January 2016

kevin.r.thomas@williams.edu413-597-3542

Manager, Training and DevelopmentOffice of Human Resources

Presented by Kevin R. Thomas

Dining ServicesCoaching for Engagement and

Performance

• Think about someone who brought out the best in you.Can be personal or professional.

• What specifically did they do?• What was the impact on you?

Warm Up

• Understand the importance of getting positive commitment to success from staff

• Use strategies from positive psychology to incentivize high performance

• Give constructive feedback in a way that communicates respect and positive regard

• Choose the right management style for the situation and person

Objectives

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Principles of Employee Engagement

Positive Psychology Tactics for Managers

Resolving Performance Gaps

Situational Leadership

1.The threat response2.Psychological needs in the workplace3.Employee engagement

Principles of Employee Engagement

• Brains evolved for survival

• Scanning for threats(esp. symbolic threats)

• Amygdala hijack• Fight/flight/freeze• Hasty judgements

The Threat ResponsePrinciples of Employee Engagement

• Noticing what’s wrong• Control struggles• Ladders of inference• Reactive behavior• Escalation• Labeling people

Consequences for business relationships

Principles of Employee Engagement

Noticing what’s wrongPrinciples of Engagement Threat Response

Labeling People vs. Describing Behavior

Principles of Engagement Threat Response

Labeling the Person

Describe the Behavior

Bad Attitude • Uses sarcasm• Crosses arms, frowns, avoids

eye contact• Makes comments that

undermine moraleLazy • Delays or ignores certain

tasks• Disappears and cannot be

found• Arrives at work tardy, returns

late from breaks.• Takes longer than needed to

complete tasks• Performance suffers without

frequent direction and oversight

• Ignores obvious problems• Leaves work for the next shift

Ladders of InferenceThreat ResponsePrinciples of Engagement

• Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

• Pink’s Elements of Motivation

• Self-determination Theory

Psychological Needs in the Workplace

Principles of Employee Engagement

Maslow’s Hierarchy of NeedsPrinciples of Engagement

Psychological Needs

Pink’s Elements of MotivationPrinciples of Engagement

Psychological Needs

• Autonomy• Mastery• Purpose

Self-Determination TheoryPrinciples of Engagement

Psychological Needs

• Relatedness • Competence• Autonomy

Employee EngagementPrinciples of Engagement

• Defined• Impact of

engagement• Engagement

drivers

STRIVE

3

STAY

2

SAY

1

Have an intense desire to be a

member of the organization

Consistently speak positively about the

organization to others

Exert extra effort and engage in

behaviors that contribute

to organizational success

A state of emotional and intellectual commitment to an organization or group.

Principles of Engagement

Employee EngagementWhat is Engagement?

Impact of EngagementPrinciples of Engagement

Employee Engagement

• 28 research studies show a correlation between Employee Engagement and:– Service– Sales– Quality– Safety– Retention– Sales, Profit and Total Shareholder

Returns

Drivers of Engagement

Organizational Practices• Diversity• Performance Review Process• Organizational Reputation

(Workplace)

Total Rewards• Pay• Benefits• Recognition

People• College Leadership• Immediate Manager/

Supervisor• Coworkers/Workgroup

Opportunities• Future Opportunity• Learning & Development

Quality of Life• Work/Life Balance• Work Environment

• Day-to-Day Work• Resources/Processes

Work

Engagement

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2

Principles of Engagement

Employee Engagement

• Captive (disgruntled & toxic) – employees do not feel that the company provides for their basic physical, economic and psychological needs.

• Basic (security & equity) – employees feel that the company provides for their basic physical, economic and psychological needs.

• Enabled (achievement & esteem) – employees feel challenged and capable of doing their work well, and they feel valued for their efforts.

• Connected (relationship & loyalty) – employees have a strong affiliation with their manager, and camaraderie with their coworkers.

• Engaged (identity & passion) – employees feel like they are a trusted, integral part of a winning company with a compelling vision.

Employee Engagement Continuum

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1 Principles of Employee Engagement

Positive Psychology Tactics for Managers

Resolving Performance Gaps

Situational Leadership

1.Positive Reinforcement2.Celebrating Tiny Successes3.Meeting Psychological Needs

Positive Pyschology Tactics

Using Positive Reinforcement

Behavior

Impact

Best chance for repeated

behavior

Celebrating Tiny Successes

http://www.slideshare.net/tinyhabits/dr-bj-fogg-ways-to-celebrate-tiny-successes

• Communicating safety• Creating a sense of

belonging• Fostering self-esteem• Encouraging

competence• Providing practical

autonomy• Making work

purposeful

Meeting Psychological Needs – Brainstorming Session

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1 Principles of Employee Engagement

Positive Psychology Tactics for Managers

Resolving Performance Gaps

Situational Leadership

1.Analyzing performance gaps2.Communicating performance gaps3. Involving the employee in the problem,

and the solution4.Reinforcing improvements

Resolving Performance Gaps

• Describe the current behavior• Describe its impact• Rate the severity of the problem• Describe the desired behavior• Describe the predicted impact of the desired

behavior

Analyzing Performance GapsResolving Performance GapsAnalyzing Performance Gaps

Describe the BehaviorResolving Performance Gaps

Analyzing Performance Gaps

Labeling the Person

Describe the Behavior

Bad Attitude • Uses sarcasm• Crosses arms, frowns, avoids

eye contact• Makes comments that

undermine moraleLazy • Delays or ignores certain

tasks• Disappears and cannot be

found• Arrives at work tardy, returns

late from breaks.• Takes longer than needed to

complete tasks• Performance suffers without

frequent direction and oversight

• Ignores obvious problems• Leaves work for the next shift

Directive Communication – may work in simple cases

Communicating Performance GapsResolving Performance Gaps

Communicating Performance Gaps

Behavior

Impact

Positive

Future

Alternative

Best chance for change

d behavio

r

• Neutral, troubleshooting tone

• Questions to help them acknowledge the problem

• Collaborative action planning and follow up

Involving the Employee in the Problem and the Solution

• “Do you know what happens when you arrive late to work?”• “What could be the result when you ignore food handling guidelines?”• “When you are socializing with coworkers, are you doing your

assigned work?”• “When you are sitting around while others are working, do you think

others ignore that, or do they complain?”• “Do you think I have a choice to permit you to behave differently than

everyone else that works here, or not?”• “Do you know what is going to happen if this behavior continues?”• “If you don’t do what you say you are going to do, what basis do we

have for an employment relationship?”• “Will the personal problems that you have right now get better if you

lose your job, or will they get worse?”• End with “Do you agree we have a problem?”

Sample questions

• Make SMART Goals• Set a time to check in

Action Planning and Follow Up

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1 Principles of Employee Engagement

Positive Psychology Tactics for Managers

Resolving Performance Gaps

Situational Leadership

Situational Leadership

Links coming via email:

Contact Kevin Thomas at 413-597-3542or email kevin.r.thomas@williams.edu

Supervisory Training SeriesCommunication & Self-

Management

Questions?

• Course page link to all course materials• Program evaluation link, feedback welcome