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Our Latest Articles

Research a Company Before You Accept Their Offer.

Dorian Cunion
Sep 18, 2023
4 min read

Why are 68% of employees disengaged with their current work? One reason is a lack of alignment between their company and individual values. The other is a misalignment between people's work and their capabilities. When your values don't align with your organization, and your role does not match your capabilities, you risk being bored, frustrated, and under-utilized. The antidote for this problem is finding an organization that aligns with your values and provides challenging yet achievable work. But how do you find the right role and organization?

Before you accept the offer, take these 3 steps.

Step one: reflect on who you are, what you value, and how you can uniquely add value to the world.
Step two: research companies to understand who they are, what they do, and how they do it.
Step three: compare your capabilities and values with the organization's values and needs to identify alignment.

Taking time to research companies before you accept a job offer will provide you with better insight into

the type of organizational culture you are joining
the organization's financial health
how you will be able to add value
what it takes to be successful

These insights will allow you to select a company that fits your skills, personality, and professional goals well.

What to research:

There are several different ways to research a company. Even if you are short on time, it is wise to execute each of these research methods so that you have diverse sources of information to base your job acceptance decision on.

Methods of research:

Check the company website. Most companies have a dedicated page on their website that explains their values, history, and vision for the future. This is a good place to start your research. Remember, this is like a Tinder profile. The company is only showing you what it believes are its best features. Review information critically, but know it provides a view of the company's aspirational goals.
Read the company's social media pages. This can give you insight into how the company's marketing arm thinks and wants to be viewed by society.
Talk to current and former employees. It is helpful to get first-hand feedback on what it is like to work within the company, what is necessary to be successful, and what people like and dislike about the company. It is best to get multiple points of view. Organizations are complex and dynamic. The more perspectives you can hear, the better your assessment will be.
Read news articles and reviews about the company. This is easiest when joining a large publicly traded company, but even small or privately held companies are covered in the news. Look for news related to financial performance, new growth strategies, capital investments, and other events that can give you insight into the health of the organization and its priorities for the future.

What to look for:

When you're researching a company, look for things that are important to you. For example, if you're passionate about social justice, you might want to look for a company with a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion. Or, if you're interested in sustainability, you might want to look for a company that is working to reduce its environmental impact. Like-minded people are attracted to and tend to work better with others who think and value similar things. For this reason, seek out opportunities where you can be authentic at work.

Try to understand the growth stage the company is in. Startups tend to be dynamic and constantly evolving. Emerging companies focus on processes and growth; mature companies focus on quality and consistency; declining companies are looking to reinvent themselves. The better you understand the company's growth stage and its current needs, the better you will understand the organizational culture. Business needs and goals have much to do with leadership practices and company culture. The better you understand both, the better you will understand what it will be like to work for the company.

Benefits of researching a company before accepting an offer:

It will help you determine if you're a good fit for the company. By understanding the company's culture and values, you can decide if it's a place where you would thrive.
It will help you ask better questions in job interviews. You can use your knowledge of the company to ask questions about its culture, values, and vision. This will show the interviewer that you're genuinely interested in the company and the position and allow you to gain more information about the company.
You can prepare for onboarding into the company. No situation is 100% perfect, but the more aware you are of what you are walking into, the better you will be able to handle challenges that arise.

Summary:

Researching a company is an important step in finding the right job. You spend too much time at work, to not enjoy what you do. Your potential is unlocked when you find an organization that aligns with your values and leverages your capabilities. Life is short. Don't waste time working for organizations that are the wrong fit for you. Do your research, consider what you need and what you want, and pursue opportunities that align with your long-term goals.

Thank you for reading this blog

I am a father, husband, executive coach, and former retail executive. My coaching expertise comes from 21 years of leading operation, sales, and marketing teams. I understand what it is like to feel stuck, undervalued, and underappreciated.

I also know what it takes to invest in professional development, climb the corporate ladder, and find fulfillment at work.

Your career path is a scavenger hunt. Each opportunity prepares you for the next. Allow me the opportunity to help you clarify your path and accelerate your professional development.

Grow your career

Have Feedback Send me a note at

Email: dcunion@yourpathexecutivesolutions.com

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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.

Talk with Dorian

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Email: dcunion@yourpathexecutivesolutions.com

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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.