How to See Your Goals Clearly and Solve Problems
Sometimes, when we are surrounded by challenges, it seems very difficult to see a way out. It’s as if we’re surrounded by heavy fog and we don’t know which way to go.
This concept was brought home in a wonderful story that Peter, a subscriber to this program, shared with me in a recent e-mail. I’ll let him tell you what happened…
“Thanks for your excellent piece on changing your perspective. It reminds me that I learned the same lesson as a youngster…
Many years ago I took a long sailing trip with some of my sailing buddies. It was a hardy sort of trip starting in Labrador, sailing around icebergs and finishing up the St. Lawrence Valley north west of Quebec City.
We had a lot of adventure in this trip and those stories could fill a few more emails, but it is the last day of the trip that fits with the theme of perspectives.
On the last morning of the trip, my best friend and I were alone on the boat as the others had disembarked at a port more convenient for land connections than the port where we were to leave the boat.
That morning we were in a thick fog in a part of the St. Lawrence that is full of small islands and shoals and is also in the shipping channel.
GPS hadn’t been invented and we didn’t have any electronic navigation equipment on the boat except for a depth sounder. We were doing our navigation the old way. Well, we got disoriented in the fog and we started to panic. We could hear fog horns and sea gulls. Both warnings of approaching hazards.
Fog horns meant a big cargo ship or a land obstruction and sea gulls meant the shore or beach. The depth sounder was all over the map because of the difficult water we were in.
We had changed direction so many times in panic that we had no idea where we were on the charts. We were at a loss until my friend realized that if he climbed the mast, he might get above the fog and have a clear view of our location.
Well, that was the solution. From high up on the mast my friend could see exactly where to go next and we both learned an important lesson on perspective.”
Isn’t life sometimes exactly like Peter’s dilemma in that boat? Sometimes we just need to get a different view of our circumstances.
Sometimes we just need to focus on doing one productive thing without trying to solve a number of problems all at one time.
One question that has helped me greatly in the past, when I wasn’t sure what to do about a problem, is as follows:
“What is the most productive thing I should be doing right now?”
Then, go do that one thing. When done, ask yourself the same question again and do something else that is productive.
Before you know it, you may find yourself at the top of the mast and things might look a whole lot clearer.
*************************
A Clear View Affirmation
I do the most productive thing at any given moment.
*************************
~Boaz Rauchwerger
See more Boaz Power TV here
http://www.youtube.com/user/BoazPowerTV
Preventing the Snow from Wrecking Havoc on your Business
Yet another day of blizzard conditions. That was a word that was barely uttered in the Washington area in previous winters, yet now it appears to be commonplace. So what actions should one take to proactively combat what there is no denying mother nature? I came across this blog post from Joe Mechlinski, of EntreQuest, a colleague and trusted advisor and I encourage you all to read it. Good, good stuff packed in here (yes, pun intended)…Let us know how you are creating opportunity out of this weather! Click Here
~Kathy Albarado
Onboarding and Assimilation: The First Step in Retention and Productivity
An employee will remember their first day of work at a new job. They will remember if their new manager and team were eagerly awaiting their arrival with warm smiles. They will remember if their workspace was ready with an internet connection and ready phone line and even more so a welcome package on their desk; not just with typical HR paperwork, but maybe a company logo t-shirt, set of pens or coffee mug. The first day will set the tone for their new job. And the level of effort put forth by the employer to welcome their newest hire over the months to follow could possibly determine the length of their stay and their level of productivity. The area’s top employers recognize the trends associated with new hire orientation and employee retention and are adopting robust assimilation programs. These programs are targeted toward:
• Decreasing time for employees to become productive.
• Promoting behaviors aligned with organizational goals, values, and culture.
• Building loyalty by demonstrating commitment, which sets the foundation for employee retention.
• Help to further the impression that the new hire chose the right organization.
The first day should be the beginning of employee engagement and retention initiatives and helping the employee to develop a sense of belonging. Here are a few best practices in building a successful onboarding and assimilation program:
1. Help the new hire further the belief that he/she chose the right organization: Many pieces of a “robust” orientation program will help to ensure that this happens. However, simply mapping out the new hire’s first week and ensuring that the “small things” are taken care of go a long way in reinforcing the new hire’s decision. Examples include: making sure their e-mail and phone are setup, cleaning their work space, having business cards ready, etc.
2. Be Proactive with Pre-Orientation Initiatives: New hires who haven‘t yet reported to work and may be weeks away from their start date can use the organization’s intranet to learn about the organization‘s culture, policies and benefits. Some organizations have developed web portals where they will be able to fill out forms online so they wouldn‘t have to get an employee paper packet sent to them by mail. Technology or packet – either one will help to ensure that the new hire’s first day is not filled with too much paper pushing – concentrate on assimilation.
3. Be Prepared: Have an Agenda or Slide Show Presentation: Slide show presentations help to ensure that all agenda items are covered with all new hires. The presentation should include organization history, products, services, direction, goals, vision, strategy, culture, policies, development opportunities, benefits, communication mechanisms, and the performance management system. Always provide employees with useful materials including but not limited to a list of contacts, an employee handbook, professional development information, and internet, email, and voicemail instructions. “Compliance” should be minimized as much as possible in order to focus on onboarding and assimilation.
4. Clearly Define Roles and Responsibilities: Ensure that everyone understands their roles and the schedule in which their responsibilities are completed. While every organization is unique in how the onboarding responsibilities are shared throughout the organization, here are some general guidelines for splitting up onboarding duties:
- HR department. Employee paperwork (forms, benefits, etc.); work hours; history and background of the organization; review of the organizational chart; tour of the facility.
-Training department. Delivery of the onboarding program elements; lectures and discussions about organizational culture, goals and objectives; review of company videos.
- Supervisor. Duties and responsibilities; work behaviors, standards and expectations; introductions to fellow team members and other members of the organization; tour of the department; review of other roles and relationships within the department.
- Co-workers. How the group works as a team; how to get things done; how to find/requisition tools and equipment.
- Executive team. Mission, vision and values; strategic goals and objectives of the organization; high-level review of roles and responsibilities; description of organizational culture.
- Mentor/buddy. Introductions to fellow team members and others within the organization; review of informal rules and policies; answers to day-to-day questions.
5. Get Senior Management Involved: Senior management interaction shows employees that the company cares and that the decision makers are not unknown entities throwing down orders from Mount Olympus. A member of Sr. Mgmt should also present the first part of the orientation slides focusing on the history, direction, goals, vision, strategy, etc….. This Sr. Mgr should be enthusiastic and a firm believer in the organization’s mission (Create a Shared Vision) – this will help the new hire buy into the organization’s mission/direction/strategy and become excited and engaged from the first day.
6. Socialize and Integrate with the Team: Managers are generally busy but it is imperative that they make themselves available during the new hire’s first week. Also provide new hires the opportunity to meet their peers – this will help new hires feel comfortable and welcomed more quickly by becoming part of the team on their first day/week. This can be accomplished by team lunches, cross-departmental meetings and a mentor/buddy program.
7. Tailor Onboarding to Different Audiences: The process may be modified to meet the differing needs of various groups of employees. For example, all supervisory and management employees will need a review of not only the employee handbook and company policies and programs, but also information on how to administer or lead these various programs and policies.
8. Create a Formal Follow-Up System: Set up follow-up interviews by asking the employee about their experiences so they understand that they can make a difference AND so you gain invaluable feedback from new hires who can still see over the corporate fence. This may be connected to an onboarding survey or questions about the management team, organizational communication, etc. Continuous informal manager feedback and direction are also critical. The manager should ensure there are no roadblocks impeding the employee’s success. A more formal performance discussion should be held after 3-6 months and the employee should be encouraged to discuss problems and find ways to provide support. Also, these discussions provide critical opportunities to coach for improvement and ensure the employee feels his or her work is interesting.
9. Evaluate the Program’s Effectiveness: HR professionals will want to evaluate their organization’s onboarding strategies using a variety of metrics.
- Turnover/retention rates. Examine the turnover/retention rates for different “graduating classes” (for example, those who began their employment in 2007) and track the different rates of those classes.
- Retention threshold. Track the point at which most new employees tend to exit the organization (for example, 50 percent of employees tend to quit the organization within the first 90 days of employment). If the organization tends to lose many employees during the first 90 days of employment. For example, the organization might want to conduct in-depth exit interviews to determine the cause (e.g., promises made but not kept, lack of thorough understanding of any negative working conditions).
- Performance measures. For example, compare the performance of a group provided with only one week of onboarding experiences with that of a similar group provided a full month’s worth.
- Formal/Informal feedback. Especially in smaller organizations, HR professionals may want to gather small focus groups consisting of recent new hires (or conduct this research one-on-one) and ask open-ended questions to determine their satisfaction not only with the onboarding process but with the organization as a whole.
10. Be Open to Change: Robust orientation requires a large amount of organizational resources and a sincere leadership commitment. However, helping employees to become productive quicker and aligned with organizational goals also requires constant assessment, reevaluation and adaptability. Flexibility and the ability to make changes will allow your organization to provide your employees with a “best place to work” environment.
What is your company doing to show their employees that it is the best place to work? ~ Holly Davis, Manager of BD, Helios HR
Harnessing the Power of Effective Networking
Please note that this blog isn’t meant to discuss the power of social networking…that’s a topic in itself!
I once read that “the best networkers do not even know that they are networking - they are simply being good conversationalists; adept at becoming visible; talking and responding, and getting to know people.” So, does this mean that the best networkers are also successful in driving new business from their networking efforts? Not necessarily.
It can be said that the growth of any business is directly correlated to the number of people who know about it. Therefore, networking (giving your company a “face,” connecting with others and learning about what’s happening in your industry) is crucial to business growth. But networking is far more than shaking hands and being seen; it’s about effectively making connections that bring shared successes. Here are a few simple tips on how to harness the power of effective networking:
Learn to Communicate – Big and Small: When people ask you what you do, make sure you have a strong and clearly defined answer. It is important to articulate the purpose of your business in an easily understandable and memorable way. But keep in mind that to be a good networker, you sometimes need to put the “elevator speech” aside and make small talk. Listen when others are speaking, get interested in what others are offering and contribute to conversations in a personal way. People do business with people they “know, like and trust” and that comes from making a personal connection as well as a business one.
Set Goals: When you attend an event, have a pre-set goal of how many new contacts you would like to make. Be sure to introduce yourself to people you don’t know. You will defeat the purpose of networking if you continuously stick with familiar faces. If you are already well connected, ask people to make introductions for you. Be sure to do the same for your contacts by asking them who they are interested in meeting or getting connected with.
Be Strategic: A key to successful networking is to participate deeply in an organization or professional group that offers opportunities for you to meet PROSPECTS. List all the networking groups you currently participate in and then define which groups are truly putting you in front of potential clients. Know the difference between the events you need to attend and the ones you want to attend and prioritize them as such.
Follow-Up: If you are successfully making new contacts, be sure to follow-up on anything mentioned in your conversation. If you have trouble remembering all of the details, make notes on people’s business cards directly following the event. You may have passed the “know and like” phase but you still have to gain trust; this likely comes from doing exactly what you say you will in a timely fashion.
What strategies are you currently using to effectively network and build new and successful relationships?
- Written by Holly Davis, Manager of Business Development for Helios HR
Goal Alignment: Is it Working?
Ask each of your employees to name their New Year’s resolutions and you’ll likely hear a wide variety of responses, reflecting the breadth, depth and interests of the talent you employ. But if you ask them where your company is headed in 2010, and what the organization’s top goals are for the coming 12 months, will you also get varied responses across your workforce, or will you hear one consistent reply?
Most importantly, if you ask each of them how their job and responsibilities tie in to the organization’s 2010 goals, can they respond without hesitation? Do they know how their contributions impact the company’s success? If so, you’ve likely done a great job of communicating clearly and consistently, and the new year is the time to reinforce key messages with renewed clarity and purpose.
However, if employees are not clear on where your organization is headed in 2010, and how they each play a part reaching the company’s goals, the new year brings with it the opportunity to re-align the contributions of each employee toward the same end goal; to ensure that everyone is rowing together, in the same direction, and toward the same destination.
Every person you employ has a distinct and important role to play in achieving the organization’s overall success. Their ability to do so relies in part on ensuring they have accurate and clear information to ensure their efforts are most effectively aligned with the company’s as a whole.
Senior leadership can restate and reinforce key organizational plans, goals, objectives and challenges in the year ahead so that every employee knows the answers to: where are we now, and where do we plan to be in 12 months from now? What is our focus for 2010, i.e. grow revenues? Maximize profits? Increase market share? Ensure superior client support and service delivery?
Next, managers’ roles are critical: to help each of their direct reports translate the organization’s goals into their individual jobs. Managers can help ensure that each employee is able to answer, “How does what I do today impact the bottom line, and the organization’s success?” by working together with employees to carefully set – or revisit – individual goals aligned to these outcomes. This means combining the familiar, tried and true “SMART” goals formula – Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Time-bound – with the often ignored but critical TOPS – Tied to Organizational Priorities and Success.
Ultimately, this collaborative process should be owned by both manager and employee, with the employee accountable for achieving the goals, and the manager accountable for ensuring the employee has the tools, resources, and requisite experience, skills and expertise to accomplish them. Both employee and manager alike should be able to easily articulate what success would look like if goals were achieved.
If your company conducts annual performance reviews in January as many organizations do, you already have a mechanism in place to review past performance and goals, clarify organizational priorities, and to set new goals in the year ahead. If your organization conducts performance evaluations on a rolling basis or at a set time in a different point in the year, you can still take advantage of the new year to reinforce clear messages organization-wide, and hold check-in meetings or discussions with each employee. Either way, invest in the time and effort as 2010 begins to ensure that each person’s efforts are in synch and tied to the same end goals you hope to achieve by 2011. ~ Jacqueline Dendievel, Practice Leader, Helios HR