Ellen and Richard Hohmann - Contributors in South Jersey Biz Article

Ellen and Richard Hohmann asked to be contributors to an article titled, “No Problems to Report” by Jennifer Nelson (South Jersey Biz, Volume 2, Issue 1).

The article focused on the difficulty facing supervisors and managers today in terms of having to deal with a wide range of personality traits and behavior. Some of the contributors felt that over 30% of an employee’s performance in the workplace is tied to their individual behaviors. In the article, Elizabeth Faircloth, Vice President of Augur, Inc. stated that, “I don’t think many companies realize how important an employee’s personal actually is. Both Ellen and Richard know for a fact that they don’t.

Ellen and Richard Hohmann have specialized in teaching companies and their people to better understand both the differences in personalities and the resulting behavioral tendencies that they will exhibit in the workplace. Individual performance and the productivity of the organization can certainly be linked to this. It is also important that managers or supervisors understand the cultural and generational differences present in the workplace today. After all, the effectiveness of any organization is a direct reflection of people being engaged with the company’s business strategy. This engagement cannot occur without a better understanding of these “people” traits.

Engagement is certainly one barometer that can be used to measure if the personality of the workers is understood. After all, a more engaged workforce is more productive making the company more profitable. Sure makes sense to us. Richard also uses Behavioral Assessment Instruments with every Executive Coaching client. It is important that excellent communication be achieved and assessment help with that immensely.

The uniqueness about the Leadership Courses offered by Innovative Leadership is that they don’t focus on content, they focus on the expected behavioral change needed by the participant to be more productive. Adults learn differently than children and content driven programs have been shown to deliver little of no change. Behavioral-oriented programs do make a change…in the employee and the company. As our slogan says, “We change companies, one employee at a time”.

Read the Full South Jersey Biz Article Here

Middle Managers are the Implementers

Today, I sat in a management meeting observing the dynamics of the meeting and watching the body language of the participants for an hour and a half. It is important when I am coaching executives that I observe the environments that can make a difference. It became evident that most of the managers in that meeting have not been told how their performance brings value to the organization and as a result they rarely pass on the value message to their employees. Employee appreciation is not new but understanding the value to the organization may be new to some. Concerns about communication, accountability, responsibility, and collaboration were expressed in one form of another by almost everyone around the table. The facilitator was particularly good today with his fairness and recognition of the other manager’s contributions to the overall success of the organization but I left with the feeling that his hands were tied in terms of getting the desired results.

It was important for all of them to realize that communication is a key element in getting people to understand what they can do to contribute to the success of the organization. At this meeting, there could have been more concrete objectives, more story-telling, more real-life examples, etc. but the defined need was to take responsibility for taking action. A commitment to take an action that may change this environment to a more positive experience.

I now know why there is no question why we call them middle managers. Middle management needs to listen to the senior or executive leadership team and while being responsive to the rest of the employees. As we know this listening and implementing position, AKA middle management, has always been the buffer between the top and the bottom. This is why middle management is often called the “glue” that binds the top to the bottom, much like an Oreo cookie.

It is my opinion that middle management is the one component that cannot be overlooked. Unfortunately, companies continue to put these positions in jeopardy when the economic climate turns cold. Middle managers continue to be the implementers of the strategy and policy. Middle managers are the change initiators. If change is not managed well, it has been shown that employee engagement never happens and low morale starts rearing its ugly head. It is my opinion that when external factors become evident and competition gets more aggressive, it is time to focus on the middle management and make sure that we are meeting their needs. Remember, middle management is the layer that attracts, retains, and develops top performers. Let’s not let the normal knee-jerk reaction occur when times get tough. Let’s focus on what we can do to develop our middle management team and allow them to implement the changes needed to satisfy the strategic direction of the company. Let’s give them the tools to do the job right and those tools involve training, career opportunities, feedback and recognition.



Don’t just eliminate the tools that help develop people, like training, education, and incentives.
When looking for training for your middle managers keep these points in mind:
Focus on programs and processes that guarantee results.
Use programs and processes that are time-tested, research-based, and results-oriented.
Use programs that that focus on the adult worker and are designed to change behavior, not just focus on behavior.
Make sure that measuring results is part of the plan.

It is estimated that 20% of all new hires will either rise to the top or fall to the bottom and remaining 60% will be productive and be engaged but only if your middle management team is committed to their success. Their achievement can make the difference with both performance and productivity and it must be acknowledged and recognized by their manager. Providing the tools and career path for people to achieve is what makes the difference between a good employee staying or walking out the door.

Innovative Leadership has a public course, open for enrollment, starting September 17, 2008 from 3-5pm. Click Here for more information

Shore Memorial Graduates

Congratulations to the Shore Memorial Graduates of our Making of an Effective Manager Course. In alphabetical order: Laurie Bartine, Jody Brady, Jon Cuviello, Sharon Dougherty, Michael Fox, Cheryl Franks, John Gosner, Anna Marie Guerrieri, Susan Krantz, Ken Michelette, Diane Miller, Denise Minus, Pam Mood, Sean Mulligan, and Karen Renzulli

The next Public Making of an Effective Manager Course starts September 17th at our Marmora Training Room. Managers will gain confidence to make the right decisions and will know how to motivate and retain employees. Don't forget this counts as continuing education credits!
More Information

We hope to see you and your managers there!

Experienced Facilitation – the Success Factor in Training

I really believe that facilitation skills are as important as the content or curriculum of any course, workshop or online activity. The facilitator is the most important component of a successful training program. Lisa Haneberg points out in her new book titled, “Developing Great Managers” (ASTD-2008) that there are four characteristics or skills that make up an effective management trainer:

- Previous success as a manager
- Business acumen
- A passion and talent for being a catalyst, and
- The ability to create and facilitate great dialogue

I think it is important for the facilitator to have those skills but my opinion this has often fallen on deaf ears and I am glad Haneberg has taken such a position. I think that the ultimate training program offers great content, an excellent pre-course work assignment, application and action exercises, practical tools for immediate use in the workplace, case studies, and goal-orientation. That is my prescription for a good training outcome.

Innovative Leadership has been a member of the American Society of Training and Development for almost ten years. We actively participate in their functions and subscribe to the majority of their publications including books, manuals, programs, and other materials.

We consist of a team of professional facilitators (meet us) that have extensive management experience and business acumen. We are committed to providing the vehicles that focus on both people development and organizational effectiveness. We integrate a variety of learning instruments to provide the desired outcome for the training and development engagement with the ROI defined upfront.

Don't forget that our "Making of an Effective Manager" course starts September 17th. Read more about it on our website Click Here