Getting S'More from Your Leaders

S'mores, Mallomars, Moon Pies ... all have the tasty combination of marshmallow, chocolate and graham cracker that millions have grown to love. It's the perfect balance of flavors.

The name s'mores supposedly comes from a melding of the two words --- "some more" --and the idea that people will want more than just one.

When Leaders Are Like S'mores

Good leadership leaves team members craving s'more. And, if they move to another team, they want their new boss to be just as good as the last one.

Effective leadership is the result of well-trained supervisors, team leaders and managers who understand the essentials of management and communication. BLR's National Employee Attitude Survey uses an online survey to measure the feelings of employees in four key areas, which research shows are critical to morale, productivity and retention:

• Communication
• Teamwork
• Supervision
• Career opportunity

Other research shows that the potential for supervisors, team leaders and managers to become more successful (when measured by a more productive workforce) can be determined by the extent to which they accomplish the following:

• Provide a free flow of communication to employees, with well-crafted messages
• Provide development opportunities for team members
• Keep employees motivated and engaged in their work and in the company's mission

Other components of good leadership include the ability to lead with a positive rapport and the ability to make quick and effective decisions. Nothing is worse than a team leader who is weak, indecisive and lacking in confidence. These leaders create uncertainty throughout the entire team, and team members become frustrated. They certainly don't want s'more of this leadership style.

Although a team consists of a number of team members and a single team leader, it's true that the team's success or failure rests with the entire team. Nevertheless, the team leader bears the bulk of the accountability.

Winning a Second Helping of Productivity

Effective teams are those that have the talent and skills to foster self-motivation and self-improvement. The key differentiator is the leader, whose support determines whether the team is inspired or lackluster. Leaders who can design and support balanced teams will have productive teams with members who are ready for s'more.

Beyond the essentials of leadership, the best leaders:

• Build trust between team members
• Inspire and motivate teamwork to achieve goals
• Influence valuable changes
• Are open to new ideas from team members
• Establish an open system of discussion for decision-making on projects and consult key members frequently
• Encourage independent thinking
• Recognize exceptional talent, and then hire those employees and work to retain them
• Recognize and value each member's strengths and continue to coach them
• Define objectives and expectations for projects and ensure that each member understands
• Work quickly to resolve workplace problems
• Evaluate results in a timely fashion
• Celebrate both individual and team successes

Getting S'more: Leadership Development and Talent Management

A global custom research company recently released findings of a national survey that indicated that 20 percent of currently employed Americans would change jobs if the opportunity arose. Obviously, this affects employee retention. However, the study points out, 53 percent of respondents would still prefer to stay with their current organizations --- even if they were offered a better job with another company.

The reason is clear: Those who would choose to stay are working for well-trained leaders who have "leadership plus" --- added skills that keep employees engaged and wanting s'more.

Vital Learning's Leadership Development and Talent Management Curriculum offers a combination of courses to take leaders beyond the essentials:

• Leading Successful Projects
• Hiring Winning Talent
• Motivating Team Members
• Solving Workplace Problems
• Retaining Winning Talent
• Developing and Coaching Others (Leadership or Senior Management versions)

Vital Learning will work with you to develop a customized curriculum for your organization, helping you to make your leaders' skills the best they can possibly be.

Thought for the Day

"Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value."

---Albert Einstein

Sources:
Leadership Series (2010). Vital Learning Corporation.
Bruce, S. (Aug. 2010). Which of Your Employees is About to Pull a "Steven Slater?" BLR HR Daily Advisor.
Hill, S. What Makes a Good Team Leader? http://ww.zineArticles.com
More Employees Consider Changing Jobs as Economic Optimism Grows, http://www.gfkameria.com

Employees Want to Be the Boss' Apprentice

In last season's TV show "The Apprentice," they took a different twist. It was centered around professionals who have been affected by the economy. Each contestant had lost his or her job and was searching for a new one. When contestants won a project on the show, they received the opportunity to learn from the best in leadership with a leader from one of the show's corporate sponsors.

Apprenticeship is a system of training the next generation of workers. Traditionally, "prentices," also called protégés, enhance their careers from apprenticeships with training conducted on the job by working for an employer who helps them learn a trade or skill.

To put the idea of apprenticeship into perspective for today, consider that the 78 million Millennials, also known as the Net Gen and Generation Y, are nearly as large a group as the baby boomers. This new generation includes those born between 1980 and 1991.

What Do Millennials Want 

The book The Millennials by Dr. Thom Rainer and his son Jess Rainer, details certain factors based on a massive research project led by LifeWay Research, involving 12,000 Millennials. The study concluded four major leadership focuses for "What Millennials want in leaders":

• Mentoring. Millennials want to be led and taught in the workplace. They want to learn from their "heroes."
• Gentle spirit. They are turned off by loud and divisive leaders.
• Transparency. Millennials want to follow "real" or authentic leaders.
• Integrity. They want leaders with standards and who aren't concerned more about their own personal gain than serving others. 

Applying the Idea of Apprenticeship 

Given these findings, organizations need to examine how their own leaders are leading and training managers, supervisors and team leaders to become relevant in the new workplace. Because Millennials want to learn from others, it makes sense to think in terms of apprenticeship in the workplace. 

Today's leaders must be able to operate in an informal learning environment that positions them as mentors and coaches. They need exceptional communication skills, and they should be trained by good leaders in order for others to follow.

Millennials have a "can-do" attitude about tasks and work habits. They look for feedback about how they are doing, and they expect it frequently. They look for structure from older supervisors and team leaders, and they want these leaders to elicit and respect their ideas, as well.

Leaders can help Millennials become more engaged by providing development opportunities; members of this generation want to know where their careers are going and how to move up. They expect to be challenged, and they look for continual challenges on projects and opportunities for networking.

In the absence of the above, Millennials --- who are adept on instant messaging, e-mail, text and social media --- will network themselves into new opportunities outside their current organizations.

Helping All Employees Learn From the Boss

Research reveals that most employees, Millennial or not, look for common things fromwork. First, respect is a fundamental right for all employees. An important element of respect is recognition and feedback so workers know how they are doing. They want to be members engaged in the organization. They also want to learn new skills, develop their potential and grow in their careers. They want to be empowered and have influence on decisions.

And, they want good leadership. They want to learn from the boss.

The following tips can help employees learn from your organization's leaders:

• Listen to their ideas and opinions.
• Delegate challenging tasks that help them become a part of change.
• Encourage networking on projects and teams.
• Discover what really motivates them and elicit their ideas.
• Coach them on-the-job and give them exposure across the organization.
• Provide frequent and meaningful feedback. 

As an example, the Conference Board, a global, independent business membership and research association working in the public interest, requires leaders to provide two written evaluations per year and strongly encourages managers to deliver informal feedback at least monthly. Researchers indicate that this type of frequent feedback helps Millennials become engaged in their jobs and improves employee retention. 

Training Leaders to Adapt 

Most organizations' supervisors, managers and team leaders will likely need more training to adapt to an apprentice-style workplace. Look for programs such as Vital Learning's Leadership Series™, which offers targeted, flexible programs that enable organizations to put leaders in action quickly. Vital Learning's flexible programs are available in online and traditional seminar formats to allow organizations to blend learning quickly with their existing approaches. Recommended titles include the following: 

• Essential Skills of Communicating™
• Essential Skills of Leadership™
• Delegating™
• Developing Performance Goals and Standards™
• Providing Performance Feedback™
• Coaching Job Skills™
• Motivating Employees™

Thought for the Day

"By providing Millennials with meaningful and growing experiences, respecting their contribution, utilizing mentoring, giving feedback and staying flexible, leaders can retain Millennials as followers who will develop into future leaders."  --- David Burkus, Millennial and adjunct professor of business at several universities, executive coach, and a student in the doctor of strategic leadership program at Regent University

Sources:

Leadership Series (2010). Vital Learning. 
Burkus, D. (2010). Developing the Next Generation of Leaders: How to Engage Millennials in the Workplace, Leadership Advance Online-Issue XIX, School of Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship, Regent University. 
Heathfield, S. Managing Millennials: Eleven Tips for Managing Millennials. [Accessed Sept. 2010-About.com] 
Rainer, T. What Millennials Want in Leaders [Accessed Sept. 2010-About.com]

Nightmares in Leadership

If you are near the top of your organization, then chances are good that certain things keep you up at night. In 1984, Wes Craven's movie A Nightmare on Elm Street premiered, and with the 2010 remake, Freddy Krueger continues to haunt the newest generation of horror fans. The movie's premise is that insane Freddy, who was a sadistic child murderer in life, terrorizes people in their dreams.

Like Freddy Krueger, your leadership team's missteps could become an ugly and frightening tormentor that keep you up at night and plague your dreams.

What You Don't Know Could Hurt You

The question is this: Do you really know what your supervisors, team leaders and managers are doing and saying everyday? If supervisors are not properly trained, then they may make mistakes that put the entire organization at risk.

An example is a supervisor who hasn't been trained on the correct process for hiring team members. One inappropriate question can lead to a lawsuit. In addition, hiring the wrong people for the team can cost hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, in lost time and productivity --- especially if you have to hire someone new and retrain them.

Many supervisors, team leaders and managers shy away from the duties that need to be done because they don't know how to handle specific situations. For example, they may fail to give effective performance appraisals, avoid talking to someone about a poor work habit, or ignore conflicts between team members. Employees expect their leaders to deal with issues promptly and effectively. Avoiding issues or problems can lead to an unmotivated staff, and productivity will suffer because of lingering, unresolved issues.

When it comes to constant change in the workplace, many leaders freeze when dealing with their own issues with change. They are then unable to articulate change to their teams. The result is that the team becomes uninspired and even more demoralized because its members don't know what the change means for them and how it will affect their jobs.

Training leaders becomes the most important investment an organization can make to reduce leadership nightmares.

Leading Through a Nightmare

Today's work environment is more complex than ever before. Handling day-to-day situations with employees can become a nightmare for some leaders, especially if they are unprepared. Nevertheless, even though they are often the cause of nightmares, the following conditions are inherent --- some are even essential --- in complex internal and external environments:

• Diverse workforce, business models and management systems
• Ambiguity of information, conflicting data and decision points
• The rate of change of circumstances, systems, people, processes and customer needs
• Increased competition and innovation

An organization's leaders must meet the demands of a complex work environment through the effective management of organizational human capital. Exceptional leadership training promotes adaptability, continual learning and creative problem-solving. This results in a workforce that is motivated, engaged, and focused on the organization's goals and productivity.

Essential Skills for Sweet Dreams 

In A Nightmare on Elm Street, Freddy Krueger had the ability to murder people if they went to sleep. In the same way, your organization could be at risk if your leaders are asleep. It is important for leaders to assess whether they really know what they are doing and even to pinpoint areas in which they need the most skill development.

Consider using an easy assessment that can link to leaders' specific skill sets. The Vital Learning Leadership Assessment™ provides a personalized training program for each leader in an organization, identifying the skills they need to develop. Using this approach allows organizations to focus resources for training in the areas where they are most critical.

Skill areas that leaders need most can be addressed with the Vital Learning Leadership Series™. These programs can be delivered in both a traditional format and online, enabling organizations to blend their training and tailor it to each individual. Additional informal learning support, such as online coaching, knowledge databases and social links, can further enhance training.

The following are key areas in which Vital Learning addresses the complex situations that can cause nightmares for leaders: 

• Foundational leadership understanding
• Effective communication
• Change management
• Coaching
• Employee goal development
• Providing performance feedback
• Motivating employees
• Delegating
• Effective discipline
• Managing complaints
• Resolving conflict
• Improving work habits 

Combat nightmares in leadership and produce leaders who are focused on leadership training. 

Thought for the Day

"I have had dreams and I have had nightmares, but I have conquered my nightmares because of my dreams." 

--- Jonas Salk 

Sources:
Leadership Assessment (2010). Vital Learning Corporation
Leadership Series (2010). Vital Learning Corporation
Billou, N., Corssan, M. and Seijts, G. (May/June 2010). Coping with Complexity, Ivey Business Journal.

The Ugly Truth About Performance Management

What's Ugly

"Fewer Americans are satisfied with all aspects of their employment, and no age or income group is immune."

That is according to a Conference Board survey of 5,000 households. Those under age 25 had the highest level of dissatisfaction ever recorded by the survey for that age group. The report shows that dissatisfaction negatively affects employee behavior and retention, and that affects any company's success.

The state of performance management is bleak: A Towers Watson survey of 200 executives at mid- and large-size U.S. companies revealed that only 23 percent have a formal process for talent management. Only 14 percent use metrics to analyze and track their internal talent pools and connect that information with performance data.

Another study by the Corporate Executive Board's Learning and Development round table analyzed survey responses from nearly 20,000 employees and managers. Only 30 to 40 percent of employees said that their managers communicate performance standards and provide fair and accurate feedback in order to help them better do their jobs.

Are Motivation and Satisfaction Really Tied to Performance Management and Development Standards?

Yes. Studies show that managers who improve their effectiveness in employee development by only 20 percent can increase employee performance by about 5 percent. It translates this way: A company with a sales force of 2,000 employees who each average $1 million in annual sales can increase company-wide annual sales by about $100 million.

The widespread realization is that driving better performance depends on effective deployment, development and engagement of a range of people across an organization.

The Gallup Organization initiated a multi-year research project to try to define a workplace where employees were satisfied with their jobs. Using data from 200,000 employees and 36 organizations in 21 industries, five themes emerged: retention, productivity, profitability, customer loyalty and safety.

The study also measured employee desire for learning and growth; understanding the mission and purpose of the company; and leader encouragement for development. Among the elements cited as a key to retaining employees:

• Clarify expectations to employees.
• Give employees opportunities to focus on their talents and do what they do best.
• Provide opportunities for employees to learn and grow.

Jim Trinka, Ph.D. and chief learning officer for the FBI, conducted a study of manager-employee surveys. Focusing on development of others and communication competencies, managers can increase their overall leadership effectiveness by up to 60 percent. Furthermore, of 250 managerial activities, 10 have the most potential for delivering high employee performance. Among these: managers who set clear performance standards.

Trinka's findings show that managers who become more knowledgeable about employee performance and provide fair and accurate feedback on performance strengths can significantly improve individual performance. Discussing weaknesses is also important --- but with the focus on specific suggestions for improvement or development, which improves team member performance.

From the Ugly Duckling to the Beautiful Swan

The following are ways in which organizations can improve performance management.

1. Upper management can set the tone for evolving a culture of development. These members of the organization are good role models. Rather than viewing performance management and development as an expense, consider it an investment that returns dividends in the form of employees who are more committed to the organization and willing to expend the effort necessary to do the job.

2. Create an environment that involves continuous coaching and performance dialogue within work teams. Vital Learning teaches that managers should use positive performance feedback to encourage self-motivation among team members. Another skill for leaders to develop is to encourage and obtain team member participation. Manager-employee relationships improves, day-to-day productivity increases, and individuals and teams offer ideas that result in groundbreaking improvements.

3. Involve employees in a higher purpose. Employees need to understand the organization's mission and vision and clearly comprehend their roles in achieving these. They must see how their work on the job contributes to their performance management. This makes work more meaningful and satisfying.

4. Hold people accountable by establishing clear performance expectations with the goal for employees to contribute to the organization. Another Vital Learning technique teaches leaders to work with employees by developing performance standards that are S.M.A.R.T.-based:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Results-Oriented
• Time-Framed

Employees feel motivated and satisfied if they are delivering on their work promises to the team, the manager and all company stakeholders.

5. Align the performance culture with engagement strategies, job design and reward systems to maximize motivation. Sonoco created a pay-for-performance system that establishes clear links between performance and rewards based on individual and group measurements. Employee satisfaction and engagement improved markedly. In 2005, Sonoco was named by Hewitt Associates as one of the top 20 talent management organizations in the United States.

Final Thoughts

Developing performance management and setting employee development standards may not be completely ugly in your organization. However, even if your skills are good, it is critical to your organization's success that you continually improve whenever possible. With a well-defined approach in these areas, employees will become more committed, engaged and satisfied --- and this results in less stress and greater productivity for everyone.

Thought for the Day

"The secret to high performance and satisfaction --- at work, at school, and at home --- is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world."

--- Daniel H. Pink, Author of

The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

Sources:

Barrington, L., Franco, L (Jan. 2010). Conference Board report on engagement.
Coffman, C. (2000). Is Your Company Bleeding Talent? The Gallup Organization.
Developing Performance Standards (2010). Vital Learning
Fairlie, P. (2010). 10 Ways to Make Work More Meaningful, Workforce Management.
Lockwood, N. et. al (2010). Motivation in Today's Workplace: The Link to Performance, Research Quarterly, SHRM.Schade, J. (2010).
Providing Performance Feedback (2010). Vital Learning.
Towers Watson (Oct. 2009). Managing Talent in Tough Times. A Tipping Point for Talent Management
Trinka, J. (2010). Action Plan to Achieve Breakthrough Improvement in Employee Productivity and Leadership Effectiveness, GovLeaders.org.
Trinka, J. (2009) What's a Manager to Do? GovLeaders.org

Leading Despite Chaos

During the 9/11 crisis, the world witnessed tremendous courage and collaboration as the United States struggled to remain calm and collected despite the chaos, fear and resulting change. Leaders emerged from all walks of life.

The current global recession has brought about chaos in organizations, and organizations can learn from the way the government has handled crisis situations.

Today, many employees are unhappy at work, and job satisfaction has been on the decline. A recent Gallup report showed that more than 70 percent of employees are actively disengaged. Organizations are struggling to maneuver profitably amid economic uncertainty, and they're trying to find opportunity, retain customers and manage constant change.

According to chaos theory, chaos causes systems and people to function in ways that are often unpredictable and sometimes counter intuitive.

In order to be effective during times of crisis or chaos, leaders must maintain perspective and exercise good judgment. They must be actively committed to optimism and focus on the future.

In organizations, adapting to change during crisis and chaos requires a new kind of leadership that drives a culture of collaboration to understand difficult challenges and discover how to resolve them.

Crisis, Chaos and Change

During times of crisis or chaos, leaders have many choices and opportunities. They can remain frozen in a state of denial, or they can become proactive in their leadership. Although such situations are often painful, proactive leaders see these times as opportunities to make changes that can result in positive outcomes. These leaders guide others with the kind of courage and confidence that inspires them to press on.

Good Judgment and Communication

In their book Judgment, authors Noel M. Tichy and Warren G. Bennis wrote, "If leaders don't make smart judgment calls about the people on their teams, or if they manage them poorly, then there is no way they can set a sound direction and strategy for the enterprise, nor can they effectively deal with crisis."

Tichy and Bennis also wrote that making good judgment calls during crisis requires a leader to have clear values with an ultimate goal in mind. They cite open and effective communication among members of the senior management and the team as key elements, as well as the ability to gather and analyze data and effectively execute strategy.

Lessons From Leaders

Andy Grove was CEO of Intel during the turbulent early years of the computer industry. He wrote a book about his experiences, and in it, he explains that it is imperative for leaders to recognize the moments when basic changes are occurring and act quickly and decisively. As for his ability to keep Intel at the top, Grove credits communicating appropriately when slight changes are on the horizon, as well as responding correctly to crisis situations.

Former head of GE Jack Welch always looked for leaders who had the ability to make tough calls during a crisis by using both cognitive and emotional skills.

Both of these exceptional leaders demonstrate that good leaders spend time figuring out what is critical, frame their communications, and then mobilize and energize the troops.

A Case for Training

A leadership study conducted by the Center for Creative found that approaches to collaboration, crossing boundaries and collective leadership are gaining increasingly more importance than just making the numbers. As organizations face change, they must invest in training their leaders to meet challenges.

Training leaders to manage through change gives an organization greater speed and agility. Effective cross-communication between management and effective communication upward to executive leadership creates a forum for better decisions and increased productivity during the complexity of chaos and change.

Training leaders to communicate openly and effectively during crisis and chaos is essential. Vital Learning's Communicating Up™ seminar teaches skills that many managers and supervisors have never learned:

• Understanding the importance of framing all communications with managers
• Clearly linking well-thought-out and well-stated objectives with facts that support plans and goals
• Moving conversations toward agreement using questions that focus on the benefits gained when the objective is reached

In addition, Vital Learning's Supporting Change™ seminar teaches that leaders must understand and interpret changes that affect team members. Leaders should also be able to accomplish the following:

• View change and the anxiety it can cause team members as natural and inevitable
• Assist team members as they adjust to change
• Mobilize team members in the process of making the change

Train your leaders to lead despite chaos with effective communication that breeds good decisions and the attainment of goals. Then, these leaders will be able to manage through the change in the resulting aftermath of crisis.

Leadership and management styles are changing with the times. Help your organization's leaders become effective so you can not only survive difficult times but also emerge from them successfully.

Thought for the Day

"I think many correct decisions are messed up in execution ... because you've bet on people that you thought could deliver and they couldn't."

---Steve Bennett

Sources:

Communicating Up (2010). Vital Learning
Herman, R. (1995). Turbulence: Challenges and Opportunities in the World of Work. Are You Prepared for the Future? Oakhill Press, Akron, Ohio.
London-Vargas, N. Creating Teamwork in the Midst of Organizational Chaos, Workplace Institute.
Supporting Change (2010). Vital Learning
Tichy, N.M and Bennis, W.G (2007). Judgment: How Winning Leaders Make Great Calls, Penguin Group, New York, New York.
Yip, J.; Ernst, C., and Campbell, M. (2009). Boundary Spanning Relationship, The Center for Creative Leadership.

Keeping the Talent Pipeline Full

The quest for finding top talent is not just an American phenomenon. Organizations around the globe are seeking top talent in order to remain competitive. This begs the question: Does your organization work to keep fresh talent in its pipeline?

Managing the Talent Pipeline

Despite global economic conditions, the search for talent worldwide is predicted to intensify in the upcoming years. In developed countries, organizations are finding it difficult to recruit and retain skilled workers.

Several factors complicate talent acquisition: aging populations, younger workers who lack skills and experience, the gap between education and the skills organizations need, lack of investment in training, and societal and generational changes in how people want to work are just a few.

A study conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit indicates that companies are implementing talent management strategies to address the following:

• Globally, sourcing talent is more competitive in attracting talent.
• Organizations expect to experience difficulty in finding talent with the success-driven skills necessary to manage change, think strategically, communicate effectively, and analyze and solve problems.
• Talent management should be integrated with business strategy, implemented by business units and supported by HR.
• Nontraditional approaches to recruitment will be needed.
• Organizations will need to work more collaboratively with educational institutions to develop training programs to develop the skills they need.

Other studies identify an issue with younger generations and their high expectations for on-the-job development. This creates a problem because these workers are more likely to consider leaving if their talents are not developed.

Underscoring the need for talent management is identification of the skills needed in a complex work environment:

• Acceptance and management of change
• Strategic thinking
• Communication and interpersonal skills
• Analytic and problem-solving skills
• Ability to work in teams collaboratively and virtually
• Project management skills
• Management skills
• Industry knowledge

Is Your Talent Preparing to Leave?

In June 2010, the U.S. government reported that the number of people who quit their jobs for positions at other companies rose to nearly 2 million in April. This signals that many who clung to their jobs out of fear now feel more confident about the job market --- in fact, they feel more confident than they have in a year.

David Adams, vice president of training at Adecco, said, "The hangover is kind of over."This could signal a mass exodus of talent in the post-recession.

Results of a May 2010 Harvard Business Reviewsurvey questioned 20,000 workers identified by their employers as "high-potential." About 25 percent of companies' top performers indicated that they plan to leave their current jobs within a year.

The loss of talented employees can have a damaging effect on organizations because these workers usually possess key skills and knowledge. Moreover, covering a departed employee's work and finding a replacement is expensive.

Leaders and supervisors affect employee retention by influencing factors that lead to an employee's disengagement and disenchantment with the organization. In order to retain winning talent, organizations must leverage both a talent management system and train high-potential leaders to actively work with their best employees.

High-Potential Leadership's Effect on Talent

Teaching leaders effective talent management strategies is one of the most important elements of the approach itself. Organizations must train high-potential leaders to recognize potential in others. The Center for Creative Leadership has found that high-potential employees expect their leaders to recognize their potential, discuss it with them and develop them accordingly. The study states that high-potential employees expect the following:

• Visibility and access
• Special assignments
• Training
• Greater responsibility
• Promotion and rewards
• More opportunities in general
• Freedom and flexibility

Leaders should be trained to communicate clearly with high-potential employees about their career paths. Training leaders to coach and delegate appropriately in order to provide talented team members with decision-making autonomy is also key to obtaining and maintaining employee commitment and engagement.

Recent studies have examined the ways in which employees become not only engaged but also embedded in their jobs. High-potential leaders can help high-potential talent by supporting them in community involvement, as well as in professional and community life. These leaders build a more positive team culture and provide more challenging jobs with well-defined career paths. They make team members feel more valued --- and leaving their positions is more difficult when employees have reasons to stay.

More than a Strategy

In today's complex environment, creating a talent management strategy can be tricky. A study in The Harvard Business Reviewindicated that most companies actualize only 63 percent of their strategy value because of lack of planning and execution. This is another indicator of the importance of well-trained leadership with a commitment to the talent plan.

When the recession is over, will your talent pipeline be ready and full? Talk to your Vital Learning training provider today about your strategy and Vital Learning's Hiring Winning Talent™ and Retaining Winning Talent™ programs, two valuable seminars that can help your organization prepare for the days after the recession.

Thought for the Day

"It is not just talent alone that is important...Talent without teamwork is not sufficient."

---Dave Ulrich, Author and Professor of Business Administration

Sources:

Allen, D. (2008). Retaining Talent, SHRM Foundation
Campbell, M. and Smith, R. (2010). High Potential Talent A View from Inside the Leadership Pipeline, Center for Creative Leadership
Hiring Winning Talent (2010). Vital Learning Corporation
Leonard, C and Rugber C. (June 2010). MSNBC.com
Murray, S. (May 2008). Talent wars: The struggle for tomorrow's workforce, The Economist Intelligence Unit
Murray, S. (May 2008). People for growth.The talent challenge inemerging markets
Retaining Winning Talent (2010). Vital Learning Corporation

A-Team Leaders Bring Their A-Game

An A-Team leader heads a small group of people with unique talents and complementary skills committed to a common purpose and goals. These leaders have an approach that engages team members in producing and holding themselves mutually accountable.

The movie The A-Team is a remake of the television show that ran from 1983 to 1987, the movie has a few variations --- like the characters are Gulf War veterans rather than Vietnam veterans --- but the premise is the same. Although faced with their own challenges, these good guys are on a mission to help others and to succeed.

Although The A-Team movie may be a rugged example of how teams work together, the emphasis for leaders is the capability to build a team and keep it together and functioning optimally.

A-Team Leadership Competencies

If you work with A-Team leaders, you'll notice several proficiencies they all possess:

• They create an inspiring culture and provide a clear, shared vision that enables people to achieve more than they dreamed.
• They listen to the team's input.
• They build trust and share their values.
• They make decisions with integrity and reliability.
• They are the primary forces behind successful change, which they consider an opportunity.
• They use passion and intuition to achieve extraordinary results.
• They can mold groups into a team that becomes a force of competitive business advantage.
• They know how to influence individuals to function collaboratively, as well as how to motivate them to excel in performance and balance their individuality with others to create synergy.
• They help each team member develop into an effective self-leader by providing the tools, training, coaching and incentives needed to help team members exercise and foster their own ability to set priorities and make decisions.
• They have a competitive spirit and set an example for others to follow.

Setting the Example

Lessons from Jack Welch, an American Businessman and Author, indicate that great leaders create a vision and help people generate passion about what they do so they become excited about achieving results. These leaders don't micromanage, and they encourage the team's input.

In 1983 or in 2010, it would have been difficult for the leader of the A-Team, Hannibal, to produce the results needed without the ideas and unique talents of each team member. A-Team leadership never goes out of style. Welch says that we must lead by example and master the four E's of leadership: energy, energize, edge and execution.

There Is No 'I' in Team

A-Team leaders are all about the collective results of the team rather than "I." Gen. George Patton said it well: "An army is a team. It lives, eats, sleeps, fights as a team. This individual stuff is a bunch of crap."

What we see in the TV show "The A-Team" and now in the movie is that every member shares in taking responsibility for failures. When tough decisions are made, every team member buys in.

In any organization, success depends on the employees as well as the leaders. A-Team leaders help each of their team member recognize the importance of his or her place on the team, as well as in the company. They help others see that their hard work --- and sometimes sacrifices, during these tough economic times --- are essential to creating solutions and achieving results.

A-Team Leadership Training

Effective training can help managers and supervisors become successful A-Team leaders. Regardless of the method or the intensity of the training, employees perceive it as valuable. Along with coaching, organizations can adopt the necessary leadership competencies and use training packages to build A-Team leaders.

An example of how to customize A-Team leadership training is to cluster training into core training packages, such as those offered by Vital Learning. For example:

Leadership Essentials™ provides 12 core learning solutions that address the typical management challenges leaders deal with every day. This suite includes seminars such asEssential Skills of Leadership™, Essential Skills of Communicating™ and Developing Performance Goals and Standards™.

Leadership Plus™ provides learning solutions designed to build the key strategic capabilities that every A-Team leader needs in order to perform at the highest level. This package includes Leading Successful Projects™, Hiring Winning Talent™, Motivating Team Members™ and Developing and Coaching Others™.

Following Vital Learning's training courses, your employees will have the added bonus of applying for college credit through the University of Phoenix. Ask your training consultant how Vital Learning can help you build A-Team leaders in your organization.

Thought for the Day

"Leaders inspire people with clear visions of how things can be done better."

--- Jack Welch, American Businessman and Author

Sources:

The Leadership Series (2010). Vital Learning Corporation
Bruce, A. (2001). Leaders Start to Finish, American Society of Training and Development.
Lessons from Jack Welch
Sanibel, M. (Dec. 2009). It Takes Leadership, Entrepreneur.

Eight Strategies for Effective Meetings

We've all been to "those" meetings --- the ones where it seems like nothing is accomplished or where the same old topics are discussed with no resolution. The most productive, effective and engaging meetings require clear objectives, open communication and strong leaders who understand the essentials of communication:

• Design clear and concise messages.
• Pay attention to nonverbal cues.
• Listen to feedback.
• Overcome barriers to understanding.

The way in which meetings are conducted to some extent determines an organization's culture. Beneficial meetings are productive, timely, useful and relevant, and they are the result of good leadership.

Case Study: UPS

UPS holds daily pre-work communications meetings at the beginning of every shift. This practice has been part of the company's culture at all of its centers worldwide since 1924. These highly structured meetings last only three minutes, and managers are responsible for delivering important information before drivers start the day.

UPS's meetings help reinforce the company's values on a daily basis, as well as provide relevant information, such as updates about weather and road conditions, safety reminders, and customer service tips. Employee anniversaries are also mentioned during these meetings. UPS has found a formula that works to provide timely information to and elicit feedback from a large workforce.

To Meet or Not to Meet, That Is the Question

Many organizations exhaust and overwhelm employees with meetings. Thanks to e-mail, everyone has at their fingertips the power to invite people to meetings. The problem is that nowadays meetings are often called when informal communication would work better and save everyone time.

According to one university professor, the best way to determine whether a meeting is appropriate and necessary is to find out whether the communication is one-way or if feedback and consensus are needed.

Consensus-building works best face-to-face; thus, a meeting is a good idea in these situations. If, however, feedback and consensus are not required, then an informative e-mail can work just as well.

Strategies for Effective Meeting

1. Plan the Meeting Objectives. If you are leading the meeting, you must know why you are calling it. Clearly write down 10 to 30 words about the purpose and objective of the meeting prior to completing your agenda. Preparing this at least an hour or so before sending the meeting invitation is helpful because you can set it aside and revisit it before you actually send the invitation. By reviewing the information, you perform a "gut check" to determine whether everything still seems necessary and relevant.

Along with the invitation, you should craft an agenda that provides a framework for the meeting length necessary to accomplish the objective. If you hold a regular weekly meeting, then a standard meeting format is also useful.

2.Invite the Right Participants. Invite only those team members who really need to attend to contribute, carry out action plans or make decisions. Including superfluous attendees may slow progress, or they may resent being invited to a meeting that they don't really need to attend.

3. Notify Invitees if They Need to Prepare. Meeting leaders and facilitators should ensure that that participants are informed about any advance preparation required of them or anything they need to bring to the meeting, e.g., reports, records, etc.

4. Start and End on Time. Always respect attendees' time commitments, especially those who are coming from previous meetings or who need to move on to the next meeting. End your meeting a few minutes early, if possible.

5. Preserve Order and Focus. Your organization should have established standard meeting practices or ground rules for meetings, as well as expectations to be followed. Always designate someone to be responsible for taking accurate notes and reviewing minutes with the meeting leader before sending them to meeting participants. Creating a standard format for meeting notes will also prove helpful.
Although conflicts and heated discussions sometimes occur, good leaders keep meeting participants focused on the agenda, give everyone a chance to be heard and redirect topics that need further discussion as action items to be resolved during a separate meeting.

6. Assign Tasks and Obtain Participant Agreement. As soon as consensus is reached on a subject, assign an action item to the person(s) who will be responsible and accountable for it, and be sure to set a deadline for the action item. Then, obtain participants' agreement that they understand and accept what is required of them.

Be aware of nonverbal cues given by participants during consensus, assignments and agreements. Probe and clarify directions so that participants understand what is expected of them and commit to the task. Recap during the last few minutes of the meeting and verify that everyone has the same understanding.

7. Follow up and Check Action-Item Status. Leaders should follow up with participants after the meeting minutes are sent in order to help smooth out any misunderstandings that may have occurred during the meeting. Status checks ensure that action items are on track, questions are answered, unanticipated roadblocks are discovered and better decisions can be made.

8. Keep on Track. Good leaders recognize issues or problems early on, and they attempt to correct such situations, e.g., participant conflict, task completion breakdown, lack of collaboration, etc. Failure to stay on course impedes progress, costs money, and affects delivery and quality.

Attendees and team members often perceive poorly run meetings as a waste of time. Meetings do have a place, and conducting a productive meeting requires that you invite the right people to the right place at the right time to collaborate, make decisions, and set the course for action items and project fulfillment.

Thought for the Day

"It gives them a guide to where you're going. It has a point of view and an action step. You're influencing them toward something, not just informing them."

---Bert Decker, Communications Consultant on Meeting Agendas

Sources:

Essential Skills of Communication, Vital Learning (2010)
Define Goals and Distribute an Agenda, B-NET
Kalvar, S.T. (May 2006). 10 Things You Can Do to Organize and Lead Effective Meetings, Tech Republic Project Management Newsletter.
Let's Be Careful Out There (Case Study), B-NET
Make Every Meeting Matter-or Don't Meet At All, B-NET
Mochal, T. (Jan. 2006). Use Time Wisely With Effective Meeting Management, Tech Republic Project Management Newsletter.

Keeping Cool When Things Go Wrong

"He dozes off after lunch for 15 minutes in his cubicle."
"Her tattoos are distracting me."
"He rolls his eyes every time I speak."
"It's not fair that she takes all the credit for the team project."

You may hear complaints like these frequently in your workplace. According to a 2009 CareerBuilder national survey of 2,667 hiring managers, unusual complaints are commonplace.

In everyday life, communication breaks down and misunderstandings occur even more frequently in a diverse workplace. The varying perspectives about how to get a job done or directives from the top can become a breeding ground for complaints and conflict.

Effective leaders make it clear to all team members that they want to hear their complaints. Then the leaders deal with the complaints in an even-handed way to resolve the underlying problems. Constructive working relationships are maintained. The workplace remains productive.

Managers and supervisors must deal with three areas in order to keep the workplace cool: managing complaints, mediating conflicts and using discipline effectively. Without training in these areas, leaders are unequipped to handle these situations. Everyday issues become problematic and can explode like a powder keg.

Unresolved complaints and grievances cost an organization time and money. The flip side of this is that well-trained leaders know that complaints, conflicts and effective discipline provide an opportunity for open communication, produce better solutions and keep the workplace productive.

Intervening to Keep the Cool

Whether you work in a large corporation or for a small nonprofit organization, the potential exists for growth and development as a result of a complaints, conflict or discipline. There are four areas of interaction in which a leader may intervene:

• Individual or between individuals
• Team or groups
• Inter-group
• Throughout the organization

First, it is important to understand the style differences of individuals. People don't communicate in the same way, and this influences how they react to each other in the workplace. When leaders understand their own styles, they can better understand and value the differences of others. This is a self-awareness practice that leaders can use to articulate clear business goals and keep individuals and teams focused.

According to a global study, "Workplace Conflict and How Businesses Can Harness it to Thrive," 54 percent of U.S. workers, report a better understanding of others after conflict, versus 42 percent of workers globally. Furthermore, forty percent of U.S. workers find that conflict leads to better solutions to workplace problems, comparedwith 31 percent globally.

Leadership training for conflict resolution should focus on four key objectives:

• Accept conflict as an inevitable part of all work situations and deal with it in order to maintain individual and team focus and productivity.
• Recognize positive and negative impacts of conflicts so that they may be leveraged for all involved.
• Recognize the sources of conflict so that they can be resolved fairly, effectively, respectfully and amicably.
• Establish a cooperative atmosphere to resolve conflict as they arise.

When Discipline Is Necessary

When team members perform their jobs while keeping with the established standards, they do so out of a sense of self-discipline. Occasionally an employee may lapse, but a reminder from the team leader usually puts the entire team back on track. If a team leader overlooks the situation, then the issue may continue and the team member may not realize that a certain behavior is unacceptable. When the team leader fails to respond altogether, the situation can deteriorate. Co-workers may be watching a bad situation unfold. If it persists, then morale suffers.

The effective team leader approaches the team member on a mature level, presenting the disciplinary matter as a problem to be solved by the team member. Using this communication strategy elicits an adult response and a solution to the problem. The team leader obtains the team member's agreement to solve the problem, evaluate possible solutions and select the best course of action. This works because the team member is committed to, and has responsibility for, maintaining appropriate behavior.

Mediation as a Cool Strategy

Mediation is a strategy to use when issues have progressed without resolution through other means. Mediation involves the voluntary agreement of conflicting parties to consult a neutral third party to help them reach a resolution. Even if no resolution is achieved through the mediation itself, employers can demonstrate that solid steps were taken to investigate and evaluate the problem.

Mediation generally results in a quicker resolution, reduces costs and preserves relationships. Disagreeing parties often are able to resolve the dispute better than a third party issuing a decision. Mediation is particularly useful in addressing the underlying cause of a disagreement so that a resolution can be found and damaged relationships can be healed.

Some Final Tips

Keeping the workplace cool is not always easy. But, it is possible to encourage more harmony in a culture that values issue management. First, train supervisors to communicate more effectively. Train them in conflict-resolution, managing complaints and effective discipline skills. These should be treated as core competencies for leaders. Leaders should also be able to set clear expectations for their teams. Leaders also should have an open door for listening to concerns, and they should know when to intervene.

Contact your Vital Learning representative to learn how to create a training system for your leaders in the area of conflicts, complaints and discipline.

Thought for the Day

"Working relationships are less likely to be damaged when the individuals in dispute listen to each other, share opinions and feelings, and determine their solutions."
--- Jim Hanley, Adjunct professor and Mediator

Sources:
Effective Discipline (2010). Vital Learning
Managing Complaints (2010). Vital Learning
Resolving Conflicts (2010. Vital Learning
Gurchiek, K. (Aug. 2009). Big Hair, Magnetic Personality Among Oddball Co-worker Complaints, SHRM.
Hanley, J. (April 2010). Transformative Mediation, HR Magazine.
Mooney, J. (Jan. 2009). Coaching Can Help Counter Personality Clashes, SHRM.
Wolfinger, P. (Dec. 2008). Workplace Conflicts Differ by Persona and Locale. SHRM

Moving Beyond the Babble to a Climate of Open Communication

Leaders are role models, trendsetters, visionaries and voices for change within their organizations. Change is everywhere, and today, there is constant babble about what should be done to improve an organization. But the message is unclear. Employees often don't know why a change is being implemented and how their jobs contribute to the intended result.

Employees want to know the answer to the question, "Why should I care?" They want to know from leaders what the plan is and what the outcome will be.

Most employees rarely learn the reasons for major change initiatives from the top of the organization, and they are not often asked for their input or involvement. Thus, major change becomes disruptive.

The culture becomes cold and unproductive.

Managers should share the organizational vision and explain each employee's role in the company's future. If leaders don't communicate, it shows employees that they don't care about them and that the employees are not a priority. In addition, many leaders are only interested in communicating operational or financial information to employees. Employees become frustrated with leaders who don't listen to them.

At this point, leaders lose their credibility.

Fostering an Engaged Culture With Communication

Curt Coffman, co-author of First, Break All The Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently and Follow This Path: How the World's Greatest Organizations Drive Growth by Unleashing Human Potential, said that when an employee first joins a company they are highly engaged. The first year with an organization is often their best.

Too many times, the jubilation doesn't last. Employees can become unengaged (wait-and-see attitudes, which are neither positive nor negative) or actively disengaged (against everything and sharing unhappiness with others every day). Gallup estimates that actively disengaged employees --- the least productive --- cost the American economy up to $350 billion a year in lost productivity.

Engaged employees consistently perform at high levels, and these are the employees organizations need to keep. To retain this winning talent, organizations must have strong managers capable of building relationships and able to construct clear communication. Furthermore, organizations must be clear about what they expect and ensure that managers or supervisors care about their employees.

How They Do It: Communication Lessons From Leaders

Former U.S. Secretary Colin Powell said, "Optimism is a force multiplier." Leaders should communicate to employees that things can change with outstanding results and that the company will be the best in class.

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz likes coffee, of course, but he's also passionate about creating a workplace that treats people with dignity and respect.

Microsoft's leaders created a forum for sharing internal and external communication plans across the business to build a "one-company" approach that preserves the integrity of individual division plans where they are relevant to separate audiences but also enables employees to identify connection points between plans. Through the use of its communication technologies, Microsoft uses a "storytelling" framework that cuts through babble and clutter. Company leaders practice constructing messages that are respectful, essential, professional and unambiguous.

Cisco doesn't describe itself in technical terms; instead, leaders communicate the company as one that changes the way people live, work, play and learn. Employees want to become part of the bigger picture by contributing to the company. Cisco's leaders craft and deliver the company's vision in messages that are concise and specific and that draw on emotions.

One leader at Google holds office hours where anyone can sign up for time to provide feedback on topics or projects.

The Ritz-Carlton holds daily staff meetings where leaders share stories of employees' outstanding service. This is motivational for employees, and creates a positive attitude throughout the workplace.

Delivering on the Communication Promise

Employees are motivated indirectly through leadership and communication. However, research shows that less than half of employees are typically satisfied with communication from senior leaders.

"Leaders strategically use communication to produce enthusiasm and foster an atmosphere of open exchange and support," said James A. Trinka, Ph.D., chief learning officer at the FBI. "They are adept at energizing people to see pathways that get to goals-despite challenging conditions."

Leaders must learn skills to present themselves as principals who communicate well. The following are characteristics of leaders who communicate and deliver effectively:

• Communicate with transparency to show employees they are valued. When you communicate with open lines of dialogue, employees know they are appreciated.
• Deliver praise and provide feedback.
• Be honest. Talk straight. If something is critical, like quality, then say it.
• Be respectful. Don't talk down to employees. Treat them like adults.
• Listen to employee feedback without being reactive.
• Be open. Even during times of crisis, tell employees what they need to know.
• Be timely. Employees shouldn't be the last to know about a change or major company issue or announcement.

Harvard professor John Kottner, said, "First, help the group establish some sensible direction. ... Second, great leaders are all good at getting relevant partners align with, buying into, and believing in the direction they have set. ... Third, is the ability to create conditions that energize and inspire people to get off their fannies."

Vital Learning's Essential Skills of Communicating™ can help organizations build a successful culture, ensuring that managers understand the two-way communication process. During this program, leaders learn the following:

• Design clear, concise and interesting messages
• Manage nonverbal behaviors to reinforce the message
• Listen actively to employees
• Create a climate of open communication for greater employee motivation and engagement

Leadership in Action: Become an Undercover Boss

The new television show "Undercover Boss" allows the audience to ride along as CEOs pose as frontline employees to find out what things are really like in their own companies. Through the magic of television editing, we see good people working hard for their companies, although sometimes a procedure breaks down here and there. The real story in organizations, however, could prove to be much different.

A new Towers Perrin Global Workforce study, "Closing the Engagement Gap: A Road Map for Driving Superior Business Performance," shows the complex nature of what actually goes on in most organizations.

The study reveals that employees do care about their work, and they want to learn and grow. They also want stability and security, and with the right opportunities and resources, they'll commit to a company. Although these are positive, there is a downside: The global workforce is not as engaged as they must be in order to drive results.

The Current State of the Workplace

The Towers Perrin study shows that four out of 10 employees surveyed said they were either "disenchanted" or "disengaged" --- which means they are not working to their true potential because they don't have any motivational connections to the organization.

Gallup polls spanning 1989 to 2009 show that 85 to 94 percent of respondents said they were completely or somewhat satisfied with their jobs. The Conference Board reports workers' job satisfaction dropped sharply from 1987 to 2009:

• Interest in their work decreased 18.9 percent.
• Job security decreased 16.5 percent.
• Interest in the people at work decreased 11.6 percent.
• Satisfaction with supervisors decreased 9.5 percent.

These results further define the underlying problem growing in the workplace: The growing disconnection for employees and their employer is exacerbated by layoffs, budget cuts and continued uncertainty. Employee confidence in long-term career opportunities has dwindled.

The Towers Perrin study defines engagement as "employees' willingness and ability to contribute to company success" and measures employee engagement based on three dimensions:

• Rational: How well employees understand their roles and responsibilities
• Emotional: How much passion and energy employees bring to their work
• Motivational: How well employees perform in their roles
The engagement gap is the difference between employee effort and the organization's ability to garner this effort from the bulk of the workforce.

Disengaged leaders stand in the way and are unable to recognize the changes needed to align with emerging workforce circumstances. Turning leadership into action requires focused training of an organization's leaders, so they can develop a culture that cares about the employees while understanding the importance of performance.

Author Michael Beer, in his book High Commitment, High Performance Management, indicates six leadership barriers:

• Unclear strategy, priorities and values
• Leaders who have a hands-off leadership style
• Ineffective leadership team that doesn't spend time on strategic and people issues
• Poor coordination and collaboration for value-creating activities, preventing effective execution
• Inadequate leadership development
• Closed vertical communication with employees about values strategies and priorities

Improving the State of Your Organization

Essentially, strong leaders can make a difference in motivating and engaging the workforce. This requires them to go "undercover" to really understand employee's needs, values and motivation, ensuring that they are performing the right tasks in the correct way for the proper business outcomes.

Furthermore, a highly trained and engaged leadership team can shape the work environment and culture aligned with business strategies, goals and priorities. This is what you will find as you close the gap: a better performing organization. Become the undercover boss and train your leaders. Put them in action and close the engagement gap with courses from Vital Learning.

Vital Learning's Essential Skills of Leadership™ online seminar, along with coaching, can help build strong, actionable leaders. Leaders learn to maintain team member self-esteem while managing, evaluating performance, improving work habits and resolving issues. They also learn to listen to employees and involve team members in decision-making and problem-solving to motivate employees.

Retaining Top Talent in 2010 and Beyond

If retaining talent is not high on your list of concerns in 2010, then it should be. We're half way through year, and to remain competitive, your organization must retain its truly talented people.
Some executives might think that with the current economy and high unemployment rate there's no need to worry about employee retention. This line of thinking brings a false sense of security.

The U.S. Labor Department recently reported that the unemployment rate dropped to 10 percent in November and December from 10.2 percent in October. Momentum to pass a new spending package for jobs may offer a fresh view of whether the 15.4 million unemployed people in the United States will start to land the jobs they have so desperately been seeking.

As the nation's job outlook improves, a 2009 Monster.com study of 1,600 workers reveals how the recession affects employee loyalty. Forty-three percent of those surveyed indicated some or significant decrease in loyalty toward their employers. This is a sign that employees may leave their current organizations.

The trend toward the decline in job satisfaction has been occurring for decades, and it may be accelerating. According to Monster.com, employers may be experiencing the "early warning signs of the pain to come" should they fail to manage talent effectively during the current recession. As workplace trends from the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) indicate, no aspect of the economy looks more precarious than the job market.

Two Sides to the Issue

Now is a difficult time for businesses, what with the economically driven burn of layoffs and downsizing along with the need to retain the most talented. Most team leaders are unaware of the total disruptive and financial impact the loss of a valued team member can cause. A key team member may be considering leaving three to six months before actually resigning. In the meantime, the employee's productivity and morale often decline. Some employers may have had to lay off employees and discover that they let go of too many. In this case, productivity and customer service also decline.

Cases in Point

One technical organization in California's Silicon Valley estimates that when just one team member leaves, it costs the company an average of $95,000.

Consider a national sales organization that must make up for millions of dollars in lost revenue due to losing a talented rep.

In health care, retaining talent is paramount. Over the next five years, hospital boards and senior executives face new and different workforce challenges, resulting in dramatic shifts in technology, demographics and economics. These organizations will need to allocate more resources to retain existing employees. The alternative is spending more on recruiting costs to replace employees who have already developed highly valued skills.

Facing an aging workforce, a skill labor shortage and changing demographics, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, a national federation of 39 independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield insurance companies, began offering a variety of training and professional development opportunities to older workers to extend their engagement. The goal was retain the most skilled and valuable workers and to better equip them to supervise a changing workforce. The result is that many employees now plan to work for the association well past their retirement years.

Washington, D.C., is a marketplace ripe with talent but one drawing on the same talent pool, offering a variety of high-paying public- and private-sector jobs. George Mason University recreated its culture to retain its talented by appealing to workers of all ages, to keep the educational institution's employee satisfaction high and turnover low. Among the strategies implemented were knowledge transfer programs to help with on-boarding employees.

A Time for Creative Culture

According to Sylvia Ann Hewlett, author, economist and founder of the Center for Work-Life Policy in New York City, in a tough economy, business leaders have greater opportunities to attract, retain, support and engage top talent.

Aside from a huge paycheck, leadership can improve employee satisfaction through flexible work arrangements and re-creation of pride and purpose through volunteerism. However, the most important reason talented people love their jobs, Hewlett said, is because of career development and important assignments that expand their skills and networks.

Retention Strategies Tailored to Your Organization
The factors influencing your talent retention may be similar to those at other organizations, b ut you must tailor your retention program to your organization and industry. The keys to this are creating retention strategies and ensuring that your leaders are responsible for tracking turnover. Companies must continue to invest in leaders; their skills can directly affect the bottom line and employee retention.

Can your organization's leaders identify the visible and hidden costs of losing its top talent, including productivity, missed deadlines, waning morale and poor customer service?

Vital Learning offers Retaining Winning Talent, an eight-hour workshop focusing on team leaders and their effect on the retention of key team members. The workshop teaches leaders to implement a retention action plan designed to increase retention for the entire team.

This program teaches leaders the following:

• Understand the scope, severity and cost of attrition
• Determine the risk of attrition for each team member
• Identify which retention factors motivate each team member
• Increase each team member's engagement and commitment

Don't wait to find out if you are facing a serious staffing shortage when the economy recovers. Develop strategies now to improve your organization's ability to retain its most important asset: top talent.

Thought for the Day

"It's absolutely clear that the reason people stay in jobs are the relationships that they have --- primarily with their supervisors."
---Irving Stackpole, President, Health Care Consulting Firm

Sources:
Retaining Winning Talent (2009). Vital Learning Corporation
AARP Outreach & Service (Feb. 2009). Age Friendly Work Culture Best Practice George Mason University, AARP.org
AARP Outreach & Service (Feb. 2009). Training and Development Best Practice Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. AARP.org
Bauer, J. C. and Flannery, T.P. (Dec. 2009). Strategies for the Hospital Workforce of 2010, Trustee Magazine.com.
CNN Money.com (Dec. 2009). Market Snapshot: U.S. Stocks to Get Another Run At Jobs and Retail.
Hewlett, S. (Dec. 2009). Creative, Recessionary Rewards, HR Magazine.
Kursmaker, L. (2009). What Do Good Employees Leave? Monster
Monster.com (2009). How Loyal Are your Employees?
Stinson, J. (Dec. 2009). Nation's jobs outlook improves. Democrat and Chronicle.com
Ware, L. (2009). The Challenge of Retaining Winning Talent: The Workforce Attrition Crisis,Integral Talent Systems, Inc.

Essential Communication Leads to Employee Engagement

If you were to create a formula for productivity it might look something like this:

ESC + EE = P

Or in more elaborate terms:

Essential Skills of Communicating + Employee Engagement = Productivity

A new study from the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp) on the subject of corporate productivity and engagement indicates that higher-performing companies are more likely to involve employees in the process of cost-cutting measures. In these uncertain economic times, it is more important than ever to keep employees involved in critical company issues. Communication plus talent management programs supports forward focus and engagement for the future.

The same study showed that 91 percent of higher-performing companies point to communication at the top as a way to reduce turnover.

One way to define employee engagement is to consider an employee's connection to the work, the organization, the leaders, the customers, performance and results. Engaged employees stay with their employers, have higher levels of job satisfaction and make significant contributions. Employee engagement is not a "nice-to-have"; it's an essential requirement to achieve organizational results.

A Glimpse at the Disengaged

Roger is a midlevel manager at a software sales organization. He heads up a team of salespeople and spends his day communicating with his staff by e-mail, even though they are only a few steps outside his door. Roger's main focus is sales, which are down. In addition, the company is suffering financially. Roger has been told that budget cuts, including staff, are likely. He is worried about his own job and is wholly focused on crunching the numbers and figuring out who he might let go to make his numbers look better.

Roger's team spends the day wondering why he isn't telling them what is going on. They've talked among themselves and have some ideas about customer focus groups to help re-energize their sales territories. Two people have scheduled time with Roger this week to share their ideas, but, for the second week in a row, Roger has cancelled because he doesn't have enough time. The team is deflated. They are worried, too, but at this point, they are not sure that talking to Roger will do any good.

What Could Have Been

If Roger had only come out of his office to talk to his team, he might have prevented the members from becoming disengaged. The fact is, employees are better able to deal with company downturns if they know what is going on.

Poor managers fail to communicate. They fail to involve employees in solutions. And because they aren't communicating well, they aren't listening to employees' needs, concerns or ideas.

Good managers share clear strategy and vision. They engage their team in discovering solutions, so employees feel as though they have a stake in making things better. Good managers have a relationship with their bosses, and they want to go the extra mile. They care about their bosses and the organization, and they are armed with the belief that they can make a difference.

Numerous studies indicate that engaged employees work harder to achieve within the organization, and they speak positively about their companies. In the process, they also please customers and are more productive.

One of the Most Important Steps You Can Take

If you are considering where and how to focus your training programs, you should know that choosing to develop managers and supervisors in the area of communication is one of the most crucial steps you can take.

Many managers have never developed skills to deliver clear, concise messages focused on the needs and interests of the listener. These are skills that improve their relationships with individual team members.

In addition to constructing clear messages, Vital Learning's Essential Skills of Communicating teaches managers and team leaders to the following essential skills:

• Communicate with a two-way process.
• Manage nonverbal behaviors to reinforce the intent of the messages.
• Listen actively.
• Create a climate of open communication, which increases team members' motivation and commitment.

The foundation of good communication in organizations rests in managers and supervisors who are open and support an environment that encourages the free exchange of transparent, honest communication. Such managers are able to reflect, probe, support and advise their employees. In return, your employees will respond and become more engaged, happy and productive. Get your managers involved in the essential skills.

Good Leader, Bad Leader

Like the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch of the North in L. Frank Baum's book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz , written in 1900, good bosses and bad bosses represent two ends of the spectrum in personality and deed. Some things never change.

It is possible, however, for people to hone their skills and become better leaders through self-understanding and training. One of management's roles is to provide opportunity for employees to learn from others who lead by example, thereby preparing themselves for professional growth. Good leaders create high-performing and high-producing teams. They also create safe and congenial work environments.

The Bad Leader

Poor leadership is prevalent in both the private and public sectors. In her book, Bad Leadership: What It Is, How It Happens, Why It Matters, Barbara Kellerman defines seven types of bad leaders:

• Incompetent
• Rigid
• Intemperate
• Callous
• Corrupt
• Insular
• Evil

The paramount nature of poor leadership, Kellerman points out, is compounded by poor followers. These are people who fall into a pattern of bad habits, which they model from their bosses. Thus, disharmony erupts in the organization, eventually leading to financial and productivity challenges as well as public scrutiny.

Poor leadership is ultimately expensive. It diminishes employee morale, and employees feel less commitment to the organization and its mission. They disengage from the business - and then they leave.

It has always been difficult for me to understand why poor leaders can't see that bullying, constant criticism and lack of praise for the team does not motivate anyone to do anything extra. Why would anyone feel eager to work harder under such leadership?

According to a 2000 study, reported in the Harvard Business Review, leadership affects six key indicators of the organization's working environment:

• Flexibility and freedom to innovate
• Sense of responsibility
• Level of standards
• Sense of accuracy about performance feedback and rewards
• Clarity of employee mission and values
• Degree of commitment to a common purpose
Considering these indicators, you can understand the effect that poor leaders have on employees and the business.

The Good Leader

In searching for the qualities of a good leader, we could discuss many qualities and topics. Leadership is a hot issue on millions of Web sites that currently include the keyword "leadership."

Many managers w ill never develop into good leaders. Others will. Good leaders are often prominent within the organization; others are quietly on the fringe but are, nonetheless, great leaders.

Harvard Business School professor Joe Badaracco said, "There are lots of people who look and act like managers, who have excellent managerial skills, and who don't make a lot of noise. Nobody is writing cover stories about them. But after they have been in an organization for a period of time, things are significantly better."

Former GE CEO, Jack Welch identified eight characteristics of good leadership:

• Leaders relentlessly upgrade their teams, using every encounter as an opportunity to evaluate, coach and build self-confidence.
• Leaders make sure people not only see the vision, but they also live and breathe it.
• Leaders get into everyone's skin, exuding positive energy and optimism.
• Leaders establish trust with candor, transparency and credit.
• Leaders have the courage to make unpopular decisions and gut calls.
• Leaders probe and push with a curiosity that borders on skepticism, making sure their questions are answered with action.
• Leaders inspire risk-taking and learning by setting the example.
• Leaders celebrate.

Making the most of leadership requires that you put the right people in the right place at the right time. It also means evaluating whether an employee has the right qualities and skills for leadership.

Organizations need to learn to measure the qualities and skills of their leaders. In addition, they must build an environment that encourages and develops good leadership skills through training.
The Right Training Tools

Vital Learning offers tools for leadership assessment that allow you to pinpoint individual training needs. One leader might be great in coaching but may have only a cursory understanding of overall leadership. Identifying these needs helps you pinpoint training and tailor it to your employees, so it is focused and relevant.

Vital Learning's Essential Skills of Leadership, for example, teaches participants the following skills:

• Maintain team member self-esteem
• Focus on behavior
• Encourage team member participation
• Listen to motivate
• Good leaders are who you need to drive and support your organization. Helping to develop their skills is essential.

Optimize Your Organization With Coaching

Today's workforce is a volatile workforce. With dynamic diversity, a changing business environment and implementation of ways to re-energize a stressed employee-base, it's time to optimize your workforce.

Organizations must use creativity to resolve current issues while remaining productive and profitable. The way to change employee behavior and improve performance is to develop and coach them.

The Current Job Market

Although some sectors, such as manufacturing and services, expect modest employment gains for 2010, workplace forecasters indicate that recruiting is still difficult, and new-hire compensation rates remain down. The market is still tough for job seekers.

Survivors Need Coaching

What is happening in the workforce today is similar to what happens when a mass layoff occurs in an organization. Workers who remain have "survivor's syndrome" --- they likely feel lucky to have a job, yet at the same time feel bad that others have lost theirs.

At the same time, the tight labor market means that the survivors are probably doing much more work than before the layoff, absorbing the work of others. They are expected to perform better in order to help meet rising demands as the organization strives to remain competitive.

In addition to feeling the need to perform well, many workers may start to feel trapped under the current stress. Burnout and apathy ensue. Productivity wanes.

To combat this situation, employers need to provide training and coaching to optimize what employees' skills and talents and help them become more successful and productive.

Train Them, Then Coach Them

Today's work environment requires employees to use their full spectrum of talents. One way to encourage this is to make sure that your organization is still investing in training. Maximizing training also depends on senior managers' skills in coaching the supervisors they oversee. In addition, other managers and supervisors need to be trained on the same coaching skills in order to transform their teams into successful, productive members of the organization.

Managers who are effectively involved in the growth and development of their employees spark changes in behavior. In a positive and productive environment they practice the following:

• Provide continuous support and coaching for the development of their employees
• Ensure positive experiences before, during and after each element of employee training
• Handle "coaching moments" effectively, so employees are motivated to learn and teach themselves new things

Vital Learning's Developing and Coaching Others program teaches managers, team leaders and supervisors the essential elements of coaching their employees. This program teaches them how to achieve the following:

• Increase every team member's skills and capabilities.
• Handle coaching moments effectively, so team members make learning decisions themselves.
• Maximize on-the-job behavior change that results from training and development.
• Develop a work environment that encourages growth and development.

When these things occur, employees feel empowered instead of oppressed; they feel transformed and energized through training and supported in their jobs through coaching. Your workforce becomes optimized.

When the job market changes, you'll want to ensure that you retain your best employees. Thus, coaching them through these tough times is essential. Let Vital Learning show you how.

Training Needs Assessment: The Doctor Is In

If you could wave a magic wand and give all your people the training they need so they would be performing at peak levels, then that would truly be a magical experience. It isn't, however, the reality. Nevertheless, you use assessment to pinpoint employees' training needs and devise personalized training to them.

For training to be effective, it must be meaningful to the student. The content must resonate with the individual and move him or her further along in career experience and job performance.
According to a Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) white paper, "The results of the needs assessment allow the training manager to set the training objectives by answering two very basic questions: who, if anyone, needs training, and what training is needed?"

The Right Prescription Can Cure What Ails Your Organization

Using a simple tool, you can become the training doctor, able to diagnose employees' training needs and identify and prescribe the cure. After performing a training needs assessment, you can prioritize training based on critical needs. Assessment allows you to determine the number of employees who need a specific type of training, and it helps you determine how to best use your available resources to enhance performance.

The Aches and Pains of Today's Changing Workforce

Providing the right training for managers, supervisors and team leaders is essential to every organization during these challenging times. Identifying areas of strength and growth can improve management in the following ways:

• Leading and developing teams
• Communicating more effectively with an increasingly diverse workforce
• Setting and achieving goals
• Resolving issues

By assessing training needs promptly, you can reduce difficulties in your organization, save time, reduce costs and build a culture that supports training wisely.

Diagnosis Helps Achieve Business Objectives and Goals
Human capital is the most important asset of every organization. Identifying whether leaders possess the skills necessary to lead that capital should be one of the training organization's most important tasks. Training needs assessment also serves to stimulate employees' awareness of their own areas for development. Identifying the gaps and then focusing the training to close those gaps can move your organization closer to fulfilling business objectives and goals.

The New Cure for Leadership
Vital Learning recently introduced the Leadership Skills Needs Assessment to help organizations identify the areas in which employees need training. The assessment's results are based on each employee's self-perception, and the assessment process evaluates certain areas focused on the essentials of leadership and beyond.

This easy, interactive assessment process provides each individual with a development plan that indicates the relative priority of the recommended courses. Combined with the power of Vital Learning's Leadership Essential Series and Leadership Plus Series, you can easily prescribe pinpointed training for any employee, leading to greater performance throughout the organization.

Examine the Vital Learning Leadership Skills Assessment by clicking on this link. It will take you to a brief contact information form, and then off you go!