the-leadership-blog

Making the Transition from Co-Worker to Boss

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 19:31:28 +0100

In order to get the most out of your managers, you need them to be great leaders. Becoming a great leader will not happen overnight, but it will happen if you give your management the tools they need to learn how to supervise their staff effectively. One of the biggest problems that managers have, specifically new managers, is that often times they were co-workers with the people they are now supervising. Figuring out how to deal with the new dynamics can be difficult for both the manager and the staff. Having your manager enter into a leadership development program can give them the tools they need to make an effective transition from co-worker to boss.

When employees spend time together in the trenches they often form a bond with one another, and often times the common bond they have is the disdain they hold for management. While it is never a great thing to have the bosses be hated, the common feeling among the workers can help build moral and camaraderie amongst them, which ultimately leads to more productive teams. When one of those team members is suddenly promoted to a supervisory role, it can be a difficult transition for all involved. Going from friend to boss means that you have become the hated one, or worse yet your friends believe they will be able to get away with doing less because of your friendship. Our training program can help your recently promoted manager learn the skills needed to handle this transition and assert authority in their new position without alienating their former trench mates.

If you would like to learn more about how our leadership development program can help your employees make a smooth transition from co-worker to boss, visit us at LeadershipIQ.com

Employee Engagement Survey

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 05:00:39 +0100

An employee engagement survey is something every company out there tries to achieve because when it comes to productivity, it can really make a difference. But few of them really get the maximum potential out of their employers, because many of them are rooted into old patterns of dealing with people and thus they fail into establishing a connection with them that’s more close to that of a “professional friend”, meaning that it is important to reach a level of familiarity with your employees that matches the one of a friendship.

This type of connection is important for it directly affects customer satisfaction, sales and also employee turnover. That is why employee engagement is vital, for it goes hand in hand with your profits. The more connected and focused, a.k.a. engaged your staff is, the more revenue and good feedback you will be bombarded with.

If you are interested in getting these benefits, then you should start right now on detecting any rules within your company’s policy on the working environment and attitude and see what is there that can be improved. You can always ask your staff for suggestions for they will be the ones who will benefit the most out of your decisions. The best thing for a company is to have employees that fall in the exact thinking pattern as the company. When these individuals offer their services to a business which they like and are good at handling, then the results from this intersection of talented people will result in high profits and overall in good customer satisfaction. That’s why an employee engagement survey is out there, to make sure that companies will be getting the best people to handle things out.

Survey Your Employees Today

Sun, 13 Jun 2010 03:31:07 +0100

Employee surveys are the best way to find out what your employees are thinking and feeling. Right, you probably know how they are thinking and feeling. Are you sure? Can they really be honest with you or do they fear that being honest will cost them their job?

It is so easy for a management team to lose touch with their team, to think that everything is okay when in reality there are quite a few members of the office that want to be somewhere else. The idea is to get accurate and efficient way to gather information.

There are two categories that will affect employee attitudes. The first is money. Money is the root of all evil, some say. These employees are looking for a pay raise, recognition and more benefits. The other is the peers they work with. If the employees are within a group of negative people, they will not strive to be successful. Who would?

Essentially you want to cover the attitudes of the staff and create a comprehensive survey that gets done every quarter to keep on top of any issues within the office and address them right away. Not every survey needs to have a name attached to it either. The person taking the survey should have the option to be anonymous. Surveys take a financial commitment from the company but in the end, it is worth it.
Before the survey is conducted, explain to your staff why you are conducting the survey at this time and that they have the option to remain anonymous. The results of the employee surveys should be shared with the staff!

Being Proactive in Leadership Building Brings Value to the Company

Wed, 05 May 2010 21:47:19 +0100

What is so important about a leadership development program? First of all, all leadership programs need to take in to consideration that simple facts need to be available for the person interested in building on their abilities and techniques. Each person in this world has their own unique talents and abilities. Attending a seminar with a well educated and experienced coach allows for the skills and quality of the leader to be developed.

The quality of each leader is crucial to their position. The types of jobs can vary from a manager to administrative assistant, but the leadership quality resides in all positions. How do you learn these skills? Take a leadership course! Being a leader does not mean you automatically step up on the pedestal and claim yourself “LEADER”. By doing this, you are creating a recipe for disaster. Accept the reality and know that you can build your skills and the reason you are in the position of a leader now is that you probably have natural leadership abilities.

Establish an excellent rapport with your team and ask the human resources department what programs are available for you to gain additional training on leadership. Let your team know that you are looking to build on the skills you have. Interestingly, the training you receive teaches you how to communicate more effectively at work and at home! The training should include a specific understanding of the required virtues of a leader, expected behaviors and differentiate the business and personal relationships.

Build on your skills, intelligence and community relations by taking part in a leadership development program.

Keeping an Eye on Employee Rentention

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 21:17:32 +0100

A recent BusinessWeek article warns that the employee “quit rate” (employees that voluntarily leave a job), while at a current low, is no more than a response to the unstable economy. “…Workers’ loyalty [won’t] outlast the recession,” the article says, and layoffs, bonus and benefit cuts and a halt in promotions are all motivators behind the recently reported 25% drop in employee engagement among high performers.

All information that has been circulating since the bottom fell out of the economy. You know it, I know it and BusinessWeek knows it, but it still makes news. That’s because even though the awareness is there, the number of leaders taking action to retain good employees are scary low. The two main factors why are #1: in the struggle to make it in these difficult times retention is not something leaders are making time for, and #2: leaders simply don’t know what to do.

“But there’s no money!” is the cry of defense often heard these days. Yes, benefits and compensation make people happy. But when those things aren’t an option, it doesn’t mean employee retention efforts should come to a dead stop. In fact, that’s exactly the time to amp up efforts to keep good people happy. What’s more, our extensive research of employees in a wide range of industries shows that money is not the top motivator for high performers. For Hundred Percenters, finding fulfillment and a sense of purpose in their work means far more than a paycheck.

Employees aren’t going to sit patiently by while their professional paths amble toward an uncertain future. Driving retention requires taking positive action. Find out what your people want, and if it’s practical and possible, make it happen. Create work that engages employees: mind, body and soul. Better yet, let your people tell you the kinds of projects that will inspire passion for the job. Then delegate some time exclusively for executing those ideas. Google calls it “20-percent time” and it’s responsible for 50% of their new products. Sounds like a win-win to us.

A Monster.com survey from last spring showed 79% of jobholders were actively looking for new employment and the numbers can only have grown. So don’t wait for the job market to pick up before you think about employee engagement; your best people may be long gone by then.