| Welcome
to the November 3, 2004 issue of The Total View
Published by Success
Performance Solutions, Written by Ira S. Wolfe
New! Human Resources Blog
- Three years ago we published a monthly newsletter but we couldn't
keep up with all the news affecting workers and workplaces.
Two years ago we began publishing The Total View, our weekly newsletter....and
we still can't keep up with all the news.
So today we're very excited
to announce our new Human
Resources Blog and Perfect
Labor Storm Blog where we can post daily (and more often) human
resource updates, news, and Perfect Labor Storm facts. Syndicate
our blogs on your commercial websites or intranets. Reply to this
email for more information.
In the News!
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette
- October 31, 2004
Firms
probing employees' pasts
Central Penn Business
Journal - October 8, 2004
Companies
struggle to replace good, retiring managers
What's Inside
1. Effective
Communication Skills with DISC Behavioral Assessments
2. Perfect Labor Storm Alerts #281 to #285
3. Tips You Can Use
- NEW! Background Checks
4. How to Hire High Motivation Employee
5. The Complete Manager's Pocket Guide
Library
6 . SMILE! Here's a little clarification of typical vacant
job listing lingo...
7. Over 250 Supervisors Have Attended Managing to Excel
Workshops
8 . Fall Workshop and Speaking Schedule
9 . You don't need a huge budget and staff to hire the best employees
10 . Thousands of Small Business Owner Now Build High Motivation
Teams Who Never Thought They Could
1. Effective Communication Skills with DISC Behavioral Assessments
Communication skills top
every employer's wish list. Nearly every classified ad and job description
includes "communication skills" as essential. In today's
world, that is a good decision. Ironically, the phrase "good
communication skills" conjures up so many images that what
is meant by these few words is not communicated effectively
Miscommunication about communication occurs because describing communication
is difficult. Think about it. When we ask managers to describe the
most effective leaders and managers, words like articulate, well-spoken,
motivating, and persuasive are their immediate responses. When managers
delegate returning a phone call or writing
an email to employees, the first they ask is "what should
I say"?
That's interesting but not necessarily very effective. While the
words we use are important, the tones and pace we use say so much
more. Research shows that the most effective communication is comprised
of 55 percent body language, 38 percent tone and pace. Words contribute
only 7 percent.
This major impact that body language has on communication is not
a new observation. As early as 400 B. C., Hippocrates described
four distinct, but universal, behavioral styles. Nearly 2300 years
later, Carl Jung and William Marston observed that people respond
differently to problems, people, pace and procedures in similar
ways to Hippocrates. All agreed these styles affect the messages
we send to others and how we respond back. Most importantly these
styles are observable. The ability to observe others' behaviors
is, therefore, an important but often overlooked skill of the most
effective communicators.
Likewise, listening skills determine how we decode the verbal messages
received from outside sources. Many people do not listen effectively.
They concentrate on formulating what they are going to say next
rather than on what is begin said to them. Instead of listening
to what was said, the receiver likely focuses on how it was said
or how they will say it. Many of us hear the words, but rarely listen.
Without listening, mistakes happen, rumors spread, tempers flare,
and stress intensifies. This might explain why our listening efficiency
is, on average, no better than 25 percent after 48 hours.
Listening requires the ability to concentrate and de-code what we
hear without allowing our individual differences in knowledge, values,
attitudes, and background
to act as filters. Unintentionally and all too often our own de-coding
skills alter the message of the sender before we have an opportunity
to interpret it. Effective communicators know how to listen without
changing the sender's message.
A third skill that highly effective communicators have is the ability
to ask good questions. Questioning skills are often complementary
to listening skills, the result being called active listening. Active
listeners ask the right questions which prompt more and insightful
responses. Asking questions should be followed by the patience to
observe, wait, and listen for the response. Instead many people
can't stand the silence and begin asking another question, without
waiting for a response to the first. Effective communicators avoid
jumping to conclusions, judging the information as good or bad,
and providing appropriate feedback.
Feedback is the fourth element of effective communication, confirming
to the sender that you actually heard and observed and interpreted
the message correctly. Feedback occurs when a receiver responds
to a communication with a return message. The message can be as
obvious as a verbal response, a written note, or just a slight head
nod. Active listeners check for changes in tone and pace as well
as body language, from the senders as well as their own. Without
feedback, communication is incomplete.
Effective communication skills can best be described by breaking
it down intro these four key elements: observation, listening, questioning
and feedback. These elements explain why email communications, while
easier and faster, create so much "noise" between senders
and receivers - remove the combined effect of body language and
pace and all that's left is the seven percent contribution of the
words you use.
One of the most effective tools to improve communication skills
is the DISC behavioral assessments, commonly called the DISC
personality test. DISC is an acronym that represents the four
behavioral styles described by Jung and Marston. With today's technology,
an individual can identify his or her preferred behavioral style
less than 15 minutes, and understand how energized or de-energized
he or she will become when dealing with everyday problems, people,
work pace and procedures.
Knowing your own style is important because it helps you understand
how other people will respond to your verbal and non-verbal messages.
But that's only part of the story. Learning to recognize the behavioral
styles of others is even more important because it allows you to
send messages at a tone and pace that will be received with a minimum
of "noise." DISC teaches you to de-code your messages
correctly and avoid unintentional misunderstandings.
Let me give you a personal example of a very "noisy" conversation
I recently had. My wife and I re-financed our home equity line of
credit a few weeks ago. The first payment arrived and the statement
indicated an adjusted rate. We "understood" the loan rate
was "fixed," so we assumed the lender made a mistake.
I called the lender. "Why did this happen?" I asked. After
some back and forth conversation, it hit me. I heard "fixed"
to mean the rate stayed the same for the life of the loan. The mortgage
originator meant fixed to the prime rate, which of course is adjustable.
Bear in mind, our communication was by telephone so there was no
body language or pace. Remember words constitute only 7 percent
of communication. I heard what I wanted to hear and so did the lender.
There was a breakdown in listening and feedback, skills more important
then ever when interacting on the phone and with email.
In this fast paced, digital world it is difficult to get a first
chance with prospects, customers, and top employees. We rarely get
second chances. The ability to effectively communicate requires
that we quickly "read" our target. We must code our messages
with the right tone, pace, and choice of words to position ourselves
in a way the receiver wants to listen.
Although people with effective communication skills - observing,
listening, questioning and feedback - are still the key to building
and keeping strong relationships, they are becoming less and less
available in today's workforce. To train and coach the basics of
effective communication, many organizations - both small and large
businesses - are using the CriteriaOne DISC
assessment. This DISC tool is a valuable and easy-to-use tool to
help every employee master the basic, but powerful, skills of communication
- observation and listening - and how they affect your ability to
question and provide feedback.
Receive a FREE
personalized report or speak with one of our consultants
by calling 800.803.4303.
2. Perfect
Labor Storm Alerts #281 to #285
Visit
our blog, too.
The argument that aging
workers especially the baby boomers will work longer and many will
never retire is a fact. The issue not being addressed
is who will pay for their health care. The 55-plus age groups
use 15 to 20 times more health care services than younger people.
Fact
#281: One in every eight Americans is now 65 or
old.
(Source: Adminstration of Aging, 2002)
Fact
#282: Since 1900, the percentage of Americans 65 and older
has tripled.
Fact #283: In 2000, the 65 - 74 age group was 8 times larger
than in 1900.
(Source:
U.S. Census Bureau)
Fact #284: In 2000, the 75 - 84 age group
was 16 times larger than in 1900.
(Source:
U.S. Census Bureau)
Fact
#285: In 2000, the 85 and over age group
was 34 times larger than in 1900.
(Source:
U.S. Census Bureau)
Do you sit on a program committee
for your local civic, business or professional association?
"The Perfect Labor Storm" is the perfect topic for meetings,
conferences and keynotes. Schedule Ira Wolfe today.
Find out what's ahead in employment trends and how it will affect
career opportunities, education, quality of life issues and more.
Call 717.656.4632 for more information.
Don't be caught in storm
without all the facts. "The
Perfect Labor Storm Fact Book: Why Worker Shortages Won't Go Away"
is a must-read leading edge forecast that predicts workforce trends
for decades to come. Order your copy today - $7.95 includes no shipping
costs for limited time only.
3. Tips
You Can Use - Background
Checks
To provide our clients with one-stop shopping for employee evaluation
from pre-employment to career succession, we are very pleased to
introduce our new partnership with Information Architects,
a leading provider of Employment Screening and Background Investigations.
IA's premier background screening solution utilizes a state-of-the-art
web based interface to provide you with the fastest, easiest, and
most customizable ordering/delivering platform in the marketplace
today.
If, like Pinocchio's nose, each lie a candidate told on his/her
resume or during the interview became immediately apparent, business
owners could easily weed out employees who cheat and deceive. So,
how can you tell if an employee is lying about their work experience,
education, criminal record or even if they are who they say they
are?
BACKGROUND CHECKS.
Sixty-one percent of the human resource (HR) professionals surveyed
said they find inaccuracies in résumés after carrying
out background checks. (Source: SHRM Background Checks/ Résumé
Inaccuracies online survey, 2004)
Services include:
- Employment Verification
- Criminal Records Search
- Civil Records Search
- Workers Comp Search
- SSN Verification
- Credit Reports
- DMV Reports
- Bankruptcy Search
- Degree Verification
- Professional License Verification
- Drug Screening
Learn more about background
checks here.
4. How to
Hire High Motivation Employees.
It is finally here - The How to Hire The High Motivation
Employee audio series. Six 30-minute CDs - more than three hours
of interviews - guide a manager through each section of the TotalView(tm)
Assessment System, complete with examples and stories you can use
to hire the right employee, ask the right interview questions, and
build the best teams. Why TotalView? It is simply the best job matching
and employee evaluation system on the market today.
The first CD begins with an overview of the TotalView(tm) Assessment
System and explanations of each of the Abilities scales. The second
CD focuses on Motivations and Interests. And CDs three through six
discuss the four major personality traits and eight sub-scales in
detail.
As a thank you for reading The Total View newsletter, we're offering
the complete audio series for only $197 (valued at $257)
Order How
to Hire The High Motivation Employee
5.
The Complete Manager's Pocket Guide Library
Today's busy leaders and
knowledge workers are looking for informative, to the point self-study
resources that will answer questions, stimulate new thinking and
help solve problems.
These management
development pocket guides are ideal for self-directed learning,
training and coaching workers, corporate universities, or to use
in seminars and workshops.
Each guide
covers an important topic such as managing generations, mentoring,
creativity, project management, knowledge management or strategies
for handling people issues such as conflict management, sexual harassment
and performance.
Order the
complete library of these 32 best selling Manager's Pocket Guides
for only $279 - that's like getting 5 books free, a savings of $39.
Order the Manager's
Pocket Guide Library for Management Development today.
Plus this
bonus! We'll include a copy of "Understanding
Business Values and Motivators"
at nor additional charge,
a $12.95 value.
6. SMILE!
Here's a little clarification of typical
vacant job listing lingo...
COMPETITIVE SALARY:
We remain competitive by paying less than our competitors.
JOIN OUR FAST-PACED COMPANY:
We have no time to train you and you'll have to introduce yourself
to your co-workers.
SEEKING ENTHUSIASTIC, FUN, HARD WORKING, PEOPLE:
......who still live with their parents and won't mind our internship-level
salaries.
CASUAL WORK ATMOSPHERE:
We don't pay enough to expect that you'll dress up; well, a couple
of the real daring guys wear ear rings.
JOIN OUR DYNAMIC TEAM:
We all listen to nutty motivational tapes.
MUST BE DEADLINE ORIENTED:
You'll be six months behind schedule on your first day.
MUST HAVE AN EYE FOR DETAIL:
We have no quality control.
SEEKING CANDIDATES WITH A WIDE VARIETY OF EXPERIENCE:
You'll need it to replace three people who just left.
PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS A MUST:
You're walking into a company in perpetual chaos.
Source: lotsofjokes.com
7. Over 250
Supervisors Have Attended Managing to Excel Workshops
Ever since Success Performance
Solutions introduced Managing to Excel in 2002, Central PA supervisors
and managers have been learning and developing proficiency in the
twelve competencies that highly effective managers and supervisors
have that average performers don't.
To read more about Managing
to Excel, visit Managing to Excel - Management
Competency Workshops.
Managing to Excel is also
available for purchase by in-house trainers and human resource professionals.
The per participant cost per program is as low as $20!
8. Fall
2004 Workshop and Speaking Schedule
January 16, 2005 - 2005
International Builders Show, Orlando, FL
February 28, 2005 - IQPC''s
Best Practices in Disease Management, Las Vegas, NV
9. You don't
need a huge budget and staff to hire the best employees
Eliminate The Hassles and Headaches Associated With Screening Candidate
with Total APS.
The Total Applicant Processing System enables the small and medium
sized employer to do online recruiting and screen applicants with
customizable and scorable filtering questions with a click of the
mouse.
Use Total APS to recruit
and screen applicants for your next job opening.
10. Wondering
if you have the right people on your team?
Everyone wants to build the High
Motivation Employee Team. Do it with team building activities
packaged exclusively for small businesses and home businesses.
Contact Information:
Success Performance Solutions 2481 New Holland Pike, Suite 2, Lancaster,
PA 17601
email: tv@super-solutions.com
voice: 717.656.4632
web: http://www.super-solutions.com
To learn more about Success Performance Solutions or read back issues
of The Total View, stop by our website at www.super-solutions.com.
Order your personal copy of Understanding
Business Values and Motivators.
Order your personal copy of The
Perfect Labor Storm
Ira S. Wolfe. 2004 - All Rights Reserved. Reprints and other distribution
by permission only.
Syndication available
- call us. |
