Randy Clark's Blog, page 24

How to Get the Most Out of a Conference

How to get the most out of a conference starts with knowing what you want or need. It’s 2023 and for the first time in three years you’re considering attending a conference in person. There’ll be keynote speakers and breakout presenters, work groups with industry leaders, and opportunities to connect with old friends and new. The question is — is it worth the time and money? If it’s a legitimate event, it’s up to you to make it worth your time. I’ve talked with scores of conference attendees before, during, and after gatherings, and I’ve repeatedly heard the same two questions: “I’ve got so many ideas — where do I start?” and, “I wish I knew how to network.”

How to Get the Most Out of a ConferenceDo You Have a Plan?

Attending any event without a plan will most certainly ensure wasting time and money. If you don’t have a plan, stay home. A plan doesn’t have to be complicated or take days to prepare. It begins with knowing what you hope to gain. Are you looking for specific ideas, inspiration, or how to improve your operation?

Form a Team 

An effective way of assessing and sharing notes from sessions is to form a discussion panel. It’s easy to do if you’re attending with co-workers or friends. It’s a little more difficult when you’re alone. If you’re going by yourself, reach out via social media for three or four others to join a discussion panel. The panel can meet for a few minutes at lunch or after sessions to discuss and share.

If there are breakouts, use panel members to cover as many sessions as possible. Share notes, ideas, and thoughts about each session. Assign each member to bring one takeaway from each session to the discussion. It’s important to limit the number of ideas shared, or the discussion may bog down.

Choose Three Actions

In the last panel discussion, each member can choose three actions to implement. Only three? Doesn’t sound like enough? It may not be. You might have a great capacity, but in the past you may have been a “slacktavist” like me with a pad full of notes you did little with. If that’s the case, try just three actions. Begin the first immediately, the second in thirty days, and the third in ninety (ninety gives time for one and two to get rolling).

The discussion group then shares each other’s three actions and becomes an accountability group. Next, schedule follow-ups by email, social media, or a coffee shop meet up. Finally, encourage continuing interaction among panel members.

Networking at Events

Who should you target? It ties back to what you want to achieve. I firmly believe you never know how any two people may help each other until you ask. Start by looking at the speaker lineup, choose a couple of speakers you’d like to meet, attend their session, and introduce yourself. I promise they won’t bite. Next, review the attendees and pick a few people you want to meet.

I’m Going to Make this Easy

Before you tell me you’re too shy, you don’t know what to say, or you don’t want to impose — try this: Instead of introducing yourself with an awkward elevator pitch, ask them a question.

• “Hi I’m Randy, and I enjoyed your presentation, especially the part about the butterflies. How did you come up with that?”

• “Hi, my name’s Randy Clark, I saw you were attending and wanted to meet you. May I ask why you attended this event, what you hope to get out of it, and how I can help?”

• “Hi, my name’s John Doe, and I read a post where this guy Randy somebody said I should introduce myself to others and ask how I could help them. So… what are you hoping to gain from this event and how can I help you?”

Don’t make it complicated. Keep it simple. Give your name and ask a question. If you can’t think of a question, simply ask how you can help.

Getting lost in a conference can happen to the best of us. My friend Kit Kieser is an organized and disciplined artist, writer, editor, and professor. She uses resources wisely, she said,

“Would it not make more sense to have a panel discussion where a problem is solved or a game plan is made to implement these ideas? Don’t get me wrong: I’m as guilty as any other “slacktivist” that likes to contemplate and deliberate over lofty ideas without ever taking consequential action.”

Yes Kit, it would be a good idea.

Are You a Good Networker?

I’d always considered myself an effective networker. I’m friendly, easy to talk to, and I’ve never met a stranger. However, none of that makes me a good networker – it makes me outgoing. If I wanted to be the most effective networker I could be I needed a plan. That’s how my networking workbook, Help Networking started.

My plan probably won’t be your plan. That’s why throughout the book there are worksheets, checklists, and simple CTA’s. Use these to create a networking plan that fits your needs.

If you enjoyed this you might also like, Attending an Event? Don’t Just Sit There

Photo by The Climate Reality Project on Unsplash

The post How to Get the Most Out of a Conference appeared first on Randy Clark Leadership Training.

How Many Salespeople Does Your Organization Employ?

How many salespeople does your organization employ? The best answer is, “all of them.” Every employee has the opportunity to impact sales, so, aren’t they  salespeople? Even if the employee has no customer contact, they affect sales. An employee’s quality of work and efficiency directly or indirectly relates to sales. An employee’s actions may mean the difference between being awarded a contract or not, especially in this social media age. Should you train everyone in sales? Yes, to an extent.

How Many Salespeople Does Your Organization Employ?What Should Be Trained?

I believe the minimum training for every employee should include expectations of appearance and behavior, what it means to be professional, and when and how to promote the organization.

Appearance

Employees and their work areas should be neat and clean. Do you have a dress code? Is it taught and enforced? Do you have periodic housekeeping? If you viewed your business through the eyes of a customer, what would you see?

I recall my father taking his car to a mechanic’s shop, finding it unorganized, cluttered, and dirty, and for those reasons, deciding against leaving the car. I thought auto shops got dirty so I asked my father why. He said he’d never trust his car to someone who didn’t take better care of their shop.

Professionalism

All employees should conduct themselves in a professional manner, not only in the shop or around customers, but anytime they represent the organization and on social networks as well. This means courtesy, smiles and positive behavior.

It also means not divulging unauthorized information about customers, or sharing disparaging views about the company, management, or customers. Do you have a social media policy? Who monitor’s what’s being said about you online? Do you conduct customer contact and customer service training?

Promoting the business

The best company cultures help their employees feel invested by showing they care about the employees. Happy employees make customers happy. So, promoting your business through your team begins with employee satisfaction. Without happy employees it won’t matter what you do to help them promote your product or service.

Share some product knowledge. Hold a meeting about the benefits of your product. Share customer stories on social media, your newsletter, and in a blog. Talk about what the employees contribution means to the client.

I work with a landscaping company that shares what the employees work means to customers. The culture has become more than mowing grass and planting flowers it’s about improving the lives of customers. That’s one heck of a motivator.

Employee Training As The Preventative

I worked with a company that received an inquiry requesting confidential information about one of their customers. The individual claimed they had authorization from the customer, but because they unable to confirm the authorization, they didn’t release the information. The person called again after regular business hours insisting on the information. One of the employees, who happened to be working over and wasn’t sure how to handle the call, said they were “housekeeping” and couldn’t help. The caller didn’t believe the employee and complained on the businesses Facebook page. Could this have been avoided? I believe so. How?

Train employees on how to interact with customersDevelop and train a script for answering the phoneShare how to present oneself in public when wearing company apparelExplain safety and courtesy expectations when driving a company vehicleDiscuss appropriate behavior when attending networking events, trade shows, conferences, etc.Provide social media guidelines

What experiences do you have with your company, or another company, where better training would’ve helped customer relations?

How Can I Help?

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me. 

Does your business have a management training plan? Businesses and universities use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook, a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. I’m also available to conduct training.

If you enjoyed this post, you might also like, Are You Selling the Benefits of Your Product?

Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash

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In Business Is There Such a Thing as Stagnant?

So, in business is there such thing as stagnant? More than 40 years ago, I worked for and was mentored by a man who changed my life. He saw more in me than I saw in myself. But it was more than that; he had worked his way up to the top rung, beginning on the ground floor. He had raised eight smart and well-adjusted children, and he looked at life and laughed. His name was Jerry Heir. To this day, I quote Mr. Heir about business and life. And one of his quotes was that there was no such thing as stagnant you were either on your way up or your way down, which leads to out.

In Business Is There Such a Thing as Stagnant?Are the Numbers up?

The first thing that comes to mind is how much business you are doing. Are you ahead of last year, last month, or last week? If you’re not, it could be a sign of a downward trend, but maybe not. If your business has taken on new challenges, there may be a drop in sales volume, but that doesn’t automatically define a spiral.

Are You Growing?

Have you expanded territory, added products, or increased personnel? Is your business growing in ways that may not be reflected by revenue? Don’t get me wrong; profit is what keeps the doors open, but there are times when businesses have to spend money to grow.

Are you Developing New Leaders?

When a new hire onboards, can you paint them a vision of advancement, or do they need to wait for someone to retire to move up the ladder? Do you offer leadership training? If not, I know an easy  and cost effective way to get started.

Have You Recently Failed at Something?  

If you never fail, you aren’t trying new things. You’re not expanding. You’re not growing. To grow, you need to take on new challenges, and not all will be a success. However, failing allows you to learn and grow. If you want to explore this more, I recommend Robby Slaughter’s book, Failure the Secret to Success. 

Don’t Buy Into Complacency 

A business is a growing concern; it’s a living thing, and living things grow until they don’t—then they die. Look around you; it happens more often than you may think. How many businesses can you remember that stagnated and passed into the night? What direction is your business headed?

How Can I Help?

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me. 

Does your business have a management training plan? Businesses and universities use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook, a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. I’m also available to conduct training.

If you enjoyed this post, you might also like, Does Your Business Move at the Speed of Change?

Photo by Shoeib Abolhassani on Unsplash

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Are You Giving Praise in Business the Best Way?

How essential is praise in business? I’ve seen various surveys over the last three decades demonstrating the power of praise in business. I’m often met with doubt when I claim recognition to be the number one factor in retaining or losing valuable employees. Many managers believe money is the prime motivator for most employees. While that may be true for the underpaid and truly money-motivated, praise is a more powerful incentive for most. Ask yourself this – have you ever accepted or kept a job that paid less than another opportunity? If you have, then money wasn’t your primary motivation. Has praise and recognition, being part of a team, a fun work environment, or exciting work been more important to you than money?

Are You Giving Praise in Business the Best Way?

In his book The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave, Leigh Branham, says, “Employees need to feel a sense of worth. Feeling confident that if you work hard, do your best, demonstrate commitment, and make meaningful contributions, you will be recognized and rewarded accordingly.”

5 Ways To Use the Power of Praise in BusinessPraise activities

Are you giving praise for more than results? By recognizing positive actions, regardless of the results, you not only show understanding and involvement, but you’re also reinforcing the behavior.

Praise character

Praising who someone IS, not just what they do means more. Instead of saying good job recognize the character trait behind the good work.

Praise soon and often

If the employee has done something praiseworthy, do it as close to the event as possible. If your praise is real, from the heart, and founded in fact, you can’t give too much praise. Caution: Not everyone wants to receive recognition the same. I like public recognition in front of my peers, but not everyone does. I often made this mistake until a teammate told me they didn’t like the public recognition. So, know your players.

Praise in writing

Write a thank you note, send an email, or send a card. Do you remember the last time you received a snail mail thank you card? Do you still have it? I do. It made an impact.

How important is praise at work? When praise is missing from the workplace, many employees will consider leaving to find it, and even if they stay, it can negatively affect performance and production. Losing valuable employees is painful. Finding replacements and training them is costly. Losing the personal connections made in the workplace takes a toll.

If you want to put a dollar figure on it, you can. According to the President of Bliss & Associates Inc., William G. Bliss, The cost of employee turnover is close to 150% of the employee’s annual salary.

Do you give praise as often as you should? Do you share recognition whenever it’s deserved? If not, let’s make a commitment to give more praise. Give praise every day, and your best people will stay.

If you enjoyed this post, you might also appreciate, How Recognizing Employees Helps your Organization.

How Can I Help You?

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me. 

Does your business have a management training plan? Businesses and universities use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook, a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. I’m also available to conduct training.

Photo by Kushagra Kevat on Unsplash

 

 

The post Are You Giving Praise in Business the Best Way? appeared first on Randy Clark Leadership Training.

Why You Should Use Checklists

Why you should use checklists has more than one answer.  Several departments used the restrooms in a production area of a company I worked with, and cleaning the bathrooms was delegated between them. However, the cleaning schedule needed to be more consistent and complete. The answer? A checklist. So, in a leadership development session, the production department team leaders outlined a bathroom cleaning schedule and checklist. It now hangs on a clipboard in the restrooms where actions are checked off and then it’s initialed and dated as completed.

Why You Should Use ChecklistsWhere Do You Start?

A VP of operations visited an offsite service facility. He identified one process that could be more efficient. After sharing this with me, I met with the team to work on a checklist. The first step was gathering team input and making a step-by-step task list. Next, they introduced the checklist and asked all teammates to consider additions or omissions to the list. After a few adjustments, they implemented the list. The checklist not only improved efficiency by more than 30%, but it also made the tasks more manageable, improved quality, kept all the team on the same page, and made for a happier work culture.

Do Checklists Work?

In Dr. Atul Gawande’s book, The Checklist Manifesto, he makes a compelling argument for using checklists, not only in his field but in general. He categorizes errors into those of ignorance and errors of ineptitude. With today’s access to information, the improper use of information causes problems. You can improve or eliminate these using checklists. In a National Public Radio interview, Dr. Gawande explained his insight while observing an airline pre-flight checklist and realizing checklists could improve surgery and save lives. “I got a chance to visit Boeing and see how they make things work, and over and over again, they fall back on checklists.

Because the pilot’s checklist is a crucial component, not just for handling takeoff and landing in normal circumstances, but even handling a crisis emergency when you only have a couple of minutes to make a critical decision.” So, Dr. Gawande and a team created a safe surgery checklist. In clinical studies, it reduced patient mortality during surgery by nearly 50%, and complications went from an incidence of 11% to 7%. The safe surgery checklist has now been adopted by medical facilities internationally.

Should You Use Checklists?

You already use some checklists, like a to-do list, but do you use checklists to their full advantage? The bottom line is it’s more difficult  to complete tasks from memory. Why depend only on memory? Compound this with coordinating group activities, and you have a formula for failure.

How Can I Help You?

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me. 

Does your business have a management training plan? Businesses and universities use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook, a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. I’m also available to conduct training.

Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay

 

 

 

The post Why You Should Use Checklists appeared first on Randy Clark Leadership Training.

Why Your Organization Needs a Leadership Development Program

So, does your organization have a leadership development program? Too often, businesses put people in management roles with little or no training and support. I was surprised in 2008 when I began facilitating leadership training by how often new managers were promoted and thrown into the pool’s deep end. I shouldn’t be surprised that this continues today. This is a formula for failure.

What Makes a Good Leader?

There seems to be some confusion between leadership and management. I could be trite and list the definitions of both, but you can do that as well as I can. For me, the difference is simple. You manage projects and lead people. I remember having lunch with a young employee who, filling a void in a department, had assumed a leadership role. Although he had the approval to train, critique, and plan – he hadn’t been given a title or formally introduced as a manager. He didn’t need it because he was a leader. He was already helping everyone in the department, always willing to help, never self-serving, and those he worked with knew he had their best interest at heart. This person was a leader – he didn’t need the title. He needed support through training and leadership best practices.

How Do You Identify Leaders?

In a discussion on Facebook, I discovered people had various perceptions of leadership. Leadership has become synonymous with “good” leadership, but that’s not the true meaning of leadership. Leadership can be poor, ineffective, and sometimes evil (you can think of plenty of examples), but lousy leadership is still leadership.

If we define leadership only as good, we may ignore opportunities. Keep in mind that someone can be in a leadership position and not be a good leader, we can pursue the possibility that their leadership skills may be improved. If they have the potential to improve, then we should initiate a plan to help them. However, if we only look for “good” leaders, where are they found? They’re usually not “found” – they’re developed. And there’s the crux, don’t limit yourself by looking for only good leaders to run your organization, develop them.

How Do You Train Leaders?

Are you in a leadership position? Do you “lead” leaders? Have you created a formalized leadership development program that covers policies, procedures, and, more importantly, people skills? It may be easier than you think. One organization I work with holds three 30-minute leadership development classes per month. That 1 and 1/2 hour a month has changed their culture. Leaders lead people. People enjoy being led by leaders who serve. It shows you care, which makes for a happier workplace, and happy employees are more productive. That’s only part of why you need a leadership development program.  Lead the way.

Why Your Organization Needs a Leadership Development Program Keep management on the same pageDevelop future leadersAttract and retain talentImprove the bottom lineBuild a culture of support and caring

So, does your business have a management training plan? Because if not, many organizations and college courses use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook, a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. Check it out. It works.

How Can I Help You?

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me. 

Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash

The post Why Your Organization Needs a Leadership Development Program appeared first on Randy Clark Leadership Training.

Are You Selling the Benefits of Your Product?

Are you selling the benefits of your product? For years as a sales trainer, I preached the acronym FAB (Feature Advantage Benefit.) Too often, sales and marketing concentrate on the features of their product or service (what it is), not considering what, if anything, the feature means to the consumer. Some took it further and shared the advantages of their products (what it does). Still, only some thought about the benefit to the customers (what it does for the customer), and that’s what’s most important to the majority of consumers. Isn’t that what’s most important to you?

Are You Selling the Benefits of Your Product?Turn it around

I was only sometimes successful in convincing sales and marketing teams that sharing the benefit with the customer was their best strategy. They’d get caught up in the excitement of the features and advantages and sometimes never get to the benefits. If I were to do my training over, I would reverse the order from FAB to BAF. If the priority is the benefit for most consumers, why not begin there?

BAF – Benefit—Advantage—FeatureShare the Benefit –What it does specifically for the consumerExplain the Advantage – How it works, what it doesMention the Feature – What it is

Some of the most popular Google searches are people looking for solutions to problems, such as how-to, FAQs, and tutorials. People want answers to their headaches, and the best marketing strategy is to give solutions to their problems that benefit the consumer.

Market the Solution, not the Product 

Most people search for solutions to their problems rather than products. If people can’t see how their problems could be solved by what you’re providing, you may be wasting your time and resources.

Educate more than you Advertise 

Advertising geared toward sharing the benefits to the consumer is key in our social media driven world. People no longer accept being spoken at; they want to be talked to. They wish to be part of the conversation. They want to share their problems and then be educated with answers to their questions. Providers that solve problems are cherished and advocated.

Was this Beneficial? 

Forget FAB and make BAF your sales and marketing strategy. Share the benefits first, solve problems, and give customers the answers they’re searching for.

Did this post help you understand what customers expect? Does it give you an idea of where to take your marketing? Has it been of benefit to you?

How Can I Help You?

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me. 

So, does your business have a management training plan? Because if not, many organizations, large and small, use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook, a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. Check it out.

 

The post Are You Selling the Benefits of Your Product? appeared first on Randy Clark Leadership Training.

Does your Team Trust You?

Does your team trust you? Is there such a thing as a positive relationship without trust? We trust our friends and take their advice. People listen when leaders earn trust their through words and actions. Establishing trust between a leader and direct reports can build a long-term partnership. How important is building trust in a work culture? When trust is broken, the culture will fail.

Does your Team Trust You?  How to Build Trust with Your Team 

Building trust isn’t complicated. It begins by telling the truth—even when it hurts. And that includes avoiding lies by omission. Trust is the foundation for friendship, and friends give friends the best advice possible. Trust = friendship = partnership.

Be honest

Transparency about the quality of work is critical. Not telling someone their work is lacking isn’t being nice and certainly isn’t fair. “More good employees are lost because no one tells them what needs to be changed. If you want to help your team, tell them what they need to hear.” — My Top Ten Leadership Mistakes

Be a Friend

Friends stay in touch, not just because they need something from you (real friends anyway). If you only engage with a teammate when you need something, what kind of a friend are you? “Can a boss be a friend? Have you been told not to be friends with your employees? If I asked if a boss should help his or her direct reports, would your answer be absolutely? However, isn’t that what true friendship is, helping and supporting one another?” — Can a Boss Be a Friend?

Offer to help

If you want to build a friendship and develop trust, offer to help for helps sake. That’s what friends do. “Take people under your wing. Help others get what they want by giving them what they need.” — 5 Simple Ways to Help Others Improve 

Know your teammate

And not just who they are at work but who they are outside of work. Take a personal interest. Learn about their family, hobbies, and dreams.

Listen and be available

Being there when a direct report has a question or concern may do more to establish a relationship built on trust than anything else you can do.

It Starts with Trust

How important is trust? Building trust is the key to a long-term work partnership. Without trust, your team, the organization, and you, are at a dead-end. How do you establish a trusting relationship with your teammates?

How Can I Help You?

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me. 

So, does your business have a management training plan? Because if not, many organizations, large and small, use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook, a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. Check it out.

Note: Several years ago, I wrote a post about how important building trust is for customer relations. It’s interesting how much that post and this one share in common.  Be honest, do good things, be kind, and care.

Photo by Michał Parzuchowski on Unsplash

 

 

 

The post Does your Team Trust You? appeared first on Randy Clark Leadership Training.

What’s Holding You Back? Could it be You?

So, what’s holding you back. Do you finger-point? It’s easy to do and often seems justified, but even so, what’s gained? Regardless of how “real” the blame is, blaming will not improve the results; it could worsen things. Without training for improvement, how does attaching blame help? If someone dropped the ball, didn’t follow through, or did a poor job, pointing a finger will not improve it. (OK — you might feel a little better, but how does it help?) Do you allow excuses to side-rail you? So, what’s holding you back? Could it be you?

What’s Holding You Back?

Complaining about problems and mistakes to others without looking for solutions is toxic gossip. It helps no one, including yourself. Do you want to improve, complete the task, and improve it? Here’s where you can start.

Stop Griping And Start HelpingInstead of passing blame, think about how you and your team can get it done.Don’t gripe and complain about why something wasn’t done. Figure out what can be improved.It does no good to let it fester, so consider how the problem could be avoided next time.Don’t stop there. Reflect on what else needs changed.Look around and ponder who else could help.

Think about it. Any excuse becomes a reason not to perform. Do you want to perform at the highest level or underperform due to excuses?

An Exercise For Improvement

Let’s play a fantasy game. Imagine you’re the commander of an army facing horrific conditions. What would you do?

Most troops lack uniforms, shelter, or warm clothing, including shoes, and it’s bitterly cold.There’s little food or potable water.Over half the troops are sick with dysentery, flu, malnutrition, and worse.There is a severe shortage of ammunition.Nearly half the citizens of your country are against the war.The government is months behind paying your troops.You’re fighting a highly trained, larger, better-equipped force.Volunteers regularly abandon posts. Sometimes entire regiments.

History buffs know these are only a few obstacles General Washington faced during the Revolutionary War. They were substantial roadblocks, but as you know, he didn’t use them as excuses.

Quit finger-pointing. Stop allowing excuses to affect your performance. Find a way to help.

How Can I Help You?

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me. 

Does your business have a management training plan? Businesses and universities use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook, a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. I’m also available to conduct training.

If you enjoyed this post you might also appreciate this post, Why You Should Set Expectations with Trainees from Day One. 

Photo by Diana Olynick on Unsplash

The post What’s Holding You Back? Could it be You? appeared first on Randy Clark Leadership Training.

How to Encourage Employees to Review You

It’s essential to your leadership development that you encourage employees to review you. In my post Employee Reviews Should Be an Ongoing Process  I outlined why reviews should be a yearlong process not once per year. The other day a manager asked me to review questions she had prepared for her staff to answer before their annual review. They were excellent questions, mostly open-ended about their needs, such as training. She wondered if there were too many questions.  After reviewing it together we added a couple more. We added, “How can I be a better leader?” and, “How might I help you more individually?” And that led to a discussion about employees reviewing the manager. Here are a few of the questions we came up with to encourage employees to share.

How to Encourage Employees to Review YouManager Review Questions

Share these questions with your direct reports. Let them know that honest input is the only way to gain insight and work on improvement. A page full of “You’re a great boss!” doesn’t help anyone. Tell your team that no one is perfect, and you want ideas on how to be a better leader. Make it clear there will be no retribution regardless of the answer as long as it’s coming from help. Clarify that they may not have an answer for every question but any insights they share will be appreciated.

How can I be a better leader?What would you do differently in our department?What’s my biggest management weakness?How can I better lead and serve you?What mistakes do I repeat as a manager?How can I improve team cohesion and unity?What do I not do that I should?What do I do that I should stop doing?Do I give enough individual time to team members?What training should I be providing the team that I don’t?After the Reviews

After receiving the reviews digest them with an open mind. Look at them from the outside looking in as if it were about another. Note the areas where improvement is needed, and then sit down one-on-one with each teammate who completed the review.

Let them know how much you appreciated the reviewShare areas you’re going to change or improveDiscuss suggestions you’re not implementing and explain whyThank them for their honestyEncourage Employees to Review You by Following Up 

Just as an annual employee review should be a yearlong process not only once a year, revisit the survey throughout the year. Take a monthly look at your commitments to change and improve, and share your progress with the team. Reviews should be a two-way street, completed in the spirit of helping one another, and making everyone a winner. When you encourage employees you serve them and the team.

How Can I Help You?

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me. 

Does your business have a management training plan? Businesses and universities use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook, a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. I’m also available to conduct training.

If you enjoyed this post you might also appreciate this post, Why You Should Set Expectations with Trainees from Day One. 

Photo by Amy Hirschi on Unsplash

 

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