The 7-Steps You Need to Take to Achieve Your Goals!

 The 7-Steps You Need to Take to Achieve Your Goals!

Have you ever set a goal that you didn’t achieve? Have you ever imagined a better future but weren’t sure how to get there? Whether you have professional or personal goals, all of us have set out to improve our livelihoods.

The real problem; however, is that many of us have a hard time in setting proper goals and taking the actions needed to achieve them.

If you struggle with defining proper goals or need a framework to help align your goals, then continue reading today’s blog. I’ll be sharing with you 7-steps you can take to develop your goal achievement process.

As you read today’s blog, I invite you to imagine how successful you want to be. In fact, by the end of the blog, my goal for you is that you grab some paper, a pen, sit at a desk and begin drafting the future you. 

1. Assess Your Current Reality.

The first step to setting your goals is to assess your current reality. This step involves being honest with yourself and thinking internally about how you work and learn best. The first set of questions you should ask are what are my strengths and weaknesses. As you start to sift through what you do well you should begin to see how your strengths deliver things that bring people value [3]. 

Additionally, you should assess your reality by addressing these questions:

• What are your what current level of skills?
• What are three of your core responsibilities [2] ?
• Is my organization ready for change [2]?
• What resources are currently available?

[1] The answers to those questions will help you identify areas you either need to address or help explore opportunities that improve your well-being. Likewise, they will help you consider where you fit within those trends and how you can take them to address your customer’s (or your boss’s) needs and expectations.

As you finish this step, your objective should begin developing a plan that expands on your strengths and improves on your weaknesses.

2. Visualize the Future You Want to Create.

One of the best ways to set goals is to imagine what life looks like after you achieve those goals. Goal setting requires you to make choices based on how best to use your existing resources. In addition, it requires you to consider the future and develop strategies to help you achieve the future you want for yourself [3].

Several articles, sermons, and discussions have alluded to having the “rocking chair” moment. This is the moment where you are outside on a nice warm summer day, sipping lemonade, in your rocking chair and looking back on all of your accomplishments.

It’s where we all want to be. To know that we have done well and that because of our focus we were able to achieve our goals and dreams.

That said you would want to take the trends you found in our first point and apply them to building your plan and how you will create a positive outcome. Look at the bigger picture to understand what you are trying to achieve [4].

In this step, what’s important to remember is that you should be creative and use your imagination. You need to take risks in this step. You should not be burdened by the need of guarantees and safety. More importantly, you’ll want to picture what you’d see if you were successful in advancing in all three of your core responsibilities [2].

3. Set Your Goals.

Once you know where you want to be you’ll be ready to set the goals that help you get to your “rocking chair” moment. One of the most commonly use goal-setting practices is the SMART method. This method stands for (S)pecific, (M)easurable, (A)chievable, (R)elevant, and (T)ime Bound [5]. 

First, you want your goals to be specific. You should know exactly what you want to accomplish, why the goal is important and what resources are involved. An example of a specific goal might be I want to reduce accounts receivable by 10% within the next 60-days.

• You should set about 3-5 goals that will guide your performance throughout the year.
• Each goal should feed into one another and help you achieve your larger goals.

Second, you want the goals to be measurable. You need to have a way to track your progress and be able to ask yourself how you know accomplished your goal(s). Assessing your goals (which we will cover later on in this blog) are important because they help you stay focused and motivated, as you get closer to achieving your goal.

Third, the goals should be achievable, realistic and attainable. In medical billing, all too of often our customers (and billers) will set goals that may not be as realistic as they may sound. For example, they may set goals with the intent to “get the promotion.” I have fallen in this trap before of setting un-attainable goals. What makes “getting the promotion” un-attainable is that there are factors behind our control that can prevent achieving this. Instead, our goals should be “I am going to get the experience to be considered for that promotion [5]. 

Next, the goals must be relevant and align with matters most to you. As you evaluate the goals, you should be asking whether they seem worthwhile, if it’s the right time, and is it applicable to your current situation. 

Finally, your goals should be time bound. You need to assign specific dates, deadlines or timeframes you are looking to take specific actions. For example, the timetables should be set weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc. 

4. Determine the Steps Needed to Achieve Your Goals.

Now that you have set your goals, you need to develop your action plan and strategy. This plan will include the specific actions you need to take to achieve results. Remember, this should be a reference guide and not a systematic project plan [2]. Your plan should consider how you’ll use key projects or processes to achieve your goals.

First, you will take your goals and organize them based on their deadlines and how they contribute to your dream life. For example, if your goal is to reduce your billing office’s accounts receivable then you can organize how you follow-up based on when claims will approach timely filing and which accounts can be addressed later.

As you develop your plan, you will want to consider all of the challenges you might face along the way. This will help you understand how to manage your time and what resources you will use to fulfill your goals [4].

5. Assign an Appropriate Timeline.

The next step to achieving your goals is making sure you assign an appropriate timeline. Specifically, you will want to evaluate how quickly you can tackle your goals. What makes this step important is that it will help you stay focused and accountable to achieving your goals.

As we discussed in Step #4 (above), you need to organize your actions in order of importance. This will give you the best chance in advancing your goals along your timeline.

Therefore, in this step, you will want to be commit to the time you plan to invest in each activity and when you expect to see results. Furthermore, you will need to organize 

You should be dedicate another portion of your time to evaluating and reflecting on your progress. I’ll cover this more in-depth in the next section.

6. Review your progress.

The sixth step in achieving your goals is reviewing your progress. As you work through your goals, you should routinely review your progress. You’ve been working hard and now you need to assess how well you are doing. This step is important because it helps validate your strategy while offering insights on whether you are on track. 

As you and I review our goals, it is important to reward yourself along the way. For example, if you achieve one of your milestones then go out and get a bowl of ice cream. 

Another great way to review your progress is to remember why you are working so hard in the first place. One of the best suggestions I was given was to write down your goals and review them daily. Every morning I will look over my goals and action plan to ensure that I’m still on track to fulfill my weekly, monthly or yearly goals.

One of my close friends is great at framing reminders in the “remember when life was tough” perspective. This constant feedback helps me get right back on schedule and stay focused on getting through my goals.

7. Revise Your Plans.

The final step is to revise your plans. In the step above (Step #6 – Review your progress), we discussed that you need to review how well you are doing. As you assess yourself, you can re-evaluate approach and if those actions still make sense [1].  

After you have evaluated you can back off the goals that are going to be a stretch to achieve and add new goals that are more attainable. Again, these goals should still align with your vision and be adjusted as needed. 

In conclusion, set attainable goals and stay committed to your plan. When you stay committed, you will be able to achieve your rocking chain moment and enjoy a more fulfilling life. 

Please feel free to comment your questions or goals you have for yourself!

Also, don’t forget to subscribe for email updates right above this article!

Thanks so much for reading!

[1] (https://benefitsbridge.unitedconcordia.com/4-tips-on-setting-performance-goals-in-the-workplace/_ )

[2] https://www.forbes.com/sites/hvmacarthur/2019/02/07/how-to-set-goals-that-actually-work/#3b4ef36a48e3 

[3] https://the-happy-manager.com/articles/goal-setting-in-the-workplace/ 

[4] https://engagedly.com/7-steps-to-setting-workplace-goals-and-making-them-happen/

[5] https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/smart-goals.htm 

Tired of Turnover? Here are 3-Ways on Keeping Your Team!

 Tired of Turnover? Here’s How to Keep Your Team!

Are you tired of hiring employees just for them to turnaround 6 months to a year later and quit? Employee turnover is a vicious cycle of hiring, training, and replacing which I know you and your company’s bottom line are tired of.  What have you tried to break this cycle?  Last week's blog discussed How to Hire your Forever Team, now we would love to help you KEEP them!

I hope you enjoy reading my blog and feel free to comment any questions or additions you may have to the content!

Hire for Forever

The hiring process is crucial in building a team that will stick around.  When it comes to hiring a forever team, you need to have a solid team structure, develop your company culture, consider outsourcing vs in house options, establish a hiring structure, know what you want, be fair & consistent, and you MUST transition the new hire in the best way.  Check out last week’s blog, 6 Steps to Hiring Your Forever Team, for a deeper dive into overhauling your hiring process to lower turnover!

Aside from revamping your hiring process, another way to ensure your prospects are a great fit for your team is to include current employees in the interview process.  Not only does this give you a chance to see how the prospect interacts with future coworkers, but it also gives them the opportunity to meet the great people already working in your office.  With multiple people in the workplace meeting potential hires, you will also learn more about the prospect from varying points of view.

Develop Great Management

A company’s most direct influence with employees is through their managers.  The managers oversee hiring, training, conflict resolution, project organization, and so on.  They are very hands on with employees which is why some of the top reasons employees leave companies is due to their interactions with management.  Training management to retain employees is very important to creating your forever team and will also save you time and money in the long run (hiring, training, hassle, etc.)

When it comes to developing great management, you must train supervisors to instill respect, responsibility, and individuality in their employees.  Respect ensures the employees are spoken to and treated like esteemed assets to the company.  When employees feel valued and seen by higher ups, they are much more likely to stay with a company.  When a manager gives their employees some autonomy and responsibility, rather than micromanaging them, employees feel less pressure and are apt to be more productive. 

Great management makes certain that their employees are heard.  One way to practice this is to survey employees anonymously, which eliminates any threat to their person or position in their eyes.  Personally, I favor the idea of “making rounds” through your department.  This concept is similar to how doctors or nurses make rounds to check on patients, rather it is a manager walking around the office in a more casual approach.  When a manager walks around the office to chat with employees in a more casual manner, they may come across more honest feedback, nonverbal responses, and simple observations.  This can be crucial in recognizing the needs and happiness of your employees to make adjustments and keep them on board longer.  

Great management also needs to focus on the aspect of team morale by holding employees responsible in a consistent manner.  Low performers need to be held accountable and treated differently than high performers.  This is not to be taken in a negative way, but acknowledging those that are high performers and treating them with a bit more regard while the low performers get more resources and hands on help will help employees feel recognized and cared about.  This will also boost performance because focus on employees needs is where it should be. 

Lastly, make work/life balance a priority in your management style.  Another major reason employees will leave a position with a company is because they are feeling burnt out.  When you give employees time with their families, adequate days off, and some leeway in leaving work if their kid is sick or something comes up- you better believe they will pay it back with loyalty.

Initiatives. Enough Said.

In psychology, operant conditioning is a method which utilizes rewards and/or punishments to associate with desired behaviors.  You may have implemented operant conditioning if you were potty training a puppy at one point, when they go potty in the house, some people rub their nose in it and say “bad dog.”  When the puppy goes potty outside, you reward them with a treat and say “good dog.” Now, I don’t mean to compare your employees to puppies, even if they are just as cute (lol), but a similar method of operant conditioning can be applied in the workplace- incentives.  

Rather than giving employees cookies when they do a great job on a project or task, reward them with bonuses for reaching certain goals and/or milestones.  Bonuses can be anything from gift cards, to paid time off, or even a free lunch.  By offering incentives, you are not only rewarding your employee for great behavior, but also giving them some control of the benefits they receive.  This can be a great motivator for productivity in the workplace, especially if some of your employees are competitive.  

If you do want to consider giving your employees more time off work, either to help maintain burnout or as an incentive, consider implementing a plan for them not to fall behind.  At REVEX, we offer a non-committal subscription service where we can be a healthcare facility’s “back-up.”  We get setup with the facilities medical billing programs in three simple steps, after this, we are available for them on a pay-as-you-go basis to help cover any employees that are out of office.  This is a great option to keep your employees are worry-free when their off and come back all caught up on their responsibilities!

In conclusion, invest in your employees.  Invest in making your processes effective, invest in making management optimal, and invest in your employees.  When your employees are happy, taken care of, and heard they will be loyal and work hard for you.  Yes, this does mean spending some money and time with new processes and benefits, but when it comes to bottom line you will be saving money by lowering turnover.  It is worth it.

Thanks so much for reading!

P.S. Remember to subscribe for email updates right above this article!

6 Steps to Hiring Your Forever Team

Are you ready to create a team that is going to work hard and stick around for the long haul? Do you want to work with dynamic, hardworking people every day? Have you reevaluated your hiring and retention processes lately? These processes might just be the key to your “dream team”!

If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, it may be time to sit down and revamp how you hire to get the most optimal team together for your company.  Let us help you find your FOREVER team with these 6 considerations!

 1)     Establish Team Structure & Company Culture 

When it comes to hiring your forever team, having company culture and a team structure in place are crucial.  An established team structure ensures there is a hierarchy in place and minimalizes unnecessary problems like power struggles and chain of command confusion.  The team structure also guarantees a cohesive workflow amongst team members where everyone understands their roles and responsibilities.[1] 

Company culture is important for establishing a forever team because it ensures everyone’s core values are inline not only with one another, but with the company as well.  The company culture sets the tone for respect, office norms, and expectations in the workplace.  Key steps to establishing company culture are:

1-     Define or Re-define your company’s mission statement and core values

2-     Understand and embrace diversity

3-     Show care for employees

4-     Consistency in practices

For more tips and explanations on establishing company culture, please check out REVEX’s blog, 5 Ways to Revamp Communication in Your Workplace!

2)     Consider Outsourcing and In-house Options

It is important to contemplate all options when you are beginning to expand your team.  This means considering hiring a third-party company for either staffing your new team or to take on the tasks of the position you need fulfilled.[5]  You must also consider in-house options such as promoting employees to fill positions or combining/distributing the tasks of the position you need filled amongst employees already in the company.[5]   

When it comes to outsourcing, you must consider utilizing a staffing agency depending on the position you need filled.  If you have a position that is high-turnover, this may be a feasible option so your valuable time is not spent on interviews for a position you know you will just continue to refill in the future.  However, high turnover positions are not great for a company when it comes to return on investment, so putting in effort to invest in a long-term employee is well worth it.  Stay tuned for our blog next week on lowering employee turnover where we will expand on this topic!

Outsourcing a third-party company may also be valuable to fill a position due to labor costs, efficiency, and expertise.  For example, if you were to outsource your medical billing needs, rather than hire an on-site biller, you could save money on labor, benefits, turnover, and human error.  Outsourced companies, like REVEX, often have experts on hand and automate many of their processes to lower the room for errors.  There is also opportunity to save money on PTO, benefits, workman’s comp, and so on because the third-party company is managing its own employees.  Check out our blog, In-House or Out-House? …I Mean, Outsource!, for more benefits on both hiring in-house and outsourcing!

 

3)     Establish A Hiring Process

The structure behind a company’s hiring process can make or break how well the hiring committee can read a candidate’s potential fit into a company.  A multi-step interview process that fosters a high-touch rapport, dynamic questions, and multiple people on the hiring committee has proven to be very successful when it comes to hiring a forever employee.[3]

For example, Pro Athlete Inc., is an ecommerce company which sells baseball gear online, with only around 50 or so employees, they compete with big names in the sporting goods industry.  Pro Athlete Inc. employs a 10-step interview process which includes an aptitude test, video interview submission, video-conference interview, in-person interviews, task challenge, hiring committee meeting, and more.  They do this to ensure they get a well-rounded understanding of the person.  With so many different methods of communicating with their candidates, Pro Athlete Inc. makes certain they can recognize the candidates strengths incase they communicate more effectively through various methods.  This is an extremely thorough hiring process and because of it, Pro Athlete Inc. has an extremely low turnover rate and is incredibly competitive in the labor market.

As I was researching the hiring process and best ways to find the optimal employee for a position, there was one point that popped up no matter what article I read.  HIRE FOR ATTITUDE, CHEMISTRY, & POTENTIONAL OVER APTITUDE.[2]  Obviously, some job position are going to require a certain level of knowledge or training, but for the most part, if a person meets the basic requirements, their attitude, chemistry, and potential are going to carry them much further than someone who exceeds the requirements but is not a good personality fit.  An employee who can be a team player, communicate effectively and be coached is extremely valuable to the growth of a company.

There are also some other small things that may help you to get better insight into candidates during interviews such as assigning them a job-related task, asking very open-ended questions, and asking about their passion.  Sometimes questions not directly related to the job position can give understanding to the thought process of the candidate in a more veiled manner.[4]

4)     Know What You Want

Flexibility in the hiring process is a must because as you meet candidates, they may express qualities you find valuable that were not necessarily on your “must-haves” list.  However, it is necessary to understand what you want out of a new employee.  If you have specific qualifications such as experience, education, and characteristics then have a checklist of important qualities as well as deal-breakers.[5]  This will help you to not forget some key elements that may get lost in the interview process, help you keep your candidates straight, and also help you to prioritize what you are looking for in a candidate.  Priorities are important when hiring because you will have different applicants with differing qualities and you need to know which are most important to your team.  You can’t just go into the interview all Willy-Nilly!

5)     Be Fair & Maintain Consistency

Be fair in the job description you are posting.  Many times, employers will try to mislead employees with a job description because they are having are hard time hiring for that position and want it to seem more appealing to applicants.[2]  Although they will get a higher turnout, they will also have higher turnover because the individual hired was misled into a position they did not want.  This also diminishes trust in the employer immediately.

Be sure to post an accurate job description, even though some duties may not seem favorable, in the long run the employee will know what they are getting into from the beginning.[2]  Also, be sure to answer any questions as honest as possible because sugar-coating things will eventually come to light and build frustration within the hired candidate as well. 

Consistency is also important when it comes to the interview and hiring process.  Be sure to maintain the same behavior and attitude in the interview as you do in the office.  The more transparency and consistency present on your end, the more you will see consistencies and discrepancies in the candidate’s behavior as well.  If you are making formal phone calls to follow up with candidates, but sending informal emails, and then a mix of both for in-person interviews, this will confuse the applicant on how to conduct themselves.  They will then be confused on the atmosphere of the office before they even make it into the company.

6)     Transition, Transition, Transition

Transitioning your new employee can make or break their success in their new position.  If there is not a smooth transition, the employee may not ever be fully confident nor comfortable in the workplace.  A smooth transition into a new job entails the supervisor giving them a proper introduction to their coworkers and others in the office.  This will set the tone for their interaction with colleagues for the foreseeable future.  Try to make introductions personal or one-on-one rather than bringing the new employee in front of a large group.  This will help them to remember names and connect personally rather than feel the pressure of an “audience”.[2]

Training is also crucial to transitioning a new employee.  A proper training program is well organized, efficient, and makes the employee comfortable asking questions and for help.  When an employee must constantly second-guess their work and what is expected of them, they are much less likely to stay in a job.  Make sure processes and expectations are clear.  We highly recommend a training manual the employee can take notes in and refer to for help.

 

In conclusion, creating your forever team is a process which does not simply rely on just a good interview and decision, it is an active and lasting effort that must be nurtured through the search, hiring, and retention of employees.  You cannot simply hire a great employee and expect them to stay forever without lasting support from you and your company.

 

Also, don’t forget to subscribe for email updates on the left-hand side of this article!

Thanks so much for reading!

Dani Barry 

Marketing Manager 

REVEX

REVEX is a Medical Billing Service & Software Company serving the Healthcare Industry. 

(Specifically, Skilled Nursing Facilities)

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^[1] Dyck, B. (2017, September 18). How To Hire Your 'Forever' Team. Retrieved August 20, 2020, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2017/09/18/how-to-hire-your-forever-team/#375cf5b01e67

^[2] How to Attract Candidates Who Will Become Long-Term Employees: Part II. (2019, October 21). Retrieved August 20, 2020, from https://www.celarity.com/blog/how-to-attract-long-term-employees-part-2/

^[3] Ternynck, J. (2014, September 29). Hire for the Long Haul: 6 Tips to Find Candidates Who Will Stay. Retrieved August 20, 2020, from https://www.inc.com/jerome-ternynck/hire-for-the-long-haul-6-tips-to-find-candidates-who-will-stay.html

^[4] Wofford, M. (n.d.). Tips to hire employees who'll stay longer, complain less, produce more. Retrieved August 20, 2020, from https://www.reliableplant.com/Read/7231/hire-employees-produce

^[5] Zipkin, N. (2019, April 23). Use These Steps to Hire the Best Team Every Time. Retrieved August 20, 2020, from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/332606

Coach & Be Coachable!

A Harvard poll revealed that 3 out of every 4 adults played a sport at one point in their life. Yes, this includes soccer when you were just 4 years old.[4] This means 75% of people have experience with coaching.

The workplace is a great opportunity to cross-reference this foundation of being coachable with your employees.  On the transverse, it is also important to know how to be a great coach so your employees can be optimally coachable!  

My personal experience in writing this blog comes from my experience as a collegiate athlete, a former coach, as well as a professional in the medical billing industry working mainly with skilled nursing facilities as well as other healthcare entities.  

I have separated the blog into Coach and Coachable. I believe it’s important to see both perspectives of being the coach and being coachable to create understanding and empathy on both sides.  I hope you enjoy reading my blog and feel free to comment any questions or additions you may have to the content!

Be Aware & Receptive

Coach: When it comes to coaching, not only does the “player” need to be receptive, but the coach does as well.  While coaching, pay attention to your employees’ reactions, body language, and feedback.  Being a team is all about working together and though you may be the coach, paying attention to your employees’ needs and how they learn best is going to benefit you in the long run.[3]  Some people work best when their coach gives them “tough love” and tells them how it is, while others need more coddling and positive interaction.  Now, I’m not saying you need to coach every single person completely different and change your style to match each individual on a personal level, but noticing what works best for them and making an effort will go a long way.

Coachable: When your superior is coaching you in the workplace, be open to their feedback, delegation, and constructive criticism.  Understand that they are not personally attacking you, rather pushing you to be the best at your duties for the success of the team.  It is important to acknowledge (by nodding or gesturing) that you understand the feedback your coach is providing. If you do not understand, don’t be afraid to ask questions and continue to build communication with your boss.[1]  

Both: Being aware and receptive also entails being cognizant of your own body language, verbal responses, and other behaviors you may be projecting. Interpersonal communication is all about reciprocity. Therefore, the person you interact with, whether you are the coach or the coached, feeds off your behavior just as much as you feed off theirs.

If you are coaching with a smile, eye contact, and friendliness the employee will perceive your words differently than if you have a stern brow, closed arms, lack of eye contact, and shortness in conversation.  Of course, these are both extreme but you can see how a simple conversation can be perceived very differently with both.[1]

Be Proactive

Coach: If you are only pointing out when your employees are doing something wrong, coaching moments are going to continually be in retrospect and have a negative association that you always point out “what they did wrong.”  Instead, try to be proactive and coach employees in tasks and responsibilities before they “mess it up.”  This means having a great training program in place for new hires to feel confident in their duties and lower needs for corrections is crucial.  If employees understand and execute duties most efficiently because of great training, a coach can then focus on facilitating collaboration and process/product improvements.[2]  

Coachable: The best way to be proactive when it comes to being coachable is to ASK QUESTIONS![1]  Do not wait for a supervisor to have to correct you, try not to guess at something you don’t know how to do, just ask!  Another way to be proactive is to do something before you are told.  If you see something that is incomplete, a mistake someone made, or something nobody considered doing- jump on it!  Not only will this make life easier on the team, but it will make you stand out as a hard-working employee and your “coach” will account for this when it comes time for review. 

Both: Be proactive in communicating conflict, if there is anything going on behind the scenes that one party is unaware of, talk about it.  A lot of times when there is conflict, one party may be oblivious, and it can continue to build and anger the other party.  Communication, especially before something blows up into a major issue, is huge in a team and helps build trust and foster cohesiveness.[3]

Build

Coach: Develop a “coaching” culture in your workplace.[2]   This means be consistent in giving feedback, being open to receiving feedback, positivity, constructive criticism, collaboration, and the importance of teamwork.  When you instill a coaching culture in the office and maintain a consistent and healthy coaching method, your employees will know what to expect and will feel supported.

Also, build up your employees.  Offer resources for expanding their toolbox, to improve skills for their responsibilities, gain certifications, anything that will support their growth.  When you support the growth of your employees, they will support the company’s productivity and grow for their personal professional future as well.  Offering your team valuable growth resources shows you care as a coach and fosters a great team relationship in the long run.[2]  Check out the REVEX Blog, 4 New Training Programs to Help You Unlock Your Team’s Potential, for some great training ideas!

Coachable:  Just as your supervisor, or coach, is investing in growing your skillset, invest back in them with effort, positive energy, and a willingness to learn.  Be open to growth opportunities presented to you and get the most out of resources your coach provides.  

Additionally, as a supervisor is working to instill a coaching culture in the workplace, support that with a coachable attitude.  Teams are all about collaboration and support, and the more cohesiveness there is in the workplace, the higher the morale and easier it is to show up to work every day! 

Make Change Stick

Coach: Making change last is going to rely tremendously on the coach’s role in the workplace.  The coach is the source of authority who is instilling the company culture by remaining consistent and providing standards of what is expected.  This does mean discipline is a big factor in coaching as well.[3]  When you implement change, such as a new method to procedures, and train your employees on the change, you must maintain these changes and sometimes that requires discipline of both yourself and your employees.  Discipline needs to be fair and consistent with what behavior is being punished across employees.  On the contrary, there must also be positive reinforcement and rewards.  As your employees are making changes and being coachable, the positive reinforcement will carry these changes on, so they don’t get lost in translation![2]

Coachable: Keeping the change is reliant on the team! The employees! THE COACHABLE!  When your coach is teaching and guiding, it is imperative that you take that guidance in and maintain the changes necessary.[1]  If there are issues with changes or coaching, communication needs to be an open channel, conflicts resolved, and the appropriate changes need to be implemented from resolution on out.  A cohesive and dedicated team is invaluable and will undoubtedly be rewarded by a coach when they see their changes are being maintained.

In conclusion, learning to be a great coach and to be coachable is an ongoing process involving a lot of open communication, effort, and consistency.  Both parties rely on one another to perform their duties optimally and for expectations to be clear.  Coach and Be Coachable!

Also, don’t forget to subscribe for email updates right above this article!

Thanks so much for reading!

Dani Barry

Marketing Manager

REVEX

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^[1] Anderson, D., & Frey, A. (2018, February 12). Seven Ways to Become More Coachable. Retrieved August 13, 2020, from https://www.digitaldealer.com/dealer-ops-leadership/dealer-management/seven-ways-become-coachable/

^[2] Hoppen, D. (n.d.). Coaching to Engage: 12 Rules to Effective, Ongoing Employee Coaching. Retrieved August 13, 2020, from https://www.quantumworkplace.com/future-of-work/12-rules-for-effective-employee-coaching

^[3] Hunt, J. M., & Weintraub, J. R. (2007). The Coaching Organization. The Coaching Organization: A Strategy for Developing Leaders, 1-26. doi:10.4135/9781483329062.n1

^[4] Poll: Three in four adults played sports when they were younger, but only one in four still play. (2015, June 15). Retrieved August 13, 2020, from https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/poll-many-adults-played-sports-when-young-but-few-still-play/

Why Your Office Needs THESE Pickles ASAP!

You would never guess that dill pickles, fried pickles, sweet pickles, homemade pickles, even pickle juice are all crucial to your company, but they are!  Pickles ARE the core of your company.  This variety of pickles will keep your company operating efficiently, boost employee morale, and brings a sense of balance to the office. 

 

Okay, I’ll confess I’m not really talking about pickles here.  Though, I am not opposed to having pickles in the office as they can be quite delicious… It’s a metaphor for how to consider personalities when hiring your team. If you happen to want to bring the pickles into the workplace as well- because lets face it, pickles will probably still boost morale- then so be it!

 

Let’s get down to the juicy stuff! What “pickles” DO you need in the office?

 

The Real “Dill”

 

The Dill pickle is recognized as the most popular pickle you’ll find in a refrigerator, on a sandwich, or in a big glass jar at the gas station.  Why are Dill pickles the most popular? They are reliably good!  The first type of pickles you NEED in your workplace are reliable pickles without a doubt. 

 

The office “dills” are going to be the people you know will get the job done and done well.  They are employees you can turn to for help with tasks that may not even be their responsibility simply because they want to do their best work possible and genuinely care.  This type of person is resourceful, often collaborative, and consistently productive.  The “dill” employees are also generally likely by their coworkers due to their amiability, work ethic, and reliability. 

 

Eatin’ Sweet!

 

Bread and butter pickles, or sweet flavored pickles, are our next necessity in the office.  Though not highly favored like the reliable dill pickles, the sweet pickles soften up what can sometimes be a tense environment.

 

An employee who is considered sweet, sympathetic, and thoughtful can bring a sense of home to the workplace.  This is the person always checking on how your family is doing, bringing baked goods to the workplace, checking to see if anyone needs help, organizing office parties, remembering birthdays, and so on. 

 

Do not let the sweetness fool you, this person does still need to be a hard worker and due to their level of care, likely will be.  Bringing this sense of hospitality and warmth to the workplace does make it a little bit easier for coworkers to come in every day which is why sweet pickles are a necessity in your office!

 

Fried?!

 

If you haven’t tried a fried pickle, let me tell you, you are missing out big time!  Lucky for you, I can draw up a nice comparison for what a fried pickle experience might entail.  Fried pickles have a lovely contrast in textures from first the cream ranch you dip it in, to the soft, greasy crunch of the fried breading encrusting them, and finally the thorough chomp-crunch of the actual pickle itself.  This pickle experience is multifaceted, highly enjoyable, full of smiles, and a solid go-to for a great time!

 

In the office, the fried pickle is going to be somebody known for their light-heartedness, constant smile, and who cannot be serious for 8 straight work hours.  With their complex texture, the fried pickle knows when its time to have fun, be focused, and crack the right joke without compromising professionalism or productivity. 

 

Sometimes, when tensions are high in the office, people may look to this person to lighten things up with some humor or even just a well-timed smile.  The fried pickle brings the belly laughs and leaves the drama at the door which makes them well-liked by coworkers and keeps the air in the office light!

 

Homemade > Store Bought

 

Yes, people home-make pickles.  Homemade is one of the best types of pickles of all for the workplace!  Homemade pickles are fairly simple requiring about 8 ingredients and a jar.  However, this is still more time consuming than just going to the store and buying pre-made pickles, and it may not taste like the mainstream pickles we are used to.  However, on the health and hard work scale, these persevere.

 

Homemade pickles are vital to the workplace because they are a solid foundation of great work ethic, ingenuity, perseverance, self-starting, and punctuality.  As homemade pickles do not come easy, these employees worked their butts off to get where they are and have a solid skills base as well a strong commitment to the company.  These individuals are focused and highly motivated due to their sense of pride in their work.  When employees have pride in their work, the company is going to reap the benefits of high quality and high productivity.

 

Pickle Juice, Pickle Juice, Pickle Juice!

 

Okay, I know this is “technically” not a pickle, but it is the whole soul and essence of the pickle besides the cucumber element itself.  Pickle juice is the entire driving force behind creating, maintaining, and the enjoyment of the pickles.  Pickle juice offer many benefits: it hydrates, relieves muscle cramps, enhances gut health, and even contains antioxidants.  There are so many benefits to pickle juice and even more to having “pickle juice” in your workplace!

 

Regarding the workplace, I consider the culture and core values the “pickle juice” of a company.  Just as pickle juice is the core to creating and maintaining the pickles, the culture and values of a company being in line with employees is especially important to the company’s success.  Take a look at REVEX’s blog post on the 5 Ways to Revamp Communication on Your Workplace which touches on the importance of establishing a company culture and core values.

 

When a company culture and values are embraced by employees, there is a cohesiveness to the workplace which promotes higher levels of productivity and morale.  Setting a company culture of quality, trust, innovation, family, systems, resourcefulness, and so on will guide employees to live out positive values every day in the workplace.  The culture and value “pickle juice” must be present in all employees which makes EVERY employee a pickle!

 

 

To conclude, you NEED this variety of pickles (and pickle juice) in your workplace!  If all of your employees were the same type of people, your company might lack innovation, creativity, collaboration, and fun!  The strategic combination of reliable, nurturing, energetic, hardworking, and cultured employees will help your company and your employees to thrive.

 

 

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Thanks so much for reading!

 

Dani Barry 

Marketing Manager 

REVEX

REVEX is a Medical Billing Service & Software Company catering  to the Healthcare Industry. 

(Specifically Skilled Nursing Facilities)