Abusive Workplace
Monday, January 28, 2008
Investment or loss?
It's up to you.
Sue Ekberg, Ph.D. and founder of St. Louis based Career Focus, offers 5 steps to getting out of an abusive workplace. Step #2 is "Find The Lessons."
Ms. Ekberg suggests "Take time to assess what you have learned from this experience, and write down at least three lessons. Could you have gotten promises in writing? Asked more detailed questions before taking the job? Researched the company's reputation? Sought out former employees? Writing lessons down will keep you from repeating mistakes."
Sage advice! If you're in an abusive workplace, utilize Step 2 prior to seeking a position with another company. This approach will keep you from jumping from one poor experience to another.
It's counter-intuitive, but a seemingly negative experience in an abusive workplace can be an investment in a brighter future. Conversely, if you don't learn from the experience; it's a loss that you'll experience again and again.
For the rest of the 5 Steps, visit Sue Ekberg's website, www.careerfocusstl.com, click on "Contact Sue."
If you have tips for dealing with an office bully, please share them with our readers by posting a comment.
What's Missing In Corporate Training?
Monday, January 21, 2008
What should the goal of training be?
How does the goal affect what we measure?
For years, corporate trainers (and many in academia) viewed education as information transfer. Give people the knowledge they need and let them run with it.
Then trainers realized that knowledge alone wasn't enough; if people couldn't translate the information into new skills, the training had little value. Measurements were put into place to assure that the trainee had, indeed, developed the skill.
Disappointment surfaced again when trainers realized that possessing skills didn't necessarily result in their use. Many people, upon return to their normal work environment, would revert to old habits. Why? The stress of their everyday workload coupled with lack of managerial support often caused trainees to return to old habits - even when they've used the training successfully.
If none of these approaches to training have achieved the desired goal, what should the purpose of training be? How should we measure its effectiveness? How do we create a lasting effect?
My experience has been that training has a lasting impact when it builds confidence. One of my training programs, Accounting and Finance for Non-financial Managers, places me in front of people to whom finance is a foreign language. I tell them quite candidly that there is no way, in the 16-18 hours we'll spend together, that I can possibly cover every financial situation they may encounter. I can, however, help them develop the confidence they need to ask questions about the financial information they receive and to evaluate the answers they're given. I teach them to think.
What's the value of teaching people to think? It equips them with the confidence to address situations that they haven't anticipated. With increased confidence comes improved performance. If you're looking for something to measure, evaluate the trainees confidence in performing given tasks prior to training, then again at regular intervals for at least a year.
It's counter-intuitive, but the real goal of any form of education should be to build confidence.
If there are topics you'd like me to address, please email me at dale@furtwengler.com.
Financial Controls: Too Little Too Late?
Monday, January 14, 2008
Financial controls are essential.
Are they enough?
Recently I was approached to prepare a program for CEOs. One of the things they want to know is how to avoid embezzlement. It seems that many of them have experienced employee theft. How can you avoid this dilemma?
The quick answer, especially from folks like me with a CPA background, is financial controls; putting controls into place like:
- separation of duties so that no one person has access to all aspects of a given transaction
- mandated vacations
- random, periodic reviews of various accounting records
- monitoring trends in customer profitability, vendor utilization
Unfortunately, there are two disadvantages to financial controls. First, they're after the fact. They will only help you identify theft that's already occurred. Second, as with any system, there are always ways around the controls. Is there an alternative? I don't know that I'd call it an alternative. Good financial controls make is more difficult for people who might be tempted to steal to act on that temptation. There is another approach, one that allows CEOs to get ahead of the curve. The approach is outlined in Ken Blanchard's book, Raving Fans. Create an environment in which your employees have a chance to: - shine, to feel that they are a valued contributor to your company's success
- enjoy the satisfaction and recognition of a job well done
- enjoy higher levels of compensation than is traditional for your industry
It's counter-intuitive, but the reason many employees steal from their employers (without remorse) is that they feel that they're simply balancing the scales for some perceived slight. Get ahead of the curve, create an environment that supports high morale; then monitor employee morale and make adjustments quickly when you see it declining. That's how you minimize the threat of theft in your company. If you have practices that have helped you avoid employee theft, please share them with other Invaluable Leaders by posting your comments.
It's Not The Process!
Monday, January 07, 2008
At least, not in marketing.
The oft overlooked key to effective marketing.
Happy New Year! My goal for 2008 is the same as it has every year, to offer insights that will help you enjoy a safer, healthier, happier, more prosperous new year.
Recently a client asked me to write their marketing theme - something their copywriters could use to flesh out an ad campaign. When my client showed the initial draft to his wife (a member of his demographic), she said "I love it. It's all about me!"
Unfortunately too many companies spend too much time and effort telling their customers and prospects what they do and too little time telling them what they'll gain from the experience. Frankly, buyers don't care what process you're going to take them through. They simply want to know that you understand what they want and can help them get it.
It's counter-intuitive, but the more you talk about what you can do for your customers the less interested they become. The more that you talk about what's important to them, the greater interest you create. If there are topics you'd like me to address, send me an email at dale@furtwengler.com.
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