Tip #419: 4 Secrets To Unlocking An Employee's Potential (Part 2 of 2)

As a reminder, our 4 Secrets to Unlocking An Employee's Potential is a 2-part series specifically designed to help you maximize everyone's potential within your organization.

Secrets 3 and 4 outline some easy ways for you to design a culture that is performance-based.

Secret #3: Develop, Implement, Track And Reinforce A Pay-for-Performance Culture.

We all know the importance of having your best people in key areas within your organization - areas critical to the success of your business. And it is also no secret that the solution to retaining the best and most talented people is not only recognizing but also compensating top performers. According to a recent business survey, retention can be improved by up to 27% with a pay-for-performance compensation structure.

Many business professionals consider a pay-for-performance culture the #1 tool for helping them to reach the highest levels of commitment and productivity from employees. Whether there is a bonus structure or another type of incentive for outstanding contributions, top performers will produce even better results when they are recognized by monetary rewards.

We are often asked whether individual or team incentives are the most effective ways to motivate employees. Interestingly enough, it is a blend of the two types of rewards that produce the greatest output. Plus, building a pay-for-performance culture is the fastest way to reward top performers and the quickest way to get everyone aligned with an organization's financial goals. 

Secret #4: Consider A Quarterly Performance Review.

In the past, many organizations conducted annual reviews to ensure that their employees were meeting their goals and objectives and to hand out everyone's applicable raises. Recently, we are seeing more companies move toward quarterly reviews as a way to help their employees attain peak performance. In addition to their quarterly review processes, they are also using HR technology as a way to augment the review process.

Benefits Of Quarterly Reviews:

• Affords the opportunity to recognize the contribution an employee makes to the organization.
• Focuses on an employee's performance vs. the annual raise.
• Gets the manager and employees to discuss things face-to-face.

Executive Summary: The last secrets in this series suggest tracking and focusing in on the performance of your employees. To improve the process of reviewing employee performance, executing more frequent reviews and investing in HR Technology are two approaches that can prove to benefit your organization - and help your employees grow as an asset to your organization. When conducting performance reviews, map out what is being evaluated and how. Also, be aware that subjective approaches to evaluation can cause problems, so use more objective means of evaluation.

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Tip #418: 4 Secrets To Unlocking An Employee's Potential (Part 1 of 2)

Our e-newsletter: 4 Secrets to Unlocking An Employee's Potential is a 2-part tip series specifically designed to help you maximize everyone's potential within your organization. In fact, more and more organizations like yours are discovering the financial benefit of unlocking a person's leadership skills, overall performance and expanding productivity.

Are you ready to see if you can tap into someone's full potential?

Over the next two weeks, you will learn the four secrets, starting with secrets 1 and 2.

Secret #1: Make Sure Everyone's DAILY Efforts Are Contributing To The Company's Business Objectives.

One of the most critical elements in this process is to ensure that your staff understands how their specific roles are contributing to achieving the company's business objectives. In fact, research has shown that 95% of all workers are unaware of their company's top 3 to 5 business objectives.

This is the result of two factors:

• There is not an effective process used to communicate objectives to the staff.
• There is a lack of tracking the staff's overall progress in regards to the business objectives.

Secret #2: Keep Your Employees Engaged.

During our professional training sessions, CEOs often ask us: "How do I keep my employees engaged day in and day out?" After hearing this question, we often tell them that it requires strong leadership skills, honest feedback and the patience to help someone grow by letting them make their own mistakes.

You can improve your staff's overall performance by giving:

More Employee Reviews - In today's ever-changing business world, having annual reviews just does not cut it. Quarterly reviews or at least semi-annual evaluations will give your staff a more meaningful and accurate understanding of where they are from a performance standpoint.

More Meaningful Feedback - Be honest with your employees when giving them feedback - it is a great way for them to work on areas that need improvement sooner vs. later. Many companies are rewriting their employee review formats to include specific areas of improvement. Why? They are finding that this is an effective way to deliver deeper, more meaningful feedback.

Stronger, More Relevant Coaching - Give your managers better coaching skills so they can guide their staff through an array of issues. Coaching the performance of employees with a variety of skill levels and differing personalities can be challenging. By the way, there is a good chance your staff needs to be trained on how to coach employees to peak performance, as most people don't know how to coach an employee.

Executive Summary: Quality feedback will keep an employee's head in the game. It will also encourage them to step up and perform for you and ultimately the organization. Many studies show that it will increase their job satisfaction and can positively impact employee retention - factors that most businesses know have a direct and positive impact on profitability.

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Tip #417: 5 Simple Tips For Building Better Teams

Companies with strong teams enjoy higher productivity rates, employee satisfaction and lower employee turnover rates.  Additionally, efficient teams can cut your operating costs and minimize stress in the workplace. When team members communicate more frequently, the chance of miscommunication is also greatly reduced. 

Click here for some FREE team-building ideas.

At every level of management, employees need to focus on innovative ways to increase profitability and drive results - and help resolve issues that might seem otherwise insurmountable.

You can help grow a stronger and more effective team by using these simple team-building tips:

Tip #1: Tell Everyone Your Expectations - When you introduce a team-building activity, structure or exercise to your team, make sure the team members understand how it works as well as your expectation for the activity. Be clear about the rules of the exercise and the goal the team members should achieve.

Tip #2: Encourage Everyone's Commitment - Team members should consider the exercise relevant to the success of their individual careers as well as the overall group and company. Monitor the activity (even if you are participating alongside them) to ensure that each team member feels included and valued. Be sure to compliment positive examples of teamwork as you see them happen.

Tip #3: Focus On Team Empowerment - Organization can communicate your goals and forward-thinking strategies more effectively to your employees. Encourage your team to share ideas in a discussion-based environment in weekly meetings. Once ideas are discussed, assign concrete responsibilities and due dates to team members. Keep the tone of these meetings solutions-based.

Tip #4: Talk With Your Teams Often - Solicit frequent feedback from your team. Simply having an 'open-door policy' isn't enough-you should have a specific way for employees to provide direct and candid feedback. Conversely, communicate clearly when evaluating your employees. This fosters an environment of positive communication.

Tip #5: Execute Your Plans Efficiently - Before your team-building commences, think about the structure of your organization. If your team is large, you may need to organize using a central leadership team. If this is the case, each mini-team needs equal time, treatment and resources. Monitor them to ensure that no one person is taking on too much responsibility or feels overwhelmed.

Executive Summary: When individuals work together and focus on team structure, the organization can work more efficiently, saving money and increasing productivity. Investing time in team-building is usually worth the effort. Lightly supervise team interaction and tweak processes and leadership strategies when necessary to encourage positive attitudes and results. 

For more information, visit our website! 

Tip #416: 6 Simple Tips To Overcome The Fear Of A Business Presentation

We all know that enthusiasm and knowledge are two integral aspects of a successful business presentation; however, many business professionals get a bit nervous when it comes to public speaking.

What's interesting is this: Research has shown that most audiences cannot determine whether a speaker is even nervous during a business presentation. 

When giving a presentation, you should immediately display your knowledge for the subject matter as it will go a long way in getting the attention of your audience - and help overcome any fear or nervousness of public speaking.

6 Tips To Overcome Your Fears (And Nervousness) Of A Business Presentation. 

To combat any nervousness and fear of a presentation, consider the following tips:

Tip #1: Be A Topic Expert - With adequate research and preparation, you can become a topic expert on the subject of your presentation. This will instill in you the confidence you need to lead and advise your team on the subject matter. Thorough topic knowledge will engage and impress an audience; take the time to memorize a few key facts and figures and consider providing metrics in the form of handouts.

Tip #2: Provide Clean Copy - When you use visual presentation aids such as Microsoft Power Point, remember that your presented copy and graphics are there to help the audience understand your presentation. Too many words on the screen will detract from your presentation; therefore, ensure each slide contains a short list of bullet points instead of long sentences and/or paragraphs. Your role is to edify each bullet point topic and provide necessary information as you go. If you are dealing with a large amount of information, be sure to explain that provided handouts are for later review so the audience remains focused.

Tip #3: Anticipate And Control Your Q&A - When you take questions following your presentation, it is possible that an audience member will ask you about something irrelevant or something that requires more research, knowledge or follow-up on your part. If this occurs, let the person who asked the question know that you will follow up with an answer later.

Tip #4: Take It Slow - When nervous, you may talk too quickly or miss important items. If you speak too fast, your audience may also miss important information you wish to communicate. In your personal presentation notes, provide organized aides such as [pause] notifications or 'stop signs' to remind yourself to pause, assess audience response and take a breath.

Tip #5: Walk Around The Room If Possible - If you are delivering your presentation in a casual setting, consider walking around the room to further engage your audience. This movement can help you get rid of your nervous energy and can enhance both your authority and the appearance of a more relaxed setting. 

Tip #6: Pass Out A Handout BEFORE Your Presentation:  If you want to keep your audience engaged, especially if you are conducting a training exercise, pass out your presentation before getting started. Here is the key: Don't provide them with all the key data points; have them write it in on their personal copies.  Do this, and your audience will remember more of your presentation and help you become more engaged with the audience. 

Executive Summary:  While topic knowledge, preparation and enthusiasm are key parts of a quality business presentation, your ability to speak comfortably in front of an audience also requires effort. With a bit of attention to your public speaking tactics, you can offer a clear, concise and effective business presentation on any topic of your expertise.

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Tip #415: 6 Quick And Effective Resume Writing Tips

For each job opening, most businesses receive hundreds of resumes. And with so many resumes to review, most employers limit how long they will receive your resume - assuming your resume makes it past an automated selection system based on keywords. All this said, what can you do to increase the visibility of your resume while still retaining professionalism?

6 Essential Resume Writing Tips:

To help your resume get noticed, we have listed below six simple steps to help you construct a professional and eye-catching resume.

Tip #1: Clearly List Your Strengths

Listing relevant work experience is an obvious must, but clearly listing specific skill sets, names of projects managed and unique or innovative roles can bolster your resume's chance of success. Remain concise yet detailed when including your strengths and experiences. What are the most relevant skills or responsibilities from each job?

Tip #2: Use Specific Keywords

Identify and list specific matching keywords. Assuming you match the job description, your previous job experience and education level should match the keywords listed in the job description. If the description requests a candidate who is a CPA with five years' accounting experience, you will benefit by including this relevant experience on your resume. 

Tip #3: Use Bullet Points

When potential employers (or their computers) first receive your resume, they scan it for specific information. With hundreds of resumes to sift through, they are less likely to find your matching or relevant skills if they are buried within paragraphs or other large bodies of text. Instead, use bullet points to highlight each position and skill. Bold headlines are also helpful in pointing potential employers to your highlighted skills. Your resume is also an asset: use it to demonstrate your organizational skills by listing everything clearly.

Tip #4: Do Not Lie

Do not lie about your prior work experience, education, awards or accomplishments. Plus, background checks are very inexpensive to do on someone; therefore, there is a good chance they will catch any lies. Stay honest to ensure the best fit. 

Tip #5: Avoid Typos

Misspelled words and poor grammar WILL land your resume in the rejection pile, especially if you are applying for jobs that require strong written communication skills. To avoid sending out a resume filled with errors, proofread it; then ask at least two others to proof it as well. If possible, ask for help from a friend or family member with strong English skills and a management background.  

Tip #6: One Size Does Not Fit All 

When it comes to writing cover letters and resumes, you should tailor each document according to the needs of the potential employer. For example, if you're a retail manager looking to transition to an office management position, your cover letter and resume should highlight your management responsibilities and skills over other extraneous job duties. Tailoring your resume and cover letter to each job is time-consuming but effective and eye-catching, and as long as you stay honest about what you've done, it's also ethical.

Executive Summary:

Using honesty, integrity, patience and professionalism, you can create a resume potential employers will notice. Furthermore, targeting your resumes and including keywords can help you narrow your job search and recall what you enjoyed or disliked about previous positions. While your chances of gaining employment improve if you apply to dozens of jobs at a time, nothing is as effective as a clean, targeted resume aimed at a job that seems to be the right fit.

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