Blog
Have you ever tried to force yourself back into the swing of things after a setback? I’ve experienced plenty of setbacks – what I’ve come to call “woe is me moments” – in my life. Almost every leader does from time to time. What makes great leaders so great though is that they experience setbacks merely as part of the process – as in “two steps forward, one step back” – rather than total failures to be ashamed of. More than that, strong leaders know how to bounce back – fast! Read more ›
I remember years ago when the cost of employee turnover was calculated to be 150% of an employee’s annual salary. That amount included any internal recruitment costs, external search fees, and hiring and on-boarding expenses as well as the simple loss in productivity associated with losing and then replacing a talented worker. While that may have been more accurate for higher-level leaders and professional staff, recent research still suggests that the average cost of replacing an employee who earns less than $50,000 per year, or more than 40% of Workforce America, amounts to 20% of the person’s annual salary.
So is it worth up to $10,000 per year for you to develop and retain your most talented workers? What about $300,000 – or more – for your most seasoned senior executives? Read more ›
I regularly facilitate Strategic Planning workshops with leadership teams to help them establish their visions for the future. During these sessions, leaders regularly ask me how they can keep their Mission and organizational Values alive after these highly interactive group sessions. It’s not uncommon for a Mission statement to have a very short life of inspiring others for a few months or maybe a year before quickly fading away. Just imagine if you don’t ever share your Mission or related Values with any of your new hires who come on board after the workshop how it would have less and less impact on the organization over time.
So how do you keep everyone’s attention on your Mission statement when so much time has passed? There must be a way to keep it top of mind as opposed to having it fall off the radar, right? The following are eight great ways to engage your employees in your business and keep your Mission and Values alive so they do matter to your work.
Recruiting and retaining a quality workforce is a challenge for warehouses across the world. In a specialized and often difficult environment, refrigerated warehousing jobs can be stressful and demanding for even the most dedicated employees. So how do we attract new employees to join our companies under these difficult conditions? Maybe more importantly, how do we retain them once they are on board? Join Plus Delta and CHIEFEXECcoach’s Founder & CEO Dr. Jeremy Lurey on June 14th at the Global Cold Chain Expo when he reviews several best practices for recruiting and retaining your warehouse talent. In its 2nd year now, the Global Cold Chain Expo is a one-stop-shop for innovation, education, and business-to-business networking for the global food industry cold chain – bringing together thousands of producers, consumers, and supply chain experts all under one roof. Visit http://www.globalcoldchainexpo.org/ or contact us for more information about this engaging and interactive education session.
So much time and energy goes into finding top talent and then wooing these superstars into our companies, so why is it that typically so little time and energy is devoted to on-boarding these folks once they do accept our offers? If anything, business leaders should invest more time and energy into the process at this critical juncture to ensure that their new employees are truly set up for success as they get started.For those who agree, we offer you the following 5 “must dos” to create a world-class on-boarding experience and enhance the results of your critical on-boarding efforts.
• Day One orientation and welcome from both HR and Hiring Managers – Day One is not just about compliance and formalities, so make sure your Hiring Managers greet their new hires with open arms right away such that they do feel welcome – and compelled to stay past your obligatory Day One training!
An important aspect of being a leader is the ability to identify your team members’ unique talents and then help them to shine. By bringing out the best in each of your employees, you will end up with a high-performing team that is loyal to you and motivated to deliver great results. Here are five tips for empowering your employees and finding that “special sauce”.
Your team likely consists of a diverse group of personalities who each bring something different to the table. One great way to identify your staff members’ unique strengths and talents (as well as their potential stumbling blocks) is to use personality assessments like DiSC or Myers Briggs. These tools can help your team members increase their self-awareness and gain keen insights into their natural abilities not to mention promote interesting conversations and appreciation for one another.
Review the assessment results yourself and identify ways to use this new understanding to align your team more effectively. For example, perhaps that quiet, introverted member of the marketing team doesn’t speak much during meetings, but if given a chance she could write truly compelling copy or do a great job Read more ›
Plus Delta Consulting was recently named the official Talent Management service partner for the Global Cold Chain Alliance. For the past 5 years, Plus Delta’s President and CEO Dr. Jeremy Lurey has actively supported the Association and its Members, leading countless strategic planning, succession planning, and executive coaching efforts for companies across the US. Surely one of if not the greatest challenge for companies across the industry is the recruitment and retention of their employees. Being named the industry’s service partner will allow Dr. Lurey and our team to influence an even greater number of people across the industry as they will now share their leadership insights by speaking at more regional, national, and international events and writing for the Association’s publications. According to Dr. Lurey, “It is an honor that we don’t take lightly! We have always been proud of our project work with the Association and its Members, and we are very excited to be recognized now for our commitment to the success of the industry.” The new service partnership was just announced to the Association’s members at this year’s IARW-WFLO Convention in Dana Point, California.
Plus Delta Consulting was recently cited in the L.A. BIZ journal for leading a leadership development initiative for Burbank-based Deluxe Entertainment. While you may not know Deluxe by name, you surely have experienced the incredible work this global leader in digital services and technology has delivered for the past 101 years now. This pioneer in media and entertainment is the most trusted partner for the top content owners, creators, and brands, but the Company does not have a standard leadership development platform for its nearly 900 people tasked with supervising others. That’s where Plus Delta’s President and CEO Dr. Jeremy Lurey comes in! In addition to bench-marking leading practices from across the industry, Dr. Lurey recently visited with the Deluxe team in London to assess what foundational programs already exist internally. He is also partnering with Deluxe’s corporate learning team to conduct a global needs assessment and develop a management training plan that will include both in-person and on-demand learning solutions. Read the full L.A. BIZ article here for more information about the initiative.
Picture this. You have just come back from a training event that your company sent you to. You are pumped up. You are ready to take on your career with both guns blazing. But within a matter of weeks, you’ve come down from your post-conference high. The reality of your day-to-day routines has set in. It’s not that you don’t want to take control of your career and set yourself apart as a force to be reckoned with. You just don’t have the accountability partner you need to stay on track. This is why you need a peer-to-peer advisory group!
Chief executives often find themselves in lonely positions. It’s hard to grow and develop your skills when you’re the one at the top. You can’t discuss many of your greatest challenges and concerns with your employees, and you probably don’t want to speak with your Board members either. Fortunately, for senior executives and business owners who really want to learn and succeed, there is a better solution. Peer-to-peer advisory groups are a fantastic way to learn from other business leaders at your level who have experienced similar business opportunities and challenges and successfully addressed them. That’s the key to scaling your business and taking it to the next level – discussing your executive-level challenges and learning from the successes of others to grow your company and produce better business results.
Who should join a peer-to-peer advisory group?
Peer-to-peer advisory groups can be effective for leaders at all levels as long as the group is comprised of leaders at the same level and with similar kinds of opportunities. Business unit Presidents, CEO’s, business owners, and other high-level executives might benefit the most from these groups though since they really don’t have anyone else to turn to within their organizations.
Everyone needs to bounce their ideas off other people. Peer-to-peer advisory groups provide a great forum to solve your problems and talk through your greatest opportunities, especially when it’s inappropriate to do so with your subordinates. Whether it’s a group of other executives from within your industry or a group of diverse leaders from across different fields, peer-to-peer advisory groups simply provide a better solution to drive your professional development and growth as a leader. Read more ›
I like to think of feedback more like “feed-forward.” You’ve seen the concept of “pay it forward” in movies and commercials over the years, and feedback can have the same effect. When offered with the right intention and skills, feedback can be a gift you give to your family business leaders not to move them backwards but instead to move them forwards towards the achievement of their individual pursuits, not to mention your family’s strategic intentions!
Feedback provides information about a particular action or behavior at a specific point in time. When performance is low, feedback can help others with the corrective actions they need to take to improve. When performance is good, feedback can reinforce positive and effective behaviors to ensure continued success in the future.
Feedback is important because it provides guideposts for everyone to stay on course. It also lets people know how they’re doing as well as when they may need to course correct. When someone doesn’t receive feedback, they can stray pretty far off course and that can make it very difficult for them to get back on track. Sometimes as a family business owner, you may avoid giving feedback to your children and other relatives in the business because you don’t want them to hear your “negative feedback.” More than that, you may be concerned about the devastating impact it might have on your whole family away from work! If you are a next-generation leader, you probably don’t offer feedback to your parents or other family leaders because you think it will be experienced as inappropriate and disrespectful. Regardless, you may not even feel empowered to do so.
What you all may not recognize though is that there’s no such thing as bad or negative feedback when you deliver your message respectfully and skillfully. All feedback in that regard is constructive and helpful for those you are trying to help. More than that, you may actually do more harm than good by withholding it.
