2021 Forbes Expert Quotes Recap
The year is moving quickly…below are of my expert tips given to Forbes in the first part of 2021. I love contributing to the “Ask the Experts” Forbes Articles via the Forbes Coaches Council. The following provides a recap of my quotes and a link to the full articles.
Enjoy! Culture Matters – how will you make an impact as a Courageous Leader in your workplace culture today?
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12 Tips For Developing Next-Gen Leaders As Baby Boomers Retire
Plan For Succession
Succession planning at all levels is a must. What are you looking for now in your leaders? What will be missed when they are gone? Consider strengths, gaps and your workforce needs of the future. Then create your internal company university to grow and groom your team for the future. It must all circle around the succession philosophy of your culture. If you can’t answer what that is, start there. – Shelley Smith, Premier Rapport
14 Ways For Founders To Let Their Customers Know They Care
View Every Interaction As An Opportunity
Train your staff so they understand that showing customers you care is your (and their) number one purpose in all of your day-to-day actions. The more you call it out, reward and recognize it, the better. Every interaction with your employees is an opportunity to live that purpose and drill it home for them, and thus, for your customers. Keep it simple, walk the talk and make it all come alive. – Shelley Smith, Premier Rapport
14 Commonly Overlooked Methods For Increasing Business Profits
Address The Cause Of Turnover
Turnover is often talked about, but the cause of it is not often addressed. Payroll is your biggest expense, and many times, it just takes a few tweaks to a systematic process or tool to make better business decisions and hire right. Turnover is the sound of your profits leaking out. Addressing it will immediately increase profits and top-line sales. – Shelley Smith, Premier Rapport
Blind Trust Or Micromanagement? 14 Ways For New Managers To Strike A Balance
Set Clear Expectations
What does success look like? How will you know you are there? The manager needs to understand the team’s behavioral hardwiring to know how much or how little they need to get involved with check-ins, details and timelines. Once you get clarity on both points, focus on accountability and your approach will be clear. – Shelley Smith, Premier Rapport
11 Ways Companies Can Excel Ethically At Every Level
Define What ‘Excelling At Ethics’ Means
First, define what “excelling at ethics” means. Set the boundaries around what “right” looks like, feels like and sounds like. What will we be doing, saying and hearing when we are excelling at ethics both internally and externally? The clearer you are up front and the more you document your culture playbook around ethics, the easier you can spot when something is right or goes off the rails. – Shelley Smith, Premier Rapport
How To Improve A Company Culture Without Overhauling It: 13 Key Steps
Create A Culture Playbook
You must define clearly what “right” looks like, feels like and sounds like on a daily basis. Keeping it simple and actionable is key. Creating a culture playbook makes your values come alive and keeps the guardrails up around how “we” do things around here. From there, everyone protects your environment, not just leadership. – Shelley Smith, Premier Rapport
How To Attract Better Talent: 14 Useful Tips For Startup Founders
Know Your Gaps And Blind Spots
Understand your own strengths and what you are personally missing that you will need to move forward. Depending on the role you are trying to fill, it will depend on how you form the job ad to attract the right candidate. Complete a job profile to further define the characteristic needs of the job, then match these to the behavioral needs of the candidate. Know your gaps and blind spots to move the business forward. – Shelley Smith, Premier Rapport
How To Improve A Company Culture Without Overhauling It: 13 Key Steps
Create A Culture Playbook
You must define clearly what “right” looks like, feels like and sounds like on a daily basis. Keeping it simple and actionable is key. Creating a culture playbook makes your values come alive and keeps the guardrails up around how “we” do things around here. From there, everyone protects your environment, not just leadership. – Shelley Smith, Premier Rapport
Understand The Team’s Behavioral Hardwiring
Understanding the strategies, the behavioral hardwiring of a team, allows you to assess fit and see the blind spots you need to fill from a team perspective. From there, you can focus on attracting new team members and intentionally developing those you have around your values, your goals and your strategies. If not, then you are climbing a mountain with no clue of what is on the other side. – Shelley Smith, Premier Rapport
How To Avoid Becoming A Micromanager: 13 Actionable Tips
Build Rapport With Individuals First
First, build rapport with your new team members individually. Set expectations of success right up front. Ask them what is currently working and not working, and gather their input and communication styles. Tell them what you need to know, when and at what frequency to best support them, stay in the loop and achieve the organizational goals. Keep it simple, be clear and remain consistent with your communication. – Shelley Smith, Premier Rapport
12 Ways Brands Can Appeal To Generation Z’s Deep Convictions
Take Consistent Action
Companies can’t stand on words and policies alone, but rather, on action. If you are asked by an applicant where the focus on diversity, equity and inclusion resides in your company, be ready to cite specifically what your company believes, says and does, as well as the results you are getting. Words don’t matter. Action—consistent action—does. – Shelley Smith, Premier Rapport
Take Consistent Action
Companies can’t stand on words and policies alone, but rather, on action. If you are asked by an applicant where the focus on diversity, equity and inclusion resides in your company, be ready to cite specifically what your company believes, says and does, as well as the results you are getting. Words don’t matter. Action—consistent action—does. – Shelley Smith, Premier Rapport
Balancing Criticism And Praise: 13 Tips For Company Leaders
Consistently Strive To Be Firm And Fair
As a leader, you should consistently strive to be known for being firm and fair. This means your team can count on you to always give feedback that includes what went right, specifically, and where they can continue to level up, specifically. It’s not a sandwich of good and bad, but rather, reinforced feedback to continue and/or adjust as necessary. – Shelley Smith, Premier Rapport
11 Techniques To Overcome Impostor Syndrome At Work
Unpack The Reasons Why
As a coach, you should ask why they feel that way. Help them unpack it, get out of their head, build their confidence and repair those self-identified blind spots. Clearly define what the opposite feeling of being an impostor is. Help them get there by doing a cost-benefit analysis of the mind shift to facilitate the change in perception. – Shelley Smith, Premier Rapport
10 Ways To Turn Mediocre Customer Service Into A Five-Star Experience
Analyze And Find The Gaps
Stop and think about where you are now with service. Where do gaps exist between expectations, training and each team member’s hardwiring? First, you need to analyze; then, you can move into bolstering your team’s strengths and address the blind spots between expectations and results. Are your team members being compliant with their customer service, or are they committed to providing a five-star experience? – Shelley Smith, Premier Rapport
12 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Build Mental And Emotional Resilience
Think Through What Can Go Wrong
Think through what can and will go wrong with each strategy. Ask yourself what might be on the other side of the mountain once you reach the top. If you don’t prepare, then you can’t always adjust. This builds resilience in you and your team. – Shelley Smith, Premier Rapport
10 Ways To Turn Mediocre Customer Service Into A Five-Star Experience
Analyze And Find The Gaps
Stop and think about where you are now with service. Where do gaps exist between expectations, training and each team member’s hardwiring? First, you need to analyze; then, you can move into bolstering your team’s strengths and address the blind spots between expectations and results. Are your team members being compliant with their customer service, or are they committed to providing a five-star experience? – Shelley Smith, Premier Rapport
11 Smart Ways For CEOs To Handle Reports Of Bullying
Engage HR Or Outside Help
You’ve been put on notice and must investigate. If you don’t feel as if you can approach the investigation in an unbiased way, engage your HR manager or an outside professional consultant to assist. Once the investigation is complete, then report the findings and or appropriate actions to those involved. At each step, confidentiality and nondisclosure are paramount, as is a no-retaliation policy. – Shelley Smith, Premier Rapport
14 Ways Leaders Can Rebuild Trust Among Siloed Team Members
Analyze And Understand Team Dynamics
You need a better understanding of the team’s dynamics, beginning with the individual behavioral hardwiring of each team member. Then, compare the summation of the team as a whole to its strategic focus and, finally, to teams that are counterparts. All of this can be achieved in less than two hours. It opens up and uncovers strengths, gaps, misunderstandings and unity at the core, deepening the foundations of trust. – Shelley Smith, Premier Rapport
Torn Between Working On Or In The Business? 11 Ways To Strike A Balance
Separate Visionary And Implementer Roles
Understand and separate the visionary role from the implementer role. If you go deeper on one versus the other, you risk moving too fast and nothing sticking or moving too slow and getting passed up by the competition. – Shelley Smith, Premier Rapport
11 Factors Entrepreneurs Should Consider Before Pursuing Change
Market Conditions And Research
Marketers should always consider market conditions and research when deciding if they should pursue innovation. If you don’t see a problem to fix, then you can’t create your blue ocean. Getting on top takes risk and innovation. Find something not being addressed and address it. Take the lead—after all, you are an entrepreneur. – Shelley Smith, Premier Rapport
Nine Ways To Encourage Employees Who Hesitate To Ask For Help
Set The Tone Up Front With Them
Set the tone up front with employees around asking for help. Does your company culture encourage this, and can people see it in action? Can you give them examples of how “we” help one another around here? Then, when you check in on them, be deliberate and specific about how things are going and what they need from you. Don’t get vague, or they won’t ask. – Shelley Smith, Premier Rapport
12 Signs Your Client Isn’t Ready for Coaching
Unwillingness To Pivot
First, they must be self-aware but secondly, they must be willing to pivot to others’ needs and motivations. Five-star leaders are open to feedback and understand 100% it isn’t about them but about others. Bottom line: You are coachable when you not only see yourself in the mirror, own your strengths, but remain open, willing to pivot for the greater good. They have to be ready to lean in. – Shelley Smith, Premier Rapport
14 Things Business Owners Wish They Knew Before Getting Started
Keep It Simple
Don’t overcomplicate your processes, systems or marketing. Above all, stay true to who you are—your voice. When you overcomplicate your processes, you slow down your own innovation, decision making and ability to go to market. Build on simplicity, not on complication. – Shelley Smith, Premier Rapport