by Doug Gray | Nov 14, 2012 | Business, Coaching, Employment, Leadership, Managers, safety
In some business sectors there is mystery about what works. Consider medical research. Consider financial projections.
There is little mystery in the safety profession. You may work in insurance, preparing audits or claims. You may work in construction, manufacturing, or production. These 5 proven techniques can help your work team.
Consider this slide from a recent CII study:
The Relative Importance of 5 Safety Techniques.
Now ask at least the following:
1. How well is your work team doing each of these 5 proven techniques?
2. What technique do you need to increase?
3. How can you do so?
Unlike medical research or financial projections, these are 5 proven steps that you can implement TODAY. So, what is preventing you from implementing them?
If you need help from Action Learning Associates, Inc please call us at 704.895.6479 TODAY. There is no reason to wait.
by Doug Gray | Nov 14, 2012 | Business, change, Coaching, Employment, energy industry, Leadership, Managers, nuclear, safety, Success
There are many approaches to safety, depending upon your training or job title or perspective. Some are listed below.
But before looking at this data, answer this question: How powerful are your co-workers?
We know that peers influence us. Look at Fantasy Football. Look at gambling behavior. Look at rumors. Look at your children…
Which leads to the question: are co-workers more powerful than, say, management commitment or situational awareness? The short answer is yes.
Consider this slide from a recent CII study:
What are your conclusions?
I notice the following:
1. The higher the correlation coefficient (the more red), the more important the safety climate factor. Co-worker relationships has a red highlight (more than 0.7 correlation coefficient. As any statistics student knows, o.5 is considered statistically significant.) Co-worker relationships are a higher factor than ANY of the other factors.
2. Few project sites provide coaching and training that modifies co-worker behaviors. Over time. Those senior leaders are “missing the boat.”
3. Some smart companies are investing in changing leader behavior. For instance, Shaw Power Group has hired Action Learning Associates to work at a construction site with 33+ safety professionals. That team is defining co-worker relationships at the frontline with supervisors and foreman. And the result is profound on their key performance metrics.
Your company can modify leader behavior by focusing on co-worker relationships. We can help you do so. Call us at 704.895.6479.
What are you waiting for?
by Doug Gray | Nov 14, 2012 | Business, change, Coaching, Employment, money, Personal Development, strengths
…is as smart as eating pasta without a fork. You can get something done. But it’s messy.
Assessments define coaching success for several reasons. At an organizational level, we define patterns, norms, needs, oddities. At an individual level, we determine job fit, strengths, career path, succession, potential value.
Recently I met a consultant (with an undergraduate degree from Harvard College) who stated, “I don’t need to use assessments in my work.” I discarded his opinion. Rubbish.
We always use assessments. The data is invaluable for coaching and consulting.
How about you?
by Doug Gray | Nov 13, 2012 | Business, change, Coaching, exercise, Leadership, Managers, safety, strengths
Reason #9. Rock climbing.
I love to lead climb.
In my 20s I spent several months rock climbing the best cliffs in the United States. For 3 months I lived in a car with several friends, and we travelled to Boulder, CO and Devils Tower, WY. We ate granola. And macaroni and cheese. While studying guidebooks. Or talking with lanky climbers from all over the world.
Boulder Canyon and Eldorado Canyons were meccas for serious climbers. As a lead climber, my partner and I started on the bottom and climbed all day, until we summited on a ledge. Then we rappelled back down, or hiked down. Every afternoon the thunderstorms terrified us. Every climb had terrifying sections. At Devils Tower we did overhanging aid climbs that required swinging traverses. Just like James Bond on the Eiger in Switzerland. We learned to mitigate risks.
When moving on vertical rock, you have 4 potential points of contact. If two feet and one hand are enough, then you can move the other hand. Climbers learn to distribute weight evenly. To select resting places. To control energy exertion. To keep your hands below your heart to reduce fatigue. To ignore fear.
After days or weeks, your hands develop callouses. After many first ascents, your confidence increases. So you try something harder.
And then you fall.
My most terrifying fall was about 40′ late one afternoon. I had felt invincible. Then the crack thinned out. I could not find any placement. My legs shook. I could not climb back down. And my last piece of protection (climbing hardware) was about 20′ below me. Because I had felt so confident… I had climbed higher than I should have.
I recall pausing. There was a choice. And I chose to fall. I still recall that instant, some 30+ years later.
So I tumbled 20′ to the climbing hardware, then another 20′ below that, until my partner saved my life. We were hundreds of feet above the canyon floor.
That instant of choice reminds me that we can choose to be safe, or not.
Just like adults on a job site. Or adults sorting through career choices. Or adults considering a risky move.
What are some reasons why you care about safety?
by Doug Gray | Nov 13, 2012 | Business, Coaching, Leadership, Managers, Personal Development, safety, strengths, Success
Reason #11. Graduate School.
When doing my graduate research at Dartmouth College I was obsessed with risk-taking behavior. Key questions included: Why do we intentionally embrace a known risk? What causes us to embrace more risk in academics or business or interpersonal choices? How do we encourage constructive risk tolerance, risky shift, and risk taking behavior?
At the time I was teaching high school English in a boarding school in New Hampshire. Like every faculty member, I was required to embrace the “triple threat” requirements as a teacher, dorm parent, and a coach. I supervised a dormitory house with 12 9th grade boys. I coached soccer and x-c skiing. I taught rock climbing, whitewater canoeing, winter camping, outdoor adventures. I ran a January program that was designed to “foster risk taking” in academics and socially constructive outdoor adventures, which included a 3-day mandatory winter camping expedition called “Sophomore Wilderness.” And I met a lovely woman that I was not supposed to date– because she was on the faculty. And we dated. Got engaged. Then married, on Lake Winnepausaukee. Some 23 + years ago. Like the students and other faculty, I embraced risk.
My research required that I develop an assessment of adolescent risk taking behavior. Based upon recent related research and validated approaches. Then test the questions on hundreds of adolescents at summer camps, and at two independent high schools.
I found that adolescents described self-esteem in multi-dimensions (such as physical, social, academic, etc.) But adolescents did not discriminate between types of risk in that way. They only discriminated between socially constructive risks (helping others, talking to a teacher, etc) or socially destructive risks (taking drugs, sexual activity, etc.)
Some 25+ years later I remain fascinated by several facts:
1. Adults act like those adolescents. Adults discriminate between socially constructive and socially non-constructive risks.
2. That instant between a stimulus/trigger and a response/action defines our career success.
3. Coaches/consultants can help adults determine what is safe or risky, and what is productive or not.
4. I remain continually surprised and puzzled by that opening question: Why do people intentionally embrace a known risk?
What do you think?
by Doug Gray | Oct 7, 2012 | Business, change, Coaching, Employment, energy industry, Financial Professionals, Leadership, Managers, money, Resources, safety, Sales, strengths
Let’s reduce some mystery in the consulting industry.
Annual revenue from management consulting in the U.S. was over $58B in 2016.
Question: How much should you invest in your team or group?
Answer: Enough to guarantee that your outcomes are exceeded. Not a dollar more.
Use these Organizational Consulting Activities and Fee Ranges as a guideline.
1. Consulting Day Onsite. Fee Range $3,000-$10,000. The primary reason to invest in external consulting is to accelerate desired change behaviors. The services may include (1) assessments, (2) coaching or consulting, or (3) skills training. Those services may be for individuals, groups (defined as 2+ people), or organizations. Be wary of consultants who bill by the hour, because that practice is transactional and inherently unethical. Be wary of consultants who offer an “in-town reduction,” or who charge additional fees for books, materials, or excessive travel. Only select external consultants who provide tremendous value, clear contracts, expected outcomes, and then exceed any promises. We typically provide three choices. For details click here.
2. Consulting Day Offsite (research, data analysis, assessment development, etc.) Fee Range $1,000-$5,000. The primary reason to invest in such consulting days is to enable an expert to customize evidence-based content for your organization. Be wary of consultants who charge an excessive fee for research on your project. Those consultants may not be subject matter experts- they may be billing you for their self-study. That practice is both expensive and unethical. However, it is fair and reasonable for any consultant to provide a summary of value provided for any offsite consulting work such as customization, research, or data analysis. We always include those expenses in our value-based contracts for services. Click here for details.
3. Keynote or other brief speech. Fee Range $2,000- $15,000. The primary reason to invest in a motivational speaker is to introduce a new topic or to accelerate learning. For instance, when we speak on “How to Apply Positive Psychology to your organization” the material is customized for your specific learning outcome. Too many professional speakers (including some distinguished members of the National Speakers Association who endlessly self-promote) are struggling to survive. (We have met many of them. In fact, Doug’s brother, Stuart Gray, was featured on the cover of NSA Magazine.) Only select speakers who can provide video evidence of their relevant expertise. There is little evidence validating a long term impact from any motivational speaker. The real value of speaking is to integrate customized learning into your business outcomes. For recent details on our speaking expertise click here.
4. Half-day workshop. Fee Range $2,500- $7,500. There may be a compelling business reason to provide content in a half-day workshop, rather than a full-day workshop. For instance, when we provide workshops we integrate virtual or digital training into the process, with pre-event assessments, a digital playbook, and post-event impact boosters. Those are evidence-based aspects of our process; therefore, we provide them at no additional cost for a workshop of any length. Some consultants will have additional expenses if, for instance, we have 200 attendees instead of 20. Those are real costs for assessments, customized program materials, group coaching, etc. Be wary of any leadership program that is “off the shelf.” There is little evidence to support their value. And be wary of the assumption that a consultant can “condense a full-day into a half-day.” That assumption is absurd. Half-day workshops have different business outcomes from full-day workshops. For details on each workshop design, contact us here.
5. Full-day workshop. Fee Range $5,000- $15,000. Only select proven consultants who provide tremendous value. Adult learners require meaningful experiential events. Anything else is a waste of time, money and energy. Leader development must be customized if you want impact. Consider these facts: Your operational investment into your full-day workshop is multi-fold. The direct costs of the facility ($5,000) plus the direct costs of 20 people away from their desks ($20,000+) plus the real business lost from that day ($20,000+) mean that your investment in that full day workshop for 20 people actually exceeds $45,000. We strongly recommend that you invest in expert consultants facilitating a complete process of pre-event assessment, customized delivery, and post-event impact boosters tied to business outcomes. We have delivered hundreds of these programs. For details contact us today.
6. Executive Retreat, per day. Fee Range $10,000-$50,000. Executive leaders have unique demands on time and energy. They require condensed leadership development experiences. Those experiences must be remarkable. We have facilitated executive retreats with private chefs in the mountains, and with professional actors in the city. The reason to invest in an executive retreat program is to accelerate new learning in short, remarkable periods of time. The goal is strategic transformation or breakthrough. The action learning model is designed to foster breakthrough experiences. Customization for your executive team is critical. That process requires partnership with external trusted consultants. That’s why you should call today. For details, contact us.
7. Systems Implementation (e.g. talent assessment, organizational culture change, succession planning initiative). Fee Range $10,000- $50,000. Organizational leadership may be defined broadly as a series of phased interventions toward desired business outcomes. That process requires ongoing active leadership from external consultants. We provide the objective assessments that you require. Be wary of any consultants who depend on online talent assessments for lower level employees, or those who sell boilerplate programs. 60-80% of change initiatives fail to be adopted. Contact us for the detailed citations. Do not waste any time or money. Your success requires executive sponsorship, valid assessments (often at individual, team and organizational levels), proven process steps with measures for accountability, and specific expertise. We are the experts. We typically provide three choices or a phased set of solutions. For details, contact us.
8. Employee or Customer Surveys. Fee Range $15,000- $100,000+. Caution: the ability to create an online survey does not make one expert in the use of surveys. The primary reason to invest in any survey is to assess a population and make informed recommendations toward some desired business outcome. Valid data requires external consultants with a reliable process. Internal “consultants” or departments may be self-serving, because they are required to justify their importance. Consequently, their survey findings may not be valid. External service providers are absolutely essential for an objective assessment of your organizational performance. The scope of your investment in these external surveys must vary with the scope of your business needs. Assessments are (1) quantitative, (2) qualitative, or (3) mixed. We strongly recommend that you hire an external consultant for surveys. Contact us for details.
9. Strategy Formulation. Fee Range $50,000- $150,000. One definition of strategy is a 3-year horizon line of behavior that reinforces the organizational culture. The process of strategy formulation requires expert facilitators who can assess purpose, mission, values and culture. External consultants with unrelated expertise may provide the best value to your organization. For instance, we have worked with attorneys and accountants for 20+ years. Recently we were hired to work with a mid-sized company of IT providers who required a new way of thinking about strategy. They were delighted with their new strategy. Be wary of the consultant who says, “I have no bias.” We all have biases, and expertise, that will affect any investment in strategy formulation. Our bias is based on evidence-based research in positive psychology that assumes a growth mindset that groups can flourish. Our strategy formulation services are always provided in measurable phases with milestones, so that all parties are delighted. For details contact us.
10. Organizational or Group Assessment. Fee Range $20,000- $200,000. External consultants are the ONLY people capable of providing objective data about your organization. Internal consultants have an inherent bias that limits their effectiveness. We partner with your internal leaders to provide the data you need to make informed decisions, reduce cost, or mitigate risk. For 30+ years we have provided expert organizational and group assessments. We know that the best talent assessment methodology includes a multi-rater (2+ consultants) multi-method (quantitative and qualitative) design, because the result has high predictive validity and reliability. However, your group may only need a quantitative assessment. Assessments are (1) quantitative, (2) qualitative, or (3) mixed. Our theoretical model focuses on positive psychology, therefore we make recommendations based on your individual and organizational capacity to flourish. Then we help you implement those recommendations. Those details are here.
What are you waiting for? Contact us today.
Download this list of services and investment levels now:
Now you have some numbers. So what?
Contact us today.
Or call us at 615.905.1892 or schedule your initial consultation here.
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