EP6 Productive teams and unified goals with Tim Baker
Tim Baker, of Winners at Work, joins Matt Brearley on today's episode of Small Business Blitz. He makes the case for building relationships by scheduling regular, themed communication within business teams. Tim is managing director of Winners at Work, and a respected international consultant who has worked with Boeing, Nokia, Singapore Airlines and many other notable companies. He helps companies develop productive workplace culture by implementing important communication frameworks.

00:15 On forming teams: The biggest mistakes small business owners make
02:01 Why managers may not be having the conversations they need to have
03:37 Being proactive in recruitment: Does your candidate work well in a team?
07:55 Does everyone know the core values of your business?
09:42 The potential of the effective induction process
13:54 Performance Review vs. Performance Development
18:04 Using the Five Conversations Framework within employee management
21:45 The Five Conversations Framework affects trust and productivity
26:40 Four questions which business owners need to answer
28:03 Applying the Five Conversations Framework in a broader context

"Once you've got higher trust levels people tend to listen to you more, do what you suggest and go the extra mile. Productivity increases, loyalty increases, commitment increases and turnover reduces. The results are phenomenal."

"This is not about the boss of the business laying down the law; this is about biting your tongue until it bleeds and listening to what the team member has got to say.”

"Just take a deep breath and get in there. It's your business and you have a right to expect certain standards and have certain expectations of what's happening."

Resources:

“The Five Conversations Framework is effectively a replacement for the traditional performance review system. It consists of five 10-minute conversations between managers and their staff over six months.”

These conversations are:

Climate Review: How employees feel about their job satisfaction, morale and communication.
Strengths and Talents: Asking employees what their strengths are and how they can contribute to the business.
Opportunities for Growth: The skills or knowledge in which the employee needs to grow.
Learning and Development: This is not necessarily just sending people off to courses and programs; it could be coaching them in the workplace about a particular aspect of the business.
Innovation and Continuous Improvement: Listening to suggestions about making the business more efficient and effective.

Four questions that need to be answered by the business owner:

Do I know what my expectations are as a business owner?  
Have I communicated consistently and persistently what that expectation is?
Are my people committed to reaching that expectation?
Have I given them feedback on that expectation?

Links from this episode:

Winners at Work
The End of the Performance Review
Five Conversations Leaders Must Have
Organizing the Five Conversations Framework

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