Girard Training Solutions

09/20/2024

I know trust means different things to different people. Whatever your definition, the level of trust in the workplace can positively or negatively impact productivity, income, and profits.

While many companies have focused their efforts on building or restoring it, they all struggle to create an authentic plan to achieve it.

If this sounds like you, I found the perfect guide for you! Blanchard's white paper, Build Trust in the Workplace, clearly states the business case for trust and outlines the basics for creating solid and healthy relationships with your team.

Here's a quick rundown of the four elements of trust as a teaser for what you'll find in the document:

1. Able is about demonstrating competence.
2. Believable means acting with integrity.
3. Connected is about demonstrating care and concern for other people
4. Dependable is about honoring commitments by following through on what the leaders say they're going to do.

Download the white paper at the link below!

The Critical Link to a High-Involvement, High-Energy Workplace Begins with a Common Language

09/19/2024

Have you been on a team that lacked attention to detail, avoided accountability, demonstrated lack of commitment, and avoided conflict?

It seems to me that the absence of trust is causing these issues. Establishing an environment of trust and integrity is essential to ensuring peak performance and retaining employees. The big question is, how do you build trust with your team?

We all know that trust is hard to build and easy to lose. Just a couple of unfortunate word choices or the wrong tone of voice can undo weeks or months of team building.

Join me for the last FREE Power Session of the year! Building Trust: Managing for Trust and Integrity will focus on helping you create an environment where trust—an essential element for results, job satisfaction, and retention—can thrive.

📅 Wednesday, October 9, 2024
⏱ 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. PT

SEATS ARE LIMITED. Grab your seat now at the link below and bring a colleague or friend eager to elevate their leadership game.
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMtdOqvpjspEtdUf2EIaiWfH8LikZZl8yxK

09/18/2024

Five basic conditions can impact your organization, causing misunderstanding, confusion, and negative morale within your team.

1. Absence of trust
2. Fear of conflict
3. Lack of commitment
4. Avoidance of accountability
5. Inattention to results

Patrick Lencioni calls these the “Five Dysfunctions of a Team,” and even the best teams are susceptible to them. By understanding the type and level of dysfunction affecting your team’s performance, you will be able to correct it and create a highly functioning team.

In today’s episode of Management Development Unlocked, I discuss part four of the six-part series from my book Lead Like a Pro: The Essential Guide for New Managers and explain how to overcome the five dysfunctions and more.

Listen to the full episode here
https://management-development.captivate.fm/listen

09/12/2024

What do you do when someone on your team is struggling to achieve goals and is impacting the team’s overall performance?

Your role as a new manager means you must evolve beyond focusing only on your own tasks and take proactive steps to help your team perform better. How?

Formal training is the most common response I get from managers trying to equip underperforming employees. While that’s a good course of action, it may not always be the right fit.

Coaching, on the other hand, can be a powerful problem-solving tool that builds and strengthens a bond between you and your team members, improving their performance.

An article from a LinkedIn Learning blog I bumped into shares 10 tips for coaching underperforming employees as an alternative to traditional management that tells people what to do, makes assumptions and solves problems.

Read the full article at the link below and share your experience while handling underperforming employees.
https://www.linkedin.com/business/learning/blog/leadership-and-management/tips-for-coaching-underperforming-employees

09/11/2024

Today's the day! This is a reminder that the FREE Power Session: Why don't people do what they're supposed to? Coaching and feedback methods to build trust will begin today at 10:00 a.m. PT.

To succeed as a manager, you need to develop skills to:

✅ Assess your team’s performance on a regular basis.
✅ Analyze the performance gap and decide if it's worth addressing.
✅ Ask the hard questions.
✅ Provide coaching to your employees.
✅ Provide effective feedback.

In this one-hour session, you will learn the fundamentals of coaching your team and delivering effective feedback.

📅 Wednesday, September 11, 2024
⏱ 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. PT

SEATS ARE LIMITED. Grab your seat now at the link below and bring a colleague or friend eager to elevate their leadership game.
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIsd-qqpzkoGtDYJ_OngyZFCEURSRnc6WBZ

I’ll see you there!

09/06/2024

Solar power technology is the fastest-growing market in the history of global energy.

Global solar capacity exceeded nuclear in 2017, wind in 2022, and hydro in 2023, and is projected to surpass fossil gas in 2024 and coal in 2025 at current growth rates of 20% per annum.

As this industry faces unprecedented change, I wonder how well leadership is adapting to the new and unthinkable things happening in their businesses.

My experience tells me that most managers get change management wrong or even dismiss it altogether.

They underestimate the human element and focus too much on the technical or logistical aspects of change and thus fail to consider the emotional impact it could have on their team members.

When managers are aware that resistance to change is a natural human reaction, they are better prepared to address it proactively.

I like to use the Kübler-Ross model to understand the emotional stages experienced by people when they go through change.

The stages of denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance can be seen in how people react to change, whether it’s a new policy at work or a major change in the market.

Understanding these emotional stages can help managers anticipate and address team member reactions, and by acknowledging and addressing these reactions, managers can help their teams move through change more effectively.

Q: How do you help your team move through change?

Please share in the comments👇

09/06/2024

If the idea of delivering feedback makes you cringe, this simple and easy model will make your life easier.

Let's first remember that good feedback is specific, descriptive, constructive, and sensitive, as opposed to non-specific, judgmental, and personal.

How do you actually deliver positive or constructive feedback? The Situation-Behavior-Impact (SBI)™ model is a good place to start, and here's how it works:

Situation: "When you created the slides for this class,"

Behavior: "you used fantastic design techniques and anticipated what would be most helpful to learners,"

Impact: "and I think that resulted in a more robust presentation that will engage learners and keep them from tuning out. Thank you!"

This also works for constructive feedback:

Situation: "When you gave your presentation at the team meeting today,"

Behavior: "you appeared unprepared, stumbling over your words and getting lost in your notes,"

Impact: "and I think that resulted in people tuning out and not hearing the great data you had to share."

Feedback truly is a gift if delivered well, so use your empathy skills to determine when and how to provide feedback.

I'll be hosting a FREE session on coaching and feedback next week to teach the fundamentals on these essential management skills.

📅 Wednesday, September 11, 2024
⏱ 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. PT

Grab your seat now at the link in the comments, and bring a colleague or friend eager to elevate their leadership game.
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIsd-qqpzkoGtDYJ_OngyZFCEURSRnc6WBZ

I hope this helps!

08/30/2024

According to one study, it takes two full years for a new CEO to earn the confidence of their stakeholders.

What about the common belief that people in leadership positions have roughly 90 days to prove themselves to their organizations?

The research, conducted by Harvard Business Review, carefully studies nearly 1,400 CEOs who have led S&P 500 firms during the current century.

During the study, in addition to the social value of confidence, they looked at the monetary value: Investors assign multiples to stocks that reflect their confidence in companies' ability to generate returns for shareholders.

The results are striking: CEOs who focused on strategically building trust during their first two years in their role saw an increase in their companies' multiples in year three. This increase was four points higher compared to those CEOs who didn't focus on building confidence at all.

If you don't know how to start, Harvard Business Review has identified six key practices that, when applied systematically, will help you navigate the complexities of leadership and maximize the value you create in the long term.

1. Set a deliberate pace and don't feel the need to deliver quick wins.
2. Pick your battles strategically, start small, and be methodical.
3. Align your team with your objectives.
4. Engage stakeholders at the right time and develop a strong relationship with each director.
5. Communicate clearly and relentlessly.
6. Better yourself and continue investing in your development.

Read the full article at the link in the comments.

Believing the conventional wisdom that they have roughly 90 days to prove themselves, many new CEOs get into trouble by launching bold initiatives before they’ve won the support and trust they need to effect change. According to a study of nearly 1,400 CEOs, earning people’s confidence actually ...

08/29/2024

Five questions you should never ask when coaching your team.

Good coaching doesn't mean giving the person all the answers. It means helping them grow so they can figure out the answers for themselves.

How? It's all about listening and asking the right questions. However, lack of training may lead some managers to ask the wrong questions.

According to Madeleine Homan Blanchard, Master Certified Coach, these are the top five questions any manager should avoid when coaching their team:

"𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗜 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽?"
Though a well-intentioned question, it ultimately undermines the coachee's autonomy and capabilities by suggesting they need help.

"𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹?"
Along with "How do you feel about that?,” these questions, borrowed from therapy, are often irrelevant and annoying, especially for executives, and have no place in coaching.

"𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂?"
Popularized by Dr. Phil, this question is often perceived as mocking or cruel, making clients feel inadequate. Coaching should avoid making clients feel judged or insulted.

"𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁…?"
This question is a subtle way of giving advice, which can shut down the client's thinking, even when they don't notice it.

"𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁?"
“Why” questions can make clients defensive, divert them from problem-solving, and rarely generate anything useful.

Next month, I'll be hosting the FREE 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆'𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼? 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁.

In this one-hour session, you will learn the fundamentals of coaching your team and delivering effective feedback.

📅 Wednesday, September 11, 2024
⏱ 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. PT

SEATS ARE LIMITED. Grab your seat now at the link in the comments, and bring a colleague or friend eager to elevate their leadership game.

Stay tuned for more updates!

Why doesn’t your team do what they're supposed to? It could be that they don't know what's expected of them, they don't know how to do it, they believe their way is better, or they're facing obstacles beyond their control. I can think of a million reasons. So, what can you do about it? The key is ...

08/28/2024

Does your company have a business continuity plan? If not, let me tell you why you need to create one right now!

In the latest episode of Management Development Unlocked, Anca Enache explains what a business continuity plan is and how it can help your company.

Anca is the founder of 3P Impact Consulting. Anca helps purpose-driven small- and medium-sized companies create a competitive advantage by revealing the environmental, social, and governance risks and opportunities that may impact their business.

A business continuity plan helps a company function during and after a disruption. When done right, the plan minimizes downtime, protects resources, and ensures that your team can quickly recover from unexpected events.

During our conversation, Anca shares the six components of an effective team-level business continuity plan.

– Risk assessment
– Business impact analysis
– Social assessment
– Responds strategies
– Communications plans
– Testing and updates

Listen to the full episode here
https://management-development.captivate.fm/listen

08/23/2024

Why doesn’t your team do what they're supposed to?

It could be that they don't know what's expected of them, they don't know how to do it, they believe their way is better, or they're facing obstacles beyond their control. I can think of a million reasons.

So, what can you do about it? The key is understanding the situation before jumping to solutions. This is where your coaching and feedback skills come into play.

Join me for the Power Session: Why don't people do what they're supposed to? Coaching and feedback methods to build trust.

During this FREE one-hour session, you'll understand the importance of coaching your team and providing effective feedback.

By the end of the Power Session, you will be able to:

✅ Assess your team’s performance on a regular basis.
✅ Analyze the performance gap and decide if it's worth addressing.
✅ Ask the hard questions.
✅ Provide coaching to your employees.
✅ Provide effective feedback.

And so much more.

📅 Wednesday, September 11, 2024
⏱ 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. PT

SEATS ARE LIMITED. Grab your seat now at the link below and bring a colleague or friend eager to elevate their leadership game.
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIsd-qqpzkoGtDYJ_OngyZFCEURSRnc6WBZ

Stay tuned for more updates!

08/22/2024

Messages like this are what make it all worth it!

"I enjoyed the training and found the sections on SMART goals, empathy, and feedback particularly valuable. My favorite activities were with other participants, which really helped solidify the concepts."

"I appreciated the high quality of the materials and Eric's facilitation style."

"I have some tools and things to apply immediately to my day to day life."

"More time on goals, please."

These are some messages I received as part of the feedback from the Lead Like a Pro workshop I ran last week.

This is the third workshop I have run this year, and with the amazing feedback received, each session continues to improve!

I absolutely love facilitating and helping people learn new skills that will make their lives better.

I'll be hosting one more session in November, so if you're interested in learning more about the workshop, feel free to reach out!