Category: General

10 Quotes from Cy Wakeman at #SHRM19 on Ensuring Your Team is Ready for What’s Next

Our team attended the SHRM Annual Conference this year, and Cy Wakeman said 10 things that resonated with us. Read on for the Cy quotes, and follow along with The Point Blog for more insights from speakers and authors.

“Change isn’t as hard when we embrace it incrementally. One upgrade on your phone is easier than converting from a flip phone to the newest version.  Get people to a state of readiness.”

“A leader’s new role: Help employees eliminate emotional waste by facilitating good mental processes.”

“Not everything is a change initiative- most of it is just your daily job.”

“Unreadiness for change causes surprise, panic, and blame.”

“Change doesn’t hurt, resisting change is what hurts.  People don’t get hurt falling down, they hurt resisting the fall.”

“Your preference can’t trump the business case. Don’t favor preference over potential.”

“Stop trying to please everyone during change.”

“Standardize as much as you can in order to scale.”

“You’ve got work with the willing and activate them.”

“Too many people are asking to be empowered. But empowerment is really stepping into your own power.”

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” ― Howard Thurman

Watch this video from this week’s America’s Got Talent to see this quote in action. It will inspire you, I promise. 

Have you ever been around someone that waffled on everything?  Whether big or small, with each decision they go back and forth and back and forth until the decision, oftentimes, becomes null and void.  Also, oftentimes, they only worry about what others are thinking in making a decision instead of moving forward based on what is right and best for them personally.

By and large, leaders are decision makers.  Establishing personal leadership requires sound personal decision making and being confident in those decisions.  This is necessary before you can make decisions that impact others and/or an organization.  It is difficult to see how people who have trouble making personal decisions will be able to step into leadership roles where decision making is constant.

 Keys to sound personal decision making: 

1. Decide based on your mission and values. If you have your mission and values always at the forefront, decision making is much easier.  I saw a twitter post this morning from Tim Elmore that stated, “Roy Disney once said, ‘It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.’”
2. Get the facts.  What are the pros and cons of the decision that are factual, not emotional?
3. Weigh in with others who matter.   In personal decisions, make sure you’ve talked with those people who are important in your personal life, in which the decision will impact, before making a decision.  Get their input. Having a colleague to bounce possible pros and cons of different business decisions is valuable.  There may be different people you go to based on different decisions at hand
4. Don’t worry about what those that don’t matter think.  These are your decisions, not someone else’s. Personal leadership starts with knowing what is right for you.
5. Step back, but not too long.  If you are faced with making a potentially life altering or organization altering decision and you’ve gathered the facts and talked with others, step back for a bit.   Take time to focus your thoughts on other things, because if the decision is life altering, it has probably consumed you.   Focusing on other things may help bring clarity to the right path.  But don’t delay too long, this may end up begin worse than making the wrong decision.

What have you found to be most helpful to do when faced difficult decisions?

Workers’ Compensation is designed to provide medical coverage and lost time coverage to employees who are injured on the job or develop a work-related illness as a result of the work environment.  Unfortunately, determining if an injury or illness is work-related isn’t always easy for physicians to do.

During a recent visit to a client, she asked me how to handle a claim situation that she had in which the attending doctor couldn’t determine if the injury was work related. She said that she felt as though their carrier was approving all claims, regardless of the legitimacy of the claim.

So how do you ensure that you are getting the most out of your Workers’ Compensation carrier?

1. Train your staff. Make sure that anyone who will be responsible for submitting claims understands the process and what information to include in the claim documentation.
2. Document the scene. If the claim is the result of an accident, take pictures of the scene as soon as possible after being notified of the injury. Look for potential hazards that may have been in the area, caution/warning signage that was posted that was not properly followed, and any other clues that may help determine the validity of the claim. Send those along with your First Report of Injury to the carrier.
3. Communicate concerns. When an employee comes to you with a claim, you have to report it. But as the employer, you also have the right, and honestly the obligation, to let the carrier know if you have concerns regarding the validity of the claim. Include your concerns in the report sent, and if necessary, pick up the phone and call them once a claim number is established.
4. File Claims Immediately. Stress the importance of reporting injuries or illnesses immediately to both your managers and your staff. Failure to report a claim immediately, even a minor injury, could result in a delay or denial of claim payment. A delayed report of injury may also be an indication that the injury didn’t really happen at work, so be sure to obtain as much information regarding the reported injury as possible.
5. Implement a Return to Work Program. If your organization doesn’t already have one, put one in place. It will help to get injured employees back to work quicker and cut down on potential lost wage claims, as well as deter false claims.
6. Monitor your claims regularly. Audit your active claims on a regular basis. Stay in touch with the carrier on claims that are taking longer than usual to process, claims that have excessive payouts, or claims in which employees have missed an excessive amount of time away from work.
7. Build a relationship with your preferred physicians. Communicate with the physicians that you send employees to when they are injured on the job. Some physicians will be more open to communication with the employer than others. If you have an employee who is out of work, make sure the physician understands your Return to Work program and what type of light duty assignments you can offer the employee. It may help to get them back to work quicker.

The more information you are able to provide when submitting claims, the easier it will be for the carrier to properly assess the claim and make an informed decision.

Is your Workers’ Compensation carrier working for you?