Food for Thought: Interpersonal Influence

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When thinking about behavior in business, there are many ways to measure and compare the way we naturally act.  One common metric is assertiveness – whether we are inclined toward passive, passive-aggressive, aggressive, or assertive behavior.  All of these styles have an effect on those around us, and our relationships with them.  We need to be aware of the behaviors we are exhibiting in order to shape positive relationships.

Click here to learn more about Interpersonal Influence – a collection of articles about how our behavior effects others, and how we can use that knowledge to improve our relationships.

Available at the HRDQ Store, the Interpersonal Influence Inventory is a learning tool that will show individuals their Influence Style, and provide guidance on how to increase their assertiveness to produce successful interactions in and out of the workplace.

The Interpersonal Influence Inventory can be used as a standalone training instrument, or it can be incorporated into a more comprehensive program on communication or leadership.  It also makes an effective component in training programs for a variety of topics, including coaching, management, and supervisory skills.

With the Interpersonal Influence Inventory, you’ll be well on your way to improved communication and better results throughout your organization.  Get your team started today!

Active Training Resources for Experiential Learning

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Each of us has our own learning style.  The challenge of any trainer is to provide effective training across all styles – and we believe the solution is Experiential Learning.

Our training solutions don’t just tell how something should be done. They show you. With HRDQ’s materials, your audience is asked to reflect, experience, practice, modify, and integrate. Learners are given the opportunity to engage in exercises that enable them to discover the value of a skill—and then practice doing it. Once they’ve done it, they know they can do it even better the next time. And that’s what leads to improved performance and results for your organization.

We also believe that learning is never complete.  In order to remain a healthy (employee, leader, teammate) person, we must always be learning – about ourselves and others, about what we do and how we do it.

While Experiential Learning lends itself very well to in-depth training sessions with ample time for discussion and reflection, it is also a fantastically appropriate vehicle for refreshing your team with interim support.

With HRDQ’s range of training activity collections, you can make sure your team is always learning, always engaged, and always working toward common goals.

Pump them Up is a collection of 35 two-hour workshops on various aspects of teambuilding.  The collection includes a team assessment to determine needs and areas for improvement, and activities for enhancing your team’s goals and procedures, leadership, communication, trust and conflict resolution, problem solving and decision making, group dynamics, and growth and development.

The Exploring Personal Styles Activity Collection, the perfect follow-up to any personality-style training, helps participants learn to accept and appreciate their differences. With over 30 activities ranging from light and easy-going to more in-depth, this Jungian-inspired collection generates compelling group discussions and insight into the unique qualities of each personality dimension.

Pen and Paper Games for Training, a collection of 40 activities that exercise both the logical left and creative right sides of the brain, is appropriate for both group learning and one-to-one coaching. The collection has many different applications including communication, presentation, listening, and problem-solving skill development. The exercises range from quick, adrenaline-raising energizers to complex activities.

25 Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Activities takes your team through the process of solving problems – from recognizing the issue at hand to developing a plan to acting on that plan to reviewing the results.  This collection provides activities that strengthen and reinforce the skills needed at each step of problem solving – ensuring preparedness no matter where you are in the process.

Keep your training active and memorable with Experiential Learning from HRDQ!

Free Webinar: Excuses, Excuses: How to Overcome the Employee Blame Game

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FREE WEBINAR
Hosted by HRDQ
Presented by Ken Phillips
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
2:00pm – 3:00pm eastern time

You’ve probably seen and heard it all – employees who point fingers, tell half truths, or refuse to take responsibility for their actions in an effort to avoid confronting a performance issue. Well, it’s time to end the blame game once and for all. When it comes to effective coaching, the key is to disarm employees and redirect their attention to productive problem-solving meetings. And this webinar tells you exactly how to do it.

The third in a series of popular coaching performance webinars, Excuses, Excuses: How to Overcome the Employee Blame Game is an hour-long session dedicated to the topic of recognizing and overcoming employee excuses. Subject matter expert and author Ken Phillips explores four different types of excuses and offers strategies for handling them effectively and with skill.

Ken Phillips is the author of the Coaching Skills Inventory – an assessment that measures the effectiveness of manager’s performance meetings, and offers a formula for holding a successful coaching session.

What You Will Learn:

  • How to begin a performance coaching discussion and keep it on track
  • Techniques that prevent employees from becoming defensive or withdrawn
  • The difference between debating with employees and responding empathetically
  • Four common types of excuses that surface during coaching conversations
  • How to approach and overcome each type of excuse
  • Next steps and action plans that encourage improvement

Who Should Attend:

  • Supervisors
  • Managers
  • Front-line leaders
  • Human resources professionals
  • Organizational coaches

About the Presenter:

With more than 30 years of experience in the field of workplace learning and performance, Ken Phillips is an expert in the performance management, learning evaluation, and sales performance arenas. He is a frequent university presenter and speaker at ASTD and SHRM conferences. He has authored many learning instruments, including the bestselling Coaching Skills Inventory.

Click here to register!

Can’t make it?  Don’t worry – all HRDQ webinars are available for free download after they’ve been presented live.  Click here to view past webinars.

Pointing a Finger at Blame

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A company culture of accountability is very different from a company culture of assigning blame.  But, it’s easy to see how the two can become confounded with one another.

In The 85% Solution, Linda Galindo writes,

“Be responsible for the success or failure of the endeavor, for your choices, behaviors, and actions –before you know how it all turns out. Own all of it, even if you’re working for or with somebody else.”

She’s talking about accountability – accepting, through action and reaction, one’s part in the success or failure of one’s team.  Not compartmentalizing a task or project and assigning “property” (positive or negative) to individuals, but engaging as part of the team – expecting each member to be accountable and responsible, equally, for any measure they can take to achieve a team goal.

A special difficulty comes with avoiding blaming behaviors in performance evaluations.  When discussing team and individual performance, it’s important to keep the conversation on a productive track.  Focusing on problem solving and how to achieve better results will help not just you and the individual you are reviewing – but the whole team – move forward together as a strong set of accountable individuals with a real interest in the future of your organization and their contribution to it.

Learn how you can help eliminate blame from the culture of your organization – register for our free webinar, Excuses, Excuses:  How to Overcome the Employee Blame Game, presented by Ken Phillips, on Wednesday, May 16th from 2:00 to 3:00 pm (Eastern Time).  Click here for more information, and sign up today!

The Best Equipment for Your Team

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The necessity for teams in business is undeniable – and the results they produce can be remarkable.  But without guidance, teams – and their performance – can falter or fail.

What does your team need to keep on track?

Somewhere to Go.

Consistent, periodic training sessions are essential to the maintenance and growth of teams – not only for the information and skill-building they provide, but as a forum for gathering experience in functioning and learning as a team.  As each individual in the team is offered a path for growth, the team as a whole will grow better results and stronger cohesion.

The Right Amount of Leadership.

Teams need leadership to rally and move forward.  They need leaders to empower them, guide them, and keep them working towards common goals.  But, at a point, every leader needs to remember that they, too, are members of the team, and step back to allow the strengths of each member to benefit the whole.

A Stake in the Game.

Members of a team must understand that individual results and compensation are not necessarily measures of team success.  It is not just an individual member’s performance that will impact the overall dynamic of the team, but how their performance relates and contributes to team goals.  An individual win never trumps a loss for the team, but a loss for the team definitely calls for reflection by every individual member.

Beyond leadership, accountability, and a path for growth, teams also benefit greatly from open communication.  Each member of a team will have his or her own way of relating to other individuals and to the group at large.  This is an effect of Personality Style.  By clearly understanding our own style, we can be more aware, and more selective of the behaviors we exhibit as a team member.

The What’s My Team Member Style? assessment measures a preference for one or more four basic behavioral styles: Direct, Spirited, Considerate and Systematic. The 18-item assessment also evaluates how individuals typically behave on a team. With increased awareness, they are better equipped to appreciate team member contributions, learn how to become more flexible, and build relationships.

Team success can be among the most rewarding accomplishments of your organization.  Let HRDQ help you develop your team – we’ll continue to develop ours!

RTL @ ASTD

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Meet HRDQ at the ASTD 2012 International Conference and Exposition!

HRDQ will be showcasing our Reproducible Training Library (RTL) – the best customizable, reproducible and affordable training programs on the planet. Covering a comprehensive range of topics, and growing all the time, the RTL provides solutions for all areas of professional and personal development.

Be sure to stop by Booth 124 for a free customizable training program!

One of over 70 training programs in the RTL, you’ll be receiving both the classroom and e-learning formats of one of our best-selling titles – a $599 value!

With the RTL, it’s easy to build your own unique and robust training system, fully tailored to your company’s brand and needs. And you’ll already have your first piece!

The RTL is your training, your way. See it in action May 6th through May 9th at ASTD 2012 in Denver, CO. We can’t wait to see you there! Look for the booth with the giant robot!

Expo passes are free!  Click here and enter code 2560.

ASTD 2012 International Conference and Exposition
May 6 – 9, 2012
Colorado Convention Center
Denver, Colorado
Halls A, B, E, and F
Booth #124

For more information visit www.ReproducibleTrainingLibrary.com or call 800.633.4533

Calling All Leaders: Are High-Performers Born or Made?

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Does your organization develop its star players, or simply make the most informed hires it can and hope for the best? Even though it’s common business knowledge that developing the workforce in general is the key to remaining competitive, it remains difficult to make the same claim for individuals – star players that are already pulling their own weight on the team. What do they need? If they’re doing well and are even out-performing most of their peers, why do you need to spend resources developing them? Because they will burn out if you don’t.

The path of least resistance in a high demand work environment is to lean hard on high performers and expect more from them without regard for the likelihood of burnout. Too often, the candle that burns the brightest burns for the shortest amount of time. Don’t let that happen to your best managers and leaders.

Can your peak performers see their future in the organization? Do they see how their own leadership is influencing others? Helping them refine awareness of their own role may give you just as much benefit as sending them to a training program. Knowing about Leadership Style – their own and those of others – can improve a leader’s positive influence, effectiveness, and team-building abilities.  With the What’s My Leadership Style? assessment, they will learn about their own tendencies in a leadership role, how they compare to other types of leaders, and how their leadership style affects each member of their teams.

Research shows that providing a road to career growth and development results in increased engagement rates and, in turn, higher productivity. Engage your high performers in the difficult conversations that will show your belief in them while encouraging them to stretch themselves as leaders. Here are some conversation starters:

  1. How do you think your team measures up to other teams? Is it more or less cohesive, more or less productive?
  2. What opportunities do you think this organization has passed up or
    ignored?
  3. How can I help you take greater ownership of this team?

Giving star players a chance to reflect on their role, challenging them to take greater personal ownership of outcomes and asking them to be honest about instances where the company may have dropped the ball on opportunity are all ways to help them develop and become an even stronger force for your organization.