Pump Up the Bottom Line with Engaged Employees

What is the motivation to investigate and implement strategies that promote employee engagement? Gallup says that disengaged employees may be costing the US economy $450-$550 billion per year! Their research goes on to say that on the average ONLY 30% of the workforce is engaged. The remaining 70% are most likely committed to undermine what engaged workers accomplish.

Imagine the results at your shop if you could bump up the number of engaged employees. Engaged employees are more dependable, they operate from a “can do” way of thinking versus “can’t do”. Engaged employees are 21% more productivity and leave customers feeling appreciated and cared about. Happy, capable employees help recruit happy, capable new hires. Happy employees leave a positive impression on the customer and the end result is happier customers. Happy customers refer new customers.

Empowering and engaging your employees is about leadership. Provide innovative and effective leadership training. Set the bar high for management; leaders are to be on the lookout for ways to encourage and challenge employees to stretch and discover their potential. Inspiring and coaching employees to increase their capability.

The most engaged workers say they work for a leader that has confidence in them. The road to engagement for employees is paved with a sense of responsibility towards their leaders and a belief that what they do and how they do it is valued.

There isn’t a vaccination or miracle vitamin that ensures employee engagement. What brings engaged employees forward in the workplace is leadership. Leadership is a skill. Provide leadership training. Expect managers to learn how to lead. Then your leaders can pump up the bottom line with engaged employees.

“Leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders.” – Tom Peters

Still learning,

Honey

 

 

 

 

 

12 Tips on Coaching Employees

Coaching isn't about telling, it’s about engaging the other person. First engage and then listen! Are you charged with inspiring, guiding and engaging others? If yes, that calls for you to “up your game” with coaching expertise. Put these tips to work for you as a coach.




Here’s a dozen tips that will improve your coaching effectiveness:

1. Have a clock where both parties can see it – even take off your watch and put it on the table. Confirm from the start how long the coaching session will last.
2. Quickly create an agenda if one wasn't established in advance and prioritize the central points.
3. Concentrate as much as possible; avoid thinking about your next response while the other person is speaking.
4. Take notes on what you hear; documenting and follow up are key.
5. Never coach from behind your desk.
6. Use affirming body language to show your employee you are focused on what is being said.
7. Have patience when your employee is speaking, especially if they need time to explain something.
8. Maintain as much direct eye contact as you can.
9. Keep your cell phone out of the coaching session.
10. If you are in your office turn on the do not disturb button on your desk phone.
11. Hang a sign on your door requesting to not be interrupted.
12. Smile and be as friendly and sincere as you can when your employee is doing the talking.

If you are the coach put these to good use. If you are the employee that is fortunate to have a supervisor that strives to excel as a coach take note. You have many of the same responsibilities that your coach has and you can tap into these twelve suggestions in order to make MVP!

Still learning,

Honey

Five Step Approach to a Coaching Session

There are many skills that impact becoming an exceptional supervisor, however, none of them could compare to developing effective coaching skills.

Coaching is a powerful approach to developing employees. Coaching focuses on improving job skills and knowledge and confirming the results meet expectations. Supervisors and managers need to routinely coach – at least monthly. Coach employees on new techniques to make their job performance improve or when regulations change, for instance. Coaching encourages employees to evaluate their performance, reinforces satisfactory performance, and can be an outstanding tool for improving productivity and behavior. Because coaching focuses on communication and ensuring ongoing feedback, employees generally value the approach.

Differences in employees, tasks, and circumstances make every coaching discussion you have unique. Some discussions will be long and complex; others, short, covering a single topic. However, every coaching discussion should follow an approach that ensures that the practical need to understand and accomplish the goal of the meeting is met.

Whatever types of coaching interactions you have, you can put this 5 step approach to work for you.

 

1. Launch

The launch sets the stage for the discussion and provides focus. It is the time to cover the discussion’s purpose and why it is important to everyone involved and to the task at hand.

• State the purpose and importance of the discussion.
• Review or create an agenda.
• Find out if the employee has topics to add to the agenda.

 

2. Explore

This is the fact-finding step.

• Review background information.
• Raise issues and concerns.
• Don’t jump to conclusions.

 

3. Develop

Explore appropriate topics by asking questions and sharing ideas to help the employee determine the best way to goal achievement.

• Develop and explore alternative solutions or actions.
• Ask questions.
• Challenge assumptions.

4. Agree

Before closing the discussion, it is important to check for agreement.

• Agree on solutions.
• Summarize – this is the job of the employee to confirm understanding and clarify who has agreed to do what by when.
• Provide encouragement, but make sure the other person remains responsible for taking action.

5. Conclude

• Make sure all follow-up dates (for taking action, reviewing progress, continuing the coaching discussions, etc.) have been set.
• Document the summary, any agreements and all follow-up actions.
• Express confidence regarding the employee taking the action agreed upon.

Put this 5 step approach to work for you as you elevate your effectiveness in coaching others. You will be glad you did!

Still learning,

Honey

Teller Coaching

Successful supervisors coach their team towards achievement.  A bank teller equipped with great training and superior coaching will find success.   In an atmosphere where team members can fully use their skills, knowledge and creativity, they reach the goals of the department and the company. The supervisor’s job is to encourage the team, organize  ongoing work with clear direction and specific goals.

Learn to use the strengths of each team member. Challenge them to build a plan and execute it.  Help them to see the value of what they do and how that value relates to the success of the team.

A supervisor who doesn’t know how to coach their teller line, tends to hover.  Hovering over the teller line can make the tellers feel anxious.  That anxiety will show when they are talking with customers.  I have put together a webinar to help supervisors learn to encourage their teller line towards greater efficiency and customer service excellence…and stop hovering.

Learn more about this webinar by clicking here:

“Start Coaching and Stop Hovering Over the Teller Line”

Still learning,


Honey

www.interaction-training.com

Five Best Practices for Branch Managers

How do we get others to do what we want them to do?  As a branch manager your job requires you to set expectations for performance; communicate those expectations, and monitor and evaluate the performance. Try these five best practices to promote excellence at your branch. 

1. You engage your team in a discussion of the quality of the work to be done and the time needed to do it so that they have a chance to add their input.  Continuously, you make a constant effort to fit the job to the skills and the needs of the workers.
2. You or a worker you have designated shows or models the job so that the worker who is to perform the job can see exactly what is expected.  At the same time, the workers are continually asked for their input as to what they believe may be a better way.
3. You ask the workers to inspect or evaluate their own work for quality, with the understanding that you are willing to accept that they know a great deal about how to produce high-quality work and will therefore listen to what they say.
4. You act as a facilitator in that you show workers that you have done everything possible to provide your team with the best tools and workplace as well as a non-coercive, non-adversarial atmosphere in which to do the job.
5. You routinely provide 20 minute coaching sessions to every member on your team to encourage excellence and to allow the employee to share their findings about inspecting and evaluating their own work.

    Want your staff to meet, even exceed, expectations?  Put these best practices to work!

    Still learning, 

    Honey

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