Grab that Frog and Be Done with It!

I was reminded recently of something Mark Twain is reported to have said, "Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.”

Procrastination is always lurking in the shadows ready to grab my thinking.  When procrastination rules I grow my dread list versus my get it done list.  It’s a tricky thing when you have a dread list. This is the list of what I am convinced I should do but appear committed to find ways or excuses to block me from getting that list wiped out.  The bigger the dread list the greater the procrastination.  Procrastination is barrier to accomplishing priorities.

At our Train the Trainer Boot Camp bank and credit union training professionals often share stories about the progress that gets underway when procrastination doesn’t rule at their company.  Some trainers are people-oriented while others are detail-oriented.  In a financial institution almost every job requires plenty of both.  Here’s the dilemma: if you are a people person, you dread aspects of the detail that is required of you. If you are a detail person, you dread some of the people engagement that comes with your job.

Put an end to feeding procrastination with dreaded intentions and start each day with a list of priorities that foster wiping out dread.

Grab that frog first and be done with it!  Do the unpleasant but important tasks first.

Still learning,

Honey

Supervisor Training Effectiveness: Best and Worst Practices
Managers and supervisors are promoted or hired in to lead. There is still a myth prevalent in the work world that placing someone in a leadership role makes them a leader. Truth is that much like playing the piano or a sport, excellence at supervision requires training, coaching, practice and feedback.

 

When your company invests in the time, talent and resources to conduct supervisor training it needs to be evaluated for effectiveness.

Best Practices

• Involve all stakeholders (training designers, a few of the candidates for the training, executives, participants’ managers, HR, external providers). The job of the stakeholders is to clarifying who is responsible for training effectiveness. That would be all the stakeholders. The trainer owns design and delivery of the training. Who is the responsible party for the effectiveness of the training? The answer is simple. The stakeholders.
• With the stakeholders, establish before the training is designed or conducted how success will be measured.
• Make certain all stakeholders have shared and created a clear picture on expected outcomes.
• Designate a resource to collect, track, analyze, and communicate findings to build the business case for the value of the training, or build the case for modifications to the training.

Worst Practices

• Provide supervisor training based on the expectations of only a few. Involvement and input must require accountability with all stakeholders, not just the trainer or the learners.
• Expect training to be a sole solution. Training is not like a vaccine or baptism.
• Determine evaluation strategies after the training has been completed.
• Select outcomes that cannot be measured.
• Use evaluation data to cast blame and point fingers versus to modify and improve the training content and approach.
• Share evaluation results and data with a limited few key parties and not with executive management.
• Most companies, banks and credit unions for example, track everything that matters in their business. Are they, are you tracking training? 

 

Still learning,

Honey

 

Clear a Path for Training to Stick

In all service industries, like a bank or a credit union, well done training can help build more business. Untrained or unskilled staff can run business off. Bank and credit union trainers have their hands full trying to build and provide training. Especially meaningful, effective training that fits a tight time frame and doesn't impede the work flow when people are pulled off the job to attend learning opportunities.

These same trainers need training. Invest in your trainers by providing them with what they need to contribute to the quality of learning at your company! Train the Trainer Boot Camp will give your trainers what they need in order to map out the training route and get the company to the destination that is spelled out in your vision and strategic plan!

When it comes to quality training, training that sticks, set your sights on your destination, map out the route and pay the toll. Clear a path for training to become a rock solid contributor to your culture, efficiencies and bottom line.

Everyone invested in your company hopes that the staff – from top to bottom - is well-trained. Are you using hope and luck as your strategies for making training a priority or do you enjoy the comfort that comes with developing well-heeled, training professionals, strategic goals and a strongly communicated plan? I am sure you would agree you need to rely on more than hope when it comes to people knowing how to do their job so that the company can build a well-earned reputation for excellence among customers, regulators, peers, investors and the community.

Let me ask you this, at times do you find yourself thinking we sure are lucky that we have people who know what to do and how to do it? Certainly, being grateful for the talent and skills of the staff is admirable and a best practice when expressed. However, should the hope and luck strategies crash, you will be even more grateful you aren't working in a hospital!

Why wouldn't the company want to take the same stance as a highly respected hospital or a well-run restaurant when it comes to training? Training is about preventing problems, solving problems, enhancing confidence and building collective and individual intelligence. Give your trainers the support they need so they can help clear the path for training to stick.

Still learning,

Honey

Training Bank Tellers - Detecting Kiting

Check kiting is a form of fraud involving moving theoretical funds between two or more checking accounts.  A check written to the criminal from one bank is deposited, and more importantly credited, to an account at a second bank. Because that second bank now shows a positive balance, the criminal can withdraw enough money to deposit back into the first bank before the check bounces for lack of funds.

This form of check kiting may seem to be too complicated for such a small payoff, but flipping the funds back and forth between accounts can buy the criminal enough time to generate real money to cover any other outstanding checks.

Some people have been known to use this method, called payday kiting, when several checks on an overdrawn account may come due before a paycheck or other regular funds can be deposited. The payday kiting scheme depends on the bank's delay between receipt of deposits and checks and their eventual processing, also known as "float time."

When kiting takes place, the financial institution stands at risk.  If a kite goes undetected, the account holder may have numerous financial institutions involved.  When the kite stops "working," usually the last institution involved experiences a loss.

Here are steps to take to determine kiting and minimize risk:

Tighten the review process on all funds deposited by an account holder that include any item drawn on other banks that the depositor is the maker of the item, even if it involves a cashier’s checks or money orders where the remitter is the account holder.

Tellers are to alert management anytime

• The size or frequency of these types of items exceed a certain conservative amount
• When a quick review of the depositor’s account indicate withdrawals and deposits that are for the same amount.

 Place special instructions on the account to alert other tellers.

Contact the other institution(s) involved to confirm the funds are available, if not, refuse the check or send the check for collection.

Alert the compliance officer of suspicious activity.

Financial institutions lose millions of dollars annually as a result of kiting schemes.  The strongest method for deterring or stopping kiting is observant, alert tellers, and the aid of the computer to detail a list of all items presented for payment that are drawn against uncollected funds.

The institution would be well-advised to purchase "watch dog" software that overviews all potential kiting or to have a kite-watch procedure where all "not on us" items of an established amount (i. e., $5,000 or more) are placed in a review bin so a designated deposit review person gives these items a second look.  Centralizing the effort allows a few "specialists" to become very familiar with depositors moving money from one institution to another, amounts, frequency, etc.  Also, this approach allows tellers to work efficiently and reduces the need to slow transactions down delaying the account holder at the window, as well as others in line.

Stay tuned - more to come on training tellers. 

Still learning,

Honey

Wow! Your New Hire!

Helping your new hire get off on the right foot starts before their first day.   New employee indoctrination begins with how they learn about the opportunity, the interview process and how they are introduced to their new job and co-workers.   Starting a new job is stressful, exciting and challenging.  What can you do to make it positive?

 

Prepare a review packet for the interview.   This includes the job description, the vision and mission of the company.  Solicit feedback from your staff on why they like to work for the company.  This way you can include “Testimony from the Troops” so the prospect can get a look at the company from an employee’s perspective.

 

As the supervisor, phone your new hire a day or two before they start.  This is where the real indoctrination begins; where the first impression starts to form for your newest staff member.  Tell them what name they are to call you, confirm what name they like to be called.  Express how enthused you are to have them on your team.  Review with the new employee how the first day will go and what to expect the first week.  Give them your cell phone number and tell them day one lunch is on you.  If there is an after-hours number share it so they can give it to family members, and this is the perfect entrée to discussing texting and personal phone call boundaries on the job.

 

Talk about dress code and invite them to park in a special place on their first day – as close to the front door as possible.  Explain this will be the only day they park there but you want their first day to be as easy and comfortable as possible. 

 

Ask your new employee to come in 5-10 minutes early and that you will be waiting for them at the door.  Greet them with a handshake and a notebook.  Tell them the notebook is a central place they can make notes and write down questions or store information they want to hang on to.  Let them know that each day you will visit with them about what is in the notebook.

 

Ask them to share a few things they like for people to know about them – maybe favorite places to vacation or where they grew up, etc.  Take their photo to be used in introducing them to others and explain that you are personally committed to making them a part of the team!   Put the photo to use immediately by making a poster for the coffee bar and send out an announcement informing other departments about your new employee.  Ask those you email to call or fax a welcome to your newest team member.

 

Get your new hire off on the right foot.  Wow them like you want them to wow customers, co-workers and you!  Help them feel a part of versus a part from the team immediately!

 

Still learning,

Honey

Performance Booster Series - Communication Skills

Do people say you're talkative or do they say you're quiet?  Do you frequently feel misunderstood or ignored?  Are you routinely trying to get over your feelings being hurt? Do you get triggered when people give you feedback and end up acting defensive?

Take a long hard look at your style of communication and become acutely aware of what you could improve upon.  Is it your speaking ability, your reputation as a listener?  What about soliciting and providing feedback?  Do a double take on your tone of voice and your body language. 

Do you need to be more sensitive to others and reduce your bluntness or frankness?  Do you need to be less sensitive and not take everything so personal?  Self-evaluation is the place to start when it comes to elevating your ability to communicate. For all of us it’s very easy to take communicating for granted since we do it all the time.  

Remember whether you are sending a text, talking, emailing, nodding, frowning or rolling your eyes a message has been sent.  Be sure it’s the one you wanted to send. 

Are you aware that research makes these claims?

75% of all communication is non-verbal.

Writing only represents nine percent of the time we spend communicating.

The average worker spends 55% of his or her time communicating.

Check this out - a whopping 85% of business success is dependent on effective communication and interpersonal skills.

It is most common to focus entirely on what you want to relay to the point you are a slacker when it comes to listening.  Have you acquired that invaluable habit of confirming that others understood your message? Become a communication standout and hone in on confirmation you were understood by the listener or the reader.  Beef up your clear understanding of what others tell you by restating what they told you.  

There are times the tone you intended to convey whether in writing or even speaking was neutral while the receiver may interpret it entirely differently.   Solicit two-way confirmation and be on the lookout for how you can improve as a skillful communicator. Evaluate your gestures, eye contact, tone of voice and body language to be certain you are in sync with your message.  Learn to give others to whom you are listening your full attention, if you aren't sure what they meant or said ask for more information.  If you don’t have time to listen, ask if you could suggest a different time for the conversation.  Pay attention to how long you talk and give the other party floor time.

Powerful communication skills are a must for people that want to excel in relationships and climb the ladder of success. 

Still learning, 

Honey

Coaching Yourself & Others Series - Take Five

Roll your sleeves up and go to work on moving down the path of getting what you want.  Now that you have reviewed critical information about goal setting, you can dial back to your wants and select your top five.  Spend time asking yourself a few hard questions about the top five wants you are prepared to shape into goals. 

Do you truly desire this goal?  Are you on fire about this goal?

Can you visualize yourself accomplishing this goal?  Once you can see it, can you feel it? 

How will your life be better when you make this goal a reality?

What obstacles do you foresee?

What will you need to learn, need to do in order to reach this goal?

Who will you look to for support?

“Life can be pulled by goals just as surely as it can be pushed by drives.”

Viktor Frankl

Next, determine where the goal fits.  What section of your notebook should the goal come to life? You might see it impacting more than one section or even all of them but still place your goal in the one section you think is the best fit.  Remember, these are just the first of many more to come so expect some sections might be empty on your first five. 

Write out one goal to a page, leaving 10 blank pages behind the goal page for you to work out your strategies for accomplishing the goal.  Include your answers to the above questions for each goal in your notebook.

Coaching yourself is the pathway to happiness and personal satisfaction.  Coaching revolves around a combination of self-evaluation, personal responsibility, accountability and self-correction.  It is a vital tool in that it will help your success ratio on the job and in your cherished or necessary relationships.  As you learn to coach yourself you will have the opportunity to coach others.  As the teacher you will be the student.

“…obviously you can’t transmit something you haven’t got.”

                                                                              Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book, page 164

 

Still learning,

Honey

Coaching Yourself & Others Series – Goal Setting

Goals are dreams in writing with a deadline!

If you don’t know what you want, what direction to take, when you plan to get started and when you plan to get there you could end up with regrets and disappointment about not getting anywhere.

Get busy in your spiral notebook looking over your wants and making your list of goals.  Don’t leave any wants out, don’t discount one thing you want to make better or go for or wish you could achieve.  You can weed out and prioritize later.

The intention of goal setting is to place the focus on results. 

A key success tip in goal setting is the powerful SMART tool.  There are many variations of this dynamic mnemonic:

S             Specific (Spelled out or Significant)

M            Measurable (Meaningful)

A             Attainable (Action-Oriented or Achievable)

R             Relevant (Realistic or Rewarding)

T             Time-bound (Trackable)

You get more than one shot at writing out a goal, so plan on several drafts as you work toward learning how to coach yourself and others.    Keep this tip sheet handy as you craft your goals.

Pick up your pen – Writing out your goals will help to crystallize your thinking and move you from wishing and hoping to truly shaping up a formidable goal.

Go for precision – Spell out precise, short, to the point goals.  Putting dates, times, and amounts so you can measure results. 

Set realistic goals – Remember, these are your goals.  Others in your life will hand you goals (your employer, society, etc.).  Your own goals need to be achievable.  Be cautious to not set goals that are too difficult.  As you investigate what obstacles might need to be considered and what skill sets are required you may need to tweak your goals.

Set goals that are dependent on you and your performance – Examine your goals to be certain you have as much control as possible on reaching the goal. 

Express the goal in a positive framework – State the goal positively.  “Write in my journal 15 minutes five days a week” is precise, action-oriented, meets the criteria that you are in charge and is worded in a positive manner.  “Stop procrastinating about writing in my journal” is the polar opposite and ineffective.

Sift out the goal – This is challenging.  Ask yourself is this goal a true reflection of my values?  Who besides myself will benefit from me accomplishing this?  These are hard questions for goals to get past.  You will find the greatest satisfaction from working on and accomplishing goals that sync well with what matters most to you.  You will find a groundswell of support when what you focus your time, energy and resources on is beneficial to others.

More to come on Coaching Yourself & Others so stay in the loop!  Sign up for the blog so you don’t miss any segment of the series!  Sign up for our newsletter, too.  It’s free and full of tidbits that will help your personal and professional development.

Still learning,

Honey

Coaching Yourself & Others - It's a Process

You’ve dedicated a spiral notebook with five sections to this endeavor called, Coaching Choices. 

Step 1 Wanting

Coaching yourself begins with identifying what you want to have in your life, keep in your life, work for in your life, and discovering what you have that needs attention and what you might need to give up.  You will be adding to your wants and adjusting your wants so the first section is for your ongoing work about what you want.

Utilize the other four sections of your notebook to create four separate categories.  Write on the section dividers the subject headings.  Here are categories you can consider:  

Relationship Matters

            Family

            Friends

            Work

            Others

Health and Welfare

Spiritual

Work

Financial

Fun, Fears and Feats

            Pleasure

            Learning

            Avoiding

            Achievements

Planning

            Prioritizing

Overcoming obstacles and objections

            Boundaries

Next, select your first set of ten “wants” you are ready to go to work on and stop there.  Each of the ten will need to be shaped into a goal. 

Coaching Choices continues with what you need to know about goal setting.  This is a process that can change your life, improve your personal and professional effectiveness and ramp up the quality of your relationships.  Are you willing to engage in the process?

Goal setting is coming up next…

Still learning,


Honey

Relationships that Aren’t Working at Work

Stressful situations on the job can take a toll on your happiness meter and your success.  We don’t get to pick who we work with, “those people” just come with the deal, with the job.   Maybe you have a relationship at work that isn’t working or maybe one that has room for improvement.  
 

If you’d like to help make a relatlionship at work end up working better here are some questions for you to ponder.

How important is the relationship to you?

How do you know it’s not working?

How does the “not working” factor impact your performance?  What about your effectiveness?

What do you think will happen if the “not working” factor is never resolved?

If in the past, you’ve talked this up with others (other than the person involved) in the workplace are you willing to stop talking about it on the job?  Who could you talk to that isn’t on the payroll who could help you manage your feelings and help you create a plan around this?

How willing are you to do something about the situation? 

What are three things you think you could do that would improve the situation?    What are three things you could stop doing that would improve the situation?

When would you be willing to start doing something positive about the situation?

Is it possible you can be effective and enjoy your job even if the “not working” issue doesn’t improve?

If your feelings about the issue have escalated to resentment about how long are you willing to stay resentful?

Tune in tomorrow and I will help you with some answers to these key self -evaluation questions.

Still learning,

Honey