Navigator Newsletter #159

UPCOMING EVENTS

How to Use Assessments to Hire and Develop Top People Each and Every Time Teleconference

Behavioral interviewing and resumes are becoming less reliable.  Finding people who are honest and a strong work ethic provide challenges for employers.  As a result, more organizations are relying on some form of assessment tool.  Assessments help you hire the right person and match them with the right job allowing you to retain them as long as possible.  These tools can unlock the mystery of human behavior, predict job success, identify development opportunities, measure honesty, improve communication, and build cohesive teamwork.  During the Teleconference we will outline the types of assessments available and the solutions they can provide.

November 19, 2009

3:00-4:00 EST

There is no charge for this Teleconference

Listen to the recording

What You Need to Do Today To Position Your Business for the Next Decade Teleconference

Is your organization ready for the coming decade?  Are you?  Economists and business leaders predict positive growth as we move out of the worst economic downturn since the 1930s.  As a result, businesses should see greater demand for goods and services with fewer people and resources to meet it.  This means businesses must eliminate counterproductive strategies and implement new processes, new thinking and new ways to deliver their services.  No matter what industry you are in, success depends on engaging the creative abilities and accelerating the performance of your entire workforce from the bottom to the top.

During this teleconference Greg and Bruce will discuss three key strategies you and your organization must focus on right now to position yourself for the next decade.

1) Managing ideas and innovation

2) Managing workforce engagement for optimal productivity

3) Creating a customer service culture that generates results

December 10, 2009

3:00-4:00 EST

There is no charge for this Teleconference

Read more

https://store.chartcourse.com/

You can also register by sending an email to: greg2-476317@autocontactor.com

QUOTE WORTH REMEMBERING

“Employees are willing to give their all when they are well treated and appreciated. The ability to unlock that potential is a competitive distinction…It’s their decisions, their actions, their attitudes that really make the difference.”

–Gamal Aziz, President of MGM Grand Hotel & Casino

PERSONAL NOTE FROM THE LEAD NAVIGATOR

I am heading out to sea again during the first week of December. However, this time I am cheating and taking the easy way. I am taking a cruise. It is not just a vacation, but I am using the time to finish my latest book, Fired Up! How to Lead and Grow Your Business to Achieve Exceptional Results. I am counting on all my Navigators to hold my feet to the fire to get the book completed.

Employee of the Year

Most airports are boring and impersonal. The Minneapolis/St. Paul airport is a pleasant exception. On a recent trip, I was impressed with the customer friendly surroundings, signage and welcoming storefronts. I noticed they even had an individual playing a grand piano and one woman playing a harp. Wow! According to their signs, the airport is a winner of the Best Airport in North America. I can see why. One additional element is they used their LCD screens to place photographs of the winners of their airport customer service awards and Employee of the Year Program. That’s a great way to recognize outstanding employees.

New E-Book

401 Proven Ways to Retain Your Best Employees is now available as an electronic download.
https://www.chartcourse.com/401-provenways.html

Best regards,

Greg

President and Lead Navigator

GREG SMITH’S MENTORING PROGRAM

We are looking for individuals who want to expand, partner with us, or start their own business. We provide a structured, turnkey process for those just starting out, as well as mentoring programs for those wanting to expand their businesses. We also can provide you the ability to distribute our products and services internationally at a substantial savings. This is limited to only serious minded individuals with the highest integrity and to those who want to substantially improve their standard of living.

Read more
https://www.chartcourse.com/mentoringprogram.html

Essential Communication Leads to
Employee Engagement

A new study from the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp) on the subject of corporate productivity and engagement indicates 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 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 and their customers. Engaged employees stay with their employers, have higher levels of job satisfaction and make significant contributions. Employee engagement is not a “nice-to-have,” but 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 was told to expect budget cuts and staff reductions. He is worried about his own job and is wholly focused on crunching the numbers and figuring out whom 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. Moreover, they aren’t communicating well, nor are they paying attention to employees’ needs, concerns or ideas.

Good managers share a 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 they can make a difference.

Numerous studies indicate 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 choosing to develop managers and supervisors in the area of communication is one of the most crucial steps you can take.

The foundation of effective communication rests with 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.

Used by Permission

Melodae Morris
Leadership Matters

Melodae Morris is the founder of Morris Communications. She is a college instructor of human resources and director of human resources for Visinet, Inc., in Omaha, Neb. Morris is also a media writing and magazine editing instructor and course designer for the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

DISC CERTIFICATION TRAINING

Become a trained DISC expert. DISC is a model of human behavior that helps people understand “why they do what they do.” The dimensions of Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Compliance make up the behavior model. We deliver our DISC training programs in two formats:

Basic DISC Certification: 

Four one-hour web/phone sessions with Greg Smith
$695 per participant

Read more
https://www.chartcourse.com/disc_certification_training.html

Two-day Master Certified Professional Behavioral Strategist (CPBS) program: 

The two-day program will be conducted in Atlanta on the following dates:

December 15-16, 2009
January 19-20, 2010

$1950 per participant
Hurry! Space is limited to 8 attendees per session

Read more
https://www.chartcourse.com/disctraining.html

HIRING AND SELECTION SOLUTIONS