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Our Latest Articles

How to Take a Stress-Free Vacation.

Dorian Cunion
Jul 17, 2023
3 min read

What would happen if you had to be away from your business for a month? This is a question that every business leader should ask themselves. As a business consultant, I use this question to help business owners understand the quality of processes, procedures, and infrastructure that they have in place. When there are gaps in their infrastructure, I work with them on

Establish redundancy in key tasks.

Ensure processes and procedures are written.

Delegate before your need to.

Reinforce a culture of accountability.

The importance of infrastructure

When an organization relies heavily on its leader to drive day-to-day activity, any interruption in the leader’s ability to work and provide direction has the potential to derail execution. I remember working with a business owner that resisted developing employees until he was in a car accident that left him unable to walk for 3 months.

Fortunately for the business owner, he was part of a franchise system. The Franchisor provided him with additional support to keep his business running until employees in the store could be trained sufficiently to run the store. I always remember thinking that this business owner would have likely lost everything had he not been part of a system that was able to support him in his time of need.

Most independent business owners do not have the luxury of having external business partners that can help them during times of need. For this reason, it is immensely important for small business owners to build enough infrastructure within their businesses to continue running, with or without them.

Establish redundancy in key tasks.

The first step to improving the infrastructure of your business is to ensure that each task within your organization has more than one person that can complete the task. By training more than one person to do tasks like payroll, ordering items, making deposits, and other mission-critical tasks, the business can continue to prosper if the manager or owner is on vacation.

Ensure processes and procedures are written.

The second step is to define the processes and procedures essential for your business's effective operation.

When employees are trained properly and understand why and when tasks need to be completed, they are more likely to complete tasks unprompted. The time you take to define how and when tasks are to be completed will help to establish habits and routines that will keep your organization moving like clockwork even when you are not present.

Delegate before your need to.

Step three is to develop the competency of your team through delegation and feedback. In anticipation of the need for your to have time off, it is imperative that you give your employees the opportunity to develop new skills. People learn best by doing, and you can build the competency of your team by allowing them to take on increasingly complex tasks and providing them with feedback to help them grow.

Reinforce a culture of accountability.

Step four requires you to invest time in ensuring you have the right people on the team and that they are bought into your mission. When your employees work inside your business as if they owned it, they are more likely to step up when needed. This starts with hiring people based on character and potential, investing in their development, making them feel valued, and holding them to high standards. When you can influence your employees to hold themselves accountable, it reduces the need for supervision and management.

Summary

You work hard so that you can enjoy the fruits of your labor. Prioritizing infrastructure development opens up the opportunity for your to take time off of work without having to worry if the important tasks are being completed. Investing time in

Establishing task redundancy
Ensuring processes are written
Delegating before your need to
Reinforcing a culture of accountability

allows you to take time off without having to stress about your business. It also provides an extra layer of protection against the uncertainty that life brings us all.

Thank you for reading this blog

Dorian Cunion is an Executive Coach and Business Consultant with Your Path Coaching and Consulting. He is a former retail executive with over 20 years of experience in the retail industry. He is a Co-Active coach who focuses on helping professionals, and small business owners overcome insecurities, knowledge gaps, and lack of direction. He does this by assisting clients to tap into their values, recognize their strengths, and develop actionable strategies for growth.

Have you been trying to improve your career or business on your own but are not seeing success as fast as you desire?

Book a free discovery call to discuss your goals and how I can help you accelerate.

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Investing in Employees: Why and How to do it.

Dorian Cunion
Jul 10, 2023
5 min read

Updated: Jul 11, 2023

How often do you say, “I am the only person that can do this.”? It is a common thought of many small business owners and managers. I hear a bit of pain and exasperation whenever leaders say those words. You know your business would be better served with more infrastructure and better-trained employees. Still, the gravitational pull of day-to-day activities prevents you from dedicating the time needed to train your employees properly.

Black female sitting at desk with Asian man

Why are you not investing in your employees?

It is important to acknowledge why you need to make time to train employees properly. You may believe it is better to do things yourself or that you do not have enough time in your schedule to train employees. This is short-term thinking and limits your growth. It is critical to assess how you are currently spending your time and identify tasks that you can defer or eliminate to allocate time for training and developing your employees.

Benefits of investing in your employees

Carla A. Harris’s book Lead to Win cites that taking the time to understand your team’s developmental needs and designing opportunities and projects that allow them to learn and develop expertise is vital to driving employee engagement and motivation. You want highly productive and loyal employees. To get this, you must invest in their development.

Better performance: Properly training employees will equip them with the skills and knowledge they need to do their jobs well. This leads to higher productivity, quality, and customer satisfaction.
Happier employees: Investing in your employees shows them you care about their growth and development. This boosts their morale, motivation, and loyalty. They also feel more valued and respected, which reduces stress and conflict.
Improved comfort delegating: The more confidence you have in your employees’ abilities, the easier it will be for you to delegate tasks to them. This will free up your time and energy so you can be more strategic and focus on the things you do best. You also empower them to take more ownership and responsibility for their work.
Better employee retention: When your employees know that you care about their development and provide them with growth opportunities, you are more likely to be loyal to your organization. All employees want to be valued, and there are few better ways to show someone you value them than helping them pursue their professional goals.

How to train your employees

Now that you know why investing in your employees is important, let's consider how to do it effectively. In Morey Stettner’s book Skills for New Managers, he highlights the importance of delegating assignments to employees in the right way. He emphasizes that it is essential for managers to outline tasks, communicate why they are important, provide room for employees to ask questions, and provide ongoing support.

Here are some steps to ensure you are putting in sufficient pre-work before delegating takes to employees.

Tell them what you want to be done: Before you start training your employees, make sure they understand what the goal of the training is, what the expected outcomes are, and how they will be evaluated. This will help them focus on the right things and avoid confusion or frustration.
Show them how to do it: Once you have explained what you want done, demonstrate how to do it yourself or use an expert or a peer. Use clear instructions, examples, and feedback to guide them. Ensure they can see and understand the critical aspects of completing the task.
Let them do it: After showing them how to do it, give them a chance to practice independently or with a partner. Observe them closely and provide constructive feedback and encouragement. Correct any mistakes or misunderstandings as soon as possible.
Have them teach others: The final step of training your employees is to have them teach others what they have learned. This will help them reinforce their learning, identify gaps or errors, and boost their confidence and communication skills.

Supporting Employees During Learning Process

You will find that some people you work with need to gain skills in taking instruction and retaining information provided during training. As the teacher, you can increase the likelihood of your lessons being retained by influencing your employees to:

Take notes: Taking notes can help your employees remember what they have learned better and refer to it later. Please encourage them to write down the training session's key points, steps, tips, and questions. If you still need training material on the topic you are coaching on, give the employee the responsibility of creating a training document to train future employees.
Brief back what they have learned at each step: Briefing back is a technique where you ask your employees to summarize or repeat what they have learned. This will help you check their understanding, clarify questions or misconceptions, and reinforce their retention.
Encourage them to ask questions along the way: Asking questions is a sign of curiosity and engagement. Encourage your employees to ask questions whenever they are unsure or confused about something during the training session. This will help them learn more effectively and avoid mistakes or misunderstandings later.
Commitment to executing tasks at a high level: At the end of the training session, ask your employees what commitments they are willing to make around the task. The act of giving their word can reinforce the importance of the tasks they are being assigned.

Summary

Developing people can be one of the most rewarding parts of your work. You benefit from watching someone build new skills, gain confidence, and establish new competency. You free up your time, energy, and mindshare to complete other tasks. And you build value for your organization by generating a better return on everyone’s time. Prioritizing people’s development can be challenging but worth the effort. I challenge you to identify one task you can delegate to an employee this week. Identify an employee that has potential, allocate time to train them, and see what happens. My guess is that you will enjoy the benefits of seeing your employees grow while also creating space for yourself to lead at a higher level.

Thank you for reading this blog

Have you been trying to improve your career or business on your own but are not seeing success as fast as you desire?

Book a free discovery call to discuss your goals and how I can help you accelerate.

Talk with Dorian

Have Feedback Send me a note at

Email: dcunion@yourpathexecutivesolutions.com

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6 Steps to Handling Difficult Performance Discussion

Your Path Counseling Center
Jul 4, 2023
4 min read

Updated: Jul 5, 2023

I am so sick and tired of dealing with this employee. If you are a manager, you have likely expressed some version of this thought before. When I talk with small business owners, they frequently state that managing people is the most challenging part of their job. Finding the balance between being empathic and getting things done is the goal, but it tends to be elusive.

This is especially the case when managing people is one of many roles you must play within your organization. If you have been struggling to figure out how to start a difficult performance discussion with an employee, this article will provide you with six steps that will help you to address performance issues while still maintaining a good relationship with your employee.

6-Step Process to Performance Discussions

Check for understanding of the task
Discuss the difference between expectations and performance
Ask what support is needed
Verify expectations are realistic
Request commitment from the employee
Establish a follow-up plan

By following these steps, you can have productive and constructive performance discussions that lead to positive outcomes for your employees and your organization.

Step 1: Check for understanding of the task

When you start the performance discussion, make sure that you and your employee have a clear and shared understanding of the task or project that the employee is struggling with. You can do this by asking open-ended questions, such as:

- What was the goal of this task/project?

- What were the main deliverables and deadlines?

- How did you approach this task/project?

- What challenges did you face?

By checking for understanding of the task, you can avoid misunderstandings, clarify expectations, and identify any gaps in knowledge or skills that may have affected the performance.

Step 2: Discuss the difference between expectations and performance.

The next step is to discuss the difference between your expectations and the actual performance of your employee. You can do this by providing specific, factual, and objective feedback, such as:

- I expected you to complete this task/project by this date, but you missed the deadline by two weeks.

- I expected you to produce high-quality work that meets the standards of our organization, but I found several things that needed to be corrected in your work.

- I expected you to communicate effectively with your team members and stakeholders, but I received complaints that you could have been more responsive and friendly.

By discussing the difference between expectations and performance, you can help your employee understand where they fell short, how their performance impacted the team and the organization, and what they need to do differently.

Step 3: Ask what support they need.

After discussing the performance gap, it is important to ask your employees what support they need from you or others to improve their performance. You can do this by asking open-ended questions, such as:

- What challenges or barriers did you face while working on this task/project?

- What resources or tools do you need to perform better?

- How can I support you in achieving your goals?

By asking what support they need, you can show your employee that you care about their success, are willing to help them overcome their difficulties, and are open to their feedback and suggestions.

Step 4: Verify expectations are realistic.

As you discuss the support and actions needed for improvement, you should verify expectations are realistic and attainable. You can do this by asking the employee

-Based on this conversation, what is realistic for you to accomplish?

-If you were in charge, what would you set as the expectation?

-Is there any reason you would be unable to meet this goal?

By asking these questions, you will better understand the employee’s belief in being able to complete the task at hand. With this information, determine if the expectations are realistic, and if not, adjust so the goal is achievable.

Step 5: Request commitment from the employee.

The next step is to request a commitment from your employee to improve their performance and meet your expectations. You can do this by asking them to set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals for themselves, such as:

- I will complete this task/project by this date.

- I will improve my work quality by following these standards and guidelines.

- I will communicate more effectively with my team members and stakeholders by using these methods and channels.

By requesting commitment from your employee, you can help them take ownership of their performance, motivate them to act, and hold them accountable for their results.

Step 6: Establish a follow-up plan.

The final step is establishing a follow-up plan with your employee to monitor their progress and provide ongoing feedback and support. You can do this by scheduling regular check-ins, reviews, or meetings with them, such as:

- Let's meet weekly to discuss your status and challenges on this task/project.

- Let's review your work quality and feedback monthly to see how you improve.

- Let's meet quarterly to evaluate your performance and goals.

By establishing a follow-up plan, you can ensure that your employee stays on track, receives timely and constructive feedback, and gets the support they need to succeed.

Summary

In summary, having difficult performance discussions with your employees can be daunting, but it can also be an opportunity to help them grow and improve. By following these six steps, you can have effective and respectful performance discussions that lead to positive outcomes for your employees and your organization:

- Check for understanding of the task

- Discuss the difference between expectations and performance

- Ask what support they need

- Verify expectations are realistic

- Request commitment from the employee

- Establish a follow-up plan