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| Strategic
Thinking / Planning |
Rising
Sun Model: Serving Others in Reaching New Horizons
From a practical standpoint, the Rising Sun Model of Consultation
follows what might best be described as a deductive process
in order to create a comprehensive framework for consultation.
Using a deductive process such as this requires the sequential
movement through a series of design phases, each phase building
on the framework/content of the previous ones. more
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| Leadership |
Ascent up Mt. Everest: A Study Of Leadership & Change
It was early May of 1996 when three groups of people and their leaders were attempted a successful climb up and down Mount Everest. The three groups totaled about thirty people; each person carried with them their goal, their dream of summiting the great mountain. more >> |
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Supervisor or Manager: What's in a Name?
One would think that the question: “What’s the difference between a manager and a supervisor?” would have a simple answer. After all, people live day in and day out with titles such as Human Resources Manager or Front Line Supervisor. There must be a reason why these people have been given these titles, and common sense would tell us that the reason may very well be connected to the tasks specific to those titles. However, the reality is that there is a great deal of confusion and disagreement about the differences between a supervisor and a manager. more >> |
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Servant Leadership: History & Evolution
Over the past four decades, a “quiet revolution has been taking place in workplaces around the world” (Spears, 2004). Known as “servant leadership,” this revolution has come about as a result of organizations competing to retain qualified, committed employees. more >>
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Critical Issues Facing Supervisors: An Initial Look
As suggested in an earlier White Paper (see “The 10 Keys to Effective Supervision™: A Developmental Approach”), traditionally, when business leaders talk about “supervision,” they are usually referring to the managerial or leadership function of overseeing the productivity and progress of employees – typically those employees who report directly to the supervisor. However, stemming from both research and personal experience in providing both training and supervision to employees, Rising Sun’s approach to supervision takes a very different perspective – defining supervision from a coaching and mentoring perspective rather than from a managerial perspective. more >> |
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The 10 Keys to Effective Supervision™: A Developmental Approach
Traditionally, when business leaders talk about “supervision,” they are usually referring to the managerial or leadership function of overseeing the productivity and progress of employees – typically those employees who report directly to the supervisor. However, stemming from our experiences in providing both training and supervision to direct care providers, Rising Sun’s approach to supervision takes a very different perspective – defining supervision more from a coaching or mentoring perspective than from a managerial perspective. more >> |
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Do
You Have "It?" Do You Even Know What "It" Is?
I wasn't quite sure what I was doing there. I knew that the
C.E.O. felt that "things just weren't going right" within his
organization, but it was difficult to pin him down on exactly
what that meant. However, while sitting at lunch later that
day in the XYZ Corporation cafeteria, I overheard the following
conversation: (John) "No one understands me. They don't know
what I am capable of doing for them." (Mary) "If they would
only take the time to listen to me once in awhile." (Bob) "What
does it matter, they don't care anyway. I just show up and put
my time in." (Sally) "I keep my mouth shut - I don't want trouble
because it is not worth it anyway. They're not going to listen
to me or do anything about it." (John) "I am so upset and hurt
- I just feel like quitting but I need health insurance for
the family." more
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The 5C’s™: A Model for Group Decision Making
Life itself can be seen as a continuous series of both large and small decisions. The ultimate quality or success of our lives, therefore, depends upon the cumulative effect of the individual decisions we make at each moment of our lives. It is essential, therefore, to be conscious of not only what decisions we make, but how and why we go about making those decisions. more >>
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| Organizational
Development |
Program Evaluation
At an organizational level, evaluation is often conducted as a way to measure key indicators of success. The primary purpose of program evaluation is typically to provide information (both formative and/or summative) for future decision-making. By first defining the outcomes, and then outlining the programs and services (process) for accomplishing the outcomes, an organization can evaluate the cost effectiveness of their programs and services and their aggregated value for both the organization and their clients/customers. more >> |
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What
Every Organization Needs!!
We hear it time and time again. Go to most any organization
and ask the average person working there what their organization
stands for. Ask them what their mission is. Ask them what
their organization's values, vision, or beliefs are and you
will generally get the same response. People will look at
you with a blank stare. They might try to make up an answer
or be able to even give you a partial answer. However, generally
speaking, they will have no idea what you are talking about.
Sure, ask some of the upper administration (those "in the
know") and they will probably be able to answer most of your
questions. However, we would suggest that many of them either
don't understand it or have not bought into it yet. more
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| Change
/ Transition Management |
There
is Only One thing Constant in Life...
One of the most challenging issues in organizations and business
today is change. Some people love it and others hate it. But
one thing is for sure, change takes time. We either make change
happen so quickly that people don't have time to get on board
and make it happen effectively or we're not given enough time
to do what it takes to see change occur when it needs to. more
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| Performance
Improvement |
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Training in the Workplace: A Better Way
In every single organization, people have to learn how to do their jobs. This is a universal truth. People are rarely hired who already have 100% of the knowledge and skills necessary to complete the work for which they will be held accountable. If nothing else, they must learn the company culture, where resources are located, and who the people are with whom they need to collaborate to be successful. more >>
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A.D.D.I.E.: A Proactive Approach to Employee Training & Development
If you are a Stephen Covey fan, then you probably know – or have even memorized – his 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The very first habit that Covey touts is to “Be Proactive.” In other words, to be thoughtful and prepared, focusing attention and efforts on the long-term results rather than just reacting to the things that life throws at you. Proactive people believe in their hearts that the choices they make can positively influence their current and future circumstances. Reactive people, on the other hand, believe that they are victims, trapped, and that nothing they do can change their circumstances. more >>
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Increased Productivity Through Self-Managed Work Groups
Historically, organizations have teamed individual employees to increase collaboration in order to produce products or deliverables. Although this process may result in mutual accountability, this traditional model often inhibits creativity, participation, and places greater restraints on the productivity level for the organization. more >>
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How
to Succeed in Today's Competitive Market
Think back to your own personal experience with professional
development over the years. How often did the company you worked
for bring in the "Guru of the Year," change systems or practices
to support his or her approach, only to change everything around
again once the new Guru came to town? How often did the company
you worked for change one aspect of the professional development
program without changing related aspects - only to leave employees
confused and frustrated. Perhaps most common, however, how often
did the company you worked for bring in a high paid consultant
or trainer who seemed to know nothing about your company and
whose program was misaligned, or perhaps even inconsistent with
the company's stated mission and vision? more
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| Employee
Retention |
Increase Employee Retention through Supervisor Development
According to several highly respected research firms (e.g., The Gallup Organization and The Saratoga Institute), the primary reason behind voluntary employee turnover is a poor relationship between the employee and their supervisor. While this finding may surprise some business leaders, consider this…how many of us in our working lives have asked for a transfer, resigned from a job, or have at least pondered one of those actions because of a supervisor we did not get along with - one who did not have effective management and/or people skills? Turnover, as a direct result of unskilled supervisors, is a problem that companies have been experiencing for years. more >> |
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Focus
on Health, Not Problems: Building a Healthy Organizational Lifestyle
Employee turnover, we all know what it means, but what does
it imply? Many organization development and human resources
experts have written about the negative effects of employee
turnover, including the impact on a company's profitability,
productivity, and morale. Unfortunately, company leaders are
rarely energized or motivated to do anything about the employee
turnover in their organization. Why would they be? It is difficult
to be positive when facing the high cost of replacing employees,
reduced output due to a reduction in knowledgeable and trained
employees, and remaining employees feeling discouraged due to
increased work load and/or seeing their friends leaving the
company. more
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| Employee Engagement |
Dealing with a Changing Workforce: Supervision in the 21st Century
According to most experts, for the first time in history, we are seeing members of four distinct "generations" working together, and often experiencing clashes in both attitudes and values. Referred to by many different names, the four generations represented in today's workforce have been identified as "Traditionalists" – born between 1925 and 1946 – make up approximately 5-10% of today's workforce, "Baby Boomers" – born between 1946 and 1963 – make up approximately 40-45% of the workforce, "Generation X" – born between 1963 and 1981 – also make up approximately 40-45% of the workforce, and "Generation Why" – born between 1981 and 2000 – make up the final 5-10% of the workforce. more >> |
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Live in the Current
Have you ever gone rafting? If you have, then you know that planning ahead and carefully directing the raft as a team is essential to get through the variety of challenging rapids that may be in your path. Imagine, though, if you simply stopped paddling and let the current take you along as it will. What do you think would happen? It’s easy to imagine that terrible things might occur if you simply let nature have its way with you and your raft. (Just watch the movie The River Wild to get a sense of the potential dangers.) more >> |
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The Disconnect
Executives, supervisors and managers across the country are making decisions everyday that provide direction to their employees and lead their businesses to success. Employees are coming to work each day to follow the leader’s direction and carry out the day-to-day operations of their organization. Everyone is doing their part and working together to help their businesses succeed. more >>
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| Customer Relations |
Customer Service Dilemma: Answer the Phone or Serve the Person?
Here’s the situation: You take the time to get in your car to drive to a company where you do business. It could be any company: a retail store, a restaurant, a gym, a vendor, etc. You walk in the door and up to the counter or receptionist’s desk. No one is in front of you, so you think this is going to be a quick transaction. Then, as you start explaining to the person behind the counter why you are there, the phone rings. The individual serving you holds up a finger to you as a gesture to say, “Hold on,” and then proceeds to answer the phone. You wait there, looking around at the signs hanging on the wall or the plaques on the shelves while the person on the phone gets through his/her entire litany. When they are finally finished, then – and only then – can you complete your introduction and your business…unless, of course, the phone rings again. more >> |
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Whatever Happened to Customer Service?
What happened to good old fashioned work ethic? What happened to the days of trusting in a handshake or a person’s word? It seems more and more today that it is difficult to find a business that truly cares about their customers. How many hours have you sat at your desk on hold waiting to talk with a real person? Of course this waiting was only after hours of pushing numbers on your phone to even have the opportunity to talk with someone. Inevitably, you end up getting disconnected somewhere in the process and you need to start all over again. If you ever get to actually speak with a real human being, far too often that becomes as frustrating as the process was to get to them. I have a feeling that far too many of us can relate to this scenario. more >>
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