Here’s How Problem-Solving & Decision-Making Go Hand-In-Hand - a man and a woman are sitting across each other. The man's face looks confused and the woman is looking away from the man with her hand near her face

Here’s How Problem-Solving & Decision-Making Go Hand-In-Hand

Problem-solving and decision-making are two of the strongest qualities of a good leader. A strong leader is someone who knows how to come up with creative solutions to solve problems as effectively and efficiently as possible.

What are the steps to effective problem-solving?

Step 1: Identify the Problem

This step includes getting to the bottom of any situation and understanding where the problem stems from.

Step 2: Analyze the Problem

This step helps identify the urgency of the problem which generally has three stages:

The emergent stage is where the problem is just beginning to happen. It does affect those in question immediately but can cause harm to the business operations in the long run.

The mature stage is where this problem is causing more than just minor damage. Usually, consequences during this stage at much more than the emergent stage.

The third stage is the crisis stage, when the problem is so serious it must be corrected immediately. At this stage, damage can be done to the company’s operations, reputation, finances, etc. that may hamper the long-term plans of the business.

Step 3: Describe the Problem

This step includes diagnosing the problem to be able to define it. This stage is to get clarity and to dig deeper into what the issue really is. This stage is also about making sure all your employees agree to the said problem and are gearing up to work toward a solution and a common goal.

Step 4: Look for Root Causes

This step involves understanding what caused this problem, who is responsible for this problem, when did it first emerge, how and why did it happen, how can it be resolved, and more. This stage is also about making sure the company comes up with solutions that can eradicate the problem for good and that it does not arise over and over again.

Step 5: Develop Alternative Solutions

Every problem must have a bunch of solutions in case one of them fails. Planning for contingency is as important as coming up with solutions. So, it is best to develop a list of alternative solutions that you and your team can assess and decide which one will be the best for the particular problem. Then it is important to estimate efficiency, cost, long-term value, and resources you have to solve the problem.

Step 6: Implement the Solution

This step is about chalking out the final implementation plan. Implementation means that each employee is aware of his/her tasks and knows their timelines for execution. Also, an organization should have a system in place to track whether or not the solution has corrected the problem.

Step 7: Measure the Results

This step is all about measuring the success and failure of a certain solution. This also helps us learn from one’s mistakes and not repeat them in the future. Measuring the results means answering questions such as: Did it work? Was this a good solution? Did we learn something here in the implementation that we could apply to other potential problems?

What is the Problem-Solving & Decision-Making course all about?

Employees in any organization find themselves solving problems on a daily basis. The ability to identify the problem, pinpoint the true cause, and identify a workable solution is essential for personal, professional, and organizational success. This course will help employees master their problem-solving and decision-making skills. They will learn how to assess a problem and then find solutions to overcome it.

Outcomes

  • Define your role in problem-solving
  • Identify barriers to effective problem solving
  • Apply a six-step problem-solving process
  • Select appropriate tool(s) to effectively problem solve

Conclusion

Decision-making and problem solving are two closely related but different skill sets that apply to different business situations. Leaders often incorporate both these skills to achieve organizational success. If you’re a leader who wants to strengthen his/her problem solving and decision-making skills and lead his/her organization to newer heights, then this course is perfect for you.

To enroll, contact P2L today!

Facilitating Effective Meetings

Reasons Why Facilitating Effective Meetings is Important For You

Efficacious meetings and ineffective meetings exist. Then come to the meetings that end up taking forever and you wonder why you bothered to attend them in the first place. They can leave you feeling motivated and that you’ve accomplished something.

How can you ensure an effective meeting? In essence, there are three factors to consider:

  1. Their time commitment is minimal.
  2. They accomplish the goal of the meeting.
  3. The process leaves people feeling that it followed a rational logic.

These three criteria are fundamental to planning, preparing, executing, and following up on a meeting.

Facilitating Effective Meetings: Tips for success

In addition to being aware and focused, an effective facilitator takes a proactive stance when facilitating, scheduling, and organizing the meeting. Their responsibilities include:

  • Be clear about your objectives and purpose
  • Make sure the right people are involved at the right time
  • Invest your time in a way that gives you the best return.


Is there anything that distinguishes a great meeting facilitator from a good or average one?


A combination of education, skills, and experience.


Meeting facilitators should possess these characteristics:

  • Meeting facilitators aren’t biased in their decisions.
  •  Rather than focusing solely on participation, the facilitator strives to achieve a balance between the two.
  • It is advisable that facilitators refrain from expressing their opinions during meetings or offering their own points of view.
  • When leading a meeting, a good facilitator promotes equality, transparency, and inclusiveness.

    Facilitating Effective Meetings Course:

An effective meeting involves more than just announcing that a meeting is to be held on a particular day and time.

In order for meetings to be effective, they must be structured and have ground rules. Unless they possess these elements, they will never achieve anything.

By taking P2L‘s Effective Meeting Course, you or your employees can ensure they are on the right path.

It will help you decide on a solid objective in mind, an agenda that is tight, and a commitment to involving meeting participants in planning, preparation, and execution.

Then the meeting is sure to be a success!

Employee engagement

The Engagement Equation: Leadership Essentials Course

Would you like to learn leadership strategies for better employee engagement for ultimate organization success? An engaged workforce has more capacity to deliver on your organizational imperatives than a disengaged one. High employee engagement drives innovation, discretionary effort, customer loyalty, productivity, quality, profitability, and retention of top talent. Yet only one in three employees is fully engaged.

Leadership can’t “make” someone engaged. However, they can create an environment that fuels engagement and coach team members to higher levels of engagement.


Engagement: A Top Priority

Quantum Workplace defines employee engagement as "the strength of the mental and emotional connection employees feel toward their places of work"

According to Smarp, Employee engagement is one of the top priorities for most companies, here's why:

  • Employee engagement boosts productivity in the workplace. Companies with high employee engagement are 21% more profitable.
  • Employee engagement increases morale in the workplace.
  • Employee engagement discourages absenteeism. 
  • Low employee engagement is expensive. It drives up costs of hiring new people and onboarding them. 
Here's a few tips from Forbes to improve Employee Engagement >>>

Tip #1 Properly onboard and train your employees

Tip #2 Set time-based company goals

Tip #3 Steer clear of micro-management

Tip #4 Focus on Employee Development


The Engagement Equation Full Day Course

P2L offers The Engagement Equation Full-Day Course for all leadership levels to help them learn and execute effective employee engagement strategies in their organizations.

This is what you will gain from this course:

  • Ability to articulate the definition, drivers, and owners of engagement
  • Ability to better assess and manage engagement
  • Ability to establish trust, unleash potential and build confidence in others to fuel engagement every day
  • Conduct 1-on-1 discussions with team members to better understand and take action on their unique engagement drivers and challenges at work
  • Conduct team meetings to identify actions the team can take, within their control and influence, to increase engagement

Click here to get more details about the course and connect with P2L. 

Have some questions? Ask away!

Explore The Power Of Strong Presentation Skills - a woman wearing a grey top is standing in front of three people who are listening to her

Explore The Power Of Strong Presentation Skills

How often have you sat through a presentation that ended up being a snooze fest? Giving a good presentation can be very challenging mainly because it is mostly one-way communication. It is hard to keep your audience attentive while you look at slides and present them. It is not very easy to make a presentation informative and engaging at the same time.

What are presentation skills?

Presentation skills are the skills one needs to create and deliver engaging presentations to a variety of audiences. These skills include components such as the design of your slides, the theme of your presentation, the content on your slides, the tone of your voice, and the body language you convey.

Why are presentation skills important?

  • To enhance communication skills: Good communication skills are an asset to every employee. These can be developed by jumping on to every opportunity to deliver a presentation in front of a large group. Great presenters can communicate clearly to an audience and bring those same great communication skills to the workplace.
  • To lead to individual success: Presentation skills help employees sell their ideas and themselves. Employees who have good presentation skills and clarity of thought are more likely to be chosen to work on bigger projects, thus advancing their career growth.
  • To help in time management: Anyone who takes up the task of presenting a project gets good at managing his/her time well. Given that they have limited time to convey their idea and concept of the project to the client, they tend to master time management skills.
  • To connect with people: Presenters often build connections when they go to meetings. The way they talk and build a rapport with their audience is what makes them connect well with their audience.

How to improve your presentation skills?

Explaining a concept to a friend and presenting an idea to your superior or stakeholders are two very different things that require extremely different skills. Here are some techniques that can help one improve their presentation skills:

  • Rehearse: Make sure to always practice your script a couple of times before your presentation day.
  • Time yourself: It is important to know how much time you need to dedicate to each slide or each topic. Take a stopwatch and time yourself to make sure you don’t go overtime.
  • Be confident: It is always easier said than done but you must make sure to not show your nervousness. It is natural to feel tensed before taking the floor but try to not show that on your face or with your shaky hands. Be confident and stay calm.
  • Sleep well the night before: A fresh mind can make you feel more confident. Try to get at least 8 hours of sleep the night before your presentation.
  • Watch other presentations: Watch videos or attend conferences where you get an idea about how people usually start and end their presentations. This will give you a good understanding of how to structure your presentation.
  • Make eye contact: Eye contact is extremely important. This keeps your audience engaged throughout your presentation.
  • Develop a personal speaking style: Your individuality is what will make your audience listen to you. Use simple language and try to make the session as interactive as you can.

What is the Presentation Skills course all about?

Powerful presentation skills increase a person’s ability to educate and inform audiences. Ideas, products, and concepts must be presented succinctly and compellingly. This course, specifically designed for people looking to influence or inspire, teaches a presenter to develop and deliver a clear, concise message that will quickly and effectively gain the attention of the audience.

Outcomes

  • Identify the benefits of a powerful presentation
  • Create an opening that will capture the audience attention
  • Apply a five-step process for preparing a powerful presentation
  • Utilize techniques to add variety, interest, and emphasis
  • Manage nervousness
  • Discuss the power of visual, verbal, and vocal skills
  • Use visual aids effectively (handouts, charts, PowerPoint slides)
  • Encourage audience participation
  • Manage difficult questions and audience members

Conclusion

A good speaker cracks the deal. Having strong presentation skills helps not only in individual success but also in overall business success. Good speakers make sure they have their audience’s attention all to themselves and make sure they leave an impression. If you’re someone who is struggling with stage fright, nervousness, or presentation skills, this course is exactly what you need to upskill yourself.

To enroll, contact P2L today!

Why Emotional Intelligence is Essential in Leadership

What is Emotional Intelligence?

 

While it isn’t quite as quantifiable as its companion Intelligence Quotient (IQ), emotional intelligence is equally important. First thing’s first, it doesn’t have the same kind of data support as IQ. Due to the ease of assessing IQ through school and into the workplace, the metric has traditionally been emphasized more.


EI can be measured in the following ways:


Relationship management: Includes managing our relationships, connecting with others, leading, controlling conflicts, and cooperating with others.

 

Being Self-Aware: Having an awareness of our knowledge about ourselves, understanding our behavior,  and understanding our emotions.

 

Motivation: Harnessing our internal resources to perform, act, and achieve our goals.


Empathy: Knowing how others feel and empathizing with them. People who are empathic can relate to their emotions more effectively since they identify with them.

 

Self-management and self-regulation: Skills that allow us to control our emotions and therefore our responses.

 

What Are the Benefits of Emotional Intelligence?

Having an emotional intelligence reserve gives us the ability to take care of our physical, psychological, and mental needs — as well as to inspire and lead others.

Conflict resolution is the result of our ability to manage effective relationships and our armor and shield. Success relies on it in numerous ways.

Success in our personal lives isn’t limited to the concept of emotional intelligence. The workplace is no exception.

60% of careers are derailed by insufficient emotional ability, such as difficulty dealing with interpersonal problems, incompetent leadership in challenging situations, or lack of adaptability.

 

Workplace Emotional Intelligence: Why is it Important?

 

Work-life and career are directly impacted by EI. Relationships at work are the norm. People are often a melting pot of different emotions, skills, and personalities. It is embedded right into all of this what the business is all about.

 

In the workplace, therefore, every decision and action is influenced by Emotional  Intelligence. You will find it in the basic instructions for your team, just as it appears in mass organizational changes. The result is that people with greater EI usually behave more effectively at work. When one is emotionally intelligent, one is able to lead and build successful teams as well as be responsive and agile when the occasion arises. 

 

A low level of emotional intelligence can also negatively impact the workplace. It can lead to harassment, bullying, and demotivated employees at its worst. The result can be irritability, insensitivity, and even aggression. An EI of high levels will promote flexibility, while a low EI will result in rigidity and inflexibility, both dangerous for any organization.

 

Emotional Intelligence Course:

You and your employees can learn the importance of EI through P2L’s Emotional Intelligence course. It’s ingrained in who we are, and as such, impacts every aspect of our lives, especially the workplace.

To learn more check out P2L’s Leadership Development page!

 

 

How Partnering for Performance Promotes Employee Growth - three people who are all wearing blazers are smiling to a woman across the table while they take notes

How Partnering for Performance Promotes Employee Growth

What is Performance Management?

Performance management is a constant process of two-way communication between managers and their employees throughout the year. This includes addressing any concerns of the employees, clarifying organizational goals, laying down objectives, conducting performance evaluations, providing feedback, and reviewing results.

Why is Performance Management important?

  • It helps both employees and employers prepare quarterly, half-yearly, and annual performance review
  • It helps streamline the annual appraisal process
  • It allows employees and managers to be on the same page and collectively work toward a common organizational goal
  • It helps managers understand any issues their employees are facing at work
  • It helps employees clarify doubts and understand the deliverables and key result areas (KRAs) better
  • This process helps employees to become more open to receiving constructive feedback
  • It facilitates constant communication between managers and employees
  • This helps employees feel valued at their job

The Performance Management Cycle

The performance management process or cycle has five key steps:

  1. Planning

The planning stage is all about setting employees’ goals and communicating these goals with them. Managers must share a clear set of expectations with their employees for them to know how to perform better at their job and do it successfully.

  1. Monitoring

In this phase, managers are required to constantly monitor the employees’ performance on the goal. Most companies use performance management software applications to track employee growth and productivity.

  1. Developing

This phase includes using the data obtained during the monitoring phase to improve the performance of employees. This could include setting up seminars for employees to interact with experienced professionals, enrolling employees in eLearning courses, providing opportunities for employees to learn new skills through job rotation, asking employees to participate in simulation tests, and more.

  1. Rating

This stage could include managers rating their employees on the basis of various factors such as performance, punctuality, communication skills, retention skills, learning abilities, and more to provide 360-degree feedback.

  1. Rewarding

Acknowledging and rewarding an employee’s good performance is essential to the performance management process, as well as an important part of employee engagement and growth. Employers can do this by giving them monetary rewards, appraisal, social recognition, and more.

What is the Partnering for Performance course all about?

Managers often view performance management as being primarily the end-of-year performance review. In truth, performance management is an ongoing, year-round function. The annual review is merely the culmination of the performance conversations that have taken place throughout the year. In this course, managers learn how to:

  • Collaboratively develop performance goals
  • Provide feedback and coaching toward those goals
  • Review performance results

Course Outcomes:

  • Use a three-phase process to effectively manage performance
  • Assess employee strengths and development opportunities
  • Apply the SMART goal-setting formula
  • Help employees prepare for the goal-setting discussions
  • Apply follow-up techniques to ensure commitments, goals, and standards are being met
  • Apply a structured approach to conducting the performance review
  • Use language that focuses on development vs. criticism
  • Establish a safe climate for collaborative performance discussions
  • Apply collaborative techniques to create a two-way dialogue
  • Handle difficult performance discussions

Conclusion

Often companies prefer to only have an annual performance review in the interest of time but the only way to ensure the success of performance management is to treat it like an ongoing, continuous, and evolving process. If you’re a manager looking for best practices for performance management to ensure employee growth and overall organizational growth, then Partnering for Performance is the most suitable course for you.

Contact P2L to enroll today!

Employee Engagement Course

Employee Engagement: The Key to Organizational Success

Employee engagement is the extent to which employees feel passionate about their jobs, are committed to the organization, and put discretionary effort into their work. - Custom Insight

In most regions of the world, only one-third of the employees are fully engaged. The challenge for organizations is that no one can “make” people engaged. Individuals must understand what meaningful work looks like for them and their organization – and then take action to achieve it. This learning experience provides the insights and tools for employees at all levels to manage their own engagement.


Why is engagement important?

Employee engagement is more than activities, events, and games.  Employee engagement is what drives performance.

Engaged employees understand the organization's purpose, as well as where, and how they fit in. This results in better decision-making.

Benefits of an engaged workforce:
  • Ability to outperform the competition.
  • Higher earning per share (EPS)
  • Quicker recovery from recessions and financial setbacks.
  • Growth and Innovation
  • Retention of talent
  • Better attraction of talent

Here's a few tips from Forbes to improve Employee Engagement >>>

Tip #1 Properly onboard and train your employees

Tip #2 Set time-based company goals

Tip #3 Steer clear of micro-management

Tip #4 Focus on Employee Development


Employee Engagement: Half Day Course

P2L offers a half-day course called Taking Control of Your Engagement Half Day Course for all leadership levels to help them learn and execute effective employee engagement strategies in their organizations.

This is what you will gain from this course:

  • Understand what engagement is — and what influences it
  • Assess your own engagement level
  • Clarify the personal values and job conditions that influence employee satisfaction at work
  • Align their interests and talents with the goals of the organization
  • Identify actions employees can take to increase their satisfaction and contribution — to become more engaged

Click here to get more details about the course and connect with P2L. 

Have some questions? Ask away!

Leadership: Why should anyone be led by you - a man wearing a blue button down and a tie is point to his left while holding a megaphone that covers his whole face

The Leadership Role: Why Should Anyone Be Led By You?

GREAT LEADERSHIP EXCITES PEOPLE TO EXCEPTIONAL PERFORMANCE

Leadership is a relationship between leaders and followers. It, like all relationships, is a somewhat fragile condition and needs to be carefully, constantly cultivated. Yet too many leaders hone prescriptive behaviors outside the context of their followers, emulating celebrity CEOs and bosses they admire. They try to be people they aren’t and as a result, they often fail. If they fail, your organization will, too.


The Leadership Role

Successful leaders know how to modify their behavior in response to the needs of their followers and the circumstances they encounter – while simultaneously remaining true to who they are. Hence, they produce results by being crystal clear on their unique differentiators and by addressing the four critical needs of their followers:

  • Community
  • Authenticity
  • Significance
  • Excitement

All in all, Successful leaders can answer the question “Why should anyone be led by you?” with confidence.


Understanding Leadership

Leadership is what directs a company and its employees. Strong leadershipoften results in maximized productivity and timely achievement of business goals. On the other hand, weak leadership can damage productivity and cause a lot of harm to an organization.

Key roles of effective leadership:
  • Coordination
  • Delegation
  • Motivation
  • Initiation of action
  • Decision-making
  • Morale-boosting
  • Guidance 

 Why Should Anyone Be Led By You? 2 Day Leadership Course 

P2L offers a two-day course called Why Should Anyone Be Led By You? 2 Day Course for High Potential Leaders and Senior Leader to help them learn and execute effective leadership in their organizations.

In this course, participants will learn how to lead or how to improve their leadership style.

This is what you will gain from this course:

  • Assess the needs of their followers and modify their leadership approach appropriately
  • Deploy their personal values, strengths and even weaknesses to maximize their effectiveness as leaders
  • Understand and integrate inherent tensions of leadership
  • Size up situations and adapt their leadership behavior without losing their unique differentiators to drive results
  • Build a thriving community of aligned, engaged team members
  • Communicate more effectively by considering not only their authentic point of view but also considering their followers’ readiness for change
  • Tap into a peer leadership community and expand their influence beyond their teams

Click here to get more details about the course and connect with P2L. 

Have some questions? Ask away!

Importance of Delegation for Your Business Growth

Delegation

A great leader knows how to delegate effectively to maximize employee contribution and boost productivity. Here are a few key reasons why delegation is essential to great leadership.


Develops new skill sets


Through delegation, team leaders emerge with new leadership skills that enable them to assume new responsibilities and take responsibility for outcomes.

Leaders develop their competency in the delegation by communicating expectations clearly and providing feedback. Those who are delegated tasks have the opportunity to learn new processes or interact with teammates they might not normally work with.

These experiences allow them to hone their project management skills, communicate better with others, and work well in teams.

Time is saved


For any leader to be effective, especially when they have so many demands on their time and attention, it is crucial to achieving the right balance between the strategic and the tactical.

Even though they lack the time to think strategically, leaders have found that delegating certain tasks to others frees them up so that they can focus on more worthwhile activities.

When leaders delegate tasks, they have time to reflect on strategy as well as perform other necessary tasks, such as leading and coaching their teams.


Encourages workers

Delegation empowers employees by enabling them to demonstrate their ability to accept new tasks. When employees are delegated responsibilities, they get more invested in the results.

In addition to fostering a higher sense of engagement and commitment, delegation helps employees recognize their value to the team. Leaders can empower employees by delegating tasks such as assisting a team member with the first draft of a proposal or taking the time to conduct background research ahead of time before a meeting.

Delegation Course

Developing trust in yourself and your team will help you realize how far they can achieve, which will help you reach even further. By trusting yourself and your team, you’ll be amazed by how far they can reach, making you reach farther as well.

Delegation training course at P2L will help your organization ensure every employee follows these key skills.

 

 

 

Mentoring is the perfect course for a mentor and mentee - a woman wearing a red top is touching the mouse of the laptop while another woman wearing a white top is looking at the laptop screen

Mentoring–The Ultimate Course For A Mentor and Mentee

Who is a mentor?

A mentor is a guide, coach, or guru who helps a lesser experienced individual grow personally and professionally. He/she is someone who acts as a teacher or role model supporting and advising his/her mentee to perform better and become successful.

What is mentoring?

Mentoring is a relationship between a mentor and mentee where the mentor trains or guides the mentee to help him/her carry his/her responsibilities. There is knowledge transfer between the two but mostly from the mentor’s end. A mentor shares his experiences and expertise to help coach the mentee better.

What are the qualities of a good mentor?

  • A good mentor is someone who has the willingness and motivation to help others. He/she has a genuine desire to help budding professionals grow and succeed.
  • Good mentors are motivated by their passion to help someone become a better version of themselves over just monetary rewards.
  • He/she has the bandwidth to take up the responsibility of mentorship. They have the ability and availability to commit real time and energy to their mentee.
  • He/she is someone who has in-depth knowledge about current and relevant industry trends, expertise about organizational knowledge, and experience in human development.
  • He/she can identify all the key areas where his mentee needs assistance or wishes to develop.
  • A good mentor shares both his success and failure stories with his mentees. This helps the mentees learn from all the mentor’s experiences both good and bad. Also, these tales provide valuable learning opportunities.
  • He/she is someone who himself/herself has a hunger to learn. Their growth mindset and learning attitude are what make them a pro at their job. Strong mentors are open to the idea of constantly learning and deepening their knowledge.
  • An effective mentor is not only a great orator but also an active listener. He/she likes to engage in dialogue with his/her mentees to understand them, their strengths, and their weaknesses better.
  • He/she is great at providing feedback and honest insights. He/she makes sure to help his/her mentee work on themselves and learn from their past mistakes.

What is the Mentoring course all about?

Mentoring is one way to transfer expertise and knowledge to new workers. Mentoring has been proven to reduce turnover and increase employee satisfaction. This course provides an opportunity for a mentor and his/her protégé to work together, learn about each other, and determine the most successful working relationship. Techniques are provided for mentors and protégés to learn about one another, identify interaction guidelines, and set mentoring goals. Participants will discuss and practice the components of being an effective mentor and protégé, and develop a plan to ensure the effectiveness of the relationship.

Course duration:

It is a one-day course designed for a mentor and his/her protégé to attend together.

Course outcomes:

  • Define your role and responsibilities as a mentor or protégé in the mentoring process
  • Understand the phases of mentoring and the activities in each phase
  • Understand your mentor’s or protégé’s interaction style
  • Set and manage expectations for the mentoring relationship
  • Listen with openness and understanding
  • Provide supportive feedback
  • Coach mistakes without commanding or criticizing

Conclusion:

A good mentor has the power to make or break a young professional’s career. Most consider themselves lucky if they have a good mentor guiding them throughout. If you’re a mentor who wants to build a strong relationship with your mentee to help shape their career well and guide them in the right direction, then enroll in this Mentoring course that you can attend with your mentee. Both of you can learn how to connect better and help each other grow with the help of this thorough course designed especially for a mentor and his/her protégé.

Contact P2L today!