Success Trek

Articles

Assumptions Are Dangerous!

Assumptions contribute in a major way to workplace miscommunication. Assumptions are taken as fact when there is no proof. They are often preconceived misconceptions about a situation, person, group, or task – likely based on past experiences with others. More likely than not, you probably do this a bit more than you’d like to believe. We can all admit it, at some time or another, we as people tend to assume the best or worst in people. Here are some examples of how assumptions can disrupt the workplace: Assuming a team member has a full understanding of a project when …

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How to Deal When People Keep Interrupting You Mid-Task

“Stop interrupting me while I am interrupting you.” – WINSTON CHURCHILL The above image is a GIF from the movie The Darkest Hour. Churchill was played by the amazing Gary Oldman. This quote is sometimes written as, “Don’t interrupt me while I’m interrupting you.” Click here to tweet this quote! I know everyone has had that thought at the end of a workday at some point. This takes quite a toll on workplace satisfaction, but it’s nothing compared to the steep hit your productivity takes. Being interrupted at work mid-task is a detrimentally unproductive workplace norm. According to a study …

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Quality & Continuous Improvement: Improve Your Processes in 3 Easy Steps

After the third step of executing your new plan to improve your processes, where do you end up? Quality. Quality is the outcome and the process is how you improve. There are two important pillars (in addition to the 3 steps above) that are also key to understanding process improvement: documentation (steps 1 through 3) and measurement (continuously). You must *document* the way you currently do things in order to know how you can improve upon it. Which brings me to the statistic above. It blew my mind. Of the companies who document processes, only 4% – a very small fraction …

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Recognizing employees goes deeper than dollars

Does your organization have a reward and recognition program in place? Recognizing talent takes small steps, doesn’t require major expenditures, and has a BIG, three-pillar impact: According to WorkStars, 69% of employees would work harder if they felt their efforts were better appreciated. “The common denominator that I’ve found in every single interview is that we want to be validated…I’ve done over 35,000 interviews in my career. And, as soon as that camera shuts off, everyone always turns to me and, inevitably, in their own way, asks this question: ‘Was that okay?’ I heard it from President Bush. I heard …

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All Onboard! 3 Signs Onboarding Needs to Be Fixed

New employees decide within the first 30 days whether they feel welcome in the organization. Additionally, 1 in 25 people leave a new job just because of a poor (or no) onboarding program. (SHRM Statistics courtesy of Clickboarding.com) If new employee turnover is adding stress to your organization, one way to curb that is to develop a push-button system to onboard your new hires. Contrary to what you might think, onboarding doesn’t have to… Trigger symptoms of extreme fatigue. Instigate death by PowerPoint. Involve doing trust falls or sitting in a circle saying something about yourself. If you’re in need of …

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aerial view of laptop, books, pencils and cell phone

Troublesome Training Lies

Companies that offer comprehensive training programs realize higher income and profits per employee than companies without formalized training. Although training requires an investment, a business that opts out of employee training means they are saying, “No thanks,” to a pile of theoretical money on the table in front of them.

You Need These 5 Work-Life Balance Tips

The last time I addressed work-life balance was back in May 2016 in a post titled, “Managing Work and Family: It’s a Delicate Balance,” one of our most popular topics to date. I’d reported that 46% of workers complained they lacked balance. The 2018 poll I reviewed today showed staggeringly that this number has climbed to 66% of workers.* The truth is that happier employees are not only more efficient but also produce higher quality work! Improving work-life balance would not only create a happier workforce, but would improve employee retention and overall productivity. Although 60% of employees attribute the lack …

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Empathy Skills for Employee Engagement

Empathy is one of the most effective ways to have better relationships at work. Since empathy is often confused with sympathy, let’s first get some clarity on the two.

graphic of notes flying out of a computer into someone's face

How to Tame Crazy Emails

Poor communication has been a major reoccurring challenge for our clients, specifically, the management of email communication. Even though email helps us to run our professional lives, it can also, very literally, run your professional life.

Here are 3 ways to tame the crazy emails.

Business Colleagues Together Teamwork Working Office

Team Communication Tips

Today’s workplace employs multiple generations, with different verbal and writing styles, plus a variety of applications for electronic communication and collaboration. Many companies now have distributed workforces operating from their home offices.

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How to Keep Great Employees

Employee turnover, and the costs associated with it, range widely based on the wage and role of the employee. One thing that you do have some control over is involuntary turnover – or, more explicitly controlling the need to fire an employee.

Oh No You Didn’t! – 4 Ways to Diffuse Disrespectful Situations

Employees: If this is happening to you, Take an inventory of the situation by writing down actions you can control and actions you cannot. Mentally ‘let go’ of all those things you can’t control. Focus on what you can control and map out the steps you are going to do next to help resolve the situation. Take the time and space necessary to decrease your emotions and objectively think through your next realistic step. You have a choice to stay in misery or happiness. What will you choose? Managers: If you observe a disrespectful situation, Approach the individual and talk through what you …

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