May 2010

Welcome to the May issue of “The Edge”!

Helping You and Your Team to Be the Best!

I have shared the following with some of you, but thought it would be worth repeating in the context of the articles below.

I know that you take pride in the results you are able to achieve for yourself and with your team. Yet, there is always the thought of “How else can I inspire and motivate my team to really be the best that they can be?”

Intuitively we know that staff who feel fulfilled and who are happy and committed in their jobs are more productive. However, it is often not so obvious just how much difference their happiness and commitment has on their engagement and therefore on the bottom line.

The Gallup Organization quotes Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, as saying “Any company trying to compete . . . must figure out a way to engage the mind of nearly every employee.”  Digging deeper to find reasons why this is so important, I found many examples of improved productivity, reduced turnover and improved bottom-line results because of leaders paying attention to staff satisfaction and commitment.

I was particularly struck by what Stefan Stern reported in Human Resources. Research showed that in one company  “… a one point increase in employee commitment led to a monthly increase of $200,000 in sales per store and decreased absenteeism.”

A recent Gallup study reported that highly engaged employees often contribute significantly above average levels in regard to the following characteristics:  

v     Increased Customer Loyalty (30 - 56%)

v     Increased Productivity (50 - 250%)

v     Increased Employee Retention (50%)

v     Reduced Cost of Lost Employees (200% -1,000%)

v     Increased Safety Records (50%)

v     Increased Profitability (25 - 33%)

Results like these are not only possible, -I regularly partner with my clients to achieve them.

Two practical options are currently available:

1)      It may be appropriate for you or members of your leadership team to participate in our High Performance Leadership workshop series beginning on May 26. In this highly interactive program participants dialogue and network with leaders from a variety of business and professionals as they explore and learn effective leadership practices and receive practical ideas that they can use immediately to get better results and increase revenue.

2)      We can also get together for an FBO (Food & Beverage Opportunity, -breakfast, lunch or dinner, or other suitable time) to discuss your current situation and what training, coaching or strategy planning options may be appropriate for you and/or your staff.

Enjoy!

Peter Neufeldt

If you missed our previous article "Job Benchmarking To Improve the Bottom Line" please contact us.

Most companies could do a lot better when it comes to hiring employees that can make the company better.  Too often, somebody leaves a role for another position and the human resources department is told that they need to hire somebody else.  At that point, they start sorting through a number of resumes to try and find somebody to fill the position.

There are a number of problems with this process.  First of all, the people that are going through the resumes probably don’t know that much about the position.  For all they know, they might be weeding out some of the best possible candidates and sending the wrong people on to the interview process. 

Even for the hiring manager, assessing candidates is not their primary job function.  It’s probably something that they do every once in a while and they are likely doing it at a time when they find themselves short-staffed.  They have other things on their mind, and they can be biased by the fact that they want to fill the role quickly and get on with other things.

If they talk to somebody for an hour and the person suitably answers the interview questions they may end up getting the job.  That person might have the best work ethic and might be very personable. 

They might also be completely mismatched to the job and find that they soon get frustrated when they’re trying to meet expectations that they don’t even understand.

If a company were to use job benchmarking to first identify the accountabilities of a position, it’s going to pay huge dividends in the long run.  Hiring companies need to look at the bigger picture and identify exactly what a particular job function needs to do.  They need to identify how that fits into the workings of the entire company.

Once a list of the key accountabilities has been produced, the company can go about finding individuals that can fulfill those accountabilities.  It means that the person they hire is more likely to have success in that role because they match the role better.  It’s not enough to be able to impress somebody in an interview. They need to have inherent behaviours that will predict success for them specifically for their job function.

It might seem apparent that you need to hire better people in order to have a better company.  Many companies don’t realize how much of an impact those hiring decisions make in the long run.  Employees that either don’t understand or are not fully capable of filling the requirements of their position tax every part of a company. 

They will take longer to train, and they will be less effective once they are trained.  A human resources department that has to constantly be going through the process of hiring new people because an employee was frustrated with their position can cost a staggering amount. 

Not only will the poorly chosen employees create the need for more employees, they will frustrate the ones around them.  Managers will leave because they can’t get the job done and other employees will feel the pressure from having to try and fulfill their own roles and somebody else’s.  Start with job benchmarking and stop these profit robbing hiring decisions from affecting your company.

~ © Copyright protected, all rights reserved worldwide. Written for us by author Gary Sorrell.
 

Continue to build your team in 2010.

Take advantage of the opportunity to attend or to enrol you staff in the following impactful workshop series.

High Performance Leadership: Peak performing organizations require peak performing people. One of the key roles of leaders and managers is to is to guide staff to new levels of achievement in the face of constant change. This is intensive, and very practical leadership development program designed to do just that, -and to get bottom line results. Participants meet every other week for fourteen half-day workshops to build their leadership skills and to achieve results. Call for more information. The first workshop in this series begins Wednesday May 26, 2010

 Strategic Planning: As you plan for the growth of your organization / business consider developing a strategic plan that will become your blue print for success. The article and planning model below provide an insight into how we can help you achieve the result s you are looking for. Call 306-790-4570.

For more details go to www.peakperformanceconsulting.ca and click on the Performance Programs button or call Peter at 306-790-4570.

We custom design workshop to meet your specific needs!

 

When an artist sets out to create a painting, a sculpture or any type of art form, they start by having a vision of what the masterpiece will ultimately look like. They take the time to focus on the feeling the piece will call upon from those that gaze at the final results. They consider the tools, the colors, the materials necessary to bring their art to life and deliver meaning to the admirer. Their original thought of the piece might have to come to them in many ways. They transform these ideas and thoughts to the art piece via a vision on what the end product will look like.

This same process of a vision of what the end result looks like applies not only to the artist but also to businesses and people that make up the business. At some point in time every business started with its owner having an idea and then putting together a vision and a plan to realize the objective. As the business market changed, the owner adjusted the plan to remain current and provide new ideas and products to the customer.

The current business conditions are ever changing. Customer requirements are changing. Employee requirements are changing. Technology is changing. We are in the midst of an ever evolving information revolution. These and many other reasons must prompt each of us to revisit our company and personal vision. Make adjustments to it so the future results we picture in our minds is realized.

A vision by definition is a mental image produced by the imagination. As we apply this to business and personal life, our vision is the picture of what the business or person will look like at some point in the future. It is the visual image and supporting words that paint the picture for the business and its employees as to what it will be in the future. Consider your vision as the statement placed in the headlines of a future business publication acknowledging the results, the success of your company or yourself. What do you want it to say about you or your organization? How do you want to be recognized? How do you want to describe your potential?

This central focus of a vision should define for your company and yourself that you can succeed and you will know when you arrive. The vision keeps you on track while knowing when to change tracks or add a new one. The vision should be stated positively and in the past tense, as if you had already achieved the potential identified as the "Ideal State." It should create excitement and commitment.

While all of this may appear to be common sense and sounds reasonable, the challenge is to create your vision and communicate it to your organization and yourself. This communication and support of the vision will demonstrate your true commitment.

Take some time over the next week to create a vision for your business if you don't already have one. If you have one already, test it against what is really going on in the business. Are you achieving your "Ideal State?" Do you need to re-kindle the commitment, the passion? Be proactive, be positive, be an artist - go paint that picture of your future ideal state.