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Build Loyalty Through Engagement

1/24/2023

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If you're struggling with turnover, or looking to solidify what's currently working in your organization, you've likely been thinking about employee engagement plans. With the media continually talking about attrition and “quiet quitting,” this seems an urgent topic to address.

Organizations need engagement plans that resonate with employees, writes executive coach Robin Camarote. Yet too often such plans are a hodge-podge of initiatives. “Engagement is separate from compensation policies, rewards, and appreciation efforts, like parties and gifts,” says Camarote. "We work best," concludes the author, "when we are invited to participate in arriving at solutions to our day-to-day struggles."

The most effective employee engagement programs consist of a series of conversations among leaders and staff that address four essential pillars of engagement:  Purpose, Communication, Workplace Environment, and Relationships. 

These four engagement pillars can include as much or as little formality as desired. For a more simple approach, consider hosting a series of open-ended discussions focusing on one pillar at a time.

To learn more about structuring employee engagement conversations, check out our Hardwiring Teamwork curriculum.   

What is your organization doing to enhance employee engagement? To join the conversation, click "comments" above. 

Create lifetime communication mastery online, with our virtual programs, awarded International Gold for Best Hybrid Learning of 2022.   

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Make Meetings Great

1/17/2023

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“There are countess ways to screw up a meeting,” writes contributing editor Jeff Haden in Inc.. In fact, many employees view meetings as “costly” and “unproductive.”

Research shows meetings are even less useful when they start late and when there are too many of them. They are especially counter-productive when participants complain in ways that express futility. Killer phrases like “Nothing can be done about that” or “Nothing will work” can set off a chain reaction of negativity that — as you can imagine — lessens the odds of productive outcomes. 

Yet, Haden says, smart leaders know how to convert even a sense of futility into effective problem solving. Here’s how: Begin setting an expectation that requires everyone to reframe objections or different opinions as questions.    

If a participant says, ”There’s no way we can get everyone to work overtime this weekend,” the leader can reply, “Please reframe that as a question.”  That might sound like:  “How can we get our staff to work overtime this weekend?” Similarly, “We will never finish this job on time,” becomes “What actions can we take to finish this job on time?” 

Soon enough, such reframing becomes a habit! Now, you’re in problem solving mode.

Many of you have experienced our Hardwiring Teamwork course that offers step-by-step guidelines on how to make meetings successful. Check it out here. 
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What do you do to ensure your meetings are productive, and what do you avoid? To join the conversation, click "comments" above.

Create lifetime communication mastery online, with our virtual programs, awarded International Gold for Best Hybrid Learning of 2022.

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Some Tough Truths About Leadership

12/6/2022

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Research shows that workers who quit are leaving managers, rather than companies. Managers can increase retention, and productivity, if they learn to lead people while managing the work. But along the way, writes INC. contributing editor Marcel Schwantes, all managers “must confront a few hard truths about how to effectively inspire and get the best out of their people.” 

Among these truths: 
  • Give employees purposeful work: Purpose-driven work allows team members to feel a greater connection to the work they're doing and provides a clear understanding of the motivation behind each business decision.
  • Reduce loneliness in the workplace: Leaders have a responsibility to ease loneliness and feelings of isolation in the hybrid work world. A good approach is to build community and promote a sense of belonging for all team members. When people feel connected in inclusive cultures, they are happier and more engaged. 
  • Bring more humanity to the workforce: Share big company issues, be honest about what you're struggling with, ask for help when needed, and be transparent. 
  • Show “actionable” love for employees: This means “love that shows up with intentional action in meeting the needs of others to get results, clearing obstacles from people's paths, and empowering others to succeed and grow.” Some ways leaders can demonstrate actionable love include fostering an environment where people feel free to speak up, understanding each team member’s unique gifts and challenges, and giving them the freedom to explore their passions and follow their curiosity. 

Can you tell us about a leadership lesson you learned “the hard way?” To join the conversation, click "comments" above.

Create lifetime communication mastery online, with our virtual programs, awarded International Gold for Best Hybrid Learning of 2022.

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Stop Delegating, Start Teaching

11/29/2022

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A significant part of a manager’s role is staff development. But if you delegate a task to someone with no prior training simply because you are too busy to handle it, their chances of succeeding are marginal. Writing in the Harvard Business Review, Art Markman, PhD, professor of Psychology and Marketing at the University of Texas, says managers should stop thinking of handing off responsibilities as delegating (thereby potentially setting the stage for failure) and start taking on the mindset of a trainer instead.

Markman suggests managers actively look for ways to begin upping the responsibilities of your team members:
  • Start by assessing who on your team genuinely wants to move up in the organization, and identify their primary areas of interest. 
  • Create a development plan for them, enumerating the skills they will need to reach their goals. 
  • Give them assignments that require the application of those skills. 
  • Help them work their way up to a challenging task by starting with a series of practice sessions. 
  • The first time you introduce a task to someone, let them shadow you while you explain key points. Then, give them a piece to do on their own with your supervision. Only let them carry the full load when you sense that they are ready. 

Taking on some direct reports as apprentices takes effort and extra time, notes Markman, and you will also have to review their work carefully at first. But by adopting this approach, you are helping your associates reach their career goals, and creating a team of trusted colleagues who can step in when you are overwhelmed or unavailable.

When was the last time you delegated a task, and did you provide any training to your associate? And what experience have you had when people asked you for help? To join the conversation, click "comments" above.

Create lifetime communication mastery online, with our virtual programs, awarded International Gold for Best Hybrid Learning of 2022.   


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Why Criticism Lasts Longer Than Praise

10/4/2022

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It's inevitable that at some point we will all be the targets of insults, admonishments, or negative feedback. We may be advised to “shake it off” but that’s not so easy. We tend to remember criticism more than we recall praise — due to a phenomenon called the “negativity bias.”  This universal tendency for negative emotions to affect us more strongly than positive ones is evolutionary, in that it causes us to pay special attention to anything that might be a threat or put us in danger.

According to Roy Baumeister, a social psychologist at the University of Queensland and co-author of The Power of Bad: And How to Overcome It, "Our ancestors who had that [negative] bias were more likely to survive.”  However this tendency does not serve us very well on a daily basis.  Baumeister believes that until we learn how to override the disproportionate impact of the negative, it distorts our view of the world.

Of course, the impact of being criticized varies from person to person. But receiving and internalizing negative comments can increase stress, anxiety, frustration and worry, says Lucia Macchia, a behavioral scientist and visiting fellow at the London School of Economics. "Dealing with these negative emotions has a great impact on our body as they can even create and exacerbate physical pain," she adds. 

The good news: Scores of studies have shown that people tend to look on the bright side as they become older. Scientists refer to this effect as the "positivity bias" and they think we start to remember positive details more than negative information from middle age. Baumeister believes this is because we need to learn from failures and criticism in our younger years, but that need diminishes as we age.

To reduce our negativity bias sooner, it helps to remember that our genetic programming could be at the root of our ruminating about criticism. Simply recognizing this negativity effect can help us override undesirable responses — and it can also be useful to remember that some criticism says more about the giver than the receiver. 

Have you ever given more credence to a criticism than it probably warranted? To join the conversation, click "comments" above. We would really like to hear about your experiences.

Learn more about creating a habit around masterful communication with our 
online learning programs. 


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Awful Meetings

9/27/2022

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Leaders consistently rate their own meetings much more positively than attendees do. When managers assume their meetings are going smoothly, they are less likely to solicit feedback and seek opportunities to improve. As a result, frustrations that attendees experience don’t get fixed (irrelevant agenda items, unnecessarily long duration, lack of focus), leaving employees disgruntled and disengaged.
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Writing in the Harvard Business Review, Steven G. Rogelberg, Chancellor’s Professor at the University of North Carolina Charlotte and author of The Surprising Science of Meetings, helps managers improve their meeting skills. Among his tips: 
  • Assessment:  Take a few minutes after each meeting you run to reflect on attendee behavior, conversational dynamics, and content that was covered. Were people distracted? Conducting side conversations? Did you do most of the talking? Consider inviting attendees to offer advice so you can identify your meeting strengths and weaknesses and create a plan for improvement.
  • Preparation:  When it comes to meetings, especially regularly scheduled ones, people tend to show up and wing it.  Before a meeting, force yourself to make deliberate choices:  What will be covered; who should attend; what is the best time and place? Doing the same thing every time can cause attendees to “glaze over.” 
  • Facilitation:  People often view meetings as interruptions of their “real work.” To mitigate such an attitude, greet people at the door and express gratitude for their time. Begin with a purposeful opening statement explaining why you have gathered. As the conversation gets under way, adopt a stewardship mindset, asking questions, engaging others, modeling active listening, drawing out concerns, and managing conflicts.
  • Reassessment:  Even when managers proactively diagnose their meeting problems and learn to better prepare for and facilitate the gatherings they lead, there will undoubtedly be room for continuous improvement. And so the process begins again. 

What have you done to improve the caliber of team meetings? To join the conversation, click "comments" above. 

If you would like to learn more about creating a habit around masterful communication, visit our online learning programs.  




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Onboarding From Afar

9/6/2022

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As any manager who has tried it can tell you, onboarding new employees remotely is a challenge. And a bad onboarding experience can have long-lasting negative fallout. Writing in the Harvard Business Review, James M. Citrin and Darleen DeRosa, co-authors of Leading From a Distance:  Practical Lessons for Virtual Success, offer recommendations for companies large and small who want to make onboarding strategies succeed. 
  1. Get off to a fast start: Create a plan to mitigate first-day nerves and allow new employees to feel welcome and gain confidence. Appoint a dedicated onboarding liaison, and try to set up their technology ahead of time to minimize breakdowns. 
  2. Establish Strong Relationships Across the Organization:  Virtual settings make spontaneous relationship-building less likely. Be proactive about setting up a mix of formal and informal one-on-one interactions between the new hire and colleagues.  Some companies set up a “shadow week” in which the new hire attends a wide variety of team and stakeholder group meetings.
  3. Explain the company culture and how work gets done: Make unspoken assumptions explicit. Spend more time than you generally would in a face-to-face environment talking about what is typical and atypical across various cultural dimensions. Create the space for your new colleagues to ask about the way things are done.
  4. Set clear expectations and connect the individual’s role to company mission and vision:  A new hire should have a clear picture of what success looks like for the first 100 days and beyond.  Then they can prioritize and accomplish some quick wins that create a strong foundation and build momentum for future success
Did you onboard remotely, and what was your greatest challenge? To join the conversation, click "comments" above. We would love to hear about your experiences!


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Signs Employees Are About to Quit

8/2/2022

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Are some of your employees about to hand in their notice? Timothy M. Gardner, management professor at Utah State, and Peter W. Horn, management professor at Arizona State, identified numerous “pre-quitting behaviors“ that are often tip-offs that a resignation could be in the offing in the next 12 months.

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Just like poker players exhibit various “tells” that reflect the strength of their hands, workplace “tells” can signal future turnover.  Through detailed questionnaires administered to managers, the authors distilled the most common pre-quitting behaviors. 

These include:
  • A decrease in productivity (often doing the minimum amount)
  • Acting less like a team player
  • Being less willing to commit to long term goals and missions
  • Exhibiting less focus and effort
  • Expressing more dissatisfaction than usual with their job and supervisor
  • Leaving early more frequently than usual
  • Less interaction with customers

“Typically,” say the authors, “organizations handle a turnover problem with large scale interventions to improve departmental or firm-level commitment, job satisfaction, and job engagement. These strategies may work, but they take time to design and implement. Thinking in terms of the turnover risk of specific employees allows you to invest your time and resources in those employees who create the most value and are actually at risk of leaving.” One technique is to use what are called “stay interviews.”  Instead of conducting only exit interviews to learn what caused good employees to quit, hold regular one-on-one interviews with current high-performing employees to learn what keeps them and what could be changed to keep them from straying.

Are any of your employees exhibiting signs of quitting, and what action might you take to get them to reconsider? To join the conversation, click "comments" above. We would love to get your feedback and hear about your experiences!


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Getting Honest Feedback from Remote Teams

7/26/2022

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  Listening to your employees and incorporating their feedback is important to you and to the culture of your organization. But sending out an employee survey once a year is not sufficient, says Carrie McKeegan, CEO and Cofounder of Greenback Expat Tax Services -- especially among remote teams who find it harder to build relationships. Collecting feedback on an ongoing basis will allow you to address roadblocks head-on, encourage creativity and collaboration, and drive innovation. Here are things you can do:
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  • Ask “how are you?”  Don’t let remote work make you eliminate pleasantries like, “How was your weekend?” Alternatively, do a temperature check by asking "What's the most important thing you're workingon this week?" or "How are you feeling about reaching your goals?"
  • Open Up:  A culture of candor has to start from the top. That means being vulnerable enough to share your human side. By setting an example, you show it's okay for your team to share their struggles and challenges with you in return.
  • Do Quarterly Check-ins:  The relationship between supervisor and employee plays a critical role in retention. Quarterly check-ins expose hidden issues and give team members a safe space to express needs, concerns, and ideas.  
  • Listen, Don’t Defend: Faced with constructive criticism, just listen. Focus on clarifying questions that help you understand the employees’ perspective.
  • Act on Feedback:  Actions speak louder than words. You don’t need to incorporate every piece of advice, but do recognize each contribution and share with your team how you intend to use their input. This type of transparency strengthens trust and encourages future feedback. 

Is your remote team giving you frequent and honest feedback, and if not, what can you do to improve matters? To join the conversation, click "comments" above. We'd love to hear your feedack. 


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Own Your Errors

7/5/2022

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Few of us like to admit it when we make a mistake. We’ve been trained since our childhood school years that only “correct answers” get rewarded. But two things are true:  1) Everyone makes mistakes, and 2) admitting to errors can actually be very beneficial.
 
Writing in Inc. , Ken Sterling, executive vice president of Bigspeak, contends that “admitting mistakes has the best rewards for you in the long term -- especially for your leadership style and building trust with those around you.” Great leaders, be they CEOs, elected officials, or even quarterbacks, take ownership of their errors and avoid blaming others. So, “If you want to become a better leader, it starts by being accountable…Ultimately, we are involved in creating, promoting, or allowing each situation we find ourselves in. When we realize this, it's quite empowering, actually. Otherwise, if it's not our fault, we're really saying we are victims.”
 
Leaders who refuse to be accountable create what Sterling calls a culture of fear. And fear leads to silence.  People who are afraid of being blamed, don't want to speak up or  contribute ideas. To do so would be equivalent to putting a target on their backs. What's more, failing to acknowledge mistakes pretty much ensures the mistakes will be repeated. Writes Sterling, “The key to learning -- be it martial arts, team sports, sales, or leadership -- is owning your errors. If you don't admit the mistake to yourself, then how can you ever improve on it?”
 
Owning one’s errors builds trust, and trust builds strong relationships. Research has repeatedly shown that employees want to trust their leaders and when that trust is there, leader honesty drives employees to be honest as well. “Candor is at the heart of good management and positive work culture. Imagine being a leader who can admit to personally messing up, and who sends the message that in this organization, you can mess up, too. It's liberating.”
 
When was the last time you admitted to a mistake, and how did that go? When did your boss last admit to a mistake? To join the conversation, click "comments" above.

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Managing Teams as They Grow Larger

6/21/2022

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A manager’s job and communication style must change as their team expands. Writing in The Harvard Business Review, Julia Zhuo, vice president of design at Facebook and author of The Making of a Manager: What to Do When Everyone Looks To You, explores some of the necessary adaptations. 

  • Indirect Management Expands Your Reach:  As your team grows, you cannot manage everyone directly, at least not to the same degree. That means developing managers who report to you, and accepting that some decisions will be made without you. At first it may feel like you are losing control—but you are actually empowering your people, and expanding your leadership reach.
  • People Treat You Differently:  When people don’t know you well and see you’re in a position of authority, they’re less likely to tell you the truth or to challenge you when they think you’re wrong, even if you’d like them to. Be aware of this dynamic and take countermeasures. Emphasize that you welcome dissenting opinions and reward those who express them.
  • People-Centric Skills Matter Most:  As teams grow, managers spend less time on the specific craft of their discipline, and more time coaching others. “At higher levels of management… success becomes more about mastering a few key skills: hiring exceptional leaders, building self-reliant teams, establishing a clear vision, and communicating well.”
How has your communication style adapted as your team and your responsibilities have grown? To join the conversation, click "comments" above.  We would really like to get your feedback.

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Five Phrases Good Leaders Say Often

5/17/2022

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For a leader who wants to inspire, few things are more important than communicating with employees in a positive way. Writing in Inc., Marcel Schwantes, founder and Chief Human officer of Leadership From the Core, says “there are certain undeniable phrases that, if we use them more often with team members, will result in an increase in trust and loyalty.”

Schwantes offers five examples of what great leaders will genuinely put into words to engage minds and hearts:
 
  1. We couldn’t have pulled off this project without you. This is especially gratifying if said In the presence of others.
  2. I could use your advice. Research shows people who ask for advice are perceived as more competent. 
  3. What can I do to help?  This phrase is especially welcome during stressful times.
  4. This was clearly my mistake. Effective leaders show humility and acknowledge their own shortcomings.
  5. I don't know. Being comfortable with not knowing allows one to learn and grow,
 
When was the last time you used one of these phrases, or heard your manager use one? What was the impact? To join the conversation, click "comments" above (just below the picture).  We would really to hear your feedback.

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Promoting Remote Engagement

5/3/2022

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Remote workforces present unique challenges. So leaders must be more intentional than ever in promoting engagement and the productivity that increases as a result.
 
Managing a fully remote company, Lou Elliott-Cysewski, co-founder and CEO of Coolperx, a net climate-neutral merchandising company, shares the lessons she has learned in Inc.:

  • Keep Things Short: Attention spans in a virtual setting are shorter than in person, so be concise.
  • Check In: Now is not the time to reduce one-on-one meetings. But do keep them short, and follow up later.
  • Encourage Explicit Verbal Communication: Be as clear as possible with your words, as you do not have all of the usual body language and non-verbal cues to back you up.
  • Avoid Constant Interruptions: Nothing kills productivity like a barrage of “notifications.”
  • Celebrate Wins, Big and Small:  The remote environment can lead to feelings of isolation. To build connection, leaders must take extra care to call out the contributions of individuals and groups.
  • Promote Overall Wellness:  Encourage your team to take a proactive approach to wellness. And set an example: Showing your employees that health and wellness are essential is way better than just saying so.
 
What has been your greatest challenge in working remotely, and how has your leadership addressed it? To join the conversation, click "comments" above (just below the picture).  We would really like to hear your feedback!

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Empathy and Accountability Belong Together

4/26/2022

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As we navigate the Great Resignation, the need for empathic leaders has come  center stage. People are unwilling to work for managers prone to autocracy, micromanaging, and narcissism — and they will resign in an effort to find a more welcoming culture.
 
It is crucial to recognize, however, that the drive for results and the practice of empathy are not mutually exclusive. Writing in Inc., Phillip Kane, CEO and Managing Partner of Grace Ocean business consultants, contends that effective leaders understand that results matter. But they also realize that results are heightened with kindness.
 
Such leaders recognize and reward the contributions of others, prize the mental and emotional well-being of those who work for them, and know better than to destroy trust over something like a missed objective. 
 
Kane concludes, “If you've believed, like many have, that delivering results and caring for others is an either/or proposition, change your thinking, and then change those you entrust to lead your team. Choose caring, empathic leaders. They are, for good reason, all the rage right now.”
 
To what extent do leaders in your organization display empathy, and what is the effect? To join the conversation, click "comments" above (just below the photo).  We’d really like to hear about your experience and get your feedback!

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Attracting and Retaining Employees Are Different Things

4/19/2022

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As employee turnover continues to rise, employers are striving to discern what workers really want. Of course benefits are important, but they are far from the whole picture.
 
Writing in Inc., Marcel Schwantes, founder and Chief Human Officer of Leadership from the Core contends that “good leadership takes skill, heart, head, hands, and a willingness to serve others.” He offers 3 actions leaders can take to ensure people stay longer:
 
  • Provide opportunities and growth: According to Schwantes, most employees don’t view their workplace as providing enough options and opportunities. “Employers need to replace traditional career ladders with lattices that enable people to grow — not just vertically, but across departments and functions.”
  • Offer more face time:  According to Beamery 2021 Talent Index, which offered insights from more than 5,000 employees, a lack of one-to-one time with their manager hindered their promotion opportunities in the past year. Leaders can avoid this by meeting with their team members and outlining what would be required to secure career advancement.
  • Open up two-way communication: Superior leaders are superior coaches, using their one-on-one time to help their employees to develop, and also to solicit feedback that increases their own self-awareness and accelerates their own learning.

​Is your organization doing what it should to help employees continue to develop and build on their strengths? To join the conversation, click "comments" above (just below the photo).  We're really like to about your experiences with attracting & retaining employees!

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