Jack, our young black/chocolate lab, and I visited the dog park on the east side of Cincinnati this week. There is certain camaraderie there and I typically meet some interesting dog owners. This week was no exception and I had an intriguing conversation with a fellow dog owner that owned a business. He had recently hired several new employees and was struggling to develop a plan to effectively acclimate them to the firm. Last week’s blog post focused on Servant Leadership. This week’s post focuses on Servant Leadership in the context of on boarding new employees.
As the economy gets back on its feet, more and more firms are slowly beginning to hire employees. In addition, firms are concerned about high performers leaving their jobs for new opportunities. The Cincinnati Enquirer published an interesting article recently, “As economy improves, workers leave”. According to a study from the Harvard Business Review in May 2010, “approximately 25% of companies’ top performers are planning to leave their current job within a year”. It is critical that the business owner or leader is proactive and develops a strategy now to effectively on board new employees so they can be successful in their roles.
1. Develop a plan and goals for the new hire.
The company has invested significant resources in hiring a new employee. It is important that the leader develops a plan that takes into consideration the skills, knowledge, experience, resources and relationships the new employee will need to be successful in order to maximize their return on investment. Companies can no longer afford to hand the employee a manual, instruct them to read the manual independently and chat with co-workers to learn about their job. They need to have a plan with specific and measurable goals and objectives.
2. Identify key individuals the new hire will be working with and facilitate networking opportunities for them during on boarding.
Business relationships and networking are critical to an employee’s success whether they are in a large firm or a small business. By incorporating networking opportunities into the on boarding process, the leader is placing a high priority on this skill when the employee is in learning mode.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Lessons on Servant Leadership from the Dog Park
This weekend we did not have an opportunity to visit the dog park as our black lab, Jack, was ill. However, I did have a chance to reflect on employee motivation and simple techniques we can use as leaders to engage our employees.
W.H. Auden has an interesting quote; “To ask the hard question is simple”. Employees like to believe their leader has a sincere interest in their well being and professional development. As a leader, are you spending quality time talking with your employees on a daily basis? In the past, I worked with a leader that did a phenomenal job with motivating and leading his team. When he retired from his position, his employees actually planned his retirement party and commented he was the best leader they had ever worked for.
One day, I asked him about his leadership secret. He said it was simple. He made time in his schedule on daily basis to walk the production floor and talk with every single employee. It was manufacturing environment and he did not intend to make it a lengthy or formal discussion. Instead, he informally spoke to the employee by name and asked how they were doing. He asked a very simple, but insightful question: Do you have everything you need to do a quality job today? There is a term for this called “Management by Walking Around”. The employee trusted him and would openly share any issues they were having that day. If the employee revealed any issues, he would ask for ideas on a resolution. Frequently, they came up with some excellent and creative solutions. He and the operations manager would proceed to work on a resolution utilizing the employee’s input. This leader viewed his role as providing support and resources for his team members. In addition, this conversation with the front line workers often revealed issues with productivity and system performance which allowed the leader to rapidly troubleshoot problems and quickly respond to customer needs or concerns. This was an effective example of Servant Leadership.
Have you seen examples of Servant Leadership in your work or professional lives? We would like to hear about additional examples of Servant Leadership from you.
Chrissann Ruehle is Co-Founder of Black Lab Ventures, LLC. The firm provides customized human resource consulting services for small businesses.
W.H. Auden has an interesting quote; “To ask the hard question is simple”. Employees like to believe their leader has a sincere interest in their well being and professional development. As a leader, are you spending quality time talking with your employees on a daily basis? In the past, I worked with a leader that did a phenomenal job with motivating and leading his team. When he retired from his position, his employees actually planned his retirement party and commented he was the best leader they had ever worked for.
One day, I asked him about his leadership secret. He said it was simple. He made time in his schedule on daily basis to walk the production floor and talk with every single employee. It was manufacturing environment and he did not intend to make it a lengthy or formal discussion. Instead, he informally spoke to the employee by name and asked how they were doing. He asked a very simple, but insightful question: Do you have everything you need to do a quality job today? There is a term for this called “Management by Walking Around”. The employee trusted him and would openly share any issues they were having that day. If the employee revealed any issues, he would ask for ideas on a resolution. Frequently, they came up with some excellent and creative solutions. He and the operations manager would proceed to work on a resolution utilizing the employee’s input. This leader viewed his role as providing support and resources for his team members. In addition, this conversation with the front line workers often revealed issues with productivity and system performance which allowed the leader to rapidly troubleshoot problems and quickly respond to customer needs or concerns. This was an effective example of Servant Leadership.
Have you seen examples of Servant Leadership in your work or professional lives? We would like to hear about additional examples of Servant Leadership from you.
Chrissann Ruehle is Co-Founder of Black Lab Ventures, LLC. The firm provides customized human resource consulting services for small businesses.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Lessons on Strategic Planning from the Dog Park
My young lab, Jack, and I visited the Dog Park in Cincinnati this weekend. We met a small business owner and had an in-depth conversation as we walked the perimeter of the dog park. He asked for suggestions on ways in which he could improve his business. He had recently lost several of his top performing employees and was evaluating his business to see where he could improve. As you can imagine, he was very concerned about employee engagement and productivity. You’ve probably heard the statistics; 1 in 5 workers plan to change jobs in 2010 (from CareerBuilder Survey, January 2010). You may be contemplating the same issue about your business.
Here are 10 fundamental tips to maximize employee engagement:
1. Does your company have a mission and vision? If so, does it reflect your current business, or does it need to be revised?
2. Has your mission and vision been communicated to employees? What methods are you using to relay this information – newsletters, intranet, emails, one on one meetings or discussions, group meetings, or a combination?
3. Do you have 1 year, 3 year and 5 year goals for your business? Are they written down? Does your management team fully support those goals? Or are you frequently operating in “fire fighting” mode?
4. Do you have the correct organizational structure in place to meet your current business needs? Are there initiatives that are falling through the cracks? Are you maximizing the talents and strengths of your human capital?
5. How would you characterize your company’s culture? Do all of your employees appear to be enthusiastic and engaged when they come to work? Or do you have people who have “resigned in their place”?
Here are 10 fundamental tips to maximize employee engagement:
1. Does your company have a mission and vision? If so, does it reflect your current business, or does it need to be revised?
2. Has your mission and vision been communicated to employees? What methods are you using to relay this information – newsletters, intranet, emails, one on one meetings or discussions, group meetings, or a combination?
3. Do you have 1 year, 3 year and 5 year goals for your business? Are they written down? Does your management team fully support those goals? Or are you frequently operating in “fire fighting” mode?
4. Do you have the correct organizational structure in place to meet your current business needs? Are there initiatives that are falling through the cracks? Are you maximizing the talents and strengths of your human capital?
5. How would you characterize your company’s culture? Do all of your employees appear to be enthusiastic and engaged when they come to work? Or do you have people who have “resigned in their place”?
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Lessons on Employee Motivation from the Dog Park
Our family took Jack, our new 1 ½ year old Lab, to the dog park this weekend. There were dogs that were wearing flag bandanas and it prompted me to reflect on the importance of Memorial Day. I would like to take a moment to recognize the soldiers and their families that have served or are currently serving our country.
My husband served in Operation Enduring Freedom with the Ohio National Guard and was deployed to Southeast Asia in 2008, so I understand the sacrifices they make for our freedom. Thank you to all the families and soldiers for your service. Deployments are extremely challenging, but they can also be an excellent time for personal growth. Over Memorial Day weekend in 2008, 30+ military wives and families participated in a 5K run/walk event in Columbus, Ohio. They had special t-shirts created to recognize their soldiers. Concurrently (plus or minus a few hours), the soldiers ran a 5K race over in the Southeast Asian desert. Despite the daily struggles related to a deployment, the spirit of the family members remained strong, they were able to successfully overcome challenges they faced. They had a passion to succeed and fires in their belly so to speak.
As leaders, isn’t that what we want for our business? Employees with a passion to succeed and the expertise to overcome challenges. How do we get there? The dog park provides much wisdom on techniques to motivate employees.
1. Provide an environment of fun and play
As leaders, we should look for simple opportunities to create fun and play in our day to day work. Laughter is a terrific antidote for stress. It is a direct path to joyfulness. Employees who are working in the “joy zone” will achieve greater creativity, innovation, and productivity. There are numerous instances of play at the dog park. Some dogs are playing fetch, others are resting quietly in the shade, and some are lying happily in a puddle next to the water fountain. Their natural talents and abilities emerge when they are playing.
My husband served in Operation Enduring Freedom with the Ohio National Guard and was deployed to Southeast Asia in 2008, so I understand the sacrifices they make for our freedom. Thank you to all the families and soldiers for your service. Deployments are extremely challenging, but they can also be an excellent time for personal growth. Over Memorial Day weekend in 2008, 30+ military wives and families participated in a 5K run/walk event in Columbus, Ohio. They had special t-shirts created to recognize their soldiers. Concurrently (plus or minus a few hours), the soldiers ran a 5K race over in the Southeast Asian desert. Despite the daily struggles related to a deployment, the spirit of the family members remained strong, they were able to successfully overcome challenges they faced. They had a passion to succeed and fires in their belly so to speak.
As leaders, isn’t that what we want for our business? Employees with a passion to succeed and the expertise to overcome challenges. How do we get there? The dog park provides much wisdom on techniques to motivate employees.
1. Provide an environment of fun and play
As leaders, we should look for simple opportunities to create fun and play in our day to day work. Laughter is a terrific antidote for stress. It is a direct path to joyfulness. Employees who are working in the “joy zone” will achieve greater creativity, innovation, and productivity. There are numerous instances of play at the dog park. Some dogs are playing fetch, others are resting quietly in the shade, and some are lying happily in a puddle next to the water fountain. Their natural talents and abilities emerge when they are playing.
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