, they create entirely new organizations that respond to shifts and search for innovation.

3. Achieve With A Laser Focus. Go where others fear to tread! Being aggressive and ambitious has long been considered male traits, but they are key qualities for new leaders. Today's business woman has the ability to home in on opportunities that others may simply not see, and then excel in that uncharted territory.

4. Use High-Touch in a High-Tech Era. When a number of leaders are conducting business by e-mail, voice mail, passwords, and PINs, the female entrepreneur succeeds because she guides with a strong, personal, bed-side manner. Today's business woman is just as technologically savvy as her peers, but her skill with staff and customers is high-touch, which gives her a critical edge and separation from the pack.

5. Challenge or Opportunity. Women are great at turning a challenge into an opportunity instead of using the slash-and-burn approach. They are able to make bold strokes, but they also win the cooperation of others in the organization in making any transformation a success.

6. A Customer Preference Obsession. In this information age, which makes it easier to shop around for the best whatever, businesses must work harder to give people what they want before their competitors do. There is no substitute for spending time with clients to become expert at their businesses and learn their demands. Female leaders are almost intuitively adept in doing just that, and without the client even suspecting.

7. Courage Under Fire. Show me any career woman or female entrepreneur today that is not able to stand-the-heat in any tough-call situation. Their decision-making skills are rooted in a high level of confidence, because they have had to weather and surpass any and all corporate storms they have encountered over time.

It takes a certain mind-set and bravado for anyone to start their own business and succeed, but it is even more difficult for a female entrepreneur. Let us face it, ladies! We have always had to be twice-as-smart and twice-as-confident as any male counterpart in the corporate world. After all, if we can bear and raise the future generation, how can running a successful business scare us?

To read more from Annie and to find the top home based businesses for women on the Internet visit her blog: Annies Home Journal www.annies-home-journal.blogspot.com

Use the “Gap of Silence” more Effectively

2010-10-12T10:58:00.004-04:00

I have always used the term “pregnant pause” when I facilitate any sales program where I ask people to sit back and fold their arms and just listen to what the other person is saying. The need for silence is real in most communications, yet most sales people find silence to be threatening to their presentation environment. An article that appeared from justsell.com, the author changed the term from “pregnant pause” to “gap of silence”. This is certainly the term I am going to use moving forward.

The use of this “gap of silence” within a sales presentation is an art and it is important to hesitate in terms of providing a response immediately following what your customer has said and providing the proper response.

The use of this “gap of silence” allows the customer continue on with the conversation providing clarification of their real needs and allow them to offer additional specifics relative to you having the ability to provide a solution. This additional information can be very useful when determining which features and benefits of your product may satisfy their specific needs. It can be an integral component for gaining clarification of their real “prime buying motives”.

Many feel that silence reflects a disconnect, when in reality it can provide a much improved connection between the sales representative and the customer. In fact, it can improve the connection between the employer and employee, and even your relationship with your spouse or a friend.

Remember, listening is the most important skill-set or competency for excellent communication. This “gap in silence” technique can take your listening skills to a higher level. It is important to realize that communication is the connection between two or more parties. Empathetic listening is when you can feel the meaning behind the words and this “gap in silence” can in many cases enhance your empathetic listening while clarifying the meaning and desired outcome.

This “gap in silence” can be used even more effectively if you understand the behavioral style of the customer, employee or friend. Our Communication and Selling Workshops like “Stop Selling…Build Relationships” can help you understand behaviorally when silence may be the best response.

You can sell more by using the “gap in silence” technique and using it more effectively to close the sale when you understand the customer’s behavioral style and how it relates to their “prime buying motives”.

3 Signs of a Dysfunctional Company

2010-10-05T20:02:00.001-04:00

Like a car with an engine that can't fire on all cylinders, a business that's dysfunctional may move forward for a while. But eventually it stops running.

Companies don't start out maladjusted, of course. It just tends to happen over time.

"The hallmark of a dysfunctional organization is a gap between reality and rhetoric," says Ben Dattner, a New York organizational psychologist. When resources are not used effectively or fairly, when plans are heavy on talk but weak on action or when barriers to communication cripple performance, you're dealing with a dysfunctional company.

Once diagnosed, the corrosive effects of such problems can be corrected. But make no mistake: It's neither easy nor immediate. You need to be tough-minded about identifying the source, particularly because it often starts at the top, where the power resides.

Here are three telltale signs that your company is unhealthy and some possible ways to get it well again.

1. You've got leaders who fake it.

Recently, management consultant Linda Hanson of Dallas-based LLH Enterprises was called in to help turn around a Houston construction company that had about 50 employees, annual gross revenues of $160 million and senior managers who were at each other's throats.

"People were snarly and mean," Hanson says. "There was in-fighting and lots of yelling. They had lost respect for one another and weren't working as a team." A prime example was the information technology (IT) manager. Although every department depended on him, the other managers complained that he "didn't care about their problems, didn't have time, didn't listen, didn't support them and marched to his own drum," Hanson says.

The atmosphere got really heated when the chief executive officer, in an attempt to change the culture, hired a new, buttoned-down sales manager who began instituting very different policies and rules. The hiring drew such fire from the other managers that Hanson was tapped to address the company's ailments.

She began with exercises in "process mapping." At a meeting of the managers that included the CEO and president, she asked everyone to look at work flow and operations, focusing on inbound orders, external sales, delivery and so on. She asked each manager to stick up a Post-it note whenever he saw a glitch or something wrong, without finger-pointing, of course. "That caused great excitement," Hanson says. "They began to see the duplications and the weaknesses." More importantly, the CEO and president, who were usually removed from such details, had their eyes opened to what was going on.

Later, she confidentially asked each manager to evaluate himself and all the other managers. Then she went back to each to report: "Here's how you see yourself and here's how the other managers see you." That stopped a lot of the backbiting.

Hanson also required the managers to meet one-on-one for lunch, for a golf game or the like, every month. Each executive was given specific and corny assignments for such meetings, such as being told to talk about a hobby or an interest — anything but work. The idea, of course, was to build relationships. Within four months, she says, managers set up meetings to discuss business scenarios rather than to fulfill assignments, which was the result she intended.

Still, the real problem stayed at the top. The CEO and his friend of 10 years, the president, "were both volatile people and they weren't changing," Hanson says. Even though they were asking senior managers to evaluate their work habits and improve peer relationships, the chief executives themselves were unwilling to do the assignments or to work at transformation.

"Within four to six months, the company was functioning much better," Hanson says. But it needed another nine months to a year to really come together. And that didn't happen. "You need to set a picture at the top of what the company should look like. It's very hard to say to the CEO, 'You're the problem.' "

Lesson: The discrepancy between what leaders say they want and what they really want often causes company dysfunction. You can't ask employees to do anything you're not willing to do yourself.

2. You've got bosses who like to point fingers.

No company can flourish in an environment that penalizes experimentation or trust. While that sounds obvious, on a day-to-day basis the nature of risk-taking inevitably means a great number of dead ends before any breakthrough. Very few managers remain calm after hitting the wall.

But how you handle those crashes — and how you encourage employees to pick up the pieces and start anew — makes all the difference between a company that encourages innovation and one that stagnates.

"When you see a pattern of blaming and people trying to protect themselves and their particular turf, something is wrong," says Russ Moserowitz of Franchise Insights, a Bedminster, N.J., consulting company.

Lesson: The remedy is to put your trust in the people you hire and give every employee sincere responsibility. Hands-on, my-way-or-the-highway entrepreneurs won't find this easy. But that's how the business gets better.

3. You've got a CEO who doesn't set priorities.

Fast-growing companies are often so intensely focused on moving to the next level that no one is actually in charge. That's how dysfunction creeps in and takes hold.

Paul Glen, an IT management consultant in Marina del Rey, Calif., tells about a 20-year-old software company that hired him to create a new product management department. The business had released several successful products and grown to 100 employees with 13 departments, each headed by a different executive. Every one of the managers reported directly to the CEO, so no one had to talk to anyone else about his department's work.

When Glen asked each executive what the new department would do, he got 13 different answers. It turned out that the company didn't need a new division at all. What it needed was someone to coordinate the company agenda and get the managers to share information.

The idea for a product management department was how the executives expressed their need for better coordination. "The product development department didn't take direction," Glen says. That meant the group simply created products and released them without checking with any other department. So sales didn't know about the features of the new products, or when to sell them. Support and consulting were also in the dark. They couldn't help customers implement products or fix any problems. And so it went.

"Each department flew off on its own, trying to do what was right." Priorities were constantly shifting. Decisions were continually made and unmade. "The CEO assumed the executives had the authority to make product decisions and it wasn't her job to tell them what to do," Glen says. While everyone had the very best of intentions, chaos reigned.

Lesson: Company leaders must set the mission and the agenda. A hands-off policy can only go so far.

Epilogue: Time for a checkup

Smaller businesses are both more susceptible and harder hit by the ripple effects of dysfunction. With a close-knit staff, it's easy to make allowances for people's tempers or bad moods or refusal to take responsibility. But, sooner or later, that kind of thinking catches up with you and the business.

Lesson: Take the time now to check the health of your workplace. And make the course corrections you need. Starting now.

From Microsoft's Small Business Website

Showcase Advantages for Busy Business Professionals

2010-09-16T10:06:00.001-04:00

1. Convenience-the benefits can be enjoyed with minimal time spent away from your business as well as minimum study time. All Courses are less than 3 hours in length per session.

2. Spaced Repetition is part of a unique adult learning technique that gives you a head start in establishing effective habits.

3. Multi-sensory perception is used to increase the amount of knowledge you retain and have available for use.

4. Action-oriented Learning - a learning platform that allows the participants to evaluate the program’s information as it relates to their work situation. Each participant becomes goal-oriented and the action-oriented learning is achieved by asking the participants to perform several action-oriented exercises that will allow them to accomplish more in less time in the work environment.

See Available Showcases

15 Strategies for Personal Management

2010-08-24T13:23:00.003-04:00

1. Always be willing to learn something that makes you more interesting or productive

2. Focus on self-empowerment as a responsible action

3. Accept responsibility only if you are willing to be held accountable

4. Don’t let stress ruin a good environment or relationship

5. Be enthusiastic and exhibit positude on a daily basis

6. Take care of your mental and physical health

7. Demonstrate a good work ethic at all times

8. Integrate your values and beliefs with your business goals

9. Use trust to build relationships and be respectful

10. Voice your opinion when needed but be a better listener

11. Focus on priorities in all areas of your life
12. Don’t confuse efficiency with effectiveness…know the difference

13. Use your emotional intelligence to exhibit self-discipline

14. Strive to improve your performance daily in all areas of your life

15. Realize that success is a journey that continues throughout life

Learn about our Making of an Effective Manager Course

Women in Leadership; It's a touchy subject

2010-08-16T21:58:00.000-04:00

Women in leadership; it’s a touchy subject, or is it? Maybe for the females it is. Women face multi-dimensional obstacles in today’s workplace. Women have been overcoming challenges since the beginning. Although there have been quite a few women in high leadership roles, it hasn’t changed the day to day for women. For them it’s a delicate balancing act.

A study called “Holding Women Back” surveyed 10,000 leaders. It states that as both men and women rose through the ranks, the gap widened between the genders in involvement in leadership development programs. At the first level of management, the study found, 19% of men and 15% of women were in high-potential programs. By the time they reached the top executive level, 39% of men compared to 26% of women were considered high-potentials. A lot of the recommendations tend to be unconscious, i.e. “Mark is like me, he’ll be a good candidate.”

Women are expected to combine leadership with compassion, rightly so. I’m sure their employee’s mothers were compassionate while growing up. Women must conform to two very conflicting sets of expectations, too pushy, too soft, too accommodating, too sexless, and too sexy. With this narrow defined set of expectations, how are women supposed to react and how are they to act while in a leadership position?

“Holding Women Back” study says “We’re recommending formal programs…Does the program have fairness and common standards? Do we have ways to evaluate who’s in the program? Once you do [this], you start to see the gender differences disappear.”

They also stated that women need to make their career aspirations known to managers and observe how others get opportunities and promotions, reaching out for similar chances rather than waiting to be approached by management.

As a woman in leadership, or a woman in her early career, she must voice her career needs and wants. Push past the obstacles holding her back and learn to soften her image while maintaining authority, determination, and competency. She must learn strategies for giving and receiving feedback and set clear goals.

Productivity Depends on Management

2010-08-11T10:42:00.004-04:00

News Flash: The Labor Department reported that productivity declined at an annual rate of 0.9 percent in the second quarter of 2010.

It is all over the news that worker productivity dropped this spring for the first time in more than a year. Some people believe that this should be an indicator for companies to step up their hiring if they hope to grow in this economic downturn.

I do not find that many companies are taking the appropriate measures to ramp up their hiring practices. Most companies are still depending on doing more with less and the stress of that philosophy is starting to take its toll on management and other key employees. It is more important than ever that management has a complete knowledge of the work itself, exhibits strong interpersonal responsiveness, continues to be creative, and provides useful ideas to be successful.

Most people today believe that being “busy” is the answer. That the more tasks we do right will produce the desired outcome. Management needs to realize that efficiency does not necessarily bring results. It is the effectiveness of the activities that everyone performs on a daily basis that is the key to success. It's not the number of hours you work, but the results of your activities at the end of the day.

Some techniques that management can use to improve employee productivity may include the following:
• Improve the effectiveness of your supply chain
• Improve the pattern of workflow; less duplication of efforts
• Increase quality by focusing on the reduction of error rates to avoid reworks
• Setting up a schedule to reduce or eliminate down time
• Make sure everyone is performing only value-added work
• Improve morale (read article: 9 Ways to Boost Morale)
• Provide an effective development process to improve productivity
• Understand the need for everyone to reach their potential and be goal-oriented.

Most management today has not been taught how to be more effective. If you are not going to ramp up your hiring, then you better make you workers more effective first and foremost. If everyone improves their performance and productivity while lowering their stress, you will reach your company goals.

Nine Tactics to Boost Employee Morale

2010-08-02T20:15:00.006-04:00

One of a manager's most important jobs is to keep spirits up in the workplace. With stress levels at an all time high, this isn't always easy to do. However, there are some strategies you can use that will get the job done - - without hurting your budget!

Sponsor a "Noon Movie". Once a week, depending on employee schedules, set up a DVD in the lunchroom and show a funny movie during lunch. If time is limited, show reruns of Seinfield, Frazier, or other situation comedies.
Set up a "Humor Corner". Designate one section of the office as the place for humor and encourage employees to post cartoons, jokes, or other funny material.
Get out of the Office! Whenever possible, hold meetings outside the office - at the coffee show down the street or at a local restaurant. If weather premits, don't be afraid to hold meetings outside from time to time.
Liven up your memos. Buy a book of one liners, and include a joke at the bottom of your memos.
Run a "Guess the Baby" contest. Ask the staff to bring in baby photos and post them on the wall. Award a free lunch to the employee who can guess who's who.
Have "Late Day Mondays". If possible, once a month allow your employees to arrive an hour late on Monday morning - or leave an hour early on a Friday.
Take pictures! Every office has an aspiring photographer. Ask that person to take candid shots of employees, and add them to the "Humor Corner".
Play with the dress code. If your culture allows it, hold an "Ugly Sweater", "Ugly Tie", or "Ugly Pants" day. Award prizes for the winners.
Bring your smile to work. You'll be surprised at the difference it makes. If the manager consistenly has an upbeat attitude, that staff will as well.

** from The Manager's Intelligence Report

Is Management Limited Their Employees?

2010-07-29T08:31:00.001-04:00

Self-Management

Following my reading of an adaption from Making It Work by David Allen, I certainly was in agreement with the author that the two key ingredients for self-management are control and perspective. The author believed that if you can maintain a sufficient level in each, your world will be in order and you will be focused exactly as you should be.

Others believe that individuals who need change are more likely to succeed if they are in control of the change process. Getting people to learn and apply the appropriate principles is not very easy. Hence, to most, this self managed change is not an easy thing to do. Where do you start on such a task?

1 - First exhibit awareness of what changes are needed. Ask yourself, “What behaviors and attitudes am I using today that are prohibiting me from moving forward?” Once the inhibitive behaviors or actions are identified, then a plan must be developed to enable us to use new solutions or behaviors that will reflect our growth and development objectives. What does that mean? You must change your reactions, or habits to get a different result.

2 - For implementation to take place, we must translate our plan into goals that will bring us the desired change. This goal-orientation process is the most important component of self-management because it can be measured and the results are clearly defined. This allows us to be focused on the things that matter most, as I like to believe it is a contract with ourselves. This holds true for all areas in our life; not just work but home life as well.

3 - We also must have the right attitude because goal-orientation requires coaching and self-management. It is a model that is used by many professional coaches today. Positive attitude provides an overwhelming edge for our success. Our non-verbal communication, which is 60% of communication, is a direct reflection of our attitude. Our perspective on life will also certainly be reflected by our success in reaching our goals.

But are we ready for Self-Management? An article that appeared in the September 2006 issue of the Harvard Business Review by James Haskett, stated that “Predominant reactions to notations of self-management explored in this month’s column could be described best by two words, “enthusiasm” and “skepticism’”. Many respondents felt that the concepts of self-management should be implemented in organizations while others felt that obstacles to their implementation was real, and that management itself was the main culprit. As managers, are we our worst enemy for not allowing people to become self-managers?

Employees need to focus on the skill-sets and competencies that will help them manage themselves better both in the workplace and at home. Every worker must be considered a leader and their initial leadership focus should be on self-management. Self-management is not only understanding what is needed to be more productive, but it is also asking “How do I become a goal-oriented individual and learn to control priorities?” and “Do I really practice self-empowerment or even know what it means?”

I would like to see everyone conduct a S.W.O.T. analysis on themselves and understand that personal management can dramatically improve both your productivity and performance. If we learn and initiate the skills for effective personal management, then we just may be ready to accept the principles of self-management and its related components in the workplace today.

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The Process for Employee Alignment and Achievement

2010-07-20T20:02:00.004-04:00

Here are ten steps to take today and in the future to align your employees so they will positively effect your bottom line while achieving their goals.

1. Separate the strategic and tactical thinking processes

2. Define the business strategy in all areas of the business (Revenue, Operations, Personnel, and Financial)

3. Make everyone aware of the business strategy and plant the seed that will allow them to achieve those goals

4. Make sure clarity of the business strategy is established for all

5. Break the Strategic Business Plan down into goals by business unit, division and/or department (Eat the Elephant in small bites)

6. Develop a goal-orientation culture within the company

7. Formulate specific, time sensitive, prioritized goals that provide each employee with a clear sight to the strategy, department goals, and reflect upon their own roles and responsibilities.

8. Let the employee develop the metrics and reporting structure that will continue to provide clarity and measure achievement

9. Set process meetings to determine your success or failure with opportunity to recommend changes demonstrating their value in the process

10. Be satisfied that the overall business strategy must be changed to reflect the highly competitive and volatile marketplace.

Achieve Greatness - Each Employee has a Major Impact on the Bottom Line

2010-07-20T19:52:00.003-04:00

Today I visited several companies of various sizes in a variety of industries and I would like to tell you that it is not a very bright picture for Strategically-Oriented Human Resource Professionals. The majority of executives continue to have an “accountant” attitude toward business. . .cut costs. . .cut expenses. . .cut people. . .more cuts.

I even heard of one CFO that feels people development is a waste of time and doesn’t have any understanding of the ramifications of almost 65% of his management team is retiring in less than 24 months! Forget succession planning; let’s just go with massive hiring and selection without talent development. Other HR Professionals that I visited today are now back to only performing a variety of administrative duties and no longer have a budget for people development or anything else for that matter. On my next to my last call, I visited with an HR professional whose executive management team anointed her the saver of the company. She was told that they wanted her to be part of the executive leadership team in the development of a new management team that would take the company to the next level. I cannot tell you how much fun it was to sit and listen to her plans and ideas for accomplishing her goal.

Upon arriving home, I became I read on an article titled, "Alignment Drives Employee Engagement and Productivity" available from Taleo Research. It points out that the HR role is key in driving the process and selecting the tools needed to achieve alignment. It also demonstrates that statistically most managers do not see HR as being up to the task. In the majority of companies I visited today, their managers felt that way as well.

The fact of the matter is HR cannot execute the strategy without the commitment of the front line managers. Most HR professionals would also agree that aligning talent to business, providing current job roles and responsibilities, and measuring performance creates an environment where the employee’s passion for the business can grow and drive the overall performance of their company.

Isn’t it time for the executives and cave dwellers to wake up? Numerous studies have proven that goal alignment and engagement improve productivity and company performance. When your employee is engaged, and aligned, each employee can have a major impact on the bottom line of a business.

Engagement improves productivity, creates top performers, and improves employee retention while alignment ties the business strategy to personal goals, improves engagement and promotes achievement. But we must be forward thinkers and align the two; it provides focus and a clear line of sight for all involved while decreasing lost productivity and increases revenue per employee. The impact of all of this lies in productivity and process improvement, risk reduction and organizational impacts.

So what’s left for us to do; train the management and employees to be better goal setters? It is believed that only 15% of all employees really think that their goals will help them achieve great things. An employee achieving great things will impact the bottom line and insure that the company is achieving great things. Your front line managers define the culture for achievement and the employee demonstrates that a results-oriented company will achieve greatness.

Ease the Stress of Change

2010-06-29T13:42:00.004-04:00

The key to improve employee morale and loyalty - two attitudes crucial to productivity and business success - is communication. And communication is never more important than in times of change.

Results of a recent survey conducted by staffing specialist Randstad North America suggest the following tips for improving communication during workplace transitions:

Let employees know about any decisions that affect their jobs - immediately. In uncertain times, don't sit on information - good or bad. 7 out of 10 employees say they want to receive information during times of change.
Keep it simple. Employees want clear and easy to understand information about what's happening. Clarity is crucial. During periods of change, half of employees say that things at work seem disorganized. Cut through the confusion and give staffers a straight forward weekly breifing. That means no hiding behind jargon or double-talk.
Tell the Whole Truth. You can't hold back information in the hopes that employees will be in a better mood to accept bad news later on. They'll resent not hearing the whole story at one time.
Provide a Road Map. Employees want to hear where you think the company is headed. While 83% of employers say they give workers that kind of information, only 68% of employees report receiving it.
Gather Feedback from Your People. Employees want to be heard. When companies implement employees' suggestions, 78% of employees say morale is excellent or good.

- Adapted from "10 Tips to Improve Employee Communication" - Auerbach

Work-Life Balance is Personal Management

2010-06-22T19:28:00.003-04:00

Leadership is managing yourself; it's not just managing people. Leadership is also being more productive by making personal management a priority, and time management is often defined as this, personal management. How you manage your time can help define your status relative to Work-Life balance.

Work-Life Balance is a combination of goal-orientation and time management. The first thing that anyone has to do is to prioritize the importance of what is most important in the two key areas: work and life. What is important to you?

If something is important to you, then schedule that activity or event that relates to that happiness, work or life activities. All I hear in conversations with busy business persons that they all wish they had the time to do what they really wanted to do. They can’t seem to find time for themselves. I respond every time with, “Well, are you scheduling time with yourself for yourself?” The answer is usually a big "No."

Work-Life Balance is such a vague term. Work-Life balance is individualistic in nature and can vary over time. What success in this area means to one person does not always compare to another. Success is most commonly associated with the term happiness so I would like to say that real Work-Life Balance brings joy and happiness to those who achieve that state of mind. Most people find that Work-Life balance is designed to provide a stress-free environment or at least reduce stress. Your success should only be benchmarked to what you want happiness from, more family time, more lead generation, etc. Leadership is finding the “slight edge” to become more effective.

Most people today are so impressed with their “Busy Bee” approach that making others think they are busy is their major goal. Your goal should be to improve effectiveness as opposed to improving efficiency. Doing the things right is different that getting the desired results. Scheduling time with yourself and leaving time for the unforeseen are two practices that can make your more effective in terms of Work-Life Balance.

Personal Management is your responsibility. It takes a willingness to change and a commitment to follow a planning and administration system that is goal-oriented so you can measure your results. As Peter Drucker once said, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it”. That certainly goes for the personal management process and other leadership competencies as well.

7 Traits of Effective Leaders; Do You Share Any?

2010-05-10T21:24:00.002-04:00

Are leaders born or made? Can you learn superior leadership skills? Experts have noticed seven specific actions that successful leaders carry out, regardless of the organization or cause they lead.

Effective Leaders. . .

. . .Make others feel important. If your goals and decisions are self-centered, followers will lose their enthusiasm quickly. Emphasize their strengths and contributions, not your own.

. . .Promote a Vision. Followers need a clear idea of where you're leading them and they need to undersand why that goal us valuable to them. Your job as a leader is to provide that vision.

. . .Follow the Golden Rule. Treat your followers the way you enjoy being treated. An abusive leader attracts few loyal followers.

. . .Admit mistakes. If people suspect that you're covering up your own errors, they'll hide their mistakes, too, and you'll lack valuable information for making decisions.

. . .Critcize others only in private. Public praise encourages others to excel, but public criticism only embarrasses and alienates everyone.

. . .Stay close to the action. You need to be visible to the members of your organization. Talk to people, visit other offices and work sites, ask questions, and observe how business is being handled. Often you will gain new insights into your work and find new opportunities for motivating your followers.

. . .Make a game of competition. The competition drive can be a valuable tool if you use it correctly. Set team goals, and reward members who meet or exceed them. Examine your failures, and celebrate your group's success.

- Adapted from The Toastmaster

CEO's Role has Been Transformed

2010-05-10T21:17:00.002-04:00

The role of the CEO has been transformed over the years while the demands on the position remain the same. The CEO is now expected to be a highly productive team member that holds and develops a set of values and ideals that relate to both the employee and the customer, inspiring and recognizing the leadership skills exhibited by their staff, providing and distributing intelligence, maintaining and managing the structure of change, and of course, getting the desired results.

As Edward R. Shapior, MD points out in his article, “The Changing Role of the CEO” – the passions of leaders can be used to discover a focused and meaningful organizational engagement in the larger society.

As an executive coach for over ten years, I ask the following questions of almost every coaching candidate:

Are you making all of the progress you would like to make and are capable of making?
What is in it for you if you are successful in reaching your goals?
What is the value to you if you reach your goals?
What have you done to date to reach this goal?
What are you willing to do to reach that goal? Is it time, money or energy?
Who else is involved that can affect the result?
How do your actions affect others?
Is it a choice or circumstance?

On many occasions, my goal as a coach is to get someone to make choices that take them out of their comfort zone. Effective Leaders are honest, competent, forward looking, and inspirational. Since leadership skills are learned, and the role of the leader is changing daily, it might just be the right time for the Leadership Team of organizations today to rethink their position and commit the team to a Leadership Training and Coaching Process.

Remember, 3% make it happen, 77% watch it happen, and 90% wonder what the hell happened. Leadership is no longer a position, it is a competency that we all must present in the workplace today. Coaching is much like the role of a leader, designed to get results.

Use These Strategies to Make Exit Interviews More Meaningful

2010-05-04T21:19:00.002-04:00

Why do workers leave? Here's how to ensure your exit interviews provide the answers:

Get Outside Help - Short-circuit emotions by using an objective third party to conduct exit interviews. Departing workers are more likely to believe confidentiality claims of vendors who have no stake in their comments. And interviewees will be less inhibited with interviewers who are compiling data rather than collecting gossip or defending the company.
Escape Immediate Surroundings - Treat exit interview with the same confidentiality shown in performance appraisals or disciplinary meetings. Don't allow departing workers to become intimidated by passing traffic or big ears in nearby cubicles. Hold interviews in a conference room, cafe, or park where people can speak freely.
Compile Useful Data - Create a written policy explaining that exit interviews will be used to compile data that will be reported in composite form only. Don't share plans to use exit data to investigate specific problems or individuals. Make sure data is reliable by using a uniform questionnaire.
Let time Work Its Magic - If you insist on conducting face-to-face interviews with departing workers on their final day of service, you'll probably get a high level of participation. But you probably won't get an accurate assessment of why these people are leaving. Departing workers may be bitter about personal conflicts or the company's failure to, say, make a counteroffer. Or they may be caught up in the emotions of their good bye parties. Wait long enough for them to gain perspective and feel confident that burning a bridge won't damage their careers, then mail your questionnaire. Increase the likelihood of a response by offering a cash bonus or gift certificate to those who return the survey. Even if your response rate declines, you'll know the responses you receive will be more likely to offer useful insight.

Adapted from "This way to the Exit Interview" by Ken Gaffey

Funding Cutbacks Curb Achievement

2010-04-19T10:54:00.005-04:00

Some of the new barometers for Training and Development in 2010 are starting to show signs of improvement. It sounds like we can expect to see old times again for training and development shortly. But I still feel that businesses sense the pressure of the economy. In my travels, I have not heard that many companies have opened up their training budgets. The economy certainly plays a major part of the decision making process to fund employee training. Most companies have reduced their workforce while also reducing or eliminating resources that provide learning opportunities like meetings, courses, etc.

Funding these programs and realizing the fact that training and development can often makes the difference between companies who are the industry leaders and others who are on a lower tier of success.

What has all this reduction in training and learning opportunities done for your workforce? The 2009-2010 U.S. Strategic Rewards Survey reported that employee engagement levels for key personnel dropped almost 25% as a result of restructuring, and employee benefit cutbacks, including professional development and training, indicating a significant slump in employee morale and productivity!

In most of the companies, a reduction in the workforce usually elevates the workload of the remaining staff while adding stress and frustration to those having to put in the extra time. Companies are put in position where they must start focusing on their key employees and start developing a Talent Management process that will enable them to retain their top producers and hopefully develop their high potentials. It certainly is a vicious cycle that creates a revolving door to top talent when the economy comes back.

Are you prepared for the exodus?

Leadership in business today needs to focus on their current staff and analyze their talent needs for the future. Funding for training compared to losing a key employee to the competition is nominal. The same is true compared to losing a high potential staff member that will be needed in the future. It is important that companies realize that people are applying for a position that leads to a better future and they feel it is the company’s responsibility to provide the opportunity for a career. Talent management is key to the future of all businesses and the funding for people development should never take a backseat to anything else.

Richard Hohmann
Senior Consultant
Innovative Leadership Business Consultation
Phone: 609.390.2830
E-mail: rhohmann@innovativeleadershipdv.com
Website: www.ILDV.org

Talent Development

2010-04-08T10:06:00.000-04:00

We changed the name of the personnel department to Talent Management Group so now let’s change the term we now call Succession Planning to Talent Development Group or Talent Management Development. It is our job, at Innovative Leadership, that we wake companies up to the fact that there is a shortfall in the skills of our newly appointed managers or our hires with management potential.

Talent Management Development, as we now call Succession Planning, is an overall process that focuses on the commitment to productivity, performance, and passion with the overall effectiveness of the organization and peopled development as the defined outcome.

Let’s look at the facts:
• One in five C Level members are eligible for retirement right now
• Almost 50% of the US Government workforce is eligible to retire now
• 55% of today’s registered nurses can be expected to retire within three to fifteen years

The statistics coupled with the fact that a January 2006 study by Manpower finds that 44% of employers are experiencing difficulty today finding employees with the right skills. These facts along with the ever-changing demands of a highly competitive marketplace will not solve our problems or satisfy our needs. We need to focus on the development of people not the replacement of bodies. This is the only way a company will be able to sustain growth and be competitive.

Some of the tell tale signs for needing a Talent Development Process are:
• Workers complain that promotions are made unfairly
• The time it takes to fill positions is too long
• Company does not know when the key employees plan to depart
• Key employees leaving at a faster rate than the average performer

It is important that Talent Management and Development processes start now. Do not wait to start developing this process, START TODAY! Here are my highly recommend steps:

1. Create a vision and expectation from your leadership team regarding people development.
2. Develop competency models that will focus on the core skill set that will lead to the success of the individual and the effectiveness of the company.
3. Make sure that you have a Performance Management System in place that focuses on performance and development, not just one.
4. Implement a Performance Coaching or Mentoring Program to foster individual growth and development coupled with shared knowledge
5. Use a variety of assessment tools designed for individual and organizational development coupled with the use of competency and leadership modeling.
6. Implement the use of a Developmental Plan (or Achievement Plan as I like to call it) and incorporate it as the most important aspect of the Performance Appraisal Process.
7. Formalize a plan that uses quarterly developmental counseling sessions with the individual and their manager and his manager
8. Create a Talent Management Pool based on strengths or the individual and the potential of the individual.
9. Monitor the Talent Development Process to make sure the pool is growing or the flow of talent achieving higher positions and reaching their goals
10. Make Talent Management part of your annual Strategic Planning process with analysis and progress noted no less than semi-annually.

I really believe that our under-estimation of this Talent Management Process will be the downfall of many a small to mid-size company. Don’t over-look your need for talent and it’s the talent in the management and leadership positions that will make the difference.

Article written by Richard J. Hohmann Jr., Senior Business and Management Consultant for Innovative Leadership, a performance improvement company that integrates business consultation, training and development, and coaching with Leadership and Strategic/Forward Thinking to enhance organizational effectiveness and people development. Richard is a member of the Collaboration Team for Leadership Management International and a strategic partner with the accounting firm of Fitzpatrick, Bongiovanni, & Kelly, PC.For more information visit www.ILDV.org

Engage and Align Your Employees with Your Business Strategy

2010-03-22T09:30:00.000-04:00

How do you engage and align employees and how do you go about it? Employee engagement is achieved by strengthening and developing the competencies and skill sets of your people coupled with a communication plan to clarify both the business strategy and workplace expectations.

That’s a tall order, you say? Here are 10 steps that can help you improve your employee engagement:

1. Focus on Development of a Communication Plan – this plan of action enables everyone to understand the overall business objectives and how their role and responsibilities relate to the strategy of your business.

2. Focus on Responsibility, Accountability and Self-Empowerment – encourage individual ownership of a project or task, and have each of your employees design a plan of action that will create the willingness by all to be held accountable.

3. Create a Goal and Results-Oriented Culture.

4. Use Appropriate Metrics to Measure Progress – Use a tiered system of goal-orientation both upward and downward toward your businesses goals.

5. Ensure Consistency by Thinking in 3’s – Three goals relative to the company, each department, and each person.

6. Monitor – Review compliance of the goal-oriented process and the results at all levels helps maintain your culture of goals.

7. Identify performance gaps – When a gap is spotted, determining which learning and training initiatives to focus on makes decisions easier.

8. Review Your Performance Management Process – Ensure your process maximizes the use of individual development plans to reinforce the overall goal-orientation plans.

9. Create an Internal Employee Action Marketing Plan – This compliments the achievement of your business strategy.

10. Revisit the Vision, Mission, and Purpose of Your Company - Upgrade if necessary.

It is important that HR Professionals focus on the Five C’s of Engagement to gain alignment. If you focus on the Five C's , you will certainly give your company the “Slight Edge”. In other words, a competitive advantage in this highly competitive global marketplace. It is time to realize that people can make the difference but only if they are totally engaged.

Richard Hohmann
Senior Vice President
Innovative Leadership
Phone: 609.390.2830
Cell: 609.980.0086
rohmann@innovativeleadershipdv.com

Five C's of Employoee Engagement

2010-03-10T21:33:00.001-05:00

It is important that HR Professionals focus on the Five C’s of Engagement to gain alignment:

1. Connection - An organization must demonstrate employee focused initiatives by their management team.

2. Communication - Management must communicate more effectively with their staff to both clarify the position of the company in relation to the business strategy but also clarify the workplace expectations of each and every employee

3. Career - Management must encourage personal and career development in each and every employee centered around both advancement and reaching potential

4. Compliance - Management must provide feedback to all employees in a timely manner and be consistent with their adherence to processes, policies and procedures.

5. Celebration - Management must not only allow for individual contribution and self-empowerment but celebrate success with appropriate recognition and praise.

Mentoring Relationships - How to Foster Them

2010-03-04T09:06:00.005-05:00

Assigning mentors is an important way to bring new hires up-to-speed or groom promising workers for better thing. But the strategy is only as good as the relationship between mentor and mentee.

Follow this advice:
- Choose Wisely - Of course, anyone would be thrille to work with a company or industry superstar. But you should select mentors based on what they can offer a particular worker rather than their glowing reputations. Talk to perspective mentors about their backgrounds and how they got from here to there, then pair them up with workers who have similar histories. Mentees should be able to look at their mentors and envision themselves having the same success.
- Offer Instruction - Ask mentors to make first contact to avoid putting the pressure on those in the subordinate role. Request mentors dedicate uninterrupted time to working with their mentees rather than allowing meetings to be disrupted by phone calls and other distractions. Mentees should be made to feel their advisors want to help them. And you may also suggest that inital meetings take place in neutral territory, such as a conference room, so worker won't be overwhelmed by ego walls and other trappings of success.
- Follow Up - Solicit regular updates from both parties - to ensure they are in fact meeting and to learn whether the relationship is having the desired effect. Street to mentees that they should be honest regarding how they feel about the process and not fear retaliation if they'd prefer to be assigned to another mentor. If they are not benefiting from the program, it's a waste of time for everyone involved.

Adapted from "Handle the Awe Factor" by Linda Phillips-Jones

Reinforce Teamwork with Performance Appraisals

2010-03-02T19:56:00.002-05:00

Why should workers strive to help their teams succeed then their performance appraisals - and salary increases - focus on individual achievement? If your company uses team performance rather than individual performance, your appraisals must reflect those objectives.

Make sure to follow these pointers:
- Set both individual and team goals - Work with employees to get two sets of goals - one addressing individual performance issues and the other addressing team performance. For example, you may want employees to take the initiative in their individual duties rather than over relying on you for guidance. But when they're operating as part of a team, they need to work cooperatively with other team members rather than striking out on their own. Make clear that difference roles have different expectations and it's important for workers to adapt well to each situation.
- Link pay to team performance - How important is a given work team's activity to the overall performance of your department? Does it account for 20 or 50 percent of your workload? Determine what weight should be given to team activities, then rework pay and bonus structures to reflect those percentages. If 50% of an employee's time is spent acting as part of a work team, then 50% of the employee's compensation should be tied to the team's performance.

Development of Your Employees

2010-02-25T15:45:00.001-05:00

Tough Times – Better Leadership

Tough economic conditions usually demand the need for most human resource departments to change their strategies and focus on the immediate needs like layoffs, hiring and wage freezes, reduction in benefits, and more. These are the same quick fix measures that have been used every time we slip into a downsizing mode or economic recession.

Maybe it is time for Human Resources to try alternative measures to contribute to the business objectives of the company rather than just using a band-aid that doesn’t fit. If we really believe that our people are our most valuable resource, then why are we not more concerned with the development of our future leaders and retaining our good to great employees, particularly our middle managers? For any company to weather this storm, it must develop its high potential employees and improve the productivity of its already high-achieving workforce.

Let’s just focus on two premises. The first is that employee development is the ultimate responsibility for any manager working in any organization. Those that focus on stretching people toward their potential will be the most successful managers moving forward and always have been. Second, improving individual performance and development drives business performance and result in improved organizational effectiveness. Now is the time that all Human Resource professionals need focus on their people development, succession planning, and goal-orientation.

Most people realize that being effective is more important then being efficient. HR must demonstrate how people development can produce the desired results in good times and bad. Most employees, including the HR Department, spend the majority of their time working on tasks and events that mean very little to the business strategy of the company. All employees need to spend more time on their roles and responsibilities that make a difference in the company’s achievement.

There has never been a better time to demonstrate the return of investment to your executive management team by developing the potential and leadership abilities of your people. People are your most valuable resource. It is more important than ever that the employee is viewed as a “Total Leader” and their potential growth and development is what will enable us to weather this storm and be more successful in the future.

Small Business Desired Outcomes

2010-02-17T09:26:00.001-05:00

It has always been my philosophy to focus on the desired outcome and then determine a plan of action that will ensure business success in relation to that goal or objective. It is apparent that most businesses do not focus on the desired outcome since the majority of employees are not focused on the strategy of the company.

It is imperative that employers focus on their talent management but which of the talent management areas do we focus on first, hiring and selection, retention, engagement, or development? Forget about all the talent management trends and recommended solutions. Create an employee engagement vehicle that will provide the opportunity for the employee to focus on the strategically developed outcomes.

So, what are the challenges facing your organization in the next year or so? Do the majority of your company or corporate challenges center around revenue generation, systematic cost reduction in operating expense, profitability, customer maintenance, etc.?

Now that we understand the company or corporate challenges and we have formulated a strategy to overcome those challenges to provide the desired outcome in terms of revenue, cost reduction, personnel succession, or profitability, isn’t that when we should provide a talent management assessment.

I find that most HR Professionals either are not asking themselves the following questions or they are not being asked by the executives of their company or corporation to provide answers for those questions.

- “Do our employees feel connected to this strategically developed plan of action?” I would review the process to determine if clearly defined goals were established and how far down the organizational chart have they been presented and understood.

- “Do we have the right people in the right places to allow us to accomplish our goals and objectives moving forward?”

- “Do we have turnover concerns at any or all levels within the organization, particularly the front line?”

- “Do we have any key employees leaving the organization over the next twelve months and what does our succession plan look like with those positions?”

There is a real disconnect. When are companies or corporations going to realize that the strength of their organization is based on the strengths of the individual employee? We have not only lost focus of the desired outcome, we have lost focus on what will allow us to grow and to sustain this growth moving forward. It is the strengths of our people from the latest hire to the most senior officer.

So HR Professionals, what does your executive summary and recommendations for implementation of action plans for the strategic development process look like in terms of providing solutions to turnover, engagement, lack of talent or skills, and providing the employee with the needed resources to do the job?

The People Developmen t and Organizational Effectiveness should start with a plan and this plan should be evaluated periodically using an assessment process that tells the company or corporation how they are doing in terms of engagement, skill development, and encouragement using strengths as a basis for success, and sharing information among peers and management to improve communication and outcomes.

The real problem in my opinion is that HR must take a proactive role in the people development and organizational effectiveness and be willing to be measured for achievement in the areas of turnover, retention, engagement, and achievement. Human Resources must exhibit their leadership skills and take charge of maximizing the effectiveness of their employees to achieve the goals and objectives of the company or corporation. Make sure your talent management processes include middle management particularly if they are the hiring manager. Remember to “eat the elephant in small bites” because when we try to eat the whole elephant in one sitting, we tend to have difficulty swallowing”. Start small and look for significant and meaningful results. Focus on the challenges and the talent needed to meet those challenges.

That’s what business is all about.

Are you too blunt?

2010-02-09T10:39:00.003-05:00

Take these steps if coworkers and close friends say you come across as blunt and hurt others without knowing it.

Watch your choice of words. Don't preface remarks with dismissive or hostile works or phrases. Don't Say for Example: "It's obvious to me . . ." "I don't see how . . ." or "I can't believe . . ."
Monitor your tone of voice. Even when your words are positive, your tone can convey hostility. How would you feel if someone said with a sarcastic edge, "That's a great piece of work"? You'd probably take the comment as an insult.
Listen to yourself. Many people don't realize that their tone is gruff or negative sounding. One way to tell is to record yourself during a phone conversation. Listen to the take carefully. How do you sound? Friendly? Matter-of-fact? Or is there an unfriendly edge to your voice? Hearing what you sound like to other people can be a revelation. If there's a hostile edge to your voice, you'll need to consciously modify your tone.

- Adapted from "Bluntness," Tony Alessandra

Delegate More Effectively

2010-02-03T15:20:00.001-05:00

Value

Delegation is one of the most valuable training tools available to the manager. A manager must make it a valuable experience for all parties involved.

Motivation

Delegation can be one of the best motivational tools available to a manager. Providing a developmental plan for an employee is one of the best methods for retaining good employees.

Time Management

Delegation is the key ingredient to time management and allows the manager to concentrate on the important tasks, not just the urgent tasks. The use of a planning and administration system that allows you to track delegated assignments can improve performance and communication.

Maximize

Delegation can help maximize the interests, strengths, and contribution of both the employee and the team. Stretching the employee can be essential to their growth and development.

Multiplier of Productivity

Delegation can be a multiplier of productivity. Productivity and performance improvement are key components to a results-oriented culture.

Planning

Delegation takes planning. Make a special plan for delegation by listing all of your tasks and then creating categories such as the things only I can do, things that can be simplified, things that can be eliminated, and things that can be delegated (Simplify, Eliminate, or Delegate).

Monitor Progress

Delegation must be monitored by providing appropriate feedback with measurable results.

Set Levels

Set levels of delegation and formulate goals to move as many people as possible to the highest level.

Challenge the Potential

Consider delegation to be the greatest challenge for you to develop their potential and to use more of their abilities. Succeeding with these challenges will move the entire organization forward.

Feedback

Provide feedback on performance and make it a continuous process. Feedback must be given daily, weekly, or monthly. Communication is the key to organizational success in a results oriented culture.

Leadership is the Main Ingredient

2010-01-26T10:00:00.002-05:00

One of the leading training organizations in the world sent me an article titled, “Is there a recipe for a winning team?” The opening paragraph states that there is not a specific recipe and then in the second paragraph they start listing the competencies needed for the recipe.

Everyone today wants a specific recipe for every course of business activity. There is no cookbook or guarantee for success in business. Teamwork should be viewed no differently than we view organizational effectiveness. The effectiveness of an organization or team eventually comes back to the leader. Without question, leadership is the competency most needed in any recipe designed around the achievement of a team. The development of the leadership within any company should be the goal of every executive team. Leadership training is the number one most recognized form of training needed by companies in 2008.

Most surveys today say the companies are very concerned about the development of their future leaders but most are not doing anything about it. Companies talk a good game about the need for leadership and people development, but when the water starts getting a little rough, they start treating their people as an expense and don’t hesitate to throw them overboard. As we are starting to see today, investments in people are often the first to go. Yet, the employee is listing their development and the opportunity to participate in training programs as their number one reason for selecting companies for employment.

In a conversation with an HR professional, she noted that their employees relate their training and development to compensation. In employee surveys, most employees get very discouraged when training and development is eliminated due to cost cutting measures. We need to understand that treating people as our most valuable asset will pay dividends for the future growth of our companies.

Teamwork is based on trust and commitment. This is the same trust and commitment that elevates morale and compliments the values and beliefs of the individuals. Collaboration and consensus must evident in the decision-making process while the focus must be on the desired results. These are some of the minor ingredients needed for team development. Attitude and interpersonal skills inhibit the speed of the process or the productivity of the group at times but it is not the cure-all for team effectiveness. They can be added to the recipe to add color or flavor but the ingredient that cannot be missing is leadership and unfortunately, leadership needs to be trained but is being cut from the budget.

If you’re a leader and maybe have leadership under you, start thinking about a strategic plan that gets your teams moving in the right direction. Leadership Training and Coaching encourages and motivates all levels of the company. Sit down and contemplate what direction you want to move in, and act on it!

Real People Challenges, What are They?

2010-01-20T08:39:00.000-05:00

I have walked away after listening to people talk about our region with a “doom and gloom” attitude. According to the Center for Regional & Business Research located at Atlantic Cape Community College, the “Baby Boomers” will be changing the market and not necessarily for the better. Boomers are buying second homes that they are not renting. In some towns like Sea Isle City, over 79% of the homes are for vacation or second homes and it estimated that 85% of these homes will not be rented. Starting in three years, “Boomers” will be retiring at a 10 million clip per year for the next ten years. Many will continue to work but will work only where and when they want to work. This will leave us with a lot of part-time employees that require flex-time as a benefit. We will be at their scheduling mercy. The Department of Labor has been forecasting a major labor shortage of young people to fill our ranks with a $10M deficit around the year 2010. So let’s get going. Where? I do not know.

In an interview The Conference Board of Canada conducted with leading management guru, Dave Ulrich, he emphasized that the 21^st century will belong to human resources and to organizational capabilities. I agree with him as did the Conference Board of Canada. For the first time in the history of management, it is the human mind that is the primary creator of value. The quality of people and their engagement will be critical factors in both corporate and small business vitality and survival.

Companies must start building their leadership pipeline by formulating a developmental plan for its people. Leadership must be considered a role rather than a function, and individuals within a company must be called upon to exercise leadership within their spheres of influence internally. Succession planning by position and defining the importance of that position to the overall success of the company is a must. What is your succession plan for the future development of your company? What does it look like?

No market is more competitive than ours for employees. No market is more competitive than ours for management talent. In a tight labor market, like the one in which we are about to enter, a strong employment brand identity must be present. You will have to capture a larger portion of the employee mindshare by setting your company apart from the competition by branding your attractiveness to engagement. You will have to make sure that your employees are engaged and that they understand the real purpose of the organization. In our management development courses, we talk about “connecting the dots” for all employees within the company. Managers must exhibit the ways and means to motivate employees to become engaged and make sure at the same time they are connected to the mission and vision of the company. It is even more important that they understand the purpose. We need to provide an environment where the rate of learning exceeds the rate of change. Not an easy task even for the high achieving manager.

This culture of engagement and purpose can be achieved if we hire the “right person” for this culture. As business owners, we need to develop a Hiring and Selection Process that both demonstrates the flavor of our company in terms of a “brand” that attracts the candidate that is the “right person” for the position. What does your Hiring and Selection Process look like? You better get ready soon because us “Boomers” are coming!

Author: Richard J. Hohmann Jr.
P:(609) 390-2830
E-mail: rhohmann@innovativeleadershipdv. com

2010-01-15T15:18:00.000-05:00

I am sitting on the plane reading an article titled, “3M CEO emphasizes importance of leaders”, which is in the format of an interview with George Buckley, CEO of 3M. 3M was rated the best at developing future leaders by Chief Executive Magazine and the Hay Group in 2009.

He was asked, “How long should talented people stay in one job”, and his response was, “there is a point somewhere around four years where you need to get refreshed”.

He responded to the question being presented in many companies today, “Should we be spending money on leadership training when these people may very well leave”? His response was, “What if we don’t offer them leadership training and they stay?”

He was also asked, “Why not save money on leadership development and recruit top talent from others?” and he responded, “I’d sooner own a fish farm then be reliant on catching a few fish”.

It is time for the HR professional to stand up to the CEO and reflect a similar philosophy to of Mr. Buckley. The strengths of your top producers are your most valuable asset of your company. It takes time and money to not only hire the person with high potential, train and develop the top producer and provide the work environment and career opportunities to insure retention of the top producers. This leadership attitude requires a people management plan of action which most companies are not willing to develop.

The Human Resources professional must be the champion for the “great” employees and make sure that the programs and development opportunities satisfy the needs of the top players in the organization. Processes must be developed and events must be discarded. This includes processes relative to hiring and selection, people development, performance management, and succession planning.

So what does your People Management Process look like? When will CEO’s realize the HR professional holds the key to their future? Let’s hope it starts in the near future.

Time Management Tip

2010-01-05T15:29:00.000-05:00

Peak performance in the work environment is usually pre-determined.

Last month, an employee survey revealed that the majority of employees (over 70%) performed best between the hours of 8 AM and noon. I have always felt and promoted that the peak performance period for most of us was approximately 2 to 2.5 hours after you got to your work environment.

Less than 18% of those surveyed stated that they performed at their best after 2 PM. It is important that you perform your high payoff activities when you are in your peak performance period and hold your least important projects for the afternoon.

Maybe we should ask Nike to change their slogan to: “Just Do It! – before lunch.

10 Business reSolutions for 2010

2009-12-30T12:27:00.003-05:00

Conduct a SWOT Analysis for 2009 and analyze your sales, operations, people, and financial commitments.
Conduct a Customer Satisfaction Survey to define benchmarks in your core competencies
Develop a Strategic or Business Plan for 2010.
Meet quarterly with your professional advisors (Accounting, Legal, Business Consultant, Financial Planner, etc.) to review progress and determine action plans.
Focus your energies on your talented people
Complete a course or take a workshop for self-improvement and/or business development
Focus on your strengths, the strengths of your people, and your processes.
Prioritize your tasks and make sure others do as well.
Remember that time management is personal management.
Celebrate success; offer praise and recognition to your top producers.

By Richard Hohmann, VP of Innovative Leadership
Business Consulting - Leadership/Management Development, Strategic Planning and more

10 HR Resolutions for 2010

2009-12-30T12:19:00.002-05:00

Conduct an HR Self-Audit on your department.
Create a Leadership Development Strategy
Build better relationships with other departments
Establish and evaluate your Training Programs in regard to Level (Kirkpatrick) achieved.
Revitalize your Employee Orientation Program (Onboarding)
Focus on retaining great employees
Become more goal and strategic-oriented
Start using metrics to demonstrate the improvement in the profitability resulting from your department.
Conduct Organizational Needs and Employee Satisfaction Surveys to define baselines and benchmarks
Make sure your compensation plan compliments your performance management process

By Richard Hohmann, VP of Innovative Leadership
HR Services by Innovative Leadership

10 Management reSOLUTIONS for 2010

2009-12-30T12:13:00.003-05:00

Make sure the business strategy is understood and clear to all employees
Make sure the employees understand how their value and job roles contribute to the overall success of the business
Improve your communication with employees
Help people reach their potential through coaching and/or mentoring
Make sure you are consistent in your message and actions
Focus yourself and all the employees on the “High Payoff Activities”
Become more goal and results-oriented
Understand that you are responsible for employee engagement.
Focus your energies on people development and career enhancement
Understand that the tools of accountability (data, metrics, analysis, assessments, and performance evaluations) are neutral and need to become the tools that high achievers use to understand and improve performance.

By Richard Hohmann, VP of Innovative Leadership
Making of an Effective Manager Course 2010

Critical Business Success Factor

2009-12-09T11:10:00.000-05:00

Many experts feel that even though every company is different, it is important for each to develop a succession plan that includes hiring from within, conducting a developmental opportunity or audition, providing a defined plan with time lines for anyone to assume a leadership responsibility, and disclosing the process or succession plan to the shareholders.

Most succession plans do not take into consideration that different environments require different leadership competencies or skills. So, if we narrow our development process than we may never have the right person ready to assume the leadership role in any company. Companies need to consider what most professional sports teams do as a major component for success and that is a strong bench. Most championship teams, whether it be in basketball, baseball, or even football have a great bench or understudy for their key positions. Companies, like professional sports teams, must have a strong bench of candidates who can lead or “step up to the plate” under a variety of scenarios.

Many companies use different forms of people development processes. Some companies call them Leadership Academies or Institutes, and/or High Potential Candidate Schools. Despite the different names, the end result is the same: development of people toward a higher level. As a business owner, you need to provide a constant flow of internal talent but you also must be aware that when people don’t get the higher position, they do have a tendency to leave the organization so the funnel better continue to be adequately filled at all times.

It is also important for companies to deliver some kind of transparency to their shareholders, customers, and internal personnel. The ideal succession plan should minimize uncertainty, which is not a bad thing in this economic climate, and continue to promote the “real” culture of the company. The depth of the company’s disclosure should be predicated by the need at the time and situational circumstances.

Also, many experts believe that the succession plan must take into consideration the corporate culture to the extent that every company should have a corporate culture that transcends the exit of any leader or person. Most companies do not really know what they smell, taste, and feel like to their internal and external customers. The best way to determine the current culture and the culture employees want is to conduct an Organizational Needs Inventory (ONI) assessment but most companies don’t do them.

So, succession planning is just a more formalized name that can be defined as a process to help companies develop their people to meet their future needs.It certainly sounds like it is time for a Leadership Program! Let's get started!

Avoid Being the Black Cloud of the Office

2009-12-03T16:25:00.004-05:00

AND Show Your Positive Side
If your boss had to characterize your attitude, would you be described as a ray of sunshine or a black cloud? Some employees don't realize that they unintentionally project negativity. To become the employee that the boss can't wait to see in the morning, take these steps:

Suggest Don't Complain - If you disagree with a new procedure or rule, offer alternatives and solutions not recrimination and a bad attitude
Air Problems in Private - Don't challenge your boss in front of co-workers or other managers.
Learn To Pick Your Battles - There are times when it's best to keep quiet and do what you are told. Not every battle is worth fighting. Winning can cost you more in the end than the battle was worth.
Take Responsibility for Your Mistakes - Show your maturity by admitting when you are wrong.
Be a Team Player - Give your boss positive information about co-workers or jobs well done.

- Adapted from "Tips for Communicating Effectively with Your Boss"

Let It Be...Let It Be

2009-11-24T11:17:00.000-05:00

Let it Be was in fact the last Beatles album released in 1970 and the song was written by Paul McCartney which was inspired by his mother. I read a recent article that authored by Michael O’Brien titled, “Tardiness is on the Rise” and was published online by LRP Publications.

That exact song title came to me immediately upon starting to read the article, but as I continued to read on, the content contained in the article got my juices flowing.

It was noted in an earlier survey that more than 1 in 5 workers say they arrive late to work at least once a week and another 10% say they are late at least twice a week.

Some people believe that the rise in tardiness is directly related to the economic times and is more of an employee defense mechanism. People are now relating tardiness to specific behavioral patterns normally associated with procrastination. Behavioral change is possible and can be accomplished in good or bad economic times.

Other experts think the reason for tardiness has more to do with demographics as opposed to individual behavioral styles and the climate of the economy. Billy G. Blair, President and CEO of Change Strategists, Inc., a Los Angeles-based consultancy, and author of All the Moving Parts: Organizational Change Management says that the increase in lateness may correspond to an increase in the number of “millennials” in the workplace. She also says the “factory model” of being in a certain place at a certain time and predetermined duration is outdated. The “factory model” may be outdated but in many businesses today, coverage remains an important responsibility for the worker. Flex-time may help support the needs of the employer and the worker but random flex-time rarely provides a viable resolution for both.

Wake up! Work does not necessarily begin wherever you are, and the customer is not always available at the times you would like them to be. It just might be that in some workplaces today, consistency is more important than flexibility. Focus your culture on the customer, not the millennial. Oh, well, I guess I should Let it Be!

Article written by Richard J. Hohmann Jr., SeniorInnovative Leadership, a performance improvement company that integrates business consultation, training and development, and coaching with Leadership and Strategic/Forward Thinking to enhance organizational effectiveness and people development. Richard is a member of the Collaboration Team for Leadership Management International and a strategic partner with the accounting firm of Fitzpatrick, Bongiovanni, & Kelly, PC. For more information visit www.ILDV.org. Business and Management Consultant for

Communication Process to Drive Growth

2009-11-19T15:21:00.002-05:00

Most companies are focused today on driving growth, as I’m sure you are with your business. Many don’t realize that to drive growth you have to start at the beginning with interviewing the candidate and end it with the exit interview or retirement dinner.

Your company needs to focus on hiring the people that will perform better and stay longer. Then, you must identify the high achievers at a very early point in their careers and the retention of these high achievers must be considered paramount to the organization. How do you do this? Employee retention starts with the on-boarding process or orientation. This is best opportunity to start the communication line, explaining the business strategy of the organization and how their role and responsibility provides value to that equation. Communication is the key ingredient for any leadership team to articulate where the company is heading and how they plan to get there. This is the best time to align your employees appropriately but most companies do not spend the time to do such.

The next step in the process is make sure the capabilities of your people can support your company’s strategy and create a competitive advantage; a slight edge as we like to call it. Last but not least, we have to hold our people accountable and in most cases we assign that role to our middle management team. It is their responsibility to structure reporting relationships and evaluate individual performance to ensure the desired business results. They are the ones that execute the strategy.

Companies need to construct a training and development process that enhances communication between the employee and management, improves individual productivity, enhances performance and makes a more effective organization that achieves its revenue goals. Human Resource executives must take responsibility for administering this training process and utilize this process to shorten the learning curve and make employees much more productive and engaged earlier. This will allow companies to achieve sustained growth during these difficult economic times.

Innovative Leadership helps companies connect their people success strategies with their business objectives to drive growth. It's time to get that process into place, we can help.

Do you have the right focus?

2009-10-23T11:20:00.005-04:00

It seems like the HR professional must continue the fight for training and development since it does not appear that the CEO has realized the value of training to the company or organization.

Companies focus on profits, stock prices, and performance, but not on employees. How do we forget to see the value in our people, particularly our key employees, when it comes to celebrating our business outcomes? Studies have shown that companies that invest more heavily in training and development have been more successful in achieving their defined outcomes.

Many of the recent studies have concluded that a more engaged workforce provides enhanced performance and improved productivity. Companies with a more engaged workforce seldom have morale issues. “In the 21st century, our natural resource is our people – and their potential is untapped and vast. Skills will unlock that potential.” (Leitch Review, December 2006) Even with the economic climate of the past year or two, it has been demonstrated that training expenditures were a strong predictor of stock prices.

So where is the hidden agenda? Is any CEO really interested in the productivity and developing the potential of their people or is the real objective of only reducing cost associated with people including the people themselves. I have seen a decrease in revenue of less than 10%, yet the company has reduced its labor forces by almost 30%.

Training the management of any organization will certainly prove to make the organization more effective. People are looking for advancement and an opportunity to develop skills to assist with their upward mobility. They want feedback immediately from their supervisor and they want to work in an environment that supports their development. The social culture that is presented today by companies is very important to the millennial generation. Many believe that a budget for employee development indicates whether a company is in it for the long haul or not.

If we expect to retain our top producers in the management positions, we better make sure that they have the skills and competencies to work with four generations of workers. This ensures that knowledge is shared, cross-training is completed and the work is getting done in a timely fashion. We need to teach our management team that communication is the key to people success and that success can only be achieved if we develop people’s potential and focus on productivity and performance, and not just trying to reduce costs. Reducing training budgets can be detrimental.

We are fortunate that the economy has kept the Baby Boomers in the workforce but how long will that last? It looks like we will be left with an untrained workforce that doesn’t like to communicate with others. It sure sounds like it might not be the best time to be in a management position.

Come on Mr. CEO; listen to your People Developer. Investing in your management team will produce an improved bottom line. If you don’t believe that training and development can affect the bottom line, just look at how the reduction in their training budget prepared Wachovia for the merger with Wells Fargo. Their training budget was reduced by over 50% and their stock fell as much as 95% before the bank finally agreed to the merge. Helping people reach their potential, coupled with effective processes and procedures can certainly affect the effectiveness of the organization.

The time to train is now and please pass this on to the decision makers in your company!

Give Foolproof Instructions

2009-09-17T18:54:00.004-04:00

When staffers follow instructions correctly the first time, their productivity soars and your frustration level drops! Follow these steps to help employees get it right every time:

Verify Verbal Instructions. When you assign a task, ask the staffer to write it down and watch as the person takes notes. If you speak with someone by phone, ask the person to read back the instructions. That guarantees the person understood what you want done.
Create Deadlines. Thasks without deadlines never get done. When you assign a task, state the specific date and time you need it by. That creates a sense of urgency.
Allow for a margin of error. Things don'e always go as planned, so build in a little lead time. If your boss needs the report by Friday, tell your staff that you'll need the work Wednesday afternoon.

- Adapted from "Put It in Writing," Jeffery J. Mayer, http://www.succeedinginbusiness.com/

Does something else work for you?
Please - Comment and share!

When will we understand?

2009-09-10T16:23:00.003-04:00

I conducted an informal survey and found that most managers do not understand what their most important function is at work. Most managers feel that their most important function is to provide revenue, reduce costs or maintain margins. They do not realize that those things come from the results being produced by the organization through its people and processes not through anything else. Those metrics usually reflect the effectiveness of the organization.

So what makes an organization effective? Plain and simple; when a company focuses on it’s people and there is enhanced performance and improved productivity. In an article that I recently read, it was noted that in the software development industry, turnover rates approached 20%. Yet one company is that industry exhibited less than a 5% turnover! Imagine the savings to the company in terms of time saved in recruiting, training, and just plain managing.

We continue to find that middle management is most important ingredient to preserve good to great employees. First, an employee’s boss is the company to them and they will leave if they don’t receive positive feedback from the boss. Secondly, positive feedback must be timely. Most managers don’t realize that their role must be focused on their people and their performance is a direct reflection of their people’s success. People need to be engaged and if they aren’t engaged, they move on to another job. People will not stay in a job where engagement is not fulfilled, period. So what are you doing about it?

Your primary role as a manager is the development of your people. The CEO, President, HR Professional, and any decision maker in the company must realize that management training is the most important ingredient they can provide because the managers’ tasks revolve around making sure their people are well served and they understand the value of their work. If you don’t have an engaged workforce, then you have a workforce with their eyes on the door. Most managers do not exhibit good interpersonal skills with their staff but companies still are not responding to their training needs.

Please forward this article to back up the need for training.

The Art of Delegation

2009-08-17T08:43:00.002-04:00

According to most management publications, the primary responsibility of the manager is to get work done through other people. Too many times, the art of delegation is not looked upon as a most positive experience. It is considered “dumping” by many, and the reason for this attitude by the employee is the method in which the delegated assignment is presented. As a good chef would say, “it is all in the presentation”. In other words, the key to delegation is communication and training.

Practicing effective delegation is what makes delegation an art as opposed to a science. It is the most important if not the most effective technique for getting work done through other people. Hence the definition of effective delegation is the act of giving someone else the responsibility and authority to carry out an assignment or to represent you or your organization in a specific role. Some people expand the definition to include the sharing of responsibilities with others in the company where it is appropriate and logical.

It is important that you, the manager, has the right attitude in delegating. You must be willing to spend the time training people. You must remove the fear that often presents itself when you train someone to do exactly what you do. The fear that you will be replaced.

The truth is that effective delegation leads to opportunities for you, as well as your people. Most managers fail to monitor delegation because they don’t realize the importance of delegation in terms of the development of their people. The employee is anxiously awaiting direction, and if needed, additional training. People want to feel empowered and delegating brings you an excellent opportunity to do just that! It is important that you make feedback specific to behavior. You must make sure that the person to whom you are delegating takes ownership in terms of accountability and responsibility. Effective leadership generates productivity. The development of your staff can bring pain as well as joy. Delegation is one of the most valuable instruments to help initiate change.

Delegation is a skill that needs to be learned and developed. Most inexperienced managers have the most difficulty in mastering delegation skills. Be patient and as Vince Lombardi says, “Practice. . .Practice. . .Practice!” Success runs on empowerment of people, and empowerment runs on delegation. Looks like it's time to start delegating!

Employees Want Good Management

2009-08-03T15:46:00.003-04:00

A recent poll of the employees demonstrated that the most important thing to people at work is good management (36%). The employee also found that the respect of colleagues was very important (26%). Money, benefits, learning skills, and having fun in the workplace were far behind.

Our company, Innovative Leadership, focuses the majority of our training and development programs on the front line supervisor or manager. The roles and responsibilities of any supervisor or manager have changed over the years and it is important for companies to realize that the middle management of their organization is the real “glue” that holds the company together.

Management today must learn to focus on the “bigger picture and translate the company’s goals into meaningful steps or action plans.
Management must make sure the worker today is both engaged and responsive to change
Management must also learn the legal do’s and don’ts of supervising to avoid legal mistakes that can cost them and their companies financial losses and embarrassment.
Management must help elevate morale and retain the high achieving worker
Management must be good decision-makers and problem solvers to enable them to give the proper direction

Management must also provide a leadership focus. Success must be viewed as a journey and it is the responsibility of management today to demonstrate the skill sets and competencies relating to:

Talent Management
Strategic Business Development
Change Management
Productivity and Performance
Implementation with measured results
Leadership Development

It is important to realize that in today’s workplace, 85% of employees are giving a less than average performance. Management’s primary role in the workplace is the development of people by helping them reach their potential. The most important factor in the workplace today is to engage the worker by providing a better understanding and clear definition of the direction of the company and future strategy.

We need to finally realize that strategy plus people equals success and your middle management team is the one that can ensure that the summation of the two is achieved. Our courses and workshops teach mangers the skill-sets and competencies that compliment the foundation elements to leadership and produce the desired results. We do things differently and the outcome is defined upfront. Call now for more information on our Leadership and Management Development Process at 609.390.2830.

Is anyone still listening?

2009-07-23T10:34:00.003-04:00

The confidence from the C-suite to the employee is down in most companies. The conversation is focused on cost containment and expense reductions. Budgets again are being slashed and people are being asked to “do more with less”.

Many companies are discarding the talent that took them to the top. Experts today note that Talent Management is more important than ever but it appears to be falling on deaf ears.

Are you listening?

Changes in the economy are often precursors to changes in the ways we do business. Why are we still focused on everything except what we need to do? We need to retain top talent and develop the future talent for our company needs. The ASTD just published a major report titled, “Mission Critical – Keep Learning. This publication demonstrates “How to Communicate the Value of Learning in Difficult Economic Times”. Their publication is calling for all learning professionals to get in involved and make sure they contribute to a successful talent management strategy. The author feels that the ability to get the right people with the right skills into the right jobs in a cost-effective way makes it possible for a company to respond strategically. The publication also goes on to say that the entire organization must make the learning function support the organizations goals. The key decision makers in the organization must see a meaningful relationship between learning initiatives and results. Now there is a thought! Be more effective than just focusing of efficiencies. Isn’t it time to make sure that all programs focused on people development are directly linked to business goals?

Are you still listening?

The next thing is for everyone to realize that our middle management is the “glue that holds the company together”. I just recently read an article in HR Daily Advisor titled, “Top Five Mistakes Leaders Make in Tough Times”. In her opinion, Ellen McDargh,CSP, CPAE, felt that in tough times, leaders become reactive and reactionary, huddle with only the corporate folks, subscribe to the “cut…cut…cut” philosophy, target new clients and customers, and subscribe to the “do more with less”. Middle management is the leader of the majority of the staff. They must focus on being effective and producing the desired results in areas that have been bludgeoned to death by cost containment measures and layoffs.

A recent survey of the American workers demonstrated that “Good Management” is the most important thing that employees want in the workplace. Things that finished far behind “Good Management” included respect of colleagues, money and benefits, learning new skills, and having a fun environment.

Is anyone listening?

We need to make leaders out of every employee but the most important ingredient for business success is the development of the middle manager. Middle management must elevate morale in poor economic times, retain and motivate the high achieving employee, their team is expected to comprehend the “bigger picture” in terms of strategy and recommended plans of action. It is more important for the middle manager to break down the strategy into goals that can be comprehended and implemented by the action of the staff. They need to give direction, monitor performance, discipline the staff, and demonstrate organizational effectiveness by getting results. In addition to all of this, they have to understand that their actions may put them in the same legal liability position as that of their company. That’s quite the responsibility! Shouldn’t they continue to learn how to manage their employees as well as themselves?

I have read article after article on the Benchmarks involved with Human Resources Departments and have not found Mid-level management development as one of the major benchmarks for success. I have heard about the metrics associated with organizational performance, HR service and delivery, employee engagement, voluntary turnover, HR practices, budget management, technology assessment, and more. What is HR and the C-Level doing to continue their company’s success??

Here at Innovative Leadership, we have focused our company on the development of middle level managers and our programs compliment all of the metrics ever associated with a strategically oriented HR Department:

Tools that qualify potential management candidates from the date of hire.
Training and Development Courses that highlight goal-orientation and business results
Provides an organization with the ROI prior to the start of the program
Offers a variety of cost effective platforms including online application.
Course evaluation processes measure the changes in the behaviors and skill-sets associated with high achieving mid-level managers

We do things differently and our results demonstrate just that. Please tell me just one thing . . . Is anybody still listening?

SUPREME COURT DECISION FAVORS TESTING

2009-07-09T17:53:00.004-04:00

By Richard Hohmann Redeem 2 Free Assessments from Innovative Leadership

On Monday June 29, 2009, The Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision ruling favored white and Hispanic fire fighters advancing the case for validated testing and assessments in the workplace in America.

In 2003 Lt. Ben Vargas was one of 56 New Haven, Conn. Fireman who passed the test for promotion to Captain of whom 15 were black or Hispanic. When the city discovered that only two out of the 56 were likely to be immediately promoted (due to lack of job openings) the city threw out the test for fear of being sued by minority candidates who might allege discrimination.

However, 17 white firefighters plus Vargas (a total of 18 firefighters) filed suit against the city for throwing out the test. The Supreme Court has now ruled in behalf of the 18 who filed suit against the city for throwing out the test . This ruling delivered the message that rejecting employment test results because of the lack of minority candidates eligible for promotion violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote for the majority, “Fear of Litigation alone cannot justify an employer’s reliance on race to the detriment of individuals who passed the examinations and qualified for promotions.”

The 18 plaintiffs in the case studied intensively for the test, giving up second jobs and missing family celebrations. The lead plaintiff, Frank Ricci was dyslexic and had studied 8 to 13 hours a day, and had hired an acquaintance to tape-record the study materials for him.

In the case before the court, Ricci v. Stephano, No. 07-1428, the majority said there is no evidence, let alone strong evidence, of any problem with the tests. With this ruling, the Supreme Court has in reality sent a variety of messages to employers in both the public and private sector:

When using a validated job related test that has proven to be nonbiased by race and sex
that test or assessment may legally discriminate against minority groups who do not have the qualifications for the job. In this case black fireman who took the test failed to learn the necessary material to pass the test.

Would we allow Doctors to practice medicine who do not pass the medical exam? Lawyers who don’t pass the bar exam to practice law? or CPA’s who haven’t passed the CPA exam to offer their services as a CPA---Obviously the answer “NO”. Employers have the right to require people to be qualified for the jobs they are hiring them for or promoting them into and the Supreme Court has just upheld that right.

In this case the Supreme Court sent a clear message that being in a minority group who failed a validated job related test is not an acceptable basis to file a discrimination complaint.

The Supreme Court Decision further sent a message to employers that job related validated tests and assessments are usable and defensible in both the hiring and promotional processes and are clearly some of the most validateable parts of an employers hiring or promotional process as a result of the clear cut rules established for validation in the Uniform Employment Guidelines published in the Federal Register in 1979.

This Supreme Court Decision is a job win for companies like Innovative Leadership and its Achiever Series of Assessment Instruments. (www.ILDV.org), The Achiever Series are job related assessments that has been repeatedly proven to be validated and nondiscriminatory by race, color or sex which does identify individuals who do not fit the requirements of the job. The Achiever is now America’s premier job-related assessment instrument for use in both applicant selection and people development processes. There as never been an adverse finding, or settlement out of court, against any employer for its usage. Information on the validation of the Achiever and validation of tests and assessments in general and their optimum usage is available at www.whytest.biz.

Please call for more information on America’s Premier Assessment Instruments distributed by Innovative Leadership at 609.390.2830 or contact us here: http://www.innovativeleadershipdv.com/contact.asp

Richard Hohmann is the senior consultant/Vice President for Innovative Leadership of the Delaware Valley, LLC. He is a graduate of the Ohio State University and has over thirty years of Leadership and Management Development experience. His focus is on the effectiveness of the organization and the development of their people to enhance performance and improve productivity. He teaches managers and leaders to know what it takes to be successful and then uses a defined plan to teach them how to do it until they succeed. He has written numerous articles for national publications and speaks at many association meetings nationwide. He is very involved with his community organizations and professional affiliations.

I'm an employer! I've got the upper hand, why would I need a pre-hire assessment?

2009-06-17T18:02:00.003-04:00

With Innovative Leadership's Pre-Hire Assessments you gain an understanding of an employee's potential, their attitude towards leadership, and their potential for unacceptable behavior.

Our various pre-hire assessments, Before You Hire and The Achiever™ Series, guide you through the hiring process while cutting costs associated with hiring, selection, and retention.

Featured Pre-Hire Assessment:
The Achiever™

The Achiever combines cognitive and personality scales to provide a well-rounded picture of your potential employee. This assessment allows you to maximize the fit between employment demands and the abilities, aptitudes, and personality of the potential employee. More Info

Assessing talent is not impossible....with the right tools it can be done with measured results. Interested? or Questions? Contact Us

8 Ways to Keep Morale High

2009-05-20T16:35:00.000-04:00

Adapted from "Pathways and pitfalls to giving Personal Recognition and Appreciation"

No matter how dazzling your recognition program, in the end employee morale depends largely on how skilled you are at making the staff feel appreciated. Keep in might these recognition rules:

Be Democratic. Don't restrict praise to bona fide successes. You should also appreciate effort - innovative ideas that fall flat or good tries that fall short. People should know it's ok to fail as long as they give their best. And be democratic in choosing whom to praise as well as what to praise. The receptionist, cleanup crew, and other support staff may not be moneymakers but they're an essential part of a well-run operation.
Be Nit picky. Dramatic success's are great but they're usually the result of the tiny, incremental things workers do each day. Don't wait for the obvious. Take note of the small victories that lead to the big wins.
Be Quick. Don't delay in praising employees fir a job well done. You not only want to make workers feel good about themselves, but you also want to reinforce their positive behavior. That's easier to do when the incident is fresh in an employee's mind.
Be Public. Praise done right doesn't only reinforce the behavior and boost morale of the employee involved, it also raises the performance bar and creates a positive environment for everyone else.
Be Specific. Make sure workers understand exactly what they did right. Rather than saying "Good job!" say "You handled that irate customer beautifully." By being specific you prompt workers to make note of their brilliance for future reference.
Be Brief. Although you want to highlight positive behaviors, it's not necessary to turn a pat on the back into a dissertation on, say, customer service. Let workers enjoy their victory and save the blow-by-blow for your next staff meeting.
Be Solicitous. Go beyond providing moral support by asking if there's anything you can do to help workers continue to perform to their full potential. Offering assistance is especially important when praising strong effort that proved unsuccessful.
Be Reflective. After offering your on-the-spot praise, review the episode and ask yourself whether you could have handled the moment even better. Appreciation isn't as effective when, for instance, a manager praises workers then takes credit for their accomplishments with senior managers. To be most effective, praise should reflect the culture of the department or organization.

Referrals Top Hiring Tools

2009-05-07T18:14:00.000-04:00

Coming into the big hiring season for the beach resorts on the east coast I thought I would share this article. I thought it would be interesting to some of you. Enjoy! - Rich

Recruiters Cite Referrals as Top Hiring Tool
Workforce Management
Article written by Gina Ruiz

Seventy five percent of respondents in a survey conducted by ERE Media said employee referral programs are effective or very effective tools in recruiting.

Currently, less than one-third of hires actually come from employee referrals, however fifty percent of the respondents say they will increase spending on referral programs to further tap into the benefits the programs offer as recruitment tools.

Another tool that received overall positive marks for recruitment was Job Boards. About 50% of the respondents found them to be effective tools for recruitment, while they found print advertising and job fairs less effective. The jury appears still out on social networking sites but most companies do not spend excessive amounts in this area.

Replacing an Executive can Cost You

2009-04-23T08:46:00.000-04:00

Coaching is the one component of employee retention that is most overlooked and underused. The cost of replacing a high level executive now approaches almost 50% of their salary, not including any additional compensation packages. In other words, to replace a $200K salaried executive it will cost you $100K. Coaching for Performance costs for that same executive costs a company approximately $9-$12k per year. As reported in the article, “Can Coaching Help Your Business” (TheStreet.com (02/24/09), investing in executive leadership development can bring about a positive impact on an organization when it is particularly needed. Your under performing executives or other personnel in key roles can benefit from working with a one on one coach.

Innovative Leadership’s coaching program provides certified coaches who have extensive management experience and can relate to the pressures being placed on your leadership in these tough economic times. Our coaches use a unique process to get results while coupling the achievement with enhancing leadership skill-sets by incorporating Leadership Training into the one-on-one equation. We work with your leaders to develop their leadership competencies and skill-sets to compliment their decision-making abilities, and interpersonal responsiveness to their board and management team, while getting them to focus on the metrics that make a difference. Achievement is the result of effective planning and the proper implementation of a plan while monitoring the progress so that course corrections can be made along the way. Our Coaches directly work with you to design the plan, implement the strategy, formulate the metrics for success, and work with you to monitor the results.

You’re losing valuable money when an executive is replaced; stop this vicious circle with Coaching and Training. It really is priceless.

HR is Missing a Great Opportunity

2009-04-17T14:25:00.004-04:00

Isn’t it about time that HR Managers change the hiring and selection event to a process that can provide a significant return on investment for their company?
Now, the question is what is the best way to start developing a process?

These 5 points will help guide you to a well planned out process.
1. Evaluate each job position and get familiar with the roles and responsibilities associated with the position. Know the skill sets and behaviors that need to be exhibited on a daily basis for someone to exhibit outstanding performance in that position.

2. Select the Assessment instrument or series of instruments that supports your needs. Assessment instruments are not usually a one-size fits all type of product. When selecting, make sure that it is appropriate for the company’s needs and will produce the necessary ROI.

3. Develop a process that provides consistency in application, scoring,
utilization, monitoring, and results.

4. Develop the metrics that “matters most” to the organization and provides the desired results

5. Learn to evaluate the results and outcomes and use the data to drive improvements in the process and the ROI.

One of the greatest challenges for all HR professionals is to create a partnership with the CEO that drives productivity and performance to align HR with the business strategy. The implementation of a cost-effective hiring and selection process that can also contribute dramatically to the bottom line might just be the best way to enhance that relationship.
View Available Assessment Tools

Leadership Newsletter (April Issue) by Innovative Leadership
Richard Hohmann is a management consultant who focuses on people development and organizational effectiveness using consultation, training and development including the use of assessment instruments, and coaching. He is a partner of Innovative Leadership of the Delaware Valley, LLC. More information and contact information can be found at www.ILDV.org.

Coaching For Results

2009-04-15T16:39:00.000-04:00

In a most recent survey, thousands of employees were asked “what they planned to do differently in 2009?” and here are the results:

Most will be focusing on themselves and trying to “get fitter” (53%)
Most will be scheduling more time with family and friends (24%)
Many will be looking for new employment opportunities (13%)
Some will try to work harder (6%)
And the minority will do nothing differently in 2008 (4%)

I can visualize that every executive, manager, supervisor or employee will be getting up earlier and rushing to the gym to knock of the weight and trying to tone up for the “bikini” season, then rushing off to work to give everyone the appearance that they are working harder than they did last year even though some of that energy will be spent looking for new employment opportunities, and then scurrying home to have dinner with the family and bathe the children, then hop in bed by 9 to get ready for the next day. WOW!

It really sounds and feels stressful to me. How can someone do all that and not get stressed out.

Hiring a Coach will help you formulate a “game plan” together that will enable you to reach your goals in a shorter period of time without as much stress.

Innovative Leadership Coaches for Results!

Evaluate Talent from Day One

2009-04-08T12:26:00.001-04:00

Where is Your Focus? on Your People or on Your Process?

In a recent article in the Investor’s Business Daily, Kevin Harlin points out that Employment consulting firms say it is vital to track and nurture promising leadership candidates even though the economy is sluggish. Steve Krupp, partner and leader of the executive talent management practice at Delta Organization & Leadership, asserts that if a company fails to engage and communicate its top performers, they might be inclined to depart.

Rather than focusing on your processes, focus on your people. They are your biggest asset. Remember that turnover can cost you double of just one employee’s salary. A survey from Delta found that most U.S. companies fail to monitor their best performers, even fewer communicate with these employees, and few top executives support such initiatives.

PPG Industries, a global glass, paint, and chemical firm, has been tracking its best employees for about a decade. Roughly 30 percent of workers are regarded as top talent, and just 1 percent is deemed suitable for the CEO position. Identified employees get first priority for training, special projects, and responsibilities. Executives also meet with these employees from time to time at informal settings like breakfast or lunch. Global business software firm SAP provides potential leaders with six-month fellowships in another division, typically in a different location, to ensure that these employees have adequate insight into the company.

The above synopsis of the article that appeared in Investor’s Business Daily demonstrates the need to evaluate talent from the first day of hire in terms of recognizing potential and people development as the priority for any organization. I really question whether companies today are focused on their future leadership and understand the need to develop people’s potential.
Innovative Leadership offers an Assessment Process called the Achiever Series that can assist you with people development and also compliment certain aspects of succession planning, downsizing or transformation.

We are a company that is focused on helping companies develop their potential of their people that will result in organizational effectiveness. Please call us at your convenience to discuss our Assessment Processes that can make the difference in the future of your company at 609.390.2830.

Critical Success Factor

2009-03-30T08:02:00.001-04:00

Most succession plans do not take into consideration that different environments require different leadership competencies or skills. If we narrow our development process than we may never have the right person ready to assume the leadership role in any company. Companies need to consider what most professional sports teams do as a major component for success and that is a strong bench. Most of you championship teams, whether it be in basketball, baseball, or even football have had a great bench or understudy for their key positions. Companies, like professional sports teams, must have a strong bench of candidates who can lead or “step up to the plate” under a variety of scenarios.

Many companies use different forms of people development processes. Some companies call them Leadership Academies or Institutes, and/or High Potential Candidate Schools. Despite the different names, the end result is the same: development of people toward a higher level. As a business owner, we need to provide a constant flow of internal talent but we also must be aware that when people don’t get the higher position, they do have a tendency to leave the organization so the funnel better continue to be adequately filled at all times.

It is also important for companies to deliver some kind of transparency to their shareholders, customers, and internal personnel. The ideal succession plan should minimize uncertainty, which isn’t a bad thing in this economic climate, and continue to promote the “real” culture of the company. The depth of the company’s disclosure should be predicated by the need at the time and situational circumstances.

So, succession planning is just a more formalized name that can be defined as a process to help companies develop their people to meet their future needs.

It certainly sounds like it is time for a Leadership Program…. Let’s go!

Innovative Leadership has all of the tools for your succession plan, including Leadership Development, Organizational Needs Inventory, Assessment Tools, and more. Please call us at 609-290-2830 to set up and appointment or contact us here