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The Managers Discussion Guide Program can accomplish all of that! And with only a minimal effort on your part! We've provided all the tools and the brief, live, just-in-time training you need to make sure your staff meetings are an event your team looks forward to, rather than a mandatory purgatory. By engaging your staff in thoughtful, professionally designed structured discussions you not only engage them in improving their own processes, but encourage them to help each other problem solve. Your team members will be more motivated and take ownership in the team's goals and solving team problems.
Read on to understand how this can work for you -- with a minimal time investment.
"Nothing can succeed and last without teamwork." --Garry Shandling, Comedian
If you're like most managers nowadays, there just doesn't seem to be enough time to send your team members to training. But they need to keep their skills sharp. E-learning is one time-condensed solution, but we have created another we think is even better, as it involves your whole team in a half-hour discussion on a key issue.
"By providing this 12-month, long-term behavior change plan, the Managers Discussion Guide Program provides a really valuable service to managers for the very reasonable cost. I subscribed for more than a year and was very pleased with the results for my team." --Terri Oropeza, IT Manager, Synopsys The Missing Link in Nearly All Team Development Efforts
In 20+ years of providing people-development tools, we’ve noticed a void in nearly all team development efforts. The void is any regular discussion about key issues, delivered at the team level. When a manager sees a developmental need, s/he either sends individuals to specific training, or has training delivered to the whole team. These are typically only one-shot trainings, and the individual gets some new ideas and perhaps begins to integrate these into his/her practices.
When we’ve conducted longer-term, multi-part programs, the results were phenomenal. But most departments don’t have the budget to bring in a professional like us on a regular basis to conduct a training or discussion on key ideas. So how could we provide the ongoing conversations that spawned increased awareness—and ultimately behavior shifts—that resulted in improved effectiveness?
That’s when the Managers Discussion Guide Program was born. This program, which includes brief, monthly manager-led structured Discussion Guides, fits the bill perfectly. They are short: 20- to 30-minute discussions that can easily fit in a staff meeting or brown bag lunch session. They are structured, so the manager doesn’t have to create the questions and flow. Even possible staff responses are included, so the manager can prime the pump if the staff is shy about answering.
Each module includes reproducible handout masters to duplicate for the team. And, each month the manager gets a walk-through training via a conference call so s/he knows what to discuss with their group. Since the modules are not designed to be a traditional training, the manager need not worry about having all the answers—s/he is merely leading a discussion with their staff. This Managers Discussion Guide Program is the perfect solution for long-lasting, ongoing improvement in a manager’s staff’s awareness and sensitivity to common issues. The first set of twelve Discussion Guides focus on key concepts around internal or external customers, and apply to working better with teammates, as well. "You have a really good design and you've kept the content simple! That makes it easy for both managers and their staff to understand what behaviors are expected and, hopefully, to commit to change." --Lorrie Gasewind, MS, Legacy Training and Development Services
Enable real team development—at your staff meetings You know: "I've had the opportunity to experience this innovative Managers Discussion Guide Program first hand. The materials and the facilitation of the manager's conference calls make it easy for managers to guide discussions and provide ongoing development for their teams." -- Cindy Ventrice, President, American Society for Training & Development, Silicon Valley Chapter
A tool to retain your best staff Recent research by the Gallup Corp.** showed that the best employees said: The Managers Discussion Guide Program is designed so your best employees will agree with these statements once this program is underway. What better way to show you care about them and their development than to provide an opportunity to grow and learn every month? You will provide ongoing staff development in 1/2-hour chunks via monthly structured staff meeting discussions. It’s a new concept—one we don’t know of anyone else offering.
To recap, this program is two-pronged:
- Twelve structured discussion guides for manager-led monthly meetings (staff meetings or brown bag lunch discussions). Each guide includes a simple script to follow, including what questions to ask the staff as well as possible staff responses. The guides are designed to fit into a 20-30 minute time frame. Each module has reproducible handout masters for the staff. There is a preface which covers how to best use the guides, how to lead effective discussions, and how these discussions are different than a training.
Frequently asked questions about the discussion guides
- A monthly half-hour conference call for all subscriber managers, to walk through the month’s module before they lead their discussion with their staff. Each month everyone will be discussing the same module. This conference call will be conducted by bestselling author and customer service expert Rebecca Morgan or one of her senior consultants. The subscriber manager will be emailed the conference call times and dates and they must register for their preferred one.
Frequently asked questions about the monthly calls
The manager is invited to attend an initial briefing conference call to go over the preface before his/her first monthly conference call. The preface discusses how to facilitate effective discussions, and other details of the program.
"Once again, I was overpowered by the efficiency of your style, the greatest refinement of your professionalism, polish and sophistication. Your unfailing savor in handling the session's interaction would have stirred the most inactive participants, and your involving everyone was equally admirable." --Milada Belaya, Clarent Corporation
This program is for you if...
The more we work with this unique program for high-performing teams and managers, the better we understand who the Managers Discussion Guide Program is a great fit for -- and who doesn't have the right characteristics to make the program work. This is a fit for you if you:- Are truly committed to having a high-performance team, not just give the concept lip service.
- Know it is your job to be personally involved with developing your people.
- Are willing to take a stand for monthly, regular development of your team.
- Have the courage to commit a budget to getting started with a turn-key program.
- Have the power to authorize the minimal investment.
- Are action-oriented enough to say "yes" to moving your team forward.
- Are visionary enough to be a pioneer even if no one else in your company is on board.
- Understand that long-term behavior improvement happens over time, not in a one- or two-day session.
Summary
Topics for the monthly modules
What you can expect as an outcome
Investment and what’s included
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