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Individuals who can picture themselves in an organization can be more likely to make a change in their career and apply to an open position. So, when they aren't able to visualize this, they may continue scrolling through other positions. Let's face it, as hiring managers look to fill roles, it's absolutely critical that we find a way to stand out. Would you like to learn more about creating an employment brand strategy and execution plan? Reach out at janae@janaeolson.com.

It's Q4 for some organizations and closing out the year strong while going into the new year with a clear vision with goals is a must. Making decisions based on data is a key component in making sure your organization is headed in the right direction. But, do you have this meaningful data? Delegating projects like an employee engagement survey, SWOT analysis, and Voice of the Customer to an external resource allows you and your team to continue running your business. 

If you're a leader who typically facilitates annual planning for your organization, is it taking you away from actively engaging with important conversations? Partnering with an outside resource allows you to focus on contributing versus running the meeting (that's where I come in). 

I’ve been asked numerous times from job seekers how to understand a company’s culture before actually being in it. It’s a difficult question, but I’ve gained some wisdom throughout my career on this topic, and have two questions that you can ask to have better insight into a company’s actions versus words on a website or poster.  1. How does your company handle tough times? 2. How does your company handle good times?  If you’re a leader who is feeling overwhelmed with this culture stuff, reach out at janae@janaeolson.com - I can help. 

 How do people around you know when you are stressed or overwhelmed? Do you have effective ways to communicate when you're in these modes? Brené Brown recently launched a new series on HBO Max and talks about how she communicated with her teammates when she was feeling these things. She also talks about the concept and importance of nothingness and it is so, so good.  If you are sensing (or have data telling you) that your organization is stressed and overwhelmed, do you have a strategy in place to mitigate those feelings? Stress and overwhelm affect individuals at a personal level, but also contributes to the performance of an organization.  Reach out if you'd like to discuss how you can minimize the negative effects of stress and overwhelm in the workplace - janae@janaeolson.com. 

 The end of 2022 may seem far away, but the end of Q1 22 is approaching quickly. Are you and your team doing the right things at the right time to stay on track to hitting your goals? Do you need an outside perspective to get your team on the same page and recharged for Q2?  Facilitating a discussion that allows you and your team to evaluate and re-set may just be what your organization needs. Utilizing a facilitator allows all team members to participate instead of one person trying to run the meeting. Reach out at janae@janaeolson.com.

 Leaders face challenges in determining what is most important in their organization every day. Once a vision and core values are set, it can be really easy to think about processes that could be improved, software that could be implemented and new roles that could be added. It can be easy to skip the step that involves looking at your current team, their strengths, and their weaknesses. Why? Because it's not easy and it's time consuming.

I will tell you however, skipping this important step will negatively impact you and your organization almost always. Maybe someone isn't performing well - could they be in the wrong role? Maybe their is past history that you're unaware of - could it be addressed and resolved?

People are complex, and are an important part of your organization's success. Reach out at janae@janaeolson.com if you could use support in this area of your business. 

Asking for help can be so, so hard. It can make us feel weak, incapable or defeated. Who wants to feel thought things, right? But, here’s the thing, most of the time, it just takes a little support to solve whatever challenge we’re tackling at the time.   

If you’re in a leadership role and an employee has asked for something that you are personally not able to help them with, providing a resource, like a coach to help them is a great solution. To learn more about coaching options with Veracious Results, reach out at janae@janaeolson.com.   

And, if you’re being asked for something in a personal setting, please listen to the person requesting their need and decide and communicate if you can or cannot give that to them. If you are unable to, explaining why can help maintain your relationship instead of damaging it.  

 How have you felt when you have shared a story or news with someone only to find out they shared it without permission? This often happens in toxic workplaces where trust doesn’t exist. Don't mistakenly misinterpret who the audience should be, the timing, or the tone. Be a good leader, co-worker & friend, and only share news or stories that belong to you.  

The foundation of a team is trust and if it’s not present, your organization will not be as productive or cohesive as it could be. If you would like to explore options to assess the level of trust in your organization, reach out at janae@janaeolson.com. 

Onboarding a new employee into an organization is something most leaders recognize as being important, however I don't find that people in leadership roles value offboarding employees as much.   

When someone leaves a company - their offboarding experience is likely what they will remember because they have already made the decision that something wasn't a fit and that it was time to write a new chapter in their career. When they are out on social media, talking with their networks or writing reviews, this last experience is critical for future recruiting efforts and retaining your current employees.   

If you don't have an offboarding process in place, reach out to Veracious Results at janae@janaeolson.com. Not only can I help create the process, but also execute pieces of it to take the burden off your team. 

This can be a very controversial topic. Generally, people in sales believe clients are most important, and people in HR believe employees are the most important. Today, I share my thoughts on how both groups are crucial pieces in a business's success, and which group is ultimately more important to an organization in my opinion.   

When a company is thoughtful in bringing the right people into their organization - who have similar standards and alignment in values, their clients will feel that in their experience and want to do more business (good, right?). Top talent also attracts other top talent, so in itself, your best recruiting strategy. 

Organizations who have the mindset to hire individuals to check a box and don't consider values alignment can expect employees to deliver the bare minimum to clients. It is my belief that clients will only allow this for so long before finding another partner who has top talent to take good care of them. Don't lower your standards when recruiting the right person is hard.   

So, while all human beings are important, aren't employees potentially the most important piece of a successful business (assuming you already have a stellar product or service)?  Once you have these amazing people on your team, take care of them - make them a priority in your company.    

If your organization needs support recruiting the right individuals to your team or a strategy to retain your current talent, reach out at janae@janaeolson.com. 

Sure, recruiting the right talent isn’t the easiest of goals to accomplish right now, but when I hear people tell me how difficult it is recruiting for a position or to their company in general, I first look at their social pages and website (and usually don't find much). So many companies are underutilizing these resources. To be successful, you need to be utilizing all resources available to you – in this day in age, we can’t simply post on Indeed and expect the purple squirrel to apply immediately.   

You need support from a marketing professional (an HR expert doesn't bring the same skillsets). You need engaging content (MORE than just a job description!). You need appealing graphics (who looks at boring stuff?). You need to be using the right platforms. You need to be making connections. Then, you need your employees and brand ambassadors to help spread the word about how great it is to work at your company (like really, describe real-life reasons). A few shares may just get you to the right person.  

Now, if you’re reading this saying, “I’ve done all that and still No. One. Is. Applying,” well, then I take back my comment about calling BS. Maybe your organization has a really tough role to fill, maybe it has a reputation of a toxic culture (or something else that is less than desirable)…which I can help with too.   

Let’s strategize how we can fill your open positions or improve your company culture – janae@janaeolson.com. I'm always up for a good challenge.  

Extending gratitude is a key leadership function in my opinion. Leaders and non-leaders who actively engage in expressing gratitude are not only the type of people I want to be around, but who I admire as well.   

If thanking or recognizing others doesn't come naturally to you, that's okay -it's a skill that can be learned. First, try different formats (email, handwritten note, phone call, etc.), then identify a frequency that works for you. I find that setting a reminder for Friday afternoon is a good way to close out the week.   

You might be wondering - what type of impact does gratitude play in business? Well, you have more engaged employees who are happier, more fulfilled, more loyal, and more productive. Most of us work with humans, so if you're not open to implementing this practice, I suggest you find a job that deals with robots instead.   

So, who are you grateful for and why? I share who made a big impact on my career early on in the video, and how that made me go above and beyond in my job.