Katie Frank is a ZingTrain consultant and trainer. In part 2 of my discussion with Katie we deep dive into what ZingTrain does, but to me it is really a discussion of some steps people can take to start making a more intentional and inspired workplace.
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This is cliche but you have to be the change you want. Blahhhh. As much as I don’t want to admit it, it’s true. If you’re a cog in your machine, you can make a difference where you are and Katie, by explaining some of the work ZingTrain is doing, gives some great tips on ways to move the needle. Even if the change is within yourself and by extension, your family isn’t that a step worth taking? She admits that it’s tough for middle managers to make these changes in a larger context. However, I want to encourage you that change is possible, again, even if it’s within yourself and your small circle of influence. How can you make your circle more inspiring, caring, human, and impactful?
Some takeaways that may help you make that change:
Servant leadership: How can you begin serving those you lead in a way that ultimately helps them realize their potential?
How can you begin using the concepts of Bottom Line Change to help communicate your ideas for creating a more inspired organization? How can sharing these concepts with your team help to engage them to move forward?
This work with Bottom Line Change includes Visioning. How could creating a more clear vision help you and your team realize your goals?
Is there a way you could change the way you orient people to your department (IE training covenants and training passports) that may get them more engaged?
I’ve been talking with a few people about their work and it’s getting more excited on my goal to create a group of crazies that want to change the world of work. To that end, please sign up for the community email list. I will email when new episodes are out, but every few weeks will send you other stories I find to help inspire you to make work…work.
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Resources
Bottom Line Change Classes at ZingTrain
Notes taken during the editing of this show
1412 – They work with companies on servant leadership and how this translates to the day to day.
Visioning is a very powerful class. How can you give the idea generator in your group. You know, the one that often times drives you crazy with all their ideas. You can use visioning to help them structure to run their ideas through to determine if it is something that can/should be pursued, can be mined for nuggets that will help the organization, or perhaps even scrap the idea because it doesn’t fit the organization’s goals or purpose.
It’s a way to engage the staff by asking them, “What does success look like if you made this change?” It gets them thinking like a leader and gives them a process to work through their ideas to better the department or organization.
Another class is Bottom Line Change.
- Create compelling reasons for the change. This is an easier for most people to do.
- Create a positive vision of the future if the change were to happen.
Bottom Line Change has helped people who aren’t “in charge”, or feel differently than the team they work with. How can I have influence? Going through a process like Bottom Line Change helps to bring the ideas out of the your brain and into a form that may be able to better communicate the change you’re trying to see.
Customer Service and Working with Zing. They cover the entire lifecycle of an employee.
40% of their work is with food related businesses, the other 60% are outside of their industry.
Q1622
20:45 Worked with a garden center for training around customer service and helped create a service training program for them. They then created a training passport on leadership and one for seasonal hires.
They’ve helped create visions for companies and then communicating the vision within the organization.
They’ve worked with a department within a local university medical organization. They’ve seen a cultural shift because they’ve helped to clarify their vision and purpose. They’re internal scores (satisfaction) have improved and other departments are asking them what they’re doing because people outside the department are noticing a difference in the team.
Where’s the disconnect between a company’s vision and mission and what happens in real life?
They teach “Building an organizational culture.”
- Teaching
- Defining
- Living
- Measuring
- Rewarding
The “live” part seems to be where people fall short. When you’re younger you think anything is possible. But as you get into an organization you begin to wonder if you can make a difference.
The team and leadership have to keep an eye out for The Gap. The gap between what you say you’re going to do and the culture. People don’t see how they’re work impacts the critical number and vision of the organization? If the leaders aren’t living it, this will cause disengagement.
Has Katie seen any similarities in the companies that attend the training and then don’t make any significant changes? Is there a shared vision? If leaders haven’t shared their visions and written them down, there could be a problem. Middle managers trying to build something in a toxic environment. So this is somewhat challenging to what I wrote earlier, but you have to begin and she says that this can change.