Posts Tagged ‘performance’

What Does Employee Engagement Have To Do With Customer Satisfaction?

Wednesday, August 18th, 2010 by Martha Forlines & Thad Green

Recap of leader Quick Tip: What does employee engagement have to do with customer satisfaction?

If you measure customer satisfaction by having reliable processes in place to deliver quality products and services, plus good customer relationships, then there are a handful of employee engagement measures that can make a difference.

customer-satisfaction

Employee Engagement Measures for Process Improvement

  • One of the key measures for employee engagement around process improvement is having the materials and equipment for employees to do their very best job.  Ok, that sounds reasonable and fair.
  • The second employee engagement measure for successful process implementation is having the opportunity for employees to do what they do best in their job every day.  This gets back to selecting the right people for the right seats on the proverbial bus, doesn’t it?

That’s as far as the research goes for process improvement and the link to employee engagement. But what about employees having input on the process improvement activities or employees needing to be communicated with about changes in the workplace before they happen?  It truly is in the eye of the beholder – the employee.

Let’s move on to what research says about managing the customer relationship… keeping the customer satisfied and happy. These two may surprise you.

Two Employee Engagement Measures That Contribute To Satisfied Customers

  • The first: The purpose or mission of the organization makes the employee feel like their job is important. Shouldn’t everyone be made to feel like their contributions every day are important to the success of the organization?  What a lost opportunity for so many organizations and for so many leaders.
  • The second: Co-workers are committed to doing quality work. Translated, this means “If I’m going to bust my hump every day doing quality work then I expect my peers to be doing the same”. Otherwise, keeping the customers satisfied is a lost cause.

So which of these elements do you as a leader have in your control in order to create a satisfying experience for your customers?  How about all of them? Isn’t that a relief !

If you really want to know more, all you have to do is ask your employees.

Martha Forlines and Thad Green are leadership consultants with BSI, an Atlanta leadership consulting firm. We offer leadership solutions for increasing employee engagement and performance. Contact Us

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Traditional Employee Engagement Strategies Are Flawed

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010 by Martha Forlines & Thad Green

Recap of Leader Quick Tip: Traditional employee engagement strategies are flawed

Let’s say (just for the sake of understanding the big flaw) that you’re not truly engaged—that is, YOU aren’t truly committed physically, emotionally, and intellectually to your work.

Now, how many things have to change for you to get “true engagement?” Exactly what would have to change? Hmmm . . .

And suppose the execs above you announce an employee engagement initiative. They’ve picked out 10 to 15 things to address to get the workforce truly engaged—a magic generic formula.

How many of the 10 to 15 would you guess are on the list YOU made?

And what’s the likelihood you’ll ever get the 10 to 15 anyway, given the way things usually are implemented due to blasé attitudes and lack of accountability?

How does this make you feel?

You are a leader. So if you feel this way, how must those below you feel?employee engagement strategies are flawed

So what is a leader to do?

Look at the strategy. It’s all based on the false assumption that everybody is the same, that everybody will be more engaged if someone does the same 10 to 15 things for (or to) them.

Well it just isn’t so. The reality is that you’re not like the guy in the office or cubicle next to you. You’re not like your boss. You’re not like the people on your team.

Sure there may be some sameness, but the truth is— everybody is different.

The workforce will never be truly engaged until leaders recognize and manage to these differences.

Martha Forlines and Thad Green are leadership consultants with BSI, an Atlanta leadership consulting firm. We offer leadership solutions for increasing employee engagement and performance. Contact Us

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BSI Experts Lambast Traditional Employee Engagement Surveys

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010 by Martha Forlines & Thad Green

Recap of Leadership Quick Tip: Engagement surveys are nothing more than employee opinion surveys by another name

employee-engagement-survey

Here’s how they are the same:

1. Survey items are around the same old employee satisfaction stuff;
2. Engagement surveys are completed anonymously too;
3. Data continue to be aggregated for reporting;
4. Survey results continue to show problems that are too pervasive, too elusive, too demanding, too costly, and too easy to let slide and
5. Good intentions to take action (based on results) lose momentum like usual.

Perhaps the biggest issue, aside from the surveys themselves, is this: If managers haven’t been held accountable to lead effectively in the past, who is going to hold them accountable now?
So what’s a leader to do, if you want to crank up employee engagement a notch or two on your team…

Call us for proven engagement solutions that work for your team or larger organization at 678-576-5207.

Martha Forlines and Thad Green

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Employees First and Customers Second??

Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010 by Martha Forlines & Thad Green

Recap of leader quick tip: It’s easier to face disengagement (and more profitable) than live with it

Here’s a solution with a different spin.


It comes from Vineet Nayar, CEO of HCL Technologies, a global information technology services company, as reported at Forbes.com 06.18.10.

He recommends using a management approach called Employees First, Customers Second. Mr. Nayar stresses that this is not a human resources initiative, but a management approach.

“I don’t think that employee ‘satisfaction’ is something a company should strive for. Satisfaction is a passive state, isn’t it?”

“As for employee ‘engagement,’ that isn’t much better than satisfaction,” he says.

“What we want at HCL is passion.”

Mr. Nayar says this is working in HCL.

We know it works! We’ve been helping clients put employees first since 1991.

Maybe all of us should stop thinking about “engagement” and start focusing on ENGAGEMENT WITH PASSION!

To learn how we do this, go to our website at www. beliefsysteminstitute.com.

Martha Forlines and Thad Green

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Employees struggling to be successful…what do you do?

Monday, November 2nd, 2009 by Martha Forlines & Thad Green
Recap of the Leadership Quick Tip for November 2, 2009: Can you make people enjoy their work?

Below is a constructive conversation that leads to an amazing end result. You can have this too, time and time again. All you have to do is follow the basic pattern shown here.
 
     At first glance she looked every bit the confident, fast track, career woman she was supposed to be.  Then she gathered a strained smile and said “Hello” to Clark, her manager.  She was wearing a layer of uneasiness that did not match her natural pleasant manner.  Her eyes were filled with doubt.
 
     They took their seats. Jane cleared her throat and said “I want to talk with you about a problem.”
 
     “Okay, I’ll do whatever I can to help,” Clark responded. “Tell me what’s going on.”
 
     Jane began. “When I first got the promotion, I remember thinking that most people don’t have job satisfaction and I was one of the lucky ones.  Becoming a manager was a dream come true.  I got more money, more responsibility, and the best part was I loved my job.  I had it all.”
 
     When she paused, her shoulders sagged.  “I’ve been in the job for only three months and everything has fallen apart.  My website design team is missing deadlines, our customers are complaining, and employee morale is terrible.  I hate my job and I think it’s time to leave it.”enjoywork
 
     Clark picked the cuticle on his right thumb with his right index finger, the way he did when he was nervous. Then he looked up and said, “Jane, are you feeling a lot of pain?” 

     “It’s killing me.  I’ve never failed at anything before and I don’t know how to turn it around.”
 
     She had concluded, “I can’t do it.”  Clark wondered why.  It was worth a guess. “Do you have the skills you need for the job?”
 
     She shifted her eyes to him and looked uncomfortable.
 
     He said, “It’s okay to say it, Jane.”
 
     “To be honest, I feel like I’ve been thrown to the wolves out there, to make or break it on my own.  I wasn’t prepared for it.”  Then, “I don’t blame anyone but myself though.”
 
     Clark responded, “I knew you were struggling and should have offered to help you before now.”
 
    Her response to Clark’s next question would be telling.  “Jane, imagine that you are able to get better control of things and make the problems go away.  Projects are completed on time, customers are satisfied, and employees are motivated.  If you were performing well, how would you like your job?”
 
     “I’d love it.  It would be a great job.”
 
     “So, is it the job you hate, or the fear of failing?”
 
     She looked at Clark for what seemed a long time, then at her hands gripped tightly in her lap.  When she looked up she was talking to herself more than to Clark.  “I’ve been running from the wrong thing, haven’t I?”  She looked at her hands again. “When I learn how to be a better manager, I’ll enjoy this job. Clark, will you help me?”
 
     “Yes, I will, Jane.  I want you to succeed.  What’s the best way for me to help you?”
 
     She responded immediately.  “I wanted to ask you this several weeks ago, but you’re so busy I just didn’t.”  She looked down and paused. 
 
     Clark looked at her, gave her a “go ahead” nod, and started working on his thumb again.
 
     “I’d like to meet with you a couple of times a week.  I can tell you what’s going on and how I plan to handle things.  You can give me your reaction and any coaching I need.”
 
     “I’m more than willing to do that, anytime you want.  Ask Julie to put you on my calendar so I’ll know when to be available.  Is there anything else?”
 
     “That’s all for now.  This will be a great start.” 
 
     Jane gave Clark a soft-spoken, sincere thanks, formed an easy smile, and blinked to dry her eyes.
 
     Clark had stopped playing with his thumb and said, “Jane, you’ve got my commitment to help you succeed.” 

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#1 De-Motivator in Corporate America

Monday, September 21st, 2009 by Martha Forlines & Thad Green
 
Recap of this week’s Leader Quick Tip: “It doesn’t matter” is the #1 de-motivator in corporate America today.

Look around at a few teenagers you know. Some are not polite, not respectful, and not responsible. Some don’t study, don’t get a part-time job, and don’t help around the house. And why? See it from their point of view. They believe “it doesn’t matter.” So why bother?

Many people already in the workplace hold this belief that “it doesn’t matter.”

Can you grasp the far reaching impact of this?

And what about the impact when you are their manager?

“It doesn’t matter” clearly is a serious and pervasive problem in the workforce today. If fact, “it doesn’t matter” is the #1 de-motivator.

“It doesn’t matter” boils down to big trouble. Think about it. This belief that “it doesn’t matter” wraps its arms around many beliefs.pic9-21-sm

“You never get what your performance deserves.”

“Rewards aren’t based on your performance.”

“Poor performers get by with it.”

“High performers always get more work.”

“Seniority and politics count more than performance.”

And so on.

The solution is to create the belief that “it does matter.” That performance does matter.

“It does matter” because positive reinforcement is given, or withheld, to match what performance deserves;

Because “getting by” is not good enough;

Because poor performance is not tolerated;

Because what you say about the importance of performance is backed up with action;

Because you say what you’ll do, and you do what you say;

Because when performance gets off track, you see it quickly, and jump on it immediately;

Because you’re not afraid to confront anybody whose performance is not up to par;

Because you help people get back on course whether they need a word of encouragement or a helping hand;

Because you don’t play favorites; and

Because you hold EVERYBODY accountable.

And how do you as a leader benefit by erasing the belief that “it doesn’t matter?” Even with just a few or only two of those you lead?

This is how to motivate employees. Motivation leads to higher performance. And that’s what you want.

You’ll have less problem performers to deal with as motivation replaces de-motivation and employee job satisfaction increases.

Doing away with “it doesn’t matter” gives you your own employee motivation program, one that is entirely in your hands.

It also is your own personal employee performance management program, with a sound basis for developing performance improvement plans.

You become a more effective leader when you manage in a way that wipes out the damage caused by “it doesn’t matter.”

These benefits are yours for the taking.

“It doesn’t matter’” is an urgent issue because it holds you back as a leader from accomplishing all you have set your sights on.

Now is the time to act. Here is the way to get started.

Bone up on how to identify employees who hold the “it doesn’t matter” belief, and exactly how to tackle it.

Get a copy of Motivation Management by Thad Green, and read it, by clicking on amazon.com.

***Sign up for Martha’s webinar on September 22nd at 11:00 a.m.***

Take a chance on catching Martha by calling 678.576.5207.

Oh, and one more benefit. Your job becomes easier, less time consuming, and more satisfying when you cure “it doesn’t matter” among those you lead.

And remember, you CAN wipe away “it doesn’t matter” like the rain or the ocean tide makes footprints disappear.

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Recap from this week’s Leader Quick Tip:

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009 by Martha Forlines & Thad Green
 
Do people pursue only personal payoffs? …

Belief 3: Satisfaction . . .”The things I get from my job are satisfying.”

Here’s a quick-review glance at the three conditions for motivation and performance:

  1. Belief-1—Confidence—“I believe I can do what is expected of me.”
  2. Belief-2—Trust—“I believe my manager will give what my performance deserves.”
  3. Belief-3—Satisfaction—“I believe the things I get from my job will be satisfying.”

If all of these beliefs are not solidly held, motivation and performance will suffer.

People are pursuing payoffs. Payoffs are satisfying. This is a satisfaction issue that can be a tough one.

satisfactionNot clearly knowing what is satisfying to each person you lead is a problem. Not knowing is understandable. What is satisfying varies    from one person to another.

Why?  Because everybody is different.

One of our clients said, “As a leader I’ve always believed in fairness. I thought that if I didn’t treat everybody the same, they would think I was being unfair.”

Then she says, “Now you’re telling me everybody is different, which I understand. So how do I respond to individual differences and at the same time be fair to everyone?”

Good question. The two are not mutually exclusive.

Consider this example. You challenge one person openly in a meeting. She likes it because she finds this kind of sparring to be intellectual stimulating.

Another person on your team cringes at the thought of being challenged in front of others. With this person you gently raise questions and explore options, preferably in a meeting with just the two of you.

Now, will these two people say you treated them differently? Yes.

Will either of them feel you have treated them unfairly?  Absolutely not.

And why…because you gave each what they wanted, what was satisfying to them.

When you give people what they want, they’ll give you want you want—more engagement, more effort and better business results.

Refer your management team to our Quick Tips for a FREE weekly leadership “reminder”!

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Recap from this week’s Leader Quick Tip:

Wednesday, July 15th, 2009 by Martha Forlines & Thad Green
 
What’s THE biggest problem leaders cause concerning trust with their employees… 

Belief 2:  Trust…”my manager gives me what my performance deserves”

We always pay a price when our actions as leaders don’t back up our words about the importance of performance.

The leader mentioned in today’s Quick Tip paints a dreadful picture of consequences as she continues her story:

When people believe they don’t get what their performance deserves, they say, “What’s the use?” and just give up.

And the dominos start to fall.

Our high performers are looking to get out. The loyal tenured ones whose performance really has never been up to par, there’re pleased as punch. And the steady performers are so stressed out from the fear of being “next to go” that they aren’t getting the job done.

We as leaders did this to ourselves. I’m sure there’s a way to turn this situation around. I don’t know what it is, but I’m going to find out!

The solution is the same as the prevention—actions must match words about the importance of performance. Except now it’s more important than ever.

Why more important now?

Many have seen and felt evidence that other things (namely, loyalty, tenure, relationships) are more important than performance.

Actions have contradicted words, and that puts you in a turnaround situation. 

So, what do you do now?

It boils down to this: you have to make a statement! In actions, not just words.

How? You have to show that everyone gets what their performance lady-smdeserves.

Do something special for your high performers. Not just one time either. Find out what they want, and give them the things you can. Not just one time either.

Avoid guessing what they want. Ask them! There’s nothing worse than giving something they don’t want. It’ll be simple things though, like more feedback, greater access to you, help when they need it, and a show of appreciation for their accomplishments.  Make it clear that whatever you give is because their performance deserves it.

Do something special for those who are not meeting your expectations, too, but a different something. Take a compassionate approach and help them clearly see where their performance needs to be, and by when. Talk about what will happen if they perform as you expect, and the consequences if they don’t. Remember, show compassion in this discussion!

Keep in mind, this discussion is all talk. It must be backed up with action. Do something, like have weekly reviews on their progress. Recognize improvement. If progress falls short, withhold any approval, and have them tell you what they are going to do to get things back on track.

With this overall approach, they can choose to improve, or not. Either way the ball is in their court. Their future is in their hands.

This will work. It always works. You just have to find the courage to let your actions back up your words.

The key is to do the right thing now. It will pay off. Things will turn around!

You may be saying things to yourself now. ”This isn’t realistic. You can’t always give people what their performance deserves.”

True, not always. But you can find a substitute that will make the performers happy, and different ways of holding others accountable to ratchet up their performance.

It’s a simple matter of wanting to do what is right, and reaping the rewards for your efforts!

For more information, go to our website. 

You can also This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it us with questions or comments, too, if you want to.

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Recap from this week’s Leader Quick Tip:

Wednesday, July 8th, 2009 by Martha Forlines & Thad Green
 
Why “I can’t” is so pervasive… the workforce is trimmed, jobs are combined, and workloads break the scales.

THE FIRST BELIEF-CONFIDENCE

“Can I Do It?”

Wouldn’t you like to prevent the negative consequences of “I can’t” in the people you lead?  It all begins with having a clear picture of what “I can’t” really means and understanding the consequences that follow.

The first belief (confidence) deals with the relationship between effort and performance.  Employees must believe their effort will lead to performance.  Without this belief, there is a motivation problem, usually a big one.  Consciously or not, people always ask themselves, “If I give it my best, can I perform?”
 
Suppose a person is offered something desirable but concludes, “I really want that, but no matter how hard I try, I can’t perform well enough to get it.”  What happens to motivation?  Obviously, it suffers.
  
All of us bring a confidence history to work. Listen to Juanita and Gary give an interesting insight into confidence and the impact it has on motivation and performance.

Juanita: “All of my life when there was any mention of me doing something new, my mother always said, ‘You’ll never be able to do it.’  Eventually I believed her.  So when I’m faced with doing something new here at work, fear overwhelms me.  My first reaction always is ‘I can’t do it,’ so I resist.  I’m 61 years old, my mother is in her eighties, and she’s still telling me I can’t.”

Gary: “I got my self-confidence from my grandfather.  Anytime I doubted myself he’d say, ‘Just remember, you’re as good as the best and better than the rest.’  I believed him. So I’m willing to tackle most anything.”

Unfortunately, “I can’t” problems usually go undetected, mainly because people find them hard to discuss.  Generally we don’t like to confess our shortcomings.  It’s human nature.  Feelings of inadequacy and weakness often are attached to such admissions.  So we cover up our “I can’t” problems.
 
Not only do employees tend to cover up confidence problems, they may even deny their existence. Why?  It usually boils down to a fear of the consequences.  “If the boss thinks I can’t do the job, he’ll find someone who can,” or “It will hold back my career.”   
 
The irony in the cover-up is that “I can’t” problems tend to be relatively easy to remedy, especially compared to the problems they cause. 

Clear up confidence problems and you open the way for motivation to wield its power on performance; allow the problems to fester, and motivation doesn’t get out of the starting gate. Individual performance and overall business results hang lower than they should.
 
If you want to avoid the negative consequences of “I can’t” problems, all you have to do is get in tune with the people you lead. Find out what they are thinking and believing. You can’t take action if you don’t know there is a problem.

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