Make Results Matter More than Face Time

Every smart employer knows that results matter more than face time. Judging employees chiefly on the number of hours they log in at work is not only demoralizing but does little for company performance. In fact, sixty-nine percent of employers report that supervisors at their organizations are encouraged to assess employees' performance by what they accomplish and not just by the hours they work.
This statistic — from the 2012 National Study of Employers conducted by Families and Work Institute (FWI) — indicates there is movement in the right direction. After all, it's obvious why employers encourage supervisors to focus on results. In this competitive, 24-7 economy stretches across the world's time zones, adhering to the notion that presence equals productivity is simply out of date.
But there are two problems: One, employees don't fully buy it. And two, many managers don't really know how to do it. About two in five workers think that if they focus on achieving results instead of punching the clock, their careers will suffer, according to FWI's Workplace Flexibility in the United States. Moreover, managers don't have the tools they need to accurately measure results.
So what can companies do to prove to skeptical employees that results really matter more than time worked and give managers the data they need? Here's what one company did.
Ryan, LLC - Getting rid of a sweatshop culture
Ryan, a global tax firm headquartered in Dallas, Texas, had a business problem. CEO G. Brint Ryan started the company in 1991, growing it from a two-person organization to a 1000-person one. He was proud of the business's track record, helping Fortune 500 and Fortune 100 companies solve complex tax problems. But in 2007, a disturbing trend developed. "We started experiencing a rapid loss of talent. And I'm not talking about just general talent — I'm talking about the stars," Ryan says.
He realized his firm had developed a "sweatshop reputation". People felt they were working long hours even if it wasn't necessary to get the job done. Ryan and his leadership team decided to experiment with re-focusing the company on results. He describes what they were aiming for:

We wanted a results-based work environment where if you meet financial results and you meet client service scores, you can work whenever you want, wherever you want . . . work when you're most productive, when you're most engaged. And we'll change the culture so that what really matters are results.

This was a radical change for the company. And required they rethink how they measure performance. Managers were skeptical. "The biggest concern was the fuzziness of flexibility. They simply didn't know how to manage teams when traditional boundaries were removed," says Delta Emerson, the company's executive vice president and chief of staff. Even Brint Ryan himself was concerned. He admits that he and his partners were "scared to death" the organization would fall apart.
Still he felt it was a bet they had to make. So they spent considerable time creating a system to support the new culture. The tool, called Success Measures, allows employees to easily track their own performance through an online dashboard that aggregates client service scores, revenues, leadership, core competencies and other firm-wide initiatives.
Each functional team has its own team page in the dashboard that displays the team's "scores" based on performance in key areas such as meeting financial goals and client service. Each employee's overall score in these key areas contributes to their team performance, similar to a baseball team's individual averages and statistics.
The employee's overall score is a weighted average of his or her scores in the areas of client service scores and financial goals (which account for 80% of the score), and firm-wide initiatives, leadership management and core competencies (20% of the score). Employees are only scored in categories that are relevant to their position.
This system worked. Since 2008, when the initial tool was introduced, voluntary turnover dropped from an average of 18.5% to less than 10%, compared with the industry average of 21%. At the same time, client service scores increased — 97% of clients rated them as good or excellent in the performance of their service.
"Probably the most remarkable statistic — the one that I think I would share if I had one thing to share with any CEO," says Ryan, "is this: in 2009, in arguably the worst economic conditions in my generation, we posted record profits and revenue. And then in 2010, we beat it again."
There are four things any company looking to change its culture of face time can learn from Ryan's experience:

1. Base it on a real organizational need. In this case, it was the loss of top performers. Brint Ryan knew he had to do something to stop the turnover or the company would be in trouble.
2. Create a way to measure individual and team performance. This is the crux of their success to date. As described above, instead of tracking hours spent at work, employees are held responsible for their performance.
3. Don't adopt a results-focused initiative off the shelf. Although the company shopped around for programs that could plug and play, it settled on a customized approach, recognizing it needed something to fit its unique needs and culture.
4. Fine-tune the process. In addition to employee surveys, Brint Ryan and Delta Emerson, hosted town hall meetings to hear directly from employees and gauge how the new system is working. After a town hall, leadership posted the problems employees raised on the company's intranet site along with action steps to resolve them.

What does your company value more: the hours you work or the results you produce? If you work in a company with a results-focus, please share your story of how it is working.

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/11/make_results_matter_more_than.html

5 Reasons Your Top Employee Isn't Happy

There has been a bit of a furore in recently as both Apple and Microsoft let go key senior executives (Scott Forstall and Steve Sinofsky, respectively) who were both categorized variously as "abrasive," "difficult," and "arrogant."

In almost every popular account of the firings, the two executives have been painted as "out of control" and having lost the confidence of their peers--to the extent that in each case the CEO (Tim Cook at Apple, Steve Ballmer at Microsoft) had no choice but to reluctantly let them go. "More in sorrow than in anger," as a number of reports put it.

There's only one problem with this narrative. It's so one-sided as to be dangerously naive.
Look, no-one with any knowledge of the individuals concerned has demurred with the general perception of Steve Sinofsky and Scott Forstall as being prickly, arrogant and occasionally insufferable, but look at who they were working alongside: Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer. None of those men could be described as shrinking violets.

Nor is it the case that these two executives were Johnny-come-lately's who didn't "fit in."  Sinofsky joined Microsoft as a software design engineer in 1989 (24 years ago!), and Scott Forstall came over from NeXT when it was purchased by Apple in 1997. Both had a sterling track record of innovation and execution that ran parallel with their occasional bouts of petulance.

In my experience, this isn't a case of time running out for two people who had it coming. It's clear that both Sinofsky and Forstall had in the past found ways to manage their outbursts that kept them within (barely) acceptable boundaries, but that each found the environment within which they were working becoming increasingly intolerable.

In other words, Cook and Ballmer allowed changes to happen in the culture at Apple and Microsoft that eventually pushed their "jerk over-achievers" to blow.

It happens all the time. A free-wheeling, autocratically-managed company has room for (frequently maddening) visionary mavericks, until, one day, it doesn't. Unfortunately, from that point on the organization is in Treadmill, and headed toward irrelevance.

Here are the top five reasons high-performing maverick employees go ballistic, how to spot them, and what to do about it:
 
1. Inconsistent / Frequently Changing Priorities
Why It's a Problem: Nothing irritates a top performer more than, ditch to ditch or fad-based management.
How to Spot It: Employees hunkering down every time a new initiative is introduced--glazing over at strategy meetings.
What to Do About It: Set a short-, medium-, and long-term strategy and stick to them for a reasonable period without being distracted by the newest new thing.

2. Condoning Mediocrity
Why It's a Problem: The #1 reason high performers leave organizations in which they are otherwise happy is because of the tolerance of mediocrity.

How to Spot It: Disdain and distance between top performers and others who are not pulling their weight. Dissatisfaction with rewards (compensation, bonuses, awards, etc) given to others.
What to Do About It: Set high goals for the entire organization, and build in both rewards (for success) and consequences (for failure). Apply both consistently and fairly.

3. Round Peg / Square Hole Syndrome


Why It's a Problem: High performers like to do what they're good at ‚ not  be used as a a stop gap in some other way. They view themselves as Ferraris, and get frustrated if they think they are being used as a golf cart.

How to Spot It: Disengagement from their allocated tasks and responsibilities. Lack of follow-up and accountability. General mopiness.

What to Do About It: Review (with them) what you want this person to do. Freshen up job descriptions and re-orientate top performers to tasks that only they can do.

4. Underutilization
Why It's a Problem: Same as above: when you're a Ferrari (or think you are) you don't want to spend your time idling at the curb.
How to Spot It: Freelancing in areas that aren't their responsibility. Getting under everyone's feet. Going rogue.

What to Do About It: Have the employee produce a list of what they could/should be doing to occupy free time. Review and agree on utilization. Look at your own delegation skills--if you have an underutilized top performer, it's a sure sign you're a micro-manager who has problems delegating.

5. Playing Favorites
Why It's a Problem: Top performers not only believe in a meritocracy. It's their air and water. Start playing favorites and bypassing people despite their results, and your top performers will be out of there before you can say, "Holy second cousin."

How to Spot It: Your sister Sarah's son Jimmy seems much happier than your best sales person.

What to Do About It: If you need to be told, you shouldn't be managing people.

http://www.inc.com/les-mckeown/5-reasons-your-employee-is-unhappy.html

7 Unusual Things Great Bosses Do

Where employees are concerned, great leaders don't take. Great leaders give--especially these seven things:

They give a glimpse of vulnerability.
To employees, you're often not a person. You're a boss. (Kind of like when you were in school and you saw a teacher at the grocery store; it was jarring and uncomfortable because teachers weren't people. They were teachers.)
That's why showing vulnerability is a humanizing way to break down the artificial barrier that typically separates bosses from employees. One easy way to break down that barrier is to ask for help.
But don't ask the wrong way. Don't puff out your chest, assume the power-position, and in your deepest voice intone, "Listen, John, I need your help." John knows you don't really need his help. You want him to do something.
Instead ask the right way. Imagine you've traveled to an unfamiliar place, you only know a few words of the language, and you're both lost and a little scared.
How would you ask for help? You would be humble. You would be real. You'd cringe a little and dip your head slightly and say, "Can you help me?" Asked that way, John would know you truly needed help. You've lowered your guard. You're vulnerable. And you're not afraid to show it.
By showing vulnerability, you lift the other person. You implicitly recognize her skills while extending trust.
And you set a great example: Asking for help isn't a sign of weakness.
It's a sign of strength.

They give a nudge.
From the employee's point of view the best ideas are never your ideas. The best ideas are their ideas, and rightly so. So don't spell out what you want done. Leave room for initiative. Leave room for ownership.
When you describe what you want to be done, paint with a broad brush. Give employees room to take your ideas and make them their own.
They'll do more than you imagined possible--and they'll feel a sense of satisfaction and gratification that simply following instructions can never provide.

They give unexpected attention.
Everyone loves attention. Unfortunately you don't have unlimited time to devote to each employee.
So make the most of the time you do have. Don't just comment on the big stuff, the stuff you're supposed to focus on.
Notice a small detail. Praise a particular phrase she used to smooth the transition from customer conflict to problem resolution. Praise how he swung by another employee's desk to grab paperwork he could deliver on his way to another office. Pick something small, something positive, something helpful--something unexpected--to show you really pay attention.
Pick out details and employees know you're watching--in a good way--and not only will they work harder, more importantly they will feel better about themselves.

They give employees a break.
He messed up. Badly. Not only are you a little pissed, this is a teachable moment. You feel compelled to talk about it, possibly at length.
Don't. For a good employee, the lesson is already learned. Catch his eye, nod, let it go, and help him fix the problem.
Once in a while employees can all use a break. When they get one they never forget it. And they try really hard to show they deserved that break--and to make sure they never need another one.

They give a peek inside.
My boss was nearly yelling at a supplier who hadn't met a key timeline. It wasn't ugly but it was close. In the middle of their "discussion," when the supplier glanced away, he turned and winked at me.
My boss was signaling that his emotional display was partly for effect, that he had a plan in mind and that I was in on things. I was an insider. We were partners.
We were in it together.
It's easy, as an employee, not to feel like you and your boss are in it together. Make sure your employees do. Give them occasional peeks inside.

They give an undeserved compliment.
Compliments don't always have to be earned. Sometimes a compliment can be like a self-fulfilling prophecy.
When you see something in employees that they don't see--at least not yet--they often try hard to fulfill the belief you have in them.
That happened to me. I went out for wrestling in ninth grade and was nervous, scared, intimidated--pick any fearful adjective. It fit. A week or so into practices I heard the coach talking to one of the seniors. "That kid there," he said, referring to me, "will be a state champion by the time he's a senior."
He was wrong. It turned out I wasn't. But I immediately felt more confident, more self-assured, and incredibly motivated. Those feelings lasted for a long time.
He believed in me.
And I started to believe in myself.

They give a hat rack.
Employees who need something--whether it's a day off, a favor, a break, a chance--often come to you with hat in hand.
They're vulnerable because they need.
Take their hat and hang it up for them. You may not be able to provide what they want, but you can work through their issue with compassion and generosity and grace.
Never let an employee stand with hat in hand. It's one of the worst feelings possible--and one you can make instantly disappear.

http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/7-unusual-things-great-bosses-do.html

How to Handle a Manipulative Employee

Most employees really do want to do a good job, but sometimes you run into a few who would rather not bother.

Here are five phrases that serve as "warning signs" that an employee is trying to manipulate you, along with advice on how to turn the tables.

1. "I cannot do my job until you do...."
There are situations where an employee shouldn't take action before the manager makes a decision. However, some employees are masters of the art of "upward delegation." Under the guise of trying to do a good job, they subtly add action items onto your to do list. That way, when you don't handle that item immediately, they can blame their lack of progress on you.

Fix: When an employee moves an action item from his or her to-do list to yours, simply hand the item back with the words: "No, you figure out how to do it." If the employee really does seen unable to perform, offer to coach rather than assist.

2. "I already told you about this... "
Employees sometimes feel the need hide an unpleasant or inconvenient fact while still "covering their butts." The easiest way to do this is to insert the fact in the next-to-last page of a long and boring report which was emailed to you with a subject line that you'll likely ignore, such as "Background Data." They're hoping, of course, you'll skim the first page (at most) and then move on.

Fix: Demand a one-page summary of every long document and make it clear that the writer will be held responsible if that summary excludes something that is obviously important.

3. "I'm so overworked..."
Some employees are experts at looking busy. They're always in a rush to go to a meeting and always holding a stack of documents. Ask how things are going and they're "stressed to the max," with a pained expression and a huge sigh. However, despite all their complaints about overwork, they don't seem to accomplish anything.

Fix: Tell the employee to stop doing whatever he or she is doing and instead complete a specific, discrete, measurable project. Say something like: "Do this by next Monday. No excuses." Repeat as needed.

4. "That won't work because..."
There are people in this world who only see the obstacles and never the possibilities.  Whenever you give them advice or direction, they'll come up with a reason why your ideas aren't practical. These types can be useful when you actually need to look at risks, but when they use negativity to avoid work, they a huge productivity drag.

Fix: Say something like "Stop telling me what won't work and tell me what WILL work." If the employee doesn't come up with anything, say: "Fine. Since you can't think of a better plan, we'll follow mine. Make it work for you." End of discussion.

5. "Here are three alternatives...."
Employees can sometimes manipulate a manager into adopting a certain plan of action by creating the illusion of choice. You're presented with three possible approaches, two of which (while marginally plausible) are clearly out of the question. The employee is hoping, of course, that you'll choose the third approach.

Fix: Pick the worst alternative. When the employee is still in shock, say: "No, seriously, I want three viable alternatives, not two that are ridiculous and one that you clearly favor. I expect to see them on my desk tomorrow."

The nice thing about these fixes is that, once you've actually used them a few times, your employees will realize that you can't be manipulated and the funny business will immediately stop.

http://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/how-to-handle-a-manipulative-employee.html

Are You Leading Your People, or Just Running a Company?

Best-selling leadership author Simon Sinek explains 5 ways to really look after your employees.

After safely leading 22 members of the Air Force through combat in 2002, Lieutenant Colonel Mike "Johnny Bravo" Drowley, an airman in the United States Air Force, told best-selling leadership author Simon Sinek that there are fates worse than death: accidentally killing one of your own men, or going home alive when one or more of your men does not.

That mindset--total devotion to your people--translates into a crucial leadership lesson to those individuals who are in charge of different kinds of "troops:" entrepreneurs.
"Johnny Bravo commands the kind of loyalty the rest of us couldn't buy," says Sinek, in remarks that kicked off the Inc. 500|5000 conference Thursday morning. "Without a doubt, he will be there for them. This is how trust is formed."

Sinek, the author of Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, challenges entrepreneurs to build similar loyalty and trust with employees.

"Because you own the company, you're the boss," said Sinek. "But you're not a leader until you make it your job to look after others."

To begin truly looking after your team (to do more than just run your company), ask yourself two questions: "Why are you building a business in the first place?" and, "At the end of your life, what do you want to be the reason you built your business?"

Here's five ways Sinek says you can turn your answer to this question into day-to-day action:

Roam the halls.

Talk with your employees. In person. Don't hide behind technology. If you're sending out e-mails to find out how people are doing, you're not listening.

Recognize good work publicly.
Sure, sometimes you need to discipline employees, but--when they do a nice job--let them, and the whole team, know it. Small acts of kindness go a long way.

Tell the personal story of how you got started--often.
Sinek points out that the best businesses are founded to address real human problems--problems entrepreneurs have passion for. Let your employees know how the original idea came to be, and all the challenges you faced plowing ahead in spite of them. Create lore.

Mark what you represent.
Sinek is a big believer in symbolism. The more you stand for something, the more your logo--and other markers--serve as a symbol to employees of who you are. For this reason, also consider the power of your company's color theme, and, for example, the clothes you choose to wear.

Give employees responsibility.
Next time an employee asks you a question, respond with a question: "What do you think we should do?" Don't just dictate the course of action. Train employees and give them the skills they need to be decision makers, and then give them the ability--and responsibility--to fail. Start by doing this in circumstances when a failure's consequences won't be so detrimental.

"Your company exists not to make money," says Sinek. "Your company exists to advance something, to do something more--and it should be for other human beings."

http://www.inc.com/allison-fass/leadership-simon-sinek-on-truly-leading-employees.html

3 Employees You Need To Fire. Now

You know the saying: Hire slow, fire fast. Here are the people you need to get rid of, right now.

There’s no more challenging job than being the person who has to fire people. Everyone else gets to talk about what a tight-knit, stick-together group the company is (just like a “family” of friends), but you’re the one who has to deliver the bad news over and over again. It’s not easy or always popular to be the boss, but then good leadership isn’t a popularity contest. If you were unpopular in high school, you’re already one step ahead of the game.

But the fact is, your company is only as good as its weakest employee. Here are the folks you need to fire - sooner rather than later.

No effort, no heart Sometimes it’s a breeze. We try to immediately fire any employee who doesn’t try or doesn’t care. These are the cardinal sins in a start-up, so there isn’t much angst in letting these folks go. Then the job gets harder.

All effort, no results The next tier of troublesome employees are those who try hard but just cannot do the job. They are totally sincere, but incapable (or no longer capable) of doing the job that needs to get done. There are good people who are perfectly able to do a job poorly for a very long time before anyone has the time, interest, or guts to ask the hard questions about results rather than effort. These people need to go too, but you need to be fair and firm with them. Do them a real favor and tell them the truth.

Poor fit Then there are the employees who are basically hard-working and dedicated, but who (for better or worse) can’t fit into the corporate culture.  Every business that I’ve been involved with has ultimately been about hard work mixed with a healthy dose of paranoia. We had lots of ways to reflect this ethic and plenty of signs all over the place. “Hard work conquers everything.” “Effort can trump ability.” “Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean that someone's not out to get you.”  And so on. And almost everyone we hired got the message and drank the Kool-Aid. Even the people who just wanted a “job” pretty much worked their butts off.

But every so often, we’d hire someone who was just too healthy and well-adjusted to succeed among our tribe of crazies. We used to say that a relaxed man is not necessarily a better man. In one business, our internal motto was “let our sickness work for you.” It turned out that it was important to let the other people see you sweat even the smallest details. That way, they knew you cared. If you weren’t just a little bit crazy about the work and the business, you were slightly suspect or worse.

I remember one former employee who wrote me a long letter asking for a more complete explanation of why he didn’t succeed with us. Here is part of what I wrote:

Our company is [on] a very fast track, run by a bunch of workaholic perfectionists. We all believe that that’s what it takes to win against pretty fierce odds. And this is simply not the right place for everyone - especially people who want to have a family, outside interests and a normal life. I think it’s very likely that you’re simply too nice and too well-adjusted to work with the crazies around here and that’s shame on us - not you. But it’s the way things are. We wish you all the best.

Ultimately, all of these situations come down to a basic choice. You can make one person miserable when they lose their job, or you can end up with a crappy company where everyone’s miserable because you don’t have the guts to do the right things for the business. Once you start to carry people along who aren’t performing, you take a tremendous double hit. Yes, you pay the price for the poor performer’s activities, but that’s nothing compared to the real harm. As soon as you fail to consistently fire non-performers, you start to lose your best people. That’s what kills the company.

http://www.inc.com/howard-tullman/three-employees-you-need-to-fire-now.html

7 Ways to Earn Respect as a Leader

Are you feeling disrespected by your employees? It may be that you're failing in one of these seven areas.

Do you wonder why some people naturally gain respect, while others have to command or, worse, demand it?

Earning respect is in direct correlation to treating others with the same. Showing respect sounds like a basic skill, and yet somehow complaints about being disrespected run rampant around coffee rooms and bathrooms in companies around the country.

Are parents and teachers shirking their responsibility for turning everyone into good little citizens that can play well with others? Perhaps, but more likely, cultural norms have changed. Families allow for greater familiarity, and schools are more focused on test scores and class sizes than they are on teaching little Johnny and Susie to stand out as leaders.

But whether you are the executive in charge or a contributing team member, your ability to earn respect will impact your emotional happiness and ultimate career trajectory. Some people in authority believe they are entitled to respect simply due to their position or experience, but this sort of respect diminishes over time and can ultimately hurt the company culture.

Here are seven tips to help you be the leader who earns respect rather than just demands it.

1. Be consistent.
If you find you lack credibility, it's probably because you are saying one thing and doing another. People do pay attention to what you say until you give them reason not to by doing the opposite. You don't have to be predictable, just don't be a hypocrite.

2. Be punctual.
Nothing makes me lose respect for someone more then being made to wait. Time is the most valuable commodity for successful people. Missing appointments or being late demonstrates a total disregard for the lives and needs of others. Get control of your calendar.

3. Be responsive.
The challenge with contact management today is there are too many ways to communicate. Between Twitter, Facebook, Messenger, text, phone, Skype, and Facetime, people are in a quandary to know what is the best way to reach you. And even with all the channels, some people still don't respond in a timely manner, leaving colleagues hanging or chasing them. Limit your channels and respond within 24 hours if you want to appear communication worthy.

4.  Be right much of the time, but be comfortable being wrong.
The simple way to be right is to do your homework and state facts that are well thought out. Still, you may have to make a best guess now and then even when information is too scarce to know for sure. Take it as a qualified risk, manage expectations, and if you're wrong, smile and be happy you learned something that day.

5. Forgive others and yourself for mistakes.
If you're not erring, you're not trying. Healthy leaders encourage experimentation and create environments of safe failure. Encourage people to take mitigated risks, and set an example for how to shake off a failure and bounce back.

6. Show respect to others when they are wrong and right.
Disparaging people who make errors will reflect worse on you than those who err. On the flip side, any jealous tendencies toward those who succeed will surely be noticed by those around. Live as if in a glass body. Assume all can see inside your heart.

7. Help those who are holding you back, but not too much.
Good leaders help those around them succeed by overcoming weakness. But respect is lost quickly for the boss who placates habitual troublemakers at the expense of the group's success. Know when to support weak players, and cut them loose when they clearly hamper the result.
Too many people today assume leadership positions without consideration for their impact on others. The leadership vacuum in business today allows them to stay as long they manage acceptable results. Ultimately, your personal leadership legacy will not be remembered for your M.B.A., your sales numbers, or the toys you acquired. Most likely, it will be the positive, personal impact you created, one follower at a time.

http://www.inc.com/kevin-daum/7-ways-to-earn-respect-as-a-leader.html

5 Power Questions for Your Sales Team

Smart questions bring in good answers. If you want to know what's really going on at your company, make sure you're asking the right ones.

Your interactions with your sales team have an obvious impact on business--and the questions you ask can enhance or degrade your company's performance.

By asking the right questions, and then carefully listening to the answers, an astute leader can influence and gain insight into an employee's business competence and morale, as well as a team's overall effectiveness. As a bonus, you'll enrich morale by showing your sales team you understand their key concerns.

Here are five smart questions that can give you a deeper understanding of employees, the business, and the competitive marketplace.

1. What is the biggest obstacle to adding new customers?
Reps are cautious to court new accounts if they believe the company will not be able to service them effectively. So the answers to this question can reveal operational issues, such as a lengthy procedure for setting up new accounts or order processing problems within your company.

On the other hand, if you get the answer, "Only my lack of time," that's good news: It says that all systems are in good order and that morale is likely high.

2. What is working and what isn't?
Such open-ended questions will quickly identify chronic complainers as well as uncover significant problems. When asking this question, be prepared for fix-it requests that may or may not be valid, such as, "We need more samples," "Delivery is too slow," or "We are not competitive." You may need to do some digging to find out whether the problems really need solving.

Most importantly, answers to this question communicate morale. If the responses suggest that little or nothing is working, then you have a morale issue. That's a sales killer, and a leader should uncover and fix causative issues.

3. What are your most (and least) significant opportunities
The answers to this question indicate where a sales team is focusing its attention. The answers may signal that a sales team is operating contrary to company plans--perhaps spending time on a product or service that is not in the company's best interest, for instance. You may also uncover an opportunity that management has not previously identified.

4. If you had a magic wand and could fix one problem, what would it be?
This question forces a targeted answer to avoid a rambling discussion. A wise leader will ask why an employee picked a particular answer, and follow up by soliciting suggestions to correct it.

While the specific answer may give you additional insight into business challenges, it's the suggestions that indicate the depth of a salesperson's business understanding. An unfeasible answer implies a shallow understanding; practical answers convey a solid business understanding.

5. Who is your toughest competitor--and what are they doing right?
One of a leader's most important duties is to stay current with competitors. Your sales force faces the competition each day; team members should have the best on-the-ground reconnaissance.

Once you know the competitive landscape, you can proceed with "risk vs. opportunity" analyses. What you do not want is to find out after the fact that you could have avoided a sales failure by countering competitive activity.

By asking power questions of the sales team, leaders keep in touch with team morale while staying informed about the competition and showing that they care about the team's success. When issues need correction, take action quickly, and give credit to an idea's originator--both clear signals that a good leader is in charge.

http://www.inc.com/john-treace/sales-management-power-questions-sales-team.html

Best Way to Make Employees Better at Their Jobs

Forget trying to come up with motivational tools and "tricks." There's a better--and simpler--way to get more out of your staff.

You've been there. You've stared at a blank document as you struggled to come up with incredible words of wisdom that will inspire and motivate your employees.
So has Scott Moorehead, CEO of The Cellular Connection, which has over 800 stores and is the largest Verizon premium wireless retailer in the U.S.

"I was sitting in front of my computer, trying to come up with something I could tell all these smart people in my company that would help them do their job better," Moorehead says, "and I realized that what I really should be doing is asking them what I should do."

Make them CEO
The ground rules were simple: Yesterday you were a regional manager. Today you're the CEO. What would you do to make the company better?

Moorehead says many of the answers related to the person's job, but some related to broader issues. And regardless of the answer, employees were able to indirectly express their emotions out without offending anyone.

"Overall I loved the feedback," Moorehead says, "but it was also depressing because a number of people said, 'I would do whatever I could to bring back the family atmosphere we used to have in the company.' Those responses made me feel like such a fraud. Every day I was talking about how our business is a family and about really knowing our employees.... and that's not how employees in the field felt.

"We have 800 locations and people across the country," he continued. "It was hard for all of our employees to feel like they are part of the family. I hadn't recognized that. I still saw us as a mom and pop, but they saw us as a giant bureaucratic company. So I immediately changed my mindset from growing the company to fixing who we are."

Keep in mind Moorehead is used to listening to employees. His parents started the company, and they put him through a rigorous training process that required him to work in more than 30 positions throughout the company--from customer service to sales to delivery truck driver to accounting.

"Everyone asks me if that was hard," he says. "I thought it was easy. I didn't have anything to hide and treated the task at hand as the task at hand instead of dwelling on what I would do next. I just stepped into every job and worked hard. I learned a lot, but I also earned the respect of our employees... something I didn't realize I was doing until it was done."

In 2008, at age 30, Moorehead took over the company reins from his father. Since then revenue has grown 239%, from $137 to $466 mil.

Get Rid of What Makes Them Unhappy
"By getting to know our employees and their jobs," Moorehead says, "I could eliminate things that made them unhappy and kept them from doing a better job. Sometimes it's not spreadsheets--it's company morale."

Feedback also convinced him to open satellite offices in other cities so the company could recruit better talent. "Most of our new hires were commuting from up to an hour a day," he says. "To have someone outside my normal circle tell me we needed to go where the talent is was huge."

Of course there is no reason to give employees a voice if you aren't willing to listen, so if you decide to try something like "CEO For a Day" (and why wouldn't you?), respond. Tell each employee what you think about their ideas and input. Be as open and honest as possible. Provide a thoughtful response: yes or no, and most importantly why.

"My secret to success is to be the same person at work that you are when you're having a great day with your best friend," Moorehead says. "You listen to your friends, right? So listen to your employees.
"Then just be that person, each and every day. If you are brave, honest, forthcoming, and transparent you don't have to try to be a leader. You can be yourself."

How to Thank Your Employees in Only 8 Words

Genuine appreciation goes a long way. Here's a guide to get the most out of a brief note, no matter who you're thanking.

The other day I was given the challenge to recognize 30 people by writing each one of them a note, which got me thinking about the amazing implications of recognizing employee's contributions. It shows you are paying attention. It shows you care. It makes people feel valued. And as business guru Tom Peters notes, "People don't forget kindness."

The analytical readers among you are already thinking this article is entirely too touchy-feely, so let me add that there is also a self-serving aspect of thanking people. When you recognize the contributions of others, you reinforce the kind of behavior you want to see again. People who feel their efforts are noticed, and their work makes a difference, are more likely to go the extra mile in the future. Leadership is about empowering others to realize their own abilities. Communicate your belief in your people, and watch them rise to meet your expectations.

Some of you are now thinking, 'How am I supposed to find the time to write personal notes when I have [insert important obligations]?' Well, I can show you how to thank someone appropriately in eight words or fewer. You can do that. Also, you don't want to be that boss who has her assistant order flowers once a year on each employee's birthday. Save your money. Everybody knows someone else did it for you.

When you thank your employees, be prompt. Recognize the kind of effort you want to see again soon. And be spontaneous. Don't wait for a holiday or company-wide event to thank your employees. Of course, be specific, too.

Our research at Emergenetics indicates that most employees would enjoy a personal thank-you note, but they want it customized to them. For example, to say, 'You're doing a good job,' is fine for a "social" thinker, but a "structural" thinker doesn't trust you unless you add a specific task he has accomplished.

So how can you most effectively thank and recognize your employees, based on their individual personalities and traits?

Here are 10 tips, according to brain research:
1. People who are at the gregarious end of the "expressiveness" spectrum use their gift of gab as a work asset. You might write to them: 'I celebrate how you share your enthusiasm,' or 'Thanks for keeping the lines of communication open.'

2. People who are on the quieter end of the "expressiveness" spectrum appreciate one-on-one contact with you. You could say: 'Mary, I prize your well-considered solutions,' or 'I appreciate your respectful attitude toward everyone.'

3. Those employees who are forceful in terms of "assertiveness" especially appreciate the prompt response from you. You could let them know: 'Thank you for keeping the momentum going!' or 'I appreciate your decisive action.'

4. But those who are more easygoing when it comes to "assertiveness" want everyone to get along. You might say: 'Thank you for helping to keep the peace,' or, 'I appreciate your amiability more than you know.'

5. When it comes to "flexibility," staffers who are change-seekers don't get flustered easily. You might write:
'I recognize your easy resilience' or 'Thanks for how you handled [difficult client].'

6. On the other end of the "flexibility" spectrum is people who are focused and have strong opinions. You might jot down: 'I depend on your support,' or 'I honor you for your convictions.'

7. Analytical thinkers value intelligence and individual, rather than team, recognition. To them, you might note: 'I appreciate your penetrating questions,' or 'I respect the depth of your knowledge.'

8. Structural-minded folks want to hear details. You could let them know: 'Thank you for transferring all that data perfectly,' or 'You always meet your deadlines--impressive!'

9. Since social thinkers want to please you, you ought to write them: 'I am so grateful for your teambuilding skills,' or, 'I couldn't have done it without you.'

10. Those on your team who are conceptual by nature want to feel unique. You could let them know: 'Your solution to the XYZ problem was stunning,' or 'I treasure your creative long-term views.'

The power of sincere thanks cannot be overestimated. And when you become a master of employee recognition, you can start thanking your clients, too!

 http://www.inc.com/geil-browning/how-to-thank-your-employees.html

How to Motivate Employees? The Best Answer Ever

Effective motivation comes down to one surprising word... which might be why so many leaders fail to do it right.

No business is better than its employees, which is why engaging and motivating employees is so important.

Too bad it's rarely done well.

Maybe that's because all the theorists and strategists and experts make motivating people seem much more complicated than it needs to be. Is it possible there's a simple and straightforward answer to the question, "How can I motivate my employees?"

It turns out there is, and Dick Cross, an eight-time turnaround CEO, founder of The Cross Partnership, founding partner of Alston Capital Partners, and the author of Just Run It!: Running an Exceptional Business is Easier Than You Think, has it.

According to Dick, motivating employees—or anyone—is based on one word.

Patience.

Say you want to instill a sense of urgency. The best way to get people to go fast is to let them know why there's a need to go fast, and then be encouraging and patient with their progress.

How many times has a boss or coach ranted and raved about what needs to happen by when, "Or else!" Probably more often than you like to remember.

And how often did the ranting and raving achieve the intended result? Probably less often than the ranters and ravers like to remember.

That shouldn't come as a surprise, because it's a pattern we learned to follow as children. People, including kids, don't like to be threatened. Threaten me and I'll resist. Spank me, ground me, reprimand me, put a letter in my file, demote me, and you'll fail to change my attitude. In fact, you'll increase my resolve not to comply.

Physically you might overpower me, but you'll never get me to do any more than the minimum required to get by.

And that's a huge problem, because minimum compliance efforts never produce great organizational accomplishments.

But if employees like how you treat them, know you believe in them, understand what needs to get accomplished and understand why it's so important... they'll generally accomplish great things.

The key lies in getting them to want to help you, which is only possible when you 1) exhibit an understanding of what is possible, 2) care about them, and 3) are willing to accept the absolute best they can deliver.

Under those conditions, most people will give you their all.

Do the opposite and they won't. There are few things more de-motivating than feeling you are trying your best but still letting someone down. You've been there. No matter what you did, it wasn't good enough. Eventually you decide hard work isn't worth it.  That's why there is little more motivating than the prospect of amazing a person who genuinely cares about us.

Who do we generally care about the most? The people we feel believe in us the most, which makes them the people we least want to disappoint: Moms, favorite teachers, best friends... and remarkable bosses.

Those are the people to whom we give our all; they believe in us... and we don't want to let them down.

And that's why motivation ultimately comes down to patience. Showing patience is an extraordinary way to let people know you care about them. By showing patience and expressing genuine confidence in them, your employees naturally will be motivated to find ways to do things that will amaze everyone—including themselves.

And how do you make motivation last?

The key is to understand that sometimes your employees must go slow in order to go fast.

A burst of speed that drains physical and emotional energy is not worth the effort because it's not sustainable. Speed that builds gradually, that forgives mistakes along the way, and that allows people to figure out for themselves how to maximize their potential—that kind of speed, and patience, creates a feeling of motivation that lasts forever.

Motivation? It's all about patience.

 http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/how-to-motivate-employees-the-best-answer-ever.html

How to Keep a Superstar Employee Happy

Can't offer extra money or a better title? You may not need either to get your top employee to stick around.

Dear Jeff,
One of my employees is outstanding, but I’m worried because I can tell she is starting to look for greener pastures. Unfortunately I don’t have much to offer her. What can I do?—Marcellus Fignon

Most businesses have “that” employee: smart, energetic, self-motivated, consistently outperforms peers, takes on formal and informal leadership roles, steps up when there's a challenge... forget an iPad 3, Apple needs to develop a cloning device.

But that employee is also hard to keep, especially if your business is small and your resources are limited.  She wants to advance, professionally and financially. That's a problem when you can’t promote her or pay her more.

You know other employers would snap her up in a heartbeat. What can you do?

Start by addressing the issue before she brings it up. Be honest. Describe how important she is to your business.  Explain why a raise is not possible. Discuss the current lack of openings. Most importantly, admit you know she has opportunities. Don't let that be an elephant in the room.

And never make promises or dangle the hope of opportunities that may not come through. You'll be tempted, but resist the temptation. Don't say, “In six months I feel there might be opportunities for promotion,” unless you absolutely know that is true. Don't say, “Next year I’ll definitely be able to give you a significant raise,” unless you absolutely know you will be able to.
When false hopes are unfulfilled, great employees are gone.

But don’t despair. More often than you might think, employees don't leave companies, they leave bosses. Outstanding employees are loyal employees. So be a great boss: Honest, loyal, and constantly seeking to improve the skills of your employees.

That’s the best way to keep great employees, even those who occasionally yearn for other opportunities.

Then keep creating informal opportunities that allow her to expand her skills and continue to shine. Ask about her long-range goals and create opportunities that will help her reach them. If she eventually wants to own her own business, that’s perfect—get her involved in everything.
If she’s smart—and clearly she is—she’ll recognize how valuable those experiences are.
Will that satisfy her, at least for a while? Hopefully so: I was once in a similar situation and it satisfied me. I was glad I stayed.

Just don't go overboard. All of your employees deserve development opportunities. Spread the wealth.

Great employees understand that other people deserve opportunities too.

http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/how-to-keep-a-superstar-when-you-have-little-to-offer.html

The One Decision Every Great Entrepreneur Makes

Good founders benefit from vision and courage. But great founders know their success hinges on this one crucial decision.

Business is a lot like sports. While business is rarely a zero-sum game, since success does not have to come at the expense of others, still, some companies win while others lose—and the reasons why aren't always obvious.

Take basketball. As Bill Simmons (the most insightful and entertaining sportswriter on the planet) writes in his outstanding The Book of Basketball:

[The Lakers and Celtics] were loaded with talented players, yes, but that’s not the only reason they won. They won because they liked each other, knew their roles, ignored statistics and valued winning over everything else. They won because their best players sacrificed to make everyone else happy. They won as long as everyone remained on the same page. By that same token, they lost if any of those three factors weren’t in place.

Simmons calls this principle "The Secret" and says (quoting NBA-great Isiah Thomas), “The secret of basketball is that it’s not about basketball.”

The same principle applies to business. Talent is obviously important, but the ability to work together, check egos at the door, and make individual sacrifices when necessary is the only way a team succeeds.

Think about the business teams you’ve seen fail. Rarely was their failure due to a lack of talent or even the absence of a great idea. More often they failed because of personality conflicts, ego clashes, or competing agendas.

So is the secret of business that it’s not about business?

Not quite. Later in the book Simmons describes The Secret to Hall-of-Famer Bill Walton.

It’s not a secret as much as a choice... Look at the forces pushing you to make the other choice, the wrong choice. It’s all about you. It’s all about material acquisitions, physical gratifications, stats and highlights... And you wouldn’t even know otherwise unless you played with the right player or the right coach…. With a truly great coach, it’s not about a diagram, it’s not about a play, it’s not about a practice, it’s the course of time over history. It’s the impact a coach has on the lives around him.

That's why every great leader makes the same decision. Walton believes success at the highest level in basketball comes down to one question: "Can you make the choice that your happiness can come from someone else’s success?"

If you can make that decision you take the most important step towards becoming a great leader.

No entrepreneur has qualities like courage, vision, charisma, adaptability, and decisiveness in equal measure.

But every great entrepreneur does make the same decision—and so can you.

http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/the-one-decision-every-great-entrepreneur-makes.html

Keeping Morale High When Salaries Aren’t

Building a stable team is critical to building success. Here's how to inspire morale and loyalty when you can’t compensate competitively.

TerraCycle’s been around for almost 10 years, and our current business model (collecting non-recyclable waste from schools and organizations and converting it into usable products and materials) is almost 5 years old, but in many ways we still run very much like a start-up.

One area where that is definitely true is compensation.

We pay firmly under market rates across the board, don’t have traditional perks and 2011 was the first year we had health benefits. Yet we’ve built a committed, energetic and positive team that has allowed the company to expand to 19 countries and see double-digit growth year over year.

Here are some of the things we’ve done to keep team morale up when salaries aren’t:

1. Build an environment that empowers every team member. We make sure our team knows they truly own their work and can take on interesting or challenging projects goes a long way towards providing personal fulfillment.
2. Be fully transparent. Always communicate with your team about financial goals and the reality of when to expect salary adjustments.
3.  Make work a place to play. Our office is unlike any other—everything is made from waste, it’s covered in graffiti and any given morning could include a spontaneous Nerf gun battle, testing a cool new product made from waste or having a local elementary school drop by for a tour. Pair this with a flexible PTO policy and it beats working in a traditional office for almost everyone. 

www.inc.com/michael-waas-smith/keeping-morale-high-when-salaries-arent.html