Saved Articles DHP Academy (Point 3-Employee Confidence and Engagement)

Courageous conversations to support team strength.

Courageous Conversations: Dos and Don’ts

Complete. Not Compete.

The following tips are the best practices for conducting compassionate courageous conversations with anyone in your organization.

Conversation between leader and employee to provide feedback on performance.

Courageous Conversations

Correct because you care

Initiating conversations to provide one another feedback is uncomfortable for many. In reality, we provide others with feedback because we care about them and there success. Learn more about these three models for conducting courageous conversations.

changing landscape from dead low performing to vibrant high performing

Low Performer Conversation

It's time for a change

Approaching a conversation with a low performer is probably not your favorite task. However, ignoring bad behavior or performance will negatively impact others in the organization. Address the situation quickly and effectively using this guide to keep the rest of your team focused on achieving results.

Feedback that Inspires

Positively Improve Performance

Think about the last time you received constructive criticism. Did it actually prompt you to change your behavior? Maybe not. Yet we know learning new skills and improving performance is something our peers and direct reports desire. The key is to reshape your feedback conversations to focus on achieving a positive outcome together.

Re-recruit High Performers

Do your high performers know they are valued?

Fifty percent of high performers say they expect at least a monthly sit down with their managers, but only 53% say their manager delivers on their feedback expectations. High performers want feedback. They want dialogue with you as their leader.

Cascading Communication Guide

What goes up, must come down

Why, what, and how are the ingredients for concise messaging?

Cascading Communication

Communicate What Matters

Leadership assessments show one area that is consistently listed as an opportunity for improvement: communication. There are three easy steps you can take to effectively cascade aligned and consistent information across the entire organization.

Why-What-How

A Powerful Sequence for Communication

When we start our messages by first explaining why the message is important, we are more likely to see understanding, compliance and execution from our audience. Use this template to plan and organize messages using the why-what-how sequence.

Start with Why

Why start with why?

Communicating change effectively is a skill all leaders need. For our organizations to reach our goals, stay productive, and do so with excellence, we need everyone working together. Start with why.

Model the Way by Managing Up

Communicate expectations and recognize good work.

How we communicate matters. Modeling positive and respectful communication sets the example and expectation for how to communicate and interact in our organization. When leaders model the way and manage up people and their specific actions, we communicate our expectations, while recognizing good work.

Examples of Managing Up

Tired of finding people under the bus?

Whether it's about a co-worker, another team, or a process, the act of managing up makes the entire organization look better. These examples frame communication in ways that reduce anxiety and promote trust in the team.

Eliminate We/They

Stop pointing fingers

How we communicate matters. A We/They culture occurs when someone positions themselves in a positive light by making someone else “the bad guy.” There are steps leaders can take to eliminate We/They.

3-2-1 Leader Connection Summary

From Employee Input to Action

During leader connections with employees, much data is gathered. Using this tool, summarize the data collected monthly to recognize themes that emerge from leader connections.

Listen Intently

Are You Really Listening?

Did you know, humans spend 70% of their time communicating, in which 45% is spent listening? In other words, effective listening skills are vital for interpersonal communication and, consequently, for successful leaders and aspiring leaders within our organizations.

There is More than One Way to Round

Maximize Rounding in Your Organization

There isn’t a wrong way to conduct rounding – unless you are avoiding it all together. When we round, our goal is to build relationships with our stakeholders. It doesn’t matter if we approach rounding in a formal or informal fashion. Its true value is in the connection itself.

Leader Connection Tool

Ask employees these questions.

Ask employees these questions to build relationships and improve engagement.

Meet 5 Critical Employee Needs with Leader Connection Questions

Set your employees up to thrive

For leaders who have ever thought, "What more can my team possibly want from me?," it's possible these 5 critical employee needs are not being met.

Emotional Bank Account: Deposits vs Withdrawals

Stay out of the negatives

These examples are ways you can add value to the emotional bank account of those around you. Watch out for the withdrawals, keeping a positive ratio is critical for your relationships.

Emotional Bank Account

Do you know your balance?

Your employees need to feel valued, liked and cared for to perform their best work. Building a genuine relationship with our employees and coworkers is the best way to establish an emotional bank account full of value with each other.