7 Ways Leaders Maintain Their Composure in Difficult Times

Leaders need to show more composure than ever before in the workplace.   With the change management requirements, increased marketplace demands and intensifying competitive factors that surround us, leaders must have greater poise, agility and patience to minimize the impact of uncertainty.   How leaders respond to these and other growing pressures is an indicator of their leadership preparedness, maturity and acumen.

The composure of a leader is reflected in their attitude, body language and overall presence.   In today’s evolving business environment, it is clear that leadership is not only about elevating the performance, aptitude and development of people – but more so about the ability to make people feel safe and secure.   Employees have grown tired of working in survival mode and thus want to be part of a workplace culture where they can get back to doing their best work without the fear of losing their jobs.

I worked with a colleague that lacked composure and was always in a panic.  Though he had tremendous credentials, he lacked the ability to remain calm and thus often made his employees feel uneasy. His leadership role was just too big for what he was capable of handling.   He was often too dramatic and the smallest of problems  launched him into crisis management mode.   Needless to say, his wasn’t an effective leadership that could deal with real crisis and change.    Because he was unable to reinvent himself and adapt to the unexpected, his tenure was short-lived.

The 21^st century leader sees adversity through the lens of opportunity.  Rather than panic, a leader with composure takes a step back and begins to connect the dots of opportunity within adverse circumstances.   These types of leaders quickly detect the causes of adversity and solve for them immediately.  They then enable the opportunities previously unseen that could have avoided the adversity to begin with.  Many times crisis results when composure is missing.

The next time a problem arises, ask yourself if you or your leader could have shown a greater sense of composure and avoided the problem from surfacing.

When leading – especially during times of uncertainty and adversity, crisis and change – you must avoid showing any signs of leadership immaturity or lack of preparedness that will make your employees feel unsafe and insecure. Here are seven ways to maintain leadership composure during the most pressure-packed moments:

1.  Don’t Allow Your Emotions to Get in the Way
Seasoned leaders know not to wear their emotions on their sleeves.   They don’t yell or get overly animated when times get tough.  These types of leaders have such emotional self-control that even their body language does not give them away.

When you allow your emotions to get in the way, employees interpret this as a sign you are not being objective enough and too passionate about the situation at hand.  Strong-willed leaders can maintain their composure and still express concern and care, but not to the point that their emotions become a distraction – or that they can’t responsibly handle the issues at hand.

Link for full article outlining all 7 Ways.

Article authored by Glenn Llopis, Forbes Contributor

5 Proven Strategies to Reduce High Turnover

Many employers today are experiencing rapid, high employee turnover– which not only creates the issues of filling vacant positions, overworked staff, and low morale in the workplace, but also costs organizations billions of dollars each year.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 91 percent of Millennials expect to stay in the same job for less than three years, and the average employee tenure is about 4.4 years. The financial impact of excessive employee turnover alone can force an organization to close its doors, and has many employers wondering how they can improve retention through effective hiring processes.

Here are five ways to hire more loyal employees and reduce turnover:

1. Assess the cultural fit of the job candidate.Maintaining cultural consistency within your company is a crucial factor in the productivity and satisfaction of your employees. A recent study showed that 46 percent of small-business new hires failed within 18 months, and a whopping 89 percent of that failure was directly related to poor cultural fit within the company.

How can employers assess candidates’ ability to blend with their company culture? Pre-hire employee assessments, such as Profiles’ SOSII, are great tools for gaining the information needed to measure an individual’s company culture compatibility. The SOSII assessment reveals information on employee background, employment history, integrity, personal reliability, and work ethic.

2. Consider a trial period.Trial periods allow the new hire and company to mutually assess their compatibility without an obligation. A trial or probationary period can greatly increase the loyalty of your new hires and reduce turnover, as demonstrated by the fundraising company Engage Direct Mail, who implements a trial period of 90 days in their hiring process. On average, Engage experiences 77 percent retention during the trial, which turns into about 95 percent retention after the three-month probationary period. Trials can be compared to dating – both sides share their expectations, values, and dreams. If they are in agreement, what’s to stop them from succeeding in the long-term? The key to probation periods is that they reveal any unknown factors to both the candidate and the employer.

3. Offer flexibility.Flexibility within a company allows employees to feel valued and shows them their needs are recognized and respected. How important is flexibility to job seekers? In a recent study, nearly 75 percent of American adults surveyed said flexibility is one of the most important factors in their job search, and 39 percent have already left a job or have considered leaving due to issues with flexibility. Work-life balance within an organization is always a major consideration for job prospects, so offering flextime and other accommodations for workers’ personal lives is an important factor in competitively attracting, hiring, and retaining top talent.

4. Use employee referrals.According to research from Jobvite, HR executives rated referrals the number one source of quality candidates, and also generate 39.9 percent of all hires. Employees hired on referral are also proven to be more loyal, as 46 percent of referred employees stay 3 years or more, compared to only 14 percent of hires from job boards. Referrals not only reduce turnover and recruiting efforts, but also empower employees by allowing them to have input in the hiring processes of their company.

5. Implement an onboarding program.Introducing an onboarding program into your hiring process can mean the difference between retaining a top employee for a lifetime, and watching them walk out the door after two months. Companies who implement an effective onboarding program during the first three months of new-hire employment experience 31 percent less turnover than those who don’t, according to the Aberdeen Group. Onboarding is important because it introduces the employee to the company’s culture and expectations, and gives the employee vital training and information needed to succeed in their new position. A new hire’s company compatibility will likely be determined during the onboarding process, which can save the employer from prolonged investment in the wrong employee.

If your organization is experiencing high turnover rates, you may be telling yourself “the employees of today are not loyal like they were in the past,” or thinking, “there’s nothing I can do about it.” However, a more likely answer is you have simply been hiring the wrong people, and through the implementation of these five strategies, you can identify and hire talented, loyal employees.

For a free consultation to review your current selection, hiring and coaching approach and discover ways in which you may be able to improve your business outcomes, contact Parsley Performance Solutions, a Profiles International Strategic Business Partner serving clients throughout the USA and Canada.