2018 is going to be a challenging year for employers looking to hire the talent they need. The intensifying labor shortages will prompt a variety of changes to the way employers recruit and retain talent. 1. Upward pressure on wages. The war for talent has finally arrived and talent shortages are forcing business leaders to take a new look at… Read more →
In the majority of cases, employees who are without motivation, support, and coaching from their managers, will face a difficult time developing their talents on their own. Research has shown that the support and effective involvement of managers is the single most important factor in determining whether what an employee learns in a classroom transfers into actual changes in behaviour… Read more →
For many entrepreneurial or owner-operator businesses, a big challenge is that the “boss” becomes the architect and decision-maker in every critical area of the business. As a consequence, people who are hired and stay with the business become comfortable with that management style. In fact, most decisions are delegated upwards. In the early phases of the business this works admirably,… Read more →
Increasing demands on an organisation’s workforce requires managers to work at higher levels of performance with fewer resources and staff. Developing employees through on-the-job coaching or mentoring can increase the organisation’s ability to succeed. Coaching and mentoring can inspire and empower employees, build commitment, increase productivity, grow talent, and promote success. These are essential elements of a modern management practice…. Read more →
Make your training succeed with these useful tips: Prioritize your areas of need. Identify those areas where an upgrading of skills would bring about a high return. Look for the high leverage positions. If your company is sales- or service-driven, a useful place to look is to those who have direct contact with your customers and the people who manage… Read more →
When training fails, it is usually because of poor planning or because the necessary conditions for success have not been secured . A large percentage of skills training such as sales, customer service, or management training fails to produce results. And it’s not because the participants were stupid, lazy, or unmotivated or that the material was irrelevant or not well… Read more →
It’s unfortunate that a lack of employee empowerment is commonplace. It is difficult to get employees to make fast decisions in favour of a customer. The fear of getting fired or criticised is so great that many employees do not make decisions on the spot that favour the customer. However, without empowerment you will hardly become a service leader. Companies… Read more →
When it comes to communication, we all tend to think we’re pretty good at it. Truth is, even those of us who are good communicators aren’t nearly as good as we think we are. This overestimation of our ability to communicate is magnified when interacting with people we know well. Researchers at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business… Read more →
General Norman Schwarzkopf summarised everything he had learned about leadership in his thirty-plus years in the US Army in two rules, one of which he called (for reasons unknown and unexplained) rule number thirteen. Rule Thirteen was “When in charge, take charge.” In his remarks that evening he emphasised the second phrase – take charge – encouraging his young cadets… Read more →
In 2015, U.S. organizations spent approximately $70 billion on training. Smaller companies spent around $1,105 per employee on average, not taking into account the productivity lost while the employee was out. Larger companies often doubled this investment. Clearly employers understand the importance of training, and are willing to devote resources to it; however, it’s rare that these organizations see a… Read more →