Efficacy is the ability to bring about a change. That change can be something in your personal life or in your professional life. Efficacy is also the first E in the acronym of the PEOPLE model.
It is something that employers really need to look at when they assign tasks to folks. Often a team leader, a supervisor or any employee gets asked to perform certain tasks and they are doomed to failure right from the start because they can’t perform it. This inability to perform a task is because of a lack of “X”
Lost a shoe?
“X” may be the authority to order a tool, be that tool a software package or even something as simple as a screwdriver. Have you ever heard “for the loss of a nail a battle was lost”? There were a lot of steps in between that nail and the potential victory, but what it boiled down to was the efficacy of a blacksmith to order the nail to shoe the horse, etc, etc.
If that smith would have been given the authority to order the nail, things may have gone an entirely different direction. do you have someone in your organization who should have authority over some aspect of a task they’ve been assigned? Or maybe that person is you and you need to have a discussion with someone higher up about your efficacy.
This is just a thumbnail view of one of the six aspects of the PEOPLE model, and hopefully just seeing this small portion gives you something to think about.
This has been the strangest year for weather. We’ve had t-shirt weather in December and now suddenly it is the frigid tundra and we’ve had our first snowfall of the year. It worked out that it happened the night I had a show to attend in Philly, so that was a pleasant ride. Swirling wind with large lazy snowflakes riding on it. My only consolation was that someone else was driving for once.
But there I was in the third row seat of a van, not really able to see where I was going, with the windows fogged up from the conversation and hot breath of six excited people.
My head is like that ride sometimes. I know I am headed in the right direction but I am not quite in control. That can be alright, and/or it can be really scary. That’s when it’s good to have people to reach out to. But what if you are the one that people are reaching out to, and you don’t know what to say or a direction to take? You can’t tell people what to do, you can only help to guide them through their thought process.
That’s easy enough if you have the right tools. I have found that going through the PEOPLE model framework helps to define that journey. To learn more, go here and sign up for the e-mail series on client exploration. This short series (7 e-mails) contains a lot of information on growing your business and talks about tools you can use.
We had a meeting to talk about the focus of our company, which is a major thing. Companies that lose the focus on their target markets are companies that do not stay in business long. So, who is your target market? (not a rhetorical question)
Are you in the group classified as ‘helping professionals’ and what does that even mean? Helping professionals is a new term that includes coaches, mentors, peer support specialists, teachers, social workers, ministers and managers. What do all of those have in common? Guidance. The problem that many of these folks face is that some of them really haven’t had any education along that line, or the education was too general.
Given enough time, your experience will eventually teach you how to handle various situations, but most of us just don’t have the time, and can’t afford to make mistakes. The purpose of this particular entry is to get feedback and discussion on what tools and resources you use on a regular basis. Do you have a particular software program or an HR handbook that assists you in the tough times?
One ‘problem’ with that is that most people in these positions don’t have one resource they can rely on and then try to ‘wing it’ and that doesn’t always give the best results.
I’d really like to get some feedback on this to track where I can go with future blog entries. Thanks
I started out my day today in the usual way. Sort of groggy and half asleep for the first couple functions. Attitude starts really early in the morning (or whenever you happen to wake up) and carries throughout the day. Not that you can’t change, but if you start out positive and don’t let the little things impact your outlook, nearly every day can be a good day.
So getting back to the story, this morning I went downstairs and reheated a cold cup of java. As my cup was lazily spinning on the glass susan, my eyes suddenly went wide as I realized I had purchased some Guatemalan Gold the day before. And no, I’m not talking about anything illegal here. Delicious whole bean arabica goodness.
I dropped a scoop in the grinder and soon the aromatic goodness was wafting and filling the kitchen. And the first cup was a delight.
It’s about perception. I could easily make due with Folgers or whatever. I mostly do. But stepping up to something special makes you think, I could get used to this.
Yes, this is an analogy. How is your career doing? Could your attitude have anything to do with what you are doing or the position you are holding? Could you use some inspiration to do your job better, or could you use some better tools? Not all tools are created equal, but maybe they can get you through your day. Or maybe, just maybe, they can create a new day.
Having a cup of instant coffee is not the same as having a cup fresh brewed from newly ground Guatemalan Arabica beans. So what I’m saying is, think about sharpening that knife you have to wield in your daily fight, or maybe it’s time to get some new weapons.
As a Six-Sigma trained black belt and a Lean Manufacturing coordinator for a steel mill, I got a great deal of first hand experience with continuous improvement in all its glory and downfalls. Some approaches seem to work better than others; that’s for sure, but all incorporate the basic sections of define, measure, analyze, improve and control.
Whenever we are looking at changing a process you have to consider the customer at the top of the list. I would define customer as the end user, but also as the next operation in the process. Often these two are overlooked as changes are being implemented and later people ‘downstream’ are heard from as the change impacts them.
This is part of the overall “internal communication” picture. Effective communication within the business is essential to continuous improvement. By disclosing performance measures, everyone understands what the business is trying to achieve and where it stands in relation to where it wants to be. Only if employees have this information will they gain commitment to and accountability for the way forward.
This in turn leads to the buy-in from the shop floor which is critical to the success of any system implementation. If you have buy-in from the employees and give them some level of control over the process you are sending the message that they have the authority to match their particular level of development and expertise.
Continuous Improvement is only one of the fifty topics covered in the personal development bulletins that are included in the packages available at The PEOPLE Academy, Inc.
In every field you are involved in negotiations on a regular basis, whether you realize it or not. When people think of negotiations generally the term “high level” comes to mind. There is a group of cigar smoking men surrounding a table in a board room and the volume is loud and occasionally emphasized with a fist pounding on the table.
That scene may have played in the ’70’s or earlier, but it really is an archaic vision into a past era, and it has almost nothing to do with this article. Everything you do comes as the result of a negotiation with someone, unless you are living alone on a desert island, and even then you are probably negotiating with Wilson.
Think about it. What did you have for dinner last night? Did you cook it? Did you choose the food? Where did you buy the food? All of these are the results of some low level negotiations. Did you speak with your spouse about the choice? If you looked in the paper for sales on food, that is a form of negotiation with the vendor.
But now the point is made, and perhaps you are looking at negotiating and thinking, gee, I never thought about it that way. So how do you negotiate face to face (or through other communication methods?) You have to start either with a need or with a solution, depending which side you are on. Either way these 10 points are things you need to have in mind to have a win-win.
1. Your negotiation has to have a two way commitment to the agreed upon ending
2. Know the real goal when you sit down to the table. Your goal is not to every step of the process necessarily, but to achieve the end result. Don’t let the steps drag down the negotiations
3. Remember the process is going to involve give and take. Don’t expect to dictate the terms, unless you are willing to walk, if they are not met. (See point 4)
4. Be prepared to walk if the negotiations aren’t going to fulfill your needs within your budget.
5. When you sit down at the table, know what your limits are on all aspects of the deal. What are your time, money, and product parameters? What is open to negotiation, and where is your wiggle room?
6. Have options in mind when you sit down. Perhaps you don’t need the widget gold plated; maybe silver will work just as well. Keep an open mind.
7. Know that to have successful negotiations it is not generally a once and done deal. Don’t bargain so hard that you won’t be able to return for another deal.
8. When you are done, you should have a written contract with solid goals and a timeline. There should also be consequences if the timeline is not kept, and possibly incentive if it is done right and done early.
9. Create a winning team. When you enter into a deal with someone, you are forming a team, at least in the short term. Make sure you can work with someone, if need be. Sometimes negotiations will make odd bedfellows, but make sure everyone is willing to pull their weight for the good of the team.
10. Remember the “Big Picture.” You are there for a specific purpose. Don’t get sidetracked and bogged down by the bug dust.
It takes commitment on the part of everyone involved to have a successful negotiation, and all negotiations are the beginning of a relationship. How that relationship starts out often dictates how it goes over time. Camaraderie goes a long way to keep things smooth along your journey, so keep your sense of humor and know that life will throw curve balls at you occasionally. Negotiations are the start of a relationship and relationships make business work.
Time management effects people in all facets of their life whether at work or at home. Each and every one of us is responsible for the way we use the time that we are given here on earth. How your time is managed is very much dependent on attitude. You may wonder how this could be. How can my attitude effect my output? A simple answer to that is that the people you work with will be much more cooperative and willing to work with you if your attitude isn’t one that drives them away.
How can effective time management improve your overall ability to make things happen?
• It will give you control over your activities rather than vice versa.
• It can give you a better balance between work and life.
• You can begin to be proactive instead of reactive.
• It can reduce the stress that we put on ourselves daily.
What else can effective time management do for us? It can help us with figuring out why, how and when tasks are best performed. Instead of scratching your head trying to figure out ‘what’s next’ you already have a clear and concise plan in place. The main thing with this is defining what you have to achieve and when it needs to be done. This can help you set priorities and not feel like you are under the gun. By examining each task, you can also more accurately judge how long things may take and that will allow you to take task and deadline into account while prioritizing.
Without a clear and concise plan you end up feeling like you don’t have time to do things. Tasks pile up and before you know it, you are working on things that should have been addressed earlier, and yet there you are working later. Assigning priorities will limit this and will give you a feeling of being in control of the situation.
A recent term that is being used more and more is “eating the frog.” This means that instead of putting off tasks you find distasteful, you tackle them at a scheduled time, instead of putting them off and having them hanging over your head. These sort of tasks are best done when you are at your best. For some people that might be first thing in the morning, for others, maybe right after lunch or even at night. Whenever you choose to tackle it, it needs to be part of your scheduled plan.
Our recent selection of the next President of the United States, Barak Obama made history. This historic moment is, regardless of your politics, is one of hopeful transformation. This transition period is defined by hope and a new way of doing business. Friends of ours from all over the world have expressed a very personal exuberance at the possibilities.
And what is coaching if not helping another see the possibilities. Now is the time to reenergize and refocus. Capture the spirit of hope and engage your clients in ‘the possible”. The Coaching Institute and The People Academy are committed to the transformation and are putting our resources together again in the spirit of your success.
Whether you are the internal champion in your home or your organization one thing has remained consistent - coaching skills are needed more than ever in every environment.
We need to sharpen those skills as well as fill the resource tank with tools and experience that come with using the PEOPLE Model™. The marriage of the coaching skills from The Coaching Institute with tools and resources that apply to business and life puts hope into action. It is forward time. The weight of the past no longer matters, and to the degree it does it cannot carry the weight it has for too long now. It is time to coach one another to a better place; that good place we see by looking forward.
What does good look like? What is blocking your power to produce? What do you own? What is possible? Does it all connect with what I set out to do? Where is the evidence? DOES ANY OF THIS THINKING APPLY TO YOU?
Would asking the right questions, listening; really hearing and engaging help you with the above? Would those skills have stopped an argument before it happened? Helped a team mate? Helped your department? Helped your family?
It is not about life coaching, business coaching, wellness coaching. It is about performance coaching; getting to good; hope realized.
WHAT DOES GOOD LOOK LIKE FOR THE COACHING INDUSTRY – FOR YOU - NOW AND IN THE FUTURE?
The PEOPLE Academy founders realized that, based on years of experience with direct client engagement, there was a missing piece in both business and life coaching that would connect PEOPLE. The missing element was a universal business development strategy or framework that could be easily understood and implemented by all types of businesses and indeed all people.<p>
The aim of the PEOPLE Academy was to create a powerful, impacting performance coaching system that could be easily understood and used by coaches and clients alike.
But there I was in the third row seat of a van, not really able to see where I was going, with the windows fogged up from the conversation and hot breath of six excited people.
Are you in the group classified as ‘helping professionals’ and what does that even mean? Helping professionals is a new term that includes coaches, mentors, peer support specialists, teachers, social workers, ministers and managers. What do all of those have in common? Guidance. The problem that many of these folks face is that some of them really haven’t had any education along that line, or the education was too general.
So getting back to the story, this morning I went downstairs and reheated a cold cup of java. As my cup was lazily spinning on the glass susan, my eyes suddenly went wide as I realized I had purchased some Guatemalan Gold the day before. And no, I’m not talking about anything illegal here. Delicious whole bean arabica goodness.
As a Six-Sigma trained black belt and a Lean Manufacturing coordinator for a steel mill, I got a great deal of first hand experience with continuous improvement in all its glory and downfalls. Some approaches seem to work better than others; that’s for sure, but all incorporate the basic sections of define, measure, analyze, improve and control.