Henderson Training

Active Listening : Active Listening "Listening for meanings" In order to be on top of department performance, effective managers keep communication lines open. They are aware of the problems caused by not listening to their employees. They know that by not listening they are not able to stay abreast of what is going on in their work area. They understand the ultimate result of low morale and its affect on performance. When we think of listening, we often think of it as the passive side of communication. In Active Listening we explore six active techniques that increase our ability to understand another person's message and to listen more...

Assertiveness Skills : Assertiveness Skills "An issue of rights - yours and others" When we examine communication styles, we find that people prefer working with managers who are assertive rather than passive or aggressive. When managers use assertive behaviors on the job, they promote respect and confidence not only in themselves, but also with others in the organization. Assertiveness Skills is designed to provide a clear understanding of what is meant by assertiveness - expressing thoughts and requests in a direct, honest and appropriate way. The benefits of assertive communication are illustrated as well as the downsides of aggressive and passive styles. The bulk of the class more...

Conducting Performance Appraisals : Conducting Performance Appraisals "Going beyond filling out the form" An effective performance appraisal should answer two important questions every employee has: How am I doing? and In what way am I contributing? . In reality, however, many employees and managers alike feel that appraisals are a paperwork exercise that is not as meaningful as it could be. The performance appraisal is often seen as something that works more successfully in principle than in practice. Conducting Performance Appraisals goes beyond filling out the form and helps managers more...

Correcting/Counseling Performance Problems : Correcting/Counseling Performance Problems "Leading Improvement" Many managers have been known to ignore employee performance and behavior problems. When this happens, managers pay the price in lowered employee morale, inconsistent levels of performance and ultimately poor results. Counseling poor performance or dealing with other disciplinary problems involves several skills: objective problem identification, counseling techniques, communication skills, development of action plans and follow-up. All of these aspects are covered in more...

Establishing Expectations : Establishing Expectations & Goal-Setting "Laying the foundation" What every employee needs to know is, What is expected of me in my job? Those employees who perform at high levels are usually the ones who can easily answer that question. They are clear about the direction they are going and what their manager, co-workers and customers expect in many different areas such as productivity, quality, communication, teamwork, etc. Creating meaningful expectations, however, can be a challenging job for a manager and, therefore, is often more...

Handling Challenging Conversations : Handling Challenging Conversations - Working Through Conflict Everyone knows that from time to time, we are required to have some difficult, challenging conversations with others. It goes with the territory. But let s be honest, most of us would rather not have those conversations. Most of us are good at avoiding or waiting until things are at a crisis point then the conversation does not go well. Either way, the situation often gets worse and impacts everyone involved. Does it have to be this way? Are there some tools that can make these conversations happen sooner more...

Interviewing Techniques : Interviewing Techniques "Finding the right person for the job" Hiring the wrong person for a job costs companies a great deal of money in recruiting, benefits, training, salary and time. Perhaps even more important, however, is the loss of results that the right person would have provided. Selecting the right person for the job is more than a "gut feeling". The focus of Interviewing Techniques is introducing tools and techniques that lead to good hiring decisions. Using actual company positions, participants identify job specifications, appropriate job-related more...

Motivation : What is motivation? What motivates people? How do managers effectively inspire great employee performance as well as continued employee growth and development? These questions form the basis for emphasizing motivation as a critical management skill. This program provides insight into the needs, drives and expectations of people in today s workforce. Armed with this knowledge, managers can create a motivating environment where people want to work, excel, and grow.

Performance Challenges : Performance Challenges "Understanding Puzzling Problems" There are many potential pitfalls when tackling employee performance challenges. Managers are often caught up in the symptoms of the problem versus the root causes. Until the cause of the problem is understood, proposing a solution is premature and unlikely to bring long-term resolution. Performance Challenges is a unique step-by-step procedure for managers to identify and analyze the cause of employee performance problems. The procedure includes analyzing and interpreting performance results as well as employee behavior, then identifying more...

Pinpointing Facts : Pinpointing Facts "Saying what you mean and meaning what you say" When you think about it, clear communication is critical to the success of managers and employee alike. There is not a single management activity that is effective unless the manager clearly communicates. Can you imagine a manager trying to teach or delegate a task if he/she is not clear? What happens when a manager gives corrective feedback that isn't objective or understandable? A technique known as Pinpointing helps managers communicate problems or issues in specific, measurable terms, staying away from commonly used more...

Powerful Feedback : Powerful Feedback "Focusing employees on results" The most successful managers work to create an environment where employees know how they are performing and how they are contributing to the company. Too often managers rely on no news is good news to impart performance feedback. What we know is that feedback must be an ongoing management activity that combines collaboration, mutual evaluation and regular dialog. Powerful Feedback introduces managers to the basics of feedback what it is, why it is so powerful and the many methods feedback can take verbal, visual, written. Managers learn the skills needed to create more...

Reinforcement : Reinforcement "Celebrating accomplishments" Giving employees recognition for good performance is one of the keys to creating and maintaining a motivated work environment. When managers create a positive atmosphere where employees feel recognized and rewarded for their good performance, the results are phenomenal. Employees take responsibility for their tasks, show more initiative and the results can be seen in improved service, productivity, quality and teamwork. Reinforcement focuses on one of the most highly effective management tools. It examines how to use incentive programs that work, how to personalize recognition for different individuals and how to give meaningful recognition without spending a lot of money.

Supporting People Through Change : Supporting People Through Change "Steps for easing the pain" When managers are faced with implementing change in the workplace they are looking at a tough job. Employees can become distracted, confused, angry, stressed-out, not to mention afraid for their jobs, all of which can result in lowered morale and decreased performance. How can a manager successfully implement change while still maintaining employee motivation and productivity? In order to restore balance, productivity and profitability, managers need a potent strategy. Supporting People Through Change introduces that strategy along with practical tools each manager can apply to current or future changes in their work environment.

Time Management : Time Management "Getting important things done" We each have 86,400 seconds in a day and how we spend those seconds is the key to managing time effectively. Today we have many conflicting priorities calling for our attention - which should we do first? How do we handle crises and unexpected interruptions? How can we reach our goals? Time Management addresses these questions and focuses on practical approaches, including successful delegation, finding more time and getting more accomplished. Through this course participants have the opportunity to analyze their own personal work patterns. They gain valuable insights about more...