Employers face dynamic and ever increasing challenges.  A global economy of discriminating consumers has placed demands on employers never before seen.  Employers face the challenges of maintaining productivity as well as keeping their workforce engaged and motivated.  Environmental pressures, rising health care costs, and the needs of the workforce have placed management in a complicated and tenuous situation.  The answer lies with creating a work environment that maintains employee job satisfaction as well as motivates people toward exceptional performance. 

A new survey conducted by the Conference Board showed only 45 percent of Americans are satisfied with their work.  This is the lowest level ever recorded by the Conference Board in more than 22 years of research.

Those that fail to improve job satisfaction are at risk of losing their top talented people to the competition.  Supervisors and managers who maximize the potential, creative abilities, and talents of the entire workforce have a greater competitive advantage than those who don’t.  Employees that are engaged in their work have a higher level of job satisfaction.  Motivated workers provide the health insurance businesses desperately needed in these chaotic times. 

HOW TO INCREASE JOB SATISFACTION–THE PRIDE SYSTEM

The leaders of the organization have the responsibility for creating a high level of job satisfaction.  Dr. Edwards Deming said, “The aim of leadership should be to improve the performance of man and machine, to improve quality, to increase output, and simultaneously to bring pride of workmanship to people.”    A motivating environment is one that gives workers a sense of pride in what they do.  To show supervisors and managers how to build a more productive work environment, I’ve created a five-step process called the PRIDE system.  Leaders can improve motivation within their organizations by following this process: 

• Provide a positive working environment 
• Reward and recognition
• Involve and increase employee engagement 
• Develop the skills and potential of your workforce
• Evaluate and measure job satisfaction 

STEP 1–PROVIDE A POSITIVE WORKING ENVIRONMENT

Job satisfaction begins by first providing a positive work environment.  Fran Tarkenton says, to find what motivates people, “you  have to find what turns people on.”  This is the most important factor in the process.  A motivating working environment requires going over and beyond the call of duty and providing for the needs of the worker. 

Walt Disney World Company provides an excellent work environment for their employees or “cast members.”  Employee assistance centers are spread strategically across the theme park.  Some of the services included employee discount programs, childcare information, money orders, postage stamps, check cashing, and bus passes.  The Walt Disney Company realizes that taking care of their employee’s needs keep them motivated,  on the job and loyal to the company. 

STEP 2–REWARD AND RECOGNITION  

Mark Twain once said, “I can live for two months on a good compliment.”  Personal recognition is a powerful tool in building morale and motivation.  A pat on the back, a personal note from a peer or a supervisor does wonders.  Small, informal celebrations are many times more effective than a once a quarter or once a year formal event. 

Graham Weston, co-founder and CEO of Rackspace Managed Hosting, gives the keys to his BMW M3 convertible for a week to his top performing employees. This creative way to reward employees has a bigger impact than cash. He says, “If you gave somebody a $200 bonus, it wouldn’t mean very much. When someone gets to drive my car for a week, they never forget it.”

STEP 3–INVOLVE AND ENGAGE THE WORKFORCE

People may show up for work, but are they engaged and productive? People are more committed and engaged when there is a process for them to contribute their ideas and employee suggestions. This gives them a sense of ownership and pride in their work.

The Sony Corporation fosters the exchange of ideas within departments by sponsoring an annual Idea Exposition. During the exposition, scientists and engineers display projects and ideas they are working on. Open only to Sony’s employees, this process creates a healthy climate of innovation and engages all those who participate.

STEP 4–DEVELOP WORKER’S SKILLS AND POTENTIAL

Training and education motivates people and makes them more productive and innovative.  At Federal Express, all customer contact people are given six weeks of training before they ever answer the first phone call.  Learning never stops and testing continues throughout their employment tenure.  Every six months customer service people are tested using an on-line computer system.  Pass/fail results are sent to each employee within 24 hours.  They receive a personalized “prescription” on areas that need reviewing with a list of resources and lessons that will help.  Federal Express’ intensive training and development program has resulted in higher motivation and lower turnover. 

There are many reasons training and development makes sense.  Well-trained employees are more capable and willing to assume more control over their jobs.  They need less supervision, which frees management for other tasks.  Employees are more capable to answer the questions of customers which builds better customer loyalty.   Employees who understand the business, complain less, are more satisfied, and are more motivated.  All this leads to better management-employee relationships. 

STEP 5–EVALUATE AND MEASURE JOB SATISFACTION

Continuous evaluation and never ending improvement is the final step of the PRIDE system.  Evaluation is a nonstop activity that includes a specific cycle of steps focusing on job satisfaction and employee engagement.  The primary purpose of evaluation is to measure progress and determine what needs improving.  Continuous evaluation includes, but is not limited to, the measurement of attitudes, morale, and motivation of the workforce.  It includes the identification of problem areas needing improvement and the design and implementation of an improvement plan.  Good organizations conduct a job satisfaction survey at least once a year.

Businesses have searched far and wide for the competitive advantage, the best equipment, robotics, or the latest business technique.  These devices provide only temporary solutions.  The true competitive advantage is trained and motivated people proudly working together, contributing their vitality and energy toward the goals of the enterprise. 

Greg Smith is a nationally recognized speaker, author, and business performance consultant. He has written numerous books including his latest, 401 Proven Ways to Retain Your Best Employees. He has been featured on television programs such as Bloomberg News, PBS television, and in publications including Business Week, USA Today, Kiplinger’s, President and CEO, and the Christian Science Monitor. He is the President and “Captain of the Ship” of a management-consulting firm, Chart Your Course International, located in Atlanta, Georgia. Phone him at 770-860-9464. More articles available: http://www.chartcourse.com

Despite economic changes, the issue of employee retention is here to stay.  The labor shortage that plagued employers at the height of the economic boom has not vanished.  It may be off the radar now, but it is returning strong as ever.

Successful organizations realize employee retention is integral to sustaining their leadership and growth in the marketplace.  Most businesses focus on employee retention when employee turnover starts to increase.  However, good organizations make employee retention a core element of their talent management and organizational development strategy.  Those that fail to make employee retention a priority are at risk of losing their top talented people to the competition.   

For the past two decades, we have helped executives design employee retention plans that provide a comprehensive road map for not only attracting and keeping talented employees, but for motivating and engaging them to achieve a higher level of performance.

Employee Engagement and Job Satisfaction

Just because employees are not leaving does not necessarily mean that they are engaged.  Studies tell us over 45% of today’s workers are disengaged, costing their employers millions of dollars in lost productivity. Our services provide you with the knowledge, skills, tools, and processes to help you design a unified talent management strategy that will lead to low employee turnover and high employee retention.  You will learn the driving forces that drive job satisfaction and employee engagement leading to high employee retention. Our employee retention and talent management strategies will help you:

Factors that Drive Employee Turnover and Job Satisfaction

Employees quit for many reasons.  Some leave for better paying jobs elsewhere. Others depart because they do not fit the culture.  Many more exit because their managers and supervisors are not properly trained. In general, there are five important areas that motivate people to leave their jobs. 

Poor match between the person and the job
Poor fit with the organizational climate and culture
Poor alignment between pay and performance
Poor connections between the individual, their coworkers, and the supervisor
Poor opportunities for growth and advancement

These five P’s can be addressed successfully.  Employee retention begins by paying attention to what causes low job satisfaction as well as what attracts, retains, and motivates your workforce.  Here are several reasons talent management and employee retention strategies fail in many organizations.

• Not connected to the vision, mission, and the organizational values
• Top leadership not involved
• Not part of the organizational management strategy
• Not tied to the bottom line
• No clear goals
• No one held accountable
• Delegated to the HR department

Cost of Employee Turnover

The cost of attracting, recruiting, hiring, training, and getting new people up to speed is tremendously more costly as well as more wasteful than most realize.  Productivity is directly tied to employee retention.  Studies from the Gallup organization show employees who have an above average attitude toward their work will generate 38 percent higher customer satisfaction scores, 22 percent higher productivity, and 27 percent higher profits for their companies.

What You Need to Do Today To Position Your Business for the Next Decade.  Complimentary Teleconference on December 10.

Conflict in the workplace is a painful reality and a key reason for poor productivity and frustration.  Do you have people in your workplace that cause problems for everyone else?  Do they create additional work for others?  One point is clear–conflict does not magically go away and only gets worse when ignored.

Certain types of workplace conflict are readily identified.  Other forms of conflict may not be so easily detected.  Small, irritating events such as negative attitudes occur repeatedly over time and can cause people to strike out at each other.  In many cases, conflict occurs at the senior level of the organization.  In these situations some kind of intervention is needed.

What type of workplace conflict requires intervention?   Anything that disrupts the office, impacts on productivity or poses a threat to other employees needs addressing.  The degree to which you tolerate a situation before intervention may vary.   A manager may not feel it necessary to intervene when a minor exchange of words occurs between employees–unless such an incident becomes a daily occurrence and expands beyond the employees initially involved.  However, a situation where one employee threatens another requires immediate action.  When handling conflict, some basic guidelines apply.

Understand the situation.  Few situations are exactly as they seem or as presented to you by others. Before you try to settle the conflict insure you have investigated both sides of the issue.

Acknowledge the problem.  I remember an exchange between two board members.  One member was frustrated with the direction the organization was taking.  He told the other, “Just don’t worry about it.  It isn’t that important.”  Keep in mind what appears to be a small issue to you can be a major issue with another.  Acknowledging the frustration and concerns is an important step in resolving the conflict.

Be patient and take your time. The old adage, “Haste makes waste,” has more truth in it than we sometimes realize.  Take time to evaluate all information.  A too-quick decision does more harm than good when it turns out to be the wrong decision and further alienating the individual involved.

Avoid using coercion and intimidation.  Emotional outbursts or coercing people may stop the problem temporarily, but do not fool yourself into thinking it is a long-term solution.  Odds are the problem will resurface.  At that point not only will you have the initial problem to deal with, but also the angry feelings that have festered below the surface during the interim.

Focus on the problem, not the individual.  Most people have known at least one “problematic individual” during their work experience.  Avoid your own pre-conceived attitudes about individuals.  Person X may not be the most congenial individual on your staff.  This does not mean they do not have a legitimate problem or issue.  Focus on identifying and resolving the conflict.  If, after careful and thorough analysis, you determine the individual is the problem, then focus on the individual at that point.

Establish guidelines. Before conducting a formal meeting between individuals, get both parties to agree to a few meeting guidelines.  Ask them to express themselves calmly—as unemotionally as possible. Have them agree to attempt to understand each other’s perspective.  Tell them if they violate the guidelines the meeting will come to an end.

Keep the communication open.  The ultimate goal in conflict resolution is for both parties to resolve the issue between themselves. Allow both parties to express their viewpoint, but also share your perspective.  Attempt to facilitate the meeting and help them pinpoint the real issue causing conflict.

Act decisively.  Once you have taken time to gather information, talked to all the parties involved, and reviewed all the circumstances, make your decision and act.  Don’t leave the issue in limbo.  Taking too long to make a decision could damage your credibility and their perception of you.  They may view you as either too weak, too uncaring, or both, to handle the problem.   Not everyone will agree with your decision, but at least they will know where you stand.

Greg Smith’s cutting-edge keynotes, consulting, and training programs have helped businesses improve communication, reduce turnover, increase sales, hire better people and deliver better customer service.  As President and founder of Chart Your Course International he has implemented professional development programs for thousands of organizations globally.  He has authored nine informative books including 401 Proven Ways to Retain Your Best Employees.  He lives in Conyers, Georgia.  Sign up for his free Navigator Newsletter by visiting www.ChartCourse.com or call (770) 860-9464.

www.chartcourse.com I was fortunate to appear in the Investors Business Daily on August 25. The topic of the feature article was what employers need to do know to retain their good employees.  Employee retention and employee engagement are vital ingredients for a successful organization. You can view the artile on the IBD website.

http://old.investors.com/editorial/IBDArticles.asp?artsec=24&issue=20090821

Tulips, Turnips and Turn a Round Strategies

Have you ever experienced this in your company?  Company X celebrated their 20th anniversary this year.  During those 20 years a lot of things have changed.  Once a shining star in their industry, now the shine seemed to be fading fast.

The HR Director was the first person to bring up the problem.  It seemed the executives were going in one direction and everyone else was moving in the opposite direction.  During the past 12 months they implemented two realignments and laid off 20% of the workforce.  Employees complained they were working the jobs of two people, the lack of communication and a growing frustration and distrust of management.  People reported the leadership direction appeared reactionary and disjointed.  The HR Director tried to explain the problem to the President, but it became clear the meeting was not going anywhere.

When we entered the picture, I requested a meeting with the President.  After I asked a few questions the picture became clear.  He had been in his position for eight months and was brought in to turn things around.  It seemed the harder he pushed the worse things became.  His frustration was palpable. His executive leadership team was not working together and in fact, one of his executives was sabotaging the process.  The combined frustration had caused him many sleepless nights, high blood pressure and was affecting his home life.  If the company did not turn the corner soon they would ultimately face bankruptcy and disgrace.

Jim Collin’s latest book, “Why the Mighty Fall,” describes the five stages of decline this company was experiencing.

Stage 1: Hubris Born of Success

During this stage the company begins losing sight of the values and strategies that made it successful.  Their success becomes a weakness and begins to eat away at their foundation and a feeling of “entitlement” permeates the organization.

Stage 2: Undisciplined Pursuit of More

The organization has the feeling they can do no wrong. They feel they are invincible and blind to their incompetence.  They expand into markets and make risky and undisciplined decisions to grow, purchase, expand and enter into areas they know little about or should be involved in. 

Stage 3: Denial of Risk and Peril

As they enter this stage, warning signs and metrics begin to mount.  Teamwork, communication and morale issues begin to surface.  Despite the symptoms, they ignore reality and continue along the path of destruction.

Stage 4: Grasping for Salvation

At this stage, they are struggling and looking for a silver bullet solution to save them.  Typical actions can include bringing in a new charismatic CEO, bold and daring new strategies, new acquisitions and radical transformations.  The clock is ticking and unless they get the right help at this stage, they have little chance of recovering.   

Stage 5: Capitulation to Irrelevance and Death

So what do you do if you find yourself in this predicament?  The good news is if you catch the decline in the early stages then most companies can remedy the problem themselves.  But when the problem has gone on for a lengthily amount of time, when the band-aids, silver bullet programs, flavor de-jour have failed to work, then you may need outside assistance.  The longer you wait the more difficult the cure.  It is similar to a patient who keeps experiencing a pain that never goes away.  When they finally go the doctor the treatment ends up costing a lot more money in lost opportunities, time and inconvenience. 

I have learned an “outsider” has a special ability to address and talk openly about business matters an “insider” cannot.  The old proverb, “it is lonely at the top” is true.  Executives can share things with me they will never share with others in the company.  This position of trust is sacred and the objective and honest feedback is critical.

A couple of weeks later the executive team met offsite for a day long meeting.  The executive team was comprised of intelligent, dedicated and motivated individuals.  However, each individual had a completely different personality, values and an opinion on how to lead their company out of the mess.  They were able to lay everything on the table—no holds barred.  At the end of the offsite they had outlined a unified strategy, goals and action steps to move forward.  Now after several months, the company has turned the corner and mostly everyone is pleased in the direction they are going.

 

Chart Your Course International completed the 2009 Job Satisfaction Survey in July.  The survey focused on how people felt about their jobs and their working environment during the economic downturn.  Respondents were asked 13 questions relating to job frustration, trust, motivation, employee retention and communication in the workplace.  Over 200 people responded to the online survey. 

The most notable change from previous surveys was how people felt about their senior executives.  Over 20% of the respondents indicated they do not trust their executives.  Additionally, over 35% felt their executives did not make sound and informed decisions. 

During the past 12 months 39% of the workforce felt their productivity had improved, while 28% felt it had decreased.  On a positive note, 68% felt motivated to do a good job.  However, the majority of respondents said “poor communication” and a feeling of a “lack of appreciation” plague most workplaces.

Participants were asked if they were going to quit or stay with their employer when the economy improves; 49% of the current workforce plan on staying while 21% said they are definitely planning to leave.  However, 29% indicated “they did not know.”

“The percentage of workers who said ‘they did not know’ should concern employers the most,” according to Gregory P. Smith, President of Chart Your Course International and the creator of the survey.

Comments from the survey indicate some businesses have resorted to a caustic “you should be thankful you have a job” mentality.  “As a result, this may have unintended consequences and could negatively impact on employers when the economy starts to rebound” says Smith.  Employers may face a significant percentage of workers who may abandon ship for a better place to work just when they need to ramp up.  The additional recruitment, turnover and training costs could place employers in even greater financial jeopardy.  Smith adds, “A good place to work is a good place to work during good times and bad.”

Chart Your Course International helps organizations create good places to work that maximize their effectiveness and profitability by improving the performance of their people.  They deliver a portfolio of performance improving strategies that produce measurable results by strengthening the performance and productivity of individual employees and organizations as a whole.  Greg Smith is the author of “401 Proven Ways to Retain Your Best Employees.”

The survey can be found online at http://www.chartcourse.com/survey-job_satisfaction.html

Just finished putting a free email leadership course on my website. Anyone can sign up.
http://www.chartcourse.com/freebusinesstips.html

Icebreakers and Team Building Exercises

How many meetings have you been to that are just the same old thing — boring gatherings you cannot wait to leave. Most meetings are poorly managed and non-productive.

I have been a teacher, management consultant, and meeting facilitator for over twenty years. In the hundreds of classes and seminars I have taught, I have learned one truth — people learn quicker if you make classes and meetings fun and interesting.

By using team building exercises and meeting icebreakers you can make your next meeting, class, or team building event something dynamic and productive.

It is wise to consider a few basic elements before choosing an exercise or a meeting icebreaker.

Ownership — First, icebreakers tend to work best when participants have taken ownership of the activity chosen by the facilitator. You must put five key elements in place.

1. Explain the activity.
2. Provide the goals of the activity.
3. Outline the structure of the activity.
4. Allow time for questions.
5. Give permission to participate at their comfort level.

This last element is crucial and overlooked in many cases. Make an announcement at the beginning of an exercise to insure participants understand they are not “bound” to participate in the activity.

For those who opt out, perhaps ask them to be “observers” and see if they are comfortable providing a debriefing at the end of the event. Provide them something constructive to do during the exercise. When given the freewill to choose, people will take greater ownership of their participation.

Set the Climate — Icebreakers set the climate for the event to proceed. With this understanding, it makes sense to choose an icebreaker that is in alignment with the climate of the meeting. An icebreaker or team building exercise could send a wrong message. The unintended message could send the meeting in a different direction. Therefore, it makes sense to spend the time to choose the proper meeting icebreaker.

Learning Objectives — Some trainers and facilitators prefer using either a meeting icebreaker or team building exercise focused on the learning objectives related to the meeting, training program, or goal of the group. Others prefer using an unrelated exercise just to break the ice. However, each icebreaker is dynamic and has both intended and unintended consequences. Consider this prior to the event so you can maximize the experience and build a cohesive meeting.

Safety — The first rule is not to take any chances that could cause physical injury to your participants. 

One of my favorite team building exercises is called the “Terrorist Toxic Popcorn Situation.” This is an easy exercise for both adults and teens. The goal is to decontaminate a can of “toxic” popcorn that has been secretly placed in the room by “terrorists.” Your team must quickly come up with a plan of action; assemble tools and equipment, transfer the material into a “safe” container before the “toxic” substance explodes. This is a great game to identify the planners, doers, and thinkers in your group. It also demonstrates the importance of having a good plan.

A Great Day for Hats!

Give each participant a donut-shaped piece of felt or other material approximately 18 inches in diameter. Tell participants to form a hat with the material. Participants should have enough time to make their hat. At the end of the team exercise, allow each person to explain the hat they created. You can also put people on teams and have some friendly competition between the groups on who can come up with the most creative hat.

Letters and Names

Give each person a few moments to think of an adjective starting with the same first letter in his or her first name (e.g. “Great Greg”). Begin by modeling it yourself. Then go around the group asking each person to state their name/adjective combination. During various points of the exercise, or at the end, ask volunteers to remember and repeat each of the names and adjectives volunteered so far. Provide prizes to those who do the best job.

The Napkin Game

Ask participants to form equal size groups. Give each group a napkin and ask them to fold the napkin as small as possible. However, it must be large enough for members of the team to place their toe on the napkin.

Paper-Tearing Exercise

This meeting icebreaker only takes about 5 minutes to conduct.

Give everyone a blank 8 ½-by-11-inch sheet of paper. Tell them the following:  “We are going to do something that will show us some important things about communication. Pick up your sheet of paper and hold it in front of you. Close your eyes and follow my directions—and no peeking — you cannot ask questions.”

Then tell them the following. “Fold your sheet of paper in half. Now tear off the upper right-hand corner. Fold it in half again and tear off the upper left hand corner of the sheet.

Fold it in half again. Now tear off the lower right-hand corner of the sheet.”

After the tearing is complete, say something like “Now open your eyes, and let’s see what you have. If I did a good job of communicating and you did a good job of following my directions, all of your sheets should look the same!” 

Hold your sheet up for them to see. It is highly unlikely any sheet will match yours exactly.

Ask the group why no one’s piece of paper matched yours. You will probably get responses like “You didn’t let us ask questions!” or “Your directions could be interpreted in different ways.” Then, lead them in a discussion about the need for effective communication.

Greg Smith’s cutting-edge keynotes, consulting, and training programs have helped businesses build better teams, reduce turnover, increase sales, hire better people and deliver better customer service. He has authored nine informative books including his best-selling book called, Icebreakers and Teambuilding Exercises. He lives in Conyers, Georgia. Sign up for his free Navigator Newsletter by visiting www.chartcourse.com. Get more free meeting icebreakers by visiting http://www.chartcourse.com/icebreakers-book.html

Fear and anxiety dominates the workplace. People are feeling depressed and scared. Those who have jobs are waiting anxiously for the next shoe to drop. Millions of people feel victimized by the economy. Others have given up on hope. The effect is lowering motivation and job productivity the world over.

 

Well–It is a good thing I don’t feel that way!  I refuse to be pessimistic. The sky is not falling. 

 

No matter if you are the President of the United States or the President of the local PTA; you have a tremendous opportunity to make difference in the lives of others. That opportunity is realized by the words we use and the attitude we choose.

 

If you are a leader—you have a higher calling – a responsibility to set a positive example for others to follow. Now more than ever, this world, this country and your business need optimistic leadership. The people you influence are looking for optimism and a positive direction to follow. This is what good leaders do.

 

In my own experiences I have learned time and time again—with the right leadership, people can do amazing things. Let’s sign an agreement to be more positive leaders. If we do, we will snap out of this recession much quicker.

 

A Hero Lies in Each of Us

 

The heroic actions demonstrated by Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger and his magnificent crew on US Airways Flight 1549 is worthy of admiration. It comes with no surprise to appreciate the powerful response people associate with this incident. He made a perfectly executed landing in the Hudson Bay resulting in no loss of life.

 

If we dissect this event — each of us appreciate something different. There is not enough space and time for me to list all the aspects, but here are a couple that stand out in my mind.

 

Others come first. Once the plane was in the water Sully was the last to abandon ship. He did not get off until everyone was outside the plane.  Even after Captain Sullenberger achieved his celebrity you still sense his humility — not selfishly seeking glory.

 

I believe Joel Barker’s definition of a leader best describes Captain Sullenberger. Barker says, “A leader is someone who takes you to a destination you will not go to by yourself.”  That is certainly true in this incident.

 

We have grown callous by all the negative images we see in the media. Fallen titans motivated by corruption and greed and bombard us in the news media. Whether it is peanut butter, private jets, or golden parachutes we have grown skeptical and less trustful of others.

 

We tend to forget there are far more good people in this world than bad. Sullenber and his crew made us hopefull and proud again. That is a good thing.

 

If you would like to view the 60 Minutes interview with Captain Sullenberger, please go to my blog.

 

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4784012n