How to Hire, Develop and Maintain Conflict free, High Performing 'A' Teams

Session 1 - Behavioural Interviewing: Hire The Right People With The Right Skills For The Right Positions

Speaker - Marcia Zidle | Duration - 60 Min

Does your hiring process consist of proven practices or just a hodgepodge of activities that get into gear when someone says, “I need more people” or “Sally has left, and we need someone to take her place NOW?” The effectiveness of your interviewing process impacts the effectiveness of the organization.  A new hire that does not fit the position will be difficult to develop, will perform poorly, and more likely leave resulting in the need to repeat the process. Accordingly, the goal of interviews is to identify and select a candidate whose skill sets, and behaviors match that which are needed for a particular role and whose personality, interests, and values match the culture and mission of the organization. 

To elicit such information, a behavioral interviewer first identifies the skills or competencies necessary for a particular position (for example, decision making, persuasion skills, and problem-solving ability) and then use a series of probing questions to reveal whether candidates actually possess those qualities. In addition, this webinar will help you learn how to discover the candidate’s emotional intelligence: their ability to identify emotions within themselves and others along with controlling and adequately managing emotions. These skills have become essential for that valued talent who needs to work well with fellow employees and/or interact with customers, suppliers, and others.

Join is a webinar by expert speaker Marcia to find the ideal candidate, human resource professionals, and hiring managers must be well informed on how to conduct interviews effectively. Only when interviewing is approached as a specific process with definable steps and measurable results can it be managed to ensure the hiring of quality people.

Session Objectives:

The focus of this webinar is to help companies maximize their recruitment efforts as well as helps managers and recruiters enhance their interviewing effectiveness. The objectives are:

• Identify and answer six essential questions before developing a reality-based position profile.
• Determine the skills, traits, and experiences including emotional intelligence required for the position. 
• Create behavioral interview questions and probes that go beyond the resume to assess a candidate’s capabilities. 
• Prepare an interviewing guide with key questions and tips to ensure hiring the right person for the position. 
• Ask the right questions to get applicants to speak openly while avoiding inappropriate and illegal questions.
• Develop selection criteria and a rating system to ensure that your organization will not hire round pegs to fit into square holes.
• Make the interview count by avoiding the 5 top mistakes that hiring managers and recruiters make – even experienced ones.

Session Highlights:

• The top 5 mistakes made by interviews and how to avoid them.
• The different kinds of interviews: Hiring manager, panel, multiple stakeholders.
• The definition of behavioral interviewing and its five advantages.
• Distinguish between two types of behavioral questions (lead and probe) 
• Examples of lead questions that focus on the candidate’s qualifications and experience. 
• Example of probe questions to zero in on specific skills and specific situations.
• How to use a rating scale to evaluate each candidate’s fit for the position
• How to utilize a 7-step decision matrix to make a good hiring decision that is based on facts not just feel.

Session 2 - New Approaches To Performance Management

Speaker - William J. Rothwell | Duration - 60 Min

Performance Management (PM) has emerged as a topical issue. Some leading organizations have decided to reinvent PM to more frequent discussions instead of annual reviews where workers are treated to criticisms that have been saved up for a year. Other organizational leaders question whether PM and pay should be linked. This webinar session reviews but goes beyond traditional thinking about PM and looks at some new thinking about ways to address PM in more innovative ways. 

Session Objectives:

• Who should conduct performance reviews?
• What happens when managers, workers, and even customers conduct the performance reviews
• How often should performance reviews be conducted?
• What should be on the performance review form?

Session Agenda:

• Introduction
• Wisdom from the Past: Traditional Thinking
• Innovating for the Future: New Ways to Consider Who Reviews, What Is Reviewed, When Reviews Occur, How Reviews Are Conducted
• Summary and Final Q & A

Session Highlights:

• Who should conduct Performance Management (PM)?
• What should be the focus of PM?
• When/how often should PM be conducted?
• How and how often should PM be conducted?
• How much time should be devoted to PM? Should PM do once annually or more often? If more often, how often?

Session 3 - Performance Reviews: A Step-By-Step Process For Conducting Them Meaningfully And Effectively

Speaker - Chris DeVany | Duration - 90 Min

One of the most critical areas of employee relationships and one of the biggest challenges management faces today is conducting effective performance appraisals and determining appropriate merit increases. Join this information packed live webinar by Chris DeVany and learn to give performance appraisals that help motivate employees to achieve goals and increase their value to the organization.

In order to function at maximum effectiveness, a manager must master critical communication skills, including active listening, the ability to receive and provide constructive feedback, to resolve conflicts and to coach and mentor. Since both managers and employees often view performance appraisals with anxiety, attention is given to preparing for and conducting performance discussions that are objective, complete and defensible. During the webinar, you'll be able to share experiences and participate in various exercises with other participants to better understand how to obtain the best possible performance from employees.

Session Objectives:

After attending this webinar, you will understand how to even more effectively:

• Conduct motivational and directional performance appraisal reviews
• Planning the review
• Managing the review process
• Subtle ways to keep sensitive employees from having their feelings hurt
• How to suggest improvement to an employee’s performance in a way that boosts an employee's spirits       
• Why employees sometimes fear reviews
• Ways to increase standards of performance

Session Highlights:

Would you like to conduct more effective performance reviews? Would you like to know how to give people “bad news” in a way that will not hurt but in fact improve your working relationships? Would you like to be able to suggest improvement in a way that encourages rather than discourages it?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then come laugh, listen and learn as Chris DeVany leads us all through those important topics, key questions, and answers we all need to be able to address effectively to improve our team members and team’s performance!

Session 4 - Stop Avoiding Difficult Conversations: Practical Tactics for Crucial Communication

Speaker - Joel Garfinkle | Duration - 60 Min

Learn How to Handle Difficult Conversations and Minimize Conflict and Tension

Every workplace experiences conflict, confrontation, and controversy. No one enjoys tackling touchy topics; but, an attitude of avoidance leads to misunderstanding and decreased productivity. Your employees will always have differences of opinion; however, if these differences are not handled in a positive manner, your people will experience anxiety, bruised egos, and possibly even exploding tempers. 

As leaders, it’s vital that you handle difficult conversations while minimizing conflict and tension. Join this session, where expert speaker Joel Garfinkle will discuss how to avoid damaging the working relationships that are so important to your success. 

Session Agenda:

• Understand what difficult conversations are
  •  Learn about conflict: All difficult conversations have some “conflict” at their root. 
  • How conflict arises between co-workers, supervisors, and subordinates.
  • How to manage different types of conflict: Disagreement in meetings, communication obstacles, and breach of confidence or loyalty.
• Learn the benefits gained by initiating difficult conversations.
  • With improved collaboration, your team becomes more efficient.
  • Improves worker productivity throughout the organization.
• Understand why you avoid having difficult conversations?
  • How the fear of rejection stops you from having the conversation. 
  • How being liked can stop you from having the conversation. 
• Get a road map to follow when preparing for and engaging in difficult conversations. 
  • 6 questions that will prepare you for all difficult conversations.
  • How does the other person perceive the situation and what assumptions are you making. 
• Learn a 4-step process that will lead to a successful outcome of the difficult conversation.
  • Step 1 Listening – begin the conversation by listening. 
  • Step 2 Mirroring – simply reflecting back the other person’s point of view. 
  • Step 3 Questioning – asking open-ended questions. 
  • Step 4 Empathy – actually understanding what the other person is feeling.

Session Highlights:

• Improve your conflict-resolution skills.
• Prepare for and engage in difficult conversations.
• Discuss what matters most with co-workers and employees in a non-confrontational manner.
• Understand how to make other people feel heard and understood so you can work together to come up with solutions.
• Use conflict as an opportunity to create a positive outcome.

Session 5 - Can't We All Just Get Along...Conflict Resolution Without Any Collateral Damage

Speaker - Randy Anderson | Duration - 90 Min

Do you find yourself having to play referee, psychologist, and parent to get others to "play well in the sandbox"? Productivity in the workplace is diminished greatly when conflict exists. Whether the conflict is between someone(s) on your team and an external customer or between internal customers (co-workers), the results can be significant and long-lasting.  This webinar will look at ways to resolve conflict quickly and effectively, and how to help avoid conflict by establishing a less contentious atmosphere that fosters more teamwork and (internal & external) customer service. Different personality types, workplace cultures, and responsibilities/goals can cause conflict between reasonable, professional, “nice” people. If conflict is a reality in your world, this presentation will help you resolve it. We will begin by identifying some of the many dynamics within which conflict can exist, realizing some of the contributors that lead to or cause conflict, and looking at the costs that can be associated with a lingering, unresolved conflict. Without this initial shift of perspective, people often don’t see how imperative it is to address conflict and may not even realize the activators. This webinar will discuss the importance of identifying the involved parties and separating them from the “innocent” observers, who often just want to see a fight. This usually helps to calm emotions and leads to our next topic…open, constructive communication. Participants will learn strategies to be more effective with their own ability to communicate, and ways that they can facilitate productive exchanges between team members.

Once we have laid that foundation, we will then move to a platform for conducting a productive and professional confrontation. Though the term confrontation often takes on the context of high emotion and heated exchange, if done correctly, this does not have to mean an altercation. By applying the ideas, you will learn in this portion of the presentation, can remain conversational and will allow everyone involved to feel like they‘ve been heard, and perhaps, to really hear the other person for the first time. Now that the lines of communication are flowing, we will establish three very important distinctions about what we want to accomplish as a result of the process. By identifying these objectives, participants will be better equipped to ensure the conflict gets resolved, and not just dragged out into the open. Finally, we will look at ways to foster an atmosphere that helps prevent disagreements from escalating into conflict. By eliminating old mindsets and grudges, leaders (regardless of their position) can help create an environment where team members can hold different perspectives, employ different approaches to problem-solving, and even agree to disagree on certain things without holding onto any frustration they may experience.

By incorporating these strategies, teams will experience higher productivity, create greater customer satisfaction, and enjoy work more, while reducing stress and turnover.

Session Agenda:

• The causes and side effects of conflict.
• Be aware of three signs of escalating conflict.
• What is the cause of the conflict?
• 9 specific ways to help resolve conflict.
• 5 peripheral considerations that may be contributing to the problem.
• It’s not just what you say…it’s how you say it

Session Highlights:

• Why conflict happens and seems to last so long.
• What are the contributors that keep it going and how to eliminate those?
• Who is involved and who should be eliminated?
• Know yourself and how you respond when conflict arises.
• How to help others work through conflict.
• What to do when you’re part of the conflict
• The importance of constructive phrasing.
• One of the best ways to keep conflict from happening to begin with.

Session 6 - Time And Task Management Effectiveness: Working Smarter Every Day

Speaker - Chris DeVany | Duration - 90 Min

The speed of everything has changed. Are your time management skills up to the challenge?

Do you put off more today than you can ever accomplish tomorrow...exhaust yourself by 4:00 p.m. with only a fraction of your work done...see yourself as a decision-maker who never gets around to making decisions...dread the next business meeting—or worse, going back to your desk to see what voice mails and emails await you? If you’re doing more and enjoying it less, it’s time to get out of the time trap and back to productive management! This Webinar by management expert Chris DeVany will provide you practical techniques for controlling time and making it a manageable resource.

Session Objectives:

• Achieve better results through more effective planning and clarifying objectives
• Delegate effectively and free yourself for bigger tasks
• Set group goals and priorities
• Eliminate the time wasters
• Handle interruptions and distractions
• Say no to unreasonable demands
• Redirect your efforts to the most important and valid tasks
• Make sure there is time in the day for you
• Learn strategies to improve concentration and increase your efficiency

Session Agenda:

• Self-Evaluation: How Do You Manage Your Time
  • Take the Time-Mastery Profile® to identify how you spend your time
  • Highlight your strengths and challenges with time
  • Identify timewasters and learn how to avoid them using new techniques

• Concentration and Focus
  • Learn techniques that will help you complete your tasks at a faster rate
  • Discuss how to handle distractions and interruptions-both self- and other-imposed

• Planning to Succeed
  • Refine the planning process and goal-setting system using the SMART technique

• Decision Making and Prioritizing
  • Align your priorities with your goals for better decision making
  • Learn about "the window of opportunity" to determine the most appropriate course of action

• Getting Organized
  • Learn the principles of organization to eliminate clutter and maintain order and effective filing systems
  • Learn to manage your phone, e-mail and electronic files

• Establishing Boundaries to Create Balance
  • Learn when to say "yes" and when to say "no"
  • Say "yes" to yourself...by saying "no" to others
  • Create quiet zones to think, reflect and concentrate
  • Build a commitment to your own time-management plan -it's up to you!

• Setting SMART Goals
  • SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timely
  • What are my roles?
  • What weekly goal will I set for each role?
  • TOPPS: Task, Objective, Product, Program, Schedule
  • OPICS: Output, Product, Input, Conditions, Standards
  • Setting milestones
  • Working the Plan

Session Highlights:

Are you concerned about how much time and productivity your people are wasting? What about lost energy, efficiency, and effectiveness, especially because people are overtasked and overburdened? Would you like to gain an extra 30 minutes each day? Would you like to improve your concentration and increase your efficiency?

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then come laugh, listen and learn as Chris DeVany leads us all through those important topics, key questions, and answers we all need to be able to address effectively to improve our team members and team's performance, no matter how widely distributed everyone is!

Session 7 - Toolkit for Conducting Exit Interviews

Speaker - Bob Verchota | Duration - 60 Min

An employee hands in his resignation and walks out the door and with him walks out valuable skills, knowledge, and capabilities. You are sorry to see him leave and you don’t want to lose any more like him. Also walking out is the key to how to keep good employees and how to make your business better than ever. The key is Exit Interviews.

Exit Interviews can provide critical information that only leaving employees can provide. This is information that can reduce turnover and increase retention. With this information, it is possible to increase employee satisfaction, improve business systems, increase engagement and commitment, and maximize quality. Simply put, information is power, and Exit Interviews can provide strategic knowledge that you can‘t live without.

This webinar will give you all the tools you need to start your Exit Interview program or improve the one you have. It isn’t rocket science but there are best practices and considerations for doing them well. Our intent is to get you up to speed as quickly and effectively as possible.

Session Agenda:

• Learn the 7 steps for implementing a program
• Understand the value of developing a listening culture
• Receive 13 reasons for implementing webinars
• Understand the difference between the employee’s perspective and the employer’s perspective
• Receive the pros and cons of face-to-face, phone, questionnaire, and consultant interviews
• Learn who should conduct interviews and when they should be held
• Learn the value of 2nd interviews
• Receive suggestions for making the employee comfortable and getting honest answers
• State the ins and outs of questionnaire administration
• Answer how to handle involuntary terminations
• Learn when offering confidentiality can be a problem
• 15+ considerations in conducting the actual interview
• Keys to effective listening
• Importance of documentation for legal protection
• Learn considerations for analyzing and reporting information
• Learn the importance of taking action and getting the most out of the interviews

Session Highlights:

In your toolkit you will receive:

• A copy of the PowerPoint slide deck
• 179 sample interview questions in 11 different areas
• A sample Exit Interview Policy for you to personalize
• A sample Exit Questionnaire