I didn’t see the coaching sessions, batting practice, pre-season games or any games prior to the one I attended on Sunday. I only saw the results, which appeared to me to be simply amazing. The Sox took the game against the Cleveland Indians by a score of 12 to 1.

We  look at other people’s achievements and think we should be able to obtain the same level of success. We don’t think about what it took for this person or business to succeed. We don’t assess the risks they took to make it big.  We just look at the end results.

Hitting a home run at the ballpark and in business requires focus. It also requires practice and being surrounded by a strong team.  Having a  coach that will tell you what you need to hear, rather than what you want to hear makes all the difference in the world.

Take a moment to step away from the plate and ask yourself the following:

1. Have I clearly defined what I’d like to achieve?
2. Do people on my team understand where we are going?
3. Do I have the passion to pull this off?
4. What skills do I need to improve in order to make it into the big leagues?
5. Can I do this alone or do I need a coach who can help me consistently improve?
6. Is there anyone on my team that is getting in the way of our success?
7. What am I willing to sacrifice in the short-run in order to be a world champion?

Making success look like a walk in the park takes effort. Call me when you are ready to do the work and we’ll practice together, until you can hit it out of the park on your own.

To your success!

Roberta

I arrived early at the event to scope out my room and was greeted by a sea of enthusiastic people who were clearly passionate about their brands and their affiliation with this growing industry. As I walked around the convention center, I observed craft brewers exchanging brewing secrets with one another, in an effort to help their fellow brewer succeed. Now tell me, where else would you see competitors helping one another out?

If I could select one word that described the feeling in the room, I would say passion. My session was jammed pack, in spite of the fact that it was early Saturday morning. You see, these people attend  sessions because they come to the conference to learn, as opposed to most conferences where attendees are there to collect CEU credits to retain their certification or license. As the session came to an end, a line was forming, as people were still thirsty for knowledge.

The energy in that convention center was contagious. My husband, who has attended his share of dental conventions, couldn’t believe the difference, not to mention all the free samples that he was handed along the way.

What I love most about this industry is how many young people are making a name for themselves. They know what they don’t know and they aren’t afraid to ask for help. Refreshing. But I also love the fact that experienced business people are trying their hand at something completely different and they are succeeding because of the support of their fellow brewers and the association.

Those outside the beer industry can learn a lot from this young industry.

Hire people with passion. You can’t make people be passionate. They are either in love with your product or your company or they are not. Find people who believe in your purpose and your business will soar.

Surround yourself with people who want you to succeed. There are plenty of naysayers out there who will tell you why things won’t work or will provide you with unsolicited feedback. Ignore these people and find a group that will support your desire to be different and better than the rest.

Constantly improve. You can’t rest on your laurels. If you aren’t moving forward then you are standing still. That’s when the competition has the best chance of passing right by you without you even noticing.

Ask for help. Trying to tackle a problem on your own when you have little expertise in that area is foolish. Find a trusted resource and get the help you need, so you can get back to the business at hand.

Treasure your people. Owners of brew pubs know who put them on the map and who will keep them there. It’s usually the brew master. They honor and treasure those who are most valuable in the organization. Can you say you do the same in your business?

Create a culture where it’s fun to come to work. I’m not suggesting that you need to bring in a ping pong table or that you have to have ice cream socials every week. But there is certainly something in between. People who are passionate about work, look forward to coming to the office everyday and making a contribution. Don’t know where to start? Read my Fast Company piece on Low Cost Ways to Show Employees They are Highly Valued.

Cheers!

Roberta

Zero Trust

I’m on my way home after speaking at a national conference where I was asked by a participant to sign his conference planner. At first I was flattered, thinking he knew that I was a published author. My excitement quickly turned to dismay when he told me that he needed to obtain signatures to prove to his employer he had attended the sessions that were being presented at the conference. Imagine how demeaning that must have felt for him to have to say those words to me.

How on earth do signatures on a piece of paper prove the attendee was actually present? For all his boss knows, the bartender could have signed the papers. And who’s to say that showing up actually means someone is present?

Conference attendees who are more engaged with their Blackberries than with the presenter are not fully present. But I suppose we have to trust they are listening because they are occupying a seat in the room.

Trust me, if you hire good people and you believe in them, you won’t have to resort to idiotic practices that create an environment of mistrust all around.

Image: Flickr user D Sharon Pruitt

Everyone wants top talent, yet few are willing to do the work that is required to be deserving of these people. That’s great news for those who are serious about becoming the type of workplace where everyone wants to work.

I had a meeting the other day with a prospect and we were discussing why some businesses have a people lining up outside their door hoping to receive a job offer while others have difficulty filling similar jobs. I believe it’s all about a company’s reputation. Everyone knows who the lousy employers are. It’s hard to change perception, but it’s not impossible. Here’s how:

Be open to change. I’m tired of hearing business owners and leaders say that the reason things are done a certain way is because they’ve always been done that way. This kind of thinking won’t help you become the type of workplace that attracts people who are innovative. In fact, the opposite is true. People who are stuck in their old ways will remain thereby leaving you with a workforce that should have been retired to the minor leagues years ago.

Rid yourself of toxic employees. Nothing brings a workforce down quicker than toxic employees. All it takes is one or two lousy managers to taint the workplace. I’m not going to tell you how to identify these people, as you all ready know who they are. Take action. Eliminate those who are making your workplace a stinky place to work.

Energize your workplace. Companies have been running mean and lean for so long that it’s now become the norm. Employees are dragging their butts to work every day and slogging along. Candidates who are interviewing with your company will sense the negative energy the moment they step foot in your door. Start investing again in your business. Begin by restoring pay cuts and by making some visible investments that will let your employees know your company is back on the move again.

Toot your own horn. You may be a great company to work for, but what good will that do if no one else knows about this? Revisit your mission statement and include a section on your company’s philosophy toward your people. Start a company blog, redesign the career section of your website, ask employees to tweet, hire a PR firm. Just do something!

Everyone wants to be on a winning team. Change up your strategy, trade some players and create the type of organization where only exceptional people need apply.

–Roberta Chinsky Matuson is the President of Human Resource Solutions (www.yourhrexperts.com) and author of the highly acclaimed book Suddenly in Charge: Managing Up, Managing Down, Succeeding All Around, a Washington Post Top-5 Leadership pick. Sign up to receive a complimentary subscription to Roberta’s monthly newsletter, HR Matters.

Kindle/Amazon promotion for Suddenly in Charge. Time is running out. Downloads $1.99 today through April 30th. Click here to take advantage of this great offer.

Here are five reasons why nothing changes, in spite of their so called efforts:

Lack of focus. You cannot do it all. I don’t care who you are. You simply can’t. So instead, people try and do ten different things at the same time and nothing ever gets completed. Focus on one or two items that will give you the most bang for your buck. That’s how you make progress. And don’t worry about the rest. Chances are you’ll still be in business even if you never address those items as most aren’t all that important.

Failure to make decisions. Process all you want, but in the end you have to make a decision. All the analysis in the world won’t get you where you need to be. Look at your options, figure out what’s best for your firm and implement.

Procrastination. You can do all the hoping and praying that things will take care of themselves but at the end of the day, the only things that get done are the ones that you do. Make a list of your priorities. If any item is still on your list sixty days from now, then remove that item since it’s obviously not as important to you as you thought.

Too much noise. You are asking too many people for their opinion and each response is cluttering up your mind. Find a trusted adviser who you can bounce ideas off of and then move forward.

Exhaustion. It’s hard to climb yet another hill when you are completely exhausted. Take time to recharge your battery.

What would you add to this list?

Be sure to take advantage of the special Amazon is running for the month of April on the download of Suddenly in Charge. This special pricing of $1.99 will be gone soon.

The time is now

The signs are there. You just have to be willing to read the writing on the wall. In my book, Suddenly in Charge, I talk about the five signs that it’s time to quit your job. Here are three of them:

1. You call in sick more than you call in well. Your job is making you physically ill. Time to find a place where you can be happy and healthy at work.
2. The promotion you thought you were getting goes to someone else. If it appears that it will be a very long wait for the next opportunity to come your way, then it’s best to take matters into your own hand and move on.
3. Plum assignments used to go to you. Now they go to someone else. Some where along the line, you have fallen out of favor. Time to start anew in an environment where you can thrive again.

For more signs, be sure to download your copy of Suddenly in Charge today. Amazon’s promotional pricing of $1.99 is only good until the end of the month.

What would you add to this list?

It’s one thing to staff a store. It’s another thing to have people in place who can help your customers buy. Learn what not to do from one of the biggest in the business, at least for now.

The methods companies are using to retain employees are:

• High-potential workers: The top ways that companies are trying to retain high-potential employees are through better compensation and benefits (43 percent of respondents), coaching programs (40 percent), mentoring programs (38 percent) and tuition reimbursement (37 percent).
• Middle managers: The most popular retention methods companies are using for middle managers are coaching programs (35 percent), tuition reimbursement (30 percent), better compensation and benefits (30 percent), and flexible hours and schedules (24 percent).
• Senior-level executives: Coaching programs are the top way companies are trying to retain senior-level executives (37 percent), followed by stock options (32 percent), profit-sharing (27 percent), better compensation and benefits (24 percent), and retention bonuses (18 percent).

You don’t have to have deep pockets to provide coaching to your people. In fact, it’s a heck of a lot less expensive to provide coaching to a select few then to provide training to everyone in the organization, and a whole lot more effective. Here are some of the many benefits you’ll receive when you provide coaches to help your people soar.

• Increased productivity. People who have coaches report an increase in productivity. They don’t waste valuable time fretting over difficult situations nor do they spend time in other people’s offices discussing their frustration.
• Increased retention. Why would you leave a company that is supporting your growth? You wouldn’t. Show people you are invested in their success and they will be invested in your success as well.
• Improved leadership. It’s no secret that people quit because of their bosses. Think of all the people who will now stay because they are working for a leader who actually knows how to lead.

Still not convinced? Then download a free chapter of my book Suddenly in Charge (which is available for download this month for only $1.99) to learn more about the many benefits of working with a coach and a mentor.

Ask managers what they dislike most about their jobs and the majority will say, dealing with problem employees. Problem employees are a fact of life so the sooner you learn how to deal with them, the easier your job will be. But wait, you may be thinking that if I do what you say, hire right, I’m not going to have to worry about this.

Over time, people and circumstances change. Consider people you know, who have gone through life-changing events. For example, can you think of someone who’s personality shifted dramatically as they were caring for an aging parent or while they were going through a divorce? Or what about an employee who seemed to be the perfect employee, until his salary was frozen?

It’s best to be prepared for anything and everything. The worst that can happen is that you will never need these skills. But like a fire drill, isn’t it best to know where all the emergency exits are located, even if it’s only one time that you need to use this information?

Here’s what I see happening all the time. Managers (or anyone else for that matter) don’t like conflict so they do everything they can think of to avoid dealing with the situation. Most of the time, doing nothing is the worst thing you can do as workplace situations get worse when left unattended.

Make sure your managers are skilled at holding difficult conversations, as this part of their  job isn’t going away any time soon.

Are Your Employees Stressing You Out?

Toxic employees

These are those employees with a “bad attitude.” They are negative people and are never satisfied, no matter what you do on their behalf. These are the people who spread gloom and resentment, which makes everyone around them feel icky. And who wants to work in an icky place? So we see turnover…now if only these people would leave!!!

Here’s another problem with toxic employees. They are infectious and can bring down an entire department or business with one breadth.

So how do you deal with a toxic employee?

In a perfect world, you’d never hire one. But we all know that people put their best foot forward when interviewing.

If you catch the toxicity early, then you have a chance of saving the employee. The problem is, most managers avoid conflict. The moment they smell trouble, they turn the other way.

You may not believe this, but most toxic employees don’t wake up one morning and decide they are going to make your life and everyone around them miserable. Something usually triggers their behavior. Perhaps their annual review is two years late or they were promised your job, only no one ever told you that. If you can find the root cause of the dissention, then you have a fighting chance of turning this situation around.

See if you can remember a time when the employee was actually quite pleasant. When did you notice a change? If you can identify when you first noticed a change in behavior, then you can have a more targeted conversation.

Here are some tips on how to deal with a toxic employee:

1. Deal head on with the situation. Believe me when I tell you that it’s not going to get better.
2. Resist the temptation to tell them they have a “bad attitude” as that is merely your opinion and will only add fuel to the fire.
3. Instead, look for observable behavior. What specifically is this employee doing that is not working for you? Are they speaking negatively about the company in front of customers? How is this impacting the business? Much more tangible than that bad attitude stuff.

I’ve dedicated an entire chapter to this topic in my book, Suddenly in Charge, which is available for download this month for $1.99 on Amazon.