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Have you ever met someone and forgotten their names a few seconds later? If so, here are some Tips, Tricks, Tools, and Techniques to Remember Names with Greater Ease:

1. Believe you can – ignore the self-talk (i.e. I’m terrible with names”).
2. Pay attention – focus on the person you are meeting.
3. Link name to someone/something you know:
   1. Friends & family – do they have the same name as anyone you know?
   2. Meaning of names – think about the meaning of the person’s name.
   3. Create a visual image – most people tend to be visual, so try linking an image to the person’s name.

Next time you meet someone, try these techniques to remember their names.

Continue reading »]]> There are many parallels between sports teams and the workplace. Championship teams and high-performing organizations are built when you align leadership practices, strategy, and culture. The story of the 1980 US men’s hockey team illustrates that alignment, which led to one of the greatest upsets in sports history – known today as the “Miracle on Ice.” The following clips from the 2004 movie, “Miracle” outlines the journey of becoming a championship team.

In this scene, Coach Herb Brooks proposes a strategy and vision for the team to a group of skeptics in a board meeting:

Another part of Brook’s strategy was to recruit the right people, not the best people. Many organizations go to great lengths to attract top talent, but the best people for the position may not necessarily be the right fit for the culture:

Every culture has it’s unique challenges. In this scene, conflict and rivalry are overcome by Coach Brooks’ teachings:

Organizational development doesn’t happen over night, nor is it always pretty:

Pay attention to Jimmy Carter’s speech:

Here is Coach Brooks’ speech prior to the game against the heavily favored Soviets:

The accomplishments of the 1980 US men’s hockey team inspired our nation in a time when we needed it the most:

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Think about 2 or 3 people who are engaging communicators. What makes them so engaging and effective?

When we send a message to others, our words, voice, and body language are the three key components. When we are not congruent in our message, here’s what the listener takes in:

Words = 7%
Voice = 38%
Body Language = 55%

Congruency is the key to ensuring our message is heard and understood by listeners in the way that we intended. Pay attention to (don’t judge) how congruent others are in their communications. Observe yourself and try making adjustments so that you can become an engaging communicator.

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We’ve all come across those grouchy, ill-tempered, cranky people throughout our lives. Some of us might even be unfortunate enough encounter them on a daily basis. If you’re one of those people, here are a few things you can try to calm the cranky co-worker, spouse, customer, or whoever it may be:

• Be an investigative listener – Hear what they are saying and look for something underneath their message.
• Be mindful of your response and practice these three steps:

1.       Create a cushion – like a seat cushion, use words to soften things in the conversation. It isn’t agreeing or disagreeing with them, but pulling information that they shared with you.

2.       Create a bridge – avoid words like “but” and “however” because you negate everything you just heard.

3.       Respond with evidence – what evidence do you have?

So the next time you want to take the fire out of the fight with a cranky individual, give it a try. Things might turn out better than you could have ever imagined…

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The Transportation Industry plays a vital role in our country’s infrastructure and recovery. The U.S. economy depends on trucks to deliver nearly 70% of goods to households, businesses, and communities. To help in the growth and success of trucking companies, here are some best practices for recruiting top talent:

1. Identify how to reach best drivers.
   • Where are they?
   • What do they read?
   • What do they watch?
   • Which competitors have the best drivers & why do they stay there?
2. Identify Demographics/Psychographics of your best drivers.
   • For example: Male, 30 to 40 year old, High School graduates, married, children under 12, sports fans, Christian, Country & Western Music, etc…
   • Knowing who they are gives you an advantage in attracting to a familiar culture, making friends faster, and identification with your brand image.
3. Position the job opportunity to leverage your strengths while being truthful.
   • Make only those promises you can keep.
   • Learn from your best drivers:
     • What keeps them on the job?
     • What exceeded their expectations?
     • What do you do better than your competitors?
4. Customize the job opportunity.
   • Have different configurations for people with different values.
   • Examples: Slip seating for those who want more home time. Dedicated for those who need a somewhat regular schedule, etc.

Continue reading »]]> Our healthcare system is facing unprecedented challenges caused by a nursing shortage, an aging Registered Nurse (RN) workforce, combined with the growing healthcare needs of the Baby Boomer generation (born 1946-1964).

The Nursing Shortage

According to Health Affairs, the nursing shortage in the U.S. is projected to reach 260,000 by 2025. Unlike previous nursing shortages in the past decades, a shortage of this magnitude is going to be unprecedented.

An Aging RN Workforce:

• Over 51% of the current RN workforce is age 40 or over (The American Organization of Nurse Executives).
• 55% of currently practicing RN’s are considering retirement in the next 9 years (Mike Monahan?)
• The average age of the RN population is 47 (2008 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses)

As with any great challenge that we face, we must work together to find solutions. In a recent webinar, Mike Monahan, BSN, MA, RN, COO of Clinical Retention Solutions, LLC proposed the following strategies to retain and engage the aging RN workforce:

1. Change HR policies

• Create innovative positions
• Use exit and employee sentiment data
• Training and education
• Renegotiate union contracts
• Rethink standard staffing model
• Provide flexible working schedules

2. Improve Ergonomics and Healthcare Design

• Assistive devices
• Lift teams
• Assistive personnel/team care delivery
• Decentralization of supplies and equipment
• Better lighting schemes
• Large print capability

3. Use of technology to improve efficiency like Electronic Medical Records (EMR’s)

• Eliminate the need for centralized nursing stations
• Provide numerous portals to access patient information
• Incorporate alert prompts for:
  -Pharmaceuticals
  -IV pumps
  -Allergies
  -Fall risk or special diet restrictions

4. Change culture

• Create focus groups
• Instill perception of value
• Set expectations
• Develop sense of community

5. Model best practices of top hospitals

• Ergonomic workstations
• Boosting 401K and redefining pensions
• Caregiving and grief resources
• Corporate cultures that value the mature worker
• Provide flexible work options
• Knowledge transfer and phased retirement

The challenges of the aging population have tremendous social and economic impacts – especially in healthcare. By improving policies and advancing technology we can ease the transition between generations. By sharing knowledge and creating a culture that values our elders, we can create the blueprint for a brighter future.

Continue reading »]]> An effective onboarding process is essential to keep the drivers you recruit. Close to 40% of new hires will have already decided within the first 72 hours whether or not they plan on staying. Consider the following as you evaluate your current new hire onboarding…

1. Introduce the Fleet Manager a week before orientation – Either in person or by telephone – Put a face to the job. Begin the relationship. Break the ice.
2. Manage first impressions with effective on-boarding from the start.
   • Provide a warm welcome. If you send pre-arrival materials, include hats, t-shirts or other company logo branded symbols of belonging.
   • Consider first impressions. Make sure the first 24 hours reflects professionalism, cleanliness, user-friendliness, and appreciation.
   • Most new-hires decide whether they will be with you for a long time within the first 72 hours.
3. Conduct an Expectations Exchange – List the expectations for both sides of the partnership.
   • Itemize driver’s expectations the company will meet (rate of pay, average number of miles, policies for various eventualities).
   • List the company’s expectations of drivers.
   • Include the driver’s family whenever possible.
   • Put it in writing.
   • Have both parties initial each expectation.
   • Ask for a personal commitment to a minimum period of time. Most drivers keep their word.
4. Communicate learning objectives – Communicate the learning objectives that the driver will attain during the orientation period.
5. Have upper management/owners meet new drivers during orientation.
   • Have the owner, President, or someone as high up as possible meet with the new driver to share history, folk-lore and organizational values.
   • Make it genuine, authentic and special.

Continue reading »]]> HR Professionals today are often faced with a veritable “Babel” of retirement savings plan names/types. Variants for not for profit organizations proliferate. It almost takes a full-time Financial Planner to understand the many possibilities and pitfalls. Many employees expect HR Managers and Benefits Specialists to take them by the hand and lead them through the forest and past the wolves who would take their money. Many employees are scared of making mistakes and/or admitting their ignorance, and  ignore the subject on into the years just prior to retirement. YOU and your staff must strive to: achieve acceptable levels of knowledge about plans offered by your organization, learn the support services offered by your plan providers, become truly conversant in “retirement speak”, work with providers to properly educate employees, and then monitor employee sentiment and concern about the results as part of ongoing organizational analysis.

The many impacts of the recent recession include pension plan revelations and funding fiascoes all over the map. Employers need to choose and maintain well designed plan choices, and to be sure that employees of all ages are aware of and comfortable with same. If you are in a Health System, ask Corporate to educate you and your peers from other facilities, and/or your benefits specialists. If independent, seek out sessions on pensions at local or national HR Meetings. If you are adventurous, attend one of the seminars put on by associations of pension plan administrators and providers (San Francisco and Chicago have these annually). The investment of rational amounts of time and money in educating: board members, the C-suite, HR Management and staff, and staff (yes, including those who might not now be eligible) will pay off in many ways.

Listen carefully for references to pension plan quality, education, and perceptions in exit interviews, as well as in periodic surveys of employee opinion.

I always look for “silver linings” in bad situations. The recession, housing crash, pension funding problems, and bear market  of late have, to a great degree, forced the average employee to finally care about retirement saving sooner. HR Professionals need to seize the moment and change our knowledge and effort in this arena permanently.

Post by Bill Moore