Leaders & executives | Page 76 (1,013 items)

Managers need the skills to have casual conversations - as opposed to confrontations - about minor performance and behaviour problems, says leadership consultant Steve Fearns.

Too often, what should be a simple conversation about performance or behaviour blows up into a confrontation, says leadership coach and life strategist Steve Fearns.



In this webcast, he sets out a framework for managers to:

• get clear on an issue;
• create self-awareness in employees;
• provide non-threatening feedback;
• approach counselling and discipline;
• create responsibility and accountability in teams and individuals;
• establish a team charter and expectations to "start again" and set ground rules; and
• use internal policies and procedures to achieve better results.

HR leaders often plan initiatives, then work on aligning them with the business, when they should be working "the other way around", says Hay Group director of Australian consulting, Jane Fraser.

HR departments often struggle to show that various programs they run add real value to the business, but one way to find out is to charge for them, says Thiess executive general manager of people, safety and environment, Peter Olsen.

Thinking outside the box is not just a nice thing leaders should try every now and then, it's a necessary skill employers should look for and cultivate, says leadership consultant Andrew Bennett.

It is neither possible nor practical for employers to understand the drivers of each individual worker - engagement must be employee-led in order to be sustainable, says Employerbility founder Kate Boorer.



This webcast, recorded in May 2013, explores:

• the link between engagement and productivity;
• the nine-step engagement ladder, and how to climb it;
• challenges employers face in improving employee engagement;
• what employee engagement leadership looks like; and
• the three steps to an employee-led engagement culture.

HR professionals should encourage managers to take all employee complaints seriously, because ignoring a "difficult" worker can lead to expensive legal claims and damaging workplace issues, says employment lawyer Shana Schreier-Joffe.

Organisations should foster ways for employees to share ideas - even when they can't all be used - because "being heard" is what counts in terms of engagement, says Transitions Optical Australia and New Zealand director Eric Breda.

Employees are more likely to remember a message or meeting when they've made an emotional connection with it, says management consultant Yamini Naidu.

The most important aspect of a company restructure is the individual conversations managers have with the people who are losing their jobs, according to Lee Hecht Harrison managing director Bruce Anderson, who says organisations that do this well can actually strengthen their employer brand.