by Debbie Winkler

As seen in the Idaho Statesman Business Insider on 5/23/2012

There are few things more important to the success of your business than retaining good people. Good people are the talented, committed employees who are critical to your success. Increasing their productivity and satisfaction, and retaining them should be a priority.

The best managers know that employees have the right to expect answers to key questions.

1. What’s expected of me? Managers are responsible for ensuring that job descriptions are defined for each role in the company. Job descriptions should clearly identify requirements and responsibilities, and the competencies, skills, and behaviors required for successful performance. Managers and employees share responsibility for discussing and understanding responsibilities and performance expectations.

2. How am I doing? Successful managers ensure that a formal performance appraisal process is in place. They enhance the process with feedback and informal coaching. Working with employees, managers identify strengths and development areas, establish performance goals, and define action plans to achieve goals. They evaluate observable performance using a rating scale and have employees do the same (self-rating), to enable effective performance discussions.

3. How can I get better? The most powerful developmental opportunities occur on the job supported by coaching and feedback. Innovative managers identify new ways to build employee skills and knowledge on the job and they challenge employees to do the same. They ensure people have the diversity of experience needed to be successful in their roles. They know that supplementing job experience with tools and training can be highly beneficial in the right situations and they take responsibility for ensuring they are available when needed.

4. How can I expand my opportunities? One of the most powerful motivators for employees is the opportunity to work on challenging assignments that stretch capabilities. Look at your employees. If you see talented people not being challenged by current assignments, look for ways to provide the resources and experiences that will allow them to grow into more challenging work. Then assign it to them. Put them in charge of a new program, have an employee represent you at a meeting to give a presentation on findings or results, assign them to a project that creates exposure in a new area or with a higher-level manager. Employees should also ask for stretch assignments.

5. How does my work performance support business goals? Managers should ensure that the goals and values of the organization are understood by all employees. Employee performance appraisals should include the achievement of business goals with work performance. Managers and employees should work together to define goals and create development plans that lead to achieving business goals.

6. How will my performance be recognized and rewarded? Successful managers create and communicate a culture of recognition and reward that reinforces the right behaviors and results. They understand the importance of aligning rewards with the personal motivations of their people and they use diverse ways to recognize and reward performance, including special awards linked to specific accomplishments, customized gifts, recognition events, peer and customer recognition programs, job promotions, high profile role opportunities, merit increases, and financial incentives.

DEBBIE WINKLER Consultant, Idaho Business Development Center

debbiewinkler@boisestate.edu

Keep America Beautiful” was the 1960s slogan to help the environment and to teach some drivers not to throw their trash out of cars. It is one of the many slogans associated with the environmental movement, such as “Keep Your Forests Green” as seen on the Lucky Peak Dam.

Slogans have limited effectiveness, not only for the environmental movement but for businesses. In a book entitled “Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive” by Noah Goldstein, Steve Martin and Robert Cialdini, the authors say more effective ways of persuasion may be available.

For example, a typical hotel may tell hotel guests to recycle towels to be environmentally conscious. The authors found that if guests learn that a majority of hotel guests reuse their towels, the number who actually reuse towels rises much above industry norms. The herd mentality seems to be more powerful than environmental consciousness for the hotel guests.

Another research-based method to gain persuasive influence would be like Neil Armstrong’s moon-walking statement “one small step — one giant leap.” Start with one small commitment from a customer or volunteer. Perhaps a 10-minute survey. Perhaps a volunteer to plant tomatoes. When that customer or volunteer is successful, he or she can commit to something bigger such as an Arbor Day Plant-A-Thon.

Another research-based method to persuade is to gain written volunteer commitments from customers or volunteers. Passive commitments such as “I’ll help with the cleanup project” will often lead to no-shows. More formal written agreements with specific dates and goals can lead to much greater compliance.

Once you have the volunteers and customers there, commonality of experience and connection are important. Social scientists have found that people with anything in common such as the same name, same birthday or same interests tend to have positive feelings toward one another. So focus on the commonality once there is a connection.

There are plenty of opportunities to make a connection with folks to obtain volunteers or customers. Gather all the Daves in town for a 30 percent discount on pizza. Sponsor a March 15 tree for all those born on March 15. Gather folks who own Volkswagen Beetles, have interest in scrapbooking, own Barry Manilow CDs, are parents of twins, and are not fans of pet rocks (remember them?). It doesn’t take much to get an initial connection.

To make a connection with Boiseans and Idahoans, mingle with the natives but do your research, too. Check out publications on the Web from the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce and the Idaho Department of Commerce. The Idaho Statesman that has a list every year of what Boiseans like the most (Best of Treasure Valley, an annual edition of Scene magazine).

In summary, part of persuasion is to get others to think that there are many people wanting your product. To get them involved, you might want to start slowly and work your way up. You may want to sign a formal agreement that includes specific goals. Once you have your customer, a connection with some kind of commonality is important to have.

GUNDARS KAUPINS Professor in the management department at Boise State University’s College of Business and Economics

gkaupins@boisestate.edu

Banking isn’t nearly as entertaining as it used to be. At least it doesn’t seem so from my viewpoint as I look out at the Boise River from my office at the university. Over the years it has evolved into an extremely competitive industry and, more than ever, bankers have to make sure they are following the rules, playing fair, working hard and using some common sense.

It was in the summer of 1980 when I made the long elevator ride to the 60th floor of 1 Chase Manhattan Plaza, just one block north of Wall Street in downtown New York.

As one of the freshest employees of the largest bank in the United States, I was a little anxious and wasn’t sure what to expect at the new-banker orientation meeting. As the elevator doors opened, I was relieved as the elderly gentleman shook my hand, put an arm around my shoulder and said, “Welcome to the Chase, son.” He had a mischievous smile and a bit of a twinkle in his eye. He reminded me of Grandpa back home in Utah, except for the really nice suit instead of the overalls. Then he introduced himself.

“I’m David Rockefeller. Would you like some meatballs and shrimp?” That’s pretty much where my entertaining career in international finance and economics started.

I say “entertaining,” but I don’t mean easy or relaxed — like the time the New York police hauled my “secretary” out of the bank in handcuffs because she had informed me quietly that she was going to shoot me. She even specified the caliber as .357 magnum. But nowadays, from talking with my banker friends here in Idaho, it seems that almost no banker is having that much fun anymore.

Banking has become hard work, worrisome, too — especially if you’re a bank that is SETDF, which is the opposite of TBTF (“Small Enough To Definitely Fail” vs. “Too Big To Fail”).

I looked up the numbers on what President Bush used to call “the Google” and found that between 2000 and 2007, 11 banks had failed in the United States. In 2008, 25 failed and in 2009, 140 more. The peak year was 2010, when 157 banks finally paid the consequences of ignoring the basic principles of business ethics and common sense:

• Play hard but play fair.

• Obey laws and regulations.

• Keep your promises.

• Apologize soon when you are wrong.

• And above all: Use your common sense.

Fortunately, here in Idaho, our bankers and other business people follow these rules for the most part. As hundreds of community, regional and even money-center banks all around us were closing indefinitely or being scooped up by healthier institutions, only one Idaho bank had to close its doors.

Banking has changed since that day I met David Rockefeller at 1 Chase Manhattan Plaza in New York. In fact, our country and economic system have changed dramatically.

Actually, the world has changed, which is requiring all of us, including our bankers, to work harder, smarter and get more done with fewer resources. But what has not changed is the need for fair play, keeping promises, giving service, building our communities, earning our way, apologizing when we’re wrong and, above all, using our common sense.

LEON MAYNARD President of the Idaho Council on Economic Education headquartered at Boise State University

leonmaynard@boisestate.edu