The New Supervisor

It can be both exciting and nerve racking when you are named the new supervisor.  Along with learning the ropes there can be prevailing issues you face from the start.  Perhaps the former supervisor is on your team.  That will present a challenge with boundaries and everyone will go through an adjustment period.  Maybe you and several others on what is now your team were considered for the promotion and now that you’ve been named there are hurt feelings and resentments.

The key to your long term success will be tied to your ability to establish boundaries and to create a plan targeted to helping you and your team focus on what needs to be accomplished. 

Learn all you can about setting healthy boundaries.  Be caring, firm and consistent.  Recognize that it does take time for people to adjust to change and encourage people to talk to you directly about what they are thinking and feeling.  You will need to set up private meetings with each person on the team in the beginning to solicit feedback and convey your interest in the success of each person and the team as a whole.  That is a best practice you should consider continuing monthly and incorporating coaching as a part of the meeting.

Determine what success with your team looks like – inquire about this with your manager and with the team.  If we are very successful over the next year what would we have accomplished?  You will want to construct a plan with input from others and zero in on what the strategies must be to accomplish the objectives.  Monthly analysis where you are with the plan and make adjustments and increase effort where it is needed to stay on track.

Still learning,

Honey

Teller Training - Cross-Selling Skills Series

Setting the Stage

You must always set the stage for cross-selling with excellent service and a positive image.  Start your day off with cleaning up your window, stocking it with supplies and marketing material.  Include brochures, business cards and if you have a special offer create a tent card for your window by tastefully mounting a screen shot or newspaper ad for display.  Clear picture frames make excellent props for displaying brochures or advertising.  Focal points generate conversation so you will want to support any effort the company has put forth in statement stuffers, signage and advertising.

There is an old adage that goes like this “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”  How you convey that you care begins with a smile. 

·         Appear friendly and approachable

·         Offer your name, look them in the eye

·         Use their name

·         Whenever it’s appropriate start and end on a handshake

·         Pay them a sincere compliment

·         Get to know them as a person

·         Engage them with questions that express care and interest

Ø  “How’s your week going?”

Ø  “Tell me about your family.”

Ø  “Tell me about your work.”

Ø  “What’s new with you?”

Ø  “Have any big plans for this time of the year?”

·        Sometimes they have someone with them, ask about the other person, this could be an entrée to more conversation

Ø  “Who is this you have with you today?”

·         Always inquire how satisfied the customer is with your company.

Ø  “Before today when was the last time you visited the branch?  How did we do?”

Stay tuned for how to exceed what is expected of you by the company and what you need to do to exceed what the customer expects from their financial institution.  More to come...

Still learning,

Honey

Teller Training - Overcoming Resistance

Begin with exploring what the purpose of the training will be for the established teller. Some tellers have done this job a long time and may be described as "stuck in their ways" or even "not going to change".   Whether you are the teller trainer, the mentor or the supervisor when your training efforts hit the armor of a resistant teller it will never feel good.  So prepare your training with resistance in mind so you can meet it and turn the resistant teller into a learner. 

Email me today for information on

Train the Trainer Boot Camp, honey@interaction-training.com

Keeping in mind all training must be purposeful, here are five points to consider that can help you be well prepared for training a resistant teller.

Be certain to communicate to all learners the value and purpose of the training from their perspective.  Always assume people want to excel on the job.

1.  Clearly Stated Goals

What is the point of the training?

What are the expected outcomes of the training?

Is the training intended to prevent problems?  Correct problems? Prepare the teller to make a change?  Is the training intended to introduce or change new skills or best practices?

Example: The point of the training is to increase efficiency, reduce errors and heighten understanding of using the platform system.

2.  Content

What content is needed to support the stated goals?

Example: If the goal is “to increase efficiency and heighten skills linked to using the platform system” what information should you present to reach that goal?  Create a workbook with screenshots?  Can you build in using a “test bank”?

3.  Appropriate Delivery Option

How should you present the training?

Example: One-on-one?  Classroom?  Virtual?  How will you make it memorable?  How will you keep the learners involved?   What training tools will they leave with?  Will you include a quick reference guide and exercises they can do on their own?

 4.  Assessment of Learning

How will you know if trainees have learned the content?

How will you know if the learning goal was achieved?

Example: A hands on demonstration by the trainer and then by the trainees might be used to teach the platform system application.  For these types of skills, a mastery of at least 90% of the exercise content is a reasonable standard.  If an individual achieves the 90%, the goal has been met.

5.  Additional Support

What kind of an intervention should you plan or implement to provide additional support for the trainee?

Example: If lack of understanding persists after having received initial instruction on a task, you should provide additional information, experience, discussion, etc. Will you provide follow-up or advanced training?  What expectations for additional support have been conveyed to the supervisor?  Re-enforcement instruction should continue until the trainee displays mastery of the task or information.

Overcome resistance by developing training programs that are purposeful and focused on the learner.  Help move the resistant teller to being cooperative and unstuck!

Still learning,

Honey

The Teller Line

Coaching is a powerful approach to developing tellers.  Coaching focuses on improving job skills and knowledge. Through routine coaching you can help the teller explore and evaluate what will be the best choices in order to maintain an attitude that compliments how they interact with others.  One-on-one coaching says to the teller “what you do and how you do it matter”.  It creates visible, concrete evidence of your commitment to helping the teller line excel.

Tune in today or buy the download for my webinar, Start Coaching & Stop Hovering Over the Teller Line.

Make time to coach.  You will find coaching a powerful tool for teaching others how to go about building meaningful relationships and choosing empowering behaviors that improve job performance. 

Coaching is when you reinforce what is expected and review performance outcomes.  What have you conveyed to the teller about expectations?  Be certain your teller line knows what is expected of them in these categories.  Be certain you inspect what you expect.

1.     Accuracy

2.     Balancing

3.     Procedures

4.     Managing Change

5.     Dependability

6.     Exceptional Service

7.     Salesmanship

8.     Knowledgeable

9.     Resourcefulness

10. Accountability

Email me I have a great free tool for you called the Coaching Session Form.  You will want to use this form in preparing for and conducting your coaching sessions as well as documenting what transpired.

Still learning,

Honey

Performance Booster Series - Your Reputation

Building a good reputation is an excellent investment. A good reputation can take you much further in life than you can go with a poor one.  Be who you are but be the best you can be while you’re doing it.  The pay-offs are worth every challenge you meet on the road to a good reputation.  Your happiness, success and quality of life increases when you have a good reputation.  Social networking sites have shown all of us that your reputation can be influenced and altered in a second.

Your online reputation begins with content posted and made available to the public.  It's not acceptable to talk badly about others, display or post questionable photos on Facebook or other social networking sites. It will come back to haunt you. Questionable photos include any photos that make you or others look bad; any photos you wouldn't want to share in a job interview. Don't create a false sense of security about who can and who can't see what you post.  All your posts are a click away for all to see; copy and paste and your post just went viral.

Nothing can tarnish a person’s reputation more than being viewed as professionally immature, untrustworthy or dishonest. Hold yourself to a high personal code of conduct so that any day or night of your life could end up in the media and not be an embarrassment.

Remember that how you treat others on the job or at home is likely revealed later in a conversation where you're not present. Do your best to resolve sticky issues without being triggered by your anger and self-centered interests. Disrespectfulness, like rudeness, is long remembered and not easily forgiven. Your actions build your character; your character builds your reputation.

In every role in life you play, whether that is as a family member, spouse, employee, community leader, member of a religious faith, friend, public servant or business leader you represent that partner, group or company to others. So your words and actions, or even the lack thereof, can build up, reinforce or tear down your reputation along with those you represent.

Boost your performance in every role you play.  Build a reputation you can be proud of for yourself, your family and every key connection you have!

Still learning,

Honey

Performance Booster Series - Hear How to Improve Your Listening

When you focus only on yourself it creates all kinds of problems for you, especially when you are attempting to communicate with another person or them with you.  Many of us are busy thinking about what we want to say or have other issues on our mind that distract us.  

You might even be guilty of asking a question and not paying any attention to the other person's answer.  My children have accused me of that. At times, I have had to plead the Fifth Amendment on those charges; a few times I courageously owned up to it and sometimes I got defensive.  When you get caught red-handed on not listening it's embarrassing!

Learning to be "present" and becoming an attentive listener will change the quality of your communication skills and the success of your interpersonal relationships.  A skill worth developing, listening will boost your performance on the job and increase harmony at home!

Think about the last time you noticed someone obviously not paying attention when you were trying to communicate with them. What specific behaviors did the person exhibit that led you to believe that he or she was tuning you out?  What did you read into that?  Did you feel discounted or ignored?

Often when we think the listener isn't paying attention we choose to frustrate or become offended.  Next time you get tuned out and turned off by being ignored, consider it a wake-up call and take note to pay attention and respect when it’s your turn to listen.  Keep the focus on your listening skills; learn from others’ behaviors that you want to mirror and those you want to avoid.

If you want to discover more about listening behavior email me, honey@interaction-training.com  and request a complimentary copy of The Listening Self-Assessment.  It’s yours for the asking.

Still learning,

Honey