Putting it into practice

If you are like many managers, you are probably a little tired of sending people to leadership, management and client service training with little or no measureable results when they return to the job. Like you, we are also concerned about your training budgets being directed to workshops that promise great content but fail to help with the application of the newly acquired knowledge back at work.

We think the current economic climate and reduced budgets may actually be a bonus as it will allow managers time to ponder the 'training' function and realize its time to revisit old patterns.

If you're an HR Manager responsible for staff development we suggest you ask a few questions next time a department manager wants to send an employee to a workshop, conference or learning situation.

• What is the employee doing (or not doing) that makes you think training will help them to be successful?


• Has the employee ever shown that they can do what you expect?


• Does the employee know you have a concern about their working style or appoach?


• What feedback or coaching have you provided to the employee to help them adjust their style?


• How long has the employee had on the job to learn and gain skills?


• Is the employee rewarded for doing the work in their current manner?


• What adjustments could you make so that the employee sees value in changing their approach?

These are just a few of the questions you could ask a manager and by posing these questions you are helping them to think about their personal leadership style and how they are developing the talents of their team.

Too often department managers think that staff development is an HR function when in actual fact it belongs with the manager. Daily conversations with employees about work goals, challenges they are facing and any support they need to become confident and capable, are all too often lost in the many distractions that consume a manager's day. However by taking some time to probe into alternative staff development options you can remind these managers of the important part they play in expanding the knowledge and skills of others.

Staff development can happen very effectively without any formal training session if the manager takes the time to observe how employees are handling different situations and by providing feedback and coaching. The HR Manager may need to get more involved by coaching the department manager in the most effective way to give feedback, or ways to run their staff meetings that gets people excited about new opportunities or how to hold conversations when performance is a failing to meet expectations. The investment in this type of coaching will give you the best ROI. If you are uncertain where to start, a management consultant or other successful department head may be able to get things rolling in the right direction. So before you get drawn in by the glossy brochure offering some training experience, stop and ponder these ideas, perhaps your employees can gain the knowledge and experience they need by sitting down and having a conversation with someone who cares about their success.

It was talking with a client a few weeks ago who was telling me he needed a Performance Management process at their organization. As he talked about the problems they were having with some employees it became clear he wanted a Performance Management process so that he and his other managers could have an opportunity to talk about performance and provide some feedback. I realised he was like so many of the managers I meet; he wanted 'a system' so he could have a conversation with each of his employees about their goals and to talk about performance concerns he had observed over the year.

I then spent the next hour asking him a few questions. I started with, "Tell me what it would be like if you had a really great high-performing team, what would they be doing?"

He quickly told me that a high-performing team would plan together, they'd pitch in and help out when needed. He told me they'd let each other know what they were working on and the help they'd need to be successful. He said he'd expect to see them learning and passing along the things they had learned and how they'd give each other feedback as they worked together. It was interesting to note that at no time did he tell me they'd have an annual planning and feedback process.

What he described is often called the daily management of performance - self-managed teams- quite different from the formal annual Performance Management process he has originally asked about.

I spent the next few weeks coaching him and his management team on the fine art of coaching and giving feedback. I showed them how to facilitate meetings that encourage dialogue; ways that allowed the team to do their own planning. The results have been amazing; the improvement in the departments are being noticed and people are clearly enjoying using their new communication and coaching skills.

He has come to understand that the the day-to-day connections and feedback is far more important than any formal annual Performance Management process.

Maximize Your Assets

When times are tough most business owners quickly turn to look at their financial picture. They examine their budgets, look at costs and question expenses looking for places to trim and save some money. And while this is indeed be an important activity, one we might add that should be done regularly and not just during tough times, it should not be the only area to get attention.

When times are tough you need to also examine your assets and find ways to leverage them for higher returns and expanded business opportunities. Let’s look at a few examples.

We’ll start with real estate - a store might be able to use their space, when it is normally closed, to teach a class related to their products, a manufacturer might be able to use his equipment to produce other products his clients’ need, or a large business might be able to rent out the boardroom for small business owners who don’t have the space for a meeting room of their own.

And when it comes to employees – often referred to as the greatest asset - they could
(if encouraged) utilize their talents in new and varied ways. A car dealer could bring the car to your home because there’s nothing quite like seeing it already in your driveway; or perhaps the dog groomer could come to your home instead of you driving to the pet salon and the dry cleaner could offer a pick up and drop off service for busy executives. Then there are all those meetings your staff attend, you know they could be more productive if they were well run. They could fast track your projects and result in quality decisions but too often the people are so focused on getting through the agenda that they fail to notice the full impact of the lack of input, superficial agreements, sidetracked conversations and negativity. Just imagine what a difference it could make to your organization if your meetings were run well.

Now let’s talk about sales and marketing. Could your employees be selling more goods instead of just ringing in purchases? How about an incentive program or competition to make it more fun? Far too many employees don’t understand enough about selling from the customer’s point of view to be able to make that difficult sale. Take the time to teach them a few tips and you will be rewarded time and again. If you are relying on your sales and marketing team to drum up business then you are short changing yourself. You should, and could have, every employee working to build your business.

So, when you are next thinking about cutting costs, devote a bit of time to examining your assets to see if they can improve your bottom line. It will not only help you to be successful, but make the job more interesting for your employees.

Submitted by Heather Hughes CMC (Certified Management Consultant)
Heatherconsults@shaw.ca
250-857-5833