|
Hello 2018, Goodbye 2017!
The Beatles may have been confused about the reasons for saying goodbye and hello, but many companies are saying goodbye to 2017 with a bid of good riddance to boost thanks to Hurricane Harvey and a sagging economy. There are still joyous moments within 2017 to savor including the Astros winning the World Series and the heart of America showing up in force to aid those in need with Harvey's aftermath. Those are PROUD moments to treasure forever.
With great anticipation, we raise our glass to toast you and the year ahead, wishing you the very best that 2018 has to offer. In preparation and planning for 2018, we provide you with a plethora of tools, ideas, and strategies to make this year your best year yet.
|
#Metoo and #TimesUp
It's about respect. Or rather, the lack of respect in the workplace. This is the #1 reason why employees leave organizations.
As more claims of sexual harassment or hostile workplace conditions surface, leaders must be prepared with how to address them and prevent future occurrences, ensure open lines of communication for reporting, and prevent fears of retaliation for doing so.
Contact us to help you and your leaders prepare. Just because you haven't heard anything, doesn't mean it's not happening. Be proactive. Let us help create and sustain a respectful environment in which everyone can come to work, contribute their best, and make a significant difference. Programs are available for all employees and managers.
|
Creating a
Positive Workplace Culture
to Sustain and Engage
Top Talent
As the economy heats up, hiring does, too, and employees begin to consider other opportunities for employment. Exit interviews begin to pile up as the costs and time in the search for a replacement escalate. To prevent the loss of great employees, consider if one or more of these five conditions exists within your own organization. These are the critical factors contributing to a negative work environment and the five main reasons why the best employees leave :
1. Lack of workplace flexibility
2. See no future for the company or for themselves (vision is unclear!)
3. Lack of respect
4. New hires are poor fit for the job or company
5. Failure to make connections within the team, organization, or community
Contact us to prepare your leaders to mitigate these conditions within your organization. Our new full-day program provides details on the five reasons why employees leave with best practices for eliminating them within your organization. Attendees brainstorm engagement ideas and develop action plans to foster a positive work culture with a treasure trove of resources and references provided for implementation and action sustainability.
|
|
Setting a
Clear Path Forward
Establishing and communicating a vision is a critical responsibility of leadership. The vision provides the organization with a shared focus and direction, inspiring employees to achieve together what may seem impossible to do alone. The vision provides the answer to 'why' are we in business. Without this knowledge, employees struggle to see their place in the organization, what purpose that the organization serves, and are unclear as to what the future holds for themselves and the organization. Disengagement begins, followed soon by employees searching outside the organization for a clearer vision of the future.
Values explain 'how' the organization will achieve their vision together - setting standards of behavior to ensure that the means and ways by which we reach our vision are just as critical as the destination itself. Without clarifying value statements to guide decisions and behaviors, employees are left to figure out for themselves how work gets done which may or may not be in alignment with company expectations.
I recommend the following resources for establishing a vision and creating value statements:
- The Importance of Starting with Why: "The Golden Circle" - Simon Sinek's TedTalk
- John Maxwell's Value Card Deck
- The Grove Strategic Planning Charts
- Examples of company values
Struggling with strategic plans, aligning plans with values, or establishing value statements within your organization? We help companies, professional associations, boards, and teams create vision and value statements and facilitate strategic planning retreats. Take this one tip to heart: hire a consultant to facilitate strategic planning. To lead your team's planning session yourself creates these challenges, among many more:
1. focusing on facilitation when you want to participate yourself.
2. facilitating with your preferences in mind.
3. leading the discussion with your own input when you're supposed to be facilitating.
4. influencing the discussion as the leader.
These are just a few of the disadvantages and challenges that can surface when you're the facilitator. You're investing the time - ensure that the time is well spent for you and your team. Hire someone else to facilitate.
Hire us - you'll be glad that you did!
|
Provide Team Connections and Community 
Employees are looking for positive connections in the workplace, and the community that they find within their team is critical to job engagement. Patrick Lencioni offers five best practices for effective teamwork: Trust, Conflict, Commitment, Accountability, and Results.
Attend a one-hour virtual showcase to learn more about Patrick Lencioni's program, The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team. Schedule and registration is below. New this year: One-day facilitated program format available!
As certified facilitators, we can facilitate this program for intact teams at your site, or we can certify your own in-house facilitators to deliver this program.
Interested in
Facilitator Accreditation
? Contact us to learn more about the process. 2018 dates for virtual certification are noted below:
- April 19 - May 27, 2018 Thursday live sessions begin April 26, 2018
- July 16 - August 23, 2018 Monday live sessions begin July 23, 2018
  
|
Carpe Diem!
Congratulations to Cara Woolet, my daughter and Vice President of Client Solutions! Cara graduated from South Texas College of Law Houston in December, 2017.
That's the smile that says it all:
Relief, pride, joy!!!
Now, on to the bar...
exam, that is!
|
|
|
|
|
