Ember Carriers Blog | From Possibility to Results

Take Control of Your Schedule

October 1st, 2012

Mary Hladio

“My schedule is booked, things at the office or nuts, and the demands of my job and family unrelenting. I am doing everything I can to just stay above water and not drown.”

Sound familiar? Is it true for you or your employees? What are you doing about it? With most small business owners the answer is:

What are your time suckers?

“I keep doing it – I just need to get through the next few weeks and then things will slow down.”
or
“Some things just are not getting done – there’s no way I can keep up.”

If the craziness is no longer working for you and you are looking to regain some control of your schedule here are some tips that might help.

It is impossible to manage time but you can have better control if you know how you are spending this limited resource. Start by assessing your time utilization.

1. For the next week document how you spend your time. Write down all of your activities and the time committed to each. Include everything – scheduled and unscheduled events, commuting, meals, e-mail, TV, conversations at the coffee pot, etc.

2.    After completing your documentation ask yourself the following questions
a.    What did you actually spend your time doing?
b.    On what did you anticipate/ expect to be spending your time?
c.    How do you feel about how you are actually spending your time?
d.    What action will you take from what you observed?

Next once you have a good handle on what’s filling up your schedule look at habits you can develop to help you regain control of your time.

1. Sitting on e-mail is a huge time waster. Small business owners are the biggest offenders of e-mail addiction especially since the advent of smartphones. Build blocks of time into your schedule to read and respond to e-mail. If you have a handheld device first respond to a message by asking yourself “is this urgent or could it wait until later?” Chances are it can wait.

2. Do you have an assistant? This person can be your right hand and a key to your success. Small business owners are guilty of trying todo it all themselves. Learn to ask for help and cultivate a good working relationship with your assistant.

3. Take care of yourself. Having control of your time takes energy and stamina. Pay attention to what you are eating and drinking. Have breakfast at home and resist that pastry and coffee at the morning meeting. Get away from your desk even if you only walk to the bathroom or kitchen to wash your hands. Better still go outside for a walk around the block. You are no good to the company if you are not able to be at your company.

4. Develop a routine. Get up and go to bed at the same time. Arrive to and leave work at the same time. Schedule coffee with colleagues. Schedule dinner with you family. When developing a routine look for balance between rigid and flexible. Sticking to a routine requires discipline but it can also be taken too far.

It all makes sense and seems easy enough yet taking control of your schedule is going to require time and effort. This investment is worth it if you are truly tired of the craziness. The pace of business will continue to increase. Take control of your time right now and develop the habits that will support your success today and in the fast paced days to come.

Looking for someone to hold you accountable? Want someone who’s only role is to support you achieving success? If you would like more information on to be more efficient and effective for your company, contact a senior consultant with Ember Carriers at (513) 984-9333 for a complimentary consultation to discuss your company’s needs.

Web: www.embercarriers.com|Twitter: www.twitter.com/embercarriers|LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mhladio

Source: Brooke Ingram, Coaching from the Top Blog

Creating A Culture Of Change – Guidelines for Leaders

September 24th, 2012

Mary Hladio

A common mis-perception is cultural change has to start at the top of an organization. However studies have shown that culture change begin with the sub-culture of a

Direct the direction of change

work-group or team where a leader who is one or two levels down from senior management decides to stand up for more. As objective evidence of believable performance improvement becomes known to other managers, change often goes horizontal across the organization through other work-groups, then up through the line organization to top managers. There are ten guidelines that leaders can follow when under-taking this kind of culture change.

Find. Use measurements to reinforce the fact that change is actually happening it helps accelerate change. Use existing measures (or create new ones) to dis-confirm the old ways of seeing the team’s level of performance and to build quantitative evidence that the change has happened and that it will be sustainable. Identify examples that convincingly demonstrate the value that the change is adding to your work-group and the overall organization.
Be Authentic. Make sure that the proposed changes are in the best interest of the overall organization, not just the interest of a specific group or team. Build credible capability and a foundation that benefits the whole organization and sub-optimizing the organization’s overall performance.

Be Specific. Solve a particular problems and let it become an example of the change you’re trying to achieve. Operate from a “no-blame” philosophy that doesn’t point the finger at others, but takes personal responsibility for performance within the organizational context it is embedded. As Jim Collins describes, when there are issues and problems to be solved, look in the mirror of personal responsibility. When there is praise and recognition to be apportioned, look out the window and ascribe credit to those who have made the change possible.

Utilize Your Resources. Obtain resources based on the values they add to solving the problem. Find an area to develop or one that has been traditionally neglected by the organization and turn it into a high-performing workgroup. Strive to build new organizational capability that can be transformed into revenue or an enhanced ability to achieve the organization’s mission and goals.

Alignment. Coordinate your team’s vision with other work-groups, departments, and functional units by focusing on the things you hold in common. While each team may have a different function in the overall organization, its activities should be aligned to achieve a common purpose and the goals of the overall organization. Alignment of mission and goals and focusing on what an organization has in common are the core differences between being a “group” of people and being a “team.”

Be Positive. Convey the trade-offs of actually accomplishing change to work-group members. As an example, if your goal is to increase productivity, then this will require more time and energy from group members and increased resources may not always be immediately available until the team demonstrates its increased productivity to managers. But positive change often brings increased visibility with senior managers that can result in professional advancement for those involved in the change.

Communicate. Connect the “meaning” for people both in and out of your team so changes are interpreted through the lens of your team’s vision. The purpose of culture (any culture) is to teach people how to “see” the world, so make sure that the actions and interactions of your team are properly explained and interpreted to managers and peers so it’s clear how your vision links to the overall organization’s purpose and goals. Remember that people tend to see exactly what they expect to see, so help to shape those expectations for people both in and out of your work-group.

Engage. Manage constructive conflict with other groups or managers, and only do this when you have to for the best interest of the overall organization. While constructive conflict can create synergy, creativity, innovation, and improvement, the destructive conflict that comes from criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and stonewalling that is displayed in meetings, e-mails, and other human interactions frustrates and undermines an organization’s ability to achieve its purpose and goals.

Build A Community. Develop allies who will support the change and form open coalitions to ensure that change is sustainable. Focus on winning the support of those who are skeptical about the change by involving them in the process or showing them how they make similar improvements in their teams.

Lead The Change. Create a concrete, tangible path-forward with credible next steps and a well-defined picture of the value-added that the change will bring to the overall organization. Having established the long-term vision of the change and achieved some initial results that show change is possible, it is important to define what constitutes a “win” or how we will we know when we’ve arrived. It’s also important to map out the behaviors, skills, and process changes that will be necessary to carry the change initiative all the way to the finish line.

Bottom Line: Culture change can begin at any level because organizations are collective-cultural entities that are led, managed, and changed one person at a time.

If you would like more information on creating a culture of change for your company, contact a senior consultant with Ember Carriers at (513) 984-9333 for a complimentary consultation to discuss your company’s needs.

Web: www.embercarriers.com|Twitter: www.twitter.com/embercarriers|LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mhladio

Dispelling Employee Engagement Myths

September 17th, 2012

nwitmer

Dispelling Engagement Myths

Over the years, conversations with scores of HR and operating executives have convinced us that employee engagement is a huge driver of value, and worth of measuring. But there are myths to dispel—

Myth 1: Engagement metrics aren’t linked to financial/operational value

Despite the fact that 96% of Fortune 500 companies conduct employee surveys and 99% of HR leaders see engagement as a worthy pursuit, it’s hard to find good data on value-add. Clearly, some results are stunning:

6-7 figure increases in operating income (Best Buy^®)
8-figure cost savings from decreasing turnover (Sysco^®)
a 52% gap in operating income between high- vs. low-engagement companies (professional service firms)

However, there are few studies that show a cause-and-effect connection between survey actions and financial impact. As we continue to study long-term results with our own clients, we promise to report our findings to you.

Myth 2: Employee engagement is too hard to change

Some employees never change, typically the 20% who are actively dis-engaged. Many of these people are perpetually-disgruntled, pessimistic whiners. The best way to deal with this group is to identify them and guide them out of the organization. On the other hand, a large portion of partlydisengaged employees are caught in limbo, temporarily alienated by poor supervision or organizational practices. They are desperate for information, resources, or a skilled leader. Sometimes it takes very little to unleash the engagement that is already in them. For instance, we have found that if we identify low-skill supervisors and provide them with intense training/coaching, their staffs show amazing increases in performance and retention.

Myth 3: It’s too hard to follow up on surveys, so why bother?

The sad truth is that most survey results are shoved in a desk drawer. Indeed, follow-up is hard. It can also be scary, for instance if an HR Director is expected to singlehandedly drive more accountability into an organization. On the positive side, if the top leader and senior team are truly committed to creating fundamental change, then follow-up is straightforward. An example of a simplified plan with guaranteed ROI:

Coach the senior team to understand the data and an action plan
Communicate general results to the whole workforce, giving them a notch more candor than they expect
Select three high-priority problem pockets to fix
Publicly celebrate three pockets of excellence

“Employee engagement first. It goes without saying that no company, small or large, can win over the long run without energized employees who believe in the mission and understand how to achieve it.” —Jack Welch, Former CEO, General Electric

If you would like to know more about improving employee engagement at your company, please call a senior consultant with Ember Carriers at (513) 984-9333 for a complimentary consultation to discuss your company’s needs.

Web: www.embercarriers.com|Twitter: www.twitter.com/embercarriers|LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mhladio

Source: Neil Witmer, Pinpoint Performance Blog, Witmer & Associates

Can’t Afford Employee Training Programs? Think Again…

July 30th, 2012

Mary Hladio

Affordable Training is an option

Small businesses often overlook the value in providing a formal training program. Jeffrey Hull, director of learning services at consulting firm Employers Group, says a formal training program “gives individuals the opportunity to solve some business issues and find new ways of generating revenue.”

Employee performance also improves with training, according to Tracey Wilen-Daugenti, managing director of the Apollo Research Institute. “The more you know, the easier and faster you can do your job,” says Wilen-Daugenti. Companies should aim to train and keep good performers by ensuring that the training program fits the company culture.

Unstructured training through free or low-cost programs can involve coaching, mentoring, or having new hires shadow more senior professionals. A formal or structured training program can also be achieved without excessive expense, according to David Lewis, CEO of OperationsInc, a human resources outsourcing firm. Options include team-building training sites; professional associations, vendors, and local chambers of commerce; guest speakers; group wikis; internal YouTube videos; webinars; and brown-bag lunches.

Hull suggests pooling resources with other businesses to find commonalities. Prior to launching a training program, business owners should get training themselves, conduct assessments to find areas where training is needed, schedule a regular time for training, and define and measure metrics.

If you would like more information on creating an affordable development program for your company, contact a senior consultant with Ember Carriers at (513) 984-9333 for a complimentary consultation to discuss your company’s needs.

Web: www.embercarriers.com|Twitter: www.twitter.com/embercarriers|LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mhladio

Entrepreneur.com (04/19/12) Gutner, Toddi

4 Secrets to a Better Company Culture(openforum.com)
The Number One Reason Employees Stay in a Small Business, According to Employers(smallbiztrends.com)

8 Signs That You Have an Extraordinary Boss‏

July 23rd, 2012

Mary Hladio

Are you extraordinary?

The best managers have a fundamentally different understanding of workplace, company, and team dynamics. According to Geoffrey James with Inc. Magazine, “best of the best” CEO’s in the world tend to share the following eight core beliefs.

1. Business is an ecosystem, not a battlefield.
Average bosses see business as a conflict between companies, departments and groups. They build huge armies of “troops” to order about, demonize competitors as “enemies,” and treat customers as “territory” to be conquered.

Extraordinary bosses see business as a symbiosis where the most diverse firm is most likely to survive and thrive. They naturally create teams that adapt easily to new markets and can quickly form partnerships with other companies, customers … and even competitors.

2. A company is a community, not a machine.

Average bosses consider their company to be a machine with employees as cogs. They create rigid structures with rigid rules and then try to maintain control by “pulling levers” and “steering the ship.”

Extraordinary bosses see their company as a collection of individual hopes and dreams, all connected to a higher purpose. They inspire employees to dedicate themselves to the success of their peers and therefore to the community–and company–at large.

3. Management is service, not control.

Average bosses want employees to do exactly what they’re told. They’re hyper-aware of anything that smacks of insubordination and create environments where individual initiative is squelched by the “wait and see what the boss says” mentality.

Extraordinary bosses set a general direction and then commit themselves to obtaining the resources that their employees need to get the job done. They push decision making downward, allowing teams form their own rules and intervening only in emergencies.

4. My employees are my peers, not my children.

Average bosses see employees as inferior, immature beings who simply can’t be trusted if not overseen by a patriarchal management. Employees take their cues from this attitude, expend energy on looking busy and covering their behinds.

Extraordinary bosses treat every employee as if he or she were the most important person in the firm. Excellence is expected everywhere, from the loading dock to the boardroom. As a result, employees at all levels take charge of their own destinies.

5. Motivation comes from vision, not from fear.

Average bosses see fear–of getting fired, of ridicule, of loss of privilege–as a crucial way to motivate people. As a result, employees and managers alike become paralyzed and unable to make risky decisions.

Extraordinary bosses inspire people to see a better future and how they’ll be a part of it. As a result, employees work harder because they believe in the organization’s goals, truly enjoy what they’re doing and (of course) know they’ll share in the rewards.

6. Change equals growth, not pain.

Average bosses see change as both complicated and threatening, something to be endured only when a firm is in desperate shape. They subconsciously torpedo change … until it’s too late.

Extraordinary bosses see change as an inevitable part of life. While they don’t value change for its own sake, they know that success is only possible if employees and organization embrace new ideas and new ways of doing business.

7. Technology offers empowerment, not automation.

Average bosses adhere to the old IT-centric view that technology is primarily a way to strengthen management control and increase predictability. They install centralized computer systems that dehumanize and antagonize employees.

Extraordinary bosses see technology as a way to free human beings to be creative and to build better relationships. They adapt their back-office systems to the tools, like smartphones and tablets, that people actually want to use.

8. Work should be fun, not mere toil.

Average bosses buy into the notion that work is, at best, a necessary evil. They fully expect employees to resent having to work, and therefore tend to subconsciously define themselves as oppressors and their employees as victims. Everyone then behaves accordingly.

Extraordinary bosses see work as something that should be inherently enjoyable–and believe therefore that the most important job of manager is, as far as possible, to put people in jobs that can and will make them truly happy.

If you would like become extraordinary contact a senior consultant with Ember Carriers at (513) 984-9333 for a complimentary consultation to discuss your company’s needs.

Web: www.embercarriers.com|Twitter: www.twitter.com/embercarriers|LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mhladio

Introducing Competency-Based Framework

July 16th, 2012

Mary Hladio

We are passionate about influencing behaviors for organizational effectiveness and growth. Every organization today (regardless of size) should be deeply concerned about selecting and retaining competent, committed people to join the company. Accurately describing what talent looks like in a specific organization for specific jobs is the major step in creating organizational effectiveness. Ember Carrier consultants will help organizations design a custom competency model to drive future needs.

For years, we have adopted a competency-based approached in developing succession plans, performance management systems, leadership development programs and employee engagement programs as part of FUEL process. Today, we are announcing a new blog segment to introducing some of the base competencies. We will give you a general definition and talk about the competency importance and general considerations when developing this behavior.

If you would like more information on developing a customized competency library and organizational effective strategy contact a senior consultant with Ember Carriers at (513) 984-9333 for a 30-minute complimentary consultation to discuss your company’s needs.

Web: www.embercarriers.com|Twitter: www.twitter.com/embercarriers|LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mhladio