Joni Rose's Blog

Posted by Joni Rose

I realise that at times it is easier to edit someone else’s work than create something from scratch. So, to make it easier for you to set your New Year’s professional resolutions, I thought I’d provide you with some SMART goal statements that you can customize to suit your specific situation.

To obtain my certification in fork lift operation (insert any certification) by March 1 and apply to openings for a fork lift operator from March 1 on to secure a position as a fork lift operator by the end of the year.
To meet with my boss by the end of January to discuss how I could advance to a leadership role with 1-3 direct reports (insert any role) within my company. Use the information gained in the meeting to create an action plan for the rest of 2007 to gain the necessary skills (training) or experience (work assignments) and to then apply for suitable openings within my company.
To make a list of all possible career paths that I am interested in by the end of January. I will then spend February and March researching the options and recording my findings in a table that is structured to analyse career fit with my values, Myers Briggs type and other work style elements that are important to me (e.g. short commute, outdoor work etc.). I will narrow down my options to my top 3 by the end of March and then arrange informational interviews to determine my top career choice by the end of May.

Happy New Year and good luck achieving your career goals!

If you have comments or suggestions on this blog entry, please start a discussion

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Professional New Year’s Resolutions

Learning a New Role

Posted by Joni Rose

Be proactive in your training

Expecting your boss or coworkers to train you on all aspects of your job is not reasonable. Expect that you will have to take some initiative to learn the new role and connect the dots between the tasks and the people you need to work with.

Ask questions if you are unsure

Don’t be shy to ask a question if you are not sure. It is far better to get clarification and avoid making a mistake than to bumble along and make more work for your colleagues while they correct your mistakes.

Introduce yourself to key people

Learn who the influential and important people are and record their names and contact information. Make sure you start of the relationship on a good foot by introducing yourself early so that they are aware of who you are and how you are bringing value to the workplace.

Organize your work space

For tips on organizing your work space, refer to the article New Job Organization

Expect it to be exhausting at first

It will be a learning curve and that means extra time, energy and effort on your part. Try to streamline any out of work responsibilities for at least the first week to allow time to adjust. Sleep well, eat well and prepare your lunch and outfit the night before so that you are not adding to your stress.

If you have comments or suggestions on this blog entry, please start a discussion

If you liked this blog entry, try:

Career Goa ls

Professional Time Saving Tips

Posted by Joni Rose

We are all guilty of it. Wasting time on distractions or simply being unconscious of how our time is managed at work. Look at the following list to see which of these time wasters apply to your work day.

Watching something print or photocopy
Waiting for your computer to boot
Making a list, then making a list from the list
Recording a meeting in 2-3 calendars
Doing a task that is low priority because you want to do it
Not filing an important paper(s)
Not putting away something so you can find it easily again
Chatting with coworkers
Attending meetings that you don’t need to or participating in discussions that are not relevant to your work

Here are three rules that can help you put an end to some of the above time wasters and increase your efficiency at work.

The one touch rule.

Read an email or piece of paper and classify it so that you are not re-reading it multiple times.

The one calendar rule.

Have one calendar that you record everything on – personal and work commitments and time-sensitive tasks.

The three priority rule.

Each day set your top three priorities that need to be accomplished. Complete those three priorities first before taking on any other tasks.

If you have comments or suggestions on this blog entry, please start a discussion

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How to Delegate Work

Micromanaging Staff

Posted by Joni Rose

Micromanagers have a tough time giving up control and delegating work. It can lead to poor staff morale, high stress and doubling up on efforts. Take a hard look at how you are delegating work and supervising its completion to determine if micromanagement is your style of leadership.

One of the guiding principles of good management is to allow your staff to make mistakes. Mistakes can be tremendous learning experiences and made with all the right intentions, they can be harmless. All too often it is a leader’s need for perfection that gets in the way of staff feeling free enough to experiment and with experimentation comes innovation. Innovation is what will keep your business competitive in this global, ever-changing marketplace.

Step back, give your staff room to breathe and appreciate the fact that they are taking calculated risks. Let them know the end result you are looking for and if necessary, point out the things you don’t want to see as part of the process but allow them to determine the best path to get to the end result you want. There are many ways to Rome and it is just that concept that you want to encourage as discovering new ways may save the company time, money and effort.

Another tip is to ask them for a plan B if plan A doesn’t work. That way you are giving them the freedom to try plan A but also have a back up if plan A turns out to be a mistake.

Try not to let your preconceived ideas color the process. New people bring new perspectives and isn’t that why you hired them in the first place? I doubt your paying them to be a machine.

If you have comments or suggestions on this blog entry, please start a discussion

If you liked this blog entry, try:

How to Delegate Work

Communication and Teamwork

Bad Leadership and Mismanagement

Posted by Joni Rose

How does mismanagement happen? Do egos cloud judgement? Does power create some sort of blindness (the forest-for-the-trees variety)? If so, how can we prevent it from happening?

To help correct this, some companies are using 360 degree feedback. This type of performance review process, in theory, means that everyone who works under, beside and above the individual being reviewed has input into the evaluation. The trouble is that even though these reviews tend to be pricey in time and dollars, they are sometimes dismissed. The queens and kings go into denial and blame the negative feedback on “disgruntled” workers. Hello! They are disgruntled because no one seems to care or notice that the company is being run by nincompoops!

These low flying leaders find ways to miss being detected by radar. They are expert butt-kissers and find ways to manipulate people to their advantage. Some are corporate bullies and rule by creating fear preventing constructive and honest feedback from being obtained and acted on.

My suggestion to companies who are trying to weed out the bad leaders is to evaluate leaders on metrics that demonstrate effective leadership. A key metric is the amount of turnover of staff in their department. If you can, break it down into the percentages that are due to voluntary termination (quitting), involuntary termination (firing), medical leave (especially stress leaves) and transfers. Also look at departmental performance numbers, absenteeism rates and number of incidents involving the HR or legal departments for resolution. You can track the amount of severance dollars paid per department as another metric.

Keeping track of these numbers will help to evaluate the leaders more objectively.

If you have comments or suggestions on this blog entry, please start a discussion

If you liked this blog entry, try:

Performance Management Series

Training with Credibility

Posted by Joni Rose

If you want your words to ring credible, make sure you practice what you teach. If you plan to use senior management to train staff in areas such as safety, legal issues or soft skills, be sure they demonstrate best practices on-the-job to their audience.

Recently a shop steward was asked to teach a workshop on Warehouse Safety. One of the “don’ts” he preached was to not jump down from the 6’ high loading dock. Later the same day, he jumped down from the loading dock and sprained his ankle. A month later, he was seen putting his hand on a moving conveyor belt of rollers and almost lost his hand. Is it any surprise that staff now ignore any of his policy around safety issues?

The VP of HR in another company led a workshop on Communication. She proceeded to tell staff that emails should not be used to relay emotionally sensitive information and that a face-to-face meeting is called for in these circumstances. Two weeks later, she sent out an email to staff that singled out by innuendo one of the staff and chastised her for her poor customer service skills. This email embarrassed the person in question and caused the rest of the team to lose respect for the VP due to this ironic behavior.

If you have comments or suggestions on this blog entry, please start a discussion.

If you liked this blog entry, try:

Business Email Communication

Self Awareness at Work

Career goals

Posted by Joni Rose

Sometimes our personal career goals do not align with the big picture that our companies envision. For example, you are struggling to achieve work/life balance and have a goal to move to a 4 day week so you can spend more time with your young family. However, your company is planning to open a branch office in another city and expects you to be instrumental in the process. You know this will mean travel and spending even less time with your family. So now what?

In this situation, it really depends on the amount of time you have been with your company and your perceived and actual value to the company. If you can be easily replaced you are in a tough spot. Your short-term goal needs to be “How can I increase my value to this company and increase my negotiating power?”

Look for ways to make yourself as indispensable as possible. Be the one that knows the new system inside out and backwards. Volunteer for the jobs no one else wants. Take courses or other professional development initiatives to gain specialized knowledge.

Once you have built up your bargaining chips, then it is time to ask for the 4-day week and make sure you have a plan on how it can work to the benefit of both you and the company.

If you have comments or suggestions on this blog entry, please start a discussion

If you liked this blog entry, try:

Professional Goals

Achieving Professional SMART Goals

Leading a Change Initiative

Posted by Joni Rose

Leading a change initiative requires some planning. Change can be seen as a very frightening experience for some. It is best to take a temperature of your team to see if they feel ready for the change. It is also imperative to make sure the resources to back up the change initiative are in place.

1. Time

Big changes take time to implement. To roll out a large change initiative, try implementing it in stages or phases so that the adjustment is a gradual one. If time is not on your side, you may need to hire/transfer/borrow extra staff to give those that need time to get up to speed, the time they need.

2. Technological equipment

Are you making a change that requires technology? Do you have up to date equipment to support this? I see this time and time again, someone at the executive level thinks new software will revolutionize a process but forget that most of the staff have dinosaurs for computers.

3. Technological knowledge/comfort

If you are introducing new technology, have you designed training and technical support during the initial upgrade period?

4. Man/Woman power

Are your staff over-worked as it is and now you want to make radical changes or are on a dynamic growth curve. Be careful that you don't burn out your top performers by asking them to take on more and more with less and less.

If you have comments or suggestions on this blog entry, please start a discussion

If you liked this blog entry, try Communication and Teamwork

Business Email Communication

Posted by Joni Rose

Exchanging emails has replaced phone and in person conversations. Emails have their advantages for sure - they are fast, they can be sent 24/7 without disturbing anyone, they create an information trail and they can help distribute documents, graphics, mp3 files and so on.

Emails are not always an appropriate way to communicate. Here are 3 instances when email is not the recommended communication tool.

1. Do not use email to communicate information that is top secret.

When it is so easy for someone to forward and/or blind copying another person on your email, it is unwise to convey information that would be considered competitive intelligence.

2. Do not use email to terminate and employee.

Yes, scary but true, some employers resort to a pink email - as opposed to a pink slip! If you can't find the time, energy and respect for the person, then it says more about your leadership that it does about their reason for termination. Common courtesy means using common sense and commonly held ethical beliefs to guide your actions.

3. Do not use email when conveying performance criticisms.

Emotionally sensitive information should not be conveyed via email. Body language, tone of voice, etc. can not be interpreted and you risk that a misunderstanding can happen due to the coldness of an email. Performance conversations should happen in person whenever possible.

If you have comments or suggestions on this blog entry, please start a discussion

If you liked this blog entry, try Communication and Teamwork

Incentives for Teamwork

Posted by Joni Rose

Team building is taking a group of people and showing them the benefits of cooperating. Many minds are better than one acting alone. This philosophy is the cornerstone for business performance and goal attainment.

So how do you heard a bunch of personalities together and get them to cooperate? Find an incentive. Incentives can be elaborate or simple. Whatever you choose, be sure it represents how important you feel teamwork is to business success. Some examples of incentives would be:

taking the team out for lunch or bringing in catering at the completion of the task
naming a process or invention after the group of people involved in it's development
giving the group a gift they'd all benefit from (e.g. cappuccino machine)
financial bonus divided by the number of people involved (not individual bonuses)
recognize excellence in teamwork at an awards ceremony
measure results of team innovation or problem solving by it's effect on the bottomline. Offer a financial bonus to the team that saves the company the most money or increases revenue by the greatest amount
create a think tank - a room designed for brainstorming and idea generation where employees can work without interruption to solve a business problem.
give team members time off in lieu (each member gets a Friday afternoon off with pay).

If you have comments or suggestions on this blog entry, please start a discussion

Leadership and Teamwork Series

Posted by Joni Rose

Team building is a topic that most leaders need to develop. It takes a genuine effort to look at people as more than individuals but part of a bigger picture. The importance of team work and cooperation is something that a leader must demonstrate if he or she wants to see group efforts. Constantly rewarding individual efforts will create a climate of competition, not cooperation.

Through a series of articles, I will provide assessment questions to help leaders determine their level of competency at creating a climate for team building. I will also provide suggestions of ways to improve the climate if your self-assessment shows that your climate promotes individual effort and not team effort.

1. Do members of your team work cooperatively?

2. Do the personalities of your team work well together?

3. Do your team members feel free to disagree with you?

4. Do you have an open door?

5. Do your team members react to change initiatives well?

6. Are team members innovative and creative?

7. Do team members willingly take on added work or responsibilities?

8. Do your team members own their work?

Do you have a story to tell about the worst or best team you've been a part of? I am sure other readers would appreciate hearing your stories and learning from what works and what doesn't. Share your thoughts by starting a discussion

Click here for the first article in the series: Building Cooperative Teams

10 Danger Signs of Stress Overload

Posted by Joni Rose

Stress can influence many aspects of life. Working in a high stress environment can have devastating affects on your health and happiness. Consider these danger signs of stress overload:

difficulty concentrating on your work, easily distracted
withdrawing and avoiding social gatherings
physical symptoms: ulcers, skin irritations/rashes, nausea, headaches, racing heart, heartburn
abuse of drugs, alcohol or food
irritability and emotional outbursts
lack of sleep
no joy or happiness, pessimistic outlook
decrease in the quality or quantity of work performed
panic or anxiety attacks
feeling paralyzed due to the overwhelm

If more than three of these danger signs apply to you, take action immediately. You can not continue down this path for long without experiencing serious side effects. Look at your options, get some exercise, see a doctor, get a pet - do whatever will bring back the joy in your life.

If your work environment is toxic, consider talking to your HR representative and look at possibilities such as stress leave, a transfer to a new department or role, working one day from home each week or taking your holiday now.

Look at what is in your control to change and make a conscious effort to make changes that will put you in a healthier environment. Blaming others for your situation will not solve the problem. Taking action will.

If you have comments or suggestions on this blog entry, please start a discussion

If you liked this blog entry, try:

Self-Awareness at Work

Improving Self Awareness and EI

Evaluating Self-awareness and EI

Regaining Emotional Composure

Posted by Joni Rose

When faced with an emotional trigger at work, regaining emotional composure can require some conscious effort. Take the time and energy to allow you a chance to recover from the stressful situation. You need to allow your body time to circulate and disseminate the fight or flight chemicals coursing through your blood vessels.

Some strategies work for some and not others. The key is to find the stress reliever that will work for you. Experiment with different methods to find a best fit for your interests and lifestyle.

Ways to Regain Emotional Composure:

breathing exercises
brisk walk
meditation
cardiovascular exercise
journaling or writing poetry
listening to soft music
sports that combine these elements: martial arts, yoga

Of course, some of these methods require time away from work i.e. after hours.

When you must remain at work, the best remedy may be to tell coworkers that you are going out for coffee. Walk briskly to and from the coffee shop but avoid highly caffeinated drinks, instead choose green/herbal teas, decaffeinated coffee or other healthy alternatives.

Have you found a method that works for you? Please start a discussion and give other readers an insight into practical solutions to regain emotional composure at work.

If you liked this blog entry, try Self Awareness at Work

Corporate Bullies

Posted by Joni Rose

I have noticed an increase in career coaching clients coming to me all stressed out because of corporate bullying. They are desperate to either figure out how to cope with the situation or devise an exit strategy. Their stories are tragic and completely avoidable.

Working with bullying can lead to burn out and stress leave as well as other very serious health issues. It is not something to take lightly. It can crush a high performer to the point they are paralyzed.

I am hoping that as more and more corporations adopt 360 degree reviews and other forms of gathering honest, comprehensive feedback from employees that the incidences of corporate bullies continuing their rein of terror will decrease. The biggest problem with corporate bullies is that they lead by fear and persuasion. If they are good at bullying, they will have people so fearful that the truth about their leadership style remains a secret.

In my opinion, companies need to evaluate leaders by looking at metrics like departmental turn-over (both involuntary (firing) and voluntary (quitting), requests for leaves (medical and personal), requests for transfers, overall performance and departmental morale. All too often it is the worker bees that are blamed for poor performance when their leaders are the incompetent ones.

If you have comments or suggestions on this blog entry, please use the link on the side menu to start a discussion.

If you liked this blog entry, try Self-Awareness at Work How Reacting to Emotional Triggers Affects Professional Performance and your Level of Emotional Intelligence (EI)

Internal Training Promotion

Posted by Joni Rose

Internal promotion of training programs usually means finding inexpensive ways (read no outsourced printing allowed) to promote programs. I have found that a company's intranet and group email distribution can be great ways of promoting programs, courses and workshops.

You can be simple or fancy depending on how tech savvy you are. You can create an HTML rich email by using purchased software or web based applications that have templates. You may want to call it a training newsletter and use a template for a newsletter and produce a catalogue of training options.

If you have the technical support and capability to have an online information and registration page(s) on the intranet site, then that is a great option to not only promote the training offered but collect registration data.

If you offer courses or programs on an ongoing, quarterly or monthly basis a training calendar is a great option. A training calendar that can be updated easily with course descriptions and registration information will allow potential participants, HR and managers to look for dates that will work with schedules.

Keeping staff informed of professional development options is not only important to ensure numbers of participants in programs, it shows a dedication to staff development that can set an employer apart from the competition. In the current climate of increasing skill shortages, training and professional development of talent will be more vital then ever.

Tips for Auditory Learners

Posted by Joni Rose

If you are an auditory learner, you will learn best when information is presented in a lecture, teleconference or presentation. You need to hear the words to understand them. You'll remember a person's voice more than their appearance or name on a piece of paper.

To increase your chances of memorizing information, read it out loud or have someone else read it to you. Talking books are designed for the visually impaired or for those who want to learn as they drive but they are also great for auditory learners. Another memory tool for auditory learners is to create songs or jingles containing the information you need to memorize.

Recording devices are must have learning tools for visual learners. Use a voice recorder to practice or create an auditory record of information you need to learn. Voice recorders are also handy for recording ideas, solutions to problems and new strategies. Videos will also help you learn, not the pictures, but the sound track.

To work through problems, you may catch yourself talking about it to friends, family or anyone who will listen. You love brainstorming sessions and discussions as they help you to understand the issues and creatively problem solve.

Choose training that is presented as lectures or teleconferences. Record lectures for future play back and review. Coordinate and/or participate in study groups where you discuss the concepts you are learning.

Not sure of your learning style? Try this learning style self-assessment.

If you have comments or suggestions on this blog entry, please use the link on the side menu to start a discussion.

If you liked this blog entry, try Inner factors, Styles and Setting: Learner Focused Delivery

Performance Management Series

Posted by Joni Rose

Here is a series of links to articles and blogs on performance management:

Articles:

Performance Management 1: Root Causes for Performance Issues: Lack of Skill or Motivation

Performance Management 2: Coaching Performance Improvement: Skill or Motivation Problems

Performance Management 3: Motivating Positive Performance: Understanding Motivational Needs

Performance Management 4: Motivational Tasks and Incentives: Individual Motivational Needs

Performance Management 5: Performance Review Tools and Tips: Choosing a Performance Review Tool

Performance Management 6: Performance Conversation Tips: Effective Performance Coaching

Blogs:

Measuring Your Performance

Example Conversations

Stress and Performance Reviews

Performance Compliments

Performance Fix

Tips for Kinesthetic Learners

Posted by Joni Rose

If you are a kinesthetic learner, you will learn best when learning takes the form of doing. You need to get your hands dirty and dive right in order to grasp the new concept.

To increase your chances of memorizing information, find a way to make your learning more active. Creating or using games, computer software, puzzles and other hands-on activities will help you to learn through doing. Like visual learners, drawing flow charts and mind maps are useful tools but it is the act of creating them that will cause learning, not the visual tool in the end.

Experimentation is how kinesthetic learners learn. They try things using past experience as a foundation and see how it turns out. If you learn kinesthetically, introduce experimentation where possible and learn from any mistakes. Taking calculated risks is where you'll shine.

Avoid lectures and look for online learning opportunities, especially online courses that utilize multi-media interactivity such as self-assessment quizzes. If you do choose in-person training, look for classes that have labs or other active forms of training (simulations, projects etc.).

Keeping organized may a big challenge for you as your priority is to keep doing, not to stop and organize. Try to find ways to make your organization active. Purchase filing cabinets on wheels, label makers, sorting systems/supplies and create databases to store valuable information. Form and colour are not as important to you as function is so look for office supplies and tools that are designed to be highly functional.

Not sure of your learning style? Try this learning style self-assessment.

If you have comments or suggestions on this blog entry, please use the link on the side menu to start a discussion.

If you liked this blog entry, try Inner factors, Styles and Setting: Learner Focused Delivery

Tips for Visual Learners

Posted by Joni Rose

If you are a visual learner, you will learn best when information is presented in the form of a graph, chart, picture or text on a page or screen. You need to see the information.

To increase your chances of memorizing information, find a way to test yourself with visual clues. Flash cards work well for visual learners especially if you introduce colour coding and images with the words. For example, say you need to memorize a bunch of medical terms. Create flash cards that have the term on one side plus an image. On the other side of the card, define the term. When you work through the pile - look at the image/term and ask yourself the definition. If you get it right, put it in the right pile. If you get it wrong, put it in the wrong pile. Once you are through the pile, take the wrong pile and cycle through it creating new right and wrong piles. Continue to work through the wrong pile until it doesn't exist anymore i.e. they are all in the right pile!

Colour coding is also a great tool for visual learners. Introduce colour wherever you can to help you retain information and stay organized. There are many wonderful colourful office supplies that could really add to your efficiency and information retention.

To work through a problem, especially one with sequential steps, creating a flow chart will help your brain sort out the best solutions. Another problem solving and idea processing tool is a mind map. Mind mapping documents a flow of ideas that branch from the central issue. Checklists are another helpful tool to organize visual learners.

Not sure of your learning style? Try this learning style self-assessment.

If you have comments or suggestions on this blog entry, please use the link on the side menu to start a discussion.

If you liked this blog entry, try Inner factors, Styles and Setting: Learner Focused Delivery

Prior Learning

Posted by Joni Rose

As part of the needs assessment process when developing an entry-level internship program, I flew around North America with a researcher to hold focus groups with recent hires in the company. We were interested to find out how these new hires coped in their early days with the company. Some had received training through an internship program from an acquired company, others had not received formal training when they started.

The feedback we consistently received was that the new program should consider prior learning. Some of the new hires had degrees directly related to their work - others didn't. Some had many years of experience in the industry - others didn't. They stressed that they would be frustrated if they all were expected to sit through the same training.

The challenge was that upper management wanted them all to receive the same training so that we could be sure they were all on the same page.

The solution was to give the participants an entry assessment and to build into the program a learning plan that could be customized to prior learning only if their supervisor felt they demonstrated competency strongly enough to receive an exemption.

This amount of flexibility requires extra record-keeping but it is worth it to keep learners engaged.

If you have comments or suggestions on this blog entry, please use the link on the side menu to start a discussion.

If you liked this blog entry, try Self Direction and Experience

Funding for PD

Posted by Joni Rose

Many people I know don't take full advantage of their PD fund allotment. Many companies put aside a dollar figure per employee for training and some give each employee a fixed dollar figure to spend on external training such as continuing education, eLearning courses and books or magazines.

If you haven't checked to see if you have dollars coming to you - please do! I can't stress how much of a benefit this can be to you. It can increase your skill set, motivate you, improve your confidence level, boost efficiencies and help you stay on top of industry trends and developments.

In fact, creating your own professional development plan to match your career goals is a great way to help those goals come to fruition.

If your goal is to move into management one day, start a plan to take leadership development courses, read books on leadership and management and subscribe to an industry magazine or journal.

If your goal is to move into a new industry, start by joining a professional organization in that industry and attend networking meetings, conferences or events.

If your goal is to make more money, start researching ways to increase your salary. Sometimes the answer is to get a promotion into a leadership role but in other cases, your salary can increase if you learn a new software program or earn a certificate (first aid, safety training, project management, event planning, fork lift operation, etc.).

Use your PD funds to help you get where you want to go in 5 years. Think ahead and plan ahead and those training dollars won't go to waste.

If you have comments or suggestions on this blog entry, please use the link on the side menu to start a discussion.

If you liked this blog entry, try Free Professional Development

Group Activities

Posted by Joni Rose

Group activities are a great way to give social interaction and show how cooperation can produce amazing results. Multiple minds working together can produce amazing results!

Flow Charts

Creating a flow chart is a great idea when you are introducing a new process or procedure to staff. Give them shapes of coloured paper (sticky notes work well) and flip chart paper to map out a sequence of events. Show them that they can have various side paths in the flow chart that are determined by the answer to a yes or no question. Flow charts are great for visual learners and the activity of building one appeal to kinaesthetic learners as well.

3-D Construction

Provide the supplies and ask the group to construct something. There are two objects to this activity; to emphasize a key message and to build cooperation and teamwork towards a goal. For example, if your workshop is on leadership, ask them to design the CEO's office and ask them to unveil their design to the group and answer questions about why they chose certain furniture and placed them in the office as they did. It is interesting to see how they depict a leader's role through their office. If your workshop is on communication, you can ask them to construct a bridge, building or a piece of clothing or furniture using an odd assortment of objects and fasteners (glue, paper clips, tape etc.) but they must communicate non-verbally throughout the process. Use your imagination to relate the construction to your key messages

If you have comments or suggestions on this blog entry, please use the link on the side menu to start a discussion.

If you liked this blog entry, try the articles Keeping Workshops Practical or Focused Workshop Design

Blog series on active training methods:

Case Studies

Simulations

Discussions and Brainstorming

Games

Workshop Games

Posted by Joni Rose

Longer workshops provide an opportunity for learning to take the form of playing a game. Creating a game that can be reused every time the workshop is presented can be a real time saver. It also helps to rejuvenate tired participants, especially in all-day workshops.

Board Games

A board game can be created where participants gather pieces of what they need as they go around a board by the roll of a die. The person to gather all their pieces first, wins. Make it challenging by having spaces that force them to answer knowledge questions in order to receive their piece. Create road blocks, for example, squares that make them go back 3 spaces or give up a piece to the person to their left. There are many variations - use your imagination and make it fun!

BINGO

You can create BINGO cards that have information that the player has to gather in order to completely black out their card. The information can be something they must ask other participants for, find in a manual (and quote the page number on the BINGO card) or gather in some other means. For example, a great ice-breaking exercise is to ask participants ahead of time to give one piece of juicy information that others in the group would not know about them. Fill the squares with a short snip-it of this information. Players must go around the room and ask questions to discover whose story belongs to whom and write the name in each square. The player who finds all the names, wins.

Puzzles

Crossword puzzles, word searches and the like offer kinesthetic learners a way to learn through hands-on activity. If the subject matter involves learning new vocabulary then word puzzles or crosswords are ideal.

If you have comments or suggestions on this blog entry, please use the link on the side menu to start a discussion.

If you liked this blog entry, try the articles Keeping Workshops Practical or Focused Workshop Design

Blog series on active training methods:

Case Studies

Simulations

Discussions and Brainstorming

Group Activities

Discussions and Brainstorming

Posted by Joni Rose

Discussions and brainstorming are the easiest active training techniques to incorporate into all delivery modes. They can be part of the workshop design as an in-class discussion or small group brainstorming exercise, or as discussion board postings or conference call discussions in distance learning settings.

Allowing the audience to have a voice is a very powerful way to keep them engaged and thinking about what is being presented. Challenge them with a question that will stir the pot and allow for multiple opinions to be discussed. If you feel the topic may get a bit heated, make sure you state the ground rules (no interrupting, tolerance of other's viewpoints, and so on).

A good opening discussion is to ask the audience what they hope to learn on the topic or what their experience has been with the topic. A good closing discussion is to ask the audience what they found to be the key take-away messages.

Brainstorming can be stimulated by presenting a problem that they have to solve or a list they need to generate. If time permits, you can break the audience into groups and then have them report their findings to the larger group. If time is limited, lead the brainstorming with the larger group.

A challenge will be presented if your audience is primarily introverts. Introverts prefer time to process and think about their answers. Instead of putting them on the spot, leave them with a question to ponder and ask them to email their answers in at a later date and time.

The information gathered in brainstorming sessions and discussions can be very valuable! Multiple viewpoints are always better than one.

If you have comments or suggestions on this blog entry, please use the link on the side menu to start a discussion.

If you liked this blog entry, try the articles Keeping Workshops Practical or Focused Workshop Design

Blog series on active training methods:

Case Studies

Simulations

Games

Group Activities

Simulation Exercise Design

Posted by Joni Rose

Simulation exercises model a common workplace scenario and allow for problem solving. A common simulation exercise is the in-box exercise where participants sit at simulated desks and are given an in-box of documents common to their role. They are then instructed to determine their actions using this information and may be given road-blocks along the way to again simulate the real work environment where distractions and changing priorities are a fact of life.

Simulation training is often used for emergency preparedness training. Here an emergency is simulated and everyone from volunteers, to first aid attendants, to administrators can practice procedures to ensure they are understood and are realistic. It is a great way to be sure all the bases have been covered.

Simulation training is commonly used in retail training. Some companies go to the length of creating a dummy store that simulates a real store in every way except that it is not open to the public. This allows trainers to teach all aspects of the business without compromising customer service or inconveniencing staff at a fully functioning outlet. The other use of a dummy store is to test out new systems or procedures to make sure they work before introducing the change to the real stores.

Actors are sometimes hired to role play in simulation exercises. The great thing about hiring an actor is that they are unknown to the staff and can act out distractions and twists and turns convincingly. It is a great way to give a student actor some extra cash!

If you have comments or suggestions on this blog entry, please use the link on the side menu to start a discussion.

If you liked this blog entry, try the articles Keeping Workshops Practical or Focused Workshop Design

Blog series on active training methods:

Case Studies

Discussions and Brainstorming

Games

Group Activities

Case Study Design

Posted by Joni Rose

To design a case study exercise, choose a problem that staff actually faced that demonstrates one (or all three) of the key messages you are delivering. Describe the problem in a narrative paragraph. Provide details of who, what, why, where and how this situation arose at the company. Be careful to not use real client names or other identifying information in the case study description. Also do not give away the solution to the problem.

Break the larger group into 4-5 small groups and provide them with three questions to help guide them towards a solution to the problem. Give each group a flip chart or section of a white board to record their discussions. You can either let the group determine a recorder and a leader or the workshop presenter can assign a role or task to each member of the small group.

Once the small groups have had enough time to discuss the three questions (30 minutes is usually sufficient), come back as a big group and discuss the possible solutions.

A great ending to the workshop is to reveal how the staff handled the real problem and the result of their chosen actions. You can choose and example where the outcome was not as hoped and discuss why and how it could be corrected or showcase an example of excellence in problem solving.

Case studies are very useful when the workshop is on business ethics, sales, customer service, communication, time management, or performance management. Asking the supervisors of the workshop participants for case study examples is a great way to understand the needs of the audience and build practical content.

If you have comments or suggestions on this blog entry, please use the link on the side menu to start a discussion.

If you liked this blog entry, try the articles Keeping Workshops Practical or Focused Workshop Design

Blog series on active training methods:

Simulations

Discussions and Brainstorming

Games

Group Activities

Professional Goal Setting Poll

Posted by Joni Rose

POLL RESULTS

To get a promotion or a raise and stay with your company (0.00%)

To get a new job or start a new career (60.00%)

To go back to school for professional development (0.00%)

To retire as soon as possible (30.00%)

Other - start a discussion to explain (side menu) (10.00%)

For a discussions on this and other topics go to Discussions

Information Overload Workshops

Posted by Joni Rose

I have been asked to coach senior executives and managers on their workshop presentation skills. The most common mistake I see inexperienced workshop presenters make is that they try to cram in too much information on PowerPoint slides and then proceed to read the slides in front of their audience.

Reading slides is presentation suicide. Your audience will fall asleep, and worse, will not absorb your key messages. PowerPoint presentations are great if used to project bulleted points and are there only to jog your memory so you can speak to those points.

Some presenters are not aware that there is a place for presenter's notes below each slide. When I design a PowerPoint presentation, I create two versions. One is the Presenter's Version and the other is the Audience Version. The Audience Version contains the slides only. The Presenter's Version includes the presenter's notes below each slide. I can then circulate the Audience Version in advance, especially if it is to be presented in a teleconference. I can also use the Audience Version to print and make hard copies for the day of the presentation. I print out the presenter's version using the notes pages format option chosen in the "print what:" menu bar options. This gives me a copy of the slide and my detailed notes below to refer to before I present.

I find that this technique helps me keep only the most important phrases on the slides and move the more detailed information to the notes section. Also, I have a more detailed version to give to participants that miss the presentation or want the full presentation notes as a review tool. I am careful to review my notes prior to the presentation and not read them to my audience.

I also use handouts and create on-line reference libraries (downloadable documents) for information that is too detailed to include on a PowerPoint slide.

Stayed tuned for my next article Workshop Facilitation which will discuss tips and techniques to help you design a great workshop!

If you have comments or suggestions on this blog entry, please use the link on the side menu to start a discussion.

If you liked this blog entry, try Quick and Easy PowerPoint Tools

Professional Goals

Posted by Joni Rose

I am a big believer in goal setting. I routinely make new years resolutions that include a goal or two for my career. For me, setting goals allows me to strive towards something and keep me on track when side-steering temptations come my way. It is easy to let my goals get fuzzy and not set timelines for achievement. I use the SMART goal setting technique in all aspects of my life - professional growth/career, hobbies, finances and personal growth.

I look at my career like a race. The finish line is retirement (although I doubt I ever will retire). I want the race to be exciting and challenging. I want to experience beautiful scenery along my path. I also want to walk some of the race to allow my body a chance to recuperate from the fast pace I must move to be competitive.

Sometimes a hurdle comes my way and I must find a way to jump it. Other times I look for a way to minimize it first before jumping it. I can't walk around it because I'd lose momentum and speed. I'd also lose the satisfaction of tackling the hurdle head-on.

And then, the competition...they want to win the race as much as I do. They will do things to get in my way and thwart my victory. They come in various disguises, so I must be careful not to underestimate intentions.

I need to constantly look at my positives and convince myself that they are worthy of success. I coach myself to be resilient and win though mental and physical conditioning.

When I cross the finish line, I fully expect to look back on the race and not want to change a thing.

If you have comments or suggestions on this blog entry, please use the link on the side menu to start a discussion.

If you liked this blog entry, try

Achieving Professional SMART Goals

Barriers to Career Goal Attainment

Professional New Years Resolutions

Time Management

Time Management Poll

Posted by Joni Rose

POLL RESULTS

Estimating the time it will take (0 vote, 0.00%)

Prioritizing multiple tasks (0 vote, 0.00%)

Staying focused and sticking to a plan (8 votes, 100.00%)

Breaking down the big picture into steps (0 vote, 0.00%)

Other - please explain in a discussion (side menu) (0 vote, 0.00%)

100% of voters state that staying focused is a difficult part of managing time. I was so struck by these results that it prompted me to post a blog with suggestions for staying focused on the job. I also asked the question in a discussion "What distracts you from staying focused on your goals?". I'd love to know your thoughts.

Co-ops and Internships

Posted by Joni Rose

My daughter is in her first year of university. When I attended the parent night, I sat in on a workshop on co-operative education. The presenter and the student who spoke both raved about how the program helps students to gain valuable experience and can lead to jobs. I have to agree. I have seen companies hire interns and benefit from having interns. I have also seen interns exposed to projects and experiences that they may never have been exposed to in their entire career.

Why are companies smart to have interns? It gives them an opportunity to see the student on the job and see how they perform and fit into the culture. The internship or co-op term becomes a long job interview. It also can be a very helpful set of hands on a big project.

What are the benefits for the student? They too get to test out the company but also the industry and the type of work. Most internships and co-ops give students valuable access to company experts as coaches. If not a job, it provides an excellent reference for the student.

I hope my daughter signs up for the co-op term. It is her decision, of course, but I do see the value in testing the waters in a potential new career. She is taking sciences so it means an opportunity to work with researchers or companies on the forefront in advances in science. Opening the door to a great employer is not always easy and this training and PD option can open that door wide!

If you have comments or suggestions on this blog entry, please use the link on the side menu to start a discussion.

If you liked this blog entry, try:

New Grad Training

New Grad Programs

Staying Focused

Posted by Joni Rose

100% of poll votes show staying focused and sticking to a plan is a challenge on the job. Here are some tips to help you stay focused.

Creating an action plan or to do list and then prioritizing the tasks may come easily to you. Sticking to the plan and staying focused may be a completely different story. What can you do to over come this time management problem?

1) Recognize a distraction

Recognizing when you are off course is the first step in gaining focus. Do not beat yourself up when you recognize this as it will keep you stuck if you self-punish. Instead be proud that you caught yourself and use it to learn how to avoid the distraction next time. Recognizing you are off track is a good thing!

2) Define your goals and guiding principles more precisely

If you consistently lose focus it may mean that you have not clearly defined your goal(s). When a surprise comes your way you need to ask yourself, "Will this help or hinder the attainment of my goals?". A great strategy is to define your guiding principles - a list of statements that reflect the methods you'll use in attaining your goals - and then check your surprise against these guiding principles. If it doesn't fit the guiding principles, don't give it your attention and energy. Go over your goals and guiding principles with your supervisor to be sure you are meeting his/her and the company's expectations.

3) Remove distractions

Trying to work in a home office with a kitchen sink full of dirty dishes or children needing attention is not conducive to staying focused. Look for ways to eliminate distractions such as hiring a student to take your kids to the park every day after school or spending an hour each morning doing a few household chores so that they are not an irritation.

4) Delegate

If your to do list is long and it overwhelms you so much that it prevents you from keeping your focus then delegate. Asking for help can be difficult for some people. If that is you, realize that your lack of delegation is keeping you stuck. Look for things that are easy to delegate: tasks that don't require a lot of instruction, tasks that are time consuming, tasks that you procrastinate on, tasks that you know someone else could do a better job on.

6) Make a realistic To Do List

Sometimes we overwhelm ourselves with a very long to do list. Break it down into the top three priorities for each day. Your goal is to accomplish your top three before you work on other priorities.

If you have comments or suggestions on this blog entry, please use the link on the side menu to start a discussion.

If you liked this blog entry, try Time Management or Timing Tasks

Timing Tasks

Posted by Joni Rose

One of many techniques I use to help people who need to improve their time management skills is timing tasks. The goal of the exercise is to improve their ability to estimate the time to complete a common repetitive task. To start, I choose a common household task or tasks that require some planning. Some examples include grocery shopping, laundry, cooking or gardening. I tend to use grocery shopping as the task to estimate and time most often.

I ask them to estimate how long it will take to create a shopping list (including looking through the fridge or cupboards or asking family members for suggestions). Then, I ask them to estimate the time it will take to drive to the store, shop, drive home and put the groceries away. We record time estimates for each phase of the process. I then ask the client to time each phase and see how their actual times compare with their estimates. Sometimes, I then repeat the process with other common tasks specific to their lifestyle if their original estimates were really off and if I feel they need more practice.

I then move to work-related repetitive tasks like regular reports, month-end processes - tasks that can be timed and happen regularly. We chart and look at the progress over time as they become better at estimating their time.

Typically it is a real wake-up call for those with poor time management skills! Many don't realize that they have been grossly underestimating their time. They tell me that honing their ability to time tasks helps to reduce stress and improve their job performance.

This technique can be used in one-on-one training sessions or as part of a multi-session time management course.

If you have comments or suggestions on this blog entry, please use the link in the side menu to start a discussion.

If you liked this blog entry, try:

Time Management

Staying Focused

Procrastination by Grace Flemming

Performance Conversation Poll

Posted by Joni Rose

Listening (1 vote, 9.09%)

Supporting your professional development (3 votes, 27.27%)

Empathizing (1 vote, 9.09%)

Communicating expectations clearly (5 votes, 45.45%)

Other - start a discussion to explain (side menu) (1 vote, 9.09%)

We want our leaders to not only empathize, listen and support our professional growth but make it really easy for us to succeed. To succeed, we need clearly articulated expectations. For Leaders to accomplish this, they need to describe what Rome looks like but be careful not to dictate how to get there. It is important to mention things that may get them in trouble. For example, unethical or illegal activities are not acceptable means to the end and need to be clearly avoided. Once we are clear what is expected of us, we can work with confidence towards the shared goals. Performance conversations are powerful motivators if handled with care and attention.

Thank you to those that voted in the poll!

Measuring Your Performance

Posted by Joni Rose

Relying on external sources of praise and recognition can lead to burn out and frustration when the powers that be are not proactive in their coaching. Learning to set your own benchmarks of success and learn from any bumps in the road will keep your self esteem high.

The note:

Write a note to yourself that includes a timeline (chosen dates) when you expect to achieve a benchmark of success. Describe each of these benchmarks by defining what success will look like.

The reminder:

Enter a reminder in a date book or calendar to review your note. Choose one of the following and answer the question(s):

1. You succeeded as predicted.

a) What would you have done even better?

b) How will you celebrate your success?

2. Success looks different than you predicted.

a) What factor did you not consider when describing your benchmark of success or your timeline?

3. You did not succeed at all.

a) Was the road block to success external and truly insurmountable or a shortcoming of yours?

b) What will you do differently in the future?

Adapted from Naked in the Boardroom by Robin Wolaner (p. 27)

Example Conversations

Posted by Joni Rose

Below are three examples of performance conversations. The last example illustrates how a performance conversation can lead to problem solving and motivation. The first two examples illustrate how not to have a performance conversation.

Example 1

Joe brings Alan into his office and says, "Alan, you have been late a lot. This has got to stop as customers are complaining and so are your coworkers." Alan bounces his leg and does not look Joe in the eye. "I want to see you in on time every day. I will be keeping a record of any late arrivals and their will be consequences if this continues. Okay, back to work."

After Joe finishes his speech, Alan responds with "Okay" and walks out. He then complains to his co-workers that Joe is a jerk and doesn't care that his wife left him and he has to drop his kids off at school now.

Example 2

Joe brings Alan into his office and says, "Hi Alan, I need to talk to you about something. Can you tell me why you are always late?"

Alan responds abruptly "I am not always late! Sometimes I am five minutes late but that isn't often!"

Joe starts to feel his blood pressure rising, "It is enough to have customers and co-worker complaints! This is a big problem!"

The performance conversation continues and the air fills with frustration and tension because they both become defensive. It turns into a battle of who is right and who is wrong. Joe never learns the reason for Alan's tardiness. Alan walks away bitter and resentful and has no interest in working productively.

Example 3

Joe brings Alan into his office and says, "Hi Alan, thanks for coming in. I am very pleased with your customer service ethic and your attention to detail. Your display on the new line of snack foods is terrific! However, I would like to discuss a performance problem that has been brought to my attention. I am interested in hearing your point of view on this so that we can come to a solution. Are you willing to have a problem solving conversation?"

Alan has an intrigued look on his face but is hesitant, "Okay, I guess so..."

Joe smiles and says, "Great! The problem is that you have been late on 5 separate occasions over the last few weeks." He then lists the dates and the times of arrival. "Is this correct?"

Alan responds with a worried look, "Yeah, that's correct"

Joe then leans forward and says, "Okay...is there something interfering with your ability to get in to work on time?"

Alan hesitates and says, "Yeah, my wife left me and now I have to take the kids to school each morning. Their school is 15 minutes out of my way and they can't seem to get ready earlier."

Joe responds with, "Wow Alan, I am sorry to hear that. It must be a big adjustment. Do you have any ideas that might solve this problem? We have had two customers complain last week that they had to wait past the store opening time." Joe has the complaint cards to show Alan.

Alan looks surprised, "Really, they complained? That's not good. Oh man..." Joe suggests, "Is there any way you could prepare the kids more the night before?" Alan looks up, "Yeah, I could make their lunches ahead and we could figure out what they'll wear." Joe looks encouraged, "Great! I am sure that would help. Are there any other things you can do to help the situation?" Alan, now in problem solving mode says "Well, I could try a different route to school or see if I can find another parent to drive them to school. I can pick them up from school as I am off at 2 pm." Joe smiles, "That is a great solution!"

They then proceed to document the solution to the problem and Joe also lets Alan know about the extended health counseling services that are available if he needs to work though the separation. He also suggests that he takes a day off soon to give himself time to re-group. He reminds Alan that he is a valued employee and that he wants to support his professional development. He lets Alan know that there needs to be an improvement over the next two weeks and that he will have to start a formal progressive discipline process if the late arrivals continue. He refers Alan to the human resources manual where the progressive discipline process is explained.

If you liked this blog, try the article Performance Conversations

Performance Review Poll

Posted by Joni Rose

POLL RESULTS

Annually (0 vote, 0.00%)

Every 6 months (1 vote, 14.29%)

Every quarter (every 3 months) (0 vote, 0.00%)

Once a month or more (1 vote, 14.29%)

Performance Review? What's that? (5 votes, 71.43%)

I am surprised to see that many who voted do not have formal written performance reviews! This is such a crucial part of professional development! I would encourage these employees to ask their supervisor or HR team for a performance review if they have not received one. It is important to let the supervisor know they are open and receptive to working on any performance issues and would also like to know about the things they are doing that meets or exceeds their supervisor's expectations. If they want to make it easy for their supervisor, find a form they like and ask their supervisor to complete it. They can also complete the form as a self-evaluation tool.

Stress and Performance Reviews

Posted by Joni Rose

Many managers panic when it is review time. It can be a very stressful part of being a leader. They ask me for advice on how to tell an employee that they are not meeting their expectations. They stress and fret over the wording and how the employee will react to the criticism.

When I coach managers on this or lead training sessions on performance management, I point out that performance coaching is an ongoing process. If employees are caught off-guard at review time by "out-of-the-blue" comments on their performance review, then they have not been effectively coached the rest of the year. The performance review should ideally be the final documentation of a series of coaching conversations. The continuous dialogue between leaders and their subordinates should produce some conclusions about areas that need work. There should not be any surprises at the annual review time.

If a manager is stressed out due to review time, I explain that it is time to work on their ongoing coaching skills so that next year will be better. I use a parenting analogy, "If you didn't let your toddler know that biting is not socially acceptable when it happened, and waited until an annual behavior modifying conversation - how many bite marks (or other behavioral issues) would you be talking about?".

Once they understand that coaching is an ongoing process, we strategize some damage control for the current reviews. The best strategy is simply to be honest and admit to subordinates that coaching has not happened as the manager would have liked and that things will be changing. Explain to team members that this review is a starting point for a dialogue on their professional development. Suggest weekly meetings if necessary to get in the habit of regular coaching conversations. I also suggest that they begin recording any incident as they happen - good or bad. This ongoing documentation of performance strengths or weaknesses and the results from informal coaching sessions provides content for the annual review and takes away the surprise element.

Performance Incentives Poll

Posted by Joni Rose

POLL RESULTS

Money - raise, bonus (5 votes, 55.56%)

Recognition - award, announcement, thank-you's (2 votes, 22.22%)

Increase in responsibility - promotion, important projects (2 votes, 22.22%)

Professional development opportunity - training, conference (0 vote, 0.00%)

Other - please comment in a discussion (side menu) (0 vote, 0.00%)

Show me the money! Money is clearly the winner in this poll. The interesting thing about money as an incentive is that it can meet multiple motivational needs. It can meet the need for the basics, the need for security and safety, the need for status, the need for power (if the increase in salary comes with an increase in status) and even the need for balance (if the extra money is used to create balance). Which need does money fulfill for you?

Performance Compliments

Posted by Joni Rose

A dear training and development colleague of mind relayed to me a message her mother told her about interpersonal relationships and performance management, "If someone does somethiyng nice for you, say 'Thank You', if you make a mistake say 'I'm sorry'". It is a simple message but it is amazing how many leaders forget this simple philosophy when managing the performance of a team.

Thankless work can lead to burn-out, stress and high turn-over. If you want to motivate your team and build a climate for open communication, you need to be conscious about recognizing outstanding work and admitting when you've made a poor decision. Trying to be super-human in front of the troops is a lose/lose proposition. You lose as it is difficult to maintain perfection and your team loses because they must work in fear, hide mistakes and fly under the radar to live up to your super-human standards. Admitting mistakes helps to keep things into perspective and foster a problem solving climate.

One workshop closing exercise to help make the point about the value of positive feedback is to ask participants to write one compliment about each of their fellow participants on an index card. Then place the cards in an envelope with the participant's name on it. In the end, each participant can read the compliments they have been given by their fellow participants. These envelopes can become great pick-me-ups when you or your team members are having a bad day.

Both team members and leaders need to remember that an "I'm sorry" or "Thanks" supports a harmonious, happy work environment.

Performance Problem Poll

Posted by Joni Rose

POLL RESULTS

a) attendance, tardiness & scheduling issues (0 vote, 0.00%)

b) not completing work as assigned or to deadlines (3 votes, 27.27%)

c) negative, pessimistic attitude (2 votes, 18.18%)

d) frequent errors & incompetency (4 votes, 36.36%)

e) other - please comment by starting a discussion (side menu) (2 votes, 18.18%)

It is nice to see that employees are showing up on time and as scheduled, according to this poll. Not completing work as assigned or to deadlines could be either a skill or motivational issue. They could be procrastinating because the task does not mesh with their performance needs (see Performance Management 4). If so, then this is a motivational issue. If they are procrastinating because they don't have the skills - training is an option (see Performance Management 2). A negative or pessimistic attitude is usually due to a motivational issue. Errors and incompetency is usually a skill issue.

Thank you to all that participated in the poll!

Performance Fix

Posted by Joni Rose

I find that training is commonly used as an automatic quick fix for behavioral issues. This is an example of leadership laziness. For example, a new technology is introduced and all of a sudden productivity drops substantially, customers are complaining and employees are disgruntled. What is management's response? Send in the trainers!

The problem with this slap-happy approach is that is may not be a skill-based problem that training can fix. Training corrects a skill deficiency. It will only correct a motivational issue if all of the employees that are receiving training value learning and are motivated by opportunities to learn. If they are unmotivated because the new technology decreases their independence, changes their job role, creates anxiety over potential job loss or challenges some other need, then all the training in the world will not correct the situation!

It would be wonderful if more managers listened carefully to what employees are saying when they are asked for the reasons behind performance problems. Often employees will be very up front about their motivational issues and fears. They may have terrific solutions to suggest. Training is not always what is needed or wanted and it is a waste of money if other solutions are a better option.

To be effective when managing the performance issues in your team, leaders need to understand the drivers behind a performance problem and then how to prepare for and have a coaching conversation with the employee to resolve the issue.

In a series of articles on performance management we'll look at ways to determine the root cause of unwanted behaviors and ways to encourage positive behaviors. We'll also explore how to prepare and have a coaching conversation and ways to keep performance management an ongoing process.

Performance Management 1

Performance Management 2

Blocks to Innovation Poll

Posted by Joni Rose

POLL RESULTS

a) lack of time - workload issues (3 votes, 37.50%)

b) poor leadership - our CEO or supervisor does not value it (0 vote, 0.00%)

c) conservative approach - they like tried and true methods (3 votes, 37.50%)

d) fear - resistance from leadership to new ideas or suggestions (1 vote, 12.50%)

e) other reason - comment by starting an discussion (side menu) (1 vote, 12.50%)

Thank you to all who voted in the poll. It is interesting to see that lack of time and conservative approaches has prevented companies from being innovative.

Culture of Innovation

Posted by Joni Rose

Creating a company culture that promotes innovation can be a challenge. It requires an executive that is keen on hearing ideas and determining best practices. Some people are very threatened by creative thinkers if they struggle with being innovative. We have all had an idea stolen by a coworker or worse, a boss. This type of idea raping can prevent the sharing of ideas in the future.

To ensure that ideas are shared, give credit where credit it due. Incentives such as rewards, announcements or a share of any cost savings in the form of money to a department's budget or cash bonuses can encourage idea sharing.

Leaders need to resist the temptation to suggest their ideas as the only solution. There are many ways to Rome and giving staff the opportunity to find their own method or pathway can reveal very unexpected and unique ideas that may generate a lot of revenue or save the company thousands of dollars!

It would be difficult to put a price on what innovation means to the bottom line. I would take an educated guess though that the price of not innovating would affect profitability more than any cost associated with generating a culture of innovation.

For more on the topic of innovation, read the article Faciliting Innovation

Technical Training Poll

Posted by Joni Rose

POLL RESULTS

Word (5 votes, 62.50%)

Excel (1 vote, 12.50%)

Access (0 vote, 0.00%)

PowerPoint (2 votes, 25.00%)

Project (0 vote, 0.00%)

Microsoft Word wins the training dollars! Thank you to those who participated in this poll. Stay tuned for future articles on how to promote, facilitate and structure technical training.

In Praise of Technical Support

Posted by Joni Rose

I, on behalf of workers globally, would like to openly thank technical support guys and gals that make our techno-headaches go away. Their undying patience and knack for simplifying techno-garble is truly amazing!

They never scold us for not emptying our email inbox but gently remind us by limiting our memory.

They look the other way when we download cute puppies or cartoons for our screen savers.

They patiently help us with that presentation that is happening in 10 minutes that we didn't prepare in advance.

They laugh with us when we forget to plug something in, turn something on or boot something up.

They hand us a tissue after trying everything they know when we forget to save a file we have spent hours on.

They have a spare cord, a spare disc and a spare minute to hold our hand.

They never roll their eyes at us when we don't read, don't listen or don't look for answers.

They get excited with us when we learn a cool new feature like colour coding our appointments in Outlook.

They are our techno-heros - saving the day with their support and guidance. Praise for the tech support guys and gals! We need you!

Training Options Poll

Posted by Joni Rose

POLL RESULTS

cost (3 votes, 42.86%)

length of program (0 vote, 0.00%)

location of program (0 vote, 0.00%)

credential upon completion (2 votes, 28.57%)

job search support (2 votes, 28.57%)

Thank you to those who participated in the poll. The cost of training is something that stops a lot of professionals from pursuing training. Stay tuned for low and no-cost alternatives for professional growth.

Leadership Competency Poll

Posted by Joni Rose

POLL RESULTS

Listening (1 vote, 16.67%)

Team building (0 vote, 0.00%)

Delegation (0 vote, 0.00%)

Coaching performance (3 votes, 50.00%)

Time management (2 votes, 33.33%)

Thank you to those who took part in the poll. The results show that coaching performance, time management and listening are topics of interest to readers. Bookmark this page to see articles on these topics in the near future!

Funny Training Stories

Posted by Joni Rose

There are many funny stories to tell about training and professional development. Send stories by email that you'd like to share with readers. Have your funny bone tickled by bookmarking this page in your favorites!

One of my favourite stories involving professional development was the company that hired a professional to teach time management to a group of employees. The employees assembled in the classroom and eagerly awaited the presentation. The start time came and went. More than ten minutes passed so one of the students contacted the Training Manager to let them know about the situation. When the instructor was called, the response was "Oh, was it this week? I thought it was next week! Should I come now?". I assume you know the answer to that question. Class cancelled!

Another classic was the continuing education class held in an elementary school. The oil painting class had a nude model that day so that students could experience something more than painting fruit. That same evening, parent and student teacher interviews were scheduled. The coinciding events would not have been a problem except that the studio had an open concept design. You could walk along the upper level of the building and look down into the studio. It caused quite the stir!

No Surprises Leadership

Posted by Joni Rose

I think back fondly of the leaders that I've worked with that were a positive influence. They saw my talents and energy and gave me the room to make mistakes and learn from them. They didn't know how to micromanage as they were very comfortable trusting me to work hard with the caveat to come to them with questions when I felt unsure.

When I became a leader, I remembered the words from my father (the CEO) about leadership. He had a "No surprises" policy.

He told his staff that he didn't want to find out about something indirectly or after the fact. I found that this tip encouraged open, honest dialogue and motivated my reports to come to me with any mistake or problem. I worked with them to find solutions that empowered them and ensured a similar dialogue in the future.

I constantly work on my leadership competencies as there is always more to learn and improve on. It is easy to become complacent and let your ego get in the way of professional growth. I challenge myself to remain open to new ideas and perspectives as I read biographies of great leaders. It is no surprise that great leaders have learned from their mistakes and can pass on their learned wisdom.

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