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Employee Engagement, Accountability and Peak Performance
 

Neil Dempster will wow your audience!The same program that has been delivered to over 10,000 employees in five countries—the same program that has become the foundation for coaching and performance in hundreds of high-performing organizations in diverse industries—is now available as a blended-learning, content-rich and inspirational seven-module VIDEO series guaranteed to create individual accountability to the attitude and activities that achieve greater results!

 

Use the links (below) for in-depth information on how (and why) EffortQuest works and how this unique and powerful approach to employee engagement can help your organization achieve world-class results.

 

Flexible, scalable and extremely cost-effective . . . EffortQuest!

 

What is EffortQuest?

Let's describe what EffortQuest is by first telling you what it's NOT. It's NOT a training program (although there will be significant learnings along the way). It's also NOT some shrink-wrapped, flavor-of-the-month program.

 

EffortQuest is better described as a way to change how employees think about performance and, most importantly, understand (and appreciate) the responsibility they each have to continuous improvement and better results. The key principles have 'sticky power' and will quickly become part of your organization's DNA (and we have over a decade of performance data to prove it).

Let's face the hard reality ... the only true differentiator today between your organization and your competition is how employees think about performance. Every organization has pretty equal access to systems, processes and performance-enabling technology. It's only those who understand how to obtain authentic higher-performance commitments from every employee who enjoy a competitive advantage!

 

If employees continue to THINK as they do today ...

they will continue to PERFORM as they do today!

 

The EffortQuest seven-module VIDEO series addresses at least three critical business imperatives:

 

  • Employee performance and continuous improvement
  • Employee engagement
  • Self-management and accountability

 

EffortQuest is a blended-learning program designed for team-based delivery. The video component delivers a consistent 'higher-performance thinking' (HPT) message that is often difficult or uncomfortable for supervisors to communicate. The team leader or workgroup manager then uses an easy-to-follow format to moderate discussion, reinforce the message and gain commitment.

SUCCESS begins with a commitment ... and ends with PERSISTENCE!™

How (and Why) EffortQuest Works

What compels employees—regardless of industry or job function—to show up to work everyday . . . and perform?

 

A perplexing question! And one asked by many managers and supervisors every day. Although the answer to this question may be complex, the method to ensure consistent performance doesn't have to be!

 

EffortQuest addresses what we all intuitively understand ... that results are not a function of what employees KNOW. Instead, results are a function of what employees DO WITH what they know! This video series uses a blended-learning approach to address the 'doing' component of workforce performance.

 

If you want a culture of commitment and higher performance ... if you want to turn employee potential into results ... then you need EffortQuest!

 

 

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!

 

Employee Engagement, Employee Productivity, Employee Accountability, Employee Motivation

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.

 

Employee Engagement Employee Productivity Employee Accountability Employee Motivation

 

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!

The third 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)

The fifth 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.

EffortQuest workbook to help build high-performance.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.

 

Neil Dempster - Keynote Speaker, Trainer and Co-Developer of EffortQuest EffortQuest Module 2: Innovation and efficiency EffortQuest Module 2: Slow Leak exercise EffortQuest Module 3: Obstacles unleash creativity!

 

All video content is delivered by Neil Dempster, co-developer of EffortQuest, behavioral engineer and keynote speaker/trainer. 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 might:

 

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

 

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is EffortQuest for?

What will EffortQuest do for us?

How long is the program?

Who 'teaches' the program?

Is there a limit to the number of people in each EffortQuest session?

Can we customize the program?

What support materials does the facilitator/moderator receive?

What support materials does the participant receive?

How do we purchase the EffortQuest system?

Can participant materials be shared or transferred to another individual?

Can we certify one of our internal people to deliver EffortQuest?

Can we preview the program?

I have additional questions! What do I need to do?

 

 

Who is EffortQuest for?

EffortQuest is for anyone who is being asked to do more with less, adapt to constant change, increase production without compromising quality, work better together as a team, be a continuous learner—all while maintaining a positive attitude! Now, that would describe just about everyone in today's workplace, wouldn't it?

 

The program is built for non-managerial job functions (at any level of the organization) where productivity and/or results are expected (e.g., call centers, sales organizations, customer-facing functions, back-office operations, administrative roles, etc.).

 

What will EffortQuest do for us?

The dominant force in any industry is the organization with strategic agility—and how employees think about performance and execution is what determines the level of agility. EffortQuest focuses exclusively on Higher Performance Thinking (HPT) and personal accountability for the attitude and actions that lead to better results. But what does that mean for you? Read on ...

 

In organizations with quantifiable measures in place, EffortQuest has had an indisputable impact on many different metrics, including: sales results (e.g., 18% increase in less than one year); accuracy and quality scores (e.g., 42% improvement) and business process improvement (e.g., 234%). In addition, our clients report anecdotal benefits on many levels including better attitude, improved teamwork and more creativity/innovation.

 

 

How long is the program?

The EffortQuest seven (7) module video program is scalable and flexible—each module is designed to be delivered in approximately 30 minutes (time includes video component & discussion breakouts). Two optional 15-minute exercises are provided for each module that drill a little deeper into the content and provide additional learning opportunities. The modules can be delivered separately over a period of time (e.g., one module per week over seven weeks) or they can be combined to accommodate any organizational need (e.g., a two-hour meeting or a half-day team retreat).

 

Who 'teaches' the program?

One of the reasons EffortQuest is so effective is the blended-learning approach we utilize to guarantee everyone hears a consistent message while still allowing the message to be task and/or job specific. All EffortQuest video content, concepts, tools and techniques are delivered by Higher Performance expert, Neil Dempster. The discussion break-outs are facilitated/moderated by the workgroup supervisor to ensure the discussion focuses on relevant and timely activities/goals/outcomes.

 

Is there a limit to the number of people in each EffortQuest session?

To encourage interaction and allow each person to have input during the discussion segments of the program, we suggest each session be limited to 10-12 people. When it is absolutely necessary to have greater numbers of participants in a session, we recommend breaking the group into smaller sub-groups (for the discussion segments) or incorporate a team-teaching format with multiple facilitators.

 

Can we customize the EffortQuest program?

The implementation strategy used by EffortQuest (see Who 'teaches' the program?) automatically incorporates organizational goals/priorities and task/job specific information making the program content both timely and relevant for the participant. In addition, several areas within the participant workbook are customized for each client (e.g., Mission and/or Value Statements, Annual Goals, letter from the CEO or Division Head, etc.).

 

What support materials does the facilitator/moderator receive?

One of the more powerful features of the EffortQuest program is the comprehensive support structure available to the facilitator/moderator. While we acknowledge the discussion break-outs within EffortQuest are the same types of discussions that should already be taking place between supervisors and their employees, we also realize that some supervisors lack training in this area or are uncomfortable with the process. For this reason, we have created a wide array of support materials to help supervisors engage their employees more effectively. Within a dedicated web site we include everything a person will need to facilitate/moderate the EffortQuest program, including: Communicating EffortQuest to Your Employees, Preparing to Deliver the EffortQuest Modules, Tips to Enhance Participant Learning, Dealing with the Challenging Participant, EffortQuest Manager's Cheat Sheet, and much, much more!

 

If you would like to preview the facilitator/moderator support web site, please contact your sales associate for a temporary access password.

 

The seven EffortQuest video modules are installed on your organization's intranet to allow easy access from any authorized computer.

 

In addition, one set of wall posters is provided to each manager implementing EffortQuest with his or her team. Each of the 10 different posters within the set reflects a message contained in the program and reinforces the behavioral components of a performance culture.

 

What support materials does the participant receive?

Each participant receives a 21-page workbook that mirrors the video content and provides space for notes, discussion points and action items. In addition, participants obtain access to the myEffortQuest.com support web site that contains sample templates and other productivity tools.

 

 

How do we purchase the EffortQuest system?

The tuition and materials fee is based on the number of employees who will be participating in the EffortQuest program and the number of supervisors/managers who will be certified as facilitators/moderators. There is currently no annual licensing fee.

 

We will be pleased to provide you with a proposal that meets your needs. Please contact your sales associate for details.

 

Can participant materials be shared or transferred to another individual?

No. Employees who participate in EffortQuest must each have a participant kit and workbook purchased for them. Because EffortQuest focuses on personal goals and accountability, each individual's take-aways will be unique so a personal workbook is necessary. This employee-specific workbook is also important because it will be an effective on-going resource for personal and professional growth as well as for coaching and mentoring situations.

 

Can we certify one of our internal people to deliver EffortQuest?

Because we utilize the workgroup supervisor/manager as a facilitator/moderator for the EffortQuest program, there is typically no need to certify additional people. However, there are occasions when an organization wants to provide an extra layer of support (e.g., representatives from HR or the training department) to assist supervisors when there is a unique situation (e.g., a large team reporting to one supervisor). To accommodate this need, we will provide train-the-trainer support to selected representatives within your organization. Because every organization is unique in how this will be accomplished, please let your sales representative know this is something you may be interested in.

 

Can we preview the EffortQuest program?

Absolutely! You can take a Quick Tour of the key elements of the seven EffortQuest modules if you want something fast and easy (under 4 minutes). For full on-line access to review several of the EffortQuest modules, please contact your sales associate for a user name/password.

 

I have additional questions! What do I need to do?

It's easy! Simply send us an email or contact us by telephone at (800) 932-0770 (North America toll-free). For specific contact information please see the Contact Us page.

EffortQuest Video Preview

Each EffortQuest module addresses the critical elements of higher performance with a unique combination of studio video, live presentations, and experiential exercises. The employee workbook and moderator-led team discussions and mini-breakout sessions ensure the message is timely and relevant for each individual.

 

Each of the seven EffortQuest modules has a unique theme and 'personality' and the magic is in the mix—each module builds on the previous with the overarching goal to increase employee commitment and accountability to the activities that lead to higher performance. The sample modules found below provide an excellent cross-section of the entire EffortQuest series.

 

Please keep in mind that the actual modules are produced in HD (high-definition) and installed on your organization's intranet, so the quality will be much higher than is available through this web site.

 

 

 

Video Title: EffortQuest Quick Tour

Total Run Time: 03:45 (mm:ss)

 

Module 'Quick Tour' Contents: This short video provides an overview of how the EffortQuest video is structured as well as a 'key element' review of each module.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Module Title: The Learning Never Stops!

Total Run Time: 17:59 (mm:ss)

 

Module Key Elements: Take charge of your learning; seek and embrace developmental feedback; stop looking for the 'quick & easy' answers; Think/Plan/Commit (TPC) problem-solving model; LEARNlinks© continuous learning template.

 

Think/Plan/Commit Action Steps: 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.

 

 

 

 

 

Module Title: The Results Formula

Total Run Time: 13:51 (mm:ss)

 

Module Key Elements: The Results Formula; to be incrementally better tomorrow than you are today; overcome 'auto-pilot' thinking; hammer/shoe process improvement exercise; results are not a function of what you know . . . results are a function of what you do with what you know.

 

Think/Plan/Commit Action Steps: This module focuses on helping individuals understand the relationship between their ability and effort, the systems component of their work, and the results they achieve. Individuals also learn how to use the Results Formula as a template for improved efficiency.

 

 

 

 

 

Module Title: Incremental Improvement (I²)

Total Run Time: 14:24 (mm:ss)

 

Module Key Elements: Continuous improvement model; measure yourself against your own previous performance; Incremental Improvement (I²); inch-by-inch goal-achievement system; Step It! worksheet.

 

Think/Plan/Commit Action Steps: This module helps employees strengthen the connection between their workplace activities/tasks and the Big R (goal, objective or outcome). They will also learn how to identify a Big R opportunity and complete the Step It! worksheet.

 

EffortQuest Wall Posters

A major ingredient of any successful culture shift is the amount of reinforcement people receive both during and after any intervention. One effective method to reinforce a message is through wall posters.

 

The EffortQuest posters are designed to be displayed in areas where employees will be constantly reminded of the behavioral components of a performance culture. At 11" x 17", they are large enough to make a solid impression while small enough to fit pretty much anywhere. Each of the 10 different posters reflects a message contained within the EffortQuest modules. One set of posters (10) is provided to each manager implementing EffortQuest with his or her team.

 

The slide-show viewer (below) displays each poster automatically. Use the controls at the top of the viewer to pause the display or change the display rate.

 

 

 
Move
Change is Inevitable!
  • Change is Inevitable!

    - Poster 1 -

    Change is inevitable!

  • Effort is NOT a Dimmer Switch

    - Poster 2 -

    Effort is NOT a dimmer switch!

  • Comfort Never Produced Greatness!

    - Poster 3 -

    Comfort never produced greatness!

  • The Results Formula™

    - Poster 4 -

    The Results Formula™

  • Inch by Inch . . . Everything's a Cinch

    - Poster 5 -

    Inch by inch ... everything's a cinch!

  • How Do You Want to Be Seen?

    - Poster 6 -

    Behaviors speak the truth!

  • Listen and Life Will Teach!

    - Poster 7 -

    Listen and life will teach!

  • You Determine Your Limits!

    - Poster 8 -

    Are you limited or limitless?

  • Think/Plan/Commit™

    - Poster 9 -

    Think ... Plan ... Commit!

  • The Effort Ticket™

    - Poster 10 -

    The Effort Ticket™


Change is Inevitable!
 
 

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