Retention, Conflict and Change

Subject Matter:  In the last 30 days, I have received 41 Emails requesting additional suggestions, ideas or conceptual designs with regards to RETENTION, CONFLICT and CHANGE.  Your questions vary through this spectrum, so I’ll do my best to address the concept in general, again.

The commonality to most of your Emails, have to do with conflict.  An example; “One person or team wanting or attempting to implement change while another person or team is determined to derail any and all change that THEY don’t think of.  Results = anger, hostility, terminations and resignations.”

PLEASE REFLECT YOUR CURRENT SITUATION(S) TO THE FOLLOWING:

A.     When you have long term, entrenched employees who are petrified of having their little apple cart upset, you will have conflict.

B.     When you have management that talks the talk but doesn’t walk the walk so that change can be embraced, you will have conflict.

C.     When you have employees who don’t “sign up for” OR “buy in to” the upcoming change process, you will have conflict.

D.    When change is dictated and not a team effort, you will have conflict.

E.     When management or supervisors are micro-managers, you will have conflict.

F.     When the dissenting employees get into their “derail” mode AND justify their position (usually confidentially) to weak management, thus getting management to knowingly or unknowingly assist in the derailment, YOU WILL HAVE CONFLICT!

 

Hopefully you get the picture.  If you are going to implement change, and don’t include everybody in the communication process and offer a defined but reasonable methodology to resolve issues, your change process is destined to fail with no matter WHO you put in charge to initiate change.

I hope your week will be filled with very little conflict, good decision making, prosperity and great health!

Regards,

George F. Mancuso

George F. Mancuso, CPC 

 

Seven Possible Reasons (ex) - Employees Bad Mouth You and Your Company

 

1.    No reason given for termination; You’re an at-will employer, so you can fire at will, right? Wrong. Most employees think they’re wonderful employees, and if they get fired for a mysterious reason, they’ll make up their own reason - or their lawyer will. The reason for termination needs to be clear, succinct and legally valid.

2.    Termination of an employee for bad performance, when the employee has good performance reviews; This is the big brother to “no reason given for termination.” Supervisors need to understand that they’ll need a poor-performance paper trail if they want to fire someone. Any competent judge or jury will see the through this one.

3.    Coincidental or deficient timing; (a) An employee files an internal complaint about the employer or a supervisor, and then (b) shortly after is disciplined for a supposedly unrelated event.  Employees who file complaints can be disciplined, but the supervisor better have the documentation in order before making the move.

4.    Failure to respond or investigate in a timely manner; When employees file complaints, they want them thoroughly investigated and they want it done now. If an investigation is filed, communication becomes the first defense.  Acknowledge the event, set a timely schedule for investigation, and keep the complainant fully informed. 

5.    Viewing an EEOC charge lightly; If you’re contacted by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission regarding an employee complaint, respond promptly and courteously - and treat the complaining employee courteously, too. If you’re reluctant or procrastinate in your response or treat the employee like a leper, expect to hear about it in court and from a heavy handed authority at that.

6.    Failing to follow your own policies; You can have the best policies and training in the world - and indeed some companies have used that as a defense against a complaint. But you better be able to show that your supervisors followed those policies and applied the training and documented the results with no room for error.

7.    Lack of respect of their loyalty.  You’ve got an employee that is first in, last out, always willing to be part of a team, has successfully achieved all challenges you have put forth.  But after being rode hard and put away wet, they are dismissed and replaced with another and usually for less money, less experience and many times less years of the face of the earth. 

There are all kinds of ways disgruntled employees can anonymously attack their current or former employers via the Internet.  One such site is www.glassdoor.com   and there are many others that are not so gentle.  Why put yourselves into that arena? 

As always, I thank you for your readership and please accept my wish for a tremendous week.  If I can help in anyway, please call or write and I will respond immediately!

Regards,

George F. Mancuso, CPC, CEO

Client Growth Consultants, Inc.

Grinnell, Iowa

 

Confidentially Search For A New Position - It's Free and It's Amazing!

You Can Confidentially search the top 500 hundred jobs in the U.S. via our website. It’s 100% free, you can search by geographic preference and/or job title. Information is NEVER shared and there is never a cost for our recruiting services.

Go to www.ClientGrowthConsultants.com then look at the top left corner for the search box. You will be 100% in control to confidentially apply direct to the corporate recruiter(s).

Regards,
George F. Mancuso, CPC, CEO
Client Growth Consultants, INc.

Confidentially Search For A New Job It's Easy and FREE

You Can Confidentially search the top 500 hundred jobs in the U.S. via our website.  It’s 100% free, you can search by geographic   preference and/or job title.  Information is NEVER shared.

ClientGrowthConsultants.com then look at the top left corner for the search box.  You will be 100% in control to confidentially apply direct to the corporate recruiter or not.

Regards,
George F. Mancuso, CPC, CEO
Client Growth Consultants, INc.

Do You Have A Precise Elevator Speech?

A Concern From A Desk of Gman Reader:

I have what I consider a clear "elevator speech" or "value proposition." What I am not so confident of is my ability to express in the next 2-3 minutes what I can do for a client. What I do is pretty complex and depends on the client's need but I seem to fumble the explanation.

This is not unique. In the absence of specific details on the client situation, needs, capacity for change, resources, and history, it often requires some restraint for a sales, management or customer service not to reply "it depends" in response to an inquiry of "what can you do for me?"

Where we get tied up is in balancing a clear general response with our wealth of knowledge and experience in similar situations. This is not the time to tell everything you know, especially since, until you know more about the situation, your experience may or may not be relevant, or the information premature.

Try this. Explain to a high school senior or college freshman what service you provide to managers and businesses. Ask them to explain back to you what you do, and be open to clarifying questions. Once you can explain your service in a way that doesn't require specialized knowledge, you will have the basis for a 2- 3 minute introduction to your services.

Several years ago I was the guest speaker for a Professional Employer Organization which is known as a PEO.  In attendance were owners and managers of various PEO companies in the Midwest.  I began the 3 hour event by going around the room and asking EVERY owner to describe their business.  “WHAT DO YOU REALLY DO?”  Nobody could give me a definitive answer past the usual, “give great service, take the worries off your shoulders, do your paperwork, etc.”  And this makes my point exactly.  If you can’t describe yourself and/or your company in a very few short lines, all you are doing is contributing to an upcoming misunderstanding.

Removing all the jargon, historical examples, and arcane references to the best practices literature on consulting will give you a clear, understandable and concise pitch that connects on an emotional, not intellectual, level. Ask your staff to define, “who are we?”  Refine that and put it into logical, coherent and meaningful sentences.

As always, I wish you a tremendous week of growth, good health and prosperity.

Regards,

George F. Mancuso