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More Ideas of the Month
Follow Up Suggestions
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Dear Friends,
Many of my clients have asked what else I can do to help them “keep
the spirit alive” after my initial presentation to them. As a result,
I have put together a list of various ways I can assist you to continue
your focus on a more caring, creative, productive culture.
1. USING THE GLANZ EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION SURVEY (GEM) FOR SUPERVISORS
AND MANAGERS
This tool can help managers and supervisors quickly increase their effectiveness
in motivating and retaining employees. The GEM™ Survey, based on
extensive research we did for the book Handle with CARE—Motivating
and Retaining Employees (McGraw-Hill 2002), identifies the specific management
behaviors that inspired maximum commitment, productivity, and loyalty
from employees in different industries all across the country. This 66
question survey is taken over the internet by the manager or supervisor
and each of their team members or direct reports with all responses anonymous.
The survey takes approximately 20 minutes, and the final report is sent
to the manager along with a copy of the book and detailed suggestions
for improvement.
Unlike many of the assessment tools now available which focus on leadership
styles, personality types, and subjective interpretations, the GEM™
focuses on specific, repeatable, behaviors—behaviors that can be
learned or changed quickly and practiced daily. And best of all, these
behavior changes do not cost any money!
2. HOLDING FOCUS GROUPS
Since we know one of the three things employees want from their jobs is
a “feeling of being in on things,” these groups allow participants
across all levels of the company an opportunity to express both their
concerns and their ideas to make the company an even better place to work.
They are very positively focused, they build morale, and amazing ideas
have come from them. I also do a “Train the Facilitator” session
to teach several of your employees to run these groups themselves on a
regular basis.
3. SETTING UP SPIRIT TEAMS
These are voluntary small groups of 4-6 people who decide to meet on a
weekly basis as a support group to share ideas and to encourage one another
to keep making a difference in their workplaces. They decide on their
own name, and they will often choose to take on projects to improve morale,
add fun to the workplace, and create a more caring culture. These groups
become the “core” of the initiative to create a caring workplace.
4. CONSULTING ON CREATING A MORE “CARE-ING” CULTURE
Since I am an idea person, I can help you with many aspects of your culture
change, from suggestions for changing the physical atmosphere of your
workplace, creating new kinds of rewards and recognition, reviewing all
your policies and procedures to make them more employee and customer friendly,
working with management to offer suggestions of ways to model this new
spirit, to planning monthly ideas for fun and service. Another of my strengths
is improving internal communication, particularly helping you to communicate
your messages in creative ways that get people’s attention and make
them feel a part of things. Several of my clients have put me on a retainer
basis where I spend one to three days a month in some part of their organization,
encouraging, advising, and training.
5. PRESENTING OTHER SUPPORT TRAINING
Many clients have requested longer (half and full day) training sessions
on “Regenerating Spirit in the Workplace” for other groups
in their organization. The longer sessions allow more interaction, more
idea sharing, and more time for a plan of action to implement the ideas
they choose.
I also do a powerful day of training on “Building Customer Loyalty”
which definitely causes behavior change for participants. The State of
Michigan, for example, has been so impressed with the training that they
gave me a five year contract, and I have trained over 3800 state employees
with amazing results. This training is applicable for every level of the
organization. I also do more specialized training for managers and supervisors
to teach and reinforce the people skills needed to manage in a customer-focused
organization.
Another area of specialized training I offer is based on the concept of
creative communication--ways to improve internal communication, including
written, electronic, face-to-face, enhancements, rewards and recognition,
recoveries, and personal executive actions. I also present training programs
on dealing with Change and Work-Life Balance.
All of these various training programs build on one another. They each
have the same focus on the individual and his/her choices
to make a difference, many action ideas to take away
to implement immediately, and an uplifting, creative, challenging experience
that models the concepts presented.
6. TEAMBUILDING EXERCISES
After the initial excitement of a new focus of caring, creativity, and
fun, it is essential to find ways to encourage others not only to find
commonalities but also to honor and value differences. These sessions
may be 1 1/2 hours to a full day and are designed to create a new spirit
of “We’re all in this together, so let’s enjoy one another
and make it the best experience possible for everyone.”
7. ONGOING WRITTEN AND ELECTRONIC RESOURCES
My books are terrific resources for followup since they contain hundreds
of no-cost or low cost ideas that real-life organizations are using to
create a more spirited workplace, happier and more productive employees,
better internal and external customer service, healthier work/life balance,
and improved communication. Many people tell me that they keep them on
their desks as a handy reference tool. I also have a free monthly email
newsletter as well as an “Ideas” section on my website which
changes monthly at www.barbaraglanz.com.
As another reinforcement and reminder, I have a 70 minute videotape of
a live session, “Handle with CARE – Motivating and Retaining
Employees,” I did for an audience of several hundred for the National
Association for Employee Recognition in 2003 ($39.95), a 20 minute videotape
called “The Best of Barbara” which contains all my signature
stories ($19.95), and a video of a live satellite presentation for 700
Waste Management sites nationwide on “Building Customer Loyalty--How
YOU Can Help Keep Customers Returning” ($$19.95). I also have audiotapes
and audio CDs of live presentations.
8. ARTICLES FOR YOUR NEWSLETTER OR WEBSITE
On my website there is an ARTICLES section that contains dozens of articles
I have written on various topics. You may use any of these articles in
your newsletters or on your website by simply including my bio and copyright,
notifying us for permission, and sending us a hard copy or providing a
link to our website. I am also always willing to write a new article for
your organization if you allow me to retain the copyright and you request
it with enough lead time.
9. BALANCE OF WORK AND FAMILY
Everyone in today’s world seems to be in “survival”
mode, rushing from long hours at work to be home with their families,
bouncing from activity to activity and stressor to stressor! We are finally
learning that the kind of atmosphere we create in our homes has a definite
impact on everything else we do in our lives, so the issue of blending
work and family has become critical in most organizations today. I can
help with this issue in a consulting capacity by suggesting creative ideas
that will enhance balance in an organization’s particular culture
and also by presenting interactive, inspiring sessions for employees to
learn ways they can blend their work and family lives. Another very powerful
idea is for the organization to send a copy of my newest book CARE
Packages for the Home--Dozens of Ways to Regenerate Spirit Where You Live
to each of their employee’s homes. Not only are they giving them
an ongoing resource of mostly no-cost ideas to make their family lives
better, but they are also sending a message that they CARE about the employees’
whole lives.
I care a great deal about the organizations and the people with whom
I work, and I have a deep sense of mission about the importance of my
message and the difference it can make in both organizations and people’s
lives, so I would be thrilled to be able to help you keep this spirit
alive. Please let me know any way I can be of service to your organization,
and thank you again for the privilege of spending time with you and your
very special people. The best part of my work is receiving all the letters,
calls, faxes, and emails from people telling me how my message has impacted
their lives and work. Thank you for this gift!
Warmly,
Barbara Glanz, CSP
 
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