May 2017 « Confidence Coach

Working With Millennials

Last week we talked about supporting your employees’ dreams outside of work. One of the biggest demographics driving this trend is millennials; here in Portland, where we do our business coaching, millennials make up a huge percentage of the workforce. Companies often complain about this group, about how they care more about their own life purpose than their loyalty to the company. That might be true, but I can’t help thinking that it’s incredibly narrow-minded and foolish to complain about this. It’s is a good thing! I WANT my employees to be driven! I want to find out what they want to do, and I want to make sure they feel connected to that dream! When my employees are driven by a purpose, that’s when they’re doing their best work. When they’re driven by a purpose, I don’t have to try and motivate or threaten or micromanage them, which I never want to do. I’m busy; I have a company to run. They should want to be there, which they only ever will be if it’s connected to their purpose.

Companies complain that millennials are transient, but that trend’s not going away anytime soon. Why not leverage it, instead of whine about it? When your employees leave your company, remember: they’re either going to be a raving fan or a block to your sales. I want to build that tribe of raving fans. Is this employee going to be sending you customers for years to come, proudly proclaiming how much they loved working for you? Or are they going to tell everyone and their mom to avoid your product at all costs? Your relationship doesn’t stop the day they get their last paycheck.

The lifetime value of an employee after they leave is an unknown factor to most business owners, but it should be something you put in your ROI equation. Before you even hire anyone, you should be asking: When this person leaves, can I make them a raving fan? If you can’t make them a raving fan, don’t even hire them. Have a game plan in place before their first day of work. Trust me, if you don’t have a plan, it will end negatively — with hurt feelings and bad reviews. How many people will they tell that story to?! But if you’ve intentionally set up a game plan, you’ll be stoked that they’re leaving. You’ll be thrilled to have a transient disciple headed out into the world.

If you want to learn more about how to build a tribe of raving fans, click here.

by Scott Ballard , May 28, 2017

How To Make Your Dream Employee

When we do executive coaching, it’s clear that every CEO, business owner, or entrepreneur comes to us with the dream to build something. That’s the mission that drives companies from a kitchen table to a billion-dollar empire. Unfortunately, there’s one thing almost everyone forgets. It’s the reason why disengagement is up to 80% and turnover is the highest it’s been in decades: We forget that our companies are made up of people.

Each of those people has a dream, right? Everyone has hopes outside of work. But those hopes and dreams are often seen as liabilities to mitigate instead of assets to leverage. But think about this: If I could connect my job in accounting with my dream of learning to ski, how much more would I put into my job? If I knew my company was supportive of my dreams, how much more committed would I be to that company?

We train business owners to ask the question: What are your hopes, dreams, and aspirations? Tell your employees, show them, that you actually care about this. It’s not about spending money, although if there’s budget for it that investment can go a long way — it’s about showing support. When they run that marathon, maybe you make a fun video about it and send that out to customers and employees to celebrate their accomplishment. Show them that you want to celebrate with them, because you care about their dreams.

This isn’t just about being nice. When people are in the process of achieving their dreams, that’s where real productivity happens — that’s where growth and creativity and connection happens. A bonus can’t do that! A bonus can’t motivate your employees longer than a week. A bonus can’t drive connection amongst your team. As an employer, you can’t compete in this world anymore with just a paycheck. Employees want to live for a purpose, and if you can help give that to them you’ll have the most motivated team of employees you could dream of. There’s nothing like purpose to drive your team towards real productivity and customer connection.

Everyone has to live and work in their own greatness. If you can harness and build that up, you can make a huge impact on your team — and together, you’ll have an even bigger impact on the world.

Want to read more about building your employee engagement? Download our free e-book with tips from experts across every industry, for free.

by Scott Ballard , May 21, 2017

Tips For The Introverted Manager

Last week, we talked about the Walkabout that we teach in our leadership training. For the introverted manager, talking with everyone in one day might seem overwhelming. But consider this: with training in the Walkabout, you’ll always know exactly what you’re going to say. You won’t have to stress about coming up with conversation topics, because it’s all about asking only two questions: What’s going on in your life? And have you noticed or learned anything interesting that can help the company succeed? It’s interest — and feedback.

Introverts can also thrive in the one-on one nature of a Walkabout – these check-ins aren’t before a group of hot shots talking over each other. That defeats the purpose. This is ONE on ONE. It’s having a conversation individually, looking your employee in the eye, letting them know you care.

Most introverted managers, once they learn this, can finally rest — you don’t have to be everything to everyone, after all. It’s just about a little interest, and a little feedback. Once you practice this, it will become second nature; you’ll be starting each day in a way that’s respectful to other employees. You’ll be creating a culture of respect in your company. Once that happens, the product or service will be dramatically improved.

At the end of the day, every business is just a group of people trying to provide a product or service to the world. It’s not a thing you develop; it’s a group of people working together to create value in the marketplace today. If you can’t do that, you don’t have a business.

Are you an introverted manager? Schedule a free consultation with me to maximize your unique management strategies.

by Scott Ballard , May 14, 2017

What Every Manager Should Be Doing Every Day

Consider adding this one habit to your day, and watch your employee engagement explode.

We call it the Walkabout. Make it a daily habit to go and individually connect with every single person on your team. Yes, every single day. Whether it’s over a video chat, or the more traditional ‘water cooler’ talk, make time to speak individually with every member of your team, every day. During this conversation, make sure to do two things: 1) Ask them something about their life outside of work. 3) Ask them if they have any feedback for the company, any ideas or issues they’ve come across in their work.

This is how we train our business leaders to start each day, and it’s essential. Your team needs to know you’re there for them; they need to feel known. Because, if you really think about it, who is your company’s most important customer? It’s not the one who’s paying with their dollars — it’s the people who are paying with their time. Your employees! They spend more time with your product or service, know more about your history and background, than any paying customer ever will. And yet, for some reason, most business owners give their employees the least amount of actual interaction. Most people don’t do the Walkabout regularly, and it’s an incredible untapped asset. Instead, we go to work and don’t think about anyone else. If Sally’s got her job in accounting, well, that doesn’t have anything to do with me! We forget they’re human. The number one need we have as humans is to be heard and be known; if you want engaged employees, you have to meet that need.

These check-ins don’t have to be an hour-long scheduled meeting; it’s a casual few minutes, a spur-of-the-moment conversation. It’s not about checking off a list, it’s about intentionally saying, “I care about you. I want to know what you know. I want to listen to you.” After all, isn’t that how you want these folks to treat your customers? If we want to have great relationships with our customers, it has to start with our employees. Model the culture for how you want your clients to be treated.

This may sound simple, but it can have profound results.

Want more tips on building employee engagement? Download this free ebook, full of tips from all the experts.

by Scott Ballard , May 7, 2017