Challenge the Process – Average is over

Posted on January 29, 2012 by Steve Borek

I read an article in the NY Times by Thomas Friedman titled “Average Is Over.” I can’t agree with him more.

We have choices in regards to products and services. Lots of them.

If you receive average tasting food at a restaurant, you search for an alternative venue that serves wonderfully delicious inviting meals.

If your company runs on an average ERP solution, you’ll move to a software system that provides a competitive advantage.

If you have an average customer experience with an online web store, they’ll be history as soon as you find one that’s better.

Where in your company can you challenge the process? It’s one of the practices in The Leadership Challenge workshop.

Look for ways to go over the top for your customers. Otherwise, eventually, they’ll find a vendor that will.

Here’s a link to Mr. Friedman’s insightful article. http://ow.ly/8JU20

 

 

 

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Posted in Customer Satisfaction, Leadership | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Job Benchmarking Increases Revenue

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Steve Borek

Have you heard the argument that assessment tools are only useful for top-level positions? Or, that it’s cost prohibitive to assess the entire organization? So are assessments important in every level of your organization? We’re often asked this question, and the answer is YES.

Any building is only as good as its foundation. Your organizations foundation is your workforce. Regardless of the position, all organizations benefit from understanding every role. A person’s assessment identifies strengths and weaknesses in the individual and the team. We often learn of organizations that identify undiscovered talent hidden within their organization as a result of utilizing assessments. This initial discovery leads to tapping the potential of future leaders and getting them started on the right development path. This leads to higher revenue.

When employees are in positions that are not a fit with their behaviors, motivators, and skills, the entire organization suffers including the bottom line. The benchmarking process uncovers the key performance indicators that drive results in the job critical to success. By understanding what the job needs and rewards, you should understand the best way to manage people, develop training and implement strategies. This means greater productivity and ROI of each player on your team.

In the typical hiring process, we review resumes, look at experience, and interview. Then we go with our gut. Our intuition. We’re biased! A job benchmark is an unbiased emotional view of what the Job Wants!

Hiring based on what the -Job Wants- leads to hiring “A” performers the first time, which leads to higher revenues. Your team members are in the right positions, and they’re productive day one. Otherwise, you’ll spend lots of money on training them to get better at positions they’re probably not jazzed about in the first place! This leads to turnover and stress.

Best of all, benchmarking is a simple, cost-effective way to set the foundation for the leaders of any organization to increase morale, improve retention and enhance overall employee satisfaction.

Contact me today and I’ll spill the beans on the entire process.

 

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So, You Think You Can’t Dance?

Posted on January 15, 2012 by Steve Borek

So, you think you know yourself? I thought I knew myself until I got a big surprise in November.

A few months ago, on an idle Tuesday afternoon, I received a call from my friend, Bob Teska, a CPA at Bowers and Company in Syracuse, NY. He was proud to say he’d been recently elected to the board for Syracuse Habitat for Humanity. In the past 25 years, Habitat has built or renovated almost 60 non-profit houses that were sold to selected families through interest-free mortgages.

Bob was “dialing for dollars,” contacting his circle of influence, recruiting male volunteers for Habitat’s largest fundraiser of the year, “Mr. Habitat.” He asked if I would donate my executive coaching and leadership services for the auction. All I had to do was dance the runway to my music of choice. I told him I’d love to do it.

After I hung up, I decided I must be out of my mind. I never dance in public because I’m 6’5”, I stick out like a sore thumb, and I feel like my dance moves are on a par with Elaine from “Seinfeld.” I considered backing out, but this was such a great cause, I knew I would follow through.

Well, if I was going to strut my stuff in public, I needed a cool piece of music to camouflage my inadequacies. I chose the catchy, upbeat Maroon 5 hit, “Moves Like Jagger.” I began my choreography, playing the tune over and over and refining my moves. I gained confidence and soon felt the urge to spice things up. I searched You Tube and added a hip- hop move to my routine, making things up as I went along. I couldn’t see myself during practice, but what I was creating felt respectable.

I strolled into the “Mr. Habitat” event at the Sheraton Syracuse University Convention Center on this warm November evening. The whole day I channeled fellow coach Maria Nemeth’s mantra to embrace the moment: with clarity, focus, ease and grace. I mingled with the crowd of hundreds, trying to convince them to bid high and often on my services for this great cause. I made a point of letting them know I couldn’t dance.

“Go have a drink!” was a piece of advice I received more than once, but I knew alcohol wouldn’t help. I did encourage everyone else, however, to have one more libation, hoping it would enhance my overall performance, in their eyes.

Backstage, there were about seven male compatriots ahead of me. I worked off my anxiety by rehearsing in the halls, getting strange looks from the kitchen help as they prepared hors d’oeuvres.

When my turn came, local personalities Ted and Amy of 93Q announced to the crowd, “And now here’s Steve Borek, executive coach at End Game Business! Let’s hear it for him!” I hopped on the runway to the loud sounds of ♪♪ Just shoot for the stars, if it feels right and aim for my heart ♫. I was in the zone! I’d been in the zone several times playing sports and it’s a special place. Everything gets quiet, I’m at peace, and movements feel like slow mo. The dance was effortless.

After my services were auctioned off to Ann Goutremout, the owner of Studio 11 in Cicero, NY, I jumped off the runway and was congratulated by fellow volunteers waiting in the wings. What a rush! I walked out and to my amazement, several folks in the crowd complimented me on my performance. “Steve, you can really dance.” I was stupefied!

During the evening I had several “coaching moments.” I learned that being in the land of complacency is a terrible place to be. I hadn’t challenged myself in some time and I was playing it safe. On this night, I scared myself and I grew in the process. I also learned I’m not qualified to assess myself. As with clients, many times you can’t see the forest for the trees. Last, when you have a finite amount of time to achieve an extraordinary and unfamiliar goal, without any prior experience, you can succeed. Believe me, I’m dancing proof.

To learn more about Syracuse Habitat for Humanity contact Kristin Earle 315.422.2230

Photo courtsey of Caityln Bom Photography.

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Posted in Focus, Mindset, Performance, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

How Personally Accountable are They?

Posted on January 8, 2012 by Steve Borek

In the world of statistics, 50 percent of the population is above average in personal accountability and 50 percent are below average in personal accountability. All businesses should seek to hire employees who are personally accountable. Research identifies, that people who are personally accountable, will do the things necessary to achieve above average or even superior performance.

For example, people who are personally accountable and employed in a career that requires continuous learning have a natural passion toward learning and keeping current. Those that are not personally accountable can get left behind very quickly if involved in many high tech careers.

Unfortunately, for the most part, your team won’t share their thoughts with you on this subject. Can you think of a few reasons why?

Research shows that personal accountability is required in most jobs. This illustrates the importance for all hiring managers to totally evaluate each position as it relates to being personally accountable plus making sure that everyone they interview brings personal accountability skills to the job.

If you only hired people who were personally accountable and your competitors hired people who were not personally accountable, you would own the marketplace! Sales people who lack personal accountability will fail unless they have a protected area with repeat customers.

There is a solution to understand the Personal Skills of your team. The TriMetrix HD Assessment. Based on a unique 37-factor analysis, TTI TriMetrix HD reveals a person’s specific traits in three areas that describe the how, why and what of individual performance. A TriMetrix HD can be done in conjunction with a Job Benchmark before you hire. This tool is often used for current team members to see if they’re in the right role. You’ll see if they enjoy their job or if they’re stressing. In either case, you can provide a coaching development plan based on where they need to improve.

Contact me to learn more. I’ll spill the beans on the process.

 

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Expect the Unexpected in 2012

Posted on December 31, 2011 by Steve Borek

It’s that time of year again. Everyone is making their New Years resolutions hoping to make a change. The majority of the time, we lose interest or lack the discipline to stick to the plan.

The most significant changes in my life, that endured, occurred on some idle Thursday when I least expected.

About 20 years ago, I was at the YMCA at 6am on a typical weekday morning, getting ready to do laps in the pool. As I waited for the lifeguard to come on duty, a man in a Speedo walks out of the locker room to the pool area. He had a svelte athletic “swimmers” body. I noticed he looked a lot like a customer of mine. Sure enough, it was Fran Nichols, CFO/Managing Partner, at Eric Mower and Associates. He looked completely different. I’d never seen Fran without his glasses. This was a Clark Kent moment if you will.

We were both surprised to see each other! “Fran, how often do you swim?” I said. “I do one mile every morning before I go to work. Takes me about 35 minutes” Fran replied. “How about you Steve?” Fran asked. “I do a half mile in 45 minutes” I said in a less than confident tone. We shared the same lane and Fran must have lapped me twenty times or more. He moved through the water like Flipper, whereas I resembled a wounded Orca. I wasn’t very happy, considering Fran was about ten years my senior!

After my workout I went to the office and plopped down in my cubicle. I reached for a cigarette to have with my morning coffee. I’d been smoking for all of my adult life. I was so upset at my performance at the Y, I crushed the 14 or so cigs I had left in the pack of Marlboro Lights and threw them in the garbage. I quit cold turkey and never looked back. This big change happened in a split second!

That day, I didn’t have a plan to give up smoking. My incentive to quit was my competitive spirit. Out of the blue, Fran gave me a gift. I channeled all the energy from a lack of nicotine to exercise. Today, on any given day, I can swim a mile in 38 minutes.

Be ready for those unexpected opportunities to change in 2012 regardless of the time of year. Then, take action and see what happens.

p.s. Fran, thanks for the gift that keeps on giving.

 

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Posted in Goal Setting, Uncategorized | Tagged | 6 Comments

Brain Based Rationale for Meeting Tips

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Steve Borek

Pre-meeting preparationis crucial. For example, sleep well, think well.  An adult generally needs seven to nine hours of sleep on a regular basis.  (And none of this staying up late on weekends and thinking you can jump back to your routine on Monday.) Inconsistent sleep patterns can take two to three days to correct.

Speaking of being prepared, you need two servings of protein in the morning to maximize the thinking process. One serving of protein comes from: 1 egg, 1 oz of cheese, 1 cup of milk or yogurt, 2 TBSP of peanut butter, ¾ cup pudding or 3 oz of tofu.  Carbohydrates and sugars are sources of energy but create highs and lows, as they enter the system quickly.

There is growing evidence that coming to a meeting with the right attitude is also crucial.  Your mindset going into a meeting will dictate what you get out of the meeting.  Our emotions serve as filters, so it’s best to have an attitude that matches my blood type, B Positive.

Note taking and active engagement address the same concept of attentiveness. Note taking forces you to think about what is being presented: drawings force processing of the information, and asking questions force you to listen.  All of these are crucial to the next step of making a protein marker in your brain. But, remember that different behavioral styles will interpret this rationale based on their own filters and may use the tips as an excuse for over application. For example, high Influence styles from DISC, please don’t dominate just to stay involved; and high Dominance styles, as a participant in a meeting, you are NOT in charge, so work on your listening skills as a way to stay engaged.

Reinforcing learning is required to create a lasting memory.  If you do not do something with new information within about 30 seconds after receiving it, the protein marker in your brain does not form.  If you do process the information, think about it, make connections, take notes, or draw an image, the information will be locked in place for about 90 minutes.  Again, if you do not refocus on the information within this window of time, it is gone.  But if you reinforce the knowledge by again revisiting the concepts or information, you now have created a bio-chemical protein marking that will last from eight to 12 hours. A quick review before bed and you are ready to start the process of remembering!

Written by: Dr. Ron Bonnstetter, Senior VP for Research and Development at TTI

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Retaining Talent to Reach the Next Level

Posted on December 14, 2011 by Steve Borek

In today’s economy, every business leader, owner, CEO and president should be asking themselves one important question: “Do I have the talent to take this business to the next level?”

If the answer is no, you probably want to begin looking, but if the answer is yes, then employee retention should be at the top of your list. With employee retention statistics that prove your best employees may be sitting on your payroll while patiently waiting for the “right” job, you need to be sure that you are managing employee retention with specific individuals in mind and long-term goals in place. 

Employees Are Not All Alike
A good manager knows the strengths and weaknesses of their employees, but do they know what motivates them? Employee retention studies show money is NOT the reason most employees leave a job, which seems contrary to popular belief. In a recent study of over 19,000 job seekers, only 19% said money was the reason they were looking for a new job. Instead, more popular reasons included stress, mismanagement, lack of room for advancement and lack of employee development.

To effectively manage employee retention, it is important to determine the core values of each individual. What drives them to take action? What keeps them engaged and motivated? What needs do they have that should be fulfilled on the job? For example, let’s assume Arthur is a salesman for a medical device company that sells a new health care device to hospitals. What motivates Arthur to get out of bed each day, put on his suit and give a great sales pitch? Perhaps he knows that each time he introduces better technology to a hospital, he impacts the lives of many every day. Or, maybe Arthur’s  personal goal is to be the top salesman in the company. Yet another possibility is that Arthur comes from a family of salesmen and takes pride in following in their footsteps. Whatever the case , the key is to know what motivates Arthur and ensure that employee retention strategies cater to his unique, personal motivators.

Employee Retention Must Fit Corporate Goals
Developing an employee retention strategy specific to each individual must start with an in-depth look at the company’s long-term goals and what it needs for success. What is the next level? What skills do you need to get there? Who has those skills and what skills are missing in the company? While it is not an easy task, it is an important step in the process of creating an employee retention strategy that will help you meet your long-term goals. Perhaps you will find that job roles should be re-organized, skills of certain employees are better utilized in another way, or certain employees are key to future success. Once you have determined how your workforce needs to adapt to meet company goals, you can implement an employee retention strategy that ensures your best talent is there to help you reach the top.

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Front Row Seat of a Leadership Moment

Posted on December 2, 2011 by Steve Borek

How often have you been fortunate enough to see leadership in action?

You know it when you see it because it’s extraordinary. While on a recent business trip, I experienced such a moment.

I stayed at a beautifully renovated hotel in the heart of Toronto. The property had spacious white and grey marble tiled lobby, colorful contemporary furniture, and tasteful lighting. It was open and inviting with several restaurants, a specialty coffee shop, travel agency, and a day spa that looked so inviting.

I took the elevator to the 16th floor, went to room 1606, scanned my key, and entered a small, inviting room with an okay view of downtown. As this would be my home for the next nine days I plopped on the bed and smiled approvingly of the comfortable mattress and soft pillows.

The room was chilly on this October evening so I turned on the heat. To my dismay cold air blew from the vents. I called the front desk and I was told that the heat wasn’t on yet. As the story goes, the HVAC system was designed to have either air conditioning or heat on but not the two simultaneously.

After one night of sleeping with a long sleeved shirt and socks, I called the front desk clerk again and said it was chilly in my room. She told me that the hotel had just turned the heat on. I told her my unit wasn’t working, so they sent a maintenance man.  After several failed attempts he said, in broken English with a heavy French accent, that a specialist would come in the morning. He left a portable heater which I turned off because it filled my room with the odor of a musty boiler room.

The second maintenance man, “the spécialiste,” came the next day with another smelly heater, telling me the heat was still not operational. I told him I was confused about the hotels conflicting stories in the last two days. He simply shrugged his shoulders and said with an empathetic demeanor as far as he knew, no heat as of yet. I tilted my head and looked at him, the same way your dog might look at you when he’s confused or curious. Being an executive coach who works with leaders and teams, I felt it was important to let management know what was happening on their watch.

So, I called and asked to speak to the hotel manager, a woman named Serena who wasn’t available but, promptly returned my call.

“May I give you some feedback on the communication of your team in my first few days here?” I said. “Please. Yes,” she anxiously replied. I explained how her team wasn’t on the same page regarding the heating system. I also pointed out that more than likely, they’re sending mixed messages to other guests. I told her I couldn’t trust anything her team told me from this point forward. Where to eat, suggestions on entertainment, where to purchase an odorless space heater, etc.

She listened intently without interrupting, a quality I recognize because as an executive coach, listening is what I do best. Serena assured me the heat was operational and she said she’d make things right. “Can you check back with me during the lunch hour?” she asked. I said of course. Then I dashed out of the hotel, to a rainy cool Toronto morning, and quickly walked to my workshop a few blocks away.

After my morning session, I returned to the hotel and called the front desk. A pleasant woman told me I was being moved to another room and that Serena, the manager, was going to meet me. She came to the business center, the other end of the hotel, where I was checking emails and voice mails. A mature, well-dressed Gen Y’er, she politely apologized for the miscommunication. She spoke in a sincere soft toned manner and I sensed she was genuinely thankful for my feedback. We went to the front desk and Serena began the check in process and said with a smile “You’re going to really like this room; it’s bigger and a lot nicer.” She upgraded me to a suite: Living room with a white leather couch, hardwood floors, master bath, fridge, microwave, and two large HD TVs!!

Serena’s actions rang loud and clear: She’s a leader. She took the time to listen; I mean really listen, as if I was a VIP or dignitary. She demonstrated humility, which is the number one attribute of the greatest leaders.

She followed up with her team, explained what had happened, and got everyone on the same page. Then she went the extra mile and took the time to meet and thank me. And lastly she personally checked me into the new spacious room.

Leadership: The people you’re working with and serving will know it when they see it.

(Read more about leadership and humility in Jim Collins book “Good to Great.”)

 

 

 

 

 

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Turn Your C Performers Into A’s

Posted on November 20, 2011 by Steve Borek

With a less than shining economy, it is more important than ever to make your dollar stretch as far as it can. Beyond going green and trading hardcopy versions of documents for digital ones, how can your company get the most bang for its buck? We suggest stepping up efficiency starting with developing your organization’s most valuable asset, its employees.

It’s on every executive’s mind, “Will the return be a higher value than the investment?” Not one supervisor would purchase a worn-out, problems-included, less beneficial piece of equipment when he has an opportunity for an extremely efficient competitor’s version for the same price. So why would any supervisor employ a C player when he could benefit so much more from an A player? Some don’t even realize that their employees are on the lower end of the performance scale. Organizations that hire solely based on interviews and resumés are missing out on the bigger picture: this potential employee might have experience and education, but does he fit well with the job and the culture of the company? Behavior, motivators and values assessments along with job matching will answer these questions and ensure that the organization is getting the most out of its investment on its most valuable (and most likely expensive) asset.

The time and effort invested to turn your C teams into A teams is well worth it. Both employers and managers may be concerned regarding an adverse effect on their productivity when they take time from daily activities for assessment surveys, and participation in professional development and job matching sessions. However, they can rest assured that this investment in defining jobs in terms of behavior, rewards and attributes will result in the ability to better match employees with jobs. When a person is well matched, instead of the stress of struggling to keep up, the employee’s energy flows into building momentum on the job, and he enjoys an experience of success. Productivity goes up and labor costs come down because there is a higher level of performance requiring fewer staff members. Not only that, but employees who like their jobs take fewer sick days and tend to show up on time because they want to come to work.

When thinking about the return on investing in A players, it is also important to look at the downfalls of keeping your C players. Low performers have a poor quality of output for several reasons, some of which can be attributed to their lack of engagement to the job because they are not well matched in definable terms of behavior, rewards or attributes. It is undeniable that when an employee isn’t engaged, their productivity suffers. But there is also a wider cost to the organization of lost opportunity. There are untold business benefits that the person could have contributed if their energy and creativity were flowing into their work. Imagine an employee who does not fit well with his key accountabilities. This employee is generally the one standing at the water cooler or surfing the Internet to entertain himself. And when that person goes beyond being disengaged to becoming negative, the effect on the organization can be devastating because the potential for teams to collaborate effectively is lost.

While it might seem like a time consuming effort to transform your C teams into A teams, the benefits of top performers in your organization heavily outweigh the steps it takes to get those winning teams in order. Still concerned about your ROI? Let’s break it down. What is being invested? Time and effort to distinguish which employees are top performers and which need some guidance. After identifying your two groups, time will need to be spent developing C players into A players. Now let’s review the return for your organization. When more top performers are present, there will be a higher level of efficiency, which means greater productivity and in turn an increase in profits. Those are the monetary advantages, but there are other benefits that may be overlooked. Top performers are such because they have an excellent job match. This suggests the employee is happy doing their job. An office full of content employees means an office with great morale, leading to positive talk about the organization and a stronger brand. In short, the benefits from having A players in the organization is unparalleled to improvements made on other assets.

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Coaching Tools For Quicker Traction

Posted on November 7, 2011 by Steve Borek

In the workforce today, successful managers and supervisors do more then just oversee and delegate tasks to their team members. As direct factors in retention and performance results, employee coaching, team building and development initiatives are at the top of their list of duties.

Managers who truly know and understand their employees will focus on the customized aspect of coaching and pinpoint the strategies that will produce significant results. After all, each team member is unique. Then again, it takes months to understand new hires or even those that have been on board for years. After all that time, does a manager truly understand them? Even if they do, managing each person is an improv in itself.

Tools for Effective Coaching

Coaching can be done at a whole new level when you have the tools to understand how someone acts, communicates and behaves, what values they hold that motivates them to action, and what personal skills they have, or do not have, that would contribute to the job. With this information, development plans can be directed towards an employee’s individual areas of improvement and the right rewards can be utilized to drive motivation. All the while, your manager can be coaching in a way that is most effective with the employee’s unique behavioral style.

Assessing behaviors, motivators, personal skills and talents, and acumen with TriMetrixHD Assessment is a simple and powerful way to turn your managers into coaches they need to be. In fact, you’ll be turning them into leaders and achieving traction quicker. The bigger benefit is your team members will feel you’re making a concerted effort to understand them as a person.

Contact me now to discover how your managers will have a humongous impact on job performance, employee retention, and the bottom line by using these coaching reports.


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