Today’s economy is robust. That’s the good news. The challenge is that most qualified people are employed, so it’s becoming more difficult for companies to attract new, qualified employees.

Although there needs to be a focus on hiring new employees, there is not enough focus on keeping the talent you already have. In this employee-driven market, the focus on employee retention must improve to keep great employees and attract qualified new ones.

How to Develop and Keep Great Employees

Training Is Critical:

• Include Everyone. Provide learning and growth opportunities for each and every employee, manager and executive.
• Budget Is Not an Excuse. The reality is, you can’t afford not to promote, coach, manage and train current employees. Budget for, rather than cut, the actual dollar amount available per employee for training, education reimbursement or other internal and external learning opportunities.
• Focus on Soft Skills. While technical skills are important, many times communication, managing people, critical thinking, project management and other soft skills are overlooked. These skills have become more important as younger people take on management roles. To get the most out of the advanced training you provide, make sure employees are ready to for promotion and leadership roles to use it.
• Offer Variety. Digital learning, group interactions and one-on-one sessions are equally important. Include opportunities to role-play…this will reinforce and fine-tune new concepts.
• Library of Resources. When a problem arises (and it will), have a library of online resources and books readily available. Also, provide mentors and coaches to help guide practical applications.
• Include “Why.” Employees today want to know why something is important for them to learn. Don’t skip this step.
• Public Workshops. When it’s not reinforced, new training will only impact people for a day or a week. Debrief and focus on three key points they should develop. While new ideas and methods can make a positive difference, if they’re not effectively introduced, they have the potential of turning a team upside down.
• Cross-training. Employees will develop a broader awareness of how their job impacts their company and customers when they have the experience of working in different departments.

Use Qualified Assessments. This is the best way to broaden employees’ perspectives on how to better communicate, work with team members and manage their work so it doesn’t hinder others’ efforts. It also provides a reality check about why some employees excel at certain work activities but others don’t.

Just-in-Time Coaching. We all have blind spots. A coach can help us uncover them. While internal mentors and coaches can be helpful, an experienced coach from outside the company often provides a broader perspective and customized approach to resolve persistent issues.

Be the Right Boss. A bad boss is cited as the No.1 reason employees leave. Today’s bosses need to be effective people managers.  While they tell everyone they like working with people, it would be detrimental to their future career opportunities to admit they don’t like managing them. Create different career ladders that include management and non-management roles, along with a commensurate pay scale.

Flexibility Is Important. Most employees value a flexible work schedule, opportunities to work from home and other work/life balance options. These are often more important than a pay increase or a new job title. Some would actually take a small reduction in pay if they could work fewer hours and be able to travel, participate in humanitarian work or spend time on their side gig or with family.

Appreciation. Take time daily to acknowledge and thank employees for their work efforts. It shows you value their contribution, and it goes a long way toward employee retention.

Focus on developing and keeping great employees. It will improve the company’s culture, increase employee retention and attract new, qualified talent.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2018

Need a speaker or facilitator to successfully address company issues? What conflicts have you been ignoring that need to be resolved for a successful 2018? Contact Jeannette Seibly. She will provide confidential, laser-focused coaching that works! 

Jeannette Seibly has been called a catalyst. She is celebrating 25 years as a business coach, advisor and consultant who guides her clients to achieve unprecedented results. Are you ready to focus on employee retention? Are you willing to make simple and effective changes? Check out her website , or contact Jeannette for a free confidential conversation.

Many of us create goals to either check off a box for our bosses or to make a positive difference for ourselves and others. Yet regardless of why we have created the goal, it requires:

• -Commitment
• -A vision BIG enough to get everyone on board
• -Focused action to create and sustain momentum

Momentum is not like gravity, always there regardless of what we do, say or think about it. While momentum is readily available, it requires commitment to achieve BIG goals and taking focused actions steps over time. It’s not about waiting for the right moment, right team or right amount of money.

The reason momentum can be hard to create is that many people are risk averse. Yes, they want to achieve their goals financially, personally and professionally. But they are fearful of stepping outside their proverbial comfort zone. After their goals have been created, many times their initial excitement and momentum wanes, and so do they. Get into focused action early. Do not wait.

Create Momentum Now

(Note: This article assumes that you have created true goals that are BIG, with a focused action plan and the right team committed to getting outside their comfort zones. If not, I would recommend hiring an experienced facilitator to get you on the right path now, before the struggle irrevocably hinders fulfillment of the goal.)

Assemble the Right Team. Assembling the right team is critical to achieving a BIG goal. It requires going beyond what people agree to do now. Ask if they have the interest and long-term willingness to support the project to the end. This is often a question people will say yes to but fail to fulfill. Use a qualified assessment to take the mystery out of whether or not they can and will contribute to the BIG goal.

Manage and Coach for Solutions. A common mistake leaders make is micromanaging individual efforts when team members become stuck. Instead, encourage them to talk out issues with other team members to resolve the problem, not create a conspiracy as to why the project won’t work.

Take Focused Actions. The No. 1 saboteur in any project is when busyness is used as an excuse for giving up. Here’s a secret: Taking the right focused action steps will create new skills and confidence … not the feeling of more work! When obstacles occur (and they will), true brainstorming, resourcefulness and initiative are required. Then, immediately take focused action steps. (This is not the time to change the BIG goal!)

Delegate to the Best Person. Stop attempting to do everything yourself. Trust your team members. Delegate a task or portion of the project to the right person (e.g., give the financial analysis portion of the project to the person who has the skills and interests to get it done). Utilize qualified assessments to understand each person’s best role on the team.

Stay in Communication. Stay in weekly communication. Face-to-face conversations and electronic updates keep the momentum moving forward. It’s harder to hide out on a team call when you’re specifically asked for updates. When problems or excuses arise, have a couple of team members or a vetted, qualified outside resource work together to resolve it (it’s best not to use the whole team – it slows the momentum).

Get Objective Outside Feedback. Talk about the components of the action plan with a small, select group of mentors and your business coach. (Don’t forget to use a nondisclosure agreement [NDA] for people outside the company.)  Listen respectfully to alternatives or points missed. Remember, you asked for their input, and often, seasoned experts offer the greatest insights.

Manage Self-Talk. Your internal mental chatter and word choices when talking about others make a significant impact on fulfilling the BIG goal. Remember, each and every person’s contribution is important. To keep everyone aware of what they have provided and what others have accomplished, use “It’s Time to Brag! Business Edition” to create and share Brag! statements.

You will fulfill the BIG goal if you take the right focused action steps to create and sustain momentum.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2018

What conflicts are you blind to that need to be resolved for a successful 2018? Hire Jeannette Seibly as a speaker or facilitator to successfully address company issues. She will provide confidential, laser-focused coaching that gets results! 

Jeannette Seibly has been called a catalyst. She is celebrating 25 years as a business coach, advisor and consultant who guides her clients to achieve unprecedented results. Are you ready to challenge your status quo? Are you willing to make simple and effective changes? Check out her website , or contact Jeannette for a free confidential conversation.

I’ve seen, too often, employees in group meetings speak up and lose their jobs, credibility and opportunities for pay increases. And, there are times I’ve heard people speak up and save the company money, time and top talent.

What gets in the way?

When we hear a perception that’s different from our own, our egos can get in the way of listening and conflicts can escalate. Communicating persuasively, listening and building solutions are thrown out the window when we feel attacked, ignored or overruled. When you don’t own your point of view while respecting others’, you will miss the opportunity to share and build win-win-win solutions.

Today’s bosses are encouraging employees to speak up. They are breaking through long-standing barriers and fears for both women and men. However, the challenge still remains: many of us encourage coworkers, bosses and leaders to speak up—until they challenge the status quo. Then, often, our fears kick in and we silence what is being said. We become resigned about making any changes.  Yet, we applaud those that have the courage to speak up and wish we could be more like them.

How to Own Your Point of View

Owning your point of view makes it easier for others to listen and hear you! Otherwise, telling others that your point of view is “the truth” will shut down your contribution to the conversation, project and team—potentially sidelining your career success.

Take Responsibility. Never forget that the thoughts, opinions and feelings you are sharing are yours. When you are pointing out a violation of company policy, safety or ethics, take responsibility for sharing the policy, sticking to the facts about the violation, and talking directly with the people who can make the difference.

Expand Your Perspective. We are all limited by our perceptions and life experiences. Don’t become emotionally attached to them. Instead, be willing to expand your awareness by listening to and honoring differences. Participate in a training program, read social media stories about others’ challenges and successes, and hire a coach to help expand your thinking. For bosses, I have found that qualified assessments successfully expand points of view about how to hire, coach, manage and train their teams.

Be Kind. Life does not discriminate against anyone. However, our biases or “truths” often do, and we negatively judge and assess others. Instead, speak well of everyone. Share and build on ideas, and don’t engage in gossip.

Share Appropriately. Indiscriminately sharing your feelings about how awful your job, boss or company is will sabotage your career. Instead, speak up privately and directly to the person or people who can make a difference. Then, take focused action. For example, complaining about a system issue that has always been that way will not change anything. Instead, talk with your boss, propose solutions and offer to lead the project to make the changes. Then, do it. This will actually boost your career success.

Do Your Homework. Frequently, people take the tiniest fragments of information (often found on the Internet or as company gossip) and talk about it as if they know it’s the truth. Our conclusions are rarely true. It’s like reading the back cover of a book and falsely believing you understand the plots and twists in the story. Get the facts! Then, share them. Be open to learning from others’ experiences beyond what you read on the Internet or hear during coffee breaks.

Speak up! Learn how to own and share your point of view appropriately … it’s good for your career growth and success.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2018

Need a speaker or facilitator to successfully address company issues? What conflicts have you been ignoring that need to be resolved for a successful 2018? Contact Jeannette Seibly. She will provide confidential, laser-focused coaching that works! 

Jeannette Seibly has been called a catalyst. She is celebrating 25 years as a business coach, advisor and consultant who guides her clients to achieve unprecedented results. Are you ready to challenge your status quo? Are you willing to make simple and effective changes? Check out her website , or contact Jeannette for a free confidential conversation.