Is your field development strategy being dictated by a CRM software solution that was never intended for field coaching, to begin with?
Is your field development strategy being dictated by a CRM software solution that was never intended for field coaching, to begin with?
As technology is redefining the learning experience and as corporate training shifts toward talent development, we must engage our learners and employees through impactful coaching and learning experiences. This requires an understanding of generational differences and their unique perspectives toward coaching and leadership, as well as their learning preferences.
Most HCMs come with embedded performance management tools. The question is, are they effective, and user-friendly, enough to meet your coaching, feedback, and employee engagement needs? In most cases, the answer is a resounding NO. Don’t compromise these critical talent processes with a bundled solution designed to accomplish different goals.
Too often, we assume managers know how to give feedback. It’s a fundamental skill, right? Unfortunately, like most assumptions, this thinking is off base and can have serious consequences, especially since managers influence up to 70% of an individual’s success (Gallup). The fact is, you can’t be an effective coach unless you provide your people with an ongoing stream of quality verbal and written feedback.
If your HCM has a built-in performance management module, do you really need a purpose-built coaching and feedback solution? The answer is a resounding YES!
Seven signs you need a purpose-built performance management engine
Only 24% of salespeople say they exceeded their quotas last year.
If you’re using a CRM tool that offers a bolt-on coaching tool (like Veeva), you might be thinking that not only is it good enough, but it’s saving you money. Think again. The problem is CRMs weren’t built for coaching, tend to be inflexible, and lack the components proven to grow your people to higher levels of success.
Do you know to design your check-in to maximize your time, effort and impact? Download our infographic, “The Anatomy of a Successful Check-in” and its companion eBook, “The Check-in Blueprint: A 3-Staged Model for Designing More Effective 1:1s”, to get practical advice on how to structure and manage your employee check-ins so that they are aligned with your performance management strategy and help your employees thrive.
It’s common wisdom that great managers also provide great feedback through regular check-ins. But how can we know how to plan and conduct check-ins that can really help our employees to thrive? Check out our latest guide for a step-by-step breakdown of what makes 1:1s most effective and how you can be a great manager too.
Coaching employees can be an intensely rewarding experience. But, if you don’t know how to set limits or spot trouble, it can also turn into a soul-sucking nightmare.
Here’s some advice we’ve collected over the years on how you can practice some basic self-preservation, avoid being pulled into the void, and still function as a fantastic and effective coach for employees.
There are a lot of studies on feedback in the workplace, and together, they can be startling – because they often seem contradictory.
We want more feedback, and in particular critical feedback, but we are also stressed out giving and receiving feedback. When we get feedback right, it can make a huge difference driving engagement, retention and productivity.
The nightmare scenario for any coach or manager is working hard to help develop employees and still seeing no progress, or worse, seeing them become more and more disengaged.
In our infographic, 7 Nightmares That Scare The Heck Out Of Managers (and what to do about them), we explore seven common situations managers find themselves in and what to do about them. To read more about how to deal with nightmare coaching scenarios, download our eBook, War Stories From The Coaching Trenches: Survival Advice For Managers and Coaches.
As humans, we have a very complicated relationship with feedback. Especially at work.
Even studies and surveys feel contradictory: We know we need critical input. We know it works. But we also know it creates high levels of stress for everyone—and that it can easily backfire.
So how can you set up a feedback system that actually works? Scholars say the solution is encouraging employees to proactively request the feedback they need. Employee-driven feedback gives workers autonomy that decreases stress and increases effectiveness for everyone.
This helpful infographic provides actionable information on how to socialize, and gain buy-in for, the value of coaching and feedback and is a supplement to our recent eBook, “How to Sell Coaching And Feedback To Your Organization.”
You probably already know why you need a great coaching and feedback solution for your organization. Still, it can be challenging to convince others why it should be a top priority.
This new guide offers research, statistics, and tips to help you socialize the benefits of feedback and coaching with peers and leadership throughout your organization—turning what everyone knows intuitively into a solid business case that will spark action.
We all want to motivate employees to reach their potential. But how do we know what works best—positive motivation or negative? Feedback or reinforcement?
Like the famous story of the mice who’d like to put a bell on a prowling cat—evolving a performance management system can feel like a great idea that is hard to put into practice. In order to successfully implement change, three conditions must be present: a pressing desire for change—or dissatisfaction with the status quo, a vision for the future, and a process or plan for change.
Stop the madness – It’s time to change the way you manage performance.
If only 1 in 5 employees feel their performance is managed in a way that motivates them to do outstanding work, then why do we continue to employ outdated practices?
Now’s the time to modernize your performance management processes to promote greater employee engagement, motivation, and productivity. In our new infographic, 12 Compelling Reasons to Change Your Performance Management Practices, we help you diagnose organizational pain points and create a business case for change.
In sales we make buying decisions with our emotions, and then use logic and facts to justify those decisions. That’s why stories and analogies are essential components of any selling process. Stories help us engage with our prospects more effectively and put them into the right frame of mind to hear what we have to say.
People tend to make buying decisions with their emotions, and then use logic and facts to justify those decisions (yes, even health care practitioners). That’s why stories and analogies are essential components of any selling process. Stories help us engage with our customers/prospects more effectively and put them into the right frame of mind to hear what we have to say.
What’s more effective, positive or negative feedback?
We forget 40% of what we learn in the first 20 minutes, and within a month, most of us can recall only about 21% of what we are taught.
In this informative infographic, you will learn some surprising ways adult learners are different than children, or even young adults.
Good talent management technology doesn’t dehumanize us, it amplifies who we are and enables us to connect with one-another like never before. Today’s workers now actively expect engaging, productive digital tools to help them to do their jobs better.
Devices, apps and connectivity in the workplace are all at an inflection point. The adoption of smartphones means technophobia has given way to heavy tech use in all aspects of our work—with massive changes underway in how we communicate, collaborate, coach and manage.
Dread giving feedback to certain employees? Studies show that most employees want to receive feedback, even if it’s “constructive” in nature.
However, we all have one or two team members who, at best, give us pause before we provide them with feedback or, in worse case scenarios, cause us to avoid it all together.
Giving tough feedback can sometimes be as difficult as receiving it. According to one survey, 69% of managers say they sometimes hate giving feedback. Particularly when employees react in uncomfortable ways—growing angry, defensive or upset.
A prominent pharmaceutical company was on the leading edge of coaching and development technology—a decade ago. Their incumbent system had failed to keep pace with changes—both in technology and in company culture. Here’s how they brought their talent management up to date.
Change is constant. On-going, in-the-moment coaching and feedback can help your employees weather change more effectively and make your culture more resilient.
Is your field development strategy being dictated by a CRM software solution that was never intended for field coaching, to begin with?
Establish a change-friendly culture with coaching and feedback.
This established BioPharmaceutical company had a messy problem. Years of repurposing a CRM tool for coaching and training had created a rat’s nest of ad hoc, disconnected field coaching that slowed down the team and frustrated leadership. Access the case study to see how they fixed it
Are you shopping for a great new performance management software solution? Something that will organize your team around a unified coaching and feedback framework, engage and motivate your employees, and give you meaningful data?
Traditional performance reviews are riddled with pitfalls that can make the process counterproductive. If you are looking to improve your approach to performance management, download our new infographic that outlines practices you will want to avoid at all costs - 5 Performance Review Habits to Break.
Life Sciences field sales organizations have distilled employee coaching down to a perfect science. The recent rise of data-driven sales has quantified and honed field coaching, training, and development processes until they have become a science of their own, almost entirely driven by the numbers.
Traditional performance reviews are deeply flawed. Because they rely heavily on a single moment of contact and a single point of failure, they don’t reflect the holistic nature of modern coaching and performance management.
Providing written feedback can be difficult. In some cases, the words we use can convey an unintended tone or, worse yet, hijack the meaning of our message all together.
Life Sciences companies of today certainly recognize that Field Development is necessary to drive the performance and productivity of their field sales organizations. But, why is it so hard to actually realize Engagement, and in turn, see desired results?
Do you struggle to write clear, powerful written feedback for your employees? You’re not alone. Many managers find themselves challenged when trying to articulate written feedback.
If you’ve ever sat down to write feedback for an employee, you know it can sometimes be hard to find the right words.
Managers, giving (and receiving) feedback can be tricky, but did you know that only 7% of face-to-face communication is sent through words?
Only 7% of face-to-face communication is sent through words.
Without even knowing it, you may be sending and receiving signals during employee feedback that could be undermining your message or sabotaging your coaching. You might also be missing signs of engagement or disengagement that could be important.
How can you interpret—or send—these nonverbal cues to enhance your message, or avoid a disaster? This guide can help.
Managers, looking for practical tips on how to coach to different personality styles? Download our new infographic on the 10 Essential Tips to Coaching Introverts and Extraverts.
Are your employees introverts, extraverts, or ambiverts? How does that impact your coaching style?
This 15- page guide looks at the unique challenges of coaching employees across the extravert vs. introvert spectrum. We define the types and their most common traits, talk about how they often interact on your team, and how they respond to different feedback styles.
Looking to boost employee engagement? Download our latest ebook, “Who Really Benefits From Employee Engagement.” In it, you will get valuable information to increase engagement at all levels, thus driving greater overall organizational performance. Learn how greater engagement benefits:
For most of us, it’s the the time of year that conjures up long, sunny days, backyard barbeques, and Saturday’s spent at the pool or beach. But for HR, it can signal something a little less fun: The Dreaded Summer Slump.
Managers: wondering if your millennial employees are really hearing what you’re saying? If you’re looking for more creative ways to engage with the largest generation in today's workforce, our latest eBook will give you some ideas for new approaches, including:
How an up-and-coming Pharmaceutical company broke the traditional mold of manager-driven field coaching and created a truly innovative and collaborative process to drive accountability, transparency, and engagement between Field Managers and Field Representatives.
Need a good read for your next vacation or commute home? Download our latest infographic for our Top 10 Reads for Increasing Employee Engagement, and start bolstering your management skills to create a workplace culture your colleagues thrive in. A few of our favorites include:
Managers, always find yourself scrambling at the last minute to prepare for annual performance reviews? Download our new infographic on the 3 Steps to Evolving the Annual Performance Review to learn ways to ease the process and help your employees get the most out of their reviews.
Millennials – the oldest of whom turn 36 this year – will soon make up the majority of the American workforce. But millennials can also be among the hardest groups of employees to keep. What do millennials value in their work experiences, and what can leaders do to retain them?
This case study takes a look at how a Fortune 50 pharmaceutical Organization leveraged iPad technology to improve sales force effectiveness by enhancing coaching and training processes, as well as developing critical competencies, that lead to higher levels of performance.
This case study highlights how one of the world’s largest diabetes companies made the decision to redefine a culture of continuous coaching and development through the use of a unique software application called iCoachFirst®
How a start-up, specialty Biotech company installed a technology-driven coaching and development process the field sales organization embraced.
Coaching is arguably one of, if not the most, important things a Manager can do. Modern coaching has shifted from a traditional approach to in-the-moment feedback, formal and informal coaching conversations, a seamless link to training, and documented coaching continuums.
If your company is like most, you likely have an LMS in place; but is it a building block or a barrier to optimizing learning opportunities for your field-based sales force? In order for optimal development to take place throughout a field professional's career path, learning opportunities need to occur in a variety of ways and training departments need to be prepared to leverage different tools to enhance learning and training ongoing. Manager's or coaches need to be empowered to make prescriptive training assignments in real time when coaching and giving developmental feedback, AND employees need the opportunity and incentive to access self-directed learning on-demand.
Most organizations understand the critical role coaching and development play in driving the engagement, alignment, and performance of their sales forces. However, many of these organizations struggle to go beyond the basics and fail to bring engagement and adoption to the coaching process. Through forward-thinking philosophies, emerging standards, and advances in technology, coaching and development have moved to the forefront of mission critical imperatives. Even so, the need to take coaching to the next level, and thereby fill a void focused on how and why to coach more effectively, still exists.
This case study highlights how a small, short-staffed training department at a Life Sciences research and diagnostics tool provider was able to efficiently and effectively on-boardand train a newly assembled, globalsales force in under three months to support a critical product launch by utilizing a cutting-edge, mobile software application called iCoachFirst®.
Employees don't leave companies...they leave managers. Employees want managers that act as leaders, mentors, and above all, coaches. Hold on to your superstar employees:
Did you know disengaged employees cost organizations an estimated $450-550 billion each year in the United States alone? Don't let your employees become a statistic: download our new infographic, Do This, Not That to Enable Employee Performance, for tips.
This case study explores how one of the largest Life Science organizations leveraged a single technology to support coaching consistency, and elevated development processes across multiple and unique business units.
Trends in Talent Management may change, but one challenge that has remained constant is the need for managers to be more accountable and consistent in how they coach, communicate and give feedback throughout the year.
TalentFirst is proud to introduce the 6 Steps to Performance Management Mastery. This whitepaper is designed to help HR and business leaders leverage the ever-evolving world of Performance Management to engage employees and drive measurable business results.
How an established, research-based BioPharmaceutical company identified and overcame the challenges and limitations of their previous platform to achieve greater levels of field sales performance, transparency, and engagement while aligning to the organization’s unique coaching and development culture.
Coaching has long been a critical component of the development of sales professionals. They offer valuable face time between a Manager and his/her team members to focus on leveraging successes, identifying areas for improvement, and most importantly impacting results.
While many organizations understand the benefits of implementing competency systems, a common pitfall is the inability to implement them effectively in practice. View this interactive discussion on making the best use of Competency Models by understanding:
