December 2005/January 2006

Preparing to Launch Your Plans for the New Year!

By now, you probably have completed your planning for the New Year. We all know the approach you’ve undertaken: You’ve reviewed what went well in 2005, you’ve identified what must be improved in 2006, and you’ve developed a plan of action for the new year.

The plan, whether it calls for expanding skills of your staff, examining your own professional goals or enhancing your organization’s capabilities, provides the structure upon which you will base your activities for the year. There are always opportunities to add to that structure, and part of the plan should include training.

When it comes to staff development, a well-trained staff is more versatile, more engaged in the work environment, more effective and more efficient. Enhancing their skills can improve employees’ attitudes about work, themselves, and about your organization. When they see that their organization cares enough to invest in them, staff often show increased loyalty and dedication to the organization. And that in turn can result in reduced turnover and higher productivity.

Training should include not only hard skills – those skills that expand the employee’s capabilities in executing his or her duties. There also is real value in enhancing an employee’s “so-called” soft skills. Soft skills are those that help employees relate and work better with each other, employees in other departments and management. And they make it possible for employees to move further up the management ladder more smoothly and effectively.

When organizations turn to Working Solutions for executive coaching or leadership training, their mid-level managers and senior-level executives learn the skills and techniques necessary to exercise Emotional Intelligence.

When you undertake training for your staff, you should ask some defining questions: 

1. What skills do I want my staff to develop, and what are the activities or behavior results I expect to see when they develop them?
2. Are the skills designed to improve performance?
3. If so, what impact on the organization do I expect as a result of improved performance?
4. How will this performance or behavior enhancement affect the bottom line?

Once you have answered these questions, you’ll know if the training you’re planning is right for your staff. And that should set you up for smoother sailing in 2006.

For more information on Working Solutions’ coaching programs, Emotional Intelligence, or Wanda Lowenstein, please call (816) 753-1114 or email wlowenstein@workingsolutionskc.org.

Thanks for your support in 2005

Have a Safe and Happy Holiday

And a Prosperous 2006!

From the Working Solutions Staff

Barbara, Wanda and June

The Working Solutions Retention E-Tip is published six times a year to provide HR professionals, managers and executives with strategies, professional development tips,  information and new ideas to help retain and engage their employees in the workplace.

Working Solutions’ provides organizations with management/executive coaching, leadership development, employee training and HR Consulting services.

Coaching and Leadership Training Services:
Are you an executive or manager seeking self-awareness?  Need guidance in making a personal change? Increase professional performance? Do you have a new or seasoned supervisor with great technical skills, but lacks leadership know-how?  Wanda Lowenstein, M.A., our Professional Coach is currently accepting new coaching clients.  She may be contacted directly at  wlowenstein@workingsolutionskc.org or  816.753.1114.

Staff - Level Training and Job Coaching Services:
Do you have employees who are great at their job, but simply need to learn how to communicate more positively with you and co-workers? Do you notice a lack of respect among your employees? Do you have front desk employees who lack  "customer - focused" performance? We can help!  If you would like information about our staff-level employee training/job coaching, please contact   June Wayne,  at  jwayne@workingsolutionskc.org or 816.753.1114. 

HR on Call:
Do you have all the personnel policies and procedures in place to protect your organization?  Are your managers well-trained in behavioral interviewing to prevent expensive “bad hires”?  Do you know when to call a lawyer? Are you responsible for handling HR for your organization plus many other responsibilities? Working Solutions provides “just in time” human resource solutions to support you  -  by phone or in person – on recruitment, employee management and relations, policies and more.   Contact June Wayne at  jwayne@workingsolutionskc.org  or 816.753.1114 for additional information.

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Contact Information:
Working Solutions
4901 Main, Suite 450
Kansas City, MO  64112
Tel. 816.753.1114
Fax 816.753.1114
www.workingsolutionskc.org

Working Solutions is a non-profit  organization providing employee training and  leadership development services for  healthcare organizations,  non-profits and corporations.  This retention tip is  published monthly to provide tips, strategies and new  ideas for HR professionals, managers and executives to  help retain their  employees.