Time for some new blood?

Whether you are building a team from scratch or adding a new team member there will be some challenges to getting everyone to work well together so that they give the very best service to your customers.

Bruce Tuckman developed the forming, storming, norming, performing model in 1965. He believed that all of the phases are necessary and inevitable for a team to grow, face up to challenges, tackle problems, find solutions, plan work, and deliver results.

I’ve seen the stages play out in lots of different environments and while the stages are most clearly seen when everyone in the team is new, I've observed the changes that have taken place with the addition of just one new individual.

I was working as a project manager implementing a new HR system for an IT company and while I was there they recruited a new HR director (the role had been vacant for some time) when she first started all of her team (seven people) went out of their way to get her up to speed with all of the projects and processes – FORMING.

In the STORMING stage, as she asked for an increased number of reports and meetings which felt like micromanaging, some team members began to get disgruntled and one member of the team resigned.

Once the HR director had a firm grasp of the situation and what changes and improvements needed to be made, there was a team meeting to establish roles and responsibilities – NORMING.

Once everyone was clear about their roles the team started PERFORMING well.

Any changes come with challenges, people are not designed to like change. Here are some tips to help you go through the process as smoothly as possible:

Forming Stage

The team has just been introduced and everyone is overly polite and pleasant.

During this stage, you should discuss:

• Member’s skills, background and interests

• Project goals

• Timeline

• Ground rules

• Individual roles

Team members need to develop relationships and understand what part each person plays, allow time for this and don’t get too hung up on deadlines.

Storming stage

Being in a team is like being in a relationship. At first, you may think someone is perfect. but then you discover that they aren’t. Once you’re aware of their flaws, you will either learn to accept the imperfections or the relationship will end quickly.

In the storming stage, personalities may clash. Team members might disagree over how to complete a task, or believe that they are better qualified to lead.

Remember that disagreements are normal. It is important to recognise conflicts and address them early on. As part of your ground rules, you should have something around respectful challenges.

Norming Stage

During the norming stage, people start to notice and appreciate their team members’ strengths. The team starts to settle into a flow. Everyone is contributing and working together as a unit.

Storming sometimes overlaps with norming. As new tasks arise, there may still be a few conflicts. Continue to address any conflicts that arise quickly and remember to reinforce and demonstrate positive behaviour.

Performing Stage

At the performing stage, team members are confident, motivated and have a clear understanding of their role within the team. they can work without supervision. Everyone is progressing to achieve the same goal.

The fourth stage is the one that all groups strive to reach but some do not make it.  Normally it is because they fail to overcome conflict and can’t work together. This is why it is so important to address issues as they arise.

Let us know what you'll be doing to get your team through the forming, storming, norming stages so that you can reach the performing stage with ease.

Is Your Management Style Killing Your Business?

My client Greg was feeling totally overwhelmed with running his business; ensuring the quality of his products, managing his staff, keeping his clients happy, keeping up with the invoicing, admin, marketing and all the other essential things.

So when I sat down with him to make a plan to lighten his load, so that he could scale his business I thought he’d need a hiring plan, then he told me there were four office based staff as well as his manufacturing team!

When we discussed what his team actually did, it transpired that he’d hired people with the right skills (admin, marketing, fulfilment) but didn’t trust them to deliver to his exacting standard, so everything went through him!

Greg was the funnel that slowed everything up!

So after looking the structure and responsibilities of those on his team. I spent some 1-2-1 with his team to get their ideas on improving the business and I got a ton!! They were insightful, detailed and his team were more than ready to implement them.

Then I asked why these ideas hadn’t been shared with Greg and I was told, “as far as he is concerned, the only good ideas are his own”.

“Leaders who don’t listen will eventually be surrounded by people who have nothing to say!”

— Andy Stanley

Greg and I talked at length about how he could empower his staff but still be confident that the outcome would be of a high standard.

Using our Leading for Growth systems and processes, we set objectives and had his team create project plans, so that progress could be tracked and reviewed at every stage.

Greg was able to get some time back to focus on business build activities and fun family time and his team were able to work to their full potential.

A total win/win!

Staff are an investment of time and resource. It’s so vital that you ensure that your team are challenged and there is value for you to have that person in your team. It’s a mutual transaction. I personally believe that anyone who works with me should be better at the end than at the start.

How are you bettering your team and your business?

Learning and developing in a role is a key reason why people stay with an employer, so is having autonomy. Build a team that can grow with you.

Grab our FREE guide to Hiring to make sure you hire the right person with the right skills at the right time.

Are your team members achieving their full potential?

“Does your daughter use proper cutlery at home?” my daughters preschool teacher pulled me aside to ask. “No, she has plastic cutlery”. The teacher handed me a child-sized set of metal cutlery and said let her practice with these at home.

Oh, the shame!

I’d been holding back my daughter’s development and I never even realised it! I’d love to tell you that this was the only time, but there have been other instances when my children have come home with new life skills that I hadn’t realised they were ready to develop.

The same applies to your teams, getting your team to take on increased responsibility and ownership for the outcomes that you require means that you need to open up opportunities for your team members to develop like my client Alice who was struggling to focus on building her business because she was caught up trying to get the day to day things completed.

Her company mobile phone would not stop ringing, as her managers referred any difficult customers to her rather than dealing with them themselves, this meant that the majority of her customers had her number and would just call to speak with Alice rather than talk to the manager for their relevant store.

At first, I thought that the manager's job descriptions would need updating but all the things they were supposed to be doing were written in there, they’d just never been required to deliver. So, we updated the manager's objectives. delivered our signature Management Fundamentals course and implemented regular peer coaching sessions so that the managers could learn from each other.

Alice also changed her mobile number so that customers could only contact their relevant store or head office. It made all the difference, the manager’s stepped up and Alice was able to focus on developing new products and opening new stores. 

If you are struggling to get your team to take ownership, try the following:

1. Encourage your team to focus on the outcome rather than the method. Give your team the freedom to try new things and  implement changes, so long as the desired outcome can be achieved.

2. Ask questions rather than giving a solution. Try coaching your team members through the problem, so that they can work out the best resolution and build their confidence.

3. Provide training to support. Make sure your team members are building the skills that they need to be successful.

4. Create process manuals (with your team) so their reference tool isn’t you. It's important that the key processes that happen in your business are documented, so that you can train your new team members and existing teams members have a reference tool.

Let us know which changes you’ll be implementing to empower your team in the comments and grab our FREE guide to Hiring to make sure you hire the right person.

What are you missing?

When you are building a team to take your business to the next level. You can often hire for the skills that you need and not take into consideration the team dynamic.

That’s not to say that you hire team members to be friends, but you do need to think about how individuals will mesh; and how they will work with your clients.

Look at the Premier League Football teams, they can have the very best players, who look like a winning team on paper but if the players don’t work well together no silverwork will be won – and the manager may not stick around!

The last thing you want is to invest in building a team and then get to a point where your business accelerates and you get a flood of resignations.

The first time that it happened to me, I was gutted. I’d invested in building a team and just when I was moving up and was preparing my team to step into my shoes, some decided to move to other organisations.

Where did I go wrong?

I had been so busy focusing on delivery that I hadn’t taken the time to properly listen to what my team members aspirations were and I’d tried to mentor them into thinking the way that I did, rather than understanding their unique strengths.

Every individual is different and will bring different strengths, skills and potential challenges, it’s important to make sure that your team dynamic is positive and any conflicts are addressed swiftly.

There are three things I always do when I’m adding or developing a team (for me or a client):

1.       Never replace like for like – Always review the role and the business needs to create a revised role that hits the needs of the business going forward.

2.       Recruit for a 70-80% skills match so that there will be a period of stretch and development.

3.       Look for the personality traits that we may be missing to add balance to the team. There are many personality frameworks; Myers Briggs, Colorworks, Five Voices, etc, that can be used to assess your team and give you a common language to use

Throughout this month I will be sharing tips to improve team dynamics but  If you need help with building your team or your team dynamic, schedule a FREE 20-minute Team Strategy Call

What exactly is going on?

Do you find it a challenge to get a straight answer from your team?

Ever had a client ask you what’s happening or tell you about a problem that you were not aware of?

Are you trying not to micromanage your team, but you aren’t getting the updates that you need?

Back when I was working corporately, I was often away from my office working on tender, and I struggled to stay updated with what was happening with my team back in head office. Beyond our regularly scheduled catch-ups, I’d need to call or corner someone in the break room to get caught up. I found it really stressful as I was often only in the office for client meetings and would pitch up with a report to present but not have the background to deal with any issues or concerns.

It was my fault I didn’t set out my expectations correctly, I agreed objectives with my team and didn’t tell them that I needed regular check-ins or ask for the narrative behind the reports.

Trusting your team to deliver and keep you updated with what's happening, shouldn’t be a challenge but it can be hard to find the balance between giving your team the freedom to deliver and micromanaging.

You want your team to be problem solvers, not problem multipliers and work within their zone of genius, but if you don’t ask for what you need from your team, the problem with their performance might not be them, it might be you.

Working with teams based in different locations, working a variety of shifts and on multiple projects would be difficult to juggle for anyone, Here are 5 things you can implement to help you stay on top of what's happening:

Daily/weekly team briefings – A half an hour meeting at the start or the end of the day to discuss priorities and any challenges will give you comfort that your team are on the right track, or if they are not will allow you to redirect their attention.

Weekly online updates – Create a template that is updated weekly in your file share (google docs, dropbox, etc). I like the OKR (Objectives and Key Results) method as an easy way to check progress on objectives – find out more here.

Be specific about what you need – Schedule a regular call for when that report drops, so that you can discuss it in-depth or be clear about when your team needs to give you a heads up that a client has a problem, even though they are on top of it.

Shadow and delegate – Provide opportunities for your team to shadow your interactions and present the reports so that they can see the purpose of their objective and get a deeper understanding of your client's expectations.

Add a buffer – Don’t leave things to the last minute, give yourself some time to review and reflect.

Let us know which tip/s you’ll be implementing with your team and if you need some strategic advice about motivating and managing your team, schedule a FREE 20-minute Team Strategy Call.

You talk too much

“My company communicates with me too much”, said no employee ever!

Well that’s not strictly true!

 I remember working for a large consultancy who sent out all their staff communications by email, between the HR, IT, Recruitment, Marketing and unit specific communications staff could receive several emails a day. So, staff got email fatigue and stopped reading them.

I’d have my monthly team meeting and start talking about a new initiative and no one would have heard of it, some of my team told me that they had set up a rule to automatically file the emails in a folder and they never got around to looking at it.

This meant that I had to go out of my way to ensure that my team were hearing the information I needed them to hear.

I found two things that worked much better than the email; a quick 5-minute scrum first thing in the morning or a lunchtime meeting where I’d bring in some tasty deserts and we could eat and chat.

You see, when you communicate there are two things that need to happen:

One – You transmit your message

Two – Your message is received as transmitted

You could have the most amazing message or opportunity to share but if no one is receiving what you are transmitting, you may as well save your breath or fingers.

You need to check that what you have communicated has been received, miscommunication is often the reason why targets get missed.

According to the VARK model, there are 4 primary types of learners; visual, auditory, reading/writing and kinaesthetic.

Visual learners learn best from visual representations such as, maps, spider diagrams, charts, graphs, flow charts, labelled diagrams, and all the symbolic arrows, circles, hierarchies and other elements, that can be used to represent what could have been presented in words

Auditory learners learn best by accessing information that is “heard or spoken.” they learn best from lectures, group discussion, radio, using mobile phones, speaking, web-chat and talking things through.

Reading/writing learners learn best from text-based input and output, reading and writing in all its forms but especially books, manuals, reports, essays and assignments.

Kinaesthetic learners learn by getting hands-on and applying what they have learnt practically.

When you are speaking with your team it is important that you communicate in a way that engages the different learner types, for example having visual representations of the subjects that you wish to share, asking questions to make the session interactive and asking different members of the team to scribe or demonstrate a process.

If you need some help reviewing the way you communicate with your team as a group and individually, contact us to see how we can assist you.

Cultural differences

Do you know the difference between postponing and preponing?

The first time I heard the term prepone it was during my induction for a new role. I was working for a multinational company and they took you through cultural diversity training so that you would understand the nuances of working with teams based all over the world. Most teams were a 50/50 mix of local hires and internationally seconded staff who would spend a few years in different countries building their skills.

I needed to understand why some male colleagues wouldn’t shake my hand or that the pub wasn't a good location for a chat or why I kept being invited to dinner at colleagues homes rather than to a restaurant for dinner.

It was a whole cultural awakening.

We live in a multicultural world and with the increase in remote working our employees and team members could be based ANYWHERE in the world. Do you take cultural nuances into consideration when you are hiring and managing your team?

For example in many countries publicly disagreeing with your boss can be regarded as disrespectful, while in other cultures giving your honest opinion when asked is a prerequisite for progressing your career.

I sat on an interview panel for a client and they asked candidates to give examples of how they have convinced their manager or stakeholder to change their mind. Some candidates had great examples but one candidate said she supported her manager to achieve their aims and kept them compliant by giving advice and highlighting the risks. 

My client wanted a different type of response and didn’t want to take the candidate further, even though they had loved all of her other responses. I managed to convince them to get her back in for a second chat and it turned out that her boss regarded it as disrespectful to be told what to do and so she used different tactics to ensure compliance. She was hired and is still there 2 years later.

Do you ask why your candidates or team members respond differently to your expectations? It might not be a lack of knowledge or braveness, a person’s culture can have an affect on how they communicate in the workplace.

Remember:

• There can be multiple right answers

• Get the why behind the answer

• Don’t judge a candidate based on one response

• Gather the opinion of others 

If you need help ensuring your recruitment process isn’t losing you quality candidates, schedule a call with us here.

Are You Ready To Listen?

This week has been interesting and painful in equal measure, there have been so many clients, colleagues and friends of all races wanting to know what to do next to truly make a positive change in the way that Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) individuals are treated in the workplace and society.

Now if you’ve never seen my photo you might not be aware of the fact that I am a Black woman and so I do have a vested interest in this matter.

I thought long and hard, and I believe that understanding the biases (unconscious or not) begins with listening to the experiences of the BAME community WITHOUT comment, to truly understand all of the different ways that prejudices have been made that have affected us individually and collectively.

Understanding a persons ‘Lived Experience’ and validating it is essential. Historically when BAME individuals express how they feel in situations they have been told that they are being sensitive and so have buried those feelings to continue to function. It is those raw feelings that are being released at the moment, as finally, the world is seeing how BAME people are treated by those who should be protecting them.

I can remember my very first experience of racism at primary school, when I was told “to go back to where I came from” I was totally confused. I couldn’t understand why this snarling white boy was telling me to go back to my house across the street! Do you know I remember that boys name and face to this day? He was probably just repeating something he’d heard his parents say to someone but for me, it was the realisation that I could be hated for the colour of my skin.

I have so many other stories and I’m not going to share them here, but I would say if you want to stop racism and prejudice, first talk to your BAME staff, colleagues and friends. Listen to their experiences, educate yourself and then work together to put the measures in place to bring about equality of opportunity, prosperity and progression.

Three things to do as an employer today:

• Ask your BAME employees about their experiences and really listen

• Arrange unconscious bias training for you and your team

• Gather the data – What is the demographic mix within your organisation, at operational, strategic and executive level

You have to know what you need to address before you can address it. If you need help creating an inclusive people plan, schedule a call with us.

Causing a stink

Stuart was an ideal employee, an amazing customer service officer who the clients loved, as he always went the extra mile to make sure they were happy. He was always on time, was hardly ever sick and consistently exceeded his objectives. 

There was just one problem, Stuart’s personal hygiene was not consistent, some days he smelt super fresh on other days his odour was eye-watering. Staff complained but no one spoke to Stuart.

Ever been in a situation where everyone is aware of a problem except the person who is causing the problem?

Rather than addressing his body odour issues, his manager placed him in a separate office, stating that his telephone conversations could be distracting to other members of the team. However, when a team leader position became vacant and Stuart applied, someone had to talk to him and you guessed it, it was me as the HR Manager.

He and I had a private chat, where I discussed the situation and tried to find a resolution. Stuart felt so embarrassed. He hadn’t known that his odour was a problem and couldn’t understand why no one had spoken to him sooner. 

The problem was that he shared a house with roommates and wasn't always able to get into the bathroom to shower before he needed to leave for work (he knew he wasn't super fresh on those days but didn’t think he was stinky). He had felt that his colleagues were avoiding him and thinking back could understand some interactions better. Stuart’s confidence was destroyed. He wanted to retract his application for the team leader position.

That wasn’t what we wanted. He was a great candidate for the role. We discussed options to improve his hygiene - like using the showering facilities at the office but building his confidence in his manager and colleagues was the bigger issue.

We needed to build an environment that was open and honest so that any issues could be brought out in the open and addressed before it caused a longer-lasting problem. I mediated a meeting between Stuart and his manager who was clearly uncomfortable with discussing personal issues and so some additional management training was given to him. 

Stuart was able to get his hygiene under control and get the team leader role. His colleagues and team members warmed up to him once they were able to share the space comfortably and his manager became more effective at addressing challenging issues.

Do you have an issue that you haven't addressed because it's awkward and/embarrassing? 

Having challenging conversations can be hard, here are 5 tips to help you to address the stinky issues:

1. Stick to the facts, be clear about what the issue is and why it needs to be addressed.

2. Show empathy, as awkward as you may feel the other person will be trying to absorb the information.

3. Ask about mitigating situations, there may be business or personal issues that can cause or affect the issue.

4. Offer solutions suggest some options that can resolve the issue 

5. Follow up, don't just talk and run, check-in and make sure that the individual is ok.

Use these tips to address your challenging team issues and let us know how it goes

Are you ready to lead?

Steve was so frustrated with the way his team dressed in the office, no matter how many times he said ‘smart casual’, people would turn up in jeans, trainers and unironed t-shirts. Even new additions to the team started coming into work smart, as he’d instructed during the recruitment process, but within a month their standards slipped too.

You didn’t have to look far to see what the problem was, the CEO came into the office in flip flops and shorts, often covered in dog hair – the only way the team knew that an important meeting was taking place was when he showed up in a shirt and trousers, with his hair brushed!

Have you ever had this kind of experience?

Leading others effectively is impossible if you are not prepared to demonstrate the values and behaviours that you wish to see and develop in your team.

Say your values are: Transparency, Responsiveness and Innovation. How are you embodying them daily?

Does your team know what your plan is for business growth? Do they know there is a problem BEFORE you start reducing the outgoings? Do you respond to requests for help or assistance promptly (even if it’s just sending a holding message)? Do you shoot down any ideas that don’t come from you?

Do you think your team would be transparent, responsive and innovative with you, your business or your customers?

Being a true leader means taking a hard look at yourself and making the changes that you need to influence in the right way because whatever you do positive or negative you are making an impression on those around you.

Take this quick exercise and see what you need to work on  -

• Take a pen and paper

• Write down your top 3 – 5 business values

• Write down an example of how you have demonstrated (or not) each in the last 2 weeks

• Assess what you could have done better and decide what you will do the next time

Be honest, if you can see that you aren’t demonstrating your core values, make a plan for how you can set a better example for your team.

Need some help on your leadership journey? Schedule a call and see how we can help you build a positive legacy of leadership

I'm just checking

Ever asked “How's everything going?” to be told “Fine”, when really what you wanted was an update on a project or task that you had assigned to a member of your team? 

You want to check how they are doing but you don’t want to appear to be micromanaging them, it’s a delicate balance; you need to give your team the freedom to complete their objectives but you want to know that they are on task (and that they really understand the task).

When I first started managing a team, I’d be working ALL THE HOURS fixing errors my team had made rather than getting them to fix their mistakes, ever thought “I can do it quicker myself?”, but I soon learnt that I wasn't doing my team or myself any favours - and I certainly needed more sleep!

So I set clear SMART  objectives, created process documents, retrained my team on the processes and used two effective ways to the reassurance that my team would deliver on time (and on a budget).

If you are having the same challenges try::

1. Schedule a regular catch up meeting, this needs to be 30/45 minutes where you check on the following:

   1. How the individual is doing

   2. If their workload is ok

   3. If there is any support or training they need

   4. How they are progressing with their objectives

1. Use the OKR document (I discussed in my previous blog) as a working record of progress, store each individual ORK document on your file share and ask each team member to update their progress every week/month dependent on the project, you will be able to see how they are progressing with the results linked to their objectives so that if they aren't on track you have time to make any necessary changes.

It’s time to empower your team so that you can have the freedom that business ownership should bring, while you grow and scale your business.

Get our Management Fundamental Course to build the confidence and HR knowledge you need to be a proactive leader and take your business to the next level or to have a chat about how we can help you schedule a call here .

Do you have the time to Coach?

Studies show that whenever you take your children away on holiday or spend significant time focus on them, they will have a developmental leap; either physically or mentally.

Every time my husband and I take our girls away, we see a leap. In February we took them to Butlin’s (UK family orientated holiday park).

We went on walks, to the pantomime, saw live shows, met Paddington Bear, ate ice cream and generally had fun. At the end of the five days; my five-year-old verbal dexterity and understanding evolved, while my seven-year-old had progressed with her swimming and reading. It was really great to see, but as a mum, I also thought “soon they won’t need me anymore!”

Now I know my girls need to progress and develop, and if they were not I’d have a different kind of concern, but there is a part of me who loves being needed – MOST of the time!

Teaching new skills and giving them an opportunity to test them out, takes time and patience. Which is why I think my girls develop when we aren’t in a rush and have time to answer lots of “Why” questions and eat waaaaay past dinner time because the girls want to peel the potatoes! They learn by doing, asking questions (there are no silly questions) and making mistakes.

Coaching your team is a lot like that. You need to ask questions, rather than give answers. Be accepting of the fact that someone else isn’t going to carry out a task as quickly or in the same manner that you would.

For a long time, I would do all my employee statistics myself, I would spend at least three days a month deep in the spreadsheets manipulating the data and ensuring I understood why the differences occurred and what things we needed to address. Then, my additional responsibilities meant that something had to give. I handed my precious statistics work over and when I received the report and asked penetrating questions, I wasn’t able to get the answers I needed. The temptation was to take it back and do it myself, but instead, I took the time to explain what my senior team needed to know and we reviewed the calculations and made some changes together. The next month I had better figures and a faith that my spreadsheets were in great hands!

Coaching is definitely more time consuming than telling, but it can be really freeing for you. 

Some good coaching questions to ask are:

What would you do?

Why?

So what?

How does that make you feel?

What’s the worst thing that could happen?

If you knew you couldn’t fail, what would you do?

The next time a team member asks you for an answer (unless it’s time bound or something only you would know) try asking a coaching question and see what happens. It will take time, because it is a change to our natural inclination to give others an answer. 

Give it a try and let me know how it goes.

Do you dread managing staff?

There are two distinct types of business owners, those who strive to build a business large enough to support or team and those who never want to manage a team ever. Like EVER.

Sometimes it is down to a traumatic past management experience or other times it’s the belief that no one will be able to do it as well as you.

Can you relate …

It happens in the corporate world too.

Simon was an IT genius, so when his boss left and the role was opened up for internal candidates, we were all waiting in anticipation for his application to hit our inboxes, but when he hadn’t expressed an interest in the role 24 hours before deadline I thought I’d have a chat and check everything was ok. Simon told me he loved his role and had no interest in managing a team, taking on their issues and spending less time working on the systems he loved.

I could understand where he was coming from, I went through the same challenge with my first large scale senior HR role and so I was able to share that as a manager it is your responsibility to get things done but that doesn’t mean you have to do it. It is in your gift to develop others by delegating tasks and using your skills and knowledge to improve the department. I also promised to ensure he received the management training he needed should he be successful in obtaining the role.

After our talk Simon did apply for the role and was successful, he was recognised for his outstanding contribution and with coaching and an awesome mentor is now Head of Department.

Do you feel fearful that managing a team will dilute your fun and control?

The truth is, the power is in YOUR hands.

Management is a skill like any other, you have to learn the theory and then apply it practically to hone your skills. Everybody makes mistakes, you haven’t gotten to where you are with your business without making mistakes, so you have to accept that your team will make them too. The important thing is that you give them the feedback needed to improve.

If you are wary about adding to your team or delegating more responsibility, here are three tips to help you:

1. Be clear about the outcome, you need to clearly demonstrate what good looks like. Don’t get bogged down in the detail your team may well have a more efficient way to reach the goal

2. Allow extra time, give a deadline with some wriggle room so that if things need to be tweaked you have time to give feedback and get your team member to action rather than do it yourself.

3. Give positive feedback, everybody likes to hear ‘Well Done’ and it motivates them to continue striving for excellence

If you need some help with getting the Managment Fundamentals right, contact us here to see how we can assist you.

Retaining Top Talent

Priya’s accountancy firm had been running for 4 years, she had painstaking built her business from scratch; knew each client personally and had recruited and developed her team so that she as certain that her clients were receiving an excellent service.

Then Richard one of her longest servicing employees resigned.

She was distraught, “I’ve poured so much into developing him, why would he leave?” she asked. “He seemed happy, what if this is the start of a exodus?”

Ever felt like this?

Losing a valued employee can be a business owners worst nightmare. It’s takes a lot of time, effort and resource to recruit and onboard new team members.

Priya and I met with Richard to get some feedback on his decision to leave to business, turned out that he found a new job, closer to home, that would enable him to spend more time with his young family.

While he wasn’t about to change his mind about his resignation, he did give us some valuable insight in to the team and we used them to communicate effectively with staff and build team morale.

Worried about losing a valued team member? Here are a few tips to help you:

1. Build and maintain great relationships with your team; have a open and respectful relationship with your team, spend time together and show genuine interest in the things that they are interested in.

2. Communicate your team mission and aspirations; ensure that everyone in your team knows how they fit into the aspirations for the business and what their path to growth is.

3. Ask for feedback; it is important that your team feels heard and they their ideas are taken into consideration as you grow and scale your business.

4. Measure morale regularly; team meetings and employee satisfaction surveys are a good way of checking in.

5. Understand what motivates each individual; everyone is different and that may mean communicating and creative incentives differently to suit individual personalities .

Need help recruiting and retaining your team, DM us and we’ll be in touch to schedule a quick call to see how we can help you

How a lack of sight gave me insight

Ever come to the sudden realisation of something that’s been creeping up on you?

On the last Sunday of December 2018, while driving my daughters to church, I realised that I couldn’t see properly out of my left eye. Now I’d been seeing weird lights out of the corner of my eye for a week, but I put it down to overwork and figured it would pass.

But that Sunday, I looked to my left to change lanes and realised that I had no peripheral vision! As soon as I caught up with my husband, I had him take me to the hospital and the next day I had emergency surgery to repair my detached retina.

Now the interesting thing about the surgery is that they put a gas bubble in your eye to help the repair set and that completely covers your pupil so you can’t see at all! I’m four weeks post-surgery and the gas bubble is still covering about 70% of my pupil.

They say that if you lose on of your senses your other senses become stronger, I’m not sure about that but I can say that I am having to be far more intentional in the things that I do and how I do them and that has caused me to look at things differently. For example, I have lost my depth perception, which means that things aren’t where I think they are. This means I have to touch the table before I put my glass down or it may hit the floor. My phone has not made it to the table several times (thank God for screen protectors)!

Sometimes in our rush to get things done, we only look at the surface and don’t look at the depth of an issue. We get carried away with what we assume an issue is and then wonder why the solution didn’t work.

I had a client come to me for assistance with staffing issues, but as the conversation continued and I delved into the situation. I could see how inconsistencies in behaviour and not addressing issues had led to some of the issues. So rather than starting a formal disciplinary process we reviewed the team job descriptions, set clear SMART Objectives and had meetings with staff to clearly communicate to new way forward for the business. Three months later the business is going from strength to strength, as boundaries have been set and reinforced where necessary. 

Disciplining a couple of members of the team wouldn’t have fixed the underlying issues and may even have made the atmosphere in the office worse.

Are you taking the time to really look and listen to assess the depth of the issue or challenge before you move forward?

Need some strategic HR support? Contact us to discuss your needs.

Are you Time Poor ?

I’ve been building my CEO skills, with a course to ensure that I know my business stuff as well as I know my HR stuff; and I’ve found that the biggest challenge that I and my fellow business owners have is time.

Time to create, deliver and do all the things that you need to make sure your business runs smoothly.

Can you relate?

It’s so easy to say I’ll do that when I get the time, but to be honest you don’t find time. You have to make time!

I worked with a Manager that was over-worked, he had the budget to hire some more people into his team, but he didn’t have the time to recruit. I’d find candidates and by the time he’d looked at their applications, and shortlisted, they’d have found other employment. He’d miss telephone interviews for client emergencies. In the end I had to block out time in his calendar and sit with him to shortlist and interview. He was able to get some highly skilled additions to his team and get his life back.

But first he needed to make the time investment!

How do you schedule your time to make sure you have time to be proactive, instead of just reacting? 

I use a weekly planner that I stick above my desk, so that I can schedule in what I’m doing and see my availability and to get my tasks done I use my version of the Pomodoro Technique (instead of 25 minute blocks, I do 90 minute blocks). 

Effectively managing time and resource isn’t exclusively an issue for small businesses owners; when I worked corporately, one of the main reasons we’d get a contractor in was because they could focus 100% on the task they were hired for without all of the distractions and it’s the reason why our clients work with us, we have the experience and knowledge to get the HR work done without added drama.

It’s time to make time for the things you want to do for your business, block out the time and turn off the distractions!

If you need to build or scale your team but are struggling to find the time to even THINK about it? Get our free guide to hiring and outsourcing for Small Business here

Are you protecting your team from Stress and Anxiety?

When Ian walked into the café I barely recognised him. It wasn’t just that he wasn’t wearing his usual sharp suit, he seemed to have shrunk and his usual smile and twinkling eyes had disappeared.

Ian was a member of the board, he managed a team of 5 and budget of millions! He had a beautiful wife, gorgeous children, wore a signet ring, Lived in a NICE part of London – He was posh!

He belonged to a club that I aspired to (at that point in my life!), so even though I’d seen the Dr’s notes and spoken to him on the phone, I wasn’t prepared for the person who turned up in front of me.

Ian had been signed off for stress for the past 3 months, he’d exhausted his company enhanced sick pay and was receiving statutory sick pay that wouldn’t make a dent in his outgoings. So he’d met us to discuss coming back to work, but it was obvious that he wasn’t ready yet. I watched him deflate when I said we’d need a fit note from his doctor and for him to see our occupational health team before he could return.

It turned out that this wasn’t the first time that he’d experienced stress and anxiety at work, and even though he’d felt it coming on, he didn’t mention it to anyone because of the stigma attached to his condition.

We worked with Ian’s doctor and therapist and he returned to work in a phased manner when he was ready ….

But I was angry that we’d failed him as employers, he hadn’t felt comfortable to share his mental health issues and therefore get access to help before he became unable to attend work.

Also, we had a duty of care, was his manager lax in ensuring his workload and external pressures were being monitored? When was the last time he’d had a 1-2-1? 

Did you know that Stress Management is one of your responsibilities as a business owner as part of the health and safety regulations?

This experience led to a series of changes being implemented to ensure that Managers were aware of the warning signs of stress and anxiety in their team members and were having regular 1-2-1 meetings.

Remember the top four reasons for absence due to stress and anxiety in the workplace are:

• Workload: 44%

• Lack of support: 14%

• Changes at work: 8%

• Violence, threats or bullying: 13%

Do you and your managers regularly check on the mental health of your staff?

Here are some tips for dealing with cases of stress:

• Treat stressed employees in the same way as those with a physical health problem.

• Discuss the issue with the employee and demonstrate that you are concerned with their health.

• If their work is being affected, explore the option of a referral to Occupational Health.

• Ask if there is anything as a manager you can do to help/try and identify the stressors.

• Seek advice from the employee on any action that could be taken to alleviate the stress e.g. simple modifications to work for a short period, increase communication etc.

• Advise the employee about sources of help e.g. Employee Assistance Programme.

• Document agreed actions and actively follow up to ensure stress levels have been reduced.

• Review and if necessary modify the work tasks and responsibilities of employees who have had sickness absence due to stress as a result of their work.

• Be aware of the impact of stressed employees on other members of staff.

If you are concerned about stress in the workplace, contact us to discuss how we can assist you.

Being the referee has perks

I’m a live and let live type of person. I like to think we are all mature enough to behave correctly. The only people I correct about behaviour are my children and those of close friends and family.

I know I’m HR, but I don’t want to police anyone, y’know? I set professional expectations and expect them to be followed.

So, when I realised that Zoe and Stuart stopped going to lunch together and didn’t actually speak with each other, I thought it would just blow over. They were friends way before I joined the organisation.

Then I received grievances from each of them about the other – on the SAME day! So I had no choice but to intervene. It seemed their friendship started suffering when, Zoe was promoted and became Stuart’s supervisor. 

Does this sound familiar to you?

I figured the best thing to do was get them in a room for a mediation session. I explained the rules around listening and respect, and opened the floor. It turned out that Stuart thought being managed by a mate meant that Zoe would cover for him the way she had when they were colleagues, while Zoe thought that Stuart should require less support than the other team members to hit targets, as she believed he was just as competent as her.

As I sat around the table with them clarifying the meaning behind the “always” and “nevers”, and finding the middle ground of their assumptions and expectations of one another, I felt like a Premier League referee.

Once we agreed and established professional boundaries, they were able to rebuild their friendship and work well together. So well that when Stuart got promoted to supervisor, he had Zoe to thank for raising his “A” game. And I got an honourable mention too.

See, refereeing has its perks!

If you’ve been noticing a change in the vibe amongst your team – here are some tips for an effective mediation session:

Leave your assumptions at the door – It’s easy to jump to conclusions when you’ve heard two versions of a story, don’t let your experience with either party lead to you to drawing conclusions.

Remain unbiased – you are an objective facilitator, you cannot take sides or show any bias. Treat both individuals equally.

Set the stage – Establish the rules for the how the session will go.

Don’t be afraid to pause – if it feels like the conversation is getting too heated or the rules are not being adhered to, you can adjourn for a break or reschedule for another day.

Make sure everyone has their say – It’s is important that both parties get to clear the air and get all of their frustrations out on the table.

Listen to understand – You do not need to solve the issue, you are supposed to facilitate a conversation NOT dictate the outcome.

Clarify points to make sure both parties are hearing the same thing – Often people jump to conclusions and hear what they are expecting to hear, rather than listening, it is your job to ensure that both parties, hear and understand each other’s issues.

Agree a set of boundaries to prevent issues reoccurring – The ideal outcome is to eliminate the behaviour that caused the issue between both parties, by implementing clear professional boundaries and expectations.

Review regularly – One mediation meeting may not be enough. You need to ensure that the issues do not reoccur, keep a check with both parties, to ensure the boundaries are being adhered to.

If you need a referee to help you with some mediation, contact us and we will schedule a call to discuss how we can help.

How learning to crochet prepared me for management

I have never been a very creative person, I can follow instructions but making something out of nothing has never been my forte. I’m more the active type.

I hate to sit around, I am pretty much constantly on the move and even when I’m sitting my mind is racing. It’s why I love having my own business, there is always something to do, especially in HR!

So, when I got frustrated with not being able to be so physical when I was pregnant. My mum thought it would be a good idea to teach me how to crochet!

I had to really focus on the task in hand, I couldn’t watch TV and get the stiches right the way my mum could. However, I found that having some STILL time meant that I progressed pretty quickly and soon made some scarfs and a blanket.

I loved the progress that I made. Don’t you love seeing the fruits of your labour?

I started to use those focussing skills at work and during family time. It meant that I stopped ending people’s sentences, assuming what they wanted and seeing them as a distraction. 

Have you been there? Say it’s not just me!

I learnt that when someone says “Do you have a minute”, the most productive thing to do is to close everything and really focus on the individual, not just on their words but on the non-verbal cues too. This meant that I got to know my team better and was better able to motivate and lead them.

I know as business owners, we are great at listening to our clients. But when was the last time you sat down with your team and focused on what they were telling you, not what you wanted to tell them or mentally preparing for your next meeting?

Next time you are interrupted by Sue, try:

• Not making assumptions
• Closing your laptop
• Switching your phone to airplane
• Making eye contact
• Listening
• Taking notes (if necessary)
• Asking pertinent questions
• Taking time to response/investigate
• Following up

It’s vital that staff feel that they are listened to and that their opinions or issues are taken into consideration – even if you disagree, go back to them with a considered response.

How to complete a Change Management project with a smile

Yesterday my one OK two minute HR Tip was about allowing things to take time!

I always say that the thing that makes HR so interesting is the people. Everyone behaves differently and those reactions are what can make life as a manager so challenging!

Not that long ago I went all the way to Inverness to close down an office and make all the 80+ staff redundant. This wasn’t a one hit meeting, I’d been visiting the same office every month for the last 5 months. Meeting with unions and staff, dealing with queries and getting to grips with all the little details that ensured the ending would be smooth and the staff would be as happy as possible.

The interesting thing was that no matter how I prepared, every meeting came with a new challenge or issue that I needed to find a solution to. It was like playing pass the parcel; every layer revealed something new!

Whether I’ve been consulting on changes and opportunities that come about from business growth, or the need to save money and create efficiencies. Reactions aren’t always what you expect. I’ve have staff say “No” to promotions or that they’d prefer to take redundancy rather that re-interview for their role, and then cry when they receive their redundancy confirmations.

Timing is everything!

I’ve learnt to allow extra time in my plans as everything takes a little longer than you’d envisage, and no one wants to be stressing, trying to cram everything in at the last minute.

There's no time limit for how long the period of consultation should be, but the minimum is: 20 to 99 redundancies - the consultation must start at least 30 days before any dismissals take effect. 100 or more redundancies - the consultation must start at least 45 days before any dismissals take effect.

Even if you aren’t making redundancies you should still give a reasonable time for consultations and take into consideration things like holiday’s and those on maternity leave or long term sick.

Remember to allow time for:

• Preparing documentation
• Union Consultation (where appropriate)
• Group consultation meetings
  • Start
  • Update
  • End
• Applying for roles (where appropriate)
• Interview process (where appropriate)
• Outcomes
• Handovers (where appropriate)
• Notice periods (where appropriate)

Taking time to prepare and address all of the issues that came about in Inverness meant that when the final confirmations were handed out, I received hugs and best wishes rather than anger and frustration. And for me that is the ultimate sign of a job well done.

If you need help with your change management, get in touch and we’ll give you all the support you need