Survey Tools for Small Business

Surveys on the Cheap!

When searching for information about small business, I found an interesting new web site. It takes a practical approach to helping a small business owner survey customers and employees at a very reasonable cost. And it has some interesting free stuff, too. I thought you might want to check this out since they are offering an unprecedented introductory offer.

This customizable survey tool makes it easy for you to find out what your customers and employees need. Surveys for Small Business gives you a cost-effective way to discover information critical to your business success. The software comes pre-loaded with surveys for employee opinion, customer satisfaction and individual performance. To find out more and take advantage of their introductory offer, Click http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?Clk=3030177

Leadership Lessons: Motivating Team Members

Motivating all Generations

Oprah has topped the list of celebrities whom hourly workers, including teens, are motivated by to make their day more fun. Kathy Gurchiek, associate editor for HR News, reported in a September online brief results of more than 2,300 people completing the SnagAJob.com online survey conducted recently. Oprah was the top choice ahead of Angelina Jolie and Will Ferrell among workers in the age groups 18 to 24, 25 to 44, and 45 and older.

What does this mean? Perhaps nothing, but it is another indication of the inter-generational workforce and the little quirks that are emerging that may affect how we motivate, hire, and retain employees.

Some Perspective

The SHRM® Generational Differences Survey Report indicates that 51% of HR professionals felt that employees of different generations work effectively together. However, managers need to employ a variety of leadership styles to be better equipped to deal with potential conflicts and motivate employees.

Authors Lynne C. Lancaster and David Stillman in their book, When Generations Collide, say that effectively managing the new workforce depends on understanding the values and experiences distinguishing different generations:

• Traditionalists, born prior to 1945, value loyalty and prefer a top-down approach to management. Information is something provided on a need-to-know basis.
  
• Baby boomers, born 1946-1964, are optimistic and idealist. Success comes from challenging authority and creating open lines of communication.
  
• Generation Xers, born 1965-1980, are more skeptical. As latchkey kids and/or the product of broken homes, they grew up in a time of political and corporate scandals. They distrust institutions and value individualism.
  
• The Millennials, born after 1980, will change employers during the span of their career and they will change the type of work they do.

Understanding this diversity also means adjusting recruitment and retention strategies and training managers to motivate appropriately. Doing so will reap bottom-line results in the years to come.

The concept of how managers lead and motivate is complex and undergoing a major shift. The manager creates the environment - a climate positive for success. In reality motivation springs from within, but it is fostered in an environment in which people motivate themselves through reinforcement of confidence, trust, and satisfaction.
A Solution

When high performers have unresolved motivation issues their performance declines, or they leave for another job. When poor performers are not motivated to improve, they drag the team down and reduce productivity.

Competent leaders must motivate and empower the new generation of workers.

The Vital Learning curriculum is designed to meet your training and budgetary needs. Want to learn more about "Essential Skills of Communicating" or the complete Vital Learning leadership development curriculum? Available in Classroom, Online, or Blended delivery options, the Vital Learning curriculum includes the following essential topics.

• Delegating - understanding when to use delegation and how to make it motivating
• Complaints - being able to effectively manage complaints
  
• Coaching - knowing how to productively coach job skills
  
• Project Management - being able to run projects, both on-time and on-budget
  
• Conflict - understanding how to successfully resolve conflict
  
• Hiring Winning Talent- knowing what to do to consistently hire the right talent
  
• Providing Feedback - understanding how to establish performance goals and standards and give feedback
  
• And more...

For detail go to www.TheLearningEngine.org

Leadership Lessons: Resolving Conflict

Engaging Employees by Resolving Conflict "Those in conflict are unable to sustain a productive and stable exchange," according to Craig Rashkis, a mediator who has a master's degree in Dispute Resolution from Pepperdine University's Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution. In his article Workplace Conflict and the Importance of Resolving Early, he explains that the amount of organizational resources spent on resolving workplace conflict early on is typically less than the resources used in just half a day of trial when defending a lawsuit. Perhaps more importantly, Rashkis lists benefits which include:

• Increased morale and productivity
  
• Greater employee loyalty
  
• Greater retention
  
• Clarification of organizational purpose and policy
  
• Increased profitability
  
• Better reputation
  
• Success through superior products and services
  

Some Perspective

Conflict is not always easy to identify and must be distinguished from disagreements which can be a part of enthusiastic discussion or caring for the situation at hand. Conflict is associated with anger and frustration.
Effective leaders work from a viewpoint that keeps diverse work teams centered and successful. They know how to use courage and resolve to achieve goals and work with others. It's fairly shocking that according to research of 840,000 employees from the U.S. and U.K., 43% of employees report being disengaged on the job by their third year of employment because they become discouraged or dissatisfied in some way. Conflict in the workplace can only add to this and further disengage employees.

When leaders start to identify and then deal with situations that seem to cause conflict, issues can be resolved fairly and effectively.

There has been much reported about the new and growing diversity in the workforce. As this continues to be a factor, leaders need to be trained to recognize that personality traits and ego can largely influence the initiation of conflict.

Being aware of this and having the right skills to recognize and deal with conflict quickly and effectively will address the root cause, rather than getting bogged down in inflammatory outbursts, irrational eruptions, and inappropriate behavior. Without early resolve, this can become a continual cycle leading to the disengagement-- that we've already defined-- and broken commitment to individual performance.

By using effective techniques in communication and management, leaders help team members understand other points of view in order to move beyond the conflict.

A Solution

Your organization can impact a more positive bottom line characterized by productivity and profitability by improving morale and creating more functional and engaged employees. As Rashkis indicates, "The single most important benefit of resolving workplace conflict early is avoiding its debilitating and potentially disastrous effects." Resolving Conflicts is a program by Vital Learning, offered in both a traditional classroom format or online, that can teach your managers and team leaders the skills to recognize and deal with potential conflict situations early. Some organizations use the blended learning approach using a combination of online and more traditional approaches to deliver the training.

Take this simple quiz to find out if your leaders have the right point of view to deal with conflict. My managers and team leaders...

1. Accept conflict as inevitable in all work situations and deal with it in order to maintain focus and productivity.
2. Recognize the positive and negative impacts of conflicts and leverage situations to everyone's advantage.
3. Distinguish between the two sources of conflict so that the situation can be resolved fairly and effectively.
4. Establish a cooperative atmosphere to resolve conflicts when they arise.

If you answered any of these with a "No", it is likely that your organization needs some work in this area create a more engaged and sustained workforce in productivity and loyalty to your organization.

The Vital Learning curriculum is designed to meet your training and budgetary needs. Want to learn more about "Essential Skills of Communicating" or the complete Vital Learning leadership development curriculum? Available in Classroom, Online, or Blended delivery options, the Vital Learning curriculum includes the following essential topics.

• Delegating - understanding when to use delegation and how to make it motivating
• Complaints - being able to effectively manage complaints
  
• Coaching - knowing how to productively coach job skills
  
• Project Management - being able to run projects, both on-time and on-budget
  
• Conflict - understanding how to successfully resolve conflict
  
• Hiring Winning Talent- knowing what to do to consistently hire the right talent
  
• Providing Feedback - understanding how to establish performance goals and standards and give feedback
  
• And more...

For detail go to www.TheLearningEngine.org