DALE CARNEGIE®
   TRAINING - ST. LOUIS
   1869 Craig Park Court,
   Suite A
   St. Louis, MO 63146
   314.439.8090
   www.carnegiestl.com


EFFECTIVE  TEAM  COMMUNICATION


No matter what business you're engaged in, it's likely you are a member of one or more teams, or will be soon. Here are some ideas to help ensure that the players on your team communicate well with each other.

1. Treat people like individuals

2. Make each team member responsible for the team product

3. Create a shared sense of purpose

4. Make all goals team goals

5. Share the glory, accept the blame

6. Get involved, stay involved

7. Mentor and coach team members

8. Take every opportunity to build the team's confidence

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

Dale Carnegie Course:

Wednesday, April 14


Leadership Training for Managers:

Tuesday, April  6


Sales Advantage:
Thursday, April 8


High Impact Presentations:

Wed/Thurs, Mar. 24 & 25



Newest Award Winners:


Corey Johnson
Quarry  Manager
Fred Weber, Inc.

Highest Achievement Award

Leadership Training for Managers Course                                         

"The Dale Carnegie® Leadership Training for Managers course integrated management and leadership skills for 24 of our top leaders in our company in an environment where we learned to trust each other.  Personally, I improved my communication with my team to get their input and involvement in a major overhaul of our processes.  The organizational skills I learned were brilliant in the way they held people accountable and helped us to work together."





Mikel Flanders
Motivational Speaker
Making It Count Programs
Highest Achievement Award
Dale Carnegie Course

"Without a doubt, The Dale Carnegie Course has been one of the biggest  influences on my professional career.  As a motivational speaker to high school students, I have seen a dramatic increase in my ability, my potential, and most importantly my confidence to position students for
success."



Scott Hasekamp
New Florence Wood Products
Highest Achievement Award
Dale Carnegie Course


Harry Freeman
Vice President
Mayer Homes
Highest Achievement Award
Dale Carnegie Course


Connie Willman
Meramec Regional Planning Commission
Highest Achievement Award
Dale Carnegie Course













Principles to improve cooperation

To get the best of an argument—avoid it

Show respect for other’s opinions.  Never tell a person he or she is wrong

If you are wrong, admit it quickly

Begin in a friendly way

Get other person saying “yes” immediately

Let the other person do a great deal of the talking

Let the other person feel the idea is theirs

Try honestly to see things from the other person’s point of view

Be sympathetic with others’ ideas and desires

Appeal to the nobler motives

Dramatize your ideas

Throw down a challenge









"Before taking the Dale Carnegie Course, a lot of times I would hit the highlights of our products to customers.  Now, the first thing I ask when someone says, "I want to buy a tractor," is "What are you going to do with it?"  I have found that people are actually surprised at what a small tractor than they envisioned, will do, and they are much more satisfied with the price.  And when you are in  a rural area selling agriculture equipment, a satisfied customer is the best investment in advertising you can make"


 Nathan Snodgrass
 White & Sons farm and
 Lawn, Inc.
 Owensville, MO
 

March 2004, Issue 4
THE CARNEGIE COACH

FROM DALE CARNEGIE® TRAINING - ST. LOUIS

PEOPLE
POWER!

People are what make the difference in the success of a company. Amazingly, much of our human resources are not engaged in their work.  If we accept ownership of this issue, we can have a dramatic impact on our organizational effectiveness by focusing on the right people.

 


In our newsletter this month are some helpful hints getting the most out of work.  When we are engaged in our work, we can have an impact on our customers and those who we work with day in and day out.  As leaders or aspiring leaders, getting others to be engaged in fulfilling work  increases our results and satisfaction with  our work life.

We hope you find value in every issue of our newsletter. With that goal in mind, please send us an e-mail message at info@carnegiestl.com if you have any suggestions regarding topics you would like to hear about in future “issues”.

In This Newsletter:

Articles:

Are you engaged in your  job?

Motivating marginal workers


      Tips for Success
       Upcoming Events

       Newest Award Winners

       Quote of the Month
       Class Schedule

           

  Are you engaged in your job?
  by Jonathan Jones


The results of the Gallup Organization’s 2003 Employee Engagement Index survey indicated that only 27% of U.S. employees are engaged in their work, while the remaining workers are just marking time -- or worse yet, actively undermining their companies (17%).  This is a discouraging statistic, until we consider that the U.S. index is the highest among nations surveyed.  The good news is:  think of the potential we have to improve our organizations by engaging our employees!
The 80/20 rule comes to mind when looking at this statistic.  80% of the work is performed by 20% of the workers.  80% of the profit comes from 20% of the customers.  80% of errors can be identified in 20% of the processes.  Look at this in your own company and see if it applies.  How about a service organization you belong to?  A little research can be eye opening.
How do we improve?  First, we start with ourselves.  As individuals, we need to look in the mirror and determine where we are.  If we have the desire to be a part of the engaged, we then need to look into the 80/20 rule and where it fits at our workplace.  Are we actively engaged or are we following the masses.   Do we have a direction where the company is going that makes sense?  Here are some tips to become engaged:
  • Be assertive.
  • Ask questions to learn about your manager’s issues.
  • Ask questions to learn about the organization’s objectives.
  • Ask questions to learn about your customers and their objectives.
  • Find the opportunities and determine a way to fulfill them.
  • Determine the training and development needs to address any gaps.
  • Determine who needs to be involved.
  • Plan and make it happen.  
As you look at these suggestions, you may think: this is a management role.  Actually, this is a leadership role.  Anyone can be a leader, if they have the desire.  It is a manager’s job to develop talent and leaders within the organization.  Which brings us to a different 80/20 rule.  80% of the problems are caused by management.  This may seem harsh, but if you think about it, even the best run companies have problems.  And the rule fits for them as well.  This is because the manager creates rules that lead the organization culture.  Managers need to put practices in place to reduce the number of problems, not change the ratio.
Further research shows that the difference between an engaged employee and a disengaged employee is the quality of management.  Great management attracts and develops great talent.  Good management attracts and develops good talent.  Other management attracts people who accept being average or less.
Here are some suggestions to engage your employees:
  • Provide a clear direction for success
  • Get to know your employees as individuals.  Know their strengths.
  • Encourage and praise your employees regularly whenever you see progress
  • Assist your employees with career and development plans
  • Spend a lot of time with the team
  • Provide them with the training, resources, and tools to do their job and grow
The best investment in an organization is in its best people.  The best investment in a team is in a great manager.  A great manager can get the best out of people while developing the people.  People respond and perform better when they are engaged in their work.    This benefits the customer, the people, and the business.  With the 80/20 rule in mind, people are not the greatest asset.  The best people are.  They are the ones engaged.

Jonathan Jones is an independent management consultant and coach and is a certified leadership instructor for Dale Carnegie Training - St. Louis. For more information on Jonathan Jones, go to   http://www.jonathanjonesconsulting.com

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

"Are you doing the work you like best?  If not, do something about it!  You will never achieve real success unless you like what you are doing.  Many people who have achieved success have had to try several things before they knew what they wanted to do."

Dale Carnegie


Motivating Marginal Workers

It takes a good manager to recognize the different types of marginal workers and learn the appropriate techniques to motivate them to high levels of performance. Here are some ideas for helping marginal workers succeed.

1. Better selection.
This is one of the major methods in avoiding marginal production. By establishing realistic job specifications and not compromising when hiring people - even when desperate to fill the job - the chances of selecting people who will succeed on the job will be enhanced. Despite thorough selection procedures, errors may occur and the person hired may not make the grade. That is why probationary periods are so important. The supervisor should make sure the new worker knows what he or she is expected to do and the standards that must be met. Be patient and make every effort (additional training, coaching, special attention etc.) to salvage the trainee.

2. Communication.
The deteriorating performance can sometimes be caused by a real or perceived grievance. Some people keep their grievances deep inside themselves and it festers unless it is brought out and addressed. At times, employees may be disappointed by their failure to meet certain professional goals. Learn about your team members' goals and help them achieve them. Let your employee know what he or she must do to attain the goals - including maintaining a high performance level, taking additional training etc.

3. Eliminate Boredom.
Some employees may have been performing the same job function for so long that they no longer enjoy it. You can help formerly productive workers return to productivity by enriching their jobs. Try combining functions that were performed by several people into one job so that each worker does more diverse work. Another method is to restructure the manner in which the work is done. Encourage your employees to come up with ideas to make the work more interesting and effective. Assigning the worker to special projects can also help bring a change of pace and foster innovation and creativity.

4. Coasters.
These are typically good workers who have been with the organization for many years. They can contribute to productivity but feel they've done their part. By assigning "old-timers" to new projects, you are not only showing respect for their experience but gives them an opportunity to do something new and different. This stimulation carries over when they return to their regular work. You can also try enlisting these more seasoned employees as trainers and mentors of new hires.

By recognizing the different types of workers in your team and their needs, you can infuse their enthusiasm and motivation with different assignments and projects. This will enable them to become more dedicated to the job and help convert them into productive members of the company team.



DALE CARNEGIE COURSE®
Communication & Interpersonal Skills

Class#               Day          Start Date            Location
D7-04           Wednesday     April 14                  St. Louis
D9-04           Tuesday          April 27                 Farmington
D8-04           Tuesday          June 15                  St. Louis

Length of Course:  12 Weeks (One session per week)

Time:  6:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

Leadership Training For Managers®        

Results-Focused Leadership Training

Class#           Day            Start Date              Location

M3-04         Tuesday          April 6                    St. Louis


Length of Course:  7 Weeks (One session per week)      

Time:  6:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.


Dale Carnegie, Sales Advantage®        

Professional Sales Training


Class#             Day          Start Date          Location

  S2-04           Monday       April 8                 St. Louis


Length of Course:  8 Weeks (One session per week)

Time:  6:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.


High Impact Presentations®        

Video-Critiqued Presentation Skills Training


Class#             Days             Dates             Location

H5-04          Wed/Thurs.      Mar 24 & 25      St. Louis

H6-04          Thurs/Fri          April 22 & 23     St. Louis

H7-04          Tues/Wed         June 22 & 23     St. Louis

H8-04          Wed/Thurs       August 25 & 26  St. Louis

Length of Course:  2 Consecutive Days
Time:  7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.


GENERATION.NEXT FOR TEENAGERS 

Generation.Next is designed to prepare young people for the real world. It gives them the skills they need to reach their goals and live up to their full potential –at school, home, and work.

At Dale Carnegie Training®, we call them “skills that will last a lifetime.” The course content focuses on five key areas that are critical for future success:
•  Building Self-confidence
•  Enhancing Communication Skills
•  Interpersonal Skill Development   
•  Teamwork and Leadership Skills
•  Effective Attitude Management

Class#           Day            Start Date              Location

N1-04         Tuesday          June 8                    St. Louis


Length of Course:  8 Weeks (One session per week)      

Time:  5:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Click here to register now

 See you in the next issue!
The staff of Dale Carnegie® St. Louis

  
A special thank you to John Davin of MyNewOffice.com
for his assistance in setting up and maintaining this newsletter.


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