My Articles Best Choice: Navigator Newsletter: Winning the War on Talent

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Gregory P. Smith Lead Navigator & President

Hi zubay

I trust you are doing well. It is hard to believe it is February already. Where did the holidays go? Since I live in

Chapel Hill, NC I am looking forward to the Superbowl this weekend. Of course we expect the Carolina Panthers to win.

Make sure you check out the upcoming webinar on Emotional Intelligence and our DISC training programs.

Charting your course,

Gregory P. Smith

President & Lead Navigator

Chart Your Course International Inc.

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FEBRUARY'S WEBINAR

What's Your Emotional Intelligence (EQ)?

Research over the last 20 years has shown that individuals who have developed their Emotional Intelligence are between 40 -122% more effective, especially in roles that require influencing and guiding other's choices (such as leaders, sales and customer service).

It has been said that the EQ (or understanding of Emotional Intelligence) will trump having a high IQ due to the power of Emotional Intelligence to assist in collaboration and productivity. Having coached thousands of Executives in over 20 years, I can confirm this to be true!

The Emotional Quotient provides simple, systematic and accurate feedback for developing one's emotional intelligence. With an increase in EQ, individuals and teams will enjoy a significant improvement in their personal and professional relationships, as well as more rewarding interactions with others.

Click here to register

Date and Time

Thu, Feb 18, 2016 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM EST

Winning The War On Talent: The Best Companies Use Training

If you haven't invested in training your team in a while, then it is time to re-think your strategies. Companies are focusing more time and energy on advancing their employees education. Why is that?

People Want To Be Invested In

Just like you work hard to add value to your customer's lives, you need to put focus on your staff as well. They are people, just like the ones you serve. Finding ways to add value to their lives will keep them loyal to you.

It is the same principles you would use for keeping your customers happy and coming back. There is so much that goes into brand loyalty. Getting your staff on board is just as important as getting customers on board.

It Benefits You to Have Highly Trained Staff

Not only is it valuable for the individuals but it benefits you as well. If you want to keep up with your competition or bridge the gap between yourself and major corporations, you need to have solid training for your staff.

When your employees have the knowledge they need to take their performance to the next level, it benefits you. The more they know, the better your company can function.

What Types of Training Work Best

Maybe you understand how valuable training your staff is, but you aren't sure how to go about it. Here are a few methods that work well.

Shadowing and Hands-On Training - sure, digital training has its place, but hands on training is very valuable. Having one employee shadow another can provide great information. It allows the employee to ask real time questions and get more information from someone who knows a lot. After the employee feels comfortable, they can be shadowed by the stronger staff member.
Find Qualified Experts to Teach - you need to find actual industry experts for training events. Be sure you aren't bringing in self-proclaimed experts. Look for those that are authorities on the subject. You want to be sure that your staff is getting accurate information.
Set up Individual Training Sessions - it may make sense to have certain parts of training done in groups. However, individual training sessions are important at times as well. When you get one on one with someone, they will be able to ask the questions they need to without feeling weird around the group. Find ways to invest in each person individually.

Investing in the education of your staff is very important. Education efforts should be a priority to ensure your staff is able to handle your industry and help the company succeed.

Need help with your Training Issues? Contact us today!

Seven Steps For Creating A Culture Of Commitment And Accountability

Communicate to everyone that accountability and commitment are important!
Align every job description to your company's strategy and goals for the coming year. Ask everyone to commit to a shared vision of results.
Make accountabilities clear for everyone by using the benchmark for their job to start a discussion about how their individual contributions matter.
When you onboard new employees, have job-related professional development planning already in place to help them reach their full potential.
Build accountability into your company culture using "what & by when" goal and task planning. Project management can be very sophisticated, but the bottom line is "who, what, and by when?"
Offer ways for employees to communicate obstacles and request the help or resources they need to achieve their goals. When you listen to them, recognize that what you're listening to is someone who is committed to producing results.
"Catch" people doing something right: Give frequent, honest and positive feedback. As a general rule of thumb, a ratio of five positive interactions to one critical interaction will help managers build an open communication channel with direct reports.t

Contact us us today for assistance in benchmarking jobs, onboarding new employees and creating development plans for your entire team!

Four Ways To Keep Your Interviews Bias-Free

Even if we do not try to be, we can all be biased and partial to others. Some people connect with us right away while others we will struggle to make a connection. When it comes to holding a bias free interview, there are some things you can do that will help you stay impartial to the candidates.

1. Ask the Same Questions of All Interviewees. It is easy to get side tracked in conversation with someone that you connect with. Create a standard question list that you ask all interviewees and compare their answers. If you get off topic with them too much, it can cause you to lean one way or another based off of personal connection rather than other criteria.

2. Create a Rubric Ahead of Time. Prior to the interview stage, create a rubric of skills that you are looking for in a candidate. List specific skills, both soft and education based. You will want to add cultural fit to your criteria. Just because an individual has the right skill set does not mean they will fit in with the company.

After you are through with the interview, rate the candidate on each section of the rubric. This will help you stay impartial to other interviewees.

3. Note Taking. It is important that you take good notes during the interview so that you are able to gather the information you need. Jot down the notes as soon as you dismiss them from the meeting. Doing this while things are still fresh in your mind is vital to keeping facts straight.

This is especially important if you have interviews back to back for a position. What you learn about the person will be harder to recall if you see several people in the same day.

4. Ask Other People About the Decision. Run the candidates and data by other people in the company that you trust. Inviting a third party to look at the information will bring perspective to the situation. This person is not personally connected in any way with the interviewee and makes it harder for them to be bias.

When they ask you specific questions of why you want to hire one person over another, it will help you to justify your answers. If you are unable to come up with sufficient answers as to why you want one candidate over another, it will help you to determine if you are making a bias choice.

Let us find the right talent and keep you from hiring the wrong person in your next hiring process.t

Need to improve your Interviewing skills? Please Contact us us today!