by joe mcgee december 11, 2015 . over 15 years’ experience in the it industry for leading...
TRANSCRIPT
Joe McGee
Over 15 years’ experience in the IT industry for leading corporate, financial and educational organizations. I have held various positions as Technical Trainer, IT Analyst, Website Developer, Manager and Desktop support.
Joe is a Manager for Konica Minolta Business Solutions with focus on employee training and development.
Joe has earned his Six Sigma Black Belt Certification from Abbott Associates, Inc.
Mission Statement
By the end of this meeting you will have learned new methods to increase productivity and creativity among your direct reports along with embracing challenges as an employee.
Agenda
Facts About Retaining Top Talent Reflections around the room… How to challenge your team(Learn it – Teach it- Apply
it Philosophy). Building confidence. How to determine what inspires your team… Selling your point through exercises Leading through Authenticity… Branding… Pre-Huddle Team Knowledge Exercises Questions
We must retain Top-Talent
Here’s the thing – employees who are challenged, engaged, valued, and rewarded (emotionally, intellectually & financially) rarely leave, and more importantly, they perform at very high levels. However if you miss any of these critical areas, it’s only a matter of time until they head for the elevator.
1. You Failed To Unleash Their Passions: Smart companies align employee passions with corporate pursuits. Human nature makes it very difficult to walk away from areas of passion. Fail to understand this and you’ll unknowingly be encouraging employees to seek their passions elsewhere.
2. You Failed To Challenge Their Intellect: Smart people don’t like to live in a dimly lit world of boredom. If you don’t challenge people’s minds, they’ll leave you for someone/someplace that will.
We must retain Top-Talent
3. You Failed To Engage Their Creativity: Great talent is wired to improve, enhance, and add value. They are built to change and innovate. They NEED to contribute by putting their fingerprints on design. Smart leaders don’t place people in boxes – they free them from boxes. What’s the use in having a racehorse if you don’t let them run?
Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikemyatt/2012/12/13/10-reasons-your-top-talent-will-leave-you/
Interesting Facts…
Richard Chaifetz, a neuropsychologist and the CEO of ComPsych..Boredom may be commonly understood as not having enough to do, but Chaifetz says it’s really about not being challenged enough. So while employees may be busier than ever, they’re not necessarily doing more interesting work
According research by management-consulting firm Gallup, 71% of American workers are either not engaged or actively disengaged from their jobs, with highly educated and middle-aged workers the least likely to feel involved in and enthusiastic about their work.Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jennagoudreau/2012/05/31/bored-in-the-office-is-it-the-new-productivity-killer/
Reflections around the room… Think about what is your mission statement when you
arrive at work. How do you stick out among your peers? Do you feel like you’re doing your best work now? If not,
why not? Are you tackling challenges currently in your existing role?
Example: Challenge Your Team
We must push our direct reports outside of their comfort zone and not just once but every day.
Example: A good method that works is to provide your direct report’s with assignments. Find something they are not familiar with and provide them off-phone time to work on the project. They would then learn it – apply the knowledge by teaching and doing a demo in front of your team.
Apply the Learn it – Teach it- Apply it Philosophy
The Key is to assign a project they are weak on and apply the learn it – apply it – teach it philosophy.
Post project assignments for your team along with due dates.
Task time will be assigned for them to present their topic (build a powerpoint and demo their topic) in front of others.
Phase II – Record a live demo of their project and present it to the group. Then Brand your project series.
Benefits of this philosophy……… Building confidence Learning/Development Sense of Challenge outside of their normal
activities. Employee Retention Sense of Accomplishment
.
This is something I am currently doing now.
Apply the Learn it – Teach it- Apply it Philosophy- Continued
“Walking on Thin Ice, A CSC Breakthrough Series”
The video’s will be part of a series named below. The name is on the principle that you are walking on thin ice and are cautious as you cross the body of water encapsulated by ice. You may fall in but that’s how we learn. “Learn It – Apply It – Teach It philosophy”
Brand your project series a title and meaning.
Have fun and be proud of the success from your direct reports.
By the end of this they should feel more confident with the subject content.
Example of what I branded my series..
Do you know what inspires your direct reports?
.
1. Do you know what inspires your team? You see the same faces everyday but do you really know your direct reports?
2. Challenge them to ask the RAW questions in my example and write an essay about them. This is harder then it seems….
3. The outcome is a nice crafted paper that allows you to gather more information about their state of mind and focus.
Outcome is a paper like this..
The paper gives clear direction on the controlled questions you are looking for input on.
Leading through Authenticity…
As we gather information from our staff it’s equally important to be open and honest with your staff.
Share something with your team so they understand what inspires you as their leader.
Write an essay on what inspires you as a leader and share it with your staff.
(Right) Exert from my
leadership essay shared with my staff,
“Leadership is much like an unfinished art project. It is defined to a degree but always a work in progress. In order to obtain one's attention, lines need to be drawn by using Abstract colors “ – Joe McGee
Sell your point by involving your team: Selling your message to the caller…
Delivering your point can be done by using an object to drive the point
home.
Sell your point by involving your team: Value Exercise
Delivering your point can be done by using
objects (Value exercise)
The 20 Dollar Bill…
Branding in the workplace… Poll your team…Do they know what
their company logo means? The history of the company they work for?
Recently in a meeting I asked these same questions and 80% of my team did not know what the logo means.
Wearing the brand and working for your company is very important and we should all know the meaning of this…
.
Action Items:• In the next meeting give a briefing
of what your logo means and the history of the company.
• Assign a brand ambassador to spread awareness to your team.
A Pre-Huddle Routine is Crucial….
Recently I went to Greenville, SC for Six Sigmatraining. We went to a restaurant at 5pm one night in Greenville. The hostess showed us to our seats and mentioned the waiter would be with us in a few moments. He is in a meeting…
A meeting we asked?
The hostess mentioned that every night before dinner the staff is called in for a huddlemeeting to provide the direction for the night. To memorize the specials and to acquire direction from the management staff at the restaurant.
Something clicked….
Ever since…We implemented a Pre-Huddle Routine….
Since eating at the restaurant we implemented a pre-huddle concept with our respected teams each morning.
Every morning establish a 15 minute pre-huddle on the floor of your department with your staff prior to shift start.
This informal meeting will allow you to give your team direction each morning. You can inform them of hot issues that are arising today, etc.
After the huddle – you must have a round table to get what’s on the employee’s mind.
Team sharing is invaluable…Learn One Thing
The Exercise “Learn One Thing” asks the employee to list “One Thing” that saves them throughout the day.
Have the employee present his/her topic in next pre-huddle or team meeting.
You will find others may not know this topic and will gain knowledge by sharing with others.
Example of One Thing
Empower your team to share idea’s
A Final Thought…..
When Winston Churchill heard about the attack on Pearl Harbor, he broke out a bottle of champagne and said, "We've won the war." His generals looked at him like he'd lost his mind. America's pacific fleet was wiped out, France was overrun, and the Luftwaffe was bombing London. Churchill said America is like a giant boiler. Light a fire under it, and there's no limit to the amount of heat it can generate. If you start a fire, you better be prepared to deal with the flames.
What he meant was America can sustain… America is a giant sponge. One must think logically and overcome adversity with a well thought reaction. Timing is everything…
