TEN TIPS ON HOW TO RECEIVE FEEDBACK WELL:

1. Ask for it.  Asking others for feedback does a number of things: first, it puts the ball in your court about when you receive feedback and what you get feedback on.  Second, it lets people know that you are interested in improving, which can build a close and more connected relationship.  Third, it allows you to get feedback in bite-sized increments, which is often more appealing.

2. Get it often.  Don’t wait till your annual review to find out how your boss thinks you’re doing.  Don’t wait till ‘never’ to find out what your colleagues think about working with you. Make it a habit to check in with people frequently.  This again allows you to get feedback in small doses, and frequently more specific feedback if you ask about performance on a particular project rather than your overall performance over the past quarter.

3. Ask the hard people. The people that are easiest to ask are usually the ones we naturally ‘sync’ with best, so they’re the ones most likely to give positive feedback with little room for growth. But also ask the people you don’t get along with.  They will have feedback for you that’s on your growing edge.  The bonus is that the very act of asking them may bring you closer together!

4. Listen fully.  When someone is generous enough to provide feedback, make sure you listen carefully to what they have to say, even if there’s a voice inside screaming “but that’s not what I meant!” or “I do NOT do that!”  If you get defensive or argue with their feedback once you’ve asked for it, you can bet they won’t be so generous as to offer you honest feedback in the future!  Breathe, take notes and keep listening.

5. Ask questions.  Make sure you fully understand what they mean.  Be curious about what would have had something go better or what alternative they’d like to see.  You may not take them up on their suggestions, but it will help you understand the direction of their comments.

6. Know it’s not about you.  Of course, it is about you, but it’s about your behavior, your attitude or your words.  Whatever they say does not alter the beautiful human being that you are.  It’s just stuff: things that you can alter.  Make sure you’re in touch with your spiritual side, or your higher self, or whatever grounds you when you ask for feedback so you can keep perspective.

7. Handle your emotions offline.  If you do have an emotional reaction to something someone says, make sure you handle your reaction elsewhere. If you start to have a reaction in front of them it’s fine to say “wow, that’s surprising” or even “wow, that hurts” as long as you also thank them for their candor and tell them how much you appreciate it.  If they had the courage to tell you something hard to say or hear, you owe them gratitude for their courage and candor.  Your emotional reaction is yours to handle separately.  Make sure you do handle it!  Cry to your spouse, scream in a pillow, or lift weights till your arms hurt.  You must get that response OUT in order to address any of the items of feedback with perspective and power.

8. Take what you like and leave the rest.  You can’t address or work on anything if it’s not something you are willing to empower.  In other words, if someone says you speak too much in meetings but after looking at it, you decide that’s not feedback you want to work on, then fine, leave that feedback out of your development plan and your life.  Maybe you’ll come back to it later, but if you’re not ready to work on it, pretending to or trying to because you “should” won’t stick. One note here: there is always likely to be feedback you don’t agree with right off the bat. Of course!  So pay extra attention to the comments you think are way off base – there’s likely gold in them!

9. Take action.  Awareness is useless without action. Create a plan to address the feedback you want to take on, and make sure you do it (get a coach or accountability partner if it helps!)

10. Circle back.  Nothing says “I heard you” better than hearing the feedback, working on the items someone mentioned and then circling back with them to see how it’s going from their perspective. You will establish trust and support in those relationships in addition to getting additional feedback!

Join my Keep It Real (KIR) Leadership Development Program where I go further in depth of each step. In the KIR leadership program – together we will work through real-time, practical applications to better prepare you and strengthen leadership skills.

Till next time,

Karen

The post Accepting Feedback As a Leader appeared first on PeopleThink.

You are doing yourself a major disservice if you don’t pause to reflect on – from a personal and professional standpoint – some highlights of your year. 

So, grab a tablet, a pen (or your laptop), and a beverage of your choice. Find a quiet place and allow yourself 30 minutes or so to list out the following for 2022:

What I accomplished

What I learned

A challenge I overcame and how

A new skill(s) I developed

Once you’ve made your list, give yourself some time to reflect on (and feel good about) all that you’ve achieved. Focus on the positive! Then, as you plan for 2023 (and you are developing a plan, right?) let your list help guide your intentions for the new year.

I think we’ve all figured out that New Year’s “resolutions” don’t work. They are typically too broad (lose weight, get out of debt, win the lottery) and not tied to specific actions or deadlines. Research shows that 80% of them are abandoned by February. So why bother, right? Wrong!

I suggest a different approach. First, keep it simple yet specific. Second, keep it balanced. Too often we focus so much energy on changing one aspect of our life that we totally neglect the other aspects. For example, there’s that promotion you want, so you put 110% of your energy into doing the work, gaining the visibility, and finding the opportunity that will get you there. Pretty soon you’re skipping the gym, eating junk food at the office for dinner, and saying “no” to time with family and friends. “Vacation? Not happening!” And do you get the promotion? Maybe. But at what cost?

Here’s my guide for creating a simple plan that will help keep your life balanced and moving forward. It’s called the Circle of Life. As you consider your intentions for 2023, think about the eight aspects of your life illustrated below. Where do you spend the most effort? As you look back on 2022, what aspect did you neglect or ignore? How will you change that this year?

Now make one or two intentions for each aspect. Make them simple, make them specific, and write them down! Include due dates wherever possible.

Once you’ve created your plan, keep it visible. Put it someplace where you can see it every day. Schedule time on your calendar once a month to assess how you’re doing. Pay attention to what’s getting out of balance, e.g., when work is eating into your intentions in personal growth or friends/family. Make some adjustments to get back on track.

Taking a look back before moving forward and being more intentional about creating balance in our lives are components of my GET REAL philosophy. So often we burden ourselves with what others tell us we SHOULD do – “find passion in your work,” “lean in,” “keep climbing that corporate ladder,” – that we lose sight of what we WANT to do. We are so focused on the destination that we miss the view along the way.

Here’s to an amazing and balanced 2023! I’m declaring it a year to GET REAL AND KEEP IT REAL! Learn more about our upcoming  Keep it Real Leadership Program today.

“The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your vision. So, write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can.” – Neil Gaiman

Till next time,

Karen

The post GET REAL & KEEP IT REAL FOR 2023! appeared first on PeopleThink.

Research suggests that 49.7% of the global workforce in 2020 comprised Millennials and Gen Zers (Lettink, 2019). Out of that half the population doesn’t trust their bosses!

If you are a manager who recently promoted a young team member to a leadership role, you can understand their excitement, curiosity, and … a tad bit of anxiety in them. 

What’s expected of me? What will change? Will I succeed? How…do…I…lead?

This new phase is exciting for them, but there are a lot of unanswered questions.  Expectations are not clarified until the unspoken goes unmet. There’s no preparation for the change in peer relationships and broader accountability. And the answer to “how do I lead?” usually becomes, “the way I’ve been led,” which isn’t necessarily the path to success.

Radically different from their previous generation, Millennials and Gen Z have unique perspectives and work expectations. Organizations need to start them strong with a well-defined and consistently implemented leadership development program. In the course of my career, I’ve created and delivered many leadership initiatives. 

Here are what I’ve found to be “best practices” when developing this generation of leaders.

DURATION. Conduct the training over at least a 6-month period to allow for shorter sessions, application of new learning, and feedback. Learning is a process, not an event.

MENTOR. Each new leader should have a seasoned leader mentor. Ideally, this is someone other than their immediate leader.

COMMITMENT. Both the new leader and their immediate leader should demonstrate commitment to the development program. The new leader to participate and complete it, and the immediate leader to support and reinforce the learning.

REGULARLY SCHEDULED SHORT WORKSHOPS. These can be weekly or bi-weekly, but should be regularly scheduled over the course of the program and a priority for all involved. (This is where the commitment comes in). For weekly workshops, I recommend two hours on the same day each week. For bi-weekly, you may want to go a little bit longer. Topics should be built around what it means to be a leader in your organization – expectations and responsibilities, managing vs. leading. I also recommend including sessions on effective communication, resolving conflict, team building, coaching employees, and transitioning from peer to leader.

SELF-DISCOVERY WORKSHOP. The best leaders are self-aware. Giving new leaders the opportunity to understand themselves – how they communicate, how they interact, how they are likely to lead – early on, increases the likelihood that they will adapt successfully to the role. I use the Lumina Spark assessment for this. Done in a workshop setting, it also helps leaders gain a better understanding of others, which will help them successfully lead the individuals on their teams.

INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT PLANS. Throughout the program, participants should be receiving regular feedback from their immediate leader as well as guidance and feedback from their mentor. Upon graduation from the program, each participant should work with his/her leader to identify strengths and development areas to create an individual development plan.

A few other components I’ve also used in the past with positive results are: a syllabus of reading materials – books, white papers, articles, on leadership topics; having participants work in teams to research and present on one of the topics outlined in the program; and creating a “New Leader Forum” where new leaders get together to share issues and ideas, with alternating senior leader facilitators.

These 6 best practices are included in my Keep it Real Leadership Development Program, along with rich content and an array of leadership resources. Keep it Real is leadership development anywhere/ anytime.  It’s a virtual, blended learning approach with practical application, accountability and follow up.

Give your new and advancing leaders a strong start. Contact me at kcolligan@PeopleThink.biz to learn more and to schedule a demo.

“Winning companies win because they have good leaders who nurture the development of other leaders at all levels of the organization.” — Noel Tichy

Till next time, keep it real.

Karen

The post 6 Best Practices for Developing Millennial & Gen Z Leaders! appeared first on PeopleThink.

You are excited and…just a tad bit nervous because you will now be the leader of a team of your peers. You know that at least one other team member was hoping to get the promotion. And there has been some ongoing team conflict that will now be yours to deal with.  

What’s a new leader to do?

Start by taking a breath. Don’t feel that you need to dive in immediately to make changes or solve problems. Give yourself a little time to settle into the role and get clear about how you want to lead. Do an assessment. Have an initial team meeting to establish yourself as the leader and to listen to team members’ ideas and concerns.

Conduct one-on-one meetings. Meet with each team member to assess where everyone is, how they view their role and contributions, and what they need from a leader. Clear the air with the individual who was hoping for the promotion by enlisting their support going forward.

Build trust. Communicate frequently and clearly. Do what you say you’re going to do. Follow up. Listen. Provide needed resources and support.

Establish boundaries. Let your buddies on the team know that you’ll no longer be able to lunch with them. Avoid the appearance (and expectation) of favoritism. Treat everyone the same.

Involve the entire team in designing the way forward. Establish ground rules around communication, meetings, dealing with conflict, etc. Co-create team goals. Determine how they will hold each other accountable.

Get leadership training. Forty percent of new leaders fail in their first 18 months, primarily due to the assumption that what made them successful before will make them successful in the new job. Leadership development matters!

Become the leader only you can be with Keep it Real Leadership – a self-paced, blended learning approach to leadership development that is immediately applicable.

Till next time,

Karen

The post 6 Tips for Leading Your Peers appeared first on PeopleThink.

• 83% of organizations say it’s important to develop leaders at all levels, yet only 5% have actually implemented leadership development at all levels (Brandon Hall).
• Nearly HALF of new leaders do not receive any leadership training (Chief Learning Officer).
• 40% of new leaders fail in their first 18 months. Often the root cause is that they instinctively think that what made them successful before will make them successful in the new job (George Brandt, Forbes Magazine).

Can I just say: Sink or swim is NOT leadership development!

Without leadership development, new leaders are likely to lead the way they were led and that may NOT be a good thing!

All too often people are promoted to leadership because of seniority or their individual performance. Yet as indicated by the new leader failure rate, a new set of competencies is required to become an effective leader.

According to the Center for Creative Leadership, frontline leaders need to master the following competencies:

• Self-awareness
• Learning agility
• Communication
• Political savvy
• Motivating others
• Influencing outcomes

Although a new leader may already have some of these competencies, they are now accountable not just for their own work but also the work of others. They need to learn how to adapt to different personalities and communication styles, create a vision and roadmap to get there, resolve team conflict, give and receive feedback, and develop others. And this is where leadership development comes in.  

New leader training needs to be a key component of every organization’s learning and development plan. And it should not be just a one-day event around policies, performance reviews and disciplinary actions.  It needs to be structured in a way that gives participants time to apply their learning, receive feedback, and get the ongoing support necessary (mentoring, coaching) to grow into the next line of senior leaders and executives.

Here’s another stat for you. Only 11% of surveyed organizations said they have a “strong” or “very strong” leadership bench, according to a 2021 Development Dimensions International (DDI) Global Leadership Forecast. 

Don’t neglect your bench!

Check out our Keep it Real Leadership Program and register for one of the upcoming sessions.

Build your bench strength, grow your business!

Till next time, keep it real.

Karen

The post Leadership Development for New Leaders is a Must! appeared first on PeopleThink.

If this applies to you, I highly recommend that before you start your search for a new opportunity you set aside some time to TAKE INVENTORY.

This means getting clear about who you are and what you want so YOU control your career rather than it controlling you. Think about what you bring to the table, what you like and don’t like, and what would be a fulfilling “next step.” Here are some areas to consider:

Skills. What are the skills and competencies that have helped you succeed in your career so far? Which of them are transferable skills that will help you contribute regardless of industry or position? Write them all down.

Values. What are the things you MUST have in a company, a position, a leader to be happy and do your best? What motivates you?

Natural talents. What are those innate abilities that keep coming up in compliments and performance reviews? “You’re a natural at…” Fill in the blank.

Interests. What do you like to do? Think large on this one. You never know when an interest you haven’t really focused on so far may lead to a new opportunity…

Job Satisfiers. Or, as I like to call them, “the good, the bad, and the ugly.” What are the factors that have made your past work situations rewarding (the good), boring or frustrating (the bad) or something you never want to repeat (the ugly)?

Barriers. Here’s where you really need to keep it real. What are those internal blocks that have kept you from being all you want to be? Write ‘em down. Recognizing them is the first step in eliminating them.

Key accomplishments. Think back over your career and other areas of your life. What have you done that made a difference for your team, your department, your company, your community?

Salary requirements. In today’s job market, this is often one of the first questions asked, so it’s good to start thinking about this early. Consider what your basic expectations are and then, when you’ve determined your target market, do some research to validate your expectations.

Completing these inventories will take some time.  However, you will be amazed at how much you’ll learn about yourself, and how the resulting personal career snapshot will guide you to “what’s next.”

And make sure that what you’ve learned in this process comes through in your personal marketing (aka resume) and serves as a lens as you evaluate opportunities.

If you are thinking “what’s next” for you is a leadership role, check out our Keep it Real Leadership resources and interviews.

Whatever you do, don’t stop believin’.

Till next time, keep it real.

Karen

The post Looking for a New Opportunity? Start Here! appeared first on PeopleThink.

Unfortunately, that often leaves out the human aspect, the physical, mental, and emotional toll that uncertainty can have on employees. The part that requires leading with our hearts.

So how do you do both? Here are some tips.

Let’s start with the heart part.

Build connections. Many people are struggling with the return to the office. The commute and the price of gas, having to dust off their social skills, dealing with organizational structure or management changes. Create ways to help your people connect beyond just team meetings and work updates. Check in with individual team members just to ask how they’re doing. Ask questions like, “What are you doing to take care of yourself?” “How is your family doing?” “Is there anything you need?” Listen. Show compassion. Make it about them personally and not just work. If they’re struggling, connect them with available resources. Remember, people need to feel valued, CONNECTED, challenged, and recognized.

Keep it real. Show your vulnerability. Empathize. Be understanding if they are a bit overwhelmed at the moment. They may be dealing with childcare issues, worrying about their aging parents, or stressing about everything that’s going on right now. Connect with them as a human being, not just as their leader.

Respect the need for balance. Demonstrate that you know – and care – that your employees have a life outside of work. Set the example. When leaders set a pace of long hours and busyness, too often employees feel they have to do the same. It’s not healthy for anyone. Take a break. And encourage employees to take a break.

Trust your people. Trust and integrity are core to leadership. Always. Show your team that they can trust you to do all you can to help them be successful in this crazy world. Demonstrate that you trust them to do their work and support the success of the team. Don’t micromanage.

As for the head part…

• Be sure everyone on your team has the resources they need to succeed
• Set clear and reasonable expectations
• Communicate, communicate, communicate (and remember that communication includes listening!)
• Have regular team meetings
• Remember to say “thank you”

It’s no secret that people are on the move. The last few years have given them time to think about what is really important and what they want in a work environment. Don’t let them walk out the door. Lead with your heart and your head.

Learn how you can “Lead So People Stay” at our upcoming Leadership Power Hour. For more information and to register: https://www.peoplethink.biz/power-hour/

Till next time. Keep it real.

Karen

The post Lead with Your Head AND Your Heart appeared first on PeopleThink.

Seriously?

Unfortunately, that lack of accountability trickles down into the workplace.  As I work with different organizations, I hear a common complaint: “there’s just no accountability anymore.”  When things don’t get done – emails and texts returned, reports submitted on time, projects completed on time and within budget – instead of people owning the problem, they make excuses or shift the blame.

“I don’t know how it happened.”

“I think Jason is the bottleneck.”

“It’s not my job.”

“I didn’t have time to do it.”

“It’s not my fault.”

“No one else got theirs in on time.”

Sound familiar? I agree with Ben Franklin, who said, “He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.”

It’s time to ditch the excuses and create a culture of accountability. And it takes leaders, teams and individuals working together to create and maintain that culture.

Leaders:

• Set the example by owning up to your mistakes, oversights, missteps. If you never accept personal responsibility for something, how can you expect your team to?
• Find (and share) the lesson in the failure. What could you have done better, what will you change? Acknowledge the impact that your actions (or lack of action) had.
• Create a trusting environment with open communication where all team members are encouraged to share successes and failures for the purpose of learning and continuous improvement.
• Be clear about expectations. Employees are responsible for tasks and activities and accountable for outcomes. Be sure those are clearly defined and understood.
• Hold people accountable. Be clear about both expectations and consequences.

Teams/Individual employees:

• Understand what accountability means. Merriam-Webster defines it as the quality or state of being accountable, especially: an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one’s actions.  A lot of people use responsibility and accountability interchangeably. A responsibility is something you are required or expected to do, such as an activity or task. Accountability is you owning up to the consequences if you don’t do it or the outcomes are less than expected. Accountability is after the fact.
• Avoid the blame game. Children often deflect blame because they are afraid of getting into trouble.  Some adults do it for the same reason. Others because they are embarrassed and want to save face. Still others because their POV is that nothing that goes wrong is ever, ever their fault. It’s always someone else’s. Pulease! Be a grown up. Accept the blame. Apply what you learned. And do better next time.
• Ditch the excuses.  Instead, simply say: Yes, it was my fault. I dropped the ball. Here’s what I learned. Here’s how I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.
• As a team, hold each other accountable. Get clear about interdependencies and the impact of mistakes and missed deadlines. Work on creating an environment of open, honest communication that will support this.

“If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have the time to do it over?” – John Wooden

Till next time, keep it real.

Karen

The post Time to Dust Off Accountability! appeared first on PeopleThink.

Why?  Because of bad leaders.

According to a Gallup poll of more than one million U.S. workers, 75% of workers who voluntarily quit their jobs said they did so not because of the job or the company, but because they had a bad boss.

With so many people heading toward the exit these days that’s a whole lotta bad bosses.

Why is that?  What’s the impact? And what can organizations do about it?

Let’s start with the why.

47% of new leaders do not receive any leadership training.

People are often promoted to leadership roles as a reward for their individual performance or company loyalty rather than because they demonstrate the personal qualities that will help them develop into effective leaders.

All too often new leaders are put in a “sink or swim” situation – thrown into the deep end of leading a team and left to figure out for themselves how to stay afloat. Without leadership development early in their transition from individual performer to leader, new leaders may simply mimic the behaviors of a leader they’ve had in the past, and not necessarily a good one.

Research shows that the bulk of leadership development dollars are spent on senior leadership development. Yet by the time leaders reach that stage any bad habits developed over the years (or modeled after other bad leaders) are ingrained and difficult to correct.

What’s the impact?

It costs one and a half to two times an employee’s salary to replace them.

The tangible costs include recruiting, hiring, onboarding, and training the new employee. Add to that the intangible costs of decreased productivity, revenue loss, customer attrition, knowledge loss, and lowered morale of those left behind (who often have to pick up the slack).

What can organizations do about it?

Train your new leaders! Teams that have talented managers realize a 48% increase in profitability, a 22% increase in productivity, and a 30% increase in employee engagement scores (Gallup).

New leader training needs to be a key component of every organization’s learning and development plan. And it needs to give participants time to apply their learning, receive feedback, and get the ongoing support necessary (mentoring, coaching) to grow into the next line of senior leaders and executives.

Build and nurture a strong culture with clear values, open communication, and growth opportunities.

And be sure that every employee feels valued, connected, challenged, and recognized.

Till next time, keep it real.

Karen

The post Are Bad Leaders Pushing Your Good Employees Out the Door? appeared first on PeopleThink.

Blurred lines between home and work, dealing with remote technology (no tech support team!), and missing collaboration and camaraderie with their teams were typical complaints.

And then…they adapted.

Now, as more and more companies are calling their workers back to the office, not everyone is jumping for joy. In fact, 72% of respondents to a PwC survey said they would like to continue working from home for at least 2 days a week. And 32% of those surveyed by Owl Labs said they would quit their job if they were not able to continue working remotely.

So, as a leader, how can you smooth the transition back to the office and reignite your team?

Here are some tips.

Be flexible. Meet with each of your team members and, as much as possible, create a work schedule that aligns with their personal needs as they transition.

Manage your expectations. Just as they had to adapt their work style to a remote model, they’ll need to adapt again to working in the office.  The commute, dropping the kids at school or childcare, and “dressing for success” have been on hold for more than two years. Give them grace as they find their way back to working in an office.

Reconnect your team. Create plenty of opportunities for team members to gather and get to know one another again. No doubt you’ve had lots of Zoom meetings and, perhaps, video socials, but it’s not the same as chatting in the same room eyeball to eyeball!

Conduct a re-onboarding. Hold an onboarding event to officially welcome employees who were hired over the past two years and perhaps are meeting their teammates in person for the first time. Use this event to remind everyone about the company vision, mission, and values, as well as your vision for the team.  Allow time for questions, concerns, and suggestions.

Check in. Now, more than ever, is the time to follow that tried-and-true principle MBWA – management by walking around. Make time to check in with each of your team members. We are in an environment where workers have a lot of opportunities, don’t let them walk away.

They may have come back to the office, but how will you get them to stay?

Till next time, keep it real.

Karen

The post Leading the Way Back to the Office appeared first on PeopleThink.

Some to the extreme, as in the case of abusive airline passengers and others who have acted out in response to mask mandates and other perceived restrictions resulting from the pandemic.

And some more general, as work-from-home and limited gathering has put our social skills on hold.

Now, as more companies call their employees back to the office – at least for a couple of days a week – it’s time to give those social skills a reboot.

Here are some tips.

Think positive. Yes, it’s easy to grumble about the commute, having to wear pants and other “inconveniences” of going back to the office. And yet you can make it easier for everyone by focusing on the positive: Connecting with your team without technology glitches and Zoom fatigue, and having a clear separation between home and work. Seriously, when your home is your office does the workday ever end?

Be tolerant. It will take a little time to adjust and get back into the rhythm. For you, for your leader, and for your teammates. Eat the elephant one bit at a time.

Exercise your social skills. It seems funny to say, but this might be a good time to reflect on the socio-emotional skills you learned in kindergarten. As Robert Fulghum said in his book, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, “Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sand pile at school.” Play fair. Clean up your own mess. Wash your hands. Put things back where you found them. Say “please” and “thank you.” And say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.  Treat others the way you want to be treated.

Be kind. It’s been a rough couple of years for everyone. And the pandemic is just a part of it. It would be easy just to curl up under the covers until the world gets better. And yet, I’ve never been one to just wait around for things to change. I think we each have a responsibility to make the change we want to see in the world – even if we can only make it one small step at a time.

As you put on your pants, start up the car and head toward the office, ask yourself, “How can I be kinder today?” Then commit to looking for opportunities to show someone you care.

Keep it real and keep it kind.

“In a world where you can be anything, be kind.” – Unknown

Till next time,

Karen

The post Returning to the Office: Be Kind! appeared first on PeopleThink.

In our pre-pandemic world of work, when (if you recall) people gathered in person for meetings and workshops and hallway conversations, new hires had myriad opportunities to assess the culture they’d just signed up for.

Today, not so much.

Many employees who have been hired in the past two years have never met their co-workers or even their leader in person. They haven’t received the welcome basket in their cubicle, asked for help in locating the coffee station, checked out the cafeteria, smiled for their employee badge or done all the other things that new hires typically do.

Many are feeling adrift and unconnected.

So how can leaders – and seasoned employees – help news hires get connected and engaged in the culture? Remember – employee retention begins on Day 1.

Develop a clear and consistent definition of the culture. A great culture is more than fun after-work events, casual dress, and catchy slogans. It’s how employees, customers and the outside world perceive an organization based on its attitudes and behaviors.  It’s where all employees feel valued, connected, challenged, and recognized. And it stems from leadership behavior at all organizational levels.

Communicate the culture. Make it easy to describe. Make it real. Do a periodic check-up to ensure that all parts of your culture are healthy and if not, review, adjust and get back on track. Every new hire (including remote ones) should receive an orientation that includes a discussion about company culture, vision, mission, and values. Consider having long-term (positive) employees/leaders describe the culture and give examples of how they’ve seen it demonstrated in their experience.

Demonstrate the culture. Make it an expectation that all interactions leader-leader, leader-employee, employee-employee align with the company values and promote the culture. Give new hires a strong start by helping them understand how their role contributes to the overall success of their team and the organization.

And last, but certainly not least, remember that it’s about the PEOPLE, PEOPLE, PEOPLE. Hiring the brightest and the best does you no good if you don’t take care of them. Be clear about their roles and responsibilities. Help them understand the values and the culture. Keep developing them, provide them with new challenges, and develop a work environment where every level of the organization is valued, connected, challenged, and recognized.

Till next time, keep it real.

Karen

The post Boost Retention with a Strong Culture appeared first on PeopleThink.