Soar to Success October 2020

Asking open-ended questions like “How do you think we can increase production here?” “What do you think we can do differently around here?” or “What would be most helpful to change in the work environment?” can lead to productive (and profitable) conversations. Transparency: Employees may not always like what their managers have to say, but if the employees trust that their manager is coming from a place of openness and transparency, they are more likely to feel included in the process. Training your managers in communication skills will give them the ability to handle and diffuse sensitive and important situations. Employees understand that there are some issues that are confidential, but if they know that their managers will keep them in the loop of the situations that will impact them, they are much more likely to buy in. Continuous Improvement: Training is a process, not aone-dayevent to “fix” people. Newmanagers need time to practice the skills they are learning, SOAR TO SUCCESS / Business Acceleration Strategies evaluate their effectiveness in connecting with their staff, and get feedback from their managers on what they are doing well and how they can continue to improve. Having inhouse resources for training is valuable but using outside trainers and mentors can be even more so. When you send your new supervisors to an off-site training, they have the opportunity tomeet andconnectwithpeoplewho are in the same boat. It’s a safe space where these new supervisors don’t have to feel that they’re every move is being watched and evaluated. To maximize your training investment, once your newly trained employees come back to work, it’s important to have some kind of follow up plan so you can easily gauge their improvement. Offering online training modules, onsite resources, and mentors can also reinforce the concepts taught at the in-person programs. When your employees feel you are making an investment in them, you increase the chances that they will stay with you for the long term.