The Key Point Indicators of Professional - Term Paper Example

Key Points Indicators

Introduction

Indicators in business are vital points that aid managers and employees gauge the effectiveness of various functions and processes such as professionalism, assertiveness, collaboration and empathy among others which are important to achieving the goals of the organization (Parmenter, 2015). These indicators are linked to the strategies of a firm through its goals and are utilized to help the staff in the managerial positions to assess whether they are on target as they work towards achieving the goals. Some of these indicators are lagging indicators that are responsible for the telling the manager the level of their performances. For example, financial metrics fall under this category of measures. They simply show results of the previous programs and campaigns. They contain no value in predicting the future performance. Other measures are leading indicators the offer no future results. For example, an assessment that shows an improvement in employee engagement is likely to forecast improvement in several key indicators including customer satisfaction, innovation and overall participation in operation of a business (Parmenter, 2015). The challenges that are faced in developing indicators in performances of business operations include; the tendency of measures to focus much on financial outcomes if the strategies of the firm and the objectives are not clear, identification of leading indicators can be difficult, the ability to accurately measure and report on a specific measure may be challenging due to internal reporting system limitations and some measures deemed important by one area may not be viewed as important by other areas .This research paper identifies key points indicators for vital areas affecting business operations including professional, collaboration, assertive, respectful, empathetic, trustworthy, bully ,gossip, show bias and discourage.

Professional

The first key point indicator of professional is putting customer satisfaction as the priority (Baker, 2006). A successful business operation depends on proper understanding and satisfying of customer needs. The employees are expected to do what is necessary to meet the needs of their consumers. It is important to note that without customers there is no professional.

Professionals ensure they make expertise their specialty. The employee should show that he or she is an expert with technical competence essential in the application of skills and tools necessary for performing the job. Professional ensures that employees perform to the best of their abilities and always keep the staff up to date with knowledge of their trade (Baker, 2006).

Professional expects staff to do more than normal. This is because professionals are not limited to time. Staff, therefore, should utilize the wide latitude in their daily self-management to indicate this factor (Baker, 2006). They should manage their time and working habits. They are supposed to avoid abuse of privileges and produce the expected results. Staffs that attain professional always strive to complete deliverables tasks before their due dates.

In addition to that, professional can be indicated by staff that does what they say and says what they can do. This is to mean that professionals deliver on promises made. Moreover, on the same note, another indicator of professional is effective communications by staff. It is the sole responsibility of the employee to ensure there is effective communication between customers and he or she and blaming customers for challenging communications should be avoided.

Collaboration

Collaboration is essential to the success of business in various ways. It facilitates the strengthening of productivity and performances while keeping the staff engaged and invested in the organization. The various key indicators for collaboration are;

• A created shared vision in the organization. This ensures that all the participants are working towards attaining a common goal. The business can reach this level through engaging all its stakeholders such as those from the buyer-side and the provider-side, laying out the right processes and creating the correct platforms. Getting the entire team of staff to work towards the same goal requires the manager to create a common mind space. Partners have to work together trying the new processes, technologies, and delivery models.
• Regular communication is another indicator of collaboration. When the shared vision is established in the business, the leaders in the organization must maintain constant communication with teams across the organization. The messages delivered for implementations from managers must constantly be reinforced to ensure that teams understand the reasons of the various assigned tasks and the importance of collaborating including the benefits of the contributions towards achieving a similar goal. Tools and technology can be applied to support this indicator of collaboration to drive the shared vision forward. The access to communication portals and systems that increase collaborative interactions can aid in the removal of challenges (Baker, 2006).
• Standardized processes are the third indicators of collaboration in business. Business collaboration works best when treated as one cohesive approach that involves all the members of the organization. The main benefit of this indicator is cost reduction, though organizations can experience service improvement, increased transparency and visibility, reduction of risks and informed forecasting and decision-making processes that lead to timely and precise reports and statements.
• Nurturing of innovations is the fourth indicator of collaboration. Innovation should be aligned with corporate culture and a well-designed strategy for innovation. The culture of the company in most cases determines the tasks that are well done thus a strong understanding of the value of change and improvement has to be incorporated in the day-to-day work (Baker, 2006). The management should provide support to employees in their efforts of submitting innovative ideas.

Assertive

Assertiveness is a vital skill in communication that allows an individual to pursue his or her objectives and stand up for his or her rights, values and beliefs while showing respect to others on the same basis. It is defined as an ultimate win-win behavior though is some cases, it is not possible for both parties to receive what they want from a particular situation but the adoption of assertive behaviors allows individuals to maintain a positive and friendly relationship (Parmenter, 2015). The indicators of assertiveness are;

• Taking responsibilities because an individual feeling is how that person chooses to view a situation from their perspective (Parmenter, 2015). Nobody decides on the feeling a people undergo thus it is important to remember that the other person did not choose for you to feel that way. People choose their behaviors while you chose your response. If you blame other individuals for your feelings, an attack will be generated, and they will respond with a defensive behavior. This can close the media for communication and affect the business operation.
• The use of descriptive language is the second indicator of assertiveness. An individual is advised to avoid assumptions, judgments, and opinions where possible. To attain this, one should describe what happened in the case. When this is done, both parties will have a point of agreement to start from.
• The crucial third point indicator of assertive is stating opinions and interpretations as such. This can aid in the explanation and interpretation of events. One should avoid presenting opinions and personal points of views as facts.
• The fourth key point indicator is to seek alternative views. Do not assume that the other person will actively seek their view. Ask for feedback as your present your views to show your respect for their opinion and the need of reaching a common understanding.
• The fifth indicator is using constructive feedback that will allow you to adopt assertive behavior and present your views in productive ways that encourage improvement by seeking a practical solution that works best for both the parties (Baker, 2006). It is essential to focus on the solution rather than the problem.
• Inviting suggestions is an indicator of assertiveness. Instead of imposing your will on the other party, a person can attract suggestions and solutions from them. Even when these ideas may not be easy to implement, allowing the parties will make them feel valued by seeking and considering their ideas.
• Using of warm and welcoming tone is important in communication. It tells the other individuals that you will welcome their views and a conducive environment for engagement will be created.

Respectful

Employees that show respect are loyal to the company and work hard for their salaries including showing commitment the success of the company. Respectful staff always does their best and often put the interest of the company ahead of their own (Scheer, 2006).They eliminate the idea of ‘boss' by seeing their employers like people with life dreams and hopes and insecurities and fears. Respectful staff will flip the employer-employee relationship because they understand that the employer would want to help them attain their professional and personal goals and that you as the staff wants what’s best for them. Such staff sees their employers more than just a boss, and they treat them that way.

The second indicator of respectful staff is that they tell their employers what they least want to hear (Baker, 2006). The courteous staff will know what the employer most need to understand, what her or she least to hear: that the ideas will not work, that the perspective taken is off the goals and that a mistake has been made. These kinds of staff will tell their employers because they know that though the boss may not care much for what they say, the boss will still care a lot about doing what's best for the company and the employees.

Respectful employees never criticize their employer in front of others. They avoid gossiping about the boss; they don't snip or talk behind his or her back. They give the required respect even in situation where the boss is not around because they are loyal

Another key point indicator of respectful employees is that they disagree in private. Healthy disagreements in the form of debates can be accepted in business operation because they weigh the pros and cans of a decision made (Scheer, 2006). It can be done to enhance sharing of information when leaders want to hear the opinion of others in a team. Respectful staff trust that they can share their opinion with their employers in a free manner without being limited because they believe that the employer and the company benefit from honest exchanging of differing opinions and perspectives.

Offering full support to employer’s decisions in public is an indicator that employees are respectful (Baker, 2006). Respectful staff do not try to prove their employer wrong in public thus they will do everything they could do to prove the employer right. In addition to that, respectful and loyal employees will tell their employers when they need to leave. This is because they know their departure will create a hole in the team thus they let the employer know what they are planning and thinking to offer plenty of time for preparation. The willingness of an employee to tell the employer about plans of leaving before the actual day means that the employee trusts the boss and respects him or her with an exceptional degree. They are aware that you the boss won’t fire them instantly or start to treat them differently.

Empathetic

Empathetic managers are aware of the human drive to create a bond in workplaces as a motivator of effective performances. The managers are therefore required to create a working environment that helps employees believe that they are wanted, and they can deliver their best as far as work in concerned (Parmenter, 2015). Successful business leaders are responsive to disruptions and innately aware of the activities going on in the organization both internally and externally. Leaders today are encouraged to be more personal focused and place more focus on building and maintaining work relationships. Managers should, therefore, be able to work with not only those next to them but also those in their buildings and countries. Empathy is a critical skill that ensures effective leadership because it facilitates trust building. A leader is not a leader if the employees do not trust him or her (Scheer, 2006). Empathy is the component that could be used to build the needed trust in leadership. When a leader shows that he or she is aware of the employee's feelings and appreciates those feelings, the employee builds the trust needed for to create the loyal staff. A positive relationship between empathic emotions and performance is vital for managers especially those working in power distance cultures. The key point indicators of empathy include;

• First putting one’s self into the shoes of the other individual
• Listening to the word and tone of the voice of the individual while watching their body language to understand their inner feelings.
• Putting the feelings of that individual into words by using your own words
• Avoiding repeating exactly what the other person narrated
• Listening closely and shoeing that you understand what they say
• Giving the person an opportunity to respond to the comments that you will post.

Trustworthy

Trust is vital to the success of business operations because it facilitates the development of loyal staff. The key point indicators of trustworthy in business organizations are;

• Staff who are honest. Employees that are worth trusting do not see themselves in ways that are just inconsistent with reality. When an employee seems disconnected from the actual impact that their actions and behaviors are having, it is an indicator that those individuals are trying to create a perception that conforms to their desires rather than to reality (Scheer, 2006).
• Employees that project habits that are clear and similar to the ones you exhibit. Trustworthy individuals do not accuse others of behaviors that they are presenting.
• Trustworthy staffs do not breach confidentiality. Trust is built on promises that are kept and following of agreed code of behavior. Confidentiality, when admitted to, in the absence of illegal acts is a sacred bond that should be kept. When someone breaks a pledge of confidentiality, that person should not be trusted at all.
• Trustworthy staffs show empathy. This is a shared trait nearly in every dependable individual. Employees that have no empathy for those whom their actions affect they are on the downfall slope to the bottom. People who lack empathy sometimes are not aware of their trait which is very dangerous in a business environment as it can result in conflicts (Scheer, 2006).

Bullying

There are many forms of workplace bullying being experienced in business environments though they all have similar indicators. Harassment at work can be devastating and distressing to the affected staff (Einarsen, 2011). Some of the critical point indicators of bullying are;

• Facing constant criticizes where duties and responsibilities are taken away from you without any good reason
• Experiencing shooting, aggressive tones and threats from other members
• Being put down in group jokes
• Being picked continuously in front of others or even in private.
• Being ignored, victimized and excluded in most cases.
• Facing constant jokes and attacks from members of the staff
• Creating treats about job security without any basis
• Blocking of promotions for specific members within the workplace
• Misuse of power to make another staff feel uncomfortable and victimized.

Gossip

The first point indicator to watch out for a gossip workplace environment is a narcissist’s boss. This is the kind of a boss who thinks he or she cannot do wrong. It is a characteristic associated with favored leadership, where the specific individuals tend to believe in rules that don’t apply to them (Einarsen, 2011). The second indicator of a gossip workplace is the presence of commiserating colleagues. These are those staff members who are cold and stand-offish. Their silence is alarming in most cases. Besides working with them side-by-side together the whole day, they mostly listen to music with their earbuds and rarely exchange a word. These kinds of staff will later be very active in the back channel of communication happening using through phones. This sort of atmosphere is unhealthy for employees and equally worse for the employers' perspectives (Einarsen, 2011). Lack of transparency is an indicator of gossip in business environments. When there is no clear channel on how employees performance is measured, the probability that they are set to fail is high.

Bias

Bias in a workplace is a hot issue that requires attention for the right reason. Bias can be manifested in the form of discrimination, harassment at work and employees sufferings in the working environment. Bias in organizations can results to low productivity, unequal wages and hostile working environments for staff with some companies ending into facing poor reputation when lawsuits are brought by workers who are affected by the bias (Einarsen, 2011).The indicators of bias are;

• Gender pay inequality where at the same workplace, some individuals are paid more than others by their gender. Staff may notice that she is making less money than his male co-workers who have the same experience and perform similar tasks which is a sign of gender bias from the employer.
• Unfair job interview questions are an indicator of bias in workplace environments. Pay attention to a problem asked when applying for a job to identify potential bias employers who use different items on different candidates for a similar post.

Discouragement

Discouragement at the workplace can be manifested in the form of bullying by members of the same organization. The first indicator that can show a staff is discouraged at work is low self-esteem. This kind of staff may be showing weak interaction with other staff and low participation in matters that are out of work though they involve members of the staff. Bullying can be one of the causes of such behaviors because the team previously encountered humiliating events that discourage him or her from public interactions (Einarsen, 2011).