By Michael Mink, Investor’s Business Daily

Effective leadership can result in a stronger bottom line and account for up to 70% of an employee’s job satisfaction. With that comes increased productivity and better employee retention.

To be a supervisor who brings out the best in people, incorporate the following:

Be clear. Communicate company goals, says Peter Stark, co-author of “The Only Leadership Book You’ll Ever Need: How to Build Organizations Where Employees Love to Come to Work.”

Stark suggests a litmus test: “Ask (employees) on the front line what their three to five goals are and how their goals align to the (company’s) vision. When people are clear on the bull’s-eye, they will be much more productive and efficient.”

Always train. Be supportive of employees when they aren’t living up to their potential. Bob Nelson, co-author of “Ubuntu!: An Inspiring Story About an African Tradition of Teamwork and Collaboration,” says leaders should focus on what employees learned, rather than on what they did wrong.

“If you punish and embarrass them, you will crush their willingness to take a risk or trust their best judgment in the next situation,” he said, adding that much goodwill can be compromised with “a single action, snide comment or discourteous tone.”

Hank Moore, author of “The Business Tree: Growth Strategies and Tactics for Surviving and Thriving,” says most workers who don’t perform up to standard aren’t fully informed. “Ninety percent of mistakes are made because of wrong instructions. Failure to communicate and provide training on the front end proves (costlier) to business in the long-run,” he told IBD.

Set a hands-on example. Great leaders, Nelson said, “are known for rolling up their sleeves and digging in as called for, and such efforts endear people to you as you model the role you expect every member of the team to take.”

Listen. Focus on what others are saying, Nelson said: “Collect the facts as they are best known, and then be decisive about acting on the situation.”

Give credit, take responsibility. When legendary football coach Bear Bryant was once asked his secret for winning games, he said, “When we win, the players made it happen; when we have some success, we did it together; and if we lose, it’s all my fault.”

Challenge people. Don’t limit employees to their job titles.

“Encourage them to think of ways to improve their work or come up with new solutions and products that will make the organization even more competitive,” Stark said.

Reward great performance. Make top-performing employees feel valued for their work.

“Ensure that the highest performers earn the best wages when compared to others who do the same type of work,” Stark said.

It doesn’t always have to be about money, says Nelson, who also wrote “1001 Ways to Reward Employees.” His advice: Ask employees what they value most, then match the reward to achievement.

When leaders stay focused on positive management practices, Stark said, “the result will be employees who feel they are treated fairly, feel valued and have higher levels of trust with management. The outcome of these positive feelings is higher retention levels with a greater number of employees saying, ‘I love my job,’ (which is) priceless!”

This article was originally published in Investor’s Business Daily. Read the original article here.

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By Ricky Martinez, via mlive.com

GRAND RAPIDS — Maureen Downer is seeing signs the recession is waning.

“For a while there, we would see 500 people a day in our service centers, even as many as 900 a day,” said the programs manager for Michigan Works! in Kent and Allegan counties.

“It’s really not at that higher level anymore.”

To help employers share ideas, gain momentum and get more people back to work, Michigan Works! is offering the Spring Into Action seminar May 13 at Western Michigan University’s downtown Grand Rapids campus, 200 Ionia Ave. SW.

The free half-day event includes a keynote speech by Peter Barron Stark, a San Diego-based management consultant who has authored nine books.

There will be seven breakout sessions on human resources, social media, employment law, training, emerging jobs and Michigan Works!

Read the entire article at mlive.com…

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Peter and Jack Duncan, the Host of Financial Spectrum on WKXL1450, discuss leadership.

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Harry Truman’s definition of accountability is perhaps the best: “The Buck Stops Here.” It was the message on a sign the President had on his White House desk to remind himself and others who entered his office that he took responsibility for making decisions.

As Truman said in his farewell address in January, 1953: “The President – whoever he is – has to decide. He can’t pass the buck to anybody. No one else can do the deciding for him. That’s his job.”

So what can management and workplace leaders do to create that kind of culture of accountability for themselves and for everyone in their workforce? It’s a question being debated in many circles today as the world’s economies try to claw their way out of the worst economic recession since the pre-World War II depression.

Read Entire Article from www.BizActions.com.

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In the past, most phone companies, like AT&T, who control about 40 percent of the phone directory market, were required to produce phone books because of their monopoly. My question for today is, “Who uses these books?”  Seniors without computers are probably the only people who find phone books necessary to have in their home.

A little late to change, the phone companies are now beginning to print phone books for only those customers who request them. When AT&T began its Residential White Pages Consumer Choice Program in Austin and Atlanta in December they were surprised to learn that only 3 percent of the residents in those cities requested a copy of the White Pages.  In a competitive industry like the phone company, where it is difficult to make a profit, quick cost cutting is essential. This change is about five years too late.

In our seminars on Surviving and Thriving During Change we share the Seven Deadliest Words of Change… We Have Always Done It This Way.  Nothing can kill an organization faster than refusing to change.  Where does change begin?  With you!  In our newest book, Engaged!  How Great Leaders Build Organizations Where Employees Love to Come to Work, we share 76 strategies that separate great leaders from the rest.  Strategy #41 is Personally Change First.  As a leader, you are the role model.  The attitude you convey will be contagious.  When leaders anticipate the need for change and get excited about role modeling the change, the dinosaurs either change or become extinct.

We believe that every organization has some “White Pages” hanging around. There are outdated policies, procedures, items in every organization that are automatically included in annual budgets. These “white pages” need to be recycled because they are no longer functional or valued by customers or employees. What are the “White Pages” in your organization?  Recycle them today!

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Looking for inspiration to help get you through turbulent markets and weak revenue in the coming weeks?  Here are nine recently released books that offer recession-worthy insights on management, sales and marketing. 

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Throughout the ordeal, Captain Phillips focus was foremost on the safety and well being of his crew. He put his life on the line to save his team and show them he cared. How about you? Current economic realities impacting nearly every sector of our business world make a focus on the bottom line essential. In these times, it’s easy to make employee satisfaction an afterthought. Who cares? In many battered organizations, the prevailing sentiment is that those employees who still have a job should be grateful. The new rules for surviving the recession seem to be favoring employers, with employee recognition and appreciation taking a back seat to basic organizational survival. It’s the first time in recent history that employees have had so few employment options. Many are hunkered down, riding out the recession, happy to have a paycheck. Held somewhat captive until the economy turns, why care about employee satisfaction and morale?

When employees know you care for them, it is easier for them to be “engaged.” Engaged employees are your competitive edge. There’s a difference between just showing up for work and being exuberant, positive and ready to tackle whatever comes your way. By demonstrating that you care, you will receive the extra, or discretionary effort commonly referred to as “engagement” from your employees. Engaged employees not only accomplish their work, but demonstrate additional initiative, creativity and motivation which ensures success at every level. When struggling for survival, it’s critical that you demonstrate that you care about each employee on your team as being a unique contributor, individual first, employee second.

Many leaders can buy into engagement but are not comfortable with the caring part. They feel employees are paid to do a job and “caring” is optional. If you don’t care about your employees, they won’t care about you. It’s only when you as a leader genuinely care about your employees’ personal and professional success that they begin to care about your success. When you make recognizing and caring about your team members a priority, you will see morale improving, productivity increasing, employees’ assuming more responsibility and your own personal reputation for being a great leader improving.

Four tips to show your team you care:

Listen to your team members. Each time you sincerely listen, you demonstrate that you care about your employees and value their ideas and opinions. It sounds so easy . . . just listen. Then why is it so hard for many of us to do? Because we’ve been trained to listen just long enough to solve the employee’s problem. Break your routine by asking open-ended questions and fully listening to the response. Ask, don’t tell. Listening silently says, “I care.”

Be a coach and mentor. Make it a point to consistently provide timely, constructive feedback, not just at review time. When things don’t go well, assume that the poor performance wasn’t intentional. When you identify the problem, share your confidence in the employee’s ability to correct the problem. This belief demonstrates that you care. Look for talent on your team. You have a team member that is ready and willing to take on additional responsibility. Provide resources and training opportunities to help team members grow and further develop their careers.

Hold people accountable to high standards. While it’s true that people have differing abilities, each person was determined competent when they were hired. Allowing some people to perform below acceptable standards is inexcusable and destroys the morale of those employees that hold themselves accountable to achieving high standards. Holding all employees accountable for their success demonstrates you care about all team members and are committed to coaching, counseling, and if need be, sharing the non-performing team member with a competitor.

Recognize the unique contributions of your team members. Most of us supervise a diverse and talented team. Providing recognition specific and unique to a particular team member demonstrates you recognize and value his/her talent. Rather than saying, “great job,” it’s more powerful to be specific and say, “Thanks for your report. I never would have thought of showing the data that way, which is a big improvement over the way we were doing it. I appreciate you taking the initiative to improve our process.” Providing unique and consistent recognition demonstrates you care.

If you’re still reading this, you get it. Employees who feel cared for are engaged. They consistently deliver exceptional work on a daily basis. Whether this is a recession, depression or “decession,” your employees will be the ones to ensure your organization’s success. When the economy improves, where will your team be – still with you, or looking for another job? You can bet the crew members of the Maersk Alabama won’t ever consider jumping ship and sailing with another captain.

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Read more…

Looking for inspiration to help get you through turbulent markets and weak revenue in the coming weeks?

Here are nine recently released books that offer recession-worthy insights on management, sales and marketing. Engaged! How Leaders Build Organizations Where Employees Love to Come to Work (Bentley Press 2009) by Peter Barron Stark and Jane Flaherty. This book offers real-world examples.

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