Shawna Schuh, Presenter, Author and Consultant

Profitable People Skills

Keeping the Good Ones!

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Keeping the Good Ones!

By Shawna Schuh, CSP

Ever felt overwhelmed by the work that needs to be done, like the myriad tasks that keep getting added to your "To Do" lists or the endless emails to sort through and answer?

The sheer volume of things a business must do to survive is overwhelming. How can we find, train and retain good people? I know what you're thinking, "If I knew that, I'd be a millionaire!" Well get out your checkbook because if you follow a few simple rules you'll be adding to your bottom line right away.

Here's how you can keep new employees, make them more productive, more loyal, and make your job easier in the long run. If you are a new employee this is a great place to start in asking for what you need from your employer. To develop the highest performance among people there has to be some conversation!

1. Write down your expectations. I recently used some temporary help. The task I needed done was copying a variety of items for some promotional packets. There were different packets going to different places but the task was pretty simple work.

Because different items went into different packets, the amounts of what was to be copied changed. As I finished updating an item I passed it off to the temp with the number of copies to be made and she would do the coping. Everything seemed to be going well and I was congratulating myself on getting the extra help and how efficient I was being.

I passed her a couple more updated items with a note to copy the same amount as the previous item. "How many was that?" the temp asked me. "Didn't you keep track of how many of each item you were coping?" I inquired. "No, I just copied what you told me to and put them in a pile." This person, who up until then had been doing what I thought was a fine job, had no idea that she should have kept count or structured the copying in some sort of order. She only did the task presented. When I went into the copy room we had stacks of items unmarked, uncounted, and not in any order.

If only I had written down my expectations. If I had listed the tasks, put things in order and told her exactly what I needed the end to look like, I wouldn't have ended up with hours wasted re-counting and re-organizing and an unhappy worker who was forced to go back over work already done.

Who should I have been angry with in this situation? Me. I am the one to blame for not writing down my expectations. And the irony of it is that if I had written down how to do the project I would have had it to use again, which would have made future projects easier too.

By writing down exactly what you expect there will be fewer surprises, more productivity, and you will have a guide for any misunderstandings in the future!

Note: This process is also excellent when analyzing what went wrong or what you don't want in a coworker. The written word is clarifying and an excellent way to keep everyone on track.

2. Define what "the best" means. For years I've heard the saying, "Expect the best and you'll usually get it!" I expected this to work, but it won't unless the people involved understand what "the best" means to you.

The best to me might mean a perfectly placed label with a polished appearance on all outgoing documents and zero errors. To someone else it might mean getting the labels and documents out in the most rapid manner, regardless of appearance. To one "the best" means speed, to the other "the best" means presentation.

As you can see, the problem lies with what each person feels is "the best". If you don't define it you can never achieve it. Also, many people take for granted that "the best" is defined for the business but the philosophy wasn't passed down to the new employee, especially if they are brought on in a hurry with much to do. The employee gets conflicting messages. They are told to hurry so they believe speed is the norm and when they are criticized for their work they feel mistreated because no one shared the standards. Define what "the best" means to your organization and you'll not only save feelings but also dollars, lots of them.

3. Talk with not at a person. It's so easy to get into the mode of "telling" people, especially a new hire, how things are done, what to do, and when to do it. This is generally okay but if you want to develop the right kind of thinking you may want to try talking with the person instead of just at them.

Questioning and input are two things a new hire can contribute that will rejuvenate your company if you have adequately explained your expectations and qualified what "the best" means. It's their new thinking, their new slant on things that can make having a new person on the team so exciting. Many companies, mine included, can become myopic when it comes to what works and what doesn't. By sharing your expectations and asking for input you will empower your employees with job ownership.

This does two things to increase your business. First, it may give you some new ideas or changes that may save or increase the money coming in and/or going out of your business. Secondly, it makes the new hire feel important and that his or her opinion matters. The only way to keep people is to make them feel valued and asking someone's opinion and listening to it is one way you can do that.

These tips could actually be huge money- makers for you when it comes to training and retaining new hires. 1) By writing down the expectations you have about the jobs you want done you will give yourself and the new hire a blueprint to follow. 2) By defining what "the best" means to you will give you a clearer picture of what you want which means you'll be more likely to get it. 3) By talking with new hires you'll not only be building confidence and loyalty, you may get some excellent money making ideas. What's stopping you?

Conquer Apathy and Erase Rudeness as you follow proven, fun and beneficial information by Shawna Schuh, CSP. Specializing in communication, professionalism, service & business finesse. Shawna helps you bring your best self to the work you do for maximum results. To book Shawna to speak or for article reprinting contact Sandy McCready at 503-280-1946 or visit www.ShawnaSchuh.com.

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