In today's work environment it is essential to have self-managing employees because most of their work is completed away from direct supervision. As a result, a major accountability for all managers and leaders should be obvious—to develop employees into self-managers—employees who are self-motivated and accountable for their performance.

 

While we can't dispute the merits of this business imperative, the reality is many of our current management practices run contrary to the basic laws of human behavior and end up working against the self-management concept!

 

Here are a few realities:

 

• Organizations don't typically have a PERFORMANCE problem; when results are lower than they should be, it is almost always an EXPECTATION problem.
• HOLDING people accountable is nowhere near as effective as helping people LEARN to be accountable.
• There is too much TEACHING and not enough LEARNING in most organizations.

 

The basic philosophy of EffortQuest boils down to this: When there's no individual ownership . . . there's no motivation. When there's no motivation . . . there's no behavior change. And, when there's no behavior change, there's no possibility of improvement or better results!

 

EffortQuest is a content-rich and inspirational seven-module employee development program that concentrates on the ingredients that have the most influence on success. EffortQuest helps employees achieve greater results, overcome the challenges inherent in constant change, and embrace the day with renewed energy! Topics include: self-management, personal accountability, commitment to quality, change resiliency, continuous learning and improvement and working effectively with others.

 

Each module is designed to be delivered in 30 minutes to accommodate workplace demands and provide flexibility in the event of changing organizational priorities. Approximately ½ of this time is video content and the remaining time is made up of experiential exercises and small group discussions. Two optional 15 minute exercises are included in each module allowing the supervisor to drill deeper, if desired.

 

 

EffortQuest Module Outline

 

Module 1: Attitude & Self-Management

The first module sets the stage for the EffortQuest journey by concentrating on accountability, attitude and self-management. Discussions focus on how our attitude and behaviors influence how we are seen by others and the opportunities we receive. The benefits of becoming a self-manager are also identified.

 

Module 2: Adaptive Resilience

This module concentrates on the positive aspects of change and how each employee plays a role in the change process. We address creativity as it pertains to increased performance. Discussion focuses on how the challenges and obstacles we face in life and at work can actually benefit us by unleashing our personal creative process.

 

Module 3: The Learning Never Stops!

This module focuses on helping individuals become more self-sufficient and creative in critical-thinking and problem-solving situations. Learning, retention and application accountabilities are also addressed. Positive tension is created around continuous growth and personal improvement.

 

Module 4: The Results Formula™

This module introduces a formulaic method to identify the components contributing to success—discussion focuses on how the components interact to deliver greater results/productivity and how to remove limitations (including those that are self-imposed). The emphasis in this module is efficiency and goal attainment.

 

Module 5: Incremental Improvement (I²)

This module is heavily weighted toward the working arrangement with the employee's manager/coach/mentor. The 'course correction' coaching concept is introduced and the benefits of developmental feedback are discussed. A structure for daily incremental improvement is introduced. The emphasis in this module is continuous improvement. This module also helps employees strengthen the connection between their workplace activities/tasks and the Big R (goal, objective or outcome).

 

Module 6: Teimwork© . . . Putting the 'I' Back Into Teams

In this module, personal accountability within a team environment is addressed. A behavioral identification tool is introduced that helps employees better appreciate how they view others and, more importantly, how others view them. Discussion focuses on the importance of being consistent and taking personal responsibility for our actions and behaviors.

 

Module 7: Becoming Your Personal Best

The concluding module brings all of the components together as a framework for the future. Action planning is done at this stage to isolate the steps necessary for personal and professional success. Each of the EffortQuest components are reviewed in the context of continuous improvement.

The EffortQuest blended-learning program is designed for team-based delivery and uses the team leader or workgroup manager as a moderator because he or she has the greatest influence on employee engagement. In addition, the team leader or manager is in the perfect position to understand the goals of the workgroup and the personality of each team member.

 

A Leader's Guide is provided to simplify the process. The guide includes step-by-step instructions, positioning statements to stimulate discussion, and examples to connect the EffortQuest content to your work environment. An interactive workbook is provided to each employee to capture the key learnings.

 

The perfect combination of delivery—EffortQuest delivers the content and the team leader or workgroup manager simply moderates the discussion and reinforces the message.

 

The video segments combine in-studio and live footage, electronic presentation and video to accommodate the diverse learning styles of your employees. All video files are produced in HD (high-definition) and installed on your organization's server making them immediately accessible through your intranet.

 

 

All video content is delivered by Neil Dempster, co-developer of EffortQuest, keynote speaker, trainer and author. Over the past decade, Dempster has delivered the EffortQuest philosophy live to over 10,000 people in diverse organizations worldwide.

The EffortQuest High Performance video series is divided into seven 30-minute modules to provide flexible delivery and immediate response to changing organizational priorities. Many combinations of delivery are possible to accommodate any work environment and/or organizational need.

 

For example, a team leader or workgroup manager can:

 

• deliver a single module weekly over seven weeks (i.e., 30 minutes per week).
• combine a couple of modules and incorporate them into a monthly meeting.
• stagger the modules to accommodate workplace priorities.

 

Or you can:

 

• utilize your training and development team to deliver all the modules together in a half-day training format.
• incorporate the modules as part of the new employees orientation/on-boarding to help introduce them to your performance culture.

 

Each module provides a review of the previous module—this can be helpful when the modules are delivered over a period of time.

Level 2 learning outcomes for the EffortQuest High Performance video series include the ability to:

 

• Differentiate between a focus on 'results' and a focus on 'process' and be able to incorporate this performance-enhancing message into day-to-day activities.
• Use the Results Formula to determine the appropriate steps to success.
• Use the four quadrants of the Performance Grid to identify the appropriate behaviors necessary to achieve results.
• Identify the steps necessary to achieve results using the Step It! system.
• Implement the "inch-by-inch" incremental improvement process.
• Implement the TPC (think/plan/commit) method to improve problem-solving and decision-making.

 

Level 3 & 4 learning outcomes for the EffortQuest High Performance video series include:

 

• Increased employee engagement
• Increased employee satisfaction
• Increased production
• Increased quality
• Reduced turnover