Tag: Consultant to consultants

Why Great Employees Leave “Great Cultures

From the outside, a company may look like “the place to work,’ but constantly they are having to hire new personnel when their employees leave. The culture of the company may not actually align with their core values which make for an unhappy workplace. So how can this all be changed? Let’s first understand what a great culture is versus what it’s not.

What is Great Culture?

While some might think having a great culture is all about parties or free gifts or company sponsored workout classes, having a great culture is so much more than that. When a company’s behaviors, systems, and practices all align with their core values, great culture is the largest by-product.

A majority of employees leave great companies when gaps form between the three elements and core values.

For example, if a company says they “promote from within”, but even the top performers in the company never get a promotion.

To fix a failing culture, the best place to start is by reviewing the behaviors, systems, and practices in place to see where improvements can be made.

Behaviors

Employees want to know exactly what behaviors will get a promotion or raise. When there are clear expectations, employees can focus on working on those behaviors to get ahead in their career rather than worrying if they are doing the correct things.

Another thing that will bring down the culture is an ineffective leader that doesn’t follow expected behaviors. Employees will become confused if what they need to do to get a promotion isn’t consistent with the behaviors of leaders already in place in the company.

Systems

Every system that is in place in a company, such as job titles or technology used, can lead to a company’s culture excelling or declining. A few key systems that must be correctly working towards a better culture include assessments, rewarding, and goal setting.

Assessments: Knowing how frequently assessments will be given and how feedback will be provided on them is important.

Rewarding: Employees need to see there is a true system in place for gaining a promotion. They will lose trust and faith in a company when this is perceived as random.

Goal Setting: Having employees included in the process of creating goals will give clear expectations and guidelines.

Practices

Practices, such as meetings, feedback sessions, or company events, must change as the company grows or faces setbacks. Evolution is the key to success when showing employees that the company is willing to work on maintaining a great culture.

We would love to hear your comments. Please contact us today!

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professional.

Forget Hiring Great People Until You Fire Your Lousy Managers

We’ve all been there, working for a company that you love, but you just can’t stay. Why? Because of how ineffective your manager’s skills are or how undermining they can be. Here’s a shocking statistic: more than one in two Americans have left a job to get away from a toxic boss to find happiness elsewhere, according to a Gallup poll.

Instead of allowing fear and resentment to build in your employees, acting quickly to change the situation is a must. There’s no need to worry if the entire team will fall once the manager is dealt with. In most circumstances, employees will work harder and be happier once the manager that has brought them down for so long is gone.

Qualities of an Ineffective Manager

Sometimes recognizing a lousy manager can be easy, while other times it will take employees speaking up for you to see the problems. Below are a few examples of how managers can change the dynamic of their team and effectively put a damper on your company.

Micromanaging

Most newer or recently promoted managers don’t realize they are micromanaging their teams until it is too late. Instead of providing guidance and allowing their team to produce, they will pick apart every ounce of work or take over and finish the work themselves.

Closed-Minded

An effective leader will listen to the opinion of their team and, where possible, implement useful ideas for the better of the company. When a manager believes only their opinion matters, the views of others will be of little interest to them. It can cause disagreements throughout the team dynamic and potentially lead to a hostile environment.

Doesn’t Set Clear Goals

A team without clear expectations from their manager will not be able to work cohesively towards a goal. They will either be working in whatever direction they think is best or barely working at all without any direction.

What To Do Next

Now, the only two options you have are to either work with the manager to try to improve the situation or release them. If you choose the first option, have an in person meeting with the manager to discuss what you see that isn’t working and train them to become a more effective leader. Be sure to periodically check with their team to see if there has been any improvement by utilizing employee engagement surveys or asking them directly.

If no improvements have been made, the time will come to either demote or fire them. Not only is it bad for business to keep them in a power position, but your reputation can decline too. The best businesses only have the best leaders.

Contact us today!

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professional.

8 Traits of the Most Successful Business Leaders

As an entrepreneur, you might find yourself wondering about those highly successful companies. Just how do they do it? How do they take their company from bottom feeders to positioning themselves as global leaders in just a few short years?

To answer that, we must take a look at their leaders. If you study the behaviors of the top performing companies, then you will see they all have one thing in common: others-centric and unpretentious leaders. In fact, if you study the CEO’s and other persons in upper leadership roles of all the top performing companies, you will see they all have the same skill set.

Here are the top 8 things that exceptional leaders do to drive their companies to the top.

They do not impose

They will sit back and allow their employees to work. They have extended trust to their team and will allow them the freedom to work without the boss coming in and taking over.

They let others talk

They are able listeners who allow others to take the credit. They are confident enough in their own abilities to take a back seat and let their employees step up and get the glory.

They admit when they are wrong

In a true sign of humility, good leaders will openly admit to being wrong and let their employee know that they were right. They are not the type that always has to be right and they are open to other perspectives. In fact, they embrace other’s ideas.

They give their team all the glory

Humble leaders take the skill of encouragement to a new level and allow their team to bask in the glory and receive all the credit.

They seek out input from others

They squash every bit of pride and not only seek out from others how they are doing but they take their critiques to heart. They have a genuine care for self-reflection and continually want to know how they are doing in their leadership role.

They are straightforward

They aren’t people pleasers and you find them sugar coating things to make themselves look better. They make decisions solely based off their values, not to lift themselves up or make others happy.

They are teachable

Humble leaders value the views of others and welcome new ideas. They ask questions and are genuinely interested in the answers. They thrive on learning from those around them.

They create a safe environment

Successful leaders are able to cultivate an environment of trust with their team. They create an atmosphere in which their employees feel safe to take risks, to fail, to come to them with concerns, and to feel confident enough to be part of major decisions.

What kind of leader are you?

These types of leaders don’t just wake up one day and find success. One common denominator is that integrity is just a part of who they are, humility comes naturally to them. If you are a self-centered and arrogant leader, you can try to fake your way to humility but eventually, those around you will find you out.

In this self-focused society, you can see how embracing humility and a genuine care for others will bring you to the top. In this ever changing and corporate world, sometimes the nice guys actually finish first.

We would love to hear your comments. Please contact us today!

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professional.

The Surprising Power of Questions

Asking the right questions can get you the answers and information that you need. However, it’s often forgotten how big of a role questioning plays in our everyday interactions. Rather it’s a conversation with your parents or with a potential client, questioning helps build the foundation of our personal and business relationships.

Get The Information You Are Looking for

The best way to get the information you are looking for is to ask for the information you seek. Questioning can help build an ongoing rapport that makes people more comfortable sharing information and ideas. This creates an environment where the exchange of ideas and information becomes regular.

The more comfortable we are with someone, the more likely we are to share information.

Asking the right questions at the right time can help establish the trust necessary for information to be exchanged.

That’s why important to know the information you’re looking for before opening up a dialogue.

Ask Open-Ended Questions

Sometimes the answers you’re looking for go beyond a simple yes or no. Knowing when to keep questions open-ended is a critical skill when it comes to questioning. The right open-ended question can help find hidden, unexpected answers that weren’t thought of before.

However, it’s also important to know when an open-ended question is less optimal. Sometimes the answers you need are either yes or no and in a negotiation, an open-ended question could lead to the other party keeping their cards close to their chest. It’s important to try and map out your conversation before you have it to try and decide what questions should be open-ended.

Know What to Ask and When to Ask it

Sequencing is one of the most important aspects of question asking. The optimal order of your questions greatly depends on the type of conversation you’re having. Studies have shown that during tense encounters, your conversational partner is more willing to open up if asked the tough questions first.

If you are trying to build a trusting relationship, your sequencing should have the opposite approach. Asking easy questions first can help build trust, making your partner more likely to open up to more difficult questions later on. It’s important to know the type of conversation you’re having so you can gauge when to ask the right questions.

Question Everything

Questions are one of the most important pieces in conversations. An environment that encourages questioning also encourages an active flow of ideas and information. Know when and how to ask the right questions and you could hold the power in conversation.

Contact us today!

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professional.

7 Steps to Take Toward a Succession Plan

Organizations often miss the importance of a strategic succession plan. Frequently, you find this true for a family owned businesses and organizations that are close like a family. Emotions come into play and end up pushing out a plan for the future. Tough discussions must happen rather than approaching a succession plan with the path of least resistance concept.

Companies that are family run or operate by those with extremely close relationships tend to have underlying personal agendas and frustrations that easily arise between the team.

In business, things just have to get uncomfortable sometimes. If you continue to steer clear of necessary conversations, then your business and relationships will ultimately suffer. Having a firm succession plan in place is essential for your company and it’s possible if you follow these seven steps.

7 Steps for a Succession Plan

1. Specific ownership goals

You must clearly define and write down the long-term goals of the company. What is the plan for future ownership? Be sure to sit down and discuss these at length as a team and encourage transparency during the conversation.

2. Set competency goals

As a group, talk about what is required competency wise in order to get the job done. Figure out which person among you has the greatest ability to do what it takes in order to ensure your succession plan makes sense and not hinging on people’s feelings.

3. Assess management strengths

Utilize assessments to figure out the competencies of each manager. Study what you see as far as their strongest skills and emotional intelligence in order to decipher the best strategy. There are some great tools available to help you with this task. 

4. Review assessments

After each manager has taken the assessments, be sure to debrief and review them. What opportunities are they best suited for in the company? How could you help them progress in their career? These are a few of the questions that should be considered.

5. Legal advice

Seek out wise counsel when it comes to legal advice. Transferring ownership has tax implications and legal situations that must be done correctly. Do not cut corners with this step.

6. Performance management

As a company, your management team should be well trained. They need to be held accountable for specific goals and outcomes, so be sure to set a system in place.

7. Name the successors

In a succession plan, you must be very clear and have a discussion with the named successor and help them visualize this potential career path. Be clear, specific, and direct in order to hold onto your top talent for the future.

Think through the timing when it comes to a transition. Promotions can be an exciting time but it’s sensitive to employees. Good decisions and a carefully planned roll out will help a company thrive during the transition.

Need help with your succession plan or assessments? Contact us today!

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professional.

This Skill Will Make or Break Your Job in the Age of Robots

In this ever-changing world of technology, we often find ourselves wondering what the future holds and how will this impact the workforce. The Future of Jobs Report stays one step ahead of this changing economy by diving headfirst into the heart of the workforce and finding out how jobs are changing. Specifically, they take a look at what skill sets are a dying breed and which ones are in high demand.

The Projected Top 10 Job Skills for Success in 2020:

1. Complex problem solving
2. Critical thinking
3. Creativity
4. People management
5. Coordinating with others
6. Emotional intelligence
7. Judgement and decision-making
8. Service orientation
9. Negotiation
10. Cognitive flexibility

Creativity Can Make or Break You

An interesting insight, if you compare these skills with the top skills of 2015, is that a surprising skill has climbed its way to the top: creativity. In a world where people find themselves asking if robots will replace them in the workforce, this is not so surprising.

The world of robotics has made enormous advances, but the one thing that can’t seem to be replicated is creativity.

If you don’t have a creative bone in you, don’t worry. Creativity in the workforce isn’t about becoming the next Van Gogh; it’s about creative thinking to come up with new solutions to problems and taking risks if it means getting results. Creativity is different than being an artist; everyone is creative but not everyone is an artist.

Why Creative Thinking Sets You Apart

Creative thinking goes beyond using a set of rules to come up with a solution. It means thinking through a problem, going through each solution in your mind, and being able to narrow down the best solution. Creative thinkers also know the value of failure. When you take a risk and fail, you tuck that away in your mind for future brainstorming.

It is emerging as a vital skill as we enter an age where adaptability is important. When employees are faced with unforeseen circumstances, it is how they respond to that situation that will set them apart. It is about how they are able to go outside of the rules and beyond the description of their role to come up with desired results.

Creative thinking is the driving force behind business success. If you want to set yourself apart and stay on the cutting edge of the workforce, then you need to practice your creative thinking skills. Until robotics goes beyond algorithms, it is human brain power that will continue to be at the forefront of the fourth industrial revolution.

We would love to hear your comments. Please contact us today!

Contact us today!

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professional.

Why Sales People Fail

Not everyone is a natural salesperson.  Salespeople come and go in companies because they will either sink or swim.

If you love sales, are able to stay organized, believe in your product and are urgent to make that sale happen, then you’ll do well. The salespeople that are lacking these qualities tend to fail miserably.

Sales people fail for these reasons:

Disorganization

People in sales need to be organized.  After all, they are balancing so many “balls in the air” at one time. The goal is to build up your product and meet with potential clients, all while fostering and facilitating good relationships within your company and with customers.

Sales jobs require appointment setting, strategic planning, client meetings and researching the competition that your product is up against.

In other words, disorganization will cause you to fail.  There are too many facets to what salespeople do and if you lack being organized, then your business will struggle or not make it over time.

Lack of Urgency

Salespeople that lack urgency will surely fail.  If you are not passionate, trying to make the sale at every opportunity, then someone more urgent will come along behind you and make it happen instead.  The more urgent the salesperson the more sales they tend to make.

No faith in product

If someone doesn’t believe in their product, then they won’t be able to sell much of it to today’s savvy customers.  People will see right through your weak, unsupported and boring sales presentation.  You can’t fool people with bad sales techniques.

Customers want to know they are being sold something of value.  When salespeople don’t believe in their product, it shows.

Lacking drive

A salesperson knows that to make money they have to work hard.  If you have a poor or lazy work ethic, then you’ll most likely not succeed in sales.  Sales jobs are fantastic, rewarding and can produce lots of income.

However, if you are not willing to put the time in because of you are lacking in drive, then you won’t be the salesperson who sees the fruits of their labor.

Salespeople are able to convince people to buy their product.  In order to do this, they must believe in the product, stay organized, work hard and show an urgency that exemplifies a caring attitude for their customers.  If you want to avoid failing in sales, then adhere to the tips above and you’ll do well.

Contact us today!

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professional.

Select superior performers safely under the law

Have you ever hired someone that was not the best candidate for the position to avoid any potential liability from an EEOC claim? There is nothing in the law that says you must hire an inferior candidate. The law simply states that you, and any of the systems you use, cannot discriminate against the protected group(s). Jobs can’t talk and tell us what kind of candidate they require, so as managers, we need a system for hiring that does not allow typical human biases to enter the process.

Neither right or wrong, nor good or bad, biases are simply a reflection of our personal viewpoint. Often this viewpoint is unknowingly injected into the hiring process, even when it is not relevant to a specific position or to the organization itself. Today we have laws that keep us from acting on our biases as they relate to gender, age and nationality, but there are still biases that affect selection such as experience, education and intelligence. Candidates bring much more to the job, including their passions, beliefs, personal skills and behaviors. For example, perhaps one of the most important personal skills a superior employee can have is personal accountability, yet most companies are not aware of its importance, nor do they have a way to measure it.

In order to effectively select superior performers and operate safely under the laws of the EEOC and OFCCP, we recommend a selection system that all hiring managers can easily follow. That system should contain the following:

• A view of the job — key accountabilities defined, analyzed and prioritized to determine the knowledge, personal skills, motivational factors, hard skills and behavior that would lead to superior performance.
• A complete description of all factors required for the job. For example, we have benchmarked hundreds of outside sales positions and find they are all very similar, but not exact. Ask for definitions of our 55 factors.
• Job-related interview questions.
• Superior performance research that supports benchmarking of the job, not people.
• Gap Reports to indicate the gaps (if any) between the candidates and the job.
• A complete system for onboarding all new hires, including a development plan that is personalized and completely job-related that leads to performance and retention solutions.
• A performance management system modified to incorporate all the job-related activities discussed through the system for current or new employees.

Now is the time for all companies to look objectively at their hiring practices and be honest by identifying any current practices that are keeping them from hiring superior performers. Superior performers can dramatically alter companies during both good and bad economic conditions, and every executive should be asking, “Do I have the right talent to take us to the next level?”

Contact us today!

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professional.

7 Leadership Skills to Become a Thriving Business Magnet

The efficiency and productivity of the entire company rests on maintaining good relationships with your employees. Happy employees are motivated, and motivated employees are productive. A productive team means a thriving business.

These 7 leadership skills will drive your team to success and will bring you from wandering leader to a successful business magnet.

Directive Leadership for Quick Decisions

 

You call the shots and your employees simply follow through. This type of leadership skill comes in handy in situations where time does not allow for the brainstorming sessions that typically happen when everyone is involved in the decision process. This was once the go-to for desired leadership skills, but not today.

We are living in a time when everyone wants to have their say; to feel important and to feel like they are a vital part of the company. However, there is a time and a place when good leaders need to step in and use this particular skill. A good leader will know when to step in and start making the decisions.

Supportive Leadership to Give Your Employees Freedom

This type of leadership skill requires more restraint and trust not to insert yourself and take over. As a successful entrepreneur, you will give your employees all the necessary tools to succeed and then you step back and allow them to work. A person practicing supportive leadership will develop relationships with their employees by showing empathy, expressing genuine concern, and building trust in their abilities.

Leading Your Employees with Questions

Inquisitive leaders gently guide the people around them with questions. These questions can be to gain more insight into the situation but more importantly, you are asking questions to steer your team in a certain direction. In this leadership skill, it is more about the journey to the goal rather than the end result, often with your questions bringing about creative new strategies.

Revitalize Your Team with Encouragement

Believe it or not, this is not a skill that comes naturally to everyone but it is vital for an effective leader. You can have an entire team motivated and committed to your goal but be stagnant. You can have everyone working with an effective strategy and with all the right tools yet unable to move forward.

This is when the right words and the right attitude from you can make or break your team. You would be surprised at how just a few positive words can revitalize your staff and bring them across that finish line.

Empowering Your Team by Extending Trust

One of the most common skills amongst all the top highly effective leaders is their ability to empower their employees. You are not just a person of power with people, subordinates, working below you. When you have mastered the skill of empowering, you are placing more than responsibility into your team’s hands, you are extending to them your complete trust.

It is important with this skill to know exactly how much rope to extend. If you give too little, they won’t feel like they have a say in their roles. If you let out too much it could be detrimental to your company.

Reflection for New Solutions

A reflective leader brings authenticity to their employees. You are able to work with your team to reflect on past problems or actions to find new solutions. A great way to do this is to encourage your team to take a step back and try to view the problem from a new angle.

Inspire Your Team by Being a Visionary

Bringing visionary leadership to your organization is like breathing new life into it. When you are a visionary, you have a clear picture of your goal in mind and you can energetically paint that picture for your employees.

Your energy and excitement will revitalize their passion. As a visionary, you know your end result and you are not swayed by speed bumps along the way. You are driven and you bring a new energy to your team.

Contact us today!

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professional.

Emotionally Fueled Behavior Affects Working Relationships

You have worked hard to get to be in the position you are in today. Along the way you have created a network of relationships. Whether you realize it or not, these relationships are emotionally fueled. Not only can workplace relationships be created on emotion, they are often enhanced, defined, and destroyed as a result of the way we handle our emotions.

Being seen as unprofessional, unstable, and untrustworthy can lead to a downward spiral in your work relationships and put an end to your hard earned career. To keep your emotions and relationships in check, you and your coworkers must realize there is a place for emotion in the workplace. How you use your emotions and how they are displayed contributes to the way your coworkers view you and what level of respect they hold for you.

Where Emotions Fit In 

• Emotions affect the quality of decision making
• Emotions affect the formation of relationships
• Emotions fuel motivation and performance
• Emotions make creativity and innovation possible 

Reversing Job Dissatisfaction 

Overall satisfaction in the workplace has been in decline recently. Some attribute this unpleasant fact to the unstable and faltering ability of people to prioritize engagement with others. Too much time and effort is being spent on the bottom line, creating results and turning out a profit. Where does this leave the employee when it comes to feeling valued, appreciated, and respected for a job well done? As a leader, it is time to step up and say enough is enough. It is time to reengage with employees and to motivate through positive reinforcement. Doing so will improve what has been your number one goal the entire time, generating a substantial and worthwhile profit.

Emotional Inspiration vs. Rational Inspiration 

Inspiration, when derived from emotion rather than rational factors, produces better, longer lasting results. Employees that feel an emotional connection to their coworkers and supervisors are more likely to experience a higher sense of self-worth and produce better results on the job. Leaders who take the time to establish these connections are respected more by those around them, create better teams, and are more likely to succeed.

As a leader it’s easy to think rationally when it comes to executing a plan of action to get the job done. You need player A to do this and player B to do that in order to get the work in on time. Instead of conducting a meeting where you sit and disperse orders, have you ever taken the time to stop and ask the opinion of your coworkers? What do they think? What are their ideas? A little acknowledgement and inquiring can go a long way towards establishing your role as both a leader and an emotional counterpart. Beginning at the top, conversation and communication needs to cascade throughout the entire team.

Turning Bad Days into Good 

If you are a human being, then it is inevitable that you are going to experience a bad day or two. More than likely, those bad days will carry over into the workplace. Does your entire day have to be ruined? Do performance, productivity, and morale have to suffer because you’re having a bad day? The answer is no. The next time you are facing a bad day incorporate these steps into your routine.

• Recognize your mood
• Say you’re having a bad day
• Identify and control your emotions
• Remember what makes you happy
• Your bad mood won’t last forever
• Take some time to yourself  

Remind yourself that it is okay to have a bad day once in a while. It’s a natural part of life and it’s bound to happen from time to time. Recognize your feelings and learn to manage them in a constructive way.

Contact us today!

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professional.