I’m using the Advanced DISC in my work with entrepreneurs to help them grow as leaders, help them work on developing their teams and figure out the often intangible and confusing world of relationships between people:

1. partners
2. co-workers
3. managers
4. employees
5. clients
6. friends
7. family

There are many good assessments out there and no matter what you use, why don’t you give a few a try to see what a difference they can make!

• Speeding up the rate of understanding your new employees…
• Developing a common language to build relationships…
• Getting a new key to breaking through to prospects…

What are your employees thinking?

We’ve all been reading and hearing about the jobless recovery, so much so that some are now calling it a recovery-less recovery.  With the August jobs report coming out showing us that there were no new jobs created nationally, the news just gets more dismal. But you may be thinking, “My business is doing great.  My employees love their work and are grateful to have jobs.  It’s true that they haven’t had raises in a couple of years and that the workload increases each time we are forced to lay someone off, but they understand.”  Really?  Exactly what do you think your employees understand?  

“In 2011, 84 percent of employees say they plan to search for a new jobin the new year, according to a Dec. 2010 nationwide survey by Manpower. The reasons given range from heavier workloads and skimpy raises to job burnout and fewer opportunities for advancement.” according to BLR.com.  We can quibble about the 84%, but even if it’s just 25% or 50%, are you prepared to lose the very employees you kept during the recession?  Suffice it to say, your employees may be biding their time, waiting for opportunities to arise and abandoning your firm without a backward glance when the right job comes along.

Did you hang onto your key employees only to have them resign?

Are you aware of this or are you naively thinking your workforce is stable?

Here are some resources for you – some things you can do to prevent people from resigning when the recovery happens or worse, just staying out of a need for safety.  Just remember that you can’t copy another company’s culture and expect it to work in yours – take the ideas and then tweak them to fit your brand and your philosophy.  Only things that you as the leader truly believe in will be authentic and stick!

What Under Armour, Zappos and Dell among other do:  http://www.inc.com/guides/2010/04/tips-for-motivating-employees.html

And from the Wall Street Journal:  http://guides.wsj.com/small-business/hiring-and-managing-employees/how-to-retain-employees/

What employees want – from the research and experience I’ve had over the years,   your employees want:

1. Meaningful work
2. Appreciation
3. Integrity at all levels
4. Someone who cares about them personally
5. Development

Does this dog need a coach?

At the same time, I hear people reference, “my coach said…” and “when I met with my coach last week…”  At the same time, I see people roll their eyes and moan, “not another coach,” when they meet them at networking meetings.  So I wondered… “Hmmm.  Could there be something to all this coaching?”  Throughout my career and in my personal life, I’ve mentored and coached many people from students to business owners and so many people in between.   I wondered if coaching could be for me.  So first, a review of coaching in business.

In my days as a corporate HR Director, I frequently found that managers know how to manage the technical function of the company, but many are CLUELESS about how to coach and develop their staff.  Mentoring is an unknown for many managers and
executives.  That’s where a coach comes in.  The relationship is unique because there is no “authority” or power over the continued employment of the person being
coached.  That means that the fears, weaknesses and honest issues concerning the client’s career can be brought forth and discussed openly, without fear!  Together the coach and client can work on issues that will positively affect the business while developing the individual to fuller realization of his or her potential.  The successful coach has business experience and the added value of strong abilities to ask the right questions, intuit issues, help set goals and keep the client accountable.

Do you have employees who could use some coaching, in a non-threatening environment?  Any future superstars or leaders you’d like to invest in?  It doesn’t have to be about problems; it can also be about readying someone for future challenges they will face as they take on more responsible roles for you.

I decided to investigate outside of my experience and I found an abundance of information on coaching.  Here are some of the categories:

• Business coaches
• Executive coaches
• Life coaches
• Career coaches
• Nutrition coaches
• Leadership coaches
• Spiritual coaches
• Wellness coaches
• Parenting coaches
• Marital coaches

So what do people say about career coaches – are they worth it?  Here is what an article from CNN had to report:  http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/worklife/11/11/career.coach.jobs/index.html

CNN reported that in one survey, 61% of the respondents said that they made back their coaching fee investment in increased wages.

According to this WSJ article, executive coaching is a good investment, but should be coupled with coaching across the organization and also working on the business issues affecting the organization.

http://www.sixdisciplines.com/BlogRetrieve.aspx?BlogID=5880&PostID=106912

Let’s be honest though – there are good and bad coaches, effective and ineffective ones.  Some tell you what to do instead of helping you figure that out, some are so vague that you don’t know what to do, and some - instead of helping you set and achieve goals, are so full of themselves that you can’t stand to be with them – they think they have all the answers!   If you are considering a coach, there are some questions you should get answered.

• First and foremost:  Can you work with this person?  Do you feel comfortable with their approach?  Will you look forward to meeting with him or her?  Do you trust him or her?
• Second:
  What is their approach – what will a coaching session be like?
• Third:
  What are their results – what’s their record?  Do they promise quick change or lasting change?  Do they use valid methods?  Do they set goals and help you meet them?

There are many more questions depending on what you are seeking.  Be sure to make a list and ask before you commit!

When I offer coaching to individuals, or to companies for their leaders or future leaders, we work out a “package” that both of us are happy with – we figure out what we need to work on and how long we think it will take to make change occur and come up with a fair investment.  www.bestofcoaching.com/juliefarschman

Consider this – what does a year of baseball or football or cheerleading cost you for your kids?  What about a year of piano lessons or private tutoring when they need help with school work?

Aren’t you worth it?  Aren’t your employees?

The investment could reap not only financial rewards multiple times over the fee but also intrinsic rewards that are priceless!

http://snellville.patch.com/articles/job-seekers-find-hope-through-churches-employment-assistance-programs

And by the way, these groups love it when former members or employers will let them know about openings – the job seekers need leads and the help is remembered and appreciated!

Image via Wikipedia

I’ve been involved in a lot of study lately on Assessments – Personality – Behavioral – Thinking. I’m a believer – I think they open the mind to some very honest self-appraisal so that people can look within and acknowledge how they act and what motivates them. There is a lot of valuable insight into that these assessments can deliver to individuals and to their managers and coaches and co-workers. With increased understanding and a common language to talk about discoveries, people can change how they interact with others, strive for improvement in their communication styles, and greatly increase their capacity to understand self and others. In his book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” Stephen Covey said, “Seek at First to Understand, Then to Be Understood.” In my experience as an HR Consultant and internal HR Director, I have seen what these assessments can do for people if they are properly selected and used, with follow-up and related training and reinforcement.  It allows managers to personalize their management style showing that they really care about their staff.  Engagement increases when people think that someone at the company cares about them. Sometimes the cost seems high for these assessments, but if you take time to think of the “cost” of a bad hire, or an interpersonal relationship gone wrong, or choosing to remain “stuck” in a bad job or situation – the money spent suddenly seems so worth it – the value far exceeds the initial cost if you commit to using the information and building upon it. Remember that the costs of turnover, job hunting, stress far exceed the initial cost of an assessment.  I think every person should go through some assessments for career and personal growth.  Every employer should use these tools to help find and keep the very best people for their organization.

But, there are so many out there in the market and the question as to which one is the best to use was what drove me to do the research. I needed to know which ones to recommend to my clients based on their problems. I’m still researching and I have a feeling that this will be a long-term study. Here’s what I’ve looked at:

• Harrison Assessments
• DISC
• Myers Briggs
• Hermann Brain Dominance Instrument
• Birkman
• Caliper
• Profiles XT

It’s a little overwhelming to start the research and figure out which one is “THE BEST” What I’ve discovered is that they all have some amazing results that come out of them and depending on how you want to use the assessments, they all have a place. Some build on each other, some are best for the first experience with testing and some are better for one purpose than others.

If you are thinking about utilizing assessments for your staff during recruiting or for team and individual development; if you are thinking about using assessments for a personal self-discovery…My advice is to take your time deciding and realize that one size will NOT fit all. It is important that you understand how you plan to use the results – here are some questions to ask yourself:

1. Is this primarily for selection for initial hiring?
2. What type of position is this for?
3. Is this primarily for individual development and why – for “fixing’ a problem or for understanding the person better to manage and motivate?
4. Is this for determining a good fit for promotional opportunities?
5. Is this for team building?
6. Is this for the entire company or just a select portion of the population?
7. Is this for improving personal relationships?
8. Is this for choosing a career or changing your career?
9. What kind of budget do I have?
10. Eventually, do I want to be able to interpret this myself or do I want to have an outside expert doing it?

Once you have the answers to the questions above, you will have taken a big first step. Next, you have to find out how the assessments are given, scored and delivered, what their purpose is, what kind of results they deliver, cost and so on.

I have my preferences to use depending on whether I’m coaching an individual, or recruiting and selecting, or working on a group team building experience. I hope you have fun discovering what’s best for you!

Check out their website, www.virtualwins.com

Technology to Engage and Connect Your Employees

I facilitated these sessions right from my home office (in my sweats no less!), while the participants either dialed in from their homes or local offices.  We combined the use of conference calls and web technology in this great tool.  This was a terrific method for our project and could easily be applied in many ways – easy to use, effective and the President and CEO, John Carroll gave first rate support to us.  The participants in the focus groups gave very positive feedback. 

Why did we all like it so much?

• Ease of use
• Saved Time
• Saved Money
• Participate from anywhere there is a computer and phone access 
  

  Participate from anywhere!

• Allowed anonymous participation
• Encouraged candid discourse and debate, without the strongest personalities dominating
• Garnered huge amounts of data in a short timeframe

How can employers use it to encourage Engagement?

•  Training employees in several locations, simultaneously 
• Internal Focus Groups
• Employee Surveys
• Project Work
• Brainstorming
• Problem Solving

Have you found a creative way to use technology?  I’d love to hear about it.

If you want to hear more about the services that the Jholdas Group, Virtual Wins or my company HR Initiatives offer, click on our websites or give us a call!

It may not look like much, but it paralyzed GA in January!

In light of the recent snow and ice we had in Georgia, it occurred to me that there are some interview questions an employer can ask a prospective employee related to the storm. 

The first question that pops into mind is, “What did you do during the week that the snow caused so many businesses to close?”  I wonder what an employer could learn from the responses…

“Well, I turned on my laptop and did a lot of work from home.  Luckily we have that capability in my current company!”  Congratulations Employer  -  you may have found one of the people who has a strong work ethic and high engagement with their work! 

“I enjoyed staying home with my kids – we played in the snow and made cookies  and just had some great family time together!” Good news or bad news? On one hand, it’s refreshing to find people who are closely connected with their family and what a treat for them to be able to spend time together.  Or, is this the sign of an employee who was just looking for an excuse not to work? 

“I tried to drive to work, but the roads were terrible, so I just turned around and lazed around the house!” What conclusion should you draw here?  Easily beaten by obstacles?  Or has a lot of common sense?

“It was so nice to have a vacation from work – I just relaxed and didn’t think two seconds about work!  It will be there when I get back!” Again, hard to say – is this a lazy uncaring employee or a person capable of going with the flow and compartmentalizing?

pension  

In the eighties, massive layoffs began to happen around the U.S. business world.  Former “career” employees lost their jobs and so the era of loyalty based on stability began to die.  There is a great blog from  Tammy Erickson in the Harvard Business Review (see link to article at the bottom of this post) and I quote her, ”Here’s the equation I believe will form the basis of trust between corporations and workers for the decades ahead: The organization will provide interesting and challenging work. The individual will invest discretionary effort in the task and produce relevant results. When one or both sides of this equation are no longer possible (for whatever reasons) the relationship will end.”

I think she’s right!  Lamenting the good old days won’t do employers or employees any good.  Let’s realize that there is a new formula for success on both ends of the relationship.  There are many good and smart reasons for both parties to adopt the attitude above and to take responsibility for encouraging the long-term success of all by doing so.

So employees – workers – take note!

• As workers, it’s my belief that nowadays, we all work for ourselves, even if we have an employer. 
• We all need to constantly make ourselves more valuable and relevant. 
• We need to stay at the top of our game.
• We need to make sure that we offer what our employer needs to be successful.  (i.e. make profit, increase sales, reduce expenses, offer ideas etc.)
• We need to stay marketable. 
• We need to make sure we never stop networking, never stop building connections and being open. 



As employers, we need to do some thinking too.  We need to create a culture that:

• encourages our employees to feel passionate about the goals of the company
• provides for their needs (i.e. fair compensation, attractive benefits, tools to do their work) so they aren’t distracted by problems at work
• ensures that we offer meaningful work with opportunities to grow and learn
• encourages strong relationships at work with supervisors and peers to make work a friendly place
• treats employees with a sense of fair play and open communication
• and so much more!

If both employers and employees remember that they have to continuously earn each other’s loyalty and trust, maybe we can extend the relationships or at least make them more powerful while they last.  It’s a different world than the one our parents and grandparents lived in – some parts better and easier, some not and we need to adapt and try to make it work for us!

Read Tammy Erickson’s blog by clicking this link:  http://blogs.hbr.org/erickson/2010/05/restore_trust.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+harvardbusiness%2Ferickson+%28Tammy+Erickson+on+HBR.org%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

So what about these kids – what should they do as the world gets closer to 2020?  The US is continuing to become more and more of a knowledge based economy.  People without advanced education may drift into unrewarding, low paying jobs or a lifetime of welfare. 

What’s the best advice out there for non-college bound students?

I haven’t read anything or talked to anyone who recommends stopping education after senior year of high school.  Not one resource I’ve found recommends this course of action.  So students who don’t want to be students anymore need to make some decisions. 

• First, find your  passion, your gift, or at least an interest that can turn into work
• Second, try to make that into a skilled trade – not an unskilled role that anyone can do
• Third, consider services that can’t be out-sourced, like hair stylist, plumber, mechanic, installer, technician, dog walker, nanny – you get the idea – things that other people will need no matter how technologically advanced and knowledge-based we get.
• Fourth, accept that some more training is going to be needed and find a technical school to attend or an internship/apprenticeship to learn on the job.
• Fifth, if money is an issue – set a savings goal, get any job you can and start making positive moves in that direction.  Be disciplined and get going – write down your plans, share them with someone you trust and then work the plan.

Finally, remember that work is part of life – find a vocation that you can find pleasure in – whether it feeds your desire to help people, or create things, or fix things – figure out what you like to do and then turn it into a paying venture.  Don’t settle and don’t bow to pressure to do something you are sure you won’t like.  But keep your attitude open and consider the endless possibilities!