Are you a utility company who is looking to stay on track with initiatives for next year?  THIS FREE WEBINAR IS JUST FOR YOU.  I am going to be exploring the details of behavioral management- what it means, where to start, and why it is good for your business. 

Behavioral Management is a type of management style and focus that will help you achieve all of your goals more efficiently and effectively.  Don't we all want to save time and money and stop spinning our wheels?  Let me help make your job easier!  
 
Here are the details:  

WHO SHOULD ATTEND:     Executives of Utilities looking to drive results with new or ongoing initiatives 

WHEN:     Friday, November 13     1:00 - 2:00 EST

WHERE:   From the comfort of your own office

HOW MUCH:    FREE

WHY:   New information can help you save time and money on your initiatives

CLICK HERE to register

 

        

Is it October already?  Where has this year gone?  Do you find yourself saying the same thing every once in a while. I think we all do.  I had all good intentions of writing a blog entry at least three times a week when I created this new web site at the beginning of this year.  But as with everyone, other priorities take over and before you know it, time has slipped by and another goal has not yet been accomplished. One of my biggest pet peaves is when someone tells me that they "don't have time" for something.  What they're really saying is that they didn't "make the time".  So I will tell you honestly that I did not make the time to keep up with my blog writing this year.  

So if I haven't been making the time to write my blog, what have I been doing with all of my time, you might be asking. Have I done anything worthwhile this year?  Well, actually, yes. 

I had a birthday in April.  (Yes, I am an Aries.) With the onset of another year, I set some goals that I was determined to accomplish (unlike the unkept goal of keeping up with this blog.)

1. I decided to get started on my Master's program.  I have decided to get my M.A. in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University and I begin my study in the summer of 2010.  I owe it to my clients to continue learning new concepts about communication and leadership and this is one way that I can continue to be the best I can be for myself and for all of you.

2. I wanted to publish my third children's book.  In addition to working with my corporate clients, I have a deep passion for teaching children.  My Christian children's books gives me an opportunity to share my faith with children through bible studies and chapel times.  Publishing a book is like birthing a child.  And this birthing process will be complete before Christimas.  You can also now find my books carried at Tampa Christian Supply in Tampa and at Grace Family Church in Tampa. 

3. And lasting, and probably most importantly, I decided to raise money for the Susan G. Komen foundation and train to walk the 60 mile walk while raising money and awareness to find a cure for breast cancer.  Last weekend I logged my 500th mile of training! (At just under an average of 4 miles an hour, you can calculate how many hours I have devoted to this goal!) On Halloween weekend, I will be walking 60 miles through Tampa Bay to bring awareness to the fact that everyone deserves a lifetime- a lifetime without breast cancer.  

These three goals were in addition to keeping up with the needs of my wonderful corporate clients who count on me to help them to keep identifying the behaviors that will help them improve and grow their businesses.  With the economic times that we have all experienced this year, my heart goes out to the companies who have stayed focused on their goals of driving change and making a difference in the lives of their employees and their customers.  

So in the grand scheme of things, keeping up with this blog seems a bit trite and inconsequential considering the other goals that I have been working on.  But don't think that this blog is not on the top of my list to keep up with now that I am nearing the end of my book publishing process, walking endeavor and preparing to go back to school. 
 
It's all about priorities and deciding what's really important. What has been on the top of your priority list this year?  2009 is not over yet, you still have time to get back on track with anything that has gone by the wayside.  Enjoy the rest of the year accomplishing your goals!   
 

        

Justifying training is one of the hardest things to do; especially during these economic times.  I am now hearing on a regular basis from many companies, "We have had to cut back and so we are not doing any training this year."  I can totally understand this perspective on how to manage your corporate funds during these times. As a matter of fact, in many cases, I would completely agree with you.  I would have a lot of trouble justifying much of the training that I have seen recently. 

HOWEVER... I would highly recommend looking at your processes and determining if you are doing all the right things for all the right reasons.  There are processes being followed in your business which are costing you more time and money than training is.  Here are few areas to look at...

1. Examine the meetings that take place.  Are they purposeful?  Are you using your meetings to discuss points or are you using your meeting time to make decisions?  Your meetings will be more productive if you distribute information prior to the meeting, set clear expectations as to what is to be reviewed before the meeting and determine what you want to decide during the meeting.  Meetings should be for making decisions.
2. Review how your company is using email.  Reading and responding to email is definitely a high time-consumer in most organizations.  What protocol do you use for copying individuals on emails?  How do you decide what information will be communicated via email? 
3. Consider how you handle communicating self service options to your customers.  Self service options are a wonderful way to help lower your costs.  How many of your customer use your web site to check their bill? Do customers use your automated phone service to pay their bill?  There are many ways that you can look at reducing your costs by communicating your self service options to your customers.  What are you doing to change their habits of how they are doing business with you? 

So what does all of this have to do with training, you may be asking.  Well... Once you look at these tasks, it's important to develop new guidelines for how you would like your employees to change their behaviors in the future.  Once you have outlined the specific steps that you want your employees to follow related to the new way they will conduct meetings, manage emails and communicate with your customers, it is time to train them on the new way of facilitating the process.  This is where training comes into play.  Your training should be specific to the task, very detailed as to the behaviors you want them to do differently and provide practice so they can assess for themselves how they will adapt to the new way.  

By looking deep into your business, you will uncover many things that you are doing that is not efficient or is wasting money.  The goal in this economy (and even in a strong economy when money is more plentiful) is to be PURPOSEFUL.  With every task that you do and every training that you design and deliver, ask yourself, "How purposeful is this task?" 

For more ways to ensure that training is purposeful and your employees' behaviors are maximizing your business' potential- visit InterWeave.      I have more ideas to share with you to help you to be more purposeful!  

        

It's been quite a few years since I sat down at a chess board, but I was working with some clients this week and was looking for an analogy to compare coaching to and the thought occurred to me that coaching is very similar to chess.  Here are some of the similarities:

• There are rules to the game that have to be followed.  You can't sit down to a game of chess unless you know how to play.  The same is true for coaching.  You need to know what you can say and can't say from an EEOC standpoint.  It is also important to have great communication skills that will motivate and inspire your employees, as well as assertive words, tone and pace that will hold them accountable.
• Know your goal!  In chess, it is important to know your goal- to capture the King.  It would hard to play the game if you did not know the goal.  It is also very hard to coach if you do not know your final outcome that you are looking to achieve.  And this is actually something many coaches do not understand- your goal is to get an AH HA moment from your employee!  The AH HA that you want them to have is that know they understand what is expected of them, they know why it is important to your business and they know exactly how to do the desired skills you want. Many people look at coaching as discipline.  While there are certainly some coaching sessions that have the goal of providing negative consequences- still the ultimate goal (even when you have to implement negative consequences) is to have the employee leave the coaching session ready to change their behaviors with the new information and support that they have from you.
• Practice, Practice, Practice.  You don't get good at chess without practicing and you don't get good at coaching without practicing either.  Make sure that you know your behaviors that are important to make a great coach so you know exactly what it is that you should be practicing.  Many people have coached for years and never knew what behaviors were making them successful and what behaviors would make them even more successful.  Know what to practice.
• Have a strategy!  Chess is all about strategy.  So is coaching!  It is important that you are five moves ahead of your opponent in your strategy when you are playing chess and it is just as critical that you are five steps ahead of your employee when you are coaching.  Be prepared and know what questions to ask and what examples to provide.  You are supposed to be in the driver's seat when you are coaching. 
• Each opponent is different.  In chess it is critical to know the moves of your opponents.  Every play has their own style of playing the game and you will be more successful in winning if you know their typical moves.  The same is true for coaching.  Know your employees and what behaviors make them unique from all of your other employees.  While you will still use the same behaviors when you coach, you will use more of some behaviors and less of others with different employees.  With some employees, you will need to ask more questions.  With others you will need to use more examples.  With others you will need to acknowledge more to offer your support.  Know your employees.
• Have fun!  Chess and coaching are very fun activities.  Both take skill and thinking through what you want to accomplish.  Both are also very rewarding and add a new dimension to who you are as a leader.  Get out and coach and really have fun with it while you watch how you are impacting the lives of others.

The one way in which chess and coaching are different is that in chess- there is only going to be one winner.  In coaching it should be a win-win situation and both you and your employees should walk away feeling inspired and ready to take on the next challenge together as a well working team!  Work together and celebrate your successes as a team! 

Visit InterWeave for more information about behavioral management, coaching and changing performance. 

        

One of the most essential elements of being a great coach is being able to coach to behaviors rather than coaching to perceptions. 

A behavior is an identifiable and measurable action that you can see or hear.  Here are examples of behaviors:

• Using appropriate grammar
• Asking questions
• Coming late to a meeting
• Using the right tools to complete a job

On the other hand, a perception is a feeling or attitude that one person infers based on observations.  Examples of perceptions include:

• Being professional
• Being engaged
• Acting responsibly
• Being safe

A great coach knows the difference between a behavior and a perception and focuses on the behaviors that you observe. By coaching to behaviors rather than perceptions you will experience the following benefits:

• Your employees will not have to guess at what you mean by "being more engaged" because you will provide them with the specific behaviors that show you that they are engaging.
• You will experience greater success in changing the desired behaviors.
• You will be able to measure the changes since you have specific behaviors that you are looking for.

Are you coaching to behaviors or are you stuck in the trap of perceptions?  Examine what you communicate to your employees verbally and in writing and make sure that your message is behavior focused.  Your job will be easier, your employees will know exactly what is expected of them and you will experience greater results for your business! It's a win-win-win for everyone by coaching to behaviors!    

Visit InterWeave for more information about coaching to behaviors and driving higher results for your business. 

        

How is your coaching going?  Are you getting the results that you are looking for?  Are your employees engaged in their performance and in your coaching discussions?  OR... Do they just sit there and listen while you talk about their performance? 

Asking questions is a vital skill that will help you achieve the results you are looking for from your coaching.  And I'm not just talking about any questions; it is essential that your questions are strategic and take your coaching in the direction that will get you results. 

Here are some tips to asking the right questions to ensure that your coaching is getting you results!

1. Be careful with broad and open ended questions- they can take your coaching discussions off track.  "So, how's it going?" "What's new?" or "How do you think you are doing?"  are all questions that I hear at the beginning of coaching sessions.  They tend to yield one word answers and do not get you the results you are looking for.  Or the reverse can happen... These questions could bring on a long explanation of personal issues or complaints that do not get your coaching session off on the right foot.  Start off with, "I'd like to review some aspects of your performance and provide you with some feedback that will make your job easier.  I've noticed that you are dealing with some upset customers lately.  How have you been handling those situations?"  This type of opening will position your coaching in the direction you need to go.
2. Remember your journalism questions... Who, what, when, where, why and how are your friends!   Get really good at knowing how to ask these questions to dig deeper into your coaching sessions. 
• "Why do you think that is happening?"
• "What other options could you say?"
• "When has that worked for you in the past?"
• "How do you think that would help our customers?"
• "Why is that a good thing to do?"  "
• "What is the benefit to you and our business?"
3. DIG DEEP when your employees say something that is not right or that you want to clarify.  When we talk about "engaging" with our employees, what we mean is when they say something that is interesting or news to us, we need to ask questions for clarification.  These are statements that I have recently heard from employees.  No questions were asked after these statements and so we are operating in the dark.  If we had asked follow up questions to these statements we would be more able to help these employees and solve issues that are going on in our business.
• "That's not what the last manager told me to do."
• "The system always has worked that way.  Today is no different."
• "I don't think that matters to our customers."
• "I've always done this way.  I've been here a long time and I've never done it any differently."
• "You have no idea what we go through.  You're not dealing with the customers like we are!"
• "I don't think this will work."
4. My favorite question that I ask my employees often is, "How can I make your job easier?"  My employees know their job better than I do and my job as a manager is to provide them with the tools that will help them be the most efficient and effective that they can be.  Look for opportunities to ask your employees the questions that will get their opinions, clarify situations and find solutions for your business that will help make life better for your employees, your customers and for everyone in your company!

For more information about behaviors, human performance or coaching tips, visit InterWeave!

        

Coaching is one of the most essential skills of a great leader.  There are thousands of books available on the topic of coaching and mentoring employees and I get requests often as to which books I would recommend to help new leaders understand how to effectively coach.  While there are many books that I like and many resources that have some wonderful tools, reading about coaching versus understanding how you stack up as a coach are two different things. 

I am going to write a series of blogs on the various behaviors that make a successful leader.  As I have previously mentioned, I do not talk about style too often.  My focus is helping people to develop the behaviors that will make you and your company successful.   The first behavior that I am going to focus on is the behavior of acknowledging. 

Acknowledging

This is one of the basic skills that make an incredible coach!  There are several different types of acknowledging that accomplish different goals.  Know your goal when you are acknowledging so that you can use this behavior successfully.

Acknowledging that Recognizes Success
This type of acknowledging is the most fun!  When you see someone performing to your standards, you want to give them praise and tell them how much you appreciate what they are doing.  Examples of this type of acknowledging is:
"I really appreciate you coming in a few minutes early this morning to make sure the room was ready for the meeting!"
"I value the comments that you made in the meeting.  They were really helpful!"
"I appreciate you taking that customer call for me and explaining her options. That was a huge help to me!"
The key to remember with this type of acknowledging is to make sure that you are specific and ensure that you do not give false praise.  When employees constantly hear, "You're doing a great job!" or "You are so wonderful!" you are misleading them to think that everything they do is wonderful.  It is difficult to correct any behaviors that do not meet your expectations when they think that everything they do is  fabulous. 

Acknowledging that Inspires and Offers Support
This type of acknowledging is a little more difficult but it serves the purpose of ensuring that your employees know that you believe in them and that you are there for them.  Examples of this type of acknowledging include:
"I feel confident that you will be able to make this change!"
"You've shown me that you can demonstrate this new task so I know you can do it on your own!"
"I realize that you have been making an effort since I see the notes that you have placed in your cubicle."
"I'm here if you want to review the procedures again for clarification."
The key to this type of acknowledging is to ensure that you are not excusing performance that does not meet your standards.  It would be easy to say, "I understand that you are having a rough day and that's why you yelled at that customer"  or "It's ok that you were late."  While it is important to offer your support to your employees, it is not appropriate to tolerate performance that does not meet your standards.

Acknowledging Behaviors that Do Not Meet Your Standards
This is the toughest type of acknowledging.  This type of acknowledging shows that you are focusing on performance that does not meet your standard and you are holding your employee accountable for changing their behaviors. 
Examples of this type of acknowledging include:
"I noticed that you came in 10 minutes late today."
"I see that you did not yet finish the task that we agreed would be done last Friday."
"I heard you talking with that customer and providing her with information from our old policy."
"I see that you are wearing jeans on a day when it is not casual day."
The important thing to remember with this type of acknowledging is that there are other behaviors that must immediately follow this one.  If you do not restate your expectation and then ask a question to find out WHY they are not meeting the standard, you may be assuming a reason for the non-compliance that is incorrect.  (I'll review those behaviors in the next post!)

Acknowledging is a vital behavior that gves others the feeling that you are inspiring, passionate about your job and focused to the needs of others.  Those feelings drive your employees to want to do a good job and to strive to meet your needs.  Your acknowledging will accomplish great things for you and your company when well-thought out and done with a purpose in mind! 

For more information about coaching and driving human performance changes visit InterWeave. 

        

Leadership Style... The first thought that comes to mind when I hear that phrase is the infamous "ARGGGGGG" that Charles Schultz made famous when Charlie Brown would express his irritation at one of the other Peanuts characters.  I guess irritation would be a mild word for my feelings.  "But it is to important to identify a leader's style!" you may say.  Frankly, I am more interested in a leader's behaviors rather than finding out what his style of leadership is.  Behaviors accomplish tasks, style simply labels his behaviors and provides a ready made answer as to why he is the way he is. 

If a leader does not say hello to everyone in the morning and simply hides in his office all day, I do not want to be told that being outgoing is not his style of leadership.

If a leader does not make direct eye contact with others, I do not want to be told that she is shy and that is just her style of leadership.

When I heard a leader start a coaching session with the words, "We're here to do an intervention", I really did not like hearing that making friends was not his style of leadership.

When I watched a leader post a sign on her door that said, "I'm very busy, come back later" I did not like hearing that her style did not include having finesse.

And when I watched an executive continuously send text messages throughout a meeting that was scheduled just so he could attend, I really did not like hearing that being engaged with his employees was just not his style. 

In order to create a certain culture for your organization, you are counting on the behaviors of your leaders to pave the way and create your desired culture.  The behaviors of our leaders creates the culture that we want and if our leaders demonstrate some of the behavioral examples that I have listed here, your culture will not be described as positive, inviting, openly communicative or welcoming. 

Don't let leadership style fool you.  I find it to be a scapegoat and an excuse for allowing certain behaviors to exist.  It's an easy excuse to simply brush off someone's behaviors by saying, "That's just the way he/she is and that's just his/her style of leadership."

If you want to change your culture, start by examining the behaviors of your leaders and quit excusing their behaviors as part of their "style".  Determine the behaviors that you expect from your leaders, communicate the desired behaviors and then hold everyone accountable for achieving those behaviors.  Remember- "What you tolerate becomes your standards."                              

                                                                 
                                                   What leadership behaviors have you been tolerating?
 
Visit InterWeave for more information on human performance. 

        

As I work with operational leaders on moving to a beahvioral managed organization, one of the reasons that I find that their performance is lower than desirable is because they have tolerated low performance for so long.  Remember- "What you tolerate becomes your standard."

So as I work with organizations to understand the behaviors that have created this low performance, I explain that we are going to be raising the bar and that we are no longer going to be tolerating certain behaviors.  The question that always comes up from front line leadership is, "Does HR know that we are doing this?"  It's always a very interesting question.  They do know that we are moving to becoming a behaviorally managed company, but they do not always sit in on the classes that I facilitate.  And the discussions always get heated and there are always lots of stories of instances where HR did not support a Manager's decision to discipline an employee. 

It is so critical to the success of an organization that HR and Operations always support each other so that both parts of the organization agree to the discipline that certain behaviors deserve.  When there are no consequences for an employee performing undesirable behaviors, then there is often no incentive for him/her to change the performance. 

Now, I am all about positive reinforcement and I do believe that positive reinforcement works better than negative reinforcement.  However- especially in these economic times when raises are flat or non-existent, bonuses are kept to a minimum and cost cutting has all but done away with incentive money, the board is flat for rewarding good performance.  So when the playing field is flat and good performers are getting the same pay and raises as not-so-good employees, the only consequence left available to us are negative consequences. 

So when managers tell me that they are not getting the support of HR, what does that really mean?  Because when I ask HR, they will always claim that they do support the managers.  Here are the behaviors that each part of the organization must commit to so that each side feels the support of the other.

1. Managers must document behaviors that they observe.  When you observe a behavior such as an employee using certain word choice with a customer, coming in 5 minutes late, sleeping in a meeting or not wearing the appropriate attire- those behaviors must be documented.  Documentation of specific behaviors gives you the details you need to hold employees accountable that you have observed certain patterns of behavior.
2. HR must divert phone calls back to the managers.  Employees seem to think that if they don't get the answer they want from their manager, then they can just go to HR and complain about the manager.  That's not how it works.  When an employee calls HR, the behavior that HR must demonstrate to show support for the manager, is to always ask if the employee has spoken to the manager about this issue or the manager's manager about this issue.  When HR begins to intercede with the employee it becomes a he said/she said situation.  If HR is going to take calls from employees, the HR Rep should suggest a time and place for the manager and employee to visit together so they can work out this misunderstanding. 

Management must have the authority and responsibility to appropriately execute the needed discipline to the employees.  Human Resources is a support mechanism for the operations.  The two departments must work together cohesively so that the employees feel the same level of fairness and accountability from all leaders throughout the organization. 

How does your HR and Line Management Staff work together to support the performance needs of your organization?  Visit InterWeave for more information on behavioral management and driving performance change in your organization. 

        

The qualities that it takes to be a great leader are not innate.   We are not all born to be great leaders.  It is critical to recognize that while we may have some skills that seem to be second nature to us, most people need training and reinforcement in the skills that it takes to be an awesome coach to other people.  When we promote our employees from being a great front line employee to being a first line Supervisor, what kind of training do we give them? 

One of the things that frustrates me the most is corporate training programs that we send all of our new leaders through.  I am a huge fan of education and making sure that people have the knowledge and skills to do their job but I am easily irritated by Leadership 101 classes since they are big on thoery and low on practical skills. 

One of my favorite questions to ask myself and others that I am consulting with is, "How purposeful is this activity?" Another way of asking that question is, "What is my return on investment on this activity?"

With the current state of the economy, it is forcing all of us to be more creative and strategic in our decision making.  Look at your Leadership 101 classes and make sure that the time that you invest in these programs is truly giving your leaders what they need to be successful.  Does your training teach them how to schedule their employees?  Does it teach them how to review timesheets?  Does it teach them how to use your email program?  Does it teach them what reports they will be using to measure the success of your department?  If you answered "no" to any of these questions, I would recommend looking at how purposeful your Leadership 101 class is to your front line leaders. 

There is so much that a leader needs to know how to do.  Let's not overwhelm them with theory, let's give them what they need to successfully manage their day, coach their employees and gauge their success!