31 May
PeopleTek Coaching Success

Job Satisfaction Levels

“Personal satisfaction is the most important ingredient of success”.
-Denis Waitley

Do your energy levels seem to be fading? Are you not as motivated and engaged as you usually are? Does productivity seem to be slipping?

If you answered “yes” to any of these, you may be experiencing a drop in your work satisfaction levels.

Per Wikipedia, job satisfaction is:

How content an individual is with his or her job. The happier people are within their job, the more satisfied they are said to be.  Job satisfaction is not the same as motivation, although it is clearly linked.  Job design aims to enhance job satisfaction and performance.  Methods include job rotation, job enlargement and job enrichment.  Other influences on satisfaction include the management style and culture, employee involvement, empowerment and autonomous work groups.

Right Management conducted a work satisfaction survey mid April through mid May.  The results: only 19% of the respondents were satisfied with their jobs; roughly 66% reported they were unhappy at work.

Despite these dismal results, most were reluctant to leave their job.  High unemployment rates and minimal growth opportunities are contributing factors, but what does this mean to the work environment and to leadership?

A study conducted by A.I. LeDue, jr showed that workers and their bosses had very different ideas as to what was included in job satisfaction.

PRIORITY RANKING OF FACTORS IMPORTANT FOR JOB SATISFACTION

ITEM                                                                       Employee ranking         Boss ranking

Full appreciation of work done 1 8
Feeling of being in on things 2 10
Sympathetic help on personnel problems 3 9
Job security 4 2
Good wages 5 1
Interesting work 6 5
Promotions 7 3
Personal loyalty to coworkers 8 6
Good working conditions 9 4
Tactful disciplining 10 7

As a leader you may want to poll your team and determine what’s important to them. Don’t make the mistake of believing that what’s important to you is equally important to them.

Strong leaders find ways to keep interest levels high, reward and recognize accomplishments, and show that the work that is performed is appreciated, and the individual valued.

Are you up to the challenge?

24 May
PeopleTek Coaching Leadership

Be an Owner…Drive Profit

Without profit, jobs will be eliminated and companies will fail.

As we wrap-up our series on “what do leaders really want from their staff”, we’ll tackle the topic of profit.

As a reminder, we’re linking the 5 P’s of Leadership with the 5 P’s of Ownership:

  1. Passion
  2. People
  3. Plans
  4. Persistence
  5. Profit

As leaders, we make decisions every day that are critical to the success of our organization.

Decisions can be costly and impact the bottom line; decisions can also be brilliant and realize not only savings, but improve customer and employee satisfaction levels. That’s profit on multiple levels!

As everyone begins to understand their organization’s strategy, and has the ability to link behaviors, processes and tools with that strategy, profit will be impacted.

Providing new ideas and fresh thinking, and helping others understand new directions and opportunities also impact profit. We need to know:

  • What business are we in?
  • Who are our customers?
  • What services do we or could we provide?
  • What do we want our department/organization to be known for?
  • What strategic alliances do we want? How do you find them?
  • Where do you want to take your organization in the next 3-5 years?

Sustaining and increasing profit margins requires change. We must accept it, own it, and be an advocate for change. As leaders we need to be aware of the impact the change will have, from both a personal and organizational perspective, and clearly communicate what that impact will be.

Growth and leadership also increases profit. It is important to know that what you’re doing increases the profit for yourself and the company that employs you. We own our careers and must take personal responsibility for the value we provide. There must be financial gains and there must be emotional gains or jobs will be eliminated and companies dissolved.

Emotional profit is another piece; you must take risk, be innovative, and be purposeful. It’s important to invest/experiment/research new approaches for growth in order to add value for your customers, employees, and organization. This requires creativity and the ability to step beyond the barriers and artificial lines that we often create.

We know one courageous leader that has an entire unit looking for innovative ways to increase local revenue; one idea was to add programs that appeal to various segments of their market.

Realizing profit takes patience, persistence, planning, people and passion (and that takes us to 6 P’s for Leadership and Ownership, not 5, since we added patience!)

What are you doing to increase profits?

21 May
PeopleTek Coaching Success

Conquer Barriers With Journey II

To be successful in life, and in your career, you need to:

  • Identify all the barriers that may derail you from achieving your goals
  • Understand HOW and WHAT it will take to live and achieve your vision
  • Address the obstacles that are preventing you from being the leader you want to be

Leadership includes the urgency to identify and remove barriers impacting growth and results.

PeopleTek’s Journey II program will help you conquer barriers and manage  obstacles.

Journey II will enable you to:

  • Set clear expectations for yourself and others
  • Effectively manage your time, priorities, and set boundaries
  • Understand and reduce stress levels
  • Positively influence others
  • Move yourself and others through change
  • Build trust in yourself, in individuals, and in teams
  • Align your self-talk with your desired outcomes

Recent graduates told us: 

Journey II helped me learn more about myself….my strengths, weaknesses, opportunities for development.  It also forced me to take the time to think about these things and actually put an action plan in place.

I am doing better at the delegation and as I develop more trust, will be able to delegate more. Also, I’m focusing on communicating more directly and proactively in meetings and with others.

Journey II helped me to identify specific opportunities to improve my leadership abilities as well as identify what I need to do to move through the phases of change. These have been incorporated into my development plan.

Be competitive – become the leader you want to be!

17 May
PeopleTek Coaching Leadership

Be an Owner – Be Persistent

Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
–Calvin Coolidge

PERSISTENCE is the 4th component in our series “what do leaders really want from their staff”. We’re stating the case that leaders want a sense of ownership for all members of their organization.

For those that have not read our prior 3 newsletters, we’re linking the 5 P’s of Leadership with the 5 P’s of Ownership:

  • Passion
  • People
  • Plans
  • Persistence
  • Profit

Wikipedia defines persistence as a personality trait measured by levels of eagerness and effort, hard work, ambition, and perfectionism.

We’ll define it as your disposition to continue your task or initiative despite problems, difficulties, or barriers encountered along the way.

Have you ever worked on a project, task force, or goal where all objectives were achieved with absolutely no difficulties or problems? We used to cringe when we were requested to support projects or changes that were accompanied with the words “seamless” and “transparent”. Even the simplest objective may encounter problems and barriers.

As we mentioned last week, expect and plan for obstacles, and don’t give up at the first sign of difficulty. It’s important to maintain your focus and be purposeful in your efforts.

If truly committed, you’ll accept failure, learn from it, reassess what you’re doing, and seek alternative solutions to better position you to achieve your desired end result.

Ownership and accountability are pieces of persistence. To be successful you must not only work hard, but you need to keep your skills current, continually develop areas that are not serving you well, and don’t neglect your strengths. (They need to be honed too!). And leaders and owners also make it a priority to motivate and inspire their teams, help them grow their interpersonal skills, and enhance relationships and interactions.

Persistence is a behavior exhibited by owners and effective and successful leaders. Are you persistent?

10 May
PeopleTek Coaching Leadership, Planning

Always Be An Owner – Plan

Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort.
–Paul J. Meyer

Achieving your goals and obtaining desired results requires planning; without a plan, it’s unlikely you’ll reach the levels of success you’re capable of. Having and living your plan is the 3rd component in our series “what do leaders really want from their staff”. Click here to read the first two articles in the series.

Have you ever worked for someone that had a great vision, was innovative, and had great ideas for growth opportunities yet couldn’t seem to make things happen? This is more common than you think.

We all have differing strengths, styles, and preferences, and for some of us planning requires a lot of effort, where as for others it seems to occur so naturally. Planning requires persistence, details, a timeline, and a commitment.

Planning also requires documenting goals and strategies, and ensuring skill-sets are in place to execute the plan. You will encounter obstacles – expect them! Plan for them! Do not give up at the first sign of difficulty. Many of us are tempted to give up when we hit the first hurdle, are met with opposition, or experience frustrations. Our journey includes living and experiencing both ups and downs; it’s how we deal with them that is crucial.

Fear can also be a factor that derails our plan. Understand what’s causing the discomfort, feel it, process it, and move on. Don’t beat yourself up if you need to deviate from your plan, instead determine other courses of action that may work better for you.

If planning is an issue we recommend using the One Page Strategic Plan. It’s a great planning and problem solving tool that is extremely useful in taking anything from where it is today, to where you want it to be in the future. If you’d like to receive the template click here and request the One Page Strategic Plan. (Note: This is useful to solve problems and drive improvements, but is not intended for full project planning).

We also recommend that everyone have a personal development plan. If you don’t have one start by answering (and documenting):

  • What are my strengths and what do I need to do to keep them strong?
  • What actions or behaviors would I benefit from by changing or eliminating?
  • What are my growth opportunities?

Be an owner, be a leader, and be successful; plan!

07 May
PeopleTek Coaching Leadership, Team

PeopleTek and Talent Management

PeopleTek Coaching specializes in providing individuals, teams, and organizations with specific and practical solutions for maximizing leadership talent.

Leaders understand core strengths and address gaps within their talent pool.

Talent Management

Our leadership curriculum evaluates leadership competencies and then provides a personalized leadership framework and map for each attendee and/or team.

This framework and map may then be used for years to come for developing more effective leadership skills and behaviors.

We have the infrastructure and bandwidth to customize our delivery to satisfy specific needs, identify strengths and preferences, and provide recommendations to address growth opportunities.

Could you or your team benefit by learning to make better decisions, manage conflict, improve communication, enhance teamwork and relationships, and improve accountability?

Contact PeopleTek Coaching today!

03 May
PeopleTek Coaching Leadership

Always Be an Owner – People

People are definitely a company’s greatest asset. It doesn’t make any difference whether the product is cars or cosmetics. A company is only as good as the people it keeps.
–Mary Kay Ash

Our series on “what do leaders really want from their staff” continues, with this week’s topic being PEOPLE.
This is the 2nd “P” in linking the 5 P’s of Leadership with the 5 P’s of Ownership. The 5 P’s are:

  • Passion
  • People
  • Plans
  • Persistence
  • Profit

We’ve all heard that “people are our greatest asset”. It’s true. Owners know what they want, and know that they most likely need others to help them achieve it. They have a clear vision, and have a strategy that supports that vision. And, they know how to hire the right person for the right job!

I was listening to a local radio sports program where Jimmy Johnson was interviewed. (He was coach of the University of Miami and won a national championship, coach for the Dallas Cowboys where he won 2 Superbowls, and coach for the Miami Dolphins, where he made it to the playoffs).

There’s no doubt he was successful in his career. He knew how to find the “right” talent. During the interview, broadcaster Dan Sileo asked the questions: “what criteria do you use when hiring?” and “what do you look for in talent before you hire them or bring them into your organization”?

The answer is critical to our topic of ownership; it’s what makes a coach and leader successful. Think in terms that all good leaders are coaches. Assuming you agree, can you state what your hiring criteria is, and what you’re looking for before allowing someone to become a member of your team or organization?

Coach Johnson, without hesitation had the following response:
“Dan, we use 5 criteria when hiring and selecting someone to be on the team.”

  1. Intelligence – He defined this as being smart, acting smart and understanding the technical requirements of the game. Not making dumb decisions, and exhibiting appropriate behaviors.
  2. Play Makers – He said this meant the player needed to be a competitor and be found everywhere the ball was. When the going got tough, they became even tougher.
  3. Passion – They needed to eat, drink and sleep football.
  4. Gym Rat – When they were not playing football, they played other competitive sports and could be found doing something daily to remain in excellent shape.
  5. Character – You must consider how they will fit on the team. Are they truly team players and do they create a positive atmosphere for others?

The reason I was so impressed is that it flowed so easily. It was not something that Coach Johnson made up, but rather criteria he lived by and admittedly had refined over the years.

I think (and would stand by the fact) that this is what separates his winning record from other coaches. He knows what he wants, is clear about it, and doesn’t budge. He matches his wants and desires with a sound plan to win.

As leaders have we clearly defined what we want in our people? On our team? In our organization? Does everyone know that criteria? Do we deviate from it?

I would be willing to speak to other coaches and leaders that want to discuss more about this subject, would be interested in your thoughts, and welcome opposing views!