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Engaging Your Multi-Generational Team

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One of the most talked about topics in management circles is employee engagement. How can we get our people more engaged? We know that engaged employees are more productive, so how can we create an engaging environment? Why do some employees respond while others seem indifferent? How can we get buy-in from our oldest and youngest employees?

In an exhaustive review of the literature concerning engagement and generational differences, Nancy M. Schullery of Western Michigan University (Business Communication Quarterly, June 2013) describes the significant differences in how the Millennial, Gen X and Baby Boomer generations view the importance of intrinsic, extrinsic and other elements of the workplace. We won’t try to summarize a 15 page paper in a sentence, but one takeaway is that younger people place more value on the rewards of the work than their older peers. There are many other differences.

Knowing that supervisors and managers will have to lead and engage people from across multiple generations, what are senior executives to do? How can they fulfill their responsibility to provide the resources to their junior leaders so that they can get needed results in an ultra-competitive economy?

First, understanding that there are differences in what motivates employees from different generations is a start. The 60-something Boomer might enjoy the work for its own sake; the 23 year old Millennial is probably more interested in the paycheck that enables non-work activities.

Second, everyone in a management role should know how to balance the needs of the organization with the varied needs and wants of the employees. No matter what, the work stills needs to be done.

Finally, leaders need to be ready to deal with the inter-generational conflicts that will inevitably happen. Emily, the pierced and tattooed administrative assistant just might have a difference of opinion with James, her ex-military 40-something Gen X boss. Handling these situations quickly, professionally and effectively is critical.

If your organization is not realizing and appreciating the varied viewpoints of its people, chances are you are missing out on an opportunity to maximize engagement and effectiveness. Training your leaders to expect and manage differences can make a big difference. Harnessing the talent of your entire team is worth the effort.

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Learning Dynamics can help you develop the skills to develop and manage a multi-gen workforce. Facilitator-led and e-module training solutions are available.

People: Costs, Competitive Advantages or Both?

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So which is it? Are your people – or their paychecks, to be accurate – costs to be minimized, competitive assets to be developed and grown, or something in between? Henry Blodget wrote on this subject in a compelling opinion piece on LinkedIn this week. To paraphrase, his view is that looking at people as costs rather than assets is shortsighted and actually hurts in the long-term. The truth is somewhere in between.

Training and development investments need to be made intelligently and must be combined with an effective and consistent performance management process. Here are steps that we recommend you consider when thinking about training investments. Who gets additional training and who doesn’t?

First: All employees get the introductory training that they need to do the jobs for which they have been hired.

Second: Supervisors give them the coaching and feedback that they need to be motivated and make corrections as needed. They also identify employees who can do more.

Third: Strong, high potential employees are identified for advanced training. They are worth the investment. Poor performers are given the chance to improve, but be careful about investing heavily in those who might not give you the return on your training investment.

By creating a process and culture in which people know that advanced training is something to be earned, organizations can create a healthy performance-based environment. An added but less obvious benefit is that your poor performers might get the message when passed over for training opportunities and remove themselves, opening a spot for more suitable and engaged talent.

Your people are much more than costs to be minimized. The right ones can and will grow your business and help you exceed your goals if you invest in them. The key to success is using your resources (i.e., your training budget) wisely so that your team becomes a competitive advantage that justifies your training investment.

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Learning Dynamics advises and helps clients develop and train leaders on executing performance management strategies and offers a comprehensive portfolio of employee training programs.    

Building “Virtual” Teamwork : More than Clear E-mail

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Virtual Team – By Robert Day, Learning Dynamics Consultant

What is your attitude about remote teamwork? In your view, is a remote team just a poor substitute for a team located together? Are the tools of instant internet communication just a replacement for face-to-face contact?  Do you see your main challenge in managing distance workers or telecommuters as a matter of keeping them from being unproductive? If you answered “yes” to any and all of those questions, I’ll say first that yours is a common reaction. Many view virtual leadership as a half-empty glass (at best).

We’ve had the tools of remote wireless communication available for almost 30 years, but managers and leaders in all types of organizations are still struggling.  Building effective teams and developing productive management styles with telecommuting, dispersed, mobile, and overseas colleagues requires skill and a plan.

I’d like to suggest that when it comes to managing virtual teams, effectiveness starts by seeing dispersed locations not as obstacles, but as opportunities to build bridges.  Jeff Edinger argues in his Harvard Business Review blog that remote workers are more focused, more committed, and more disciplined than groups that are “co-located” (in the same location).

There is an “if” to that: if the teams have effective leadership.  Effective remote leaders have learned how to develop focus, accountability, and creativity with their colleagues. They know how to motivate them, and how to make best use of all their communication tools.  Most of all, they have learned how to build trust and commitment.

When it comes to managing virtual teams, then, the glass is a lot more than half full.  If you approach your remote management responsibilities with that attitude, you’ve made the best possible start to effectively leading your virtual team.

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Many strategies and techniques for leading virtual teams have emerged, largely through trial and error (or success!). Learning Dynamics offers an online module, Managing Virtual Teams, that covers the best of these. Let Learning Dynamics help you maximize the effectiveness of your company’s virtual teams.

Training ROI: Include it in Your Plan

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When was the last time your company spent money when the question of ROI was not raised? In the 90s? Never? Every manager worth her paycheck needs to consider the benefit of every investment and expense. Training is no exception. Here are some ways to think about the benefits of training and how you will measure it that will satisfy everyone.

Include your ROI calculations from the start. Why are you going to deliver this training? What do you need to change that includes training as part of the solution? Think about what you want to change, how training can assist, and how you will measure it. Getting approvals for this and future training initiatives will require this crucial step.

Where is the organization now (especially compared to your strongest competitor)? Some baseline measurements can be crucial in determining the need for training and the effectiveness of the path that your organization takes. How is your organization performing relative to competitors or other units within your company? Identify a handful of metrics that you want to improve with training as the solution.

What employee behaviors will change with training? Your training focus and goals will always include some behavioral changes in the trainees. How can you measure whether or not that has happened? Think about customer surveys, secret shoppers, risk reporting or new tools that you can create to measure the training’s effectiveness.

Monetize the measurements. Not every metric will easily convert to dollars, but most will. If you make the effort to do it, you can answer the ROI question easily for this and future initiatives. Here are some data points to consider: Customer acquisition costs, sales closing percentages, cost per incident (e.g., safety, HR, complaints). Show the financial improvement that comes from your training initiatives and follow-up.

What are your dashboard items and how can behavioral changes driven by effective training improve results? If you can answer that question, you can not only justify training, but you can articulate the costs of not training. How are you helping your competitors by not investing in staff development?

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Learning Dynamics has over 30 years of experience helping its clients maximize their training ROI with its consultative results-based approach. Contact us today to discuss how we can help your organization meet its goals with the help of customized training solutions.

You Can Trust Me. Really.

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Can you remember the first television commercial that you saw? How about the first ad that you heard on the radio? Of course you can’t. All of us have been marketed to for our entire lives. Younger people have faced the onslaught of marketing messages from their first moments in the maternity suite when free samples of formula, diapers and lotions are presented to new moms. We have all grown wary of marketing messages and our trust needs to be earned.

How are your organization’s employees doing earning your customers’ trust? If your organization depends on relationship-building and confidence in your team (and what organization doesn’t?), this is a valid, and maybe even urgent question.

Studies have shown that a few simple factors play important parts in how customers view you, your people and your entire organization. How does your team perform in these areas?

  • Professional Appearance
  • Face-to-Face Communication
  • Written Communication
  • Professional Relationships at Work
  • Knowledge of Products and Services

At Learning Dynamics, we call all of this Total Professional Image Quotient. TPIQ is a way to assess and coach your people to provide better service and deliver better results. The organizations that commit to TPIQ see a real difference in their financial and customer-service performances.

Strong business results are built on a foundation of trust between your customers and your employees. TPIQ training workshops accelerate the move from potential to actual customer by creating an environment where customers trust your team because they have earned it.

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Learning Dynamics is an award-winning national training company with over 30 years of experience delivering innovative and engaging training at all levels of client organizations. Find out how we can help you by contacting us today. [subscribe2]

Cloudy Ethics: Do You Have a Snowden?

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Ethics and integrity are constant concerns of our Learning Dynamics clients. We hear about it in consultations, at our preview showcases and during our training sessions. Recent headlines give organizations cause for concern. More and more, employers are choosing to be more purposeful in their ethics and integrity training. Here are three reasons why.

One poor ethical decision can cost much more than money. Edward Snowden made a decision to leak government secrets. Part of his decision was based on an ethical system that was different than that of his employer and, as the government has made clear, the law. The public relations damage to his employer is monumental.

Ethics and integrity cannot be assumed. You can avoid a lot of trouble by taking the proactive step of explaining organizational standards and expectations. Once the damage is done, it is too late. An investment in training that eliminates confusion and answers questions before they are asked can make all the difference.

Keep good people out of trouble. Ethical missteps are often non-negotiable and career-ending issues. You will not have a choice but to end the employment relationship. An otherwise high-quality and high-potential employee could be working for your competitor because of an avoidable poor decision. Training and development in this area are as important as any other.

Most ethical lapses don’t lead the evening news for days at a time, but they can hurt. Take action to keep your company out of the news for the wrong reasons.

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Learning Dynamics’s award-winning Integrity at Work ® training program features interactive exercises and instruction to help your employees make the right decisions. Our “Guidelines for Ethical Decision Making” job aid will focus decision-makers on the important considerations to protect themselves and your brand. Visit Learning Dynamics for more information about this and all of our training programs and additional services.

Getting SMART at Work

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Is your team using SMART as a basic goal-setting tool? As we deliver training to clients across the country, we find that many first-time supervisors and early-career managers learn a lot from this acronym. Many have not seen it before, but it is a classic tool that doesn’t get old.

In case you haven’t seen it before, or if it’s been a while, here is a simple way to be more effective in your goal setting:

Specific: When setting a goal, be very specific about what you are to achieve. Use a number or some other clear descriptor of what you will achieve.

Measurable: If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.

Aggressive: Stretch yourself. If your goal is to do what you have always done, why bother?

Realistic: Aggressive is great, but if it is too ambitious and you know that you can’t possibly reach it, you will not be committed to achieving it. I might want to lose 20 pounds, but it’s not realistic to think that I can do it by this weekend.

Time-Bound: A goal without a deadline is a wish.

Here is an example of what we are talking about.

SCENARIO: A sales person who normally makes 15 to 20 calls a day without a lot of strain needs to pick up the pace.

BAD GOAL 1: I am going to make some sales calls. (Not specific)

BAD GOAL 2: I will make 50 calls before lunch today. (Too aggressive)

SMART GOAL: I am going to make 25 sales calls before 5 PM today.

The 25-call goal is a stretch that is a little better than current performance, but it is realistic. Everything else works to make it SMART, too.

SMART goals can be used for task and time management, performance coaching, self-assessments and in nearly any other area of professional life where goal-setting comes into play.

The next time you need to set a goal, get SMART.

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Learning Dynamics has offered powerful employee training and development programs for over 31 years. Discover how we can help your employees use this and other tools to achieve peak performance at work.

Common Decency: 3 Steps to Higher Profits

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Profit ChartWhat are you doing to drive profitability in your organization? Are you out looking for new customers? Are you negotiating with suppliers for better terms to increase margins? Are you cutting expenses like utilities and the company picnic budget?

These are all valid ways to improve company financial results, but there is more to do. One area to look is at the people around you. Have you examined the professional relationships in your workplace? Are your people being treated fairly and consistently? Do managers make the right decisions when dealing with workplace issues?

We recently hosted a Common Decency ® showcase at Learning Dynamics. The room was full of leaders from area employers and many of these executives – regardless of industry – shared similar stories and concerns. Inconsistencies, negative environments and poor leadership (from first-level supervisors and up) at various levels within their organizations left them knowing that they could do better.

In the past 15 years of delivering Common Decency training, we have taught the following three profit-driving points that show the value of the improved team dynamics that come from positive workplace environments.

  1. Fair, professional and ethical workplaces enhance employee satisfaction.
  2. Engaged and satisfied employees are more productive.
  3. Productive employees typically deliver better customer service, creating more loyal customers who give you better sales and profit results.

 A great example of this comes from TELUS, a Canadian telecommunications firm profiled in T+D (Training and Development) magazine in September 2012. Through the company’s deliberate efforts to create an engaging and respectful workplace, it has increased customer loyalty as measured by likelihood of customers to recommend TELUS to a friend. Service scores improved as engagement improved.

If there are people issues in your workplace, it is affecting your results. We have found, as have the leaders at TELUS and many other organizations, that a team that is treated fairly and with respect will produce better work. It’s common sense and Common Decency®.

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Common Decency ® is an award-winning employee training program offered by Learning Dynamics.