One of the best decisions upper management can make in healthcare or small business is to promote from within when hiring  managers. Nursing managers, administration managers, operations managers, finance managers – you name it – finding a person within your organization who is suited for management is no easy task.  But promoting from within saves enormous time when trying to acclimate someone to an organization’s culture.

It also is an incredible motivator to those seeking more in their career.

Here are 5 Tips for Choosing the Right Person for Management
* Have a very clearly defined set of expectations for yourself and them before choosing a manager.

What is it you REALLY want them to do? (help make money  is a key component)

Write down those roles and responsibilities well in advance of choosing a manager so the candidate fits the job, not visa versa.

Make sure these roles and responsibilities align with your mission.

* Management is a people job. Look for a people person first and foremost. They  should have  that positive attitude necessary to lead others.

Identify those  folks with good people and organizational skills, and with the ability to see the big picture.

Identify those with a positive outlook and a good sense of humor who demonstrate a “can do” spirit. They will need these traits when things get tough.

Look for people who seek out the best in others.

* Determine who may be interested in accepting more responsibility and taking on a leadership role by asking.

Tenure, loyalty and friendship are not reasons for putting someone in management positions. As a matter of  fact, those are the three worst reasons to promote someone.

Leave no stone unturned. The quietest person may be just the one. It’s just no one ever asked them.

Who are those people who are self starters and take personal responsibility for all their actions?

* Seek out people who challenge you and the status quo -  you don’t want a “mini me”.

“Yes people” are followers – not leaders.

Find the person who understands where you are going and why and wants to be a part of making that happen.

* Develop a management preparedness program so the right people are ready when the opportunity presents itself.

Have a written training plan for those interested in becoming a manager so they earn the right to be considered. This is a natural weed out process.

Begin delegating people and project responsibilities to those you are grooming with a follow-up process to measure their progress.

Remember taking the extra time to choose the right person on the front end will save countless hours of wasted time for you in the future.

Hiring the right person to help you manage your practice or business is but the first step toward success. The next critical yet often overlooked step is using a qualified management coach to develop those necessary habits, attitudes and behaviors of an exemplary leader once you have made your decision.

To your continued success,

Coach Nancy

No subject seems to pervade our lives as much as finance. Whether it is wresting with the family budget or seeing if your company qualifies for a bank loan, finance looms larger than any other technical subject on a daily basis. Managers are expected to scale down medical supply inventories or set up budgets for departments or projects, yet it has been my experience working as a business coach with in the healthcare industry that most management is sorely lacking in their basic understanding of finance. Why even some C – level employees depend too heavily on the CFO to tell them WHAT to do in regards to smart financial decision making.

All organizations preach to their managers to think like owners and consider all sorts of ideas and options before making a decision. We drill home the virtues of thinking costs savings and value added to our managers, yet how many businesses or healthcare organizations, large or small, train their management in the specifics of business finance? I would suggest few to none. But what business does not need ample cash flow and sustained profitability from every department in order to be successful?

If managers are expected to take ownership and share the responsibilities of running the business, they must be held to the same standards as owners or executive level management when it comes to financial understanding and accountability.

The key is to start training people immediately. We spend so much time training or hiring for technical expertise but very little to the financial understanding that is so basic for the achievement of corporate financial goals. Before promoting from within, ensure candidates have met certain basic criteria for leading people and understanding the financial risks of all aspects of their leadership. Before hiring from the outside, consider interview questions that specifically elicit a person’s financial comprehension.

So many executives simply hand over periodic financial reports to managers and assume they know what the heck they are looking at. Most reports end up in the bottom drawer somewhere. Many managers don’t take company financials seriously until they are required to – by that time it may be too late.

Managers today should know how to effectively utilize the basic tools such as reading, understanding and utilizing a balance sheet, statement of cash flows, and a profit and loss statement when making decisions. Teach managers at all levels how to create a functional budget so there are accurate financial metrics by which to measure a manager’s performance. Every manager’s performance should be tied directly to company financial goals. If not, don’t give them the title of manager. The need to make quick financial decisions is vital at every level to succeed in business today.

How would you rate your management’s actual understanding and accurate use of financial information?

Now is the time to take action to ensure your managers have every tool available to them to make proper decisions and take appropriate actions as leaders- especially those critical financial tools.

To your continued success,

Coach Nancy

The employee management mantra of FedEx rings true even after almost 4 decades – when managing a business, follow the PSP philosophy. People, Service, Profit. As a member of senior management for FedEx, that philosophy was in our blood; there was never a discussion, memo or action taken without that empowering message. To this day, I apply that philosophy in my management consultant / business coaching practice.

Really great companies, even in bad times, place people and values first. The link between people and the bottom line is becoming more apparent. Organizations that succeed over time are those that have a strong values-driven culture. They are people-centered organizations who balance values and business.

Our People First                                                            

I am often asked by clients, “How can I motivate employees? Why don’t they just get as excited about our business as I do?”  The answer is really simple – put their wellbeing before that of your balance sheet and the results falls in line more easily and effectively.

The quality of the interaction with and among employees drives the quality of the products and services. A focus on treating employees with warmth, dignity and respect pays off in how customers are treated and consequently in how the business performs.

Many organizations forget the connection between customers, employees, and financial results. If you want to have great business results, you must have customers who love your products and services—customers who believe that they’re getting excellent treatment from the company. In order to do that, you have to have employees who are motivated, committed, and using their talents on behalf of the organization.

As Fred Smith, CEO of FedEx has always said, “if we treat our people with the respect due, they in turn will carry that attitude to our customers through service and the long term results will always be improved profitable for all stakeholders.”

Want to build employee morale? Start by walking the talk and treaing your people as though their ideas and hard work matter.

To your enduring succes,

Coach Nancy

Competing for the section leader position of my high school band drum section taught me lessons about life that still hold true in my career today. At the ripe age of sixteen, it was win at all costs, while not taking the time to realize how I got in my own way. Eventually I won that coveted spot as section leader but not before a very smart band director sat me down and mentored me on what winning was really all about. Winning is less about what we win and more about how we got the win, especially our treatment of competitors.

Amazing when you take the time to think about why you may not be winning at your  healthcare business or any service business, the one major thing standing in the way is usually YOU. From how you define success to how you go about achieving it, all is reflective of your attitude.

Take a look at these 12 habits and determine if any of them may be contributing to the YOU factor keeping you from being all you can be.
1.    Winning too much: The need to win at all costs and in all situations – when it matters, when it doesn’t, and when it’s totally beside the point.

2. Adding too much value: The overwhelming desire to add our two cents to every discussion.

3. Passing judgment: The need to rate others and impose our standards on them

4. Making destructive comments: The needless sarcasms and cutting remarks that we think make us sound sharp and witty.

5. Starting with “No,” “But,” or “However”: The overuse of these negative qualifiers which secretly say to everyone, “I’m right. You’re wrong.”

6. Telling the world how smart we are: The need to show people we’re smarter than they think we are.

7. Speaking when angry: Using emotional volatility as a management tool.

8. Negativity, or “Let me explain why that won’t work”: The need to share our negative thoughts even when we weren’t asked.

9. Withholding information: The refusal to share information in order to maintain an advantage over others.

10. Failing to give proper recognition: The inability to praise and reward.

11. Claiming credit that we don’t deserve: The most annoying way to overestimate our contribution to any success.

12. Making excuses: The need to reposition our annoying behavior as a permanent fixture so people excuse us for it.

13. Playing favorites: Failing to see that we are treating someone unfairly.

14. Refusing to express regret: The inability to take responsibility for our actions, admit when we’re wrong, or recognize how our actions affect others.

15. Not listening: The most passive-aggressive form of disrespect for colleagues.
16. Failing to express gratitude: The most basic form of bad manners.

17. Punishing the messenger: The misguided need to attack the innocent who are usually trying to help us.

16. Passing the buck: The need to blame everyone but ourselves.

How we do our business is a direct reflection of who we are and how we think. Isn’t it interesting that every habit is a reflection of our personal attitude. Change attitudes, which are our habits of thought, and positive results are endless.

To your enduring success,

Coach Nancy

Does it ever seem like there is more “scheme” work than teamwork in your healthcare organization? Are your folks working in silos? I receive so many calls asking for help to improve teamwork in organizations. There seems to be a constant theme of tell tale signs when teamwork isn’t working hospitals and medical offices. Want to fix the problems…

Before being hired by the CEO of a  medium sized health care facility last year, I asked him to tell me why he thought his employees weren’t working as a team. His first response was he constantly hears the bickering, the blaming, and the finger pointing from his nurses, physicians and even in the administrative departments. The poor team behavior was pervasive at all levels, even  his executive staff. He didn’t have the time nor want to handle all the nonsense.

What impact was this having  in the organization? On the financial side – profits were down, the people side- performance was mediocre,  while most importantly, on the customer service side – negative patient surveys were increasing. No wonder profits were down!

Management should consider these  critical MUST DO’s  for teamwork performance  to improve.

• The entire staff must know, believe, and live the company’s clearly defined vision/mission,  while demonstrating the behaviors necessary to uphold the values which drive a successful company. Where are we going? Why are we going there? How will we get there?  How will we know when we get there?

• Establish TEAM goals – not just individual and department goals. Link employee recognition, bonuses and promotions to the achievement of  team goals.

• Communicate-communicate- communicate. Don’t just inform people. Rather, engage  them in the communications to elicit better ideas so they want to have ownership in improving results.

• Favoritism, whether perceived or real, can not be tolerated at any level of management. Avoid taking sides by ensuring employees know you find value in everyone. Otherwise, why are they still working for you?  Hint: this is demonstrated by your behavior,  not just proclamation.

• Good leaders know how to ask questions instead of always giving solutions.These is particularly important when an employee blames someone else for their own lack of performance.

• Trust employees to do what is expected while mentoring them how to resolve issues amongst themselves. Don’t take their monkey and whatever you do- steer clear of micro managing.

Notice all of these critical aspects start with management – not employees. All the employee teamwork “training” in the world will not overcome poor leadership skills or management practices.

Need to improve teamwork? Determine what part you own in that and then involve your team in fixing it.

Share ways you think I could help people improve teamwork? What has worked for you?

Coach Nancy

Ever wonder if there is just an easier way to get others to want to do what you need done?

In my transportation management experience, getting umpteen packages delivered on time everyday did not happen without every employee involved in the process. Transportation is a different business, everything from trucks to various freight products, airplanes to weather can stop the business in its tracks. The one constant that always overcame all obstacles was the people and good leaders, regardless of titles.

Writing out plans for your business seems like the right thing to do, but do we ever stop to consider what our employees think of the plan? More importantly, do we let them play a major role in the planning itself?  In the transportation industry , a road map, a flight plan, or some sort of  navigation plan  is critical. Managing the people who will implement those plans is even more critical, yet most companies spend more time planning than motivating.

Good managers and leaders involved their people in discussions which generate  innovation determination. Allowing your people to create the plan for what you need done. Now, there is no doubt this can be a bit scary. What if they think you as the manager don’t know what to do? What if they don’t come up with ideas ? What if it takes too much time to bring people together to do this type of brain storming? Why can’t mangers just bring in their “favorites” and ask their opinions?

The main motivator of people is not money…people are  motivated most when they are asked for their ideas on how their work should be done and they are given the freedom to do their job and even make mistakes. we show respect for employees by trusting them to know what to do.

After all , who knows better than the person who actually does the job? When managers involve EVERYONE, the ideas are vast and the process allows ideas to feed from one another. No manager will be successful as a leader by surrounding themselves with Yes people.

Want to get buy in on a what you need done? Want to get people motivated? Let those who implement,  create. People will always go the extra mile to make THEIR ideas work.

Coach Nancy

Think back to the days when you first started working for someone and try to remember what it was that made you so excited about working for that person in that business. Many might say, I just needed a summer job. Others would say I loved working there because….. you fill in the blank.

If you loved working for that special boss, chances are it was not necessarily because of the massive amount of money you made. Heck, you were in high school with few marketable job skills! Most logically you liked working there because the boss made you feel important or valuable in someway.

What is it that good leaders do to make  employees feel important and valued? How do they get their employees as excited about their business as they are? That is the $64,000 question every executive, business owner, manager, department head and supervisor should ask on a regular basis. After all, it is not simply a product or service that brings people in to do business with you. How many of your competitors have the same product and pledge they too provide outstanding customer service? What will make your business different are the people who work with and for you IN the business.

The primary responsibility of all executives and management at any level is to train, motivate, engage, and mentor their people to be different than the competitor’s employees down the street. It is to help them be as excited about the positive results of your business as you are.

That is easier said than done, in many cases,  because the person responsible for motivating and mentoring hasn’t been properly trained to do such a critical aspect of their job. How many companies take their best widget maker and make them a manager of other widget makers and see results fail? Notice I did not say see the manager fail. That is because companies never take the time to train their people how to be motivating leaders of people and organized managers of processes. Many times there are no processes for the executive or manager to follow so they make it up and hope for the best. Well, hope is not a strategy.

Engaging employees to want to do what a leader needs done is a leadership skill that people must develop to be successful. Most experts agree leadership skills are learned and developed. So what are some of those leadership skills executives and managers can develop to get their people as excited about their business as they are?

1.    Ask employees for their opinions on how things could be done more effectively.

Then follow up and acknowledge their successes as their suggestions are implemented.

2.    Give employees the credit. Period  -  end of story.
Employees make the difference in a successful business as they are the one providing the extraordinary service everyone talks about.

3.   Present clear expectations then trust employees to do the right thing.
Micro management is the number one de – motivating and devaluing behavior a manager, at any level, can do to a person in any walk of life.

4.    Allow everyone to make mistakes.
We learn more from our mistakes as long as we don’t repeat them often.
Give employees the opportunity to try new things a new way. Successful leaders are not surprised at how innovation promotes engagement and enthusiasm. They encourage innovation.

5.    Train and retrain ALL employees from day one.
People will do a much better job and be much more engaged when they thoroughly understand what is to be done and how. The training should include their job functions as well as conflict resolutions and decision making.
Enlist outside expertise like a Certified Business Coach to help with  communication and leadership skills as well.

6.    WALK THE WALK AND TALK THE TALK.
Be the example all employees would WANT to emulate. Positive leadership drives employee enthusiasm. If managers want people more engaged and excited about the business, give them good reason to be.

All successful business managers must keep in mind that employees are a company’s greatest assets. Their collective ideas, feedback and enthusiasm for what they do can help business grow and succeed. People require the guidance of skilled managers and leaders who seek their ideas, ask for feedback and generate enthusiasm in order to have a sense of purpose and energy about what they do.

What will you do differently to increase your profitability by getting your employees as enthused about your business as you are?

How much more productive and efficient might your business be if everyone loved playing on the team?

Can you afford NOT to get everyone on board with consistent enthusiastic involvement?

Need someone to help you come up with ways or to help you get gain back the enthusiasm for your work and company as  the day you first got hired?

Call your Profitable Business Coach, Nancy,  to get back on track and get your folks on track at the same time toward measured success.

To your profitable success,

Coach Nancy

The Profitable Business Coach

Listen to most executive management people in an organization and they often speak with considerable enthusiasm about how they run a people first organization, while instead spending the majority of time talking to employees about revenues and profits. As business leaders or department heads, we all understand the basic premise that an organization, whether it is a healthcare facility such as a hospital or a small business, has to make money to stay in business. But what we chose to focus on to make that money is the key to whether we are successful in that endeavor or not.

Businesses who sustain encouraging results realize the people in their organization are the drivers of the success and PROFITS a company seeks to achieve.

It stands to reason then that companies should be focused much more intently on their people and their unleashed potential, both personally and professionally, if they are to maintain those consistent positive results needed to compete in any market.

Three familiar ideas trigger the things that successful companies do to develop and tap the potential of their people:

1. The company has a clear, well-articulated set of values that are the foundation for management practices that provide for the company’s competitive success.

2. The company has a significant degree of alignment and consistency in the people-centered practices that express its core values.

3. Senior managers in these companies (not just the founders or the CEO) are leaders whose primary role is to ensure that the values are maintained and constantly made real to all of the people who work in the organization.

The most visible characteristics of successful companies are their values and the fact that the values come first even before margins.

Why are values so important? Because we a people need to believe that what we do makes a difference to others and that our work is important. That in itself serves as a crucial motivator for any employee. We also want to feel that we are valued as people. We want to be respected for who we are, not simply for what we do. Read any material on the psychology of motivation and be reminded that money by itself isn’t sufficient for motivating long-term above average performance.

Companies more than ever need to have a clear understanding of their people and their values in order to make work meaningful and thereby attract, motivate and retain excellent people. There must be a balance with people, values and business in order to create sustainable results.

When core values are clearly defined and articulated, they become living values that get communicated and reinforced continually. In the absence of repetitive reminders of these values other implicit and negative values can take over, such as individual ambition at the expense of team work. The only insurance against such undermining is to reinforce values in both language and actions.

The business author, John Miller, reminds us  that every leader in a company should ask these questions regularly:

1. How can I reinforce and communicate our core values on a daily basis?

2. How can I create and communicate a clear vision for the part of the business that I manage?

3. What can I do to help others understand how our values drive our strategies?

4. How can I provide the people with whom I work with clear performance objectives that support our values?

5. How can I create an atmosphere in which people feel included and valued?

6. What can I do to ensure that everyone is heard?

7. How can I help my people succeed?

8. How can I show people they’re important to our success?

9. What can I do to maximize the talents of those who work with me?

10. How can I help people learn from their mistakes?

11. What can I do to ensure that people have the knowledge, skills and tools they need to be successful?

12. How can I build better relationships with my customers?

13. How can I increase the value my customers receive?

14. How can I build better relationships with my suppliers?

15. What can I do to build strong relationships with the local community?

As an Executive coach, I ask each of you, how does your attitude then affect your answers to any of John’s questions?

What might I do to help you create an environment where your people are excited about the organization’s  results as you are?

Share your ideas with those involved in this blog to help make a difference.

To your continued success,
Coach Nancy

Listening may be the most difficult skill to master when communicating effectively. But master it, we can!

The non verbal part of communicating is the most telling. Try this for a fact:

Research has shown that only 7 percent of what we take in from a speaker is from the actual words; the rest is non-verbal. The tone of voice of the speaker accounts for 38 percent of the message received. Over 55 percent of our perception of the message comes from the speaker’s body language.

This would mean how something is said is far more important than the actual words. This also means to be a really effective listener, one must “listen” to the non-verbals as well. This means being tuned in to what is being said and what is not being said.

Which brings this discussion to a really important part of listening: asking questions. It is not enough to assume you know what the person means. Non-verbals can lead you to “hear” something that is not being said. Asking questions deepens the discussion and explores more of what the person means.

Some useful questions are:

• “Can you give an example of this?”

• “Tell me more about that…”

A good listener should be making eye contact with the speaker about 60 to 80 percent of the time, at least in Western cultures. Nodding and shaking the head is usually appropriate to indicate receptiveness and understanding. Of course, it also indicates agreement or disagreement and can therefore interrupt the speaker

Rarely do people take the time to reflect on the quality of their listening skills. In fact, the only time we may become aware of them is when there has been a breakdown in communications, but by then we are in defensive mode instead of learning mode.

How well do you listen? When was the last time you asked your spouse, your boss, or a trusted peer for feedback on your communication skills? For most of us, this is far too risky.

Talking with your personal coach can help you practice active listening and is a safe way to improve without risk.

Let me know how you work on effective listening as you move to effect positive change.

To your continued success,

Coach Nancy

Want to be more successful? A leader is successful how…?

Success is defined in so many different ways but one fairly consistent theme we hear people say about success is everyone wants IT. Describing that IT is what becomes sticky. It means different things to different folks.

We put so much of our time and effort in to achieving success yet when asked if success equates with happiness, many people look bewildered. Ever hear people say, “I am successful because I have a big house, a good job with a title, a neat bunch of cars but I am so disheartened and unhappy. I am always looking for something more. What am I missing?”

Success is not a destination; it is a journey, a state of being, and a way of living.

We may attain parts of success as a result of our work, our personal endeavors, our thoughts and actions. But true success is not measured in tangibles as much as it is defined as the achievement of our anticipated outcomes.

Success is really the accomplishment of our own predetermined goals and ambitions, surrounded by our beliefs and values.

Mother Theresa was one of the most successful people in the world. Why? She had little, if no personal possessions, yet she fulfilled her dreams by knowing what she wanted to do and why. Her goal of diminishing poverty and struggles for children around the world with a driving sense of purpose defined her success.

Defining success becomes much easier if we clearly identify what it is we truly want and why. If whatever that want and why is leads us to long term happiness and satisfaction, we will have achieved success. Knowing the why becomes the driver for true success and the more clear that is for a person or an organization; the easier it becomes to achieve success.

Need to discuss your pathway to success with an empathetic mentor? Go to my website to signup for further info . www.profitablebusinesscoach.com