Don't Ask Why They're Leaving; Ask What Will Make Them Stay

Does your organization conduct exit interviews when someone (voluntarily) terminates employment?  Most organizations do.  However research, shows that exit interviews don't yield honest, transparent or useful information most of the time.

Many Strategists and HR Consultants, like me, are recommending stay interviews instead.
What's a stay interview?  I'm glad you asked.  A stay interview is an evaluation of what the employee likes most about the company.  It is also an assessment of what, if anything, could cause them to consider employment elsewhere.  The stay interview is a look at what motivates employees and contributes to their overall satisfaction.  It also captures what an organization should do to improve levels of employee satisfaction.

Here are some of the common questions to include in your stay interview:

• What progress have you made, developmentally, over the past 12 months?
• What do you like most and least about your current role?  
• What future goals do you have and how can your leadership assist you in reaching those goals?
• What initiative, if implemented, could take this organization from good to great?

Contact us for a complete list of questions and a coaching session about how to create and implement your stay interview process.  

email - info@yourenhance.com

SPRING CLEANING TIME

Out With the Old, In With The New.
2014 data, from the University of Scranton Department of Clinical Psychology, shows that only 8% of Americans successfully achieve their resolutions.  And, 36% of resolution makers don't keep those resolutions longer than a month.

Spring Has Sprung.
If you've abandoned the commitments you made when you ushered in the new year;  spring is the perfect time to rekindle those dashed hopes and broken promises.

Time to Freshen Up.
Here's your professional spring cleaning to-do list:

1. Set goals. If you're not in the habit of making annual career goals, you should start. Keep in mind,
if you don't know where you're going, it will be tough to get there.

2. Document your successes. Take stock of your accomplishments by listing them out.  Success is a great motivator and breeds more success.

3. Consider acquiring new skills. You might need new skills to move ahead with your career plans.  Strategize about how you can get them. Talk to your leadership about opportunities to take on new projects as well.

4. Manage your reputation. You are your brand; make sure your reputation speaks for itself. How can you influence what others know about you? Create online profiles in social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter that highlight your expertise. Make sure your online profiles feature the information you want people to know about you when they google your name.

5. Keep an eye on your future. Have you thought about the outlook of your company or your industry? Are jobs moving overseas? Are opportunities going to freelancers? Is your role easily automated? Be realistic and brutally honest; considering actions you should take if prospects aren't promising.

6. Break out of your rut. Be honest: is it time to make a move? If you've been doing the "same old thing" for years, it may be time for a change. There's no time like the present.

7. Join a professional association. Professional organizations provide many opportunities to volunteer and get involved. Look for a small role to start, and plan to ramp up your involvement in ways the will add to your skill-set.

8. Be flexible. Try to be open to new ideas and new ways to do things.  Make a goal to say "yes" more and "no" less, when asked to try something new.

9. Make new friends. You've heard that networking is the best way to get a job; it's also a great way to advance even if you're not looking for one.  The more people who know, admire and trust you, the more opportunities will be available to you.

10. Keep an eye on the important things. Don't forget to stop and smell the proverbial roses. If you've been neglecting your health, your family or your friends, make a point to address those issues throughout the remainder of the year.

www.yourenhance.com

Earning A Seat In The C-Suite

Working Your Way Into the C-suite

You're familiar with the C-Suite aren't you?  The executive suite, probably on the top floor of your office building.  Where the Cs work - CEO, COO, CFO, CIO, etc.  Most business professionals, even if they don't aspire to be one of them, want their attention, recognition, consideration at some point in their careers.  After all these are the folks who promote advancement, support ideas, and okay new initiatives.    In order to get into the C-suite, you should start by thinking, talking and behaving like them.  A few easy to employ strategies are:

• Ask them to attend your meetings. Ask a C-suite member to guest speak at a team meeting or provide opening remarks for a training events  Instead of  starting a meeting with a video, recap, or icebreaker, have a top leader address the group.  This is an opportunity for you to engage them and talk about these next two strategies.

• Attend C-suite meetings.  Learning their language, concerns, and headaches is a way to figure out how you can help them. There's no better way to get some one's attention than to develop solutions to their problems.  Send an email or talk to an administrative assistant about sitting in on a meeting.  You're not asking to get on the agenda, just learn from them and have a better idea of what's going on with top leaders.  Let us help you script out this conversation.

• Read books. Don't just read about your industry, role or company.  Read business books that they are reading.  If you don't know what they are reading ask them.  The next time you are next to a C-suite exec in the elevator or hallway, ask him or her what they are currently reading, to name their favorite book or to make a reading recommendation.  They will likely be impressed that you are interested in their opinion and trying to gain knowledge.  Let us recommend some.

An old southern adage says 'closed mouths don't get fed.'  A chick is hungry; he chirps.  A baby wants his bottle, he cries.  If you want something you'll have to vocalize it.  That's where you start.  

www.yourenhance.com

OPTIMIZED. SYNERGIZED. MAXIMIZED.

Keys to optimizing and synergizing your team?  Engage and Motivate them!

Key principles:

• Relationship
• Knowing their drivers
• Leadership
• Career Development
• Incentives
• Branding

click here

TEAM OPTIMIZED. TEAM SYNERGIZED.

Not a Secret Anymore - Nashville is on the map in new, powerful ways.

I often joke with friends who have never visited Nashville that they should never come.  I explain to them that after a few visits they will be hooked on the city and probably relocate here.  I tell them we are trying to maintain the small town feel with a little bit of metropolis atmosphere; therefore if the city grows too much, we will lose that.  But, despite my efforts, the rest of the world is continually talking about Middle Tennessee.  Nashville has always been known for country music.  Now, it's known for much more.  Here's what I've learned, just in the past month:

• New York Times added Nashville to its list of 52 places to go in 2014.  
• Travel and Leisure magazine rates Nashville one of its 2014 Best Places to Travel.  
• Forbes crowned middle Tennessean a region to watch in 2014.  
• Huff Post published 22 reasons to visit Nashville in a January 2014 publication.  
• MSN named Nashville one of the 10 Most Popular Cities for Millennials in a January 2014 release.  
• Nashville also made MSN’s Top 10 Green City 2014.  
• Middle Tennessee is on Fodor’s 2014 Go List as well.
• There are even 3 TV shows based in the Middle Tennessee region.

Information such as this could be useful in the workplace too.  Think of the many ways you could share this data in training, team-building, with new hires or with interns.  Such accolades could be included in New Employee Orientation or even during recruitment.   Certainly, city officials are singing Nashville's praises to companies that consider headquartering here.  There are implications for the salesperson trying to attract out-of-state clients; as well as opportunities
for the business owner looking to capitalize on increased tourism.  
I'm amazed at what has happened since the 90s when I relocated here from Florida.  Clearly Middle Tennessee is considered a wonderful place in which to conduct business, build a life, raise a family, and explore opportunities and adventures.  I once referred to Middle Tennessee as the best keep secret this side of the Mississippi; but it’s clearly not a secret anymore.  I give up; let’s spread the good news!

Capricorn Girl

I don't closely follow horoscope, but I do recognize good advice when I hear it.  Therefore, when someone shares my horoscope with me,  I listen and take heed.  

I came across this article about the Capricorn Girl.  I know zodiac description are usually vague enough to be try for almost everyone.  However, I found this to be rather specific and surprisingly accurate.  I highlighted some things that stood out for me.

"The Capricorn girl’s childhood life may not have been the easiest; as she may have felt that the joys and freedom of that time were somehow restricted and/or possibly withheld from her.

It can often take quite a while therefore for the Capricorn woman to come to terms with her feelings and to accept that it is all right for her to express herself or, to find the inner tools that will allow and direct such creative and emotional expression to the right outlets.

Once she has established and has built the path toward her own success however, there will be no stopping the progress of the Capricorn woman.

Over time she will develop and learn how to build upon her concepts and ideas, how to profit from every venture and, how to gain in a material and/or social sense from each of her many experiences.

Capricorn women are prone to build friendships with older people or those in positions superior to herself. Her objectives being to mix among those who can be of help and assist her in her climb to the top of her particular project, job or ambition.

While the Capricorn woman may have commenced her life with little endurance and limited courage, she has the ability to continually learn from her practical contacts in life as to what works and what doesn't.

The result is, that at the end-of-the-day, she will ultimately achieve a victorious result. For the Capricorn woman, it’s the later years of her life that are often the best."  (I'm hoping this will be true.)

Plant the Seed And It Will Grow - The Trust Factor

Relationships are built on trust.  All of them - at work and at home;  in business and in romance;  at school and at play.  It's either a lack of trust that propels a relationship downward or an abundance of trust that is a catalyst for moving forward.

Furthermore, trust affects our everyday choices.  We make decisions on what we will or won't do based on trust.  We decide what we're willing to risk because of trust levels.  We even determine what we're willing to share, based on the trust factor.   If there was ever a product you stop buying because you heard something bad about them, or a merchant you started supporting because of positive feedback, you were being experiencing trust-influenced choices.  Here are a few other examples:

You trust confidantes to keep your secrets.  If you're in a supervisory role, you trust (or don't trust) employees to do their jobs even when you're not watching.    When something in your home needs repair, you trust someone -- perhaps a complete stranger -- to come into your private domicile and do the work.   If you get a referral from a neighbor, you trust that person to provide a credible, reliable recommendation.

Have you ever bought or sold goods on e-bay or amazon?  If so, you were exhibiting trust.  You trusted complete strangers to pay for the goods you were selling, or you had to trust someone to ship the goods you were purchasing - sight unseen.

Relationships start with trust.  It can be built and it can be broken.  When commitments are kept, trust increases.  When promises are broken or dishonesty is exhibited, trust is lost.  It's not the only factor in a productive relationship, but it is an essential one.  If you want trust to grow, PLANT THE SEED.