Blog | I Coach Managers

An Unusual Way To Learn And Grow

Posted on May 29, 2013 by Micheline Daoust

This is an unusual way, because it goes against what we naturally do, and because it requires a lot of maturity. If I tell you that you won’t have to invest more of your time, and that you will rapidly benefit from it, are you intrigued?

The secret is: To Do Lunch With Your Enemies!

The word enemy might be a bit strong; I’m referring here to the people that are often disagreeing with you. The idea is to spend some time with them, one at a time (not all together!), so you get the opportunity to hear something different.

Above all, don’t do like I did! When I was a manager, I didn’t do lunch. I thought that closing my door and working was the best use of that time. I under estimated the importance of networking and branding. Now I know that I should have used that time of day, for developing my internal and external relationships.

The people we chose to have lunch, with are usually our friends. In other words, the ones that think like us, that are on our side, and that would hesitate to contradict us. The problem with that is that all we do is to rehash to same ideas.

Nowadays (I’m trying to avoid saying “Now that I’m older!”), I’ve learned to appreciate a good discussion. What if I’m wrong in the way I’m seeing this… What if I learn something new from someone that has had different experiences, that have read different books, that have experienced different results…It does require stepping out of your comfort zone. It’s certainly not as relaxing as when you talk with your friends. You need to suspend all judgment, and to keep an open mind for the entire discussion.

As a reward, not only do you gain a new perspective on things (the idea is not necessarily to come to an agreement…), but it’s also an excellent opportunity to practice your listening skills.

Stephen Covey said: “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”

For the best results, you have to ask a lot of questions, and set aside your first impressions and all preconceived ideas. Dig a little! If you get to the point where you understand the other person’s needs, and identify how you can help her, you could gain an ally.

Try it and see all that you’ll learn and benefit from doing this. From your perception and the other person’s point of view, there’s a lot to discover. What if she was right…?

Is this something you could see yourself doing? Let me know in the Comment section.

5 Ways To Spend Less Time Answering Emails

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Micheline Daoust

When I ask my clients the reasons why they can’t accomplish their objectives, the reply is often that they spend too many hours answering emails. Is it possible to do something about this huge problem?

We already know that in order to prevent other people to dictate our agenda on any given day, we have to remember that we still have control over when we chose to read the emails. That would be AFTER we take care of our own priorities.

Since, no matter when we do it, we eventually have to tackle that task, here’s how to improve the experience.

Gandhi said: “Be the change you want to see in the world”, so let’s start by applying these filters to our own emails.

Is my text short and easy to read?
Is my subject (email’s title) pertinent?
Is the call to action clear and easy to find?
Would it be easier (for both parties) to proceed with a phone call? (If you think that it will take many emails for the issue to be resolved, it’s probably better to call.)
Will all the people that I’m copying, really benefit from it?
- If I had to send the copies manually, would I shorten the list?
- If they would not receive this email, what would they do differently? What would be the consequences?

The ultimate objective is that, when people receive an email from you, they immediately think that it’s important. Quality over quantity!

One of the most important ways you can reduce the amount of emails people are sending, is to make them realize that, even though it takes only a “click” to add the name of a person to a list, it will take a lot more “valuable” time for that person to determine if the information is relevant to her. The cost of these innocent “clicks”, often being used only to reassure the sender, is greatly under estimated.

And now, if you send this “How to” guide to all the people in your surroundings, you should receive less emails, and will be able to concentrate on your objectives.

Do you have other ways to deal with this issue? Please share them with us in the Comments Section. We could all benefit from your suggestions.

Here’s an Easy way to Increase Performance

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Micheline Daoust

If you would like an easy way to improve your results, just by doing a few adjustments in how you communicate your expectations, well, keep on reading to discover the secret recipe…

Let’s say that you want to organize a meeting with your team to discuss a problem that you’ve been experiencing with shipping;

Will you write:

There will be a meeting tomorrow from 10:00 to 11:00 in regard to the shipping problem

There will be a meeting tomorrow from 10:00 to 11:00 in regard to the shipping problem
Make sure to read all the pertinent reports before the meeting
I will really need all of your attention tomorrow if we want to come up with a solution, so please be well prepared (and without your phone!)
I’m expecting each and everyone of you to come up with at least one idea (no idea is too simple, too complicated or stupid)
Please be on time, we will need every minute to our disposal if we want to succeed
We will go out to celebrate the end of this problem on Friday – I’m convinced that by pooling our energy, our experience and our creativity, we will come up with a solution.

So what do you think? Do you believe that by using the second approach you will get better results? Your employees, knowing in advance that they will have to participate, will be better prepared and will have started to think about possible solutions.

Make sure that you’re always really clear with your expectations. I’ve learned from experience that we’re never too precise. People can’t guess what you want, they’re not mind readers. Help them by communicating precisely what you expect from them.

As for me, if I follow this recipe, I would like it if:

You were to benefit from this post
You would be kind enough to leave a comment in the section below (I really enjoy reading your comments!)
You would, with just a click, share this article.

Attention to Detail Gives you Control over your Client’s Entire Experience

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Micheline Daoust

Here’s a short video presenting UNIQLO, a Japanese company. They’re the fourth Biggest Fashion Retailer in the world. After listening to it, I wondered whether, in certain circumstances, micro-management could be suitable. It was interesting to me since, usually, I recommend autonomy as an essential ingredient to employee engagement. I listened with an open mind…Watch it and meet me on the other side…

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50143479n

So what do you think?

I’m really not a big fan of the way they make the employees repeat, like robots, Cookie Cutter Greetings or the Company’s Mantra. I feel that, when the same words are just repeated, without emotion, it’s more annoying than efficient. But, I have to admit that they’re right, when they say that: Attention to Details is the way to have Control over their Client’s Entire Experience.

How many times have we been turned off by the way we’re greeted in a store? How many times have we noticed that a store was dirty and poorly organized? How often did I think to myself: “This person shouldn’t be attending to clients. He has no interest, or she is totally lacking in politeness or professionalism.” Well nothing like that will take place at UNIQLO!

We already know about the rigor and determination of the Japanese people. There must be something we can learn from this approach. They’re already the fourth biggest retailer and their ambition is to be Number One. Nothing less! And they’re doing what it takes to get there.

So what if we took out our Mission Statement (from our bottom drawer), made sure that it’s still up to date and inspiring, and that, together with the employees, we established the necessary parameters in order to achieve this Mission. What if we asked ourselves questions like:

How should we greed our Customers? What should we say when we answer the phone?
What should our voice message say? Should we have answering machines at all?
What is the longest time that a Client should have to wait on the line?
How should our emails look like? (short, clear, polite, fun…)
How fast should we reply to an email?
How should a Customer “feel” after having been in contact with someone from our team?
How will we measure our success? At which frequency?
How can we make sure that we’re really in tune with our Customers Expectations?…

By establishing such precise parameters, are we taking away the employee’s individuality, or are we making sure that the service will be constant and impeccable?

What if, while respecting the parameters, the employees could use their creativity and autonomy to exceed expectations and surprise the Clients? Isn’t that a win-win situation?

I’m convinced that, if we lay down the rules with the participation of the employees, that we make sure that everybody understands why we’re doing this (the Mission), and that we make everyone feel like they could be part of an Elite Group, there’s something good about this micro-management approach.

What about you? Do you agree that we should be more attentive to such details? Let me know in the Comment Section.

6 Steps for a Stellar Presentation

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Micheline Daoust

I recently had to help a client prepare for an important meeting with her staff. As I was researching the topic, I made interesting discoveries that could be beneficial to you.

I never liked making presentations…I always believed that you had to have an innate talent to be a good speaker, and to successfully captivate your audience. If you’re like me, I have great news for you: Steve Jobs, known for his epic presentations, was not a natural. His secret was in the preparation. He would tend to every detail and would practice his speech for days. The result was not only sublime, but he made it look effortless.

And so we have no more excuses, we just need to prepare with great care. Here are the important steps:

Have a clear and specific objective – During the first few minutes, you need to state clearly WHY people should pay attention to what you’re about to say – What do they have to gain? – Why should they shut down their phone and stop thinking of what they have to do next
It was proven that the best way to communicate information is by using text and pictures – Limit the words and awaken the imagination
If you succeed in touching people’s emotion, your message will stay with them – They will remember it – Try to transform your message into a story
You can’t keep people’s attention for more than 10 minutes (the brain gets tired!) – Make sure to beak the rhythm – Ask another person to speak, make a demonstration, ask questions…
Be specific on what actions people should take following your presentation
Ask for feedback – Did you reach your original objective? – This step will enable you to continually improve and to take the additional needed actions if your objective wasn’t reached

According to Dale Carnegie, the secret ingredient to captivate your audience is passion. Make sure to be really enthusiastic about your topic. These days you can easily film your performance, as you’re rehearsing, and observe your energy level. This is an excellent way to do the necessary adjustments.

The fact that you’re in front of the Board of Directors, your clients or your employees makes no difference, if people will invest of their precious time to listen to you, they deserve that you take this responsibility seriously.

“One more thing”…Have fun!

Do you know of other steps to deliver a Stellar Presentation? Please share in the Comments section.

The Most Simple Way to Rapidly Reach Your Objectives

Posted on January 28, 2013 by Micheline Daoust

We’re at page 30 of the first chapter in your very own book titled ‘My Year 2013“. Time flies! What are you doing differently so far, to reach your objectives and/or those of your team? I’ve recently listened to Scott Dinsmore’s presentation, part of TED Talks, and I was confronted by this truth that we often forget…

My business slogan is: “Reclaim your power, Make a difference and Have fun!”. In the “Reclaim your power” portion, there’s the notion of being able to make a choice as far as whom we will associate and share ideas with.

In his presentation, Scott Dinsmore tells the story of how one of his dreams went from “this is impossible to accomplish”, to “no problem, this is how you do this”, simply by changing the type of people he was sharing his ambitions with. When your audience is made up of people that have already achieved what you’re trying to do, imagine the impact it could have on how fast you’ll reach your goal.

When I start working with a new client, I often hear: “You really are passionate about what you do, it’s so much fun to talk with someone that’s not always blaming everybody and everything, I wish I could, like you, feel fulfilled at work…” Look for people around you that will give you this kind of infectious positive energy. Just so you know, it won’t be easy. Scott, in his presentation, says that 80% of people are unhappy in the type of work that they do. Nevertheless, you should make the effort to find those rare specimens, for they could propel you toward what you really want.

In the “Make a difference” part of my slogan, we, as Managers, could probably do something about this very sad statistic of 80% of unhappy employees. We’ll discuss this further in an upcoming post.

So what about you:

Which person could have a positive influence on you, your morale and your success?
Who do you know that has already achieved one of your goals?
Who do you admire around you?
With whom will you go and have lunch with, in the next few days?
How could you reunite a few people that, with their attitude and enthusiasm, would have an impact on everyone’s success?
Which books (or videos) would help you transform your dreams into reality?

Start tweaking your circle of influence right away. Chapter 2 of your book is starting in a few days!

Can you already identify changes that you should be making? Please let me know in the Comment section.

4 Powerful Questions to Reflect and Plan for the New Year

Posted on December 21, 2012 by Micheline Daoust

Before I give you the 4 questions, I want to take this opportunity to Thank You for your support and your comments (that I so need and appreciate), and I also want to wish you:

Happy Holidays and a Great New Year!

It’s now time to pause and reflect, here are 4 simple, but very revealing, questions to help you do so:

How different are you today from the person you were in January?
How satisfied are you with your progress?
What do you REALLY want for 2013? (family – health – career – contribution – finance – fun)
What will you put in place, or do differently, in order to achieve these goals?

Do the exercise for yourself but also for your TEAM, it’s a great way to start the year knowing where to FOCUS.

Slow down and enjoy this special time of the year!

Did You Forget to Thank Them?

Posted on December 12, 2012 by Micheline Daoust

Did you see the commercial where the Mom gives 5 small gifts to her young son, instructing him to give them to 5 people that he would like to thank?

What a genius idea! Not only will the child learn to appreciate the people in his life, but he will also learn that he has the power to make a difference in someone’s life. Let’s translate this great idea in the business world…

My clients often ask how they could improve their soft skills. Here’s an idea: Why not use this time of the year to show that you have other objectives than reaching some number related quotas?

Why not take the opportunity to thank, with an email, a card or a small gift, 3 people that make a difference in your day to day life, because of their dedicated work ? Just the fact that you will stop to think about them, will make you appreciate these people that you often take for granted.

The Colleague that is always ready to support you in times of crisis
The Person from another department that contributed to the success of a Special Project
The Employee that always answers your call with a smile in her voice
The Person working at your favorite Coffee Shop
The Cafeteria Lady that works so hard
Your Provider that agreed to make an exception for you this year when you needed it
The Cleaning Crew, the Security Guard, the Bus Driver…

If your brave, I challenge you to thank the person that is not your favorite, do it even if you don’t always get along. Who knows, that could be the person that will appreciate your gesture the most!

You could extend this idea by challenging your employees to do the same exercise. Imagine an entire department acknowledging the importance of their colleague’s contribution.

Schedule some time to do this right now…Don’t just think about it!

Give me some feedback in the comments section…How did people react to your act of kindness?

Little Known Ways to Motivate your Employees

Posted on November 21, 2012 by Micheline Daoust

If you’re serious about the Performance Appraisal Process, if you really think that you can make a difference, then you have to watch this great video.

Dan Pink is giving us important Clues to understand how to motivate the people working for us (and ourselves!).

Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us

If you don’t have time to watch it, here’s the conclusion of the study: There are three factors that will motivate your employees, once they know they’re getting the appropriate salary. They do specify that this is applicable mainly for employees at a Professional Level.

The fact that they can grow, that they are still learning and improving
The fact that they understand why it’s important that they do a good job (they’re part of a bigger goal – they feel they’re contributing)
The fact that they have a certain level of autonomy, they have power over How, When and with Whom they do their job
The last one isn’t in the video, it’s from me: The fact that they have Fun doing their job!

So, on a scale of 1 to 10, what score would your Key Employees give to each factor, when trying to evaluate the appeal of their day to day job?

Will you DARE ask the question to your employees? How did you like the video? Let me know in the Comment section.

The Key to a Successful Performance Review!

Posted on November 7, 2012 by Micheline Daoust

The Performance Review is a crucial responsibility for Managers. You can accomplish so much during this one meeting. You either come out of this process gaining momentum or losing some…it’s never without consequence. Even though it’s really important to be well prepared for the meetings, there’s another element that’s even more important…

It’s your Mindset!

What are you really saying in your head when you’re thinking of having to do the Performance Reviews? Would you like to skip the entire process? Guess what? You will never be successful if you keep thinking like that!

What are your employees thinking when it’s that time of the year? Another stupid form to fill out and another inconsequential meeting with my boss. Guess what? They’ll never put the necessary effort, participate, or benefit fully from the process, if they keep thinking like that!

The Key is to do whatever it takes for you, and your employees, to get to the following Mindset:

For the Manager:

I finally get to take the time to really listen to what each employee has to say.
I will plan the necessary time in my schedule so that I can do this well; I know the time that I will be investing in doing this, will generate excellent returns.
It’s my opportunity to communicate my vision and the objectives for our department, and to make sure that each person understands how they can contribute. I want to make sure that they fully grasp how important they are to our team.
I will be able to know how each employee is really feeling about their job and, in doing so, avoiding bad surprises. I want to know if they’re happy, how I can help them progress and become more autonomous.
I will take notes of all their suggestions, their proximity to customers (complaints and problems), makes them the best people to come up with excellent ideas.
This meeting will be perfect to address the performance issues, by looking to find how, with the help of the employee’s suggestions, we can improve the outcome.
Above all, I’m really pleased to have this chance to highlight (using my creativity and the means available to me) their victories.

For the Employee:

Finally my Manager will take the time to really listen to what I have to say, and to understand how I feel.
I won’t have a complicated 10 page form to fill out for HR, because that would really make me dread the entire process.
My boss’s Expectations, for the upcoming year, will be communicated to me and I will be able to exceed them, if I chose to.
I took notes of my achievements, of the training that would help me be even more successful, and of my suggestions. Seeing my boss taking notes of my ideas will make me feel like a valued asset for the team. It will be a boost to my energy level!
This will also be my opportunity to talk about my personal development and the special projects that are of interest to me, the best way to showcase my talents.
Most of all, I can’t wait to get the feedback about all the good stuff that I did this year, when I’ll see that my hard work doesn’t go unnoticed, I’ll know to keep giving my best.

What do you have to put in place to get to that new Mindset?

How can you make the process more pleasurable for you and your employees?

Based upon their past experience, how do your employees feel about the process? What existing false beliefs do you have to undo?

When reading what your employees might be expecting from their review, how important is it for you to do this right?

Most Managers would gladly outsource this task, but I sincerely believe that we can change that, by focusing on the purpose and benefit of the Performance Review. The good news is that, if you do this well, your employees will need a lot less of your time.

How do YOU like having to do the Performance Reviews? Can you see it as an opportunity? Let me know in the comments section.