Monthly Archives: July 2019

employee collaboration

Shared Interests are Key to Employee Collaboration

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I am on vacation travelling through Newfoundland and camping in different campgrounds throughout the province. I’m seeing how easy it is to greet and meet people because of common interests. Campers have a love of nature and the outdoors, so it is easy to strike up a conversation.


The connection with fellow campers goes deeper as you meet people who share specific interests such as hiking and other outdoor sports and activities. We even exchanged contact information with some people we met.


I find that because we share these interests it is natural to want to be friendly and help each other with information and problem solving.


The same is true in the workplace. When employees share a passion for the work they are doing they are more inclined to collaborate. They don’t need to be told to do this or have training on team collaboration. Of course team training skills is useful to prevent conflicts and also for teams to become autonomous.


So it is highly important to pay close attention to people’s interests when hiring. Make sure their top interests are aligned with the key tasks of the job.


We use the Profile XT Select assessment to help our clients hire the right person for the job. It measures people’s interests in six areas, enterprising, people, technical, creative, financial/administrative and mechanical. It also measures thinking style and behaviour making it a total person assessment. Matching these interests to a performance model for the job shows you how well the candidate fits the role.


Paying greater attention to interest if people when hiring will drive teamwork and collaboration.


engage employees

Using Storytelling to Attract & Engage Employees

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Storytelling can be a powerful tool to engage employees and customers. Great companies have great stories that have attracted employees and made customers loyal to their brands. Apple is a great example of one such company.     


As I travel through Newfoundland Canada while on vacation I come across many opportunities to hear stories about the culture and history of Newfoundland. At one event I attended which combines stories and music I realized how powerful of a medium storytelling is for companies as well.As I travel through Newfoundland Canada while on vacation I come across many opportunities to hear stories about the culture and history of Newfoundland. At one event I attended which combined stories and music I realized how powerful of a medium storytelling is for companies as well.


Stories can transform a job or a product to something that has more meaning and purpose and every company has a story behind it. Leaders of companies need to think about how they can use storytelling as part of their appeal to both employees and customers.


constructive criticism

The Power of Constructive Criticism

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Constructive criticism can be a powerful tool for employee training and development. People need to know what they need to do to improve. It will make them better at performing their job and improve organizational performance.


However, negative feedback is delivered too frequently and often poorly. As well, positive feedback is not given often enough and can be done better.


Outcome Focus

When pointing out what the employee did not do to meet expectations, rather than focusing on the negative, point out what the goal or expectation is.


For example, if someone prepared a PowerPoint presentation that lacked creativity in the design elements rather than say that the PowerPoint looks old fashioned, say I’d like to see something more modern with contemporary colors. This gets the point across but is more positive and constructive.


Clarify Expectations

Setting agreements up-front on deliverables in terms of timing and quality can be helpful to avoid requiring delivering negative feedback. But this is not always possible for every situation.


Knowing and understanding each person can also help you to adjust your communication style. Sensitive people may need a gentler approach.


Being negative too often can affect someone’s attitude and motivation for the job and cause them to feel dissatisfied with the work climate. If it becomes too impactful, they may decide to look for another job.


As always, I recommend balancing the amount of positive feedback and constructive criticism. People need to know when they are performing well and meeting or exceeding expectations.