Tips to Maximize Your Productivity

Productivity is getting the desired results by focusing on your high payoff activities
and spending little or no time on your low payoff activities. It is not rocket
science…just a commitment to excellence.

Here are some tips to help you maximize your productivity:

- Keep track and analyze your daily productivity so that you can improve right out of the gate.

- Stop wasting the first hour of your workday. Having the chat and first cup of
coffee, reading the paper, and socializing are the three costliest opening exercises
that lower productivity.

- Do one thing well at a time. It takes more time to start and stop work on each
activity. Stay with the task until it is completed.

Resolution - Increase Employee Productivity - The Largest Risk in Your Business

In a recent Taleo Research Study, they reported that the largest risk to their company’s bottom line and brand is low employee engagement and productivity. Most companies are asking people to do more with less because companies can no longer afford to have suboptimal performance from any employee.

No one argues the fact that there is a direct correlation between engagement and productivity. The real question is, how do we sustain high levels of productivity on the job while keeping people engaged?

The first step, in an ongoing sustainability process, is to teach the employee to become goal-oriented. All of our Leadership and Management Development Courses are goal-oriented and we teach people how to get results. Performance and productivity enhancement is defined as our desired outcome.

The second step is to align the business goals to talent goals. Executive level management must provide the vision and articulate the strategy. Mid level management must provide a work environment that allows the strategy to be driven while presenting a responsibility, accountability and self-empowerment culture to support this highly engaged workforce.

Our Making of an Effective Manager helps mid-level management get executives and employees on the same boat while keeping it on the straight and narrow path to success. Middle Management is what makes things happen. If they are not trained, they will not understand the value of setting goals, and nor will they know how to get employees to realize they are part of that goal.

It is documented that 85% find linking talent management to corporate goals challenging. The reason for the high percentage is that most people are not goal-oriented and until they learn the competency that will help them get the desired results, they will struggle.

The value from engagement and alignment can pay big dividends for your company’s future. As an owner and/or HR professional, it is your job to drive the process and select the right tools to achieve the desired results.

Call Innovative Leadership now to help you define your plan of action for engagement and alignment at 609.390.2830. Or click here to learn more about The Making of an Effective Manager.

4 of 33 Tips for Productivity on the Job

1. Nuke it! The most efficient way to get through a task is to delete it. If it doesn’t need to be done, get it off your to do list.
2. Daily goals. Without a clear focus, it’s too easy to succumb to distractions. Set targets for each day in advance. Decide what you’ll do; then do it.
3. Worst first. To defeat procrastination learn to tackle your most unpleasant task first thing in the morning instead of delaying it until later in the day. This small victory will set the tone for a very productive day.
4. Peak times. Identify your peak cycles of productivity, and schedule your most important tasks for those times. Work on minor tasks during your non-peak times.
   
   
   

Give Foolproof Instructions

When staffers follow instructions correctly the first time, their productivity soars and your frustration level drops! Follow these steps to help employees get it right every time:

• Verify Verbal Instructions. When you assign a task, ask the staffer to write it down and watch as the person takes notes. If you speak with someone by phone, ask the person to read back the instructions. That guarantees the person understood what you want done.
• Create Deadlines. Thasks without deadlines never get done. When you assign a task, state the specific date and time you need it by. That creates a sense of urgency.
• Allow for a margin of error. Things don'e always go as planned, so build in a little lead time. If your boss needs the report by Friday, tell your staff that you'll need the work Wednesday afternoon.

- Adapted from "Put It in Writing," Jeffery J. Mayer, http://www.succeedinginbusiness.com/

Does something else work for you?
Please - Comment and share!

It's Time to Pay Attention to Personnel

We should never lose sight of the fact that people make a company what it is today and what it will be tomorrow. Also, we should not forget our people in the development and organizational sense as well as the retention situation. Have we taken our people for granted? Like other industries, the employee in the Home Healthcare market does not always feel as passionate as the owner about the mission of the organization, and they may be confused about how they fit in to the organization’s changing future. Many employees are becoming discouraged when they hear or read about the industry’s problems.

In all types of industries, the training and development of the employee is usually ranked first or second by most surveys listing the Top Five Methods to increase employee retention. 73% of all companies provide Leadership Development Programs, with Team Building, and Empowerment Programs. However, in the Home Healthcare Industry, many of the key executives, managers, and supervisors in a Home Health Care company are licensed professionals with extensive clinical backgrounds, but they possess very little in the way of formal management training. Is it like this for your company?

Home Heathlcare example of business: Take orders for products. Process the order after it has met all the qualifications. Deliver product in a timely manner with minimal expense and upon receipt of acknowledgment of delivery, bill the appropriate payer and await the payment that normally takes approximately 85 days or more. Phew!

How many people in your company get involved in any of those above processes? Now is the time to develop both your people and organization simultaneously to improve productivity and profitability through training and education. Leadership starts at the top. The application of this type of training, both philosophical and practical, must be instilled in all managers and supervisors by the executive team. Many companies suffering from the normal industry problems can provide resolutions to such by looking at organizational and personnel development that can lead to enhanced performance with improved productivity. There is no better time than now for the small to medium sized business owner is to start acting like a real leader and develop your people to make your company stronger to handle this highly competitive environment.

Leadership Management Programs are available in presentation, seminar, or spaced- repetition formats. A spaced - repetition program is convenient for most management in the fact that the time required for presentation will allow the manager to miss the least amount of time from the office. It also will provide multi-sensory impact, compliment the classroom activities with audio reinforcement, and allow the participant to complete assignments at home or at work. More importantly, it has been demonstrated that participants completing such programs implement more course techniques into their daily work activities and change many of their current behavioral processes. Almost any program, product, or process can be customized to meet the needs of your company. Every member on your management team should participate in a Leadership Management Program custom designed to compliment your mission, vision, and values. Quality management starts at the top and the best way to demonstrate such is to “lead by example”.

For more information on our management training visit www.ILDV.org or call 609-390-2830.

Leadership Modeling in the Ethics Dept.

It is important that managers are role models for the employee when it comes to ethics.

Why? It is important because ethics in the workplace can affect an employee’s productivity.

It has now been statistically collaborated that business ethics can improve productivity. In an article published in the July 7^th issue of HR Magazine, Volume 52, titled, “Corporate Ethics Affects Employee Productivity, a survey of almost 2000 employees, showed that 73 percent of all employees have witnessed unethical behavior while on the job. It was also reported that thirty six percent of the respondents reported unethical behavior negatively affected their job performance. Forty three percent of those surveyed reported that they would personally get involved with resolving the situation while forty eight percent stated that they would get their management team involved with providing a solution to the problem.

Leadership and Management Development courses that focus on performance enhancement and improved productivity are incorporating business ethics modules or content into their curriculum. The role of a leader has always been centered on integrity, honesty, hard work, and fairness. It is important to the employee that their manager exhibits ethical behaviors in the workplace. So important, in fact, that those employees need ethical leaders to be productive. Leadership means influence and when managers understand that their behavior and the behavior of others can have a major impact on performance, productivity will continue to climb.

Employee involvement, motivation, and their commitment to the mission, vision, and purpose in any company centers is enhanced by their leaders’ ethical behavior.

So now, I'd like you to share: As a leader in your company, what are you doing to be a role model for your workers?

Richard Hohmann
Senior Business Development Strategist
Innovative Leadership
609.390.2830

Developing a Performance Management Culture

What are the most important factors in regard to the development of a Performance Management culture?

We have been working with companies for over five years focusing on the performance and productivity of their management team and staff. It really boils down to the following ten factors:

1. I have a complete understanding of the definition of my role and responsibilities associated with the assigned job position.
2. The work environment has given me all the tools that I need to be a high achiever in the job position.
3. I have a complete understanding of the workplace expectations outlined by my immediate supervisor.
4. I have a complete understanding of the strategy (Vision, Mission, and Purpose) of the company and know what makes a difference in the marketplace with our customer.
5. I have the information and metrics to monitor my progress toward my goals.
6. I am aware of the market conditions and financial stability of the company at all times.
7. I find the performance appraisal process in my company the most effective means to self-evaluate myself and measure my progress toward my goals.
8. My supervisor is available to discuss any work related concern.
9. People at my company are interested in my career development.
10. I am willing to accept responsibility for my actions and be held accountable for my results. I understand that my compensation should be based on results, both the company’s and mine.
    
    If your employee can attest to the previous statements, then you should have a Performance based culture.
    
    I find it hard to believe that the management teams of companies cannot deliver on those ten criteria. Is it that we don’t know how to have this culture or our supervisor is just not holding us accountable?