InnovateVirtual - Targeted Communication

Targeted Communication 

Using Web-Based Technology for Real-Time 

Measures, Contribution, and Delegated Results 

Examples Dialogs and Concepts in the Application of Methods, Techniques, and Tools. 

Core Competencies are the focus with Follow-through Actions, Exercises, and Readings. 

By Eric Bruggeman ETCS 

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ACKNOWLEDGMENT FROM EMPLOYEETALK LLC 

Enhance your communication team by engaging this measurement and development resource of over 700 

pages. Technology can be used by leaders within their organization and with customers to build 

contribution and collaboration. The book illustrates how an online technology is used with dialog to 

measure the effectiveness of just about anything in business. The software platform we showcase for this 

resolve and action is InnovateVirtual®. It empowers leaders to engage in a variety of methods, 

techniques and tools for better communication. The root success in this technology is affording leaders 

the capability to track and delegate detailed notes from survey feedback into immediate actions. The 

greater accountability to results ensures desired outcomes and prevents failures in execution which can 

become costly. 

What if a focused dialog in technology with delegated actions to results could be used to prevent lawsuits 

such as from poor quality? A good example of this outcome was GM and the deadly ignition-switch 

defect. It was linked to 124 deaths and 275 injuries. A proactive dialog would have engaged and tracked 

engineer concerns when they first noticed the defect. It would have made the engineer’s suggestion 

actionable when they advised the company to redesign its key head. The impact of missing this 

opportunity was a total estimate of vehicle compensation and repairs costing GM 3.8 billion. Another 

opportunity to focus pulse dialog is in the prevention of medical malpractice claims. For example the 

division of Risk Management of the Harvard Medical Institutions published a report on how specific 

weaknesses in communication impact patient safety. Of the malpractice cases analyzed, roughly onethird 

(or 7,149 cases) involved a breakdown in communication somewhere across the spectrum of 

healthcare services and settings. The total incurred losses related to these cases were estimated to be 

about $1.7 billion. These opportunities prove the communication improvement need in industry today. 

InnovateVirtual is a single technology platform to empower leaders in the self-administration of 

engagement and contribution methods. A small example of these applications are Surveys, 360° 

feedback, Blogs, SWOT analysis, Managing Learning, Undercover Boss process, Virtual Meeting Place, 

Value to Cost Assessment, and Scorecard, or Checklist. A leader’s flexibility and creativity can produce 

thousands of unique approaches, too many for the book. Just some of the areas we did focus on were: 

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1. Measuring in a 360° Method of Communication: 

2. Measuring Safety Proactively: 

3. Assessing Retention and Reducing Risk: 

4. How to Assess Communication effectiveness 

5. Using Technology to Assist Change:

6. Assist Sales Success with Technology: (Service) 

7. Using Technology to Build a Committed and Skilled Workforce: 

8. Assess Motivating Behaviors in Communication: 

9. Assess Assertive Behaviors in Communication: 

Healthcare examples 

10. Proactively Measure HCAHPS Quality: 

11. Proactively Measure PQRS Quality: 

12. Target Patient’s Expectation of Care: 

Leaders are empowered with technology to inspire those around them to be the best they can be. In 

InnovateVirtual it includes the delegation of actions to results. The book is assistive to leaders helping 

them in what to say at appropriate times— motivating excellence where ever they are. Have you ever 

thought “No one can do something better than I can?” “The project needs me to make sure it gets done 

right?” As leaders, we want to be everywhere we can, to ensure success by motivating and sharing our 

experience and expertise. Technology allows us the freedom to expand reach without micromanaging. 

Leaders need to caution themselves from becoming so dependent on technology that it does all their 

communication for them. Technology does not replace the need for people to be face to face but rather 

assist them in the opportunity to get there. We explore ways to engage critical core competencies 

measuring both strength and opportunity in the book. It is important to note the book’s redundancies 

because of the correlation in core competency. 

Let’s explore a simple engagement scenario Example — a leader choses to engage their team more 

personally. They have fifty employees. The effort includes an initiative to walk the floor and meet 

everyone, one on one sometime during the week. Without a clear communication objective, this could 

very well be a huge waste of productive time for both the leader and the fifty employees. However, in 

this case, the leader supplemented their engagement, and pulse dialogs with them on something critical to 

the organization. Contribution from the team yielded pertinent information, concerns, and solutions. The 

leader meets with them on their input maximizing resources and ensures an excellent outcome. 

Executives are smarter these days engaging communication to solve complex problems. To achieve this 

many purchase technology to target proven methods, techniques and tools. The platform we showcase 

supplements this by enabling leaders a real-time approach to measuring and driving high levels of 

commitment and passion for accomplishing what is critical now. As a resource it will be important to use 

the table of contents to find, read, and utilize what is critical to you personally and your organization. 

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“As leaders— today we are expected to get more done with less, so it’s smart to avoid the expense of 

purchasing a lot of technologies for a multitude of uses when we don’t have to.” 

With InnovateVirtual, leaders can benefit in a better use of their resources. They can share their 

experience and expertise across their organizations, expanding their reach to coach, inspire and make 

better decisions from the inclusion of more contributing individuals. EmployeeTalk accomplishes this 

because we are the only engagement company with a technology capability to assist leaders in putting 

input and feedback into immediate actions. In follow through, leaders easily delegate detailed notes and 

timelines for people to meet face to face improving the accountability to achieve desired outcomes. 

Thousands of question examples are available in this book. Modify them to fit your organization’s 

specific needs. 

"Ask the right questions if you're going to find the right answers." 

—Vanessa Redgrave 

Register for the platform to use with this book: 

Access – http://www.employeetalk.us/register 

Enter correct contact information and the word “Book” under business type 

for free limited access. 

To enter an assessment – For a free engagement initiative assessment 

http://assessment.employeetalk.us/ 

4 

A technology 

for doing more 

with less!

SETTING UP YOUR PLATFORM 

After registration, you will want to set up your platform to match your organization. This is done once 

and moving forward you can make edits. From your administrator account select 

From the link in your email go to platform and use the “Let’s begin,” button for a step by step build. 

Now we want to set up the initiatives which are critical to our organization's success. This would include 

identifying the target and then concentrating on a focus within that target. You will want to define it and 

focus your audience on responding. For those unsure of this, there are ©21 Initiatives to choose from. 

And modify. 

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INTRODUCTION 

If you could administer a method like UNDERCOVER BOSS® in your organization yourself, but 

without having to wear disguise or travel; would you? This is just one great application out there to 

implement in your organization or department using technology. EmployeeTalk (ET®) Technology 

affords leaders the flexibility to administer proven methods, techniques, and tools. This method is 

possible, anonymously or transparently with a great reveal. Of course, the reveal is different but it still 

ends up with leaders taking feedback and input back face to face with employees. 

Knowing concepts; methods, techniques, and tools is one thing— knowing how, and having the means to 

apply them is another. We will share some tips and best practices as we move forward through the 

competencies in the book. ET® will empower you to achieve Operational and Process Excellence by 

sharing a simple and cost-effective communication solution structured to engage contributions. With 

InnovateVirtual® (IV®) access, proven concepts can be engaged. We have strived to be known as the 

innovative leader in accessing and reporting critical business information quickly, accurately and with 

immediate action. 

Innovating virtually helps leaders target, measure and identify operational challenges, opportunities and 

employee suggested solutions in which to take immediate action. Our communication platform allows 

leaders to measure and improve their operation within our ©21 Initiatives. Through questions, 

collaboration is increased improving employee empowerment, commitment, and accountability to 

performance results. 

Why measure and how? 

Communicating the maybe is communicating potential possibility. Use expectation in your questions— 

the increase of information underlines behavior in the context of role and function. From measures we can 

strengthen or weaken, inspire, motivate and innovate or identify obstacles to an expected execution or 

standard. There is a need today to engage information to help people accept and take ownership to their 

individual development planning and company growth. Because of this reality, the most valuable asset 

we have as a business leader is our people. They set us apart from other businesses. Forget industry 

standards, but rather be the standard. It is how we measure against ourselves that matters most. This is 

why engagement is so critical and why an online communication technology can be valued. To 

accomplish a concentration on core competency and development, engagement dialog includes the 

informing of expectation when you target and focus in on an opportunity. 

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When we communicate expectation in questions, we inform on potential possibility— the maybe. With 

the flexibility and simplicity of IV® to enable leaders to self–administer dialog any way they want, the 

power at their control is daunting. It is because of this capability that leaders are able to expand their 

reach, sharing expertise and experience vastly across their organization. Consider engagement as an 

opportunity to educate, inform and collaborate with stakeholders on the challenges potentially blocking 

the organization’s engagement and development success. This book ties behavior to role and function for 

meeting objectives through competency. The follow through of any engagement process is key. Learn to 

take immediate actions back to people for discussions face to face with suggested actions, recommended 

exercises and readings. Identify these green and purple color schemes in the book for additional detailed 

actions to help employees meet their potential and support theirs and the organization’s goals. 

In IV® the first step in engagement is to understand what we want to accomplish. Secondly, there is a 

call for contribution and finally, task action from input into desired results. It’s important to understand 

the measures that exist and the extent of communication breakdowns because they highlight the issues 

that need to be solved. Pulse check survey questions target and focus on where we can make the most 

impact. It maximizes resources to meet outcomes and is specifically important in initiating a quick 

follow-through. 

Establish a starting baseline— “It’s not a good time,” is heard a lot when engagement is avoided. There 

will be up and downs all the time in business. What’s important is that we are focusing teams on what is 

critical. Effective communication begins by identifying a baseline from which to measure progress and 

success. This comes from an initial assessment of potential or problem areas. IV® uses 11 questions for 

example in an assessment to focus on areas of communication. (Page 145) This benchmark provides the 

basis for comparing future data so you know what’s working well and where to adapt strategies going 

forward. 

Making decisions— regardless of the source, leaders require facts to back up communication 

recommendations and decisions. Measurement of critical areas show the numbers behind the effort, 

document progress and help leaders understand the how and why on the merit of the decision. It will 

ultimately help leaders achieve their business and communications objectives. When considering the 

reinforcement and making a case for resources— this is critical. 

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Leverage communication resources— data, allows us to drill down to understand how communication 

is working or not in various regions, divisions, functions and even with the individual employee. Use 

your ET® system to leverage communication resources in creative and more efficient ways. 

Follow through— ensures the target audience needs are being met. Communication measurement can 

identify if employees have received and understand key messages you have delivered, or if the channels 

you’re using are effective at delivering those key messages i.e. policy and procedure with knowledge 

checks for example. The results can help leaders modify and focus future communications, while also 

reinforcing staff that we care enough to listen – and take action on their input which demonstrates this. 

Commitment to change— This can be a laugher to some; be serious about improving communications, 

the act of measuring in itself demonstrates a symbol of change and will be valued by employees. 

However, beware of measuring without an authentic commitment to follow through— to be effective in 

supporting change, we need to do something with the data to show progress and show we actually care. I 

am a big component of pushback. Your platform will afford you this opportunity. 

Drive accountability— the bottom line for IV users is being able to task and track actions to results. 

What gets measured gets acted upon. The template is to inform on expectation. This is the maybe which 

presents a potential possibility. If leaders and managers know they’re being evaluated on communication 

efforts, they’ll start paying attention to how and when they engage employees. 

Assessing communication is an excellent way to measure where communication works and doesn’t work 

within an organization. Measurement can help us get on the right track to more effectively connect with 

and engage employees or target audiences. Behavior is a part of that and is also tied to our function at 

work. Each target and focus we outline in the coming pages will include, “what competency might 

challenges you”. This will help readers identify the right skill opportunity for them. The suggested 

actions can be shared providing leaders the right thing to say. The actions and exercises help develop 

skills and build experience. Opportunity can help leaders identify the right person for a needed project. 

Bottom line, when leaders are aware of their team’s strengths and opportunity they can address them. 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 

1. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 

(2) REGISTER FOR TECHNOLOGY 

5. SETUP AND BUILD SYSTEM 

6. INTRODUCTION 

(7) WHY MEASUREMENT AND HOW 

20. DEFINING YOUR APROACH 

(21) TARGET AND FOCUS EXAMPLE DIALOGS 

22. IV® EXAMPLE METHODS, TECHNIQUES AND TOOLS 

(22) DIALOG PULSE MEASURE EXAMPLE— Patient Centered Care 

(23) DIALOG PULSE MEASURE EXAMPLE— Communication Assessment 

23. TECHNOLOGY USE CASE GROUPING IN IV® 

(24) EXERCISE— Talking on the floor 

(25) DIALOG MEASURE— Training Effectiveness example 

26. EMPLOYEETALK DIALOG EXAMPLES 

28. THE ©21 INITIATIVES 

30. CORE MEASURES— what are measures? 

(31) ONLINE ENGAGEMENT PROCESS DIAGRAM FOR IV® 

37. CORE COMPETENCY— this is a focus on expectation and demonstrates how to communicate 

(37) EXERCISE TASKING ACTION— Task Reporting System 

(40) DIALOG MEASURE— Safety Taskforce example questions 

(40) DIALOG PULSE MEASURE— Solution Drive question 

(41) DIALOG PERFORMANCE MEASURE— 21 Initiative Task Analysis 

49. STAFF OWNERSHIP— consistently acquires new skills to help drive performance. 

(51) DIALOG MEASURE— SELF-ASSESSMENT EXAMPLE QUESTIONS 

(52) SUGGESTED ACTIONS 

(53) SUGGESTED READINGS 


(55) EXERCISE 1 POINT— ASK YOURSELF 

(56) DIALOG PERFORMANCE MEASURE— 21 Initiative Personnel Training 

62. PERFORMANCE REVIEW AND OBJECTIVES— adjust to fit your organization 

(72) DIALOG PERFORMANCE MEASURE— ENGAGEMENT example questions 

(73) DIALOG MEASURE 360°— LEADERSHIP example questions 

(74) DIALOG MEASURE— PERFORMANCE REVIEW example 

(75) DIALOG PERFORMANCE MEASURE— LISTENING example questions 

(82) HOW TO RUN A 360°— With InnovateVirtual 

(88) DIALOG PERFORMANCE MEASURE— 21 Initiative Work Evaluation 

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96. PERFORMANCE—Development Assessment example 

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(96) EXERCISE 16 POINTS— Should I develop or not? 

(96) EXERCISE 7 POINT— Motivating yourself 

(97) DIALOG QUALITY MEASURE, HCAHPS— Self-Performance Assessment 

(102) EXERCISE 1 POINT— Taking focus 



(107) DIALOG PERFORMANCE MEASURE— 21 Initiative Schedule & Presence 

107. STAFF EXPECTATION— nurture an inclusive environment which respects the value of others 

(108) EXERCISE 1 POINT— Level the playing field 



(111) DIALOG PERFORMANCE MEASURE— 21 Initiative Minority & Ethics 

(114) EXERCISE 1 POINT— Ask yourself 

115. COMMUNICATION— verbally commands the room and presents ideas effectively… 

115) SUGGESTED ACTIONS 



(122) DIALOG VIRTUAL MEETING AGENDA— Focus - Sales Collaboration 

130. — Ensuring writing is clear, well-organized and to the point 

(134) DIALOG MEASURE— Assessment Focus – Communication 


(139) INSIGHTS— MELINDA FOUTS PhD. 


(140) DIALOG MEASURE EXAMPLE— Scorecard 

143. — Openly shares information with others, speaks their mind assertively. 

(144) EXERCISE 1 POINT— Informing consistently, checklist 

(144) DIALOG PULSE MEASURE EXAMPLE— Focus – Motivation 



(151) DIALOG MEASURE— Assessment Focus – Assertiveness 

160. INNOVATION— contributes often with creative solutions to work-related problems 

(158) EXERCISE 10 POINTS— working through solving problems 

(162) EXERCISE 5 POINTS— a value added approach 



(165) DIALOG PERFORMANCE MEASURE— 21 Initiative Employee Enrichment 

169. — quickly adapting to new challenges and opportunity 

(173) SUGGESTED READINGS


(175) DIALOG PERFORMANCE MEASURE— 21 Initiative Organization 

180. TEAMWORK INTERVERSION— listens 1 st to learn and understand, 2 nd to react 

(181) EXERCISE 3 POINTS— A listening practice 



(188) DIALOG PERFORMANCE MEASURE— 21 Initiative Management Style 

192. TEAMWORK EXTERVERSION— develops supportive relationships with colleagues 

(190) EXERCISE 3 POINTS— Get to know team 

(192) EXERCISE 1 POINT— Study those you work with 



(196) DIALOG PERFORMANCE MEASURE— 21 Initiative Labor Relation 

(197) EXERCISE 1 POINT— Virtual Meeting Agenda 

201. TEAM RECOGNITION— publically credits, celebrates and engages 

(200) EXERCISE 3 POINTS— A listening practice 



(205) DIALOG PERFORMANCE MEASURE— 21 Initiative Motivation 

(204) DIALOG MEASURE 360°— MOTIVATION example questions 

205. INFLUENCING— Relates to others confidently, Gains trust quickly and influences others 

(210) EXERCISE 1 POINT— volunteer to arbitrate 



(218) DIALOG PERFORMANCE MEASURE— 21 Initiative Environment 

206. QUALITY— strives to do the highest quality work possible. 



(225) DIALOG PERFORMANCE MEASURE— 21 Initiative Productivity 

(229) EXERCISE 15 POINTS— LEAN Time Assessment 

237. — A focus of attention and energy on factors critical to quality success. 

(237) EXERCISE 5 POINTS— Work Design Training. 



(241) EXERCISE 1 POINT— Virtual Meeting 

(242) DIALOG QUALITY MEASURE, PQRS— Self-Performance Assessment 

253. DRIVE IN TIME— gets the job done 



(256) DIALOG PERFORMANCE MEASURE— 21 Initiative Employee Stress 

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272. DRIVE FOR RESULTS— demonstrates a sense of urgency and persists in the face of obstacles 

(272) EXERCISE 5 POINTS— Class Observation 

(272) EXERCISE 6 POINTS— Increasing Commitment 

(272) EXERCISE 1 POINT— Critical Task Differentiating 



277. INTEGRITY— accepts personal responsibility for work and behavior 



282. — Demonstrates consistency between words and actions 

(282) EXERCISE 5 POINT— Build authenticity 

(283) EXERCISE 8 POINT— Capture your value system 

(284) EXERCISE 1 POINT— Aligning Talk to the Walk 

(284) DIALOG MEASURE 360°— CHARACTER example questions 

(288) EXERCISE 10 POINT— Assess your value obstacle 



(291) DIALOG PERFORMANCE MEASURE— 21 Initiative Work Behavior 

301. COMMUNITY— supportive of efforts to balance work and life. 

(303) EXERCISE 3 POINT— Stress Exercise 

(304) EXERCISE 1 POINT— Increasing Excitement 

(305) EXERCISE 1 POINT— Work Balance List 



(307) DIALOG QUALITY MEASURE, WORK BALANCE Assessment 

(308) DIALOG PERFORMANCE MEASURE— 21 Initiative Interviewing 

313. — decisions considers the impact on the community and the world we live in 

313) EXERCISE 4 POINT— Broadening Exercise 


315) DIALOG MEASURE— 21 Initiative Equipment/Machine & software Design 

319. ADAPTIVE PERFORMANCE— engages and takes intelligent risks to improve performance 

321) EXERCISE 1 POINT— Innovation Exercise 

322) SUGGESTED ACTIONS— Innovation Exercise 


326. — quickly learns new tasks and information 

327) EXERCISE 1 POINT— Think like an Expert 

327) SUGGESTED READINGS 


329) EXERCISE 1 POINT— Priority Task Assessment 

330. — manages change, conflict, and pressure effectively. 

331) EXERCISE 7 POINT— Emotional Rescue Exercise 

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334) EXERCISE 1 POINT— Time Managing Stress 



337) DIALOG PERFORMANCE MEASURE— 21 Initiative Employee Behavior 

338) EXERCISE 1 POINT— Personal Reflection-Behavior 

338. PEOPLE, CUSTOMER OR PATIENT FOCUS— 

347) DIALOG QUALITY MEASURE— Service quality questions (4) 

348) EXERCISE 1 POINT— Conflict resolution 

349) EXERCISE 1 POINT— Policy and procedure release 

350) EXERCISE 1 POINT— Shyness Exercise 


353) DIALOG PERFORMANCE MEASURE— 21 Initiative Promotion 

356) EXERCISE 1 POINT— Increasing participation in surveys 

360. PROBLEM-SOLVING— identifies there is a problem and anticipates. 

361) EXERCISE 1 POINT— Breakout Puzzle Room 



364. — anticipates impact of actions on business outcomes in problem solving 

364) EXERCISE 1 POINT— Change question examples 

365) EXERCISE 1 POINT— Solution best practice 



372) EXERCISE 1 POINT— Building a committee or Task Team 

377. — Correctly anticipates the impact of actions on business outcomes 

380) EXERCISE 1 POINT— ME-WE-THEM Tool 



382) DIALOG PERFORMANCE MEASURE— 21 Initiative Stress 

383. ORGANIZING AND EXECUTING— Breaks work down into simple logical steps 

383) EXERCISE 1 POINT— 

384) DIALOG QUALITY MEASURE, 



387) DIALOG PERFORMANCE MEASURE— 21 INITIATIVE 

388. — Establishes and meets critical deadlines 






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393. — Follows-up to evaluate how well a job was done 






339. LEADING DIVERSITY— Works comfortably with people of all backgrounds 






405. — Able to see issues from the perspective of people from multiple cultures 






415. — Accurately predicts what groups will do across different situations 






425. LEADING PEOPLE— Comfortable delegating important tasks and decisions. 






440. LEADING TEAM— Inspires enthusiasm and commitment, motivating other team members. 






441. LEADING OUTCOMES— Differentiates based on performance. 




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15 



450. LEADING GOALS— S.M.A.R.T (sets, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals 






460. DECISION MAKING— key focus 






471. — Supports the development of creative ideas likely to be successful 






488. — Demonstrates courage to make tough decisions 






510. — Staff resources efficiently to accomplish goals 






520. OPEN LEARNER— which are you? 






533. — Not tied to the status quo when facing new challenges 


535) DIALOG QUALITY MEASURE




546. — Focuses on the news, not the messenger 



548) SUGGESTED READINGS\ 



560. — Open to learning new skills; actively seeks input 






571. BIG PICTURE THINKER— which are you? 






580. — Avoids getting unnecessarily mired in tactics and details 






590. — Demonstrates vision or broad perspective 






600. — Thrives on assignments requiring strategic thinking 

16 


602) DIALOG QUALITY MEASURE,

17 




609. EMOTIONAL CONTROL— who are you? 






616. — Open to solutions and answers from others 






625. — Makes good decisions under pressure 






634. — Stays courteous and respectful as stress increases 






641. NURSE LEADERSHIP— How Nurse Leaders Decide Which Problem to Focus on First 






650. BUILDING TALENT— uses appropriate and objective criteria to build staff 


651) DIALOG QUALITY MEASURE,




656. — Selects people who add new perspectives and are high performers with relevant experience 



658) SUGGESTED READINGSSUGGESTED ACTIONS 


670. — Actively seeks development opportunities to meet Staff’s needs 






676. EMPLOYEE RETENTION— Be proactive and measure for threats as soft issues 






685. — Electronically gather input to address opportunity 

690. Q&A— 

700. INDEX 






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DEFINING YOUR APPROACH 

There are many concepts and philosophies out there to select from. Take them and make them your own 

by modifying them to support what you want to accomplish. In using technology like the platform in IV 

leaders can self-administer communication by combining many applications together to support 

expectation and recognition. Technology enables leaders to innovate and collaborate with pulse checks 

quantifying uncertain puzzles in business. With IV leaders are empowered to ensure a good: 

1. Focus on what’s critical 

2. Change collaboration 

3. Quality measurement 

4. Personal development 

5. Training effectiveness 

6. Communication alignment 

What is it to pulse check? It is frequent dialog defined and focused in a target, reducing ambiguity in 

the questions asked and subjectivity in the responses to the questions. It’s a proactive approach which 

enables course corrections to be made from understanding the frontline employee concerns and 

challenges in executing desired outcomes. 

Although pulse check dialog can be both transparent and anonymous in IV, respondents are empowered 

to recognize themselves for their response. Others can be acknowledged as great performers in the 

specific space of the question too— this creates accountability and more actionable engagement. 

Perception is altered at different times of our development. As we grow experience it changes. 

Employees are the front line experts. Tapping into that expertise through pulse check engagement 

empowers teams to come together to contribute and is fundamentally critical towards having them share 

perception, such as in patient health and safety if you are in the healthcare industry for example. Once we 

understand the variables around the outcomes we want, we can key in on the expectations and ask 

questions to support goals. 

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Defining my approach came in the evolution of Systems Thinking into what I like to call, System 

Intelligence. This is the output of people and the focus is on the critical role that they play. 

Systems Intelligence is initiated when leaders expose stakeholders to known measures and standards 

in an attempt to meet the expectations and objectives designed to achieve desired outcomes and make 

parts (blocks) fit. Many measures are often outlined through government regulation, organizational 

standards, and safety boards etc. Setting up our own standards creates a competitive advantage which 

through innovation enables organizations to exploit the competitive advantage their employee intelligence 

provides. Once obstacles preventing execution are identified, such as skill, training, and processes; 

solutions can be provided to overcome them. Technology like IV empowers a REPORTING CULTURE 

from detailed analysis and managing proactively within a particular question space. This approach can 

not only identify threats and opportunities but document errors and near misses which can be offset in the 

direct action capability of results saving an organization a lot of money in the process. 

Set yourself apart; be the standard. Ultimately employees are an organization’s most competitive 

advantage, where together as a team, collaboration enables us to meet goals. Keep in mind that in the 

engagement to meet certain outcomes when following through there are both short term and long term 

wins. In order to achieve desired outcomes, many players need to be engaged in many diverse ways for 

contribution. Having easy access with ET technology to launch a lot proven methods; techniques and 

tools make this possible. 

Systems Thinking— is visualizing an organization as a collection of interrelated parts; Divisions, 

Departments, Employees, Leaders, etc. Identify your players as “Process Blocks.” In IV we may target 

this group as titles. These blocks are units of role players, where in our focus on execution in above and 

beyond expectations means we are working to succeed in the objectives that meet the goal; i.e. improving 

or quantifying products, services, education or care for example. 

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Direct Care (B3), Support Care (B2), and Financial 

(B1) are examples of blocks in healthcare. The blocks 

are bound together to achieve a purpose where the 

relationships between these parts are as important as the 

parts themselves, and where the whole of the 

organization interrelates with its external environment 

(the stakeholders; patients, and staff for example.) 

Although organizational goals and their objectives are 

shared from block to block, the personal expectations 

differ from the individual roles that each staff member 

plays. Aligning development needs of the employee to 

the expectations in the objectives is key. This includes a 

vision match one on one with staff where these 

expectations are weighted to the individual’s 

development needs. The weights, such as in yearly 

performance reviews support not only personal goals but 

in turn the goals of the market, the economy, the 

Goal 

Process B 1 

Process B 2 

Process B 3 

government regulations; etc. Innovating accountability into culture towards them begins by establishing 

individual ownership to specific skills needing improvement. “Performance of the whole is not the 

addition of the performance of the parts, but rather is a consequence of the relationship between the parts 

performance”. It is how performance relates, not how it occurs independently of other parts. That is what 

“Systems Thinking” is about. 

Systems Thinking toward Systems Intelligence: The engagement process begins by asking ourselves: 

 

 

“What do I want to accomplish?” 

“What is the desired outcome?” 

Once an answer is identified, define the expectations in all objectives critical to support meeting it. This 

is your question dialog. 

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The expectations in your questions are defined from your policies, standards, and government regulations, 

etc. We have identified multiple targets and focuses in this book for you to engage using this platform 

towards supporting Systems Intelligence. It is critical to identify barriers and allow actions to be clearly 

communicated so when dealing with stakeholders such as; patients, staff, students or customers, etc. there 

is a consistent message being communicated throughout the organization. By having the unique 

capability of tying measures to action in a Task Reporting System there is accountability to results. 

In a solutions drive a pushback to employees can overcome obstacles and create a High Performing 

culture. 

Task Reporting System, See page 45 

Do you need to 

Target something 

specific? 

HOW DO WE TARGET? 

A choice target is engaged using a specific method, technique or tool concept to deliver the dialog. To 

keep a target actionable it’s important to also have a specific focus. Most targets and focuses will include 

expectations; these expectations represent the core competencies. Here are some example targets and 

focuses to access with ET and IV. 

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“Employees need to take ownership to competencies and develop them. This is knowing ourselves well.” 

— Anonymous 

Exercise: 

Focus in on your standards within these areas above and educate everyone on critical competencies. The 

suggested readings listed under competencies in this book can be shared. To build on recommended 

readings and continually update your knowledge base consider creating a Company Book Club in your 

organization which can meet monthly. This can shape your Systems Intelligence and create brownbag 

opportunities for training. 

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EXAMPLE METHODS, TECHNIQUES, AND TOOLS 

The IV platform— empowers an integrated and real-time approach for measuring and driving high levels 

of employee commitment and passion. What a leader wants to accomplish determines what application 

they will use to achieve it. Those needs are engaged in a focus, tapping expertise, sharing the leader’s 

experience and affecting resources positively. 

Simply begin your pulse by targeting what’s critical to the organization now, or what can make the most 

impact— then focus the team on questions to meet those specific outcomes. By innovating virtually in IV 

comparative results are captured over time ensuring that the investment of time and resources in 

engagement are spent well. Some of the communication examples below offer ideas in using the 

technology platform to communicate in a variety of ways in certain core competency we cover. 

Surveys— can be initiated anonymously or transparently measuring and informing on expectation in 

definitive “Yes” and “No”, and variable 1-10 questions. Dialogs are put into the system once. What sets 

this platform apart is how it creates accountability to results with the capability to task and track detailed 

and timed notes into resulting action from actual input captured in the reports for each question asked. 

Tracking Learning Effectiveness— post access hyperlinks for employees. This captures results for 

each team member logging into the discussion. It will capture staff measures on training effectiveness 

and assure team understanding from knowledge check questions. Task and coach leaders to meet face to 

face with the team on opportunity identified in reports. This builds confidence and uses consistent 

communication in the organization when responding to questions that are answered incorrectly. 

Policy Release— release new and updated policy and procedure. Save paper cost through sign off within 

the platform. Add knowledge check/s questions to ensure understanding and execution. Task and coach 

leaders face to face on opportunity to improve building confidence when question are answered wrong. 

Employee Handbook— electronically share hyperlink to the employee for handbook Sign off. Add 

knowledge check/s questions to ensure understanding and execution. Task and coach leaders face to face 

on opportunity building confidence when question are answered wrong during onboarding. 

24

Checklist— for quality control one can carry a handheld tablet/phone and answer yes and no questions to 

capture important data, saving on paper cost. Use platform shift to shift to share data critical in handoff. 

Customer Relation— engage and report on four areas; location, department, title group, and region. 

360° Feedback— the average industry setup cost for this method is $750 and $100 dollars per person. It 

can be avoided in this technology. Use a 360° as a mid-year review or in place of yearly performance 

reviews. A 360° ensures action to improving skills from the input; tasking actions, exercises and 

readings for staff to use in their independent development planning. 

Scorecard— for quality control, a leader can use this method and carry a handheld tablet or phone to 

answer variable rating questions. Capture important data saving on paper cost. Use platform shift to shift 

to share data critical in handoff. 

Exit Interview— Instead of this method, strengthen retention by engaging 10 questions to address 

turnover before it happens. (Page 647) Task and coach department leaders face to face on opportunity/s, 

removing potentially costly threats of turnover. 

Performance Review— save time and improve review accuracy using the platform to engage the 

execution of expectation in core competencies. The platform ensures action to improved skills from 

tasking actions, exercises, and readings for the team to use in their independent development planning. 

25

Patient Quality— Engage your team proactively on the perception of care to meet HCAHPS measures. 

Correct quality outcomes needed development and address process breakdowns two to three months 

ahead of the HCAHPS results turnaround. Also proactively address PQRS for physician quality in the 

clinical environment. 

Patient Centered Care— Engage proactively on the expectation of care to ensure proper execution is 

taking place. Task and coach leaders face to face on the opportunity to offset a potentially costly penalty. 

The Eight Dimensions of Patient-Centered Care grew out of research by the Picker Institute and Harvard 

Medical School, thousands of interviews, and the experiences of caregivers and patients. Analysis of the 

industry-changing research showed that there are certain things, certain behaviors that are instrumental to 

patient’s healing, feeling cared for, and having a positive patient experience. From that research, we now 

understand what matters most to patients. 

There are literally hundreds of questions you could ask patients about their experiences. But with limited 

time, resources, not to mention patient attention span, it is important to ask the most critical questions. 

What ET did is take those dimensions and turn them into questions to be asked of direct care staff to 

identify any obstacles to execution which could prevent the dimension from having a positive outcome. 

Example Tool format, 1 out of 8 questions: 

1 Please rate our organization in how we provide; respect for patients’ values, preferences and 

expressed needs. 

26 

Patients indicate a need to be recognized and treated as individuals by hospital staff; they are concerned 

with their illnesses and conditions and want to be kept informed. 

Do you have an idea, concern, solution, anxiety or motivation in how we… 

• Provide an atmosphere respectful of the individual patient should focus on the quality of life? 

• Involve the patient in medical decisions? 

• Provide the patient with dignity, and respect a patient’s autonomy? 

Please share in the space provided what you perceive from your role.

Communication— Engage threats to excellent communication within eleven categories. InnovateVirtual 

enables leaders to create continuous improvement through ongoing pulse engagement. Since it’s selfadministered, 

the one and done set up and push out of dialog when you need it, saves a time and money. 

Example Method— Single question communication Solution Drive Method: 

1. How do you rate the hospital’s attempt to cultivate open communications between direct 

management and staff? 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

Electronic communication I.e. Access to emails and medical records 

Procedural communication I.e. Access to policies. 

Written (Organization perspective) I.e. Administrative HR fliers. 

Written (Employee perspective) I.e. Monthly newsletters. 

Collaborative communication I.e. Communication-board and books. 

Observational-Training I.e. Consistently guides and develops me. 

Verbal I. e. Department meetings face to face and shift handoff. 

Communicating under pressure I.e. Good planning structures to ensure successful 

conclusions. 

a) If not, what would you recommend to enhance these communication outlets to be 

more redundant or efficient? 

b) Please recognize someone who champions this open communication. 

Change Management— engage before, during and after the change to ensure change success. 

Virtual Meeting Link— Include everyone in different shift and time zones by sharing a hyperlink to 

agenda meeting ON THEIR TIME. Increase participation; improve productivity and honest contribution 

for greater discussions. 

27

A virtual meeting hyperlink creates the opportunity to include everyone in a discussion and focuses 

collaboration. People in any task team; change, product, service, or just individuals can click a hyperlink 

at any time to answer a set of agenda questions defined with expectations in this technique. 

The online pulse dialogs can keep projects on track and up to date with a direct real-time reporting space 

to compare data over time. Team Leaders capture candid feedback maximizing contribution virtually, 

reducing meeting times and increase resources by being able to task different team members with actions 

to results. Delegation saves productivity and ensures accountability to desired conclusions and outcomes. 

Employee of the Month— Track great comradery by posting positives on public communication boards. 

Blogging— use the platform in social media and generate hyperlinks to questions written to collaborate 

with customers, patients, students, and employees. Many leaders in communications and public relations 

post them on their private and public Facebook and Twitter accounts for example. 

Suggested Action: 

Leaders can post-positives from InnovateVirtual on their communication board. Share comments and 

names of colleagues who have been recognized as great performers in the question. 

28

TECHNOLOGY USE CASE GROUPINGS IN IV® 

Recognition Program Use: 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

Employee of the Month Method 

o Observations (360 Feedback Method 

Post-positives Technique 

o Performance appraisals Method 

Track recognition Tool 

o Interviews - Face to face talks delegated 

Questionnaires and surveys Method 

from IV 

Collaborations and calls for contribution 

Archive data - Checklists and Scorecards with unobtrusive measure Method: 

Number of supervisors who complete online training unobtrusive measure Method: 

• Tracked Learning Management system in IV 

• Knowledge check actions delegated from input in IV 

Reading activity from newsletters using unobtrusive measure Method: 

• Tracking readers from links in blog to the newsletter 

• Did you read this ________? in IV Method 

Pulse Check dialog for improved contributions Technique: 

Leaders can’t get the good answers if they don’t ask the right questions. To know you are trending up by 

the actions you take is very powerful. Pulse communication is a best practice and from InnovateVirtual it 

is an engagement methodology that works well in meeting expectation. 

360° peer review and self-development use Method: 

o 

o 

o 

Yearly and Mid review Tool 

Leadership questions Tool 

Motivation questions Tool 

o 

o 

o 

Character questions Tool 

Culture questions Tool 

Board Review Assessment Tool 

Real-time input for course correction, use Technique: 

o 

o 

Scorecard Tool 

Patient or customer experience Tool 

o 

Aligned questions to fit desired 

outcomes of organization 

Tablet or phone use Method: 

29

Taking Action when on the floor 

Exercise Technique: 

Your presence should be an inspiration rounding with the team if they are employees, staff, students, 

customers or patients. When walking the floor have something valuable to share which holds people 

accountable to the goals of the department or organization. Round and engage what is critical now. What 

you say matters. This is how leaders inspire and motivate their team when face to face: 

o 

o 

o 

o 

Call staff by name, more than once if possible- Hi name. 

o Something so simple creates purpose and belonging 

Ask if they know what’s working well with what is critical now? 

o As leaders, we want to ensure top level messaging is being heard 

o Verbally course-correct if needed 

Ask staff if they know why their role is important in what is critical now? 

o Realign their function or role. 

o Inspire by reiterating the value they play in their role. 

Ask if the staff has input to support better what is critical now? 

o Nothing says you are valuable more than asking someone’s opinion. 

New policy and procedure sign off program use Method: 

o 

o 

o 

o 

Legally compliant, defensible 

Checks for knowledge ensures essential points are understood 

Verbatim (open comments section) adds a level of confidence in understanding specifically in the 

employee's own words 

With ease and electronically a policy deployment assures alignment to desired 

behaviors/outcomes. 

Track exit interviews, more importantly, use a proactive Technique: 

30 

o 

Electronically gather input to address opportunity after turnover

o Be proactive and measure for threats as soft issue before turnover happens (Page 647) 

10 questions that identify your potential threat so you can take proactive action 

Open portal suggestion box use Method: 

o 

o 

1-3 questions asked online toward improvement 

One question asked to support critical dialog in culture 

Training Use Method: 

Can add questions under “Training” 

Improve your teams using metrics to identify needs 

Measure effectiveness of ANY training (example Technique) 

1. Rate the training in being informative? 

2. Rate the Training in resolving or preventing current issues? 

3. Rate the level of my need for additional training on this topic? 

4. Rate your overall satisfaction with the training? 

5. Rate the level of competence in the instructor on this topic? 

6. Rate your capability to communicate the steps of this training to another if asked? 

7. Would I recommend this training to another? (Yes No) 

Insert your training questions or quiz under policies 

Newsletter Use Technique: 

o 

Track who reads your articles internally and collaborate with readers for information 

31

EMPLOYEETALK DIALOG EXAMPLES 

Many of these dialogs are detailed in the book to support various targets and focuses in core competency. 

Target Outcome Focus Description in how to engage 

Leadership To Improve leadership skills 23 self-assessment questions to engage peers in 360® 

Manager character To address character change 16 self-assessment questions to engage peers in 360® 

Employee Character To address character change 14 self-assessment questions to engage peers in 360® 

Motivation To Improve a leadership skill 8 self-assessment questions to engage peers in 360® 

Training Enhance training effectiveness 7 question to measure a specific training delivered 

Quality Enhance quality 6 question to be specific on a topic or comment 

Quality– service Enhance service quality 7 questions to target someone’s specific service skill 

Customer-care Enhance quality of customer service 7 question to identify specific customer care objectives 

Quality- care 

Perception of care 

Time 

Enhance safety- in patient care 

Proactively ensuring quality 

Improve specific time in a process 

8 questions derived from a study done by the Picker 

Institute and Harvard Medical school to understand the 

expected outcome of patient-centered care 

12 questions to measure obstacles preventing execution 

of HCACPS measures, enabling improved lead time 

and development 

16 lean questions to measure the components of time in 

process to improve on and affect cost savings 

Performance Engage stakeholder’s desired behavior 4 questions for one on one vision match on skill need 

Safety 

Benefits 

Identify threats to reduce risk in safety 

Proactively Reduce turnover 

9 pulse check questions on safety to better resource 

time by focusing on a specific target as opposed to 

globally 

14 questions for collaborating on improving benefits by 

empowering team to engage with them 

32

Benefit Pulse Identify threats to retention 8 questions to measure satisfaction of benefits 

Culture 

Communication 

Engagement 

Improve resources by targeting threats 

Improve communication 

Improve communication 

50 questions to self-assess organization and the many 

components of culture that can affect a good working 

environment 

11 pulse check questions to improve resources in the 

focus of what communication component needs to 

address most in a target 

12 Pulse check questions to identify threats to 

engagement by reviewing comment trends to 19 

potential variables that may need additional focus 

Solution Drive Engage solutions in engagement 3 questions as follow up to engagement survey 

Retention 

Analyze cost 

Open Portal 

Proactively reduce the risk of turnover 

Reduced cost through collaboration 

Improve targeted challenges 

10 questions on potential reasons why someone might 

leave an organization improving resources in the focus 

of what component is the biggest threat to retention 

10 Zero Base budgeting questions to be applied to any 

project or component to measure threats to cost 

3 questions asked to measure; obstacles and threats, 

asking focused questions towards the desired outcome 

There really is no limit of pulse dialogs available to accomplish specific outcomes. Request more @— 

info@employeeTalk.us Keyword your focus and outcome. Or— http://assessment.employeetalk.us/ 

33

THE ©21 INITIATIVES 

If performance is my target then my focus may be one of the variables below. This list is derived from 

industrial psychology. There are about 400 questions built into the IV platform to make your own. 

1. Personnel Training 

2. Employee Turnover 

3. Employee Stress 

4. Productivity 

5. Interviewing 

6. Minority and Ethics 

7. Promotion 

8. Satisfaction 

9. Personnel Selection 

10. Task Analysis 

11. Job Enrichment 

12. Work Evaluation 

13. Work Behavior 

14. Organization 

15. Management Style 

16. Schedule & Presence 

17. Environment 

18. Work Motivation 

19. Decision Making 

20. Labor Relations 

21. Equipment, Machine 

and Software Design 

What: 

These initiatives provide a scalable employee communication solution designed to enhance a leader’s 

success in meeting business initiatives. The ©21 initiatives are available in a singular focus yet when 

combined deliver a correlational result. We will detail this throughout the book. This makes the process of 

measuring and improving an organization easy, cost effective and accurate. This empowers leaders and 

their organization to identify opportunity in which to take action, saving the company significant outside 

consulting costs. The end result is an extraction of solution ideas that can affect Cost, Quality and Time. 

Why: 

To put the right plan in place, identifying and understanding your critical challenges and opportunities is 

vital. The IV communication platform is inclusive for all employees, allowing anonymous and accurate 

feedback due to being uninhibited by politics, ego or the lack of access to the decision makers. Why not 

address the work environment’s effect on success, providing an atmosphere where the engagement of all 

your employees is inspired and their potential is recognized from every voice toward the improvement 

and growth of your organization? No one outside your organization can come in and know more about 

how your business currently operates and how to improve it than those experts within it. 

34

How: 

Within 5 minutes, a leader can launch one of the ©21 Initiatives and identify specific opportunities for 

management, division/department, location, title, and/or region as well as determining the disparity ratio 

between up to four (4) groups, for example— management and employees. You can personalize the 

employee engagement program to your organization’s needs by configuring the initiatives and questions 

based on your specific concerns. The accuracy of the results is increased from your ability to inquire and 

clarify the right area of focus reducing ambiguity in questions and subjectivity in responses. 

InnovateVirtual Initiative view 

Custom Initiatives 

35

CORE MEASURES 

What are measures? 

Performance measures: Leader performance measures are often criticized because of how subjective 

they can be due to the lack of clear expectation not being communicated. The measures align to business 

results and are both important and urgent to improve, given the current strategic direction. The strategic 

direction of the organization is like the Sun where gravity pulls the relevant measures from all levels of 

space of the organization into alignment with the current goals. Core competencies executed to a clear 

expected standard are one of these measures and driver of business results. 

Industry measures: I identify these as political measures because of unknown quantities. They are 

another subset within the universe of measures. As measures to business results go it is like Pluto— not 

as important to the (universe of planets) external stakeholders of the organization. Industry benchmark 

measures are measures of business results that are shared across similar organizations. Being measured 

against ourselves is much more accurate and can be justified and therefore is urgent for the organization 

to produce. 

More often than not, industry measures are different from performance measures, because of how they 

influence the board and align more to the strategic comparison needs of the administration, and not so 

much to the strategic needs of the organization’s stakeholders and culture. So for the organization itself, 

they are not important. They are an information product provided for external use only and not something 

you should need or want to ever buy. 

Sometimes industry benchmark measures can be performance measures, but only when they align directly 

with the strategic direction of the organization. Industry measures tend to intersect a lot with other 

political measures. So again, they monitor business results that aren’t particularly important to improve, 

from the perspective of the organization itself. But there can be an urgency to produce them for the sake 

of the external stakeholders, they are important too. When measuring yourself against the industry or 

similar organizations it is important to note that there are variables that cannot be confirmed therefore be 

the standard. There is strength measuring against one’s self. 

36

Business measures in the status quo: Business, as usual are measures of business results that might be 

important, but are not urgent to improve, in the context of the current business environment and strategic 

direction. In the past, they might have been performance measures and in the future they might become 

performance measures, but only if they correlate and are direct evidence of a strategically important 

business results or current change. So at any given point in time, business as usual measures would not 

overlap with the current performance measures. 

Every other measure: The beauty of being proactive in pulse dialog, shooting for the 

moon, and continually pulse engaging is that it offset measures that might not be as 

important however since we are not reaching but confirming outputs, the performance 

inputs can be like a piece of space junk. We know they are out there. When we are 

not aware of it or reactionary to it we are not as productive. We are too busy 

putting out the fires. This accentuates the importance of communicating 

expectations and making the measure more actionable. None of us want to be 

surprised by a piece of space junk crashing into our head and derailing our progress. 

Measuring process with ET 

37

CORE COMPETENCIES— the book focuses on expectation and demonstrates a way to communicate 

it. It is important to establish core competencies that align well with your goals and help achieve your 

mission. Here is an Example Set: 

Drive for Results— takes initiative? 

o 

o 

o 

o 

Takes action and ownership 

Displays a sense of urgency. 

Gets the job done. 

Persists when faced with obstacles. 

Leading Diversity— staffing with ethics, and integrity? 

o 

o 

o 

o 

Sees from the perspectives of other people from multiple cultures. 

Treats everyone equally with the same courtesy and respect 

Works comfortably with people of all backgrounds. 

Accurately identifies and predicts situational trends 

Communication—it is clear? 

o 

o 

o 

o 

Rounds face to face to reengage recognize and reinforce what’s critical now. 

Verbally presents ideas effectively to all audiences. 

Openly shares information with others. 

Writing is clear, well-organized and to the point. 

Influencing— is assertive? 

38 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

Gains staff trust quickly 

Uses good body language 

Communicates authentically 

Relates to others in a confident and relaxed manner. 

Successfully persuades and influences others.

Adaptive Performance— is innovative? 

o 

o 

o 

o 

Takes intelligent risks to improve performance 

Makes well thought out decisions 

Manages change, conflict, and pressure effectively, staying calm and in control 

Quickly learns new tasks and information 

Problem Solving— has good vision? 

o 

o 

o 

o 

Correctly anticipates impact of actions on business outcomes 

Demonstrates a fearlessness in making decisions 

Solutions turn out to be correct when judged over time 

Comfortably handles uncertainty or ambiguity; can act without total picture 

Customer/Patient Focus— is aware? 

o 

o 

o 

Actively seeks customer/patients’ feedback on the quality of service provided. 

Uses positive approach to putting others at ease 

Knows his/her customer/patients' needs 

Organizing and Executing— good task management? 

o 

o 

o 

o 

Breaks work into logical steps 

Manages time wisely 

Follows up to evaluate how well a job was done. 

Establishes and meets deadlines 

What competency challenges you? 

Poor performers don't always realize it! The root of all good performance is in the ability to deliver on 

well-defined and clear expectation. 

39

Delivering bad news to people face to face is often recognized as potential conflict and many managers 

hate to engage in this space because of it and don’t. 

Maybe it’s a lack of confidence but more likely it’s a lack of skills in communication. Employees do not 

always get the feedback they need to correct performance problems. Most people who are terminated or 

forced to resign have had satisfactory or high-performance appraisals up to the point they were dismissed. 

It's tough to be the bearer of bad news but as a manager, it’s our responsibility to follow through. 

Emotions may fume and defensiveness may rage in the engagement but we have to maintain control in 

the conversation and stick to the facts. 

Do I focus on the problem? — remember it should never be personal? It's cruel and unethical to avoid 

delivering fair but directly constructive feedback to someone who is new, struggling or failing. If we 

don’t; share, they can't work on their development or problems and make course corrections to their 

career. The key to overcoming your reluctance to inform is to focus on the facts which are defined in 

well-communicated standards and in the gaps between expected and actual performance. To gain trust 

and respect do not be subjective in your approach. Make sure everyone under you knows what you 

expect of them and where they stand. It is important to realize that no one comes to work and says, “I am 

going to be a horrible employee today”. 

Do I have a plan? When employees are not performing up to standards it's common to see a 90-day 

improve-or-term plan based in a probation period. In some organizations no one can actually accomplish 

the 90 day improvement plan, mainly because of subjectivity in the deciding measures. As a leader, it is 

important to avoid opinions and stick to well-defined facts and measures. When one on one get them to 

agree on their opportunity. It is softer when you can go line by line in the facts measured against clear 

expectations. Ask yourself, how long did it take me to become proficient at what I am critiquing this 

person on? This keeps it real and our patience in check. 

Being on the other side? Be strategic when in a review yourself, improve your interpersonal skills, 

participate, learn about the business, and be assertive when face to face. Being assertive is not being 

arrogant. It is behaving confidently with the ability to say in a clear direct way what you want or believe. 

40

Both managers and team hesitate to deliver negative messages sometimes, they can at times procrastinate 

to see if people will change or improve on their own. Get to people as soon as they do not meet agreed 

upon expectations. Don't wait. Early is the easiest time to do it with the highest return on investment for 

you, them and the organization. 

Do you build team vision? Give people under you the opportunity for bigger and better things. Task or 

delegate assignments that take people outside their comfort zone, unit, or business function. Consider 

making task or committee leaders out of complainers who never seem to have solutions to offer for 

example. Cross-train people to work with others in their role— help them expand their perspectives and 

grow experience. Have them attend meetings that include people from other areas. Present growth 

opportunity by opening up the world for them so that they can better judge for themselves what's out there 

and what part they want for themselves. This is a great best practice for changing performance, and 

building future leaders who have the potential to grow with the organization but may just be stuck. 

Are you authentic? Walk the walk and talk the talk. You have to be real— willing to be authentic with 

your people and give them accurate but balanced feedback. They need not to only know the positives but 

the negatives as soon as they are observed. Keep conversations in public positives and take negatives 

behind closed doors, doing anything less than balanced can create a “Fault-Based Culture” which you’ll 

want to avoid. 

Do you help people develop? Have a learning dialogue with your people by informing. This includes 

communicating expectations. Ask them what they have learned after each exercise and training to help 

them increase their skills and understanding. We have to be accountable in inspiring people to be better 

leaders, managers, and professionals. Developing means; learning in as many ways as possible. Use 

InnovateVirtual to assess training effectiveness by getting stakeholder feedback for improvement needs. 

Part of developing others is convincing people that new and challenging assignments would be good for 

them. In studies of successful executives, most report that a boss in their past basically forced them to 

take on a difficult job assignment that they wanted to turn down. That assignment ended up being an 

important step in their development. The peculiar thing about long-term development is that even 

ambitious people sometimes turn down assignments which they need to have in order to grow. 

41

With some people in their particular stage of development, they just don’t have the perspective to 

understand. Our job as a leader is to help convince people on their way up to get out of their way, get out 

of their comfort zone and accept tasks they don't initially see as useful or leading anywhere. Challenge 

performance; one on one discussions in the review of performance includes the acceptance of ownership 

in the vision match of newer and more exciting assignments. 

Recommended Reading 

1. The Core Competence of the Corporation - Harvard Business 

2. Becoming a Manager - Linda A. Hill 

3. Core Competency-Based Strategy 1st Edition 

By Andrew Campbell, Kathleen Sommers Luchs 

Suggested Actions: 

1. Course correct whenever possible. Ask the question when rounding how a staff member’s role 

supports what is critical, Apply core competency to your response building value and trust. 

2. Give feedback to direct reports on what matters for success in their future jobs. This action can 

be broadly initiated in IV as a newsletter to keep people focused on what opportunity there is. 

3. 360° review feedback— configure IV to supplement reviews with mid years. During one on 

ones, a vision match on the skills needing improvement can be agreed on. 

4. Ask direct reports what they can do now that they couldn't do a year ago. Pick the best things 

they've learned and reinforce and encourage new learning leveraging their old skills. 

5. Add knowledge checks— to policy and procedure releases using IV for critical updates. The 

tool enables coaching to take place by delegating supervisors into action when questions are 

answered wrong. The redundancy to communicate policy and procedure supports quality. The 

follow-through creates assurances that people are executing to standard. Remember between 

organizations, policy, and the procedure can be the same or closely similar. The biggest 

competitive advantage we have is people. The key is how they execute our expectations. 

42

Exercise— how to use InnovateVirtual to communicate a follow-up discussion. 

Task Reporting System 

For the different types of dialog, assign different people to be the administrator or moderator of the 

project. They can delegate action from inside InnovateVirtual by responding and delegating actions with 

clear communication to feedback received from pulse engagement. This approach can create consistent 

communication across the organization and can be a learning experience through coaching. 

First step, leader tasks action from comment: 

 

 

 

Word search 

Task action 

Set timeline 

Question 

Last step, An Advisory group consists of the key team members. Here actions are tasked to be received 

via email or text for resolution. At any point in time during a dialog, we create more accountability to 

results. 

 

 

Send, receive email note 

Send phone text note 

43

Detailed Note 

Here is the note with 

detail you task the people 

into action with. 

6. Give assignments that progressively stretch. This is a project or task given to employees which 

are beyond their current knowledge or skills level in order to “stretch” employee’s development. 

The stretch assignment challenges employees by placing them in uncomfortable situations in 

order to learn and grow. These are first-time activities for direct reports i.e. 

44 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

Managing a volunteer or intern 

Participating in the hiring process 

Executing a new or important company project 

Participating in the company’s strategic planning process 

Turning around a failing project, department or operation 

Organizing and leading an important company event or meeting 

Set up a buddy system so people can get continuing feedback and practice leadership. 

Volunteer high potentials for cross-boundary task forces 

Set up blog focused on what’s critical now for continual feedback with hyperlinks on IV. 

Have them set up a virtual meeting for contribution in IV. 

Be part of or manage a safety task team using IV.

How someone might lead a safety task force using InnovateVirtual. 

One great area to get more people involved is in the area of safety. A safety management system can 

empower a team to provide experienced feedback anytime on concerns they feel need to be addressed. 

Empowering engagement in safety— saves money where being reactionary costs money. Asking dialog 

to support risk is critical to ensure that stakeholders understand they are part of the solution and as part of 

the solution they own a culture of safety. With collaboration and a proactive approach, risk can be 

avoided and the expenses associated with it. We can also improve safety and loss by enhancing training, 

developing, and informing employees on what they should know by engaging safety. 

As the moderator in the IV platform a leader can be charged in the safety task force or committee. They 

would create a dialog with questions that support the expectation for each risk category. The open dialog 

would enable staff to focus in and identify opportunity. Action can be delegated into results from the task 

management system ensuring accountability. Below are some suggested focuses in the target of safety 

that can be augmented to support an organization. If an area is identified as an opportunity then a deeper 

dive of dialog specific to that category can be launched. The suggested Categories might be: 

Technique: 

Target- Safety 

Focus/s… 

Risk Assessment Fire Safety Facilities Management 

First Aid Office Safety Security 

Equipment Wellbeing Contractors 

Example 2 out of 9 safety questions. 

45

1. Our expectation is that contractors follow our policies and procedure for contractors to ensure 

a safe working environment. [You can identify specifics policy here.] Rate our 

organization’s ability to maintain a safe environment when considering contractors. 

Share what we do well or could improve. 

2. Our expectation is that we follow our policies and procedure for security to ensure a safe 

working environment. [You can identify specifics here i.e. active shooter policy.] Rate our 

organization’s ability to maintain a safe environment when considering yours and our 

security. 

Share what we do well or could improve 

Other safety question examples 

3. Rate our organization in the area of safety when considering your office 

4. Rate our organization in the area of safety when considering first aid and access 

5. Rate our organization in the area of safety when considering wellbeing 

6. Rate our organization in the area of safety when considering equipment 

7. Rate our` organization in the area of safety when considering Risk assessment 

8. Rate our organization in the area of safety when considering fire safety 

9. Rate our organization in the area of safety when considering facilities management 

7. Feedback: People need continuous feedback from you and others to grow. Pulse checks through 

IV like these are suggested monthly so people can participate to expectations anonymously and 

provide honest input to processes. Perhaps it’s a checklist on what is critical now or collaboration 

in a solution drive for feedback after a survey. This use of pulse engagement is a form of internal 

marketing and keeps us focused on what is critical now. They can enhance your communication 

department. 

Solution Drive Example; question created as a follow-up to a survey question in blue. 

The employees at my hospital work well together. 5.8 

You often recognize above and beyond behavior cultivating desired outcomes such as team comradery; 

by personally acknowledging efforts individually and openly in a team environment. 

If you had the power to change how we work together, what would you change or recommend? 

46

21 INITIATIVE USE CASE 

Throughout this book, we will target performance in the 21 Initiatives and then focus on an objective 

within the initiatives which might make the biggest performance impact in that core competency. These 

are example ways you can focus in on what is critical. It is important to edit the questions that best fit the 

dialog you want to have with your team. Add any actual expectation to educate inform and measure 

success in the questions. 

21 Initiative use case— TASK ANALYSIS 

Considering the context of the challenge— engaging on a target like this begins by identifying variable 

objectives which when correlated together support the desired outcome. We will need to select the 

performance objective and run the specific one/s that provides the most impact to the outcome we seek. 

With a focus on a specific space, we can understand the variable expectations in the performance 

initiative which support or prevent success from taking place. Perhaps it’s a lack of information, 

development or broken process but the idea in pulse communication is to discover strengths so we can 

exploit them, and identify opportunity and fix them in a proactive manner. When considering Task 

Analysis, we want to define the initiative/s which supports the outcome we seek. To reduce ambiguity we 

define the initiative and select the best questions. 

Next, we refine the focus so respondents know what they should be thinking about when responding. 

This cuts down on the subjectivity in response. Lastly, add expectation which aligns to the organization or 

strategic objectives. 

Suggested Action— select the performance initiatives that could affect your outcome in core 

competency. 

47 










10. Management Style





15. Promotion 






21. Equipment/Machine and software 

Design 

Example: Selected correlation in red outside our focus 















15. Promotion 







Design 

First select your initiative, TASK ANALYIS 

48

Example - 21 Initiative— TASK ANALYSIS 

Definition: (defines the initiative clearly) 

Best practices are developed by engaged employees engaged in daily work. For the purpose of this 

initiative, we can define task analysis as the systematic identification of the fundamental elements of the 

job whereby examination and implementation of knowledge and skills required for the job enable positive 

performance. 

Focus: (for your respondents to reduce subjectivity in response) 

Concentrate on Task Analysis and how the current processes, capability, and experience of the team 

accomplishes task objectives and fulfills the Mission Statement. Look at the presence of managers, team, 

processes, experience and procedures in place to support the results customers, patients and clientele 

expect. 

Symptom: 

From the perspective of the leader, this is the space where communications of tasks are defined. A 

symptom could be the tasks failing to be completed. Are leaders or teams unavailable? Are processes not 

defined well enough? Are procedures lacking clarity? 

o 

o 

The reason/s or importance of acting now is that communication breakdowns, bottlenecks and 

failure to complete work are risks that when experienced can be costly. 

The expectation should be clearly defined. The perspective really identifies which performance 

initiative you would select 

Exercise: 

Think about some of your tasks and how they could be more efficient? 

49

TASK ANALYSIS 7 out of 17 example questions to launch and explore the opportunity. 

How do you rate direct managers in clarifying the process and priority of tasks, 

enabling you to choose those that are more feasible and appropriate in getting 

the job done? 

1-10 (Turn Off) On 

How do you rate the company in defining the sequence in which instruction 

should occur to ensure learning during training and ultimately growth with the 

company? 


A "procedural analysis" is done by determining whether a particular procedure 

is applicable by applying the steps in order from a flow chart, with decision 

steps if required and then confirming that the end result is reasonable. 


How do you rate the company in its ability to quickly change direction and 

compete using a procedural analysis of current tasks towards that change? 

How do you rate the management's control when related to situation assessment, 

decision making, response planning and execution? 


How do you rate the company in its documentation process to ensure the proper 

procedure is performed within the system rather than documenting the system 

itself? 


Do you agree that our organization does a good job focusing resources on 

critical/functional tasks by articulating what staff can do versus the perception of 

what they should do? 

Y/N/IDK (Turn Off) On 

Are you able to highlight areas where the steps in a particular process are poorly 

understood, and inconsistently delivered by staff, where a better process 

structure needs to be defined? 


Please provide feedback. 

50

STAFF OWNERSHIP 

- Consistently acquires new skills that help drive performance 


Assessing skill regularity— the process how? First, implement a good multi-source assessment using a 

proven method, technique or tool— consider a 360° questionnaire for development. There is flexibility in 

IV to set up a yearly or mid-performance review in this format. The format would include polling at least 

10 people who know us well enough to share detailed feedback on what we do well and not well. This 

allows for a vision match to skills needing improvement. It allows for skills to be weighted to the priority 

for improvement. Using IV in this method of collaboration allows people to share what they'd like to see 

us keep doing, start doing and stop doing. We don't want to waste time on developing skills that are not 

needed. 

Do you balance what is done well? If you're creative rounding and assertive, telling yourself to be less 

innovative and ignore your strengths won't work. It's in applying your strengths the primary reason for 

why someone is successful to date. The key is to know where to focus. For example, if you're seen as 

lacking in detail or disorganized then refocus. The goal is not to improve to be good at something, but 

rather know that it doesn't hurt you. Refer to your organization's competencies to identify areas that you 

can work on to balance your overused strengths. Communicating intent in all dialogs by expressing 

expectation is the good way you can weigh in on the environment and make differences where needed. 

Are you aware of blind spots? Be very careful of blind spots. Resist thinking you are the best. Rather 

have a target model of excellent behavior, and a plan so you don't get yourself into trouble. Collect more 

data by tapping into the intelligence of your team. This is where pulse checks in InnovateVirtual can 

really provide value. Ask someone you trust to monitor and evaluate you so they can give you feedback 

each time. Study three to four people who are good at a specific task or competency and compare what 

you do with what they do. Don't rest until you have cleared up a potential blind spot. A best practice is to 

use your communication board to post people’s strengths for everyone to see so employees can select a 

mentor if needed. 

51

Exercise- Using IV as an employee of the month program can assist mentoring because it allows for peer 

to peer recognition. Excellence can be resourced when people are posted on the communication board. 

Suggested Action— A 360° Methodology 

A 360° can reveal strengths and opportunity which can map divide. During a one on one conversation, a 

vision match is agreed upon for which skill needs improvement. Consider a skill you would like to 

assess. 

When you self-assess, divide your skills into categories: 

(Red) examples how people can score themselves in InnovateVirtual it results in and average measure: 

1. 10. Clear strengths— me at my best. 

2. 9. Overdone strengths— I am too good, you are so confident that you are seen as arrogant. 

3. 7-8 Hidden strengths— others rate me higher than I rate myself. 

4. 5-6 Blind spots— I rate myself higher than others rate me. 

5. 3-4 Weaknesses - I don't do it well. 

6. 2. Untested areas - I've never been specifically involved in a particular task or strategy. 

7. 1. Don't know - I need more information and feedback— a skill within a skill. 

Example: Self-assessment Tool 

An InnovateVirtual self-assessment is a 1-10 Checklist online. There is a score for the organization and 

something to easily compare over time. The assessment type highlights which scoring outline to consider. 

Leadership Competency Assessment Tool 

Performance 

Leadership 

Person Assessed: 

Date 

People 

Leadership 

Collaborative 

Leadership 

Assessor: 

52

Another Rating Scale Example 

1-2 3-4 5-6 7-8 9-10 

Strongly 

Disagree 

Disagree 

Neither Agree 

nor Disagree 

Agree 

Strongly 

Agree 

For each competency defined below, indicate to what extent you agree or disagree that the statement 

accurately describes you. 

Leadership Competencies 

STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP 

STRATEGIC THINKING 

Average 

Score: 

1.8 

Maintains a long-term, big-picture view of the business. Establishes the vision and purpose 

of the organization. Shapes, develops, and aligns the strategies of the organization so that 

they address emerging trends, competitive threats, and changing market needs. Ensures that 

strategies provide value to the consumer and create a sustainable competitive advantage in 

the marketplace. 

2 

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE 

Keeps abreast of important trends, both locally and globally that impact the business or 

organization. Understands the position of the organization within a global context and 

adapts and helps others to adopt a global approach. Identifies the unique business and 

cultural challenges and/or constraints involved when conducting business globally. 

2 

INNOVATION 

Generates and champions new ideas, approaches, and initiatives, and creates an 

environment that nurtures and supports meaningful innovation. Leverages knowledge and 

best practices, fresh perspectives, breakthrough ideas, and continuous improvement to 

advance science and create value in the market. Encourages new ways of looking at 

problems, processes, and solutions. 

1 

FINANCIAL ACUMEN 

53

Understands the meaning and implications of key financial and quantitative indicators to 

evaluate and act on strategic options and opportunities. Manages overall financial 

performance and integrates quantitative and qualitative information to draw accurate 

conclusions and make sound decisions. 

2 

PERFORMANCE LEADERSHIP 

CUSTOMER FOCUS 

Average 

Score: 

1.0 

Designs and delivers strategies that place customers at the center of business decisions. 

Consistently identifies current and future customer needs and ensures the effective delivery 

of high quality and value-added solutions, products, and services that meet or exceed 

customer expectations. 

1 

ANALYSIS 

Thoroughly analyzes problems and opportunities and their impact on the business. Takes 

into account all fact based and stakeholder information in order to make judgment rich 

decisions. Probes symptoms to determine the underlying causes of problems and then 

integrates information from a variety of sources to arrive at optimal solutions. 

1 

PLANNING 

Creates a comprehensive and realistic operating plan with prioritized initiatives that align 

with the strategic plan and focus on building efficiency, growth, and profitability. Cascades 

plans through the organization with clearly defined deliverables, milestones, 

accountabilities, and measures of success. Develops workforce plan that optimizes 

resources to achieve goals. 

1 

EXECUTION 

Drives results by acting with speed and agility and by assigning clear authority and 

accountability, integrating and aligning efforts across units and functions, and monitoring 

progress against objectives. Conveys a strong sense of urgency around continuous 

improvement, achieving high quality and compliant results, and accelerating business 

performance. Addresses problems directly and drives changes necessary to achieve 

business objectives. 

1 

PEOPLE LEADERSHIP Average 1.0 

54

RELATIONSHIP BUILDING 

Establishes and maintains strong relationships internally and externally. Relates well to 

management, colleagues, peers, and direct reports. Champions a caring culture of respect, 

diversity, and inclusion that values the unique talents, ideas and experiences of all 

employees. Earns the respect of others through effective interpersonal skills, integrity, 

compassion, and authenticity. 

1 

PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT 

Creates comprehensive and robust talent management plans, talent pools, and bench strength 

within the organization. Ensures that employees receive ongoing feedback, mentoring, 

training, and development opportunities. Holds self and others accountable for making 

continuous progress against their development objectives. 

1 

COMMUNICATION 

Creates an environment which promotes the free flow of communication and information 

throughout the organization. Communicates effectively in large and small groups. Openly 

shares knowledge and expertise. Listens actively and encourages the open expression of 

ideas and opinions. 

1 

ENGAGEMENT 

Nurtures commitment to the vision, mission, objectives and values of the organization. 

Creates a sense of energy, excitement, and personal commitment to the organization by 

empowering others, rewarding and celebrating superior performance, and creating an 

inclusive culture. 

1 

COLLABORATIVE LEADERSHIP 

ADAPTABILITY 

Average 

Score: 

1.3 

Responds resourcefully, flexible, and positively when faced with new challenges, 

transitions, and demands. Willingly and effectively deals with the stress and complexities 

of various situations. Moves forward productively and optimistically under conditions of 

change and uncertainty. 

2 

55

INFLUENCE 

Influences and motivates others over whom they have no direct control or authority. Wins 

support and acceptance for proposed changes and ideas through careful consideration of 

stakeholders’ needs and interests, through strategic relationships, and persuasive 

communications. 

COLLABORATION 

Models and promotes collaboration and works effectively with others across the 

organization to achieve goals and global opportunities. Demonstrates proficient crosscompany 

communication, cultural sensitivity, and partnership in interactions with others. 

Involves others in decisions and plans and credits them for their contributions and 

accomplishments. 

1 

COURAGE 

Leads courageously by confronting problems directly, taking action and being decisive. 

Takes principled, personal, and organizational risks to do what is right to achieve 

organizational success and supports others who do so. 

1 

STRENGTHS TO ACCELERATE 

When assessing with InnovateVirtual there is a comment box associated with each skill 

being asked. Having a place for feedback is the only way people can take real action to 

each question asked. This is especially true when multiple people are responding in a 360° 

AREAS TO DEVELOP 

Overall Average Competency Score 1.25 

Taking ownership for skills? When you include others in your assessment you want to define the skill 

task and focus stakeholders on what to consider when responding in IV. This will identify the 

measurement in the skill within that task on a scale. As exampled above, the scales can be worded 

differently and used for respondents to comment on how they might categorize or define someone’s skill. 

It is important for each question to align to expectation. Each question becomes an objective to the 

desired outcome of that task. 

56

It is important for each question to align to expectation. Each question becomes an objective to the 

desired outcome of that task. 

Do you demonstrate to others that you take your development seriously by taking ownership? State 

your developmental needs and ask for their help. Vulnerability not only makes you likable but 

approachable. Research shows that people are much more likely to help and give the benefit of the doubt 

to those who admit their shortcomings and try to do something about them. They know it takes courage. 

Do you test your strengths? To develop and maintain clear strengths you will need in the future, test 

them in new task assignments. For example, if you're good at conflict resolution— use this strength in a 

cross-functional problem-solving group while you learn about other functions. Your expertise and 

experience empowers you to ask the key questions in a solution drive capturing contribution from others 

using InnovateVirtual. Coach others in your strengths from the “Task Reporting System” in the platform. 

Do you test the untested? Get involved and explore your untested areas in small areas at first— write a 

strategic plan for your unit for example, then show it to people; negotiate the purchase of equipment. Get 

others involved in the decision by rallying opinion in cost saving options in the purchase using IV. 


After each task write down what you did well and what you didn't. Then try a second bigger task and 

again write down the positives and negatives of your performance (wins and losses). At this point, you 

may want to read a book or explore a course in the challenge area. Keep increasing the size and stakes of 

tasks until you have the skill at the level you need it to be. 

Do you test weaknesses? They are best handled with a development plan which involves a 100% effort 

from three sources: 

57 

1. Stretching tasks in which you develop the skill or fail at the task whereby you do it again.

• 65% effect from development. 

2. Continual feedback to help you understand how you're doing. Yearly Reviews or 360° Reviews. 

• 25% effect from learning constructively. 

3. Building frameworks to understand through courses, seminars and brown baggers 

• 10%) affecting ways to cement all learning so you can repeat them. 

Do you engage what's important? Find out what's important for your current job and the two or three 

next jobs you might have an opportunity to be promoted into. See if there are position descriptions for 

those jobs you may be considering. Compare the top requirements with your appraisal. If there are no 

position descriptions, ask the Human Resources Department for help or ask one or two people who now 

have those jobs what skills they use most in their role, what functions they need and use to be successful. 

You can also compensate for your weaknesses rather than build the skill. We are not great at everything. 

Smart people have smart people around them to support their weaknesses. A good team leans on each 

other for that support. If you have failed repeatedly at sales, detailed work or public speaking, for 

example, find others who do this well and observe and evaluate them. Sometimes you can find indirect 

ways to compensate. 

Suggested action: 

360° Peer Review Method can be applied at any time within the year and supports skills within the skill. 

It can be used with leaders or future leaders. A 360° review includes peer opinion as opposed to just the 

direct report leader’s insight. Peer to peer influence can be great in motivating personal change. This 

process enables employees to listen to peers and take ownership to their own individual development 

plans. The tool results enable leaders who may already be aware of their report’s challenges to push back 

with recommendations to improve skills along with time lines. These timelines are easily tasked and 

scheduled right from the reports inside the InnovateVirtual platform. The process can be used to improve 

company training and planning or grooming employees into future leaders. 

58

Suggested Readings: 

1. Lombardo, M. M., & Eichinger, R. W. (2011). The Leadership Machine: Architecture to Develop 

Leaders for Any Future (10th-anniversary edition). Minneapolis, MN: Lominger International. 

2. Drucker, Peter F. The Effective Executive. New York: Harper & Row, 1996. 

3. Bell, Arthur H., Ph.D., and DayleM.Smith, Ph.D. Motivating Yourself for Achievement. Upper 

Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2002. 

4. Lombardo, M. M., & Eichinger, R. W. (1998). FYI: For Your Improvement: A Development and 

Coaching Guide (2nd ed.). Minneapolis, MN: Lominger Limited, Inc. 

5. Handy, Charles B. 21 Ideas for Managers: practical wisdom for managing your company and 

yourself. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2000. 

6. Holton, Bill, and Cher. The Manager's Short Course. Thirty-three tactics to upgrade your career. 

New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1992. 

7. Lombardo, M. M., & Eichinger, R. W. (2009). FYI: For Your Improvement: A Guide for 

Development and Coaching (5th ed.). Minneapolis, MN: Lominger International. 

8. Lombardo, Michael M., and Robert W. Eichinger. The Leadership Machine. Minneapolis, MN: 

Lominger Limited, Inc., 2001. 

9. Maps, James J. Quantum Leap Thinking. Los Angeles: Dove Books, 1996. 

10. Olesen, Erik. 12 Steps to Mastering the Winds of Change. New York: Macmillan, 1993. 

11. Pirsig, Robert M. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. New York: Bantam Books, 1984. 

12. Stephens, Deborah C. (Ed) and Abraham Harold Maslow. The Maslow Business Reader. New 

York: John Wiley & Sons, 2000. 

13. Stone, Florence M., and Randi T. Sachs. The High-Value Manager - Developing the core 

competencies your organization needs. New York: AMACOM, 1995. 

Suggested actions: 

1. Exercise your strengths by applying them to new areas, on new teams or to serve new functions 

2. Choose a targeted skill where you can already do 50-75% of it quite well, then balance 

development with motivation. 

3. Develop strengths specifically to compensate for a need that is difficult to address directly. 

59

4. Pick a need that is important to your current role or career path, where you can make progress 

on it, and where there is a clear opportunity to improve. 

5. Share your IDP and ask for help from other staff who see you in situations where you are 

looking to improve. 

6. Study three people who are good at something and compare what you do with what they do 

7. Study position descriptions and competency models to find out what's important in your current 

role and the two or three next jobs you might have an opportunity to be promoted into. 

21 Initiative use case— PERSONNEL TRAINING 






development or broken process but the idea in pulse communication is to discover our strengths so we can 

exploit them and identify opportunity and fix them in a proactive manner. 

When considering Personnel Training, we want to define the initiative/s which supports the outcome we 

seek. To reduce ambiguity we define the initiative and select the best questions. Next, we refine the 

focus so respondents know what they should be thinking about when responding. This cuts down on the 

subjectivity in response. Lastly, add expectation to the questions which align to the organization or 


Exercise 

Ask yourself what you could do better? 

60

Suggested Action – select the performance initiatives that could affect your outcome in staff expectation. 















15. Promotion 







Design 

Example 















15. Promotion 







Design 

Example - 21 Initiative— PERSONNEL TRAINING 

Definition: 

61

Excellence is an act of habit created from an attitude of open indulgence and repetitive action in new 

things and processes. For the purpose of this initiative, we will define personnel training as a key to a 

company’s growth whereby the lack of information and education limit the potential of the company and 

overall success in the workforce. 

Focus: 

Concentrate on personnel training and how the current process allows effective sharing of information 

important to the growth of employees whereby training within that information enables our company to 

be competitive and a leader in the industry. Look at the presence of managers, team, processes, 

experience and procedures in place to support customers, patients and clientele expectations in us. 

Symptom: 

Does your culture lack accountability or ownership? Do you seem to have poor productivity? Are you 

passed up for opportunity on promotion? Are decisions not being made or made appropriately? The 

consequence in cost and reason/s or importance of acting now may be in not getting new ideas to market 

first due to lack of development, lack of growth in the environment or personally no people to invigorate 

culture from the knowledge they share from events they participate in. 

o 

o 

One of the great things about InnovateVirtual is empowering leaders with a framework that 

allows the immediate launch of questions built into a system. 

The Personnel Training questions can be turned on, off or added to, enabling organizations to 

create a dialog to identify the root cause. 

PERSONNEL TRAINING 8 out of 16 example questions 

How do you rate the company in providing the opportunity for the 

employee to cross-train into other roles and responsibilities? 


62

How do you rate the company in providing superior onboard training for 

a change of position or new employees? 


How do you rate the company in providing or enabling the employee to 

spend more time with his or her boss for specific coaching needs? 


How do you rate the company in providing training in a brown bag lunch 

format or seminar from either knowledgeable employees or an outside 

expert? 


How do you rate the company in allowing employees to pursue training 

and development in directions they choose, not just in company-assigned 

and needed directions? 


How do you rate the company in providing team building training, 

enabling better communication and teamwork? 


Have you always been provided time by the company to take advantage 

of in-house training that is available for self-improvement and career 

growth? 


Have you always been provided time by the company to take advantage 

of outside training seminars available for self-improvement and career 

growth? 


63

PERFORMANCE REVIEW AND OBJECTIVES 


In performance identification is crucial. How are yearly performance and 360° peer reviews similar? 

A yearly performance review and 360° review both support personal development. A performance 

review for the organization is also important. This might be determined by a yearly attitude or 

engagement survey? Don’t overkill this and ask 50 questions. Data from a typical engagement question 

can correlate and identify personal performance needs. You can get into detail later if needed. 

Example Engagement Tool —12 employee engagement questions - with expectations 

1. I’d recommend my hospital as one of the best places to work. 

How does the culture and benefits offered by the employer support or do not support this? 

Some cultural reasons: 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

Core Values 

Co-workers 

Communication 

Caring 

Community 

Some benefit examples: 

o 

o 

o 

o 

Competitive benefits package including pension 

Free use of the fitness center for employee and family 

Free meals on site 

Flexible hours (can get full-time benefits at 32 hours) 

If you have any suggestions for improvement, please share and explain. 

2. I believe that my hospital maximizes the use of each staff member's time ensuring a great patient experience. 

o 

o 

o 

Promotes wellbeing 

Engages personally 

Often expresses empathy and sentiment 

64

o 

o 

o 

Doesn’t judge others 

Often Expansively Mindful 

They Don’t Interrupt 

Please share your observation in how the hospital advocates and assures desired outcomes towards the 

organization’s goals and your personal development needs to support them. 

3. I understand the decisions made by management. 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

People take an active role in participating in change when engaged. 

People consider multiple sides of an issue. 

People make informed decisions based on available information. 

People weigh consequences before making the final decision. 

People recognize issues and determine actions to advance the decision-making process. 

People follow-up as necessary. 

Please give examples of how this is done, if not done, then offer input in what can be done to improve this process. 

5. My hospital is organized in a manner that promotes performance and growth. 

When engaged by leadership you most often experience what feeling. 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

Appreciated 

Emotional or opinionated 

Shut down or turned off 

Hostile or sarcastic thoughts 

Defensive or disrespected 

Respected 

Miss trusting 

Please share a best practice or obstacle to growth. 

6. The employees at my hospital work well together. 

o 

o 

o 

A good handoff between team/s. 

When needing assistance, I can get it. 

A good share in essential information for care. 

65

Please share ideas on how or if, this can be improved further. 

Please recognize any staff member/s who helps to meet these goals. 

7. There is good communication from managers to employees. 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

Electronic communication I.e. Access to emails and medical records 

Procedural communication I.e. Access to policies. 

Written (Organization perspective) I.e. Administrative HR fliers. 

Written (Employee perspective) I.e. Monthly newsletters. 

Collaborative communication I.e. Communication-board and books. 

Observational-Training I.e. Consistently guides and develops me. 

Verbal I. e. Department meetings face to face and shift handoff. 

Communicating under pressure I.e. Good planning structures to ensure successful conclusions. 

If not, what would you recommend to enhance these communication outlets to be more redundant or efficient? 

Please recognize someone who champions this open communication. 

8. The management style of my superiors creates a positive work environment. 

When engaged by leadership you most often experience what feeling. 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

Appreciated 

Emotional or opinionated 

Shut down or turned off 

Hostile or sarcastic thoughts 

Defensive or disrespected 

Respected 

Miss trusting 

Please share your experience. 

Please note any ideas for improvement. 

Please recognize any manager who does this well. 

66

9. My hospital strives to only hire the best and the brightest staff members. 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

People go above and beyond their job description 

People are committed to the growth of the organization 

People don't learn from mistakes because they are repeated often 

I am often amazed and inspired by the knowledge of my manager and team 

I learn a lot from my manager and my team members 

Please explain why and suggest any development needs we may have. 

10. My supervisor provides an environment that motivates me to perform at my best. 

Are you recognized for meeting expectations? 

If not, please provide ideas on how to improve this? Please explain what motivates you to perform at your best. 

Select the behavior you most often observe when sharing ideas or opinions with leaders – or not being able to share 

them? 

o 

o Become emotional or opinionated 

o Become defensive 

o Become hostile or sarcastic 

o Become overly controlling 

o No non-verbal cues – I am not heard 

o Enthusiasm and excitement 

Non-authentic response 

11. The amount of work expected from me is reasonable. 

o 

o 

Do you know what is expected of you? 

Do you have time to meet your job duties? 

Please explain what efficiencies can serve our patients better. 

67

12. I am provided adequate resources (equipment, machinery, software, information, and training) to perform 

my job well and to expectation. 

When engaging tasks and deadlines yourself you most often feel. 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

Overwhelmed 

Fulfilled 

Challenged 

Satisfied 

None of these 

Please share your experience, concerns, any needs or ideas. 

A yearly performance review focuses on personal goals and growth by clearly outlining skills and 

objectives once yearly and sometimes twice by including a mid-year review. They are given to instill 

ownership to development which supports the overall Goal and Company Mission. For example, 

Engagement in a leader’s yearly review is suggested to be weighted to at least 30%. It is important to 

note that this review should not be done to determine raises. We want to avoid a performance bell 

curve— all the team should be high performers. The four organizational goals below are at times worded 

differently. They might even be broken down and focused on during quarters. The focus helps align 

recognition programs within the year. Since engagement is always 30% of the leader’s performance goal, 

I make a point to list People as the first of my goals: 

Engagement People Quarter 1 

Organization Service, Growth, Financial Quarter 2 

Leadership Community; (innovation Quarter 3 

Management Quality, Safety, and Academics Quarter 4 

Added Sometimes Quarter 5 

A yearly performance review is not as inclusive as a 360° peer review. A 360° peer review can be 

applied at any time within the year and support performance reviews and skills within the skill. It can be 

used with leaders or future leaders. A 360° review includes peer opinion as opposed to just the direct 

report leader’s insight. Peer to peer influence can be great in motivating personal change— this is 

demonstrated in a profile gap analysis. 

68

This process enables employees to listen to peers and take ownership to their own individual development 

plans. The method enables leaders, who may already be aware of these report’s challenges to push back 

with recommended exercises, actions and suggested readings. Noted actions with timelines can be tasked 

and scheduled from reports inside the InnovateVirtual platform. Coaching is used to improve company 

training and planning or grooming promising employees into future leaders. 

Recommended 360° peer review performance targets are: 

1. Leadership 

2. Motivation 

3. Character 

4. Culture— outside looking in (everybody) 

360° Leadership Method— 11 out of 23 example leadership questions - These are without expectation. 

1. Rate my ability to make a compelling case for his/her point of view? 

2. Rate my ability to effectively persuade others in order to build commitment for ideas? 

3. Communicates an inspiring vision? 

4. Rate my ability to help people develop a passion for their work? 

5. Rate my ability to recognize employee contributions and ideas? 

6. Rate my ability to be sensitive to satisfaction and morale in the group? 

7. Rate my ability to generate urgency in others? 

8. Rate my ability to recognize and reward high performers? 

9. Rate my ability to provide a positive example; "walks the talk“? 

10. Rate my ability to create an atmosphere that inspires others to achieve at a higher level? 

11. Rate my ability to help staff define clear objectives? 

How your leadership reviews are aligned to your organization will provide you a competitive advantage, 

this is highlighted in the expectations you add to your questions. Consider adding your own current 

performance goals to these based on specific role, objectives and government standards. It is best to 

detail the expectation out clearly in each objective. Look at setting your leadership goals with weights too 

that best support reaching organization goals and meeting the expectation in your mission. The leadership 

review example below does not have weights applied to every objective. When building results out, you 

want to consider a higher weight on skills you are aware a leader or staff member needs to improve. 

69

Here is a weighted Example Method— basing the measures on a leader’s need: 

Under engagement, I may need to do a better job in the expectation of listening. I am viewed as a person 

in a hurry rounding the floor, quick in dialog, aloof in observation and lacking questions that really 

engage the team. In the review results, this objective breakdowns as the biggest measure opportunity at 

10% and the other measure that correlate at 8%. The easy goal for me may be 5% and the last one at 7%, 

respectively. This makes my total goal for engagement 30% 

Before engagement begins we will want to outline the organization goals with the objectives designed to 

meet them. In the objective— expectations are clearly written out as questions. Use this example below 

for a starting point. The development peer review is outlined as a total 100% weight on core competency. 

First Goal 

People - Engagement 

The Objectives— my need in red 

Rounding 8% 

Listening. 10% 

Coaching. 7% 

Collaboration. 5% 

People Engagement weight = 30% 

The Expectations: 

Rounding— how many minutes daily? (Expectation) 

70 

1. Rate my ability to “Reengage” “Recognize” and “Reinforce” what is critical now by engaging 

team physically face to face for input. Communicates in an authentic way that positively 

influences and motivates employees. Gets close to our customers and finds out what they need 

and value.

Listening: With expectations 

2. You exceed listening by exhibiting the ability to pay attention and demonstrate to others that you 

value what they have to say because you genuinely care about what people represent to the team 

and organization at-large. Consistently you use active listening, open-ended questions, body 

language, and do a good job eliminating distractions that get in the way of your ability to listen. 

The specific expectations for listening: 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

Promotes well being 

Engages personally 

Often expresses empathy and sentiment 

Doesn’t judge others 

Often Expansively Mindful 

You Don’t Interrupt 

Coaching: 

3. You often shift leadership style away from a position of directing and telling and consistently 

guides and develops direct reports. Often you work with direct reports personally to create their 

own individual development improvement plans. 

Collaboration: 

4. You are constantly improving relationships with peers and teams. Have the mindset to always be 

a better partner, understand team goals and needs, and learns to work together to help achieve 

each other’s goals. 

How to push skill within the Skill— what happens when one of these competencies need to be engaged 

further? We assess a skill within a skill in a 360° peer review. Let’s examine this deeper engagement on 

listening if it represents our biggest opportunity. Consider these six questions that communicate clear 

expectations in a target and focus. 

71

Well-being: 

1. You often promote general well-being being someone to depend upon during times of both 

professional and personal hardships. 

Engages Personally: 

2. Engages authentically in matters important to your employees. When they share their opinions, 

you often ask questions and encourage them to elaborate and expand upon their perspectives. 

Often expresses empathy and sentiment: 

3. You care how people feel due to stressful distractors which impact employee performance. 

You Don’t Judge others: 

4. You often embrace differences and diversity celebrating people for their opinion, thoughts and 

ideas. 

You are often Expansively Mindful: 

5. You go beyond the obvious via both verbal and non-verbal communication. Take note of what is 

being said and how people are saying it and are making continuous eye contact and gestures. 

Don’t Interrupt: 

6. You embrace two-way communication and are aware that with every interruption comes 

disengagement. Follows the 3-second rule of conversation. 


72

Copy and paste the examples and 

suggested actions in this book to 

use in the personal review of your 

direct reports and initiate action to 

improving needed skills. 

How performance review expectations in people goals might look in IV, Example: 


1-10 (Turn Off) 

Rounding 

How would you rate my execution to rounding 30 minutes daily – “Reengages” 

“Recognizes” and “Reinforces” what is critical now by engaging team physically 

face to face for input? Communicates in an authentic way that positively influences 

and motivates employees. Gets close to our patients and finds out what they need 

and value. 

Call for contribution optional 


1-10 (Turn Off) 

Listening 

10 being best, rate my ability to pay attention and demonstrate to others that I value 

what they have to say. Consistently I use active listening, open-ended questions, 

body language, and do a good job eliminating distractions that get in the way of my 

ability to listen. 

Deeper expectation recommended but optional 

73

Second Goal 

Service, Growth, Financial - Organization 

The Objectives— my need in red 

Financial acumen. 7% 

Budget and project management. 4% 

Cross-functional knowledge and perspective 10% 

Industry, competitive, and patient knowledge. 4% 

Service, Growth, Financial Organization weight = 25% 


Financial acumen 

1. Rate my ability to fully understand, interpret, and use “the numbers” to improve hospital business 

Budget and project management 

2. Rate my ability to meet project management goals and demonstrate innovation in overall 

reducing costs. 

Cross-functional knowledge and perspective 

3. I often am working to learn about other aspects of the healthcare business other than my own 

functional silo. 

Industry, competitive, and patient or customer knowledge 

74 

4. I often demonstrate an understanding of our industry and our competitors. Gets close to our 

patients and their family to find out what they need and value.

Third Goal 

Community, (innovation) – Leadership 

The Objectives: 

Strategic thinking. 

Problem Solving 

Change leadership. 

Leadership presence. 

Community, (innovation) Leadership weight = 25% 

The Expectation: 

Strategic thinking: 

1. You are not discouraged by ambiguous situations. Is open to new ideas and processes. Adjusts 

approach to achieve results. Meets or exceeds this objective by demonstrating the ability to see 

the big picture and take a longer range, broader business perspective. Can step back from the dayto-day 

tactical details of the business and focus on the “why”, not just the “what” and “how”. 

Problem Solving Decision Making and reasoning: 

2. Is involved in decisions playing an active role in participating in change when engaged. 

Considers multiple sides of an issue. Weighs consequences before making the final decision. 

Makes informed decisions based on available information. Recognizes issues, and determines 

actions needed to advance the decision-making process. Follows up as necessary. 

Change leadership: 

75 

3. Is a change catalyst, a champion of change, participates and encourages leadership and team to 

implement and sustain change in the organization?

Leadership presence: 

4. Often demonstrates the ability to “command a room” and communicate in an authentic way that 

inspires others. Volunteers and supports tasks teams and community sponsored events of the 

organization. 

Fourth Goal 

Quality and Safety and Academics – Management 

The Objectives: 

Remote management. 

Talent management. 

Time management 

Quality and Safety and Academics Management weight = 20% 


Remote management 

1. Often demonstrates the ability to manage their remote direct reports and organization outside 

their shift. Makes good use of technology to plan, communicate, and collaborate virtually. 

Being inclusive in their approach. 

Talent management 

76 

2. Often demonstrates the ability to assess, hire, promote, and develop. Fills all open positions 

with nothing but “A” players and replace chronic underperformers. Develops a “virtual 

bench” for all key positions and a succession plan for your own position.

Time management 

3. Often has a handle on where time is wasted and has a good focus on more value-added 

activities. Provides innovative ways to work more safely, efficiently and prioritize. 

The total performance opportunity weight to development in this performance review equals 100%. 

Consider your organization’s specific strengths and opportunities when applying the weights. Remember 

every expectation communicated is a maybe— a potential possibility. The capture of all leaders’ scores 

such as in a 360° or yearly reviews inside IV provides an organization an opportunity to view scores 

collectively together. And the overall leader scores in an organization will assist in strategic development 

planning moving forward. Owning the data in IV means you won’t be held hostage by a consultant or 

technology company. 

Yearly Performance Reviews— is engaged like a 360° Peer Review. The yearly performance review 

which supports personal development greatly focuses on company goals by clearly outlining skills and 

objectives once yearly and sometimes twice by including a mid-year review. They can be launched from 

InnovateVirtual and are given to instill ownership to development which supports the overall pillars and 

company mission. It is important to note again that a review should not determine raises. Consider these 

objectives as the company’s competencies. When you refine them into core competencies for staff— an 

engagement process begins toward Systems Intelligence. Always start your engagement by asking: 

 

 

“What do I want to accomplish?” 

“What is the desired outcome?” 

Behavior happens in the role and function. Many times we are left with not knowing how to develop 

ourselves. Consider competencies as the backbone to your organization’s strength. What you clarify in 

the expectation— competencies create a roadmap for people to follow. It is the maybe. Setting up a 

yearly and mid reviews in IV allows for real measures and for ownership to take place. Tie the highest to 

lowest sequence weights to the skills in these reviews so employees know what skills are critical first. 

77

What if you could? 

 

 

 

 

 

Avoid the risk of poor behavior? 

Increase accountability? 

Avoid the breakdown of execution? 

Enhance performance skill? 

Avoid employee turnover? 

Team Powered 360° Style Method 

HOW TO DO A 360°— InnovateVirtual’s four (4) steps http://www.employeetalk.us/login 

Under disparity, we want to break down what the leader response is to what the team member response. 

This is a Profile Gap Analysis enabling comparison of each question, person, and team. 

Disparity: Example 

Under Disparity— default the selection representing the self-assessment as a group or individual 360° 

78

Under Anonymity 

Define who the 360 is on for selection in a dropdown 

From menu step 1— we want to define our 360° in why what and how. Then we want to focus the 

respondents to what they should be thinking when answering the 360° questions i.e., policy, expectation. 

From menu step 2— we want to select the 

questions by turning them on or off. Edit in 

expectation. 

79

From menu step 4— Launch your Survey by selecting the initiative 360 

1 st launch (date to (date) 

After launch share the links via email or website. Edit letter to support special instruction 

VISUAL PROCESS IN TEAM SHARE 

80

360° REVIEW LETTER EXAMPLE 

Dear Team, 

I would like to invite you to participate in my 360° Peer Review. The scores you give and comments you 

make are totally anonymous unless you choose to recognize yourself in the space provided. If you decide 

to reveal yourself for a comment to one of the questions— I can engage you for more detail around your 

insight later. 

Please provide input based on your observations and experience in how I have executed these 

expectations. I’d like you to rate my performance from 1-10— ten being best. Your feedback in the 

comment space can help me with any direction, solution or understanding. 

To Begin: 

1. Launch the hyperlink by sharing it via e-mail 

2. Select my 360° name [Eric Bruggeman] 

3. Select your appropriate location dropdowns 

4. Select the disparity group that best represents our relation 

a. Executive Manager 

b. Supervisor 

c. Family 

d. Peer 

At least 70% of reported skill development comes from having challenging or uncomfortable tasks and 

assignments. Development means that you do the new skill or fail at something important to you. Tasks 

that develop anything are those in which not doing it is not a viable option. Another 20% comes from 

studying and working with others to see the useful behavior and get feedback. This can take the form of 

studying a role model, working with a developmental partner, keeping a written summary of what's 

working and not working or preferably a formal assessment, like a 360° process. Without this continuous 

feedback, even the best developmental plans fail. About 10% of development comes from thinking 

differently or having new ways to think about things. 

Source http://www.ptc.com/content/production_content_server/cninv000000000014184/content.pdf 

81

OUTCOME REPORTS FOR 360° 

360° Peer Review Reporting 

Employees can respond to a 360° Peer Review with absolute anonymity. Leaders who engage a 360° 

Peer Review are empowered to follow up with staff that reveals who they are after providing their 

feedback. The three key 360° peer review assessments for development are leadership, character, and 

motivation. 

Disparity Report or Profile Gap Analysis is a side by side question score comparison of team versus the 

target— there are up to (4) targets available in the setup. The Example below represents two groups. 

360° Score Report is an overall average score from all participating respondents in the 360°. 

82

Comment Report or Push Report allows comments to be viewed by the question. A search function 

allows a keyword search. 

Improvement Report or Compare Report shows how someone is or is not improving over time. 

83

21 Initiative use case— WORK EVALUATION 




With a focus in a specific space, we can understand the variable expectations in the performance initiative 

which support or prevent success from taking place. Perhaps it’s a lack of information, development or 

broken process but the idea in pulse communication is to discover our strengths so we can exploit them 

and identify opportunity and fix them in a proactive manner. 

When considering Work Evaluation and Core competency, we want to define the initiative/s which 

support the outcome we seek. To reduce ambiguity we define the initiative and select the best questions. 

Next, we refine the focus so respondents know what they should be thinking about when responding. 

This cuts down on the subjectivity in response. Lastly, add expectation which aligns to the organization or 


Suggested Action – select the performance initiatives that could affect your outcome in personal reviews. 















15. Promotion 







Design 

Example: 

84 




4. Interviewing













17. Promotion 





Design 

Example - 21 Initiatives - WORK EVALUATION 

Definition: 

Acknowledgment is the payment from character. For the purpose of this initiative, we will define work 

evaluation as a rigorous analysis of completed or ongoing activities that determine or support 

management and employee accountability, effectiveness, and efficiency. 

Focus: 

The respondent focus is on the judgment of the company as in the assessment of individuals, alternatives, 

activities, products, or plans against a benchmark and standards constantly and consistently supported by 

the right choice of available resources. 

Symptom: 

Are projects and tasks consistently falling behind or late? What is the cause: lack of direction (clearly 

communicated expectation), unrealistic expectations, lack of development, no accountability and no 

commitment? If commitment is your answer then go to Employee Retention on page 676. If improved 

productivity is the outcome you wish then go to Productivity in the 21 initiatives for a focused approach 

in that space. 

86

o 

o 

o 

o 

The reason/s or importance of acting now is that delays are costly when considering risk or 

productivity. 

Understanding obstacles; preventing execution is key, this is the focus in work evaluation. 

Work evaluation involves leadership development. There is an expectation that should be defined 

The one two three step approach to observation is failing: 

1. Fail to See 

2. Fail to document 

3. Fail to correct 

Exercise 

Think about how you evaluate others to support their growth and how you can do it better? 

87

WORK EVALUATION 7 out of 15 example questions 

Note. The risk tags are for noting potential liability for the moderator and not for the respondent to see. 

Risk How do you rate the company in its ability to select a 

third party to assess employee performance objectively? 


How do you rate the company in creating clear positive action 

plans to help employees improve their job performance? 


How do you rate the company in providing access to resources 

that can help you get your job done? 


How do you rate the company communication between 

employees and their managers? 


How do you rate the company in providing an independent 

improvement plan or utilizing a 360 employee assessment 

method designed to help you create personal improvement 

plan? 


Does the company incorporate goal-setting into the employee 

evaluation process? 


Are you able to clearly evaluate your work and make 

improvements on your own? 


88

PERFORMANCE 

PERFORMANCE- Should I develop or terminate? 

There are frequent problems centered within management and leadership performance. The question that 

is asked most often sounds something like this. 

”I have a direct report who is not measuring up to my expectations. Should I invest in his/her 

development, terminate their employment, or move them into a different position? 

Exercise: Technique 

In order to help answer this question, consider asking yourself sixteen questions. Before you read the 

questions listed below, think of one of your direct reports who are currently not meeting job expectations. 

See if your answer becomes clear by the end of the list. 

First 7 QUESTIONS out of 16 Develop: (Opportunity) 

1. Is the leader reaching the specific agreed upon goals and expectations?— your direct report 

2. Is the leader experiencing higher than normal turnover in their department or division? 

3. Is the leader developing their staff effectively by helping them establish their IDP? 

4. Is the leader meeting deadlines consistently? What’s in control and not? 

5. Is the leader working on the right priorities? 

6. Does the leader have the resources necessary to perform their job (time, budget, and staff)? 

7. Have specific complaints been reported to you or H.R. concerning the leader’s effectiveness or 

leadership style? 

What’s in control and not? It is a good question, because if deadlines continually fail due to things outside 

their control it may be the system or process that need fixed, not the person. If your answer is no to any 

of these seven questions, the good news is that you can still develop this leader to perform in their 

position and grow using the training resource topics, tools, Exercises, and suggested reading we provide 

in this book. If you chose an outside coach chances are, the coach will only need 3 or 4 coaching sessions 

with the under-performing leader as well as a feedback session with you to identify support that you can 

give your leader. This investment may cost around $900 to $2,000. 

89

Next 4 out of 16 QUESTIONS: (Develop Overhaul) 

1. Is the leader motivated to perform their duties? — How do you measure? — confirmation 

2. Does the leader have the background and experience necessary to perform what is expected? 

3. Is the leader trusted and respected by his/her peers and direct reports? — How authentic are they? 

4. Do the leaders’ values and behaviors align with the organization's values and expectations of 

behavior? 

If your answer is no to these next four questions, the good news for this area is that these are coachable 

too, but will require a bigger investment of time and money to turn the situation and person around. At 

this point, the question that you want to ask yourself is— “Does this person contribute enough to the 

profitability and performance of the organization to warrant the investment?” If using an outside coach, 

this can be a development overhaul and will require administering a 360° assessment (perceptions), and 

behavioral assessment (Core personality) and can be 6-20 hours of coaching over the course of 6 to 9 

months The investment can cost between $2,800 and $10,000 plus the initial cost of the 360°. While in 

comparison, using technology like IV the cost is $1,000 to self-administer an unlimited amount of these. 

Last 5 out of 16 QUESTIONS: Terminate (Let go) 

1. Is the leader negatively influencing customers, patients or stakeholders? 

2. Is the leader negatively influencing employees inside the organization? Avoid subjective opinion 

3. The leader has the necessary 

a. Aptitude, (skill) 

b. Integrity (ethics) 

c. Personality (attitude) 

d. Commitment to perform the job well? 

4. Is the leader coachable and open to change? 

5. Does leader lack accountability by blaming others or situations as well as avoiding problems that 

consistently happen? 

If your answer is no to these last five questions, the unfortunate news is that parting ways may be the 

more responsible approach to driving your organization to greater performance. If you try to coach and 

develop someone who will never fit the job, then you will always have mediocre performance. If 

someone is not coachable or willing to accept personal ownership for improvement, then no amount of 

money spent on development which will help this person succeed. 

90

What do we do if this happens? 

Engage your recruiter or outside search consultant to help assess your culture and search for the candidate 

that possesses the right; experience, background, aptitude, personality, and interests. They can help ensure 

good integration into your culture, and develop effective leadership competencies which will benefit the 

organization. The average cost associated with turning over an executive leader can typically run 

anywhere from 25 to 35% of their 1st-year’s annual salary which does not include the time it takes for the 

person to become productive and the expense in salary until that point. 

Consider the personality in both your search and development. Question 2 within the next four should 

never be a consideration because it should be identified at hire. Ethics does come up sometimes however. 

The rule in this perception is that the role had changed. In development knowing personality will help 

any vision match on skills needed improvement. Experience has shown that if we design our learning 

activities to meet the expected motivational needs of the learning cohort positively— the learner will be 

more engaged in the content resulting in increased learning. 

Six unique human behavioral types (Personality) 

Source http://www.elephantjournal.com/2015/11/enneagram-personalities-the-challenger-the-harmonizer-the-reformer/ 

Harmonizer. They represent 30% of the North American population. They are motivated through 

personal recognition and sensory stimulation. They need to be appreciated just because they are nice 

people and therefore seek unconditional acceptance. 

Thinker. They represent 20% of the North American population. They are motivated by being 

recognized for their ability to think clearly and for their hard work. They need to hear words such as 

“well done”, “good job”, and “good idea". They also value time structure. They need to know when 

assignments are due and how the learning will be structured. They are internally motivated to get “A’s” 

as this gives them recognition for their work. 

91

Persister. They represent 10% of the North American population. They are motivated through 

recognition of their work and their convictions. They also need to hear “good job”, and “good idea”. It is 

also very important to them that others respect their convictions and commitment to standards and seek 

their opinions on things. Therefore the learning has to have a meaningful purpose. They are internally 

motivated to seek “A’s”. 

Rebel. They represent 20% of the North American population. They are motivated through playful 

contact. They like to have fun and are not necessarily motivated by good grades. They learn best from 

educators that include fun things in the learning environment. 

Imaginer. They represent 10% of the North American population. They are motivated primarily through 

solitude. In order to perform at their best, they need their own private time and private space. They 

prefer educational activities that tell them concisely what to do, how to do it, and then leave them alone to 

accomplish the task. Grades are not their primary motivation. 

Promoter. They represent 5% of the North American population. They are motivated by 

excitement. They like to have something going on at all times. They get easily bored when people talk a 

lot. They prefer that you get to the point and application. They want to be actively involved in the 

learning activity. Make it exciting, challenging, and add some healthy competition. 


Are you determining if you see things through to completion—? 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

Are you burned out? 

Lost your passion? 

Run out of gas? 

Is heart not in it anymore? 

Not 100% committed? 

Maybe you don't persevere because deep down I don't care anymore - you're sick of doing this job or 

working for this organization or pushing against a particular person or group. 

92

Exercise: 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

Ask what you want? Find your passion again. Prepare yourself for another job or function. 

To make the best of your current position, make a list of what you like and don't like to do. 

Work to delegate, task or trade the things that are no longer motivating to you. 

Concentrate on doing more liked activities each day. 

Do your least preferred activities first to get them out of the way; 

• Focus not on the activity, but on your sense of accomplishment. 

Change your work activity to mirror your interests as much as you can. 

Pulse check with InnovateVirtual as to why someone might leave the organization reinforces 

retention with a proactive approach by offsetting threats to turnover in ten questions. 

Example 2 out of 10 Retention Questions. This Method is a proactive approach to turnover. 

1. How would you rate Job-Related Reasons as for why an employee might leave our organization? 

Job-related reasons examples: 

o Boredom/Lack of Challenge - job duties 

o Injury – physical requirement 

o Poor or unsafe working conditions 

o Poorly communicated or unrealistic expectation 

o Equipment, software or machine design 

Please indicate in the space provided what job-related reason supports your response i.e. 

functional or social. 

2. How do you rate Professional Reasons as for why an employee might leave our organization? 

Professional reasons example: 

o Lack of Opportunities for Professional Development 

o Lack of Decision making capability 

o Better job opportunity 

o Ethics 

Please indicate in the space provided what professional reason best supports your response. 

93

See chapter on Employee Retention 

Engage expectation or government regulated measures by asking employees to measure their own 

performance. We can identify obstacle preventing performance. Usually, this will enable 

understanding of development needs and breakdowns in the procedure as well as identify 

solutions to overcome them. 

Example: Perception of Performance - Technique 

HCAHPS 5 out of 15 Example questions in IV engaging the perception of their performance. 

1. How often do you treat patients with courtesy and respect? 


Comment if you are aware of an opportunity to improve courtesy and 

respect. 

Help me recognize your peer who is always the best? 

2. How often do you listen carefully to your patients? 

1-10 (Turn Off) Off 

Please comment how we can better, listening skills when dealing with 

patients. 

3. How often do you listen to your patient's family members? 


Please comment how we can better listening skills when dealing with 

patients. 

4. How often do you explain things in a way patients can understand? 


Share how this can be improved? 

5. How often do you help patients as soon as they press the call bell? 

1-10 (Turn Off) Off 

Please provide a comment on improving response time. 

Help me recognize your peer who is always the best. 

94

Follow-through with InnovateVirtual for HCAHPS to meet desired outcomes: 

o 

o 

Avoid Medicare payment adjustments? 

Avoid patient safety or quality of care 

issues? 

o 

o 

o 

Avoid change management failures? 

Avoid process breakdowns? 

Avoid patient turnover? 

How staff virtually collaborates within HCAHPS 

o 

o 

The team is exposed to an agenda. 

Inform on quality process measures. 

Image Source 

HCAHPS Measures 

http://www.bocaterry.com/news/hcahps-scores-matter-contributing-to-better-patient-comfort.html 

The leader’s goal is to ensure: 

o 

o 

o 

o 

Course corrections are made before HCAHPS results 

Ensure execution of process and procedure 

Increase development focus and time 

Resources service quality and safety 

Question example #8 from 15: 

95 

1. Before giving any new medication, can you confirm hearing or using the words "side-effects" 

when describing what could happen while taking the medication? 

Leader outlines expectations; roundtable agenda that can be possible or identified obstacles. 

1. List aligned competency of your organization? 



Why, why not, comment or concern

The expected outcome: 

Quality transparency; one question can identify processes breakdowns, needed information and poor staff 

development which could affect failed measures three months ahead of HCAHPS results. 

Results: Example Score 

Nurse team scores 7 out of 10. This one question determined: 

o 

o 

o 

Performance development needs 

• In both high and low performing staff 

Safety and quality issue 

• Reaction to medication could go unnoticed 

Reimbursement concern 

• Quality measure is not being met for HCAHPS 

Report info at a glance: 

Track each department’s success 

Push into units to identify resource area need 

96

Task Reporting System 

For the different types of dialog, targets, and focus assign different people to be the administrator or 

moderator of the project. They can delegate action from inside InnovateVirtual by responding and 

delegating actions with clear communication to feedback received from pulse engaging. This approach 

creates consistent communication across the organization and can be a learning experience through 

coaching. 

Leader tasks action from comment: 

 

 

 

Word search 

Task action 

Set timeline 

Last step - An Advisory group consists of the team leadership members. Here actions are tasked to be 

received via email or text for resolution. At any point in time we will know where the ball is and on 

who’s court. 

 

 

Send, receive email note 

Send phone text note 

97

Detailed Note 

Here is the note with 

detail you task the 

people into action with. 

Outcome and conclusion— improved performance 

o 

The IV technology can enable the quality leader to engage medical staff for input proactively 

ahead of the 3 month turnaround time for receiving HCAHPS results. They are empowered 

with quick and immediate follow through to actions and opportunity. 

By leveraging IV in this unique methodology approach the organization is: 

o 

o 

o 

o 

Empowering management with more informed decisions 

Using a framework to proactively improve and engage staff 

Changing culture to be more accountable through ownership 

Enabling better outcomes from tasking instant actions to results 


The disorganized performance variables, which is— if any are you? 

o 

o 

o 

o 

You don't always get to everything on time? 

You forget deadlines and what you target? 

You lose requests for decisions or forget to engage on them? 

You forget to follow up on a request for more information? 

98

o 

o 

o 

You lose interest in anything which is not right in front of you? 

You consistently demonstrate a short attention span? 

You move from task to task until you find one that's working? 

• What does this mean: 

Exercise: 

We can't operate all over the place and persist. Perseverance takes focus and continual effort. Learn to: 

o 

o 

o 

Get better organized and disciplined. 

Stick with tasks longer than you now do. 

Complete your day on time, working over does not necessarily show commitment. 

• It can also demonstrate a poor management of time 

Performance finishing— Productivity; Task and Project Management: The 80/20 rule also known as the 

Pareto principle is a well-known rule used across different fields. In simple terms, the 80/20 rule states 

that for many events roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. Not all tasks have to be 

completely finished. For some, 80% would be acceptable. For those who need all the “I’s” dotted and 

the “T's” crossed, it will take perseverance. It’s the details. 

Do you give up after one or two tries? 

o 

“Insanity: is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” If you 

have trouble going back the second or third time to get something done, then switch approaches. 

— Albert Einstein 

Do you get stuck sometimes and repeat what is not working? Do something different next time. 

o 

In visiting the office of someone you have difficulties with, invite them to your office next time. 

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Do you think about multiple ways to get the same outcome? For example, to push a decision through: 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

You could meet with stakeholders first. 

Go to a single key stakeholder. 

Study and present the problem to a group. Use IV to engage groups. 

Call a problem-solving session, perhaps include an outside expert. (neutral party) 

Use IV for solution drives. This will support a high performing culture because high performing 

cultures solve problems. 

For even greater inclusion of organizational challenges release pre-meeting agenda by launching 

it from IV so everyone can participate in a meeting and participate with honest, uninhibited 

feedback. This will help in discussion and get to root causes or obstacles faster without needing a 

follow-up meeting. 

Do you meet resistance? Be prepared to do them when obstacles arise. Which are you? 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

Don't persevere because you prefer to avoid conflict? 

Hesitate in the face of resistance and adverse reaction? 

Conflict slows you down? 

Shakes your confidence in your decision? 

Avoid ownership instead focus on others? 

Do you backpedal? 

Give in too soon? 

Try to make everyone happy? 

When your initiative hits resistance, keep it on the problem and the objectives. It is not personal. 

o 

o 

Depersonalize. If attacked, return to what you're trying to accomplish, invite people's criticisms 

and ideas. 

Listen. Correct if justified. Stick to your point. Push ahead again. 

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o 

Resistance is natural. Some of the time it's legitimate; most of the time it's just human nature. 

People push back until they understand. They are just protecting control, power or territory. 

Do you procrastinate? Which if any— are you? 

o 

o 

o 

You don't go back a second time until forced to by deadlines? 

You are less motivated when your first attempt falls flat or meets resistance? 

You don't get back to people when you said you would? 

Do you work smarter not harder? Technology use such as through InnovateVirtual can allow leaders to 

engage multiple conversations at the same time creating better time management and resolution to 

challenges. It is important to note that you might not produce results consistently. Some of your work 

will be marginal because you only had time for one or two attempts before the project was due. 

Suggested action: 

Start earlier. Reduce the time between attempts. 

You take resistance personally? 

o 

If you tend to take rejection or inattention or non-responsiveness personally, focus on why the 

initiative, it is not personal. 

Develop a positional stance toward rejection and failure. After all failing is an opportunity to improve, 

especially for those that try and offer innovations and proposals. The majority of efforts to change people 

fail and most attempts to change organizations fail. Why, because people and organization have to want 

to change. Only 30% of all change projects succeed. Anything really worth doing takes repeated effort, 

and everything could always be done better. Resistance is normal, not abnormal. Even resistance that 

looks and sounds personal may not be. Take a breath, refocus. 

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You allow everyone to win? Don't get dragged down by personal concerns. Keep situations objective. 

Listen. Be patient and absorb any constructive opinion. A pushback with questions gives you pause. The 

closer you get to success, the more intensity of focus you can get from naysayers. Work even harder, 

listen and answer all questions and objections clearly- focus on the work, not yourself. Don't expect 

everyone to be cheering for your successes. Some will be jealous or feel threatened by what you are 

doing. Being calm in body language can assist you in your resolve 

Suggested readings: 

1. DuBrin, Andrew J. Your Own Worst Enemy. New York: AMACOM, 1992. 

2. Dumas, Alexandre. Count of Monte Cristo. New York: Bantam Books, 1981. 

3. Olesen, Erik. 12 Steps to Mastering the Winds of Change. New York: Macmillan, 1993. 

4. Keller, Helen. The story of my life. New York: Bantam Books, 1990. 

5. Morrell, Margot and Stephanie Capparell. Shackleton's Way: leadership lessons from the great 

Antarctic explorer. New York: Viking, 2001. 

6. Sapadin, Linda with Jack Maguire. It's about time! The six styles of procrastination and how to 

overcome them. New York: Viking, 1996. 

7. Shackleton, Ernest Henry, Sir. South: The story of Shackleton's last expedition. Oxford, England. 

Santa Barbara, CA: 1990. 

8. Troyat, Henri. Peter the Great. New York: Dutton, 1987. 

Suggested Actions 

1. Focus on the product, service or issue, and keep reminding yourself what you’re there to 

accomplish. Always keep to the facts and agenda. 

2. Continue to build and refine the business case, incorporating quality feedback from pulse checks. 

Leaders can administer IV to manage that effort by setting up correct dialog when they want. 

3. Improve your time estimations by always starting 10% of each attempt immediately after it is 

apparent it will be needed so you can better gauge what it is going to take to finish it. Always 

assume it will take more time than you think it's going to take and build this into your plans. 

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4. Create a checklist with the 20% that remains to be done. Plan to do a little each day. Cross 

things off and celebrate each time you get to take something off the list. Try to delegate finishing 

to someone who accepts the 20% as a fresh challenge. The 20% are usually the things we dislike. 

5. Task trade with someone else's remaining 20% so you both would have something fresh to do. 

6. Keep and track a task progress log. 

7. Keep and track the top 10 things I have to do list. 

8. Volunteer for task forces, committee’s, and projects that would be motivating for you. 

9. Crosstrain into new tasks and job descriptions to broaden your flexibility to support teams and 

organizational efforts. 

10. Talk to people about their 20% if they are things you like, you may inspire them by sharing 

your experience or expertise. 

Exercise 

Think about how you evaluate others to support their growth and how you could do it better? 

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21 Initiative use case— SCHEDULE & PRESENCE (time management) 






development or broken process but the idea in pulse communication is to discover our strengths so we can 

exploit them and identify opportunity and fix them in a proactive manner. 

When considering Schedule & Presence, we want to define the initiative/s which supports the time 

management objective. To reduce ambiguity we define the initiative and select the best questions. Next, 

we refine the focus so respondents know what they should be thinking about when responding. This cuts 

down on the subjectivity in response. Lastly, add expectation which aligns to the organization or strategic 

objectives. 

Suggested Action – select the performance initiatives that could affect your outcome. Examples below: 















15. Promotion 







Design 

Example - 21 Initiatives - SCHEDULE & PRESENCE 

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1. Schedule & Presence 2. Decision Making









11. Promotion 

Definition: 











Design 

Schedule and Presence, pertains to all scheduling and human presence in operation around the product, 

employee, customers, vendors and partners in the management of time, including being punctual or 

present as being absent negatively affects business. 

Focus: 

Concentrate on any and all the Schedules within the company that can affect results. Look at the presence 

of services, staff, and product to support you in satisfying customers, patients, partner and vendor needs 

such as those within: Employee Staffing Schedules, General Timetable Schedules, Time Management 

Capability, Service Agreement Schedules, Vendor Support Schedules, Business Event Schedules, 

Presence of Managers, Presence of Supporting Staff, Business Operation Open/Close Schedule, Presence 

of Services to meet customer needs and the Presence of Product to meet customer demand. 

Symptom: 

Are projects and tasks consistently falling behind or late? What is the cause: lack of presence, direction 

(clearly communicated expectation), unrealistic expectations, lack of development, No accountability, and 

no commitment? If commitment is your answer go to Employee Retention on page 676 

o 

o 

The importance of acting now is that delays are costly when considering risk or productivity. 

Scheduling is part of the process. There is an expectation that leaders should define. 

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SCHEDULE & PRESENCE 6 out of 15 example questions 

How do you rate your willingness to be part of a scheduling improvement 

team? 


How realistic are employee or company goals, when measured against 

current schedules in your department? 


How satisfied are you with your personal work schedule and its ability to 

provide a good balance between work and home? 


To "facilitate" is to increase the likelihood of a response by personal 

action. 


How do you rate your department's ability to facilitate and organize its 

schedule to support the company's on-time product delivery? 

The efficiency of the scheduling programs cannot be improved in your 

department? 


You have ideas to improve the scheduling process that would increase 

sales, production or reduce time to market? 


Exercise: 

If I could improve my time where would it be? 

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