Encouraging Employees to Take Ownership and

Responsibility:For their work, their behaviors and their

professional development.

WW

Ad

Co

n 2

02

0

A little about me…

• College Athlete and Coach

• Majored in Psychology and Education

• Mother of Two – 2 girls (both in middle school…pray for me!)

• HR Consultant – 15+ years in the field

• Small Business Owner – 7 years

• Focus on Training, Compliance and Personnel Issues

WW

Ad

Co

n 2

02

0

Today’s talk

• Setting a solid foundation• Onboarding

• Common goals and the power of ‘WHY’

• Modeling and relationship banking

• Situational leadership

• Using questions to facilitate awareness and responsibility/accountability• Training

• Employee development and corrective action

WW

Ad

Co

n 2

02

0

The importance of a solid foundation

WW

Ad

Co

n 2

02

0

The first few months on the job are the most important in determining the employee’s ability to succeed.

Onboarding and training are KEY! Communication of work rules and behavior expectations

Handbook and Procedures

Provide specific training on how to perform the job as expected Job Description and Performance Appraisals

Provide insight into your operation’s nuances and the culture to help the employee succeed History, Mission, Vision, Values

Onboarding data and statisticsW

WA

dC

on

20

20

According to the Aberdeen Group:

• 90% of employees make their decision to stay at the company within the first six months

• Organizations with structured onboarding programs enjoy a 60% year-over-year improvement in revenue per FTE and a 63% year-over-year improvement in customer satisfaction

According to the Wynhurst Group:

• 22% of staff turnover occurs in the first 45 days of employment

According to Leadership IQ:

• 46% of new hires don’t last more than 18 months on the job

The importance of WHYW

WA

dC

on

20

20

• Explain the WHY before the WHAT and the HOW

• WHY gives them a deeper understanding

• People connect to WHY – it drives behavior

• They will have the ability to problem solve

• They are able to evaluate the process and look for efficiencies

Next…what behavior are you modeling?

WW

Ad

Co

n 2

02

0

You cannot control any of the people around you- your staff, your boss, your spouse, your children... but what you can do is influence

them.

This is done by how you behave, how you speak, and how you model the behaviors you expect…ESPECIALLY when you think no one is

watching!

Relationship bankingW

WA

dC

on

20

20

Trust and respect build slowly over time…

like a bank account balance

DEPOSITS = actions and words align with thoughts and beliefs, open communication

WITHDRAWALS = inconsistency, lack of transparency

The bigger your bank account balance, the more influence you have, the more people will assume positive intent when you do or say something.

How to spend your balanceW

WA

dC

on

20

20

As your staff develop within the organization, their level of competence and commitment will change.

Employee Development:

UNconscious Conscious Conscious UNconsciousINcompetence INcompetence Competence Competence

* Developed by Ken Blanchard, PhD

INCOMPETENT COMPETENT

Enthusiastic Beginner

Disillusioned Learner

Capable, but Cautious

Performer

Self-Reliant Achiever

Employee developmentW

WA

dC

on

20

20

Leading adultsW

WA

dC

on

20

20

• Difference between asking and telling• Natural resistance to being told• Asking questions allows the leader to guide the individual to the right

conclusion• Asking good questions is more important than knowing the answer

A leader must be patient and wait for the questions you ask to be answered the right way

The power of questionsW

WA

dC

on

20

20

• Coaching begins and ends with questions.

• The goal is to gain from the employee their awareness of the need to change and their responsibility to implement the change

• There IS a problem

• It is MY problem!

• The leader too must have an awareness and responsibility for the coaching process

ExampleW

WA

dC

on

20

20

You asked your employee Chris to develop a timeline for the completion of a number of projects.

The timeline Chris provides is clearly unrealistic.

How would you respond?__________________________

What will happen if you…W

WA

dC

on

20

20

• Take over and do the timeline yourself

VS.

• Tell Chris to revise the timeline and show him how you want it done?

VS.

• Ask Chris to explain the thinking behind the timeline?

Take it to the next levelW

WA

dC

on

20

20

Ask Chris…• How will you be able to accomplish these tasks in this time line?• What road blocks may prevent you from accomplishing these tasks?• How will you overcome these roadblocks?• What do you need from me?

Be open to the unexpectedW

WA

dC

on

20

20

• You never know what you will learn.• You need to hear all sides.• Can prevent you from making a fool of yourself…

YOU MUST LISTEN WITH AN OPEN MIND IN A NONDEFENSIVE MANNER

When the train goes off the tracksW

WA

dC

on

20

20

• ABILITY: Unable to meet performance expectations (Competency)

• Focus on training and development• Give them more opportunity to improve

• BEHAVIOR: Unwilling to meet performance expectations – this is a CHOICE (Commitment)

• Focus on consequences• Give them limited timeframes for improvement

Ownership is requiredW

WA

dC

on

20

20

• The goal of coaching and/or corrective action is to encourage employees to take ownership of:

• Their work

• Their problems

• Their solutions

Addressing an ABILITY problemW

WA

dC

on

20

20

1. Review the work and garner if the employee has an understanding of the job

2. Discuss concerns with employee

3. Ask questions to garner if the employee has the:• knowledge of tasks and

• skills or training needed to perform

4. Develop an action plan (performance improvement plan)

5. Follow up and hold employee accountable for meeting targets

Ability issues follow-upW

WA

dC

on

20

20

• Conduct the follow-up meetings you have scheduled• Review goals and progress• Document the meetings - take notes• Have the employee read the notes, make any changes, and sign and date the notes• Give him or her a copy

• Set and keep meeting times

• If the employee improves - let him or her know with documented comments

• If the employee fails to improve - carry-out the consequences outlined in the performance improvement plan• Transfer to a more suitable position• Demote to previous position (adjust wage accordingly)• Termination

Addressing a BEHAVIOR problemW

WA

dC

on

20

20

1. Review examples of behavioral problems

2. Discuss concerns with employee

3. Ask questions to gain acceptance of problem from employee and accountability for future behavior

4. Develop a corrective action plan or disciplinary document

5. Follow up and hold employee accountable for meeting expectations

Process is similar to that of addressing an

ABILITY problem.

The importance of questionsW

WA

dC

on

20

20

• Have a conversation with the employee1. Start by asking the employee about the situation – see if they will take

ownership. 2. If they do not accept responsibility for the issue, consider asking these three

questions – in this order:• What did you gain from this behavior?• What did you lose from this behavior?• What do you do now?

3. Try to get the employee to be accountable for his behavior and then responsible for change.

• Document these meetings

• If this does not work, start the disciplinary process

Behavior issues follow-upW

WA

dC

on

20

20

• Follow-up on a regular basis: Correcting a behavior issue in the short-term is much easier than sustaining the change over the long haul.

• If behavior improves - meet with the employee and advise him or her of the improvement and encourage sustained change

• If the employee’s behavior problems continue - take steps to follow-through with the identified consequences• IN MOST CASES, TRANSFER IS NOT A VIABLE SOLUTION TO A BEHAVIOR

ISSUE

• Document all meetings

QuestionsW

WA

dC

on

20

20

Jodi Schafer, SPHR, SHRM-SCP

www.workwithhrm.com