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What's
New at Rising Sun Consultants:
Rising Sun is pleased to announce that our website has been revised. Our primary goal was to make the website easier to navigate for our guests. The primary change has been in the reorganization of the programs and services we offer, with the home page clearly linking users to solutions for the challenges that so many organization leaders face. We hope that you take the opportunity to view our new website at www.risingsunconsultants.com, and that you let us know what you think!
Client
Share:
We recently received the following email from Sandra Greer, Vice President & General Manager, Corporate Sports Unlimited, Inc. and Corporate Events & Meetings, Inc. in Smyrna, Georgia and wanted to share the exciting work Sandi and her team is doing:
I can’t thank you enough for all you have given me and the rest of our team. … The changes aren’t something we see . . . they are something we feel. I know this is a work in progress and I expect constant changes and shifts as we work together. I have confidence in the team’s ability to make adjustments as needed, and to support one another in our quest for success. Your keeping in touch with us is so meaningful because it helps keep us on track.
Thanks again for your support, direction, and sharing of Servant Leadership.
Corporate Sports Unlimited, Inc. currently manages 17 individual health clubs with over 42,000 members throughout the Atlanta, Georgia area. In addition, Corporate Sports Unlimited, Inc. also offers complete design, consulting and management services to executive health clubs and spas in the finest office parks, resorts and hotels in the country. Since 1981, Corporate Sports Unlimited, Inc. has opened, managed and served as consultants for over forty-five (45) properties throughout the United States.
Recognized internationally for their "Battle of the Superstars" and their unique "Employee Appreciation Days," Corporate Events & Meetings, Inc. (a division of Corporate Sports Unlimited, Inc.) produces Tenant Appreciation Days, The Indoor Games and Company Picnics. Corporate Events & Meetings, Inc. also provides competitive team building games and special events which foster team spirit, camaraderie and fellowship.
For more information on either Corporate Sports Unlimited, Inc. or Corporate Events & Meetings, Inc. please visit their website at www.corpsports.com or by phone at (770) 432-0100.
Monthly
Book Review and/or White Paper:
Building a House for Diversity
Roosevelt Thomas states that “Building a House for Diversity is dedicated to assisting individuals in developing a framework that improves their personal diversity competencies for use at work and in their personal lives.” It is Thomas’ belief that approaches to diversity in the workplace are usually addressed at the managerial level, and the assumption is made that diversity issues are uniform for all levels of the organizational hierarchy. This has resulted in many well-meaning attempts to promote diversity awareness being compromised. Thomas challenges that individuals at all levels of the workplace need to be trained in core skills to better understand diversity and respond effectively. (To access the complete book review, click on Building a House for Diversity.) |
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Monthly
Tips: Employee Turnover
Part of our human nature is that when things are going well for us, we are the first to take credit for it. However, when things are going poorly, we are also the first to place the blame on someone else. It’s tough to stand up and take responsibility when we make a bad decision, don’t plan well, or a myriad of other mistakes we humans can make. Why? Because so often we don’t recognize that we are the cause of many of the problems in our lives.
Unfortunately, many leaders don’t pause to consider even the possibility that the problems in their companies could be due to something they themselves have done (or not done). If productivity and morale are low, and turnover is high, we repeatedly hear that the reason is because the employees are unskilled, unmotivated, not the right fit for the organization, etc. Even if we concede that these descriptions are true, we must ask why this is the case. We challenge leaders to ask themselves the following seven questions:
- Do my employees have sufficient physical resources to do their jobs, and are there enough employees for the workload?
- Are the structures and processes (reporting relationships, management support, policies, mission statement, etc.) in my organization logical and clearly communicated?
- Do my employees receive feedback on their performance, have clear expectations, have access to references and resources, and do they feel that they are “in the loop?”
- Do I provide training and education to ensure that my employees are up-to-date on the necessary knowledge and skills of their roles?
- Do I provide motivators such as recognition, performance-based pay, benefits, job security, and opportunities for advancement?
- Do I recognize that my employees are people and have lives outside of my company, and that their physical, mental and emotional well being affects their ability to perform at work?
- Do I ensure that my supervisors have both role and relationship knowledge and skills?
These are all areas of responsibility that require the leadership of an organization to take action…not just the employees. It is the leaders’ role to set the stage for success in the company by fulfilling these seven areas of responsibility. Yes, the employees have the responsibility of fulfilling the expectations placed on them, but consider this: The average cost of replacing an employee is generally equal to one year's salary for the position you are trying to fill. With this in mind, it makes financial sense for the leadership to take a look at what it is doing in terms of ensuring employee engagement, and to strive to create an environment that earns commitment and respect from its employees.
(For more information on employee turnover, click on this months
white paper.) |
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Increasing 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? If, like many other organizations, you are dealing with this type of problem and want to reduce the high costs of turnover and employee disengagement, there is a solution. The following five step approach, if implemented thoroughly and thoughtfully, will not only improve retention, but will also increase revenue, morale, and productivity. (To access the complete white paper, click on Increasing Retention through Supervisor Development.)
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Story/Parable
of the Month:
There was once an old lady who cried all the time. Her elder daughter was married to an umbrella merchant while the younger daughter was the wife of a noodle vendor. On sunny days, she worried, "Oh no! The weather is so nice and sunny. No one is going to buy any umbrellas. What will happen if the shop has to be closed?" These worries made her sad. She just could not help but cry. When it rained, she would cry for the younger daughter. She thought, "Oh no! My younger daughter is married to a noodle vendor. You cannot dry noodles without the sun. Now there will be no noodles to sell. What should we do?" As a result, the old lady lived in sorrow everyday. Whether sunny or rainy, she grieved for one of her daughters. Her neighbors could not console her and jokingly called her "the crying lady."
One day, she met a monk. He was very curious as to why she was always crying. She explained the problem to him. The monk smiled kindly and said, "Madam! You need not worry. I will show you a way to happiness, and you will need to grieve no more."
The crying lady was very excited. She immediately asked the monk to show her what to do. The master replied, "It is very simple. You just need to change your perspective. On sunny days, do not think of your elder daughter not being able to sell umbrellas but the younger daughter being able to dry her noodles. With such good strong sunlight, she must be able to make plenty of noodles and her business must be very good. When it rains, think about the umbrella store of the elder daughter. With the rain, everyone must be buying umbrellas. She will sell a lot of umbrellas and her store will prosper."
The old lady saw the light. She followed the monk’s instruction. After a while, she did not cry anymore; instead, she was smiling everyday. From that day on she was known as "the smiling lady." |
