Gut + Science

  Truth You Can Act On: Take a 360 degree approach. Cross departmental integration and collaboration from every angle of employee and customer experience. Take time to think about this. How are you doing? Are you marketing to employees (and prospective employees) with the same creativity you use to gain customers? If not, reflect on ways to improve. Ask for feedback. Employee feedback is crucial....

Truth You Can Act On: Turnover is OK. Are you scared of turnover? It's become a big evil word in today's workplace. But in reality, it's ok. In fact, it can be good for your organization. If someone's not feeling their job anymore—if it has become a "necessary evil" and no longer aligns with their goals and dreams—it's better (for both the employee and your organization) to encourage that person t...

Truth You Can Act On: Understand what makes a good mentor.   Think back to a mentor who has truly impacted your career and life journey. All of us probably have a certain name, or multiple names, in mind. It's easy to go into full-on coaching mode, but listening is huge when it comes to mentoring. Connecting with people and being available to your mentees is also important - it won't cut it to mee...

Truth You Can Act On: Redefine HR leaders. Your HR leaders must be strategic thinkers. Not only that, but they also need to be involved and aligned with C-Suite decision-making processes. Gone are the days of HR working quietly on administrative tasks in the background. If you want to recruit top talent, HR leaders cannot continue as mere service providers. They must become functional experts. Dev...

Truth You Can Act On: Know people's motivation: We can't treat all of our people the same. Everyone's motivated in different ways and we have to know what's there why. We have to spend time listening and understanding how your employees are motivated. Employees first: Customer service should be a top priority but it can't take precedence over your employees. When you help your employees win they'l...

Truth You Can Act On: Know people's motivation: We can't treat all of our people the same. Everyone's motivated in different ways and we have to know what's there why. We have to spend time listening and understanding how your employees are motivated. Employees first: Customer service should be a top priority but it can't take precedence over your employees. When you help your employees win they'l...

Truth You Can Act On: Feel your culture. How? Clarity and consistency in messaging, a clear construct for leaders of all levels to make good decisions, and storytelling. Tell stories that reinforce the culture you're trying to build. Build a healthy workplace. How? No matter the size of the organization, the steps are the same: Identify your goals, clearly communicate those goals, and empower and...

Truth You Can Act On: Hire for attitude and beliefs. Don't hire based on competency. Skills can be trained. Beliefs—not so much. What attitude are you looking for and what kind of mindset do you need in your people? Are you clear on that? Make sure you and your team know this before your next hire. Unlock discretionary energy. There are satisfied employees, engaged employees, and then there are em...

Truth You Can Act On: Put it on the calendar. Having regular, uninterrupted one-on-one meetings is a free and effective way to build relationships with your team members. For best results, schedule your meetings on a recurring basis. This could be weekly or bi-monthly; the key is consistency on the calendar. Have an agenda. Make sure your one-to-one meetings always have a structure. A good one to...

Truth You Can Act On: Have a culture class. Teach all employees about the culture and the vision of your organization. Clarify what the company is looking for in its employees, how they should behave, and how to work and operate as a collective whole towards the culture you're striving for. Create a culture of excellence. This can be achieved through internal training and development of your peopl...

Truth You Can Act On: Reward your employees. Create an employee of the month program that ties into your vision and values. Make sure that your rewards are awesome. Use Borshoff as an example, who gives premier garage parking to the winner of the "Awesome Borshoffer of the Month" award. Optimize your workspace. When redesigning your space, do research by asking your employees key questions to unde...

Truth You Can Act On: Eliminate silos. Shift from working in silos, or individual parts, to working as a whole organization. Silos create competition, egos, and bureaucracy. Instead, think of your organization as if it were a human body. It has different specialized parts, but it works as a whole. It must always be coordinated, connected, and in harmony. Teach servanthood. Spend time teaching and...

Truth You Can Act On: Hire the right people. The key to hiring is to focus on selecting individuals with strong character, attitude, and aptitude. These traits are hard, if not impossible, to teach. Technical skills, on the other hand, can easily be trained. Track goals and progress. Create accountability by implementing a system to break down objectives into measurable steps. In Steve's system, e...

  Truth You Can Act On: Be aware. Self-awareness is key; it's the foundation of emotional intelligence. So individuals, focus on learning and getting better at awareness. And leaders, bring teaching to the table to foster this ability to be more self-aware. Emotional intelligence training is something I can't recommend enough. Maintain Balance. Make sure you're taking enough time off work. Take ad...

  Truth You Can Act On: Take daily 5 minute breaks for reflection. As a leader, focus on what you DO to show your gratitude and appreciation of those around you. To build a culture of gratitude , remember, it's all the little things that leadership does to influence the rest of the tribe to smile more, bring positivity and kindness as a norm. Full Shownotes: https://gutplusscience.com/ thanksgivin...

Truth You Can Act On: Healthy Accountability. Too often we think of accountability as a negative term. Holding your team accountable doesn't mean they're in 'trouble'. Instead, it should be viewed as an opportunity to achieve goals together. So when you think of accountability, first think of buy-in. What are the things that need to happen in order for us to achieve your goals? Once that's answere...

Truth You Can Act On: Focus on humanizing your communication . Don't forget it's not what you say, it's how you say it. I encourage you to think through how you're communicating as a whole whether it's general communications or the more touchy subjects that obviously need more intimate communication around them. Really focusing on how big communication is and how it can impact your organization. A...

Truth You Can Act On: Remember What It's Like to be a New Face: Put yourself in the shoes of your new hires. Imagine what their first days are like. Who is everybody? Who can they go to with questions? Where is everything located? Your job is to provide a clear roadmap to make the transition as painless as possible. Don't make them figure everything out by themselves. Start the Onboarding Process...

Truth You Can Act On: Inspire employees to connect and build relationships. Provide opportunities for growth starting immediately after an employees hire date. Ensure all employees at every level are involved in work bigger than themselves. Leaders can't care for people they don't know. Build deep relationships and get to know your people Develop individual strategic plans with each employee you l...

Truth You Can Act On: Treat Employees Like Owners: Perception is reality, right? So be transparent and share yourself and what's under the hood with your employees. This builds trust, which directly correlates to engagement. Educate: Knowledge is power, so taking the time to educate your people on the front end will save a lot of time on the back end. Plus, you will see employees taking more owner...

Truth You Can Act On: Make a Diagnosis: Diagnose why people stay and why they leave. It's important to have data to help truly understand the reality in your organization and stop relying on guesswork. There are so many different tools out there to help you gain that data and understanding. Beef Up Your HR Team: Don't skimp on your HR team. Also, make sure they have a seat at the executive table....

Truth You Can Act On: Drive Connection to Your Brand: Help your employees see the impact of the work you do and how you serve your customers. This can be done by sharing stories or, better yet, helping them actually go out into the world and experience the product or service you're offering. Create a Vision Slogan: Develop your own version of "Awesome Places Awesome Props". The best way to do this...

  Truth You Can Act On: Ask: Spend time asking employees for their feedback and practicing your listening skills. If you don't have a third-party tool helping you with this, it is highly recommended so you can gather honest and helpful feedback. This can truly help you solve problems and get better. Don't forget to ensure you have a confidential tool your employees trust and to spend time truly re...

Truth You Can Act On: Schedule a 45-Day Check-In: Do a 1-on-1 check-in with new employees to get feedback on their experience with the onboarding process. Sitting down with them, listening to what they have to say, and building a relationship will make a huge impact on their satisfaction. Gamify Your Business: Using an Open Book Management style is a great way to help employees get educated on fou...

Truth You Can Act On: Don't Confuse Engagement with Satisfaction: Employee engagement and employee satisfaction are not the same. Ensure that you understand the difference to get an accurate read on engagement levels of your leaders and team members. You must learn to measure the right things. Lend Your Ear(s): One of the simplest ways to gain buy-in from an employee is to listen. Be as intentiona...