This is an original article by Robin Friestad of Quality Time Consulting.

I’ve recently taken the plunge into starting my own business. Part of what I’m learning to do is to “sell” what I love best. Twenty years ago, I would have been dumbfounded to predict that I would want to make a living out of ISO 9001 implementations and Internal Audits. I mean – I had been through a major implementation, several surveillance audits, and a couple re-registration audits at a Fortune 500 company. They were never pleasant. Oh, it wasn’t the external registrar, it was my upper management fretting about whether we would “pass” or not. I even came into work during my maternity leave to lend some confidence to my General Manager that it was going to be ok.

Who is LMI Chicago?

LMI Chicago is part of a worldwide organization called Leadership Management International. For over 50 years, in 80 countries and 27 languages, LMI programs have helped develop effective and productive leaders.  Jeff Johnson, President of LMI Chicago, personally completed the LMI programs with his management team (at his previous company) prior to starting LMIChicago four years ago. Witnessing the benefits, Johnson was attracted to the proven programs and processes and the difference they made in people’s lives.

We are all aware that technology is reshaping the economy – and now the workforce. It provides opportunities for companies to see their way through the ever-present workforce challenge - too many businesses cannot find the skilled workers they need, when they need them and where they need them.

Litania Sports Group | 150 employees | www.litaniasports.com

Litania Sports group is an athletic equipment manufacturer located in Champaign, IL.

Situation

Litania was interested in zero based budgeting, which the CEO had proposed to the management team in August 2016.  The idea around this was that it would address the company’s desire for aggressive growth in untapped markets. Having done previous work with IMEC, Litania trusted the experts to deliver the training they needed to implement true zero based budgeting which they hoped would result in cost reduction by the end of their fiscal year, September 30, 2017.

Written by Ashley Beaudoin, IMEC Technical Specialist 

There is no debating the impact that strong leaders have on the success of an organization, so it is critical that new leaders are being prepared to transition into their new role. Organizations who invest in leaders at all levels of the organization – not just at the senior level – exhibit higher levels of employee retention and a pipeline of qualified leaders.

Using the Stay Interview for Retention and Culture Development

As companies are fighting for talent in a tight labor market there is a need for them to look at how they are retaining their best people and developing a culture that others want to join.  Too many times managers are focused on the negative aspects of managing people and do not take the time to develop the talent that's right in front of them. 

Today, departing employees are asked their opinions and experiences on their way out the door. These “exit” interviews can reveal some information about why people are leaving, however, the interviews are typically guarded and are certainly too late to affect retention. Instead, the "stay" interview is targeted at retention, exactly as its name implies. These simple conversations take the pulse of employees' current experiences, attitudes and opinions in a more routine cadence, enabling leadership to implement improvements before they have lost a valuable asset. 

By 2025, nearly 25 percent of the United States population is expected to be 60 years of age or older. With this demographic preparing to exit the workforce and enter retirement, what can be done to retain their knowledge and pass it down to the next generation of employees? After all, a good portion of the knowledge that our “employee elders” possess is not written down or stored within a computer—it’s stored in their head. And this is especially true within the manufacturing sector.

Written by Maria Moran, IMEC Regional Manager

Given the constant change and challenges we face as leaders, some foundations are so solid that they are truisms. Yet, sometimes we deserve a few reminders.

A Fresh Look

Survival of the fittest instincts run through us all. We are wired to look for the negative in an effort to protect ourselves. What if we created a culture that trained teams to recognize the positive first? Would solutions be created more efficiently? What if you created a vibrant business by changing the lens that your business is viewed through by its employees?

Written by Ashley Beaudoin, IMEC Technical Specialist and HR Specialist

How do you use employee engagement to retain key employees?

As manufacturing advances, companies report sizable skill gaps. The need for a qualified skill set is essential for success.  In order to keep a business growing, qualified candidates need to surface while key employees are retained.

Leaders are familiar with the basic understanding of employee engagement. However, do they know just how engagement affects the workforce?