Hiring & Empowering Solutions

by

The Top 3 Bad Attitude Mistakes Not to Make if You Want Your Team Members to Work As Hard As You Do…

bad attitude hurting businessBosses, your attitude could be harming your business.

We know, who do we think we are? This statement is harsh. Remember, we’re “bosses” too…we don’t like hearing it any more than you do.

But, as business consultants and staffing experts, our commitment is to create impact, income, freedom and—dare we say—joy and ease for your business. Even when it means being a mirror and reflecting back to you some things you are doing to self-destruct your business. And creating those things all starts with your attitude.

Last week we were facilitating a 60-Day Employee Evaluation Onboarding call for a new attorney hire. The attorney owner was exhausted, frustrated, stressed, and overwhelmed with a large caseload, training a new employee, finding out another associate attorney on her team didn’t pass the bar, and well…just “business owner stuff” in general. The attorney dialed in to the call hot and heavy. All we had to do was ask, “How’s it going?” She didn’t skip a beat. “I feel like I am fighting alligators all day long and nobody in my office knows how to do their job.” Did we mention that the new associate and law firm manager were present? Mic drop. And then she said, “And you didn’t do your job either, sending me this attorney who doesn’t have the skillset or knowledge to do the job.” Again, did we mentioned the brand new hire attorney was sitting in the room? And it took us four months to find this superstar. If she walks out, the owner attorney is really going to know the truest definition of stress.

My response, “Excuse me?”

Attorney response, “Did I stutter?”

Now that she “felt better” because she blew off steam and was able to verbally vomit all of her stress and frustration, she was ready to talk about what was working.

Listen up: unless you’re trying to cause a mass exodus, don’t ever, EVER treat your employees like this. Bosses, your attitude is harming your business! Tony Robbins says, “An attitude of gratitude is where money and opportunity flows.” When your feeling like you need to explode (and trust us, we get it!) find a coach, a therapist, a spouse, a close friend…SOMEONE to unleash your stresses to prior to walking into your office when your hair is on fire. Don’t even walk into the office when you’re feeling this way—go find neutral ground and get it out of your system. Especially when there are new hires in the building, you’re still trying to enroll them in why your place of business was the best investment in their future they have made.

We know this isn’t how 90% of the attorneys we work closely with operate. But you may have an associate with this mentality— share your expectations and standards with them. Too often we get calls: the attorney owner is amazing but they are locked in a conference room all day; the managing associate(s) who we spend all day with are another story…

Here are the top 3 bad attitude mistakes NOT to make if you want your team members to work as hard as you do day in and day out:

1. Constantly telling everyone how many hours you worked, what time you got up, how you didn’t sleep, didn’t get to pee yesterday, what you have to do before lunch, and how you are never going to make it home tonight. We cannot tell you how many entrepreneurs do this. Obsessively. This is the most disempowering and de-enrolling, backfiring strategy we have witnessed. This is how your team interprets these complaints: keep busy and don’t offer to take anything additional on because we don’t want to end up negative, stressed, and burnt out like our boss.

2. Don’t verbally abuse your team. EVER. It only takes one bad day to break the trust you’ve built with your team members…and it’s next to impossible to regain it. Your employees don’t care who you are. They don’t care what title you hold. They don’t care how long (or short) you’ve been doing what you’ve been doing. They don’t care how respected you are in your industry. Employees simply won’t tolerate being verbally abused by a frustrated, exhausted boss. This is not the 1990s patriarchal tyrant manager era any more. Employees will not hesitate to give up every perk under the sun for respect and appreciation.

3. Don’t ignore your employees. Throughout the recruiting and hiring processes, when we ask potential new hires why they are looking to leave their companies, the one thing we hear over and over again is this: “we only hear from the boss when things are bad. I love the mission of the company, my co-workers, our clients, and everything we stand for. If only we could hear about what we are doing right, receive consistent feedback, support, and coaching on how to improve and grow. I can’t describe it, there is an energy in the office that feels like we are rearranging chairs on the deck of the Titanic all day.”

If you’re not showing up as a nice person, people won’t work for you. Sorry, but it’s the truth. If you’re ship is sinking, maybe it’s time to admit that your attitude might be to blame.

schedule a discovery session

by

Employee Engagement & Empowerment: What’s In It For You?

employee empowerment & engagementEmployee empowerment is one of those big business buzz words that sounds to be in favor of the employee, but not necessarily the employer. However, when properly engaged and empowered, employees can relieve executives of some of the weight on their shoulders. By stepping up and becoming leaders, your entire organization stands to benefit: good decisions can be made faster, resulting in more satisfied customer, which, in turn, brings in more referral business. Not only that, but employees will be happier and more loyal, which improves the whole dynamic of your corporate culture.

Employee empowerment is totally a win-win.

But what does it look like? Engaged and empowered employees want flexibility and a positive work environment. They want to be part of a team with open and transparent communication, all working towards a set of common business goals. To foster employee empowerment and engagement at your organization, think about these factors:

1. Corporate culture & mission. Peel back the layers of your corporate culture and make sure there is a compelling mission driving the purpose of your business. Not only will you be able to tailor your hiring to those who your mission resonates with, but you’ll also ensure all members of your team are on the same page, working towards the same overarching goals.

2. Clear communication about…everything. Make sure each employee knows what is expected of them, and what they have the freedom to do. If you have a message that needs to be heard, some experts recommend that you communicate it seven times to get the point across! Be transparent and give employees the information they need to step up and lead. You also need to make sure that communication is a two way street—employees should feel comfortable speaking openly and honestly with you, too.

3. Encourage decision-making. When employees know they have the ability to call the shots, they have the chance to truly step up and lead. Not all of them will, but the ones who do will make a real difference at your company.

4. Create cross-functional teams. The days of business silos are gone, and a new, cross-functional teamwork platform has emerged triumphant! Build teams that leverage the expertise of your entire corporate family, encourage members to take leadership roles within their teams, and reap the benefits of improved communication and the ability to find better solutions to business challenges—faster and more resourcefully.

5. Keep the customer in mind. Don’t forget the bottom line. Make sure employee engagement and empowerment initiatives are connected back to customer satisfaction and, ultimately, profitability and success. As you begin to implement these empowering changes at your organization, make sure you can track them back to a measurable return.

At Hiring & Empowering Solutions, were huge advocates for employee engagement and empowerment. Our management consultants have even written a book on the topic—and you can download a copy for free, just by signing up for our email list.

Download Your Free e-Book

Download your FREE copy of, “Intrapreneurs in an Entrepreneur’s World – How to Empower Your Employees to Step Up and Lead!” Now is the time to create a future of possibilities, opportunities and empowerment to keep the learning and growing evolving.

Just complete the brief form below and we’ll email you a copy of our book!

 

It’s a new world out there, and the workforce is demanding more flexibility, more communication, and a more positive work environment. It’s harder than ever to foster loyalty amongst your employees, but by engaging and empowering them, your chances are much better.

Contact Hiring & Empowering Solutions

If you’d like to learn more about Hiring & Empowering Solutions and the tools we offer to help improve employee empowerment and development at organizations across the country, contact us using the brief form below.

by Leave a Comment

What if my luck has run out?

ID-100318255Whenever our life is approaching a big change, we tend to think, “Wait a minute! What if my luck has run out?”  Sometimes it’s a new idea we are attempting to pull off – one of those “if this doesn’t work my backside is hanging out there” ideas.  Sometimes it’s a tough change we’ve had to make – one of those start-over, sharp left turn in life type of changes.  And the question running around in our heads, keeping us awake at 2 a.m., is often, “What if my luck has run out?  What if I’ve pulled it off or started over one too many times?”

Well, what if it isn’t luck, but it’s learning? And you never run out of learning.

You pulled off the last idea because you were able to make a good decision, plan it out (even if it seemed chaotic at the time), and marshal your resources to make it happen.  That’s likely part of what makes you who you are.  And it’s what makes you uniquely qualified to pull it off again!  In fact, this time you are even more prepared than the last time because you have more learning.

Even if the last time failed, there is HUGE learning in that – probably even more than if you succeeded.

What if it’s a start-over decision AGAIN?  What if you are letting that team member go and started the search for a new one again?  What if you are pulling a business idea out of the marketplace and starting from scratch AGAIN?   I suggest (and always tell myself) that it isn’t luck.  You are able to start over, rebuild, regroup and succeed because you HAVE done it before.  Having done it before doesn’t deplete your ability to do it again.  In fact, it increases it because you have more experience and know how to draw on it.

So instead of treating our past as events that drew from a finite amount of success in your life, let’s multiply the past by drawing on it and using it as fuel for your now.  I like to pull from a powerful exercise I did at a Strategic Coach workshop.  It began by having you look 10 years into your past and write down your income, your job and other factors about your life.  Then identify what you’ve learned, accomplished and gained as a resource since then.  (Here’s a hint – the most valuable ones usually aren’t money.)

Can you rebuild your business brand?  Heck yeah!  You grew a business from scratch when you probably barely knew what you were doing!  Of course you can take all that knowledge and all those connections and rebuild.  You know so much more now than you did then!  Mostly, you know what you want in your business brand – what authentically represents you.

Can you let go ANOTHER employee and start looking again for the right one?  Yep!  Is it a hassle, possibly!  But you know much better questions to ask and what you are looking for now.

Don’t let your past successes or failures make you think your luck has run out – draw on them for learning and you’ll find infinite resources and possibility.

by Laney Lyons-Richardson

Image courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net