Staff Development Archives • Laurie Guest

Real Clients, Real Answers: Stop Second Guessing to Empower Your Team

This month, I want to share a question from a leader of a large health care organization. He asked, “How can get my staff to be more empowered to make decisions?” As I always say – I don’t know the answer, but I do have the right questions. So I asked, “Do you feel you…

Changing the Rules of Tug o’ War

If I said, “Let’s play a game of tug of war,” but gave you no other instructions, what would you do as soon as I handed your team the rope? Of course, you would pull as hard as you could against the other team and try to drag them to your side. That’s because the…

Boardgame Behaviors That Build Business

Building business is not easy. If it were, everyone would do it. Consider four behaviors that build business, all based on one of my favorite things: boardgames. Each is simple to understand, but may not always be easy to deliver. Read up and do your best! When I was a young girl I asked my…

Learning How to Handle “The Overs”

Learning how to handle “The Overs” is a skill. What do I mean by “The Overs”? An “Over” is a guest who is over-friendly, over-researched, or overbearing. The Over-Friendly Although it doesn’t sound bad when you first mention it, many people may feel uncomfortable with over-friendly guests in the workplace. I find it especially true for…

Dealing with Angry Customers

Nobody wants them, yet we all have them: angry customers. It doesn’t matter what position you hold in the office, knowing how to handle the dissatisfied consumer is crucial. Let’s take a look at the twelve steps to best handle the angry customer you’re sure to encounter someday. 1. Stay Calm. Most of the time…

Creating Fun in the Workplace

How do you create fun in the workplace? When it comes to a business environment, fun is a relative term. You might be part of a team where boisterous laughter or lots of teasing is appropriate while other industries may require a very serious environment. Some places might even fool you because they are so…

Attitude, Initiative and Engagement

There are three facets of workplace participation that can make all the difference in productivity and results: attitude, initiative and engagement. These characteristics may come naturally to some, but often they must be cultivated in a workplace. Here’s an excerpt from my article on the subject; use the links below to get the full PDF.…

Winning Back Guests You’ve Lost

Winning back guests you have lost is not an issue people like to talk about, but it is a necessary topic in staff development. What skills do your team members need in order to thwart a customer defection? It begins with being totally present in the encounter in order to realize the guest is unhappy…

Teamwork Essentials

If you are a member of a team, working with your team is essential. Team building is one of the most frequently requested topics in my work with organizations. I always ask the client to first reflect on what teamwork means in his or her environment. Does it mean that the staff get along and…

On Consistency And Productivity

Does lack of consistency and low productivity impact your work environment? How? What tools have you tried to get back on track? During my days of managing others, there were three specific techniques I used to help people be more consistent and productive that are worthy of sharing. Weekly meetings with a notebook in hand…