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How to Have a Positive Impact Regardless of Your Role

Avoid the Voices of Dysfunction

 

We’ve all heard the voices. And not just in our heads. At work the voices are all around us - in other cubicles, walking down the hall, and especially in meetings. Usually, the loudest voices seem to be negative:

 

• Voice of Whining - “What were they thinking? We can’t count on them. It’s all their fault.” 
• Voice of the Past - “We cant’ try that…we’ve always done it this way.” 
• Voice of Upset - “You are wrong. I am right. How can you be so stupid?”

None of these voices are positive. They make the team dysfunctional. They destroy trust. And they result in lower team/project performance.

 

Become the Voice of Reason on your project team

• You don’t have to be the Project Leader to be the Voice of Reason. Anyone on the team can speak up and have a great impact on the team.
• You need to speak up at the appropriate time.
• You do need to have something constructive to say.

Focus on Zones of Control

 

In our project lives we encounter four different categories of issues. Some we can impact some we can’t. The question is where do we spend our energy?

 

Zone 1- Control: These are things that the project team cares about and has direct control over.

 

Zone 2 - Influence: Items in this category are things that the team cares about but can only influence.

 

Zone 3 - Care About: Obviously these are things we care about but can’t do anything about.

 

Zone 4 - Everything else: These are the things that just aren’t on our radar at the moment

 

Where’s the problem?

 

The problem is with Zone 3 items. The team wastes precious time and energy whining, moaning and groaning (WMG) about things they can do nothing about. We’ve all seen it happen. It is very dis-empowering and non-productive. Worse, these negative feelings and thoughts spread through the project. Morale sinks. People get very testy. Team progress stalls.

 

Here’s an example:

 

In the meeting we find out that we are getting a new CIO, and the one that’s leaving has only been here eight months. The whole group whines and moans and groans. “How could she leave when we’ve just stared to implement all her process changes? The new person will have all new ideas and we’ll have to do all this over again. Why did management let this happen?”

 

You can easily tell that the team is in zone 3, because you hear the words they, them and blame words.

 

Here’s your chance to be the Voice of Reason.

 

You speak up and say, “Let’s look at this in light of Zones of Control. Is it in Zone 1? No, we can’t control it. Is it in Zone 2? No, we can’t have any influence on it. Is it in Zone 3? Yes, we really care about getting a good person. And since we can’t control or influence Zone 3 things, We must accept them as something we have to live with and get on with the project. What’s the next item on the agenda?”

 

Zone of Control is a powerful tool to focus team energy on the key tasks that brings project success.

 

Zones 1 and 2 items need to be rolled into the work breakdown structure, with resources and schedule assigned.

 

Focusing on the empowering Zones 1 and 2 bring positive energy to the entire project and helps move the project forward.

 

For Zone 3 items, “Let it go and get on with your life”.

About the author: Author & small business owner Peter Kirkham has written a terrific collection of small business ideas & proven, low cost marketing strategies that shows fellow small business owners how to increase profits & create a steady flow of new customers into their businesses.

Coaches from all points of the globe are using different strategies in teaching and motivating their clients to reach their pre-set goals. Some of the best are the following:

1. Dealing with difficult trainees. You’ll surely get clients who are either difficult to deal with or very uncooperative. As a coach, you will need to learn how to effectively deal with these people in such a way that you’ll still be able to bring out the best in them. Know the reasons why they are not cooperating and from there, create a plan of action on how you can get them motivated and get them to work towards reaching their goals.

2. Know exactly what your clients want. Before you even start coaching these people, you will need to talk to them (one by one, if possible) to really get to know their goals and their needs. Create a comfortable environment where these people can easily speak up their mind and listen actively. Jot down everything they say instead of taking mental notes. Before you wrap up your one-on-one meetings, echo back everything they have said and seek agreement.

3. Goal setting. Set the goal/s of your coaching programs before you even start with the first session. It would be best if you can write them down and send them to your clients. Your goals will help you easily decide on what course of action to take and elements to use all throughout your program. Remember, you’ll most unlikely to get to where you want to be unless you have a clear idea of your goals early on.

4. Create an action plan to help your clients get to where they would like to be. After knowing the goals of your programs and after determining the wants and desires of your clients, create an action plan as to what you need to do in order to help your clients get to where they would like to be. Your plan should be organized, systematic, and easy to follow.

5. Put everything into action. Get your clients to perform all the activities and offer them the information they need based on your action plan. Offer assistance and motivation when and as needed. From time to time, offer your clients with negative or positive feedback and help them get back on track if need be. You can adjust or tweak your action plan a bit depending on your clients’ levels of comprehension.

Source: http://www.callcentercafe.com/2009/04/28/coaching-strategies-announcing-the-5-most-effective-coaching-strategies/

Employee assessments can be a necessary evil of working in a management position. No one enjoys having to analyze and criticize another individual’s performance or decisions, especially when the results may be unfavorable.

The key to making assessments a positive experience for everyone involved is to keep them fair and balanced.

By opening up the floor to your employee to provide their feedback, both your employee and your company stand to benefit from assessments.

A balanced assessment needs to contain two major elements — input from both employee and supervisor, and a review of both positive and negative aspects of their performance. One-sided assessments that include only the opinions of the assessor and their negative views of the employee are deemed as attacks and cause little more than defensiveness and dissent.

Many management trainers teach the idea of using a “sandwich” approach to evaluations that must include negativity. When you begin the assessment, start with something positive about their performance to help open the employee up and put them more at ease.

Place all negative problems that must be addressed in the middle, as the “meat” of the evaluation. Finish up with more praise and positivity to have the employee leaving the assessment on a positive note.

Always encourage feedback throughout assessments, particularly when discussing problems that must be addressed. There could be reasons for these issues that you are unaware of, that may require action on your part.

If the problem lies within working conditions or lack of training, you need to know, rather than leaving the employee to correct the problems on their own.

By using these tips, you can make your employee assessments turn into a learning experience for both you and your employees. As the open dialogue provided by a truly balanced assessment will get both you and your employees working together to improve their performance, as well as that of the company.

Additionally, a team approach is developed that will create a better relationship between management and employees, growing morale. Companies that have a high level of morale and employees who have a voice in their evaluations have a much higher retention rate and level of productivity.

This information about employee assessments is only the beginning.

When you lead a team in a business - any business - you need support from great people. It's a fact, you cannot do it all alone. And you will need every skill going to make the best of these key people, week in, week out.

 

Because this is accountability only you can have. No-one else will be there when the lights go out. As a boss, the buck stops with you. Period.

 

And once you've worked your butt off to get a team that you want, what's to stop these great employees going off and getting a different job and leaving you all in a fix again? The answer is - you are.

 

By building an exciting, stimulating and developmental set of roles where your people are regularly challenged, they will stay. If you are supportive and encouraging for them, prepared to acknowledge often, the contribution everyone makes.

 

You also need people ready to take their places when fate or something else works against you. That's why succession planning is here to help you and a key tool to make more of your business, much more of the time.

 

Here are three key reasons why succession planning will work for you. It's the richest skill you can develop:-

 

Make Time

Succession planning consistently creates skilled people, who are capable of taking the weight off a manager, to ensure that he or she doesn't have to do it all. Indeed, these talented, developed people, often can do the business even better in their particular niche skill than the boss.

This is really supportive for a manager and means that they can get back to their real task of focusing on bigger picture issues, where they give the best value.

 

So time is saved from the manic fire-fighting that happens when key people leave and you have to cope, somehow.

Because you know who it will be who will pick up the loose ends - however inconvenient they may be.

 

You got it - it's you.

 

With a great succession planning process in place, you can be assured that this stops - in fact there are much wider benefits too.

 

Confidence

With succession planning helping to create a healthy business future, managers can build a level of security into how they do their job.

This means that they can try out new things to build their business. Safe in the knowledge that they will have the right people in place, at the right time, their confidence swells and they become far 'bigger' people in themselves.

 

Once that confidence swells, the risks have a habit of paying off more often. Maybe it's with the confidence of knowing that not only do you have the best people in place, but they are also grooming the next generation too, that a more accurate capacity to make correct judgments kicks in.

 

Reward

Both financial and emotional. Enhanced performance usually generates improved earnings, since that is the way many businesses reward their people.

 

And there is more to it than that. It is at least just as, if not more, fulfilling to be rewarded by the emotional return, gained by using succession planning to create a brilliant team. To leave a legacy too. To leave a sustainable future.

 

It is personally extremely satisfying. This has positive knock-ons into other areas of a manager's wellbeing too.

 

It's just a simple, straightforward process, this succession planning thing is. All you need to find is the time to investigate it and the time to spend enjoying the results of your efforts.

 

Source: http://www.callcentercafe.com/2008/10/15/succession-planning-3-extra-special-benefits-for-managers/

Well, you are likely to have realized that when you get nervous while presenting in front of a crowd, this would induce you to go on and on with your presentation without inserting pauses in between. This may be because you have a fear of silence.

 

A fear of silence comes about because we view silence during a presentation as a hesitation, and this implies inexperience. And none of us want to appear incompetent while presenting! So you think the best solution is to avoid silence.

 

But really, silence is the best medicine for your audience when they are trying to digest information. When information is digested well, it is retained well!

 

The school lecturer

I’m sure you can still remember the lecturer in school that gave you little time to think when conducting lectures. This experience can be likened to a person piling food in his mouth, and giving himself no time to swallow.

 

You do not want your audience to feel similarly overwhelmed during your presentation. So pause, just for a few seconds, and give them time to swallow, and digest your information.

 

You may realize that instead of thinking of you negatively, your audience would be inclined to increase their trust in you when you are able to retain their attention during those few instances when you pause.

 

To do this, question whether they are keeping up with your presentation through the use of eye contact. This makes sure that your presentation is inclusive, as your audience is obliged to respond. Forming this connection with the audience also makes your presentation more effective.

 

Besides, when you pause, you are giving yourself a moment to go through your next point in your head as well. Your audience will appreciate and respect that you can keep them attentive and devote energy to meeting their needs at the same time.

 

PowerPoint Presentations

To make the most of this technique, apply it to your PowerPoint

 

Presentations in this way:

Before moving from one slide to the next, pause in between to give the audience time to digest the information presented. If more information has been given on the slide, a greater pause should follow.

 

However, your audience may still have trouble in following your presentation if display all the points on your slide the moment you come to the slide. As the audience struggles with the new information displayed on the screen, they are distracted from what you are saying.

 

To prevent such a situation where you have to put in extra effort to get your audience back on track, always make use of the “On-Click” feature in PowerPoint’s animation section. This enables you to bring your audience through each point. They can then better understand your presentation.

 

It’s that simple. Insert those pauses into your presentation and your audience can then have time to make sense of your material. To get a better idea of how this is done, click here to view a demonstration.

 

Kelvin

Lee

Kelvinis a dynamic and eloquent communicator and an experienced trainer of Power Presentations workshops. He is a certified Microsoft PowerPoint specialist and also specializes in giving corporate slides makeovers. To receive free tips and techniques on PowerPoint Presentations, visit http://figtree.com.sg/ppt_tips

 

Source: http://www.callcentercafe.com/2009/03/26/powerpoint-presentation-tips-give-your-audience-a-break/

Most people don’t look forward to attending training classes. Why? Because they are often facilitated by boring, disengaged trainers. What many trainers fail to realize is that facilitating an informative training session that is also memorable and lively takes lots of planning, practice, and preparation.

Whether you are training a large group or one person, you know your training session is lackluster when participants:

Uncontrollably yawn throughout your entire presentation. No matter how much they try, they have a hard time staying awake and energized during your presentation.

Keep looking at their watch. To them it seems like time is standing still, and no matter how much they try to keep track of time, your presentation feels to them like an eternity.

Start sidebar conversations during your presentation. Your topic is so uninteresting that they don’t hesitate to start a mini-conversation with the person sitting next to them, maybe even adding a joke or two about you.

Speed read through the entire training manual before you are finished. You belabor one point to the extent that they go ahead and just read the rest of the manual. While you are still focused on page 3, they have read all the way to page 15 just to make the time go by quicker.

Go to the bathroom and never come back. Once they get out of the training room, they feel a sigh of relief and feel sick at the thought of having to go back in and continue listening to you talk.

Doodle on your training materials. They feel that drawing is a way of escaping from your annoying, monotone voice and endless series of confusing information.

Have a blank stare, especially when you ask them a question. They have been daydreaming of being in on some topical island throughout most of your presentation, and have no idea that you have called on them to answer a question.

The best advice for overcoming boring training presentations is to know your topic inside and out; create visual aids and handouts that are colorful, informative, and lively; animate your tone of voice so it is interesting and not monotone; don’t just stand in one section of the room, but walk around; add humor; and most of all get the audience involved by asking open-ended questions.

Following these few simple tips will not only help engage your learners, but also inspire them to look forward to attending future training sessions that are facilitated by you.

Theo Gilbert-Jamison is CEO of Performance Solutions by Design, a global performance consulting firm that caters to luxury and premium brands with an emphasis on transforming organizational culture. She is also the author of two books, The Six Principles of Service Excellence (2005), and The Leadership Book of Numbers, Volume I (2008).

What senior executive or business owner is not interested in uncovering ways to increase profitability? This certainly is the case when the cost of doing business skyrockets, and tough decisions must be made to uncover ways to leverage revenue growth with rising operating costs to achieve desirable profit levels.

The cost of doing business continues to challenge even the leanest of companies. And, as the present economic condition continues to flop around like a tiny bobbin on a raging river, companies must become even more creative in their effort to retain existing customers, while attracting new ones!

Rising Cost Of Doing Business

It’s no doubt that companies will continue having a difficult time controlling costs. And, as costs continue to rise, business leaders must become savvier than ever before. They must find new and more cost efficient ways to produce their goods and services. However, there’s one vital area that must not be overlooked. In fact, it’s the very area capable of providing the most accurate barometer of a company’s success…customer satisfaction and retention!

Although businesses may not have much control over the rising cost of goods and services, one thing’s for sure; they do have a considerable amount of control over the level of service they provide to their customers. And, those who provide exceptional customer service will be in a better position to weather the storm!

The Power of Satisfied Customers

Let’s face it; customer satisfaction has always played a significant role in determining a company’s level of success as well as its degree of failure. In today’s competitive global marketplace, service has truly emerged as the ultimate differentiator in the minds of so many consumers. And, with such easy access to online cyber communities, consumers have an endless number of channels to share their customer service experiences with hundreds, even thousands of a company’s current and potential customers. So, if they’re not sharing positive feedback about your business… beware!

Customer’s Have Choices…Business Leaders Take Heed

It’s no surprise that customers are in the driver’s seat, and they possess the ultimate power…the power of choice: the choice to do business with one company, rather than another. They have the choice to wait on hold, accept poor service, or contact a competitor. It’s those types of choices that have a profound impact on how companies behave and conduct business, particularly those that actually listen to their customers.

Often, it’s not the actual product, or cost of the product alone that motivates a consumer to buy; it’s the perceived level of service they received during each interaction. In fact, it’s the power of consumer choice, and passion for new and better services that should excite senior executives, and business owners everywhere! And, here’s why!

Well, the formula is quite simple… greater customer satisfaction and loyalty means more new and repeat sales. And, greater sales result in greater profitability. Actually, it’s during difficult economic times that businesses have an enormous opportunity to increase customer satisfaction and loyalty. Unfortunately, the same can be said of destroying it too. The goal is for companies to understand their customers’ needs, remain flexible, and be willing to accommodate their ever changing demands.

A Common Mistake

Alan, the Vice President of Customer Service, was asked by his CEO to lower operating cost by reducing headcount by 10 representatives. Alan responded, "Eliminating 10 customer service representatives will negatively impact the level of service we provide to our customers. The CEO replied, "Our prices are very competitive, and our products have always been in high demand. I’m sure our customers will be willing to wait a little longer to receive our products when necessary."

Alan reduced his headcount as instructed. However, after three short, but very costly weeks, Alan’s CEO reconsidered his original request. You see, Alan’s CEO was correct about the company’s competitive pricing and high product demand, but what he did not factor into his assumption was the amount of importance his customers placed on the level of service the company provided.

The Value of Customer Retention

The CEO quickly learned that his customers’ loyalty was not tied to competitive pricing and quality products alone, but to quality business processes and historically high levels of service they were accustom to receiving: a level of service that far exceeded their competitors. But when the service level declined, there was little to differentiate Alan’s products from those provided by his competitors. As a result, Alan’s company experienced an immediate decline in revenue that far exceeded the financial impact caused by the growing cost of raw materials.

Far too often, business leaders use the ‘level of service’ they provide to customers as a negotiating factor: hoping the customers won’t notice a change, or when noticed, become tolerant of it. Sure, there are situations that warrant modifying staff levels, but companies must be very cautious not to place quality or service levels at risk when doing so. Remember, it’s much easier to keep loyal customers satisfied and buying than it is to find and motivate new customers to buy!

Make The Commitment

Is your company truly committed to providing exceptional customer service? If so, here are FIVE tips to help maximize the level of service you provide to your valued customers:

1. Employ a ‘top-down’ culture that fosters a customer-centric philosophy!
Communicate the importance of providing exceptional customer service. It must be ongoing and sustained to have a positive impact on changing the corporate culture. The message must be supported and reinforced at the highest level.

2. Talk to your customers. They are smarter than you think!
If you really want to know how your customers feel about your products and services, just ask them! Take the time to capture, track and trend their feedback. You can’t afford not to!

3. Talk to your employees. They know more than you think!
Your employees know exactly how your customers feel about the company’s products, services, policies, and procedures. A word of caution: Don’t shoot the messenger! Employees will stop sharing feedback the moment they feel threatened by doing so!

4. Challenge your internal policies and procedures. They may be the very things annoying your customers!
Far too often, it’s your internal policies or procedures that form a wedge between the exceptional level of service your employees provide, and your customer’s overall level of satisfaction. Business leaders must frequently ask, "Are our policies or procedures single-handedly destroying our ability to achieve exceptional customer satisfaction?"

5. Align goals and performance measurement to insure optimal levels of customer satisfaction is achieved. Place every employee on the right page!
This step is vital in reinforcing your commitment to the customer-centric strategy as well as its importance. Properly aligning goals and performance measurements will insure division-level and department-level business initiatives are consistent and in full support of the company’s customer-centric philosophy. Having the right metrics in place will help your company determine its success as well as identify areas of opportunity.

Simple…Delivery Exceptional Customer Service!

Here’s the bottom line! If you’re providing good customer service today, provide better customer service tomorrow. If you’re providing great customer service today, provide exceptional customer service tomorrow. One thing’s for certain, customers will remember the service they received well after the product has expired. Delivering exceptional customer service requires a total commitment from every employee! And, when executed well, it pays big dividends. I share several other key steps in my new book, "The Leader's Guide to Performance Management."

So, should every employee be thinking about customer satisfaction? Absolutely… a company’s survival depends on it! There’s a highly competitive environment out there, and companies must depend on the collective effort, commitment and drive of the entire machine. That machine, fueled by every employee, every division, every goal, every objective and every strategy, must be properly aligned and calibrated to support the company’s primary reason for being in business…to meet or exceed customer expectationsat a profit! And, one of the swiftest paths to profitability is led by extraordinary customer satisfaction and retention programs. So, make the commitment to make more profit…deliver exceptional customer service today, and every day!

Source: http://www.contactcenterworld.com/view/contact-center-article/The-Value-Of-Customer-Satisfaction-During-a-Down-Economy.asp

Poor performers hold an organization back. Organizational mediocrity will reign if the poor performers are allowed to do nothing or create disharmony and get away with it.

Most companies rely on a few key performers in the right places to get the job done. Imagine what your organization could accomplish with a simple mix shift in employee type.

The three types of employees.

1. A Players - these are the Change Agents that jump in, provide leadership, have a high degree of accountability and take ownership. (Usually 5-10% of an organization) These are your go to people when you need to get things done.

2. B Players - The bulk of the work force at around 70%. During times of organizational stress or change, they are the “Fence Sitters” because they are sitting around trying to figure out if the organization is going to lean toward excellence or mediocrity. They will “get off the fence” and take ownership if management supports the A Players. They are often full of ideas and will contribute them to the organization but only if it is safe to do so.

3. C Players - Usually 10-20% of any organization. They are often referred to as “Stonewallers” because they stonewall. They are only interested in getting a paycheck and doing as little work as they can get away with. The problem with this group is if they are allowed to get by with poor performance, the B Players will see that management condones their behavior and begin to mimic them. The sooner you identify your “Stonewallers” and move them out of your organization, the sooner the B players will align themselves with the initiatives of the Change Agents.

Bob Winter is General Manager of Online Commerce Group LLC. OCG was founded in 2004 by two entrepreneurs, Scott McGlon and Gerry Monroe. In 2008, OCG was recognized by Inc. 500 as #309 of the fastest growing privately held companies in America. OCG has over 85 live web sites dedicated to serving the outdoor leisure and hospitality market.

Source: http://www.callcentercafe.com/2009/04/29/know-your-three-employee-types-change-agents-fence-sitters-stonewallers/

Teams need to be evaluated and they must be evaluated regularly. For the simple fact that if they are not you may not realize when your team is losing its edge. Truly being able to evaluate performance comes from communicating effectively, solving problems, team conflicts, evaluating team performance, and more. It essence it means really interacting with your team, not just observing.

Your evaluation needs to come as a member of the team not just its leader. It is important when evaluating team performance that you are one of its participants not just an outside observer.

If you want to get the most from your evaluation though then you need to consider letting the other members of your team conduct their own evaluations as well. Participants will gain a clear understanding of their team's strengths and weaknesses, and will develop a process for improving team performance. Factors commonly used are attendance at meetings, constructive participation in meetings, contribution to group efforts independent of team meetings, ability and desire to work as a team, and overall contribution.

An increasing number of managers have come to recognize the benefit of creating employee teams that bring a common focus to the challenges and opportunities of business. More and more managers and employees are recognizing the interdependence of their tasks and the importance of teamwork.

What advice did they offer to improve performance for newer team members? Your high performers will feel appreciated and valued, your low performers will improve skills and the overall team or department will function with more efficiency and success. Remember the old axiom that "There is no I in Team".

Get you team involved in its own evaluation. Make them ask the hard questions that you would normally have to ask. Who are the individuals who consistently meet or exceed expectations in an area of performance?

Think of the questions as the keys that unlock the secrets to improving team performance. What advice did they offer to improve performance for newer team members? Create a list of questions that each team member should have to ask and then compare the answers with your own results. This will let you know what your team members think.

From the questions to ask before establishing teams and the relation of teams and business strategy to team dynamics and evaluating team performance there are many questions that need to be asked. But consider letting your team ask them of themselves first. You might be surprised by the answers.

Source: http://www.callcentercafe.com/2009/01/09/using-your-team-to-evaluate-team-performance/