2 Minute Trainer

Is it FUN around there?

2011-07-19T12:56:00.000-07:00

My daughter came home from her summer job the other day with a grin on her face. Actually, saying she “came home” doesn’t really give you the picture. She’s 19, and she’s working full eight-hour days this summer with kids, teaching gymnastics and dance camps. So when she comes home in the evening, it’s more a matter of doors slamming, shoes and bags dropping to the floor right inside the door, and a dramatic, sighing, slinking onto the nearest available horizontal surface where she can crash until starvation overtakes inertia. If you have a working teen this summer, you know the drill.

It’s the grin that really throws me, though. “What’s up with the big smile?” I ask her.

“I love my job,” she said. “This is the first job I’ve ever had that I really love.” This from a kid who probably holds the world record for odd high-school jobs: Subway, Baskin-Robbins, the local pizza place, not to mention babysitting for half the neighborhood.

“So what’s different about this job?” me, her nosy mom, inquires.

“Well, I’m doing something I love – dance.” (She’s been teaching dance all year while at college, though. More prying needed.)

“I LOVE the people I work with,” she replies. “Now that I think about it, I think that’s really why I love this job. The people I work with crack me up – they’re so funny. We have so much fun.”

My first response is a little warm glow. My daughter actually likes work – nice!

My second response was this weird little chill: can my employees say that about MY workplace? Is it a place where people laugh all day and just have fun being there? Do I give them the time, space and permission – tacit or explicit – to “crack each other up?”

As the leader around here, I’m sure that when I’m stressed, in a rush, or feeling pressure to get everything done I don’t set the stage for much “cracking up.” I probably DO set the stage for a lot of focused work and productivity (good), but also a lot of isolation and single-mindedness (not so good).

What I really want to achieve is a workplace where people want to show up; where they want to contribute to the “greater good” of the organization, and where they laugh often, too. I want a place where people LOVE working, because I believe that anything I love doing, I’ll do it well and often (this applies to my staff, too).

Funny hat day? Probably not. Relax just a little more often and share a laugh or two? Definitely on the agenda.

Preparing for Coming Changes: Opportunity or Crisis?

2011-04-25T15:45:00.000-07:00

You may be reading everywhere about the aging of today’s baby boomers. I’m one of them, and I can tell you the clock is only moving faster these days. It’s inevitable: me, and millions of other born during the mid-century baby boom, are quickly becoming seniors. It’s really not us, though, that you need to be gearing up for; it’s our parents. Most of us have aging parents who need care and services, either now or in the readily foreseeable future.

While everyone is focused on this aging boomer market, though, there’s another market that is sneaking its way into that position of opportunity or crisis. It’s the group of individuals with autism, a group who were recently children, and who are now aging out of the public school system, often with no adult-care system in place. You may already be hearing from individuals who need help with care for these special folks, and who are beginning to check out the options, both for home care and for facility-based care.

Comparatively, it seems like a small group. After all, we know of millions of individuals with Alzheimer’s needing care. But many options have been developed for the aged and for those with dementia over the past decade or two; few options exist for individuals with autism.

According to a recent article in the Sunday Parade magazine titled “Who will care for Dana?", as many as 500,000 children with autism are entering adulthood in the near future, many with no community options available. Many families are looking for assisted living type options, with staff especially trained to meet the needs of the client with autism.

Opportunity? If your staff is trained and ready to provide care, you can easily begin to accommodate needs. If you have an underutilized building, this could be a tremendous opportunity for you to meet these special needs. Families of children and adults with autism are some of the most technologically connected folks, giving an ideal platform for information and referrals. Facebook’s Autism Speaks group, for example has nearly 800,000 “likes” – compare that to the group who “like” the Alzheimer’s Association or related organizations, none of which have even 10% of this following.

Crisis? Trying to admit a person with special needs that your staff is not trained to handle is the fast track to crisis. Watching your competition pass you by with specially certified staff is another way to crisis, even if it’s just the pit-of-the-stomach sort of crisis.

Here at aQuire Training, we’ve identified this group of caregivers as a tremendous opportunity. We’ve been listening to them and hearing what they say: their challenges are immense and the resources available to them very limited. We’re planning to develop a series of training courses, both for family caregivers and for the professional caregiving team. Let us know if you’re interested – we’ll put you on a list to get development updates.

And keep your ears to the ground. There are lots more changes coming. It’s up to us to make them opportunities, not challenges!

Save the Day (and the Resident)!

2011-01-25T14:34:00.000-08:00

Here’s a tool I found a while back, but just noticed again in a recent article in Provider magazine http://www.ahcancal.org/News/publication/Provider/CoverJan2011.pdf (January, 2011) about avoiding re-hospitalizations in residents. It’s a free resource (awesome!), but I think it could be very, very useful to your caregiving team.

You can find the resources at http://interact2.net. Interact stands for “Interventions to Reduce Acute Care Transfers.” My favorite tools are the cards for caregivers to carry in their pockets. They’re called “Stop and Watch” cards. A caregiver could identify a change, circle it and turn it in to their supervisor, even if they are uncomfortable with the actual reporting process. You’ll notice that key indicators of change in condition are noted, with instructions for the caregiver.

If you want to prevent costly hospitalizations and head off the risk of losing the resident to higher care (or worse), you may want to print a supply of these for all your caregivers to carry with them – every day!

To check out the rest of the tools available on this great website go to http://interact2.net/tools.html.

Looking back – looking forward

2010-12-15T09:12:00.000-08:00

We are rapidly approaching the end of yet another year. Some of us hung on by our fingernails; some of us have managed growing teams and busy, bustling companies.

Whichever your experience this past year, I hope you have taken the time to keep an ear to the ground. I hope you’ve noticed things like the growth in Facebook and other phenomena that tell us a lot about ourselves – and our team.

These changes tell us that we are striving, as an overwhelmed and over-worked population, to find a way to connect with people in our lives that works for us today.

We’re looking for a little relaxation and fun (Farmville, anyone?), while still connecting with friends.

We’re interested in learning and growing, too – at least where WE want to grow.

If we’re listening, we have heard messages that should give us pause and a moment, as we near year’s end, to reflect.

Are our training approaches building bonds, while putting the amazing wealth of resources of the web in the hands of our team?

Are we making learning fun and interesting – and social, at the same time?

Are we – personally – using email, chat and Facebook to build stronger connections, a stronger team, and a stronger company?

If you’re like me, this time of year is both wonderful and exhausting. My work calendar is already flipped to January, making the balance of the month seem much more insignificant than it really is, both in terms of time and of meaning.

And so, I invite you to join me in stopping for just a minute in the remaining days of this year – whenever you can grab it – and reflect on where you’ve been, where you’re going and, what you’ve learned. Because, ready or not, we’re heading into a brand new year.

Understanding the Family Member’s Experience

2010-11-03T13:01:00.000-07:00

Last week I was privileged to attend a conference for family caregivers. The speaker of one particular session was incredible. She told stories about her experience with her own parents, both of whom suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, and how she coped – and laughed – at nearly every turn of events.

The audience howled as she talked about traveling across the globe on a “last trip” her parents requested of her. She shared how her mother would go into the airplane’s miniature toilet, only to be unable to let herself back out – time after time. By the end of the flight, the entire section of the plane cheered along with the speaker each time her mother successfully released the lock and got out of the bathroom.

Then she shared how her mother, long after losing her ability to speak, had a lucid moment right before she died. She clearly said, “I love you too,” in response to the speaker’s proclamation of affection.

As she shared this story, the woman sitting next to me burst into racking sobs. As I passed on the tissues another woman dug out for her, I couldn’t help but wonder what her brought on this woman’s tears.

I wondered if she, too, had been trying “all the wrong approaches” to dealing with a loved one with memory loss.

Perhaps she had been saying, “I love you” to someone in her life – and was still waiting for the responsive, “I love you too.”

It made me realize, though, that what seems like common knowledge to us when we care for our clients may be completely different for family members.

We know, for example, that our memory impaired clients are trying as hard as they can. We don’t urge them to “try harder” or say, “Don’t you remember me telling you this?”

Families struggling with a mom, dad or spouse who was once a source of strength, and perhaps now no longer recognizes them, experience daily life in an entirely different way.

Wouldn’t it be enlightening for us to invite our clients’ family members in to share their stories? Wouldn’t it help our caregivers gain more empathy and understanding, in the process?

As trainers, we need to train for care of the entire client unit, including family members.

We’ll be better prepared to provide genuine person-centered care – for families as well as for clients.

Gossip and Marketing Opportunities

2010-10-13T09:11:00.001-07:00

If you’re one of the thousands who actually ready my e-newsletters, you may be one of the handful who have wondered where they’d gone in the past several weeks.

Well, let me tell you – we’ve been busy! Here’s just a little of our internal gossip – followed by an exciting and one-of-a-kind marketing opportunity for you.

We moved! We had outgrown our old office some time ago, but continued to work two to an office. Not very comfortably, mind you, but sometimes you just do what you have to do. When we found an opportunity to move to a big, new space for just a little more rent (to the other end of the block, across the street), we jumped on it! Since we moved last month, we’ve added three more team members, increasing courses and our client services programs significantly. It’s a testament to the importance of what we’re doing together in training new caregivers that we’re growing, even during an economy that’s got so many businesses in basic survival mode. If you’re ever in the historic downtown Oregon City (the oldest city in the state of Oregon), please stop in!

We got federal training grants! aQuire was selected to partner with community colleges in Oregon for a 3 year federal demonstration grant, developing a e-learning plus clinical training model for direct-care worker training that will set a “gold standard” for the nation. We’re very excited to be a part of this program, and look forward to sharing our results along the way.

We’ve just launched a major new outreach campaign. In the process, we’re adding new online courses and programs, including several Leadership and Family courses that we believe will significantly help our clients achieve their goals. We also created a User Advisory Group and heard awesome feedback, including, “Subscribing to aQuire is a no-brainer - the outcomes are so great!” My favorite bit of feedback came from a large corporate home care client whose offices have the option to train with aQuire or train in house. She told me, “100% of our most successful offices are using aQuire to help them build strong teams and strong referral networks.” Now that’s success!

We’ve just signed on to help create and launch an exciting national family caregiver support website. I have been consulting on this project, based out of NYC, for the past year, watching it grow and become something that will be truly original, innovative and exciting. We’re now in the final stages of development and plan to have an early 2011 launch – watch for it!

This presents a unique marketing opportunity for you – a chance to reach 10 million family caregivers. Perhaps you’d like to become an “expert” on the site, answering caregiver’s questions or offering ideas or suggestions to make their life easier.

Perhaps your company could offer a discount or special price to introduce your services to caregivers.

The more creative you are, the better your message will get heard.

If you want to have some fun, let me know – I’ll help you get set up! Shoot me an email (Sharon@aquiretraining.com) and get involved!

I Know Your Name

2010-08-31T09:31:00.000-07:00

My oldest daughter’s transition from a small private elementary school to our large public high school was a little challenging the first few weeks. She wanted desperately to make friends with some of the kids that she observed across the room – but didn’t know how to begin.

I remember telling her to use their names whenever she said “hi.” Just adding their name (“Hi, Laura”) would be much more affective than a simple “hi.”

Using a person’s name is very powerful. It says, “I know who you are – you have value to me as a unique person.”

As managers of people, knowing and using their names in conversation is one powerful way we can communicate the value and worth of that person within the organization. This basic truth shows through in this story, which landed in my inbox this morning. I don’t know the origin of the actual quote, but it was sent to me by a company called Peaceful Daily, (whose motto is “Think good. Eat whole. Walk far.” Nice). Here’s the quote:

"During my second year of nursing school our professor gave us a quiz. I breezed through the questions until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?" Surely this was a joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Before the class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our grade. "Absolutely," the professor said. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say hello." I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy." - Joann C. Jones.

Good reminder to those of us who proclaim that we value our people most of all.

Thoughts on Motivation

2010-08-05T10:38:00.000-07:00

Summer seems to be a time for a bit of the hot-weather-doldrums. You know what I mean: your team is working short a lot to accommodate vacations and your own head may be really wishing your body was at the beach instead of in the office!

Now that we’re on the downhill side of summer, I’m thinking about September. It’s a great time to start new things. And just between us, we need to start some new things to get the energy back in this office. We need to refocus and re-energize.

So I was excited to get the link to a great little video on the topic of motivation in my email from a client (Jason Hess, Elite Care – check out this company if you want to see motivation and innovation in action! They title their website “The Future of Elder Care” – check it out.). It’s interesting – and worth the 10 minutes it will take you to view it. Here’s to a busy, productive, exciting fall!

Emergency Preparedness with e-learning

2010-06-22T16:20:00.000-07:00

As an owner and operator of multiple assisted living communities, one of my all-time greatest fears was an emergency situation. A fire, flood, extended power outage – any of these things could threaten the health and safety of my building full of vulnerable residents.

In 1996, the year of the worst recent Portland flooding, we were given evacuation orders by the local fire department for our Memory Care building located in SE Portland. It was 11:00 at night, and we had three little children asleep in their beds. I knew we needed to personally make sure everything went well, but it was one very harrowing night. A neighbor came to stay with the kids, and my husband and I took off – slowly (all roads were flooded) for our care community. Before we left, though, I had located an empty wing of a nearby hospital that would take our residents and had given the staff specific instructions to begin notifying families.

By the time we arrived at the community everything was ready to go. Every resident was up and dressed. The night staff – a short but very busy crew – had packaged a change of clothes for each person, complete with a couple of extra depends if needed, marked them with the person’s name, and prepared the medications for transport. They had begun calling every family member and had written a sign for the door notifying any visitor where we could be found.

Our experience isn’t unique. Many facilities evacuated after Hurricane Katrina; others during floods, tornados and hurricanes. These are incredibly difficult situations, and loss of life can result if you’re not carefully prepared – and lucky, too.

Fire is a hazard that happens even when the weather is perfect. USA Today ran a story a few years ago that reported an average of one fatal fire each month in assisted living.

What if that fire was in your building? Would your team know – quickly, confidently – what to do?

Following our own experience we wanted to help others prepare for their own emergency and make sure every member of the team was prepared. We knew that the only way to really know what to do in an emergency, when the adrenalin is pumping and the pressure is on, is for that information to be simply automatic.

And that takes repetition.

We can help! We’ve prepared a template to help you build a custom course just for your team, building by building. Just give us the answers to some very basic questions and we’ll build the course for you. Assign the course to everyone, have them complete the quiz and earn a certificate, and you’ll not only being going the extra mile to prepare your staff, you’ll also have evidence of your extra effort in the event that something should go horribly wrong.

Each custom Emergency Preparedness course costs only $50 to build. Invest today – sleep tonight!

Watch this to learn more:

If you’re wondering how my own flood evacuation story turned out, here’s the ending:

We made a choice to stay in the building literally until the water was lapping at the driveway. Since we were on evacuation warning rather than an order, we chose to stay put. Just as we were at the “now-or-never” decision point the water began receding and the evacuation warning was lifted. We were very lucky that day, but this close call taught us never to take good preparation for granted again!

Leading with Laughter

2010-05-26T14:00:00.000-07:00

One of our foundational concepts here at aQuire Training is that our work should be FUN. We've painted some key words on the wall in our conference room - and FUN is among them. Yes, we've got our serious words there: Passion, Integrity, Purpose and Profit.

But several years ago I realized that for all the hours we spend at work - and around our co-workers - if we aren't having FUN, we're missing something real that adds value to our lives. Along the way, I realized that when I'm having fun at work, I'm working harder, being more creative and making other people's lives more enjoyable, too.

I'm not watching the clock, thinking about lunch, or counting the days until my next paycheck.

I'm being much more engaged in my work, and, as a consequence, I'm much more productive, too.

People around me respond in a different way, too. Others stop being territorial about their projects or ideas. Collaboration comes more naturally, as we laugh together and then - seriously - come up with imaginative solutions to challenging problems.

For a project at my church several years ago I researched the effect that laughing together has on building community. The results were amazing to me. When we laugh together, we connect on a level that instantly creates bonds. We lean in toward each other; sometimes we touch each other companionably on the arm, back or shoulder.

When I walked through my assisted living communities and saw caregivers laughing with residents, I saw an extraordinary amount of eye contact, hugging and playfulness occurring. I learned that this was one of my strongest indicators of a team that felt engaged, safe and confident.

They were not working out of fear of their supervisor catching them doing something wrong.

They were not watching the clock; waiting for their next break; their lunch hour; quitting time.

They were acting out the reason they worked in this challenging memory care environment: because they loved their residents.

I could tell they felt empowered and supported by management; safe to express the love and the joy they felt in their hearts.

Clate Mask, CEO of a company called Infusionsoft says this about fun in the workplace:

"After all, adding humor, laughter, and fun into your work environment...

Helps relieve stress (and happy people tend to be more productive)
Creates a stronger bond amongst you and your employees
Has a positive impact on your customers (and attracts more of them)
Improves the physical health of you and your employees
Encourages more open and honest communication
And so much more!"

Jody Urquhart of weLead Online Magazine (www.leadingtoday.org) describes some of the specific benefits of fun in the workplace:

"Laughter releases endorphins (a chemical 10 times more powerful than the pain-relieving drug morphine) into the body with the same exhilarating effect as doing strenuous exercise. Laughing increases oxygen intake, thereby replenishing and invigorating cells. It also increases the pain threshold, boosts immunity, and relieves stress.

"Humor also levels the playing field to create an atmosphere that encourages honest dialogue, open communication, and increased risk taking. Creating more equality in power or control shows people respect and builds pride in their work."

Most useful to me, however, are Ms. Urquhart's "13 Steps to Creating a Fun Workplace, " which we've illustrated with this brief presentation: Is your Staff Suffering from Terminal Seriousness?

She suggests that, as managers, we create an environment where our employees have fun. We don't need to come to work dressed as a clown, but we do need to set the tone that it's OK to laugh and have fun at work. Most of all, though, we need to let our employees be creative - we need to get out of the way so they can bring more fun into the workplace.

As a manager, pay close attention to how you say things to your team, especially those ugly "disciplinary" things. If you hear yourself frequently making threats ("anyone with more than one tardy in the next pay period will be terminated") stop for a minute and think of a way to say that with humor, and in a positive tone. Try something like this: "if you've got someplace more important to be than at work when you're scheduled, we're gonna let you be there all the time! We don't want to get in the way of what you're rather be doing!

Or here's another one: "If you love this place so much you don't want us to pay you, please don't bother to fill out your timecard."

You get the idea.

Now go have some fun today!

Genuine leadership

2010-04-14T14:00:00.000-07:00

Strong leadership is a proven factor in a successful operation of any kind. Leaders like Lee Iococca revived Chrysler from a sure death, just as leaders like Adolf Hitler changed the face of the globe.

In your organization, strong leadership is vital to success, too. But a strong leader knows to listen to his team and let their requests, ideas and suggestions guide his decisions, too.

When I left home to attend college in another state I needed a job. I knew that I could work with seniors (my parents owned senior care communities and everyone in our family helped out from time to time). So I applied at a nearby nursing home, and was hired on the spot.

I remember very little about that job, other than the lack of training and the physical intensity and intimacy of care that I was expected to give. I was 17 years old, and it was incredibly overwhelming.

I also remember the nurse who hired me. I remember telling her that I would work any and all evenings of the week if I could just have Friday nights off as often as possible. Being a college freshman, I wanted to join in the social life at school and feel a part of that environment, too.

I’ve never forgotten her response. Not the words she said, but the actions she took. Not once during the semester I worked there was I scheduled off on Friday night. Not one single time.

By the end of the five or six months, I was done.

My memory of those months has shaped my own management style in a fundamental way.

I remember what it was like to be thrown into something I wasn’t ready for, either in life maturity or in skills.

I remember what it was like to have the one thing I requested totally disregarded by management.

And so today I run a training company that helps prepare nursing assistants and caregivers to give incredibly challenging, intimate care.

I listen to my employees and give them as much flexibility in scheduling as possible.

I know that I would have stayed in that job, perhaps for my full four years at college if I had been adequately trained and respected. Instead, I left people whom I had genuinely learned to love in the care of others – and found a job where my needs were respected, too.

We’ve had crises in turnover in senior care, industry-wide. We’ve had PR disasters and plenty of census challenges, too.

At the end of the day, I believe that the strong leaders – those people who have led their organization to success – will be ones who know the value of their team, and who listen to them, train them and respect them.

Genuine leaders. Real success.

Employee Engagement – applying the concepts

2010-03-16T14:00:00.000-07:00

If you’ve been patiently following the last series of 2 Minute Trainer, you know that I’ve focused on the Gallup organization’s “12 Keys for Employee Engagement” study.

I love this particular study mostly because the Gallup organization not only studied what employee engagement looks like, but they also studied the results of a highly engaged workforce compared to the typical, marginally engaged.

As a business owner trying my hardest to run a profitable business, those are the numbers that really get my attention. According to the Gallup studies, I can increase my bottom line by 100 – 300% just by fully engaging my workforce. THAT I can get excited about!

We’re starting a new series of 2 Minute Trainers this year with concrete ideas for implementing some of the Gallup’s engagement concepts. We hope you find them interesting – but most importantly we hope you find that they give you ideas for creating your own concrete approaches to engaging your team.

Question #1: Do you know what is expected of you at work? (Engaged employees, only 28% of the typical workforce, answered this question – YES)

Idea #1: Job descriptions. How many of us have job descriptions we simply create for job categories rather than for each individual? A housekeeper is a housekeeper, right? A caregiver is a caregiver…and so on.

In reality, one housekeeper is an awesome organizer, and may find herself gradually taking over the organization of the linen storage closet.

One housekeeper may have special skills at soothing and bathing challenging clients.

Ideally, each individual employee should have an individual job description. Perhaps you take your job category description and add, during a personally meeting, tasks that the person is especially skilled at doing. You can recognize their special talents, interests and gifts, while reinforcing the overall job expectations.

Another idea is to create job description training modules that spell out exactly what your expectations are for each job category. For example, you might follow a caregiver around for a day with a video camera and show each aspect of her job expectation in video mode.

Be sure to include the kinds of duties that all staff need to do: customer service expectations, for example.

We’ve created a very quick sample that you’re welcome to duplicate for your own team. You can even send it to us and we’ll add it to your on-line training and create a certificate as well.

EXAMPLE

Idea #2: Job meetings. We’ve started a tradition in our office of monthly job meetings. I schedule them for Friday afternoons – a good time to wrap up the week’s work a little early and sit down with each employee for a few minutes – usually 10 – 15 minutes – and review their work.

It took us a month or two to hammer out written job expectations for each person, including what goals they had in their jobs, and how we would measure their success to know when they were doing their jobs well.

Now, each person has a quick report that fits exactly with their goals, and we discuss any areas of change, improvement, challenge or achievement. We often laugh together, and get excited about actually measuring accomplishments, instead of just rushing from task to task.

Idea #3: Mentoring. As often as possible I pair up a new employee with a seasoned employee who can answer their questions and make sure they’re on track in their work. Often, I ask two employees to work on a task together and come up with a plan, without my input. I’ve discovered that – surprise – I don’t actually need to make decisions in a lot of areas, especially if the employees have a track record of good, solid work.

Hope this gives you some concrete ideas to implement part one of our engagement process.

We’ll tackle part 2 next month.

Make Staff Training Fun!

2010-01-18T11:23:00.000-08:00

This year, 2 Minute Trainer is taking a different approach. The aQuire team will be sharing concrete ideas to help you put into practice some of the concepts and theories we’ve been talking about over the past year.

This month, we’re kicking off the new series with some ideas to help you build FUN into your classroom-based training.

Even though you are using aQuire’s online training program for basic staff training, I hope you’re at least holding periodic team building meetings – celebrating birthdays, updating staff on policy or staffing changes, and reinforcing the idea that TEAM is what gets the work done.

So here are a couple of ideas to help you make those team meetings – or classroom trainings – FUN!

Staff Training is one of those “catch-22” type things: we have to do it, but it often isn’t very much fun. Consider the primary goals of staff training: to impart additional knowledge and to affect outcome or behavior based on that increased knowledge.

You can, on a good day, achieve those goals by lecturing to staff – maybe. But think how much more interesting it would be to develop a format that allowed staff to laugh together, to share their own thoughts, ideas and perspectives, and to form a more cohesive team bond with co-workers – all while learning new information.

If staff find learning fun, chances are you’ll see a greater change in outcome or behavior based on the learning, and that’s the ultimate goal of staff training.

Create Your Own Learning Game

Check out some well-known resources for developing team-building and learning games, such as John Newstrom and Edward Scannell’s book, The Big Book of Team Building Games (McGram-Hill, 1998). Then, follow some simple rules, and you’ll soon see staff having fun and learning at the same time:

Develop questions that elicit learning information – on whatever topic you’re teaching
Design questions to have no right or wrong answers – just “your” answer
Allow for personal or team competition – or do it just for fun
Create inter-shift teams to help build bridges between shifts
Take time between questions to give additional training information
Develop games for department heads or team leaders that give them opportunity to stretch their skills, and learn from each other

If you’d like to check out your staff’s reaction to a learning game, try this simple starting game. Use the questions at the end, or make up your own questions, and take a few minutes to watch what happens to your team. Here are two different approaches to try – pick the one you feel most comfortable with, and go for it!

Learning Game #1:

Using a variety of brightly colored pieces of construction paper, lay out a “game board” on the floor. Make a semi-circle, or curve around in an “S” shape – be creative! Use about 20 squares of paper (more squares will make the game last longer, but you’ll also need more questions).
Use one large die from an activity set of dice, or put the numbers 1-6 on slips of paper and place in a basket for drawing.
Divide your group into two teams. You can count off (1-2-1-2) and send all the “1s” to one side of the room and the “2’s” to the other side, or divide in any way you choose. Consider mixing the teams up a bit from the way they might naturally divide.
Have each team choose a person to be its “marker.” That person stands next to square # 1, and moves each turn the number of squares rolled on the dice. If the “marker” lands on a square that the other team’s “marker” is already standing on, the “marker” already in place is bumped to the first square, and starts over. The first team reaching the last square “wins” the game.
Each team selects an individual to answer the first question; the second question goes to another team member, and so on until the game is complete. Try making some questions “team” questions, to be answered after a team conference rather than by one individual.
While winning has its own reward, a small Hershey’s kiss or other token prize will liven up the finish of the game.

Remember, the game has no right or wrong answers. Sharing, learning from each other, and growing in team relationship, knowledge and skills is the point.

Learning Game #2

This structure is easier to plan, but won’t facilitate the same competitive spirit as Game #1. Use this approach if you have a small group that’s already quite cohesive, or if you run out of preparation time, but still want to use a game format for learning.

Get a small foam ball, beach ball, or even a tightly wadded piece of paper.
Start by tossing the ball to one individual in the group. That person is now selected to answer the question, or pass. He or she then tosses the ball to another person, who must answer the next question, or pass and toss the ball on.
The game ends when all the questions have been asked and answered. Individuals who answer questions can be cheered, and then rewarded with the token “prize,” or recognized as a group at the end.

Sample Questions for Team Building Games

Go to another person in the room and tell him or her something he/she does exceptionally well at work
Give someone you don’t know well a sincere compliment
Share one thing that could be done to make our staff a better “team”
Name one thing that could help your team have more enthusiasm
Name one thing that could help your team have more fun together
Share one thing about yourself no one in the room knows.
Finish this sentence: If someone on the team has a problem with me, I’d like them to:

Engage, Learn and Grow

2009-12-29T11:24:00.000-08:00

This is my last entry for the year 2009. Next year, we’re planning something completely different for the 2 Minute Trainer – I think you’ll like it (but you’ll have to wait ‘til 2010 to find out).

It’s fitting, then, that the last in the series of 12 key indicators of employee engagement that we have been discussing is this:

“In the last year, have you had opportunities to learn and grow?”

Employees who are fully engaged will answer “YES!” to this question. Which makes me wonder, have I had opportunities to learn and grow this year? Have you?

It’s been a tough year for many people. More people than I can fathom lost jobs this year; real people, with real mortgages, electric bills and mouths to feed.

Others of us retained our jobs but saw the way we do business change. We tightened some belts and adjusted some spending, all the while grasping with both hands to hold onto our turf in an increasingly challenging playing field.

I have had moments – not this year, fortunately – when I simply asked for boredom; a year with no “opportunities for growth” that were really euphemisms for “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

I’m pretty sure that’s not exactly the kind of growth the Gallup folks had in mind.

I like to think that they had in mind the kinds of opportunities to learn and grow that are fun and innovative; that take us out of our comfort zone and stretch us in a wonderful, exhilarating way.

Like the way I learned a whole new language when I got my iPhone (apps and app stores, for example). And then the way that I learned how to find almost anything at the touch of my finger, including where I left my car and what subway line to take back to the airport. It was fun to learn, and fun to explore a whole new area of knowledge and information.

Or the way my heart simply grew in size when our newest little god-daughter was born. It didn’t hurt a bit, and it was wonderful and amazing.

Could we embrace learning and growth at work in the same way? Could we help our team members experience this, too?

Have you seen the newest ads by the language company Rosetta Stone? The headline says, “What’s the best way to learn a new language? Act like a baby!” The ad points out that learning, for babies, is a thing of exploration and wonder. It’s magical and natural. It’s effective, too.

Somewhere along the line we started treating adult learning like a task – a requirement. It stopped being fun and joyful. It ceased being a natural by-product of our desire to learn more and more about our job, and continually increase our job skills.

Perhaps my wish for you, at the close of a year that may go down in the history books as the last year of the “decade from hell” (if Time magazine has its way), is that you will find, for you and your team, opportunities to learn and grow in the coming year that will inspire, enrich and energize you.

And that you’ll grow and prosper, both as a manger and as a member of this wonderful human family of ours.

Engage, evaluate

2009-12-22T13:04:00.000-08:00

“It’s time for your annual evaluation.”

I don’t know about you, but that phrase sounds suspiciously like, “Please come to the principle’s office.”

It’s not a request, it’s a summons. You know that nothing good is going to come from it. In fact, you suspect that something very, very bad could be sneaking up on you in the form of “annual eval time.”

Interesting, Gallup’s #11 item on the list of 12 key expectations that measure employee engagement is this: “In the last six months, has someone at work talked to you about your progress?”

Note that an annual evaluation only yields a “yes” answer for 6 months out of the year. So is the answer another evaluation meeting? Yuck!

Here’s what I’ve been trying, in my on-going effort to become a boss who fully engages every person on the team: I schedule a monthly “job review” meetings individually with each person on my team. Usually I schedule these for Friday afternoons at the start of each month. By Friday afternoon, we’re all ready for a more relaxed pace to wind down from the week. At the beginning of the month we can talk about last month’s accomplishments and plan for this month’s tasks.

Together, we’ve come up with a clear description of each person’s tasks, including goals and how we know when they’ve achieved their goals. It took a few months for us to get there, starting, as we often do with a list of goals that include, “Doing work assigned to me.”

Gradually, we started to see patterns. Desiree answers the phones and helps solve people’s problems. Wendy and Sara work with new and potential new clients to make sure we meet – and exceed – their expectations. Other team members have their own areas of work. In each of these jobs there are ways we measure success – how quickly we solve people’s problems; how happy our existing clients are with service. As we realize our big goals, we can start setting little goals, too; goals that help us grow in depth and breadth as individuals and as a company.

It’s been fun for me, and I think even the staff members look forward to it. We get a few minutes of one-on-one time to focus on expectations; to give feedback and to say a simple, “thanks for your efforts.”

I remember telling someone early in my career that any time an employee failed at their work, it reflected negatively on me, too. Over the years I’ve come to accept that some people are simply not a match for the job they’re placed into, and that has no negative reflection on them or me. I’ve also learned, though, that helping guide each person to success means taking the time, on a regular basis, to give them feedback on goals and expectations.

It means, in a nutshell, taking the time to talk to each person, regularly, about their progress.

Engagement: building friends

2009-12-15T15:40:00.000-08:00

Someone once asked me who my best friend was (husbands don’t count)…and I had to think a long time before I could answer.

I work full time running a busy, growing company. I have three daughters, each of whom would like a little of my attention. My husband requests his 60 seconds of undivided attention each week, too. While we are involved in church and other organizations, few there would qualify for “best friend” status.

I could think of only one person in answer to that question: a co-worker. I spent hours every week with her, planning projects and carrying out these plans; solving crises large and small. Often, we’d end a busy day with a quick glass of wine or, when we had accomplished something really outstanding, a celebratory margarita (or two). Of all the people in my life, she was the only one I could call a “best friend.”

If you’re like me – and many other people in our fast-paced world, our best friends are often our co-workers or colleagues. They’re the ones we spend the most hours of our day with; and the ones with whom we share our agonies (“Can you believe the boss did that – again?!”) and our ecstasies (“We totally nailed that one!”).

The researchers from Gallup found that, in fact, having a best friend at work was one indicator (#10 on the list of 12, if you’re counting) of employee engagement.

I like that concept. It seems like a very long way from the thinking of management in my early career. Those were the days when we discouraged work relationships. We said, “They’re your co-workers; not your friends. Don’t get too cozy with them.”

We worried that if we had to discipline one person, their “friends” might get upset, causing a chain reaction of resignations or bad behavior.

What we discovered along the way was that treating people fairly caused generally fair reactions. Even “friends” understood and respected management decisions that were fair, balanced and focused on improving quality care.

Today, knowing how important friendship at work is to employee engagement, good managers actively looks for ways to encourage friendships. Mentoring new hires by pairing them with experienced staff who seem to have compatible personalities is one way that works for many; secret pals and scheduled social events are others.

As you’re working on building a more engaged team, think about ways that you personally – and systematically – encourage the development of friendships among team members.

Ask your team members, “Who is your best friend?”

And hope the answer they give is someone you know.

12 Keys: Are your co-workers equally dedicated?

2009-12-09T08:52:00.000-08:00

My daughter came home from the school the other day with steam pouring out of her ears. Being a mom, I can see these kinds of things.

I asked her what on earth was wrong, and she began to tell me, with a great deal of emotion, about a school project that was supposed to be completed by a small group of students. Each student had a part to complete, but the final grade would be made on the project as a whole, no matter how well each part was done.

Of course, there was a slacker, one student who was too busy with sports or musical tryouts or boyfriend drama (or in this case, all of the above), to complete her assigned part of the project.

The entire group got a bad grade and my daughter was fuming. Who could blame her? She worked hard on her part, focusing on detail and design as well as the assigned content. She felt great about her part of the project, but lousy about her final grade and the outcome overall. Most of all, she felt that the final project didn’t reflect on HER ability or effort.

If you’ve put your heart and soul into a project, it really sucks to have someone else come along and mess it up. If you’re working with a frail, vulnerable person and you’re passionate about providing quality care, it more than sucks if you feel your co-workers may be taking short-cuts when they come on shift to take over for you.

Maybe that’s why day shift always complains about how few rounds night shift made, or evenings complain about how much laundry day shift left them to do.

Or your caregivers seem less than fully engaged.

It takes a team to accomplish great things; it takes a team focused in the same direction, each pulling relatively equal weight, to reach your organization’s fully engaged potential.

12 Keys to employee engagement: Your job is important

2009-11-23T16:46:00.000-08:00

I love talking to people who are passionate about their jobs. You find them in all walks of life. Our UPS guy is passionate about delivering packages to my door. He bounds up the walk in his brown shorts and shirt, reaching into his pocket with his free hand to pull out a biscuit for my dog. Bella knows that brown truck and her tail starts wagging the minute she sees it.

The other day I heard a guy who made car parts talk excited about his job – he was definitely passionate about it.

Over the years I have had friends and relatives (not naming names here) who always seemed to hate their jobs. They complain about their bosses, their hours, their benefits. Still, they show up for work, put in their hours, collect their paycheck. Not ideal employees, I imagine.

Gallup asks this question, number 8 in the top 12 questions that measure employee engagement: “Does the mission/purpose of your company make you feel your job is important?”

Those of us in the business of providing care to seniors ought to be easily able to give our employees the advantage of answering a hearty “Yes!” to this question.

Isn’t every single job in senior care important? In my book it certainly is. I’ve known a few managers, however, who managed to convey the sense that there was a hierarchy of importance in senior care: The top manager or executive director was clearly the most important person, followed by department heads or team leaders, followed by care staff. Housekeepers, maintenance workers and kitchen staff were often at the very bottom of the manager’s list of important workers.

If you look at pay structure you could certainly get that impression.

A good manager, however, knows how valuable every single member of the team is to the overall organization, especially the ground-floor employees. They are usually the ones responsible for delivering the hands’ on care and making the property look great.

You can’t pay them manager’s wages, but you can recognize the value of their work.

You can greet them by name.

You can introduce them to visitors and guests, and mention something they do extraordinarily well.

You can thank them for the work they do, and tell them how important you know it to be.

You will soon watch them glow, as they recognize – and know that you recognize – that their job, their work, is truly important to the mission of the organization.

12 Keys to employee engagement: My opinion counts

2009-11-17T11:12:00.000-08:00

Have you ever worked for a boss who genuinely wanted to hear your opinion? How about one who wouldn’t listen to anyone’s opinion – certainly not yours.

Which one made you feel more valued as a person? Which one made you want to think harder and do better work?

If you’re now a manager, think carefully about which one describes the way you manage.

Do you ASK for ideas and opinions from your team members, or just tell them the way things are going to be?

Do you stop talking and actively LISTEN if a team member offers an opinion or idea?

When was the last time you changed a plan because of the opinion of a team member? When did you last implement something based on the ideas of a team member?

Among the keys to employee engagement is this one thing: “My opinions count.”

I’ve sat in on employee meetings and heard managers say, “I want to remind you about our policies for being late, tardy or sick. If you’re sick, you’ll need to get a doctor’s excuse or it will be an unexcused absence. Does anyone NOT understand this policy?” Sometimes, the review of policies goes on and on, in a tone that wouldn’t make me feel valued or engaged if I was the recipient.

What if the manager had said, “I’ve noticed a lot of people being late or sick lately. Does anyone have any ideas on how we should handle this?” Perhaps, through active listening and open discussion, the manager may have arrived at the same place as the company policies, but perhaps some other conditions may have surfaced that could be handled in a way to build and strengthen the team, and the loyalty to the company.

New managers often believe their main job is to enforce company policies. Experienced managers who are focused on building a strong, engaged, successful team know the importance of collaborative decision making, and of seeking – and valuing – the opinions of each member of the team.

Training Personal Care Aides to deliver quality care

2009-11-11T10:03:00.000-08:00

We’re excited around the aQuire Training offices. We just received our private school license from the Oregon Department of Education to offer the Personal Care Aide Certification course (and some other pre-hire courses) though our newest website identity, the Institute for Professional Care Education (www.IPCed.com).

Why is that so cool? Because with our school license we can now train workers who are job seekers and help prepare a pool of more qualified, trained workers. These individuals may be able to get workforce development funds to pay for their training, too – a clear win/win all the way around.

This matters to you if you hire caregivers. Hiring someone who has invested the time, initiative and money in a comprehensive 40 hour course means you’re hiring someone more likely to succeed and to love their job as a caregiver.

This matters to you if your loved one needs a caregiver. Ensuring that the caregivers providing care to your loved one are comprehensively trained and certified is an important step to feeling confident in the quality of care your loved one is receiving.

This matters to you if you’re focused on building a strong reputation for quality care. Demonstrating training above and beyond the minimum requirements is one way to set your organization ahead of the pack. And being ahead means business success, any way you slice it.

This matters to you if you’re involved in training, too. We are actively working to develop strong training partnerships with others in their training field to help reach as many people as possible.

This is one way we can reach out and improve the standard of care that is delivered, every single day, to people who live and work in our state, our town and our homes.

For details about the comprehensive 40 hour online Personal Care Certification Course see www.IPCed.com. Contact Wendy@aquiretraining.com for information on pricing advantages for bulk purchases of this Certification Course or to set up a personal web tour of the course.

12 Keys to employee engagement – 6

2009-11-03T11:50:00.000-08:00

“We don’t like to train our employees. When they earn certifications or get other accomplishments they think we should pay them more. That just makes a lot more work for us, explaining why we can’t pay more.”

This is a real quote from a real corporate executive. He said it directly to me (a training fanatic) just last month.

Then he answered my question about his turnover rate with an answer that made me embarrassed for him.

Think his employees are engaged and working at a level which significantly contributes to the organization’s bottom line success?

I think not.

“Is there someone at work who encourages your development?”

That’s the sixth question in the Gallup organization’s 12 measures of the engaged employee.

To me, this measure means a couple of things: first, it means knowing your team members well enough to know how to encourage their development.

Secondly, it means helping each person set individual development goals, and reach those goals. It might not mean more training at all; it may mean giving them the opportunity to mentor with someone in a different role or department to see how another area of work fits for them.

Clearly it means management taking an interest in the individual, and helping them grow personally and professionally.

I feel sad for the people working for a company that sees employee development as a negative. I know that, despite this, many dedicated people work for this company – for now. But I also know that for this company – or any company – to truly thrive, they’ll have to focus on, and support, their worker’s development.

12 Keys to employee engagement – 5

2009-10-27T12:26:00.000-07:00

Take a quick poll of your employees. Make it in writing, and ask just this one question:

“Does your supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about you as a person?”

Let them mark one box: yes or no; and return it anonymously. Then take a close look at the results.

Gallup’s highly successful organizations all have one thing in common: engaged employees. And engaged employees – not those just doing their jobs adequately, but those individuals who “work with passion and feel a profound connection to their company,” spell success.

One key indicator of the level of employee engagement is how they answer this one question. It gives us as managers pause to think about how we influence the answer to this question.

Do we know each member of our team individually: their family, pets, living situations?

Do we celebrate when something significant happens to them – and not just in monthly batched birthday “parties?”

Do we include their spouses/significant others and children on occasion in work-related gatherings?

Can we tell when they’re struggling or when they’re particularly excited? Do we do something concrete to acknowledge it?

When I first started working as a manager I was taught that work and friendship should never overlap. We were to have strictly professional relationships with the people who reported to us. Talking about personal goals, families or problems was never appropriate. Encouraging friendships at work was also viewed as negative – disciplining one person could result in all of her friends’ work suffering, too.

Today we know that work and personal life are much more closely connected. We meet our best friends – and sometimes our life partners – at work. We share births, illnesses and deaths. We often spend more waking time, after all, with our work mates than our family.

My goal as a manager has always been to hear each one of my team members say, “I love my job!” and mean it.

Obviously, taking a personal interest in their lives is one way I can help them achieve this level of engagement. I’ll be a better manager – and my organization will benefit, too.

Sounds like a win all the way around!

12 Keys to employee engagement – 4

2009-10-21T07:45:00.000-07:00

“Wow – you’re really great with our clients’ families!”

“Thanks for finishing that report so quickly – it was well done, too.”

“Kudos to the kitchen team for the great dinner last Monday night!”

It’s nice to hear something good about your work, isn’t it? As a manager, though, we’re trained to be on the lookout for work that isn’t up to standard, and to watch for things that slip through the crack. We often don’t stop to think about the need to positively reward or recognize our team – on a consistent, regular basis.

Gallup’s index of items that create an engaged team includes this important question: “In the last seven days, have you received recognition or praise for doing good work?”

The answer to this question may well determine just how engaged your team is in their work, and how successful your organization will be.

Clearly, if a highly engaged employee will answer “YES!” to this question, then the highly engaging manager needs to do these things: Provide recognition and praise on a regular, consistent (weekly, at a minimum) basis.

We know from behavior modification theory that we can change people’s behavior by positive reinforcements. As a manager, this is a very valuable tool. This doesn’t mean setting up charts and giving out tangible rewards. What it does mean, as indicated in the Gallup question, is giving frequent, unprompted verbal recognition for work well done. It means giving verbal praise – as simple as saying, “Excellent!” with a smile, when an employee reports on a completed project.

It means, in short, recognizing the efforts of the team members explicitly. It means changing management behavior from watching for errors, to watching for work well done. It means, when you catch an error, discussing it in a positive way with the individual: “I noticed you missed signing one day on the med sheet. You’re always so great about signing – can you go back and fix it so you can keep your perfect record?”

I’ve learned to add the words, “Thanks - great job!” when someone reports a task complete. I try, as well, to casually remark in the hearing of others how much I appreciate the work well done and prompt.

Learning to be the manager of highly engaged people takes focus and effort. Focusing on recognition and praise is one positive step we all can take to build the best team possible.

12 Keys to employee engagement – 3

2009-10-13T08:55:00.000-07:00

Naomi can get any resident to take a shower. Even the most stubborn, confused, difficult resident seems to become a marshmallow in her hands. She will sing, laugh, hug and make miracles happen.

Naomi has a gift. We all know exactly what she does best, and we give her the opportunity to do it almost every single day.

The third question on the Gallup organization’s index of employee engagement asks, “At work, do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day?”

As a measurement for managers, one key element of employee engagement is being able to answer that question in the affirmative: “YES!”

Do you know what each of your employees does best? Have you discovered the person who organizes and straightens the linen closet in her free time, and glows when you notice it and thank her?

Juan makes the floors in the dining room absolutely glow. He will clean, buff and polish those floors, and you can see his pride in his work. Juan knows that his floors are the most beautiful floors in the entire company – management and visitors see it, too.

Figuring out the special talents of your employees is actually pretty simple: watch what they love to do. Ask what they do during those few unstructured moments during the day, or ask what their favorite part of their job is. We often love to do what we actually do best.

Naomi and Juan are employees who, every day, get to do what they do best in their work. It’s no wonder that they are happy people who stay on the job, year after year, contributing to the overall quality of care delivered to clients.

12 Keys to employee engagement – 2

2009-10-06T14:17:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard members of your team say, “We’ve been out of that stuff for weeks now?”

It doesn’t matter what the “stuff” is; it can be frustrating to hear that something your team needs to do their job well isn’t available to them – and you didn’t know about it.

One of the key questions the Gallup poll asked employees in their survey was “Do you have the materials and equipment to do your work right?”

Guess what answer the highly engaged team members gave? It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that if the company isn’t committed enough to supply the materials and equipment, the frustrated employee will not likely become one of the rare highly engaged team members.

The same thing is true for training. I have been astounded to hear employees who attended every single orientation and inservice tell someone from the outside (like an Ombudsman or licensing surveyor) that “no one ever trained me on that” when they were observed doing something incorrectly.

What I’ve come to realize is that the answer to the key question about materials, equipment and training is an individual answer. Some people need to be trained in a certain area slowly, repeatedly, and in greater depth than others, especially if their life experience hasn’t prepared them for this environment.

Some people won’t be comfortable asking as many questions, and may not realize that the supplies and equipment they need are, indeed, available – in a different location, perhaps, or upon request.

Take a few minutes this week to ask a random sampling of your team members if they have the supplies, materials and equipment they need to do their job right (however they define that). Take a few extra minutes to really listen, too.

Ask about training: “Could you use more training in any area of your job? Have you been provided with enough training?” Listen to their answers.

As a key indicator of employee engagement, this is a question that needs a resounding “YES!” before you can start seeing the bottom line results of a highly engaged team.

12 Keys to employee engagement – 1

2009-10-01T16:00:00.000-07:00

It’s a good practice to keep an eye out for management ideas outside of our own profession. If we don’t, we risk becoming insulated and archaic. What we really risk is someone coming in from the outside, implementing creative ideas that we’ve never even considered, and zooming past us in the competitive marketplace.

In light of that, I frequently refer to the Gallup organization, whose most recent database includes information obtained from surveys throughout 163 countries, covering over 6 million employees. Their goal is to discover what creates an environment of employee engagement, and what are key indicators of engagement.

One of my favorite survey results is a summary of 12 keys expectations that, when met, result in a high level of employee engagement. These keys are in the form of simple statements, easy to understand, but often not to easy to implement.

Over the next few weeks I want to look at these keys, and consider ways we can make them work within the context of health care, senior care and caregiving.

The first statement, Key Number 1, is simply this:

“I know what is expected of me at work.”

Sounds pretty basic. But really, if this statement is agreed to only in companies with the very best management style, it means that many, many employees – nearly 71% of the workforce, in the Gallup organization’s survey, would NOT agree with this statement.

Maybe their boss says to them, “That’s not what I wanted you to do,” when you did exactly what you thought you were being asked to do.

Maybe they lack a job description that is clear and specific.

Maybe the bonus structure is dependent on what someone else does, even if the individual employee is doing exactly what his or her job description says.

Likely the person who can say this hears affirmation from his direct supervisor on a regular basis. He probably has regular conversations with his supervisor, clarifying priorities and tasks, and giving him feedback on how well he’s meeting his work goals.

Did you know that, in health care, one major contributor to the high rate of turnover is the negative relationship caregivers have with their immediate supervisors? In your organization, this may not be you, but a team leader or other middle level manager. Perhaps you have these expectation conversations with your team members, but then a middle level manager seems to expect something completely different.

Good leadership, the kind that makes a bottom line, sustained difference in an organization, doesn’t stop at the top. It filters through all levels of leadership, making sure that expectations and perceptions are the same throughout.

Ask a random sample of your team members how they would answer this question: “Do you know what is expected of you at work?”

The answer, in a well-engaged workforce, should be a clear, articulate, “Yes!”

Building your team from the inside

2009-09-09T07:46:00.000-07:00

Right now applicants are plentiful for just about any job. It’s not hard to fill our vacancies. But I remember a year when we couldn’t find applicants, let alone new employees. We offered incentives to current staff; we threw away all of our long standing policies on not hiring close relatives. Basically, we hired just about anyone we could, without a criminal record, to fill our needs.

It was a brutal time for building a strong cohesive team. We had to dig deep to come up with ways to keep our good employees and build our new people into strong team members.

Funny how great ideas often come from moments of desperation. In this particular moment, we decided we needed to designate one month each year as “Employee Appreciation Month.” Since it happened to be summertime, we threw a dart on the calendar and selected October.

Over the next several years, Employee Appreciation Month grew to be something vital and relevant, no matter what the hiring situation. We found ways to include residents, families and the community in recognizing our employees’ dedication and hard work. Administrators created bulletin boards with a space for each employee to bring in photos of their kids, pets, or whatever was important to them. They would select an employee’s name out of a hat every day and do something special for that person – once, an Administrator spent the whole afternoon washing employees’ cars in the parking lot, with residents looking on and cheering.

Now that we’ve sold our own assisted living communities to focus full time on training, I do miss October. I miss the energy, creativity, and, most importantly, the opportunity to go the extra mile to say “thanks” to some very special people.

So if you would, just take a little time out of your busy day – or dedicate an entire month if you can – to saying “thanks” to the people who care for your residents. It’ll mean a lot to me – and to them.

Are you having fun yet? 4 tips for engaging training

2009-09-01T08:56:00.000-07:00

Several months ago we posted a job for a new curriculum director. We asked people to submit a sample of work based on some content we made available to them. It was a way, we thought, to get a look at how a wide variety of people would develop a course from the same content material.

The results were very eye-opening. Some of the people with the strongest résumé’s submitted samples that could only be described as boring. They incorporated the content, yes. They were laid out in a simple, clear way. But they lacked the element that I have come to believe is as important for learning as good quality content: they didn’t capture either my imagination or my emotions. And they certainly wouldn’t be called “fun!”

When Learning Solutions magazine (elearningguild.com) printed an article titled “Edge and Emotion – What e-Learning Programs are Missing,” I thought, “YES - finally!”

The author notes that e-learning is more abundant than ever, and faster to develop, as well. But he asks, “Are we designing that content so that learners are pulled in and engaged in the first few seconds?”

As the article continues, I find myself agreeing, again and again. If we don’t get the attention of the individual, we’ll never really connect and teach. If we don’t feel passionate about a topic, we won’t transmit a feeling of passion to our audience.

Here’s what I gleaned from this article, combined with my own e-Learning experience. You can apply it to analyzing your own e-learning options or to developing powerful classroom-based training – the principles are the same:

Discover your passion. You might have a topic you need to cover in training – find an aspect of that topic that really lights your fire. Any subject can be boring – but I also believe that, with a little digging, any subject can be interesting too. Find the angle that interests you before you start – you’re more likely to develop an engaging, interesting training program as the result.
Use visuals that grab. Do you frequently train with powerpoints? Remove the words and bulleted text – you’re going to deliver that part anyway. Use the entire screen for an image that grabs the imagination and emotion of the viewer. Use images of real people, real places whenever you can. Look for something other than placid, smiling people –images can evoke powerful emotion.
Ask a question or pose a dilemma. Either approach can grab attention and get people invested in learning the answer.
If you’ve got a group, even a small group, get their participation in the topic. Ask real questions, and get participant’s answers. Try asking people which answer would be right – and make both options right in certain situations. A fun exercise we used to do in small group training was to pose a question and ask everyone who would answer one way to stand on one side of the room; everyone answering the other way stands on the other side of the room. Undecided can stand in the middle. That’s a great start to opening a discussion and dialogue on a topic.

To me, learning is the process of discovering answers to questions that make a difference in my life. It can be exciting, fun and rewarding – but only if it first grabs my attention and interest.

NEW customer service training courses now available

2009-08-25T10:35:00.000-07:00

One thing all business development specialists agree upon during this current economy: this is not the time to scrimp on customer service. While businesses need to focus carefully on cutting expenses where they can, for a company to survive, customer service needs to be bolstered, not cut.

With this in mind, aQuire Training Solutions’ course development team has been busy creating a series of new courses on basic – and advanced – customer service skills. These courses are designed for caregivers and other staff working in the senior care environment: home care agencies, assisted living communities, nursing facilities and more. These courses, written by the newest member of the aQuire course development team, Melissa Dylan, take a light-hearted approach to a very serious subject: making the client the absolute focus of our work, every single day. Topics covered in the series include:

Courtesy. More than just being polite or nice to people, courtesy involves a set of unwritten rules or interacting with clients and guests on the job. It is the basis for good customer service.

Being there. Being available for clients is the first step in good customer service. This means promptly answering the phone, greeting guests the moment they walk in the door and setting aside less important tasks to help people. It means remembering – always – “people come first.”

Listening. Listening sounds easy enough, but it takes special skills to learn to be an active listener: to focus on the client, avoid distractions, use appropriate body language and provide feedback so the client knows you been listening.

Being reliable. Being courteous, polite and responsive isn’t the whole task. A key to great customer service is being reliable – to do what you say you’re going to do. To give customers what they ask for the first time, without needing reminders.

Being positive. Being positive means finding reasons why things will work, instead of reasons why it won’t. It means consistently positive behavior, positive responses to client requests (even when you can’t fulfill a request personally) and going the extra step for customers.

Melissa’s approach to training includes a humorous approach, lots of stories, and frequent opportunities for individuals to test their knowledge. The online delivery used by all aQuire courses means that caregivers can learn at their own pace, and at a time and place convenient for them.

If you’d like a free sneak preview of one of these courses, click here.

Then imagine your team, fired up and energized to provide the best customer service possible. And imagine your company – enjoying top-of-the-market success!

E-learning for everyone?

2009-08-18T10:19:00.000-07:00

I’m about to share a secret with you: my husband and I enjoy massages. We have a new membership massage center near our home, and during their grand opening my husband bought a bunch of ½ off coupons. They’ll probably work exactly as planned, as we won’t want to stop going even when we use up our discounts…

The other day, waiting for our therapists to call our names, I flipped through the magazine in the waiting room. It was clearly an industry magazine, written for professional massage therapists. One cover article caught my eye: E-learning for massage therapists.

As I scanned the article, I had to smile. The author spent the first section pointing out not only the time/place advantages of e-learning, but also the research about e-learning being a more effective way to learn and retain new information.

The author went on to discuss the argument about the challenges of teaching hands’ on skills via e-learning.

A lot like teaching caregiving over the internet, I think. Yes, there is the hands’ on component. But if you don’t have a very clear understanding of the foundational concepts, the hands’ on skills may be simply rote series of steps. If you don’t, for example, understand what happens to the person’s perceptions and awareness with memory loss or dementia, it will be hard to know how to modify the hands’ on care you provide, especially on the fly.

I actually think it’s kind of cool that this same approach to teaching is reaching out to a vast variety of professions. For my part, I’d like my massage therapist to understand muscles and joints really well. At the same time, I’d like my caregiver – or my mom’s caregiver – to have a solid foundational grasp of body mechanics and other concepts that will help her be the best caregiver possible.

If you’re on board and using e-learning for your staff training, give yourself a pat on the back. You’re using an approach to training that helps you build the best, brightest caregivers – or masseuses!

Mentoring as tool for training and retention

2009-08-11T08:56:00.000-07:00

If you’ve been following the various findings about reducing turnover and increasing employee retention, especially within senior care, you’ve probably seen the term “mentoring.” Mentoring is one way to blend training and help it carry over into the day-to-day workplace, while supporting the personal and professional growth of the employee.

Maybe, like me, you’ve got a general idea of what mentoring is, but aren’t really clear how to implement a mentoring program in your work setting. I decided that I’d do a little research and see if I could answer this question – and, while I’m at it, share what I’ve found with you.

Webster’s defines a mentor as “a trusted counselor or guide.” Others define the term more in the sense of a coach. While many of us think fondly of a boss or supervisor that acted informally as a mentor, few have formal experience within a mentorship program.

MetroHealth, a large healthcare provider in Northeast Ohio, has a mentoring program that all resident physicians are required to participate in with an attending faculty member.

It gave me some ideas for starting a formal mentoring program in a senior care community:

Since mentoring is most important for new hires, set up a system that matches each new hire with one of more experienced workers in the same department or job title. Matching the new person with a mentor on the same shift would be important, too, wherever possible.
Introduce the new hire to the mentor, and explain to both individuals the purpose of the program (to coach the new person in the best way to do his or her job in your environment). Being clear about the goals and using simple words to explain the program are both important, especially in the early stages.
Ask the mentor to meet with the new hire at regular intervals. I’d suggest quite frequently initially, perhaps as often as every other week. Once the crucial 90 days has passed, the meetings could become monthly.
Be sure to allow time for the mentoring meeting to occur. Allow both individuals to take an extra long break or lunch hour, on the clock, for their meeting.
Give the mentor some structure to follow during the sessions. I’d suggest a list of questions you provide to the mentor to discuss with the new hire, questions like:

What are you finding hardest about your new job?
What are you enjoying most about your new job?
Do you have what you need to do your job well?
Are there any policies or procedures you don’t really understand or find confusing?

Armed with this list of questions the mentor can spend a few minutes talking about the job with the new hire, helping him/her get answers and building a stronger connection to the organization.

Do you have a mentoring program at your workplace? Have you had a mentor that really helped you out? Share your experiences; I’ll pass them on as we explore this topic further.

6 Tips for Successful Long Distance Delegation

2009-08-03T11:06:00.000-07:00

By
Marla Rosner

Managing a far flung team is increasingly the norm these days. Though a daily affair, delegating from a distance has a unique set of pitfalls. How do you know if those to whom you’re delegating “get it” when you can’t see facial expressions across the desk? Many managers that might be more prudent in delegating to somebody in their home office will abandon protocols when the individual receiving the project is out of sight. So what are the best practices of virtual delegation and how can you avoid common pitfalls?

Best Practices:
1. Evaluate who you’re delegating to and their experience and capability with similar projects.

2. Make a conscious decision about your method of communication; a phone call is best for certain communication while email is appropriate for other messages. For example, Sonya VandeKerkhof, CEO of Conscious Budget & Debt Reduction, Inc., who delegates to personnel in Australia, wisely provides her vision and inspiration about projects in a phone call when voice tone and inflection as well as dialogue with direct reports makes a difference in their understanding and “buy in”. She also leaves more time for silence, to allow questions and comments to come to the surface.

In contrast Sonya uses email to address timelines, methods, standards and other project details enabling crisp documentation while still allowing for Q and A. She also takes advantage of Google Apps to have her far flung team collaborate on project documents and color codes projects to signal priorities. Sonya makes email efficient by titling each message: “FYI,” “Question,” or “Action Needed” enabling her distance workers to prioritize their emails.

3. Listen carefully and follow up. In the absence of non-verbal feedback, reading “between the lines” takes on more importance. For example, Robert Mann, President at Lumenis, offsets the lack of non-verbal feedback from long distance personnel by listening carefully to comments and questions in phone calls. He knows those receiving an assignment have understood it when they expand on the principles of the message, paraphrase and ask appropriate questions and delegate appropriately to their direct reports. Robert follows conversations with email or text notes adding to the primary conversation.

Don’t
1. Don’t drop a new project on someone through email and expect them to fully understand your needs and requirements.

2. Don’t assign a project without follow up appointments to check on progress and challenges.

3. Don’t take the “one size fits all” approach when it comes to delegating. Consider who you’re communicating with and determine whether more or less detail is required. Efficiency may dictate one email to all project participants but may not account for individual needs to ask questions or get more information.

In short, virtual delegation requires more forethought, clear and crisp articulation, openings for dialogue and solid follow through to ensure assignments are understood and executed properly. Good delegation at the outset of a project saves time, hassle and misunderstanding down the road. If you think you’ve missed a step however, rethink your strategy and shore up communication gaps to salvage projects that may have gotten off track.

About the Author:
Marla Rosner, principal of Marla Rosner and Associates, is a vibrant and engaging group facilitator and instructor as well as a seasoned project manager. She has excelled as a training and leadership development professional for twenty years. As a consultant and working internally, Marla has a proven track record in guiding and executing management development initiatives to produce bottom-line business results. Types of projects include team building initiatives, first-time manager training, training design and delivery, facilitation, business procedures and training documentation.
www.rosnerassociates.net
http://www.linkedin.com/in/marlarosnerassociates

7 ideas for engaging training

2009-07-28T08:32:00.000-07:00

Last week I mentioned how important it is to make staff training connect to real life experiences. I even used a slightly off-color story as an illustration. Ah, now you remember!

This week I want to share with you some ideas for making your training meetings fun and participatory. Blending these kinds of small group training experiences with your online training system will not only help you build a stronger team of folks who work together well and enjoy it, too, but it will also help staff connect the ideas they’re learning to real life.

The following ideas come from individuals who recently participated in the online forum for the CEU course we offer through EasyCEU.com titled Become the World’s Most Effective Trainer.

From Kayleen in Downey, ID:

One time I split the staff up into teams and timed to see how fast they could make a bed (the correct way).

Another time to get the point over how a resident can feel when they are losing their sight, I had a pair of glasses with Vaseline smeared on the glass. This made things blurry for the staff to see.

To make a point on how difficult it is for a resident with arthritis to pick up an item, I had staff put on large winter gloves and try to pick up a penny.

Another activity I did to make a fun staff training is I had a treasure hunt. I broke the staff up into teams of 2 and they had to follow the clues. The clues ended up leading them back to the staff training room where there was a box with treats. I continued with the main points of training to follow up.

The idea is to get the attention of the group, make it fun, and get the point across what you are teaching.

From Mary in San Juan Capistrano, CA:
I like to have my caregivers teach each other in areas that they are particularly strong. I encourage them to ask many questions! Sometimes the caregivers have some really great ideas that work for them and this makes them feel good to share these experiences.

From Susan in Eureka, CA:
I like to use modeling and role playing. I especially like to have each person pair up with a partner and take turns being the resident and the caregiver. Then follow up with how each felt about giving and receiving care.

From Cynthia (address unknown):
As the administrator, I have always done the abuse/neglect inservices myself. I believe that the staff needs to hear the message directly from me. I have a large "Bugs Bunny" toy and have done sessions using "Bugs" as the focus. Everyone, no matter what position in the facility, can relate to character. We have done everything from introducing "Bugs" as a new resident and taught all staff to assess what the new resident needs (everyone knows Bugs likes carrots) to "How to investigate a fur tear." The prop allows for visual keys in addition to a humorous commonality that fosters participation from all levels of staff.

Hope these give you some ideas to bring a little life into your training programs, too. Building an atmosphere as a place where professional learning and growth is valued means tapping into your creative side, too!

Share your ideas for making training fun – click here to respond

Training: Sometimes a laughing matter

2009-07-21T14:40:00.000-07:00

At a fire safety seminar, employees gathered around the live demonstration area to watch the fire officer teach the proper way to operate a fire extinguisher.

Barking out instructions like a drill sergeant, the fire officer yelled, "Pull the pin like a hand grenade. Then, aiming at the base of the fire, depress the trigger to release the extinguishing agent."

The fire officer demonstrated a few times and then picked from the group an employee to extinguish a controlled fire. The employee was nervous. He fumbled with the fire extinguisher, forgetting to pull the pin. He squeezed the lever. Nothing happened.

"Like a hand grenade," the fire officer hollered. "Remember? Like a hand grenade."

The employee remembered. In a burst of confidence, he quickly pulled the pin.
And heaved the extinguisher at the fire. (Source: Training and Leadership Blog)

This is a cute story, true or not.

It reminds me of another story (only too true) that I heard many years ago when I was working at a school for developmentally disabled adults. Their sex-ed teacher (whom I was replacing) had been demonstrating the proper way to apply a condom, using a couple of fingers held together to illustrate the point to the students. Students were reportedly feeling fully protected for sexual activities by wearing condoms over their fingers. I was feeling way out of my element in trying to figure out a better way to teach basic safe sex!

The moral of both of these stories? Training must be contextual to be most useful. We can discuss concepts and give demonstrations, but until the person actually uses the concept in a real-life situation – appropriately and correctly – true learning won’t occur.

For training managers using online training resources like aQuire, the value of blended learning becomes apparent. Online learning is extremely valuable to help the person understand theories, concepts and approaches, but until he actually holds the fire extinguisher in his hands, he won’t really know how it feels (I’m going to leave the other story illustration alone here).

For best learning and retention of concepts, take the time to discuss with your team members what they’re learning online. If you have group meetings, talk about how concepts or classes apply to specific residents. Chat for just a minute or two with individual employees about their online classes and how they apply to residents or clients. Ask if they have questions, and what new ideas they’ve been learning.

Engage them in active learning as an integral part of their work – that’s how a company becomes known as a place where learning and growth is valued and meaningful.

Oh, and send me your stories. Beat mine, and I’ll buy you lunch!

6 factors for motivating adult learners

2009-07-13T12:34:00.000-07:00

Occasionally I send interesting articles out to members of my team with notes attached that say something like, “Here’s a really interesting article for you to read.”

When I follow up and ask if the article got read, often the response is, “Ummm, not yet but I’m going to!”

While I love to constantly read and explore topics that interest me, not everyone on my team feels the same (hard as that is for me to believe). Motivating them to learn and grow in their jobs – in the way I think they should – is a challenge.

Author Stephen Lief shares the following factors that motivate adult learners:

Social relationships. Learning that helps us make new or more solid connections with others is valued by adults. Tip: incorporate small group projects, discussion or ice-breaker activities into your learning activities.
External expectations. Meeting compliance, gaining certification, meeting corporate training goals – these are strong motivators for adult learners.
Social welfare. Gaining knowledge or skills that will help others motivates many adult learners. Tip: always talk about how knowledge and skills involved in training will help your team members provide a higher quality of life or care for your clients.
Personal advancement. Knowing that completing a training requirement will result in a pay increase, a job promotion or other tangible benefit is a powerful motivator.
Escape or stimulation. Learning for adults should be fun and interesting as well as useful. Even the change of pace from the regular work day can be a motivator to learn if the process is enjoyable.
Cognitive interest. Many adults love to learn to get the answers to their questions; thus the wild success of search engines like Google. Checking Google’s top search terms for the last 30 days you’ll find anything related to Michael Jackson at the top of the list. Within the health category, however, people have searched the most for information about Demerol, cardiac arrest, progeria and vitiligo (loss of skin pigment). Adults are curious and eager to learn more about topics that interest them.

Next time I forward an interesting article around, I think I’ll look for a way to tap into one of these motivating factors and see if the results are better. I’ll let you know!

6 Keys to successful adult learning

2009-07-07T12:53:00.000-07:00

One of my employees popped into my office this morning with a quick question. I was in the middle of a thought for an article and was typing like a banshee on crack (sorry – a figure of speech from my teenage daughters’ vocabulary).

His question got sidetracked as he shared how his 10 year old son asked him to teach him to type over the summer, and how valuable he thought this learning would be for him. He went on to talk about his son’s summer learning assignments from school, and how they were much less useful than learning to type.

It got me thinking about how we learn as adults – and how we, as trainers, need to focus our instruction in a way that truly suits adult learners. I turned to my best friend, Google, and did a quick search. Here are some of the keys I found that are important in adult learning:

Adults are autonomous and self-directed. They don’t want assignments and homework; they do want goals and real application for learning. One of my favorite inservice approaches that my own managers used was a self-directed learning activity. Employees were given a quiz over all the key points of the training – without any lecture or instruction. They were given 20 minutes to collaborate with each other, in any way they choose, to come up with their own answers. Ideally, they would be given access to books, manuals and the internet, too. At the end of the time, each group shared one answer with the entire group. The instructor, really a facilitator, was able to draw ideas, concepts and answers out of the entire group and offer feedback and further discussion. Each individual actively searched for information that he or she needed to complete the task. It was fun, active and successful.

Adults need to connect learning to their life experience. When we’re kids we have little life experience. We need to learn how to successfully gain that experience. As adults, we’ve often got more experience than the trainer. Much of that life experience comes off the job, too, in personal and family relationships. As a trainer, ask your team members to think about what experiences they’ve had in specific areas, and what those experiences taught them. Relating new information to past experiences is a great way to give that new information context and meaning.

Adults are goal oriented. Complete an assignment; get certified; meet compliance. What’s the goal? Make it clear, and then make the process to meet that goal very simple to follow. The learning itself doesn’t need to be simplified; just the goal and process to achieve it.

Adults need to understand the reason for learning. This is a little like the point above, but it goes farther. My employee who stopped in my office to talk about his son’s summer homework expressed complete disbelief in the one task assigned of practicing cursive penmanship. “No one uses cursive writing anymore,” was David’s point. His son, however, will probably simply do the assignment. Training adults means making sure that the materials you use, for example, are relevant to their needs. I’ve seen facilities use training videos clearly intended for acute care hospitals. I’ve watched while the participants viewing the videos whispered and squirmed. The training had little relevance to their needs and environment – it was not an affective training tool.

Adults prefer practical information. Many adult learners are less interested in abstract knowledge than in knowledge that has clear practical application in their lives. Many of us still love those odd little facts that have no apparent practical application, until you have the opportunity to share them at a cocktail party (“did you know that…!” In general, keep learning practical, or make it quirky-fun.

Adults need to be respected as learners. One of the first things that will turn a group of employees off is a condescending guest speaker. If it’s a mandatory inservice, they’ll stay in the room, but you’ll see their attention start wandering immediately. If they’re free to walk out, some will. Adult learners need to be treated like adults, but more than that, they need their life experience to be noted and respected.

Understanding the way adults learn best will help us not only in our training functions but also in all management and team-building functions. Next week we’ll look at ways to motivate the adult learner.

4 ways to connect with technology

2009-06-30T14:56:00.000-07:00

Are you a Facebook addict yet? Notice I added “yet” to the question? Even my 76 year old mom has decided she’s got to get onto Facebook – all her grandkids, nieces, nephews, cousins and other relatives keep telling her, “I put my pictures on Facebook!”

I joined a year or so ago, after I realized it was the only way I’d be able to keep up with my kids. They travel the globe and, way before they email their mom, they post their pictures and their adventures on Facebook for all their friends to see.

So now I’m an avid Facebook user, with 82 “friends” that include my relative, my kids’ friends and several grade and high-school friends I’m only now reconnecting with (that’s fun!).

Technology can be a ton of fun when it fills a need we have. In case of Facebook, technology helps us fill a social need to stay connected – or get re-connected.

In business, it seems to me that we’ve used technology begrudgingly rather than with the excitement of your first Facebook page.

Maybe we’ve been off the mark. Maybe it’s time to look for ways to use technology to increase our business and social connectedness – and have some fun while we’re at it! Consider these ideas:

Your website. Does your website increase your connectedness with the public? Do you tell your story and offer ways for people to contact you? Many company websites today avoid publishing email addresses to keep out unwanted emails, but that’s a barrier to connectedness. Like Facebook, your website should be updated often, changing content and images to keep it interesting and alive. It should also connect real people (you and your team) with real people (your clients and prospects).

Email. Are you using email to stay connected with others? If you’re reading this via email, you see one of the tools we use to keep in touch with our clients and prospects: subscription emailing through Constant Contact, one of the leading providers of this service (scroll down to the bottom to set up your own free trial). It’s easy to use, and very affordable. It doesn’t allow you to spam people, but it does give you a very user-friendly tool for staying in touch with a large group of individuals (Clients? Prospects? You decide).

Technology in Operations. Are you using technology to help you manage operations? To track employee hours related to client needs, and to keep care plans and assignments updated? Companies like HealthMEDX (a new partner of ours), Vigilan, and ALWizard are excellent resources. Used correctly, they can not only help you get a detailed picture of your operations but can actually enhance your revenue as you track service needs and staffing more closely. Rather than costing you money, they can actually make you money – something to consider closely right now.

e-Training. I’m guessing you already knew where we’d end up. Technology in training can allow you to train your team consistently and effectively in important compliance topics. You’ll still want to gather your team for regular staff meetings, but you can focus on team-building and your company culture, rather than boring repetitive compliance inservices.

Well, I’m logging back in to Facebook now. I’ve got an early morning meeting tomorrow I’m setting up with my exercise buddy – gotta run!

3 ideas for creative, low-cost marketing

2009-06-23T14:29:00.000-07:00

I know I usually talk about training and building your team in these newsletters, but today I want to talk about marketing. Interested? Let’s talk!

Marketing is the global term we use to mean growing our business. Often, we’re content (and, let’s be honest, a little relieved) to let the marketing people worry about marketing. It’s their job, and, if they’re good at it, it happens without a lot of your sweat and focus.

In this economy, however, marketing is probably moving to front and center stage in your organization. And that affects everyone.

It affects you, when you don’t have the revenue to cover the expenses.

It affects your team, when hours are cut or positions eliminated.

It affects your clients, as they see a few less people on the team to serve them, and maybe even feel the stress you and your team are feeling.

That’s the problem – what’s the solution?

Experts from every corner agree: a bad economy is NOT the time to stop marketing. In fact, it’s vital that during this economy, marketing gets even more of your focus. You’ve got to really focus on what will do you the most good, in the short term as you keep your head above water, and in the longer term, as you strengthen your foundation to grow and thrive once the economy turns around.

How can you creatively grow your marketing program without spending a dime?

Focus on Customer Service. We’ve heard from many of our clients that customer service is one of their primary focus areas for this year. Making sure that every employee understands that he or she is a part of the marketing team by providing excellent customer service is an essential part of your marketing plan – and it doesn’t need to be a costly part, either. Spend time every week focusing on developing your team’s skills in this area, and you’ll see results. For our part, we’re developing a series of 5 courses on customer service for your staff. Those enrolled in the full subscription program will get access to these courses, hopefully within a few weeks, at no additional charge. Others on select programs can add these for a very small fee, or purchase them separately as you need them. (Watch for upcoming announcements.)
Provide a service to caregiving families in your community. Many families are turning to their own family members to provide care, especially in areas with high unemployment. You can help, and establish yourself as the expert in caregiving at the same time (the one they’ll turn to when they need help). Offer classes in caregiving, a telephone advice line or articles for publication in your local paper. Provide a support group with guest speakers each month, and publicize it widely in the newspapers and on local radio (all free as public service announcements). It won’t cost much more than your time, and can give you big returns.
Look for new revenue sources. One idea a client of ours is using is to provide caregiver training for individuals in her community. This training could be offered to family caregivers or to individuals looking to become caregivers, as well as home care agencies or assisted living facilities. Use our online Caregiver Certification course (soon to be re-released as the enhanced Personal Care Aide Certification course), add a two to six hour skills training class, and you’ll be able to provide a comprehensive program to prepare others to provide care – while you build relationships and your reputation. Bundle it carefully and you can even gain a new revenue source to help tide you over (ask us for details).

Be brave, be bold. Get out there and market your business for success!

Send me your creative marketing ideas and I’ll pass them on – sharon@aquiretraining.com.

A conversation about turnover

2009-06-17T09:34:00.000-07:00

I had a great conversation last week with Tris Legacy, the Administrator of Regency Park Place at Corvallis. Tris is a relatively new assisted living Administrator, and he’s frequently frustrated with a problem that often seems to be accepted as fact in senior care: caregiver turnover.

Tris points out that many times caregivers don’t leave to go to another type of job – they simply move from one caregiving job to another; from one facility to another. Sometimes, it’s because they’ll get an extra quarter per hour in pay. Many administrators, it seems, accept a certain level of turnover as normal and don’t really do much about it.

Tris believe that we can – and should – do better. I agree.

Turnover is not only a pain in the hiring/staffing department, it causes serious problems in delivering a superior level of quality care. When a caregiver who truly knows your clients leaves, that knowledge leaves, too. The relationship – the “people part” of what we do – is gone, both for the client and for the family.

Many of you are experiencing census problems recently. If you remember back to “Marketing 101” what’s the most important element that will lead to “getting the sale?” It’s the relationship.

With our clients and their families, building relationships is one of our strongest tools to build word-of-mouth referrals in the community at large. When a family member sees, month after month, year after year, the same group of caregivers, they WILL be impressed and they WILL tell others.

Many of you know that fighting – and winning – the battle of turnover means looking closely at wages and benefits. You also know that this can be a hard sell to management. But sometime, especially if you’re talking about filling those units or increasing the number of clients, the investment begins to look more appealing to management; the payoff a little clearer.

What else helps reduce turnover? One of the most significant things that a recent survey found, next to money, was that people who stay feel their boss – the person they perceive as their immediate supervisor – listens to them and cares about them. What else? Giving every employee the opportunity to learn and grow in his or her job.

What have you found to be effective in reducing the turnover of your staff? Share your thoughts, your questions or concerns – I’ll pass them on. Maybe we’ll even discover a new approach or two that can make a meaningful difference in this most challenging problem.

Marketing in tough times

2009-06-10T08:17:00.000-07:00

Is your client count down? Do you have vacancies or a lower census than you’d like?

We’ve been hearing from a number of clients that, with the high unemployment rate, families are stepping in to provide care, or are deferring the decision for outside care due to financial concerns.

If you’re looking for creative ways to enhance your marketing efforts, you’re not alone. You may be getting pressure from partners, owners or others to increase revenue; you certainly don’t want to cut staff or services.

Here are some ideas we’ve discovered that might spark some creativity – and results:

Get out the door. If your phone isn’t ringing off the hook with prospective new clients, use this time to get out and get networking. Does your community have networking groups of senior providers? Join in and attend. Go introduce yourself to anyone and everyone in your community that might be referral sources – and be creative. Pharmacists, medical equipment providers, area support groups – these are all potential referral sources.

Publish articles in the local newspaper. Let’s face it – news today is a tough business. However, if many of your prospective clients are being cared for by family members, they may be in need of information and tips on caregiving. Can you write brief articles and send them to your local neighborhood paper or senior newspaper? Call the editor and ask. If you need help with the content, email me. We have a number of articles, ready for publication, which we’d be happy to send to you. You can add some information about your company and note that you’re sponsoring the series of articles, and get a little free publicity. Being known as the local expert in senior care is a great marketing tool. You may not see the benefits immediately, but over the long haul, you’ll reap rich rewards.

Be creative with pricing. Can you offer any aspect of your service at an introductory price? How about free? We’re trying a new Pilot Program offering individual communities a chance to try our online staff training program absolutely free for 90 days.* We want people to try our product, love our product and then determine that they simply can’t live without our product. We’re willing to go out on a limb to make that happen, because we know that money is a very tight commodity right now. Can you do something similar with your product?

Educate yourself. Watch your local newspaper for free training courses on marketing in tough times. Many communities are offering courses or networking groups to support businesses that are struggling. Don’t be shy – sign up. If time is tight, consider online classes in marketing, too, including ours.

Educate your team. This is not the time to cut into your services. You can’t afford to jeopardize your reputation by providing anything less than exceptional customer service. That means everyone on your team needs to be sharp. Take this time to train them, reward them, and repeat the process. Get everyone on your team working smarter and avoid the common pitfalls of a reduced staff.

Keep your chin up. In a tough economy, especially if you’d have to lay off some employees, other staff members might be feeling anxious or threatened. They may be experiencing outside stressors, too, that this economy has brought to their home or family. A good leader promotes a positive attitude even when times are the bleakest. Save your own anxieties for times outside of work; don’t share them even with your closest employees. Your job as a leader is to stand up tall and say to the world, “We’re here to provide a service people need, and to do it in a way no one else can do.” Even during tough times people need your services. Stay focused and positive!

It’s tough, but you can still grow your business and stay positive even during hard economic times. Use this time to strengthen your base and watch your business absolutely boom when the economy turns, too.

Catch ‘em, reward ‘em and build your team

2009-06-03T09:09:00.000-07:00

You’ve heard it before: if you want to increase a specific behavior, reward it.

This principle of human behavior actually has its roots in good old doggy behavior, demonstrated by the scientist Ivan Pavlov. Professor Pavlov’s dogs began salivating upon the stimulus that, experience told them, led to delivery of their food.

Behavioral scientists have discovered that people, too, repeat behavior that is rewarded. Rewards work best if they are immediate. Surprisingly, rewards that are random work even better than those that happen every single time – it appears that we’ll keep trying with a randomly rewarded behavior, not knowing which time it will actually yield the results we want (lottery tickets, anyone?).

Good news for managers: rewards don’t need to be big or expensive. In fact, some of the best rewards are those that relate to our social standing. Reward someone by calling him to the front of an entire staff gathering and giving him a clear, verbal “atta-boy” and he’s likely to remember it much longer than a $10 gift card given to him in passing, with no one looking on.

What behavior makes your team stronger? Perhaps you’ve chosen to focus on improving customer service this year. What specific behaviors are you looking for? Are you modeling those behaviors within view of your team? Are you looking – hard – for people who repeat those behaviors, and then rewarding them?

Be careful, too, about too much time in team meetings spent on what NOT to do. Focus instead of what team members SHOULD do – let good behaviors gradually reduce or eliminate undesired behaviors.

Rewards? Public praise and attention, a genuine pat on the back, a meaningful gift card. These will go farther to increasing the behaviors you want than employee of the month programs ever dreamed of achieving.

Behavior that is reinforced is behavior that is repeated.

Behavior that is rewarded is behavior that is repeated.

It really is that simple.

Looking for a quick, affordable gift card solution? Order aQuire gift cards and give your team the gift of improving their skills and knowledge while you reinforce behaviors you want to see repeated!

5 principles for using competition in training and management

2009-05-27T09:47:00.000-07:00

How many people attend typical sports events in your community?

If you’re in a city with a major league sports team, the answer is probably in the tens of thousands for every event. I frequently marvel at sporting arenas that attract and hold as many people as live in my entire home town.

Now think about the last time you went to a community lecture. I see announcements about visiting lecturers at colleges nearby that are free and open to the public on a regular basis. They look interesting – but I’ve rarely attended.

On the other hand, we held season tickets to the Portland Trailblazers for several years, even after the tickets had become ridiculously expensive.

I’m guessing that most of our employees are in the same boat. They’d rather play a competitive game than listen to a lecture or watch a video. And let’s face it: when we’re having fun, we’re more inclined to repeat the activity and to remember it.

Our aQuire Training team has built learning games into many of our courses with this very idea in mind – we learn better when we’re having fun with the learning process.

So as a trainer and manager, let’s look at ways you can incorporate competition – healthy, fun competition – into your workplace to motivate and energize your team:

Don’t end up with losers. If you’ve got a winner, you’ve also got losers, right? Think this through carefully when you’re creating situations where someone can become a winner. Structure any competitive event in such a way that everyone can win, if at all possible. For example, set up a winner’s category for anyone who scores over 95% in the quiz at the end of a course. Let people re-take their quizzes as often as they need to until they score 95%. Everyone can be winners (unless they simply don’t care or aren’t trying). If you pit one team against another, think about how the losing team will feel. Set up parameters in advance for the losing team to also get a reward, or set up multiple “winner” categories. Remember a guiding principle of good business: the win/win situation. It works in training and management, too.
Keep the playing field level. In one of our continuing ed courses for administrators on empowering employees to become the best they can be an example is given of a manager who set up a competition for the best customer service delivery. Of course, night shift didn’t really have a chance; even evenings had a tough time meeting the number of positive comments day shift staffers got. But the contest completely went wrong when one very competitive staff person went out of his way to get noticed by residents, and followed up that help with a request that they fill out a comment card about his excellent customer service. As the story turns out, the one employee won the contest; the other employees simply felt that the contest “wasn’t fair.” In reality, it didn’t set up a good, healthy competition or encourage genuine behavior change among employees.
Remember the whole team. In setting up a competition, even in training, you may be inadvertently doing the exact opposite of what you’re really trying to do: build a stronger, more effective team overall. You may, in fact, be breaking down your team, especially if the competition results in one group trying to undermine another group. A better approach is to create an environment where you encourage collaboration and cooperation, perhaps to beat an arbitrary rival (like a time goal, for example). Perhaps you play a “beat the clock” game where each person needs to complete a quiz in a certain amount of time for the entire team to beat the clock and win a prize. Stronger team members can help those who struggle a bit, and together reach the goal. Perhaps the goal can be greater for everyone when more individuals achieve it, encouraging everyone to seek out others to encourage or help. You can set up a competition that allows everyone to work together to build a stronger team overall, and that’s a win in anyone’s book!
Reward creativity. I’ve long believed that the best managers – and the best caregivers – are some of the most creative individuals I know. Certainly parts of our job don’t allow creativity (record-keeping and numbers, for example); other parts of our jobs require creativity to resolve problems, overcome resistance to change and other frequently-encountered situations. Look for ways to reward creativity when you’re setting up competition, rather than rewarding just those that do it “by the book.” One example I hear frequently from experienced managers is their practice of rewarding behavior “on the fly.” After focusing on a particular behavior in their training assignment or presentation, they keep a quiet watch to observe for this behavior. They work hard to catch someone doing it exactly right – and then they reward the person, publicly and clearly, with a lottery ticket, movie ticket or some other tangible token of appreciation. It works, it’s cheap and it is appreciated by the person being noticed. Just be sure to watch those who work quietly in the background even more closely than those who easily gain the attention of everyone around them.

Another technique to try is to set up a scenario, based on a topic you’ve assigned for training, and divide your team into groups with the task to come up with the most creative solution to the problem scenario. Give each group a few minutes to brainstorm their solution, then share it will the entire team. After all teams have shared, open the discussion up to everyone to equally contribute more ideas, based on what has been shared. Remember to create an environment that doesn’t set up losers and that encourages collaboration and cooperation – everyone wins.

Competition can be a powerful tool. In the workplace, it can set up a team for division and distrust or, in the hands of a skilled manager, it can help build a stronger, more effective team. Try these ideas and let me know how they work for you!

Training alert on publicity

2009-05-20T09:12:00.000-07:00

As a trainer, you probably know that you want to teach all employees one very important thing: Keep us off the front page of the paper.

Publicity is great, but clearly we’re in a service sector that needs to be very fussy about the type of publicity we get.

Here’s an example: Last week, apparently someone checked actress Brooke Shields’ mom out of an assisted living community to take her to lunch. Sounds harmless, and why not let an “old friend” take a resident out to lunch?

The problem was this: the “old friend” was a National Enquirer reporter; Brooke Shields’ mom has dementia.

The other problem was that, according to the reporter, she asked permission to take the resident out and the staff gave it to her.

So what if, for the purposes of training, you decided to play act this scenario? Can you imagine that all of your clients are parents of famous people? What should you do, in terms of protecting the privacy of your clients, while at the same time ensuring that their rights are not violated?

A great topic for a staff training session, in my opinion. Have fun with this; let me know what you discover!

Keys to customer service – test yourself

2009-05-13T10:20:00.000-07:00

Just in case you wonder if anyone is really listening to you, let me assure you: We’ve heard your requests for more customer service training! In fact, I’ve just hired a new course developer to help us create a series of interesting, engaging customer service courses.

I thought you might like a sneak peek, just to get an idea of what’s coming. Don’t get too excited, though; creating new courses is a time-consuming process that doesn’t happen overnight.

Here’s a quiz from one of the first courses, just to give you a taste. Feel free to share this with your team and see how they score!

1. Your shift starts at 10:00 a.m. You arrive at:
a. 9:55 a.m. Correct! Arrive a little early so you can be ready for action right at start-time. You’re on your way to rock-star status.
b. As close to 10:00 as possible. (You never know with traffic.) Incorrect. Traffic is no excuse, and trying doesn’t get you any bonus points.
c. Whenever. Incorrect. You can do better!

2. The lobby is crowded when you arrive. You:
a. Push your way through. Hello? You have work to do. Incorrect. Pushing people is never polite, even when you’re in a hurry.
b. Squeeze through while pausing to smile and say hello to each person. Correct! Even before you’ve clocked in, you represent your company. But you already knew that.
c. Wait outside until they leave. Incorrect. You can do better, I know it!

3. Someone asks you to page their mother and let her know they’ve arrived. You reply:
a. Her room is right down the hall, you can go get her yourself. Incorrect. Even if you don’t like the request, it’s up to you to please the customer.
b. In a minute, first I have to go check in with my supervisor. Incorrect. Your supervisor will be glad that you hit the ground running on a busy morning. She may even reward you with candy.
c. No problem. Correct! You are a winner and deserve to be rewarded with candy.

4. You notice a phone line on hold. When you ask around, none of your co-workers know who is on the line. You:
a. Assume someone is helping them and ignore it. Incorrect. It’s always better to ask and be wrong than to not ask if someone needs help.
b. Pick up the line and ask if anyone is helping them. Correct! You are a phone-line genius.
c. Go tell a manager. Incorrect. Fix the problem, rather than focus on tattle-tail-ing.

5. Ben hurries by with an empty tray and whispers that he dropped an entire bowl of oatmeal in the hallway. You:
a. Laugh at him. Incorrect. Laugh on the inside, but on the outside, grab a roll of paper towels.
b. Tell him about the time you dropped an entire egg-white omelet on the owner’s wife. Incorrect. Swap stories later. For now, grab a mop.
c. Grab the nearest mop, a wet-floor safety sign, and direct guests around the area while you help clean up. Correct! You didn’t even need this training module, did you?

6. Time for your break. No one is around, and the lobby is as quiet as a mouse. You:
a. Announce loudly “I’m going on a break!” even though there is no one to hear you. Incorrect. You’re a comedian, aren’t you?
b. Find your supervisor and tell him you need someone to cover. Correct. You deserve a raise.
c. Stay where you are and skip your break. Incorrect. Sure, you’re a dedicated employee, but it’s against the law to skip breaks. Go sit down and relax! You’ve earned it.

7. You answer the phone. It’s a potential client, asking for details on availability and pricing. You aren’t sure what the answers are. You say:
a. “I don’t know, but I can go find someone who does.” Then ask if she would mind being put on hold. Correct! You’ve been paying attention, haven’t you?
b. “This is a really bad time. Can you call back?” Incorrect. Always offer to help them, or find someone who can.
c. “I don’t know,” and hang up. Incorrect. People first!

8. Let’s imagine that you asked the woman from the last question if she would mind being put on hold. The woman says no, don’t put her on hold. Now what?
a. Hang up on her. She’s obviously not willing to cooperate. Incorrect. Come on, now. That’s just not polite.
b. Say “too bad, I have to get my manager, so you’ll have to wait.” Incorrect. I know, she seems difficult, but smile and be nice. Try again.
c. Offer to take her phone number and have someone call her back. Correct! You have great talent!

9. Let’s imagine the same woman instead says she doesn’t mind being put on hold. You page your manager Monica to pick up the call. A minute later you notice that Monica still hasn’t answered it. You:
a. Leave it alone. It’s Monica’s problem now. Incorrect. We have to help each other, remember?
b. Page Monica repeatedly until she picks up the phone. Incorrect. Getting her attention is important, but she’s probably not just ignoring you. She’s busy. Give her a break.
c. Pick up the line, tell the customer that you’re still waiting on an answer, and ask if she would mind continuing to hold, or if she would rather have someone call her back. Correct! Phew, that was complicated. If you mastered that, you are truly a genius.

10. You’re helping a client in her home, and she needs to go to the bathroom. But you’re already in the middle of feeding her cat! You:
a. Finish feeding the cat. Incorrect. A visit to the bathroom probably can’t wait. The cat can.
b. Put down the cat food and help her to the bathroom. Correct! People first.
c. Ask if she can wait. Incorrect. People first.

Only 3 days left until Mother’s Day

2009-05-06T11:55:00.000-07:00

Mother’s Day is this Sunday, as I’m sure you’re well aware. You’re probably planned something for your own mom and the other significant moms in your life (if not, get busy!); you may even have planned an event for your clients who are mothers.

But what about your team? Especially those moms who are spending the better part of their day working – are you remembering to honor them?

Many of our employees are moms, struggling to raise their own children in the face of incredible odds. Some work two jobs; balance their own education and careers, and then travel long distances back to their homes to try to be the best moms they can be.

You’ve seen the glow that appears on the faces of your employee-moms as they talk about their sons and daughter, grandsons and granddaughters. You’ve seen them bring a child to work with obvious pride and a sense of accomplishment. You may have held baby showers, invited children to attend Easter egg hunts, and, in other ways included their children in your community.

On Mother’s Day, find a way to honor these individuals in your organization. Here are some ideas - just a few, but maybe they’ll help you creatively find a way to honor your team members:

Create a bulletin board and invite each employee-mom to bring in pictures of her children. You can do it simply and quickly so it’s in place in time for Mother’s Day. Guests and clients alike will enjoy seeing pictures of children; employees will feel honored and proud to share them. You can also invite employees to bring in their children and take digital or Polaroid pictures and instantly display them.
Order flowers for each employee-mom for Mother’s Day. Maybe a simple corsage or a single flower for them to pin on their work tops; maybe a long-stemmed rose or a small bouquet for each mom. Flowers, especially ones we can wear, show the world that we’re remembered and loved.
Write a personal note to each employee-mom, thanking them for their contribution to your work community. “Being a mother takes guts, hard work and a whole lot of love,” says author Judy Blume. Let each mom on your team know that you recognize this effort on her special day.

Top ways to build your team with fun

2009-04-29T14:51:00.000-07:00

Do your staff meetings go something like this?

“Could everyone please sit down now and stop talking? We’ve got a lot to cover today and you guys need to get back out there as quickly as possible, so let’s get going.

“We’re having problems getting laundry to the right person. Mr. Marcus’s family is complaining again that his sweater is missing – has anyone seen it?”

And on and on…not really a whole lot of fun, is it?

What if, instead of lecturing on the need to be more careful with residents’ clothing, you pulled two people aside ahead of time and planned a little skit:

Actor #1 (playing the part of the family member): “Darn it, my dad’s sweater is missing AGAIN. Can’t you guys EVER get the clothes straight around here?”

Actor #2 (playing the part of the manager): “I’ll be happy to try to find your dad’s sweater. Let me ask around and see if we can get it back to him today.”

Actor #1: “I’m just sick and tired of my dad’s clothes missing. What kind of place are you running, anyway?”

Actor #2, gathering a group of employees together): “OK you guys, we’ve GOT to find Mr. Marcus’s sweater RIGHT NOW. His family is throwing a fit and yelling at me. GET BUSY – and FIND THAT SWEATER!!”

Actor #1, standing by the front door when a visitor (Actor #3) walks in: “I hope you’re not thinking of moving someone here – they can’t keep track of anything!”

Actor #3 to manager: “I think I’ll come back another time. Maybe this isn’t such a good idea for my mom…”

Do you think your team would remember this better than the monthly lecture? Try it – I’d bet you’ll be surprised!

If you'd like some more ideas for fun team-building activities (modify them to fit your needs, obviously), check out this great resource-packed website: http://wilderdom.com/games/InitiativeGames.html

Have fun – and build your team!

Blended training key to culture change and success

2009-04-21T16:47:00.000-07:00

You may have heard the aQuire team talk about “blended learning” or “blended training” in the past. It’s a concept we believe in, and the reason we created the 2 Minute Trainer newsletter.

We’re thrilled that you’re using the aQuire online staff training program to provide your team members with opportunities for ongoing learning and professional growth. You know, obviously, that this is one foundational principle for building a culture that reflects your philosophy and values, and builds a team that stays and grows with you.

You know that reducing staff turnover is one of the key things you can do to build client loyalty, reputation, and quality care.

You’ve taken a big step to making that a reality in your community with the addition of significant training opportunities.

But you’ve got to back it up with your actions and the actions of other people in your organization that provide leadership roles.

Look, for example, at the experience of the new caregiver in your organization. You screen carefully, check references and get the appropriate clearances, and then you bring the new team member on board. You enroll them into their initial training courses, and give them time to complete those courses.

Then, most likely, you team that new person up with a current caregiver and ask them to provide on-the-job orientation or training.

That’s a typical approach to bringing a new person on board. It’s a good way, too, to quickly bring the new person up to speed on your culture, your expectations and your daily procedures.

But is the person providing the on-the-job leadership trained as a trainer? Does he or she realize how important it is to follow some basic training steps: demonstrate, explain, observe, give feedback? Does he realize that each step offers an opportunity to reinforce your values and principles of care?

We know that building a strong, long-lasting team means focusing on these first few days. We know that helping new employees build the skills and approaches that add to your organization means focusing on these skills right from Day 1.

We’re working on some new “train the trainer” resources for our clients, since we know that’s how you’ll best build the kind of team you really need.

But for now, that’s your department. Focus on creating an environment where blended learning really happens and you’ll significantly leverage your current investment in staff training many times over.

Note to Manager: Why You Need to be a Strong Role Model

2009-04-15T11:38:00.000-07:00

By Marla Rosner
Marla Rosner & Associates
Helping Executives, Managers and Teams,
Listen, Learn and Lead
www.rosnerassociates.net

Whether you’re a new manager, or an experienced manager, maybe with a new area of responsibility, it might be time for you to take a look at this aspect of your job: you, as a role model.

You must have passed the preliminary test as a role model or you wouldn’t have been hired or promoted to a manager position. Now it’s time to understand what more is expected. The people that report to you (your “direct reports”) and your boss will be noting how you carry out this aspect of your job. They may not ever say anything to you, and nobody will be standing at the office door with a checklist when you walk in. It’s subtle – but important.

Your direct reports will register aspects of your behavior and, perhaps without even being aware of it, make assumptions about what they can also do at work. For example:
* “If he’s late, I can be late.”
* “If she’s wearing jeans with holes on casual Friday, it must be trendy. I can wear mine too.”
* “If she makes nasty remarks about others in the company, so can I.”
* “If he makes long personal phone calls from work, why shouldn’t I chat with my girlfriend when I feel like it?”

Bosses have a different vantage point and are concerned with the impact you have on others as someone in a management position. For example:
* “If he’s late, his people are going to start to be late.”
* “If she’s wearing jeans with holes on casual Friday, her group’s going to start looking shabby.”
* “If she makes nasty remarks about others in the company she’s not a team player and her team’s not going to respect other departments.”
* “If he makes long personal phone calls from work, his team is going to take that as permission to do the same thing. There goes productivity!”

This can be a hard lesson for new managers to learn. Sometimes newly promoted managers think, “Finally! I can make a personal phone call and not get yelled at for it because I’m now a manager. Or if I’m a few minutes late now, it’s not that big of a deal since I’m no longer punching a time clock.”

A seasoned manager, however, is keenly aware that a poor role model in a manager position has a ripple effect on his group.

The lesson here? It’s all about self-awareness. Operate with the knowledge that you’re “on stage” whenever you’re at work. Although you may have initially imagined that your influence on those you manage would be in the form of delegating and coaching, you also have a substantial “unspoken” influence based on how you conduct yourself on a day to day basis. Think about how you want those on your team to conduct themselves and then, walk the talk.

Enhancing Customer Service in Senior Care

2009-04-08T12:38:00.000-07:00

Here’s the title of a chapter in an intriguing book called “Yes! 50 Scientifically Proved Ways to be Persuasive”

“What tips should we take from those who get them?”

It took me a second to get the question, but when I did, I started thinking, “What makes me want to tip a waiter more than usual?”

I’m not a bad tipper, but I have to admit sometimes the process of tipping annoys me. It particularly annoys me when I feel like I’ve overpaid for something, and the service staff is still standing there with their hand out waiting for more money.

But then there are those moments when I feel like I’ve made a new friend. When I tip joyfully, because I truly enjoyed the service provided.

It doesn’t happen all that often, but when it does, it’s memorable. In fact, it’s probably memorable because it doesn’t happen that often.

So I thought I’d google “How to earn big tips,” and see what the pros had to say about this. This is fun: I’m finding lots of ideas that readily translate into our mission: provide excellent customer service. Here’s an example of a fun, almost-tongue-in-cheek article, with some great advice about customer service in general. My comments are in the [brackets]:

Earn Better Tips: Simple Tricks to Getting Bigger Tips, by Melissa Dylan

Excellent service is a good place to start if you're an employee who earns tips [or an employee who just wants to provide outstanding customer service]. A few simple tricks will put you over the edge from average tips to enormous tips.

Introduce yourself by name. Bonus points if your name is something cutesy or perky. If your name is not cutesy or perky, change it. While you’re at it… Be cutesy and perky. Chat with guests. Pretend you’re interested in them. Create inside jokes. If this is not part of your personality and you are not willing to fake it, you are in the wrong profession. [Be yourself. Your clients will love you for it, even if you’re not cutesy and perky.]

Sign the check. If you’re a female, include a doodle like a smiley face or flower. Vomit in the back room out of disgust beforehand if necessary, but keep all appearances of perkiness and charm in front of the guests. (Note: if you are a male, doodles on the check will actually lower your tip, so be careful. And masculine.) Include the words “Thank you” as if the guest has done you a gigantic honor by dining at your table. [Write your name on a slip of paper – it will accomplish the same thing. It says, “I want you to remember my name because we’re friends now, and I can help you.” Include a phone number or email address if it is appropriate for clients to contact you directly.]

Touch people. No, not there. Pervert. A friendly hand placed on the arm or shoulder sometime during service adds a touch of camaraderie that makes patrons think “I’d better give her some money!” [Touch, appropriately, is a tremendously affective way we communicate. Shake hands, if you’re not the “touchy-feeling” kind of person.]

Squat. Next to the table, anytime you’re talking to them. You’ll feel ridiculous the first several times, like you’re about to crawl under the table, particularly if you’re already pretty short. But it works, because as it turns out, people like you better when they can’t see up your nose while they’re eating. Who knew? [Works in our business, too. Never stand up while talking to someone seated. Get on their level. Every time.]

Repeat their order. Shows them you’re listening, and helps to fix mix-ups before they occur. (How many times has a customer asked for the chef salad, only to insist later that they’d asked for the Caesar salad?) Also, write it down. Some waiters like to show off their impressive brain-power by clasping their hands behind their backs and committing the order to memory, but frankly: 1.) your customers don’t care how smart you are, they just want you to get their order right, 2.) it drives me bat-poo crazy when a waiter does that and then gets my order wrong anyway, which has happened more times than I can count. I’m much more willing to forgive (and tip) someone who writes it down just in case than someone with misplaced arrogance about their mental abilities. [Can you relate? I can! If one of your clients has a problem, complaint or concern, write it down in their presence. They’ll see you taking it seriously, and have a higher level of trust that you’ll fix the problem or address the complaint.]

Compliment them. Tell them they’ve made a good choice. When you drop the check, confess that they were a lot of fun to wait on. [Compliments work well for every situation. “Beautiful scarf – love your haircut – that tie is beautiful!” You get the idea.]

Be in medical school. Preferably at Yale. Or, be willing to lie. [OK, lying is taking it just a little too far, in my opinion. But certainly share your goals and aspirations, or what you’re doing to improve your skills and knowledge. Taking online courses? Mention that: “I’ve been learning a lot about your mom’s disease in the online course I’ve been taking – it’s quite interesting.”]

Everything else. On top of all this is the basic service; getting the order correct and on time, clearing plates, knowing the menu, etc. But research has shown that patrons are willing to forgive mistakes or long waits if the above tricks are adhered to. [Just goes to show: being a good waiter and providing great customer service have a lot in common. People will forgive a lot of mistakes if they like you and feel like you’re friends.]
So good luck. And let the earning begin! [Ditto.]

Teaching employees the most important skill of all: getting to know their clients

2009-04-01T14:46:00.000-07:00

We were discussing the objectives of our training program, especially the caregiving training program. Our newest team member, Ken, asked, “What behavior do you want to see in a well-trained caregiver?”

The first thing that came to my mind was excellent observation skills. A good caregiver – a well-trained caregiver – should be able to walk into a room first thing in the morning and say, “Good morning, Mrs. Smith.”

A good caregiver should stop and listen for a response, and instantly identify the well-being of the client.

She should notice the slightly slurred words, and take the time to ask another question: “Did you sleep well last night?” and listen for the response. Maybe the person is in pain – ask a probing question. Maybe the person is ill – check her temperature and pulse.

In short, a good caregiver should know her clients so well that she can instantly tell when something isn’t quite right – and take the appropriate follow-up action.

Ken, our newest employee looked up at me abruptly and said, “That really hits home.” He shared the experience of visiting the hospital to see his mother-in-law. His wife asked the nurse, “How’s my mom today?”

The nurse responded, “She’s doing fine.”

As they walked into the room, his wife said, “Good morning, mom,” and heard her garbled response. She was clearly not “fine;” in fact, she died a short while later.

At my book club the other night, we were discussing the current dire state of healthcare in America. One of my neighbors had been talking with a British friend who said, “The trouble with you Americans is that you do too many tests. Doctors, nurses and caregivers are no longer trained to really listen to the person and observe. Just send out for another test – that’ll tell you what’s wrong.”

Another neighbor shared, with passion, her experience during the last few hours of her mother’s life. During that final hour, three specialists had come into the room, each reporting, “Good news!” One specialist reported that her mother’s blood work was good – “do you have any questions for me?” An internist reported that a bone scan looked good – “that’s great news.”

All the time, the family knew their mother was dying, as she lay unresponsive in the hospital bed. They felt angered and frustrated that so many people looked at only a part of their mother’s condition; not one of the physicians involved looked at their mother as a whole person.

When I think of a caregiver I’d like to clone, I think of Dianne. She only had a high school education, but had worked as a caregiver for her entire career. When she worked for us, we promoted her, ultimately (after about 12 years) to Resident Care Manager for one simple reason: Dianne knew her residents. She knew exactly what was “normal” for each of them, and her observation skills were second to none.

Dianne could tell, in just a couple of minutes, when someone was not quite right. She knew when to probe with more questions, with a touch or quick vitals check, and when to call the doctor, nurse or family and say, “Something isn’t right. You’d better come right away.”

She knew that family members felt guilt and anxiety, especially initially. She would often call just to say, “Your mom had a really good day today.”

Dianne would sit and comfort the dying person; she’d stay and comfort the grieving family, too, sometimes well into the night. She would never, ever leave a dying resident in the care of a lesser-trained caregiver.

She wasn’t a trained nurse, but she was the best I’ve ever seen at knowing her residents and making sure they got the very best care possible, from every single member of the team. When my own mother was in acute care, I often wished for a nurse, a caregiver, or anyone, as compassionate as Dianne.

Dianne was certainly an extraordinary caregiver by nature. Her commitment and dedication was intrinsic to her personality; and that’s not something that we can train into people.

But her focus on knowing each person in her care, as well as she could possibly know them, is something we can do a better job training into caregivers. Her keen sense of observation and her skill in communication – these are the traits I believe we can train.

Training to grow the very best caregiver possible isn’t a one-time shot. It’s a process that continues throughout the person’s career. We can start it with our online courses, but it takes ongoing supervision and training to really strengthen these skills.

First Time Managers Tips: Gaining a Management Perspective

2009-03-24T09:43:00.000-07:00

With contributions by Marla Rosner

Are you a new manager? Maybe you’ve just been assigned to “team lead” or train a group of people.

As a new manager, there are numerous adjustments you'll need to make, some quicker than others. You were undoubtedly promoted because you’re able to perform your job tasks quite well. One of the first lessons you’ll need to learn is that you can’t do it all. You’ll need to learn how to get results through others rather than performing certain tasks yourself.

You’ll also need to understand that the viewpoint of management is a little different from your old viewpoint. Think for a moment of how a scene might look from the peak of a hilltop compared to that same landscape viewed from the forest floor. It's the perspective from the hilltop you need to obtain in order to lead your team through the forest.

You may already have a clear understanding of the bigger goals of your organization by virtue of having worked at the company prior to becoming a manager. You may be tempted to think that you don’t need to worry too much about the manager’s perspective, especially if you’re only leading a small group.

It’s important to realize, however, that your value to the company as a manager is in leadership. Even if you’re only guiding a small group, you now hold a meaningful role in helping your company achieve its goals.

Don't ever trivialize your team's contribution. Every group and every individual plays an essential role in the organization, especially when they're all aimed at the same corporate goals. Managers or supervisors who "get" the big picture will always stand out because they direct their teams in alignment with the needs of the business.

To understand the big picture, do your homework. Set aside time each week to gather information that helps you understand the company’s business needs. This is an area you probably haven’t thought much about in the past. Take the time now to learn how you fit in with the big picture. This step is vital to the success of your entire team.

Many businesses units operate in "silos"—that is, they're not connected to other parts of the company. You may have worked for your unit for quite some time but not be aware of its other products or customers. For example, if you’re a new manager in a senior living community that is owned by a large, multi-facility company, you may not even know that your company also operates home care agencies.

The company website can be an excellent source of information. If you haven't dug into the company's website before, do so now; you may discover some aspects of the company of which you weren’t aware.

Though this information may not be relevant to your daily responsibilities, having this information will help you to understand where your team and you fit into the larger picture. It may also suggest opportunities you'd like to pursue that you hadn't previously considered.

Read articles related to both your company and your industry. You'll learn a great deal about competitors and where your company fits in. You may get new ideas of how improve your work. Read local newspapers, too, to learn about what’s happening in your industry and community. It may help you understand how your company looks to the public and how you can improve its image.

Share your observations with your boss at an appropriate time. It will not only show your boss that you’re working hard to understand the company from the hilltop point of view, but will also give your boss a chance to validate or correct your observations.

Taking these steps will help you to become a better leader. The next step is to learn how to connect your team's activities to the company’s goals and objectives. That’s a topic for a future article.

Great leaders excel at everything?

2009-03-17T15:07:00.000-07:00

"Our goal for today is to help our audience become better leaders by simultaneously excelling in four areas of their lives: work, home, community and self."

This is the introductory sentence to the Harvard Business School interview, posted on YouTube (see below to watch the whole video). The speaker is Steward Friedman, author of leadership books and articles.

I don’t know about you, but that intro sentence alone makes me choke. “Excel?” How about “survive?”

I’m busy running my company, and, yes, I do identify my own success with the success of my business, but, really, am I excelling at work and home, let alone community and self?

The speaker (and interviewer, by the way) assumes that our life’s goal is to become the best leader we can be. Learning to excel at the other three areas – home, community and self – will help us become better leaders.

And on MY tombstone, I want to see the words, “She pulled it all together. She excelled at everything. But at the end of it all, she was a Great Leader.”

Perhaps I’m being a little harsh. It does grate, just a little, that the reason we might want to join a non-profit board is that, ultimately, it benefits "the company." The main reason we may want to pay attention to our mind, body and soul is to improve our “performance at work.”

I’ll let you watch the video to hear the rest of his argument, but his recommended exercises – determining your core values and the legacy you’d like to leave, among others - are worthwhile activities, no matter if you’re struggling for survival or on the verge of perfection.

As managers, even mid-level managers, we ARE leaders. The people around us watch us. Whether we like it or not, we set the tone of at least some aspects of our work.

We have the power to make coming to work a high point of someone else’s day; or the thing they least enjoy doing.

Our praise and words of encouragement can shape the behavior of the people around us as certainly as the sound of the doorbell shapes the behavior of my dog.

We are all leaders. Whether excelling at this task should be our biggest aspiration in life is certainly debatable, at least to me.

But I do agree with Stew on this: when we are true to ourselves; when we know clearly what is important to us in our lives; when we have focus, commitment and passion, we’ll be awesome, powerful leaders.

Even if our tombstones just read, “Beloved wife and mother.”

Get the pre-training advantage in hiring qualified people for your openings

2009-03-10T17:07:00.000-07:00

It’s one great employers’ job market right now. If you’ve been hiring recently you know exactly what I mean. You can get someone with great qualifications – out of an applicant pool many times larger than typical – because of today’s high unemployment rate.

I hate to hire new people, even though we need them from time to time. It’s time consuming and, frankly, a pain in the you-know-where to review applications and resumes, schedule interviews (I can’t fit everything in my day I’ve got to do now – how am I going to do quality interviews, too?), and check references.

Desperation breeds good ideas, I’m told. Here’s the latest idea that we’ve come up with – in part from my own hiring desperation. It’s also a response to the huge need and demand from unemployed people looking for a way to enter the fields of caregiving, health care and senior care.

It’s a pretty simple concept: Job pre-training. It’s sort of like job re-training, except that we’re not focusing on the transfer of skills from one industry to another.

We’re looking for a way to help the unemployed person get into our field – and at the same time get even more qualified applicants.

With job pre-training, we’re offering you the chance to hire someone who already has the type of training you might otherwise be giving him after hiring. You’ll still need to do the other tasks of interviewing and reference checking (sorry; can’t really shortcut these steps). But if the person passes on those steps, you can hire the individual, complete a competency evaluation (watch him in action, signing off on competency areas for documentation in his file), and put him to work. Put a copy of his pre-training certification in his file, and you’ve documented initial training, as well as the competency check off, in many cases.

We’re getting ready to launch this program of job pre-training within the coming weeks, so keep your eyes and ears open.

In the meantime, click here to see how you can get involved – and get a little publicity for your community, too!

It’s a win for you – you get a job candidate who was demonstrated his initiative, his ability to learn independently and online, and has a certification to prove it.

It’s a win, too, for those folks out there who want to get a good, meaningful job. Maybe it’s a job they wouldn’t have considered even one year ago; but maybe it will end up being the very best job of their lives!

Change we'll embrace

2009-03-04T10:21:00.000-08:00

“People hate change.”

Have you heard, thought or even said those words lately?

I know I have, especially when I was trying to change the way things were done during the daily routine of care.

Change shift start time? Change paydays? Change dress codes? Nope, it’s not going to be easy.

Change the culture of the way people treat each other – even tougher.

And yet we continue to strive to implement change – and we continue to run into walls.

At the same time, most of us want a little change in our lives. We crave change in our diets – eating the same foods every day would be boring, not to mention not very healthy.

We look for new TV shows, new movies, and new experiences.

We embrace new technologies that help us connect with our friends, check out new products and prices and take our favorite tunes everywhere we go.

Heck, we even VOTED for change in this past election – and we’re very likely going to get it, ready or not!

Here’s what every good manager needs to know: to get people to embrace change, you have to market it. You have to look at it from their perspective and ask, “What’s in it for me?”

Because when the changes we’re trying to make are changes that will improve the lives of our employees, they’ll embrace it.

If it’s change they can have a voice in shaping, they’ll embrace it even more.

First Time Manager Tips: How to Ask for Help

2009-02-23T17:04:00.000-08:00

Special thanks to our guest author, Marla Rosner, Principal, Marla Rosner & Associates, for today's article.

Welcome to management. One hopes you received a nice boost in pay, even in this dreadful economy, since your responsibilities have been ratcheted up several degrees if you've been promoted.

If you're like most people you've started out wildly enthusiastic about the new role, given your increased status and pay. Brace yourself...you won't be alone if after the initial euphoria you become humbled and/or frustrated. In fact, there are those management gurus who say that passage through this difficult stage is inevitable in your forward movement over the learning curve for any new job activities.

Tip #1: Be patient with yourself and don't confuse these temporary challenges with signs of failure.

If you're lucky, your boss is one of those models of management that has anticipated your learning curve, arranged for your training and will be meeting with you weekly to provide direction and support. This is, by the way, the boss you want to become. Alternatively he or she may be the well-intentioned but overworked, overwrought or asleep-at-the-wheel type, in which case, these tips should be even more helpful to you. If you've drawn the short straw and your boss is in the latter category, you have been handed your first challenge.

Tip #2: Swallow your pride and ask for help.

"Manage up" by letting your boss know what you need to be successful. Be specific. It could sound like any one (or all) of the following:

"Janet and Mike aren't working well together and I'm not sure what to do. I need help."
"Mary isn't sanitizing the equipment correctly but I know she'll bite my head off I talk to her about it. What should I do?"
"I need instructions on how to analyze the ZYX report."
"How should I go about estimating the department budget?"
"How do I take inventory?"

This is by no means an all inclusive list. Your questions could be radically different. Whatever they are, don't avoid asking them.

Why do new managers avoid approaching the boss when they need help? We all want to appear competent and avoid disappointing our superiors, especially when they've just entrusted us with greater responsibilities.

Tip #3: The sooner you ask questions, the faster you'll make it over the learning curve.

There are significant risks to hiding the fact that you don't know how to handle something. For example if you wait six months before you get direction on scheduling for example, you'll likely have made many mistakes in that time frame e.g. short staffing can cause rotten service, lost customers or clients, angry staff and an annoyed boss. Or, if you've been promoted because you were great technically as a programmer, nurse, machine operator, teacher or scientist to name just a few jobs, but are in the dark about giving employees feedback on their performance, get help fast! Your job as a manager is to get results through other people. You can damage a great many relationships with employees in a short time with either an overly aggressive or overly passive management style.

So avoidance has its costs to your effectiveness and reputation. There are ways however to offset the nagging fear that you might appear inept when going to your boss with neophyte questions.

Tip #4: When you do go to the boss for guidance, demonstrate that you've taken some initiative to figure out the situation on your own.

For instance, if you ask for advice about how to handle an employee conflict, start out by providing approaches you've considered. Better to have a less than perfect idea to put forth than no idea at all.

Even while you're garnering as much guidance as you can from your boss, plan on grabbing information, tips and training from outside your work environment. Read about management in articles, get DVD's, subscribe to newsletters and podcasts and talk to friends and other associates about management challenges. While it's ideal to have a boss who has laid a path for your training and development, don't wait to take initiative for your own professional development. It is, after all, your career so be pro-active about getting what you need to become effective in your new role.

Too busy? Tips to give a busy trainer or manager a little sanity

2009-02-18T13:33:00.000-08:00

One armed paper hanger…
Chicken with its head cut off…
Spinning out of control…
Don’t know up from down…
Can’t see the light of day…
Up to my neck in alligators…

Do any of these phrases describe how you feel about your days lately? Personally, I’ve used at least three of them to describe my own current workload. Not that it’s all making money, and we’re on the “whoo-whoo” gravy train to success, but, wow, my life is busy!!

Sometimes we’re busy-busy trying to find the solutions to problems that keep us up at night.

Sometimes we’re busy trying to be on top of too many areas of responsibility for one person to manage.

Sometimes we might be (not me – not you) poor managers of our time.

Here’s a quick look at some ideas that might be useful if any of this describes you:

It’s OK to say NO. Even to your boss. There are times to say, “I can’t really do that task justice right now – can we talk about it again in a few weeds?” There are other times to simply say, “I’d love to help, but I just can’t do it right now.” And then stand firm.

Be clear on your priorities. Take two minutes at the start of the day to prioritize your tasks. There is an unending list of busy-jobs we all need to do, but what will wake you up in the night if you don’t accomplish? What addresses the most important things in your life or your job? Do those things, and let some less important things slip by the wayside.

Make a list. I often find myself bouncing from one task to another, answering an email or two, making a phone call, and feeling like I’m not really accomplishing anything real during the day. For me, organizing my day means making lists. I make lists on Friday before I go home for the week of what I haven’t gotten done and want to pick up Monday morning. Monday, I make my list for the week. I add to that list during the week, and get great personal satisfaction from crossing tasks off – as quickly as I can. Some days, like today, I have to stop in the middle of the day and make a list of all the things I’ve promised people I’d deliver as I walked through the office. Cross them off; move on; get things done!

Take baby steps. I have a very clear picture in my mind of what I want to achieve in my work. Each day on my way to work I have learned to fight the rising sense of anxiety of all I need to accomplish to achieve my goals, by telling myself, “Today, you only need to take one step. Just one small step toward the goal.” I feel a sense of relief – but I also know that I need to continue to map out my steps; to break down big goals into small, achievable steps, and then cross them off, one at a time.

Let me take a brief commercial break and offer you another time-saving tip: try online training. It can save you lots of time in organizing and delivering the training you need to simply stay in compliance, but even more, it can give you a way to track completed training of all your employees, with just a click of the mouse. Even better is our newest feature – exception reports. Assign training classes to your staff once a year, and pull up reports to tell you exactly who is missing what. What could be easier? What could be more time-efficient?!

I guess what I’m really saying is that if you’re feeling like a one-armed paper hanger these days, let us help. We’ll supply a few other hands and help you get the job done right!

Training employees in just 2 minutes

2009-02-11T12:11:00.000-08:00

You’ve only got two minutes today to contribute to your employee’s training – help!

We did title this the Two Minute Trainer for a reason: you can be effective – today – in just two minutes.

What outcome would help your team step it up a notch, in terms of performance and outcome?

Consistently better customer service?

More sensitivity to the cultural differences of their co-workers?

What would improve your team’s performance? Write down one thing, and then focus on that for a full week, just a couple of minutes each day.

Let’s say “customer service” is your focus. What can you do, in just a couple of minutes each day? Here are some ideas:

1) When the phone rings today, listen to how it is answered, every time it rings. Make notes of how that process could be improved. Gather the people responsible for answering the phone and start by saying what they’re doing well. If you can recognize people by name it will help you set the stage for their learning: “Sara always has a smile in her voice when she answers the phone;” “Naomi switched to Spanish for a caller – that was awesome!” Sara and Naomi will be ready to learn the one or two new things you teach them today, because they will want more of the public praise.

2) Walk through your building once in the morning and once in the afternoon, looking at it with the eyes of a first-time visitor. What looks crowded or out-of-place? What feels less home-like and more institutional than you’d like to be perceived? What do you see your team members doing? Each time you walk through, note one thing and change it. Explain to your team, in a quick, stand-up gathering, what you’re doing (walking through with the eyes of a visitor) and why (how visitors see us is how they’ll think about the service we provide). Ask them to do the same thing as they go through their day, and be open to their observations, suggestions and ideas. Verbally praise people who stop to straighten a chair or cushion, pick up a towel that has fallen to the floor, or smiled at a visitor.

Two quick, easy steps you can take. The time investment is minimal; the pay-off may be immeasurable!

Stress reduction tips for the busy senior care manager

2009-02-04T13:26:00.000-08:00

If you’re like me, days when your time is short – but your task list is still long – are days that add to your stress.

I’m sure you don’t get snappy and irritable, like I do. I imagine that you balance your personal stress much better – or maybe not.

The things that stresses me the worst are those that are out of my control; something that stress experts find is pretty universal. We tend to feel more and more stress the less control we have over events. The best solution to these stressors is to find a way to gain control over them, or at least more control than you currently have.

Let’s consider training (I bet that surprises you)! You have a minimum required number of training hours that you need to ensure that your employees complete each year. Some training must be completed before the person can work independently; other training, like first aid, is simply one of those things that you need to get checked off as quickly as possible after hire.

Stressor #1: Requirements. You have no control over them – you can’t modify them for this person or that. They are always there, hanging over your head.

Stressor #2: Your employees. Sign them up for a first aid class. Bring in a trainer. Take precious time out of your busy week to present an inservice. And definitely make attendance mandatory. Your employees, over whom you have only a perception of control, will not all show up. Some may be sick; others won’t be able to find childcare; still others will simply say, “Oh, I forgot.”

Stressor #3: Surveyors from licensing and internal QA monitors. Yet another element you can’t control. They’ll ask you for detailed records of your training compliance, and they won’t give you a lot of time to hunt for those records. You’re either compliant – and can quickly demonstrate that – or you’re not…and you’d better think about career decisions.

You can gain control over these stressors. They don’t need to add to your stress by being things that, in your mind, you have absolutely no control over.

Here’s how:

Stressor #1: OK, you’re not going to get rid of regulations, or change them to suit your situation. But you can look at regulations, especially in the area of training, as your outline for planning the entire year’s worth of training opportunities. You can schedule them, topic by topic, onto a calendar and get a sense of mastery over the requirements.

Stressor #2: Keep holding monthly meetings, but change them from mandatory inservices to team-building, informational sessions. Bring a cake and celebrate the monthly birthday; read thank-you notes from clients or families, share what you’ve seen that month that makes you proud of your team. Then assign your team their required training topics to be completed online at a time that works for them during the month. Just make sure that they all know what topic is assigned, and when it is due. Recognize those that completed their training at your monthly team-building meetings, or those that went beyond the minimum and learned even more. But take the compliance monkey off your back, as it were, and give that responsibility to your employees. Your job, as a leader, is to assign, ensure completion and then look for ways to give personal feedback and guidance.

Stressor #3: This is an easy one if you’ve chosen an online training system with easy-to-use reports. Here’s what one of our clients emailed us the other day, “It was our first survey in 4 years and I was very nervous. The surveyor asked to see training records for specific employees. With just a couple of clicks I could show her exactly what she wanted. Whew! We sailed through survey; I consider the cost of this online training program worth every cent.”

The stresses in this line of work are many. Smart choices and good use of your resources can help you gain control and reduce at least a few areas of stress!

A smart manager will invest in her employees

2009-01-27T14:28:00.000-08:00

Here’s a great quote:

If you think training an employee is expensive, try not training them and watching them stay!

The quote comes from a very short, one minute video of a small business owner talking about his experience with training sales staff. He, like many of us, hired the best people he could find for the position. I’m sure he looked for experienced people with a passion for sales. He probably checked references and even did background checks. Hopefully, he hired people who got stellar recommendations and had excellent experience.

And then he put them to work. Perhaps he had them shadow one of his best salesmen for a day or two. They were given the company manual to read, and maybe a few videos to watch.

Does this sound familiar? Does it sound like your orientation and training program? It sounds an awful lot like the one I used for several years as a manager.

What if, with a little more investment in training, you could have a team that really understands your mission?

What if, with more personal, focused orientation and training you could have employees who excel quickly and who grasp, right away, your mission and message?

Who could, with their level of engagement and performance, create a palpable energy inside your building?

According to the researchers at the Gallup organization, you could double your revenue. If you could, as the result, equally engage your clients and their families, you could see a three fold increase in bottom line results.

Wouldn’t that be worth the investment, especially when you could really use the increased revenue?

Watch the full video (works best in Internet Explorer)

Creating a wall of fame

2009-01-21T11:25:00.000-08:00

Don’t you love it when someone recognizes your hard work? In our office we used to have a “Wall of Fame” where we’d print out emails and post letters from our clients.

One of the first ones I posted was from a woman who needed to renew her Administrator’s license and was just a few CEUs short. The problem was, she had just had a baby and wasn’t about to go to a class somewhere. We had just launched EasyCEU.com; she found us and got her CEUs.

In her letter, she described how she worked on her online class while her newborn infant slept in the basket right next to her chair. Sometimes, she said, she’d work on the class at 2 am – she was awake after feeding the baby, and it was quiet and peaceful.

We don’t have the wall of fame anymore as we hear daily from happy clients now.

I did get one email this week, though that made me want to re-establish the Wall. It was from a state regulator, reviewing our newest labor of love, the Caregiver Certification Course:

I was immensely impressed with the direct support provider class I took. I've been trying to find time to do a few more.

It was fun, funny and I was surprised that I was actually moved by the presentation. Just the elements you want for adult learners while conveying the facts. The software was great.

Sometimes when you’ve labored very hard to create something that will make a difference, it’s incredibly gratifying to be noticed.

Do you have a Wall of Fame for your team? Do you give your clients, residents or families a method to say great things about your people?

It’s an easy way to warm the hearts of the people in YOUR community who labor hard to make a difference!

Managing for success in a difficult economy

2009-01-14T13:45:00.000-08:00

If you’re a front line manager, the focus is on you to take your community through tough times. Owners and investors don’t seem to have much sympathy with, “It’s the economy,” as the reason for decreased census and budget shortfalls.

It’s up to you to sharpen the skills of your team and to find innovative ways to stay on track and in budget.

Just knowing that it is, in fact, the economy doesn’t really help. Knowing that you’re not alone doesn’t help much, either.

So what can you do?

One resource all managers and marketing staff should tap into is the Advanced Marketing Skills online course (it’s good for 20 CEUs, too) from our online administrator training site, EasyCEU.com. This course can help you understand how to maximize your results from every inquiry and build stronger referral relationships, too. It’s a great place to start.

Here are some other ideas – pick those that work for you:

1. Tap into the team’s ideas and energy.
Make your team the idea machine. Take time each week to brainstorm ideas. Remember brainstorming? That’s when you come up with harebrained ideas as fast as you can, writing them all down without judgment and then see what jumps out at you as a great new idea after the process.

2. Live out your fantasies.
Here’s one activity I do at least two or three times each year: Imagine you have no limits of time or money. What would you do to make things really rock for your company? Write them down. Then explore which of these you can make happen now, without the imagined unlimited resources. You may be surprised at how many of these things you can actually begin implementing right now just by shifting priorities or resources.

3. Train, train, train.
Need to spruce up your customer service? Want to start a new program or service in your community? In this economy you don’t have time to lose. You need everyone – on every shift – really on board with the program, and fast. Find a way (we can help!) to train all your staff quickly, thoroughly and repetitively, if needed. When you’ve invested your time and resources to launch new ideas, ensure their success by getting everyone well trained quickly.

Got a great idea to share? Email me and I’ll pass it on!

Training tips for the New Year

2009-01-07T14:17:00.000-08:00

Whether your job title is trainer, or you’re a trainer by default (usually because no one else can do it), a New Year is a great time for some new ideas.

On our continuing education website designed for administrators (EasyCEU.com) we have a course called “Become the World’s Most Effective Trainer.”

OK, so there’s a little bit of hyperbole there, but the goal is one we can all relate to: training that’s fun and effective. Training that we don’t think about and dread…or worse, avoid thinking about at all until 10 minutes before everyone starts to gather. That’s the sort of training that doesn’t build skills and energize people; it has the opposite effect.

It communicates to the people in attendance that providing them with training is the lowest priority you have – not exactly the message you probably want to be sending.

Here are some training ideas from individuals who have taken the online course. Maybe these ideas will spark something in your mind!

From Susan J: I like to use modeling and role playing. I especially like to have each person pair up with a partner and take turns being the resident and the caregiver. Then follow up with how each felt about giving and receiving care.

From Andrew H: I have used "Trivial Pursuit" or some other board game as an opener and used it to transition to my topic that I am teaching on.

I have also used the format of game shows, like we did "Who wants to be a Social Worker?"(Re: Who wants to be a millionaire?) to teach about roles.

From Geoffrey H: Begin the session by having the participants learn each other's names by tossing a stuffed animal and repeating the previous names. To make it interesting each person says their name and creates a nickname using the first letter of their name. For example G for goofy. The next person catching the animal repeats the other names and says his. Game continues until everyone repeats all the names.

From Kym G: I work for a hospice and we use/offer a lot of complimentary therapies, i.e. massage, aroma, pet, music, art, etc. We coordinated a training for our staff with all of these therapies set up so they went from station to station and participated in each. It allowed staff to be better informed about all of these therapies, to experience them, and then better describe them to patients and their families.

Mary C: We had a Safety Fair in which all employees would go to different booths, headed by department heads, to cover mandatory training requirements. Each booth had decorated posters and games/quizzes. For each test with a perfect score, that employee's name went into a raffle for prizes that were drawn later. Lunch was provided for the staff leading the training and paychecks were given out at the last booth.

Cynthia L: As the administrator, I have always done the abuse/neglect inservices myself. I believe that the staff needs to hear the message directly from me. I have a large "Bugs Bunny" toy and have done sessions using "Bugs" as the focus. Everyone, no matter what position in the facility, can relate to character. We have done everything from introducing "Bugs" as a new resident and taught all staff to assess what the new resident needs (everyone knows Bugs likes carrots) to "How to investigate a fur tear." The prop allows for visual keys in addition to a humorous commonality that fosters participation from all levels of staff.

This year, try something new in your staff training. It will be fun, and it may become everyone’s favorite training memory, too!

Try something else new – online staff training – on us! If you’re an administrator or manager, we have 5 gift cards for online caregiver training (each good for one caregiver course) we’ll send your way – no cost or obligation. CLICK here to request your cards (be sure to include your name and mailing address, the facility your manage and the number of employees you have).

Want more ideas?

Don’t forget the Caregivers at Christmas

2008-12-24T11:48:00.000-08:00

You’re a manager. You’re home on Christmas with your family and loved ones. You’ve got all the shifts covered – whew! You can relax, have a cup of cheer and enjoy the festivities.

Great managers remember to honor those individuals whose work gives them the freedom to relax.

Virginia always stops by the building on Christmas day, even for just a few minutes, to say thanks and “Merry Christmas.”

Patty orders in special food, just for the staff, that is available in the break room all day and into the night.

Mandy slips a personal note of thanks and a small gift card into each employee’s locker.

What do you do to show your appreciation for staff who work the holidays? Add your ideas to the comments or email them to me (Sharon@aQuireTraining.com) and I’ll include them in next week’s email.

Today, take just a few minutes to count – out loud, if you can – the things you are thankful for. Don’t forget those staff members whose commitment and dedication make you feel proud to be their manager.

Merry Christmas!

Assisted living and customer service: The holidays are here – and so are the visitors!

2008-12-17T11:51:00.000-08:00

Troupes of dancing children. Choirs of carolers. Families you’ve never met before, bearing gifts of cookies and chocolates.

The holidays are here – and so are the visitors!

It’s the perfect time to showcase your community as well as the dedication you and your team have to customer service.

As a manager, it’s important to spend an extra few minutes each day reminding staff about customer service basics. It’s also vital that you model excellent customer service even more than usual throughout your day.

Try holding a short stand-up training session each day at shift change, both in the morning and afternoon. Focus on one key concept each day – only one – and let staff practice this concept on each other or give you examples during your stand-up. Your team will have fun with this, and they’ll really remember the key points.

Here are some of the key points you may want to include in your brief trainings:

Smile and great each visitor with a sincere welcome. Use their name whenever possible.

Wear your name tag, every single minute you’re in the building.

Tidy at least one thing every shift, no matter what your job description. Make a point to look around and find one thing to straighten, pick up or clean during every shift.

Offer coffee, tea, a cookie or water to every visitor, including those who come in groups. Be prepared for a large number of visitors every day, and let staff enjoy any left-over cookies at the end of the day.

Take personal ownership when answering any visitor’s question. Before answering the question, say, “I can help you with that.”

Look for something positive and complimentary to say to each visitor. Notice the colorful scarf, the Santa earrings, the furry boots. Be genuine and sincere. It will immediately give your visitor a warm and positive feeling about you and your community.

Have fun with this opportunity to teach your staff about customer service.

And let your community really shine during this holiday season.

Teamwork – achieving uncommon results with imperfect, common people

2008-12-10T14:32:00.000-08:00

In our office we talk about the team every week. We don’t have staff meetings, we have team meetings. When a problem comes across our desks, we automatically turn to other members of the team to help us solve it.

Building a team isn’t as easy as hiring a staff, every manager knows. Personalities and egos often take precedence over any sense of working to a common goal. Hard-fought turf battles can disrupt all forward movement.

But hey – it’s not a war. In fact, building a team that likes each other and that can laugh together is one key factor in achieving corporate – group – success.

We believe so strongly in team around here that we actually painted it on the wall: “Teamwork: It is the ability to work together toward a common vision. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.”

In the field of healthcare, effective team functioning has been shown not only to improve the work environment but also to improve resident care and safety. Good people stay where they are valued members of the team, and keeping your best people is ultimately one of the most important things you can do to improve the quality of the services you provide.

Building a good team requires leadership. It that’s you job, keep in mind that it isn’t easy to build a strong team – it takes focus and determination. There will be times for you to patiently listen, and times for you to speak up and take charge.

You’ve also got to set aside time for your team to develop that cohesive, “we’ll solve it together” mind set. Time when no work tasks are required, but food and fun are the order of the day.

Did you know that experts who study team development find four phases that groups go through – before they become cohesive teams? The first phase is the formation of the individuals into a group that has a specific goal or purpose.

The second phase is one when individuals become competitive and the group is filled with conflict. If this is where you’re at, it may give you a small measure of comfort to know that this is a natural progression – leading to the final stages of overcoming conflict and, finally, collaboration and communication.

The final ingredient into good team development? Trust. Trust that if you keep your focus, your team will come together. Trust in the individuals who are composing your team. And belief that, in the end, you can lead this group of common people to attain some pretty significant uncommon results.

A manager's thanksgiving

2008-11-25T15:36:00.000-08:00

It's your job to work with people; to get them to do what you need them to do. To behave responsibly and to complete the tasks assigned to them. To work with their coworkers in an adult manner, encouraging and not belittling; supporting the team rather than working for personal glory.

Some days, it feels like a thankless job.

And then - whoops - it's Thanksgiving.

Another holiday to find staff to cover. Another payroll that's higher than budgeted, due to holiday pay and overtime.

What's to be thankful for?

Try these things:

A chance to model the best in providing care to the neediest of individuals;
A chance to give someone a boost up and to mentor, nurture and bring out the best in a person;
A chance to give a family hope for a good night's sleep and relief from continual worry;
A chance to make a difference.

Happy Thanksgiving. We do, indeed, have much to give thanks for.

Training Passion - aQuire Training Solutions' perspective

2008-11-19T12:28:00.000-08:00

In my work I have the privilege of talking with senior care providers all over the country. One theme is constant: there are not, today, enough trained and skilled workers to meet the caregiving needs in senior care.

We all know that today is the easy stuff; its tomorrow and the coming years when we enter into the nightmare scenario for staffing. As one Administrator commented at a work group the other day, “Today’s newspaper has statistics about how many of us will live to 100 – what are we going to do, people?”

As I’m listening to people talk, one thing I hear that surprises me just a little is how many new hires don’t complete their initial training or drop out of the workforce very soon after beginning.

I think what’s been missing in some of our early approaches to training is instilling a “spark” – a seed of the passion that the very best senior care workers have. They may not have it during the first weeks or months of their work, but they may develop it over time if they give themselves that opportunity by staying in the field, and learning to love the people in their care.

I know I didn’t have that spark of passion when I first entered the field. In fact, as my parents were both in senior care, I’d been exposed to nursing homes and residential care as a child. I was determined to do anything BUT work with seniors.

I graduated with a social work degree and began working in the community mental health center in my town, enjoying my work with a variety of individuals and age groups. When our center was awarded a grant to develop mental health outreach programs in the local nursing homes, no one else wanted to do it.

I said, “I’m comfortable in nursing homes – I’ll take the job!” And I found myself, at the age of 22, developing an entirely new program with staff, policies and procedures, and organizational needs with a large group of individuals.

It was a blast. I loved not only the work but also the people. I discovered that I truly loved the seniors, and found that I could make a difference in their lives, every single day.

When I headed off to graduate school a year later my career path was fixed: I was working with seniors, focusing on developing quality programs and services to meet their unique needs.

And here I am, 20+ years later, finding new ways - with new technology - to instill that passion in a whole new workforce of young – and not so young – individuals.

My own daughter, newly graduated from college with a passion and skill in creative photography and communication, spent the past year helping us add “ahhaa” moments into each of our courses – moments that are filled with music, visual images, and inspirational messages, designed not just to educate the brain, but to touch the heart of the learner.

Because if we don’t touch the hearts of our newest, freshest employees and help them get a glimpse of the emotional rewards that come from caring for seniors, we may be missing out on the perfect opportunity to build a passionate, capable workforce to meet the needs of the coming years, not to mention the very real needs we have today.

Dignity through Connection - an administrator's gift

2008-11-12T12:06:00.000-08:00

The following is a guest article written by a friend and colleague, Mark J. Cimino. Mark and his family own and operate Cimino Care, an assisted living company in California. I hope you enjoy Mark’s perspectives.

I recently observed one of our administrators conducting a tour with a prospective resident. Sometimes when we stand by and observe from a distance, we see things more clearly than we had before.

As I observed, I could see the interpersonal exchange going on. I saw connection, empathy, genuine interest and concern displayed before my very eyes.

I was awestruck. At that moment, it came to me clearer than ever before. Most of the families and residents move into a facility not because of the fancy chandeliers, bells and whistles, but because of a personal bond with the staff, a comfort level and trust with the people working inside.

Yes, we like to have a nice physical plant, but genuine connection with people trumps all other things.

I recently visited another facility (not one of mine) where the staff was so on edge you could cut the tension with a knife. No smiles, no lightness, no eye contact; sadly no connection with the residents.

I witnessed two ladies sitting on a bench with their hands folded and a melancholy look on their faces, and by nervous reaction, I asked, “Are you having fun?”

I suddenly realized that was a misplaced question.

“About as much fun as yesterday!” one quipped back with sarcasm in her eyes.

We strive for constant clinical and operational improvement even though we realize that such operational perfection often eludes us. But we can achieve a perfect connection with those we care for if we truly stay “in the moment”, with our eyes focused in dignity upon our clients and guests, and our hearts tuned to the notes of empathy and genuine caring.

Holiday gift ideas from my team to yours

Are you the boss they LOVE or the boss they HATE?

2008-11-06T15:36:00.000-08:00

Did you know that the number one reason people LOVE or HATE their job is because of their boss?

You can give people more money, more time off, more challenges, but it they don’t like their boss, they’ll be gone.

So how do you be a good boss, and gain the loyalty and respect of your employees at the same time?

You’re the Boss – believe it
One of the biggest mistakes we’ve seen over the years is the person, newly promoted to team leadership, who is still trying to prove him or herself.

There was Delilah who would change people’s schedules just to show them that she could.

There was Nancy who would talk to the people on her team in a confrontational, hostile manner.

There was Bob, who simply laughed and joked with people – he NEVER corrected anyone about anything.

Bad bosses, every single one of them.

None of them had yet accepted the true meaning of being a boss: an opportunity and a privilege.

Being the boss doesn’t mean wielding power in the way someone may have done in your life.

It doesn’t mean being tough – or too nice. It DOES mean seeing your role in a totally different way. Looking at the big picture, instead of just the job. Thinking about what you want your team to become, and how you want to build higher quality in every aspect of the job. It means having the opportunity to help the people who work on your team become better at what they do.

It means feeling gratitude and a sense of responsibility that you have the power to make people love their job – or hate it. You have the power to give someone a job – or take it away. You have the power to make work a rewarding, challenging, great place to be – or a place with constant turnover because it’s boring and unrewarding. Take the time – NOW - to build your skills to become the kind of boss people want to work for – a great boss!

Building the Perfect Team, Part 3

2008-10-30T09:35:00.000-07:00

Building the perfect team isn’t a one-step job. It’s a process that takes time, focus and little incremental steps.

Let’s look at some other tips from Disney in building the dream team:

Tapping into each person’s passion means knowing that person. As you get to know each employee better you’ll get a sense of whether he or she is in the right job – the job that truly fits. Are work assignments one that the person loves? Are they tasks the person feels he/she does well in? Researchers have found that the tasks we say we love are most likely the tasks we’re best at – so pay attention to those complaints and those success stories you hear about.

Knowing your staff members also means knowing what will reward and motivate each of them, too. One manager tells a story about getting McDonald’s gift cards for everyone on staff and feeling proud that she had a great motivation/reward tool at her fingertips at all times. One problem – about half of her staff didn’t go to McDonalds. For those people, this was less a motivation and reward than a clear indicator that their boss didn’t know them very well.

Make work fun. Yes, working at Disney seems like it would be fun anyway, until you think about the actual tasks involved. How fun would it be day after day helping people into and out of rides? Serving popcorn and soda pop? What makes it fun is the atmosphere. Is your work atmosphere fun? Do people laugh – or at least smile – throughout the day? Are you being a leader in creating a fun environment for work?

Building the Perfect Team, Part 2

2008-10-21T17:09:00.000-07:00

We've talked about the importance of sharing your dream with your team.

Let’s look at how we can develop a dream that the entire team is a part of creating. Here are some ideas to get you going:

Finish this sentence: “I dream of working on a team where:”

You might take a minute to answer this question yourself first. What’s important to you? You might list:

Everyone puts forth their best efforts
We reach – and exceed – our company goals
We have extremely satisfied clients
We all feel like good friends

How does your team finish the same sentence? Try it – and then be open to a full, rousing discussion about how the team will work together to become the “dream team” we all want to be working with.

Ask your team to finish a couple more sentences, too, and see where that discussion leads. Here are some you might try:

I want to work for a manager who:
I want to work with coworkers who:
I enjoy my work most when:
I wish there was more: here at work.

Get the conversation going – engage your team in the journey and in reaching for the dream!

Building Your Dream Team, Part 1

2008-10-15T12:19:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite current books is Fred Lee’s “If Disney Ran Your Hospital:9 ½ things you would do differently.”

I heard Lee speak at a conference a couple of years ago, and was completely sold. If we could capture the team – the energy – the enthusiasm of Disney in our building, people would not only want to live there, people would want to work there, too – in droves. What a nice mental picture that makes!

In the conclusion of the book, Lee poses this question:

“Have you ever worked very hard along side other people and absolutely loved every minute of it, even though you were physically exhausted at the end of the day? Is so, what made it so enjoyable?”

Lee goes on to answer the question for himself, sharing a story of backbreaking work side by side with family members, repairing his mother-in-laws house. Using precious vacation time to do it, too. And loving every minute of the work.

At the end of the story, Lee remarks,

“…I would describe the perfect work environment as finding an unsurpassed level of joy in hard work with good friends, doing something important for someone else who cannot do it for themselves. What comes closer to this picture than being a caregiver in a hospital [or senior care community]? The question is, how does one create such a team, and maintain such a spirit?”

Lee goes on to share some of the ways he believes this can happen.

One of the lessons we can learn from Disney in building the dream team of caregiving staff is simply this: Have a dream.

When either candidate for President today articulates a dream for this country people flock to listen. Whether you are a supporter of that candidate or not, it’s hard not to feel the passion of the dream. One example of this is the Youtube video that Obama supporters created - whether you're a supporter or not, you can feel the passion.

In days past, Martin Luther King shared his “I have a Dream” speech – a speech that lifted our national discussion about race and relationships to an entirely new level.

Goals, objectives and mission statements don’t really motivate people to stretch outside their usual behaviors. Dreams do.

Some days, your dreams may simply include having every shift filled and never having to pull a night shift yourself again.

But to truly motivate your own team to work at their highest level, share the dreams you had when you first began in this field. Did you dream of creating a caring environment that felt like a home? A team that loved every single person in your care? A place where people came together to accomplish more than they could do on their own – and had fun, laughed and hugged freely?

In our office, we’ve written the dream on the wall – literally. Through an inexpensive website we ordered vinyl lettering and carefully applied our dream (borrowing from the words of John Quincy Adams) on the wall: “If your words inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”

It is our dream to become leaders by inspiring others to do all of those things.

What are your dreams? How do you share them with your team?

Staff Retention - It's all a Game

2008-10-08T10:35:00.000-07:00

Ask any group of managers what their number one challenge related to employees is and you'll hear the same answer: retention.

"I'm spending hours and hours of time, interviewing and selecting just the right people - and then they leave," says one.

"We invest a ton of money in training new employees - and then they leave," says another.

Whether we're talking time or money, they're valuable resources. Finding a way to keep the people we've invested in is crucial to building the "dream team" of employees.

It's time for a little creative thinking. It's also time to look for ways to boost retention that doesn't cost more money, or take more management time. Let's face it: we simply don't have any more money - or time - to throw at this problem.

But wait just a minute. One thing we've learned from the people at the Gallup organization is that people stay, and are more engaged in their work, when they count co-workers among their best friends.

So what if we found simple ways to nurture friendships among our employees, starting with day one?

Perhaps we could match a new employee with an experienced, capable employee. You might call it mentoring - or maybe even "secret pals." You might structure a regular time each month for interaction - maybe a "dollar store only" gift exchange on payday, followed by an unveiling of friends every few months. Or maybe you could provide computer access for trusted staff to send new employees encouraging emails or messages that the new employee picks up when he or she is logging in for online training.

Creatively coming up with ways to encourage friendships - right from the start - may be one simple, low-cost way to improve the most important element of bottom line results - retention.

Do you want to be an "employer of choice?" It's about Leadership!

2008-10-01T15:30:00.000-07:00

Today I came across an article on the internet titled "Six Principles for Excellence." It's a great article (here's the link), and the six principles are my favorite kind: a short, to the point, bulleted list.

1. Use your word wisely. It is important to communicate with employees with honesty openness, and respect. Communications should focus on what is possible.

2. Be accountable. Employers should act proactively and be committed to truth telling, focusing on the question behind the question rather than offering excuses or explanations.

3. Focus. By focusing on independent goals, employers can extract the greatest value from the efforts of employees.

4. Mine the gold. Employees and managers should strive to bring out the best in their employees, and be committed to collaboration and cooperation.

5. Strive for balance. Employees will be vital and energetic at work as a result of a balanced life. Employers should therefore give their employees the opportunity to refresh and renew.

6. Lighten up. Perhaps the most difficult of the six principles, employees should not take themselves so seriously. Employers and their employees should seek to bring laughter and joy to the workplace and look for opportunities to make other people's day.

I particularly like the last one. We know from some of the studies on employee engagement that people love to work where they have friends. They perform best where they enjoying working, too.

Do people laugh a lot at your workplace?

Another key point: all of these principles don't just happen. It takes true leadership to set an example, every day, in each of these areas. To reinforce these behaviors, too, in department heads, team leads and middle level managers.

Do people want to work for you? Do they see you as an employer of choice? If you're not sure, or not able to say, "absolutely!", focus on your own leadership style, and focus on these basic principles.

Creating a Culture of Retention - Step 1

2008-09-29T10:29:00.000-07:00

Employee turnover and retention-related issues is one of the biggest challenges for providers of in-home and community based care today.

Turnover is costly in terms of dollars, reputation, quality of care and just about every other measure of success. Employers are reluctant to invest in new employees ("They'll just leave, anyway") and so the cycle continues.

PHI, an organization dedicated to "Quality Care through Quality Jobs" has just released a new resource for providers titled "12 Steps for Creating a Culture of Retention: a Workbook for Home and Community-Based Long-Term Care Providers." (Find the workbook on our Resources page)

Step 1: Recruitment and Selection. It's pretty hard to focus on retention if you don't have a good system to help you get good people in the first place. In fact, retaining poor workers is one of the top complaints of good workers - they end up carrying more than their fair share of the workload when companies keep poor workers on board just to fill slots or retain FTEs.

Here are some of the recommended actions to help you improve this first step in building a culture of retention:

Know what you want. Boil down the qualifications of new employees to a short list. We use the rule of thumb we call "clone your best and brightest." What are the qualities of the employees you'd like to clone? Be specific, and think of questions to help you evaluate these areas. In the case study report in the PHI workbook, the recruiters look for"people with some formal or informal caregiving experience who express compassion for other human beings and demonstrate an ability to set priorities and resolve problems."

Know how to recruit. Once you know the qualities you're seeking you need to develop a solid recruitment strategy. In today's electronic age, recruitment strategies need to be re-examined. The way it's always been done is not necessarily the best way to advertise and recruit today. Are you using web-based job boards (craig's list, Monster.com, etc.)? Do you have the ability to accept applications online? (Not just resume's - lots of caregiving candidates may not be resume' savvy, but can complete and submit an application on line.) If you need help with this aspect, ask us about Apply2Care - online applications right to your in-box.

Write your ad. You've got a plan for creative recruitment and selection. Is your ad reflecting your values? Does it somehow set you apart from others looking to hire the exact same people? One of the best ads we ever used focused on our love of humor. We specifically advertised for someone experienced in caregiving with a good sense of humor. We got great applicants, a few new hires, and one caregiver who stayed with us for over 10 years (until we sold the business). Print ads are expensive so we tend to cut them short; internet ads can carry a lot more content. Wherever you advertise, make your ad stand out and reflect you. The PHI workbook uses the term "compelling" to describe the perfect ad.

Involve your team. Those best and brightest people you'd like to clone? Involve them in the selection process. Let them give the quick tour through the building, or just meet and describe a typical day to a candidate. It will give those special individuals a bit of a job perk (they'll look and feel more important), and it will help you set the stage for new employees wondering just what it's like to work for you. Listen, too, to those employees' comments about applicants.

Make sure you're competitive. Are your wages competitve to other options the applicant has in the field? How about your benefits? One area where you can excell is training. That's an area consistently listed on surveys as making a company a preferred employer. Offer extensive training opportunities, and let applicants know what you offer. It'll help you recruit, before you even begin to train. (aQuire Training Solutions can help).

Step 2 - next week.

When Employees are Happy, Everyone's Happy!

2008-09-24T15:33:00.000-07:00

You know the saying, "When mama's happy, everyone's happy." Of course, what we're really saying is exactly the opposite: When mama is NOT happy, somehow this unhappiness has a way of trickling down to everyone else in the family.

Think about your staff team. Are they a happy group, for the most part? Have you noticed how their happiness - or lack there of - filters down to everyone else in the building?

Enough research has been done to put it into fact: satisfied (happy) employees have a direct effect on the quality of care, the quality of resident life and business success of the company. Now you're talking not only about staff and resident happiness, but the happiness of the owners and investors - a pretty important factor to consider.

Seems like we'd better pay close attention to what can increase employee happiness, doesn't it? Fortunately, we've got some good research-based information to help us reach that goal.

My Innerview surveyed over 100,000 employees working in nursing homes in the U.S. a couple of years ago. What they found may surprise you: The top two things on the list of what affects employee satisfaction are pretty much up to you. Here's what employees said made the most difference to them:

1) Management who cares about me
2) Management who listens to me

You're probably not destined to stay in management long in senior care if you don't truly care about your team. But do you show it? Do you communicate it clearly? Do you actively listen to employees?

If you do, I'm guessing that mama's happy, and everyone's happy at your "house" today!

On Perfection

2008-09-17T11:04:00.000-07:00

My mom used to tell me, "Anything worth doing is worth doing well."

I remembered that advice (sorry for all the other advice I've forgotten, Mom!) when I was painting my front porch for the 4th time with just a slightly different shade of "taupe" the other day, and trying to explain to my daughter why it was important to get it "just right."

As I listen to the voices of senior care providers, I hear the same sentiment echoed by each of you.

By Diane, who has 5 elderly people living in her home 24/7, caring for their every need.

By Dan, who owns several communities, and feels personally responsible not only for the lives of every resident, but also for the 100+ individuals his company employs.

You represent the best of who we are as a profession, and our personal dedication to doing the job we've set out to do, exactly right.

But on those days when things don't go right, do you, like me, tend to feel the stress of missing the mark?

When I feel my shoulders tense up, and my head start to clench into the sure signs of a headache, I remember some other advice I got early in my career.

Five years from now, will anyone remember this one failure? Does it really matter in the big scheme of things?

In reality, our striving for perfection in our work makes each little misstep seem that much worse.

Here's the advice I'm passing on to my eldest daughter, as she departs for college today. I hope she remembers it when she's striving for perfection in her own career some day:

Work because you love your job, not just for the paycheck.

Laugh often, and dance whenever you get the chance.

Enjoy good friends, and good wine.

Never give up. The world needs us, and we DO make a difference.

Customer Service is the Key

2008-09-12T11:04:00.000-07:00

We had the pleasure of attending the ALFA conference a few months ago in Orlando.

We also went on a few roller-coaster rides (the water ones are my favorite) but that's another story.

By far and away, the predominant theme of the conference was customer service. Clearly, if we're going to stand out - and thrive - in this very crowded, competitive field, we need to get the customer service element firmly ingrained into our entire approach to service delivery.

Speakers from the hospitality field talked on this subject every day of the conference. The place where the conference was held, the Gaylord Palms, has one of the best customer service programs in the US. They actually answer the phone, "Consider it done." Whatever your problem, question, or need, they work hard to fulfill on that promise.

They know what we in senior care need to see more clearly: the success of a company (hotel or senior living community) will be based on how the employees relate to the customer.

Every day.

Every contact.

How does the Palms make sure that everyone is on board? Their single word answer? They train. From day one, they train every single employee in what it means to be a part of their service team. They train in how to do the assigned job, but they also offer English language classes, among several training options. They celebrate every employee advancement or achievement by throwing a party, complete with cake, balloons and applause. They actively seek ways and times to add to the knowledge and skills of every employee, and to celebrate those individuals.

What are you doing to celebrate your team today? What are you doing to build the strongest, most service-oriented employee group possible?

8 Rules for Great Customer Service

2008-09-05T10:33:00.000-07:00

One of our loyal aQuire clients emailed me the other day and said, “We are working on customer service this coming year with our staff – that would be a great class for aQuire!”

You’re right, Paula, that would be a perfect class! In fact, I’ve got about 100 really perfect classes waiting for the time and resources to get published so that your staff can benefit from them. In the meantime, you’ll have to make this do (it’s exactly where blended training comes in!):

Great customer service is sort of like the Golden Rule: there are many, many details you need to know to relate well to others, but at the end of the day there’s just one rule: Treat other people how you would want to be treated.

In customer service, there may be “8 Rules” but there is one underlying principle: Good Relationships = Good Service.

You’re not providing a one-time favor for someone; you’re building a long-term relationship. Treating customers like you’d treat a friend is another way to think about it. Learn (and use) names, learn life stories; treat each person like a special person. That’s the Golden Rule for customer service.

Now let’s look at 8 more rules that will make your customer service stand out – and really, truly work.

1. Be there. When the phone rings, does a person answer it quickly, every time? When someone walks in the door is a person there to greet him immediately? You can’t build relationships by sending people to voice mail or running them through a 5 layer phone tree. Make it a priority to take the first step in customer service, and be there when they call or come in.

2. Be reliable. When you say you’ll do something, do it. Don’t promise anything you don’t know, for sure, that you can deliver. Always follow-up. If a client asks you a question (“Can you find out where my mom’s new sweater went?”), provide an answer (“I’ll look into it and let you know by the end of the week”) and then follow-up (“It’s Friday, and I thought I’d let you know that we have found her sweater…”). Ask for more, too, while you’re at it (“Is there anything else I can help you with today?”). Few things annoy clients as much as someone dropping the ball and not doing what they said they’d do.

3. Listen up. When a client is talking, be listening. The only thing worse than having someone drop the ball on follow-up is someone not listening to you, and asking you for details you’ve already provided. Oh wait, I know something worse: having to tell the full story to one person, only to have to repeat it, details and all, to another person – and another. Remember the last time you were at the doctor’s office with a nurse demanding every single detail? You know exactly what I mean. If you’re not the person to solve the problem (“I have a question about my bill”), don’t ask for any details – refer the client to the right person first.

4. Apologize. Complaints can be tough. It’s easy to say, “Oh well – can’t please all the people all the time!” In reality, complaints are often the way our clients communicate their feelings of anxiety (“I’m really worried about my mom and don’t have a clue what to do about it”) or guilt (“I should really be the one doing this – then it would be perfect”). Listen (see Rule #3) and then, before you begin defending or explaining, apologize. Say, “I’m really sorry you had that experience.” You’ll instantly defuse the situation, and allow real communication – and real problem solving – to start.

5. Be helpful. Do you remember how you felt the last time a stranger held a door for you? Even the smallest helpful gesture changes relationships from stranger to friend. As you work to build relationships, look for ways to be helpful, even if you may not profit from it. Maybe someone on the phone actually needs a completely different kind of service – recommend one you know about. Helpfulness has wings of its own and will return rich reward to you.

6. Empower your team. Train these customer service principles to every member of your team. Give them opportunities to practice and ask them to notice each other’s great service – and share it. Public praise is one of the strongest rewards you can give and will change behaviors. Make sure, whenever possible, your team has the power to do small things for clients – offer coffee, cookies or simply pause to listen to an overwhelmed client. These are the things that build relationships – and create awesome, committed clients.

7. Go the extra mile. It might be enough to tell your client you’ll look into a problem and get back to him. But going the extra mile means not only locating the missing sweater, for example, but making sure it is correctly labeled and re-labeling it if necessary. It means taking the time to call back before the deadline you set and follow up. It means not just pointing to the activity area, but walking with the client to the area, chatting and visiting while you walk. Going the extra mile takes a few minutes of your time, but can pay big dividends when your clients start telling others about you.

8. Throw in something extra. A big smile, a certain saying (“Have a wonderful day!”), a long-stemmed rose from a big bunch on your desk or a cookie pre-wrapped in a cellophane bag – look for ways to add something extra to the service you provide. It can be something very small, but it will make a big, big difference to the perception of your clients (or future clients).

Great customer service doesn’t take a ton of new resources and effort. Little things will add a lot of polish as long as you keep in mind that one key word: relationships. Treat every client – and every prospective client – as a valued friend and you’ll automatically up the level of service you provide.

Culture Change from the Inside Out

2008-08-25T14:59:00.000-07:00

When I was in graduate school, still under the illusion that I wanted to become a family therapist, I learned a principle of human behavior that I rely on to this day: if you want to change other people's behavior, you have to first change your own behavior. It's the whole "for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction" principle.

Of course, other people don't always change in the way we want, or even expect. Sometimes, especially with our kids, they find a way to respond to our changes that never occurred to us. But I digress.

What I'm thinking about is the whole culture change movement, taken community by community, building by building. Maybe the culture you're trying to change is simply the way your day shift interacts with the evening shift.

Maybe you're trying to get caregivers just to show up on time, and not be such drama kings and queens.

These changes are certainly a part of the work culture. And they don't change, unless we change our behavior first.

How can you change your culture from the inside out? Start by what you focus on. I was chatting with a colleague about one sure way to change our individual cultures: change the way we orient and train new staff. If we train new people, from day one, to act in a certain way, they may get out "on the floor" and see things happening differently from the way they were trained. They may say, "But that's not how we're supposed to do it," challenging "old-timers" to step up and perform differently.

Debbie Buck (Board of Nursing) tells me that when best practice began to recommend gait belts, few nursing facilities had them in use - or even on the premises. As new nursing assistants were trained to use gait belts during initial training, they began asking their supervisors to please provide them. Now, gait belts are common and available nearly everywhere. It probably was a more effective way to change that particular part of behavior much more effectively than mandating that all staff shall now use gait belts.

What if we teach principles of resident care and of working together in the same manner? As we turn out new staff, trained in new ways, we can change the culture from the inside out - from the bottom up.

It might just be the way cluture change really has to happen.

Keep 'em Motivated Idea of the Week!

Team Meetings can be very powerful. However, it can be difficult to keep employees engaged during meetings. Here are a few things to consider the next time you schedule a team meeting:

Have an Agenda: Outline ahead of time what points will be covered in the meeting. Write it out, and distribute it to participants ahead of time. This will help avoid the "chasing of rabbits," and help participants be more prepared for the meeting.

Follow the Agenda: This sounds very elementary, but you'd be surprised by the number of people who take the time to create an agenda, and then totally disregard the agenda during the meeting.

Limit the Agenda to Three Points or Less: Ask yourself, "What are the three most important things we need to cover in the meeting?" Limit the agenda to these three points. The rest of the things you wanted to cover, by definition, weren't really that important anyway, so why waste everyone's time.

Set a Time Limit: I would suggest setting the time limit for the meeting to be no longer than 30-minutes. In future meetings, shorten the time by five minutes until the time limit is 15-minutes or less. The leader of the meeting will become much more efficient, and the participants will become much more focused as well. When the time limit is up, end the meeting. You may not get to cover every single thing that you wanted to the first couple of times you try this, but within a short time, you will find that the major information points are being discussed and decisions are being made very efficiently.

Encourage Participation from Everyone, but don't Force Them: Instead of going around the table and asking for opinions or input, just ask a question and let people volunteer their answers. There will be times during any meeting that each person will "phase out" (especially if it is a looooong and BOW-ring meeting.) If we call on every person, it wastes time, and puts people on the spot. Other ways of encouraging participation is to just ask a question, and after someone answers, say something like, "Good, let's hear from someone else." If there are people in your meeting who rarely speak, instead of calling on them directly, you might say something like, "I value the opinion of each of you, does anyone else have something to add." Then, just look at the person you want to hear from. If he or she has something to say, he or she will say it if encouraged in this way. If he or she doesn't, then you haven't embarrassed the person.

Motivating your team is an important part of good leadership. It may also be one of the strongest tools to help you reach YOUR goals, too.

Consider It Solved

2008-08-18T15:11:00.000-07:00

What's your challenge?

Getting staff to finish their training? Getting people to a meeting? Keeping one group of employees from picking on another (the newbies, the night shift)?

Whatever your challenge is, try some of these simple - but effective - approaches to building a stronger team and getting it DONE!

Communicate. If your day is like mine, you're busy with phone calls, emails and tasks on deadline every single minute. Stopping to wander the halls and talk with staff feels like a colossal waste of time. But it's not. It's one of the most important things you can do to communicate your values to your team, and shape them into the team you dream about. Don't forget that communication goes two ways, too. Listening is every bit as important as talking. A minute of praise, a thank-you for a job well done - that's one of the most motivating things you can do. Yes, it takes time. But spending a few minutes every day on this simple task will save you hours fighting a crisis that you may not have seen coming. So shut down your email, don't take any calls, and get out there and talk to your people!

Spell it Out. What are your goals? That's another way of asking how you would know when your biggest problem is solved. When I asked you the question, "What's your challenge?" what immediately came into your mind? Write it down. Now, write down what you would see if the challenge was perfectly solved - that's your goal. One of the first steps in solving any challenge is knowing where you want to end up. Sometimes we get so focused on the problem, we forget to focus energy and creativity on the solution. So write it down. And focus on the solution; it's your goal.

Be Positive. We're not really talking about the "power of positive thinking" here, although that certainly has merit. What we're talking about is spending more energy focusing on the goal than the problem. You'll be surprised how that changes your energy level, and how it helps you begin making progress toward achieving that goal.

Make a Plan. You started by talking more to your team and listening more to them too. You've written down one of your major challenges, and your ideal outcome for that challenge. Now it's time to make a plan.

When my youngest daughter was only 2 we enrolled her in a neighborhood Montessori Preschool. Within the year, she learned that no task is too hard if you just break it down into individual, small steps. It was a good lesson for all of us, as we watched this tiny child learn to cook, clean, read and write - all by breaking each task down into small, easy-to-manage steps.

Learn to write out your challenge, spell out your goal, and then outline, step by step, what needs to happen to achieve that goal.

Pretty soon, you'll be achieving your goals, one by one, and aiming for higher, more exciting goals.

You'll be able to take those challenges and consider them solved.