Greg Smith
Lead Navigator & Business Strategist
Our Mission
We help clients maximize their effectiveness and profitability
by accelerating performance. We work in partnership with business
executives and deliver a portfolio of performance improving
strategies that produce measurable results by strengthening the
performance and productivity of individual employees and the
organization as a whole.
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this success to the principles I've learned through your newsletter
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BONUSES
Featured Resources
How many meetings have you been to that are just the same
old thing -- boring gatherings you can't wait to leave! Here
is an opportunity to make your next meeting, class, or team building
event something dynamic and interesting.
Click
here.
New and Improved
Bright Ideas Campaign
Capture hundreds of employee suggestions
and ideas in three weeks
Essential Skills of
Leadership is the first
step to developing successful managers. By focusing on three critical
management skills, the program establishes a methodology for productive
interactions between team members and team leaders. Essential Skills
of Leadership helps experienced managers, new managers, and
aspiring managers refocus on the basics - the skills required to manage
the individual while also leading the team. .
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 Upcoming
Events
Employee Involvement Association Annual Meeting
October 1-2, Indianapolis, IN
http://www.eianet.org
Quote to Remember
“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”
--Mahatma K. Gandhi
PERSONAL NOTE FROM THE LEAD
NAVIGATOR
She looked at me like she knew me. I was attending a conference in Minneapolis
this past weekend. The host introduced me to another attendee named Ope Wemi-Jones.
Ope traveled from Lagos, Nigeria to attend the conference.
She looked at me kind of strange. It was one of those looks
you get either because you have a huge blob of mustard on your shirt or because
someone thinks they may know you. She asked me if I had ever been to Nigeria. I
said “no.” We parted ways until the next morning when the conference started. At
the end of my talk I mentioned the Navigator Newsletter and that is when it hit
her. She had been receiving my Newsletter for a while. We were no longer mere
acquaintances, but now friends. I may be going to Nigeria in the future. I will
let you know what develops. I have placed a picture of Ope and me in the
Newsletter. Ope is Head, Customer Service Experience for Skye Bank.
WHAT DO WE DO?
We recently updated our website and provide a clearer outline of the services we
provide to our clients internationally.
http://www.chartcourse.com/whatwedo.html
THE NEW AND IMPROVED BRIGHT IDEAS
EMPLOYEE SUGGESTION CAMPAIGN
We have revamped and upgraded our Bright Ideas Campaign. Capture hundreds of
cost-savings and performance improvement ideas from your workforce in three
weeks or less!
Use our campaign as a stand-a-lone, high-energy suggestion campaign or to
revitalize your current suggestion program.
Do you have an employee suggestion program? All businesses should be looking for
ways to cut costs, improve motivation and drive performance.
This unique campaign captures ideas, drives involvement and identifies cost
savings opportunities from the bottom of the organization to the top. The ideas
and suggestions you will obtain will improve your bottom line as well as create
a high level of motivation and enthusiasm. The Bright Ideas Campaign has been
used by hundreds of organizations with proven results.
http://www.chartcourse.com/bright-ideas-employee-suggestion-program.html
CASE STUDY – SETON HEALTH – A BEST
PLACE TO WORK
Here is an impressive Case Study submitted by Kathleen Occhiogrosso, one of our
Navigators.
Aside from the basics of ensuring we offer highly competitive wages and
benefits, we have focused on enhanced communication and professional growth and
development. We also try to have fun in our workplace. It’s a cumulative
combination of initiatives that I think keep our associates happy.
Communication
We conduct leadership rounds on all units and departments in the organization.
Senior Leaders pair up and visit departments on a rotating basis.
We ask our employees questions such as:
--What is working well?
--What is not working?
--What are your daily frustrations?
--Who or what other department would you like to recognize that has been
especially helpful to you?
--Are their any safety issues we should know about?
We take notes and our Senior Leaders ensure all issues get logged and are
followed up. We can’t always do everything requested due to capital restraints,
but if we can’t do something we take the time to explain why. We also encourage
and respond to all employee suggestions received through our suggestion program.
Suggestions and responses and are put out on our internal email system and in
our company employee newsletter.
We created an “Operations Council” which is a select group of our Directors and
Managers who meet every other month to assist Senior Leaders with workplace
issues. We hold our full manager group meetings on the opposite month so all
managers stay informed and have a formal communication venue.
We hold quarterly Employee Roundtable discussions. About 10-15 employees from a
cross-section of departments are invited on a rotating basis to an intimate
meeting with our COO and me to discuss any thing that is on their minds.
We formally meet with our newly hired employees when they reach six months of
employment to just check in with them and to make sure things are going well.
Their own managers, though in contact on a daily basis, formally meet with them
at 30 and 90 days from their start date.
Fun in the Workplace
We try to have fun in the workplace. When we had to cancel our annual employee
theme party for financial reasons (which was going to be a Sock-Hop this year),
we decided to hold a “Sock Hop Day” in lieu of the party. We had a costume
contest for the best 50’s outfit, held a hula-hoop contest during the lunch
period, and our workplace cafeteria created a special menu including sliders,
fries and milkshakes with 50’s music playing in the back ground. Members of
senior management handed out free milkshakes to employees and visitors. It was a
low cost way to thank employees for understanding the need to cancel the more
expensive annual party and to convey that despite our need to control expenses
we are committed to having fun in the workplace.
Professional Development
We provide generous tuition reimbursement for all job-related degrees up to the
doctorate level. We cover expenses for job-related certifications. We have a
generous student loan forgiveness program for hard-to-fill positions such as
nursing, medical imaging, physical therapy, etc.
We implemented a School-At-Work Program to allow our entry-level associates to
train and build a career path in health care. They are given paid time off from
their regular job to get on-site training and education in medical terminology,
math and working with computers. We have had two groups of six students go
through the program. All have successfully graduated and some have already been
placed in higher level positions within our system.
We have financially supported managers to enroll in local leadership programs
offered in the community and provide growth opportunities within our system for
them to gain new skills in areas outside their normal responsibilities.
The above strategies are just a few examples of what we do on a regular basis to
retain our employees and managers. Our 2008 Engagement Survey scores ranked
among the top five nationally within our Catholic Ascension Health National
Healthcare System and above other outside healthcare benchmarks. We were also
designated as one the “Best Places to Work” by the local Capital District
Business Review. As a result, our employee turnover has decreased and we have an
18% re-hire rate. (18% of our new hires are employees who left and decided to
come back.) We focus on retention at all times, both in periods of financial
downturn as well as during prosperous times.
Provided by:
Kathleen Occhiogrosso
Vice President of Human Resources/CHRO
Seton Health
CREATE A GREAT CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
To learn more about the outstanding customer service programs available, please
click on the link below.
http://www.chartcourse.com/captainscustomerservice.html
 HIRING
AND SELECTION SOLUTIONS
We provide a comprehensive portfolio of
hiring and development solutions including 360, team,
customer service, executive talent and management
development reports and assessments.
Visit our webpage
Daily
Cartoon
For those of you needing a little laugh, we invite you to visit the
Daily Cartoon page on our website. The cartoons are provided by Ted
Goff.
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