1. Building Leadership Capacity Maximizing Employee Contribution
Slide Intent
Cover slide
Maximizing Employee Contribution
New Reality Leadership
Copyright New Reality Leadership, LLC

2. Characteristics of your Team
Think of your higher performing employees and your lower performing employees.
On a post-it, list one characteristic of each type of employee.
We will chart a few of both and reference during the session.
Slide Intent
Conduct an exercise to get the participants engaged in and thinking about the topic.
Key Messages
This short exercise helps the participants begin to see the way employees on their team work and who is stronger or challenging. This information will help when we do the case studies and go through the tier model
Facilitation Ideas
Using post-its, have them write one characteristic of a strong employee on one post-it and one characteristic of a more challenging employee on another post-it.
Ask for some examples of both. Write positives on one chart and the challenges on the second chart.
Only need enough for one chart each.
Hang these together on a wall and reference when you do the case studies and tier model overview. There will be similarities in the lists.
Facilitation Notes
You could also have the participant read their post-it and then stick it on the appropriate chart. Later, assimilate like post-its together into themes.
Note that this short exercise is done before the outcomes and agenda which is a way to quickly get the group participating and energized.

3. Objectives
Discover the characteristics of Tier 3 employees and why they contribute strongly to organizations
Learn a practical approach to maximizing employee contribution using the Tier Model process
Assess employees to determine their current tier
Use assessment results as one input for future coaching
Slide Intent
Present objectives.
Key Messages
Agenda is what actions you will do. Objectives discussion what you will accomplish by the end of the session by completing the agenda items.
The objectives are reviewed at the end of the session and connected to the group’s key learnings.
Facilitation Notes
It is a good facilitation practice to review the objectives at the beginning and end of a session so participants know what to focus on through the session. Notice the slight difference in wording from this slide to the last objective slide.

4. Agenda Three Cases: Identify characteristics of several employees
Discover the Tier Characteristics
Review the Tier Model
Fill in the Assessment
Evaluate the make up of your team
Two key focus areas
Next steps and close
Slide Intent
Present the Agenda
Key Messages
Share the agenda. Post this on the wall as well either by making a poster from this slide or making a chart to hang.
Facilitation Notes
By posting the agenda, you can refer to it as you work through the session. Participants like to know where they are in the overall session.

5. 1. Three Case Studies Objective
The employees in these cases exhibit characteristics of the three tiers in our model. By reading and discussing these employees, you will begin to understand the value of this coaching approach.
To do
In your group, read the assigned case and make notes on the way the employee is approaching their work. (positively or negatively) 2-3 minutes
Discuss with your group for alignment minutes
Be prepared to discuss your case with the larger group.
Slide Intent
Provide exercise instructions to process the case studies.
Key Messages
Share the exercise instructions with the group on the slide.
Suggest groups be no more than 4 people. (for larger groups, you can have more than one group focus on a case)
The cases are in the study guide.
Facilitation Notes
The goal of this exercise is to help the participants see examples of the different types of employee work approaches which we categorized within the 3 Tiers. By seeing the differences, they should begin to see relations of the employees they manage. A key outcome, then, of this module is to help them assess their employees so they can more effectively coach the employees (next module).

6. 2. Discover the Tier Characteristics
Review
Review the Tier 1, 2, and 3 characteristics in the book.
Goal is to get a general idea of:
Characteristics of the 3 tiers
Understanding of the negative sides of Tier 1 and 2
What differentiates Tier 3 from Tiers 1 and 2
3-4 minutes. Dialog among your team as needed.
Slide Intent
Provide exercise instructions.
Key Messages
Have them peruse through the Tier 1, 2, and 3 characteristics on their own.
If desired, they can spend a couple minutes chatting with their small team about any insights they see.
When done, discuss as a large group to ensure understanding and alignment.
Facilitation Notes

7. Expanding Contribution
To maximize performance, focus on shifting to Tier 3
3. The Tier Model
Building other’s expertise
Building coaching skills
Organizational focus
Leadership competency development
Working Interdependently
Expanding networks
Building expertise
Working independently
Building my job or career
Tier 2
Personal focus
Dependent on others
Learning
Tier 1
Slide Intent
To provide a model that shows the need for both employees and leaders to shift the way they work from Tier 1 to Tier 2 and to Tier 3. Most if not all employees can shift to much of Tier 3. Leaders must make the shift to be successful and their goal should be to coach their employees to this Tier as well. This is how you maximize the capability of the employee and build organizational capacity…the themes of our work.
Key Discussion Points
This model shows the increasing responsibility of employees over time.
Most employees make the shift from the inner oval to the second oval fairly naturally.
It is more difficult to shift to the third tier for most employees.
The Key point of this slide for this module is that as mid to senior leaders, it is imperative that they foster the shift of more of the organization into the third tier. In the 1940’s to 1980’s there were abundant people in organizations that allowed many employees to stay in the first or second tier. Now, a high majority of employees must shift their behavior to work differently.
More will be emphasized on this within additional modules.
Natural leaders will tend to shift to tier 3 even without being in a formal leadership position. They do this by thinking beyond their own work and career to how they can help others through coaching and training others, recognizing other’s good work, networking, building or participating on teams effectively, letting go of control when applicable, thinking more organizationally, taking charge of change, not settling for the status quo, etc.
Facilitator Notes
This is a model that shows the expanding responsibilities and ways employees work. Tier one, the inner oval represents new employees to an organization or role. The second tier or oval represents employees who have become experts in their role but are still focused internally within their role or job vs. outward to the organization. The third tier represents employees who have shifted their thinking from their work and organization outwardly to see how they can also impact others, and the organization with their work.
Tier 3
Expanding Contribution

8. 4. The Assessment Fill in the assessment for one employee.
The assessment results provide information to help you identify which Tier the employee is in so you can focus your coaching to help them transition toward Tier 3.
Slide Intent
For participants to review their assessments done prior to the session or to complete now if needed.
Key Messages
Ask participants to fill in/review the assessment for one employee.
The goal is to learn to use the form here on one employee so the leader can use with all employees.
Have employees total their assessment scores.
As a large group, discuss any insights the participants have from the assessment. If you think this could be a sensitive topic, try doing small groups for some discussion.
Facilitation Notes
A result of this assessment and discussion is for leaders to see how this process works. They should get a sense of where the employee is and begin to see some areas they can help the employee grow. Again, the actual coaching process is discussed in the module Coaching Employees to Tier 3.

9. 5. What is the Make Up of your Team?
In your workbook, write the initials of your team where you think they fit on this scale.
Tier 1
Tier 2
Tier 3
Strong in their current Stage JR ZC PC KC
Challenged in their current Stage EM DE
Slide Intent
Exercise to help the leaders see an overall profile of their team.
Key Messages
Put the initials of each of your reports in the appropriate location.
This will help you get a picture of your team now and can help you set some coaching goals.
This process is not a race and takes time. This transition requires formal and informal development. Most of the shift will come by the employee acknowledging where they are and engaging in purposeful development activities.
Often leaders and employees do not have a picture of this process so are not able to have a purposeful focus.
Ideally everyone would be in Tier 3 but this is rare. New employees may come in, some may be seasoned employees but in new roles. And some may have performance problems, lack skills and motivation, and have to be managed more directly.
Having a profile of your team helps you set goals for where you would like to see them in a year. Then, you can use the coaching process to consciously help them shift.
In subsequent modules, we will talk about employees who do not want to shift or who may not be able to for some reason.
Facilitation Notes
There are employees who have conditions that may prevent them from making a shift to Tier 3. A very smart and talented engineer had Asperger Syndrome. He had a difficult time working on teams or with customers but was brilliant in the work assignment. He was in a role that allowed him to contribute strongly and not be forced into situations where he would not succeed.
DE is a Tier 1 employee who has some challenging behaviors
ZC has some Tier 2 and Tier 3 attributes.
PC is a strong Tier 3 Contributor

10. Ultimate Role of the Leader: Maximizing Performance by Coaching Employees to Tier 3
Manager role
Tier 3 Characteristics
Full Potential
Potential
Gap
Current Performance
Slide Intent
Discuss how coaching employees to Tier 3 maximizes performance.
Key Discussion Points
Tier 3 employees have more freedom to make decisions.
They are more empowered and feel like they can try things.
They can take more risks which allows them to learn without fear of being reprimanded.
They collaborate more and build networks which increases their ability to find answers to problems and see new ways of solving problems.
They understand the business strategy so can make suggestions to problems that are more aligned with the business.
They become teachers and coaches to others which is a way to learn much faster (teachers typically feel like they have to spend more time knowing the content).
They connect with internal and external customers which also accelerates their line of sight on what is working or not working.
They challenge the status quo so most likely will have to search out new ways of doing things which helps them grow.
They listen first with a purpose of learning.
Facilitation Notes
Keep asking why each segment of this process is important and how it links to the key models. That will help you draw out the key answers for these types of discussions.

11. The Rate of Development is Key in the New Reality
Organizations must accelerate the development of employees vs. just letting them learn at a leisurely pace.
Shifting the mindset
Development
Time
Time
Traditional Development
Slide Intent
Emphasize the focus on Rate of Development and how the Tier Model can accelerate learning.
Key Messages
Organizations often just let development happen.
Applying processes like the Tier Model provide a way for leaders to focus their coaching on purposeful development areas that will improve the employee, team, and business performance.
This picture emphasizes the key competitive advantage of an organization is not just maximizing performance….but the rate at which a company can do this.
This transition is difficult because the payoff is longer term. A leader must be able to think long term and be able to do what is right for the organization vs. what is expedient for just them.
Facilitation Notes

12. 6. Two Key Focus Areas
Tier 3 employees have a better chance of maximizing their performance and the companies' performance.
Leaders using a focused, methodical development approach can accelerate the shift to Tier 3.
Slide Intent
Highlight and emphasize the previous discussion.
Key Messages
Show the slide to emphasize the focus and mindset of this process.
Ask for any final discussion or questions.
Facilitation Notes

13. 7. Next Steps Complete assessments for each employee.
Complete the module called Leadership Coaching Foundations and the assessment. These two assessments provide the foundation to coach effectively.
Review Application section in study guide for additional learnings.
There are supplemental exercises and information at the end of the study guide.
Slide Intent
Agree on next steps
Key Messages
The key next step is for the leaders to complete the full assessments for each employee that reports to them.
Note that it might be helpful to complete Coaching to Tier 3 using just the first completed assessment to get a feel for the entire process. Then have the leader complete the process for other employees. Some groups do the two modules together in a half-day session.
If they are still unsure of the process, spend some time with them and work through the issues.
Set a time frame for these assessments to be completed and then schedule the next module. It would be good if the coaching module is done together with this module or within about a month so the process is clear and not forgotten.
Facilitation Notes

14. Objectives and Review
Discover the characteristics of Tier 3 employees and why they contribute strongly to organizations
Learn a practical approach to maximizing employee contribution using the Tier Model process
Assess employees to determine their current tier
Use assessment results as one input for future coaching
List one learning from this session and how it helped meet the objectives.
Slide Intent
Present objectives and tie to key learnings.
Key Messages
Ask for one learning from each person and have them connect to one or more of the objectives for the session.
Facilitation Notes

15. An organization discussed improving employee development.
Thought
An organization discussed improving employee development.
One person asked, “What happens if we invest in all this training and development and they leave?”
The CEO replied, “What happens if they stay and we don’t invest in them?”
Slide Intent
Optional slide
Key Messages
Read as food for thought.
Facilitation Notes

16. Balancing Competency Development
The initial focus of employees is to learn their functional skills. As they become more independent, the emphasis can shift toward building personal competencies that help shift the employee toward Tier 3
Emphasis of Competencies
Tier 3 Characteristics
Slide Context
Shows balance and timing of functional skills development and Tier Characteristics development.
Key Discussion Points
When employees start a new assignment, most of the development focus is on core job skills.
As core, or functional skills are developed, more focus should be dedicated to selected Tier characteristics.
Many people bring a Tier 3 mindset with them and may be strong in certain areas. Leaders may need to help with areas like building new networks or translating key business goals or strategies.
Functional Competencies
Early Career
Mid Career
Later Career