In my latest Talent Management Blog, I define employee engagement as doing that which needs to be done above and beyond that which is required in the job. Do you know where your employees stand on engagement? Click over to learn how you can determine which of your employees are stepping up to the plate.
Engagement Made Simple: 5 Ways to Test Your Employees’ Level of Engagement
For many years the lean champions who have been through our Performance Management classes have all said the same thing, “This is the missing piece.” Most of them had experienced the same problem — after a short time, interest and enthusiasm for the initiative began to wane. They found themselves prodding, pleading, and even threatening in order to keep things going. Managers began to question why the initial gains were slipping or in some cases why they disappeared altogether.
No initiative can be implemented or sustained without behavior. I have said many times that every organization should be constantly “leaning.” It should be built into the organizational DNA – the way they do everything. Why would any company not want to eliminate waste?
The problem is that when exposed to the “lean” training, employees are excited about it because it is positively reinforcing to learn new things and to have a change from routine work offered by the training session. However, if the reinforcement is novelty, it only lasts a very short time. After you have done one or two projects, everything new is old again. Unless you build positive reinforcers into the lean process, it becomes like every other initiative that began with a promise but ended with a question.
Without an understanding of reinforcement, a worthy initiative frequently ends in a premature death.
Guest Post by John Green
Without fail, one of the most challenging tasks managers and leaders face in building coaching fluency models is developing pinpointing skills. I see it consistently with my new clients during their upfront training sessions, as they struggle with being clear about “what they want”. What they come to learn is that guiding them from the global high-level, often-subjective “feedback” to something that is a bit more specific and objective is probably the most important skill they need to build.
As I check-in with these same clients over the years I consistently hear that “pinpointing is hard” and a skill that they have to continuously work on. It is no surprise that the more they practice the better they get.
As coaching models continue to move to an increasingly virtual environment, this skill becomes even more critical in shaping the behaviors that will have the desired impacts. Effective virtual coaching models should emphasize increasing both the quantity (do more coaching) and the quality (improve the value of your coaching) of their fluency.
By increasing touch points, coaches can increase the quantity of their coaching and therefore, how the skill of clear, objective coaching (pinpoints) influences the quality of these interactions.
For example, many of my clients are using text messaging as an effective tool for increasing touch points. Both coaches and performers like the flexibility and ease of using this technology to “communicate” on critical performance issues.
Twitter takes it a step further to enhance pinpointing skills. Because Twitter has a 140 character limitation per “tweet” it is an excellent tool to shape the pinpointing skill. Here are two real life client examples:
A Pharmaceutical Sales client moved towards a virtual field trip model in lieu of the infrequent and highly formalized traditional Field Visits.
A Banking/Financial Services client implemented a customer-centric selling model that is a key component to their strategic planning process. Coaches focused on shaping the behaviors that will result in clients perceiving this organization as “different” than other firms vying for their business.
Both of these clients have reported that building this tool helps (forces!) them to practice pinpointing. Both the coaches and the performers are becoming increasingly comfortable with this dynamic and appreciate the level of specificity and objectiveness that comes along with it.
The next challenge is to help the performers shape their responses to “fit” the Twitter requirements. (More on this phase in my next posting).
Give this approach a try and let us know how it goes @greenjohnj and @aubreydaniels
While reading an article from the Huffington Post by Marcia Reynolds titled, When Women Talk about Themselves, They Earn More, it reminded me of something my actress daughter said jokingly that characterized many people she met in the acting business in Hollywood, “I’ve talked so much about me, why don’t we talk about me?”
I have two reactions to the Reynolds article. First, I don’t believe that women who talk about themselves earn more than those who don’t. She presents no data, only her impressions from interviews. Second, I think it is bad advice for a man or woman.
Although she says that most women don’t like to self-promote and she states flatly that self-promotion is not bragging, I would suggest that there is a very fine line between self-promotion and bragging and that it is difficult for most people to differentiate between the two. I don’t like people who brag and don’t think others do either.
To make my point the author says, “In my own career, I survived many layoffs and zigzagged up the corporate ladder through a number of high-tech companies, taking on greater and more interesting challenges each time I moved. I learned early on that self-promotion is not bragging (the author’s opinion). Flaunting (emphasis is mine) my unique core talents helped management determine how best to use me.” I don’t like her already! Do you?
Wouldn’t you hate to be stuck talking to this woman at a cocktail party or even during a break at a management meeting? Listening to fingernails scrape a blackboard would be more tolerable.
Reynolds states that, “They (female executives) possess special and critical traits that qualified them for their roles. Yet they become totally helpless when I ask them to tell me what makes them special.” I would not know what to say if someone asked me what made me special because I don’t think of myself that way. I don’t think many others do either. I would think that anyone who would have a ready answer to the “special question” would not be as special as she thought she was.
The best advice I can give to women, or men, who want to advance and enjoy doing it is to focus on making other employees successful. As Lao-tse wisely said many years ago, “When the best leader’s work is done the people say, ‘We did it ourselves.’” By focusing on contributing to the success of others, you will gain their trust, respect and support all the way to the top.
Save talking about yourself to someone who cares. Maybe the person staring back at you in the mirror?
Coaching, like leadership, is one of the most highly ‘Googled’ terms today. It wasn’t long ago that coaching was perceived as something poor performers received as a last ditch effort to improve before they were shown the door. Nowadays everybody wants a coach. I could have told you this day would come, but I have to admit that reading this recent Forbes article alerted me to the fact that the day is here!
It’s not surprising that the status of those being coached is rising. As this article points out, companies are attaching a return on their coaching investment. What concerns me is a clear lack of approach to coaching. Most organizations don’t know what to look for in a coach or in an approach. To get a true ROI for your coaching investment, the coach must use an approach based on the science of behavior. This type of coaching focuses on the critical things that people must do to be successful and therefore a true ROI can be established.
Behavioral coaching builds fluency in analyzing performance issues and therefore equips the person being coached with the tools they need to objectively define and evaluate their expectations, provide timely feedback, and use positive reinforcement to shape the behaviors needed from others. For organizations investing in coaching, it is to their benefit to take a behavioral approach.
A science-based coaching approach is ideal for organizations that are looking to:
The result will be employees spending more time doing what it takes to achieve and sustain your business goals.
For more information on a behavioral approach to coaching, check out our Coaching for Improved Business Performance certification workshop.
Guest post by John Green
Does customer service have to be a thing of the past? Even the Superbowl ad from CarMax, an online used car buying service, brought to light the strong and effective customer service standards we used to have. In the CarMax ad, a man can be seen pulling into a gas station where a 1950s type service team approaches his car. He is being treated to window washing, a look under the hood, and a car cleaning; all the while the man believes he is being carjacked!
As a consumer of products and services in today’s contemporary society, I am frequently frustrated by the seemingly impossible task of getting good customer care. As a matter of comparison, I find myself being overjoyed when I receive service that would have been considered standard not so long ago. Have Americans lowered their standards? Or has the current service “crisis” shaped our expectations and created this customer care void?
Having worked for more than 20 years managing all levels of a call center organization, and through the last decade as a performance consultant/coach, the key thing to understand is that frontline supervisors/coaches play a critical role in the success of the organization. I know that sounds like a clichéd platitude—everyone knows that coaching and developing frontline employees is the most important part of the front-line supervisor’s job, but how they go about their daily management activities and more importantly how they engage and observe their front line employees is key to the level of care their customers receive.
The following questions can help any manager assess where service fixes are needed and where excellent customer care should be celebrated:
If the answers to any of the above question are troubling or cause you to question your training or support, perhaps your coaching model is not producing the results you need. Through behavioral coaching, organizations can not only optimize the customer experience, they can also create a performance culture where people want to do their work, and do it well.
Building coaching fluency in an organization is hard work but has an exponential impact on key business results.
Surveys can uncover a lot, but it’s what you do with that information that counts. While organizations commonly use surveys to gather information and identify opportunities for improvement, very few organizations capitalize on the investment of their people’s time and trust. Let’s face it, everywhere you look someone is asking for input on your experience with someone or something. Whether it’s at the checkout line, from a service department, in your office or on the phone, people want to know what you think. But how often do you ever hear back on your feedback? Organizations that properly prepare and follow up with survey respondents will gain more in the long run.
The following tips will help you take care of those who are making the effort to provide you with open and honest survey feedback.
Tell them why: Properly prepare your survey respondents by telling them why you are looking for their feedback and what you plan to do with it. Ideally this explanation will specify a future benefit for them such as improved customer service, enhanced product features, or simpler online tools.
Ask fewer questions: Have you ever started an online survey that fools you into thinking that the survey is short but then ends up asking what seems like 20 sets of five questions? Surveys, like conversations, should end before someone starts to think, “I’ve had enough of this.” The fewer questions you ask, the more likely the survey respondents will be to complete future surveys, and the more you will carefully consider what you’re asking and why you’re asking it. This applies to comment questions too. By including fewer questions that ask for comments, you’ll get better quality written feedback and avoid respondents being burned out before they get to critical questions. (Of course, you’re only asking critical questions, right?)
Ask the right questions: Before you write a single question, clearly identify the objectives of your survey and the information that you’ll need to plan meaningful follow-up. Be certain to ask questions that provide you with objective data. With objective data, you can pinpoint behaviors that you want more of (those that are contributing to better performance) and those you want less of (those that are keeping you from the results you want). If survey respondents are scratching their head when completing the survey, wondering why in the world you are asking some of your questions, they are likely to begin thinking that you are wasting their time. If your survey is well crafted, it will tell you what you think you need to know and what the respondents think you need to know—what is important to them. If the respondents never think, “I’m glad they asked that!” when completing your survey, you’ve probably missed the mark.
Keep it confidential: Be sure to administer your survey in a way that provides strict anonymity for the respondents. If you are administering the survey internally, ensure those involved in the survey administration process understand the importance of keeping data confidential, including written feedback. Nothing will shut down responding to surveys faster than fear that responses and comments will be traced back to individuals.
Close the loop: Thank respondents when they complete the survey. At the end of the survey period, announce the overall response rate and thank those who completed the survey. As soon as possible afterwards, provide a high-level summary of the survey results and your plan to make improvements where necessary.
Act on the data: You’ve got the data, now do something with it! Identify what is working and what is not. Prepare specific plans for improvement and define measures for success. Responding to surveys will extinguish if the respondents feel like no one ever acts on their feedback.
Communicate your progress: Let the survey respondents know what you are doing and how it is going. By communicating along the way, you’ll help reinforce their speaking up and create an engaged workforce or customer base that feels like it is making a real difference.
Check your progress: Your survey results are only as good as your last survey. Take time to respond to what you learn from your initial survey but be sure to follow up in 6 to 12 months and survey again. The more you ask your employees for input, and then take action on what you learn, the more your employees will offer feedback for improvement.
Does your relationship with your boss or your employees have any effect on how safe the environment is? My colleague, Judy Agnew, writes in her latest article “Why Relationships Matter in Safety” (PM eZine 10-10) that relationships in safety do have a direct effect on the type of safety culture that exists. Those that build effective relationships also earn discretionary effort from their employees and therefore improved performance. Don’t be fooled, though, into thinking that effective relationships mean always being nice. Accountability and constructive feedback are very important to the relationship and help to build a trusting and safe environment. Here are a few of the best practices she discusses for building effective relationships around safety:
With 1:55 left in the game and with the Minnesota Vikings leading the Dallas Cowboys 27 to 3, the Cowboys had no real chance of winning. Surprisingly to many, Viking’s quarterback Brett Favre completed a pass in the end zone to Visanthe Shiancoe for the final score. There was conversation in the announcer’s booth about “running up the score” and Terry Bradshaw, my movie double, was indignant. He said that when he was playing, he called his own plays and he would never do what Favre did. In other words, it was unsportsmanlike to score that late in the game when the game was won. Only one of his fellow sports announcers disagreed.
Is it unsportsmanlike to run up the score? Think of it this way, if a team plays in a way not to score, is it fair to the fans? If the game is won, why not just stop playing? Why doesn’t the losing team declare the game over? There is no point to further play.
Can you imagine a coach saying to his/her team before playing a clearly inferior team, “Good news, you don’t have to do your best to win today.” Most sports fans would think that absurd. What about saying in the last two minutes of a game, “Looks like we have this one in the bag, so just go through the motions till the game is over.” How patronizing is that? Do we play just good enough to win and then lay back? Is that enough? Any team or company for that matter that plays only good enough to win will ultimately lose.
Corporations should take heed. Too many companies that once dominated their industry and business sector no longer exist. I would suggest that one of the main contributors to their demise was the fact that when you are on top, there is a period of time when employees no longer have to do their best to stay on top. During that time bad habits can develop. When you are on top the acceptable margin of error is very small and taking your eye off the ball for an instant can cause major problems. Even mighty Toyota is learning that lesson with the current recall of millions of vehicles. The problem affects a very small number of cars, but it has shaken the confidence of many Toyota owners and perspective buyers. Unfortunately, many companies only realize habits have changed when it is too late because you cannot talk yourself out of a bad habit or into a new one. Mark Twain said it best, “Habit is habit and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time.”
Years ago in the textile industry, there were companies that could actually sell off-quality goods for a higher price than first quality – a perverse situation, to say the least. In the mid-seventies demand for their products was so high, many textile companies were “sold out.” The only way that new customers could get product was to buy “second quality goods.”
In the five years between 1974 and 1980, the inflation rate was 49.33%. Because the first-quality prices were locked-in by long term contracts, some companies were actually losing money due to what the high rate of inflation had done to their costs. Price increases were possible only for off-quality goods. Unfortunately, the natural consequences favored producing poor quality, and lots of it.
The problem came when a recession hit the textile business in the early ‘80s. Over night the demand for off-quality goods was zero. Now customers were looking very carefully for the slightest defect as a reason to reject a shipment and get out of a high-priced contract. Habits that had been developed when quality was not important could not be turned around on a dime and some companies failed to adjust in time and went out of business.
The lesson for business and sports is this, play every play as though it will be the determining factor between success and failure. This is the only way that you can stay on top of your game. Just one play where a player gives a half-hearted effort weakens habits and the drive to excel on the next play. The seduction for managers and coaches alike is that the change in a habit after one play is imperceptible but the effect is cumulative over time and eventually shows itself in inattention to detail and a lackadaisical approach to the task.
There is an old saying, “Every success sows its seeds of destruction.” For teams that are good enough to win easily, each easy victory has the potential of undermining motivation. It is the best coaches who understand that fact and create positive reinforcers for players and employees to give their all on every play. The score should be of no concern to the players. The already legendary basketball coach, John Wooden, said he never told players to win– only to play their competitive best. He said that if the players played their competitive best and the team lost, that was a reflection of his behavior, not the players.
I hope no one who reads this will assume that I am saying that we live in a “dog eat dog” world in which you should attempt to win at all costs. Lack of civility is all too common in the world today and it is of great concern to me. Doing your best in sports and at work should in no way refer to aggressive, mean, unfair, illegal, unethical or immoral behavior. It simply means playing to your competitive best within the context of what society expects from its heroes.
When your mother told you to always do your best, she knew what she was talking about. Follow her advice and you will always be on the top of your game.
My opinion of Falcon’s head coach, Mike Smith, dropped several notches week before last because of his action in the Babineaux case. For those who don’t follow the Falcons NFL football team, Babineaux is a star defensive player for the Falcons. He was arrested earlier in the week for felony possession of marijuana, an expired license tag, no valid driver’s license, really dark tinted windows, and a burned out tag light. As one blogger wrote, “why not just wave a big banner saying, “STOP ME, I HAVE DRUGS!!” Jeez….some of these guys are just absolutely clueless.” (more…)
