Tag: ITB Partners

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Ten Common Career Mistakes to Avoid

Executive Career Consultant, Richard Kirby discusses Ten Common Career Mistakes to avoid. This presentation was delivered to the Atlanta Chapter of Great Careers/The BENG on February 8. For more information about Richard Kirby, visit his website at www.richardkirby.net

 

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Jim Weber, Managing Partner – ITB Partners

Jim Weber – Managing Partner,  ITB Partners

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Make the Damn Call! Dialing for Love and Dollars

*One in a series for Innovative Growth Solutions: CALL RELUCTANCE

She was beautiful, had sparkling eyes with an enchanting smile, and looked great in her cheerleading outfit. I was smitten and wanted to ask her for a date. As a fifteen-year-old and filled with all the desire of a coming-of-age teenager along with an equal share of anxiety I agonized for hours … should I … could I … make the Call? I did, and it worked out pretty well.

Today, the internet has replaced the phone and I would send her a text instead of making a call. In fact, according to a Stanford University study, around 40% of American couples first connect online.1 Bringing that statistic closer to home, half a dozen of my relatives met their spouses or partners online.

“What’s love got to do with it?” And, what’s this have to do with business? Answer: The phone. Specifically using it to reach out to someone you want to connect with.

Online marketing, pay-per-click (PPC), search engine marketing (SEM), and mass emails, are all useful for generating a list of Cold Leads: Names qualified as having buying influence for your company’s products/services as well as Warm Leads: Prospects who have indicated an interest in your company’s products/services.

However, unless your company’s sales are transacted online, communication with a sales associate is necessary to convert a ‘lead’ into a ‘buyer. While marketing emails are the most popular tool for reaching out to prospects, following up with a phone call provides advantages over sending another email: Share on X

    • Contact from multiple points reminds prospects about your company’s products/services. Follow up an email with a phone call.2
    • Phone outreach has a response rate of 8.1%, compared to .03% for email.3
    • Phone calls are more effective to receive direct responses.3
    • Emails are often overlooked. Email open rate varies with industry; the average open rate is 18%.4
    • You can adjust your pitch in real-time in response to how your prospects react during the call

As noted, phone calls are quantifiably effective. So why are salespeople not making more phone calls? For many, it is Call Reluctance – a natural psychological phenomenon causing anxiety for making sales calls, which includes fear of real or imagined rejection, shame, and embarrassment.5 This anxiety is heightened when charged with making cold calls. The following is a summary of an excellent report on why and how to overcome Call Reluctance found on Cience website.6

Why Salespeople Experience Call Reluctance

    • The natural fear of rejection
    • Neurological predisposition
      1. Some people are more vulnerable to rejection than others.
    • Corporate culture
      1. The company endorses a policy, “Don’t come off as a salesperson.”
    • Lack of training and support
      1. New sales representatives are not familiar with your products/services
    • Calling the wrong prospects
    • List of low-quality leads
      1. Sales leads purchased from third parties may not be up to date

How to Conquer Your Anxiety of Cold Calling7

    • Prepare for the calls
      1. Prepare for all the possible scenarios and outcomes of the conversation.
      2. Be mentally prepared to hear an abrupt “No thanks,” and know how to react
      3. Be ready to handle objections or receive negative feedback
      4. Never take their behavior personally or let it affect your confidence.
    • Create a good sales script.
      1. Introduction and rapport building
      2. Briefly explain who you are, then immediately focus on the topics that matter to your prospect
      3. Key message: Start by giving the prospect the intent of your call: “The reason why I’m calling you today is …”
    • Appeal to the prospect’s values
      1. Based on the answers to your pre-qualifying questions, make an offer that builds value for the prospect and can widen their perspective
    • Create a dialogue
      1. End with a final call-to-action
      2. Ask more questions
      3. Use personalization
    • Put creativity into your process
      1. Listen to your favorite music to pump yourself up
      2. Practice the script with a colleague
      3. Try different techniques to develop your speaking skills

As noted earlier, call reluctance is a natural psychological phenomenon of anxiety for making sales calls. In addition to the recommendations above for overcoming call reluctance, I would like to share my techniques and invite you to start a dialogue about how you deal with it, too.

Start by only working for companies that maintain high ethical standards and whose products/services would be beneficial to its prospects. I mitigate call reluctance by telling myself that I am not calling a prospect, s/he is my friend or relative. There is a subtle but significant difference, you do not ‘sell’ friends or family, you reason with them. Responses to a prospect’s objections can become testy, even combative, s/he says this, and you say something to trump that and instead of evaluating the merits of the products/services, the focus has become a contest of wills. The mindset with a friend or family is you are a ‘giver’ not a ‘taker’’. Your persistence is tempered by a sincere desire for them to understand how they will benefit from acquiring the products/services. You are not ‘selling’, you are presenting the company’s product/service value and educating him/her. When done properly you have not sold a prospect to do what you want them to do, you have guided her/him to become a buyer who wants to do what you want him/her to do.

“What’s love got to do with it?” And, what’s this have to do with business? Making more phone calls will increase sales and you got to love that! Make the damn call!

About the author: Artie Ruderman: Partner, ITB Partners, Management Consultants / CEO, Innovative Growth Solutions, Fractional CMO & Business Development / Member: Billion Dollar Sales Club / Host: Business Developers Network Show featured on Pro Business Channel / Board Member: Auditory-Verbal Center: Teaching deaf and hard of hearing children how to interpret sound and speak fluently

Contact: Artie Ruderman – 404-557-5516 / Artie@IGScorp.Net

 

Credits & Resources:

 

Photos:

Cheerleader: Pixabay

Tense person on phone: Unsplash

Businessman on phone: Pixabay

Thank you for visiting our blog.

 

Jim Weber, Managing Partner – ITB Partners

Jim Weber – Managing Partner,  ITB Partners

I hope you enjoyed our point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email inbox.  Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list.

Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read.  Your input is very important to me so; please leave a comment.

 

 

 

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The Top HR Trends for 2022

If we learned anything from the last two years, it is that we need to adapt to how and where we work. We learned that the world is becoming increasingly more home-centered as work becomes a virtual instead of a physical environment.

As Dr. John Cascone, Sr Vice President at Flex HR notes, “The devastating effects of the pandemic have reawakened the interest in monitoring environmental influences,” and reminds leaders to plan “to adapt quickly to moderate the impact of the crisis on the organization and its employees.”

So, with this new adaptability, here are our Flex HR top HR trends predictions for 2022:

1. An Increase in ‘Employee Wellbeing’ Benefits

As we saw in 2021, there is an increasing awareness of the importance of employee well-being, including their physical and emotional health. This now includes employees’ families, and issues like health insurance and time off for employees to care for sick family members are highly valued.

One study found that 62% of employees value benefits related to well-being and are more likely to take jobs that offer those.

The Future of the Industry Report 2021 also revealed that 87% of employees want employers to value mental health.

As Jessica Stafford, Payroll Tax & Compliance Consultant at Flex HR notes, “Competitive businesses will continue to adopt unlimited paid time off policies in 2022,” which increases “productivity and morale” and presents “stronger financial statements and less work for HR and payroll departments.”

2. Hybrid Work Model Will Continue

The pandemic permanently shifted work to a hybrid model. Surveys reveal that 83% of employees want a hybrid option and 63% of growing companies have already shifted to meet this need.

Therefore, it is vital to have these hybrid and work-from-home policies in writing and in the employee handbook.

Dianne Hartness, HR Client Success Manager at Flex HR shares, “As more companies become distributed and do away with office space it is important to define culture and create connection by using digital tools.”

Some examples of collaborative tools include Slack, a communication tool that promises more productivity and a more in-sync team. Another tool is QuizBreaker, a game your team can play virtually.

3. More Use of Technology and Artificial Intelligence

As we noted at the end of 2021, the use of technology and artificial intelligence will continue to rise in the workplace. Businesses and employees have had to become proficient in using a plethora of tools to communicate, including Zoom, WebEx, Slack, Stream Yard, and Microsoft Teams, Strivr, Immerse, and BodySwaps.

The use of technology has become a top priority for companies as they seek to unify their workforces. Technologies including artificial intelligence, digital transactions, and e-commerce have changed business operations and will continue to do so.

Going forward, it is likely that AI will help HR teams make better decisions and will automate and streamline administrative tasks.

With the move to more cyber time, businesses must now increase cyber security to prevent phishing and malware.

4. Focus on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Other Values Matter to Employees

Another trend that is here to stay is DEI issues, which continue to matter to employees and companies alike. As many as 45% of HR professionals are planning to focus more on issues of diversity and inclusion in the coming year, as one study indicated.

Deirdre Huff, HR Client Success Manager at Flex HR, predicts that in the coming year “more employees and job seekers” will base “their decisions to accept employment offers off how well the company handles diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

In fact, Flex HR’s clients have been requesting DEI boot camps to help train their organizations in how to be more equitable and diversity-minded. Our consultants have already begun leading boot camps and informational seminars in the DEI space.

Dr. John Cascone predicts, “The trend toward promoting cultural diversity in all sectors of the organization will continue but coupled with the emphasis on diversity of ideas, values, work styles and ethics operating under clearly defined standards of accountability and outcome performance.”

One study revealed that 80% of employees choose their job based on aligned values, proving that employees want to work at companies that have similar values to their own.

Other values of importance to employees include childcare solutions and work-life balance. In fact, companies that value work-life balance will recruit and retain more employees as the millennial generation takes over the workforce.

Dr. John Cascone maintains that “Work-life balance will shape management practice to support worker accountability and productivity.”

5. Demand for Value and Development of New Skills

In 2022, there will continue to be a huge need for Human Resources expertise because HR is evolving into a much more expansive role.

One Harvard Business Review article predicted that there will be a need to train HR professionals in 21 new types of jobs in the near future. Because of these changes, HR professionals will need to acquire a wide range of skills for which companies are often not able to train them proficiently.

Businesses will need to outsource their HR to firms like Flex HR because of the complex HR challenges that they are facing.

6. Shifts in Recruiting Strategies, Especially to Internal

 With a push to develop new skills for HR and other employees, upskilling employees and shifting recruiting strategies have become essential.

Senior Vice President of Flex HR, Phil Davis, predicts “employers will continue to see higher than normal employee turnover and rapidly escalating wages” and emphasizes the “need for effective recruitment and retention programs.”

Similarly, Heather Summers, HR Client Success Manager at Flex HR, sees the need for companies to “up their game” in the recruitment department, by re-evaluating “their benefits to employees, insurance, offer sign-on bonuses or employee referral bonuses to attract talent.”

Companies that are “winning” at recruiting have realized the importance of training and hiring from within their organization.

As Dr. John Cascone predicts, “There will be a shift away from investing dollars in recruiting new employees to invest dollars in retaining and developing employees.”

Recruiters will need to be more strategic in their approach, finding creative methods for attracting quality candidates.

Different recruiting strategies will include looking for non-traditional talent from within the company, using social media and texting, making company websites look more personable and friendlier, offering higher wages and more time off, and many other strategies we noted in last year’s article on 10 Ideas for Better Recruiting to Attract More Candidates.

Upskilling and training have become essential alternatives to recruiting.

Flex HR’s Laura Ladd, HR Client Success Manager, reminds us, “Studies show that “future-oriented” organizations are making leadership psychology training and development programs mainstream. Such programs include learning about the human brain, how we think, how we analyze data, and how we make decisions.”

Going forward, Dr. John Cascone predicts, “The greater challenge for leaders will be to retain quality employees, not to recruit them Share on X.”

Thank you for visiting our blog.

 

Jim Weber, Managing Partner – ITB Partners

Jim Weber – Managing Partner,  ITB Partners

I hope you enjoyed our point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email inbox.  Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list.

Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read.  Your input is very important to me so; please leave a comment.

 

 

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5 Start-up Mistakes To Avoid

Image via Pexels

Starting a  business can be a roller-coaster experience. Even the most seasoned entrepreneur has ups and downs when starting a new company. As a new business owner, your best strategy is to plan for mishaps while avoiding as many as possible.

There are many missteps you should watch for, but some are more common than others.

    1. Failure to use the Right Business Structure

You have several choices for registering your business. Some of the most common are:

      • Corporation
      • Limited liability company
      • Sole proprietorship
      • Partnership
      • S corporation

One of the simplest entities to set up is an LLC. It has various benefits for your company, such as flexibility, limited liability, tax advantages, and less paperwork than a corporation. If you decide an LLC is the best structure for you, check the rules in your state before moving ahead. States have different regulations regarding LLC formation. If you’d prefer to let someone else handle the upfront work, you can save on lawyer fees by using a formation service.

 

    1. Failure to Plan a Product Rollout

A new product rollout can be a risky venture. At the same time, it may be vital to your growth. With so much at stake, it’s worth taking time to get it right. You could face a launch flop if you rush the process along or fail to plot each step.

Try using an online product roadmap template to make your product unveiling a success. This tool can help you outline your strategy and the steps to create a product roadmap. It can also organize each team member’s assignments. A template simplifies the process. You can:

      • Assign priorities to tasks
      • Create themes
      • Set deadlines and goals
      • Understand customer pain points

 

    1. Failure to Lead

Not everyone realizes the number of executive decisions you make as an entrepreneur — even without employees. Your company’s fate often lies solely in your hands.

Assess your weaknesses and strengths. Determine if you have some of the essential leadership abilities:

Consider taking online courses or hiring a consultant from ITB Partners specializing in leadership development.

    1. Starting a Business With Family and Friends (Without Thinking It Through)

For some families and friends, going into business together works well. However, that’s not always the case.

Opening a “mom-and-pop shop” doesn’t have to be a recipe for failure. Before you do so, ask yourself a few tough questions, including:

      • Do you have compatible business values?
      • Do you have clearly defined roles?
      • How would it affect your relationship if your enterprise failed? According to statistics, about half of all new companies survive the first five years.
      • Are you capable of overriding your emotions when you need to make impactful decisions?

Finally, keep in mind that the market fluctuates. Along with it, your business may experience inconsistencies. These factors can change the dynamics of your working relationship as the balances of power or responsibility shift.

    1. Underestimating the Competition

Even if you have a unique offering, consumers have alternative solutions. They can choose another product or just buy nothing. Tips for getting their attention include:

      • Providing a customer-centric experience by making your business about them, not your product
      • Establishing your credibility by being transparent and following through on promises
      • Highlighting why your product is different than others or why your customer can’t do without it

If you can learn from your mistakes while avoiding the big ones, you can successfully get your company off the ground. Preparation combined with some training can be your best bet as you set off on your entrepreneurial adventure.

Thank you for visiting our blog.

 

Jim Weber, Managing Partner – ITB Partners

Jim Weber – Managing Partner,  ITB Partners

I hope you enjoyed our point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email inbox.  Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list.

Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read.  Your input is very important to me so; please leave a comment.

 

 

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Ten Leadership Lessons from Life at a Boys’ Ranch

Mike Perkins

Our world and our workplaces are filled with people from broken homes and dysfunctional families.  Research shows that over 60% of Americans grew up with some type of family dysfunction.  As employers, we can make a real difference in people’s lives- inside and outside the workplace. Employees need our help, guidance, teaching, encouragement, love, and support to be successful and to feel like they belong. If they get that, they are much more likely to stay with us, work hard, be loyal and make a difference.  Otherwise, they will just go through the motions, make minimal contributions, and always be looking for greener pastures.

I have been an employment attorney and HR professional for almost 30 years.  I thought I knew a lot about people from other walks of life.  But I was dead wrong.  I really didn’t know much about life for people with different upbringings and socio-economic backgrounds until I had the opportunity to live with them.  Literally.   In 2006, my wife and I took a professional sabbatical and worked for seven years at Big Oak Ranch in North Alabama.  Big Oak is a “Christian Home for Children Needing a Chance.” There, over 120 children live in homes with up to 8 children and a “Mom and Pop.”  Over those seven years, Kim and I served as house parents and primary caregivers for over a dozen boys from broken homes (abandonment, neglect, poverty, abuse, drug abuse, alcoholism, imprisonment, death).  During that time, we fed them, clothed them, helped educate them (in partnership with a great school), mentored them, disciplined them, cheered for them, laughed, and cried with them, attended proms, ballgames (hundreds!), school events, counseling sessions, medical appointments, hunting trips, vacations, provided driver training, and washed thousands of loads of dirty, stinky laundry.

In the process, we learned a LOT about life, love, and belonging.  Some of our kids responded well and have prospered.  Others have struggled with life outside the ranch. But we like to think they are all better off from having been at the boys’ ranch. I know that we are.

The lessons we learned and taught at the ranch translate well into the business world. Share on XMany of our employees come from the same type of environment as the children we helped raise.  And that lack of stability early in life has a lasting impact.  Here are a few lessons we learned that are worth sharing. Perhaps they can help you in your leadership journey.

    1. You don’t really know people until you get to know them- Everyone does not think like you do (in fact, very few do).  Don’t stereotype or prejudge. Go to them and seek to understand how they see the world.  You’ll be surprised at how differently people view things.  Each person’s unique history provides an inimitable life perspective.  Understanding a person’s background, values and worldview helps build bridges that will make you more effective as a leader and them as an employee.
    2. Rules without relationships are meaningless– Rule enforcement and management directives without relationships usually result in resentment. It is important to develop real relationships with the people you manage.  Otherwise, you will be in a constant battle to enforce workplace rules and it will be difficult to persuade employees to perform challenging tasks.  Relationship always trumps rules.
    3. Set boundaries and stick with them. How you start offsets the course for the future. Like cattle, it is human nature to look for the holes in the fences and test the boundaries. Employees want to know where the boundaries are.  Set the boundaries and close the gaps.  You can lighten up once trust is established.
    4. Teach them not to be a victim and a finger–pointer– It is easy to claim “victimhood” and blame shortcomings on the past and on others. Employees must understand that they control their own destiny and that they cannot allow the past to drag them down.  Encourage them to be chain breakers, victors, change-makers.  Direct them to community or company resources if they have difficulty overcoming past trauma or experiences. Don’t allow employees to make excuses based on the actions of others.  Help them stay focused on the things they can control.
    5. First Impressions are critical- People need to understand that, if they really want to succeed, they need to look and act the part. I am not talking about stereotypes, but a clean, positive look makes a huge difference to others and will often set the tone for their future interactions.  Sometimes, it is a matter of facial expression and good hygiene.  Manners also make a big difference- On BOTH sides!  “Hello,” “please,” “thank you,” and “you’re welcome” go a long way…
    6. When you break the rules, there are consequences– Everyone needs accountability. If we allow employees to “get away” with unacceptable performance, we hurt them, the organization, and their co-employees. Discipline should be considered a teaching process, not punishment.  Discipline should never be administered in a state of anger or passion.  The best discipline is calm, methodical, and delivered in a spirit of caring and concern.
    7. Everyone craves security- If they don’t get it from you, they will look elsewhere. At the ranch, we told the boys. “I love you; I will never lie to you; I will stick with you until you are grown and on your own; and there are rules, don’t break them.”  An employer’s version of this might be, “You are a valuable person, and we appreciate you and your work; we will never lie to you; we will stick with you during good times and bad, and there are rules, don’t break them.”  And then, do just that!
    8. Find strengths and develop them- Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Our job as leaders is to develop our strengths and utilize them as effectively as possible.  At the same time, when employees have weaknesses, we should do everything within our power to minimize those through education, training, coaching, modifying assignments, and, where necessary, utilizing discipline.
    9. It doesn’t always work- Everyone is not coachable, and not everyone really wants to work. We owe it to them, their co-workers, and ourselves to help those employees find another career path.  Sometimes that means separation– and we shouldn’t prolong that when an employee is not working out.   Other employees may decide a particular job or company is not right for them.  Don’t slam the door on them.  Some will decide the “grass is not so green” and will want to come back.  While the grass may look greener, there is always dirt on the bottom.
    10. Love and a sense of belonging are more important than everything else. If employees feel that from their leaders, they will run through brick walls for them. Bricks hurt, so output goals will seem like a walk in the park.

Mike Perkins, President- Frontline HR Solutions

Mike is available to speak to your group/association and provides customized training for your frontline leaders.  Contact him at mperkins@frontlinehr.com

Thank you for visiting our blog.

 

Jim Weber, Managing Partner – ITB Partners

Jim Weber – Managing Partner,  ITB Partners

I hope you enjoyed our point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email inbox.  Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list.

Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read.  Your input is very important to me so; please leave a comment.

 

 

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Creating Extreme Wealth and a Joyful Life

Mark Grace leads a discussion on our YourTube Channel about “Creating Extreme Wealth and a Joyful Life”  by seeking more experiences in life.   He calls that “experidigm.”

Mark Grace leads the delivery of larger customer experiences that organize selling more products and services together. Much higher profits result and lead to more enhanced customer relationships and experiences. Examples of newly created and led multiproduct customer experiences:  Smart Grid in utilities, Alive Spaces in construction, Smooth Operations in Retail, Perfect Food in QSR eateries, and Visual Talking in media. Quickly build new divisions, ventures, or businesses and coordinate the eventual sale or corporate integration. Close major industry customer and partner deals while building a decisive protected competitive advantage. Over thirty years leading the development of larger customer experiences and successfully receiving higher profits.

Core Competencies

      • Add high-profit business lines on-increment or new
      • Innovation delivering successful products and businesses
      • A transition from offering products to selling multiproduct experiences
      • Sign profitable customers and continue to deliver for a generation
      • Dramatically improve efficiency and effectiveness of operations and processes

Drivers / Motivators

      • Customers want simplification, yet expect the entire experience
      • Customers expect smart tools to connect them, assist them, and do for them
      • Customers want to be delivered while they are experiencing and mobile
      • Business wants to become experience concierges and receive extra profit.
      • Technology tools enable real-time direct links between company and customer
      • Partnerships can build the necessary ecosystem and support infrastructure

Background

      • President –Beyondvia Technologies (beyondvia.com); Experidigm.com
      • Chief Innovation Officer – Construction Specialties
      • Global Program Executive – Smart Grid (GE Energy); Alive Spaces; Smooth Operations
      • Founder –  (Velocys); Perfect Food (Thinkage Founder); Visual Talking (Founder)
      • Director Technology/Operations – BOC Industrial Gases
      • Downstream Controller – Exxon USA
      • Specialty Chemical Sales – Petrolite Corp/Baker Hughes
      • Published 6 innovation books: MORE; NEXT; Soaring to Awesome, Choosing Up; Avoid Takers; and Elements of Visual Talking
      • Major Valuation Creation: Sold several companies; 17patents; 15 trademarks; intl awards
      • Washington University-St. Louis (MBA); St. Louis University (Chemistry); Rice (Writing)

Blog Posts:

Mark Grace awarded a patent on “how to design experiences

Starbucks Meets WeWork at the Automobile Service Center

Go! “I will…” Experidigm

THE NEXT BIG THING!

Contact

beyondviagrace@yahoo.com

 

 

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We Fired Our Cleaning Service!

It is not easy to land a new customer. And it takes work to maintain a relationship over time. That is why customer retention is so vital for business continuity.  Given that, it is understandable that I was so baffled by this week’s events. We fired our maid service Thursday. Well, they fired themselves.

Thursday night, my wife began receiving text messages from the maid service owner. Her texts included photos and videos of our home’s interior. She demanded that we pay an additional $45.00, 33% of our regular fee, because they cleaned up a construction area. What incredible hubris. It was a strange situation. Our regular maid had a doctor’s appointment, so they sent a replacement who was unfamiliar with our home. She took the videos while she was working. I have zero tolerance for that kind of behavior from a vendor. Someone taking a video inside our home while conducting a service, in my mind, is grounds for immediate termination. Not only is that an invasion of privacy, but it is also a significant security issue. However, my wife is a bit more polite than I am. She let the vendor make her case.

However, the result was the same as my wife decided to terminate our relationship. The entire conversation and ultimate termination were made entirely by text messaging. Not an ideal situation. Unless the vendor intended to cancel our service, for whatever reason, this should’ve been a voice conversation. Resolving differences via text is seldom a good idea.

Two significant projects are in process on our home, but they had a minor, if any, impact on the maid’s workload. First, we are remodeling our master bathroom. We completed the demo work in that area over three weeks ago. The next phase of that project will begin shortly. The maid did not have to clean that area, nor was it a contributing factor to any additional work. She was not cleaning a construction area.

Secondly, we are refinishing our basement, turning that area into a very spacious apartment. That area is not a part of our cleaning contract. Admittedly, that project kicked up a bit of dust this week as we had to cut concrete to prepare the plumbing for the bathroom. Before the maid arrived, we dusted the house and used the Swifter system on the floors on the main level. The cleaning job was the same as any other visit.

Small businesses are having difficulty with staffing issues that may or may not be related to Covid–19. I get it. Last month we had another service clean our windows, inside and out. The owner of that company did the work himself. He told me that nobody wants to work. Even so, he was pleasant and did a good job. I told him that we would use him again. He certainly did not try to gouge me because our home is an alleged construction site. The issue with our maid service was a different story.

The vendor intended to extract additional funds from us as she believed that our home was involved in extensive renovations. She had asked what we were doing before the maid arrived. My wife explained the situation, and we thought that was the end of the discussion. Then the text messaging began Thursday evening. Whatever trust we had with this vendor was destroyed in a few short minutes. Friday morning, we received another text from the vendor. She apologized for doubting our situation and asked that we continue using her service. My wife decided not to respond immediately. She wanted to sleep on it.

I view the vendor’s behavior as a case study in poor account management. If she had legitimate concerns that our expectations were beyond the scope of the agreement, she should have requested a meeting in our home. She would have gained first-hand information about the situation. We would welcome that approach. But that is not the way she proceeded, far from it.

Customers, particularly long-standing customers, are an asset to be protected. You don’t want to lose one needlessly. If you have a dispute or a disagreement, ensure that you work towards a resolution thoughtfully and professionally. This situation was not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but we will remember it.

Thank you for visiting our blog.

 

Jim Weber, Managing Partner – ITB Partners

Jim Weber – Managing Partner,  ITB Partners

I hope you enjoyed our point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email inbox.  Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list.

Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read.  Your input is very important to me so; please leave a comment.

 

 

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Groupthink is Dangerous

This past Friday, I delivered a presentation at the January 2022 meeting of ITB Partners. The theme of the topic was about building one’s independent consulting practice by leveraging your time. One of the participants was curious about how many members were following this strategy. He was interested in learning how the broader membership viewed this issue. Are we in a bubble? Are we victims of Groupthink?  Not only did I think that was an excellent question, but I also promised to survey our wider membership to determine if their activities align with my recommendations.  This exchange reminded me of similar situations I had encountered during my corporate career.

Wikipedia;  “Groupthink – is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome. Cohesiveness, or the desire for cohesiveness, in a group may produce a tendency among its members to agree at all costs.[1] This causes the group to minimize conflict and reach a consensus decision without critical evaluation.[2][3]”

Psychologist Irving Janis calls Groupthink “a deterioration of mental efficiency. The first time I heard about the concept of Groupthink, I was an undergraduate. I wrote a short paper on the subject. At that time, I did not fully understand Groupthink as a concept. I had not witnessed it personally. It took practical experience and responsibility as a team member/leader to complete my education on this phenomenon.

Back in the day, if we thought we were limiting the full range of consideration for a question, we would ask, “are we just talking to ourselves? Are we in a bubble?”  We knew that something wasn’t working the way we expected, so we must be missing critical information. In other words, we need to get input from the market and our customers.

The most striking form of Groupthink I experienced was at the beginning of my tenure with Long John Silver‘s. During my corporate orientation, I attended a presentation from a marketing research firm. Their contract was to perform a strategic analysis of the brand. It was an incredible experience. Whereas the consensus opinion of leadership had been that our primary competition was Red Lobster, the research showed that the brand was part of a different industry segment. The consumer identified the brand as a quick-service restaurant concept, but they did not think we acted like one. The service wasn’t fast, the food was too expensive, and there were no Drive Throughs, among other issues. This revelation was a shock to leadership. The recognition that they had invested their resources trying to compete in a segment they could not win was daunting. Fortunately, those findings led to a very successful repositioning of the brand.

Effects of Groupthink

    • Group dynamics overrides effective decision-making
    • Inhibits learning
    • It may be a subliminal way to protect one’s reputation or institutional dogma.

How to recognize Groupthink

    • The leader has a most persuasive personality, domineering even.
    • Dissent is discouraged
    • The workgroup demonstrates a high degree of cohesion,
    • Peer pressure to conform,
    • Complacency, need to get along,
    • Belief in a group’s infallibility
    • Own the moral high ground
    • Tribalism

These actions lead to a lack of counterpoints and optimal decision-making. Fundamentally, it is a symptom of poorly managed human group dynamics and leadership.

How to prevent Groupthink

    • Recognize Groupthink as a pathology to be avoided
    • Develop a process to counter-act:  explore options, evaluate alternatives, encourage ideas without judgment or negative consequences,
    • Test assumptions,
    • Place a high value on objectivity.
    • Assign a devil’s advocate – seek out the counterfactual

When we formed ITB Partners, one of our goals was to develop a learning organization that was inquisitive, collaborative, and supportive of our members. In other words, a high-performance team. Google conducted research to determine how to create high-performance teams. Their findings were surprising.   “We were dead wrong. Who is on a team matters less than how the team members interact, structure their work, and view their contributions.”    Groupthink is an inhibitor to high-performance teams. To avoid Groupthink and other risks that would conflict with our goal, we instituted an annual strategic review that included a survey of the members. The Annual Review helps us stay on course to achieve a healthy culture. It has been a helpful exercise that has prevented us from taking detours unsupported by the majority of the members.

Groupthink is something to be avoided by all goal-oriented teams. Regrettably, it is a phenomenon that is all too common in the broader culture. Share on XWe have seen it exercised in Academia, Major Corporations, the Media, and even in government, leading to well-document disasters. No institution is immune to its intrusion. If you want to foster growth and learning, recognize the risk of Groupthink and build systems to ensure that it never takes hold in your team.

For more information on Groupthink, check out these articles.

https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_82.

htmhttps://ethicsunwrapped.utexas.edu/glossary/groupthink

Thank you for visiting our blog.

 

Jim Weber, Managing Partner – ITB Partners

Jim Weber – Managing Partner,  ITB Partners

I hope you enjoyed our point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email inbox.  Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list.

Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read.  Your input is very important to me so; please leave a comment.

 

 

 

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The Role of HR in Identifying AI Opportunities and Risks in the Workplace

As technological innovations are applied in the workplace, they bring changes and challenges. One area of technology that will have greater future applications in the workplace is Artificial Intelligence (AI). As AI technology is integrated into government and business organizations, HR needs to be aware of its potential impact.

AI could potentially shift HR’s role. In the past, HR reactively tries to figure out what to do with workplace changes, leading to burnout and frustration.

Instead, HR needs to take a more proactive posture, strategically engaging with workplace applications of AI. HR needs to anticipate problems by engaging in discussions about integrating AI technology in the workplace, and solve them before they arise.

The Role of HR in Identifying AI Opportunities and Risks in the Workplace Share on X

HR needs to understand the possibilities and challenges of AI for the future workplace and help mitigate the unfavorable effects of AI on worker safety, health, and well-being.

AI Opportunities for the Workplace and HR

 There are many potential applications for HR in the workplace, including hiring and orienting new employees, screening applicants, collaboration, planning, training, problem-solving, modeling, forecasting, and much more.

For example, AI could be used to recruit, onboard, pre-screen, and assess candidates and reduce unconscious biases during recruitment.

It could also be used to increase productivity and efficiency, one of the main concerns of businesses. AI could do this by managing repetitive tasks through chatbots. Soon, as much as 47% of organizations may use chatbots, and 40% will adopt virtual assistants to better support their customers.

AI can also help with employee learning and training. Some organizations, such as Honeywell, also use AI, AR [Augmented Reality], and VR [Virtual Reality] to record transferable skills and teach them to the next generation of employees.

Increasingly, businesses want to use robots to perform functions previously done by employees. Gartner Research shows that 77% of retailers use AI technology, the top users being warehouses and health care organizations.

Remote conversational technology could be applied to planning and could be especially helpful in data processing, allowing employees to debrief on a project and identify assets and problems. What they learn could then be transferred to new employees who might face those types of scenarios in the future.

There are other endless applications for AI technology, such as working from home and building virtual simulations.

HR can help organizations learn to use these technologies to train employees and transfer skills. They can help organizations outsource to AI for recruiting. They can also help find ways organizations can use the technology for customer service.

AI Workplace Application Limitations and Potential Risks

As exciting as it is to think about the potential benefits of using AI in the workplace, we need to also note its potential risks.

As with any kind of change, organizations will inevitably face employee fear and resistance. There may be additional issues with integrating AI technology, such as morale erosion as employees feel replaced or cut off from other human beings.

There are also dangers of breaches in confidentiality. For example, many AI technologies have facial recognition software. Companies will have facial and possibly health data on their employees when they use this technology, and companies will need to protect against hackers.

HR also needs to help set some guardrails so that companies don’t violate employee rights in their implementation of AI technology. One of the lines that we need to draw is to encourage companies to stop pushing efficiency over effectiveness and to start supporting the need of employees to have personal lives.

If HR doesn't help companies sort out these issues before they arise, companies could be faced with legal and moral issues. Share on XHR can’t control the growth and application of AI technology, but they can help companies understand potential hazards as well as benefits, and help with implementation.

The Next Steps for HR

To stay ahead of technology’s impact in the workplace, here at Flex HR we are considering taking the following next steps:

    1. Learning more about CIAP HR Applications [HR DSSs, HRIS]
    2. Researching IEA [Intelligent Employee Assistant] applications and employee responses
    3. Exploring collaborations with CIAP vendors like Kore.ai
    4. Planning focus groups with long-term clients

 Our consultants use what we learn to help companies use AI technology effectively and safely. We help businesses implement this technology for performance management systems, for career planning, as well as to help them grow an employee and keep them on board, increasing value for the person and for the company.

Contact us now to get the solutions to maximize your HR needs today!

Thank you for visiting our blog.

 

Jim Weber, Managing Partner – ITB Partners

Jim Weber – Managing Partner,  ITB Partners

I hope you enjoyed our point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email inbox.  Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list.

Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read.  Your input is very important to me so; please leave a comment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted on

On Customer Loyalty and Retention

Mark Fonseca of Pragmetrix Group, leads a discussion on his company’s methodology for the assessment of Customer Loyalty to help their clients develop more effective Customer Retention Programs.  To see this presentation click here.

Mark Fonseca has over 20 years of experience in consultative sales, sales management, and client relations. As a top producer at Lanier Business Products, he sold document management solutions to a range of businesses and was prolific at establishing long-term relationships.
Mark consults one on one with the most successful CEOs and Executives in Atlanta and has interviewed thousands of Executives and Business Professionals. He has experience in Sales, Sales Management, and Sales Training Best Practices. Currently, Mark is the owner of his own private men’s custom clothing and executive image consulting business. He has developed strong business relationships with heads of state, CEOs, top-level executives, and successful entrepreneurs, through one-to-one consulting and exceptional customer service.

As a Partner in Pragmetrix, Mark is responsible for Client Relations, Business Development, and conducting interviews within the Pragmetrix Customer Loyalty Assessment process.

Why Pragmetrix Group? – Insights from our Customer Assessment Process

 We offer you:

    • Overall Customer Net Promoter Score
    • NPS Promoter, Passive, and Detractor Segmented Dashboards
    • Unedited Customer Insights Assessment Transcripts
    • S.W.O.T Analysis Based on the Voice of Your Customer
    • Growth Opportunities Based on the Voice of Your Customer

What Our Customers Are Saying

“With the words of your customers as their foundation, they extract the issues that your business needs to focus on, so that your customers become promoters, and by extension, you sell more. They were responsive, creative, and the work product is superb. The best money you will ever spend at your company, period!”

Stephen Newell
CEO
Mission Mobility

 

Mark Fonseca, PARTNER
Pragmetrix Group
mark@pragmetrix.com
(404) 983 – 4121