Everyone likes to be heard. There’s nothing wrong with wanting people to know your opinions, or how you feel. However, expressing yourself can be a bad thing when it begins to annoy the people around you or cause yourself personal embarrassment. Also part of being a good friend is being able to listen. If you’re worried that you might talk too much, please read this article. (more…)
The ROE Report Results: The results are in from an independently-conducted “Return on Expectations” (ROE) study recently conducted with CRM Learning customers who used the best-selling video “Working With You Is Killing Me” – and they’re over the top!
The CRM customers surveyed reported that this program met or exceeded expectations 95 percent of the time. Customers were selected from the banking, insurance, energy and consulting world and interviewed over the phone by an independent research firm. Each client was told that all answers would be anonymous and aggregated into a central database in order to ensure unbiased feedback.
About the Video Program: “Working With You Is Killing Me” is an unvarnished look at the unique challenges in working with difficult people. One survey respondent noted that the title alone was delightful, which broke the ice at the beginning of each training session and led to more meaningful and honest discussion. “They loved the title,” the client said, “it sounded like fun, and people could really resonate with it.”
Training expectations: Clients said they used the program with a range of groups of all sizes, from supervisors to entry-level employees. Two had used the program for more than six months. Several planned to use the program as part of formal leadership, management and team-building training, but others found it extremely useful for “customized interventions,” to help in specific situations where both parties needed to remain calm. Several stated they planned to use the training specifically for management of conflict resolution.
“It was simple enough,” one respondent noted, “but the video didn’t talk down to anyone. I even showed it to a group of directors, and saw some taking notes, which is saying a lot!”
One client told a very personal story of how he used “Working With You Is Killing Me” to help with a specific employee, inviting him to sit down and view the video together. “We laughed when the video talked about ‘toxic relationships’,” the client reported. “This was just what he was dealing with. He’s worked on his problem and he’s now fine.”
Other clients noted they heard the language of the program being used in situations at the office, so it’s clear that employees have internalized the training.
When asked if they would recommend the program to others, all clients responded with an emphatic yes. “I already have,” said one, “several times.”
Watch a Free Full Length Preview of Working With You is Killing Me:
http://www.crmlearning.com/working-with-you-is-killing-me
The Problem:
A financial services company with 260 employees needed leaders who knew how to get the most from their teams, especially when so many were asked to do more with fewer people.
The Solution:
Managers, supervisors and the company’s process improvement committee took to heart the mindset-shifting message in CRM’s compelling video, 5 Questions Every Leader Must Ask. The core concept? Managers don’t have all the answers, but they do need to ask the right questions to draw out peak performance from every member on their teams.
The Success Story:
Anyone who has ever managed a diverse team knows that it takes hard work to get every member to contribute, even when the chemistry is good. Many leaders at this company found 5 Questions Every Leader Must Ask to be a valuable new way to approach the philosophy of leadership, especially when so many were feeling the heavy weight of added responsibility resting on their shoulders.
Beginning with the premise that no one person is going to have all the answers – even the leader of the company – was definitely a mindset change for many of these managers and supervisors. Once that idea was established, they were able to shift their thinking to see that one of a leader’s most important responsibilities is to make others on the team think like leaders too.
On the high-performing teams that every company wants, no one is allowed to sit passively and wait for instruction or inspiration from the team leader. Instead, each member is free to take initiative himself or herself to share ideas, build consensus, and shape strategy.
The training was offered twice, once for all managers and again for the process improvement committee, which helped to impress the message upon the company’s culture.
The trainer gathered each group in a conference room to first show the video and then work through the exercises in the accompanying training manual. She took extra care to customize exercises so they reflected real-work situations that could happen, or did happen, at the company. She also passed out quick tips and cards that participants could keep to reinforce the message after the class was over.
The trainer noted that she began each session by letting participants know how much she valued their time, and acknowledging that managers have more responsibilities than ever before.
She reported that many managers thought the class was particularly valuable because it was so timely, given what was going on at the company. One supervisor, who had to take on a second team due to the retirement of another long-time manager, said she conducted her very first meeting with her now doubled team by asking “The Five Questions”. Things started out on the right foot and set a positive tone for all future meetings.
