Engaging Employees during Times of Uncertainty

As a manager, turbulent times can be unsettling. Employees want to be upbeat, positive, and encouraged about the future, but news about the economy, conversations with some customers, and input from others in the organization can often leave them feeling uncomfortable and unsure. So how do you balance these conflicting ideas, maintain a positive environment, and keep employees focused on a positive future?

Focus on Vision and Mission
While it is important for you to clarify your organization's overriding vision and mission during times of uncertainty, it is also vitally important that you consider how your team contributes to that overall vision and mission. An economic downturn is an opportune time for you to explain to your team how vital their role is in the department. As a manager, you must create an exciting picture of the future look of the department and team and share this vision with the team by explaining how each team member contributes to making the vision a reality. Employees will feel more engaged when they understand their vital roles in the organization, in their department, and in their team.

Develop Connections
The key role of any leader is to develop supportive, loyal, and talented employees. Leaders cannot accomplish this task from a distance. In times of turbulence and change, you must be increasingly visible and approachable. Employees want a manager who knows them (personally and professionally), who is willing to listen to them, and who is caring enough to take time to address their individual concerns. This is a critical time to walk around the office, make extra phone calls to off-site employees, and keep current with email. Employees who feel connected to you are more likely to feel engaged in the organization. Be sure to schedule time to foster connections with employees.

Create Ongoing Dialogue
Maintain open communication with all employees to build followership. You can do this with general conversation, by sharing organization level communications, and by spending time focusing employees on the work at hand. It is important that you spend time discussing expectations, the value of an employee's role, and key measurements of success within each employee's role. This will help employees stay on task (an important way to keep uncertainty from becoming a distraction) and open up meaningful discussion about how employee roles may change as new plans unfold. Employees who are excited about what the future may hold or about how their role may change and evolve in the future are more likely to stay engaged during this period of uncertainty.

Encourage Empowerment
Employees typically like to believe that their efforts contribute to something bigger than themselves. To help employees feel like empowered, contributing members of the team, take time to help them focus on results that support mission achievement, grow their skills and abilities so they can continue to contribute in the future, and challenge them to find innovative ways of performing their role. This process will help them be productive today, plan for ways to continue being productive in the future, and help the organization find ways to improve effectiveness and efficiency and stay competitive.

While there are rarely easy answers to the unique issues that arise during times of turbulence, managers cannot retreat to the office and hope the situation will simply cure itself. Difficult times call for consistent leadership. Helping your team stay focused on the organization's direction and their individual role in achieving that direction and encouraging them to develop new approaches for helping the organization succeed in these difficult times are just a couple of ways that managers can help create an environment that continues to engage employees in uncertain times.

Building Your Networking Skills - 8 Quick Tips

Networking events can seem very intimidating, but they can be a resource that will help propel your career to new heights. It is always important to go into a networking event with enthusiasm and a set goal in mind. Use these ideas to help make your next networking experience a successful one.

Network online - According to recent research by The Institute For Corporate Productivity, 64% of business professionals network online. In today's Web 2.0 environment, you cannot afford to ignore this networking opportunity and potential leads you could generate via social networking sites.

Start with LinkedIn.com, the leading business networking - Membership is free, and you can pro-actively search for and connect with customers and prospects. Also, Linkedin.com users can post questions to the "Answers" section on the site. Make an effort to answer questions relevant to your area of expertise. Not only will you add value to your connections, but you will also get additional exposure and attract prospective customers who will seek you out! I have over 3000 connections on LinkedIn and add more each week.

Arrive early - Treat the event like an important appointment. By arriving early, you get comfortable in a more intimate setting with the other early arrivals. It can be intimidating to walk into a room filled with people, so go early and let the room fill up around you.

Show confidence - Speak confidently, decisively, and with authority. If you are confident in your conversations and support your ideas with evidence, people will take notice and respect that you know what you are talking about and that you mean business. The Dale Carnegie Course has helped many people increase their confidence when networking.

Circulate - Don't just talk to the people that you know. Get out there and go network! I recently attended an open house for a new hotel in Rock Springs, WY. Everybody else was there to check out the hotel and get some free food. I focused on meeting as many people as possible.

Meet with VIPs or speakers - If there are VIPs or speakers at the event, prepare ahead of time. Do some research on the individual(s) so that you are informed when you talk with them. Compliment them on their speech or talk to them about how the topic of their speech or their field relates to what you do.

Stay late - When you stay late, the smaller crowd also gives you the opportunity to circulate in a more intimate setting. It also provides you with an opportunity to connect with the event's coordinator. Thank him or her for hosting the event. The event coordinator can give you some additional insight about who attended the event and who might be at the next event. It's never too early to prepare for the next event.

Have a robust profile on the networking site - Put in as much relevant information as you can that demonstrates the value you bring to your customers. Put in all the keywords you think prospective customers may use to search for a service provider in your field. Remember, on a social networking site, you want to make it easy for people to find you!

Attitude Control in Tough Service Situations

Companies are facing unprecedented pressure from the financial crisis. As a result, many of their employees may get nervous and start complaining emotionally to their vendors - you! Here are 8 tips you can use to help you and your customer service team control stress and worry in tough situations:

1. Live in a compartment of the present. The professional with a commitment to service seals off each interaction with a customer so that negative experiences don't poison future interactions. Don't allow past successes or failures or future anticipated success or difficulties influence your current performance. When it comes to customer service, live in the moment.

2. Don't fuss about trifles. A "trifle" is something that is insignificant in comparison to other things in your life. When you focus on trifles, you lose perspective. Keep the big picture in mind. Doing so will help you objectively sort out the small stuff from the important issues.

3. Cooperate with the inevitable. Realize when your situation is inevitable. If you can learn to recognize situations where you have no control, you can gain some control over the emotional aspects of the situation. By cooperating with the outcome, you are making a conscious choice about how to respond to an inevitable situation.

4. Decide just how much anxiety a situation is worth and refuse to give it any more of your energy. Once you make it this decision, it is easier to find ways you can improve on the situation or let it go and move on.

5. Create happiness for others. This principle appeals to your nobler motives. It is difficult to sustain a negative attitude when you are doing something good or helpful for someone else. Simply put: Doing good for others makes you feel better.

6. Expect ingratitude. In your job, you provide many diverse services. When you do so, you probably expect in return some signal of gratitude for your assistance. This expectation is rarely met. If you do receive heartfelt thanks from someone, you should count yourself lucky you are dealing with a grateful person. Most people are simply not accustomed to being grateful, even when you provide them with excellent service. You shouldn't let ingratitude deter you from providing top-quality service.

7. Put enthusiasm into your work. Enthusiasm is the positive energy and sustained effort that keeps you driving toward your goals. Making a decision to have a positive outlook can be critical in enjoying your job and working with your internal and external customers.

8. Do the very best you can. It can be difficult to deal with criticism, especially if you feel it is undeserved or if it hurts your self-esteem. One way to put criticism in perspective is to ask yourself if you are doing the very best you can with what you know and are able to do. If you are, then you can avoid taking the criticism personally. If there is room for improvement in your performance, you can look at the criticism objectively and take responsibility for improving your performance.

Resolving Customer Complaints

Complaints are a necessary part of doing business, and you can expect even MORE complaints in today's market. Customers are becoming increasingly choosy about how they spend their limited available cash. When they make a decision to purchase a product or service, they expect excellent customer service to accompany that purchase.

Some people who complain will be difficult to please, but if your company can develop a consistent procedure employees can use for resolving complaints, you are one important step closer to assuring that you deal with the emotional and practical aspects of customer service.

These seven steps should form the core of your customer complaint resolution process:

1. Greet. Always answer the phone or greet people in person as though you are happy to hear from them. Begin in a friendly way. This first step can be more difficult than it sounds. You need to be able to separate previous negative customer service and daily life experiences from your present customer contact.

2. Listen. In customer service, you often hear the same kinds of complaints, so it can be challenging to give each customer's complaint your full attention. If you can truly listen, however, and give each customer an opportunity to vent some frustration, your customer will appreciate the special attention. Be empathetic. Listen for facts and feelings. Show signs of active listening.

3. Questions. Ask questions to clarify your customer's concerns. Again, you need to resist responding until you understand your customer and their issues -- even if you're familiar with that type of concern. Use these three types of questions to gain a comprehensive understanding of your customer's issue.

Elementary questions capture the basic facts of the problem. These questions give you an opportunity to take some of the emotion out of the customer's experience and complaint.
Elaborative questions gather more details. These questions give the customer a chance to expand on their issues and feelings. These questions should be relatively short but inquisitive to encourage the customer to talk more about their concerns. Evaluative questions help you determine how severely this issue effects the customer. This is also where you evaluate what you can do to satisfy the customer.

4. Empathize. Find a point of agreement with the customer. This does not necessarily mean that you agree with the complaint, but only that you are able to find a common ground. This is where you show the customer that you heard and understood their concern and that you recognize that this issue is important to them.

5. Address the Issue. Now that you have addressed and helped diffuse some of the complaint's emotional issues, do everything in your power to resolve the practical aspects. Take responsibility for your organization's role in the customer's dissatisfaction. This is your opportunity to turn a lemon into lemonade. People who have their problems successfully resolved tend to choose to do business with those companies again.6. Test QuestionsAsk questions to test how well you have resolved the emotional and practical sides of the complaint. If the customer is satisfied with the resolution, this will make it easier to end the experience on a positive note.

7. Follow Through. Often, complaints cannot be resolved completely on the first point of contact. If you need to get back to the customer, do so quickly and be thorough in your response. Even if the complaint has been resolved, create a reason to contact the customer again. For example, find a way to offer added value to the customer's experience with the company. Also, look for ways to solve the root cause of problems within your organization. If you can solve some root causes of common complaints, you will experience fewer complaints.

Creating Loyal Customers

Sixty-eight percent of customers leave because of what they perceive as indifference from the merchant or someone within the merchant's organization. They feel unappreciated, unimportant, and taken-for-granted. (Source: Research by Dan S. Kennedy)

Today's customer is more educated, better prepared, and has more alternatives than at any other time. Given the complexity of the marketplace, it is not enough to merely satisfy your customers. You must turn them into fans, who will not only remain loyal to your product or service, but who will spread the good word about your company. You need to exceed expectations, show customers you care, and provide exceptional customer service. You need every good word you can get in this turbulent market!

Challenges to achieving high levels of customer focus and loyalty generally fall under one or more of the following areas: PRIDE

Process: How your company or organization operates on a daily basis. This includes how your company communicates and aligns the features and value of the product or service with your customers' expectations.

Roles: Who does what in your company or organization? Your employees must agree on tasks and responsibilities and hold employees accountable to those priorities.

Interpersonal Issues: How your customer service personnel get along with each other and with other departments. This includes their attitude, teamwork, and loyalty.

Direction: How your company defines and communicates its overall and departmental vision and mission.

External Pressures: In addition to market conditions, other sources of pressure include the availability of resources such as time and money. You may or may not be in control of the availability of these resources.

Keys to creating top-notch customer service are: BE SURE!

Broad product knowledge through insights into what your product or service can and cannot do.

Extreme desire to help. Show your goodwill, passion, and eagerness to please.

Sincere interest in your customer's situation. Don't assume the customer is simply being unreasonable when they may have a very good reason to be upset.

Understand customer expectations, which may be extremely demanding in these challenging times.

Respect for the customer's point of view.

Empowered with authority to provide answers, solutions, and any other help.

Training the Trainer - my 3 Days at our convention

Last week I attended the annual Dale Carnegie International Convention in Vancouver. I got a reminder of Dale Carnegie's principle 17, "Try to honestly see things from other person point of view." The entire time I am there I am amazed at the incredible people I meet and the wealth of knowledge I try to absorb from them. I am inspired when I get back to the office to hit the ground running and implement the new ideas I picked up. I have a new found confidence in my ability to get things done. After 3 days of nonstop information bombardment I am really ready to go home as my brain can only hold so much.

As a facilitator of our 3 Day Leadership Training for Managers program I see this happening to my class participants as well. I feel so proud to be in the position of helping the class participants meet and learn from the other amazing participants. At the end of the 3 days I am always sad because I can tell everyone is itching for the class to be over with. My experience at convention is a reminder to me that, just because the participants are ready to go, it's not because they found no value. Its actually because they found so much value that they are ready to put it to good use and any more class interferes with that happening.

So what am I excited about that I picked up at convention? Well the theme this year was our Competency Based Development System and our iMap Corporate Solutions Model. These are new products and methodologies that were only rolled out a year ago and have already become a staple of our organization. These tools help us to speak the language of our customers. The iMap is designed to take us through the process of designing a program that provides the solution the customer really needs. There are 5 phases in this process: intent, inquire, involve, innovate, and impact. Intent: Understanding the customers strategic vision. Inquire: Understanding the current situation and what needs to change to reach the intent. Involve: The proper way to use assessments to determine the alignment around the vision and the competency gaps. Innovate: Design customized programs that blend competency development with attitudinal change and align emotional intelligence with corporate initiatives. Impact: Ingrain long-term behavior change to achieve corporate objectives.

I can't wait until Dale Carnegie Colorado and the business community we cover are benefiting from the solutions we can provide them using these tools!

The 4 P's of Presentation Effectiveness

Whether you are persuading colleagues, selling a client, or energizing a team, the power of your presentation makes the difference between success and failure. These techniques are useful for managers, executives, sales people, and anyone who might meet members of the media. Anyone who is part of a workplace will find the opportunity to utilize these techniques whether they are presenting to colleagues, clients, or potential investors.

There are four stages to perfecting your presentation:

Plan - Determine how your topic relates to the audience. Define the purpose of your talk as it relates to the outcome you seek. Plan the content of your presentation around your purpose, your audience's interest, and the audience's level of understanding of the topic. Use words and phrases common to your audience, and focus on your purpose.

Prepare - Establish a positive mindset by valuing your message and preparing the structure and timing of your presentation. The structure consists of three parts:

1. The attention-getting opening - Use a question, make a startling statement, or relate a relevant incident to elicit the audience's interest. The opening makes up 5 to 10 percent of your presentation.
2. The key ideas - Your presentation should contain 4 to 6 different points that you must back up with evidence such as statistics, testimonials, demonstrations, and analogies. Make sure that the key ideas all support a coherent message. Your discussion of these points should make up 80 to 85 percent of your presentation.
3. The memorable closing - You can close by summarizing or restating the message or by throwing down a challenge to your audience. A close that relates back to your opening can also be effective. Whatever you choose for your close, be sure you tell your audience what action you want them to perform. The close should make up 5 to10 percent of your presentation.

Practice - Review your content, rehearse, and get feedback on your presentation, and build enthusiasm and confidence to present. Rehearse the timing of your presentation to be sure that it falls within your time limits. Be sure to allow time for questions, if it's appropriate. Consider videotaping yourself rehearsing, and then review the videotape for distracting mannerisms and other signs of nervousness. Remember that the best cure for nervousness is confidence and that confidence comes with practice.

Present - Make a positive first impression. If possible, establish eye contact with your audience. Be yourself and relax. Own your subject and build rapport with the audience to hold their attention and project the value of your message. When speaking, be natural. Speak in a heightened conversational tone. Slow down and emphasize important points, pausing before and after key points to set them apart.

Testimonials: Dale Carnegie Course - 12/4/08 graduation

Attending Dale Carnegie Course graduations is always inspiring. An incredibly powerful reminder of why I am part of this organization. Here are some excerpts of testimonial letters the participants wrote in preparation for this graduation.
_____________________
"I have learned to be more effective....I see the team's production being the best in the company. I also see a less stressful work place that has become abundant with enthusiasm for productivity. I recommend the class for anyone wanting to become more effective in business relations."
- Scott Martin, Mechanical Project Engineer / Manager, RMH Group

"I learned how to stop worrying and start living....In 12 weeks you showed me how to be a leader."
-Philip Huemmler, Sales Account Manager, GE

"I developed more self confidence....It helped inspire me to be the person I wanted to be."
- Chooch Jewell, Sr. Due Diligence Analyst, National Planning Holding

"The Dale Carnegie class has re-energized me in my day to day work."
- Heather Robinette, HR Manager, Denver Marriott Tech Center

"I learned to be a better listener and to be more patient with my employees...internal and external customers at the dealership will receive a higher quality of service."
- Chip Gullo, Service Director, Burt-Kuni Honda

"It has already made a difference in my attitude, stress, concern, and credibility towards others."
- Brian Brown, Fleet Service Bureau Chief, South Metro Fire Rescue

"My organization will benefit having an employee that plans to solidify the solid reputation Saunders has established in the construction community."
- Mike Baksa, PE, Saunders Construction

"I have been able to enhance my communication with those around me...Tension has lessened, creating a more lively atmosphere....making us more productive and efficient...I am enjoying my position more."
- Jason Wenger, Section Manager, HDR

"Improved patient interactions, increased leadership, and a more confident physician. I will be able to take on a more active and influential role in the group."
- Ian Parsons, MD, Kaiser Permanente

"A new found self confidence....Now I am much more interactive both within and outside of the department...I speak up at meetings, take on new responsibilities, and try to teach younger people in the department."
- Brendan O'Brien, Project Estimator, Haselden Construction

"A better, more respected manager, and my bosses see the results.....my bosses are delighted to see my potential coming through."
- Christina Peck, St Anthony Central Hospital

"I have learned that people don't work for me but I am working for them. They are supporting me because they want to."
- Kenneth Peoples, Manager, Sprint

"We are in the middle of a merger and the stress and emotional issue are huge....the class has allowed me to cooperate with the inevitable."
- Mandy Reed, Life Safety Educator, South Metro Fire Rescue

"I now feel like a leader....I had lost some of my enthusiasm. I am happy to say it's back, and with a vengeance.....I feel blessed to have been part of this class."
- Kristie LaRose, Controller, Lifeloc Technologies

"This class has had a tremendous impact on my life....changed the way I approach people....helped to reduce my stress...I feel that I will be well equipped for the long road ahead and this class has laid the foundation for that."
- Erik Ciebiera

"I've gotten closer to the people that I supervise directly and other people I come in contact with...I am more confident in myself and my leadership skills....I have more enthusiasm for the role that I am in as a leader."
- Kisha Majors, Sr. Retail Credit Analyst, Chrysler Financial

"New opportunities and possibilities for promotion that may have previously been far out of my reach are now well within my grasp....allowed me to be more productive at work. I look forward to new assignments."
- Jean Hadzi, IS Analyst, Vistar Corp

Presenting To Inform

The most common type of business presentation is the presentation to inform. Every week in our careers, perhaps even every day, we listen to presenters give us information ranging from status reports, to procedural guidelines, to policy changes. For many of us, the majority of the presentations that we give fall into this category, in one way or another.

Some individuals are very competent in giving clear presentations to inform. We leave the presentation with a clear understanding of the message, the desired end result, and key points that we need to remember. On the other hand, many presentations to inform are disorganized and hard to follow. We leave with only a vague idea of the point of the presentation.

Successful presentations should have a clear message, an engaged audience, and all relevant points should be covered.

The structure in presenting to inform should adhere to the following steps:

Opening - Statement of Topic: This statement should be brief and clear. It leaves no question in the listeners' minds as to the topic of the presentation. This is especially true when the presentation is part of a longer series of presentations, such as a staff meeting or full-day training.

State Key Message - Desired End Result: This statement should give the audience a clear picture of the main message of your presentation. It is simple, direct, and tells the audience where you are going with this information. It should answer this question in your audience's mind: "Why should I listen to this presentation?"

Key Points and Results: These points should be stated in straightforward language. They clearly express the result of taking the recommended action. In general, the fewer words, the better when stating our key points and results.

Closing - Restate Key Message and Desired End Result: To emphasize the key message of your presentation to inform, summarize by restating the key message or the desired end result of your presentation. This leaves your listeners with a message that they will remember long after the presentation.

Establishing an Effective Team

Effective teams are built on establishing a common vision, creating building blocks for communication and collaboration, identifying and planning for roadblocks, and establishing accountability.

Rarely are great business accomplishments the work of just one individual. The problems you face in your organizations are usually too complex to be solved by any one person or discipline. When it comes down to it, the ultimate goal of any team is to solve problems and get things done, whether you are in a project team, a vertical team, or a cross functional team.

You may be creating a new team or establishing a more effective team from an existing group of people. Regardless, you are collectively responsible for the ultimate outcome. Here are the stages you need to complete to form a high performance team:

Stage 1 - Formation: The primary goal for the team during the forming stage is to create a team with clear structure, goals, direction and roles so that members begin to build trust. During the forming stage, much of the team's energy is focused on defining the team and its responsibilities. Team members tend to be optimistic and interested at this stage.

It is often said that an hour of planning will save three hours in execution. The same principle applies to the team cycle. That is, the more thorough and organized we are in the formation stage of the team development, the more likely it is that the team will successfully transition through the stages of stabilization, actualization, and maturation prior to termination.

Stage 2 - Stabilization: In this stage, the members learn about each other and the tasks that they have been assigned. They settle somewhat into their roles on the team. Patterns of interaction and communication begin to emerge as team members experience the process of working together. This stage is critical to successful team outcomes. Some teams never experience stabilization.

Stage 3 - Integration: Team members feel an increasing acceptance of others on the team, recognizing that the variety of opinions and experiences makes the team stronger and its product richer. Members start to feel part of a team and can take satisfaction from the increased group cohesion. This is the stage for the team to focus on its goals, breaking larger goals down into smaller, achievable steps. The team may need to develop both task-related skills and group process and conflict management skills to smoothly transition to the next stage.

Stage 4 - Actualization: During the actualization stage of team development, team members experience an increased sense of comfort in expressing their ideas and feelings. They develop an acceptance of others on the team. During the actualization stage, team members start making a conscious effort to set aside differences and achieve group harmony. Communication is emphasized and becomes more efficient. Team members feel more open to share ideas or ask teammates for help.

Stage 5 - Maturation: In the maturation stage of team development, members feel satisfaction in the team's progress. They share insights and are aware of their own strengths and weaknesses. Members feel comfortable with the team's patterns and processes and feel confident in their individual abilities and those of their teammates. Team members become more accepting of each other and value differences. The commitment and competence of team members is high. Team members continue to deepen their knowledge and skills, including working to continuously improve team development.

Stage 6 - Termination (Ending the team): Some teams, such as project teams or cross-functional teams, come to an end when their work is completed or when the organization's needs change. It is important for any team to pay attention to the ending or termination process. It is highly likely that at any given moment individuals on the team will be experiencing different emotions about the teams ending.

During the termination/ending stage, some team members may become less focused on the team's tasks and their productivity may drop. Other team members may find focusing on the task at hand is an effective response to their changing team involvement. Their task productivity may actually increase.