Understand the differences between team building and alignment Managers commonly seek out “team building” sessions for their staff. They want a fix for low morale, falling productivity, strained working relationships and tension; but team building is not the key to better productivity and team interaction. What is needed is team alignment. Team building – a Read the full article…
Does Your Workplace Resemble A Sand Box?
Surprising & Shocking Similarities You’ve heard the saying “everything I needed to know about life I learned in kindergarten?” It’s usually followed with some basic rules about being kind, playing nice and sharing. While these rules can carry on into adulthood, I’m upset by the number of people who fail to observe them in the Read the full article…
Managing Employee & Operational Needs Effectively
Ever felt stuck somewhere between a rock and hard place when you need employees to be present and productive yet they want time for personal lives? As a manager, it can seem impossible at times to balance the needs of the business with the wants of the employees. Just think how challenging it is to Read the full article…
Improve Communication for Better Collaboration
Ever felt stuck somewhere between a rock and hard place when you need employees to be present and productive yet they want time for personal lives? As a manager, it can seem impossible at times to balance the needs of the business with the wants of the employees. Just think how challenging it is to Read the full article…
Olympic Style Employee Performance Ratings
In business of all types and sectors, the expectation of employees is pretty straight forward, yet the results received seem to come in threes. These are really three measures or descriptors of how an employee preforms and each one is distinct. The first level is bronze (aka minimal requirements met). These employees have the knowledge, Read the full article…
Set Boundaries, Not Rules
I had the privilege of enjoying a coffee with a group of ladies who had vast experiences in the corporate world. Their backgrounds were diverse and included expertise from financial to operations to organizational development. We discussed many topics over our coffees but always found ourselves coming back to the importance of people. It seemed Read the full article…
Where is The “I” in Team?
It would be great if a formula was developed to balance teams and individuals perfectly. This calculation would prescribe ideal ratios for optimal team collaboration versus personal time for productivity and individual specialties. Depending on what books you have read lately, there is no shortage of suggestions, opinions or recommendations for the “perfect team solution”. Read the full article…
Improve Change & Retention with Strategic Learning Rather than Annual Training
Traditionally, training sessions and professional development are implemented on an annual basis. Most companies have a budget line that allows for a facilitator or trainer to provide a 2 hour, half day, full day or 2 day training session to improve employee skills, abilities or build the team. This type of training is common and Read the full article…
The Customer Experience Should Guide Workplace Culture
Culture is similar to balance – it is hard to achieve when it is not clearly defined. If 10 people were asked what they think workplace culture is, you would probably hear 10 different answers. Add to that the different perspectives that would come from front line staff, supervisors, senior managers and executives. If you Read the full article…
The Most Effective Employee Training Can Be Self-Awareness
The Most Effective Employee Training Can Be Self-Awareness, Not Just New Theory & Models I recently worked with a service company that wanted me to spend many hours training their managers. They called me because there were a high number of grievances and increased absenteeism. They pointed the finger at difficult staff members and wanted Read the full article…