Keep Employees Passionate About Their Jobs

A new survey finds that only about 13% of people are passionate about their jobs

The number of employees who lack enthusiasm for their job is surprising. According to the survey from Deloitte, 64% of all workers and 50% of execs and senior management saying they are neither passionate nor engaged on the job.

Complaints from workers  include a lack of autonomy, they aren’t allowed to work across teams and they feel they aren’t involved in decision making.

There’s no doubt most people wish they could love their job but it turns out that’s just not the reality for most folks. In fact, a new survey finds that only about 13% of people would say they are passionate about what they do.

The survey by Deloitte's "Center for the Edge" finds that lack of passion for the job crosses all levels of an organization, with 64% of all workers and 50% of execs and senior management saying they are neither passionate nor engaged on the job. What’s more, only 60% of people say they actually seek out challenges in their organization, and even of those who are engaged employees, more than 60% didn’t actively seek challenges at work.

Of those employees who say they are “passionate” about their work:

·         71% work extra hours

·         89% feel focused, immersed and energized in their work

·         68% are optimistic about the future of their company

·         71% feel they are encouraged to work across the company

·         67% feel the company collaborates well with customers

As for how to get workers passionate about their jobs, it seems there are some things bosses could do to change that. Complaints from workers not passionate about their gig include a lack of autonomy, they aren’t allowed to work across teams and they feel they aren’t involved in decision making.

Millennials Financial Stress is costing YOUR Company

The millennial money struggle is NO JOKE. The youth of today are making 20% less than their parents were at the same stage of life. Plus with Millennials getting more education (masters and PhD’s), they have more debt than their parents did as well! To top that off the job market isn’t making things any easier for the future of your young staff.

While 48% of millennials are optimistic about their financial future, most of them are worried about income in the here and now. Jobs are few and far between, and the salaries are even less. Which leaves them wondering; what to do?

Here is where you can help. As a manager or CEO, you can offer financial lunch & learns for your staff.  Millennials surveyed say that on average, they spend four hours every week sweating their personal financial matters at the office. That means you lose a whole week’s worth of productivity a year for each millennial staff you employee. Millennials may be the biggest money, but they are not alone. Boomers and GenXers say they spend office time worrying about money troubles.

It’s really easy, with 92% of millennials saying they would benefit from a financial education program, and those classes can equating to higher productivity for the company; you should be on the phone now to book a money specialist now!

Tip: you can save some money and have your CFO or the company account hold the meeting; as long as they can make it entertaining.

3 Steps For Properly On-Boarding Employees

Do You Have An Onboarding Problem?

Time and again, I've noticed that companies of varying sizes are having issues getting their new hires up and running in effective manners.  The reasons stem from managers not properly setting their new hires up for success. The time commitment, the lack of desire, or the misunderstandings of what is needed for an employee to be on-boarded effectively are the common excuses.  There are reasons why, in addition to the importance of not only to hiring the right people, you must also train those people to be in the best position to meet the needs of the team they are joining is critical. 

As organizations move to streamline their staff and cut out redundant roles, we often leave managers with little time to actually manage their team. Managers bring in new hires and because they want to get off on a good foot, they say all the polite things, instead of the right things. 

I do a lot of interviews with staff members who say they never get clear direction, guidelines, or expectations for what they need to do. This is so much more important now with the millennial generation (which is over 80 million people strong) taking the lead as the largest population in the nation's workforce.  Although, all staff members, not matter which generation they fall under, will benefit from (and enjoy) clear roles, guidelines, and expectations, the millennial generation demands it. I often refer the millennial generation as the syllabus generation. Most of them have always had a roadmap to success in their lives due to outlines are given to them by their parents and educators. It is almost unfair to throw them into the deep in and expect them to perform the in the same way as Baby Boomers or Generations X. 

This is not about coddling a generation; in fact, I disagree with a lot of the stereotypes about the millennial generation. Given the right tools and leadership, this generation could be some of the best employees you could have in your organization. 

Here are three steps to make sure you are onboarding your staff properly:

1. Be Honest. After you have chosen to hire someone, it is easy to build him or her up and have a "wait and see" mentality in regards to his or her work/process. Waiting to find additional problems before addressing issues is troublesome because no employee is perfect and, although you may want to encourage creativity and personal flair, it is important for every staff member to understand the mission and the ultimate goal.

Once a PR staff member at a marketing firm who wanted to stand out from the crowd. She sent two press releases out in a comic sans font with orange print (the companies letterhead color).  Her manager was obviously annoyed at this employee.  However, they had also spent two years praising her for her risky creativity and say how much they loved the bold approach she took to marketing. This conflict, which hurt the trust she had in leadership and herself, could have been addressed by clear roles. For example: We do all our press releases in a uniformed way because that is the expectation of the personal receiving the information. Where we need your creativity is who to phrase the press release so that the outlet that reads it uses it in the manner that we would desire. 

2. Give a Road Map.  One of the important roles of a leader is to show your staff how to progress through the company. When I hire someone, I always ask what do you want for me. I understand that I am using you for your time, effort and talent. What are you using me for? I want to let them know how they get there. 

An example of this comes from a front office hire I witnessed. The candidate was asked, "I know that we are hiring you to be at the front desk, but where do you want to end up?" The interviewee said she hoped to end up in marketing. We talked briefly about her skill sets in marketing and what that might look within. When we brought that person on, we had a two-year plan for her to be in the best position to be ready to end up as a web design marketing professional.  You want to hire from within whenever possible, show people that you care about their happiness and help them achieve their goals, which, in turn, will keep them more productive in the roles that they are currently occupying. 

3. Be A Mentor. It is important to be a mentor for your team. Note that this does not mean micromanaging them, but an offering them a guiding hand. This can often turn into enabling the staff member to run to you for everything.  Which is not effective time management to either party. The best way to handle this issue is to listen to your employees and ask, "What do you think?" then "why do you think that?" and other similar questions. It is easy for managers to like the feeling of being relied on, but as most managers realize, it quickly gets old and you begin to resent the employee. If your train your staff to think of the solutions on their own, then they will rely on you less and less, giving you the time your need to lead and actually manage your team productivity. 

As I travel around consulting with teams in disarray, improper onboarding is a pretty common cause for the miscommunication issues. I understand that it may seem like a lot of effort for a new hire, who may or may not work out. However, taking a little bit of time out of your schedule, in the beginning, will pay huge dividends in the long term success of your team.

How Do We Talk About Race?

This evening, I watched an interesting piece by Noelle Walker of NBC5. In it, she asked people on the street something to the effect of, "How do we, as a society, have a conversation about race relations?" 

Can't understand 1 another if we don't talk. How do we have conversation about #RaceRelations? @NBCDFW report here->https://t.co/asTLqW6gtG

— Noelle Walker (@NoelleNBC5) July 12, 2016

There may not be a topic in public discourse today that is more volatile than race relations, but that doesn't mean we should shy away from the issues. 

One of the main components of conflict management is being able to engage in conversations that may invoke high emotion and passionate anger. When having a difficult conversation, be prepared to be open to new ideologies. Engaging in conversations only to argue, or attempt to change someone else's mind, will only leave you spewing the same rhetoric back-and-forth, while accomplishing nothing. However, if you approach the conversation with a mindset of wanting to learn and understand, you will often find the person you're communicating with is much more open to real dialog. They will often let down their defenses and open up, which will create pathways for real progress. 

It's also important to focus on engaging in active listening. When you actively listen, you're understanding what the other side has to say. It is very easy for people to engage in conversation waiting for their moment to counter, without ever really hearing what the other person is saying. Hearing the other person's perspective, asking clarifying questions, and trying to find empathy through understanding are the only way to engage difficult conversation.

If you are passionate about seeing real change happen in your community, then become active in the process. I have seen several different organizations, that are meeting in town halls and community centers, who are engageing in tough honest dialog. Being hateful is easy, remaining ignorant is comforting, but finding peace is possible. To quote the President of The United States, "We can do better than this. We are better than this." 

What You Say Can Be Held Against You: How Social Media Can Leave You Jobless

With the start of social media over a decade ago, the world as we know it has been turned upside down.  There is a new batch of employees entering the workforce who have never known life without some form of social media like Snapchat, Facebook, and Twitter. These employees believe that the ability to use social media any way they want is almost a constitutional privilege. I have often heard my interns and new hires say, “What happened to my freedom of speech?” or “You don’t own my thoughts!” Although that may be true, what you say can be held against you. 

I have often told students fresh out of college that they do have the right to say whatever they want; however, they also have the right to face the repercussions from what they say. I recommend that every new graduate or person who is unsure of the effects of posting on social media read the book So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson.  In this book, Ronson tells 15 different stories of people who posted a joke on social media that came out badly or made a mistake while at work. It's a good reminder that we are always being watched online and, like in a text message, it is hard to read intent online

Steer Clear of Danger:
Posting grievances: You can be well within your rights as an employee to use social networking sites, emails or other forms of social media to air your grievances. For example, an employee may complain about how they are being treated by their manager at work. 

However, first, ask yourself "What is this post going to accomplish?" Is your goal to get your manager in trouble or have a better relationship with that manager? Either one of these goals would be achieved more efficiently by taking a more direct approach. For example, try reading your employee handbook to see what steps you can take to approach your issue head on. 

Consider Occam's Razor: Sometimes the simplest approach is the most effective. Try talking to your manager and start by saying, “I have gotten the feeling that I have been not handling my work the way you would like it to be done. Is it okay if we talk about how I can change my work style?” This will open a dialog that can clear up any miscommunication and begin a road to a better working relationship. 

Posting outside of work: When drawing a line between work and home life, it can be difficult to know where to that line lies. For example, whether you think it is fair or not, odds are your employer views you as a representative of the company. Although they may not be able to fire you over a post, judgment can be assigned to your character. 
A quick Google search can find over ten pages of posts about people losing their jobs for what they have said online.

One-on-one communication: Social networking can be an excuse for avoiding face-to-face conversations. Many of the issues that lead to disciplinary and grievance problems at work can often be dealt with by a manager having a quiet word with an employee, which can prove to be difficult if line managers have become over-reliant on communicating electronically.

Conflict Is Not A Dirty Word

Conflict is a word that people want to avoid. Most managers and CEO ask me not to use the term conflict when talking with their team, instead opting for "issues", "miscommunications", and my favorite "areas of improvement". This course  of action does a disservice to your staff's intelligence. In this day in age, it is more important than ever to be open genuine and open about what is happening in the office.  Managers who cannot deal with terms such as conflict are likened to parents who awkwardly stumble through "The Talk" to their kids. 

Conflict is not a dirty word; it is, however, a vital part of communication. I often tell people, if you're one of those couples who say, "Oh we never fight", that means someone has given up in the relationship. The art of a healthy relationship or organization isn't peace, but using conflict and constructive disagreement to form better decisions and opinions.  Fear of conflict shows signs of mistrust, and a poor company culture. 

I would recommend that managers, get past the fear conflict and embrace the productive and financial benefits of a constructive feedback loop inside your company.  If you're having issues with conflict inside your office setting, feel free to reach out. I would enjoy the opportunity to help you have better a communication system. 

Stop Devaluing Your Brand And Make More Money

Sales is a tug of war over the amount money that one person can get using the least amount their commodity (depending on the business). Every day, it seems, account executive are in a negotiation and/or conflict while handling their client's needs, wants, and desires.  Dealing with conflicts over, how much to give and, for what price,  can be taxing and uncomfortable. Far too often an AE will simply cut the price of their product as the first course of action, instead of the last-ditch effort to keep a customer.

I work in the field of conflict management and dispute resolution but, I have been able to use my skills to help companies maximize their profits by making their sales staff smarter negotiators. Recently I read a book called Emotional Intelligence: Sales Success that had a lot of interesting ideas on how to combat your customer in a sales negotiation.

Tips to keep value of your product and your customers as well:

If the customer says to you, "Your competition is 20% lower can you lower your price."

You can respond; "I appreciate you sharing that information. Can I ask you a question? What was it that made you agree to a meeting if you are getting similar services for a discounted rate?"

This makes the customer be the one to share what they are not happy with when it comes to their current situation. Take that information and share why you are worth the slightly higher adjustment.

If the customer says, "We would like to go with you, however, your price is a little high."

You can respond; Thank you, I am glad you see the value in us, I would be more than happy to go back over our proposal to see what you think would be a something we can remove to fit your budget.

This shows the client that you appreciate their business and are willing to work with them without cutting or discounting your prices. 

If the customer says, "We have had a tough year is there any way you could do better on your price?"

A sympathetic reply of, "I completely understand, it has been a tough year for many of my clients. I would understand if you need more time to think about whether this is a good time to invest in advertisement."

This shows empathy, and that you are not looking to hurt their business; instead you are interested in helping them out. Remember the old allegory, give a mouse a cookie and it will want a glass of milk. No client will every say, "You know we have had a great year, I am ready to pay 20% more than what you are offering."

Believe in yourself, your product, and your company. You worked hard to figure out a fair price and value to your customers, honor that and over time people will honor you.

From Memos To Emojis: How Being Together Builds Bridges In The New Workforce

Career Killing Words Part 1: BUT

In my experience of coaching executives and managers, I’ve noticed a language that separates the great leaders from the average leaders. Here is a list of words that you should eliminate from your vocabulary if you want to be a truly effective leader.

But: The word “but” is the Great Discredit-ter.  Anytime you use the word “but” you automatically discredit everything you said leading up to that word. A trick that I read was instead of using the word “but” use the word “and” here’s an example

BAD: "Tom, I appreciate the hard work you’ve been doing lately. All your projects have turned out really great but, I have some changes I want you to think about."

Better: "Tom, I appreciate the hard work you’ve been doing lately. All your projects have turned out really great and, I have some changes I want you to think about."

Using the word “and” doesn’t discount the good that the employee has done, however, it does make it easier to segue into a new conversation about change. Do not tag-on to a compliment with a "but" that will automatically have the person you are speaking with become defensive. Instead, make you compliment complete and genuine and then more one to the other items that you need to address with that person.

3 Steps To Asking For More Money At Work

When it comes to making more money during salary negotiations you need to remember to stay focused, do your research, and ask the right questions, if you want to see success. 

In today’s office culture, I see fewer and fewer companies that are doing a standard 3% raise and a pat on the back. Budget cuts and cut backs are a fact of life for many people.  Job-hopping to try and make more money is stressful for both employees and employer. Preventing pricing oneself out of a job or, once inside the company, asking for a raise is a difficult task for many people.

The common mistakes that I have seen when it comes to salary negotiations is people lose sight of the true focus. Often people think more about what they want and what they deserve and allow that to be their starting point. Odds are, if this is your approach, you will not end up with a positive result. When people are concerned about what they want or what they are worth/deserve, the focus of this entire conversation is on them. In a contract or salary negotiation, what’s being negotiated is not you; it is what you mean to the company.

Focus: Is it on yourself or on your interests?

You should not approach the negation as if your employer cares that you have two kids in college and need more money. The fact that you have been here a decade is not a good enough reason to make more money. Remember not to let the negotiation become personal. What is being negotiated is the value of the job that you perform. The monetary value attached to the work that that is being done and the worth of those tasks to the company. So what that means is change the focus from YOU, to the VALUE that you bring to the company.

Research: Know what the market value is for your assigned tasks. Knowing what your job is worth when compared to similar companies can ensure that you are not way out of line with your asking amount. After you know the amount that your job and experience is worth, then it is time to work on your approach for asking for the raise. 

Leading up to your year-end review, or simply a request for more money, you need to prepare. Most of the time people spring a salary increase on their boss, that’s not fair and will not get the best result. The best alternative is to start the negotiation by asking the right questions of your boss.

Ask the Right Question:

What does it take to make ____ in this company?

What should I do to be in the position to be the type of employee that could receive a ____ raise? 

In doing this, you get to hear from your boss exactly what he or she wants and expects of an employee that makes the money that you want to make. When you have accomplished the expectations, you have eliminated the reasons for the employer to deny the request.

It is important to be open-minded to other possible interests when it comes to a raise.  For example, if the company is truly strapped for cash, you can try to negotiate for more vacation days. Being positive, open-minded, informed and direct is always the best approach when it comes time to negotiate for a higher salary. If you have a specific questions please feel free to reach out.