Training Tools, Tips & Resources

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American Express Open Forum – December 28, 2011

There’s more to being a boss than just telling people what to do. It’s about building a rapport and fostering a real relationship with your employees, so that you trust each other and can get things done.

Unfortunately, many managers don’t care about their employees’ morale, and spur them on by any means necessary. They fail to realize that it all has an impact on how well your company runs, and can have a major impact on your productivity, ability to retain talent and your bottom line.

There’s no one-size-fits-all method, since every company has a a different corporate culture and every manager has their own unique style. But there are things that should be avoided in most situations if you want employees not to hate coming to work every day.

Here are nine guaranteed ways to completely ruin employee morale. Many of them come down to two basic ideals: treat your employees with respect and dignity, and that’s how they’ll treat you back.

1. Not accepting responsibility for mistakes

The blame game can ruin a company’s workplace. If a subordinate makes a mistake, the blame shouldn’t fall solely on him or her—it’s on the whole team. That includes the others working on the project, and the person in charge of them.

Frequently, the boss refuses to accept responsibility for their worker’s mistakes and dumps all the blame on the single person, and that can ruin not only their morale, but make their colleagues timid and fearful.

2. Calling employees out in public

There’s no reason to put people on the spot publicly. Don’t try to teach people a lesson or make an example of them—they aren’t children. Instead, pull them aside and deal with the situation in private. Public embarrassment can only serve to make employees scornful and ruin the office environment.

3. Dishonesty

Tell your employees the truth, always. It’s okay to keep things from your employees if they’re sensitive topics, but never lie to your employees about them or their nature.

This includes promises that you make to your workers. Honor the rewards that you’ve committed to (like a promotion or raise you promised), because once you start down that slippery slope, it’s difficult to ever earn that trust back. Employees will never work to their full potential for someone that they don’t trust…

To continue reading, click here for full article.

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Corexcel Resources

Get a better idea of what your management style is like and how it affects your staff.

Online Business Skills Courses – Management, Leadership, Communication
Assess Your Management Style – Everything DiSC Management
Determining Your Workplace Culture – Everything DiSC Workplace

Other Management-Related Articles

Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bad Boss?
The Importance of Evaluation & Feedback
Conflict Resolution in Your Group
Motivating Employees

In case you missed it… here are our top 5 blog posts of 2011!

Here’s to another year of professional training, employee assessments & continuing education!

Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bad Boss?

Have you ever heard of the saying, “You don’t quit your job; you quit your boss”? It’s certainly true. Bad management can cause employees to feel under-appreciated, frustrated and stressed out, leaving them uninterested in their work and looking for a way out. Our 2-part blog series provides tips on improving your management skills & how to deal with a bad manager! Continue Reading…

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DiSC Profiles Minimize Conflict & Maximize Productivity

This blog series paints the picture of a dysfunctional group and a frustrated manager who is at his wits-end. Each of our blog posts highlights the DiSC styles in order to help you relate more effectively to the D, i, S and C’s in your group. Continue Reading…

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The Training Matchmaker

When planning training for a group, take the time to define what you want your learners to know or to do when they have completed the training, keeping your budget in mind. This will help you choose the most effective type of training for your learners and for the organization as a whole. This post will help get you started on choosing the right type of training for you, your staff and your budget! Continue Reading…

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“Be honest with me!” – The Importance of Evaluation & Feedback

We’re constantly faced with the question, “How did I do?” Many poor managers are often afraid to address employees’ weaknesses and provide false praise while others can be overly critical and fail to recognize the positive aspects of an employee’s performance. Learn more about the consequences of providing inaccurate or no feedback and how to provide effective performance reviews. Continue Reading…

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STOP! Ask Yourself These 6 Questions Before Choosing an Assessment

Before you select an assessment for your upcoming training program, make sure you assess the needs of your organization, your employees and your budget. Answering these questions will give you more direction so you can choose the best assessment for your group, AND get the most out of your budget! Continue Reading…

4 Easy-to-use Stress Relievers

This year, give yourself the gift of relaxation.

Although the holidays are a time when you can enjoy spending time with family and friends, they often throw a curve ball in your regular routine which can cause stress and anxiety. Whether it’s booking and monitoring your travel arrangements, managing your budget, purchasing a last minute gift or balancing the demands of work and personal life, ‘tis the season to slow down and approach your stressors rationally.Anxiety, Stress Santa

This holiday season, take a temporary break from the hustle and bustle and implement these FOUR easy-to-use, stress-relieving methods.

1. Problem Solve.

Because it’s the holiday season, it’s tempting to ignore stress in order to keep your spirits high. Unfortunately, ignoring a problem doesn’t make it go away. Take a minute to reflect on what’s causing your stress and try to resolve it. Remember, trying to ignore stress can be, well, stressful!

Try to approach what is causing you stress rationally by asking yourself the following questions:

  • What is causing you stress?
  • What can you do to resolve the issue?
  • What is your desired outcome?

Learning to address what is causing you difficulty quickly and effectively will help you make positive changes in your life all year round.

2. Communicate.

Sometimes we cannot solve the problems ourselves and instead need the buy-in from others around us. While a letter to Santa may be ONE approach, I’d recommend focusing on communicating with those around you. Make sure you’re clear about your message, ask for feedback and listen to what others say in response. Try to keep your emotions to a minimum and keep an open mind. Remember, you are not the only one who is faced with way too many things to do during the holiday season. You may be an unintended victim of someone else’s issues. Keeping an open line of objective, constructive communication can help alleviate stress in the long run.

3. Build better relationships.

Get in the spirit of the holiday season and improve your work and personal relationships. Having people that you can trust and communicate with will help you talk out your problems and find solutions. Try to focus on the positive when building new relationships and work together to accomplish common goals.

Being open and honest with others can help you feel a sense of community with them, which will ultimately lift your spirits.

4. Be flexible.

Don’t forget to ask yourself, “Am I being flexible?” The holiday season is both busy in personal and work life. You may spend all night online shopping only to have forgotten about your 2012 budget planning meeting at work the next day. It happens. Remember, your co-workers and family members may be dealing with the same stressors. Try to see things from others’ perspectives before focusing on your own feelings and make a sincere effort to adapt to changing scenarios.

No matter what the time of year, it’s important to consider reducing the amount of stress in your life. The first step to doing this is to determine what exactly causes you stress. If you’re having trouble pinpointing the causes of your stress, consider taking a stress test. You’ll discover what life factors stress you out (family, health, work, etc.) and what exactly you can do to reduce the stress in your life.

For information about our behavioral assessments, please contact us at learn@corexcel.com or 1-888-658-6641 (M-F, 9am – 5:30pm Eastern Time).