Performance Planning vs Employee Reviews

Dec 20, 2016 | Leadership Development

Ahhh, this is the wonderful time of year when organizations REQUIRE managers, supervisors, and team leaders sit down with their various team members to conduct one-on-one performance reviews. Doesn't just the thought of holding one of these sessions turn your stomach? If you're like most people it does. Why? ...Because most of the feedback sessions we've participated in or conducted ourselves have been horrendous! Quite often they're hurried meetings that focus on past mistakes instead of...

Are Your Bad Habits Killing Your Business?

Jan 20, 2015 | Leadership Development

Human beings tend to be creatures of habit. That's good in that we can enhance our efficiencies by doing things over and over again. However, we can also become a bit too comfortable with our habits. When that happens, we don't recognize when our habits are no longer helping us, but are instead hurting us and our businesses. As business owners, when we become too comfortable with our habits, we don't recognize when they're hurting us. I've been working with several business owners to help them...

Who’s Monitoring Whom?

Jan 28, 2014 | Leadership Development

We've worked with numerous leadership teams over the years who have needed to help their team members create basic Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s), document critical processes, and identify Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). These actions help the leadership teams and their employees understand more clearly, what each employee needs to do to help their respective organization move forward, what can be further systematized, and what the results are showing you. However, all of the...

Stop Rewarding Perfect Attendance!

Jan 21, 2014 | Leadership Development

I heard another manager suggest it this past week: "I think we need to start rewarding our employees for perfect attendance. It's the least we can do to show them our appreciation for their dedication!" No, it's not the least you can do to show your appreciation for your team's dedication. In fact, rewarding perfect attendance is wrong. Let me tell you why. First, I'll share just a few of the most obvious reasons (we've all experienced in the workplace) as to why it's not a smart management...

Employee Motivation Check-up

Aug 13, 2013 | Leadership Development

If you were asked to describe your employees, would "motivated" be one of the adjectives you'd use? If not, why not? If you respond by saying something such as "They just don't care…," or "All they want is a paycheck…," those statements are not true for most employees. Your employees want many of the same things in life you do; things such as a means to provide for and protect their families, strong family and social interactions, a stable work environment, and the opportunity to utilize their...