Manage2Succeed

Use Tangible Metrics for Staffing Decisions

It’s likely that you use a metric-based evaluation system when reviewing your employees. (If you don’t, you really should.) But what about when you are hiring new staff or are considering promotions? There are excellent personality assessment tools available that can predict how successful an individual will be in a new position with impressive accuracy. By measuring a range of personality traits – identified through exhaustive scientific research over the past half century – we can create a profile that enables us to predict performance based on three fundamental categories of characteristics:

• Natural Talents – how one thinks
• Motivators – what one values
• Behaviors – how one prefers to behave

Here are a few examples of the types of characteristics we look for when making hiring and promotion decisions:

Sales Role – Outside, Short-Term Sales

• Typical Natural Talents – a focus on practical results and a drive for action and achieving the outcome
• Typical Motivators – one driven by money or practical results; someone comfortable being an individual and who likes to make and influence decisions – be in control of the sale
• Typical Behaviors – a self-starter who is competitive, action-oriented, has a high sense of urgency, is very persuasive and is able to influence others

Customer Service Role

• Typical Natural Talents – a supportive approach, keeping the customer’s needs and emotions front of mind while still seeing the practical needs of the situation
• Typical Motivators – a passion for serving and helping others, coupled with a desire to achieve balance and harmony in any situation; inspired to do what is needed to make the customer happy and satisfied
• Typical Behaviors – one who is supportive, service-oriented and caring; not pushy, aggressive or overly analytical

Manager/Supervisory Role

• Typical Natural Talents – one who is able to define the objective, plan the course of action and tactical execution of what needs to happen; one who is able to address difficult emotional situations from an objective, unemotional stance
• Typical Motivators – one who likes to be in charge and have influence, enjoying the associated authority and responsibility; motivated to create and maintain standards and quality control while reinforcing an excellence in operations approach
• Typical Behaviors – one who is centered around operational efficiencies, compliance with regulations, effectiveness of action, and task management; promotes adherence to standards, quality assurance and attention to detail; more of a finisher than a starter
  
  Note: typical traits of successful senior managers are different.

These traits are just a sampling of those we identify and assess when a profile is administered. This requires a validated assessment tool and expert interpretation. When properly done, these tools can significantly increase your success in hiring and promoting.

Read more about The Treer Group’s ADVanced Insights.

Transform a Negative Culture in Your Workplace

When you walk into a business that has a positive, vibrant work environment you can feel it. You enjoy your experience, and you want to do business with them again. You may also wonder how you can create the same kind of atmosphere in your company or organization. Like most things in business, it comes down to the fundamentals.

To create a positive workplace culture, it is necessary to identify influences and factors that are generating negativity among your employees. An array of issues from unpopular policies and inadequate communications to disruptive employees, challenging market conditions and many others can have a profound influence. Next, put strong policies, procedures and structures in place that build positive attitudes. Proactively addressing issue of concern to employees, two-way communications, collaborative opportunities, fairness in management policies and performance are a good start. Get more details.

Perhaps the most important thing you can do is to lead by example. When you set a positive, can-do tone your people will follow. At least most of them will, and positive peer pressure will help squelch negativity. Remember, positive attitudes are contagious. Your business results will be better and going to work will be an uplifting experience for you, your employees and your customers.

Read Janet’s article, Create a Positive Culture.

4 Leadership Skills You Need Now & In The Future

The Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) published a research study that identifies four key leadership skills that executives, managers and supervisors will need to succeed in the future. It also revealed that today’s leaders fall significantly short in these areas. Having the right skills is crucially important as we enter a stronger economy, where change will be required to take advantage of new opportunities and adjust to increasing competition for customers and employees. You can bridge the skills gap among your leaders by implementing an effective leadership development program. Here are the four key areas and steps to take:

Leading People – Being able to direct and motivate people is an essential skill that requires an executive or manager to effectively interact with staff. Leaders must delegate well, treat people fairly, provide development opportunities for employees, recruit talented people and more.

Strategic Planning – To guide their companies into a successful future, leaders must be able to turn a long-term vision into nuts-and-bolts business strategies. To chart the right course, you can implement a solid strategic planning process that collaboratively builds a shared vision, establishes a tangible action plan and effectively communicates it to all stakeholders.

Inspiring Commitment – To lead staff and organizations in the right direction, managers must understand what motivates their people and take appropriate action for each individual. Actions should include rewards, recognition, communications and other activities.

Managing Change – Change is now a constant. Training and development programs should be implemented that teach leaders the dynamics of change, how to recognize who resists change and how to motivate and incent performance that promotes positive change.

Read more and access the entire CCL study in my article: The 4 Leadership Skills You Need Most.

Employee Retention in a Rebounding Economy

The number of employees who have a very strong sense of loyalty to their employers has significantly dropped since 2008 when the economy did a nose dive. It’s under 50% now. Only 33% of workers think their employers have a very strong sense of loyalty to them. A stunning 60% of IT employees plan on changing jobs. That’s bleak news for employers as the economy begins its recovery and the job market starts to loosen up again.

People are worn out, over-stressed and discouraged with the status quo. They feel under-appreciated, under-compensated and stagnant in their careers. All this adds up to a ticking time bomb for companies, which could have a devastating impact if they do not take action – and fast. The good news is that you can do a lot to avoid the potential tidal wave of turnover.

Good talent management practices can make a real difference, through:

• Assessments – to identify the most important issues for your people and organization
• Communications – be open, honest and do it often
• Saying Thank You – sincerely and frequently
• Setting Clear Expectations – of your employees and yourself
• Facilitating Involvement – people support what they contribute to
• Compensation – review and revise as appropriate
• Creating Urgency – make employee retention a management priority

For much more detail, read, print or download my article: Employee Retention in a Rebounding Economy - how to keep your best people as the job market opens up.

It really comes down to solid human resource management and motivating employees, which you should do in any economy. But now, with so many restless empoyees, there is real urgency. Don’t wait until it’s too late.

8 Steps to Keeping Your Resolutions & Reaching Your Goals

According to research, up to 90% of New Year’s resolutions are not kept. Work-related resolutions – or goals – have higher success rates, but there is clearly room for improvement. Here are eight steps you can take to improve your follow through in 2012:

1. Identify the problem to be solved.
2. Know where you are starting and where you want to end up.
3. Consider the outcome – rewards and consequences.
4. Determine the steps to be taken.
5. Identify and remove obstacles.
6. Do goal setting the SMART WAY.
7. Persevere.
8. Celebrate successes.

Follow these steps, and put a strong emphasis on #3, #5 and #6. You will experience more successes, get more done and enjoy the exhilaration of making things happen. Read more in my article: Get It Done In 2012.

Peaks and Valleys

Every so often it is the somple things that help to move us forward. Often, we already know these things, but don't think about them. Recently, most of us have been thinking about economic recovery and wondering when it will truly take hold - for the country and the world, and for our own lives and companies.

While considering the much anticipated economic upturn, I recently read the latest book by Spencer Johnson, MD, Peaks and Valleys - Making Good and Bad Times Work for You. If you found his other books, including One Minute Manager and Who Moved My Cheese? to be of value, I encourage you to pick up Peaks and Valleys. This is a short, quick read and shares the story of a young man who lives unhappily in a valley (bad times) until he meets an old man who lives on a peak (good times), and it changes his work and life forever.

In this story, the young man learns that peaks and valleys are part of life and that what you do in a valley impacts how quickly you will find yourself back on a peak (and vice versa, of course).

Two of the key truths shared are:

• The pain in a valley can wake you up to a truth you have been ignoring.
• The path out of the valley appears when you choose to see things differently.

I find that inspiration and realizations come in many forms. This small book – a quick read or listen – gathers up quite a few truths for us to consider as we plan for the future. Consider the lessons of Peaks and Valleys and I promise you will find ways to shorten your stay in the valley.

Plan to Succeed

While it may not be immediately apparent, there is a sliver of a silver lining to the dismal employment market we are enduring. Through no choice of their own, countless people are taking a good look at their careers, reevaluating where they are and giving serious consideration to where they want to go. This may be the first time many have stopped to think about what they want from their careers and lives. Out of choice or necessity, many are now pursuing long-forgotten dreams of their ideal jobs, altruistic undertakings or entrepreneurial endeavors. I encounter many individuals who are discovering that they were firmly entrenched in a career path that was actually a deepening rut. It shouldn’t take an employment crisis for us to plan our careers – and it doesn’t have to. On average, people spend more time planning their vacations than their life paths. Do yourself a big favor and take the time to do it soon.

I would like to share with you the slides from my recent presentation: Personal Career Management. I would be happy to discuss it with you if you call or click.

 

Main Role of a Coach

Many people ask me what I do as a coach. This is an understandable question since the profession is growing, but not well understood by many. 100% of Fortune 500 CEOs have a coach. To some this means that coaches are for big companies only, but nothing could be further from the truth. Any senior business person can benefit from a coach. Recalling the old adage "It's lonely at the top" helps to see why.

The International Coach Federation conducted a survey of coach clients to understand why they engaged a coach and how they use their coach. Here are some interesting findings:

Value of Coaching
- 70% find it very valuable

Confidence
- 50% confide in their coach as much as their best friend, spouse or therapist
- 12% confide in their coach more than anyone else

Main Role of the Coach
- 84.8% sounding board
- 78.1% motivator
- 56.7% friend
- 50.5% mentor
- 46.7% business consultant
- 41.0% teacher

Typical Issues Addressed
- 84.5% time management
- 74.3% career guidance
- 73.8% business advice
- 58.6% relationship / family issues
- 51.9% physical / wellness issues
- 45.2% personal issues
- 39.5% goal setting
- 38.1% financial guidance
- 11.0% creativity

And the All-important Outcomes Attributed to Coaching
- 67.6% higher level of self-awareness
- 62.4% smarter goal setting
- 60.5% more balanced life
- 57.1% lower stress levels
- 52.9% self-discovery
- 52.4% more self-confidence
- 43.3% improvement in quality of life
- 39.5% enhanced communication skills
- 35.7% project completion
- 33.8% health or fitness improvement
- 33.3% better relationship with staff
- 33.3% better family relationships
- 31.9% increased energy
- 31.9% more fun
- 25.7% more income
- 25.7% stopped a bad habit
- 24.3% change in career
- 22.9% more free time

What do coaches do? We help people and companies achieve the business and personal results above.

Take the Lead or Lag Behind

For most businesses, managers and executives, the past couple of years have been exceedingly challenging, to say the least. The difficult economy, weak consumer and investor confidence and debilitating burnout, have taken a costly toll. To weather the storm, many businesspeople have hunkered down in survival mode. This is understandable, but according to many economists we're working our way back to a healthier business environment. Now is the time plan and prepare for the better days that may well be just around the corner. It's not easy to overcome inertia - especially after such a long and difficult period - but strong leaders make it happen. It's time to take the lead, and get ready for success. More soon.

Are You Contageous?

According to a lot of research, you are. I think it was stated very well in a recent Harvard Business Review article:

"Your behavior can energize - or deflate - your entire organization through mood contagion. For example, if you laugh often and set an easygoing tone, you'll trigger similar behaviors among your team members. Shared behaviors unify a team, and bonded groups perform better than fragmented ones."

But that's easier said than done, especially when the pressures of your job are making the walls close in on you. Everybody has their own coping mechanisms to keep control - I'm sure our readers have an array of options they could share. But sometimes you need a private sounding board and confidant to help you keep things in perspective and maintain that "cool-as-a-cucumber" demeanor that's so calming, inspiring . . . and contagious. A good option for many is an executive or individual coach. More about this in the future.