Many companies have long known the benefits of hiring
interns. Benefits for the company
include finding bright, new talent to bring a fresh perspective to the
organization as well as a conduit for filling the talent pipeline in the
future. Benefits for the intern include
showcasing skills, gaining work experience, learning from others in the
organization, and testing out a potential full-time employer for the
future. The relationship is a “win win”
for both the company and the intern.
Here, at Learning Dynamics, we have been fortunate to have
hired more than 50 interns over the past 15 years. Because of our location, we have partnered
with professors from Quinnipiac University, in Hamden, CT, and University of
New Haven, in New Haven, CT, who have sourced intern talent for us. Because these programs have HR Management
and/or Industrial Organizational Psychology programs, our interns have gained
invaluable experience in learning and development to broaden their experience
and exposure to those disciplines. In
return, we have capitalized on the ideas and skills these interns have in
enhancing our learning and development tools and programs.
We are proud that many of our interns have gone on to successful
careers with such companies as GE, LinkedIn, Pepsi, Raytheon, Subway and Penguin
Publishing, to name just a few.
Interns are a valuable company resource. If you haven’t already, you might want to
consider hiring interns for summer employment.
It can prove to be a positive return on investment.
Did you know that current research indicates that the No. 1
leadership skill most managers lack is communication with empathy?
The need to “create a communication-friendly environment” was the first choice
listed on the top 10 skills and qualities of leaders by Officevibe,
a fast-growing web-based tool for human resource and business leaders. And in
2015, an Interact/Harris
Poll of approximately 1,000 U.S. workers illustrated the importance of
opening those communication lines with empathy. In the poll, 91% of employees reported
that communication is an area where executives need to improve, and a closer
look at the results reveals a striking need for more empathy in the workplace.
A failure to recognize employee achievements was cited by 63% of respondents,
topping the list of specific communication issues. That list also included refusing
to talk to subordinates (51%) and taking credit for others’ ideas (47%). Some
in the survey even complained of bullying by management.
All employees are entitled to a respectful work environment,
but communication with empathy can impact more than that. As it raises team
morale, it also can improve the bottom line.
According to Gallup’s 2015
State of the American Manager, disengaged employees cost up to $500 billion
in lost productivity per year – with poor managers responsible for at least 70%
of that employee disengagement. Liz Ryan, HR professional and author of the
book Reinvention Roadmap, says the
No. 1 skill these managers need is what she calls “perspective-taking.” In her column
on that subject for Forbes.com, Ryan spells out a “working” definition of
communication with empathy. “The more often you consciously step out of your
own perspective to take someone else’s view, the more powerful you will become,”
Ryan says.
So if you are trying to narrow the focus of any leadership
training and development efforts you may be considering in the near term, this
is one you may want to prioritize for anyone who manages people.
Learning Dynamics offers training, organization development and coaching services that can help your organization grow and excel. Contact us today, call 203.265.7499 or email jdemaio@learningdynamics.com.
Customer-centric banks have systems that support, not impede, their customers’ experience with them.
Starting with their core system, banks must ensure that
their core system provider remains state-of-the-art and not “user-hostile.”
Often, every 5-7 years, a bank’s contract with its core service provider comes
up for renewal. Many banks, because of their employees’ comfort with the
system, will automatically renew, rather than determining whether there is a
more state-of-the-art digital system available that enhances the customer
experience.
The bank’s core system, coupled with its internal systems and procedures, will impact customer service. Take opening accounts, for example. This should not be a cumbersome process for the customer, or the bank employee, where it takes a half hour to open an account. We know of several banks where opening an account is so laborious that branch staff suggest customers or prospective customers set up appointments to do so.
A core system should also be evaluated on the ease of use
and intuitiveness of back office, loan, and sales functions as well. Can it
support ancillary systems, such as mortgage and loan origination? Does it
incorporate the latest compliance and security measures?
With fewer customers coming into the bank, online banking
needs to be easy to use. At one bank, the online banking system is so
complicated, that branch staff hesitate to bring it up as an option to
customers, for fear that the customer will ask for a demonstration by the
employees, who will likely struggle with it!
Other internal systems, such as General Ledger, should be
reviewed periodically for ways to streamline them.
A bank should also update its policies and procedures, and
have them readily accessible for customer-facing employees. As previously
noted, procedures using the Playscript format are easier to write and follow,
as opposed to ones written as a lengthy paragraph narrative.
Blunder Bank
At Blunder Bank, the same core system has been used for
decades. The system is outdated and difficult to use. Customer-facing employees
even develop their own “work around” so that customers are not inconvenienced
by it.
Better Bank
At Better Bank, senior management asks, “How can this
enhance the customer experience?” when designing, revamping, or purchasing
systems. The bank ensures that employees receive timely training on their
systems and maintain up-to-date, easy-to-follow documentation.
Coaching Tip
When working with an employee who is struggling to use a new
system, which can impede service to your customers, remember that everyone has
their own learning style. It may be that the struggling employee is a visual
learner, and needs to spend more time navigating the system to better
comprehend it.
Question for
Reflection
Do your employees receive timely training on
your internal systems?
Is there up-to-date documentation for all of
your systems?
Does your core processing system enhance or
impede the customer experience?
Learning Dynamics offers training, organization development and coaching services that can help your organization grow and excel. Contact us today, call 203.265.7499 or email jdemaio@learningdynamics.com.
A recent
Learning Dynamics training workshop with managers of a healthcare organization
served as a reminder of the importance of listening at every level of the
organization. The program, Leadership Communication,
includes a discussion and exercise on active listening, and it was one of the
most productive parts of the day’s effort.
Nearly
everyone has heard the term “active listening,” but how many of us use the
skill regularly? In Leadership Communication
and other communication-themed programs, we highlight the value of asking
questions, listening without interrupting, paraphrasing, and confirming
understanding. We know that many people don’t use active listening techniques
often; rather, they frequently are just waiting for their turn to talk.
On this
day, we asked the participants to pair off and ask a simple question: “What can
I do to help you be more successful in your job?” These were not people who
reported to each other. They were managers who lead their respective work
centers, so this is not a question they frequently present to each other. The
results were thought-provoking.
Within
minutes, one of the participants said, “This is great! We never have a chance
to speak like this.” After several minutes of productive conversation using
intelligent questions and active listening skills, all came away with ideas to
help each other move the organization forward. The total invested time was ten
minutes.
So, what
can leaders take from this exercise? Here are some ideas:
Encourage
idea-sharing vertically and horizontally within the organization. Schedule some
high-value business partnership time to allow for activities like that
described above.
Ask
questions at all levels. Then listen. Employees in customer-facing and
production roles likely have ideas to share. After all, they are the ones
executing on management’s direction. What might they teach leaders who are
willing to listen?
Managers
don’t always have the best answers. Paraphrasing Steve Jobs, we hire smart
people, so shouldn’t we listen to them?
Finally,
employees become more engaged when they feel heard. A key engagement question
concerns one’s ideas and opinions carrying weight. What better way to show an
employee that her opinions count than by asking questions and actively
listening?
It is not
always easy to just listen. The potential benefits – new ideas, better team
work, and more committed employees, to name a few – make it worth the effort.
Be a better leader and listen.
= = =
Learning Dynamics offers several instructor-led, webinar-based, and digitally-delivered learning and development solutions to help your team members become better communicators. Contact us today to discuss your priorities.
Age diversity and inclusion are essential for success in today’s complex workplace. Most employers today recognize the need for diversity, making sure that people of different ethnicities, nationalities, race, sexual orientation, religion, disability status and age are critical to the future of an organization.
The argument for age diversity and inclusion is unrefuted and new research supports that premise. Currently 5 different generations are part of the workforce.
Age diversity improves performance and productivity in the workplace. Companies need to be aware that age is a number not a credential and outdated stereotypes still influence perceptions of age. Comments such as. “He’s too old to master a software program”. Or “she’s too young to…” only serve to dismiss their value. An employee’s knowledge and experience increases with age and a young person with strong skill sets should not be held back.
Research clearly demonstrates how age diversity improves an organization’s performance. Studies find that the productivity of both older and younger workers is higher in companies with mixed age work teams. More specifically, age diversity in teams is positively related to performance when groups tackle complex decision making tasks. Lastly, age diversity leads to greater engagement, teamwork and innovation.
The following are some practices to boost age diversity and inter-generational understanding:
Open apprenticeships for workers of all age.
Programs to help workers re-enter workforce after a long absence.
Facilitation of cross generational mentoring programs.
Raising awareness of inter generation differences through training and education.
Organizing employee resource groups for support.
Actively recruit talent across all ages.
Companies that adhere to these practices will certainly reap the benefits of age diversity and inclusion.
Learning Dynamics offers training, organization development and coaching services that can help your organization grow and excel. Contact us today, call 203.265.7499 or email jdemaio@learningdynamics.com.
Almost everyone today is familiar with the term “customer experience.” According to Gartner, a leading research and advisory company, 80 percent of businesses compete on the basis of customer experience. But new research shows that customer experience alone is not enough. Progressive companies are now focusing on “employee experience” as the newest competitive edge.
So, what is “employee experience?” It is the sum of everything an employee experiences throughout his or her connection to that organization – from recruiting to the end of their employment. It is not perks, parties, employment branding or employee engagement. Mark Levy, former head of Airbnb, defines it as “anything that sets employees up for success and improves our culture.” Those companies investing heavily in employee experience often find themselves on the Best Places to Work lists and also have improved profitability as well as two times the average revenue. With social media commentary available to all, prospective employees review comments made about employee experiences in selecting which companies they wish to apply to.
So, in looking for a new competitive edge for your company, ask yourself how you can enhance and elevate the employee experience in your company. What processes and practices are in place that set employees up for success and ensure an improved culture? It’s worth the time to ask.
Learning Dynamics offers training, organization development and coaching services that can help your organization grow and excel. Contact us today, call 203.265.7499 or email jdemaio@learningdynamics.com.
When our Consultants at Learning Dynamics meet with clients to discuss training initiatives, we always start by asking what the client wants to accomplish. Combined with a thorough understanding of the current conditions within the client’s company, sometimes down to the individual employee, we make recommendations that go beyond training alone. Here is the story of one client engagement that called for much more than instructor-led training.
Our client was a small specialty healthcare organization, and it saw some need to improve performance in its patient contact center. The department was made up of contact center agents and a supervisor tasked with training them, monitoring performance, coaching, and delivering on revenue objectives. Senior management’s opinion was that their people could be doing more.
Learning Dynamics engaged in a detailed review of the workflow, the talent, and obstacles to success. By bringing in a Consultant with contact center management as well as learning and development experience, we were able to identify several opportunities to help. Our proposed solution included instructor-led patient service training, follow-up written training materials (Learning Dynamics Skills Sharpeners), and performance coaching for the supervisor. Significantly, our solution also included developing a call monitoring and evaluation tool so the supervisor had a standard process and criteria to evaluate performance.
The process of creating the call monitoring tool was itself revealing. Our Consultant sat with the supervisor, listened to recorded calls, and identified immediately some opportunities for improvement. One issue – extended and unnecessary hold times – was addressed immediately. The tool continues to be used for agent coaching and has helped produce great results.
This engagement also allowed us to demonstrate flexibility to respond to the client’s needs. Toward the end of the coaching period, a senior manager identified agents’ time management and prioritization skills as needing further development. Knowing that pulling all agents off the phones for a long class was not practical, we created a 45-minute webinar, delivered before the contact center opened for the day, that delivered the essentials of what the agents needed. The feedback has been terrific.
This story is just one example of our ability and willingness to collaborate with our clients to customize a solution that meets your organization’s unique needs. Connect with us today to start the conversation about Investing in People™.
Call 203.265.7499 or email jdemaio@learningdynamics.com
Now Can Be the Time for Servant Leadership by Vice President Bill Florin
You want to do the right thing for your people, being there as a resource to help them do their best work. You want your team to be open, honest and engaged. Maybe you are trying to figure out how to lead Millennials and the next cohort of people hitting the job market, Generation Z. If any or all of these ideas resonate with you, it might be worth looking at Servant Leadership and what it can offer your organization.
Servant Leadership (SL) is a concept made popular by Robert K. Greenleaf. He realized, during his 38-year career at AT&T, that it is as important for the organization to serve people as it is for people to serve the organization. This was a revolutionary concept when he published his essay detailing the model in 1970. Since then, SL has grown in popularity. Learning Dynamics has been doing more work in this area as organizations seek ways to create inclusive, inspiring and engaging environments as a platform to growth.
Surveys have shown that the youngest generations of people in the workplace value authenticity, honest feedback, and an opportunity to be heard, respected and contribute. The leader who practices SL concepts makes this a part of her everyday work experience. More than a dictatorial, order-issuing boss, the SL manager works as a coach, creating a culture in which people can experiment, explore new ways of doing things, make mistakes, and innovate. Ultimately, work becomes a place where people feel supported and valued, a place where people can and want to do their best work.
One of our Connecticut-based Learning Dynamics clients recently engaged us to facilitate a workshop to review that organization’s SL journey since its official launch as a component of its operating platform more than a year ago. During this session, which hosted nearly 30 people, the entire management team engaged in discussion of their SL experiences. This conversation included the company president. The mood was relaxed; you would not know the president was the top person if we did not do introductions.
While there was much discussed during the three hours, one message was clear: The company is going through a transformation, becoming a place where trust, respect in every direction on the organizational chart, and open communication are reality, not some wish for the future.
Importantly, accountability is a critical part of the formula. The same culture that fosters collaboration also demands honesty and a coaching approach when an individual is falling behind. The leaders view open, honest, timely feedback as a vital component of their core roles. Servant Leadership is not soft.
It is true that changing culture is hard work. It can be a years-long journey. But for organizations that embrace the idea and align everyone it, from the part-time individual contributor to the CEO, Servant Leadership can be an energizing shift that boosts the company to new high-water marks for performance.
Learning Dynamics offers training, organization development and coaching services that can help your organization grow and excel. Contact us today to discover if Servant Leadership could be appropriate for your company.
Have you read the New York Times piece on the tough work environment at Amazon? There has been a huge amount of coverage about the article itself and the responses by CEO Jeff Bezos and his lieutenants. Stress, tears, and very long work hours – along with hefty compensation for top performers – are all part of that company’s culture, and it can be argued that it has worked for them.
The bigger questions raised by this discussion are important. What is the culture you want in your organization? What must your organization do to compete and thrive? What do you and your top leaders want the company to be known for?
While the Amazon story gives a clear description of a tough, combative work environment – some might label it a cold meritocracy – it also is one that gets results. If you are competing against Amazon – and that includes most every organization that sells and ships anything – its intense focus on taking market share is one that should cause concern. Your customers are likely buying from them sometimes. What can you do? Do you need to transform your organization by adopting the Amazon culture, or can you get results some other way?
The short answer is this: You can get results however you would like, but your team needs to understand expectations. This starts with the hiring and selection process, through onboarding, and during the employee’s entire stay with your company.
Is your company one that encourages long tenure and values loyalty? Will it settle for 90% effectiveness rather than demanding – often demonstrated with midnight emails and text messages – 110% over months? Do you see your organization made up of a team of people running a metaphorical marathon? If so, then create and nurture a performance management and rewards systems that is consistent with that desired culture.
Is yours an organization that runs at a flat-out sprint? Does it bring in people for a relatively short time, work them hard, and reward them well, fully prepared for short tenure and a constantly active hiring team? Then be sure all of the elements – selection, training, compensation, executive messages, and exit protocols – are consistent with that paradigm.
In the end, there are not necessarily any right or wrong ways to run your business. If everyone is honest, ethical, and in compliance with the law, it is your choice as a leader as to which way lead. Just be clear and consistent, ensuring all know what to expect. Anything less is dishonest and a path to trouble.
===
Learning Dynamics can help your organization inspire great performance from its people. Visit us today to learn about our leadership programs that allow you to invest in people who will give you great results. Contact us today for more information.
