Category: Planning & Management

Article Contributed by Sara LaForest and Tony Kubica

Could your management team be creating unnecessary employee issues that are leading to:

• Low employee engagement
• Low employee morale
• Poor productivity
• Poor customer service
• The need for voluminous policy and procedure manuals to ensure that the manager follows the rules, and
• High turnover

While not so comfortable to ask, and even more challenging to be accountable for, here are 7 key questions to help you determine if your management is causing the above common concerns:

1.    Does every member of your management team know (internalize) the company’s Mission/Purpose and Vision (ideal future state)?

2.    Can every member of your management team describe the company Values, (that is, the key ways in which you go about your work, such as excellence in customer service, innovation, teamwork, respect…)? And, can every member of the management team give some examples of how the company values are demonstrated on a day-to-day basis?

3.    Do you have a succession plan – that is, an approach for and/or development of high potential/successor candidates?

4.    Do new people promoted to or hired for a management position clearly demonstrate the company values?

5.    Do you have an effective way to transition new managers into their positions (or do you just assume the transition will happen)?

6.    And, do you remove poor and ineffective managers quickly?

If you said “NO” to any of the questions above then you likely have employee issues as a result of your management problems.

When Addressing Employee Issues, Ensure You Have Sound Management First

How can you improve your business when you have employee issues and conflicts getting in your way of running an effective, productive and efficient organization? First, change your approach and take a macro view. That is, understand that often, employee issues are symptoms of inconsistent or failing management.

Your strongest assets and your key resources are your employees. (Yes, even stronger than your brand. Brand creates awareness and a promise. But it’s the employees that deliver on that promise.) And, while painful to acknowledge, it is the most talented employees that leave first.

If you want to improve your business, you must start with your managers. These are the people who are the direct link to your front line employees. These managers include:

• Department managers
• Assistant managers
• Shift supervisors
• Store managers
• Team leaders

Yet unfortunately, the role and impact of the direct supervisors are often overlooked when senior management or business owners contemplate improvement questions such as:

• How can we improve morale?
• What’s a good compensation system?
• How can we recruit and retain better employees?
• How do we improve our customer service?

Simply stated, as long as you do not deal with supervisor/manager competency and impact, you cannot effectively deal with any of the questions raised above. It’s like trying to come up with a model to explain how our solar system works using the earth as the center of the system. It just won’t work, no matter how hard you try. Replace the earth with the sun and it works beautifully. Money spent to improve the effects of management is wasted unless it’s spent to address poor management first.

Five Required Steps to Identifying and Addressing the Issue of Poor Management

1)      First, get senior executives to function as an aligned team and to translate this manager’s to promote (by demonstration not lip service) the stated values of the business. Remember, employees watch their leadership team for cues on how to behave and how to manage. They look to managers to see what’s acceptable and what is not!

2)      Carefully select employees for management positions. This means you need to have a succession plan that incorporates a management development plan for high potential candidates.

3)      Support the transition from employee to manager. Not all newly promoted managers will be ready for their new role. In fact, in many organizations, it’s possible that most aren’t yet ready for prime time but are needed there. (A good coach or mentor can be very valuable in these situations.)

4)      Define the standard of performance required of all your managers. Provide needed support to help your managers understand your standards and meet them. If they don’t (or won’t) after suitable support and development, replace them. Understand that “what you permit you promote”. Tolerating poor managers and poor manager behavior is the same as condoning it. And that is the way employees will perceive it.

5)      Then, insure your managers/supervisors are responsible for performance management and instilling employee accountability using these four fundamentals with their employees:

A.    Clarifying expectations of their role individually and within context to the larger organization

B.     Providing adequate training and development for them to do their job (identify and address skills, knowledge and resource gaps)

C.     Provide consistent feedback on their performance, expressly positive/ recognition based, and of course, addressing concerns or deficiencies (in which case you start over at A, though focusing on the concern/issue and what is needed/expected…)

D.    And, be consistent with upholding consequences. Similar to tolerating poor managers, unwilling or persistent underperforming employees will quickly compromise your overall results.

Service excellence, cost-effective performance and innovation, start with engaged employees. And employees leave their organizations most often because of a bad boss and a poor-working relationship. If you believe that your employees are not engaged to the extent you want them to be, don’t start with employee remediation efforts. Start first, with the leaders and the managers. If employees don’t have a good boss and working experience with them, save your money; as nothing else will work, at least for very long. It may be the most difficult place to start, but it will be the most effective for long-term ROI.

About the Authors:

Sara LaForest and Tony Kubica are management consultants with more than 50+ years of combined experience in helping organizations improve their business performance simply by improving the leadership effectiveness of top management. Now, get their “Self-Sabotage in Business White Paper” at: http://www.kubicalaforestconsulting.com/resources.php and uncover the common, subtle ways your management team is harming your overall business performance.

Article Contributed by Roberta Chinsky Matuson

Business leaders complain all the time that nothing seems to have changed in their organizations, despite their best efforts to make things happen. Yet they continue to do the same things and receive the same results. Well, it’s no wonder why nothing has changed!

Here are five reasons why your progress may have stalled.

1.    You have people on board who aren’t pulling their weight. If you’ve ever ridden on a bicycle built for two with someone who isn’t doing much pedaling, then you know what it’s like to try and move forward with someone who isn’t pulling their weight. It’s exhausting! Take a look around your organization and do an honest assessment. Who is peddling hard and who is coasting? Then make a commitment to remove those people who aren’t doing much of anything. Now try moving forward again and notice the difference.

2.    You’ve failed to invest in your firm or your people. It’s easy to complain how things are falling apart, yet you haven’t made any investments in your company or your people in years. People are not going to become stronger managers and develop better relationships with your customers by osmosis. These are skills that need to be built and continually reinforced. Loosen your belt and start investing in your people. It shouldn’t be too long before you begin seeing changes.

3.    You have a hard time delegating. It’s difficult, if not impossible, to move your business forward when you are still in the middle of daily operations. You hired people to help you, right? Then let them do just that, and notice how much time you now have available to grow your business!

4.    You really have no idea where you are going. I recently experienced this myself when my husband and I were driving through Tuscany. Yes, the scenery was wonderful, but after driving past the same church three times within a two-hour span, it was obvious to me that we needed a destination, even if it was just a gelateria! You will never get to a specific place in your business if you don’t have a destination in mind. It’s a good idea to look at your business every six months or so. This will allow you ample time to make course corrections so you don’t find yourself circling back to the place where you started.

5.    You don’t implement recommendations. You surround yourself with smart people and you ask for their recommendations. Sometimes you even pay for this advice. Yet you never implement any of these recommendations. Is it any wonder that nothing has changed?

I understand that change is hard and that sometimes you’ll experience even more pain before things get better. But in the end, isn’t it better to have tried something than to have done nothing at all?

About the Author:

Roberta Chinsky Matuson is the President of Human Resource Solutions (www.yourhrexperts.com)  and author of the highly acclaimed book, Suddenly in Charge: Managing Up, Managing Down, Succeeding All Around (Nicholas Brealey, January 2011). Her firm helps organizations create exceptional workplaces that deliver extraordinary results. Sign up to receive a complimentary subscription to Roberta’s monthly newsletter, HR Matters.

Article Contributed by Roberta Chinsky Matuson

It may seem unnatural to manage up in the top down world of business but this is exactly what you must do to be successful in business. Here are 10 tips for managing those relationships above you.

1. Decode your boss’s management style-I’ve yet to see a situation where a boss molds his style to that of his employees. You can be certain you will be the one doing the adjusting. Begin by observing how your manager uses authority, the way he relates to others, and his communication style as a leader. Most bosses typically fall into one of the following categories: Dictatorial, Laissez-faire, Bureaucratic, or Consultative. Once you determine the type of manager you’ve been handed, you can then study ways to work most effectively with this type of leader.

2. Prepare to play the game of politics-Politics is played in every organization; so the sooner you learn how to play this game, the better off you’ll be. Politics is the informal way that things get done in an organization. Pay close attention to how work really gets done in the organization. People who master this game follow unwritten rules that allow them to maneuver swiftly through the organization to obtain scarce resources, approval of prized projects and promotions. Can you see now why it’s important to master this game?

3. Shine the light on others-Compliment staff in front of others, and whenever possible, shine the light on those around you. The light from their reflection will make you shine brightly.

4. Presume good intent-It’s easy to jump to conclusions when you are asked to do something that at first doesn’t feel right. Presume good intent. Provide your boss with options on how to achieve the same results in a way that feels right.

5. Master the art of influencing-Influencing is communicating effectively with a goal in mind. Be specific in your request while highlighting why it’s in your boss’ best interest to comply with your request, and you will be on your way to mastering the art of influence.

6. Toot your own horn-For years we’ve been taught that it’s not polite to brag. But if we don’t, how will others know about our contributions? When companies put together lay-off lists, they exclude those whose contributions are well known throughout the organization. You may be the best singer in the room, but no one will know this if you never open your mouth.

7. Manage your own performance-Bosses are busy people and most would rather walk on hot coals than write a performance review. Prepare your own review, which should include ways you’ve added value to the organization as well as areas needing further development. Present this to your boss a week prior to your review, and don’t be surprised if what you get back closely resembles what you’ve submitted.

8. Continually maintain-Like any connection worth having, you will need to apply care and attention in order for the relationship to flourish. Continual maintenance is the key to sustaining relationships for years to come.

9. Hire a mentor or a coach-Every star player uses a mentor or a coach to help them improve their game. Find someone who is willing to hold up the mirror for you so that you can clearly see what your boss is seeing. Then adjust your style accordingly.

10. Attach your star carefully-You never want to be so closely associated with your boss that you find yourself on the outskirts the moment she is no longer in favor. Be your own person so others know you are more than someone’s sidekick.

About the Author:

Roberta Chinsky Matuson is the President of Human Resource Solutions (www.yourhrexperts.com)  and author of the highly acclaimed book, Suddenly in Charge: Managing Up, Managing Down, Succeeding All Around (Nicholas Brealey, January 2011). Her firm helps organizations create exceptional workplaces that deliver extraordinary results. Sign up to receive a complimentary subscription to Roberta’s monthly newsletter, HR Matters.

Article Contributed by Sharpenz

Picture this: A group of sales reps are heading down the hall to the conference room for a meeting with their manager. They are definitely taking their time getting there. They stop for coffee, peek at their Blackberrys and seem to be pondering something silently in their heads.

Wouldn’t you like to know what’s going on in their heads? We do, so we decided to find out. We asked two groups of sales reps “What reaction comes to mind when you hear there is going to be a sales meeting?”

Group One was not looking forward to the meeting. Their responses included:
• Uh oh. What are they going to make us do now?
• Is this going to be another day we’ll have to blitz because we haven’t made numbers?
• What did we do wrong?
• What fire are we going to have to put out now?

Group Two’s responses were very different:
• Look forward to them. Always learn something. Starts my morning off good.
• My manager always makes it interesting. We brainstorm and I learn something new.
• I hope my manager doesn’t go off on a tangent. It wastes my time.
• I look forward it because it’s a time to hear success stories as well as some objections that each of us may hear throughout the week. We also get some tips and advice for overcoming objections as well as additional selling techniques.

Why are the responses of these two groups so completely different? Because Group One’s manager does not have regular meetings while Group Two’s manager does.

Which responses would you like from your sellers? Many would select Group Two. Yet the responses from Group Two aren’t all good either.

As a sales manager, how do you get a positive reaction from your team when you ask for their time?

One of the best ways to do this is to hold regularly scheduled meetings. With the availability of teleconference bridges, even remote teams should be brought together regularly. How often? That’s up to you. Weekly or once every other week works, quarterly is generally not often enough. The keys to making the meeting regular are to:
•    Decide on the dates/schedule
•    Commit to the time
•    Communicate your schedule including the expectation of participation (Yes, participation, not just attendance!)
•    Stick to the schedule

How often does your sales team meet? Do you think their comments would be more in line with Group One or Two? If you are part of a sales team, let us know what you’re thinking as you’re heading toward that conference room.

About the Author:

Sharpenz is dedicated to providing sales managers the resources and tools they need to energize, engage and equip their sales team to sell each week. Our 30-minute power sales booster meetings help companies increase sales by providing the right tools and training – fast. Designed with the busy manager in mind, Sharpenz ready-to-go sales training kits will give your sales team the opportunity to grow and earn more – all in a half hour of power.  To learn more, visit www.sharpenz.com and sign up for your free ready-to-go sales training kit today!

Article Contributed by Jeremy J. Ulmer

“Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort.” – Paul Meyer

In the world of sales, finding ways to increase productivity and get more done in less time is essential to achieving great sales results, making more commissions, working less, and having more personal free time.

Here are 10 sales coaching tips to boost your productivity to new levels:

1. Most Important Things First. The most important task you need to get done each day should take priority over all other tasks. However, we all know that interruptions can pop up and the important task often gets put off.
If you put the most import thing off until later in the day, they often don’t happen. Your goal should be to get your most important things done first thing in the morning before doing anything else.

2. Wake Up Earlier. Get up just 30 minutes earlier and you can get a jump start on some of your most important tasks for the day. Decide what you’d like to accomplish each morning, and design your routine around your most important tasks.

3. Streamline Information. Think about all the information you receive on a daily basis: emails, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, blog updates, newsletters, mailing lists, magazines, newspapers, and mail. Start to edit and remove anything that you no longer are using or benefiting from.

4. Clear Of Your Desk & Get Focused. Get rid of everything off your desk that you don’t absolutely need. Remove all distractions and focus on one thing at a time. With a clean and clear desk, it becomes much easier to be productive and organized.

5. Get To Work Early; Leave Early. Ever notice how much you get done when no one else is around? Consider coming into work a little early to start on your most important things without interruptions. The trick here is to make sure you set an end time to your day. So if you want to leave a 4:00PM, commit to it and it will also help you focus on getting more done before that time.

6. Schedule Your Meetings & Avoid Last Minute Meetings When Possible. Consider each situation, but in general, see if you can aim to always schedule your meetings instead of taking on the spot meetings in your office that will throw off your momentum. Remember that whatever is on your schedule for you to be focusing on, should be treated like a meeting that is already in progress.

7. Eliminate Non-Essential Work. You will only be productive in sales if you are working on activities that are going to move you towards your goals. Remove or delegate non-essential tasks from your to-do lists, and start to say no to new requests that are non-essential.

8. Do The Tough Stuff First. Do these first thing in the morning. If you put the tough tasks off, they will only become more and more difficult to accomplish.

9. Shut Off Your Internet Connection. Schedule times when you will be online to check email or research on the web. Working off-line can help you increase your productivity as you will be focusing on one task at a time without distractions. For many people, this one seems almost impossible, but challenge yourself to try it out and see what happens.

10. Get Passionate. If you truly care about what you are doing, you will work like a machine to get it done. It will flow and you will plow through your tasks without procrastination. Find the deeper meaning of accomplishing your goals and being productive. What will being more productive in sales enable you to accomplish, to do, to be?

About the Author:

Jeremy J. Ulmer is one of the most dynamic and requested sales coaching experts in the country. His company specializes in working with executive sales leadership, organizations, and individual sales performers to transform their sales results. They deliver customized sales coaching programs and sales seminars. Sign up for free sales tips and free sales coaching webinars at: http://www.SalesCoachingHabits.com/ or Follow @JeremyUlmer on Twitter.