Many companies start life as little more than a plan: a business plan. Even nonprofits and municipal agencies are born from missions initially written down on paper. Does your organization have such a plan? If so, have you looked at it lately? A good way to kick-start your strategic planning for the year ahead is to pull out your business plan and match each section to your current conception and approach to “organizational effectiveness.” This term refers to strategies and initiatives that align, promote and reinforce the improvement of an organization or department to meet its mission, fully realize its potential and maximize its performance. Let’s look into how your business plan, whether real or figurative, can provide a structure within which you can assess organizational effectiveness. 5 Parts to the Plan Business plans serve many functions, depending on the nature of the organization in question. But, traditionally, they all have one thing in common: a practical structure. To that end, these documents typically comprise five parts: A mission statement and organizational description. Many people believe only nonprofits need mission statements. Not true — every organization needs a clear declaration of why it exists and how it intends to meet that primary objective. Think of your mission statement, which needn’t be much longer than a few sentences, as the heart of your business plan. All your goals and activities should flow from it. Do they? Or have you wandered astray from your stated or intended mission? Ideally, your mission statement should be accompanied by a comprehensive description of your organization. Provide a brief history (unless you’re a start-up, of course) and then explain what you do, identify your marketplace or service niche, and assert why you’ll succeed. Again, review this information in light of your current circumstances. Is your organization as effective as it set out to be? A management profile. People matter — not only in real life, but also in your business plan. Potential investors, lenders and even employees aren’t interested in a faceless, soulless entity. They want to know that competent, reasonable people are steering the ship. So illustrate your organizational structure and management team. An organizational chart showing your structure followed by brief bios of key employees can work particularly well. If you’re a small organization or department, you may even be able to describe every employee and what he or she does. In any case, enhance your basic description with some solid reasons why your staff has the expertise to succeed. Doing so can help you take a step back and clearly see how your organization is currently set up and who’s doing what. Then you can ask some hard questions about whether work is flowing as it should or if you might need to realign something. You may also realize that some positions have become redundant or outmoded. Or perhaps you need to add staff to keep up with growing demands or changing technology. A financial portrait and strategy. Although stakeholders and other business-plan readers definitely want to learn about the personal (and personnel) aspects of your organization, they also want assurance of its financial stability. So include basic data such as a current and pro forma balance sheet, an income statement and a cash flow analysis. Don’t cut corners with these calculations — get a financial professional’s assistance or, at the very least, verification. If you’re a start-up, project this information as accurately as possible. Above all, make sure your numbers demonstrate that you and your management team have considered the key drivers that will determine your success or failure. Don’t pad the business plan with overly optimistic financial projections that could ultimately depict your company in a bad light. If you’re struggling financially or falling short of your goals, again look into the alignment of your organizational structure. Also consider whether your processes or job designs aren’t achieving the right results. You might have heard the expression, “Do what you love and the money will follow.” Similarly, organizations that work effectively tend to see positive financial results as well. Marketing or service objectives. Of course, expertise and past success mean little without an up-to-date strategy for bringing your products or services to the public. So describe your intended market or constituency, giving specific details on its size and how much of it you intend to serve. What is your current market’s or constituency’s growth potential? What new and specific geographic, economic and perhaps even political factors now play a role? Another important aspect of your marketing or service objectives is competitive intelligence. Name your five biggest competitors and convince business-plan readers that you can serve your market better than these rivals. Don’t conceal your weaknesses, either. Recognizing the challenges you must still overcome conveys that you and your management team are in touch with reality. An executive summary. Many organizations write decent business plans that no one ever reads, because they forget to provide an executive summary. Truth is, many readers (such as venture capitalists, nonprofit donors and loan committees) will often initially look only at this section. That’s not to say they’ll never read your entire business plan — it only means a concise, readable executive summary may be necessary to getting your foot in the door. Plus, your executive summary can serve a selfish purpose as well. The better it’s written and more updated its information, the more useful you’ll find it when assessing organizational effectiveness and brainstorming ways you might improve. True to its name, your executive summary should hit the highlights of each business-plan section. Don’t slam readers with a lot of numbers or technicalities here. Just give a clear, confident synopsis of who you are, what you do and where you’re headed. Once again, as you write or revise the executive summary, look for disconnects between the words on the page and reality. Your ultimate objective here is to match what your organization does on a day to day basis with your description. And, of course, you want that description to be positive and growth-oriented. A living document Your business plan is not mere words. It should be a living document that your leadership team studies and revises regularly to keep your organization on the right course to success. Performance Dimensions Group has extensive experience working with organizations such as yours. Our organizational effectiveness team can help you revise your business plan — or write one to begin with — to help you accomplish your goals in the coming year.

It’s a tradition passed down from generation to generation. No, we’re not referring to a favorite sports team or recipe for chicken soup or even whether an adult in today’s society needs to know how to change a tire. We’re referring to the tendency of older generations to grumble about, and often form myths regarding, a newer generation. There’s been no disruption to the custom when it comes to Millennials, those born between the late 1970s and early 2000s. They often find themselves put in the role of the “bad guys” by Baby Boomers (born between the mid-1940s and mid-1960s) and Generation X (born between the mid-1960s and early 1980s). But Millennials aren’t the bad guys. They are, by and large, hard-working and innovative. So if your organization is suffering from the aforementioned grumbling, here are some Millennial myths to confront and dispel. Millennials are lazy Millennials are the least engaged population in the workplace. That’s not a myth but, rather, the results of a 2016 Gallup poll that found only 29% of Millennials are engaged in their jobs. Older employees often interpret disengagement as laziness. Sometimes they’re right but, more often than not, a disengaged employee isn’t so much lazy as disconnected from his or her job. This is a fixable problem. When it comes to Millennials, perhaps the most obvious step toward boosting engagement is by embracing (or further embracing) technology. Millennials grew up with advanced technological innovations exploding all around them. They integrate it seamlessly into their work and personal lives. For example, that same Gallup poll found 71% of Millennials cite the Internet as their primary news source. Make clear that you intend to keep your organization’s technology as updated as possible. Inform Millennial employees that you’re willing to enlist their help in finding and implementing the best new hardware and software. Engagement can flourish with the right technological infrastructure in place. Millennials need constant, undeserved praise Baby Boomers and even many Gen Xers were raised and entered the workforce during times of less frequent feedback. Sure, they had teacher conferences and job reviews, but the emphasis was often on past performance rather than future development. So they see Millennials seeking out more regular feedback and some frown on it as “attention-seeking behavior.” But Millennials have had a different experience. Schools and many of their employers had much more robust feedback systems in place. They’re used to constant feedback and, indeed, expect it. For instance, a 2015 survey by software providers Achievers found that 71% of Millennials said they expect immediate, rather than annual or semiannual, feedback. Now that may sound daunting and unrealistic in the context of formal performance reviews. But you can teach managers and team leaders to provide more regular feedback in a variety of simple formats. Quick emails, friendly instant messages or brief hallway conversations can all fill the need. Remember the technology angle, too. Millennials came of age playing sophisticated video games and using well-developed software. These things provide constant, immediate feedback and data. Millennials are directionless and unattached Older generations lived in times when job loyalty was much different. With pension plans in place and regional populations relatively less mobile, it wasn’t unusual to see someone work most of his or her adult life with one employer. As such, these older generations can grow frustrated watching Millennials come and go from an organization so rapidly. But the current pace of job mobility didn’t start with Millennials. Recent Department of Labor data, compiled by the Pew Research Center, shows that people aged 18 to 35 in February 2016 (that is, Millennials) and those in February 2000 (that is, Gen Xers) both reported an average employment tenure of about 13 months. Thus, little has apparently changed for almost 20 years now in terms of how long many workers stay with an organization. Millennials aren’t any more or less loyal. What’s important is, per the Gallup poll mentioned above, 87% of Millennials say professional development is important to them. So an employer that offers a strong performance management and development platform stands a stronger chance of keeping employees of this age group on staff. In addition, it’s important to remember that Millennials aspire to succeed both at work and home. Work-life balance, like more regular feedback, is an expectation. For instance, nearly 20% of fathers surveyed in a 2014 study by Bentley University said an ideal career would provide time off to be with their children. Creating varying paths and time frames for advancement may help retain these workers. This might mean allowing parents to reduce their hours while their children are young, yet remain eligible for promotions. Develop your talent Yes, every new generation faces scrutiny from the generations that came before. It’s not necessarily a bad thing if we use the conversation productively to learn about our history and improve our future. Performance Dimensions Group can help you assess, train and develop all of your Millennial talent — and everyone else as well. Please contact us to get started.

Many people strive to take “me time” in their personal lives. Doing so usually involves a relaxing, solitary activity such as a long, hot bath; a stroll on the beach or in the woods; or a weekend on the couch binge-watching a TV favorite. But there’s such a thing as “me time” at work, too. In the office, it’s not so much about chilling out as it is focusing on the projects that really bring out one’s passions and strengths. Unfortunately, many of today’s leaders and key employees face major difficulties in finding “me time.” Busy work In a popular 2013 Harvard Business Review (HBR) article, “Make Time for Work That Matters,” researchers found that knowledge workers spend an average of 41% of their time “on discretionary activities that offer little personal satisfaction and could be handled competently by others.” This means you might be spending anywhere from a third to almost half of your workday on stuff that doesn’t really matter and someone else could do. The solution, at least in part, is delegation. The HBR article found that 47% of desk-based work can off-loaded with relative ease. Activities related to “managing across” departments may also often be moved to someone else without too much operational disruption. 5 steps to delightful delegation Naturally, handing off work-related responsibilities to someone else must be handled carefully to avoid confusion and conflicts. Here are five steps to making delegation delightful: 1. Choose tasks wisely. Selecting the right tasks to delegate is critical. Prime candidates are tasks that frequently reoccur, such as document sorting or management, and relatively small project-related actions. (Yes, micromanaging is ill-advised.) Also look for tasks that require a specific skill in which you have no expertise, such as, say, reconciling bank accounts. Could an accounting staff member, temp or intern better handle it? Think about how long the task in question takes to accomplish and then balance the value you bring to doing it yourself vs. how you might otherwise spend that time. Always try to devote your time to projects that provide the most value to your organization and can best benefit from your talents. You may be tempted to say, “This will take me longer to explain than to do myself.” But if it’s a task that you perform often, training someone else will free up your time today and in the future. 2. Pick the right person. Before you delegate a task, consider the person’s main job responsibilities and experience. How do those correlate with the project or operational activity in question? Also consider the staffer’s schedule. Does he or she realistically have the time to do the job well? Keep in mind that, even if the employee doesn’t have direct experience with the task, it may represent a welcome opportunity to test his or her wings in a new area or take on greater responsibility. In fact, it’s here that delegation can become a useful training and professional development tool. 3. Perfect the handoff. When handing off a task, be extremely clear about the goals, expectations, deadlines and details. Explain why you chose the individual and what the project means to the organization as a whole. Also let the employee know whether he or she has any latitude regarding the task’s methods and processes. A fresh pair of eyes might see a new — and better — way of doing it. 4. Keep in touch (to an extent). Delegation doesn’t mean dumping a task on someone and walking away. Ultimately, you’re still responsible for its completion — even if you’ve off-loaded the work. So provide strong initial training and then stay involved for a while by monitoring the employee’s progress and providing coaching and feedback as necessary. Remember, however, there’s a fine line between remaining available for questions and micromanaging. Constantly peering over the staffer’s shoulder is a sure way to signal distrust and build resentment. If you’re going to delegate, delegate. Half-measures will likely only lead to lower productivity for everyone. 5. Acknowledge the help. A good delegator never takes credit for someone else’s work. Be sure you generously — and publicly — give credit where credit is due. This could mean verbal praise in a meeting, a note of thanks in a newsletter or an email to the person’s manager if he or she works outside of your department. If the project’s size and scope warrant it, consider offering a bonus, extra time off or a special gift. Such a gesture will not only thrill the staff member in question, but also motivate others to accept delegated tasks. Many approaches To be clear, delegation isn’t necessarily simple; and it’s not a be-all, end-all solution to time management. In some cases, unduly laborious tasks should be simply eliminated through operational streamlining or organizational realignment. In other cases, you may want to outsource broader functions that are preventing leaders and key employees from reaching their potential. Nonetheless, exploring the possibilities of delegation is typically time well spent. Need some help getting started? Please contact us here. Performance Dimensions Group specializes in employee engagement measurement and management training, which includes helping your best workers get more productivity and satisfaction from their valuable time.

Most leaders and managers would likely admit that all of their organizations’ processes don’t work perfectly. In rare best-case scenarios, there may be only a few minor tweaks needed to optimize workflow and productivity. But, in many other instances, a deeper need exists to review “how we do things” and implement major changes. So why don’t more organizations revise their processes more regularly — especially as technology continues to evolve so rapidly? The short answer is: Because change hurts. It slows things down; people get confused and sometimes irritated; benefits don’t materialize immediately. But these downsides aren’t a given, and process improvement doesn’t have to be painful. By taking a measured approach, you can not only “do things better,” but also learn a lot along the way. Do we have to? If you fear the challenges of improving your organizational processes, you’re not alone. Many leaders reflexively ask “Do we have to?” when it comes to changing how things are done. They don’t want to rock the boat — especially in competitive business environments. Yet there are valid reasons to undertake a process improvement initiative. And it’s generally better to do so proactively rather than reactively. In other words, you’ll likely be happier fixing issues in your own time rather than waiting for a crisis to force change. Some telltale signs that you should get started on updating processes include:

• Sluggish productivity; you’re just not getting as much done as you believe you should,
• Noticeable backlogs; you’ve got orders or projects in the pipeline but you can’t get to them, and
• Chaos (or something close to it); management is constantly fielding employee complaints, workers are inventing their own “workarounds” to complete tasks, new hires take a long time to get comfortable with procedures.

Again, the severity of process breakdowns or disconnects can vary from organization to organization. Often, relatively well-run organizations can be the slowest to change because the shortcomings of their processes are so subtle and hard to detect. Yet those very shortcomings could be hurting profitability, driving up expenses or driving good employees to leave. Where does it begin? As mentioned, if undertaken properly, process improvement needn’t be excessively difficult or crippling to productivity. The effort must start slowly with an overall assessment of the organization and a careful investigation of the process (or processes) in question. Among the worst things you can do is jump in and start tinkering with the “nuts and bolts” of a process without fully understanding its strategic purpose. In essence, you want to understand the beginning, middle and end of the process and then target concrete objectives for improvement. You can take a number of measures to obtain the necessary information. Interviews with everyone involved in a given process typically reveal precisely what happens on a daily basis. You can also hold process-focused workshops for a collaborative discussion and develop analytical surveys to gather minute data. A paper trail is critical, too — even if many of the formerly paper documents are now digitized. What does your employee manual say about the process? Do you have up-to-date and well-written training materials? Are tracking forms and invoices accurate and easy to understand? Questions such as these can help you learn a lot about both the process at hand and your organization as a whole. Whatever the approach, you’ve got to track a process from its origins through each department it touches to the final end product or service. Doing so may include speaking to outside vendors and soliciting customer satisfaction data as well. Then what? The information-gathering process is critical, but so is what happens next — that is, assimilating the data and applying it to a measurably improved process. To accomplish this objective, various tools can be applied. A “process map” can visually track the process from beginning to end. Process maps are, essentially, the flowcharts you may have encountered in school. Written reports can also be generated to describe the process and its objectives. Think of this as sort of a journaling process, whereby the act of writing out how a process should work can reveal why it’s going wrong or at least how it can be improved. When you’re ready to implement process improvements, a carefully executed approach is also very important. Many organizations find success in forming a specific process-improvement team to conduct the investigation and develop an action plan for rolling out necessary changes. Part of the rollout should include a testing procedure, whereby process revisions are “live tested” in a contained environment to get a better idea of how initial results will look. This will enable you to tweak those last-minute foibles and improve the odds that employees will buy in to the revised process. Who might be of assistance? We hope you know the answer to this question! Performance Dimensions Group specializes in helping to create high-performance organizations. And a big part of that is assessing and, to the extent necessary, re-engineering organizational processes for optimal results. Please contact us here

Problematic employees can be costly. One bad apple can not only lower productivity and hurt morale, but also drive you to spend valuable time and resources trying to fix the situation. Sure, an underperforming worker can always be terminated. But doing so could expose you to a lawsuit — and even more trouble. There’s no magic bullet to completely avoiding such dilemmas. But among the best ways to minimize your odds of employment difficulties is to simply hire better. And when does the hiring process really get going? During job interviews. It’s here that you get your first look at what could be a great employee — or a costly, ill-advised hire. So a good interviewing process is indeed priceless. Let’s focus on some of the best and worst questions to ask. Prepare to succeed An effective interview doesn’t begin with a smile or a handshake; it begins with a well-written and up-to-date job description. Before you even post an opening, be sure the position in question has a description that reads precisely as it should in the here and now. After you’ve received an adequate number of resumés, sorted through them and set up the interviews, more preparation is necessary. Train your managers and other hiring staff to carefully read over each resumé and:

• Flag any background or employment gaps,
• Highlight insufficient or inconsistent responses for further follow-up, and
• Note likes/dislikes, reasons for leaving previous jobs, and future plans.

All of these things can inspire excellent questions. Prospective interviewers should also look for spelling, word choice and the overall professional appearance of a resumé. Employers generally don’t arrange interviews with those who submit sloppy ones, but if an applicant has a skill set that you really need, maybe you push forward anyway. On a more positive note, you might receive a resumé that’s particularly creative and different. Be ready to ask the candidate about how he or she came up with the innovative, eye-catching format. Foundational queries Remember that updated job description we mentioned earlier? It should serve as the foundation for most, but not necessarily all, of your interview questions. Develop inquiries that provide vivid insight into whether the candidate has the qualifications, skills and temperament for the position as described. Try to devise open-ended questions beginning with “how,” “what,” “when” and “why” — not leading ones that will elicit brief, rote answers. A good job interview, however, doesn’t have to leap right into the toughest queries. Understandably, most candidates will arrive with a certain amount of anxiety. So, along with learning how to come up with good questions, interviewers should learn the fine art of casual, friendly small talk to set a productive conversational tone. They should also clarify the parameters of the interview, including what will be covered and whether they’ll be taking notes (usually a good idea). Danger areas When it comes to actual questions, start with the candidate’s most recent job and work as far backward as necessary. (For some candidates, this may mean college or trade school. For others, you may need to discuss only their last couple of positions.) As you’re likely aware, there are many types of questions to approach with extreme caution. Just a few examples include inquiries into:

• Age and birth date, except to ensure your state’s minimum employment age requirements,
• Citizenship and country of birth, though you may ask about legal eligibility to work in the United States,
• Disabilities and illnesses, except, in some cases, to confirm the candidate’s abilities to perform essential job functions, and
• Arrest record, though you may be able to ask about a criminal conviction if legally relevant to the position.

Questions to completely avoid include those regarding height and weight; marital status and child care arrangements; and race, color or religion. Consult your attorney for the danger areas that most affect your organization. Positional specifics Once a candidate’s employment history has been established, you can move into the position-specific questions. Teach interviewers to fully explain the requirements — again, based on the written job description — as well as your company’s philosophies and practices. Listen carefully for areas of enthusiasm, topics the person shows discomfort about, and how he or she communicates about the skills required for the position. Ask the candidate to describe a situation in which he or she demonstrated a particular skill, trait or behavior. Also, find out what sort of corporate culture the person prefers. Interviewers should particularly note whether a candidate may be unsuitable for your organization’s distinctive culture. The compensation question One evolving area of job interviewing is the compensation question. That is, when do you discuss it and in what detail? There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, of course. The right approach will depend on the position and, perhaps, how much competition you’re facing to fill it. Generally, the trend seems to be to discuss compensation earlier in the interviewing process rather than later. Remember, today’s candidates have access to much more detailed and timely compensation-related data than job seekers of previous decades. They’ll likely walk in with detailed expectations of what they should be paid — and the evidence to back it up! So, first and foremost, your organization should be prepared by researching typical compensation ranges for the position in question and having these ranges at the ready during interviews. As far as precisely when you should broach the topic, a general rule of thumb in the current hiring environment is during the second interview. But, again, the right answer for your organization may differ. And, as mentioned, a candidate might bring it up during the first interview. When an interviewer does discuss compensation, he or she shouldn’t restrict the discussion to only salary or wages. Have managers and others involved ready to elucidate on the full range of monetary payment and benefits offered by your organization. World of difference Naturally, asking the right questions during job interviews is but one small part of the hiring process. But doing it right can make a world of difference in identifying the individuals who are most likely to contribute positively to your organization. Please contact us at Performance Dimensions Group for assistance specific to your needs.

Any reputable organization wants to take care of its employees. Historically, this meant paying a fair wage and trying to ensure workers’ safety. Then employee benefits came to the fore and, to stay competitive, just about every employer had to start offering a competitive package starting with health care coverage. Most recently, however, “taking care of your employees” has taken on a quite literal meaning. More and more employers are implementing wellness programs designed to support healthy behaviors at work and home, as well as to discourage illness-inducing practices such as tobacco use. If your organization has taken this step, or is considering it, be sure you fully grasp the human side of wellness programs as you design or administer yours. Recognize the savings The initial inspiration for many employers to create a wellness program is, quite simply, money. Health insurance costs continue to weigh heavily on most organizations. By establishing an effective wellness program, the thought process goes, an employer can curtail medical claims and, therefore, save money on benefits costs. What’s more, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) includes incentives for organizations to create formal wellness programs. Employers that offer a qualifying, “health-contingent” wellness program may receive a maximum reward of 30% of the cost of their health coverage. And the maximum reward for the prevention and reduction of tobacco usage is 50%. (Additional rules and restrictions apply.) Embrace the benefits So those are the dollars-and-cents reasons to create a wellness program. But, as mentioned, you’ve got to remember the human side of the concept, too. Leaping into an initiative looking only to cut costs could lead you to cut corners — or, at the very least, not get the full potential benefits of a truly effective program. These include: More robust productivity. It stands to reason, doesn’t it? A healthier workforce should mean a reduced rate of absenteeism. In fact, according to a 2014 report from the National Business Group on Health and Towers Watson, organizations with strong wellness programs had had lower unplanned absence rates (3.3 vs. 4.0 days/year) than “low-effectiveness” companies. And healthy employees on the job are more likely to have increased energy, physical endurance and mental vigor. Remember, even if an occupation doesn’t involve manual labor, the ability to think clearly and make good decisions is incredibly important in today’s information-driven environment. Higher morale. Although they may not always show it, employees enjoy being productive. So a healthier workforce that gets more done — and does more good work — is going to be happier as well. As evidence, a 2013 survey by Virgin HealthMiles Inc. and Workforce Management Magazine found that 77% of employees surveyed reported that their employers’ “health and wellness programs positively impact[ed] the culture at work.” A ready-made recruiting tool. In just about every industry, the fight for talent goes on. As you look to hire the best and brightest, the ability to offer a fully realized wellness program could be a critical negotiating tool when it comes to Millennials. Consider the 2014 Consumer Health Mindset Report, a survey of more than 2,700 U.S. employees and their dependents carried out by Aon Hewitt, the National Business Group on Health and The Futures Company. More than half (52%) of responding Millennials said “living or working in a healthy environment” influences their personal health. Compare that with only 42% of responding Gen Xers and 35% of responding Baby Boomers. Beware of the risks Of course, let it not go unsaid that wellness programs have their risks. To begin with, a program embarked upon only to cut business costs can conceivably end up driving up expenses. How so? Lack of participation. Organizations have spent months, much money and considerable resources debating and developing a wellness program — only to see it flounder with participants and eventually fail. Typical causes of such failure include: • A lack of management buy-in (in other words, “if the boss don’t care, I don’t care”), • Cultural misalignment (that is, the program’s tone and the nature of its activities don’t mesh well with organizational culture), • Excessive complexity and confusion (for instance, written materials are garbled and unclear; or program incentives are unfair or too hard to achieve), and • Bad vendors (not every guest speaker or exercise coach is cut from the same cloth; a single incompetent provider can ruin the experience for everyone). Another major risk is compliance. As mentioned, the ACA incentivizes employers to boost participation in qualifying wellness programs. But, at the same time, the federal government actively discourages employers from doling out wellness-program financial incentives in a discriminatory manner. (Some employers do so by making it unduly hard or impossible for certain people to meaningfully participate in the program.) Be aware that recently finalized regulations on wellness program incentives, issued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, will take effect on January 1, 2017. Exercise careful forethought Are wellness programs all they’re cracked up to be? Not always. But if you exercise careful forethought in creating one, and diligently maintain the program, your organization could very well see excellent results. For help with all aspects of performance management, please contact us here at Performance Dimensions Group.

How to optimize your organization’s work environment They say that we are all products of our environment. The point may be debatable philosophically but, at work, everyone is only as productive as his or her working environment allows. Your organization’s day-to-day success and ongoing growth depends, at least partly, on being a pleasant place for your employees to perform at their best. Many management groups tend to assume that their working environments just sort of take care of themselves. But this can be a dangerous assumption. Problems may fester without your knowledge, and you may lose good employees without ever really knowing why. An important part of strong leadership is not only helping employees individually, but also creating a healthy work environment as a whole. Recognize the physical world When many of us hear or read the word “environment,” we think of the physical world. Indeed, the air around us and the walls within which we work play a key role in productivity. For example, it’s important to consider the sound of your workplace. Is it too loud — or too quiet? A noisy environment can disrupt focus and irritate employees. Many organizations today require employees to wear headphones while using the phone or listening to audio. And there’s a growing trend toward designating quiet rooms where someone can work in silence to really concentrate. Then again, the opposite can also hold true. A workplace that’s too quiet may indicate that employees are disconnected and keeping too much to themselves. This can lead to estrangement that may trigger conflicts or even motivate good workers to depart for competitors. To nurture connectivity, allow employees to have friendly conversations at reasonable volume levels. You might also:

• Conduct team-building exercises,
• Form project-specific groups, and
• Hold regular social events and celebrations.

Beyond sound, there are other senses to consider. In your employee handbook and on signage on the walls, be clear and firm about forbidding strong smelling foods and cleaning up one’s workspace. How your environment looks visually is also worth re-evaluating regularly. Is it time for new décor? A dull, outdated workplace can adversely affect employees’ moods and drive away new talent. Set the right emotional tone Whether you realize it or not, every work environment has a certain emotional tone. Many, perhaps most, are reserved, polite and professional. Then again, perhaps you’ve experienced a workplace that’s high-energy and even a bit raucous or, at the other end of the spectrum, particularly serious and solemn. The objective here is to find the right emotional tone for your organization and its purpose. You may need to work to dial down the intensity of employees’ interactions and attitudes if they’re counterproductive. Or you might have to dial it up a bit if you feel your workers are too impassive and unmotivated. An employer’s role here is driven by how it communicates. Remember, you set the tone from the top down regarding the look, feel and intensity of your workplace. And many organizations struggle in this area. For instance, a 2014 survey from PR firm Weber Shandwick found that a mere 17% of employees highly rate communications from leadership. Without clear information, motivation and inspiration from you, a work environment can turn tense and reactive. One way to prevent this — or alleviate it, if necessary — is to promote an “open door” policy with management. Let staff know that there’s never a wrong time to ask questions or raise concerns. Provide employees with regular, face-to-face opportunities to communicate with their respective managers. Also, remind them of other avenues to communicate (such as phone calls, voice mails, emails and instant messaging). But don’t just leave the door open and hope to hear from staff. Seek feedback proactively. Train managers to take a varied approach to soliciting staff opinions on important matters. Naturally, they should ask for it in meetings. But a manager can also contact an employee via email or even in a random, one-on-one hallway or break room conversation. Encourage professional development                                                 Let’s put it bluntly: A workplace full of employees going nowhere isn’t likely to be a vibrant, positive work environment. So another thing you can do to brighten and bolster the atmosphere at your organization is to keep everyone moving forward professionally. This is a particularly important point with Millennials, who are making up more and more of the national workforce. A 2015 survey by consultancy Deloitte found that over 67% of Millennials believe it’s management’s job to provide accelerated professional development opportunities. And these workers tend to tie this issue with whether or not they want to stick with an employer. The good news, and perhaps a bit of a challenge, is that there’s a multitude of ways to offer strong professional development. You can offer on-the-job training — or formalize your training program if you’ve been taking an ad hoc approach. You could also reimburse employees for completing external continued education and training courses. And, of course, you’ve got to establish clear performance objectives and ways of measuring these goals. The trick is picking the right professional development approaches for your organization’s specific needs, as well as tailoring and executing the right performance evaluation system. Last, never underestimate the power of the internal promotion. When employees see a co-worker move up the organizational chart, they’re generally inspired and encouraged to do the same. This can translate directly and immediately to a better, happier work environment. Wield your power Whether your organization’s work environment seems out of control or perhaps not exuberant enough, you have the power to improve it. Please contact us at Performance Dimensions Group for help refining your performance evaluation system, improving employee engagement and culture, and developing leadership that will oversee a bright and productive workplace.

Reverse mentoring offers a variety of benefits What do you envision when you read the phrase “workplace mentor”? Perhaps you see a nervous young worker sitting in a seasoned vet’s office, anxiously waiting to learn many “ancient” secrets of success and career longevity. You know what: You’re not wrong. This remains a tried-and-true approach to mentorships. But there’s another method that’s gotten some attention in recent years. Under “reverse mentoring,” as it’s popularly known, the younger or newer employee mentors the older or more seasoned one. In some cases, a new hire might even teach things to the company owner! As odd as it may sound at first, reverse mentoring offers organizations a variety of benefits. Background on the concept The origin of reverse mentoring is commonly attributed to Jack Welch, the groundbreaking executive of General Electric Co. and, later, best-selling author. The story goes that Welch told hundreds of his high-level managers to reach out to a lower level employee to … better understand the Internet. Nowadays, it’s probably safe to assume that most execs know how to surf the Web. But among the most popular uses for reverse mentoring is to allow younger, more tech-savvy employees to teach older staff members about the latest technology tools and social media platforms. Many midlevel or C-suite managers may have a Facebook page to keep in touch with family and friends. But do they know the power of a hashtag on Twitter, or the reach of a striking image on Instagram? Since Welch first introduced the concept at GE, a wide variety of organizations large and small have tried reverse mentoring. For example, a top exec at online payment platform PayPal enlisted younger employees as mentors to help him better understand new hires and changes in the global workforce. Software developers Cisco Systems Inc. started a “Gen Y Reverse Mentoring Program” several years ago to bridge the gap between its older and younger employees. And even smaller organizations, such as Ogilvy & Mather (a marketing firm) and Allen & Gerritsen (an ad agency), have used it with some success. Advantages and risks In many ways, the advantages of reverse mentorships mirror those of traditional mentoring arrangements. Both the mentor and mentee benefit from the opportunity to build interpersonal skills and see, first hand, that the organization values their knowledge and contributions. Giving workers a way to grow and develop internally can lead to greater engagement and help stem turnover. Plus, reverse mentoring programs can help alleviate generational differences between employees. As mentioned, the trend in reverse mentoring has been to apply it to technology initiatives. For instance, an organization that wants to get its execs or managers more active on social media might pair each one with a younger, social-media-savvy mentor. Or, if you’ve ever considered changing a major part of your mission-critical technological infrastructure — a major software system or piece of hardware — a younger (or simply more technologically inclined) worker could mentor higher-ups during the implementation. But this doesn’t mean every reverse mentoring program has to be based around technology. There are some organizations that simply have a gap between older, established employees and younger, newer ones. Physician practices and law firms, as examples, often struggle in this area. Reverse mentoring can provide a formal structure for bridging this gap. And the risks? Some organizational cultures simply aren’t ready for reverse mentoring. The effort can seem forced and might end up frustrating the exec/established worker while alienating and disappointing the would-be mentor, who’s likely eager to impress. The program might also become a distraction if too much time and energy are spent on mentoring, undercutting the productivity of both parties involved. Best practices Here are some best practices in making a mentor-mentee relationship work: Ensure engagement. Both parties have to fully and equally commit to the process. Mentors must be willing and able to listen, share knowledge and provide feedback. Meanwhile, mentees must be willing and able to absorb and act on the input they receive. Set expectations. Mentees and their mentors should have similar expectations for the scope of the relationship, including the time commitment each will make, and the short- and long-term goals. Reverse mentorship tends to work best with specific, practical skills or tasks rather than applied to broad, indistinct growth efforts. Structure. Frequent, regular interaction is required to establish a good working relationship between the two parties and to maintain momentum. Ideally, reverse mentoring programs involve a predetermined schedule, which can be as simple as a weekly phone call or as elaborate as a series of longer meetings featuring presentations and Q&As. Trust and transparency. This may go without saying, but it’s best to establish it clearly and openly anyway. The two people involved in the mentorship must trust each other and be transparent in their actions. Each should practice open listening and provide both positive remarks and practical criticism. Better than expected Whether reverse mentoring will work for your organization will require some careful thought. But it’s thought well spent — a carefully structured and thoughtfully executed program could boost morale, increase productivity and enrich your culture in a way you may not have ever expected. If you’d like some help on improving your organization’s leadership and team development — including creating a mentoring program (reverse or otherwise) — please contact us. Whether the goal is to improve overall team communication, cohesion, effective organizational management or accountability, Performance Dimensions Group can help you meet that goal.

3 keys to designing a performance management system If you’ve ever played a video game, whether on your phone or a full-blown console, you know that “leveling up” is a big deal. No one wants to stay on Level 1 forever. The higher you go, the more you’re invested and, ideally, the greater the payoff in satisfaction and knowledgeability. So it should go with your organization. You’ve got to keep pushing upward to reach that next level of success, hopefully keeping your distinctive challenges at bay and competitors beneath you. So how do you get there? One important step is creating a performance management system — that is, a systematic approach to enabling your leadership and employees to work effectively toward accomplishing your strategic goals. There are many ins and outs to a performance management program. A variety of things could go wrong when trying to execute one — though, at the same time, many opportunities also exist to get it right. Here are three keys to consider when designing a performance management program.

1. Picking the right people

To get started on the right foot, appoint a representative design team. Don’t exclude employees from the development process. No truly effective system can be created without their input. Pick representatives from all key organizational units and employee groups. Look for workers with differing viewpoints — such as long-term vs. newer employees or left-brain vs. right-brain thinkers. This way, your internal team will represent your entire organization, not just one or two departments. Also, choose employees who:

• Communicate well,
• Can devote sufficient time to the process, and
• Elicit respect throughout the organization.

As time goes on, don’t be afraid to make changes to your performance management oversight team. This doesn’t necessarily have to be a punitive thing. In many cases, team members simply get burned out and can use a break. Regularly offer opportunities to step down for a while to get some rest so fresh voices can speak up.

2. Stating clear, actionable goals

Clarifying leadership’s expectations plays a crucial role in your performance management system’s success. If you don’t initially solicit input from your managers, your system might either fall apart or simply languish unimplemented. For example, say an organization handpicks eight midlevel managers who spend roughly four months crafting and fine-tuning a new performance management system. But when the team presents its final product to the organization, leadership summarily rejects it. Now the entire project must begin again from scratch — more than likely with some bad feelings involved. You can avoid such a devastating result by keeping leadership informed throughout the process. Before starting the project, instruct team representatives to interview each manager and executive regarding his or her expectations. To reinforce a common understanding of project goals, conduct a series of informational meetings led by the performance management team and attended by leaders and staff. Also ask your team to keep management updated throughout the process using meetings and written summaries. Although these initial steps can establish expectations, they don’t ensure success. With time, performance management teams can drift away from management’s expectations. So, conduct a “sanity-check” meeting with leadership midway through the design process. Here the design team can present its current progress and its anticipated direction. In response, administrators can address their concerns regarding the system. The subsequent need for redirection may frustrate design-team members. After all, they’ve put considerable time and effort into the project. But the frustration will prove worthwhile when management eventually embraces the revised system.

3. Keeping everyone in the loop

Some organizations only initially obtain input from leadership and staff. But then months pass without any meaningful additional feedback. And when they finally introduce their new system, employees often respond with apathy or resistance. Then design teams and management face the daunting task of motivating employees or forcing system compliance. To prevent this dire scenario, solicit staffwide feedback regularly throughout the design process. Encourage supervisors and employees to contact design-team members at any time to ask questions and express opinions. After each meeting with management, distribute written summaries to everyone. Design-team members can also provide periodic progress reports — typically during departmental staff meetings. Last, allow the design team enough time to reflect on its ideas as well as the feedback received from leadership and staff. Reviewing organizational input slowly and methodically allows the team to fine-tune its decisions throughout the design phase. As a result, your new performance management system should contain few surprises when you implement it. Patience, always No matter which specific methods you choose to design it, an effective performance management system takes time to develop. So, to give your organization its best shot at success, you must supply more than just time and money. All parties involved must exercise ample patience as well. And here’s the best news of all: You don’t have to go it alone. Improving organizational performance is our specialty — the word is right there in our name! We can work with your internal team to create a system that everyone in your organization understands and will use.

After making back-to-back trips to the Super Bowl the past few years (and winning it once ), the 2-time defending NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks fell just short of an epic comeback against the Carolina Panthers in this year's NFL playoffs.  Without question, Seattle has emerged as one of the elite teams in the NFL over the past 5 years, and their resiliency showed even in this recent playoff loss, where they fell down 31-0 on the road by halftime, only to score 24 unanswered points in the second half. What has made the Seahawks so special? Some people attribute the success to the defense that allowed the fewest points for the fourth straight season. Others credit Quarterback Russell Wilson's highly effective passing game with fierce competitors like Doug Baldwin, Jermaine Kearse and rookie pro bowler Tyler Lockett. But the truth is no one player really stands out more than any other.  You can’t win a football game without every single position—offense and defense. When it comes to teambuilding, what is most critical is getting everyone to think of themselves as a whole.  It’s about creating a culture that thrives on working together, being the best that you can be.  It’s about the WE.  Pete Carroll’s leadership style of competiveness—identifying and maximizing the uniqueness of every player and coach, and thriving on a nurturing environment—allows his players (the Seattle Seahawks) to be themselves.  And, most important, it focuses on accountability to the team. This idea of team building can work on any level, including in your own organization. Build around your leadership Inc.com recently published an article entitled “5 Things Smart Managers Know About Building Teams.”  These are the 5 things that were listed:

1. Play to individual strengths: Is the employee in the right place so he or she can shine?
2. Encourage transparency: Talk through issues and make sure team members understand each other.
3. Establish ground rules: Make sure the team knows your leadership style and know what goals are set.
4. Let them know you have their back: The team needs to know that they have unconditional support.
5. Provide an incentive: Everyone enjoys a reward for achieving a goal. Sometimes the reward is achieving the goal itself and being recognized by one's manager.  Regardless—communicate what it is.

Successful leaders build productive teams when they understand their people, their strengths, and what gets them excited to work with others.  Pete Carroll is a perfect example of this type of leader—just look at his Win Forever Pyramid. A great leader must know how effective they are and be willing to improve. Fit the players together Team leaders must know their employees well and expect great things.  Leaders must understand what motivates employees and how to get them to believe in going beyond their capabilities.  Make sure each person fits into your organization’s culture—not just whether he or she can do the job but if they can do the job well while being a team player. It's important to keep a special eye toward making sure someone is a good 'match' for the team and their role within the team. Formal and informal assessments can help.  They may not be the right “fit” for a certain position but often can excel somewhere else doing a different job.  Remember to give feedback and make sure the team is on the right track.  Ensure each person feels included, appreciated, challenged, and engaged. Lastly, it’s important to reward and celebrate as a team.  Reflect on the triumphs and the tribulations—both of these contribute to team building. Hold regular “practices” Along with excellent leadership guidance, basic team building activities can make a huge difference in your organization.  Pete Carroll started to integrate meditation into the program back in 2011.  The players are not required to be there, but a large group shows up at various times to participate. The entire roster also participates in an optional yoga class.  Everyone enjoyed it so much that it became a mandatory part of workouts.  Carroll’s mantras are positivity of thought, words, and actions.  Swearing and yelling are looked down upon.  The idea is that happy players make for better players. You can carry this same philosophy to your organization by understanding that happy employees make better employees.  Set the tone for higher levels of trust, sincerity, and openness.  Try organizing activities or “team building experiences,” and have a clear objective with these experiences. When teambuilding activities are done correctly, they should have an impact on everyone. Just last year, virtual workspace providers Vorkspace.com posted an article entitled “13 Top Team Building Activities.” These activities are effective, inexpensive, and can be organized without leaving the workplace. Enjoy the game! You and your team members should always be looking for better ways to collaborate, communicate, and have fun. Above all, enjoy the “game” of making every day as successful and productive as possible—put the WE in your organization today!