Tag: Soft Skills

A brand new hire joining your team is quite the accomplishment. After countless hours of recruiting, you’ve made it to their start date. It’s time to roll out the red carpet a bit and make them feel welcome.

Don’t miss this important aspect of training your new hire because you want them to stick around, work hard and believe in your company as a whole.

Try to do these 10 things to make their first week exceptional:

1.     Think coffee

Coffee is an easy and cheap way to give someone a treat. Go to a local coffee shop and spend some time getting to know them and break the ice a bit.

2.     Welcome Email

Make your team and new hire feel comfortable and informed by sending out a welcome email to introduce the new staff member. Be sure to include the newbie’s email and phone extension, encouraging others to reach out and say hello.

3.     In Person Intros

Introduce your new hire to management and people they will work directly with that first week. This will alleviate fear and get those relationships started quickly.

4.     Socialize

Organize a social event the first week so that your new hire gets to feel a part of the team early. Plus, this gives other employees a break from the mundane and the chance to do something fun together.

5.     Tour the Facility

Save time for your new employee and give them a tour of your building so they know where the restroom, break room and social spaces are located.

6.     Business Cards

Try to order their business cards and personal stationary in advance. This extra special touch will be seen as thoughtful and will be appreciated.

7.     Business Update

Your team should give a synopsis on their projects and the overall market situation for your business. The new hire will then be able to jump in and have a solid overview about current conditions.

8.     Clear Expectations

Give your new hire a clear list of expectations. They want to know the hours they should work, when to go to lunch and who to call if they are sick. Clarity will help a new employee understand what and how you want things done.

9.     Daily, Weekly, Monthly Goals

The first week of employment should be a time where you explain the daily, weekly and monthly goals to your new team member. Think of it like a roadmap in order to help them succeed in their role.

10. Recap Meeting

After the first week, meet with your new employee on how it all went. Invite them to do a little Q & A session with you so that they are comfortable and on the right track.

Make your new hire’s first week awesome! You’ve hired well so the next step is to train them right and get them adjusted to their role quickly, which benefits everyone. #

We would love to hear your comments. Please comment below or 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.

 

Written for us by our associate Gary Sorrell, Sorrell Associates, LLC. All rights reserved worldwide.

Emotional Intelligence

CEOs typically put in countless hours to prepare for this important company role. They tend to learn how to be a leader during their stay in middle management. Often, these managers make mistakes such as being overbearing, micromanaging, and forgetting to invest in people on occasion.

Over time, they learned what they did well and what they could have done better. They figured out how to read people, support their team, detect signs of rebellion, and what motivates their staff.  While these were all helpful aspects of learning how to manage others, it did not completely prepare them to be a CEO.

The Power Struggle

Newfound power can cause issues both for a team and a new CEO.  For one, a CEO may not realize how blind they can be with staff relationships. There are two necessary emotional competencies to have in order for them to handle power and their team effectively.

CEOs need:

1) Self-awareness

2) Empathy

Power is known to corrupt even the wisest individual. Also, people treat you differently when you are in a powerful position. CEOs must take time for their own self-analysis. Are you leading your team empathetically and in a way that will motivate them to succeed? If not, then you may deal with scenarios where you and your team could be blinded by your power.

Questions to Consider

Future CEOs can be prepared to handle power at work.  They must focus on their own professional and personal growth in order to be a great leader. In other words, you have to understand and know yourself through and through.

Consider the following:

• How do you feel about power? Do you respond to authority respectfully?
• Do you feel like you are harsh with people when they don’t meet your expectations?
• How do you feel when you fall short? What about when other people do?
• Is there something more important than power?
• Do you turn inward or lash out at others when you make a mistake?
• How essential is workplace happiness?

A prospective CEO’s answers will show what they really hold valuable in life and will determine how they handle power with their team.

Over the last several decades, leaders began to accept that emotional intelligence is necessary to succeed. CEOs have the responsibility of others in their hands. They are able to help and shape their team’s careers and invest in their livelihoods. The role is powerful and can be used to benefit both a company and its employees. #

We would love to hear your comments. Please comment below or 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.

 

Written for us by our associate Gary Sorrell, Sorrell Associates, LLC. All rights reserved worldwide.

As more and more young people are coming into the market, the larger the soft skills gap becomes. There is no way to avoid hiring individuals that lack these skills. Instead of limiting your hiring radius, build soft skill training into the culture of your business.

Determine What Soft Skills Are Most Important

There are some soft skills that you will want to be especially honed in your employees. Identify what these skills are and work with employees on these areas. When you know what needs to be focused on, it will help you to implement training programs that will increase your team member’s soft skills.

Help Team Members Understand The Importance

People will get behind ideas and processes that they understand and believe in. Explain to your staff that these soft skills are not only important to the business, but will be beneficial to the individual. When your employees understand that you are teaching them skills that will carry them through their careers, they will be more vested in learning.

Get Active Participation From Employees

In an age where you can get online and Google how to do just about everything, the younger generation is used to self-learning. Get them involved with coming up with valuable training programs and speakers that will teach what they are in need of.

It is important that you allow them to bring some of their own creativity to the process. This simple idea alone will help to bridge the soft skills gap.

Give Opportunity For Hands On Experiences

Part of the learning process is to give people hands on training experiences. Pair your untrained employees up with those that are more skilled in these areas. Allow them to shadow the stronger staff members to see exactly how to use the soft skills they have been learning.

Once the team member has walked alongside a mentor, they need to be given the chance to do it on their own. At first, they need to be shadowed by the more knowledgeable staff member. When they are ready, they can be turned loose to use their new skills.

Reward Model Behaviors in The Company

When employees are found modeling the behaviors that support the company culture, they should be rewarded. With the right incentives, others will follow suit. With a reward system, you will encourage compliance amongst the rest of the staff.

Be prepared to implement soft skills training for your team members. This is a great way to build a greater unity in the company. The more your staff learns together, the more unified they will become.

We would love to hear your comments. Please comment below or 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.

 

Written for us by our associate Gary Sorrell, Sorrell Associates, LLC. All rights reserved worldwide.