Feeling Underappreciated at Work? Demand Some Recognition!

If you're feeling underappreciated at work, you're not alone. Nearly 45 percent of global employees feel that their managers do not recognize them nor encourage them to use their talents, according to a worldwide employee engagement study conducted by BlessingWhite, Inc.

What's more, 40 percent of employees surveyed indicated they might leave their company or they are currently planning their escape. Yet it's common knowledge that an occasional pat on the back makes most people happier in their jobs, and more inclined to work harder and stay longer.

Workers are obviously feeling the competitive pressure of today's fast-paced, demanding global marketplace. Long work days and extra effort are becoming the norm. Smart employers who realize the need to recognize this extra effort are better positioned to hire and keep happy, productive workers, says Eric Mosley, chief executive officer of Globoforce, a provider of global, strategic employee recognition programs.

"People have a basic human need to feel appreciated, and employee recognition programs help meet that need," Mosley says. Recognition should not only come from managers to employees, but also be distributed among peers so that everyone within the company feels that they are contributing to the greater whole.

"Bestowing recognition is not just a nice thing to do, it represents a critical element in fostering an appreciation culture amongst employees and employers," Mosley says.

Keep in mind that recognition is only effective if it's based on relationships. If a stranger on the street gives you something, it may not necessarily mean very much. If, however, recognition is based on the fact that somebody knows you intimately (like your manager), recognizes the effort you have invested and takes the time to articulate their appreciation, it improves the value and impact of the recognition moment.

Whether you are currently working for a company or looking for a prospective employer, it is important to pay attention to how that company shows its employees that their hard work is appreciated. Ask your current or potential employer if they have an employee recognition program. If they do, then the company cares about the efforts of their workforce by acknowledging and ensuring that their employees are getting just as much out of the relationship as the employer.

Today's workplace is different, diverse and constantly changing. The typical employee/employer relationship of old has been turned upside down. The combination of almost limitless job opportunities and less recognition for employee loyalty has created an environment where the business needs its employees more than the employees need the business. A strategic, well-implemented employee recognition program can bolster loyalty and create an ongoing healthy employee/employer relationship.

Simply put: Demand recognition from your employer! Even small tokens of appreciation, like a thank-you note, can go a long way.

"You don't have to work for the highest paying employer. What matters the most is that the company provides a positive and attractive work environment," says Mosley. "One of the most important factors in measuring how employees 'feel' about the company they work for is how that company rewards and recognizes its most important asset -- its employees."

Courtesy of ARAContent

Published in Networking Today October 2007

Dangerous Conversations Coaching for Exceptional Performance

By Gregg Thompson with Susanne Biro

How often do you engage in the kind of conversation that stimulates others to change their performance? First, reflect on the following: How many conversations do you have during an average day? 30, 50, 100? How many of these simply function as social lubricants, helping you slide through the day without having to address the real and important issues you face? How many of these conversations really matter?

Now, reflect on the significant conversations you had over the last week. Consider the following:

• At the end of the conversation did you feel complete?
• Did you say everything that needed to be said?
• Did you feel good about the interaction?

If so, notice why. If not, consider what was missing. Notice if there was something else you wish you had said or done. Did you feel that you held back in the conversation? Did you find yourself later having the conversation you wish you had had with another co-worker, friend, or perhaps your spouse? Maybe you just have the conversation with yourself. If so, you are not alone. These are very typical reactions when we avoid the important conversation.

Leaders at all organizational levels are being asked to be more coach-like with their team members, colleagues, and even their customers. Unfortunately, many who lead organizations find themselves ill-equipped to provide such coaching. It’s not that we lack the requisite interpersonal and leadership competencies, but that coaching requires more. Coaching challenges us to engage in a different kind of conversation; one that confronts real topics of performance discrepancies, aspirations, values, disappointments, and passions – topics that are often uncertain, uncomfortable, and emotionally charged. We call these Dangerous Conversations. Not dangerous because someone will be hurt (quite the contrary), but dangerous because they always explore new, uncharted territory with all the accompanying risks that range from defensiveness to vulnerability, from anger to euphoria. Coaching requires us to engage in the Dangerous Conversation. It is dangerous because it confronts questions that need to be asked: ·

• Are you doing your very best work right now? ·
• How are you getting in your own way? ·
• What would happen if you really took your foot off the brake?

It is dangerous because it raises issues that are uncomfortable for even the most experienced managers: “You are better than this,” “this sounds like an old, tired story,” and “I think you are afraid to try.”

Walk Away Empty
When we engage in a dangerous conversation we walk away empty; everything that needed to be said was said directly and honestly to the person who needed to hear it. We know immediately when we have done this because we feel a release. The burden we carried is transformed into a wonderful gift for another. Even if the message is difficult for the other person to hear, if it is delivered with the other person interests at heart, we can take comfort in knowing our work is done. We did not hold back in our communication; we respected the other person enough to tell him the truth. We cared enough about his success to take the risk and to be uncomfortable for his benefit.

We also know immediately when we haven’t given everything to a conversation. We held back, not wanting to hurt, challenge, or affirm the other person, arrogantly believing that our words would be too much for him to handle. We lacked the courage to share our unvarnished perspective. As a result, we leave the interaction feeling unsettled, still filled with our real concerns and all the thoughts we censored, left to ruminate on them indefinitely. Sometimes we seek out a third party with whom to finally speak our truth; the conversation that we didn’t have the courage to share more directly. Communication experts call this process “triangulation,” but to most of us, it is simply gossip.

Are you a Leader Coach? Are you known to be able to have the Dangerous Conversation? Would others call you a coach? Try This
Think of someone you have complained about recently. Also, think about someone whom you believe is very talented but underachieving. Then ask yourself, “What is the dangerous conversation I need to have with these people?” Make a promise to have those conversations today. After the conversation, notice how you feel. Do you feel empty? Did you say everything you needed to say to the person at that time? If you felt you held back, notice what you held back and why. Develop the habit of having Dangerous Conversations every day. Gregg Thompson is the President of Bluepoint Leadership Development. He can be reached at greggthompson@bluepointleadership.com or 513.289.0141. Susanne Biro is the Director of Leadership Coaching at Bluepoint Leadership Development. She can be reached at susannebiro@bluepointleadership.com or 604.983.2923. You can order a copy of Unleashed! at www.unleashedthecoachingbook.com.

Published in Networking Today, October 2007

Build Positive Attitudes That Guarantee Success

By Barbara Bartlein

If you are a supervisor or manager, you know the drain of negative, energy sucking employees. They not only cannibalize your time but they feed off their co-workers until everyone feels depleted. Energy suckers are also contagious; snaring unsuspecting colleagues into their web of negativity, blaming, and poor performance.

Companies, like 3M, recognize that you can’t afford to have negative, non-performing employees on the payroll. When 3M management laid off the bottom 10% (the poorest performers) at one facility—their productivity skyrocketed 18%. When they laid off another 10% (the next poorest performers) —productivity went up another 5%. It was clear that negative employees not only are less productive, they cost more to have around.

Negative employees often are “retired on the job.” That is, they are spending time waiting for retirement, vacation, or a personal day. They do just enough to get by and stay off the radar screen. They are grueling to supervise as their performance and attitude are slippery and difficult to quantify and explain. Yet, their negative force in the organization is felt by the team and the bottom line.

If positive energy is so important, then why does negativity cost companies 300 billion dollars a years according to Gallup Organization? Because positive energy doesn’t just happen by osmosis or at a once a year motivational conference. Successful companies know that positive cultures are created like anything else. They develop processes, systems, and habits that are ingrained in the corporate culture and each individual employee.

Here are seven characteristics of a positive employee that you should look for in your team and yourself:

• Positive employees do more than what is expected. They are always looking for the next challenge and initiate changes. They find out what is expected and then do their best to exceed those expectations. Positive employees are never satisfied with the bare minimum, they show pride in doing their best.

• Positive employees enjoy their work. Yes, a job is still a job and there is always something to complain about if you look for it. But positive employees decide that they will like their jobs and approach each day with anticipation. They focus on the pluses of their situation not the negatives. They are grateful to have a position that works for their life and pays the bills.

• Positive employees practice thought stopping. A technique for replacing negative thoughts with positive ones, thought stopping is a conscious decision to change thinking habits. Like a highway, negative thoughts have well established neurological pathways through your brain. The more traffic the pathway gets, the larger it becomes until it is automatic. Create a new pathway by replacing a negative thought immediately with a positive one. Say it out loud or write it down. After two or three weeks of practice, the new positive thoughts will become second nature.

• Positive employees know that hard work brings its own rewards. Of course hard work is good for the company and good for the customer. But the best employees work hard because it is also good for them. They know that it brings its own rewards and feeds competence and self-esteem. Positive employees know that it is possible to “dry rot” when their talents, creativity, and energy are not used for positive results.
  

• Positive employees see the upside to every situation. Anyone can find the negatives in a situation but winners stay motivated by seeing the positives. They let go of minor annoyances and look at how they can make things better. They know that challenges offer learning opportunities. They use humor to help keep a perspective and balance their lives.

• Positive employees stay away from the energy suckers. They know that energy suckers are contagious and they don’t want to get infected. Positive employees avoid the negative grapevine and don’t participate by listening. While the negative employee may view them as “pollyannish,” the positive employee knows that life is a lot more fun without the negativity.

• Positive employees require positive leaders. To build a positive company it is essential to not only have positive leaders but a leadership team who believes in nurturing and developing a culture of positive energy. Energy flows in all directions but can be buried if there is not attention from the top. There must be a commitment and plan to nurture the culture and the employees.

Remember if you growl all day, you will feel dog-tired all night.

Barbara Bartlein is The People Pro and President of Great Lakes Consulting Group. She offers keynotes, seminars and consulting to help you build your business and balance your life. She can be reached at 888-747-9953, by e-mail at: barb@barbbartlein.com or visit her Web site at www.ThePeoplePro.com

Published Networking Today, October 2007

Before Posting Sign on the Lawn

By Catherine E. Brown

One of the most common objections to staging is sellers mistakenly thinking that buyers will put their “stamp of individuality” on the house, so there’s no need to update, decorate, or repair before selling. Other sellers misguidedly believe the house has “been good enough for us all these years” and there’s no point to change it – after all, it should be good enough for the new homeowners, too.

The goal of home staging is to neutralize the property, making it appeal to many buyers so they can envision themselves living there, thereby encouraging them to make an offer.

Sellers who have lived in their home for a long time get used to a missing piece of baseboard, a drywall repair that was never finished, or other incomplete “do-it-yourself” projects – all red flags that tell prospects the sellers have lost interest in their home. And buyers will also wonder what else has been neglected.

You can make a clear choice early on. Spend money on advertising fees for a home not ready to sell – or hire a staging professional to sell your home quicker and for more money. And don’t forget to consider the money sellers will spend on additional taxes, utilities, and mortgage payments waiting for the sale.

Some Realtors eager to sign the deal want to avoid uncomfortable conversations with their clients about odours, clutter, or dated decorating decisions; so the property may go on the market before it’s ready. However, an unsold property that becomes stale piques the interest of would-be buyers for all the wrong reasons – they’re wondering what’s wrong with it and open houses may draw neighbours who are curious to see why it hasn’t sold.

The Realtor who partners with a staging professional not only stands out from the competition as offering a value-added service to their clients, they experience better offers, faster sales, and more repeat and referral business.

Catherine E. Brown is an Accredited Staging Professional and owner of Staged to Move. Catherine is committed to helping clients sell their home for the best price in the least amount of time. She can be contacted at (519) 868-7171 or by email at catherine@stagedtomove.ca. Visit her Web site at www.stagedtomove.ca.

Published in Networking Today, October 2007

Need a Raise? Tips for Asking the Boss

It’s that time. You’ve worked hard, proven yourself and in your mind, you deserve a pay increase. So what now?

“Ask anyone and they’ll tell you they are worth more than what they earn,” says Dr. Andy Ghillyer, vice president of Academic Affairs for Argosy University’s Tampa Campus. “Asking for a raise should be a four step process. Approach it by defining what you want to ask for and then measuring where you are at compared to the industry and/or your profession. The next step is to review your past salary increases to set a realistic expectation. Finally, implement your plan and make plans to follow-up.”

“The first thing that employees need to do is set an appointment with their supervisor to meet somewhere without interruptions,” says Marc Scoleri, director of Career Services at The Art Institute of New York City. Scoleri notes that often times, employees get so worked up about actually asking for a raise that they delay actually setting the meeting. “Get on the calendar early and be prepared for a potential cancellation or move in date/time,” says Scoleri.

Before going in for the “big meeting,” research the industry average of your salary for your position in your location. There are several resources to do this on the Internet such as www.salary.com. For example, the cost of living in New York City will be higher than in Tampa, Fla. The average salary for the same position should be higher in NYC. “Bringing the average salary information from your research to negotiate can be a helpful visual if you are making below the average amount identified by the research, so it is important to research before negotiating,” says Scoleri.

“Explain that you are very happy with your current role and briefly mention your achievements and ask if he/she is open to considering an increase in your compensation,” says Scoleri. If the answer is yes, provide your research. It is always ideal to have a list of accomplishments you recently achieved over and above your normal job duties.

One example includes implementing a new initiative that has a measurable impact for improving customer service, safety, net income or efficiency. Come in prepared to demonstrate that your contribution has gone above and beyond what was written on the job description back when you started. Let your boss know you do not expect an answer today, which will help because most likely he/she will not be able to immediately give you that additional 5 percent or bonus on the spot.

Always shoot a little higher than needed and be willing to take other compensation such as vacation days, incentives or one-time bonus for superior performance. Scoleri says, “If your supervisor says no, ask what it would take for future consideration, listen and take appropriate actions to prove you are an asset.”

“One question that many people have is when is a good time to ask for a raise,” says Dr. Ghillyer. “Know your company’s budget cycle. Don’t ask in the middle of the budget year. Chances are slim. You have to time your move.”

Another good time to ask is when you have an offer letter from another employer to use as leverage, but don’t use the ‘other offer’ card unless you are given no other option -- you may win this round, but you don’t want your boss holding a grudge for being ‘blackmailed’ into the raise. Negotiate before you are hired into a new position for additional vacation days or lump sum bonuses if the company states they have a maximum percentage for raises.

The last thing to remember is that there is no need to be nervous. Go in confident, but don’t go in too overconfident that you set your self up for a let down. Make your case and prove your worth by demonstrating your accomplishments and explaining why the company should reach a little deeper into their pockets for your performance. We all need a raise. Good luck.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Published in Networking Today, October 2007