SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT

How to increase employee engagement? New science for practitioners

Recently I was asked to speak at the Human Resource conference for the State of Tennessee.  They wanted four sessions on “How to increase employee engagement.”

The content and videos are located here.

Here is the session description:

Studies continue to show that employee engagement in the workplace remains low- around the 30% range.  Low levels of employee engagement have a negative impact on achieving organizational goals, and create a workplace that does not encourage high performance.  During this session, we will answer the three key questions of employee engagement:  1) What do we know from evidence-based science?  2) How can I apply that science to increase my personal level of engagement?   3) How can I improve the engagement levels of others?  This course introduces a new model based on positive psychology practices, called the AD-FIT%TM model, that you can apply immediately.

This course provides leaders at all levels with an introduction into the science and practice of employee engagement.  Any manager or leader with a growth mindset can apply this course content to lead individual, group or organizational change in your business.  This content has been distributed to thousands of leaders in governments, private and nonprofit organizations, as well as individuals.

The content of this course is gleaned from thousands of our leadership consulting clients since 1997, and the presenter’s dissertation research on positive psychology.

The goal of this course is to introduce leaders like you to world-class techniques so that you gain competitive advantage.

Learning objectives:

  • Recognize key variables that influence employee engagement
  • Discover how to measure employee engagement
  • Identify how to increase individual employee engagement
  • Identify how to develop organizational employee engagement

Please contact us for the handout before viewing the video section of this course.

The content and videos are located here.

Action leads to learning.  What are you waiting for?

To contact Doug Gray, CEO, PCC, call 615.236.1892 or contact us here.  Today.

2014 Articles Published in Professional Safety

I have been asked to submit 6-8 articles for publication in Professional Safety, the professional journal for the American Society of Safety Engineers.

Here are the published titles from 2014:

1.  “Succession Planning 101.”   March, 2014.  p. 35.  PS_Article_SuccessionPlanning_3.2014

2.  “Trends in Safety Leadership Coaching.”   May, 2014.  p. 35.  PS article Trends 5.2014

3.  “Smartphone Apps; Making Smart Job Decisions.”  June, 2014. p. 46-47.  PS Article Apps 6.14

Please forward these articles to your friends and colleagues.

Then call me to discuss best practices for your business or your self.  Initial consultations are free.  Contact us here.

Nashville: A new address and 7 examples

After 7.15.14 our new address is:

3482 Stagecoach Dr, Franklin, TN  37067

704.995.6647 cell

Special Offer:  Please call for a free consultation in your Nashville area office to discuss your leaders or your business.

Why did we relocate?

1.  Personally: to support my wife’s career, and her recent promotion.

2.  Professionally:  to develop new relationships in a new geography, while continuing to provide value to clients in any geography.

Life requires adaptation to new environments.  A coaching question is:  How are you moving?

Here are 7 examples of new affiliations and movement in the last 13 months:  

  1.  The Brentwood, TN Rotary Club (a long time Paul Harris fellow) committed to “service above self.”
  2. Member of the Williamson, Inc Chamber of Commerce, in Franklin, TN
  3. The Association of Talent Development (ATD) board member in professional development (2015-15) and membership (2015-16);  created a Special Interest Group (SIG) for Consultants and hosted monthly meetings on countless topics since January, 2015
  4. Member of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB)
  5. Member of the Nashville Technology Center (NTC); accepted by Launch TN grant funding program to apply for federal grant to the NIH or USDA, using consultants Mark and Catherine Henry, with mentoring from Jim Stefansic PhD, to assess the impact of telemedicine programs in rural disparities
  6. Promoted the TN-HIMSS conference in October, 2015 for healthcare leaders, Chief Technology Officers, Chief Information Officers
  7. Created and hosted monthly meetings on “Talent Analytic Trends” at local businesses, including Rustici Software, the “best technology company in Nashville” and a global leader in SCORM and Watershed, their Learning Record System; those meetings featured leaders and new technologies that are redesigning how we measure talent, careers, and human achievement.

Quite a list for 13 months in a new town.

Back to that coaching question:  How are you moving?

Call any time to discuss what is next for you, your leaders, or your business.

Who is Doug Gray, PCC?

Doug Gray

Doug Gray, PCC, is a Leadership Consultant and Executive Coach.

 

Coaching and Consulting Experience

Since 1997, Doug has partnered with hundreds of executive leaders in the Healthcare, Energy, Manufacturing, IT, Construction and Financial industries.  He is quick to say that he has “just enough expertise to support leaders, without too much complicating industry-specific knowledge.”  His clients agree.  Doug typically uses customized assessments to assess organizational and individual strengths.  A popular speaker and facilitator, Doug loves to facilitate experiential leadership training programs and strategic planning retreats.  His recent speaking topics include “How to Apply Positive Psychology to your Business” and “How to Increase Employee Engagement.”

 

Doug knows how to manage and lead teams.   Doug brings a unique background as an educator, administrator, and non-profit director to his clients. That background enables him to help leaders who are passionate and need his direct, supportive expertise.   He is regarded as an expert facilitator using Action Learning methodology.  And he will bring strategic focus, humor, and proven expertise to maximize your consulting investment.

 

A representative list of leadership coaching engagements and clients include:

  • CFO and 20 leaders in finance and accounting, Fortune 500 energy construction company, who needed to embrace a redesign without losing productivity
  • team of EVPs tasked with redesigning the IT needs of their F100 healthcare company
  • MD struggling with burnout who needed confidential consulting (e.g. anonymity from his employer and insurer)
  • CEO in a technology company recently promoted to replace the founder
  • President and 18 members of executive leadership team, Fortune 500 energy construction company, who needed to demonstrate alignment within 6 months
  • SVP and site managers at a nuclear power construction site who needed to increase alignment with business partners and avoid negative media
  • SVP in functional but de-centralized group who needed to assimilate 20 leaders, using action learning methodology in direct meetings, coaching, and SharePoint to drive accountability
  • Small business owner of a franchise who needed to fire an employee after 11 years of good service
  • SVP, global bank, who needed to reorganize a division
  • VP, global bank, seeking career opportunities
  • newly hired VP who needed to develop radical transformation of a functional group that required external coaching and team building leadership training using a customized app
  • Newly promoted director who lacked interpersonal skills to manage 33 people
  • Founder of an IT company who was not able to develop new business

Business/Organizational Leadership Experience

Doug has been a successful business owner since 1997; he knows the challenges and “what works.”  He co-developed the Leadership Development Institute at the University of Maryland, College Park and taught there for 7 years, and he is a former adjunct faculty member at several colleges including NC State University.  He directed a non-profit agency in Washington, D.C. for 9 years and grew it 900% while managing 120 people.  As a former world-class athlete, Doug knows that the rigor of change requires regular support from experienced consultants, plus a dash of humor.

 

Education and Training

Doug’s graduate research at Dartmouth College included development of an assessment to determine risk tolerance and risk aversion.  That theme of mitigating risk in business and leadership has prevailed in his continued learning from clients and colleagues in the safety, consulting, executive assessment, and leadership development industries.  He is certified in the Hogan suite, DISC, several 360’s, several EI assessments, and 5 coaching certification programs.  Since 2000, Doug has been a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with the International Coaching Federation.  A perpetual learner, he is a doctoral candidate at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology in Organizational Leadership.  His research interests include the effect of positive psychology on business leaders, managers, and executive coaches.

 

Publications and Appearances

Doug loves to share his expertise as a speaker, facilitator and a writer.  As a keynote speaker, he has addressed annual meetings, executive retreats, and nonprofit leaders.  As a facilitator, he has partnered with clients to design experientially memorable leadership training solutions that range from boot camps to strategic off-sites to contests using customized mobile apps.  As an author, he has frequently been published in journals ranging from the American Society of Safety Engineer’s Professional Safety to Financial Advisor to webinars and hundreds of guest blogs.

 

He is a published author of articles on leadership development, physician burnout, healthcare, analytics, safety and productivity.  Doug has published two books:  Passionate Action; 5 Steps to Creating Extraordinary Success in Life and Work (2007), and Adventure Coaching; A Guidebook for Action-Based Success in Life and Work (2006) that can be purchased here and here.

 

Consulting Value Proposition

“Developing smarter leaders.  Faster.”

Doug will not waste any of your time or resources.  He expects you to achieve great results.  And he always guarantees exceptional value.

Call him now at 704.995.6647  or contact us here or schedule your initial consultation here.

 

For biographies on other Action Learning Associates, Inc leadership consultants and executive coaches, contact us here or review the list of our partners here.  We also provide scaled solutions for any-sized organization, anywhere in the world.

How to make money in consulting

Since 1997 I have been a consultant.   Rates are described here.

There are two types of consultants:  1. those who make money and 2.  those who do not make money.  To explain in detail, consider the story (perhaps familiar) of Rich Dad and Poor Dad.  Then add new titles such as Agile Consultant and Rigid Counselor.

Here is a quick story:  Imagine that you have two mentors.  One is Rich in material ways, and he regularly provides value to others.  He gives implementable solutions, real advice, and teaches others the process of success.  He is regarded as an expert in a community of his peers, and he charges a reasonable fee for providing solutions that endure.  He explores transformative change using questions.  He is agile.  His clients and friends regularly call him after hours to exchange ideas.  The other dad is Poor in material ways, and may not know why.  He charges by the hour and has a transactional view of others.  He tries to sell solutions or products.  He shifts from project to prospect to possibility with the winds.  He rarely trusts others, has few operating agreements or partnerships, and may have material debt.  He is rigid in his thinking.  He tells others what to do.  He may think he is the smartest person in the discussion.

Where are you?   Agile Consultant/Rich:   1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10  Rigid Counselor/Poor:

Tips include:

  1. Provide process and implementable solutions
  2. Provide tremendous value and charge accordingly
  3. Share best-in-class solutions that are practical and actionable
  4. Be a great performer
  5. Learn from the best experts

I have had two coaches for the past 7 years.  One was born in another country and we have never met.  They both help me be an agile consultant.

What do you need to make money in consulting?

How can I sell more to new customers?

I do not know the answer for you.  Yet.

 

I do know the answer for hundreds of other business leaders.  Since 1997 I have consulted and coached business leaders in manufacturing, health care, education, HR, safety, technology, finance and accounting.  I have guaranteed results for clients ranging from executive teams at F500 companies to small business owners struggling to make ends meet.

 

I do know the process.  I do know what works.

 

It costs much more money, time, and energy to attract new customers than it does to upsell to existing customers.  That is a fact.  Expenses vary from 2-7x the cost of upselling an existing customer.  Acquisition costs can be reduced when we work together.

 

You will need to 1) define the problems, 2) provide solutions, 3) model accountability.  I call this the 3A Coaching Process.

 

You are probably struggling with the following challenges:

  • people challenges
  • strategy challenges
  • execution challenges
  • cash and financial challenges

 

Typically, I define the problems using organizational and individual assessments.  I determine where you are making money.  And where you are losing money.  I determine how you need to present solutions to your target markets.

 

Then I provide a host of best-in-class solutions for you to sell more to your potential new  customers.  They must learn about you.  You must provide tremendous value.  (This website is an example.)  When your prospects receive tremendous value, then they will be inclined to purchase your products and services.

 

Then we model accountability so that you move beyond good intentions.  We want you to sell more services.

 

We have hundreds of executive consultants and behavioral coaches, with expertise in sales, so we can help you immediately.

 

Call Doug Gray, PCC, at 704.995.6647 or contact us to help you sell more of your services to your existing customers.  Schedule your initial consultation here.

What are you waiting for?

Download this list of services and investment levels now: